Tech
Audi Laserlight Tech – New Images of R18 LM and Sport Quattro from Audi Motorsport
LEDs are amazing. They are so astounding in ways that lightbulbs could never be. As a solid state, LEDs are as toss-able as a SuperBall versus a delicate 40W Soft White bulb. As incandescent bulbs no longer meet energy requirements for US manufacture from 2014, it is clear: Lighting is a huge, important place to earn energy savings. But it can also change your life! LED Light-up dog balls are my personal favorite. Without the searing, pure and consistent light of the internal LED: playing catch in the dark is tricky for even the smartest pups. http://store.flashflight.com/product_info.php?products_id=116 Back to Audi’s …
Car Revs Daily – Outage Apologies and Site Status Updates
Cherished readers! We are thrilled to be back online, and sorry for the abrupt 404 URLs last week. Many Pinterest and other social links will remain broken until we can resolve other pressing site issues – namely, keeping it online and packed with the latest car news, artwork, and expert reviews. As you may have noted – we are about a month behind. During this giant technical snafu, dozens of posts are still either in Word on my desktop waiting to be re-uploaded, or perhaps gone altogether– for the articles I wrote online only. Que sera, sera. Tech troubles are …
2015 Z06 – Official Debut in 40 Super High Resolution Images + Tech Specs: 8-sp Manual or Optional Auto
Holy NAIAS, Batman – look at the production 2015 Corvette Z06! Last week, we highlighted a number of details from the Gran Turismo 6 Corvette concept that seemed to show the way forward for the Z06. The best part for me was that the GT6 concept sat in the PlayStation section of CES, with barely a second glance given to it by passers-by. The GT6 concept now appears to have been a “work in progress” — because the real-life Z06 is far more hardcore in almost every way. One fantasy element has made it to the Z06 …
2015 VW e-Golf a Snooze, But its EV Tech Also Powers Very Cute e-Up Lite and EcoMotion Van
The Volkswagen e-Golf, e-Up! and Up Lite will join the Detroit auto show festivities, with the Golf BEV debuting its all-new battery and powertrains in 2015 production form. Featured in the cover image is the Frankfurt e-Co-Motion van concept. The newest is the Up! Lite, which appears to bring some of the cool tech and style of the XL1 exotic prototype. I called it the e-Up! Lite before by mistake, the up!Lite appears to be a PHEV of some kind. The 2015 VW e-Golf is a fully electric vehicle, evolving and refining some of the components previewed under the Blue-e-motion concept …
Audi LeMans R18: Laser Light = Smoke and Mirrors? 2014 e-tron quattro Actually Hiding Big Changes in Back
Guess who really likes winning Le Mans? Everyone! Every single person who has ever competed there cherishes a single win with the passion of an Oscar winner. But guess who has really, really developed a taste for winning Le Mans, after more than a decade as the front-runner? The serious gentlemen over at Audi Motorsport. Is this an odd introduction for an article about new laser lighting shown at CES this week? The new “laser” lighting joins a long list of other Audi names for its headlights, including Matrix and Swarm. AUTO LIGHTING TECH – 2014 and Beyond But why …
Hyundai Veloster R-Spec New for 2014 with Nurburgring Chassis Tech
Hyundai just announced its new Veloster Turbo R-Spec for 2014, which will become the most affordable Veloster Turbo model with prices just above $22,000. The turbocharged engine’s output stays at 201 horsepower, but the steering, suspension and handling are all much firmer and more precise. This previews the next wave of hardcore, “N Spec” Hyundai models in the future. The N, by the way, is for Nordschleife. Great news for sports car shoppers on a budget, as the Veloster is still a trendy and innovative shape on the roads. More color helps liven the package, but the best news will …
Hyundai Veloster R-Spec New for 2014 with Nurburgring Chassis Tech
Hyundai just announced its new Veloster Turbo R-Spec for 2014, which will become the most affordable Veloster Turbo model with prices just above $22,000. The turbocharged engine’s output stays at 201 horsepower, but the steering, suspension and handling are all much firmer and more precise. This previews the next wave of hardcore, “N Spec” Hyundai models in the future. The N, by the way, is for Nordschleife. Great news for sports car shoppers on a budget, as the Veloster is still a trendy and innovative shape on the roads. More color helps liven the package, but the best news will …
First Drive Videos: 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Turbo – 5.9s to 60 mph!?
It has been a few years since my last seat time in a Chevy Malibu, and I was expecting the worst. What I found in the Malibu Turbo is an eager plaything with gobs of power all over the rev range and a firm feel from the ‘Bu’s latest leather-wrapped steering wheel. Pls note: Mis-Adventures in video camera tech continue. The audio of these videos is really, really bad, and makes the Malibu seem much louder than it is. A brief presentation today with Chevy offered some insights into the three areas of dramatic overhaul for the 2014 Malibu, which …
Best of 2013 Awards: Coolest 4-Door – BMW 640i GranCoupe
Until the new M4 arrives, the BMW 6-series Gran Coupe is by far my favorite current BMW. While all brands like to tout their new cars as longer, lower and wider than before: usually the changes are fractions of an inch (or some other meaningless millimeter measurements!). The 640i GC is a full three inches lower than the 5-series, rocks almost a 117-inch wheelbase, and looks wider than a Hummer H1 on the highway. The whole car is designed to emphasize width, power and stance from all angles. The glasshouse is far more inward of the car’s shoulder-line than any …
All-New 2014 MINI Hardtop Debuts LEDs Galore and Futuristic Cabin Tech
BMW’s MINI is absolutely a future textbook example of how to revive and relaunch a silent brand into a loud, crowded age. While the original 1960s Mini was much more of a phenom inside England, BMW’s ambitions have always been far more global. Spending ten years with the nightmare of Rover Cars Limited taught BMW many lessons in the 1990s about what *not* to do with a classic brand. Divesting Rover and Land Rover helped BMW pivot to a far more logical and promising ownership of Rolls-Royce, Mini, and a few other moribund sports car brands in the early 2000s. …
Hottest LA Debuts: CrossBlue Coupe Wearing Tough New VW Truck Face
Five-seat SUV concept is based off the new MQB architecture and features a plug-in V6 gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain Concept features dramatic new interpretation of Volkswagen design DNA 415-horsepower gasoline-hybrid concept is capable of 70 MPGe The vehicle can travel up to 13 miles as an EV Top speed of 147 mph; 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds VW CrossBlue Coupe – Concept – Exterior Gallery VW CrossBlue Coupe – Concept – Tech Gallery VW CrossBlue Coupe – Concept – Interior Gallery Animations
New Tech: Graphene Replaces Carbotanium as Ultimate Automotive Material
Graphene is new on the scene but exploding with promise. It makes carbon-fiber look like a wool sweater from the 1800s. Graphene is two-dimensional sheet of honeycomb lattice molecules just one atom thick, but stronger than any other substance on earth. As a sheet, it’s carbon. As a stack, the material is graphite. The applications are tantalizingly endless, as the material is super-lightweight and even has conductive properties to relay electricity better like a circuitboard. In the car world, the 2D sheets will be layered and stacked to create 3D panels that are customizable in strength as needed. Future applications …
2014 Unimog U5023 Now Packing Scary Style and Tech
2014 Unimog U5023 Now Packing Scary Style and Tech The legendary Mercedes-Benz Unimog all-terrain trucks are refreshed for 2013 with a comprehensive makeover inside the cabin, underneath that boxed ladder chassis and outside with a menacing new grille and LED lighting. The top of the new Unimog lineup in terms of off-road ability is the new U5023 model, which replaces the previous U5000 nameplates. Sharing the nose layout with its shorter sibling, the U4023, these models are the freshest outside with a dramatic new single-wing grille to house the dinner-plate-sized Mercedes star emblem. This is a unique touch for the …