RFID to monitor traffic

NYC is planning to use Solar Powered RFID sensors to monitor the traffic. The idea is to put the EZPass tags on the cars which will be tracked on a trailer parked on the roadside which reads the tag and transfers through a laptop to the servers. Then when the car passes through the next trailer the time is noted and redirect the traffic. If successful it will be a breakthrough to reduce traffic in the most congested cities.

Top 10 Worst Cars

Motor Authority has this post about the "10 worst cars of America". The GM vans top the list and Hummer H2 somewhere in between and this was the most surprising part. I always thought Hummer was a pretty cool car but the review says it otherwise. Check out others.

Volvo concept cars

Volvo has showcased the concept cars in Las Vegas. The show stopping jaw dropping action is sure to take down anybody. More action here.

Lotus in America

A true sports car with 0-100 in 4.3 seconds(0-60 in 4.1seconds) Lotus Exige S 2007 models will be offered in America inspite of the rumors to the contrary. It has the best performance in its class according to New Launches.It gives 25-30mpg which is very good for car of its class and the automaker describes the car as "quickest production car ever made". It is available at $56,990/-

Unfortunate obstacle to the future of Maglev Train

The accident in Germany that killed almost 30 people because of the crash with another train is nothing but human error. But the general opinion would be that it is not safe to travel in the Maglev trains because of the crash. The root cause of this according to CNN

Alexander Retemeyer, spokesman for the investigating prosecutors, said the probe into Friday's crash was focusing on likely human error as the cause and on why the train began moving with the 60-ton service vehicle still on the track.

He said maintenance workers are supposed to inform the control room when the vehicle has been taken off the track, and controllers must then ensure it is safely in its garage. Only then are controllers permitted to turn on the electrical power that allows the train's driver to start moving.

This may be a temporary setup of the technology moving in that direction but definetly not the end of it!

Vehichles owned by Billionaires

Luxury launches has blogged about the Cars driven by Billionaires. If you look at the listing there is nothing impressive and they own the cars like any other millionaire and this makes me believe that as you become rich money or luxuries will not matter and Philanthropy matters as is examplified by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

Robocabs a reality!

It is real, the driverless taxis are going to be a reality in the European union with

Taxis at Heathrow, "cyber cars" in Rome and an automatic bus in Castellón, Spain. And that's only the beginning.

quotes Spiegel Online.

Diamond covered Benz and Gold plated Porsche

New Launches has come up with two luxury cars - a dimond covered Mercedes SL class and a gold plated Porsche. New launches brags about the Porshe as

All the major components, from the control elements such as the steering wheel and door knobs to the car body and alloy rims, are all gold plated, making the two-seater exceptionally outstanding. Visualis, which is situated in Pforzheim, gilded a Porsche Boxster in 22 carat beaten gold.

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About the Diamond studded Benz

Coming back to the diamond covered Mercedes SL it was on display in an overseas auto show. No confirmed report on the diamonds being real or fake; this dazzling beauty would anyways be costing millions even if fake diamonds are used.

Most Beautiful car

What do you think is the most beautiful car, given that "Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder"? Well.... Autopsies has the following list:

10. Ferrari 599 Fiorano - Its a wierd looking car but when you get used to it is a brilliant design.

9. Ferrari Enzo-It is designed for aero dymics and it looks good doing it.

8. Aston Martin V8 Vantage-I love the look of it.

7. 2007 Audi TT-Its sharp lines are nice.

6. 2007 Bmw coupe-Another not realeased car, but how can you not like it.

5. Rolls Royce Phantom-if i was rich I would buy 3 and slap 22 inch rims on them all. (best luxary car ever)

4.MB SLK 55-I love it

3. Some alfa romero-I saw it, and wow.

2. MB SL65-used to be my #1, until this car was realesed.

1. Ferrari F430-Best looking car ever made.......EVER!!!!!!

More pictures.

Mitsubushi concept meets XRC

Apparently a visit to Mitsubishi's European R&D studio will score you a view of this rally-prepped Concept-X model. Check out Autoblog for more information and pictures.

Crash tests video

Two Crash Tests - video powered by Metacafe
Metacafe Has this amazing video of the crash tests on the chevy vehicles.

No more games use Automoblex

New Launches has this post about the new toy on the market. It takes the kids away from the video games to assemble wooden cars and therefore you get some respite from the cacophony of video game sounds. Sounds like fun.

Scanner to detect stolen cars in Indiana

USA today carried an interesting article yesterday about the police office who requested the system after his collegue was killed by a 15 yr old driving a stolen car plouwed into the sergent's car. The system has two cameras fitted to the squad car which scans the license plates and compares against the national stolen cars directory. In this way they found atleast 21 cars so far.

Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 pictures

Lamborghini has released pictures of its latest car. The car is powered by a 6.5-litre V12, longitudinally mounted behind the driver which churns out 631 hp at 8,000 rpm and rockets the car from 0 to 62 mph in under 3.4 seconds. The carbon fiber exterior enhanced with sharper lines combined with 18 inch rims and 13.5 inch wide wheels makes it a traffic stopper. The interior has also been revamped for extra comfort. The vehicle is expected to be sold a premium model above the standard Murcielago for around $322,972. Click here for more pictures.

Most expensive Keychain

Mercedes Benz of Canada has come out with an expensive keychain made up of 0.950 platinum and has a brushed finish with Mercedes logo on the side. It costs about $22,239.99 Can($19,999 US). Yes, it is just the cost of the keychain not the car!
Interested buy it here

Design your VW beetle

Now you can design your own beetle. VW UK has been offering customers to design their own VW beetle. Users can choose four different vinyl stickers to decorate the exterior to give a unique look of distinction. You can also mix and match colors to come out with your particular color for personalization. The feature is designed to attract selective women to create the design and possible win the car if their design is selected.

Autocollection loans cars to China

Autocollections at the Imperial palace loaned cars to China. The cars ranging from 1886 Benz to a 1972 Alfa Romeo, with values between $20,000 and $1
million. They will be displayed in the Blackhawk Pavilion of the Shanghai
Automobile Museum, scheduled to open mid-September.
The Auto Collections, the world's largest classic car lot with $100 million
worth of inventory on display and for sale, is celebrating its 25th
anniversary this year. Located on the fifth level of the Imperial Palace
self-parking facility, The Auto Collections is open daily 9:30 a.m. to 9:30
p.m.

Ford is thinking Hollywood

Jalopink has an interesting article about Ford making some episodes. It is mulling about making 50 episode saga of Ford history to get in the eyes of the public to improve publicity. Check it out!

Nanotube Batteries for Cars

MIT researchers are developing nanotube batteries that could be useful for developing an all electric car in the future. Given the high prices in Gas this could be one welcome solution that we can look forward to!

Exhibition of iconic Micro cars

Macklowe might have been a real estate developer in New York but he changed the face of Madison avenue by holding an exhibition of Micro cars from Europe.When he went to Italy he was facinated by the design and features of the small cars and sent his vice president to acquire and ship to Canada and loaded them on the flat beds to be sent to NY in time for the exhibition and transformed 340 Madison Avenue.

In the exhibit, five Smart Cars are displayed on floor-standing or ceiling-suspended platforms, emphasizing the "iconic status" of each. One of the cars has been "exploded," or deconstructed, to highlight the interchangeable body parts, and show off the details of the industrial design, while another has its door removed to invite visitors to participate by sitting behind the wheel.