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Video: Watch Marc Gené hit the track in an Alfa Romeo 4C, then get the girl

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Alfa Romeo

Watch the Alfa Romeo get driven on track by Marc Gené.

Alfa Romeo has turned up the heat on its 4C ad campaign, and we can’t tell if it’s from the hot laps Formula 1 test driver and Le Mans racer Marc Gené did in the car or the hot woman waiting for him and his passenger when they pull off the track. It seems yet another trend has started, as seen in a recent video starring the KTM X-Bow.

In the commercial (the first video), Gené picks up who we are supposed to believe is a complete stranger in a lightly camouflaged 4C, then mysteriously drives to a race track. Upon arrival, they strip off the camo, then Gené takes a lap at wide-open-throttle with the passenger on board. Afterwards, the duo is greeted in the pits by a blonde sweetheart.

In the second video (which has an in-car view of one lap), Gené is happy to indulge in one, screeching powerslide, and the car reaches almost 132 miles per hour on the straightaway. Unfortunately, at the end of the straight, Gené says, “It breaks a lot. It really breaks…”

But don’t worry, there’s no crash to be seen here, and no broken-down Alfas, either – just some badly translated subtitles. (Of course! It brakes a lot…) See for yourself in the video below.

Continue reading Watch Marc Gené hit the track in an Alfa Romeo 4C, then get the girl

Watch Marc Gené hit the track in an Alfa Romeo 4C, then get the girl originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota to drop regular-cab Tacoma as small pickups take another hit

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Toyota

2013 Toyota Tacoma regular cab - white - front three-quarter view

Even as General Motors prepares to redesign its midsize pickups, the market for sub-fullsize trucks continues to shrink. The remaining competitors in the segment are the well-aged Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma, and now Truck Trend is reporting that the latter will be dropping its regular cab model due to poor sales.

According to the article, the available configurations for the Tacoma lineup will be whittled down in 2015, which apparently spells the end for the two-door Taco. The Tacoma is currently the last truck in its class to be offered in a regular cab configuration, with the Frontier no longer offering a standard cab model and spy shots of the next-gen Chevrolet Colorado not revealing any glimpse of a short cab, either.

Toyota to drop regular-cab Tacoma as small pickups take another hit originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Aug 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo to hit 60 mph in 2 seconds?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Nissan, Rumormill

Here’s your daily dose of incredulity – AutoExpress is reporting the 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo will hit 60 miles per hour in two seconds. Okay. The report comes from an unnamed source that AE spoke with at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and would mean that the GT-R Nismo, a car that will likely sit below $150,000, will be able to outsprint (over short distances) a 1200-horsepower, $2.58-million Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

Citing a more potent version of the GT-R’s twin-turbocharged V-6 along with a healthy drop in weight, AutoExpress says that the performance is the result of the same group that helped develop the Juke Nismo, Williams Advanced Engineering. An unnamed engineer for Williams (it’s not made clear if this is the same source from Goodwood) notes that there are improvements to be had “even with a car like the GT-R.”

As exciting as the GT-R Nismo is going to be, we’re having a hard time accepting that it will be able to hit 60 in two seconds flat, at least on street tires. What do you think? Have your say in Comments.

2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo to hit 60 mph in 2 seconds? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Euro car sales hit 20-year low in May

Filed under: Car Buying, Europe

Renault billboard

Automotive News Europe reports vehicle registrations in the European Union fell to 1.08 million in May. That’s down from 1.15 million a year earlier and marks the lowest number for any May since 1993. General Motors, Peugeot-Citroen, Fiat, Renault, Ford, Volkswagen and Audi all saw sales fall off last month, though Seat managed to increase its sales by a relatively heady 13 percent. Currently, analysts are predicting that the European automotive market will continue to contract through 2013, though may show signs of rebounding by the end of the year. From there, it may be a further five years before EU car sales recover to their pre-recession heights.

In Germany, new-car registrations fell by 10 percent in May. France suffered a similar fall while Italy saw a decline of eight percent and Spain suffered a dip of three percent. The UK, meanwhile, saw registrations climb by 11 percent. EU heads of state are currently looking for ways to reverse the region’s economic decline. Unemployment is now at 12 percent in the 17 countries that make up the European Union.

Euro car sales hit 20-year low in May originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford Taurus Police Interceptor to hit streets with 2013 updates

Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Work, Ford

2013 ford taurus

2013 Ford Taurus and 2012 Taurus Police Interceptor – Click either image for high-res gallery

2012 Ford Taurus Police Interceptor The Ford Crown Victoria has been such a valuable asset to police agencies around the U.S. that some municipalities have gone as far as to order extras. The reason? The Crown Vic will be retired at the end of 2011, with a replacement coming in the form of the Taurus Police Interceptor. But with the new 2013 Taurus being shown at the New York Auto Show and Ford already having shown a version of the cruiser based on the 2011 model, which version will the cops get?

USA Today reports that Ford product boss Derrick Kuzak says the Taurus PI will in fact be based off the 2013 model, which includes LED taillights and new front and rear fascias. Beyond cosmetic upgrades, the 2013 Taurus will also receive a 27-horsepower boost from the 3.5-liter V6 (to 290 hp) and an EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo that boasts highway fuel economy of 31 miles per gallon. The V6-powered EcoBoost Taurus SHO will continue to feature 365 hp.

Since the new Taurus PI will be a 2013 model, will it also offer all three powertrains? We’re thinking there might be a few police agencies that would be interested in a more fuel efficient cop car. A 2.0-liter EcoBoost model could save municipalities some bucks, but historically, most departments have shied away from the high-tech and smaller displacement in favor of the less complex and tried-and-true, so we’re not sure how well they’d fare in the marketplace. What are your thoughts? Have your say in Comments.

Gallery: 2013 Ford Taurus

2013 Ford Taurus

Gallery: 2012 Ford Police Interceptor

[Source: USA Today]

Report: Ford Taurus Police Interceptor to hit streets with 2013 updates originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL asks Toyota to edit helmet-to-helmet hit out of ad [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Safety, Videos, Toyota

Helmet-to-helmet hit

Toyota’s helmet-to-helmet hit – Click above to watch the video after the break

Anyone who’s managed to catch an NFL game or two this year is surely aware that the league is cracking down (with stiff fines and penalties) on the kinds of violent helmet-to-helmet hits that are likely to cause concussions to either the hitter of the hittee. And for good reason – the NFL and a number of independent organizations have found that such head injuries can be far more damaging over the long-term than once thought.

What does any of this have to do with automobiles? Glad you asked. Research into new helmet designs and technologies is currently underway, and, somewhat interestingly, Toyota has been able to provide data to some universities that’s valuable for both automotive safety research and for sports-related head injuries using its T.H.U.M.S. (Total HUman Model for Safety) injury-simulation software.

Sounds pretty good so far, no? Indeed, Toyota was so pleased with its contributions to safety that it highlighted them in an advertisement that aired during the Sunday slate of NFL games. Sadly, there was one wee little problem… the commercial showed one particularly violent helmet-to-helmet hit – the exact same kind of injury-causing instance the NFL is doing its best to distance itself from.

Not surprisingly, the NFL asked Toyota to do a little creative editing on the commercial. In other words, take out the offending hit or we’ll get our network partners to stop showing your advertisement. In the end, Reuters (via Yahoo) reports that Toyota begrudgingly obliged and altered its commercial appropriately. Score one for safety?

Check out the extended cut of the advertisement after the break.

[Source: Reuters via Yahoo]

Continue reading NFL asks Toyota to edit helmet-to-helmet hit out of ad [w/video]

NFL asks Toyota to edit helmet-to-helmet hit out of ad [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Next Bugatti Veyron to hit 270 mph

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Bugatti, Rumormill, Luxury

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Bugatti is reportedly beginning work on the next generation Veyron, and rumor has it that they’re looking to hit Ludicrous Speed. Okay, maybe it won’t go quite that fast, but with a target of 270 miles per hour, it figures to be pretty darn close.

According to AutoExpress, despite losing money on each one it builds, Volkswagen Group has no plans to watch its mighty hypercar fade away, and the next version will stick to the business of shattering perceptions of what a production car can do. Reportedly, the 8.0-liter W16 engine and its quad-turbo setup will return in a similar form as is employed in the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. However, the new car will head to the scales and produce a number far below what we see in current Veyron models. It will achieve this through more extensive use of lightweight alloys and carbon-composite materials.

If AE is reading its tea leaves correctly, the new warp-speed Bugatti Veyron to make an appearance sometime in 2013.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Rumormill: Next Bugatti Veyron to hit 270 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Have we hit ‘Peak Travel’? A new study seems to think so…

Filed under: Etc.

Traffic Jam in India

For many city dwellers, the daily commute is usually filled with the same tasks… gas-honk-brake, gas-brake-honk, honk-honk-punch, gas-gas-gas. America’s roads are filled and it’s hard to imagine them being clogged with an ever-increasing supply of vehicles and drivers. Going against the International Energy Agency, a team of researchers from California thinks we might have already hit “Peak Travel.”

Looking at data from 1970 up to 2008, Lee Schipper and Adam Millard-Ball believe that passenger travel peaked back in 2003. While the IEA predicts a passenger growth rate of 1.5 percent through 2030, that also means they have estimated fuel consumption and emissions based on a growing number of drivers on the road. Shipper and Millard-Ball believe we may be able to lower those estimates based on their initial findings. They also admit that more research is needed, but feel it’s a promising sign for the future.

The two examined data from six countries; the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden. If you’ve been paying attention to global trends for the last decade, you will notice two very big data points not on that list; India (shown in the photo above) and China. While it’s promising that we may not see more cars on the road, this study clearly doesn’t factor in the rapid changes taking place in these exponentially expanding markets. Thanks to all for the tips.

[Source: Wired | Image: Manish Swarup/AP]

Have we hit ‘Peak Travel’? A new study seems to think so… originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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23-year-old SC man hit by SUV playing real-life Frogger

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Safety, Lexus, Toys/Games

Frogger Frogger has claimed yet another victim. According to NBC affiliate WYFF 4, a 23-year-old man was taken to a hospital in Clemson, South Carolina after being struck by an SUV. Authorities say that Jimmy Dixon yelled “go” before attempting to dash across the intersection of Highway 123 and College Avenue at around 9 p.m. Monday. He didn’t get far before bouncing off of the front of a 2010 Lexus SUV.

Dixon was transported to Anderson Memorial Hospital where he remains in stable condition. In a refreshing dose of common sense, WYFF 4 NBC reports that the authorities have no intention of charging the driver of the SUV.

We can’t help but wonder how well Dixon would have fared against the flotilla of rolling logs, alligators and snapping turtles on the other side of the road had he made it across the highway. Here’s hoping he doesn’t try a repeat performance.

[Source: WYFF]

23-year-old SC man hit by SUV playing real-life Frogger originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playboy‘s 2011 Cars of the Year hit the casting couch

Filed under: Performance, Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2011 Playboy Car of the Year - Mercedes Benz SLS AMG

Are the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG’s gullwing doors just giant bunny ears? – Click above for high-res image gallery

We all know the story, and we’ve all used the line: we read Playboy for the articles. Somehow no one ever takes us seriously, but the fact of the matter is that Playboy is a men’s magazine with a wide readership and articles focusing on everything guys want to read about: sex, sports, politics and yes, even cars.

While you might think that with so many Bunnies hopping around the Mansion, the Volkswagen Rabbit would be the car of choice for Heff and company, they’ve actually put together their own comprehensive best-of selections again for 2011. The winner of the coveted Playboy Car of the Year? None other than the 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG seen above. You can check out the other award winners by clicking through the perfectly-safe-for-work gallery below. Think they’ve chosen wisely? Share your thoughts in our Comments section.

Gallery: Playboy’s 2011 Cars of the Year

Car of the Year: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Best Hybrid: Honda CR-Z Best Convertible: Porsche Boxster Spyder Best Sports Coupe: Cadillac CTS-V Best Bang for the Buck: Mazda 2

[Source: Playboy]

Playboy‘s 2011 Cars of the Year hit the casting couch originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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