Video: Sheik's custom six-wheeled Nissan SUV is a thing that makes us go 'Hmmm'
3rd Sep 2010
Sheik, hydro and roll – Click above to watch video after the jump
Well, this is certainly different. We've seen our fair share of wild vehicle modifications over the years, but this one takes the cake as one of the most imaginative. If the YouTube description is any sort of indication, this craft was hewn just for Sheik Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan as his personal toy. Near as we can tell, the guy liked the side-mount spare tire carriers on classic vehicles from the '30s, but wanted to be able to deploy them without having to actually get out and spin a lug nut. The solution was found in the miracle (or curse) of hydraulics.
Let's just do the world a favor and make sure this doesn't evolve into a trend. We've already had terrible visions of a future SEMA show with row upon row of ...

Spy Shots: 2012 Honda Civic prototype holds on to two-tier dash
3rd Sep 2010
2012 Honda Civic spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
After seeing a handful of spy shots of the next-generation Euro-spec Honda Civic, the North American car is finally starting to show up out roaming the heat-soaked roads of Death Valley. When the new Civic arrives next year, it won't be that much larger than the current car, and the overall shape looks to have stayed the same, though substantial changes to the front and rear fascias are definitely on deck.
...

Vancouver using 3D optical illusion to scare motorists into safer driving?
3rd Sep 2010
Safety organizations and the District of West Vancouver, Canada are joining forces to build awareness about careful driving during the start of the school year. Thanks the work of the BCAA Traffic Safety Association, drivers motoring down 22nd Street in West Vancouver will be met with a 3D image of a girl chasing a ball across the street. No one is saying exactly how the tech works, but it's meant to be a wakeup call for drivers who may be distracted or otherwise not paying enough attention to their surroundings while driving near school zones.
The display will be installed for just one week and cost a princely total of $14,400 (USD) to operate. ...

Mexico's Mastretta releases a few lines about MXT sports car for Paris
3rd Sep 2010

Mexican sports car intender Mastretta has officially announced that it will reveal the production version of its MXT at this month's Paris Motor Show.
Longtime WheelsNews readers may recall that the Latin auto was actually expected to go on sale back in 2009, but for unknown reasons, it evidently hasn't made it into serial production yet. Previously shown iterations of the MXT have been powered by a 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four-cylinder, with the promise that a production model would be turbocharged and fettled by the enginemeisters at Cosworth. The target back then was a modest 240 horsepower, but with an expected weight of under a ton, 0-60 mph was expect in under five seconds.
At this point, we're not sure if the ca...

Mitsuoka Orochi now available to rent in Osaka
3rd Sep 2010
Mitsuoka Orochi Premium Gold – Click above for high-res image gallery
So you're headed to Japan and need to rent a car. What to choose? The island nation is a smorgasbord of metal foreign to American tastes, from a wide buffet of pint-sized kei-cars to more American-sized contraptions. But what if none of those options have the kind of flair you require for that special business meeting? Fear not. Mitsuoka has you covered. The company has just announced a rental program that will let you pick up either of its two sports cars for a fairly low per-day rental rate in Osaka.
For a mere $390 per day, you can play around with the ridiculously over-the-top Orochi, complete with its underwhelming Toyota 3.3-liter...

Chevrolet Cruze configurator goes live
3rd Sep 2010

Heads up, compact fans; the configurator for the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has officially gone live. If you've got a few hot seconds to spare as your work week comes to a close, you can build up your new Bowtie fuel miser any way you so please. It doesn't take long to click off enough options to have the Cruze sitting pretty at just shy of $26,800 including destination. Of course, that kind of coin will fetch you a sunroof, spare tire, RS appearance package, navigation and just about everything else your heart could desire in LTZ trim.
Of course, the frugal among you can sink your teeth into a $16,995 LS model, complete with a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual transmission and not much ...

Consumer Federation of America calls for 60 mpg CAFE standard by 2025
3rd Sep 2010

Now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Environmental Protection Agency have established fleet fuel economy standards of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, the government agencies are hard at work on the next phase of increases that will stretch out to 2020 and beyond. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act mandated 40 mpg by 2020 as a minimum, but the standards could actually be set higher. That's exactly what the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) want.
A ...

Video: Cadillac CTS-V "Competition" commercial
3rd Sep 2010
Cadillac CTS-V "Competition" commercial – Click above to watch the video after the jump
Recently, we showed you a behind-the-scenes look at Cadillac's newest commercial featuring the CTS-V sedan out on Germany's hallowed-be-thy-name Nürburgring. Now, after all of the editing and post-production work has been completed, we're left with a brand new television ad spot simply dubbed "The Competition," showing viewers that one of the world's fastest sport sedans will strive to be better and better. How can you improve on 0-60 miles per hour in 3.9 ...

Chevrolet signs Tim Allen as brand's new voice
3rd Sep 2010
General Motors has officially announced that television and movie star Tim Allen will be the new "voice of Chevrolet," starting with a series of ads that will begin airing on September 7. These ads will be for the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, and while Allen is a big-name with a very recognizable voice, GM's vice president of marketing, Joel Ewanick, reminds us that "the car will be the star."
Allen is best known for his starring role on the long-running 1990s sitcom Home Improvement, as well as his roles in The Santa Clause movies and as the voice behind Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story trilogy. In addition, Allen is also a well-...

Some say that Top Gear will viciously kill off The Stig
3rd Sep 2010

When murmurings began hitting the web that the man who plays The Stig was itching to publish his memoirs, we knew it was only a matter of time before the character met his end on the BBC's Top Gear. According to The Sun, James May has hinted that White Stig will be dealt with in the same manner as his predecessor, Black Stig. As you may recall, Black Stig infamously tried to outperform a Harrier jet from behind the wheel of the Top Gear Jaguar, only to overshoot his mark and wind up at the bottom of the sea.
According to May, White Stig may not be so fortunate. In his interview with The Sun, May said that he and his co-hosts may actually drive to The St...