2012 Porsche Cayman S Black Edition joins the dark side

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Porsche, Luxury

2012 Porsche Cayman S Black Edition

2012 Porsche Cayman S Black Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Porsche has just unveiled the newest addition to its stable: the 2012 Porsche Cayman S Black Edition. Along with that sinister paint scheme, the vehicle packs an extra 10 horsepower over the standard Cayman S and rolls on unique 19-inch Boxster Spyder wheels. That bumps the final pony figure up to 330 hp, which helps the vehicle scoot to 60 miles per hour in a scan 4.6 seconds.

Outside, all of the vehicle’s chrome accents have been painted black for the ultimate stealth look, and that theme carries on indoors. Black is the only available interior color, though brushed stainless steel and aluminum accents are littered throughout the cabin for a little flair. Even the gauges have been doused dark, and a Sport Design steering wheel is part of the package, too.

The Cayman S Black Edition toes the same line as the Boxster S and 911 Black Editions by offering the Porsche Convenience package as standard equipment. The 500 buyers lucky enough to sink their teeth into this model will be treated to adaptive bi-xenon headlights and rain-sensing wipers, among other kit, and navigation is standard, as well.

If you like what you see, Porsche will kindly ask for $67,500 for the pleasure of ownership. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

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2012 Porsche Cayman S Black Edition joins the dark side originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear presents its side of story about Tesla Roadster [w/video]

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Tesla, Electric

Tesla vs. Top Gear

Tesla vs. Top Gear – Click above to view Top Gear’s review after the jump

Tesla has gone to great lengths to publicize its libel suit against Top Gear for the program’s 2008 review of the Tesla Roadster. The suit claims that TG‘s review of the car was rigged, and its assertion that the car doesn’t work in the real world had been decided even before Clarkson drove the car.

Until now, there had been no response from the BBC or Top Gear, other than to say they would defend themselves. According to Top Gear producer Andy Wilman, it’s their policy to hold back any comment until the matter goes to court. Since Tesla has been so vocal about the case, though, Wilman decided to issue a response.

Wilman responds to Tesla’s claims that the show lied about the car’s brakes being broken, that its range is only 55 miles and that an overheated motor immobilized the car. Top Gear says the 55-mile range claim came from Tesla engineers who studied data gathered from the car after the test day. Wilman stands by his show’s claim that the brakes broke, saying a blown fuse in the vacuum pump made pedal effort abnormally high, and that Tesla wouldn’t let them continue the test until the problem was solved.

Whatever side of the matter you stand on, the facts of the case will have to shake out in court. The only thing that seems certain at this point is that the case will likely be long and messy. Click past the jump to see Top Gear‘s original review and draw your own conclusions.

[Source: Top Gear]

Continue reading Top Gear presents its side of story about Tesla Roadster [w/video]

Top Gear presents its side of story about Tesla Roadster [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hot Wheels holds 3D race on side of historic Aussie building

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Australia

Hot Wheels 3D Ad

Hot Wheels 3D advertisement – Click above to view video after the jump

Hot Wheels teamed up with an Amsterdam-based company called Muse Digital to create a 3D commercial that can be projected onto buildings. In this case, Hot Wheels had Muse make them a 3D, computer-generated race between four of its iconic models.

The race was projected onto the side of the historic Sydney Customs House. So advanced are the projected 3D graphics that the building appears to get destroyed throughout the course of the race, as familiar orange track bursts through the walls and a number of other calamities ensue.

The video itself is pretty campy, but the technology behind it is seriously cool. Click past the jump to see the clip in its entirety.

[Source: YouTube via MotorworldHype]

Continue reading Video: Hot Wheels holds 3D race on side of historic Aussie building

Video: Hot Wheels holds 3D race on side of historic Aussie building originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia K9 sedan spied, upscale cues include Maserati-style side vents

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Kia, Luxury, South Korea

Kia K9 – Click above for image gallery

Remember the proposed Kia K9 luxury sedan? Apparently, it’s a reality, as spy shots of the Kia flagship have hit a web forum in Korea. As you can see, the K9’s camouflage (which sneakily includes Hyundai Genesis wheels) doesn’t obscure a set of Maserati Quattroporte-style fender ports. Just how upmarket is Kia shooting with this? Well, according to the tipster who sent them to us, the K9 is expected to slot into the market space between the Hyundai Genesis and Equus sedans.

If those two are anything to go on, Kia might be on to something. From these photos, it looks like the K9 will not only sport Quttroporte-referencing vents along its fenders, but long, angular headlights and a protruding grille, leaving impressions of the BMW 5 Series and Jaguar XJ – lofty benchmarks, indeed. Thanks for the tip, K7!

Gallery: Kia K9 out and about

Kia K9 front disguisedKia K9 read disguisedKia K9 mirrorKia K9 wheelKia K9 headlight

[Source: Bobaedream.co.kr]

Kia K9 sedan spied, upscale cues include Maserati-style side vents originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ride the globe with the Honda CBR250R side scroller

Filed under: Honda, Toys/Games, Motorcycle

Honda CBR250R game

Honda wants to ramp up the buzz around its flingable new 2011 CBR250R, and rather than dumping a pile a of YouTube videos onto the web, the company has unleashed a side-scrolling Flash game, TouringGlobe. The rules are simple: Players pick a bike livery and avatar before heading out to “ride” around the world. Unlike other flash games, you don’t actually control your bike, per se. You can speed up or slow down, but the motorcycle more or less continues on regardless of your interactions.

It’s not thrilling by any means, especially considering that no matter how hard you try, you can’t outrun the other riders playing the game at the same time. Maybe they weigh less than we do. If you’ve got a few seconds to kill and feel like seeing some bizarre backgrounds (as shown above) you can point your browser in this direction.

[Source: Honda via Asphalt and Rubber]

Ride the globe with the Honda CBR250R side scroller originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: China’s crazy double-decker side-by-side car transporter

Filed under: China, Etc., Videos

Chinese automotive transport double-decker dual-car loader

Side-by-side double-decker car transporter – Click above to watch video after the jump

Need to carry multiple cars across a long distance in one shot? What if the amount of cars you want to carry exceeds the capacity for your standard automotive transport truck? China apparently has a solution, and it comes in the form of a dual-deck transporter, which is capable of carrying cars side-by-side on its upper load level.

This unconventional piece of heavy machinery was caught on film and it appears almost majestic in the way it rumbles down the road, but we’re quite sure we don’t want to be driving around it when it takes a corner with an excess of speed. Hop the jump to watch a short clip of this beast in action.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: China’s crazy double-decker side-by-side car transporter

Video: China’s crazy double-decker side-by-side car transporter originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lotus versus Lotus: Chapman’s son picks a side

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Lotus

Lotus GP

Lotus Renault F1 – Click above for high-res image gallery

We can quit wondering where the Chapman family stands on the whole Lotus F1 debacle. Colin Chapman’s son, Clive, has announced that he and the rest of his clan are firmly behind Group Lotus, which has just announced a merger with Renault F1. The two will campaign under the Lotus Renault GP Team next season. In a statement, Clive Chapman said that Group Lotus is the true successor of the racing team that Colin and Hazel Chapman created way back when. That sound? That’s Team Lotus quietly sobbing in the corner.

Team Lotus has laid claim to the rights to the Lotus racing name thanks to a deal with David Hunt. Hunt held the rights to the moniker and sold them to the race team that competed in the 2010 F1 season, so there’s a bit of a dustup over who exactly should be able to compete under the Lotus flag. While there appears to be no resolution on the horizon any time soon, at least we know where the Chapmans themselves stand.

[Source: Inside Line]

Lotus versus Lotus: Chapman’s son picks a side originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Land Rover LR4 Landmark edition discovers its darker side

Filed under: SUV, Land Rover, Diesel, Luxury, Off-Road

Land Rover Disco 4 Landmark

Land Rover Discovery 4 Landmark – Click above for high-res image gallery

While Land Rover made a splash in Los Angeles with the new five-door Evoque, back in its native UK, the company was casting a white light and a dark shadow over the go-anywhere Discovery 4/LR4.

Presented as the new Landmark edition, the special Disco can be ordered in either Santorini Black or Fuji White with coordinating interior in either ebony or ivory – the latter being offered for the first time in a Discovery. To complement the stark exterior color, Land Rover has also given the grille, roof rails and 20″ alloys a darker finish and fitted it with tinted glass.

The Discovery 4 Landmark is powered by a twin-turbo diesel V6, and comes packed with all the features you’d expect from a Land Rover, plus a little touch of the exclusive. Details in the press release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.

Gallery: Land Rover Discovery Landmark Edition

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading Land Rover LR4 Landmark edition discovers its darker side

Land Rover LR4 Landmark edition discovers its darker side originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: The Toyota Prius has a dirty side after all – manufacturing

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

There are plenty of revelations in the annual sustainability report recently released by Toyota. By and large, the company is as ecologically-minded as a multi-national corporation can be, but as we’ve touched on before, not everything is as squeaky clean as it could be. The Toyota Prius has earned itself as one of the greenest vehicles on the road – a perception that the company’s report confirmed by detailing the fact that over its lifetime, the Prius is likely to emit much less carbon dioxide than other comparable vehicles.

Unfortunately, that truth is offset a bit by the fact that the vehicle performs marginally worse than average when it comes to the emissions generated to build hybrid. Specifically, Toyota cranks out extra nonmethane hydrocarbons and particulate matter, thanks specifically to the manufacturing of the car’s electric motor and battery pack. Those two pieces require larger amounts of energy and materials, snagging the Prius lower than average ratings across all five manufacturing emissions categories.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2009 AOL
[Source: Automotive News]

Study: The Toyota Prius has a dirty side after all – manufacturing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer Reports picks side in V6 pony car wars

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Ford

2011 Ford Mustang V6 first drive

2011 Ford Mustang V6 – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’ve found yourself stuck on the fence between the sultry styling of the Chevrolet Camaro V6 and the downright impressive sports car performance of the Ford Mustang V6, Consumer Reports may just have something to help you make up your mind one way or the other. Those responsible for some of the most aggressive consumer testing in the industry have awarded the Blue Oval a ‘Very Good’ road test score while the Bowtie was saddled with a mere ‘Good’ rating. The testers went so far as to say that picking the six-pot in the Mustang didn’t take too much away from the car’s fun factor, while doing the same in the Camaro did.

That’s no surprise to us. We felt the six-cylinder Mustang was fit enough to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Nissan 370Z and Hyundai Genesis Coupe in our recent Battle of the Sixes – something we wouldn’t have even bothered to try with the Camaro, let alone the Dodge Challenger.

Consumer Reports also said that the Mustang is ‘Recommended’ by the company, but the Camaro is too new to have accurate reliability data. Hit the jump for the press release.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Ford Mustang V6

Gallery: The Joy of Six: 2010 Chevy Camaro V6 RS

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips and Alex Núñez / AOL

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Continue reading Consumer Reports picks side in V6 pony car wars

Consumer Reports picks side in V6 pony car wars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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