Do-it-yourself Tuning: Free Car Modifications

I just stumbled accross this pretty crazy -some call it the even the ’sickest’ - website: ChevroletModifications, ‘The official Free Car modification site’ as the site operatores claim. Some enthusiasts at JD Tuning Mag call the site the ’sickest tuning site on the web’. In fact ChevroletModificationsis for free, the (somehow interesting) mods are certainly not, even if the sites tells you that “their team of engineers, mechanics, and car enthusiasts have developed car modifications for both performance and appearance that you can do yourself and literally save thousands …” ChevroletModifications.com provides tuning info for free for all kinds of car makers and models, not just for Chevy’s. To make money on the sit, the company hopes that car enthusiasts entering the portal will go on and tell fellow tuners about the online project. Check it out yourself if you are interested.

Luxury cars mark record sales: What ever happened to exclusivity?

Cars! Gosh, can there really be a world without them? I hope not. While the world still whines for the lack of food, clothing and shelter (the once considered essentials of the pre-Madona world), the luxury cars segment is sure completely oblivious to its whims! Ironic as it may seem, while economies collapse in some parts of the world, the others are at its booming best (well, we always knew somebody’s loss (some developing country) is somebody’s gain (George Bush). Okay, jokes apart, the luxury Read more

Porsche Design P’9521: Sleek addiction cell phone

Presented earlier this month at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany, the Porsche Design P’9521 cell phone is something that almost every cell phone lover and German sports car fanatic would like to own.
Classy and sophisticated, this handset, brought out by Porsche Design in collaboration with French Telephone Specialists Sagem, is some sort of rare mobile technology: It is made of aluminum and mineral glass and its case is pulverized out of a solid aluminum block. Read more

Fraunhofer reinvents the wheel - using plastic

I’ve always waited for a day when they would stop making such (I say this at great risk of offending all those Lamborghini and Hummer lovers) flashy, chunky, heavy, but great looking cars and start making something lighter, especially for women like me who are so not good with those heavy machines… Guess it’s not too far-fetched anymore to desire something like that.

Plastic wheels, the much lighter substitute for the already quite light alloy wheels might be in production soon! Sure, their efficiency and sturdiness at standing different road types and terrains is something we will only know with time, but researchers at Fraunhofer, Germany, are now finding newer ways to test their capabilities (which was not possible earlier). Read more

Apple and Mercedes develop new type of car navig system

As Automobile.com just reports, Apple and Mercedes-Benz apparently teamed up for a new car navigation system. According to the car news portal the Silicon Valley computer giant Apple and Mercedes-Benz are to develop a brand new type of navigation and in-car entertainment system. German magazine Focus describes the system as being proprietary to the three-pointed star, and will be available in its products starting model year 2009. Contine reading …

Toyota: Mother Nature’s blue-eyed delight

If being behind the wheels of a great machine is what drives you crazy, you can be sure Toyota could give you a ‘run’ for your money. Moreover, this time, you will be doing your bit for Mother Nature while doing it. Still thinking?

The company has designed a new valve system for gas engines that will reduce fuel usage per mile, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and give great performance. Named ‘Valvematic’, this system for gas engines is Toyota’s way of saying “we care”. Read more

DARPA Urban Challenge: VW Passat driving on its own

San Francisco based Cnet just features an pretty cool video clip of a Volkswagen Passat that has been programmed to drive on its own for the upcoming DARPA Urban Challenge. The DARPA Challenge is a prize competition for driverless cars, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the central research arm of the United States Department of Defense. German car maker Volkswagen has been participating with great success in the Darpa Challenge in the past, the won the contest with a Touareg SUV in 2004.

Auto design: The ugliest car list released

The Crave, a subsidiary to the popular San Francisco, Ca-based IT online news site CNet just published the “The ugliest car list.” No surprise, the 2007 GMC Acadia was voted one of the worst looking car on the planet, “Butt ugly” rated some of the editors the Acadia. Also the 2007 Honda Element is on the list since the japanese car divides the automotive community since it was introduced a couple of years back. The Acura MDX makes the list for its gunwale-like front fenders …

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Wanna ride the new Renault Clio?

Well, the latest model of the little french cult car is scheduled to be in stores not before the end of the month. If you can’t wide to ride the new Renault Clio, here’s at least a pretty cool virtual testdrive for you. Enjoy the ride.

Overpriced: Women pay signifcantly more for cars

Believe it or not, but females on average pay way more for new cars then men. This is the result of a just released study by evecars.com and WhatCar? The main reason for this: Men simply bargain better at dealerships and showrooms and end up getting significantly better deals. The reseachers indicated that men were likely to save $1000 and more on average. Read more …