Nissan not shuttering Leaf EV battery plants, at least not yet By

The big news on the electric vehicle front today is that Nissan is considering slowing down EV battery production in the US and UK and source all of Nissan's big packs come from Japan.

This incredible Mercedes V12 sculpture is built from bone, wood and fossils

We've seen some impressive automotive replicas, but this one definitely takes the prize as the most unique yet.

1967 Toyota 2000GT Solar Electric Vehicle

You may have packed James Bond's cars with plenty of killer tech (get it?), but the 1967 Toyota 2000GT you see above has got it's own bad boy secrets.

Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport

The Ford Mondeo range of cars offers the best in style, appearance and performance on the roads without compromising on quality or safety.

Corvette Z06 tops Motor Trend list of shortest-stopping vehicles

Any modern performance car worth buying puts just as much emphasis on stopping as it does on going

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

GM issues service bulletins for 2010 Chevy Camaro



by John Neff

Owners of the 2010 Chevy Camaro may want to swing by their local dealer between stop light drags. General Motors has issued a service bulletin for its reborn pony cars that affects three issues that may become problems for some owners. The first issue involves reprogramming the HVAC module, which will reportedly prevent HVAC evaporator freeze-up after long highway drives. The second issue involves tightening the nuts that affix the rear spoiler to the trunk lid, but only applies to vehicles with VIN numbers A9126194 or lower. The third and final issue involves inspecting the engine harness of all V8-equipped models to ensure that the heater hose clamps aren't touching the harness bracket.

It should be noted that this is not a recall, just a service bulletin and Camaro owners are encouraged to have these items addressed the next time they visit a dealer for service.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

2010 Nissan Altima leaked online, internet almost fails to notice



by Jeremy Korzeniewski

The image you see above is the updated 2010 Nissan Altima. No, really... it may look eerily similar to the mid-size sedan currently on dealer lots across the country wearing window stickers that say 2009, but the 2010 model is in fact slightly restyled.

Especially noticeable is the reworked front fascia, which now features a slightly more prominent upper grille and a lower intake that's molded in body color plastic instead of black. Flanking that lower opening are new foglights that sit inside boomerang-shaped recesses. We can't make out much of the car's hind quarters, but it seems the tail lamps have grown a in size.

The story of how this image was leaked is also at least mildly interesting. As we reported earlier today, all Altimas and Maximas from the 2009 and 2010 model years were recalled due to faulty upper front strut insulators, despite the fact that a total of zero 2010 Altimas have so far been sold. Automotive News used the image above of the 2010 Altima for its story, but nearly everyone – save the eagle-eyed chaps at Motor Trend

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Yes, we made fun of the GT3 RS's pink lips when we saw the PR shots. But in person the Guards Red accents look, well, Guards Red. However, even in the



by Jeremy Korzeniewski

According to a report from earth2tech.com, Ray Lane, an investor with Kleiner Perkins, has let slip news that Fisker is developing a new plug-in hybrid automobile to slot below its planned Karma sedan with a base price of just $39,000. No indication is made whether that price would be before or after the $7,500 federal tax rebate it would likely qualify for.

Kleiner Perkins is one of the major investors in Fisker Automotive, so there's reason to believe Lane has knowledge of the inner workings at the young automaker. Earlier, company CEO Henrik Fisker said that the automaker was looking to the Department of Energy for a loan of an undetermined amount in order to build a lower-cost plug-in automobile.

We haven't recieved word that Fisker's DOE loan was approved, so we're not really sure where the funds to develop the new machine will come from. In any case, the Fisker Karma isn't slated to go on sale until late 2010, so the lower-cost PHEV very likely has quite a ways to go before it hits the pavement to do battle with the likes of the Chevy Volt. Thanks for the tip, Jon!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Porsche to offer proper paddle shifters on all models?



by Sam Abuelsamid

The new Porsche 911 Turbo is packed with sports car goodness, primarily with the inclusion of a new steering wheel with proper paddles for tapping your way through the gearbox. The replacement of the silly up-down switches on the spokes will be an option on the Turbo and it seems like the wiring from the wheel to the column is the same regardless of which style you choose.

That means the new wheel can plug into the connection on any new Porsche steering column including the 911, Boxster or Cayman. So if you aren't content with Porsche's admonishment that the two-switch setup is technically superior, you will soon have another way to pay an absurd premium for an option on your Porsche.