| Assault on Battery: Three Early-Hybrid Energy-Storage Fears that Never Materialized |
May 16th, 2013 |
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When hybrids first nosed through auto-show curtains at the turn of the century, we were intrigued by their fresh approach to more efficient propulsion. At the time, skeptics raised a few potential battery pitfalls—concerns that have now been disproven. MYTH #1: The naysayers predicted that depleted batteries would take their place next to bald tires [...]
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| 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-class: Benz Calls It “Effortless Superiority” |
May 16th, 2013 |
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Daimler hasn’t ever claimed its S-class sedan is “the best car in the world”—that was the prerogative of Rolls-Royce. But by any objective standard, it was the S-class that ruled for decades. This hegemony was seriously challenged in 1986 when BMW introduced the second-generation 7-series, and again in 1989 with the Lexus LS, which bested [...]
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| Lamborghini Urus SUV Finally “Officially” Approved for Production, Surprising Nobody |
May 16th, 2013 |
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Lamborghini has finally formally confirmed that the Urus crossover will move from concept to reality in 2017—one hopes with a new name—ending a year of executives saying that it really, most likely, probably, almost definitely would be approved by upper management at VW. The news was announced by none other than Rupert Stadler, the CEO of [...]
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| Two Metals Enter, One Leaves: The Miracle of Friction Stir Welding |
May 16th, 2013 |
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The typical images of welding—a robotic arm burping sparks or a masked Jesse James hovering over a glowing metal puddle—don’t apply to friction stir welding (FSW). The metal-joining technique was developed in 1991 by The Welding Institute, an industrial research center near Cambridge, England. In the mid-1990s, two Scandinavian aluminum-extrusion companies became the first to [...]
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| Prime Cuts: The Difference Between Regular and Run-Flat Tires Revealed—By Slicing Them Open |
May 16th, 2013 |
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Modern run-flat tires rely on strong, stiff sidewalls to carry the vehicle’s weight when air pressure dissipates. Extracting 50 miles of use from a flat tire, however, requires more than strength. Driving on a deflated tire—run-flat or not—initiates a destructive cycle: As the sidewall collapses, increased friction generates more heat, which softens the rubber and [...]
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| Their Ghosts Still Haunt The Place: How Four GM Motorama Show Cars Were Saved from the Scrap Heap |
May 16th, 2013 |
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An old-school junkyard, Warhoops Auto and Truck Parts squats on 15.5 acres of dirt speckled with the detritus of our throwaway culture. A Cadillac propped against a tree exposes its Northstar to the sky. Bent buses and crumpled cop cars line up against a white fence. It’s forgettable real estate except for one key attribute: [...]
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| Lexus LS460 F Sport AWD Tested: Serene with an Attitude |
May 16th, 2013 |
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Note to luxury automobile manufacturers interested in entering the performance market: The world’s strategic reserve of performance-signifying alpha characters is dwindling fast. BMW has M locked up, Audi claimed RS, Cadillac took V, and greedy old Mercedes-Benz, acting with characteristic disregard for its Bavarian comrades, took A, M, and G. Thank heaven the letter F [...]
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| 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Driven: Good, Green Fun |
May 16th, 2013 |
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The 918 Spyder may pay homage to Porsche’s illustrious past, but its real mission is redefining supercar possibilities. Smart use of advanced technology works to eliminate the traditional conflict between performance and efficiency. Faster, and theoretically more fuel-stingy than any past Porsche, the 918 ventures beyond today’s expectations of hybrid technology to ensure that driving [...]
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| Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 184 |
May 16th, 2013 |
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| Experian Sees Delinquencies, Repos Rise |
May 16th, 2013 |
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 Experian Automotive announced that automotive loan delinquency and repossession rates increased in the first quarter.
According to the latest State of Automotive Finance report, 30-day auto loan delinquencies rose 1.3 percent, 60-day delinquencies increased 12.4 percent and repossessions rose 16.9 percent when compared with the previous year.
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