Nissan teases the Juke small crossover.
(Credit: Nissan)Nissan announced that its new small crossover, the Juke, will debut at the upcoming New York auto show, presaging North American sales beginning in fall of this year. The car will also launch in Europe, with a debut at the Geneva auto show.
From the teaser photo, the Juke looks somewhat like the Kia Soul, but with a more swept back roofline. Front and rear fenders are large in proportion to the car, giving it a concept look. The rear doors hide their handles in the C pillar, giving it a smooth look.
The front of the Juke resembles the upcoming Nissan Leaf electric car, with signal lights set in big ridges on the fenders. The headlights have a frog-like look, inset on either side of the grille, if we're interpreting the teaser photos correctly.
As the Juke is a small car, we expect it to get the same 1.8-liter four cylinder engine that powers the current Versa and Cube. That engine is good for 122 horsepower.
This probably isn't the best shot of the Nexus One's car dock, but it's all we have so far.
(Credit: Google/YouTube)We knew that a Nexus One car dock was coming. Google has already released a slick-looking desktop dock. And when you consider that the Nexus One is preloaded with a very robust turn-by-turn navigation app with a dedicated in-car interface, a car dock seems like the next logical step. However, Google's been fairly tight-lipped with the details surrounding it.
So, we were surprised to see what appears to be the actual Nexus One car dock pop up at the one-minute mark in the latest in a series of Nexus One promotional videos from Google. It's not a particularly good shot, but it's the best look we've gotten so far at what appears to be the real deal.
(Via These Are the Droids)
Audi's Green Police ad features harsh penalties for polluters.
(Credit: Audi)This weekend's big game plays host to ads by six automakers. Here's a preview of what you can expect.
Audi
Highlighting the Audi A3 TDI's win for Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles auto show, Audi's ad shows the Green Police checking up on recycling and energy use. Audi released the ad on the Internet this week. Watch it on YouTube.
Volkswagen
VW plays up the age-old game Punch Buggy, where the first person to spot a Beetle would get to punch the other person in the car. The advertisement updates the game to Punch Dub, suggesting you can hit other people if you spot any VW model. VW marketing people might want to read up on the concept of negative reinforcement. You can watch videos by VW about Punch Dub on YouTube.
Hyundai
Taking a relatively mundane approach, Hyundai will highlight its 2011 Sonata, focusing on quality and fuel economy. In another ad, Hyundai will use Brett Favre to highlight its 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty.
Honda
In a bid to popularize a car with controversial styling, Honda uses its air time to show off the new Accord Crosstour.
Ads for models by Kia and Dodge will also air, although those companies have not released preview information.
After the game, you can watch these commercials and more at CBS Sports. Click here to watch the commercials.
LONDON--A new hydrogen-powered fuel cell hybrid electric scooter will enable city commuting ease without harming the environment, the chief executive of Intelligent Energy said at the bike's launch here.
The Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter, made by clean power systems company Intelligent Energy and Suzuki Motor, will be tested in Loughborough from this month, with further road tests planned for London later this year.
"We see a market pull for more energy-efficient products and there is a real drive to bring hydrogen vehicles to market en masse by 2015," Henri Winand, Intelligent Energy's chief executive, told Reuters in an interview Wednesday.
Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter
(Credit: Intelligent Energy)Motorcycle manufacturers face a clampdown on air pollution and climate-warming emissions in the European Union, and the industry says it is ready for pan-European rules.
Climate officials of the 27-country bloc have put transport emissions at the top of their agenda for 2010 as the EU pursues its goal of cutting carbon dioxide to a fifth below 1990 levels over the next decade.
Hydrogen has long been touted as an alternative energy source to carbon-hungry fossil fuels but one of the biggest obstacles to wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles is the lack of hydrogen fueling stations.
The Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter is fueled by a cylinder of hydrogen, which reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water. A lithium-ion battery and fuel cell provide the vehicle's power and the only gas emitted through the exhaust is water vapor.
Unlike other fuel cell vehicles, the battery does not need recharging. It can recharge itself when accelerating or decelerating and continues to produce power as long as it has hydrogen and oxygen.
... Read MoreStory Copyright (c) 2010 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Additional stories from Reuters
- Honda expands airbag recall as more Toyotas probed
- Wind, solar groups push U.S. renewable energy standard
- Europe faces challenges to electric car industry
- Veeco hoping for first solar profits in 2010
(Credit:
Mattel)
Mattel's super-small "Stealth Rides" aren't making their official debut until the Toy Fair later this month in New York, but for all you know the guy next to you could be packing one... right... now.
They're about the size of a credit card and the width of a cell phone, and with the push of a button they unfold into a remote-controlled car. Apparently the Stealth Riders will come in five models: a "Batmobile Tumbler," and four others that I immediately forgot about once I heard "Batmobile Tumbler."
How it works: the folded-up cards fit into a small case that also functions as the remote control. Just slide the car out, pop it open, and go to town for up to a half an hour. Or however long it actually lasts in real use.
You'll have to wait a bit, though, before you start sneaking this out to cause havoc in budget meetings: they won't be on sale until August, for $25.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
With GPS and multimedia on tap, many of you will want to use Apple's iPad in your cars. Don't.
(Credit: Apple)When I saw the Apple iPad unveiled last week, I immediately thought about how I could mount that sucker in my car. After all, Apple's Mac Mini is already the heart behind many custom car computing setups and there are more than a few car-centric iPhone and iPod Touch apps that will certainly be compatible with the new device. With a smaller profile than the Mini and a bigger screen than the iPhone, the iPad seems ripe for some sort of in-car application.
Then I thought it over more carefully and realized that using the iPad in the car is probably a horrible idea.
... Read More
On Monday, Verizon Wireless released VZ Navigator 5.0, a new version of its location-based service that brings enhanced navigation tools and more social-networking aspects to the app.
Available starting today on a select number of phones, VZ Navigator 5.0 now offers stranded motorists roadside assistance, so the driver can send his or her position to a dispatcher who can then route help to the location. Another new aspect of the software is Facebook integration. With this feature, users can make status updates right from VZ Navigator with the option to include their location.
Other new features of the app include streaming map data, enhanced points of interest, and graphic notifications for tunnels, U-turns, toll plazas, and traffic circles. In addition, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile phone owners can use their voices to enter business searches and destinations with the new Say It mode.
VZ Navigator 5.0 is available now on the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530, LG EnV Touch, HTC Touch Pro2, and Samsung Omnia. According to Verizon, support for more devices will be rolled out in the coming weeks. Current subscribers to VZ Navigator will be alerted to the new update the next time they launch the app, while new customers will be able to download VZ Navigator 5.0 from VZStart or add it through the My Verizon account. VZ Navigator costs $9.99 per month for unlimited access or $2.99 for one day's use.
(Source: Phone Scoop)
Can you tell which is real and which is a game? Probably, but it's a close call.
(Credit: Polyphony Digital)Last week, we showed you Toyota's FT-86 G Sport concept and highlighted a very cool feature called "GPS-track day" that allows users to playback GPS replays from a real life racetrack session on their copy of Gran Turismo 5 for the PS3. Polyphony Digital, maker of the Gran Turismo franchise, has released even more information about the system and a demo video. As it turns out, there's more to it than just GPS positioning.
The proper name for the "GPS-track day" feature is Gran Turismo Data Logger Visualization. When an appropriately equipped car is driven on a racetrack, the Data Logger tracks the vehicle's position around the track and stores lap data. In addition to GPS data, the Logger also interfaces with the car's Controller Area Network (CAN) to record steering angle, throttle position, braking force, G-forces, engine speed, and even individual wheel speed. All of this data is used to create an accurate representation of what the car is doing as it makes its way around the track.
As we discussed before, this data is stored on a memory card of some sort and uploaded to your PS3 for use in Gran Turismo 5 for game engine replays. Players can then race against a ghost car of themselves to try to best their times.
So, how realistic is the data that's captured? Toyota and Polyphony Digital have released the following video of a race-prepped Lexus IS-F rounding Japan's Fuji Speedway with side-by-side footage with the Data Logger Visualization. The results are quite impressive.
(Source: gtplanet.net)
The all new Mini Cooper Countryman sits up high.
(Credit: Mini)
After seeing various SUV-like concept cars from Mini over the past year, we're not surprised at today's announcement of the new Mini Cooper Countryman. The new car shows all the retro-Mini design cues that made the rejuvenated Mini so popular, but adds inches, doors, and ground clearance. Engine options mirror those found on the standard Mini Cooper, but the Countryman can be had with all wheel drive.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
At every auto show, people ask about the coolest things we've seen. And we never have much of an answer because our brains are too spun by all the press conferences and new unveilings, not to mention blogging night and day. But now we've had a long weekend to process each attempt at a splash by the various automakers from the recent 2010 Detroit auto show, and we've settled on five stand-outs, things that we feel will have the strongest impact on car technology.
