Cars

If you like to rock out in your car, but don't want to turn your ride into a mobile guitar amp, then this might be the answer: an in-car audio system jointly designed by Panasonic and Fender. The iconic guitar maker has teamed up with Panasonic to "create customized products for the global automotive industry."

The collaboration is an attempt to cash in on Fender's brand name and expertise in the musical instruments industry, and it's another effort by Panasonic to name-drop its way into the in-car audio market. Panasonic already supplies the likes of … Read more

The 2007 Detroit Auto Show ends on Sunday, and if you didn't get a chance to see it, you can enjoy the concepts, new models, and exhibits through our coverage. We've just posted our last video on the show, wrapping up the most important announcements and unveilings. For even more depth, take a look at our slide shows and blog entries about the show.

Click here to watch the 2007 Detroit Auto Show wrap-up video.

How much is too much for a mousepad?

Anything that's not free? $20? $512?

Formula 1 offers a wide variety of overpriced memorabilia on its F1 store and we have seen our share of fashion and sport mice, but never have I seen something so ridiculous.

For a mere $491 you can buy a polished carbon fiber mousepad--excuse me "mouse mat"--with the Formula 1 logo. As if that alone were not outrageous enough, the mousepad will not work with optical mice. You need to shell out $512 for the carbon and leather version if you want … Read more

The McLaren Mercedes MP4-22 had its track debut at the Valencia circuit in Spain on Wednesday.

There were some glitches, however. World Champion Fernando Alonso was forced to return to the pit at one point when smoke began to come out from the back of the car, according to Autosport.

Alonso completed 57 laps with his fastest time on the track (after the smoking pit stop) at 1 minute, 12.053 seconds.

The test follows the announcement that Vodafone is releasing three Formula One cell phones to celebrate its sponsorship of the McLaren Mercedes team.

In the 2007 Pacifica that got dropped off for our review this week, it's obvious that Chrysler is taking luxury lessons from Mercedes-Benz. From all the cars we've seen at CNET Car Tech, I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that Cadillac was the only American car company getting it right. But then I got into the Chrysler Pacifica. Here are my first impressions of this car.

The most obvious cue from Mercedes-Benz are the power seat controls, set in the door and shaped like a seat. These types of controls make it unnecessary to probe blindly … Read more

While much of the county is suffering blizzards and ice storms, we counted our sunny stars today and hit the dry, open road for a first look at the 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line. Like the Pontiac Solstice, with which it shares its platform, the Sky soft-top roadster exudes bold body styling. Sleek lines, a bulging hood, and aggressively arched front fenders all give the Sky a mini-Batmobile character, an impression underlined by the fact that our tester came in onyx black (that's black to you and me).

As its name suggests, the Sky Red Line is a performance-tuned … Read more

Ferrari's new Formula 1 car, the F2007, made its track debut at the Fiorano Test Track, in northern Italy, on Monday.

The car, which will compete in this year's Formula 1 World Championship, was tested by Felipe Massa. Massa took the F2007 for a run of 39 laps throughout the day over Fiorano's long course (2.976 kilometers, or about 1.845 miles). His quickest lap time: 58.360 seconds.

(And you thought I had a cool job.)

The F2007, wet and with driver, weighs about 1,323 pounds (600kg), according to Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's specs. (… Read more

Here at Crave, we tend to be skeptical about creative vacuuming solutions. There was that "Buster" prototype, which looked like more of a way for kids to terrorize pets than for a house to get cleaned. And then there are the "chic" vacuums that look like lawn gnomes. And now here's the latest, thanks to BornRich: a remote-controlled vacuum shaped like a NASCAR race car. It even comes with audio features to make it sound like it's straight out of Talladega Nights. I admit, I may be too much of a yuppie to understand … Read more

The Paris-to-Dakar rally is being run right now and, in the car division, Mitsubishi Pajeros are duking it out with Volkswagen Touaregs on a daily basis. As of the 10th stage of the rally, Team Repsol, with drivers Stephane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret, had taken the overall lead with their specially modified Mitsubishi Pajero Evo. The car uses its original MIVEC six-cylinder engine, with extensive modification, and a six-speed sequential gearbox. The dashboard holds a ruggedized navigation system with special trip computers to help the driving team stay on course and on time. Among the 110 entrants in the car … Read more