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Next Toyota concept previewed in patent filing? Is this what we’ll be seeing in Geneva? |
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Seriously off oil: Better Place’s first electric vehicle demonstration center in Israel Hehe. It’s built inside an old oil tank. |
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Opel’s extended business plan includes multiple electric vehicles The brand will introduce “pure battery-electric vehicles in smaller-size segments.” |
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AutoblogGreen for 02.10.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 05:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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By Kiko Itasaka, NBC News producer
More than 8 million Toyota owners had been waiting for an explanation and an apology. They were kept waiting for a reason — saying sorry is no simple matter in Japan.
The art of expressing regret is very nuanced. There are different levels of saying sorry, ranging from a simple “excuse me” to “please accept my most humble regrets,” and these words are accompanied with bows of varying degrees. The degree of apology is often carefully considered.
On Tuesday, with heavily accented and carefully phrased English, Toyota’s president Akio Toyoda apologized for letting down his customers. It is not unusual for a Japanese executive to take responsibility. In fact it is very typically Japanese. Toyoda’s departure was to issue his statement in English. Normally a Japanese executive would speak in Japanese with simultaneous translation rather than be embarrassed by less-than-perfect English. Toyota is clearly desperate to reach out to its global audience and in particular, the huge American market.
Separately, in the Washington Post, Toyoda accepted that his company had let down their customers. “As president of Toyota, I take personal responsibility” he wrote. That is why I am personally leading the effort to restore trust in our world and in our products.” …(read more)
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ford
You’ve no doubt read by now everything we’ve had to say about the 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 with its new aluminum engine. But what does it sound like? Glad you asked. We’ve got two clips of B-roll after the jump showing both the GT500 coupe and convertible out running on what appears to be a frigid Michigan afternoon (feel sorry for the guy driving the drop top). Fortunately, lots of time is spent mashing both their throttles so we can hear that new 5.4-liter supercharged aluminum engine howl. Question: Can a car look lighter? If so, the GT500 definitely does, especially at WOT as the car transfers its weight to the rear wheels with haste and boogies off. Follow the jump and twist the dial to 11 before you hit play.
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Video: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 plays its new aluminum soundtrack
Video: 2011 Ford Shelby GT500 plays its new aluminum soundtrack originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, iPhone
iResQ, the iPhone/iPod repair site, has posted pics of what they claim is the front faceplate of the next-gen iPhone. Two things about this piece of hardware are particularly interesting. First, the part is approximately 1/4 of an inch taller than the iPhone 3GS, indicative of a slightly taller form factor for the next-gen iPhone. Second, there’s a small, reflective strip directly above the hole for the phone speaker. iResQ believes this is likely to be the new location for the iPhone’s proximity sensor rather than an indication of any new hardware; however, moving the proximity sensor to a new location and increasing the overall length of the device could still point to a front-facing camera or other new hardware on the next-gen iPhone.
It’s worth mentioning the possibility that these “iPhone” parts aren’t legitimate. iResQ hasn’t revealed its source for the part, and purported iPhone bezels leaked in 2009 turned out to be parts for a completely different device. The backside of the supposed next-gen iPhone’s face is missing quite a few parts present on the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which either means the part iResQ received was incomplete, the next-gen iPhone has had its internal hardware shifted around, or the part is fake.
So case manufacturers, don’t throw out your old blueprints just yet. Unfortunately, it’s likely we won’t find out whether these are legit or not until June/July of this year; despite rumors of an iPhone update in April, the most likely date for the next-gen iPhone’s release is early summer.
[Via MacRumors]
TUAWPurported pics of next-gen iPhone front face surface originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc., Earnings/Financials
Would you believe that there’s a connection between owning a car and having to foreclose on your home? A study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that yes, indeed, there is. At least, a relationship was found in the three areas that the study looked at: San Francisco, CA, Chicago, IL and Jacksonville, FL. While the correlation wasn’t giant, it does seem that there’s something to the idea of “location-efficient neighborhood design” being good for housing stability (read the PDF).
Location-efficiency is “a measure of the transportation costs in a given area,” and it includes not just car ownership, but also if the area has reasonable public transportation. Basically, if an area is a “compact” neighborhood with good bus or rail service – and so having a car is not required – then the corresponding foreclosure rate was probably lower. One possibility is that the money saved by not owning your own car (more details here) can mean more money to spend on housing. As Autopia points out, there could be a lot of other reasons for this connection as well, but for the car-sharing crowd, this is another reason to think about staying away from owning a vehicle when other transportation options are available.
[Source: Autopia | Image: taberandrew - C.C. License 2.0]
Study: Access to good public transportation can make foreclosures less likely originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hardware, Cult of Mac, iPhone
Unfortunately these guys are already sold out (though maybe there’ll be more soon), but I’m still posting them here just to gaze on their awesomeness — Etsy user Rabbitrampage put together these six iPhone icon keychains (well, five iPhone and one Finder) out of felt, thread, and fiber fill. I think they look great, though it would be nice to have even more custom icons available. I guess if you want a special icon keychain made of your own app (ahem), you’ll have to make it yourself.
This same Etsy user also enjoys wrapping your iPhone in felt recreations of old retro items like Game Boys and even a VHS tape. I’ve already got a case on my iPhone, but if I didn’t have one yet, I’d definitely pick up one of these.
[via iPhone Savior]
TUAWiPhone icons in felt keychain form originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Is Chery designing an electric jeep for Better Place? Probably not. |
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Tesla hires new manufacturing lead, but there’s more An IPO sure opens a company up, doesn’t it? |
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Toyota to test Prius PHEV in Oslo, Norway Brrr… |
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AutoblogGreen for 02.04.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Performance, Motorcycle
Generally speaking, though there are a number of different classes of motorcycles in the world, there are a few universal truths that span all makes and models. Chief amongst these similarities is the fact that the bike’s rider always grips a handlebar that’s attached directly to the front forks, which in turn clamp down on the front wheel, thereby providing steering and suspension duties. Even this, though, isn’t quite as universal as you might think.
Proof thereof can be seen from tiny Italian motorcycle manufacturer Vyrus, which is headed up by Ascanio Rodorigo, a man who worked with the famed Massimo Tamburini at Bimota in the early ’80s. (You’ll want to see our image gallery below for an explanation on how the front of the bike is held together). This latest machine from Vyrus is called the 987 C3 4V, and one version of the bike – weighing just 339 pounds and boasting a reported 211 horsepower from its Ducati-sourced 1198cc V-twin engine, boosted by the presence of a supercharger – carries the title of the Most Powerful Production Motorcycle in the World.
Two other versions of the 987 are available, each lacking a supercharger but still offering either 170- or 184 horsepower and weighing under 360 pounds. Consider that power-to-weight ratio for a moment. Acceleration, thy name is Vyrus 987. Pricing ensures that this bike will remain exclusive, starting at a hair under $70,000 for the base version and possibly topping $100,000 for the range-topping Supercharged edition.
Gallery: 2010 Vyrus 987 C3 4V
[Source: Gizmag]
2010 Vyrus 987 C3 4V is the most powerful production motorcycle in the world originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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IBM gets 24M hours of supercomputing time to work on lithium air batteries Yikes. |
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DC 2010: Would a federal diesel tax rebate be in order? Diesel coalition thinks so Says it’d be a level playing field this way. |
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California Scooter Company puts classic Mustang back on two wheels, reports 60 mpg Also available in pink. |
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AutoblogGreen for 01.29.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Truck, Videos, Chevrolet, Humor, Off-Road
Oh dear. See that big bad truck up above? It’s about to jump over some dirt. The landing is not going to go well. How not well? According to our sources you are looking at $350,000 worth of truck. We’re not modified truck experts, but we’d be willing to guess that the truck is worth substantially less than $350,000 after said jump. Speaking of jumps, you should make our jump to watch the video and then read the world’s quickest technical break down of exactly what went wrong. Tip of the desert flap hat to Brad!
Video: Leaping SEMA truck proves the meek and well engineered shall inherit the earth originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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