Tyre producer, Goodyear Dunlop carried out a Summer survey to analyse European driving habits of 15 nations. While some of the results are unsurprising, others are eye-opening. You have been warned…. The survey shows that 48% of British drivers are nervous when driving aboard with a third set to drive around 400 miles (644km). A quarter said they will drive for five-hours before taking a 30 minute break. Within the next few months, Russians holiday makers are likely to drive long distances, with over a half intending to drive in excess of 2,000 miles (3,220km). Before driving off, Italian driver’s are likely to get their car checked over by a mechanic, meanwhile 22% of German drivers consider themselves to be relaxed. Around 9% of promiscuous Spanish drivers have admitted to having sex while driving! We wouldn’t advise that latter, especially if you’re a man. Read the original post: European driving habits revealed Read the original post:  European driving habits revealed

Based on Mercedes’ current designs, Wild Speed has revealed their vision on what an ML63 AMG would look like. With reports of the actual vehicle being tested, there is a possibility that this high performance SAV will be shown at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. Expectedly, the ML63 AMG will have the M157 biturbo V8 engine, featuring direct injection. This is the same engine found in the E63 AMG. Standard, this engine gives just under 520 horsepower. With AMG’s performance package, output would be more in the region of 550 horsepower. If the ML63 AMG comes in under 5000 pounds, this will give the M-Class SUV the performance to rival even sporty sedans. Original post: ML63 AMG Rendering Unveiled

Daimler has announced a joint venture company to be named Beijing Benz Automotive Co, Ltd. (BBAC). Together with its Chinese partner Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, about 2 billion euros will be invested in the new joint venture. The agreement covers local production for the Chinese market of the the GLK SUV and three models of the upcoming generation of Mercedes-Benz compact cars. Meanwhile, production capacities for the capacities for the C- and E-Class will be expanded from the current 80,000 units, depending on demand. Along with an R&D center, a new engine plant for 4-cylinder gasoline engines will also be put up in two years, which will supply the engine needs of Mercedes cars and vans that will be produced in China. Projected capacity for this plant will be up to 250,000 units. Said Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, “With this framework agreement, we are laying the essential strategic foundations for our long-term and significant participation in the growth of the key market China. The projects agreed upon are further central elements of our China strategy for the sustainable development of our business. As early as 2020, at least one in five premium compact cars is expected to be sold in China. In the light of this enormous growth potential, we are resolutely switching to attack mode with the local production of our new compacts.” More here:  Daimler and BAIC Ink New Joint Venture

Next year, BMW will bring to market the 2012 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe . Graduating from a concept level, the new 6er Gran Coupe is a four-dour coupe that uses the same ‘backbone’ platform that underpins the current 5-series, 7-series and 5 GT. The car will offer the same mix of six- and eight-cylinder petrol and diesel engines as those cars, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The BMW Gran Coupe is labeled as a 4-door coupe type of vehicle with a distinctive sporty character. The Gran Coupe has been designed to combine the abilities of a GT and a sports car. The roof is 100mm lower than the 7 Series models, and its rear quarters slightly more restricted. The concept carries the essence of brand values and the genes of BMW design into the future and the expectations are that these styling cues will turn up all over BMW range in the next few years. The sleek Gran Coupe retain iconic elements like the kidney-grille, Hofmeister kink and a less pronounced shark nose. BMW Gran Coupe made its debut at the Beijing Motor Show back in April 2010 and compared to the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept shown at Frankfurt Auto Show in 2009, the BMW Gran Coupe Concept displayed a design closer to a production model. BMW Gran Coupe will go head-to-head with the Audi Sportback Concept (the future Audi A7), the Mercedes Benz CLS and the controversial Porsche Panamera. [Source: Kilometer Magazine ] Excerpt from:  Spy Photos: BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

BMW Canada is back once again with an exciting video featuring the new BMW 1M. The new “baby-M” continues to create hype within the BMW community and not only, especially after receiving the approval stamp from Jeremy Clarkson , the famous UK host of Top Gear. Clarkson is often known as being very subjective when it comes to BMW cars, and not in a positive way. But his latest review, together with many others, demonstrate the striking success of the 1M and its impact on the M brand. Let’s have a look at this latest video that features some intense 1M drifting. Read more here:  Video: BMW 1M versus the world’s highest helipad

The Basics: The 2011 Nissan Frontier is built on the same frame as the larger Nissan Titan and, appropriately, is more mid-size than compact. That said, the Frontier feels like a mix of traits from compact and full-size trucks. In Crew Cab form, its interior approaches the level of features and amenities of a full-sizer, yet a fuel-efficient… Continued here:  2011 Nissan Frontier

Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer! View original here: Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 95 See original here: Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 95

Starting this December, Toyota’s commercial truck brand, Hino, will offer a pair of Class 4 and Class 5 cab-over-engine trucks powered by diesel-electric hybrid powertrains in the U.S. These mark the first such commercial applications in the States, and with aero-tuned cabs atop their beefy chassis, the Hino hybrids will provide the foundations for a variety of purposes such as urban delivery vans, dump trucks, stake beds, and bucket-lift trucks. It’s unlikely very many will wind up as chrome-drenched and leather-lined glamour rigs, so the Cadillac Escalade hybrid will still reign supreme as the choice for those who need to haul passengers and not goods. With GVW ratings of 14,500 pounds for the light-duty 155h and 19,500 pounds for the sumo-grade (medium-duty) 195h, the hybrid trucks combine Hino’s 5.0-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine—it makes 210 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque—with a single electric motor contributing another 48 hp and 250 lb-ft. The motor is sandwiched between the flywheel and the six-speed automatic transmission’s torque converter. The electric motor gets its juice from a 288-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery pack shared in large part with the Lexus LS600hL (which weighs 5220 pounds, or just half a ton or so less than the standard Hino 155h). Compared to their diesel-only counterparts, which arrive in August, the 155h and 195h weigh roughly 400 pounds more. Like a Toyota Prius and most other hybrids, the Hino trucks will feature engine shutoff at idle and brake-regeneration systems, although no pure-EV driving mode—the latter is no surprise, given their weight. Nor can the electric motor serve as a generator to provide power for whatever component might be fitted to the chassis. There is, however, an “Eco” light within the hybrid-related info display that illuminates when the driver accelerates prudently and steps gingerly upon the brake pedal. Which means more slow-traveling box trucks. So hooray for that. The electric power will not catapult the fuel-economy ratings of either Hino hybrid into the Priusphere. However, according to a Hino spokesman in the U.S., Toyota already has 12,000 or so of these systems on the road in Japan, and has found that fuel economy jumps by roughly 30 percent compared to the 12 mpg or...

Much has been made of McLaren’s reentry into the world of automotive road cars. The rollout has been carefully and strategically planned over the last few years, with a glimpse of the car first coming in September 2009. One thing is clear is that the company has had no expense spared in producing its vision of the very best mid-engined exotic at its price point. The MP4-12C is the McLaren’s first and only road going production car since the original world-record-beating F1. With no dealer network to speak of, McLaren had to create one from scratch. The process took quite sometime and the company received 600 requests to start a dealer. Only 35 of the very best dealers made the cut, and the first has just opened in London. Other stores in England will follow, along with dealers in countries in Europe. Here in North America we will have ten. Nine in these United states cities: Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Newport Beach, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa. The one in Canada will be located in Toronto. These 35 dealers are all scheduled to open by the end of the year. For some, a question has remained about what niche McLaren would carve in the market. McLaren executives have always claimed the market is big enough to support everyone, and that is proving itself to be true. The MP4-12C has reportedly sold out a production run of a few thousand units, leaving the car sold-out for a few years, as McLaren plans to produce 1,000 of the cars a year. McLaren plans to produce 4,000 vehicles a year by the middle of the decade, once it introduces its full-lineup. Given the apparent success of the MP4-12C so far, we’d say they are well on their way to achieving that goal. Next on the company’s agenda is said to be a new version of the F1 supercar to to top the lineup. More here:  McLaren Opens First of 35 Dealers in London

On Sunday, June 26 the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was home to Refuel 2011 – the third annual track day for electric cars and motorcycles. Open to anyone with an electric car, the event gave everyone from Tesla Roadster owners through to DIY converters the chance to push themselves and their cars to the limit in a safe, controlled event. With cars… Here is the original:  2011 Nissan Leaf Proves It Can Tackle Laguna Seca: Video

Bentley has released two videos celebrating, well, itself. In the first video, Mulsanne to Mulsanne , Bentley chronicles the journey of several Mulsanne sedans to Mulsanne, France, where the automaker was given the keys to the city. In return, it showed off some of its wares next to the Le Mans circuit; seems like a fair trade. The second clip, A Bentley Extravaganza ,  is a video update of the Bentley Drivers Club’s visit to the Bentley factory in Crewe during a month-long “Britain by Bentley” tour of rural England. Somewhat predictably, The Drivers Club member demographics skew towards the wealthy geezer set, but we’ll forgive that trespass when the result is more than three minutes of exquisite metal from all eras preening for the camera. See the original post here: Taste a Bit of The Good Life With These Two Bentley-tastic Videos Read more here: Taste a Bit of The Good Life With These Two Bentley-tastic Videos

The new Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG will likely have the M157 twin turbo direct injected V8 from the E63 AMG Here is the original: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG Renderings

Morgan, the small British automaker known for its wood-intensive sports cars , is bringing back one of its coolest prewar designs (that’s pre- World War I , by the way) this year: the Three-Wheeler . To emphasize what kind of silly fun a small, lightweight roadster powered by a V-twin motorcycle engine can be, Morgan shot this donut- and burnout-intensive clip. Let the record state that the ultra-cool aviator goggles the driver is wearing should be mandatory three-wheeler attire. Original post: Reborn Morgan Three-Wheeler Can Do (Single-Wheel) Burnouts Just Fine: Here’s Video Proof See original here: Reborn Morgan Three-Wheeler Can Do (Single-Wheel) Burnouts Just Fine: Here’s Video Proof

Minivans make a lot of sense. This is not news, I know, but it is worth a reminder as cultural trends have removed the “man” from minivan, along with the “cool,” a long time ago. In spite of their lack of curb appeal, these boxy vehicles offer lots of room for kids, dogs, and all that other stuff families tend to accumulate over time and often need to transport from one place to another. And they get decent fuel mileage, especially for the amount of real estate you’re hauling around, which is especially important these days. I’ve had a lot of time to ponder all of this over the past few days, while my wife and I took the CR Chrysler Town & Country for an extended weekend road-trip vacation. We packed it up with the usual stuff, suitcases, bikes, backbacks, coolers and whatnot. And the Chrysler swallowed all of it up with room to spare. On the highway, the T&C returned an impressive 30 mpg on the trip out as reported by the van’s on board trip computer. That number dropped to a not-so-bad 25 by the time we got home, after opting for some back roads for the return trip. Modest speeds and a skilled right foot helped better our official test results, and clearly, results may vary. Full disclosure time: We owned a Town & Country, vintage ’92, for 13 years and gave it up only when it basically expired after 165,000 miles. It was a pretty crappy minivan, chewing up transmissions, air conditioning components, and various other essential and expensive bits the whole time. But like the new T&C, it had plenty of room for flotsam and jetsam. The new one is just better. It takes the basic concept Chrysler introduced to the world and advances it for the 21st century. While it isn’t our top Rated minivan , the Chrysler offers tons of space, versatility, and can be optioned with more video screens than some houses. And, it has satellite radio, sunroof, and abundant safety features: things our ’92 lacked. Officially, it trails some import-branded competitors, but if you favor American brands, I’d have to say it’s worth a look. Read more here:  A weekend with the T&C: Life with Chrysler ain’t so bad

Yes, you can have an ordinary looking, ordinary driving mid-size sedan with a high-mileage hybrid powertrain. Toyota has for many years now offered its Camry Hybrid, which earns an EPA Combined rating of 33 mpg without many other sacrifices in drivability, performance, or usability. Just as the rest of the Camry lineup, the 2011 Camry Hybrid is… Here is the original post: 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid