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Study: Greens gaining ground among car colors

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Design/Style

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray in Lime Rock Green

BASF has released its latest forecast of color trends, and there’s a bit of a shake up. The green color range is gaining in popularity, which is a welcome sign if you’re tired of the dominance of blacks, whites and silvers. According to Mark Gutjahr, BASF’s head of European design, “With new technologies, new models and new mobility concepts, a shift in values is on the horizon. In this context, green as the color of growth and a new beginning is playing a key role.”

Yes, green. This follows last year’s BASF trend report, which said we’d see more earthy tones on the cars of the future. The BASF study says green “stands for new values such as straightforwardness, responsibility and individuality.” While we don’t see anything nearly so deep in paint colors, there’s no debating that shades of green have been gaining in popularity. Formerly the realm of British cars, you can snag a shade of green on everything from a Ford Fiesta in Green Envy, to a Mustang in Gotta Have It Green to a Chevrolet Spark in Jalapeno. Even the all-new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray can be had sporting a deep Lime Rock Green.

BASF also hinted at the future of paint colors, mentioning matte shades, like that of our long-term Hyundai Veloster Turbo. Take a look below for the full press release from BASF.

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Greens gaining ground among car colors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Motopeds occupy muddy middle ground between moped and mountain bike [w/video]

Filed under: Videos, Motorcycle, Specialty, Off-Road

Motorized bicycles have been around for a long time, but it isn’t often that they’re as cool as the off-road-oriented contraption called the Motoped. Looking more like a skinny dirtbike with pedals than a mountain bike or moped, Motopeds mount a 50-155cc Honda XR50/CRF50 engine and swingarm to a custom frame with downhill mountain bike suspension components and brakes.

Being able to ride quietly on the sidewalk, switch on the four-stroke Honda engine (or similar Chinese design, if you’d like to go the cheaper route), then pretend you’re Ricky Carmichael for the rest of the way home sounds like great fun to us, but take note of your state’s laws before you do so. In California, for example, the two main laws in the vehicle code require motorized bicycles to have automatic transmissions and less than two brake horsepower to be legal. Also take not that the Motoped is a build-it-yourself ordeal after buying the frame, though the company supplies a parts list with many options depending on price range. If you’re interested, visit the company’s Kickstarter for a discounted price on the frame (as long as the Kickstarter goal is met).

Whatever motor is featured in the video below is the one we want – we have a strong feeling it has more than two horsepower. Or wait for the electric motor version, which is under development, says Motopeds spokesman Joe Rajakaruna.

Continue reading Motopeds occupy muddy middle ground between moped and mountain bike [w/video]

Motopeds occupy muddy middle ground between moped and mountain bike [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Video: Cadillac ATS getting shaken down on the proving ground

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Videos, Cadillac

ATS Spy Video

Cadillac ATS spied on GM’s proving grounds – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We’re likely a year away from the reveal of the Cadillac ATS, as the rumormill states that the rear-drive Caddy will likely go on sale in fall of 2012. We’ve seen plenty of spy photos of the sub-CTS Cadillac, as well, and now we’ve got a video that shows the entry-level ATS in motion.

The post-jump video, which comes courtesy of the folks at ATS Forums, appears to have been shot from the branch of a tree outside of General Motors’ proving grounds in Milford, Michigan. It’s difficult to see much in the video due to the heavy camo adorning the prototype, but we do see a more steeply raked windshield and a greenhouse that, compared to that of the CTS, appears to be a bit more rounded.

As an added bonus, the video shows a three second-long glimpse of the Buick Regal GS at the 1:34 mark. Hit the jump to take in the video for yourself. There may not be any audio, but there’s plenty to see.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Cadillac ATS or XTS?

[Source: YouTube via ATS Forums]

Continue reading Spy Video: Cadillac ATS getting shaken down on the proving ground

Spy Video: Cadillac ATS getting shaken down on the proving ground originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Praise the Lowered: Gilles says new Chrysler models to hug the ground

Filed under: Chrysler, Dodge, Design/Style

2011 Chrysler 200

2011 Chrysler 200 – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Ward’s Auto, we can expect more than a nice interior from future Chrysler products. It seems the automaker will be making a conscious effort to keep its vehicles closer to the ground in order to improve styling, fuel economy and handling. This revelation came after lining Dodge products up against the competition. Apparently, the company found that comparable products from rival automakers were generally lower than anything rolling out of the Pentastar den. For 2011, the automaker has moved to fix that, cranking out vehicles that have a lower center-of-gravity compared to their predecessors.

That includes products like the 2011 Dodge Durango, which uses a significantly lower front fascia than the Jeep Grand Cherokee specifically to nudge the vehicle’s fuel economy as high as possible. According to Ralph Gilles, senior vice president of product design, low-slung looks will come to dominate the company’s design language moving forward, especially as Chrysler begins to redraw models based on Fiat architecture in the near future. Don’t expect to hear us complain about the change, but off-roaders and those suffering from parking lot barrier scrapes might have a few things to say about it.

Gallery: 2011 Chrysler 200: First Drive

2011 Chrysler 200

[Source: Wards Auto]

Praise the Lowered: Gilles says new Chrysler models to hug the ground originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Ford’s Sync lose ground to Fiat’s Blue & Me?

Filed under: Technology, Ford, Fiat

It recognizes hundreds of voice commands. It will interface with your Bluetooth-enabled smart phone. It was co-developed with Microsoft. Sounds like Ford’s popular SYNC tech, right? Sure does, but it also smacks of Fiat’s Blue & Me system that has been in production in Europe since 2007. The technology will be available stateside when the tiny Fiat 500 goes on sale early in 2011. The cost? $500 in a base 500, and the system is standard on uplevel Sport and Lounge models.

Like the Fiat 500 itself, Blue & Me certainly sound compelling, but it’s one small niche product in a sea of cars, trucks and crossovers. Perhaps more significant is the fact that Fiat’s infotainment tech could be available in Chrysler products as early as 2012. And while B&M apparently doesn’t do everything as well as SYNC, it also carries some advantages of its own. For instance, 500 Sport and Lounge buyers can shell out an extra $400 for an optional Tom Tom navigation system that interfaces with the voice command system. Fiat also enables drivers to download their driving habits to a USB stick and load it to a website called Eco:Ville. The site will process the data and give drivers tips for more efficient driving.

So will Blue & Me become as popular as SYNC? Who knows, but at the very least it’s nice to see that competition for Ford’s system is on the way.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2011 Fiat 500

2011 Fiat 500

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Will Ford’s Sync lose ground to Fiat’s Blue & Me? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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