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The Australian authorities have come up with an innovative way to prevent tractor drivers from crashing their oversized vehicles into the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, which could result in fatalities and costly repairs. The Softstop system, developed by a company called Laservision back in 2011, projects an image of a bright red stop sign onto a water screen at the entrance of the tunnel. This gives an impression of driving right into a stop sign. The system only activates if the driver ignores the flashing warning signs as he approaches the tunnel. Projection of images onto a water screen is often used in the entertainment industry. A good example is the water laser show at the Marina Bay Sands Atrium (By the way, the show is free). The system could also be activated for other reasons, such as warning the drivers to stay away from the tunnel in the event of a fire or a severe accident.
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Ford Singapore has posted a Word Search game on its Facebook page. Names of Ford models, not restricted to those on sale in Singapore, are camouflaged in the array of alphabets. I've managed to locate the Focus, Fiesta and Mustang. However, I believe there are a few more models waiting to be discovered. Have fun! Focus Fiesta Mustang
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A German driver, Uwe Schrager, deliberately crashed his Ford Mondeo into a tree to test the airbags of his car. "I knew that the car was fitted with airbags but I didn't trust that they would work, so I wanted to test them. I felt it was better to have a low speed crash that I was likely to survive if they didn't work rather than a high speed crash when it will be too late if they didn't work," said the unemployed Schrager when questioned by the police. When the police arrived, they found the driver putting the car's bumper and other parts into the boot so that he could drive the wrecked vehicle back home and get it repaired. The driver was tested negative for drugs or alcohol. Police said that the man had expected to be able to put back the airbags after the test, but had then discovered that this wasn't possible. The 45-year old Schrager apparently expected the insurance company to put the car back together again but was informed that the incident is not claimable as he had admitted to deliberate crashing. For his actions, Schrager
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In less than a week, the world will witness the debut of the all new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. But right now, photos of its 1:18 scale die-cast model has surfaced on the Internet, courtesy of a photo gallery in an online French forum dedicated to miniature models. The photos revealed that the new model, codenamed W222, is clearly an evolution of the current model. Perhaps Mercedes-Benz is trying to play it safe with the styling of its top tier sedan so as not to 'shock' its current customer base. Some interesting styling features include a large front grille inspired by the F700 Concept car and LED head lights and taillights. Along with the sedan, the S-Class will spawn a coupe and convertible as well as an extended wheelbase S 600 Pullman trim that will fill the Maybach void. The latest S-Class represents Mercedes-Benz' ninth generation flagship sedan, and the sixth to be officially called the S-Class. Like the current S500, the new S-Class will be powered by a twin-turbo V8 and the S600 will pack a twin-turbo V12. The S 63 and S 65 AMG, diesel, hybrid and smaller powertrains will be introduced at a later date.
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BMW is the world's most powerful car brand according to Forbes
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
American business magazine, Forbes, has just released the latest list of top 100 most powerful brands. BMW took up the ninth spot and has earned the bragging rights of being top car brand in the list. BMW has a brand value of $26.3 billion (S$32.5 billion) with a brand revenue of $73.7 billion (S$91.3 billion). After BMW comes Toyota which is ranked 14th followed by Mercedes-Benz at 16th and Honda at the 19th position. Further down the list, Audi took up the 32nd spot, Volkswagen at 45th and Ford at the 59th position. Towards the bottom of the list are Hyundai at the 71st spot while Nissan and Lexus took up the 76th and 87th position respectively. BMW car group has sold more cars in 2012 than ever before in its history. Last year, the carmaker's core BMW brand remained in top position in the global luxury car market, ahead of its two closest German rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Topping the 'World's Most Powerful Brands' list is Apple, followed by Microsoft, Coca-Cola, IBM and Google. -
Volkswagen planning carbon fibre roof option for high performance Golf
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Volkswagen is working on a carbon fibre roof option for performance versions of the Volkswagen Golf. Although Volkswagen did not specify the specific models, it would be safe to assume that the GTI, GTD and 'R' variants would be receiving the carbon fibre treatment. According to Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Volkswagen's Research and Development Chief, the challenge at the moment is to develop a set of waterproof joints to seal the roof to the car's body sides and to its windshield. The carbon fibre roof will provide a weight saving benefit of about 18 to 20 pounds (eight to nine kilograms), improving performance and fuel economy. There are no details on the pricing or launch date for the option at the moment. In recent years, there has been a great interest in the use of carbon fibre material among car makers. BMW and Boeing announced last year that they were collaborating on carbon fibre materials while Volvo has been working on a carbon fibre flywheel technology that can provide up to 25 percent fuel savings when paired to a four-cylinder turbo engine over a six-cylinder unit. -
Volkswagen Up! goes to School of Rock - graduates with Fender audio system
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Volkswagen will be offering two new special edition versions of the award winning Volkswagen Up! in Europe and it will be a treat for fans of rock genre of music and small city cars. Dubbed the Groove Up! and Rock Up!, both vehicles are based on the top-specification High Up! model, each bringing its own unique twist. In the cabin the Groove Up! comes with a rock friendly Fender sound system (the above picture refers to a similar system from the Beetle), complete with six speakers, a subwoofer and a 300-Watt amplifier. Additionally, the Maps & More personal infotainment device is offered as standard which along with touchscreen satellite navigation provides Bluetooth phone connectivity and music streaming -
Bentley has collaborated with Pankhurst London, a high end men's grooming salon, to retrofit six barber chairs using the luxury car maker's artistry and engineering knowledge with materials and finishing found in Bentley models. On the partnership, Bentley Motors' Director of Marketing, Stefan Buescher commented, "A key part of what makes Bentley special is our hand-crafted expertise in wood and leather that makes our car interiors a special place to be. Working with Pankhurst has given us the opportunity to show this craft in an innovative and exciting way to create a unique experience in London's finest barber shop. Only Bentley could make such exquisite and beautiful chairs." The refurbished chairs were covered using leather from eight hides. The headrest sports either Bentley or Pankhurst embroidery. The suspension system of the chairs was reworked to enhance the comfort level. If you cannot afford to own a Bentley, perhaps the next best thing to do is to have a haircut at Pankhurst when you are holidaying in London. Kimage Hair Studio and NEXT hair salon : any plans to upgrade to Bentley barber chairs?
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Bentley to expand presence in Eastern Europe by opening new dealership in Minsk
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
U.K. luxury automaker - Bentley - will open a new showroom in the land locked country of Belarus to expand its presence in the fast-growing Eastern Europe region later this year. Belarus or officially known as - The Republic of Belarus - is bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. The capital city is called Minsk, and apparently over forty percent of its land mass is forested, and its strongest economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. I'm not sure how many affluent people are there but I guess the economy is pretty good. Sounds like a mini-Canada doesn't it? Anyway, Bentley's new dealership will be located in the heart of the capital - Bentley Minsk - will open in Summer 2013. Naturally the dealership will offer sales and aftersales services to customers of the luxury British marque. Bentley Minsk will present the full range of exclusive Bentley cars - from the powerful and elegant Continental GT and GT Convertible V8 and W12 models, to the refined Flying Spur and the Mulsanne luxury flagship. In keeping with the Bentley tradition, each model offers an unrivalled blend of effortless performance, peerless refinement, and hand-crafted contemporary luxury. More details pertaining to the showroom will be released soon. -
'Gran Turismo: the Real Driving Simulator' - if you're a fan of the Sony PlayStation video game console, you should be familiar with the tagline, even if you aren't really into driving. However, now that you're reading this post, I guess you're or have become a fan of cars and driving, too, just like I am. Well, as you know, the Gran Turismo series have always been the most popular when it comes to racing on the PlayStation platform. Gran Turismo 5 was a big hit when it came out. Now, rumour has it that the 6th installment to the series is about to come out this year, on 28th November 2013 to be exact. This information is obtained from a few IT-related websites which have mentioned that we can start to place our orders for the game due late autumn this year. Multiplayer.com (an Italian website), for example, said that the game was ready for order and would be delivered on the very same date. The website also mentioned that the game would be available for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) platform. However, in a turn of events, the site has since placed a 'Not Available' tag on the game. Another example, Newegg.com, also placed the Gran Turismo 6 on its list but has now labeled it as 'Discontinued'. Personally, I think this is extremely weird. How can a product become discontinued when it hasn't even been released? Tell me. Word was that Newegg.com priced the game at USD$59.99 (S$73.90) and said that the game would be available on the 28th of November this year, before it labeled the game as 'Discontinued'. Unfortunately, the game producer (which should be Polyphony Digital) has yet to comment on this or shed us some light on when the game will officially be released. So by far, all I can think of is that probably the sites, such as those mentioned above, are actually well aware of the game's official release date. However, they might have to wait for the official announcement before they will be able to receive any order from customers. Nonetheless, I'll update you as soon as I get an update on this issue.
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Cars might be getting smarter, more efficient and environmentally friendly over the years but one aspect that hasn't changed in the face of motoring - fuel prices. The Volkswagen Group are among numeral carmakers that are actively pursuing ways to manufacture cars that are environmentally friendly and fuel efficient. Audi is no stranger to this formula and the premium German marque aims to bring it one step further - from saving fuel to saving money on fuel through a nifty online feature. Aptly dubbed the new Fuel Prices service
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Dashboard camera captures horrific cargo plane crash in Afghanistan
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icfVsql38oc A National Airlines B747-400 cargo plane was involved in an accident at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan on 29nd April 2013. The fateful flight from Bagram to Dubai crashed on takeoff, killing all seven crew members on board. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the crash. This is a pure cargo flight with no passengers aboard. The cargo consisted of vehicles and routine general cargo. The whole incident has been captured by a dashboard camera. According to military sources in Pentagon and Afghanistan, the video was most likely filmed by a service crew ferrying security at Bagram Airfield. Warning: Some readers may find the video footage disturbing -
GPS in M-Class helped to track alleged Boston Marathon bombers
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
The two alleged Boston Marathon bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, were tracked by the police with the help of Mercedes' factory fitted GPS system in the hijacked 2013 M-Class. Mercedes-Benz USA was asked to locate the SUV using the Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance function on the crossover's 'mbrace2' telematics system. The owner of the M-Class is a 26-year old man whose car was stolen at a petrol station. He informed the police that his car could be tracked by Mercedes' satellite system. Mercedes-Benz USA CEO, Steve Cannon, tweeted, "Just found out that our mbrace2 technology in the stolen Mercedes helped locate the Boston terrorists! Thanks to our amazing law enforcement." Mercedes-Benz USA spokeswoman, Donna Boland, confirmed that Mercedes turned on the tracking feature after authenticating the request. Lesson of the day - use a 'not-so-advanced' vehicle when committing a crime. -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bowkytZAVdw After Ford, Hyundai is the next car maker to apologise over a controversial commercial. The video, created by agency, Innocean Europe for Hyundai UK, shows a man trying to attempt suicide in his garage by hooking up the exhaust pipe to the cabin of his Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell. The attempt failed as the ix35 only emits water vapours and not carbon monoxide which blocks the transport of oxygen to the brain, heart, and other vital organs in the body. Hyundai issued an apology statement that read, "Hyundai Motor deeply and sincerely apologises for the offensive viral ad. It runs counter to our values as a company and as members of the community. We are very sorry for any offense or distress the video caused. More to the point, Hyundai apologises to those who have been personally impacted by tragedy." Hyundai has removed the YouTube video after widespread criticism on social media. However, the video has been uploaded by other netizens.
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Nissan Micra celebrates its 30th Anniversary in the U.K.
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Believe it or not, the Nissan Micra (sold as the March here) has been sold in the U.K. for the past 30 years and Nissan aims to celebrate with new offers. Call me evil or unprofessional, but as soon as I read the news I could not help but head to YouTube to find the above clip. If you are a Micra owner - in that colour hue especially - I meant no disrespect. The subcompact was first launched in Britain in 1983, and after four generations, it has remained dependable and affordable. This fantastic achievement highlights Micra's longstanding popularity. Nissan believes life begins at 30 (isn't it 40?) and to help the Micra stay healthy, the Japanese automaker has announced a range of new '30' themed offers for Micra owners. To begin with, all Micra drivers with over three years of ownership can now benefit from a Ministry of Transport test (MOT) -
When Cadillac displayed its all new CTS saloon at the 2013 New York Auto Show, the car's vertical LED strip that stretches from the headlamp right down to the bumper captivated the crowd in attendance. It is a unique design that distinguishes the American luxury brand from other makes. Cadillac has now shared more details behind the design of this intriguing feature. According to Cadillac, each headlamp houses 16 indirect fire LED lights, with eight LEDs on the fender of the car and the rest continuing down the front bumper. The eight LED lights mounted on the front bumper function as turn indicators hence eliminating the need for additional lights, which helps to improve aesthetics. Furthermore, these LEDs work as daytime running lights as well while the HID projector lamp provides for both low and high beam illumination. "The CTS is the first Cadillac to combine DRL and turn signal under the same lens," commented CTS Exterior Design Manager, Brian Smith. "Giving the HID projectors a dual purpose allowed us to shorten the front headlamps and give the CTS the most dramatic signature lighting of any Cadillac to date," he added.
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26-year old Maria Sharapova has signed a three year contract with Porsche whereby she will be involved in the firm's global communications campaign. At last year's Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, she won herself a white 911 Carrera S Cabriolet in addition to the prize money. Maria Sharapova is already the face of Nike, Tag Heuer and now she can add sports cars to her list. Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller called Maria Sharapova an exceptional athlete who combines top performance in her sports with elegance and power. He added that these were precisely the qualities that were embroiled in the brand's sports cars. Maria Sharapova declared that she had the privilege to be associated with some of the best brands in the world, but to be partners with Porsche was an amazing honour. Maria Sharapova is a Russian professional tennis player who, as of 22nd April 2013, is ranked World No. 2 by the Women's Tennis Association.
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Evo pits the Jaguar F-Type against the Porsche 911 Cabriolet
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Recently, Evo magazine pitted the brand new Jaguar F-Type against its arch rival, the Porsche 911 Cabriolet at the Bedford Aerodrome circuit. The review is done by Tiff Needell, who is a British racing driver and television presenter. The F-type in the group test is powered by a 375bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6. The engine is mated to an eight-speed 'Quickshift' automatic transmission. At the other corner, the Porsche 911 Cabriolet is propelled by a naturally aspirated 3.4-litre flat-six that produces 345bhp. The seven-speed manual transmission sends the power to the real wheels. Although the British car has a horsepower advantage over its German rival, it is significantly heavier by 160kg. So, who is going to come out on top ? -
GRID 2 multiplayer revealed - beat your friends on the track
RchLuvSlly posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
If you're a fan of cars and races, I bet you would love to play GRID 2, a racing game developed by Codemaster. The game is set to hit the shelves in over a month's time now. That said, it isn't hard to see why the developers are keeping their lips sealed tightly. However, it seems like they just can't resist giving us some insights into the multiplayer aspect of the game, which is quite interesting, I would say. The multiplayer mode (shown in the accompanying video) in the game is a good way of showing off your racing skills to 11 other competitiors on the same track as you. Imagine the feeling of being able to defeat all 11 other racers on the track, it's just a feeling nothing can replace, ah, how nice -
Maserati CEO, Harald Wester, had some very strong and unkind words regarding electric cars at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show. "All this discussion about zero emissions is nonsense. Nobody talks about the efficiency of how the battery is charged. It varies strongly from region to region, depending on how the energy is produced, nuclear, coal and so on, but even the best is not ahead of the internal combustion engine," he said. Wester's argument is based on data regarding power charging stations' efficiency at various parts of the world, which show that the average CO2 emission of electric cars in Europe, US and China as 86g/km, 110g/km and 191g/km respectively. "Diesel and CNG are the more obvious answers if CO2 is the focus. Both are more viable answers than hybrid. If they gave us a CO2 target instead of imposing technology then we would go that way. If we want a realistic solution to emissions then the regulators need to be more honest in how they calculate emissions. Electric cars are not the answer," Wester added. However, Wester commented that the Italian brand may have to look into a hybrid system in the near future to meet fuel economy regulations.
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Two equally iconic Italians to hit the auction block at Silverstone
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Switzerland motorsport specialists Carrosserie Saurer are no strangers to customised vehicles and have created exceptional examples of automotive styling and engineering. One such example is this 1975 Maserati Merak by Saurer that will be on auction on the 17th May at the Silverstone Auctions hosted International Trophy Sale. Life for this trident badged Italian began like any other Merak, though greater things were destined for this particular model in 1984 at the hands of Swiss-based Saurer. The redesigned bodywork was formed to create what Paul Saurer considered to be his ideal 'Hot Merak' and no doubt the end result exceeded expectations. The bespoke 1975 Maserati has all its original running gear retained and is estimated to be offered at between -
Jaguar's short dramatic film on F-type premieres at Sundance London
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Today, media at Sundance London was the first to see the global premiere of 'Desire', the short dramatic film by Jaguar in collaboration with Ridley Scott Associates (RSA). The film stars British actor Damian Lewis, an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, together with Spanish actor Jordi Molla and American actress Shannyn Sossamon were there to grace the event. The short film was shown for the first time at The O2, after the festival's opening press conference, which attracted media from all over the world. The film director Adam Smith, introduced the film and described the project as a real adventure - a story of betrayal, retribution, passion and greed. "Working with Damian, Shannyn and Jordi has genuinely been a privilege. To see actors of that calibre at work and to watch them contribute massively to the development of their own characters really brought them to life, which has all together made this an incredible film to be a part of," added Adam Smith. Caspar Delaney, the Producer of Desire, described the shoot location, Chile's Atacama Desert, as being perfect for the film and claimed it to be one of the most spectacular landscapes and locations in the world. Award-winning singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey penned the title song to the film, entitled -
Acura presents three models in Shanghai including the global debut for one
PetrolHead posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
Acura formally debuted its SUV-X design concept at the Shanghai Motor Show - a global concept vehicle for a small SUV that is targeted mainly for the Chinese market. This is the first in Acura's 27-year long history, it has globally introduced a new concept outside of North America. Emotional and sharp styling and driving performance, together with the environmental performance of a small vehicle and excellent utility of an SUV are all fused together at a high level in this vehicle. Acura is planning to begin local production and sales in China of a mass-production model based on this concept vehicle for its market in about the next three years. Sadly no technical details were unveiled. "We are planning to produce the mass-production model of the Acura Concept SUV-X locally in China. With the hope that our Chinese customers will more closely feel the values offered from Acura, we will begin preparing for the start of the local production. In China, where dynamic growth continues, both Acura and Honda will keep up our efforts to enhance products and technologies that will offer new joys of mobility to our customers," said Takanobu Ito, President & CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. On top of the SUV-X design concept, the Chinese market Acura RLX was also announced. The RLX is a luxury flagship sedan which will go on sale in China in June 2013. Excellent manoeuvrability and comfort are pursued through the adoption of a number of advanced technologies including a newly developed 3.5-litre SOHC i-VTEC V6 engine and Precision All-Wheel Steer - the world's first technology to achieve both outstanding turning performance and vehicle stability. The well received next generation NSX concept was also on display which made its debut at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in January. -
The swoopy Kia Optima K5 has just undergone a facelift for the 2013 model year. For this blog post, I've compiled a set of before and after photos for the readers to make their own comparison. As the saying goes, 'a picture is worth a thousand words'. Before After Before After Before After The most obvious cosmetic update is done at the taillight combination. Personally, I prefer the current model's taillight as it is more sleek. The face lifted version reminds me of an Optima which did not have a good night sleep. On the inside, the 2013 Optima gets a sportier steering wheel and a new gear stick.
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After the 2013 Kia Forte sedan and hatchback made their debut, the two-door version (or better known as the Koup) has been captured in heavy camouflage while undergoing cold weather testing in Northern Scandinavia. The overall profile of the prototype displays an evolutionary design of its predecessor. Although the front fascia is covered up, it is expected to draw styling details from the Forte sedan. Details on the engine lineup are not available at the moment. However, if the Forte hatchback is available with the 201bhp 1.6-litre GDI turbocharged option, we should expect nothing less from the sporty two-door Koup. The naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre GDI with 140bhp could serve as the base model. The Forte Koup is expected to be launched globally in Q2 of 2013. Hopefully the COE system would be revamped by then so that we can afford some "affordable fun" in the new Forte Koup. Photo Credit: Worldcarfans.com