Auto Parts: Corvette Z06 tops Motor Trend list of shortest-st...

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Corvette Z06 tops Motor Trend list of shortest-st...: Corvette Z06 tops Motor Trend list of shortest-stopping vehicles By Faraz Ali Malik Any modern performance car worth buying puts ju...

Auto Parts: Ford's plan to make commutes more efficient, opti...

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Ford's plan to make commutes more efficient, opti...: Ford's plan to make commutes more efficient, optimize EVs by Faraz Ali Malik Android developers across the world have descended o...

Ford's plan to make commutes more efficient, optimize EVs

Ford's plan to make commutes more efficient, optimize EVs

by Faraz Ali Malik

Android developers across the world have descended on San Francisco for this week's Google I/O conference, and Ford is getting in on the action with its announcement to utilize Google's new Prediction API to increase efficiency and decrease commute times.

The Prediction API has a range of location-based uses, but Ford's plan involves tapping into your driving habits, gathering historical commute and errand data, and then optimize your route depending on traffic, weather and a host of other information.

Cutting down commute times and increasing fuel efficiency are at the top of the list, but it's obvious Ford is primarily planning to use the tech for its future all-electric and plug-in hybrid-driving vehicles. By determining drive routes ahead of time, storing that information in the cloud and directing drivers to the most efficient roads, Ford can eliminate some of the range anxiety EV drivers have to contend with.

Tomorrow, a group of Ford researchers will be showing off concept version of the system at Google I/O, complete with a prototype use case that involves the driver opting in for the service (Ford is adamant that personal information security is of the utmost importance) and then utilizing the Google Prediction service to determine the most efficient route. The vehicle would ask the driver, "Good morning. Are you going to work?" and if the driver responds, "Yes," the system will choose a route that's optimized for the powertrain. This could also include EV-only zones, something that's being experimented with throughout Europe.

We'll have more on Ford's implementation of the Predictive API tomorrow...

Corvette Z06 tops Motor Trend list of shortest-stopping vehicles

Corvette Z06 tops Motor Trend list of shortest-stopping vehicles

By Faraz Ali Malik

Any modern performance car worth buying puts just as much emphasis on stopping as it does on going. After all, what's the point in being able to hit ludicrous speed if you can't manage to get it back down without heading fascia-first into an unmovable object?

So, what's a good stopping distance? According to the crew at Motor Trend, 100 feet from 60 miles per hour is a pretty good starting point. And the best of the best do the deed in significantly less. How's about 93 feet, recorded by both the 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition and the 2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia.

There's a smattering more Corvettes and Ferraris in the under-100-feet club, plus a couple Audis, Porsches and Vipers, along with a lone Lamborghini and the 2011 Nissan GT-R. If you're willing to allow non-DOT-approved tires, a prototype Lexus LFA managed to halt from 60 in 94 feet.

Speaking of tires, it seems that the best stopping treads are the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups, which are joined on the list by the Pirelli Pzero Corsas and a couple sets of Bridegstone Potenzas.

We've got to hand it to the Corvette Z06 for topping the list, especially since it's one of the least expensive vehicles in the under-100 club.

New F1: McLaren Working on Supercar

April 26th, 2012 | Author: Faraz Ali Malikm

With the MP4-12C, McLaren chose to enter the thick of the exotic car market for its reentry into road cars. The MP4-12C takes aim at segment best-sellers the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo. The car most know McLaren for though is the F1.
That car made a splash as the fastest naturally-aspirated car in the world. Today, years later, it still has specs that are very impressive. Given this history, McLaren has a lot to live up to in the followup. While we’ve heard noises about another model additions to the McLaren range, such as a 911 competitor and a shooting brake, the supercar should be the British brand’s next big introduction.


Autoblog recently captured spy shots of the car testing. The new super car is clearly bigger than the MP4-12C, and it will probably draw a lot from the F1. According to Autoblog, the car is being designed by Frank Stephenson. If there is a criticism of the MP4-12C, it is that the styling is too tame. When Stephenson arrived, he reportedly didn’t have much time to influence the direction of the MP4-12C, but that won’t be the case with the new supercar. It will be his baby. Stephenson has worked at BMW,(where he designed the MINI) Ford, Fiat (the 500), Alfa Romeo, Ferrari (F430), Maserati and now, McLaren.
There has been varying reports of whether or not the new McLaren will try to top the Bugatti Veyron. Today’s supercars have gotten to insane levels of horsepower, torque and acceleration times. If anyone can top the Bugatti Veyron though, it will the be guys at McLaren. With the F1 in their past, they have a lot to live up to. A stand out design feature on the F1 was the three-seat cockpit design. No one else has ever done that, and it was done after a lot of thought about the driving experience. More pictures of the car can be checked out in AB’s gallery.

Auto Parts: More than a pretty face: Bertone puts a Ferrari e...

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More than a pretty face: Bertone puts a Ferrari e...: More than a pretty face: Bertone puts a Ferrari engine in its Nuccio concept car April 26th, 2012 | Author: Faraz Ali Malik Most of...

More than a pretty face: Bertone puts a Ferrari engine in its Nuccio concept car

April 26th, 2012 | Author: Faraz Ali Malik

Most of the time, concept cars aren’t really cars. They have no engines, or can only move at very slow speeds. Sometimes, the door don’t even open. Concept cars are all about visual impact; they show what car companies are capable of with their styling. However, there is at least one concept that makes noise when you press the starter button. The Bertone Nuccio was originally unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, as a celebration of the Italian styling house’s 100th anniversary. Now, the Nuccio is making a second appearance at the Beijing Motor Show, and Bertone says it is fully drivable.
Underneath the stylish skin is the chassis from a Ferrari F430, the car that preceded the 458 Italia. The Nuccio retains the F430’s 4.3-liter V8, but the engine has been tuned to produce 480 horsepower instead of the Ferrari’s 490. However, Bertone says the Nuccio is lighter than an F430, so it will be interesting to see if there is any difference in straight-line performance. The V8 is mated to the Ferrari’s six-speed transmission, which features Formula 1-style paddle shifters. The transmission is less sophisticated than the double-clutch unit in the 458, but it’s better than nothing.
Bertone made one unorthodox alteration to the Nuccio’s lights to make the car road-worthy. The running lights glow brighter when the car is braking; Bertone says this is to alert pedestrians that the car is slowing at intersections. After all, isn’t it better to have more, even when it comes to brake lights? The Nuccio’s headlights appear to be taken from the same F430 donor.
The Nuccio is one of the only concept cars to have a full interior. It is toned down a bit from other concepts, but it’s also more functional. You don’t control the throttle with a touch pad, but you do get heavily bolstered sport seats and an inclined center console that brings controls closer to your right hand. Like the outside of the car, the interior gets a splash of orange to contrast with the mostly gray surfaces.
The Nuccio is named after Nuccio Bertone, the son of company founder Giovanni Bertone. Nuccio ran the company from 1950 until his death in 1997, and produced some of Bertone’s most memorable designs. To honor him, current Bertone designers took styling cues from three of the styling house’s greatest cars: the 1968 Carabo, 1970 Stratos Zero, and 1973 Lamborghini Countach, to create the Nuccio.
It’s easy for a concept car to look good while rotating on an auto show stand, but these vehicles are usually too fragile for the real world. Bertone tried to change that, and hopefully the Nuccio will turn as many heads on the road as it did at Geneva and Beijing.

Auto Parts: Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for ...

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Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for ...: Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record by Faraz Ali Malik The crew from Suzuki and Road & Track o...

Auto Parts: Detroit auto show: Think smallMarch 25th, 2012 | ...

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Detroit auto show: Think smallMarch 25th, 2012 | ...: Detroit auto show: Think small March 25th, 2012 | Author: Faraz Ali Malik Think small. Think fuel efficient. That is the theme at t...

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Battery ServiceSeptember 19th, 2011 | Author: Far...: Battery Service September 19th, 2011 | Author: Faraz Ali Malik Difficulty:  Easy Duration:  10­–30 minutes How often:  Every 3–5 y...