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If you are anywhere near a flood that covers an area greater than the size of France and Germany combined, some unsolicited advice: don't park near a river.

An office worker captured footage of a fast rising river in Toowoomba, Australia. The river soon gave way to a flash flood that swept away cars parked along the river's bank. One by one, the river floated them downstream. One brave (or foolish) man rescued his SUV from the deluge, but the rest of the vehicles ended up dogpiled against a bank of trees.

Fortunately for the videographer, his car … Read more

At speeds that would be thought of as nearly standing still at Speed Week, a solar-powered vehicle set a new land speed record by hitting a top speed of about 55 mph--on just the power of the sun.

The Sunswift IVy looks more like a space ship than a car with three wheels, a carbon fiber body, 400 silicon cells and a small cockpit for a driver. It was designed and built by engineering students at University of New South Wales.

The IVy produces about 1,200 watts--the same power it takes to run a toaster. It normally uses its … Read more

Volkswagen dropped the cloth on its new midsize sedan, and although its new in body it retains the same old Passat nameplate.

The 2012 Volkswagen Passat was developed specifically for the North American market, which means it's proportions are bigger and fatter. Riding on a longer wheelbase, its overall length has grown from from 187.6 to 191.7 inches. The longer wheelbase opens up more legroom in the second row and puts the family sedan it more in line with its competitors.

Buyers will have three engines to choose from, starting with the standard 170-hp 2.5-liter five … Read more

Honda Aircraft's HondaJet owns the ski in this test flight. The video, posted this week on YouTube, shows the "Civic of the Skies," take off, land, and fly around a bit over Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C.

As we reported last month, the FAA-confirming flight puts HondaJet one step closer to becoming FAA certified.

The advanced light business jet is powered by a fuel-efficient, low-emission HF120 turbofan engine with a cruising speed of 420 knots and a range of 1,400 nautical miles (1,611 miles).

Honda Aircraft plans to deliver HondaJet to costumers … Read more

A Cambridge University professor is developing a navigation system that does what most boyfriends can't: read your emotions, sense what's going on, and adapt to the situation.

Just kidding about the boyfriend part.

Charles is a robot that is more co-pilot than GPS device. Frustrated by unintuitive gadgets that aren't helpful--let alone interactive--Professor Peter Robinson, who leads the Rainbow Group working on computer graphics and interaction at Cambridge, developed an emotionally intelligent navigation system that can tell how you're feeling and respond accordingly.

The system uses sensors and algorithms of predefined mental states to track facial cues, tone of voice, body language, and posture. Using this information, Charles can read human emotion with a 70 percent accuracy rate, which is on par with human ability, Robinson says in a YouTube video demonstrating his project.

But reading emotion is only one aspect of the robot's capability. Charles can also respond with human-like emotion.

With cameras for eyes and 24 motors for muscles, the robot's head and mouth moves as it gives directions and mimics human expressions. Unlike current GPS systems, Charles politely tells you where to go based on conversation. Should you not agree with the directions Charles provides, you can suggest an alternate route. Instead of saying it's recalculating or insisting on the programmed route, the robot actually agrees with your decision. … Read more

The 2011 Chevy Camaro Convertible boasts new AM/FM antenna technology, thanks to its fans and one ham radio operator.

Fans spoke out after leaked photos of the new Camaro revealed an AM/FM whip antenna on the rear deck lid.

Chevy turned to ham radio operator and antenna expert Don Hibbard to help redesign the car's antenna. Hibbard and colleague Gregg Kittinger were challenged to conceal the AM/FM antenna without sacrificing radio reception.

"We weren't sure that it would be possible," said Kittinger. "Typically antennas are hidden in a vehicle's rear window, … Read more

Stating bluntly what many automotive manufacturers are starting to realize, Google released an ad that says the future of navigation and infotainment is probably on your phone.

The ad depicts a boy reiterating directions from Google's new Nexus S smartphone, with the subliminal message being that the new phone's navigation application is so easy a child can use it. Actually, most kids are probably better than adults at using any computer, phone, or in-dash navigation system, but that's beside the point. … Read more

Cadillac is known for its racy television commercials, but now, once again, it'll be known for racing.

Executives from General Motors today announced that a race-ready 2011 CTS-V Coupe will compete in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge.

The CTS-V, which is being designed by engineers from GM and Pratt & Miller, in New Hudson, Mich., will debut at the SCCA race to be held March 25 to 27 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Cadillac hasn't raced competitively since 2007.

Johnny O'Connell, a three-time GT1 champion in the America Le Mans Series, and Andy Pilgrim, who … Read more

The next stop for GM's Electric Networked Vehicle(EN-V) concept is the upcoming 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in January. In addition to its next-generation infotainment system, the carmaker will be showing off the three electric two-seater concepts it debuted at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai last March.

The personal mobility vehicles are one-third the size of typical cars, offer a 25-mile electric range, and are built on Segway's self-balancing two-wheeled PUMA platform. But the EN-V is more than just an upgraded Segway: it's equipped with drive-by-wire technology, and its carbon-fiber body is outfitted with GPS, distancing-sensing, vehicle-to-vehicle … Read more