“Espionage” Makes It Sound So…Important

In 2007, alleging industrial espionage, French automobile manufacturer Renault, filed a lawsuit against the European Publication, Auto Plus. The lawsuit was apparently a response to an article published in 2006 by Auto Spies which contained unreleased photos of the pre-production Renault Megane. On Tuesday, according to Automotive News Europe, French officials confiscated the publication materials and detained the journalist responsible for questioning.

The article causing the uproar:

 

I think Renault is suffering from illusions of grandeur, it’s not like Auto Plus leaked Ferrari blueprints. Come on now…

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NYC Council is One Step Closer to making Congestion Free Zone in Manhattan

The news has come out of AutoBlogGreen that the New York City Council has voted 30 to 20 to make part of Manhattan a congestion free driving area. Fees will be levied upon those who drive into Manhattan south of 60th Street, and even parking meters will be getting in on the increase. The next hurdle for the NYC Council will be getting the Senate to pass the bill “empowering” them to enforce the resolution.

As if the costs of being in the Big Apple were not enough, now the City Council will be looking to cash in on those doing business within its grasp to the tune of $491 million - potentially. The collection of those fees is said to be designated toward improving transit and presumably public transportation as a lot more foot traffic will be making its way into the Congestion Zone of Manhattan.

If anyone has a handle on fee structures it would certainly be the NYC Council as they have discovered a way to tack a fee on everything. Pretty soon your shoes may be taxed for increasing traffic South of 60th Street in Manhattan.

Get a Sneak Peek at the Daily Congestion Free Fee structure after the leap. (more…)

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Australia’s Ford Performance Vehicles introduces the new GT Cobra and Cobra Ute with 404-hp

The hard working Aussie’s in the Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) department have just provided us outsiders with another reason why it is good to be Down Under. Again the Australian auto makers seem to do what the US designers fear: take a risk. This time around FPV has taken a Ford Falcon and placed a Cobra in its Talons that pumps the performance of the once ordinary sedan to 404-hp. All that power comes screaming out of Fords Boss 5.4 Liter V8 and also comes with 398 ft-lbs of torque.

This will be a special edition run for the GT Cobra and Cobra Ute. For those lucky few there will be 400 of the sedans produced and only 100 of the Ute’s. (more…)

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UK’s allotment of 2007 BMW M3’s are all sold out

The UK was alloted 700 BMW M3’s for the 2007 car year and with much applause they have reached that mark 4 months ahead of schedule. So does this mean that BMW has come up with a winning design with this year M3 or that the economy in the UK has allowed some happy shoppers to splurge?

Judging by the options shopping the M3 buyers were adding it would seem that money was not the object for the M3 shopper. The (far from) average M3 buyer typically added 4700 pounds in options to their new car. Two of the popular options choosen were the 19″ rims and the DAB digital radio.
(more…)

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Vintage Air Stream Marketing goes Arabian Nights

The initial surge for camping came in the 1960’s when numerous brands and models were readily available for those anytime pursuits. In those free-wheeling days there was no need for reservations. Just toss the kids in the car, hook-up the trailer and into the great unknown you go.

The Air Stream brand epitomized the style and fashion of the late 50’s and early 60’s. With its rocket sleek shape and modern interior the Air Stream became a badge of honor and owners became as tight a group as Jeep owners or Harley riders are today.

To demonstrate the freedom of the Air Stream the magazine that promoted the brand and its image of limitless exploration took the camper to Pharaoh country. Maybe they took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Could be they just wanted to give the Sphinx a “What the… ” moment. Or, who knows, it is possible Air Stream was hoping to gain a new market with the nomadic tribes of Africa. Whatever their justification was it seems reason enough to share a genuine “What the… ” moment with all of you. Enjoy!

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Mercedes CL63 AMG Packs a Real Punch

A recent test drive of the Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG by Jay Shoemaker from TheTruthAboutCars.com demonstrated that this luxury speeder comes fully equipped with some legitimate thrust. With a 6.2 liter V8 punching out 518 horses this is a truly muscular Benz that is built to obliterate speed limits on all continents with some class and style. While Jay was critical of some of the features found in the cockpit of this aluminum rocket ship his enthusiasm for its road performance leaves all gripes over those interior incidentals at a dusty, distant starting gate.
Although there are not many of us who are in the market for a $140,000 luxury muscle-coupe like the CL63 AMG it is perfectly acceptable to express our appreciation for what mankind can create. Explore Jays complete review of the all new Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG at TheTruthAboutCars.com. If this is the type of performance to be expected from all future AMG name bearers there will be very few weeping over Mercedes dropping of the Maclaren partnership.

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Smart Car Crosses Canada on 89 Gallons of Fuel

 

A father and daughter recently crossed Canada from Halifax to Vancouver in their Smart Car on 89 gallons of diesel fuel. The entire excursion was chronicled by the driver/father, John Leblanc for Wheels.ca. You can read up on their entire journey as they crossed the highways of Canada. With Leblanc at the wheel and his daughter, Olivia, in the Navigators chair they managed to make the 6,000 kilometer journey in 9 days. But which is the more impressive achievement: completing their trip in the eco-friendly, yet undersized Smart Car or that a father and his teenage daughter survived 9 days in such cramped quarters? Could any of you have made that same journey?

Source[AutoBlogGreen]
Source[Wheels.ca]

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