The 2011 Ford pickup goes on tour.
Ford's 2011 F-150 is set to arrive soon, and the Blue Oval is giving 20,000 people the chance to get behind the wheel before the truck -- rolling out with a number of new powertrain options -- hits showrooms.First thing first: Let's look at the engine options. There's the base 3.7-liter V6; the much-ballyhooed 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost, reportedly putting out around 400 horses and the same number of lb-ft of torque; a 5.0-liter V8; and the creme de la creme 6.2-liter V8 for Platinum editions.
Plans for an extended-range EV are in the works.
The EV will use a rotary engine to recharge the batteries, according to Automotive News. Audi development chief Michael Dick, in an earlier interview with Motor Trend magazine, went on record as saying that the current prototype is "running very well." According to Dick, a pilot project will be started at the end of the year, with a small series of vehicles expected at the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013. The small size of the rotary engine allows the vehicle to remain a 4-seater, with the expected amount of interior room.
By Brad Constant
Lotus CEO Dany Bahar presented Toyota president Akio Toyoda with a Lotus Elise this week at the British Embassy in Tokyo, celebrating the companies' long partnership.
The Elise was equipped with Toyota's last 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine, the same engine found in older versions of the Lotus Elise and Exige.
“The presentation of Toyota's last 2ZZ engine in the Elise is a symbolic gesture of our continued respect and deep appreciation for our partner not only acknowledging our past, but also looking forward to our future together,” Bahar said in a statement.
Self-regulating traffic lights.
We've seen the best-case scenario of what can happen when traffic lights malfunction: Cars and pedestrians pay attention to their surroundings, communicate nonverbally and allow others their rightful turn to proceed. But what if the traffic lights themselves could be made aware of their surroundings and communicate with each other? The concept of self-regulating traffic lights is being explored by Stefan Lämmer of the Dresden University of Technology, in Dresden, Germany, and Dirk Helbing of ETH Zurich, who are creating traffic signals that both monitor traffic in real time and communicate with other networked signals to effectively and efficiently manage the flow of traffic. Read more after the jump.
By Mark Vaughn
Automotivated, a new exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, traces the evolution of clothes worn in cars--from the bulky circus-tent stuff people had to wear to keep from freezing to death in the jangly, open-topped conveyances of 100 years ago, up to the height of the European Concours in the 1920s and '30s, when what you and your date wore was just as important to winning best of show as the styling of your Delahaye/Delage/Talbot Lago.
“In the earliest days of the automobile, you were sitting on the car, you weren't sitting in it,” said Leslie Kendall, curator at the Petersen.
Six dedicated or hybrid variations planned for 2012.
Toyota plans to offer six hybrid models across the globe in 2012, including a plug-in Prius model in the United States, according to The New York Times "Wheels" blog. The hybrid lineup will include both hybrid versions of existing models as well as dedicated hybrids.One of the dual-powertrain variations will be a hybrid RAV4 built in collaboration with Tesla Motors and scheduled to be unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show in November. The plug-in Prius is expected to sell for $3,000 t $5,000 more than a gas-electric Prius, which can run from $23,000 to $33,000.
By Bradford Wernle and Mike Colias, Automotive News
The 2012 Dodge Viper concept resembled the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione with a Viper face, a source said. The Competizione is a limited-edition supercar that was sold in select Maserati dealerships in North America.
In 2009 Alfa Romeo brought 84 coupes and 35 Spiders to the United States for sale in seven Maserati dealerships. The cars were sold before they were delivered. At $299,000, the Spider version was the most expensive Alfa Romeo ever.
E-Fuel products let you create your own fuel.
Thanks to a pair of devices from E-Fuel, it's now possible to make your own biofuel right at home.The E-Fuel MicroFueler, around since 2009, can convert sugar-rich liquids such as waste alcohol into what's called E-Fuel100 ethanol -- a fuel you can put directly into your car (assuming, of course, your engine is configured to run on biofuel) or use in generators to provide household electricity. The MicroFueler can't handle cellulosic waste material, such as compostable organic matter, but E-Fuel's new product, the MicroFusion Reactor, can. It breaks down organic matter into lignin powder and sugar water within a couple of minutes; the sugar water can then be used in the MicroFueler to create E-Fuel100 ethanol.
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Contributors
Clifford Atiyeh has spent his entire life driving cars he doesn't own. Raised in Volvos, he has grown to love fast, irresponsible vehicles of all kinds. He is the senior news editor at MSN Autos and also reports for Car and Driver, Road & Track, The Boston Globe and other publications.
In the garage: 21-speed Iron Horse, 2002 Jeep Wrangler X (not his)
Doug Newcomb has covered car technology for over 20 years for outlets ranging from Rolling Stone to Edmunds.com. In 2008, he published his first book, "Car Audio for Dummies" (Wiley). He lives and drives in Hood River, Ore., with his wife and two kids, who share his passion for cars and technology.
In the garage: 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, two 1984 Chevrolet Blazers, 2008 Honda CR-V
James Tate learned to drive stick at age 13 in a 1988 Land Cruiser - in La Paz, Bolivia. He's since been a mechanic, on a pit crew and has wrenched on every car he's owned since his first 1989 Honda CRX Si (and won't stop until the car is a 1973 Porsche 911 RS). His work has appeared in Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, Automobile and others.
In the garage: 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera, 1988 BMW M5
