http://truemors.nowpublic.com Tell the world Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:03:06 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en German car customizer Brabus wants to pimp your Tesla. Well, the five of you who actually plopped down $100,000 for a Roadster. The Brabus enhancement upgrade package (sounds like a plastic surgery 2-for-1 deal) includes stylistic improvements and a perplexing "space sound generator" that replicates the growl of a V8, ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=34053 Struggling Silicon Valley electric car company Tesla has announced $40 million in financing from investors that could help the beleaguered start-up with current financial troubles. The influx of cash flow will come in the form of convertible debt from almost all of the company's current major investors, who have previously ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=33679 Car makers struggling to make sales are always looking for an edge, but some are now considering whether cars with an edgy look are actually what they need. If smiling back at a VW Bug doesn't strike you as strange or that Cadillac seems to be flashing a toothy sneer ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=33356 Lamborghini has releases two teaser images of the company's upcoming car. Details are scarce, as the two photos aren't very revealing, but what is important to know is that it is likely that the new car will be front engined. Also, according to Lamborghini's press release, the car will be ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=32901 Car fans worldwide (myself included) have watched in excitement as the Lexus LF-A supercar has grown from concept to prototype. It seemed as if the project was full steam ahead until recently... Rumor now has it that the LF-A project has been cancelled. A number of factors play into this, ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=32470 Rumor has it that Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin are planning a massive collaboration dubbed Project Alligator. The collaboration would include everything from engines to platforms, and would help both brands expand and grow. Major points of Project Alligator could include the use of AMG's 6.2-liter V8 in the next-gen Vantage, ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=31655 Sure, there's a lot of gauge-wagging going on these days, but it could also be used to symbolize that Americans can do something immediately to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Drilling proponents in the Bush administration claim that 1% of our energy needs could be met by 2030 with offshore ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=31591 Pictures have surfaced online of the new Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. Essentially an open-roof version of the Veyron supercar, the Grand Sport is powered by the same 8 liter W16 that churns out 1,000 hp. The car is expected to be revealed at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concourse d'Elegance, and ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=31471 A plug-in F-150 hybrid? Andy Grove put forth the goal last week at the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose. Why not convert the existing fleet of big pickup trucks, vans and SUVs to plug-in hybrids? The Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc. (HEVT) team -- a start-up out of the ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=31291 Whether it's a Toyota Prius hybrid or the brand new clean diesel VW Jetta TDI, the latest gas-sippers are in scarce supply and dealers are tacking on heinous surcharges. Skeezy car dealers from Tulsa to Tuscon are adding thousands of dollars more to hybrids' sticker prices, but it seems some ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30990 Want to show off your enormous wallet while still keeping Mother Nature in mind? Consider a Hybrid Ferrari. The Italian automaker reportedly has a hybrid in the works that will use electric power in conjunction with petrol, making the sports car not quite super duper Earth friendly, but just friendly ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30890 A Big Brother caliber laser plus camera can take measurements at 430 million points on a tire each second. As the tire moves, the distance between the camera and the object changes allowing the system to create a three-dimensional profile of the tire, including whether winter or summer tire! Does ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30690 Toyota's lead engineer on its Camry hybrid project died in January, 2006. Official cause of death: working too hard. Apparently, this is a common enough occurrence that the Japanese have a word for it: karoshi. Deaths from working too hard have steadily increased in the 20 years that the Japanese ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30630 Group Lotus has built a smashingly eco-friendly concept vehicle for the upcoming British International Motor Show. While the Lotus Eco Elise doesn't boast electric power like its Tesla cousin, innovative materials including hemp composites and seats covered in an "ethically produced" woolen fabric, make this one lean mean green machine. http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30574 When someone buys a Ferrari, they are probably not too concerned with the fuel economy that they are going to get from their Italian exotic. However, fuel economy is something that Ferrari has to to worry about, even if their customers don't care. Rumor has it that in order to ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30487 BMW has released official information on the all-new 2009 7 Series. Powered by BMW's new 400 HP twin-turbo V8, the big sedan should scoot to 60 in under six seconds. Also new is an updated iDrive system, which has been designed to be more straightforward and easy to use than ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30479 Mercedes-Benz is readying a final special edition of their SLR supercar. This new version, dubbed the Speedster, will be more lightweight than the regular version of the car. The car also doesn't have a windshield, instead using just an F1 style wind deflector to move air over the driver's head ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30432 Photos and specs of the updated Maserati Quattroporte have surfaced online. The sports sedan gets a minor facelift that includes a new front fascia with LED headlights (of course), but it's what's under the hood now that really counts. The Quattroporte will now be available in two guises: Quattroporte and ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30159 Did you know that Honda has started production of what will become the worlds first commercially available hydrogen fuel cell car? The FCX Clarity which will be powered with hydrogen gas should be fun to drive, at least for some folks. They are also supposed to be smooth and powerful ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30035 A Colorado State University study has concluded that drivers with bumper stickers are much more likely to be aggressive drivers than those without. In other words, they will use their vehicles to express rage. Lookout for those bumper stickers! No word on the driving habits of those with Jesus fish ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=30026 Last month, at El Camino High School in Oceanside, CA, police, administrators, and teachers staged the "deaths" of 26 students to make the kids aware of the dangers of drunk driving. Now, many students and parents are angry over the stunt. Some are truly indifferent: "You feel betrayed..." said 15-year-old ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=29912 As previously reported, the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is very fast. Now, however, we know that it isn't just a track star, and that it keeps some of it's American muscle DNA. The CTS-V will be officially rated at 556 HP and 551 lb-ft and be able to hit 60 MPH ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=29775 Porsche has unveiled the 2009 997 911. The car gets a minor facelift that includes LED daytime running lights and LED taillights, but the mechanical upgrades are much more significant. Now both the 3.6 liter and 3.8 liter flat 6's feature direct injection, helping improve both power and fuel economy. ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=29734 Information is beginning to surface on a new coupe being codeveloped by Subaru and Toyota. The rear wheel drive sports car will be powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine producing somewhere between 180 and 220 HP. A turbocharged version producing 300 HP may also be available. Expect prices to ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=29706 Audi has announced that it will be adding clean biofuel to the secret fuel formula that powers its Le Mans-winning R10 TDI race car. Already incredibly efficient running on diesel (at least in the world of race cars, where cars routinely get 4-5 mpg), the V12 powered track star will ... http://truemors.nowpublic.com/?p=29629