Volkswagen and Stanford: Parking Cars Without People [w/video]

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Audi, Volkswagen

Yesterday at Stanford University, the world’s valets were put on notice. The crew at Volkswagen’s Vehicle Innovation Lab (VAIL) hosted an event for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, where the diplomat from Deutschland got to see first-hand what VW has been working on for the past five years, and what kind of practical implementations are around the corner.

The VAIL team was the first group to complete the DARPA Grand Challenge with a fully autonomous Touareg that scaled over 130 miles of the Mojave Desert in 2005. The original self-driven vehicle, Stanley, has evolved into Stanley 2, a Passat wagon with enough computing power to completely fill the boot. That vehicle took second place at an urban course for the 2007 DARPA Challenge and now that technology has been scaled down, refined and put into another diesel-powered Passat to show off one of the many uses for the autonomous tech.

After Merkel caught a plane home and the crowds subsided, we scored a ride in the self-propelled Passat and discovered that the days of parking attendants are officially numbered.

Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Volkswagen and Stanford: Parking Cars Without People [w/video]

Volkswagen and Stanford: Parking Cars Without People [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, BMW, Ford, Luxury

Alright, fan boys (and girls), prepare for battle. The ever keen-eyed Sam Smith over at Jalopnik has spied an interesting phenomenon in the car universe. The new 2011 Ford Mustang GT performance figures are within spitting distance of the mighty 2010 BMW M3. The Bavarian bruiser produces 414 horsepower out of its milky-smooth 4.0-liter V8 and hits the scales at 3,652 lbs. Meanwhile, the 5.0-liter Mustang serves up two less horsepower, but weighs 40 pounds less, too.

At this point, odds are your blood is pumping no matter which side of the ring you happen to find yourself on. Stats that close yield frighteningly similar numbers when the two cars hit the track, too. The M3 can clip off the 0-60 dash in 4.3 seconds. The Mustang can do it in 4.4. Quarter mile? Deadlocked at 12.7 seconds at 111.3 mph.

It’s true, a quarter mile doth not a sports car make, which is why these next figures are so important. While the M3 can come down from 60 mph in 105 feet, the Mustang can do the same in 104. And here’s the real shocker: Both cars hold onto the skidpad at .97 g. Now, before the comments go superfly TNT, it’s worth noting that the as-tested BMW will set you back an eye-widening $28,180 more than the Ford. We could think of a thing or two to do with an extra 30-large.

So the question remains, which would you take home?

View Poll

[Source: Jalopnik]

2011 Ford Mustang GT vs. 2010 BMW M3: Tie Game? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Long-Term Update: Touring our Subaru Legacy 2.5GT’s birthplace

We take a tour of Subaru’s Indiana production center to see where our new bouncing burgundy baby comes from.

BMW sets price on new 5-er; says no price too high for independence

BMW sets the pricing on the all-new 5 Series and confirms its new city car project, while U.S. marketing and product head Jack Pitney offers up his thoughts on the competition’s recent partnerships and BMW’s new tag-line.

Ford Gets An Earful: Five best and worst ideas from consumers

Ford asked, you answered and we’ve rounded up the five best and worst ideas to come into the suggestion box.

Also of interest:

• Top Gear takes blame for Icelandic volcano eruption
• Reuters: Unified Toyota lawsuits set in motion by judge
• Video: KBB gets down, dirty and airborn with the Ford Raptor
• Video: Sébastien Buemi unhurt in crazy Shanghai F1 GP practice crash
• IndyCar switches up qualifying payouts for more exciting 500 pole shootout

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 4.16.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Ford

It’s been nearly a year since SMS Supercars first showed us a rendering of their proposed 460 Mustang. And we had nearly given up hope that it would ever come out. But sure enough, Steve Saleen and the rest of his crew have been hard at work developing the new SMS Mustang. That car, now named the 302 Mustang due to the V8’s displacement change for 2011, was officially unveiled today at the company’s headquarters in Corona, CA.

Two separate versions of the 302 Mustang will be offered, including a naturally aspirated base 4V model and a supercharged 302SC Mustang. The 4V will produce 440 horsepower thanks to a few powertrain tweaks, while the supercharged model will boast 535 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque.

Both Mustangs will have a slew of standard features including the new SMS body kit, hood with heat-extracting grilles, 20-inch wheels and tires, upgraded suspension and brakes, and numerous interior appointments including Alcantara seats, 200 mph gauges, short-throw shifter and more. The styling appears to be a mix of the previous generation Saleen Mustang, also penned by SMS designer Phil Frank, along with the new design language featured on the SMS 570 Challenger. We especially like the elongated rear end that helps hide the awkward taillights, although we would probably do away with the massive spoiler.

As you’d expect from a Steve Saleen product, each model will offer impressive performance figures. SMS quotes a 0-60 mph time of under 4.5 seconds for the base 302 Mustang while the supercharged version can perform the same task in just 4.3 seconds. A higher performance model is also in the works, named the 351X Mustang, which we should learn more about in just a few months.

Pricing for both models is just about what we would expect, which is fairly expensive. The 302 4V starts at $54,990 while the 302SC Mustang will cost $64,990. Follow the jump for more details on both cars or browse through both of the live galleries below.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading SMS Supercars pulls the wraps off 2011 302 Mustang

SMS Supercars pulls the wraps off 2011 302 Mustang originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos

The Pagani Zonda R comes down to three words: More. Track. Focused. Yet, what good would it to do merely imagine that focus? We’ll have none of that. What we will have is rather dramatic high-res video of one, and then two, Zonda Rs on track in the rain, making roostertails as they slide their own tails. In fact, no more talking about it – follow the jump to watch to watch the twelve-cylinder wet dream in action.

[Source: Runimation Studios]

Continue reading Video: Pagani Zonda R commerical is pure pr0n

Video: Pagani Zonda R commerical is pure pr0n originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Toyota

We’ve been hearing the rumors for over a year, and it’s now looking increasingly likely that Toyota is getting ready to launch a new hybrid minivan that will wear the Prius nameplate. If true, this would be the first completely new vehicle added to the Prius stable, where it would join the well-known hatchback sometime in 2011.

According to Reuters (which is citing the Japanese Nikkei), this new Prius hybrid minivan may be the first such vehicle from Toyota equipped with an in-house developed lithium ion battery pack. The three-row vehicle, which we can only presume would also have sliding doors, would potentially seat up to seven people, expanding Toyota’s hybrid technology further into the family-use market.

No other details are available other than the notion that Toyota would like to keep the price close to that of standard minivans currently on the market. Stay tuned for more as we hear it.

[Source: Reuters via The Truth About Cars]

Report: Toyota Prius minivan coming in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Toyota

We’ve been hearing the rumors for over a year, and it’s now looking increasingly likely that Toyota is getting ready to launch a new hybrid minivan that will wear the Prius nameplate. If true, this would be the first completely new vehicle added to the Prius stable, where it would join the well-known hatchback sometime in 2011.

According to Reuters (which is citing the Japanese Nikkei), this new Prius hybrid minivan may be the first such vehicle from Toyota equipped with an in-house developed lithium ion battery pack. The three-row vehicle, which we can only presume would also have sliding doors, would potentially seat up to seven people, expanding Toyota’s hybrid technology further into the family-use market.

No other details are available other than the notion that Toyota would like to keep the price close to that of standard minivans currently on the market. Stay tuned for more as we hear it.

[Source: Reuters via The Truth About Cars]

Report: Toyota Prius minivan coming in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Audi, Luxury

Good news, Quattroheads: Audi has just unloaded a boatload of new images of the RS5 coupe in red, white and blue doing its thing all over some beautiful roads in Europe. We feel the need to point out where these shots were snapped simply because the German automaker has not yet announced any plans to bring its ubercoupe Stateside. And we therefore shed a tear.

Then again, maybe there’s hope after all – we have heard rumors that Audi was at least considering blessing us Americans with the RS5… though nothing substantiated by any other reliable sources. In any case, it’s always a good time to gaze upon 4.2 wonderful liters of naturally aspirated goodness with 450 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque sent to all four wheels, right? Right. So go ahead and click through the high-res image gallery below.

[Source: Audi]

Pics Aplenty: Audi RS5 officially unloaded to the Internet originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Technology

Our Apple-obsessed brethren at TUAW have been probing the company’s new iPhone 4.0 software and, with the help of a trusted tipster, came across what could be a new automotive-related feature buried within the update.

The new software will apparently allow a “iPod out” functionality, which could be integrated into vehicles utilizing the iPod Accessory Protocol. While that’s nothing new, the software tweaks have the potential to allow users to control music and other content through the iPhone (or by relation, the iPod Touch or iPad), turning the device into a separate remote control of sorts.

If that’s the case, there’s a distinct possibility that Apple – or third party accessory manufacturers – could develop a car kit complete with a dock, buttons and custom menus. The video after the jump provides a snooze-worthy tease of the functionality, and if this software sleuthing is to be believed, we might see some kind of Apple-branded car kit released by year’s end.

[Source: TUAW]

Continue reading iPhone 4.0 software hints at automotive integration, new dock

iPhone 4.0 software hints at automotive integration, new dock originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Videos, Audi, Celebrities, Luxury

We’re officially counting down the days until Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7. The sequel to one of our favorite superhero flicks is set to boast a serious cast, including performances by Don Cheadle and Micky Rourke. Speaking of those two, the actors will be bringing two of the best characters from the Iron Man universe to life – War Machine and Whiplash. Oh yes. It will be good.

Of course, one of the best parts of watching Robert Downey Jr. play the part of spoiled playboy Tony Stark is drooling over the guy’s bachelor pad/garage. We would give unmentionable portions of our anatomy to have our very own holographic drafting table and pint-sized manufacturing facility stashed downstairs. You can go ahead and throw in the flathead ‘32 roadster while you’re at it.

Audi has once again teamed up with Marvel for Iron Man 2. A new ad from the company shows off the R8 Spyder as one of Stark’s main rides, which makes sense considering the car was spotted on the set not too long ago. As if we needed another reason to be jealous. Hit the jump to see the spot for yourself.

[Source: Audi via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Audi R8 Spyder gets lead role in Iron Man 2

Video: Audi R8 Spyder gets lead role in Iron Man 2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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