Shown in concept form at the 2012 New York International Auto Show is the Infiniti LE– basically, Infiniti’s take on the Nissan LEAF EV. The automaker says it will feature inductive charging. (Photo courtesy Infiniti.)

So Infiniti is apparently going to build its own version of the Nissan LEAF electric car. And it apparently will have induction charging. That’s right, no plugging in– just park over a designated spot.

The internet was abuzz this week for a second time about the planned Infiniti LEAF cousin’s charging method. One source said the Infiniti EV would be “used as a showcase” for the induction charging technology, which Infiniti was hoping would be developed in an open-source fashion by…

Continue reading Rumor Mill: Infiniti Version of LEAF to Feature Induction Charging

The Car Care Council recommends inspecting your vehicle before taking a holiday road trip. (PHOTO: Car Care Council)

BETHESDA, MD – With the Memorial Day Holiday weekend upon us and the summer vacation season fast approaching, a thorough inspection of your vehicle will give you peace of mind and help make your road journey safer, says the Car Care Council.

“If you are planning a road trip this summer, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t just put gas in your car and go. A pre-trip vehicle check can determine how road-ready your vehicle is so you can take steps…

Continue reading Is Your Car Ready for Summer Holiday Travel?

Mustang tunes such as Saleen and Shelby have been doing thier thing with Ford for years.  But check out this older-school new-school Mustang customization program that blends Mustang history with new-school performance (did you get that?):

Production Begins on Holman & Moody 50th Anniversary TdF Mustang

The Holman & Moody shop in Charlotte, North Carolina has seen its fair share of high performance Ford vehicles pass through its garage doors, including Falcons, Galaxies, Cobras, Thunderbirds and the most famous of them all, the Ford GT40. But the most recent rumble coming out of the historic race shop isn’t a car heading for vintage racing events, it’s a new 2014 Mustang that boasts the first street-legal upfit package offered by Holman & Moody since the company’s founding in 1958. In 1964, Holman Moody provided engines and performance parts upgrades for three bright red Mustang coupes that participated in the 4,000 mile long “Tour de France (TdF) Automobile” rally. This grueling ten-day event consisted of seventeen different stages of hillclimbs, road races and even laps at France’s most famous race courses, including Reims and LeMans. The Mustangs competed in the Touring class against…

Continue reading Soup up Your Pony. Holman & Moody Style

(Lyndon Johnson photo)

Our 2014 Subaru Forester was a pre-production model, according to our Subaru media contact. Therefore, you wouldn’t be totally surprised if it had a couple of issues during our week-long test, right?

The first issue was related to the car’s Tire Pressure Monitoring System and may not have been the car’s fault at all, according to Subaru National Manager of Product Communications Dominick Infante. While driving along in a somewhat spirited manner on a twisty state highway that is a favorite of motorcyclists, the TPMS warning light illuminated in a series of flashes, then went on solid.

I pulled over as soon as possible to check the tires visually and realized, furtively, that I didn’t have a tire pressure gauge on my person or in the car. But all tires looked normal and sounded normal given a hearty thump of the open palm, and I couldn’t hear any air escaping. I drove a couple of miles into a nearby town and obtained a tire pressure gauge from a local two-bay tire and auto parts…

Continue reading Fun with Forester: The Subaru Forester’s Little Issues

Mitsubishi Motors to Enter a Pair of All-New MiEV Evolution II All-Electric Racecars in 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC). (PHOTO: Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.)

CYPRESS, CA – Mitsubishi will compete in the 2013 edition of the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) to be held on June 30, 2013 with a pair of all-new MiEV Evolution II all-electric four-wheel drive (4WD) prototype racecars.

With the upgraded all-new MiEV Evolution II, MMC has set its sights on an outright victory in this legendary American race.

Held annually in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) is an…

Continue reading Mitsubishi To Enter A Pair Of MiEV Evolution II All-Electric Racecars At Pikes Peak

Posed on the track from left are the 2014 BMW M5 sedan and the 2014 BMW M6 coupe, which are going to get a Competition Package option that will make them even more adept on the track than the standard M5 and M6 models. (Photo courtesy BMW.)

The BMW M5 and M6 are getting what the automaker calls a Competition Package designed to further pump up the cars’ performance cred.

According to the official release from BMW, the package will be available on 2014 M5 and M6 models as an option for the models, which represent the four most powerful cars in BMW’s portfolio.

Base M5 sedan and M6 coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe sedan…

Continue reading Competition Package Released for BMW M5, M6

The 2014 GMC Sierra spends some quality time in the wind tunnel. (Photo courtesy GMC.)

The GMC Sierra has been spending plenty of time in the wind tunnel to ensure its wider, more muscular body doesn’t equate to worse aerodynamics and fuel economy.

According to the official GMC press release, engineers spent quite a bit of time researching the aerodynamics of the 2014 Sierra in a wind tunnel whose 4,500 horsepower DC electric fan motor can generate wind speeds of up to 138 MPH. In doing so, they were able to tweak a few areas of the truck. For instance, the front bumper “successfully reduces drag because it directs air toward the ground and away from the truck’s rough underbody,” while the ducted flow path…

Continue reading GMC Sierra Gets Wind Tunnel Tuned

(Lyndon Johnson photo.)

After spending a week driving a new 2014 Subaru Forester, it’s reassuring to know it’s among the safest cars in its class of crossovers and SUVs.

According to a press release from Subaru, the Forester aced its small overlap offset crash test in testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety– the first vehicle to do so– and was the only vehicle among 13 in the class of small SUVs to earn IIHS’ top rating of…

Continue reading Fun With Forester: Subaru Forester Aces Small Overlap Offset Crash Test

The smart electric fortwo

MONTVALE, NJ – Mercedes-Benz USA has started rolling out the Smart Electric fortwo, the most affordable electric vehicle in the U.S. market (based on Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price), to smart dealers across the country.

The smart electric drive has the smallest footprint of any car on U.S. roads and its cabriolet sibling is the only convertible electric available here. Further setting the fortwo apart from other vehicles on the market is its unique patented tridion safety cell (which functions like a race car’s roll cage), its infinitely customizable exterior (more than 6,000 possible combinations) and its green credentials which start at one of the most eco-friendly automotive production facilities in the world – the smartville factory in Hambach, France. The electric fortwo has a mile per gallon equivalent (MPGe) of 122 miles in the city on a full charge.

In response to consumer uncertainty about battery performance and longevity, the fortwo will offer customers an innovative…

Continue reading Smart Electric Fortwo Starts Arriving At Dealerships With Batteries For Rent

Tire Recall Exposes Need for Tire Destruction

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – Kumho Tire’s recent scramble to find thousands of recalled tires that were resold to used tire dealers, instead of being scrapped, underscores the need for a total destruction system for unsafe tires, says the inventor of CompacTire.

Last week, the Korean tire company and Liberty Tire Recycling, one of the nation’s largest scrap tire processors, were working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to locate nearly 8,000 recalled tires sold to wholesalers in Texas, New York, North Carolina and Puerto Rico. Kumho had originally recalled some SOLUS KH25…

Continue reading Tire Recall Exposes Need For Tire Destruction