Author: Serkadis

Yes, it’s been 20 years since McLaren unleashed its F1, the fastest normally aspirated production car in the world (still holds the title today).

Exactly a month ago, McLaren Automotive celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the start of the F1 program by inviting a bunch of F1 owners to come down hang out and dine at the McLaren Technology Center in Woking, England. McLaren then put together a display of  21 McLaren F1 road and race cars, the largest number of F1 cars ever assembled in one place.

“The F1 is a technological tour-de-force and a real triumph in terms of packaging and design,” said Ron Dennis, McLaren Automotive Executive Chairman. “Whether endurance racing or on road, it is supremely fast, agile and yet comfortable. Its styling is enduring and will never fade. I enjoy driving mine more today than ever before because I find its technical purity highly satisfying; the F1 remains one of McLaren’s proudest achievements.”

Check out the history of the McLaren F1 in the press release after the jump along with photos from the celebration.

McLaren F1 20th Anniversary Celebration:

Press Release:

McLAREN AUTOMOTIVE CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGENDARY McLAREN F1

* McLaren F1 is still the fastest normally aspirated production road car in the world.
* McLaren F1 GTR secured McLaren’s position as the only car manufacturer to win the Formula 1 World Championship, Indianapolis 500 and Le Mans 24 Hours
* McLaren F1 was first production road car to use a full carbon fibre monocoque
* 20 years of carbon pioneering behind McLaren’s launch of the new MP4-12C in 2011

In 1988, McLaren took the decision to expand from Formula One and design and build “the finest sports car the world had ever seen”. In March 1990 the team that was to create the F1 came together for the first time. In its 20th anniversary year, the McLaren F1 is considered by most people to be one of the greatest cars of all time. Its exclusivity, technical innovation, racing provenance, revolutionary packaging and extraordinary driving experience have made it an icon.

Just two years later, the McLaren F1 road car was launched to the world on 28th May 1992 in Monaco, with the first production car delivered to its proud owner in December 1993.

The F1 defines the McLaren road car DNA

McLaren is a carbon pioneer. The McLaren Formula 1 team was the first team in Formula 1 to use a carbon fibre chassis in 1981. Nine years on, these Formula 1 techniques were developed to create the carbon monocoque for the McLaren F1: the resulting structure weighed just 100kg whilst offering the highest levels of strength and safety. The bare carbon fibre passenger doors weighed just 7 kg each (which included the weight of the side intrusion beam).

The F1 defined the McLaren road car DNA: low weight, low polar moment of inertia, clever packaging, superb quality and innovative design, resulting in an outstanding driving experience.

The F1 bristles with innovative design. The central driving position, which ensures superb visibility and no compromise on control positions for the driver; the pannier side lockers providing unprecedented levels of luggage capacity in a car of this type; the patented suspension system to provide both control and ride quality.

The F1 was launched at a price of £540,000 in 1994, and over the course of the next four years 64 F1, 5 F1 LM and 3 F1 GT road cars were produced, together with 28 F1 GTR race cars. An additional six prototypes were produced.

In October 2008, a delivery mileage F1 was sold at auction for £2.53 million, underlining the F1’s status as one of the great motoring icons.

Taking a road car to the track

In 1994, after pressure from owners, McLaren developed a racing version of the F1 road car to run in the FIA GT1 category in the 1995 season. Despite a design and development period of just 3 months, the F1 GTR swept all before it, winning not only the 1995 GT1 Championship, but also the 24 Heures du Mans on its debut. McLaren not only won, but dominated the rain-soaked endurance race, finishing in 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 13th places.

The Le Mans winning F1 GTR was piloted by J.J. Lehto, Yannick Dalmas and Masanori Sekiya. Lehto’s performance through the night on a treacherous circuit has been hailed as one of the great racing performances of all time, taking up to 10 seconds a lap off the cars in front of him. The winning car is proudly displayed at the McLaren Technology Centre in exactly the condition that it finished Le Mans in 1995.

Thus the F1 GTR secured for McLaren a unique position in motor racing history, as the only manufacturer to win the Formula 1 World Championship, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

McLaren decided to celebrate the extraordinary result at Le Mans by creating 5 F1 LM road cars, one for each F1 that finished this most grueling of races. Launched in McLaren Orange, as used on Bruce McLaren’s race cars the 1960s and 70s, and with a derestricted race engine, the LM is not only the most powerful of all F1 variants, but also the most valuable. Formula 1 fans will recognize this as the car which Lewis Hamilton has set his heart on owning.

In 1997, the final iteration of the F1 road car project was built. The F1 GT was built solely to fulfil the new homologation rules for the 1997 GTR race car, of which 10 examples were produced in the same year. Both the GT road car and the 1997 GTR race cars became known as the ‘Longtail’, because of the longer front and rear overhangs for improved downforce when racing. Although McLaren only had to build one car for homologation purposes, two more were built following requests from existing F1 owners.

In 1998, with a total of 106 of all variants built and its production run complete, the McLaren F1 went on to achieve its greatest feat outside competitive motorsport. McLaren development and race driver Andy Wallace took XP5, the fifth and final prototype F1 with some 45,000 hard test miles on the clock, to the Ehra-Lessien proving ground in Germany. It was here on 31st March 1998 that the howling V12 propelled him to an amazing 240.1mph. Over 12 years later, this remains a world record for a naturally aspirated production car.

Back to the F1 future

On 27th April 2010, McLaren Automotive celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the start of the F1 programme by inviting F1 owners past and present to a celebration dinner at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The following day, after an insight into McLaren Automotive’s exciting plans for a future range of high performance sports cars, the owners were treated to a display of 21 McLaren F1 road and race cars, the largest number of F1 cars ever assembled in one place.

With the launch of McLaren Automotive as a new car company announced in March 2010, the company begins production planning for an entire range of high performance sports, designed and built in-house by McLaren. The first in this range will be the MP4-12C.

The 12C shares much of the design philosophy that was applied to the McLaren F1. Starting with the new car’s MonoCell, a one-piece carbon fibre chassis that is stiff, light and ensures occupant safety, every component has been designed to ensure the car is lightweight, nimble and able to deliver ultimate performance. When the 12C launches in 2011, it will be the first in the ‘core’ sports car sector to offer a carbon chassis, and the first road car ever with a one-piece, moulded carbon chassis.

From the outset, the 12C has been ‘designed around the driver’. Outstanding aerodynamic efficiency and bespoke technologies including Proactive Chassis Control, Seamless Shift dual-clutch Gearbox (SSG), Brake Steer and the 12C’s unique Airbrake feature in a car which has been developed using Formula 1 simulator technology. The new high performance sports car from McLaren will be sold initially through 35 retailers in 19 different countries around the world from Spring 2011.

McLaren’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of the F1 will continue throughout the year.

McLaren enthusiasts will have the opportunity to see both the F1 and 12C together at this summer’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place at the famous English motorsport venue from 2-4 July 2010.

Technical specifications of each McLaren F1 derivative are detailed below.

Model	F1 Roadcar	F1 GTR Racecar	F1 LM Roadcar
Year of production	1993-98	1995	1996
Examples built	64	9	5
Engine	BMW V12	BMW V12	BMW V12
Cubic Capacity	6064 cc	6064cc	6064cc
Engine Management	TAG 3.12 Ignition/Injection	TAG 3.12 Ignition/Injection	TAG 3.12 Ignition/Injection
Power output (bhp)	627	600	680
Transmission	Transverse 6-speed Limited Slip Differential	Aluminium case transverse 6-speed, LSD	Transverse 6-speed Racing Unit, LSD
Chassis	Carbon fibre reinforced composite monocoque	Carbon fibre reinforced composite monocoque	Carbon fibre reinforced composite monocoque
Body	Carbon fibre composite panels	Carbon fibre composite panels	Carbon fibre composite panels
Front Suspension	Double wishbones, Ground Plane Sheer centre sub-frame light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring, anti-roll bar	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring, anti-roll bar	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension	Double wishbones, Inclined Axis Sheer mounting, light alloy damper/coaxle coil spring, toe-in/toe-out control links	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/coaxle coil spring	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/coaxle coil spring
Brakes F/R	Outboard 13/12in ventilated discs	Outboard 15/14in ventilated carbon discs	Outboard 13/12in ventilated discs
Wheels: Diameter x Width F/R	17×9/17×11.5in	18×10.85/18×13in	18×10.85/18×13in
Tyres F/R	Goodyear F1, Michelin SX-MXX3	Michelin	Michelin SX-MXX3
Length	169in/4292mm	169in/4292mm	171.8in/4365mm
Width	71.6in/1820mm	71.6in/1820mm	71.6in/1820mm
Height	44.8in/1140mm	44.8in/1140mm	44.1in/1120mm
Wheelbase	107in/2718mm	107in/2718mm	107in/2718mm
Track F/R	61.7/58in / 1568/1472mm	61.3/58.6in / 1558/1488mm	61.8/57.6in / 1570/1464mm
Weight	2502lb/1140kg	2315lb/1050kg	2341lb/1062kg

Model	F1 GTR Racecar	F1 GT Roadcar	F1 GTR Racecar
Year of production	1996	1997	1997
Examples built	9	3	10
Engine	BMW V12	BMW V12	BMW V12
Cubic Capacity	6064 cc	6064cc	5990cc
Engine Management	TAG 3.12 Ignition/Injection	TAG 3.12 Ignition/Injection	TAG 3.12 Ignition/Injection
Power output (bhp)	600	627	600
Transmission	Magnesium case transverse 6-speed Limited Slip Differential	Transverse 6-speed, Limited Slip Differential	Magnesium case transverse 6-speed
Chassis	Carbon fibre reinforced composite monocoque	Carbon fibre reinforced composite monocoque	Carbon fibre reinforced composite monocoque
Body	Carbon fibre composite panels	Carbon fibre composite panels	Carbon fibre composite panels
Front Suspension	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/coaxle coil spring, anti-roll bar	Double wishbones, Ground Plane Sheer centre sub-frame light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring, anti-roll bar	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring	Double wishbones, Inclined Axis Sheer mounting, light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring, toe-in/toe-out control links	Double wishbones, light alloy damper/co-axial coil spring
Brakes F/R	Outboard 15/14in ventilated carbon discs	Outboard 13/12in ventilated discs	Outboard 15/14in ventilated carbon discs
Wheels: Diameter x Width F/R	18×10.85/18×13in	18×10.85/18×13in	18×10.85/18×13in
Tyres F/R	Michelin	Michelin	Michelin
Length	172in/4367mm	194in/4928mm	194.2in/4933mm
Width	74.8in/1900mm	76.4in/1940mm	75.6in/1920mm
Height	42.9in/1090mm	47.2in/1200mm	47.2in/1200mm
Wheelbase	107in/2718mm	107in/2718mm	107.2in/2723mm
Track F/R	61.3/58.6in / 1558/1488mm	63.3/62.3in / 1620/1582mm	63.7/62.3in / 1617/1582mm
Weight	2231lb/1012kg	2469lb/1120kg	2017lb/915kg

– By: Omar Rana

The Apple iPad is taking over the world, okay we’re just kidding. However, soon it will be taking over Mercedes-Benz dealerships. The automaker will be putting iPads in 40 of its dealerships with the company’s MB Advantage application that will allow dealers to answer a customer’s financial questions and kick of the purchasing process.

“We wanted to bring the mobile revolution into the dealership,” Andreas Hinrichs, vice president of marketing, told The Wall Street Journal. “The iPad is consumer centric but there is a business side to it as well.”

Using the MB Advantage app, the sales staff will be able to start the loan application right from the iPad. Mercedes-Benz says that employees may also use the iPad to help customers return a leased vehicle by entering the condition of the car.

Hey, it beats sitting in a boring chair and desk.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: WSJ

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Humor

Kelley Blue Book ace and Autoblog pal James Bell and his team brought a slew of vehicles to Santa Monica, California for some analysis on KTLA channel five’s morning show. The aim was to showcase 10 great road trip vehicles, but instead, one of the nation’s largest local TV audiences received a lesson in parking law from a particularly dedicated meter maid.

While Bell and KTLA reported Gayle Anderson were live on the air, the Santa Monica parking enforcement began rifling off $50 tickets for each vehicle on display. In the footage, Anderson asserts live on air that the parking spots have been paid for, adding that she has receipts, but that’s apparently not enough to stop Santa Monica’s finest from making with the carbon copies. Bell’s comment? “If we can afford the Porsche (Panamera), you can afford the ticket.” Unless, of course, that Porsche is a press car. Pretty funny stuff. Hit the jump to watch first-hand video of KBB and KTLA’s amusing $500 parking faux pas.

[Source: KTLA via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: KBB, KTLA get amusing parking tickets on live broadcast

Video: KBB, KTLA get amusing parking tickets on live broadcast originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via UFO Casebook News Feed

Cops Investigate NT UFO Invasion

PRESS RELEASE
May 27, 2010                                                              Contact: Frank Murray, 542-4835

Rolando Garcia is the new Columbia Basin College men’s basketball coach. Garcia has been the women’s team assistant head coach for seven years, but his CBC basketball history dates back even further.

A high school standout at Grandview when the Greyhounds won a state championship, Garcia was the point guard for former CBC coach Ed Weidenbach when the Hawk men last won an NWAACC championship in 1990. Garcia went on to star at Northwest Nazarene College where he was named Honorable Mention All American.

Garcia inherits a team that graduated only one sophomore.

“I’m really excited, humbled, and grateful for the opportunity to coach in a program that I also played for. I am also eager to take on this challenge and to begin working with these young men in preparing them for the upcoming season in an extremely competitive region of the NWAACC. I have been extremely fortunate in being an assistant for CBC’s women’s program under Cheryl Holden. She has been a tremendous teacher, friend, and mentor. Replicating the success we shared in the women’s program will be the tough task I will try to incorporate into the men’s program,” he says.

Garcia works at CBC as the Director of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) grant. As head coach, he replaces Lane Schumacher who resigned earlier this month.

Ford and Microsoft’s SYNC system just keeps getting better and better. FoMoCo announced today that it will be adding a bunch of extras to its SYNC system including access to horoscopes, stock quotes, movie listings and access to airlines, rental cars and hotels.

Customers that have a Ford, Lincoln or Mercury vehicle equipped with SYNC app Traffic, Directions and Information (TDI), will not have to pay an extra fee for the service. All they need is an active owner account on www.syncmyride.com.

“SYNC is helping us move at a faster pace and deliver the level of connectivity and access that consumers want,” said Doug VanDagens, director, Ford Connected Services Organization. “Now, by leveraging the cloud, we continue to give our customers access to more and more services without having to touch the vehicle or inconvenience the owner with more subscription fees.”

The TDI feature is available on all 2010 and 2011 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with SYNC.

Follow the jump for the press release and for videos of the new features in action.

New Ford SYNC TDI Features:

Press Release:

STOCK QUOTES, HOROSCOPES AND MORE ADDED TO FORD SYNC CLOUD-BASED SERVICES; NO EXTRA FEES ATTACHED

– Ford adds new services to SYNC® through the cloud-based app Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI), giving users on-demand access using simple voice commands to stock quotes, movie listings, horoscopes, and airlines, hotels and rental car companies

– The new services are now available to SYNC TDI owners and showcase the flexibility and expandability of the SYNC architecture to continuously improve the user experience – no extra fees or software upgrades required

– TDI is available on all 2010 and 2011 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with SYNC; services come with no monthly subscription fees for the first three years of vehicle ownership

DEARBORN, Mich., May 27, 2010 – Horoscopes, stock quotes, movie listings and access to airlines, rental cars and hotels are now just a voice command away for customers driving Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with the SYNC® app Traffic, Directions & Information (TDI).

And customers did not have to inquire, purchase or upgrade anything to get this whole new set of services. All that is needed is an active owner account on www.syncmyride.com.

Ford expanded SYNC TDI services to include stock quotes, entertainment, travel and movie categories, in addition to the already available traffic, directions, news and business search capabilities. The new services are provided by Microsoft Tellme, one of the many partners in Ford’s cloud-based Service Delivery Network, which gives SYNC users the ability to use a simple Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to connect and voice request the information they want while in the car.

More features, no extra cost
Owners of SYNC-equipped 2010 and 2011 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products will have immediate access to the enhanced TDI services.

“Current TDI users will hear a special announcement through SYNC the first time they call in, announcing stocks, movies, horoscopes and travel, and informing them that they have more choices,” adds VanDagens.

When users say the “services” voice command, they can ask for “stocks,” horoscopes,” “movies” or “travel,” and follow the prompts. They can also create personalized lists of stocks and horoscopes to follow by visiting their account on www.syncmyride.com, clicking on the “Manage favorites” tab and adding their top picks.

In total, the new SYNC TDI categories offer the following options:

Stocks

* Say a company name and receive real-time stock quotes
* Request other specifics such as the high/low of the day, of a 52-week period, share volume, market cap and price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio

Horoscopes

* Speak an astrological sign to hear the daily horoscope
* Hear list of astrological signs

Movies

* Search for movie theaters near customer’s current location or provided city
* Receive lists of new releases
* Say a movie name and receive rating information, theater names where movies are playing
* Request movie times at a location for today, tomorrow or the next day

Travel

* Request to be directly connected to 150 airlines, the 50 largest hotel chains and the 11 largest rental car agencies – all in the U.S.

– By: Omar Rana

Steve R. was the first of a bunch of you to send in the news that Hebrew University is suing GM for using Albert Einstein’s likeness in an ad. A separate article notes that Einstein “is among the world’s top-earning dead people” because so many people have to pay to license his image. Apparently Einstein, when he died, left his papers to the university, who is now cashing in. Nice to know that celebrating genius has a price, huh? Copyright is supposed to be about furthering the advancement of science, and here it’s being used to profit off the memory of a great scientist. Update: There’s a good discussion in the comments on the details of this, as it was not at all clear who owned what rights and what was being sued over in the original news articles. But folks have turned up the details, which involve publicity rights — a still emerging area of intellectual property law that differs greatly from state to state.

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Joel A. Feder, an expert in social media, is at the MAMA spring rally and happened to witness something very painful.

Last night during a storm that rolled through with hard rain followed by hail knocked down a tree in the parking lot. Unfortunately, the tree happened to land on a brand new Aston Martin Rapide and a Bentley Continental Supersports. While the Supersports got a way with no harm done to it, the Rapide faced a smashed windshield, a broken passenger side mirror and a nice dent on the hood.

Click here for more news on the Aston Martin Rapide.

Refresher: Power for the Aston Martin Rapide comes from a 6.0L V12 engine making 470-hp and a peak torque of 443 lb-ft. Mated to a Touchtronic 2 6-speed gearbox with electronic shift-by-wire control system, the, Aston Martin Rapide can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds with a top speed of 188 mph.

Tree falls on Aston Martin Rapide:

Aston Martin Rapide:

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Joel Feder

Memorial Day is the first long weekend during which car fans can get out and hit the open road. Whether you want to take an “I just won the lottery” trip or a “Let’s just get outta here” trip, AutoWeek has you covered. First, the dream road-trip cars and some dream trips, then some practical ideas.

Wherever you go, enjoy the ride.

1956 Porsche 550 Spyder

The 550, known alternately as the “Little Bastard” for killing James Dean, and the “Giant Killer” for destroying the competition on the racetrack, sold for only $6,800 new. Today, that number is about $1 million, but replicas can be had for a tenth of that. A road trip with the 550 would take you to Park Cemetery in Fairmount, Ind., the final resting place of the Rebel Without a Cause.

2010 Audi R8 Spyder V10

When the R8 dropped its top at the end of last year, it became one of the biggest hits at the Los Angeles auto show. So it’s no surprise that it makes our summer-car list. A 10-cylinder, 525-hp engine doesn’t hurt either. The first stop on an R8 road trip would be Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, then Laguna Beach.

2010 Bentley Continental GTC

The Bentley convertible will whoosh you away with speed, style and room for four. But don’t stray too far off the main roads; you will need to find gas stations. Often. We think that’s a small price to pay for the royalty that is the flying B. Take it to Los Angeles. Get discovered.

1966 Jaguar E-type

The gorgeous E-type didn’t make its stateside debut until March 1961. By 1966, a 2+2 version with an automatic transmission was available for the connoisseurs who had kiddies. These days, you can score an E-type in decent condition for less than 50-grand. The perfect road trip? A week of traveling the back roads in Coventry, England, the E-Type’s spiritual home.

2010 Aston Martin DBS Volante

What does James Bond take on vacation? Volante, DBS Volante. With a top speed of 191 mph, the DBS is fast enough to dodge raindrops but still slick enough to step out onto the red carpet. Take it Cannes, France. And win yourself a Palme d’Or. Or pick up someone who did.

2010 Tesla Roadster

Sure, you may need 10 of them to make it across the country, but at least you’ll be green! The six-figure roadster goes 245 miles on a charge, less if you’re liberal with the gas pedal. But with the top down and a sub-4-second 0-to-60-mph time, you won’t even care. Ferry it to Costa Rica; it has a tiny eco footprint, and the locals will be happy to have the tourism. I believe la electricidad is the word you’ll need.

2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Even though the top doesn’t go down, this is a serious road-trip cruiser. Not only will it cover distance, quickly, but it will do it with the comfort Mercedes always affords. Take the SLS on a trip to where it’s most comfortable, der Autobahn.

1946 Ford Super Deluxe (Woodie)

Who needs steel when you have wood? The 1940s Woodies were perfect for the surfer generation because they were cheap, they fit a lot of people, and they could be easily fixed with woodworking skills. Same goes for a road trip; gasoline is a lot cheaper when you’re splitting it six ways. Strap on some longboards and travel to Australia; Surfer’s Paradise is at the southern edge of Queensland.

2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

We couldn’t leave the world’s fastest convertible off the list. Each of the Grand Sport’s 16 cylinders accounts for 62 hp and about 57 lb-ft of torque. That adds up to a top speed of just less than 253 mph, with no roof. The only place to take the Veyron is Eyre Highway in Australia. It’s said to be the straightest, flattest road in the world.

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

The newest edition to the Ferrari family will take you and a friend on the road trip of your dreams–as long as your dreams involve gobs of red paint and blurring scenery. With 562 horses on tap and seven speeds to spread them over, the ultimate 458 road trip would include a drive to Stelvio Pass in Italy. The road’s 60 hairpins and almost two-mile climb are challenges to the even the strongest-willed driver.

The Practicals–What you’ll really be taking

2011 Mustang GT Convertible

The return of the 5.0 in convertible form isn’t just a way to road trip; it’s a reason. The Mustang is well priced and fits four, or three if you’re going to be in there for a while. It has enough cache to get some nods on the highway and enough power to get some revs at a stoplight.

2010 Corvette Grand Sport Convertible

The 2010 Grand Sport is the slightly stronger first cousin of the base model. It gets unique side vents and gently massaged motor to boot. Get it in yellow and look for that 5.0.

2010 Mazda Miata

The Miata is a staple whenever we talk about convertibles for any reason. You know it won’t be left off our road-trip choices. The perfectly balanced Miata is a blast on road trips, as long as you don’t need much luggage. It’s perfect for autocrossing your way across the country.

2010 Chrysler Town & Country

Ha. Ha. Ha. It fits eight, has televisions galore, a stow-and-go table for cards and gets more than 20 mpg on the freeway. That is a road-trip car. It may not get you noticed on the beach, but with all of these goodies, laugh smugly to yourself.

2010 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

If the Jeep was good enough for the Americans to road-trip through Germany, then it’s good enough for you. Get rid of the ragtop and hit the forest trails. There isn’t much a Jeep can’t handle.

For more

Source: Car news, reviews and auto show stories

The strategic alliance between Renault/Nissan and Daimler AG will allow the two automakers to cooperate on new tech and product-sharing that will benefit all who are involved. Following the announcement of their partnership, we heard many reports that Infiniti’s G lineup will get Mercedes-Benz’s inline 4-cylinder engines to improve fuel-economy figures.

Click here to get prices on the 2011 Infiniti M37.

Latest rumors from Japan say that the replacement for the Infiniti M sedan and the G coupe will see a common platform architecture with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. We also hear that Mercedes-Benz will be providing Infiniti with diesel engines.

Keep in mind, Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti have not confirmed anything as of yet.

Click here to read our first driving impressions on the 2011 Infiniti M.

First Drive: 2011 Infiniti M37 / 2011 Infiniti M56:

All Photos Copyright © 2010 Omar Rana – egmCarTech.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: BestCar (via PistonHeads)

Most of the revisions in the “Second Estimate” GDP report this morning were small; the headline GDP number was revised down to 3.0% from 3.2% (annualized real growth rate).
There are really two measures of GDP: 1) real GDP, and 2) real Gross Domestic Income (GDI). The BEA also released GDI today. Recent research suggests that GDI is often more accurate than GDP.

For a discussion on GDI, see from Fed economist Jeremy Nalewaik, “Income and Product Side Estimates of US Output Growth,” Brookings Papers on Economic Activity. An excerpt:

The U.S. produces two conceptually identical official measures of its economic output, currently called Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Domestic Income (GDI). These two measures have shown markedly different business cycle fluctuations over the past twenty five years, with GDI showing a more-pronounced cycle than GDP. These differences have become particularly glaring over the latest cyclical downturn, which appears considerably worse along several dimensions when looking at GDI. …

In discussing the information content of these two sets of estimates, the confusion often starts with the nomenclature. GDP can mean either the true output variable of interest, or an estimate of that output variable based on the expenditure approach. Since these are two very different things, using “GDP” for both is confusing. Furthermore, since GDI has a different name than GDP, it may not be initially clear that GDI measures the same concept as GDP, using the equally valid income approach.

The NBER uses both real GDP and real GDI to date recessions.

The following graph is constructed as a percent of the previous peak in both GDP and GDI. This shows when the indicator has bottomed – and when the indicator has returned to the level of the previous peak. If the indicator is at a new peak, the value is 100%. The recent recession is marked as ending in Q3 2009 – this is preliminary and NOT an NBER determination.

The NBER uses both real GDP and real GDI to date recessions.

The following graph is constructed as a percent of the previous peak in both GDP and GDI. This shows when the indicator has bottomed – and when the indicator has returned to the level of the previous peak. If the indicator is at a new peak, the value is 100%. The recent recession is marked as ending in Q3 2009 – this is preliminary and NOT an NBER determination.

Click on graph for larger image in new window.

It appears that GDP bottomed in Q2 2009 and GDI in Q3 2009. Real GDP is only 1.2% below the pre-recession peak – but real GDI is still 2.3% below the previous peak.

GDI suggests the recovery has been more sluggish than the headline GDP report and better explains the weakness in the labor market.

Also “Personal income excluding current transfer receipts (billions of chained 2005 dollars)” was revised down for the last two quarters, and now shows essentially no growth in real personal income since the bottom of the recession.

Join the conversation about this story »

An anonymous BP technician tells the NYT there’s been a delay after too much drilling fluid was escaping the well. The mud-like fluid has to be in place before Top Kill moves to the cement phase.

New York Times:

A technician at the BP command center said that pumping of the fluid had to be stopped temporarily while engineers were revising their plans, and that the company hoped to resume pumping by midnight, if federal officials approved.

The technician, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, said the problem was not seen as serious. “We’re still quite optimistic,” he said, but cautioned: “It is not assured and its not a done deal yet. All of this will require some time.”

It just so happens that BP killed the live cam feed minutes shortly before the news, claiming the camera lens was dirty.

Don’t Miss: Nausea-Inducing Pictures Of Oil Entering The Marsh

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Just after Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the company “missed the mark“, changes regarding Facebook’s privacy policy was instantly made.

Here are 6 Privacy Changes that Facebook must make:

1. Simplified Privacy Button Located on the Home Page. The first demand was for a clear privacy button located on the home page. When an account is updated under the new standard, a message box shows up at the top of the homepage pointing you to the new privacy options.

2. “Just Friends” should be set on Default. The Just Friends Setting had a failing mark on the users as new, simpler privacy settings would be more of use. In the company’s favor, it is easier to switch the settings to “Just Friends”, but it is not using the default setting.

3. Tighten Up The Facebook Chat. Another fail as this one may be a wishful thinking. Facebook could have offered incentives for the opting into sharing our personal data.

5. Deletion of Account. This one’s a pass for Facebook as one might expect to remove one’s self from Facebook’s data centers. Zuckerberg addressed to the problem directly, saying that the process of quitting and deleting an account would be much more easier.

6. There should be more space Improvement. Generally, one thing is asked for Facebook, that the users want more privacy “by default“.

The company made the first steps in changing the privacy changes. As for the current changes for Facebook, are they enough?

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In the last few weeks nearly dozens of people were killed in the fighting between gunmen drug lords and policemen in Kingston, Jamaica. In the operation of anti-drug offensive, the city witnessed running battles between the gunmen and security forces. The gunmen belong to a suspected drug lord who is also sought by the US. But the whereabouts of the alleged drug lord Christoper ‘Dudus’ Coke is unknown.

An Organization for American States body expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing violence and expressed that such power acquired by the drug lords in Caribbean nation is a matter of concern for the United States. The street gun battle has left at least 67 dead including few policemen.

However the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has urged the Jamaican State to conduct an impartial investigation of the events that led to the deaths of some innocent people too. The effort of the desperate police to arrest Dudus Coke, has resulted in the arrests of nearly 500 people and widespread confiscation of arms and ammunition. Live combat could be seen on Television between Policemen and supporters of Coke in neighborhoods of Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens.

Deputy Police Commissioner Glenmore Hinds said that the effort is still on to arrest Coke, but they are still clueless about his whereabouts. Authorities are making provisions for press and reporters to enter the conflict zone with caution. The government also urged businessmen to stop backing the drug lords that will threat peace of the nation.

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After the Vanuatu has been struck by a stunning 7.2 Quake, authorities at first sent out a tsunami warning but it was later on canceled. The Quake was felt near the coast of the South Pacific island republic of Vanuatu. The United States earlier had issued a tsunami warning for islands New Caledonia, Solomon and Vanuatu.

According to the Tsunami Warning Center, readings of the sea level didn’t show signs of an incoming tsunami.

“If a tsunami was generated, it does not pose a threat to any areas outside the epicentral region,” it said in a bulletin sent out this afternoon.

The eye of the Earthquake was around 300 miles northwest of Port Vila with a depth of 22 miles. The time the Quake struck was 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time. Local officials frequently updated themselves on the quake and tsunami warning.

Professionals said that Hawaii would be out of danger. Japan, which is the world’s most earthquake prone country in the whole world, according to their local police no serious inquries or damage were done by the 7.2 quake.

“I would think any damage from a quake this size is unlikely,” an official with the police, Shimpachi Higashizato, told the Associated Press.

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Today’s bout of optimism notwithstanding, Morgan Stanley (MS) remains very bearish on the euro, forecasting big declines to come.

Here’s Stephen Hull

We have made some changes to our currency forecasts,
expecting the dollar to strengthen further in 2010. Having
reached our 1.24 target in EUR/USD, we now expect a
decline to 1.16 by year-end and for the euro to trade at a
discount to fair value (1.17) in early 2011, reaching a trough
around 1.12 before recovering later in the year.

Why?

The shift from the initial fiscal problem in the
periphery (Greece) has now become a fiscal problem for core
Europe; more importantly for the euro, it has also undermined
the credibility of the ECB. The ECB’s priority has not been to
focus on the euro as a store of value but has shifted to
helping stabilize the situation. Its role as lender of last resort
has been fully tested and arguably its independence
undermined now that it is buying government bonds to help
ease Europe’s debt problem. There is little doubt in our minds
now that through this crisis there is growing evidence that the
euro is no longer a hard currency like the deutschemark but
something softer. If this is true then those that hold euros
might be less willing to hold them and, as Exhibit 5 shows,
investors – especially central banks and equity investors –
have bought significant amounts of euros since its inception in
1999.

Separately, Morgan Stanley’s Joachim Fils writes:

To be clear, we neither advocate a EUR break-up nor is this
our main scenario. However, the risk that it happens is far
from negligible and the consequences for financial markets
would be severe.  Given recent developments, a break-up
scenario has clearly become more likely, for two reasons. 

First, the lesson for other euro area members from the Greek
bail-out package is that no matter how badly you violate the
SGP guidelines, financial help will be forthcoming, if push
comes to shove. This introduces a serious moral hazard
problem into the European equation. Fiscal slippage in other
countries has now become more rather than less likely in our
view.

Second, the ECB’s climb-down on its collateral rules
regarding lower-rated bonds, which ensures that Greek
government bonds will still be eligible as collateral in ECB
tenders beyond 2010, adds to this moral hazard problem and
confirms that the ECB is not immune to political
considerations and pressures.

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After selling Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, FoMoCo executives are now preparing to kill Mercury. According to sources familiar with the plans, the Dearborn automaker’s top executives are currently working on a proposal to kill Mercury that will be presented to directors in July.

Mercury sales have fallen 74 percent since 2000 and FoMoCo is not planning any new vehicles for the brand, which was created in 1939 by Edsel Ford, the son of founder Henry Ford.

“Mercury is a forgotten brand,” John Wolkonowicz, an auto analyst with IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts told Bloomberg. “Many Americans probably already think it has been discontinued. Mercury was too similar to Ford from the very beginning.”

The timing of Mercury’s death all depends on how fast executives can convince directors and dealers to shutdown the unprofitable brand.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Bloomberg

The sudden warning of Tsunami created tense moments at the many Coastal regions of Pacific Ocean when an earthquake of 7.2 Richter scale hit 244 km northwest of Santo on the Island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu lies in the circle of volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches which is called ‘Ring of Fire.’

Vanuatu lies on the so-called Ring Of Fire, a series of volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches which encircle the Pacific basin. After the earthquake Tsunami Center told Reuters that an earthquake of size that has the potential to create destructive Tsunami has been detected and they warned the coastal regions.

However later, authorities have ruled out the Tsunami warning. Even the US had issued a warning for New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that the sea level readings after the quake showed no signs of any impending danger. They further said that even if Tsunami was generated that was not strong enough to cause any destruction outside the epicenter of the earthquake.

The Vanuatu local authorities are still alert and are checking for any information they could gather for any impending danger. So far they have no vital information and suggestion for the people. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also ruled out any immediate risk to Hawaii. Japan too reported no immediate reports of injury or damage from the earthquake in the ocean.

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The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a sweeping auto-safety bill that would require installation of brake-override systems and event-data recorders. This bill comes in the wake of the Toyota unintended acceleration crisis, and much pressure from the public to hold automakers more accountable for safety. Regulators would also have to consider industry-wide standards for foot-pedal placement, electronic systems, push-button ignition systems, and transmission configuration. The NHTSA would be the ones to devise a timetable by which the manufacturers would have to be in compliance.

An earlier version of the bill required that black boxes record crash data for 75 seconds before a crash, and eliminated the cap on penalties to automakers. Those provisions have been dropped; the NHTSA will now determine an appropriate recording window, and the cap has been set at $200 million.

One other major point of the House bill is the expansion authority and increase in funding to the NHTSA, and that auto-safety information would be more transparent to consumers. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate; one major difference however, is that the Senate bill would eliminate the cap on fines.

NHTSA funding will be increased through an automaker fee of $9 per vehicle, and by doubling federal funding to $280 million over three years. There will also be a process in place for the Transportation Department to publicly order recalls in certain situations, and impose a ban on federal employees leaving the Transportation Department to go work for automakers immediately afterwards.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)
Image Source: Official White House photo by Pete Souza

Engineers have confirmed that they had been able to stop the flow of oil and gas into the Gulf of Mexico temporarily. Oil and gas gushing out of British Petroleum well has been a concern for authorities for the ecological damage it has threaten to do to the marine life and also loss of resources.

The ‘top-kill’ effort was launched on Wednesday afternoon under top-oil spill commander, U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen and had been successful by Thursday morning. The government and industry engineers used the technique of pumping enough drilling fluid to block gas and oil disgorging from the well. However the officials made cautious statement referring that this is not the permanent solution to the problem.

Though the spill of oil and gas has temporarily stopped, but till early Thursday morning, neither BP officials nor government spokesman have confirmed this effort as successful operation. However Allen seems to be optimistic and said that one ship that was pumping fluid into the well ran out of fluid and the second ship is on its way. He got encouraged by the process and said that they would soon get the situation under control.

Allen also mentioned about an interagency team that would work to find out an estimate of how much oil got spilled into the gulf. The Coast Guard had estimated that nearly 5,000 barrels of oil got spilled a day, but the independent agencies are estimating that the figure could be much higher than 5,000 barrel a day.

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