Fast Cars

The latest victim of Audi headlight theft is Dan G. of JP, who lost his A4 lights in his own driveway.

That's his Audi King Lear on the left. Sorry, Dan. I know it sucks.

Well, what Marcus Gronholm really wants is a win at the Propecia Rally of New Zealand April 8-10, but he would like to focus on getting a podium finish. Two crashes in the first two rallies and an admitted conservative run that assured him a second in Mexico has cost the double world champion many driver’s points. Gronholm is comfortable with the New Zealand course, but maybe not so assured about the 307’s new suspension adjustments.

After BAR Honda retired two healthy race cars and Ferarri one car during the Australian Grand Prix (so that the teams could run fresh engines during round 2 of the FIA World Championship @ Sepang), the FIA has announced a rule clarification to close this loophole.

Here is the latest Nascar.com coupon. Use coupon code: NASCAR1075 for $10 off orders of $100 or more. Expires 2-28-2005.

F1 Grand Prix for the PSP: Formula one racing on the PSP, and one of the 24 launch titles for the PSP a week later.

Sales of passenger cars also achieved all-time record breaking results with 136,130 units reported, an increase of 7 percent over 2003 sales of 126,820 units. The Lexus flagship LS 430 premium luxury sedan continues to be the segment leader with record sales of 32,272 units, up 34.6 percent over 2003. The ES 330 was the entry luxury sedan sales leader with 75,916 units sold, an increase of 15.1 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Sell-down of the GS mid-luxury sports sedans continued on schedule with 8,262 units sold. The all-new 2006 GS 300 and GS 430 arrive at Lexus dealerships late next month with an official on-sale date of March 1.

I'm ready to experience this...

The Richard Petty Driving Experience

for the longest time, I hated driving. In fact, I think the only time I liked to drive was when I was in Germany. It was a very odd sensation to want to drive places, but driving on the Autobahn and even in crazy European traffic was nice. I really looked forward to driving places and the driving experience was something very unique. I came back to the States and, again, I hated driving. Then I got the Mini...

Ever since I got this car, I've enjoyed driving again, even in the ridiculous DC traffic. I think the Germans really have something in their car-making philosophy. Driving the Mini is fun and an experience in itself. They really do take consideration of the entire driving experience when engineering their cars. At least that's what I am thinking. For those of you who don't know, the Mini is now built by BMW.

One of the important factors that insurance companies take into account is of course your vehicle. There are thousands of different cars on the road so companies divide them up into groups. Most companies will adopt the ABI (Association of British Insurers) group rating. This splits up vehicles into 20 different groups. Generally speaking the higher the group rating for your vehicle, the higher your premium will be. Some companies may also combine your driving experience with the vehicle group to get a better idea of how high the risk is. This is one of the reasons why young drivers should consider buying a lower group car if they want to lower their insurance cost.

This website: Progressive has videos of actual Crash Tests on various kinds of family cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, luxury cars, etc. by year.

Do not try this at home…

The one thing I hate about satellite radio antennas is how much they stick out like a sore thumb. Here you are with your brand new Terk XMicro2 or XM Roady Micro Antenna, and it looks like crap against your beautiful car. Enter Color Match Antenna.

Someone at Toyota’s Scion division has been watching too much Buck Rogers. The inside of the new T2B concept car unveiled at last week’s New York Auto Show is half slick, half sci-fi nightmare, featuring a multimedia dashboard that presents information in ticker tape format. It also provides access to movies and games that can be projected onto the rear glass, plus music downloads via the internet (EV-DO?).

In recent years, BMW's reputation has taken somewhat of a hit for the controversial "flame surfacing" being incorporated onto the exteriors of its newest sedans. So loud and persistent was the criticism that BMW used a more conservative styling for its upcoming 2006 3 series sedan, the previous generation already accounting for over 40% of the German automaker's sales. What we now have is an evolutionary rather than revolutionary design that personally I find appealing, though not as sexy as the outgoing model.

I like seeing the different cars over here, particularly the tiny tiny cars. Also, I've always been struck by the different offerings by Ford. Ford's Street Ka is eye-candy to anyone who enjoys sports cars. It's a small knockoff of Audi's TT convertible. I saw one parked across the street from this showroom, but it's top wasn't down.

Now, the former Puff Daddy is going into the auto parts business - and it's all about the wheels. Combs is joining forces with a Kansas City manufacturer to produce a new line of custom, precision-forged aluminum rims for sports trucks, luxury SUVs and high-end American- and German-made automobiles.

The 50-50 joint venture between Combs' Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and Kansas City's Weld Wheel Industries Inc. was announced Thursday at the New York International Auto Show. SJC Wheels LLC will produce and sell "Sean John Wheels," named for the entertainer. They hit stores next month, retailing at between $700 and $3,000 each.

As the preparations continue apace and teams start arriving for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, Bahrain International Circuit officials have confirmed that there has been a huge increase in demand for tickets as the race weekend approaches.

The recent increase in interest for race tickets has been heightened by the result of the races in Australia and Malaysia. “It’s a long time since Michael Schumacher and the Ferrari team haven’t figured in the opening races of the season,” said Circuit General manager Martin Whitaker.

Ted Christopher, of Plainville, Conn., was far from home Saturday at Caraway Speedway, yet returned to a very familiar location: victory lane. Christopher, a star driver on the northeastern-based NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, won the inaugural event for the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, leading a trio of northeastern Modified drivers who also finished in the top 10. New Jersey’s Jamie Tomaino finished third while Bath, N.Y. driver Alex Hoag finished sixth.

Rookie Reed Sorenson raced to his first NASCAR Busch Series victory Saturday, beating Kenny Wallace by a whopping 14.417 seconds in the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway.

"I didn't really know what to expect this weekend," Sorenson said. "I never had run on a concrete track before so I just tried to keep an open mind. We had a good car and I thought we could run the same lap, lap after lap, but I had no idea we'd be this dominant. Now we need to come back here in June and defend the title.

Scott Speed tested with the Red Bull Formula One team this week, posting the fastest times of all the drivers and increasing his chances of making his debut at the sport. The American finished faster than Williams' Nick Heidfeld and Antonio Pizzona, and Red Bull's Neel Jani in Thursday's testing. Only Red Bull and Williams chose to test in Barcelona this week. “The car is definitely the most powerful car I've ever driven,” Speed said. “This test all went smoothly with no dramas. My first impression was ‘wow!’ The braking power particularly impressed me.”

One new feature of the Solstice is that you won’t need a transmitter or cassette adapter to listen to your iPod through the sound system. Its radio includes an auxiliary input jack for an iPod or other audio source. The radio will also come standard in the Chevrolet HHR, Impala and Monte Carlo, the Saturn Vue and Ion, the Buick Lucerne and the Cadillac DTS. There’s an interesting discussion of it at Autoblog. Tell us what you think of the podcast and the radio.

Some news broke today about a reshuffling of our product plan, and I just want to clear one thing up before people get carried away.

Yes, we have canceled our plans to build rear-wheel-drive vehicles off the Zeta architecture. But that does not mean we've canceled plans to build rear-drive vehicles altogether.

We did not cancel the Zeta plans to save money, or to divert funds elsewhere that would've been used for product development.

Vintage racing is one of the fastest-growing forms of motorsports competition out there, thanks in part to its unique ability to present classic cars in motion on the race track, just as they might have been 20, 30 or more years ago.

There is one small difference, however: it's now some decades later, and these cars are, well, old. That changes the game a bit. If you're are going to head out and start mixing it up in a 30-year-old sports car, first you need to make sure that it's safe and up to modern safety standards.

For illustrative purposes, we'll be preparing our 1957 Triumph TR3 for vintage racing. While this car was raced in SCCA competition back in the '50s and '60s, nearly all of the safety equipment needs to be brought up to modern standards.

Their creation — a ceramic honeycomb that oxidizes auto emissions — has kept an estimated 3 billion tons of toxic pollutants out of the atmosphere over the last 30 years.

“People don’t realize how bad it was when millions of cars were spewing out deadly fumes,” said retired engineer Rodney Bagley. “Many of the cities were almost unbreathable” in the 1960s.

The soda can-sized device developed by Bagley, Irwin Lachman and Ronald Lewis at Corning Inc. in 1972 and 1973 made air pollution control practical for the first time. Its paper-thin walls were coated with precious-metal catalysts that turned lung-choking gases streaming through automotive exhausts systems into water vapor, nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

President Bush awarded each of the men a National Medal of Technology during a ceremony Monday at the White House.

I think we can say that the Oprah Winfrey Pontiac G6 Giveaway worked for Oprah but not Pontiac. There is alot of hubbub over a Detroit Free Press article today that says G6 sales are 30% below expectations and they are using a lot of incentives to move them now. It must have made the wire services because I heard the story on the radio this morning. The giveaway was PR that GM hoped with turn into word of mouth marketing. It got people talking about how Oprah gave away cars (Jim Carrey joked about it when he was on the show). It really didn't get anyone talking about the car. As a matter of fact, an audience member tried selling theirs on craigslist.

Teaming up with Donald Trump, General Motors Corp. vice-chairman Bob Lutz made a lightning fast introduction of the 440-hp Cadillac XLR-V. "It's one of the highest performing premium sports cars in the world and the fastest Cadillac ever," said Lutz, prior to a light-hearted exchange with New York's charismatic billionaire real estate developer.

Whether they're concept cars or production models, the new autos making their debut this week underscore a trend toward the merging of autos and computers. Carmakers have long placed electronics under the hood, where they monitor emission controls or help operate safety features such as air bags. Recently, however, more electronics have worked their way to the cars' surface--in this case the dashboard--as carmakers turn to technology to differentiate new models, gain fuel savings and offer new types of entertainment systems.

Features such as Apple Computer's iPod music player connectors and satellite radio receivers, both of which introduce ways to listen to music, are becoming popular in new models as manufacturers compete for customers.

At the same time, hybrids use numerous laptop PC-like batteries, and cars such as BMW's 3-Series offer graphical interfaces to control many of their functions.

A close-up look inside Toyota's upcoming Lexus RX400h gasoline-electric hybrid SUV.

Nationwide, the cost of auto insurance is expected to rise by just 1.5 percent in 2005, the smallest increase in five years, according to the Insurance Information Institute.

The average cost for auto insurance nationwide for 2005 is estimated at $870, an increase of $13 per vehicle from last year, reports the I.I.I. The projected increase represents a continued slowdown from 2004, when auto insurance costs rose by just 2.8 percent, said Robert Hartwig, senior vice president and chief economist of the I.I.I.

“The price of auto insurance is increasing by little more than one-half the rate of inflation,” Hartwig said. “Many people who, for example, drive safe cars, have excellent safety records and good credit-based insurance scores may see their rates go down.”

Hartwig cited the declining number of auto accidents, safer cars, new auto theft technology and fraud-fighting efforts as key factors behind the trend.

Every time we come up with something we think is *so* cool, our trusty tipsters trump us. Today’s tip: the Vortex hand-crank blender, which some believe is a better product than the Lehman’s one we featured yesterday. We’ll leave that up to you to decide, but here are the Vortex’s vitals: compact add lightweight (it’s base stores in the pitcher for convenience), made of Lexan, two-speed gear system works as an ice crusher or a food processor, and an ergonomic hand-crank. Hee haw. Thanks for the tip Brian B! At $69.95, it’s cheaper, too.

The Sports Car DVD Player. Five inch colour screen, remote, built in amp and speakers, MP3 capable. Man, there’s some seriously weird people out there! »249.99.

A really cool DVD player that will look absolutely fantastic in any desk or bedroom situation. Pop out the front bumper & insert the DVD. Pop up the boot to reveal the screen, press play & watch crystal clear DVD films.It so cool it’’s almost frozen!

American drivers want more power. Asian drivers want more power. Even European drivers want more power. There comes a point, however, where you just can't put any more power through the drive train of a front wheel drive vehicle. Get too much over 200 horses, and torque steer becomes a serious problem. For automakers looking to sell more, and more powerful, cars with big power plants and fat profit margins (like the drool-worthy RWD Chrysler 300C), they have to switch back to Rear Wheel Drive platforms.

All that power comes at a price, too. Not just in developing fancier engines, but also in keeping emissions down and fuel economy up. And, oh yeah – beefier frames to handle all the high-powered stress. In short, if an automaker wants to increase, or even maintain, its profits and market share, it has to be in the game right now.

As already mentioned, Chrysler is already playing, and playing well. Ford, except for the new Mustang (ten years late, if you ask me), seems to have given up the fight. The Ford Five Hundred is a fine car, but bland and underpowered. Chevy is trying, really trying, with a slew of sporty SS models – but not one of them compares to sportier near-lux models from their Japanese competitors. In fact, the Japanese are so far ahead, they now have their sites set on dethroning BMW's venerable 3-series.

Fact is, if you want a performance sedan, you aren't looking at Ford at all, and the pickings aren't terribly much better at GM.

I don't know what the solution is to GM's problems, but I do know that delaying new RWD models is not the answer.

Jinba Ittai, a Japanese phrase that translates to "the rider and horse as one," has been the focus of the MX-5 Miata concept since its inception, and is the purest essence of Mazda's Zoom-Zoom spirit. Oneness is the cornerstone of the Jinba Ittai driving experience and occurs when the boundaries between driver and vehicle melt away and create one single being. Essentially, Jinba Ittai is a celebration of the simple delights of driving a lightweight, nimble, open-air roadster, and anyone who has driven a Miata knows the feeling.

Aki Tsukioka, writing for JCNN, reported that Toyota Motor announced on March 22 the nationwide launch of two new hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs), the Harrier Hybrid and the Kluger Hybrid. Both models are equipped with Toyota Hybrid System II (THS II), a high-power system newly developed around the concept of Hybrid Synergy Drive that represents the fusion of ecology and power.

The German motoring organisation, ADAC, the largest in Europe, will teach advanced handling skills using British MG sports cars, ahead of some mighty German competition. It will use a fleet of 100 MG ZR hot hatch cars at its 60 training centres around the country. Drivers will learn the safe way to handle a high performance car, on ADAC’s purpose-built handling areas, which simulate difficult driving conditions such as heavy rain, ice and snow.

Channel five is to become the first TV download shop by giving viewers the opportunity to download DVD-quality clips of popular car show Fifth Gear. You won’t be able to downlad whole episodes, but petrolheads will be able to download snippets of things like the BMW 1 series and the race between the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Ducati 999 for »1.50 each. It will also provide program features such as reviews of 12 cars and 'shoot-outs', which involve races between two similar vehicles.

By purchasing a used car you can save a lot of money. You could buy a model that you may not be able to afford brand new. However, buying a used car is still a bit of a gamble as there is no guarantee that the car has not been in an accident, has real mileage, and was properly maintained. There may be some hidden problems like a worn out automatic transmission, or engine problems that may not have been obvious when you test-drove the car. Here are some essential facts you should consider before buying a second-hand car so you won't regret your decision after your purchase.

Mio Technology Ltd., a leading worldwide vender of GPS Pocket PC’s, today introduced the Mio136 GPS navigation system to North America as part of a worldwide launch. The new device is a straightforward, easy-to-use GPS navigation system combined with an extensive street atlas of the North American continent and Hawaii in a sleek silver palm-sized chassis. Incurring no setup fees or monthly charges and reasonably priced, the Mio136 is a perfect aftermarket option for automobile owners without today’s expensive built-in GPS systems, yet is ideal for those who are on-the-go or on foot as well.

A lot of surprises were in store for the Formula-1 fans as the first two races of the new season saw Ferrari failing to continue their dominating form of last couple of years. Critics may claim this is due to the fact that the Italian Sports Car manufacturer has yet not launched their 2005 model car until now. The point remains that there is a new force emerging in the Formula-1, which might upstage Michael Schumacher and Ferrari for the first time in many years.

Spearheading this new generation of drivers is the Renault’s 23-year-old prodigy Fernando Alonso. Alonso became the youngest-ever driver to grab pole position and then finishing the race in third for his first-ever podium way back in the year 2001. And since then he has been leading the Renault’s efforts on the Formula-1 circuit.

Rising U.S. gasoline prices are hurting sales of large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, according to some industry analysts, a trend that could stall a major engine of profits for Detroit’s automakers.

The gas-thirsty, full-sized SUV segment lost 1.2 percentage points of U.S. market share over the last two months and large pickups were down about 2 percentage points, according to Edmunds.com, which tracks the industry. Fuel-efficient compact cars, on the other hand, gained 2.2 percentage points of market share in the same period.

Aviva Insurance has announced that it is launching “pay as you go” car insurance in Canada. These types of programs, which have been launched elsewhere, are based on the notion that data collected by a “black box” installed in the car can, if the driver qualifies, entitle the driver to considerable discounts. Tyler Hamilton reported on the program in The Toronto Star today - details on the Aviva program are in his story, details on others are here, here and here, and discussions of car manufacturer “black box” data collection are here, here, here and here.

When people talk about race cars, or high-performance sports cars, the topic of turbochargers almost always comes up. Turbochargers use some very cool technology to make an engine more powerful, but the concept is really quite simple. Find out how turbos increase the speed.

The Subaru global brand philosophy expressed as "Think. Feel. Drive." encompasses the company's commitment to the customer experience and the way only Subaru designs and builds cars creating a category of one. "Think" focuses on differentiating the brand from the perspective of what drivers and passengers need in technology, style, value and service. "Feel" is about sensitivity to the ride and the environment. It is about the emotional connection that begins with engineers and designers and extends from car to driver. "Drive" is a focus on both the Subaru driving experience and the dedication to quality inside and out. Together, these words encompass the Subaru experience and commitment so many Subaru owners have come to appreciate.

Since the 1994 victory, much has changed at Dauer as attention focused from street legal racecar to civilized roadcar. To create each one of these cars, Dauer takes an original Porsche-made 956/962 and strips the car. A completely new carbon fiber/kevlar body is then made along with a very tight leather interior . When finished, the owner receives a car which has a race history at the top level of motorsport and is also ready to drive on local streets.

A major development has been the introduction of several electro-hydraulic systems into the car. While equipped with pneumatic doors and rear engine cover, one of the most important changes is a hydraulic suspension to raise and lower the car. This was manditory as the 962, in standard trim, is far too low to meet the ride height necessitated by German law.

“The Nissan Sport Concept, like the AZEAL and Actic before it, is first and foremost a showcase of future thinking, yet it is also a car that would be right at home in Nissan showrooms in the not-too-distant future,” said Collins. “Nissan has a strong global lineup of compact enthusiast vehicles, including the March, Cube, Tiida, Note and Sentra SE-R, and, in the Nissan 350Z, one of the world’s most desirable sports cars. The new Nissan Sport Concept fuses the best of both worlds.”

Peyman said weather forecasts for snow to continue Saturday morning will have plowing continuing today. The weekend work will result in the department employees being paid overtime wages and increasing the department's snowplowing costs this winter.

Heavy snowfall discourages people from traveling, but not as many as it used to, Peyman noted.

"People don't want to stay at home, even when roads are bad," he said. "People have four-wheel-drive vehicles and sports utility vehicles and they think they can get anywhere."

Carl Edwards drove to his first NASCAR Busch Series victory Saturday, holding off several Nextel Cup stars in the Aaron's 312 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Edwards, who spent most of 2004 in the Craftsman Truck series, moved up to Roush Racing's Nextel Cup team late in the season. He had five top-five finishes in 13 races.

Tony Stewart finished second and Jimmie Johnson third as Nextel Cup regulars claimed the top nine positions. Michel Jourdain Jr. was 10th, making him the top finisher among drivers who compete exclusively in the Busch Series.

Fernando Alonso won the Malaysian Grand Prix here Sunday to give Renault back-to-back Formula One victories, and Jarno Trulli captured a maiden podium position for Toyota.

Alonso's teammate, Giancarlo Fisichella, crashed out, taking Mark Webber of Williams with him, and Michael Schumacher, the seven-time world champion, collected his first points of 2005 with a seventh-place finish for Ferrari.

General Motors has announced plans to introduce an auxiliary input jack and an auxiliary channel on new radios coming to the Chevy HHR and GM vehicles later this year. The auto maker said that the input jack will simplify connecting Apple iPods and other music players.

The radios with auxiliary input jacks will debut in late spring, and will be standard equipment on the 2006 model year Chevy HHR -- a new SUV/car hybrid design -- as well as the Chevy Impala and Monte Carlo; Saturn Vue and Ion; Pontiac Solstice; Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS. GM plans to offer the radios on other new models over the next several years.

Autoweek, to which you really must subscribe if you are interested in cars, highlights yet another new Porsche, the Panamera. It looks like a 928 crossed with a Mercedes CLS, but doesn't have anything in common with an old prototype of similar name, the 1989 Panamericana, or much to do with the cross-country races of the 1950s. It will be Porsche's first modern four-door car (the Cayenne is a truck).

Edmunds has a spy photo of the long-rumored Porsche Boxster coupe. Supposedly now scheduled for the 2006 model year. Looks great. Goes on the car lust list.

The only problem with Nyko's decision to release an iPod accessory called the Universal Car Mount ($29.99) is the natural disbelief it inspires: it can't really be universal, right? It probably doesn't work with some iPod, or with some car? Thankfully, we were pleasantly surprised with the answers to both questions: it's a highly compatible and well-built iPod mounting accessory.

Ryan Newman extended his record for consecutive poles at Atlanta Motor Speedway, winning his fifth in a row with a dominating run Friday night.

Newman, who's won every pole at Atlanta since the 2003 spring race, turned a lap at 194.690 miles per hour on the 1.54-mile tri-oval.

Newman couldn't help but notice the here-we-go-again reaction when he got to the infield media center.

"I used to come in here as a rookie and everyone would be like, 'What's a rookie doing winning the pole,'" Newman quipped. "Now it's like it's no big deal."

What Bentley's new two-door delivers is a blend of top-line luxury and incredible performance. With its twin-turbo, 6-liter W-12 pumping out a thrilling 551 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, the Continental GT is among the dozen or so fastest and most powerful vehicles on the road.

Yet for those who expect Bentley to be synonymous with bespoke, the new car won't disappoint. Like the massive Arnage, it boasts some of the most elegant woodworking ever put on the road, each car requiring 20 hours of skilled craftwork to complete the carefully honed and polished matching pieces. That's more time than it takes many mass manufacturers to build an entire car. All told, each GT involves 200 man-hours of labor. Equal care goes into preparing the car's leather, which uses as many as 17 matched hides. Even the steering wheel cover is hand-finished, a task requiring no less and no more than 234 eye-crossing stitches.

The XK is one of the most underappreciated high-end sports coupes on the market, and I'm not really sure why. Jaguar build and ride quality has always been of the highest caliber (save for the Ford merger, but that's another story) but the XK just doesn't get the play of cars like the Mercedes SL and the M3. Through some linking on other sides, I stumbled upon what appears to be an authentic picture of the 2006 Jag XK model, and I have to say that it's the nicest looking coupe I've seen in a very long time.

Beth from Mutated Monkeys is looking for a car. She commented here that, "If I've learned nothing else today, it's that all of the cars I'm considering have some kind of downside."

She's exactly right. All cars do. Everything is a trade-off: reliability, economy, size, performance, equipment levels, price. So there's always a downside.

If it's big enough, it probably gets bad fuel economy. If it's fast, it probably isn't big. If it's cheap, it likely isn't well-made. And so on. It's a complicated matrix. No auto maker has managed to cover all the points. That would be the perfect car.

Of course, money is the one thing that can be traded-off for gains in all the other areas. Almost always. Some very expensive cars are spacious, fast, reliable, stylish and good in bad weather. Think Lexus LS430, for example. Not my first choice in that segment, but one I've never heard a bad word about.

The first correct entry drawn at random from all eligible entries will win the prize of a driving experience day. The prize will consist of:

Greg Biffle is the kind of driver who believes he should win every time he gets into his race car. When he fails, he doesn't hesitate to point fingers. So imagine how Biffle felt when he failed to qualify in his first Nextel Cup visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"I was devastated," Biffle said Saturday of his 2003 failure. "I have won here before, and now I can't even qualify for the Cup race? But the truth is we just didn't bring a good car, we just didn't have the equipment and it was an awful realization."

Biffle is back at Las Vegas two years later as one of the favorites to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 on Sunday. He comes into the event on what he calls the hottest streak of his career winner of two of NASCAR's last three points races, dating back to the 2004 season finale.

The interior of the Sport Concept is designed to fit four adults comfortably, yet with an emphasis on the front two seats - with every element of the cockpit existing to enhance the vehicle's engaging driving experience.

Owners of gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles will see the top rate of vehicle excise duty for petrol-driven cars rise from £160 to £165. But smaller family cars, hatchbacks and minis which emit less than 166g of carbon dioxide per kilometre will avoid any rise.

Environmentalists said the government had thrown away a chance to punish the owners of so-called "Chelsea tanks" further. Friends of the Earth has advocated a top rate of vehicle excise duty of £500.

Car navigation and routing solutions have reached maturity, and are becoming increasingly common in the premium car segment. Owners of exclusive high-end cars are more and more frequently installing GPS-aided security solutions that enable tracking of stolen vehicles.

However, safety related services such as automatic emergency calls, have failed to attract customers, which has resulted in some car manufacturers reducing or withdrawing previous service offerings. And while remote diagnostics and maintenance services are being introduced slowly, they have a way to go before they enable continuous remote monitoring of vehicles.

Automotive.com, a leading Internet automotive marketing company, announced Audi A6 as the winner of the "Most Anticipated New Car" of 2005. After months of voting and tallying over 200,000 votes submitted by consumers in the Automotive.com 2nd annual Consumer Choice Awards, the Audi A6 came out on top.

"The most anticipated new car award encompasses both new models and complete redesigns of current models which is what an automotive enthusiast thrives on" said Jason Phillips, vice-president of Automotive.com. "Audi winning this award proves you can take a tried and true model like the A6 and improve on it."

With almost 300 races, including nine wins out of 35 twenty-four hour events, and 11 Drivers championships driving small-block powered Corvettes, Camaros, Firebirds and the new Cadillac CTS-V, my racing resume has a big impact on the direction we take when we engineer vehicles like the Redline ION, the Cobalt SS, the Cadillac CTS-V and the upcoming TrailBlazer SS. It’s my job to make sure that these vehicles deliver the kind of usable, exhilarating performance that the enthusiasts who buy them are looking for. Our mantra is “track capable.” If a vehicle from our group isn’t enthusiast-floggable, then we’re not done yet.

Renault's Fernando Alonso has begun his special training in the Maldives to prepare for the Malaysia GP.

The Malaysia GP is famous for its humid weather which zaps drivers' stamina.

Maldives, the tropical island country has similar weather, is therefore an ideal place for pre-race training.

Aside from training, Alonso also found the place ideal for relaxing. The Formula One driver has been seen playing beach volleyball during training breaks.

Chris (Witmore) put me onto this item in Yahoo! News - Mustang Ads Feature Late Steve McQueen. Ford is to resurrect Steve McQueen in its promotional campaign for the new 2005 Mustang.

They did this in the UK a few years back - clever cuts of footage from Bullitt - the very stylish 1968 movie set in San Francisco, and in which McQueen drove a Mustang.

At Geneva this week, we introduced a brand new Cadillac for Europe, and some other non-U.S. markets, and I’ll tell you why. This vehicle, the Cadillac BLS, is about bringing the right products to the right markets, and doing it effectively and efficiently. It was developed specifically for European roads and drivers, and, as such, is not intended for American needs or tastes.

Roush Racing has added four drivers to its development program, putting them on a path that could lead to NASCAR stardom.

Among the four are two 14-year-olds who are not eligible to get a drivers license in most U.S. states. But in the highly competitive world of NASCAR racing, identifying upcoming talent early is key to staying on top.

"We need to constantly be searching for the next generation of drivers," said Roush, who fields cars for Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards.

What are they smoking in the Renaissance Centre these days? Perhaps Dutch-based Kroymans – the Hummer distributor for Europe - has sent over some good stuff recently. To many Europeans the Hummer is a complete non-starter, almost offensive in its profligate use of resources (reports say the H3 out next year, could get up to 20 mpg – how’s that for frugality?) and its obvious military associations. And then there is the simple fact that it is uncomfortably wide for European roads.

According to Telematics Research Group, 17 automotive manufacturers will offer Bluetooth-based communications options in their 2005 production vehicles. Last year only 7 auto manufacturers supported Bluetooth. The immediate opportunity may be with backseat entertainment and in-vehicle navigation solutions where TRG found the majority of the automotive manufacturers (28 out of 37) are offering these features as standard or optional equipment. Nearly 10% of vehicles sold last year had backseat entertainment systems, growing to 25% by the end of the decade.

NASCAR on Tuesday suspended the crew chiefs for Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick in a swift crackdown on cheating committed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Todd Berrier was suspended for four weeks and fined $25,000 for rigging Harvick's fuel tank to appear full when it actually wasn't during qualifying.

Chad Knaus was suspended for two weeks and fined $35,000 when Johnson's race-winning car failed to meet the minimum height requirement in Sunday's post-race inspection. Top Stories

Alan Gustafson was suspended two weeks and fined $25,000 because Busch's runner-up car was too high in the post-race inspection.

"Guys have just got to stop playing games with the rules," NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter told The Associated Press. "We've got to do whatever we have to do to protect the integrity of this sport."

However, the study noted some exceptions. It found that heavier sports cars generally had a higher rate of death than lighter ones.

'Teens whose parents had restrictions on their initial driving experience reported engaging in less risky driving later on,' said Mr Bruce Simons-Morton, a research chief at the institute and the study's lead author.

"Well I wasn't picking Michael on the strength of sports cars, but on F3,” the Irishman said.

While in the US drivers tend to prefer sports utility vehicles (SUVs), such as the BMW X5 and its sibling X3, in Europe demand for crossover vehicles is likely to be considerable, Mr Panke said.

After Mark Martin's win at California yesterday, it was brought up in the comment section about how much the Cup drivers are taking away from the regular Busch Series guys, as far as winnings and points. It's true, they did take quite a bit in yesterday's race.

So, I'll bring up something that I brought up in my old blog a while ago. Should the Cup drivers be allowed to race in the Busch Series and if so, under what conditions?

Recent designs use an embedded metal film of tin oxide - thin enough to be transparent - that can be electrically heated for defrosting, said Eric Walton, a research scientist at Ohio State University whose designs are used in some General Motors cars.

Carmakers also hide antennas behind plastic panels that will not block signals, and in bumpers, parcel shelves, trunk lid trim, doors, under dashboards and in roofs.

For its PT Cruiser convertible, Chrysler is experimenting with antennas in the roll bar. Mercedes-Benz puts the antennas for its keyless-entry system in the doors, center console, bumpers and windows.

Antenna modules can also be concealed in outside mirrors, Dr. Schumacher said. In a pinch, several antennas can be combined in one compact housing.

Most of the new antenna types, Dr. Walton said, are "conformal" antennas, which follow the contours of the car so that "the entire car becomes the antenna." This design became possible only with the availability of computers that could calculate antenna performance for the curves of cars not yet built.

With a $30,000 bonus tucked inside his pocket, Jimmie Johnson headed to the casino to celebrate his latest victory.

If he can run the tables the same way he's running the Nextel Cup series, he might just break the bank.

Johnson ended the Roush Racing stranglehold at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, spoiling what could have been a banner day for hometown boys Kurt and Kyle Busch by beating them both to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

Johnson, who won for the 15th time in his career, has victories in five of the last nine races, dating to last season. He hasn't finished worse than sixth since October, and this victory put him right back where he spent most of last season -- on top of the points standings.

The cop with his crew cut and ubiquitous aviator glasses explained to me that 4 days before a man in his new Porsche Boxster (or is it Boxer? I never knew nor cared) came winding around the treacherous highway, its unforgiving corners and narrow and soft shoulders when he launched the Porsche and sailed high above the Pacific sending him and his passenger to a quick and tragic death.

The winch operator continued to wear his weather gloves while guiding the cable. The crowd on the side of the road continued to grow. And the police officer told me it'd be two hours before the car would emerge from the rocky ledge. He didn't know the speed the Porsche driver achieved prior to taking his car airborne. But it was fast.

That's two wrongful deaths in the last month. Speed kills. Porsche owners seem to want to go fast. Old salt Porsche owners will be sure to comment that it's the new Porsche owner, The first timer, perhaps, that is the common element in my two experiences. I don't care. Don't even care that it's the Porsche. It's merely an observation. And it's my experience. Mine. But it's all too real.

Do me a favor. Drive safely. Drive sanely.

The Lamborghini booth showing three cars only, One of it is the Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT sport car. Lamborghini is attemp to enter ths Singapre market. The neighbour of Lamborghini in the booth is the Ferrari and Maserati booth. The Maserati car model really kick ass i like the logo of Maserati (a crown shape logo) at most. Really look classy. Another famous car maker, Porche also have booth in the event, like usually i can see Porche Carrera GT, boxster and roadster. A new car, 2004 Porsche Cayenne V-6 is showing there too, it is a more affortable SUV by Porche (compare to thier other model... it still not cheap but make it look cool). This SUV really nice espeacially in Black color. Rolls-Royce showing the Phantom series in the show, those car are great as they have the identical look of typical Rolls-Royce and a stuning design to make it look modern and futuristic, cool. The series is not in thier sales, so you just look and can not own them...

New York Times election data: Porsche owners were more likely to be Republican; Volvo owners, Democratic.

We are now turning the corner with some of our new products, such as the Buick LaCrosse, Buick Lucerne, Cadillac STS, Hummer H3, Saturn SKY, Saturn AURA, and Chevrolet Cobalt SS to name a few (see more images). These products are some of the first to demonstrate gains in fit and finishes, thanks in large part to our new product development organization. Progress will continue as additional launches and mid-cycle enhancements are executed.

Various estimates show that 15 percent of the 270 million cars on the road in the United States today contain some type of data-recording device. Roughly 65 percent of the 16.7 million new cars sold in the United States during 2004 were equipped with them, said Kevin Mixer, an analyst with Boston-based market research company AMR Research.

That means the number of black boxes on U.S. roads will rise significantly as newer models are sold. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in its announcement last June recommended that manufacturers install the devices in all vehicles beginning in September 2008, though automakers are not required to do so.

I am an unabashed fan of Pearl Jam. This band has evolved mightily since "Ten."' MFC (Mini Fast Car - as in the kind you see swarming round the streets of Rome) is from the 1998 album, "Yield." MFC is track 9 and the intro puts me behind the wheel of a mini fast car on a windy road. Have a listen. Better yet, spend $0.99 at iTunes and play it in your own MFC. Vroooom

Out with the Cayenne, in with the VW Touareg V1 TDI. I have decided to put some money where my heart is. I have been a truck and fast car guy all my life. But recently the social political costs of gas guzzlers has gotten the better of me. I have been looking for the past two years for a way to get performance out of an efficient and preferable renewable powersource for my autos. Hence, my interest in Biodiesel. You can pour 100% biodiesel made in the good old US of A by strapping farmers in Iowa straight into any diesel automobile and it runs like a charm.

Kevin Harvick will win a NASCAR Nextel Cup race soon, and it might as well be Las Vegas this weekend, he says.

Harvick, who drives for Richard Childress Racing, got married in the world's gambling capital in 2001. He also led the race there a year ago before running out of juice and finishing 21st.

Harvick thinks he can roll the dice and come up a winner Sunday when he competes in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

When Mark Webber wheels his BMW-Williams Formula One car into the pits at the end of this season, only a third or less of its components will be the same as those which took to the grid in last weekend's opening Australian Grand Prix. The rest will have been redesigned, honed and otherwise improved in pursuit of a cutting a few hundredths of a second off lap times. It is the same for virtually all the teams. F1 is, in short, research and development on wheels. But not only the F1 teams are entitled to lodge tax credit claims through specialist tax advisers like Rawlinson and Hunter and a dedicated unit of KPMG. Many of the components will have been developed by small, specialist engineering companies mostly spread through "Motorsport Valley" around Silverstone. - Collectively, they employ about 40,000 people designing, developing and making the components and cars for every category of motor sport. Most employ 200 or fewer, but together they earn about �5bn a year for the UK economy.

I’ll write more in a feature later this week, but the new 3 (E90) is basically a good car, good engines (320 diesel would do me) and there are some significant improvements on the outgoing range (E46) – like more room in the back. The external styling is certainly less controversial than the 5 and 7 I think. Should be a success in the market. No great surprise there. It’s a competent job and most people I spoke to had a favourable view of the car. Gripes? Personally, I find iDrive quite hard to use, not very immediately intuitive, although I do applaud BMW’s effort to address the problem of proliferating electronic functionality in a car in such a bold way in an attempt to keep switchgear clutter down. Some improvements to iDrive are coming that the BMW people reckon will make it more intuitive and user friendly.

And I’m not 100% convinced that ‘active steering’ is worth the »925 as an option. Not sure I could feel any great difference when driving one of the cars that had that fitted. Indeed, once you load your car with added optional equipment, the price you pay for your BMW starts to get just a little bit heavy, though perhaps that is not too surprising.

But the new 3 is undeniably a good car. BMW has played pretty safe with it. The customer base won't have a problem a la 5 and 7.

For our 10th Amelia Island Concours, we were looking for something really special. We have NASCAR great Bobby Allison as this year’s racing honoree; his successes, along with the 50th anniversary of the small-block V-8, made it logical to feature Chevrolet at this year’s event.

Any car enthusiast would be hard-pressed to name a more significant engine to racing and to horsepower than the GM small-block. With its simplicity, light weight and innovative design, it can still hold its own against more “sophisticated” overhead cam and multi-valve engines. Ed Cole’s baby is going strong, and probably will for another 50 years!

How do you build a brand? The people at Cadillac are rebuilding their brand piece by piece, and they're doing it right:

* Creating great individual products
* Creating a product family where each member contributes to the bigger brand in a unique but complimentary way -- for the first time in years, Cadillac is selling cars that aren't a Chevy underneath.
* Pricing products so that they're a good value, but not so low that they smell of desperation. Nobody likes being seen in a devalued product -- that's what happened to the Ford Taurus
* Racing the cars to gain credibility with gearhead mavens who dictate automotive goodness, which is how BMW grew to be the Ultimate Driving Machine from a nothing brand in the 60's (it worked for Subaru, too)

It’s a very fun event, as the comparison driving can help you decide which car is right for you. It’s nice to be able to drive a BMW 745i, Mercedes S430 and Lexus LS430 in succession on the same track. Did I mention iDrive sucks? The Mercedes S430 is really old school and outclassed at this point, as it seriously can’t compete with the 7 or LS430. Gotta wait for the next generation S-series to see what Mercedes-Benz can bring to the table. They also had a Mercedes E500 on hand, and it shows what Mercedes can do. I liked the E500 a lot, too bad they didn’t have the AMG E55 beast on hand. :P I still think the Bimmer 7 handled the best out of all the luxury sedans. Though I may be a bit BMW-biased (we have a 2002 325i), I still hate the Chris Bangle design of the 7 and the new 5. The LS430 definitely wins for luxury, but even in the sport model I drove, the LS430 felt a bit floaty and wasn’t as gripping to the ground as the German engineered sedans. It’s luxury defined and has the best audio. The GPS screen is pretty nice and isn’t small like some other models. The Lexus LS430 has the great Mark Levinson sound system and is great for an overall ‘cruising’ vehicle. Perfect for long trips, it can heat up your butt with the heat warmers, or cool it down as well with cool air flowing through the seat. The BMW and Mercedes felt more balanced and handling felt tighter as a result. I’m very impressed by the 7’s driving capabilities (it’s a huge sucker!), but I’d never buy it because of iDrive… NEVER! Though if someone were to give me a 7 series, I guess I would take it. The 745i definitely felt more like a driver’s car then the other two, but that’s what all Bimmer fanatics say, eh? The tight handling was awesome for such a large car.

"Domino's knows NASCAR fans love behind-the-scenes access to their favorite drivers," said Ken Calwell, chief marketing officer, Domino's Pizza. "And we're happy to give fans the rare sneak peek they crave."

The new commercial stars the talent of the two Daytona-winning drivers with the Domino's star, the delivery driver. Waltrip and Earnhardt engage in some friendly banter when the delivery driver shows up to deliver a pizza to "Mr. NASCAR."

Mark it down in the history books. Michael Schumacher not only failed to finish the Formula One season opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, but the multiple world champion’s Ferrari F2004M was never a contender. For once, Schumacher was a bit player, consigned to the back of the starting grid after a heavy rain shower nearly flooded the track in Saturday’s first qualifying session. On race day, contact with another car produced a spin, and he failed to finish the race.

While Schumacher was floundering, Giancarlo Fisichella decisively confirmed the Renault R25’s pre-season testing form by producing a dominant win at Albert Park, starting from the pole to beat Rubens Barrichello in the surviving Ferrari. Barrichello had climbed from 11th on the grid, finishing ahead of Fernando Alonso in the other Renault, from 13th at the start.

News Directory organized by subject, including Enthusiasts.

Drivers 1. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Renault 10 points 2. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari 8 3. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 6 4. David Coulthard (Britain) Red Bull 5 5. Mark Webber (Australia) Williams 4 6. Juan Pablo Montoya (Colombia) McLaren 3 7. Christian Klien (Austria) Red Bull 2 8. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren 1

Sunday's Telcel Motorola 200 in Mexico City marked the first step in NASCAR's quest for global domination. Before you conquer the globe, though, you have to make sure your drivers don't get kidnapped on the way to the track. Team members who trekked down for the first official NASCAR race outside the United States received, courtesy of NASCAR, a "participant travel guide." The handout includes such admonitions as "use ATMs and banks only during business hours" and "in restaurants, ask for agua purificada." My favorite warning: "Be wary of persons representing themselves as Mexican police or other officials. This can prevent you from becoming a victim of harassment and mistreatment by Mexican law enforcement."

"Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Volvo had more than their fair share of problems. Only Audi came out better than average," the magazine said.

"The most reliable brand overall is now Subaru, which averages eight problems per 100," Consumer Reports said. It noted that Honda Motor Co. Ltd., long a reliability leader, now averaged nine problems per 100.

The single most reliable vehicle in the 2004 model year was Hyundai Motor Co, Ltd's low-cost Sonata sedan, with a problem rate of just two per 100.

Detroit is where it’s at for car industry types, at least until January 23, when the North American International Auto Show ends. (It’s open to the public, fyi.) That’s where, a few days ago, General Motor unveiled its beefiest, newest hydrogen concept vehicle, the Sequel, which can travel 300 miles on its fuel supply, about 50 miles better than the current competition. Oh--and it's about the size of a Cadillac SRX. (that's like, huge, okay?) The Sequel accelerates from 0-60 in 10 seconds—the fastest fuel cell yet. Quick as it is, it won’t make it to market that speedily—apparently fuel efficiency still doesn’t equal cost efficiency, at least not from a production standpoint. It’ll be at least five years (and lots of legislation) until these babies hit the showroom.

No one should have the impression that this is nothing but a re-ornamented TrailBlazer — especially after driving it. I can assure you we made certain the 9-7X both looks and acts like a Saab, with plenty of mechanical changes as well as cosmetic ones.

Although produced in Moraine, Ohio, along with TrailBlazers, Envoys, Rainiers and Ascenders, the 9-7X is by far the most differentiated, with special focus on making it an authentic driver’s vehicle.

The 9-7X underwent extensive suspension modifications to give it a more responsive, “European” feel. It has stiffer springs and bushings, a larger front stabilizer bar, and revised shock valving, all of which required beefing up the frame and control arms to handle the increased loads. A quicker 18.5:1 steering gear reduces steering friction, and increases on-center feel. We also stiffened the front part of the frame with additional braces to boost steering response. High-speed stability was enhanced by a limited slip differential, coupled with Saab-specific 18-inch tires and suspension tuning, which included lowering the vehicle one inch. Larger diameter ventilated disc brakes in the front provide better brake pedal feedback.

The Neva must have been specifically designed for Central Asia's bad roads and dreadful climate. It looks like a cross between a Yugo and a Subaru, but is three times tougher than both and much classier. Most have 4WD. Ours doesn't because someone removed it, but for $40, we can have it put back in. My friend owned it and took it all over the place without 4WD, finding it completely satisfactory.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of most Soviet-made cars is their lack of distinguishing characteristics. It doesn't matter if a model was made in 1976 or 1997 -- design differences are apparent only to the trained eye. Lada Nevas, especially, seem to come in one color only -- white -- and every single one looks the same.

Ferrari have unveiled their new car with a warning that they intend to continue their Formula One domination.

It will be developed over the next two months and introduced at the Spanish GP on 8 May, with an updated version of last year's car to be used until then.

But there is a chance the F2005 could make its debut in Bahrain on 3 April if the old car is not competitive.

"No-one has fallen asleep over these past months," said Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo.

"After six world championships our target is to remain there.

"We know in sport you cannot always win and the time will come, but we want to stay at the top."

The system features Bluetooth technology, which will allow subscribers to access the SIM card of a mobile phone in one of three ways: via an external alphanumerical keyboard, steering wheel controls or voice dial. When users get out of the car, they can deactivate the system's receiving mode by pressing a button on the phone, causing the phone to log back on to the mobile network, Nokia said.

The system is compatible with several handsets, including models from other manufacturers, Nokia said. Customers also have the option of getting a phone holder for the car that doubles as a charger.

"For the first time, an automaker is offering a communication solution using the Bluetooth SIM Access Profile that is factory-fitted in the vehicle," Marcus Stahl, general manager at Nokia Automotive, said in a statement.

Photo radar cameras often utilize a strong flash to photograph the license plate on your car as it speeds by. PhotoBlocker works to reflect the flash back to the camera. Result is an overexposed and unreadable picture, often preventing a costly ticket.

Maybach is the ultra-premium Mercedes Benz. It is a handmade automobile that marries handcrafted components and exteriors to state-of-the-art technologies. The vehicle costs in the neighborhood of $385,000.00, so it is certainly not for everyone; it is a rolling status symbol.

What interests me is the language used on the Maybach site. Consider these:

- "Maybach Relationship Manager" Not a salesperson, but a relationship manager. Makes it sound like an owner is building a relationship, not just buying a car. The last person you bought a car from . . . realtionship manager or salesperson? I'd be willing to bet that Maybach owners receive frequent calls from their Relationship Managers; calls simply checking in, reminding them about oil changes, etc. How hard would it be for your Ford dealership to do that?

"The story of Tatra is one of innovation, repression and vindication. The company got its start in the 1850's in Moravia (then part of the Austrian Empire, later Czechoslovakia) making buggies and railway cars. Auto production began with the Pr�sident in 1897.

A brilliant young engineer named Hans Ledwinka joined the company around that time and introduced innovations like all-wheel brakes, air-cooled engines and a central tube chassis with independent rear suspension. The Tatra's design and construction were years ahead of their time, strongly influencing Ferdinand Porsche, who was developing the Volkswagen Beetle on orders from Hitler; Porsche appropriated several of Ledwinka's ideas for VW.

"Porsche admitted he was basically looking over Ledwinka's shoulder," Mr. McCoskey said.

After a House committee killed the bill reauthorizing their use, the Virginia Senate is trying a backdoor reauthorization of "photo red" cameras reports WAVY-TV news.

Four days after a House of Delegates committee killed local pilot programs that use cameras to catch red light runners, the Virginia Senate revived them as a floor amendment to related legislation.

After adopting the amendment, the Senate voted 29-9 to pass the bill. The measure now goes directly to the House floor, bypassing the committee that had refused to lift the July 1 expiration date for the programs.

We should have known better than to expect tax and spend politicians to let one of their cash cows die so easily. If the real goal were traffic safety, increasing the yellow light is the easiest and most effective method. Instead, some localities across the nation have been caught shortening the yellow to maximize revenue.

Checked out some seats today and had these recomended to me. They are made by a Japanese company that makes suspension and other accessories. They look pretty good and will take the harness system that I would like to have in the car.

This company seems to be a new entry into the seat market. It will be interesting to see how they do since the big names seem to be Recaro, Sparco and Bride in the high end seats.

I noticed the "green car" pitch at last night's Academy Awards. Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlize Theron, Robin Williams, Orlando Bloom, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins won awards for environmental awareness by arriving in the Prius. Check this out:

"By foregoing gas-guzzling limos, Oscar attendees show their support for fuel efficient cars to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce air pollution, and stem climate change," said Matt Petersen, president of Global Green USA. "By choosing to ride in a fuel-efficient car, like the Prius, they send a strong message to the American people and the world that we can all be part of the solution to global warming and our addiction to oil."

A day of fast cars, burning tires, and nitro! It's the Consumer Reports 2005 April Auto Issue Media Day. Take a thrill ride around the most exclusive auto test track in the world. Experience a day behind-the-scenes the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, where engineers will personally demonstrate how CR tests cars, trucks, SUVs, and minivans for acceleration, braking, handling, accommodations, and much more. Watch bumpers endure the "bumper basher." Ride up "Rock Hill"-a 120-foot climb up 300-tons of boulders, specifically designed to test 4WD systems in SUVs and pickup trucks. Discuss CR's consumer-focused testing and reliability surveys during lunch with Senior Director David Champion and his engineers.

Production began this week for perhaps one of the most difficult and unique builds ever on the hit Discovery Channel television show Monster Garage. West Coast Choppers owner Jesse James and his team of Maverick Mechanics are attempting to create a flying car out of a Panoz Esperante provided by Panoz Auto Development within a span of five days. Unlike most Monster Garage episodes consisting of five person teams that air for one hour, the flying car project has a team of ten members and will air as a special two-part season finale on June 13 and June 20 on the Discovery Channel.

Writer Paul Schilperoord, in the Dutch magazine The Engineer, is claiming that Dr. Ferdinand Porsche's contribution to the development of the Volkswagen is greatly exaggerated, or so states this thread at AutoWeek's message board.

As early as 1928, Josef Ganz was showing off a fixed-chassis prototype with rear-wheel drive and a rear-mounted engine, which by 1931 he was calling Maik»fer — "May beetle". Adolf Hitler caught a glimpse of Ganz' bug a couple of years later, decided that some sort of "people's car" would be worth doing, and assigned the development to Dr. Porsche, who then basically swiped the Ganz designs. Ganz, a Jew, had fled to Switzerland and presumably was in no position to complain.