The GTA Motor Spano. Image: GTA Motor Nearly buried in all the hype from this week’s Geneva Motor Show was the debut of a production-ready supercar from a boutique Spanish builder, GTA Motor . Its Spano supercar first started making the rounds in 2008, and the company has been in and out of the spotlight since then. Last year, GTA showed the Spano concept, but this year, GTA says the car is headed for production in its current form. Essentially a street-legal race car, the Spano starts with a monocoque constructed of carbon fiber, kevlar and titanium, making it both light and incredibly strong. GTA claims a curb weight below 3,000 pounds, which is even more impressive when you consider that power comes from a hefty 8.3-liter supercharged V-10. The engine makes a claimed 840 horsepower on bio-ethanol, which is good enough to sprint from 0 – 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds, on the way to a top speed of over 200 miles per hour. The GTA Motor Spano. Image: GTA Motor The Spano benefits from advance technology as well, incorporating an electronically adjustable rear wing to increase downforce at speed, as well as a suspension that lowers as velocity builds. AP Racing supplies the braking system, which uses six-piston calipers and carbon-ceramic rotors. GTA is only building 99 copies, each priced from 692,975 euros ($910,223), so we doubt they’ve submitted the Spano to our own Department of Transportation for U.S. approval. If you want to enjoy a Spano of your own, you’ll need to do so in Europe; if you’ve got the price of admission, we suppose that won’t be a problem.       View original here: Is The GTA Spano The Fastest Car You’ve Never Heard Of? Read the original post: Is The GTA Spano The Fastest Car You’ve Never Heard Of?

Filed under: Formula One Rubens Barrichello has finally confirmed reports he will race in America’s premier open wheeler Indycar series in 2012. After 19 consecutive seasons in formula one, the 39-year-old Brazilian makes the switch with the backing of the sponsor BMC Brasil Maquinas. AP news agency said Barrichello, a winner of 11 grands prix with Ferrari and Brawn, has signed a one-year contract with the KV team. “I’m loving the idea I’m going to be a rookie,” he said. “That makes me young, and I’m loving that,” he said. Barrichello, meanwhile, explained the apparent contradiction of heading into the Indy 500 and other similar events this year having earlier promised his wife he would never race at high speed on dangerous ovals. “What happened is we were watching an oval race and there was a crash and she looked at me and said ‘You are never going to do that, right?’ “And I told her at the time, ‘Of course not, don’t worry’.” He said he ultimately won Silvana’s backing, having initially considered skipping the five oval races. But “I wouldn’t feel comfortable sitting at home and watching someone else driving my car,” explained Barrichello.   Read the original here: Barrichello confirms Indycar move for 2012 Read more: Barrichello confirms Indycar move for 2012

If you live in one of America’s colder climate zones, you know the importance of seat warmers. But according to CBS Minnesota, seat warmers aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. In certain cases, the amenities can lead to rashes and permanent scarring for passengers. The problem affects people who take long trips in their vehicles without turning… Read more: Don’t Toast Those Buns! Seat Warmers Can Cause Rashes, Scarring

Nissan North America has issued a recall for the Nissan Juke, Infiniti M, and Infiniti QX from model years 2011 and 2012. The problem? A flaw in the fuel system, which could cause a fire. According to a bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the fuel pressure sensors in the three recalled vehicles may not have been… Read the rest here:  2011-2012 Nissan Juke, Infiniti M, QX Recalled For Potential Fuel Leak

Legit Prius contender? The Volt at it's debut Did GM misjudge Main St. and the Toyota Prius? Years ago, before the debut of the Chevy Volt concept, but as rumors emerged that GM was aiming to take on the Toyota Prius, I claimed that a GM-like-Prius would be even more successful than the Prius. An American-made Prius would be a true freedom fighter, a US manufactured attack on foreign oil dependence. In fact, I argued that GM could build a whole marketing concept around this freedom-fighter vehicle. While some might argue the Chevy Volt is a such a vehicle, data coming out of the Super Bowl, suggests otherwise. According to Carwoo.com data , GM’s Chevy Volt Super Bowl commercials had no impact on the Volt. There was 0 positive lift. The Volt just isn’t resonating with most Americans, particularly those on Main St. Much of that is politics, of course, but 0 lift? Not everyone watching the Super Bowl is a gun rack toting, redneck American. Sadly, I think the Volt is facing far more serious problems, as are most plug-ins. Of course, I don’t think GM expected to resonate that much with Main St. at this point in time, at least in terms of sales. For Main St., the Volt is a halo product until costs can be drastically reduced. Bob Lutz, the co-father of the Volt along with Jon Lauckner, regularly admitted to the limited sales potential of the Volt in the interim to better batteries. He even suggested that would be the case until at least some time in the ’20’s. So, did GM make a mistake trying to leapfrog the Prius? That’s hard to say just yet, but did GM and the rest of the US auto industry make a mistake passing on hybrids — a technology almost perfected here in the US in the 90’s — when they tried to leapfrog them with fuel cell vehicles? Had GM kept its NiMH patents and beat Toyota to the Prius — as it could have — would it have been easier to survive the financial meltdown and gas crisis of 2007 -2008? While some say the collapse was just a financing issue, I did a lot of car shopping back then. As gasoline prices rose, it was striking how dead GM dealerships were compared to Toyota — a subject I wrote about back in those days. Certainly, hybrid cars probably wouldn’t have been enough...

Every car in America can find its way to 75 mph on a road. ( Well, almost .) But 175 mph? Outside of being strapped to a rocket, a car must have sufficient power, optimized aerodynamics, and at least a mile of straightaway free of heaves, dips, potholes, and wavering Winnebagos. While finding such a stretch in America may be tough (but not impossible—more on that later), the list of cars able to hit 175 just got longer with the arrival of the stunning 2012 Jaguar XKR-S convertible . Keep Reading: 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible – First Drive Review Excerpt from: 2012 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible First Drive: Hitting the Runway (at 175 mph) in Jag’s Newest Model Go here to read the rest:  2012 Jaguar XKR-S Convertible First Drive: Hitting the Runway (at 175 mph) in Jag’s Newest Model

I’m sure those of you who saw yesterday’s post about the leaked image of the Hot Wheels version of the yet-to-be-revealed new Viper, and were viewing it on a computer newer than a Commodore 64 probably were a bit disappointed with the quality of the image. More » Read the original post: 2013 SRT Viper: Rendered From Toys [New Dodge Viper] Originally posted here:  2013 SRT Viper: Rendered From Toys [New Dodge Viper]

New Toyota hybrid concept car shaping up FT-Bh a good direction amidst rising oil prices One of the things I find most interesting about the Toyota Prius is its surprising functionality and roominess. It just feels much larger than it looks. Nevertheless, the Prius is still too expensive to convert the world to hybrid cars. Even the smaller and cheaper Prius C isn’t enough to get the job done. But the upcoming FT-Bh hybrid concept might be Toyota’s real Corolla killer. While the Camry rules America’s Toyota tastes, the rest of the world prefers the Corolla, and Toyota’s FT-Bh demonstrates that the Corolla’s days could be numbered. When we first covered this new hybrid in Toyota ramping up streamlined, much cheaper hybrid production , we weren’t even sure just how much of this concept had been materialized. Was it still just a sketch? However, the latest pictures from Toyota demonstrate that this is a real world concept, although Toyota is calling it a “preview” of an actual production vehicle. While a subcompact, but lighter than most mini-compacts, the FT-Bh will offer the room of a larger 5-door vehicle according to Toyota. Thus, it seems fair to speculate that, like the Prius, the FT subcompact hybrid will exude functionality. That its interior functionality will defy its exterior expectations. Most important, with its down-sized full hybrid powertrain and focus on “low weight, aerodynamic performance, powertrain efficiency, thermal energy management and electricity saving,” according to InsideLine , the new hybrid car should also defy the pump as well. Even better, Toyota’s dedication to using common, cheap materials and production capabilities should help ensure that Toyota reaches its goal of “an affordable” city car Unfortunately, this new cheap hybrid seems more like a car for Europe and emerging markets, rather than the US. But, with gasoline prices threatening to hit $5.00 this summer along the coasts, maybe the FT will fit well even in America. Here is the original:  New Toyota hybrid concept previews a new world view

Imagine being stopped at a busy intersection. It looks clear to safely make a left turn. You pull out, then CRASH. From seemingly nowhere, a speeding car rams into you. This situation happens everyday in cities across America, but there is emerging technology that could make this a rare occurrence. So, let’s imagine the scenario again. This time you hear a beep and see a red light on the dash warning that a car is rapidly approaching and you won’t be able to safely turn. You remain at the stop sign, wait until the vehicle passes, and then proceed when it’s safe to do so, thereby avoiding a potential crash. Sounds like science fiction? It’s not, and this technology is closer to reality than you think. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is considered the next step in vehicle safety according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and has the potential to affect 80 percent of vehicle crashes on the road. Using wireless technology embedded in a vehicle, it sends safety messages to other cars on the road to provide information on speed, direction, and location to help avoid crashes. A number of high-end cars already use radar and cameras in their pre-collision systems, but those can only alert drivers of hazards within close proximity. This new technology can reach 360 degrees around a vehicle and look beyond adjacent cars to “see” potential dangers obscured from the driver’s view. The good news is that this technology is relatively inexpensive to install, and with a deployment strategy and industry commitment, it can reach all vehicles on the road. “In the past it’s always been the Cadillacs and the premium cars–the Mercedes–that get all the fancy gadgets and information about things happening on the road. Most people don’t drive high-end cars. The real opportunity is to get this down into the mass market where all your volume cars could have this safety technology. That’s where you get the real bang for the buck on addressing the crash problem,” says Don Grimm, senior researcher, General Motor’s Perception and Vehicle Control Systems Group. When can we see this feature in our cars? NHTSA has been testing in-car consumer acceptance. With the help of the University...

America’s F-35 may not be very useful , but it’s still, on paper, one hell of an aerial destruction machine. This freshly-released image from the F-35’s first-ever weapons test shows the punch it’ll pack. More » Read the original here: The F-35 Shows Its Missile Teeth For The First Time [Planelopnik] See original here: The F-35 Shows Its Missile Teeth For The First Time [Planelopnik]

There are days when we need extra time. There are days when the clock seems to need new batteries and some oil. Time is absolute in the fixed frame of normalcy, but perception is subjective and can depend heavily on how moody you are. Especially on a slow Monday. More » More: COTD: Time Manipulation Edition [Video] Read the rest here: COTD: Time Manipulation Edition [Video]

Energy independence and the decline and fall of the American empire. Can you be a plug-in fan and tell the truth? If you follow the alt car news then you definitely know about the Tesla Model X, and why shouldn’t you? It’s a gorgeous car from a brilliant company. There’s a lot to love about the X and Tesla. In many ways, Tesla is the epitome of American innovation, and a company to which I don’t mind sending a few tax dollars. Yet, is it beneficial when the green auto press loves to talk up the $40 million in sales the X launch recently drove, while ignoring the $81.5 million fourth quarter loss the company endured? Let’s face it, the electric car business is a tough one, and there are many reasons why that’s true. Besides, Tesla might have already planned on that $81.5 million fourth quarter loss. Instead, perhaps it was the $40 million that was the surprise — perhaps the company was only expecting $20 million. Nevertheless, an $81.5 million dollar quarterly loss proves the tenuous nature of Tesla’s business. More important, does only telling the positive side of electric cars make the business better? Have plug-ins become a form of religion? You just believe or you don’t? I know. There are real plug-in haters out there, a lot of them. The talking heads of the Republican party have practically made plug-ins an us-versus-them topic. But such a stance simply proves their idiocy. Fighting back with fantasy, however, isn’t much better. I, for one, completely believe in electrification, but I’m not sure if the future of electrification will be purely battery-driven, fuel cell-driven, or a combination of both. OK. Actually, I believe it will be a combination of fuel cells and batteries that ultimately crushes gasoline and petroleum dependence. Unfortunately, that future still seems pretty far away, by any measure. Yet, the dangers of pollution and foreign oil dependence don’t seem that far away. In fact, 9/11 makes them feel like they’ve been sitting in America’s lap for the last decade, but with hardly any effective change since. Nor with any real change planned for the next decade. Sadly, plug-ins cannot save us fast enough. Likewise, gas guzzlers cannot drive the future. Anyway,...

Is this really breaking the mold of urban mobility? Is the industry even close to the right model? If there were charging stations everywhere, would urban consumers flock to electric cars at today’s prices? If software could make cars virtually crash-proof, would consumers care about the size of their vehicles? Would they embrace small cars and their ability to maneuver the city landscape more easily? If we didn’t have to drive, would consumers give up the angst of the urban grind? What makes the best city car, the best city car? I’ve been thinking a lot about this issue the last few days as I worked on 2012 Best hybrid cars for the city today , a feature for Soultek.com. The good news is that hybrid cars make cost-effective sense today, particularly small hybrids such as the Toyota Prius C. The bad news is that US urban auto culture is almost completely dysfunctional and void of any real logic, particularly when it comes to urban transportation. For instance, would consumers flock to electric cars if charging stations existed everywhere, but still at today’s EV prices? I believe more consumers would buy electric cars, but not that many more, at least not relative to total US  auto sales. The extra upfront costs and limited range just don’t add up in the mental calculator of most consumers. I know plug-in advocates will argue that for two car families, an EV makes lots of sense when backed up with a conventional gasoline powered vehicle, but they don’t. Today, electric cars should be smaller and lighter, etc. compared to conventional cars. The form should follow the function. A pure commuter car isn’t the car you and the boys are going to race to Vegas in on a Friday night. It’s the vehicle that one person is going to drive to work and back in, and it should better fit that purpose, especially since it’s limited by range and costs. An electric car is NOT a conventional car, and that’s a good thing. Embrace it. Apples to apples electric cars simply won’t match conventional vehicles without major technological breakthroughs. Thus, the key has to be cost-effectiveness, even today. And how do you make them more cost-effective? KISS. In the last decade, bikes have begun to lose their appeal in China....

2013 Ford Fusion hybrid 2013 Fusion hybrid will again top Camry hybrid fuel economy Since the arrival of CEO Alan Mulally Ford has improved greatly. Better financials. Better designs. A better vision of the future. And while Ford’s fuel efficiency focus has been on more traditional technologies, such as Ecoboost, it’s battery powered plans have taken on more credible shape. Even better the 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid is set to again beat Toyota Camry hybrid fuel economy by more than 4 mpg combined. But does that mean that Ford is giving Toyota a real run for the hybrid money? “It’s good for the customer, and we like to have this competition,” Ford chief engineer for hybrid and electric powertrains Chuck Gray told the AutomotiveNews . “Engineers may not be the best athletes always, but we are very competitive people.” Yet, at an MSRP of $28,775 the Ford Fusion hybrid costs almost $3000 more than the Camry hybrid, and today the 2012 Camry hybrid offers better fuel economy and more horsepower than the Fusion hybrid. Even when the 2013 Fusion hybrid is released with its 4 mpg fuel efficiency advantage, an extra $3000 in costs still seems a little hard to justify. Some might argue the Fusion offers better interior quality as well as better telematics, but is that worth an extra $3000? Of course, maybe this hybrid price premium compared to Toyota is temporary. By 2020 Ford expects its hybrid cars to reach between 10 and 25 percent of sales. So, it seems that Ford anticipates scale eventually driving down its hybrid costs. And, if Ford can hit the top end of its forecast, that would put it pretty close to Toyota’s 30 percent forecast for 2020. Today, however, Ford is far behind Toyota. In fact, Toyota is already at the low end of Ford’s 2020 hybrid forecast, and in just a few years Toyota should already be at 20 percent. Moreover, if Ford is really going to take on Toyota’s hybrid cars, then it starts with the Prius. Unfortunately, Ford’s Prius-competitor, the C-Max hybrid, only offers real competition versus the larger Prius V. That might be OK in America, but based on early demand for the smaller and cheaper Prius C in Japan, the C-Max might just be too big and expensive to provide a real hybrid lift to...

A hedge against Middle East turmoil? Electric car potential needs to be put into the right perspective In my opinion plug-ins should not be driving US energy policy today, unless — and only — as part of a very comprehensive energy policy where plug-ins and electrification rightly hold their place as THE long term solution, but as secondary today to better interim solutions, such as hybrid cars and alternative fuels like natural gas. By any measure making electric cars the mainstream solution in America within the next couple of decades is still a monumental task, a Herculean, nearly impossible, effort. To be blatantly honest, the plug-in movement has been oversold and under-delivered, and a lot of opportunity is being left on the table. But that doesn’t mean plug-ins don’t make any sense today. In fact, plug-ins might even make financial sense for some. For instance, thanks to tax credits the Mitsubishi i electric car can be cost-effective long term, especially in a scenario where one can utilize a home solar installation. But even with just smart charging, many urban drivers could still save a lot of money in fueling costs every year compared to something like the Nissan Versa, a car with one of the cheapest costs of ownership after 5 years. Yes, it will still take much of the life of the Mitsubishi i to recover its battery-powered premium, but that’s at today’s gasoline prices. By May alone gasoline prices should rise another $.60 cents, a move that happens almost every summer. Likewise, with tensions escalating not only between Israel, Iran and the US, but also in Egypt and Libya as well, $5.00 gasoline isn’t a very speculative idea for either the near term or through the next decade. But the real advantage of thinking plug-in is in preparation for gasoline spikes, and with events unfolding the way they are in the Middle East, a Mitsubishi i plug-in car — the cheapest plug-in –  owner should be able to take advantage of many gasoline spikes in coming years. Apples to apples, it’s hard to make a strong financial case for electric cars, especially without government incentives. In fact, without fed aid plug-in economics just don’t come close to adding up. With incentives, however, urban drivers...