Author: Serkadis

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, BMW, Luxury

Another month, another round of 2011 BMW M5 spy shots. It never fails. But this latest smattering of pics shows off even more of the Bavarian luxo-bomber’s exterior, including its shapely, M3-inspired fascia, bulging hood and camo-covered (and trademarked) fender vents aft of the front wheels.

Naturally, the rest is comprised of standard 5 Series bits, but those massive, drilled rotors and 10-spoke BBS wheels speak to the heart of the matter. And speaking of the heart – if you weren’t already aware – expect the all-new M5 to be packing upwards of 560 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque from its twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8. With the recent onslaught of photos, the next M5 is right around the bend, and we should get our first glimpse within the next few months.

Spy Shots: Enough already with the 2011 BMW M5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

GravoplyTM Laser is the new range of materials for interior signage applications available from Gravograph. Suitable for use on both laser machines and rotary engraving machines, GravoplyTM Laser is the most extensive material range on the market, with 78 product items. It is also a low-cost solution, as Gravograph lets all its customers benefit from economies of scale generated on the materials consumed by a worldwide installed base of more than 100,000 machines. In just a few months the Gravoply™ Laser range has become a new standard in Gravograph products.

GravoplyTM Laser stands out through its broad range and its versatility: this new material is intended for laser applications, whether marking or cutting, and also for rotary milling applications. It allows very precise details to be engraved. Six core colours are available (black, white, red, blue, yellow and gold) with 25 cap (surface) colours, in two thicknesses (0.8 and 1.3 mm) and 3 finishes (matt, brushed and gloss), with or without adhesive, making this the most extensive range on the market. GravoplyTM Laser can meet all your needs for signage, badges, labels, identification plates and other applications. Its versatility allows customers to optimize their orders and above all their stock. The variety of options available can also enable customers to diversify their products and services, increasing their revenue.

Gravograph provides a number of services, including small or medium-volume runs of custom sizes to order, for example for badges, tokens or identification plates, which the customer can then just engrave. Specific non-catalogue colour combinations can also be produced to order. All the materials in the range are available from stock to ensure the shortest lead times. Many orders are dispatched in just a few hours, and more than 1000 shipments of materials are made each month.

After nearly an hour of trading, the Nikkei is off nearly 2%. Also in Japan, the government is dealing with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. The government has declared a state of emergency, according to Japan Times.

Meanwhile, oil has fallen below $69 in continued after -hours selling.

From Nikkei.com:

Join the conversation about this story »

Filed under: Performance, Bugatti, Rumormill

A car as powerful as the Bugatti Veyron can do a great many things. Crest the 400 km/h mark. Burn through fuel and rubber faster than a jumbo jet on take-off with the parking brake engaged. But how about stop time? Maybe if you lay down all that twist in the opposite direction off the earth’s rotation. Or bring back a rumor that first reared its head some four years ago.

We’re talking about the long-rumored 1,200-horsepower “super Veyron.” Its arrival has been anticipated for years, and now accounts from Germany are bringing it back to life. According to the reports, Professor Ferdinand Piëch – the former Volkswagen chairman, Porsche heir and father of the Veyron – recently delivered a lecture at the Vienna University of Technology, wherein he briefly alluded to the emergence of the 1,200-hp Veyron, but revealed no further details.

That the quad-turbocharged, sixteen-cylinder Bugatti engine is capable of more than its stated output of 987 horsepower is no secret. And if such a car is in the works, surely Piëch would be among the few in the world who’d know about it, even if he’s not sitting in the big seat these days. With the existing Veyron’s production run winding to a close, if there were ever a time to make it happen, surely that time is approaching at Veyron-esque velocity.

[Source: motorline.cc via Teamspeed.com]

1200hp “Super Veyron” winds the rumor mill again originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Well, well. Two years ago, we wrote about a patent held by Erich Spangenberg, a notorious patent hoarder who is involved in a ton of lawsuits against companies who actually make stuff, attacked with highly questionable patents. The patent in question (5,367,627) basically described an electronic parts catalog, which Spangenberg used to sue tons of companies. The absolute ridiculousness of the patent even got the EFF’s attention after the USPTO agreed to re-examine that patent (though, a quick look through the USPTO’s system doesn’t seem to show anything actually happening with the re-exam — unless I’m missing something… which is entirely possible).

That said, one of Spangenberg’s many lawsuits over this patent, done by a shell company called Orion IP or, later, Clear with Computers, was against Hyundai. A jury sided with Spangenberg over Hyundai, and Hyundai appealed. After all that effort, the Federal Circuit has dumped the original ruling, noting that the “invention” (if you can call it that) was “anticipated” by earlier inventions. But, honestly, if you want to get a deeper sense of just how messed up the patent system is, you should read the full ruling:

What gets me is the pure absurdity of the whole thing. First of all, this is an electronic catalog. The argument that this should be patentable never should have passed the laugh test. But, it gets even more ridiculous. When Hyundai points to an electronic parts catalog system that pre-dated this patent, the response from the patent holder was that this invention was different because not only was it a catalog but… it also created a customer proposal. Well, knock me down and sign me up for a 17-year-monopoly. I’m sure no one could have possibly come up with the idea for using an electronic catalog to create a customer proposal without such an incentive… Thankfully, the court found that the important claims in the patent were anticipated by the other product, but just the fact that they had to go through this ridiculous process should raise serious questions about the patent system.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Continue reading Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.18.10

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 5.18.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Transformers actress Megan Fox stars in the cover of the June issue of Allure magazine. This time Fox is committed to a natural image, which features her face.
Megan also gave an interview, she mentioned that she is terrified of germs. The beautiful actress is suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder and admits she is concerned about the bacteria when it comes to public restrooms.

On the other hand, she was referring to the person who leaked her nude pictures during the filming of Passion Play, Fox said that “If I knew who took this picture, I would personally cause them harm–physical harm, I’m not a fuc**ng reality-TV star that’s courting the paparazzi and wants my fuc**ng picture taken all the time. I’m at my job and I’m trying to play a character and I’m trying to be serious, and this is the sh*t that’s happening to me. It makes me furious.. ”
Megan Fox Leaked Photos (just turn off the notifications).
And to give a bit of seriousness to his remarks also referred to plastic surgery. “I would encourage people who are going to perform plastic surgery to talk to your therapist to try to find out what your real problem. The surgery will not alleviate their insecurity,” he says.

Related posts:

1. Megan Fox: Gorgeous Then and Now
2. Cheryl Cole: The Sexiest Woman in the World!
3. Do you Like Aliens?

Jim Cramer is a gold bull!

During his STOP TRADING segment, he told Amanda Drury he likes gold bullion, the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) and miner Eldorado Gold (EGO).

And on the news of the day — Germany’s attack on speculators — he said: “They think there’s a Lehman out there… A Lehman II, as some guys are calling it.”

Join the conversation about this story »

Filed under: Technology

Over two dozen school districts across the country have equipped school buses with AutoNet mobile WiFi routers allowing students to access the ‘Net on the go. The Autonet system is a basic wireless router like the ones that hundreds of millions of people use at home, but with an integrated EVDO cellular modem to keep connected on the go.

The same system has been offered as a dealer installed option by Chrysler for the last two years and General Motors recently announced that it would begin offering the units in some of its vehicles as well. The cost is relatively modest, with Chrysler charging about $500 for the unit and $30 per month for the wireless service.

Whether schools should be spending money on these types of services is debatable, but in rural districts like the Vail School District in Arizona, it could be a good way to distract students that have to ride the bus for two or more hours a day. Of course this is only helpful if the kids can actually afford a laptop or other internet-connected device.

[Source: National Public Radio]

25 School districts now offering Autonet Wifi on school buses originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Relentless! The euro falls below $1.22 in evening trading. The wolfpack is clearly energized by Angela Merkel painting a big red target on Europe’s back.

Meanwhile, futures are already dipping in after-market action.

From FinViz:

Join the conversation about this story »

It’s Tuesday once again guys and you know what that means, it’s time for your weekly dose of PlayStation Store US goodness. Headlining this weeks update is the long awaited ModNation Racers demo for the PS3, the

Mercedes-Benz E-class vehicles have garnered the attention of the NHTSA because of concerns of improper deployment of airbags. The agency said today in an internet posting that approximately 100,000 vehicles from model-years 2005-2006 may be affected.

NHTSA officials have said they have received four complaints about failures in the module-wiring harness of the steering column, which can potentially result in air bags failing to inflate in the event of a frontal crash. No injuries have been reported to date.

Robert Moran, a company spokesperson based out of Montvale, N.J. had no immediate comment. The U.S. Congress has focused more attention on this issue in the wake of the recent troubles concerning Toyota and its recalls.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Mercedes-Benz

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating the 2005 and 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class for a wiring harness issue that could prevent the airbags from deploying in a collision. There are about 100,000 vehicles that could be affected if a recall notice is issued, and NHTSA says that it’s received four complains of failures of the wiring harness, though there have been no reported injuries as a result of the issue.

Mercedes spokesman Robert Moran reportedly told Bloomberg that the condition presents itself when drivers telescope the steering wheel all the way out and and as high as it can go. Under those conditions the potentially defective harness could pull out of the connector block, causing an open-circuit condition in the driver’s airbag circuits. If the harness disconnects from the connector, the air bag warning lamp will illuminate and one of two diagnostic fault codes will point to the problem. The German automaker sent out a TSB back in December 2005 to address the issue, which is fixed with what NHTSA calls a “substantially longer” wiring harness. The TSBs, which have been updated over time, covers MY 2003-2009 E-Class and the MY 2006-2010 CLS, though only the 2005 and 2006 E-Class is currently being investigated. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA summery of the investigation.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Continue reading NHTSA investigating Mercedes-Benz E-Class over airbags

NHTSA investigating Mercedes-Benz E-Class over airbags originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We’ve pointed out many times in the past the “unintended” consequences of certain activities, and it looks like the entertainment industry’s worldwide effort to push for more and more industry-favorable copyright laws is causing serious problems elsewhere. Apparently, Anders Ahlqvist, who runs the Swedish IT crime unit is noting that the response to the IPRED law in Sweden (pushed by the entertainment industry to crack down on unauthorized file sharing) means that it’s now more difficult for him to do his job. Part of the issue, of course, is that various ISPs responded to the law by seeking to protect their users’ privacy by deleting log files. Of course, that probably means it’s only a matter of time before the industry pushes for new data retention laws, despite evidence that more data retention can actually make life trickier for law enforcement as well. Still, at some point people need to recognize that the entertainment industry’s single-minded focus on “stomping out file sharing” rather than adding value through new business models has some serious costs elsewhere.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story

Gemballa, a tuning firm that provides aftermarket parts for mainly Porsche and Ferrari vehicles, has closed its doors following the disappearance of its founder Uwe Gemballa. Gemballa has been reported missing since February in Johannesburg, South Africa while on a business trip.

Gemballa’s earnings went from €16.2m in 2007 to €8m in 2009. With that in mind, Uwe decided to seek out investors in Dubai and South Africa. On the evening of February 9, Uwe reportedly called his son and told him he had an accident and was in need of one million dollars. That was the last time Uwe’s son heard from him.

Speculation has it that Uwe planned his own disappearance or that he is the subject of a ransom plot.

We’ll bring you more info as the story develops.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Autobild (via WCF)

Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler

Since General Motors and Chrysler entered bankruptcy last spring, GM has stolen the lion’s share of the headlines. The General has made front page news with new products, a government loan payback and first quarter profits, while Team Pentastar has quietly gone about the business of returning to respectability. Chrysler took another step towards its goal this week as the company paid back another $1.9 billion in government loans to the federal government. In total, Chrysler has paid back $3.9 billion of the $14.3 billion in loans the company received.

The U.S. Treasury Department said in a written statement that the repayment “is significantly more than the Treasury expected to recover on this loan, and is greater than an independent valuation of the loan.” In other words, Treasury wasn’t exactly expecting a cash return on its investment. Chrysler plans to unload further good news when it officially reports its earnings. The automaker said in April that it expected to earn up to $200 million on revenue of $40-45 billion.

[Source: Market Watch | Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Chrysler pays back $1.9B in gov’t loans originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan has expressed its concern that the world’s governments might begin to phase out the incentive programs currently in place to entice consumers towards more fuel-efficient vehicles. Company Senior VP Simon Thomas pointed out in a statement on Monday that governments will not be able to offer sales subsidies indefinitely and he is concerned that when current commitments expire (in three years), the consumer market will be left to its own devices as it pertains to fuel-efficient vehicles.

The company is relying heavily on these incentives to keep its new Leaf electric vehicle modestly priced; under 30,000 euros (U.S. prices start at $32,780 but with federal tax-credit prices come in at $25,580) in most European markets so that it may better compete with the Prius and Insight vehicles being offered by Toyota and Honda, respectively.

These concerns present themselves amidst a major debt crisis in Europe, and surmounting pressure on EU governments to slash spending as the IMF has pledged to dole out close to $1 trillion to aid Greece and the U.K. is considering 6 billion pounds worth of immediate cuts to help deal with a severe budget deficit.

Click here to read more news on the Nissan Leaf.

Refresher: Power for the Nissan Leaf comes from a 107-hp electric-motor that runs on power supplied by lithium-ion cells. On a full-charge, the Nissan Leaf allows for a driving range of 100 miles with a top speed of 87 mph. A full charge takes up to 8 hours on a standard 200V outlet. Buyers can opt for the DC 50kW quick-charger, which recharges the battery up to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. Prices for the 2011 Nissan LEAF will start at $32,780 but with a federal tax-credit prices will come in as low as $25,280, or for a lease payment of $349 a month.

2011 Nissan Leaf:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc., BMW, Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials

Our iTunes feed for the Autoblog Podcast is still busted, thanks to the TV Squad debacle with an update gone wrong. We’re still waiting on resolution of the issue, and the real fix may involve each and every one of you having to resubscribe. We’ll let you know.

In the meantime, if you subscribe to The Autoblog Podcast via iTunes, you may not automatically receive this week’s episode. The easiest workaround until we get this fixed is to use the link below to download the MP3 file directly and drag it into iTunes. We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience, thanks for your ongoing patience.

For Episode #178 of the Autoblog Podcast, Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, and Dan Roth cover GM’s profit announcement, the delayed Honda Civic redesign, the 40 mpg fuel economy rating for the Ford Fiesta, and wistfully pine to have been part of our recent sports car comparison test. It starts with the Autoblog Garage and ends with a couple questions, with 82 minutes between snippets of theme music. See you next week!

Autoblog Podcast #178: GM Profit, Civic Redesign, 40 mpg Fiesta

In the Autoblog Garage:

BMW 750Li
BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
Toyota Tacoma

Hosts:
Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, Dan Roth,
Runtime: 1:22:04

---

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #178: GM Profit, Civic Redesign, 40 mpg Fiesta originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 May 2010 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

With work now complete on the firm’s Rapide and One-77 models, Aston Martin has turned its attention to the DB9 grand tourer. The DB9 appears to be in line for a slight revision, with the two-door gaining some styling cues from the DBS.

Judging from the latest spy shots, the DB9 appears to be in line for a new front bumper, DBS-like side skirts and a bigger rear spoiler. New exterior colors and a few new wheels options should round out the DB9’s exterior updates.

Inside, expect a few tweaks, although the DB9’s cabin will remain largely the same. A bump in power is also likely.

The revised DB9 should make its world debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, with sales following shortly after. The DB9 Volante will eventually get the same changes, but expect that model to trail the coupe by several months.

   

Source: Leftlane

Nomura’s Richard Koo is clearly one of the most important voices on this next stage of the economic cycle, as deeply indebted governments try to figure out what comes next.

To those that think austerity is the answer, he has an ominous warning: If your private sector is still deleveraging, your economy will crash and your deficit will grow. That latter is the key one, as it’s the experience in Japan (and Ireland, and probably Greece, Spain, Portugal, and the UK next).

The below interview with Bloomberg TV is great, and for more Koo see this presentation from April.

Join the conversation about this story »