motors

The Facebook ad bashing continues. The social network is taking another hit regarding its advertising value, and this time it's from the head of the world's largest marketing group.

WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said he has told Facebook that the social network is great for branding, but not advertising, the MediaGuardian reported today. The statement is another blow to Facebook's efforts to increase its advertising dollars, particularly because the money WPP spends on behalf of its clients accounts for nearly a third of the money spent annually through ad agencies worldwide. Sorrell made the remarks at … Read more

So Lit Motors is developing what looks a lot like a motorcycle, but with several traits from a car: You don't have to balance and you don't get wet. They call this model the C-1 and the full-size running prototype is, admittedly, in a very basic state. But here we see the sort of thinking that is perhaps just this side of too radical, while performing drastic surgery on one of the last great areas of waste in our daily lives: the amount of car we lug around for no particular reason.

I like Daniel Kim, he wants to change things but isn't up "there" in a world of intangibles. He began his career as a Land Rover mechanic and, like Steve Jobs, did a little coursework at Reed College in Oregon before moving on (probably bored with the routine progression of college.) He's assembled a team of about a dozen people in a old warehouse in San Francisco that looks like a poster child for urban renewal. … Read more

After a very public falling-out, Facebook and General Motors may be on the road to rekindling their advertising relationship, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing sources, that GM and Facebook are in talks to determine what it would take to bring the automobile company back to the social network's advertising platform. The Journal says that Facebook will give GM better data on how the company can increase ad effectiveness.

GM made waves back in May, just ahead of Facebook's IPO, when it decided to pull its $10 million ad campaign from Facebook, … Read more

To give online car shoppers a feel for the brick-and-mortar buying experience, eBay is teaming up with AutoNation to sell new vehicles using a modern take on a "tent sale" method.

Starting today at 9 a.m. PT, AutoNation will post a handful of new vehicles each day on eBay that initially bear the MSRP. However, each hour the price of the car will drop until someone clicks the "Buy It Now" button. The drop each hour will be "significant," said eBay in a statement," and there's no bottom floor or reserve … Read more

Ever since I was a kid I've had a fascination with racing. My father took me to motorcycle GP races at the age of 4 and we went every year for most of my young life. The big-name racers of the day, the roar of the engines, and the smell of formula fuel as they sped around the track all added to the fun and excitement for the young version of me.

These days I'm not much of a spectator racing fan, but if a new racing game comes out (really on any platform), I somehow automatically become interested. A big racing game release today on iOS got me looking for more fun driving games -- and while I know they're not for everybody -- if you like to "go fast," these games are for you.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about racing. The first lets you upgrade cars and compete on numerous tracks with a 3D top-down view. The second challenges you to compete, driving old-school go-carts around tracks and has a great overall feel. The third is a well-polished sequel that many racing game fans will probably automatically download.… Read more

Convincing a nation so steeped in its car culture to think differently about the way we drive is a test of both patience and persistence. But the 2012 Vehicle Concept Showcase at Stanford University's Center for Automotive Research yesterday offered some interesting arguments about how our future personal transportation will better suit our needs.

One feature that may take some adjustment for many drivers is wheel configuration. Only two of the eight vehicle concepts rolled out at the showcase had the tried and true four-wheel configuration -- most were three-wheelers. As the makers of Switch Vehicles pointed out, dropping … Read more

Electric vehicle startup Lit Motors unveiled a working concept of what could be the answer to a conventional motorcycle's biggest drawbacks: one, tipping over, and two, the road rash and laundry list of other ills you could incur if it does.

A YouTube video the company released shows an electric two-wheeled vehicle cruising along San Francisco streets. Rather than straddling a chassis, the driver rides recumbent and is enclosed in a protective metal shell. But what sets the Lit Motors C1 apart from other electric vehicles is its capability to stay upright at a standstill without help from the … Read more

General Motors asked Facebook if it was possible to run "bigger, higher-impact ad units," or full-page ads, versus the more subtle ads Facebook features, according to AdAge. Currently, companies can advertise through sponsored posts or small ads on the right side of pages.

Facebook, which traditionally opts for the user experience over advertising dollars, said no to the automaker, according to the report.

Publicly, GM has said that its Facebook advertising wasn't successful, while Facebook has said that GM ran a weak campaign. … Read more

In each of the three years of EcoCar2 Challenge, General Motors will give away approximately $100,000 in prizes to the students participating in the alternative fuels vehicle competition. But for some students, the real prize will be a steady paycheck.

Headliners GM and the Department of Energy, along with 25 suppliers, sponsor EcoCar2, a three-year alternative fuels vehicle competition, as a way to encourage college students to enter the automotive industry. It provides a chance for young engineers to apply the theoretical education they gain in the classroom in the lab, giving them an advantage when it comes to … Read more