Sneak peaks are one of the main reasons we browse the web every day. This new electric car is sure to catch some attention and cruise along among the buzz-worthy bloggers. The Metro Buddy, a pocket-sized electric car (OK, not really that small), was revealed at EVS-24. The Norwegian Minister of Transportation, Liv Signe Narvasete, got to visit the electric car maker’s factory and was able to get a sneak preview.
Some people from ElectricAid were also on available to make a little video, which is available online. It keeps the same simple form as the original Kewet Buddy, but there are some major changes under the hood and beneath the frame. The new version will be able to store electricity in lead-acid, nickel metal halide or lithium batteries giving it a range of 50 to 75 miles (80 to 120 kilometers).
The car looks amazing. Like something conceptually designed for a senior thesis. But it’s real. And it’s small. A simple two door machine, almost a cube on wheels, it must be able to park in extremely small spaces. The front window comes with one windshield wiper (more would be overkill). The windshield itself is at the same angle as the hood, creating a perfect slope down the front end. It’s cute. It’s petite. It’s perfect.
The New Metro Buddy: One Tiny Electric Car
May 31st, 2009$100 Million Bond Default – Aston’s Parent Company in Trouble
May 30th, 2009
The Aston Martin, one of the world’s most beloved cars, may be in trouble. Aston’s Parent company, Investment Dar, the Kuwaiti firm that owns part of Aston Martin, has defaulted on payment for a $100 million Islamic bond which was due on April 27. Bloomberg says it is now the first Persian Gulf company to default on an Islamic bond.
In the month of December in 2008, Dar was thinking about selling a 20- to 30% stake in Aston Martin in order “to profit financially or technically.” They say it was trying to refinance its short-term debt, to use banks for 200 to 300 million Kuwati dinars ($691 million-$1 billion U.S.).
Yet, Dar remains open to selling peripheral assets to keep up its position and it is working with Credit Suisse.
The Aston Martin is popular among James Bond fans, as Bond is notorious for driving his beloved Martin. This car is a beautifully designed, sleek machine that roars perfectly for the silver screen. An expensive car, it looks like a luxury vehicle and an Indy 500 car combined. The Aston Martin grill is the icing on the cake and a signature design recognizable a mile away.
The 2010 Opel Astra: Revealed Early on the Web
May 29th, 2009
A beautiful new car has been revealed early on the web. You may have recognized its look with a different symbol on the front. Or maybe you didn’t. But this next generation model is really a baby of the Saturn car company.
In Europe, the Opel Astra 2010 is already available for a peek online. It’s sleek exterior give it that soft aerodynamic look, definitely a step in the direction of the future. It’s compact enough to truly be a European car, and it emanates an aura of fuel-efficiency. The Opel Z logo on the front brands this machine accurately; the car looks like a lightning-bolt.
It’s unsure if there will be an American version of the Opel Astra any time soon. The Astra will be available with a 1.4-liter gasoline inline-four, but turbocharged variants will also be available, giving between 120- to 140 horsepower and 175 to 200 Nm of torque (129 – 148 pound-feet). More power will reportedly come in the form of a 180 hp 1.6-liter turbo motor. Because of its European nature, a range of diesels will also be available, including 1.3-, 1.7- and 2.0 –liter variants. A particularly cheap ecoFLEX variant is also expected in 2010.
According to CarScoop, the Astra will hit showrooms in Autumn, with a new three-door GTC Coupe to follow shortly afterwards.
Have Hatchbacks Been Forgotten? Remembering the Top Ten
May 28th, 2009
Oh, the hatchback. The name sounds like an insult, or perhaps something from a French story of the Notre Dame.
Although some hatchbacks were successful throughout US auto history, many were not. There are dozens of failed attempts to get the public enthused about the hatchback. After the dust has settled, there remains a list of the top ten hatchbacks that should never be forgotten (or maybe they should, you decide).
The list begins with the Chevy Corsica Hatchback, a horrible car that lasted two years between 1989 and 1991. We continue with the Fiat Strada, and then the Mercury LN7. The Mitsubishi Cordia comes next, the name a combination of cordite and diamond. Another Mitsubishi, the Precis (pronounced precious?). Followed by the Oldsmobile Firenza (I actually like this one). The famous Pontiac Grand Prix comes next, with its new Aerocoupe body shell for use in NASCAR. Then the Renault Encore, and the Sterling 827. Last, and most definitely not least, the Subaru GL.
Some like the VW golf and the Toyota Prius have made their mark, brilliantly, and in good form. But many have failed. As cars get smaller with time, we may see new inventive ways of using the hatchback.
Not as Many Chrysler Ads: Obama Slashes the Automakers Ad Budget by Half
May 27th, 2009We all heard the news: Chrysler is bankrupt and needs help from Uncle Sam. That’s never any fun. Now, the Obama administration has decided to cut Chrysler’s Ad budget 50 percent.
Judge Arthur Gonzalez says “Idle Plants? Why Market?” Meanwhile the company argues that in touch ties such as bankruptcy, the company needs to market just as much to keep them from falling on harder times and eroding the already battered Chrysler image.
The people at Chrysler say that they need to keep spending on Advertising to stress that it’s business as usual and “demonstrate a bright future ahead for Chrysler.” Yet some people consider “business as usual” as a bad thing. Business as usual is what got them to be bankrupt in the first place.
In an industry where economical, fuel-friendly, and functional cars are not only necessary but intelligent, Chrysler has fallen by the way-side unable to compete with the Japanese, German, and Korean cars that have been known to be reliable and cost-efficient. Arguably, when a company declares bankruptcy, they are asking to be saved by the government. When the government is giving a helping hand, can they really complain about how they decide to spend their money?
Some people say Chrysler needs to re-invent itself before it starts marketing a product that shouldn’t be on the streets and that can’t compete.
VW’s New Polo is Already Taking Orders Ahead of Launch
May 26th, 2009There are already well over 10,000 orders for the new Polo, before it’s even launched. The new Volkswagen Polo for 
2010 if brand new, and early orders prove there is a lot of interest in the small European hatchback. VW says there are 13,000 pre-orders for the B-segment five-door. This beauty of a car is perfectly designed to be both aesthetically pleasing, modern with creative edges and lines, and small enough to be parked easily and drive smoothly with an incredible fuel-efficiency.
The news of the early orders is making the VW owners very happy. Although the Polo has been in production since about March, it won’t officially hit showroom floors until June. But there are plenty of pretty pictures of this car online. I prefer it in red.
The United States will probably receive two versions of the Polo within the next two or three years. I can’t wait. If the models come through, they will likely receive VW’s new 1.2-liter TSI gas engine. Direct injection and turbocharging help the little four-banger reach 103 hp and 42.8 mpg (U.S.) combined.
With a BlueMotion diesel that’s capable of up to 61.9 mpg, in Europe the compact Polo will be very successful and we’ll be seeing them all over the road.
The Daytona Coupe Le Mans Edition: A Serious Shelby
May 25th, 2009Perhaps one of the greatest cars in American motorsports history, the Shelby Daytona Coupe has an aerodynamic body and can travel just under 200mph. This car, faster than a Ferrari, is like no other car in the world. It looks like 
two cars in one, the front and back half of two separate vehicles glued together. The large, sturdy wheels look like theycould handle abrupt 90 degree turns on a dime. And the dual sets of headlights guarantee that this car means business.
Although buying one of the original six racecars is virtually impossible, there is a much more affordable option. Southern California-based Exotic Auto Restoration has developed a new version of the legendary and beautiful Shelby called the Daytona Coupe Le Mans Edition. Based on the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe built by Superformance, the Le Mans Edition package looks a bit more modern and slightly more pumped up.
Fender flares, wider 18-inc wheels and tires, heavy-duty suspension, billet aluminum hood vents, Alcantara seating, and aircraft style toggle switches, this car is a rocket on the road. And powertrain options include any Ford V8 based on the Windsor 351 block. There’s also a racier Daytona Coupe that Exotic Auto Restoration is also offering which has a track-oriented version that also gets a 6-point roll cage, A/C and carpet delete, quick-release steering wheel and much more.
Those Warranty ‘Robocalls’ May Stop: The Feds Are Investigating
May 24th, 2009
My grandmother doesn’t even own a car and she gets plenty of annoying Ford and other warranty offers in her voicemail. These “robocalls” are notorious and aggravating, and they need to stop. It’s a telephone version of spam.
Finally, United States Senator Charles Schumer of New York has himself gotten one of those annoying robocalls and now vows to put an end to them. According to an article by The Associated Press, there were more than 140,000 complaints to the Better Business Bureau before it got the attention of Sen. Schumer. Several states that have already taken it upon themselves to go after these scam artists.
It’s difficult to say if any action will seriously help defeat these scammers. It’s hard to locate exactly where they are coming from, and the calls are pre-recorded. But there has supposedly been some progress made, and one company has already been sued by Missouri officials.
These robocalls are blatantly illegal because many of them violate the Federal Do Not Call Registry. They are annoying because they because not only waste people’s time, the extended warranties the companies are selling are almost always impossible to use, according to one attorney general. Three states, Connecticut, New Jersey and Iowa have even teamed up to investigate these illegal activities.
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