Technology: Clean or Efficient? An Engine Goes for ‘Both of the Above’   18 Aug 2007 03:17 GMT
A prototype Saturn Aura runs on a homogeneous-charge compression-ignition engine, which researchers say holds the potential for big gains in overall efficiency.
Source: NY Times

Collecting: Leaving Well Enough Alone: The Rise of the Unrestored Classic   18 Aug 2007 03:12 GMT
A reverence for original finishes and the patina of time is developing among collectors of classic cars.
Source: NY Times

Collecting: For Sale: ’84 Model. Runs Great.   18 Aug 2007 03:05 GMT
A steam-powered 1884 model built by De Dion, Bouton & Trépardoux of France is thought to be the world’s oldest functioning automobile.
Source: NY Times

Hydrogen-Powered Ford Fusion Sets Land Speed Record   17 Aug 2007 17:19 GMT
Cynics will dismiss it as irrelevant. But earlier this week the Ford Fusion 999 team ran 207.297 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats (last year's photo here), establishing the fastest unofficial time ever run by a hydrogen-powered vehicle. It doesn't...
Source: wired.com

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, First Impressions   17 Aug 2007 15:47 GMT
Nail the throttle on Lamborghini's Gallardo Spyder at 2500 RPM in second gear, and the car will knock you back in your seat like a rifle kick. The surprise is the scream from the engine. It is as if you...
Source: wired.com

Study Says Biofuels Could Actually Increase Carbon in the Atmosphere   17 Aug 2007 15:33 GMT
Restoring and protecting forests would do far more to reduce the carbon load in the atmosphere than dedicating vast tracts of land to energy crops, argue Renton Righelato and Dominick Spracklen, in a study published today in Science. The article...
Source: wired.com

Car Ads Are Missing the Green   17 Aug 2007 10:18 GMT
Car makers have a disconnect with their customers where the environment is concerned. So says a new marketing study from the MindClick Group. The study found that concerns about fuel economy and gasoline prices are high in customer minds--no surprise--but...
Source: wired.com

Advertising: A New Chrysler and a New Marketer   16 Aug 2007 12:18 GMT
With a new chief marketing officer, Chrysler is wasting no time in trying to persuade customers that it has come out from under the wing of its former German owners.
Source: NY Times

Why Buy When a Millionaire Can Lease?   16 Aug 2007 10:51 GMT
You'd think that anyone who lusted after a $1.5 million Bugatti--and who could actually put one in his driveway--would demand to own it. After all, super-exotic sports cars are a form of pornography in possessive fantasy. Yet increasing numbers of...
Source: wired.com

As Beijing and New York Ban Traffic, It's Marx Vs. Capitalism   16 Aug 2007 10:46 GMT
Beginning tomorrow, Beijing will ban more than one million cars from its city center, based on odd and even license plate numbers. The program is to test whether congestion and air quality can be substantially improved in time for next...
Source: wired.com