Audi Super Bowl ad: what trikes did the Green Police ride? The T3 Series
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Audi
Audi Green Police ad – Click above to watch video after the jump
Now that the Super Bowl is over and the Audi Green Police commercial has aired without harm, one of the companies peripherally connected to the ad, T3 Motion, is proudly proclaiming their product’s use by said police force. The product is the T3 Series electric trike, which has sold over 2,000 units and is used by police and security forces around the country (we’ve featured the trike on these pages before). The T3 Series can go up to 20 miles per hour and uses swappable batteries. Now, what’s up with the company’s CT3 personal commuter vehicle?
Back to the Audi ad. We also think there’s a GEM electric vehicle that the Green Police use, which means Audi likes Chrysler EVs. As for what the anteater-like critter sniffing cars in the roadblock scene is, we’ll leave it up to the zoologists out there to let us know. Watch the ad after the jump.
[Source: T3 Motion, Inc.]
Continue reading Audi Super Bowl ad: what trikes did the Green Police ride? The T3 Series
Porsche 911 Turbo S unveiled with 530 HP of goodness
Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Porsche
2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S – Click above for high-res image gallery
The wunderkinds in Wiessach have wrought a new head of the family in the form of the 2011 911 Turbo S, the first 911 S model in five years and the first for the 997. In Porsche parlance, the S suffix generally means more power and better handling, and this car appears ready to live up to the badge.
As we surmised last August, the twin-turbo flat-six is boosted to 530 horsepower, though it sips fuel at the same rate as the “base” Turbo’s with its 500-horsepower engine. All that power and 516 pound-feet of torque are transferred to all four wheels – now 19 inches in diameter with center locking nuts – through Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual clutch gearbox, and a torque vectoring system helps point the car directly where the driver wants it. 0-62 miles per hour should arrive in 3.3 seconds and top speed is pegged at 196 mph. For comparison’s sake, the almighty 911 GT2 makes the same amount of horsepower (530), is slower to 62 mph at 3.7 seconds, but beats the new 911 S at the top end with a 204-mph terminal velocity.
Both fixed and folding roof versions of the Turbo S will officially debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month and go on sale in Europe in May. The coupe will cost €173,241 including 19 percent VAT (the actual base price is €145,400), while the Cabriolet goes €184,546, also including the 19 percent VAT (base price €154,900). U.S. market models should follow soon after.
End of the Road: American Chopper chopped, fat lady sings
Filed under: Etc., Motorcycle, Celebrities
It’s been a long time coming, but celebrity gossip site TMZ reports that American Chopper has finally been canceled. A spokesperson for TLC, which picked the show up after its first few years on The Discovery Channel, said, “The Teutuls will always be a part of the Discovery family and we congratulate them on a tremendously successful series run.” The final episode will air February 11 at 9:00 PM.
It wasn’t tough to see this one coming from a mile away. The hit show has seemingly been just a shell of its former self since two of the original Teutul trio have stopped speaking to their father and disappeared completely from the Orange County Choppers shop.
Recall also that Paul Teutul filed a lawsuit against Paul Teutul Jr. for over a million dollars a couple of months ago and it’s easy to see that things have been going south for quite some time. Finally, now that the crew has built customs that run on everything from gasoline to ethanol, diesel, compressed natural gas, electricity and even a hybrid, there just don’t seem to be any more alternative fuels left to conquer.
[Source: TMZ]
End of the Road: American Chopper chopped, fat lady sings originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Report: Award-winning garage may lose its driveway
Filed under: Performance, Etc., Government/Legal, Ferrari
Holger Schubert’s award-winning garage — Click above for high-res image gallery
Last summer, Maserati held a competition to identify the best garages in the world. There were two categories: Concept and Existing. While the concept winner was pretty spectacular, the existing garage was breathtaking. Remember the glass-walled garage in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? The one that Cameron launched his father’s vintage Ferrari California Spider through? That was a pretty amazing garage and similar to Holger Schubert’s Maserati competition winner. The difference is that Schubert took that concept one step further and simply built a 10-foot concrete bridge to his glass-walled living room.
The ultra-modern room won the Maserati contest, which was actually done in conjunction with Architectural Digest magazine. It’s decorated with “stylish furniture, a built-in bookcase and a flat-screen TV that slides on tracks past walls of glass that frame an ocean view.” Oh, there’s also that immaculate Ferrari 512 BBi sitting front-and-center.
The living room garage is part of a $1.5 million remodel that product designer Schubert has undertaken on his Brentwood home. Although initially granted permission by the city to build the bridge so he could better comply with off-street parking regulations, Los Angeles officials are now asking him to tear it down. Neighbors have apparently complained about the bridge and see it as a safety risk as well as a bad precedent for homes in the area. Schubert thinks they’re just pissed that his remodeling project is taking so long. It’s been about five years so far. We think they’re just jealous of the gorgeous grigio Boxer.
It’s not over for Schubert. There’s still a slim chance he might be able to save the award-winning garage by getting a zoning variance or winning a court reprieve. We wouldn’t hold our breath if we were him.
Breaking: Swedish loan guarantee for Saab reportedly wins EU approval
Filed under: Europe, Saab, Earnings/Financials, Spyker
What is thought to be one of the last remaining hurdles for the acquisition of Saab Automobile by Spyker Cars from General Motors has reportedly been cleared – the Swedish government’s endorsement of a pivotal European Investment Bank loan has been okayed by the European Union. Bloomberg indicates that the 400 million-euro ($546 million) loan has gained approval because the loan guarantors have found the necessary collateral and “adequate remuneration.” It is understood that the loan is conditional based upon Saab using the capital to develop and produce cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The EIB itself must still approve the loan in order for the transaction to go through, but the endorsement by the EU is expected to make it easier for the Luxemburg-based institution to make that move.
[Sources: Bloomberg, Autocar | Image: Joe Raedle/Getty]
[Source:
Breaking: Swedish loan guarantee for Saab reportedly wins EU approval originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Nissan launches 370Z sports car in India
Nissan India today launched its popular sports car 370Z priced between Rs 53.50 to Rs. 54.50 lakhs (ex-showroom New Delhi).
Rumormill: Next-gen Lancia Ypsilon could come Stateside as a Chrysler
Filed under: Hatchback, Chrysler, Rumormill, Luxury, Lancia
Lancia Ypsilon Versus Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
Too close for comfort or exactly what the Pentastar needs, that depends on your point of view. But Chrysler and Lancia – the two pseudo-premium brands under the Fiat-Chrysler partnership – are growing closer by the day.
After Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne took over in Auburn Hills, he placed the Chrysler division under the leadership of Lancia CEO Olivier Francois. More recently, Marchionne said the two brands could be merged within the year. Meanwhile on the product end of things, a report several months ago forecasted that the Lancia Delta – the freshest produce in the company’s apple cart – could make it Stateside as a Chrysler, which was followed up by the unveiling of just that at the Detroit Auto Show. Now a new set of rumors suggest the Delta could enjoy some company from the Old Country on this side of the Atlantic.
The current Lancia Ypsilon (pictured above in special Versus edition trim) is the brand’s smallest product. It dates back to 2003 and had a minor facelift in 2006, but is in dire need of replacement. A couple of years back, reports of a prospective follow-up positioned the next-gen Ypsilon alongside the Fiat 500 and Alfa MiTo in the Fiat group’s three-pronged attack on the Mini brand. Whether that proves accurate or not in the long run, the newest reports indicate that the Ypsilon could, like the Delta, be re-badged as a Chrysler, potentially taking the Java name from the concept car Chrysler showcased at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show.
