Automotive
After showing the Concept GLA a few months ago, Mercedes is ready to drive the real thing to market. It has detailed its newest SUV ahead of its official world premiere at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. The GLA-Class benefits from some of Mercedes' latest SUV tech, earning its place as the fifth SUV model line in the Mercedes stables.
An obvious improvement on the retractable semaphore devices used on some cars in the first half of last century, turn signals have remained largely unchanged since being patented in 1938 and subsequently adopted by automotive manufacturers. But Audi is claiming to have improved the humble turn signal by using a sequence of lights to indicate the intended turn direction.
You're sitting at the side of the road on a blazing summer day watching your Audi's dashboard blink like a casino floor. The last thing you want to do is thumb frantically through the grease-covered manual in your glove compartment to try and figure out what's wrong. Instead, you could pull out your smartphone and use the new Audi eKurzinfo augmented reality app to get more information.
Next month's Frankfurt Motor Show is approaching quickly, and automakers around the world are providing a glimpse at what we can expect. Among Toyota's offerings will be a new hybrid concept that applies race technology to the streets through a combination of fuel savings and performance punch – the Hybrid-R.
The Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) team from the UK is continuing its journey towards claiming the world land speed record. After testing itsrocket engine last year, the team has turned to 3D printing technology for another critical part of the high speed vehicle – a tip that, if all goes well, will be the first part of the car to break through the 1,000 mph (1,610 km/h) mark in 2015.
If you want your child to gain an appreciation for custom automotive bodywork, the Toyota Camette concept was designed with you in mind. But if you want your child to develop a connoisseur-like appreciation of classic cars, you might want to step up to the new child-size Shelby Cobra 427.
One of the criticisms made about electric vehicles is that they’re only as “green” as the source of the electricity used to charge their batteries. A Tesla Model S may not emit any carbon, for instance, but the coal-burning power plant that allows it to recharge certainly does. In order to be truly carbon-neutral, EVs need to be able to run completely on electricity derived from clean sources. Well, that’s just what the P-MOB prototype car does ... as long as you don’t need to take it too far.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles don't get quite as much attention as flashier battery electrics, fuel cell cars and plug-in hybrids, but they are a compelling alternative-fuel option that is available right now. They become even more compelling when they offer dual fuel capabilities. Ford has equipped the 2014 F-150 with such capabilities, calling it the only half-ton pickup truck of its kind.
Last week BMW revealed the i3, the first car in its "i" brand of sustainable vehicles. While we enjoyed the look at BMW's $42K electric, the reveal really left us wondering when we'll see the sportier i8. As if in answer, BMW held an event at its Miramas test track in France, showing the latest prototype.
Earlier this year, Land Rover announced it would be electrifying a Defender. Although the hefty British 4x4 may not seem like the most logical candidate for an electric makeover, the first Electric Defender began its real world tests this past month at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England.
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