How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles

by Paul EisensteinLive in the right part of California and work for the right company and you might be able to buy the new Nissan Leaf for as little as $12,500, as Autoblog has reported, due to the raft of incentives that are available for buyers of the little battery car and other high-mileage, low-emission products.In recent years, lawmakers have been racing to come up with incentives designed to encourage motorists to migrate to clean, efficient...

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Renault unveils Sandero Stepway concept in Brazil

by Noah JosephIf you've ever heard of the Dacia Sandero, it's probably from Clarkson teasing James May about it on Top Gear. The no-nonsense, bare-bones hatchback – sold alternatively as a Renault in markets where its budget subsidiary Dacia doesn't exist – is a favorite of Captain Slow.In South America, the Sandero also comes as a crossover version called the Stepway, and taller though it is, it's just as decidedly spartan. That didn't stop Renault...

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Umbrella Auto Design tricks out the Nissan GT-R's cockpit

by Noah JosephIf the Nissan GT-R is going to seriously take on the Porsche 911, it's going to need to do a bit better on the interior fit and finish. Nissan's own people realized that much when they launched the Egoist edition of the new GT-R, but what if you've already got your Godzilla in the driveway? What are you to do then?Turn to Umbrella Auto Design, that's what. The Seattle-based tuners have announced an aftermarket retrofit for the GT-R's...

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Escort Passport iQ marries GPS with radar detector

by Jeff GluckerEscort has released its brand-new Passport iQ automotive accessory. We would call this a radar detector, but it appears to be much more than that. The Passport iQ, in addition to detecting radar and laser, has a built-in GPS unit, Bluetooth connectivity, red light and speed camera notifications, speed limit information and live traffic updates. All of this information is displayed on a five-inch, full-color touchscreen.The price...

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The Latest Craze In Auto Accessories – The Train Horn

If you keep up with the auto industry at all you’ve probably noticed that the mighty train horn is becoming a popular accessory to put on your car or truck. These aftermarket devices are a sure way to get your ride to stand out in a crowd. This all started by people actually taking horns off of locomotives and putting it on their trucks. These horns were extremely loud but in most cases were also fairly large, cumbersome, and not that nice to look at. So naturally some extremely smart person saw an opportunity and started building them specifically...

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Bentley's traveling roadshow shows off heritage piece by piece

by Jonathon RamseyA cross-country road trip with enough spare parts to practically build another car? Sounds like something from Paris-to-Peking, but in this case it's actually the Bentley Heritage Roadshow -- and it's here in the U.S. Bentley's putting 1,000 rare items from its Heritage Parts and Accessories division on display, traveling across 8,000 miles of American countryside to do so.Most of the Bentleys that have ever been built are still...

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General Motors mid-size sedans going all four-cylinder

by Damon LavrincStraight from the "No Surprise" department comes word from GMInsideNews that all of General Motors mid-size offerings will come equipped with four-cylinder engines as the only available powerplant.GM has made it clear for the last few years that a large part of its future product strategy is to downsize its engine line-up in preparation for the new 2015 CAFE standards. The shift has already begun with the introduction of the 2011...

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Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

by Zach BowmanThe crew from Suzuki and Road & Track officially hold the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category. The team wheeled out their modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to the Bonneville Salt Flats and managed to average an impressive 203.720 mph across two high-speed runs, besting the previous record by a little less than a second and a half. R&T commissioned legendary engine builder Richard Holdener to rework the engine...

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Volkswagen releases initial pics, details on all-new Caddy

by Zach BowmanIt's been nearly six years since Volkswagen took the knife to its workhorse Caddy, but starting next year, buyers can expect a host of changes. The company has just dished the details on its next-generation van before the vehicle gets its official unveiling at the IAA Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show this November. Don't expect anything too wild to crop up design-wise. The Caddy will swipe a few cues from the rest of the VW family up...

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Chrysler to set up separate Fiat dealers

by Chris ShunkWhen Fiat and Chrysler merged, it was assumed that Fiat and Chrysler-branded products would be sharing a common showroom floor. Well, you know what happens when you assume. The Detroit Bureau reports that when Fiat-badged vehicles arrive Stateside at the end of the year they will be sold in an all-new showroom bereft of any manner of Chrysler product. The news reportedly comes from none other than Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne,...

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HKS Racing Controller for PS3 just makes sense

by Jonathon RamseyA steering-wheel-and-pedal setup for your PS3 starts at around $50, but you'll spend at least double that to get into the good stuff. HKS has teamed with InterWorks on a game controller solution that stays at the $50 mark but could work just as well as a wheel while being a little less intrusive.The hot-coal red Hipermax III replaces the analog joysticks with a thumb wheel on the left side and throttle and brake buttons on the right...

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U.S. safety bill could triple cost of automotive black boxes to $5,000

by Zach BowmanWhen word first came down that Congress was looking to mandate that all new vehicles to be sold with Event Data Recorders, we knew that the added tech was going to be pricey. According to Automotive News, if legislators have their way, the new automotive black boxes will need to be both fire resistant and waterproof. Add in a significant amount of recording time before and after an accident, and suddenly the price tag per unit could...

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McLaren gives Button and Hamilton extra bling for good luck

by Noah JosephWe've seen F1 teams pulling all kinds of shtick in an effort to edge out the competition. But embedding diamonds into the helmets and steering wheels? Well, it seemed to work in 2008 for Lewis Hamilton, and he, for one, is hoping it'll work again this year at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.McLaren has partnered with Steinmetz Diamonds to carry off the bedazzling, creating commemorative wreath emblems for both its world champions. The...

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Saab 9-5 Estate leaks out

by Jonny LiebermanFor many moons now, your humble Autoblog crew has been following the new Saab 9-5 around the globe. Not intentionally mind you, but it seems that Saab has been dragging their 9-5 show car out to every show we've covered since before Obama was elected. Which is many, many shows (turns out it's been since Frankfurt). And while we're big boosters of the new 9-5, something's always been... lacking.That's right, a fifth door. And this...

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Chrysler wraps Auburn Hills HQ in honor of Truck of the Year award

by Zach BowmanChrysler has decided to celebrate the Dodge Ram winning the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award by barring employees at its Auburn Hills headquarters from seeing the sun for 120 days. The company has turned its HQ into one big billboard with a 14-story building wrap. The 140-foot tall, 120-foot wide graphic features a massive 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty atop a pile of rocks.The company says the wrap is part of a nationwide campaign to...

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Never blow up your battery with Michelin Smart Jumper Cables

by Sam AbuelsamidVirtually every driver will, at some point, get that sinking feeling that comes when your car doesn't start. Digging out a set of jumper cables to boost a battery is a rite of passage. Jump-starting a car can be a slightly tricky process, though. The positive and negative terminals of the booster and "boostee" need to be connected properly or the battery can be blown up. Which is, you know, sub-optimal. Over the past decade, a number...

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Ford Mustang Lights: Great Deal to Safety

Visibility is one of the most essential part when you are driving, a driver should be able to spot where they are going to elude hitting something or anyone .Car lights are very significant to a driver’s safety because they enhance the visibility on the street and maintain the driver and the passengers safe and sound especially in driving through feebly lighted areas. There are numerous types of lights used in cars specifically in Ford Mustangs; each with its own specific and important function and definite location in the automobile.The Ford Mustang...

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Foose/Deere 4020 vs John Deere 620 Orchard

by Alex NunezChip Foose's John Deere 4020 is pretty kickass, but the reality is this: You needn't enlist the services of a famous pro rodder to get a slick-lookin' John Deere tractor. Take, for instance, the John Deere 620 orchard model shown above. Standard-issue 620s have a traditional tractor look to them, but the ones fitted with the additional orchard equipment a streamlined appearance that looks like it's a set of giant-sized moon caps away...

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Mini gets Connected in the Countryman, doesn't exactly say how

by Jonathon RamseyMini will be debuting a new system dubbed Mini Connected at the Geneva Motor Show, which the brand describes as a new, exciting innovation in infotainment. However, we have little idea of what Mini Connected actually does beyond using "a newly developed USB interface whose unique functionality allows maximum integration of the iPhone into the in-car audio and infotainment system."We do know you can get web radio in your Mini now,...

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Tanner Foust Moving To European Rallycross Championship for 2010

by Jonny LiebermanTanner Foust has about the most solid "car guy" curriculum vitae there is. Drift king, stuntman, rally champ, X Games legend, TV star, momentary Top Gear USA host, two-time U.S. representative for the International Race of Champions and of most important/impressive, Autoblog Podcaster. Well friends, let's go ahead and add Rallycross participant to Tanner's already padded resume.When/Where/Why? Foust will be competing in the 2010...

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Toyota will now send needed pedal repair components directly to dealers

by Michael HarleyIn an effort to stem the flow of potentially defective accelerator pedal parts at the source, Toyota announced earlier this week that replacement pedal components had begun shipping directly to its factories. While the announcement was a welcome step in the right direction towards a long-term resolution, Toyota retail dealers – face-to-face with millions of concerned customers seeking a fix – were understandably angered that the...

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Using Aftermarket Parts and Its Effect on Your Auto Insurance Premium

Getting involved in a car accident is nasty business, but not as nasty as when your vehicle is uninsured. Having your car covered by the policy of an auto insurance company can help you out greatly with the repair of your car (and of the other party’s car, if that is the case), medical bills, and even legal representation, should it come to that. But with regard to car repairs, there might just be some things you need to know and discuss with your insurer.Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts are automotive parts made by a certain vehicle’s...

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GM wooing current Pontiac owners with free service

by Chris ShunkWhen General Motors put Oldsmobile out to pasture, many owners defected from GM brands all-together. In an effort to make sure history doesn't repeat itself with soon to be displaced Pontiac owners, the General is extending an olive branch in the form of a year of free maintenance.Automotive News reports that GM is offering four years of free service visits – including oil changes and tire rotations – to specific Buick-GMC dealerships...

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MyFord Touch proves that the shape of things to come is awesome

by Jonny LiebermanFord began its MyFord Touch presentation with a simple question: "People line up for iPhones – why not cars?" What is it about certain pieces of technology that makes them a "must have"? And since the iPhone is really just a merger of two things we already have (a cell phone and PC), is it possible to blend something into a car that will get 'em lining up around the block? Quite obviously, Ford's hoping the answer is yes.MyFord...

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