Posted by Luxury Car on 7:34 AM
This yea Chrysler’s display is bright, full of new 300s, Dodge Chargers, Jeep Grand Cherokees, plus facelifted Chrysler Town & Countrys, and Sebrings magically turned into relatively tasteful 200s. Those 200s are short-timers, designed to help Chrysler’s midsize lineup limp along for another couple of years.Amidst all the glowing bright lights. No, the paucity of concepts isn’t the sobriety of an auto industry that only wants to show realistic, near-production cars. The “dream” cars will be back in a year or two. This is the budget-cut hangover. Nevertheless, there’s plenty of reality and near-reality to love and hate at this...
Posted by Luxury Car on 12:44 AM
From the grave “It’s not a Porsche,” to the grade school, “It’s really ugly,” insults come from all angles, aimed squarely at its hunchback. You won’t find me among the critics, because to define this car by its styling is to mock Apollo 11 for having food that isn’t particularly good.
I recently spent a week in a V-6 Panamera, facing both clear skies and a deluge that smothered Los Angeles. The verdict? It is a truly wonderful car. Handling is doubly impressive: Our tester generated a 0.99 g average around the skidpad. Its best, 25.0-sec Figure Eight lap time slots between the last M3 Competition package and C63 AMG we tested....
Posted by Luxury Car on 5:35 AM
Escalading the Segment: CA to AZ in a QXThe only time I had spent with Infiniti’s second-generation QX56 was during our 2011 Sport/Utility of the Year competition, in which the Nissan Patrol-based behemoth impressed me and every other editor with its athletic dynamics, advanced technology, and luxurious cabin. Still, a couple hours with a vehicle is a far cry from spending a couple weeks with one. So when I had the opportunity to sign-out our long-term QX56 for an extended period, I didn’t hesitate.
Arriving at the Hotel Valley HoFor the holidays, my wife and I went to her folks’ house in Gold Canyon, Arizona, about 450 miles from our...
Posted by Luxury Car on 8:37 PM
Trying to pick the best Cadillac is an exercise in futility, or even worse, masochism. I’ve obsessed over the brand since my earliest encounter with one, and have repeatedly played the game of which vintage Cadillac I’d like to have in my garage. That imaginary Caddy has been a notorious shape-shifter, but in the end it settles down to a battle between the 1948-1949 fastback coupe or one of these ’54 – ’56 sedans. And why does the more dramatic (and highly collectible) coupe lose: because of Mrs. Welch.In 1963, I was in fifth grade, and obsessed with cars. Cars from the mid-fifties already seemed quaint and old-fashioned, given the rapid...
Posted by Luxury Car on 8:27 PM
Xplore Adventure Series FJ Cruiser – Click above for high-res image gallery One company wants you to get out there and explore them. We saw its first creation, the Xplore Adventure Series FJ Cruiser, at last year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas. That vehicle is going to be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to the National Parks Foundation. Stage two upgrades feature BFGoodrich off-road tires, aluminum wheels, Bilstein shocks and a Magnaflow stainless-steel cat-back exhaust. If you want to push further into the woods, Stage three bolts on winches, a roof rack, rock rails, a rooftop tent and upgraded lighting. There’s also...
Posted by Luxury Car on 12:12 PM
Florida ranks as the top state for pedestrian-vehicle collisions, according to Transportation for America, a nonprofit safety organization. Southern Florida frequently has the most hit-and-run fatalities.
Florida also has the four most dangerous metropolitan areas in the nation. Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville beat out other sprawl-happy cities like Atlanta and Houston.
The TFA says the culprit lies with thoughtless urban and suburban sprawl that puts an emphasis on roadways at the expense of sidewalks, bike lanes and public transit. The study points out that 1.5% of federal transportation safety spending goes to projects like...
Posted by Luxury Car on 4:25 AM
Four turbos, sixteen cylinders, 1106 pound feet of twist and a single digit quarter-mile time. Indeed the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport is a 1200 horsepower show stopper, a $2.6 million dollar panty dropper – with one exceptionally ridiculous problem.Here’s the problem: One of the most prominent upgrades to the Super Sport is that smooth new NACA-ducted roofline which Bugatti claims improves aerodynamics and helps the big V achieve its 268 mph land speed record. But know what else it does? It puts the rear window in a dark little cave, out of reach of the even the longest arms of a professional automotive detailer.And even though it is protected...
Posted by Luxury Car on 4:15 AM
The united states may be the highest target for assassination in the world – hence Cadillac One, his custom, leather-lined tank – but there's no shortage of people in the Middle East who'd bite that the opportunity to take a shot at the Prime Minister of Israel. It comes as no surprise that the Shin-Bet – Israel's national domestic preventative security force – has ordered a new armored limousine to transport the country's head of government.
The duties had been carried out until now by a motor pool of American and German vehicles, accompanied by Japanese SUVs in leapfrog formation (it's a wonder to behold if you're ever seen them in...
Posted by Luxury Car on 4:07 AM
Focused brands rather than the scattershot approach defined over several decades by General Motors’ mess of poorly-defined brands. But the industry wasn’t always marching to the beat of the fewer, better brands drummer. Once upon a time, the American car market teemed with foreign and domestic brands of all sizes and persuasions, offering consumers a nearly unfathomable level of choice.
And though we know we’ll never return to the days that saw Borgwards and Crosleys sold alongside MGs and Matras, we do sometimes long for a return to those Wild West days when there were more brands than anyone knew what to do with.
if...
Posted by Luxury Car on 3:58 AM
Unfortunately, with 85% of people commuting by car this holiday weekend, there are some cities where being stuck in gridlocked traffic is unavoidable. According to NAVTEQ, a provider of real-time traffic updates, the worst city to get stuck in rush-hour traffic in is New York City, followed by Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
According to NAVTEQ’s list of freeways with the slowest average rush hour in North America. The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel is the all-time worst during rush hour, according to NAVTEQ. New York City takes three spots of the top 10 worst freeways overall.
North American Freeways With the Slowest Typical Rush Hour
1....
Posted by Luxury Car on 3:47 AM
The French automaker appeared to be backpedaling the seriousness of the affair, claiming all technical secrets were safe. But be that as it may, the reports that the firm has still filed a criminal “complaint against persons unknown” in the casefor acts constituting organized industrial espionage, corruption, breach of trust, theft and concealment.Who tell the press they are accused of “serious wrongdoing” but insist that they are innocent. A lawyer for at least one of the accused Renault employees says she is not even aware of what exactly Renault is accusing her client of. Reuters adds that “a private company in a foreign country”...
Posted by Luxury Car on 10:47 AM
Many stores that sell these products have a firm client base and the demand is too high to an extent that there is no need to advertise. I’m only talking about legally registered and authorized stores who have created a name in providing high quality car stereos and other car audio. Many discounts can however be advertised but the cheapest car stereo discount stores have to be searched for carefully. Word of mouth plays a huge role in ensuring that people know about how to get the cheap deals. You therefore do not have to wonder how a neighbor got the latest car stereo.
You will get to know which brands are most popular and know which...
Posted by Luxury Car on 10:25 AM
When I first built the instrument panel, I wanted to use LEDs for the turn signal indicators and the high beam indicator. But being me, I could only find two red LEDs and a green one. So I have been looking at the wrong colors all these years.
The original tach was an Auto Gauge that didn’t match my Auto Meter speedometer. The Auto Gauge tach, I thought, was starting to wear out or burn out, because it started fluttering at high RPMs. As it turns out, it wasn’t defective at all. So I ordered a matching Auto Meter tach from Jegs.
I put the new LEDs and the new tach in. I had to increase the holes a bit, but I didn’t mind. The dial on...
Posted by Luxury Car on 3:39 PM
Porsche, everyone agreed, trumped the rest of the car companies all over again. As they'd done in Geneva the previous March, they announced some earth-shattering news at an unbelievably early press conference on the first morning of the 2011 Detroit motor show – is 6.30am early enough for you? – so that for the rest of the day everyone else's news seemed just that little bit tame.
See all the best show pics from the Detroit motor show 2011
The news? The arrival on the stand of a magnificent coupe version of the previously seen 918 Spyder, under its own power, and the announcement that the transfer of long-time Porsche technical boss Wolfgang...
Posted by Luxury Car on 3:16 PM
Volkswagen has used today’s Detroit motor show to unveil the new Pastas, developed for the United States and set to be manufactured there, in Tennessee, in preparation for a massive sales push this summer.
At 4.868m long, it is just over 10cm longer than the European Pastas saloon, a little wider, and the largest car ever to carry that badge.
See the official pics of the new VW Passat saloon - now updated with more Detroit show pics
However, the new US-market Pass-at is just the start of a product blitz for VW in America, confirmed the company’s US boss, Jonathan Browning.
A large seven-seat SUV, designed exclusively...
Posted by Luxury Car on 9:50 PM
Yes, the news from Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) is that the Honda Civic, which we all love for its trendy looks, is getting more trendier with a whole new lot of features. The new Honda Civic SMT is now going to get innovative and will be equipped with enhanced technical features like steering mounted cruise control system, which would be a great advantage on highways where you just want to cruise along the way.
The riders will feel the magic of this new system as you will get the desired speed. It will be fun to use the one-touch operations on the console and the new model consists of ORVM turn indicators to make the ride more convenient.Other...
Posted by Luxury Car on 10:50 PM
How do I find out when my vehicle was manufactured?The month and year of manufacture (e.g., 1-96 (January 1996)) appear on the safety standard certification label that is located on the frame or edge of the driver’s door in most vehicles.
Do I need to get a voucher or sign up for this program?No. You do not need a voucher and you are not required to sign up or enroll in this program. Participating new car dealers will apply a credit, reducing the price you pay at the time of your purchase or lease, provided the vehicle you buy or lease and the vehicle you trade in meet the program requirements. The dealer will then obtain reimbursement...
Posted by Luxury Car on 10:33 PM
A salvage title is an automobile title with a notation that the vehicle has been damaged in excess of approximately 70% of its pre-accident market value. The exact percentage depends on the insurance provider and any applicable laws and regulations. This notation gets applied to a title when an insurance company pays a total-loss claim on a vehicle, but then sells the vehicle at an auction center. If the vehicle is kept by its owner through a buy-back program, then the vehicle will retain a clean title. A properly restored vehicle is still safely drivable even if it is technically considered a total loss by an insurance company, particularly...
Posted by Luxury Car on 10:02 PM
the dead are becoming more and more famous here on Topspeed, and it’s not because of reasons you might think. After featuring a young Puerto Rican and the rather unusual way he was displayed at his wake, we now have another dead car-loving fanatic who still wants to remind people just how much he loves cars even after he has passed on.Steve Marsh, who was affectionately called BMW Steve by those close to him, passed on last year at the age of 51. We don’t know if he specifically wanted this type of tombstone on his grave, but his family, after being granted permission by the local authorities, went out and imported a one-piece granite...
Posted by Luxury Car on 11:03 AM
Nearly everyone else in the entire world may already have spouted off various year-end lists, but Autoworker waited for the 2010 dust to settle before announcing its Best of the Best 2011 car and truck award winners. The 2011 Cadillac CATS-V Coupe and the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee took home the respective top spots.
Rounding out Auto-week magazine's top five cars were the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Ford Fiesta, BMW 5 Series and the Audi A8. The rest of the top trucks included the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Porsche Cayenne and Honda Odyssey. The Cadillac and the Jeep edged out the rest of the competition in categories such as ride quality,...
