The Demo Site

Back in the day, Marlboro sponsored both McLaren and Ferrari. The former wore the sponsor's colors, while the latter stayed all red until Philip Morris decided to stop hedging its bets and went all Italian. McLaren was scorned, but got even... eventually. Several years, championships and sponsors down the road, McLaren poached European telecom giant Vodafone away from Ferrari to be its title sponsor. Right above Vodafone's logo on Hamilton's racing suit, however, is that of Santander, the Spanish financial concern that has been rolling out serious bucks for F1 presence the past couple of years. So Ferrari has gotten even by stealing them away.

The switch for Santander, which seems to be taking an aggressive approach to the financial crisis, was confirmed by its president Emilio Botin, to take place starting in 2010. But that's not all. Botin added fuel to longstanding rumors of Fernando Alonso's possible move to the Scuderia by stating that the Spanish bank hopes to work with "the best driver in the world" again soon. The plot thickens.

[Source: F1-Live, Photo by Clive Mason/Getty]

Remember the good old days when at least BMW nomenclature was straightforward? The first digit designated the series and the second and third the displacement of the engine. Maybe an extra letter would be tacked on, but that was it. Then they started with M this, Z that and X for the SUVs with xDrive all-wheel drive. So now we've got things like the X6 xDrive 35i. Now they're dropping another one on us: rear-wheel-drive models, which used to be the entire BMW line-up, will now bear the "sDrive" nameplate in addition to whatever else they stick on there.

We already knew this was coming for the upcoming X1, which will be offered in both xDrive (AWD) and sDrive (RWD) variants. (The current X3, X5 and X6 crossovers are all strictly all-wheel-drive models.) BMW has even reportedly registered the trademarks for sDrive18, sDrive20, sDrive30 and sDrive35, as if someone else would try and use the confusing nomenclature. Wait a second... sDrive35? As in the twin-turbo straight six in the 335i? That's bigger than the engine offered in the larger X3, so what is BMW up to?

Reports indicate that the sDrive nameplate could begin appearing on other BMW models driven through the rear axle, including the replacement for the Z4 roadster that was just caught nekkid today. If you look closely on the front fender, you can see a badge that looks an awful lot like "sDrive". We wouldn't expect to see the moniker on the standard series models (1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series), since those get the suffix "iX", but we're not sure we can even count on that anymore.

[Source: PaulTan.org]

Click above to watch the Project Blackjack team tandem drift in Forza 2

This particular blogger happened to be searching for any news on Forza Motorsport 3 (coming sometime in 2009!) when I came across this incredible video. It appears the art of drifting has entered the digital realm, and a group of digital racers named 'Project Blackjack" have put together an extensive video showcasing their talents. This is their seventh film entitled "The Rising Storm", compiled completely from Forza 2 footage, many times with with "camera cars" placed at certain location to capture the action. You can see tandem drifting on tracks like Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta and even the Nurburgring. As you can imagine, figuring out how to correctly film the drifting, getting two to five cars to make a good run together, and then finally compiling the footage took quite a while. You can read more about how they did it on the Forza 2 blog, and check out the video after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Forzamotorsport.net]

Click above for our high-res 2011 Chevrolet Volt gallery

General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will be taking advantage of the media circus surrounding his drive from Detroit to Washington D.C. tomorrow. As it seems every press outlet will be covering the roadtrip adventures of the three Detroit leaders as they travel via wheeled transportation to the capitol to beg for billions (remember, no corporate jets this time), Wagoner has wisely dumped the ho-hum hybrid Chevrolet Malibu in favor of a Chevy Volt mule in a Chevy Cruze body during at least the last few highly-visible miles of his journey. Wagoner will still trek part of the route to Washington in the hybrid Malibu, but just not all the way. To take full advantage of the public display, GM will also bring a show version of the highly-anticipated 2011 Chevy Volt to the capitol and put it on display when Wagoner arrives at the Russell Senate Building around 9:30 AM. If you are in the neighborhood (Delaware Ave. and C Street), Wagoner will be briefly talking to the public before he opens his heart to Congress. Thanks, TKTK.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

It's no news that business has been tough for Italy's most vaunted design studios and coachbuilders. But that hasn't stopped Bertone from hiring Jason Castriota as its new design director. Castriota has spent the past several years at arch-rival Pininfarina, where he worked on such projects as the Maserati Birdcage concept and GranTurismo, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, custom P4/5 and the Rolls-Royce Hyperion one-off, before leaving with the aim of starting his own studio. But as the Italian-American stylist says himself, Bertone "made me an offer I couldn't refuse".

Castriota, 34, will head a young design team at the resurgent Bertone, starting immediately. He'll have his work cut out for him bringing the stoic design house back to its feet following its brush with bankruptcy, and we'll be looking forward to seeing what he has in store for us.

[Source: CarDesignNews]

Ford's rear view camera system is unique in that it displays video at bumper level in the rear view mirror as opposed to the navigation system. We found Ford's system to work well when we tested it, and customers appreciate the fact that they can purchase the system without also buying an expensive navigation system. Ford is looking to sell a lot more rear view camera systems, too, as the Blue Oval is doubling its availability in models for 2009. The rear view camera will find its way onto 75% of Ford models by the end of next year, including most trucks, SUVs and crossovers. The system will also be available on the new Ford Mustang, which Ford says is the only rear camera on a sports car. The rear camera system works really well on trucks and SUVs, where the size of the vehicle often makes it impossible to see what's going on at bumper level. Ford is already seeing twice the take rate of the $695 option in the 2009 F-150 vs. the 2008 model.

[Source: Ford]

Click above for high-res image gallery of the production Fisker Karma

Fisker has just sent us a few more shots of the production-ready Karma plug-in so that we can get a better look at the car's newly revised face. The front intake has been mildly revised in order to let the GM-sourced 260-horsepower Ecotec engine breath a bit more fresh air. It's a subtle change, but we like the results and think that it makes a big difference to the overall look of the car. We also get a good look at those unique exhaust ports that emit the turbocharged mill's spent gases just aft of the front wheels.

Lastly, we have an interesting view beneath the slinky bodywork, which shows off the aluminum space frame chassis that holds the car together. We presume that the pronounced center tunnel will house the lithium-ion battery pack. The chassis also shows the new flush B-pillars that were absent on the concept and are necessary to meet future safety requirements. Fisker plans to show the Karma, including its never-before-seen interior, at the Detroit Auto Show in January. We'll be there to deliver the goods in person.

Gallery: Production Fisker Karma

[Source: Fisker Automotive]

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2009 Jaguar XJ

There's a new Jaguar XJ coming at some point, but there's not much wrong with the current top cat. The XF likely signals a shift out of the generations-long styling rut the brand has been in with its revered sedan, but it's hard to find fault with an all-aluminum sedan sporting V8 power and serving up old-world cachet. To sweeten the deal, Jaguar has added more standard content to the 2009 XJ, though we still don't get the 2.7-liter diesel that other markets get to enjoy. Settling for the AJ V8 is no chore, and the XJ Super gets the supercharged 4.2-liter engine we know and love from the XJR and others.

Newly designed seats improve leg- and footroom for rear seat passengers, and seat heaters are standard in all models. Soverigns get cooling functionality added to the chairs, as well as 20" wheels, soft grain leather, Jaguar branded sills and the traditional wool rugs in the rear. Navigation is standard in Executive and Soverign trim levels, along with parking radar, and bi-xenon lighting. If these are the last XJs before the model is redone with an all-new look, they may be very well equipped final examples of a classic sedan idiom.

[Source: Jaguar]

Gang, you and I have nine more Knight Rider liveblogs ahead of us, then it's over. NBC hasn't officially announced the show's inevitable cancellation, but you don't exactly need to be Stephen Hawking to figure this one out. After first giving the show a baffling full-season order, then announcing that it's being completely revamped after ratings took a nosedive following the 1-week break it had in November, NBC suits have reconsidered the number of episodes they want to subject us to when Knight Rider returns from hiatus. The 22-episode full-season order has officially been cut back to 17, the last of which will air on February 25. Barring some kind of ratings miracle, Knight Rider will then join last year's NBC retread fiasco, Bionic Woman, in the Bad Decision Hall of Fame. According to the L.A. Times, Knight Rider's Wednesday 8:00 PM slot will go to a new, as-yet-unnanounced program starting March 4th. Note to NBC: this would be a good time to run the Top Gear pilot. Just saying, you know? After all, you'll need something to replace Knight Rider next fall. As for KITT and friends, they return on New Year's Eve for their season-ending (and probably series-ending) 9-episode run. See you then. Thanks for the tip, Ben.

[Source: L.A. Times]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Ford Taurus X

When the Freestyle failed to capture the attention of the crossover-buying public, Ford took action. Designers slapped a three bar grille on the front end, got creative with the headlights and upped the power with a Duratec 3.5L V6 engine. And they changed the Freestyle's name to the Taurus X. Well, either nobody noticed or they just didn't give a damn. Ford is finally set to end the roomy crossover's misery in February 2009 when the last model is built at Ford's Chicago plant. Ford cited in a brief release that ditching the Taurus X will enable the Dearborn-based automaker to focus its attention on the seven-passenger Flex. Since the Flex is both cooler and better than the Taurus X in every way, we'd say that was a good call. Farewell, Taurus X. We'll miss your, uh...13 cup holders.

[Source: Ford]

Click above for high-res image gallery of Jeff Teague's AMC Gremlin

Jeff Teague is the son of former AMC design chief Dick Teague, and his father's work at the scrappy independent automaker created some of the most memorable designs ever. Jeff Teague is a designer himself, and not too long ago his reimagining of the AMX musclecar caught our eye. That exercise left Teague so inspired that he fleshed out what a modern-day Gremlin might look like. Being fond of the original helps us like this new take on the car, even if it's pretty far removed looks-wise. We like that it's not blatantly retro; the only real concession to the past is the C-Pillar shape, and hey, the Infiniti FX already swiped that. The proportions and overall look bring to mind several current vehicles from other manufacturers, making us think that the Gremlin was about 35 years ahead of its time.

[Source: socalamc.com via Hemmings]

Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Nissan NV2500

Today at the Nissan Technical Center in Farmington Hills, MI, Nissan revealed its new NV2500 concept commercial van. The NV2500 is a preview of its upcoming light commercial vehicle that will debut in 2010. The NV2500 will be taking the place of the Titan pickup at the company's Canton, MS assembly plant and take Nissan into a new market segment in North America. Nissan's Communications VP Alan Buddendeck explained that the automaker competes in the commercial vehicle market around the world and wants to round that out with North America.

The NV2500 concept shows just one of many possible configurations of the vehicle. The concept and the production vehicle are based on a modified version of the current Titan F-Alpha chassis. Nissan will be partnering with Cummins to provide diesel engines for the new vehicles and ZF for the automatic transmissions. In the first three years of production, Nissan plans to introduce thee different vehicles off this platform.

In addition to the big NV2500, Nissan also showed the NV200 concept that appeared at last year's Tokyo show. The NV200 is similar in concept to Ford's upcoming Transit Connect and is built on Nissan's compact B-platform. There currently aren't any production plans for the NV200, but it is a possibility.

[Source: Nissan]

The 13th annual International Car and Truck of the Year awards are set to take place this January at the Detroit Auto Show, and the jury's official trio of nominees has just been announced. According to Courtney Caldwell, ICOTY's creator and executive producer, "[The awards are] about how cars reflect our lifestyles and self image, an attitude most consumers can identify with."

So, what cars can you identify with? How about the Dodge Challenger, Ford Flex and Nissan GT-R? Those are the three cars that will be vying for the coveted trophy, and we can't think of any reason that these triplets wouldn't be worthy of a vote or two. The Challenger marks Chrysler's return to the pony car market and offers buyers a relatively inexpensive entry into quick quarter mile times and rumbling V8 power. The controversially styled Ford Flex is a fully modern take on the classic box-shaped people mover and we feel little need to explain why the mighty GT-R is worthy of your affection.

As you would expect, the Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram, both redesigned for 2009, have been nominated for the Truck of the Year award, joined by Subaru's latest Forester crossover. Next year's ceremonies will also bring the inaugural Earth, Wind & Power awards, which will anoint either the BMW 335d, Volkswagen Jetta TDI or Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI (do you prefer your German oil-burner in a sedan or wagon body-style?) as this year's most environmentally friendly vehicle for '09. What, no Tesla Roadster? Lastly, BMW's X5 xDrive35d, Ford's Escape Hybrid and Mercedes-Benz's ML320 BlueTEC will duke it out for the eco-conscious truck award.

[Source: Road and Travel]

Click above for gallery of the GYM Concept Car by Da Feng

What you're looking at above is the GYM Car concept designed by Coventry University design student Da Feng. As you might guess, its design incorporates exercise equipment that allows the driver to take his or her workout on the road. The GYM Car itself is a single-seater with a lightweight, injection-molded, magnesium alloy chassis and carbon fiber bodywork.

The GYM is powered by an electric motor with batteries that can be recharged by plugging it in or, and here's the interesting part, through the use of the onboard workout machinery. When the vehicle is parked, the driver can use any or all of the built-in equipment to generate electricity for the charge. There's a stepping machine and rowing machine available using the sliding seat, pedals and steering wheel. There's also a bench press or pull up simulator that uses the seat and an overhead handle. The arm rests can even be used for curls thanks to their tensioned resistance. Pretty much any move you make inside the GYM Car will burn calories and generate electrons at the same time. Check out more renderings in the gallery below.

[Source: Diseno-Art.com]