Etc : Car News And Reviews

Mitsubishi Motors brought together members of the press and challenged them to maximize the mileage they could eke out of a Mitsubishi Mirage by making only very minor modifications to their cars from production form. It seems nearly every contestant in the Mitsubishi Motors Extreme MPG Hypermiling Challenge tried to optimize the car’s aerodynamics by duct taping over gaps at the front of the car between the hood and the fenders and covering over some sections on their vehicle’s front fascia.

A recent trend in car finishing is to coat entire vehicles in spray-on Plasti Dip. The guys at DipYourCar specialize in application tools and color additives for the rubberized coating, and are now showing off an incredible finish that can actually change colors as you walk around the car.

Full-serve gas stations are but a distant memory for most of the U.S., but in Tokyo, the tradition is alive and well. In this video by Steve’s POV, he gets a chance to spend some time working the pumps, and shows us some of the services that are offered to drivers when they gas up.

This Sunday, March 16, driver Guerlain Chicherit will drive his Monster Energy/Team Toyo MINI Countryman down a giant ramp in the French alpine town of Tignes in an attempt to set the world record for the longest ramp jump. 

This 50-year-old farmer from the Chinese city of Zhengzhou is a better grandfather than you’ll ever be. He built his grandson this mini replica Lamborghini from scrap metal. The car has an electric motor that can run for 35 miles between charges as speeds up to 26 mph, rear-view mirrors, a stereo system and can even go in reverse.

During the 2014 CeBIT consumer electronics show, Audi introduced a prototype of what it thinks could be the future of automotive cockpits. The Audi James 2025 concept provides a glimpse into potential future functionality and design.

Felix Baumgartner is best known for his historic, record breaking supersonic skydive from over 128,000 feet, becoming the first man to break the speed of sound with his own body. Audi has announced that Baumgartner’s next great challenge will be driving the Nordschleife circuit of the Nürburgring as part of the Audi team at the 24-hour race in June 2014.

When we think of vans, we’ve usually got images of dirty, formerly white utility vehicles, or those awful 1970s Chevy and Ford vans that had airbrushed artwork, a moon-shaped window on the side and a scuzzy bed in the back.

Pontiac introduced the futuristic Banshee concept in 1988. At the time, many observers expected it to be the next version of the Pontiac Firebird. With its clean lines, concealed headlights and taillights, and split rear spoiler, the Banshee was a bold vision for the future.

Two years ago, the Spanish banking group Santander planted the seed that a Formula 1 Grand Prix event could be held on the streets of London. Although it was an ambitious idea and perhaps closer to a flight of fancy than a reality, recent government action may be moving it one step closer to actuality.

Do you find yourself circling the block over and over again looking for a parking space, only to find some parkholes have taken up more than the necessary space with their cars? This concept car from Korea aims to make it easier to park in even the tiniest of spaces.

Volvo has announced a partnership with Apple to make their widely-used and hugely admired iOS operating system available to its drivers. The new user interface allows the driver to access the features of his or her iPhone directly through the center console touchscreen, voice commands and via steering wheel controls.

Rearview mirror technology hasn’t changed much since it was first introduced in the 1910s. Now, Nissan has announced a dramatic new step that may change the rearview mirror as we know it. Nissan’s Smart rearview mirror is the world’s first LCD monitor that not only provides clear rearward visibility under varying conditions but also allows the driver to switch from a normal rearview mirror to the LCD monitor mode.

We’ve seen some video from a crazy attraction in India where daredevils and lunatics drive motorcycles and beaters at high enough speeds to get them to cling to the wall of a cylindrical room. It turns out that Mazda attempted the same stunt on with one of its spritely little Mazda2 subcompacts a couple of years back, and it’s quite a sight.

Ultra Seven was a very popular children’s show in Japan in the late 1960s. The premise of the series was that Earth is under attack from extraterrestrial threats and the Terrestrial Defense Force must combat the constant threat.