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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- Toyota and NHTSA find runaway Prius incident a hoax
- Video: Audi R8 Spyder gets showed off by DTM champion Mattias Ekström
- Hyundai overtakes Toyota in customer loyalty study
- Hummer dealer offering free shotgun with every model sold
- Insurance fraud foiled by YouTube video of owner crashing Nissan GT-R
- Ford Taurus Police Interceptor detailed
- Maybach facelift leaked before Beijing debut
- Fiat reveals 500C Pink edition for the UK
- ABT tunes the Audi R8 Spyder
| Toyota and NHTSA find runaway Prius incident a hoax Posted: 16 Mar 2010 05:16 AM PDT  Last week, USA was shocked by an incident involving a runaway second generation Toyota Prius. From the accounts of the driver, it experienced unintended acceleration and was only stopped after the police intervened. As you can imagine, both Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Association began their inquiries into what caused the incident and if the events were actually true. The results are in, and it won’t shock a lot of people to find out that James Sikes, the driver of the Prius, wasn’t telling the whole truth in his reports. The two investigations reached similar results: the Prius had its front brakes completely worn, indicating that the brakes were only pressed half way during the incident. Sikes revealed that he pressed the brake pedal fully, and but that the car didn’t respond. You may remember that thanks to the brake override system, if the pedal is pressed fully, the engine is automatically cut off, stopping the car. Also, it seems that the parking or rear brakes were fine, indicating that Sikes didn’t even try to pull the emergency brake. After the brakes were inspected, Toyota engineers fitted new pads, and tried to replicate the circumstances. While the brake pedal was fully pressed, even if the accelerator was also engaged, the engine was cut off every time. Another run, with the brake pedal only halfway engaged resulted in the same wear found on Sikes’ car. Furthermore, the start/stop button turned off the engine every time when it was pressed for three seconds. Also, the gear lever was easily shifted into Neutral every single time, proving that Sikes ignored the 911 operator when he told him to do so. Last but not least, the gas pedal showed no problems, once again confirming that it isn’t under the pedal recall. The floor mat ont he driver’s side wasn’t tied to the base of the seat, but in driving conditions it wasn’t anywhere near the gas pedal, so it couldn’t have interfered with it. Overall, both the NHTSA and the Toyota investigation proved that James Sikes’ report wasn’t accurate. Draw your own conclusions from that … *cough* liar *cough*. Source: Toyota, NHTSA Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Audi R8 Spyder gets showed off by DTM champion Mattias Ekström Posted: 16 Mar 2010 03:11 AM PDT  In order to further showcase the R8 Spyder, Audi called its DTM (Germany’s touring car series) driver Mattias Ekström to an underground parking lot and gave him the keys to the impressive 5.2-liter V10-powered convertible. The result? Pure bliss for any fan of the four-ringed manufacturer, as Ekström pushed the Spyder to its limits by drifting around the parking lot. Hit the jump to see the Audi R8 Spyder blow flames out from the exhaust in two versions of the same video: a short but enticing one and a longer but a bit boring one. Source: AutoTuningNews via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com No related posts. |
| Hyundai overtakes Toyota in customer loyalty study Posted: 16 Mar 2010 02:49 AM PDT  Two of the largest Asian carmakers in North America are experiencing completely different periods. While Hyundai is scoring wins left and right with great models like the new Sonata, Tucson or Genesis, coupled with the extended warranties, Toyota is suffering major blows to its credibility and safety reputation, due to the big recalls and scandals. That’s why the results from a new customer loyalty study made by Kelley Blue Book, showing that Hyundai is now the most popular choice while Toyota only manages to occupy the third spot, isn’t all that surprising. It seems that 56.3% of current Hyundai owners are looking to the South Korean brand for a new car, while only 53.3 percent of Toyota owners said the same thing, a drop of 4.4%. Another Asian company manages to nab the second spot, Honda, with 55.8%. According to the researchers, the dominance of foreign companies will face some serious competition in the near future, as Ford and GM are coming back with reliable and attractive models. It’s going to be one interesting battle between all these carmakers for the loyalty of the customers. Good thing new buyers will have the most to gain from this. Source: Kelley Blue Book Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Hummer dealer offering free shotgun with every model sold Posted: 16 Mar 2010 02:06 AM PDT  Times are tough, not only for average people but also for car brands that aren’t likely to survive for much longer. One such brand is Hummer, which after seeing its sale from GM to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong fail, is already in the wind down process. This left many dealers with stocks of unsold Hummer trucks, just gathering dust since nobody wants them. But in a very successful targeted marketing effort, the Lynch Hummer St. Louis dealership is making a sweet offer for any new Hummer owners. With any model sold, the company, which also sells fire arms on the side (nothing wrong about that), will offer a $2,000 Browning Citori White Lightning shotgun. That’s right, now you’ll be one step closer to having your own private security force/militia with a big SUV and proper firepower. You still have to fulfill the requirements to wield the shotgun, but the marketing attempt will surely attract some (dubious) people. For more details, check out the official website of the dealership. Source: Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Insurance fraud foiled by YouTube video of owner crashing Nissan GT-R Posted: 16 Mar 2010 01:50 AM PDT  While YouTube allows people to access entertaining videos, the service is also making the work of insurance investigators that much easier, by hosting footage of various incidents. This is what happened to a 21-year-old Nissan GT-R owner, who crashed his beautiful Japanese sportscar while racing down a hill against a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX MR. He and his younger sister were involved in the incident, and immediately filed an insurance claim to get the money back. This is where things get a bit weird. The statements of the two siblings differed (don’t they watch cop movies or something?), fact which raised a few red flags. Seeing as how the money for the repair isn’t coming, the young driver sent a statement to the insurance company, saying that he will pay for them. That was all fine and dandy, according to the insurance company, until a few months later, when the guy claimed he was in another accident, with almost the same type of damage as before. During the investigation process, the garage responsible of fixing the GT-R informed the company that it seized the car since the date of the first accident, as the driver didn’t pay up the whopping $76,000 bill. Investigators immediately figured out the scam, and after a quick YouTube search, they found a video showing the actual crash of the young driver, complete with aftermath photos and everything. Needless to say, he is now facing six felony counts of insurance fraud, while his sister only one. Hit the jump to see the video of this guy, crashing his Nissan GT-R on a mountain road. Source: San Gabriel Valley Tribune Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Ford Taurus Police Interceptor detailed Posted: 16 Mar 2010 01:27 AM PDT  As we revealed at the end of last week, Ford has officially unveiled the new Police Interceptor, based on the Taurus sedan. The car is set to replace the aging Crown Victoria from active service in 2011. As was rumored, there will be two versions of the new Taurus Police Interceptor, one powered by the naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6, capable of 263 HP and available with front- and all-wheel drive, and one powered by the beefier 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, coming with all-wheel drive as standard. But besides these engines which you can get on any normal Taurus, Ford insists that the rest of the car is completely bespoke, with elements designed in collaboration with law enforcement departments from across the USA. First off, the unibody structure was stiffened, in order to withstand twice the standards of the old Crown Victoria. Recalibrated electronic stability controls and roll stability controls were also implemented, as well as beefier brakes and suspension. On the inside, a variety of enhancements were added. Cutouts in the front seats for police-issue utility belts were added, the opening angle of the rear doors were enlarged, the back seat allows for more room, the gear shifter was moved to the steering column in order to allow more space in the center console for extra police equipment, and the steering wheel buttons are now connected to things like the siren or the light bar on the car, for easy access.  The Blue Oval will also work with police departments to upgrade their service areas, so that the new interceptors can be fixed as easily as the older Crown Victorias. The company also revealed that another utility vehicle, based on the Taurus platform, will also be offered to law enforcement departments, but declined to name it. Overall, the new Taurus is set to be a worthy opponent for the Dodge Charge police car. May the best one win. Source: Ford Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Maybach facelift leaked before Beijing debut Posted: 16 Mar 2010 12:50 AM PDT  Mercedes-Benz’s luxury brand, Maybach, seemingly has its days numbered. But before the limousine will cease manufacturing, the company decided to give it one more helping hand, with a new facelift. This facelift was now leaked in a few illustrations, showcasing its main features. This refresh is mostly focused on the front end of the Maybach models, sporting a remodeled front bumper, hood, grille and the addition of daytime running lights, to make it more modern. Expect this facelift to be made across the lineup, including the 57, 62 and Landaulet, and all of their special editions.  The facelift, confirmed some time ago by Mercedes-Benz execs, is also scheduled to include new Euro V emissions standards for the engines under the hood of the Maybach models. Expect the refreshed limousines to be making an appeareance in April at the Beijing Auto Show. Source: De Telegraaf via WCF Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Fiat reveals 500C Pink edition for the UK Posted: 16 Mar 2010 12:24 AM PDT  After revealing a Pink limited edition of the its popular 500 model for France, Fiat has just announced that it will also be launching a Pink edition of the 500C model for the UK. Clearly this is because the UK gets *so* much more sunshine than France. Sarcasm aside though, only 300 units of the Fiat 500C Pink will be up for sale, all based on the 1.2-liter Pop trim line. As you can imagine, all of the models will sport a Pink paint job, but will also include things like 16-inch alloy wheels, chrome trim on various accessories, and body-colored door mirrors. For the inside, the 500C Pink will be getting leather on the steering wheel and gear knob, as well as special carpet mats and the Blue&Me infotainment system, which, for those of you not familiar, allows Bluetooth connectivity. The special edition is already available in dealerships, and prices will start from £13,500. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Posted: 16 Mar 2010 12:11 AM PDT  For many Volkswagen group fans who aren’t particularly pleased with the performance levels of stock models, German tuner ABT Sportsline has always been a popular choice for upgrades and aftermarket parts. This time, the company went to work on the pretty powerful Audi R8 Spyder, and the results are impressive, to say the least. First off, the team modified the massive 5.2-liter V10 engine, which now produces 600 HP, as opposed to the stock 525 HP. This means a 0 to 62 mph time of 3.8 seconds, and a top speed of 199 mph (just be sure to put the top on when attempting it).  As you can also see, the styling of the ABT Audi R8 Spyder has also been modified. A complete carbon fiber body kit was added, made out of a front apron, restyled grille, side skirts and a rear apron complete with a spoiler. Two-tone lightweight alloy wheels were also added, being connected to a new, upgraded suspension system. Source: ABT Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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