El Camino Likely Out As G8 Sport Truck Name

Yesterday, Cars.com attended a press event featuring the new Pontiac G8 Sport Truck. If you recall, Pontiac asked consumers to name the new model. Names came flooding in, and the company is now down to 10 finalists, and they’re going through a vetting process. According to Pontiac spokesman Brian Shipman, the name El Camino is most likely out as the name, because of internal discord about a Chevy nameplate being applied to a Pontiac vehicle. Sorry, El Camino fans.

Drunk Driving in GTA 4 Gets MADD, Well, Mad

Mothers Against Drunk Driving issued a statement condemning a feature in the new hit video game Grand Theft Auto 4 that allows players to drive drunk. In the game you can enter a bar, get soused, and then hit the roads, careening around the streets of a replica of New York City in a car that's nearly impossible to control.

In the statement, MADD said, "Each year nearly 13,500 people die in drunk driving crashes and another half a million are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes… Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke. Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable." The organization called for the game's distribution to be halted until it was reclassified as an Adults Only game.

Given that drunk driving is one of the least objectionable activities you can engage in while playing GTA 4, and choosing to drive while drunk in the game almost always attracts the attention of police, the chances of this actually happening seem pretty slim. We'd still like to know, though: What's your favorite vehicle from the new Grand Theft Auto?

MADD: Drunk Driving Content Should Result in Adults Only Rating for GTA 4 (CrunchGear via Jalopnik)

Jon Stewart's Kind of Hybrid

Tackling a dreary topic like politics is hard — we know we don’t like to do it — but Jon Stewart’s renowned “Daily Show” is perhaps the wittiest commentary on the air. That’s why when we saw this clip on car blog Jalopnik of Stewart discussing the type of hybrid he drives, we just had to share. Check it out at the link.

Jon Stewart Shows Us His Kind Of Hybrid, We Ask Which Comedian Is More Jalopnik (Jalopnik)

Audi R8, Q7 Tougher Than Iron Man

It’s almost summer, and you know what that means: It’s time for at least one superhero movie. This year things kick off with “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey Jr. as the iron-clad crusader. Audi spent some dough to get two of its vehicles prominent placement during the movie, including in its finale.

As the YouTube videos below show, the FX guys for “Iron Man” weren’t a match for German engineering. We have a few thoughts, though, on the reality versus the hype below. And, of course, on the cool videos.

Car Talk Guys Hit the Small Screen

The most popular show on National Public Radio is a program known as "Car Talk" featuring the brothers Magliozzi, Tom and Ray aka Click and Clack. The Boston natives and automobile enthusiasts capture the attention of four million listeners every week with their particular brand of irreverent humor mixed with expert car advice. Car Talk is a partner with Cars.com as well.

Now, the Magliozzis plan to take their act to TV, first on the PBS show "Nova" tonight at 8 p.m. EST. Check your local listings for time and channel; they often vary by city. "Car of the Future" will feature Tom's search for a car that will replace his beloved 1952 MG Roadster. Then, this summer, the brothers will become the focus of the animated series "As the Wrench Turns," loosely based around their lives. The series will debut this summer in an initial 10-episode run on PBS.

A cameo in last summer’s animated hit “Cars” may have had some influence on landing their new cartoon. Animated TV sounds as far removed from radio talk as you get, but Tom and Ray could have a whole new generation falling in love with cars.

Click and Clack Heading to Small Screen (Wheels)

'Cars 2' Will Be 3-D in 2012

Disney announced its slate of movies for the next four years, and among them is the sequel to the megahit "Cars." The quirky animated film about talking cars with big, bulging eyes was a huge hit, so the sequel comes as no surprise. However, the fact that it will be shown in digital 3-D is something new. Actually, every Pixar film from here on out will be shown in the format.

Is there a certain car you want to see in the sequel? If so, let us know in the comments below.

Disney unveils animation slate (Variety)

When Should Seniors Hang Up the Driving Gloves?

Who should decide when it's time for a senior to quit driving? We recently heard about the Japanese government bribing its seniors to get them off the roads. Should the U.S. force its elders from the road, too?

It's a question that Dennis P. McCarthy, co-director of the National Older Driver Research & Training Center at the University of Florida, hears all the time.

"It's a tough decision since we all age at a different rate, so you can't identify an unsafe driver based on age and have to look at how people function on an individual basis," he said. "In California, the Department of Motor Vehicles has a pilot program going to train its workers to identify potential problems when people come in (for driver's license renewals) with functional difficulties, such as using a mobility device, or have trouble with their visual testing."

Public perception is that if you take away a senior's license, he or she will simply take the bus.

New York Rejects Congestion Pricing

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg watched his plan to ease Manhattan congestion die today, as the Democratic assembly rejected the idea in a closed-door meeting.

The plan would have charged drivers $8 to enter certain parts of Manhattan during peak hours in hopes of clearing some of the perpetually traffic-clogged streets. Bloomberg's plan had the support of many civic and environmental groups, as well as a number of Republicans. According to The New York Times, the Democrats' opposition mostly reflects the feelings of their constituents, who hate the idea of being charged money to drive in their own neighborhoods.

As one Assemblyman put it, "the word 'elitist' came up a number of times."

While the plan has been floating around for a number of years, congestion pricing lasted only a matter of months in the public sphere. Looks like it's back to the drawing board for Bloomberg and his supporters.

Congestion Pricing Plan is Dead, Assembly Speaker Says (The New York Times)

New York City Passes Congestion-Driving Fee

Yesterday, New York City’s City Council passed a plan to charge drivers who take to the roads in the most congested areas of the Big Apple. The proposal is the brainchild or millionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg and would charge drivers $8 to enter areas below 60th Street. That’s everything south of Central Park, including Times Square, Madison Square Garden and Greenwich Village. Those who live in that zone would not have to pay the fee, nor would taxis.

The charge would be deducted via an E-ZPass, and if a driver had already paid a toll that day via a bridge or tunnel it would offset the $8 congestion charge, so you wouldn’t pay two tolls trying to get to one destination in the new zone.   

This is the first plan of its kind in the U.S., but London has a similar system. New York City drivers still have to wait until the state legislature passes the bill, but if the city doesn’t enact the charge it will lose out on $350 million in federal funds for mass-transit improvements. That would be a pretty unpopular political move — though so would making folks cough up $8 every time they want to go to Radio City Music Hall.

City Council Approves Fee to Drive Below 60th (New York Times)

It's Good to Be the Prince

We’ve seen celebrities like Brad Pitt drive the new BMW Hydrogen 7 to Hollywood shindigs, but now BMW is loaning one of the 100 test vehicles to Prince Albert II of Monaco for an extended loan. The prince claims to be into cars, and while he can afford probably anything on the market, there’s no way to buy a Hydrogen 7 quite yet.

Also interesting was BMW letting loose the names of other celebs who are “using” the Hydrogen 7. They include Cameron Diaz, Will Ferrell, Jay Leno, Placido Domingo and various foreign politicians. BMW doesn’t say how long the loan is for, but the Prince mentioned “weeks” of testing.

Knight Rider Returning to TV

If you watched the recent made-for-TV remake of “Knight Rider” and came through it still awake and intrigued by the campy concept of a driverless car, you can rejoice. NBC has given the green light for a full-fledged series. Despite the wooden acting, Val Kilmer’s boring monotone, the ridiculous plot, and the holes in said plot you could drive a semi-truck through, the ratings for the movie were quite good.

The writers’ strike and subsequent dearth of original TV might have led to those ratings. And, yes, this story was first reported yesterday. It is not an April Fool’s joke.

Knight Rider given green light (TV.com)

What Would Make the Perfect Winter Police Car?

Chicago’s new police superintendent is discussing converting the city’s fleet of Ford Crown Victoria police cars to four-wheel-drive Chevy Tahoes. The thinking is that the Tahoes would be better able to handle winter weather than the rear-wheel-drive Crown Vics.

Chicago’s budget probably can’t afford a new fleet of Tahoes, but after too many months of winter weather this past season, we here at the Cars.com offices wonder if it’s not such a bad idea to get rid of the ancient RWD Crown Vics. The story linked below says the Crown Vics and Tahoe get the same mileage, about 11 mpg. That must be for special models equipped for police use, though, because city mileage for the Crown Vic is 17 mpg and the Tahoe is 14 mpg. Maybe Chicago can get some Tahoe Hybrids to keep its green-focused mayor happy.

What would your choice for a winter police car be? And what the heck do they use in Alaska?

Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis pushes upgrading cops' equipment (Chicago Tribune)

Government Looks at Privatized Highways

Coming soon to a highway near you: The Coca-Cola Refreshing Taste Make Every Drop Count Turnpike.

The Department of Transportation is considering one of the most fundamental shifts in national transportation policy since Dwight Eisenhower helped create the interstate highway system.

The DOT wants to take the government out of the role of funding and maintaining roads and private highways and turn the responsibility over to the private sector. Individuals and businesses would be able to buy and control portions of road, making profits by charging tolls at certain checkpoints.

The idea of such road privatization has been met with widespread skepticism by both Democrats and Republicans. Although the federal and state governments would save money by turning over responsibility for so much infrastructure, the public would likely end up paying the cost.

What's Good For Seniors is Good For All

There are 29 million licensed drivers today who are 65 or older, but by 2020 that age group will account for an estimated 40 million drivers.

That raised the question, "What would make the roads safer for seniors and, as a result, the juniors who are forced to share the same roads?"

The American Automobile Association, in cooperation with the Mature and Older Driver Research and Training Center at the University of Florida, set out to study what seniors need and what automakers are giving them to help them stay safe in their cars.

"We set out to learn what would enable senior drivers to be safer longer and found two exciting things," said Dennis McCarthy, co-director of the university's mature driver center. "One thing we found was the vehicle features that make seniors safer, but the other was that we busted the stereotype that only big Buicks are seniors cars. Audis, Acuras, BMWs, Ford Fusions and Edges all have the features on the seniors’ checklist of what they want in cars."

AAA compiled a list of nearly every vehicle sold in the U.S. -- though for obvious reasons Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini were excluded--- and whether they have the features deemed vital for the physical limitations of seniors, such as:

The Politics of Cars

One of the hottest presidential campaigns in recent memory has had a mess of issues up for debate: Health care, housing, gas prices, Iraq.

Forget all that — if the election were decided based on what voters drive, John McCain could start working on his acceptance speech now.

A survey of 82,000 voters, based on political party as well as the type of vehicle they own, found McCain to be the favorite among those who drive luxury cars, full-size SUVs, full-size pickups, minivans and full-size vans.

The exception was hybrids. Barack Obama was the clear leader there, with 37.9% of all Democrats who own hybrids in his corner. Only 13.8% of Republicans who own hybrids favored McCain. Hillary Clinton was the choice among 17.9% of Democrats who own hybrids.

Mini Cooper Wienermobile Cheesy

Last week, ABC featured a new Oscar Mayer Wienermobile based on a Mini Cooper S. The aptly named Mini Wienermobile swallowed NY Giant defensive end Michael Strahan for photo ops, sporting a license plate that read “LTL LINK.” The Mini is a full 12 feet shorter than the full-size Wienermobile.

Since we’re so used to seeing the full-scale version, this downsized version is rather irksome to look at. But in this world of high gas prices, we guess it’s acceptable.

Seeing a Man About a Dog (NY Time Wheels Blog)

Man Paints His Car Like Police Cruiser, Doesn't Get in Trouble

You'd think it would be illegal to paint your car like a police cruiser, right? I mean, authorities in Arkansas made it illegal to honk your horn in front of an establishment that serves sandwiches or ice-cold beverages after 9 p.m., and you're telling me no one in Nevada thought to say, "Gee, let's not let people make their own police cars?"

Apparently not, because Las Vegas resident Jessie Vigil spent last summer transforming his 2007 Ford Mustang into a cop-mobile. He took the black and white paint job and added an emergency bar to the roof and the word "Police" to the side.

To be fair, Vigil did not intend to mimic a police car, but rather was duplicating a car-character from the movie "Transformers" for his 7-year-old son, Thomas (on the side of the vehicle, instead of saying "To Protect and Serve" it says "To Punish and Enslave").

Vigil spoke with law enforcement before undertaking the redesign, and discovered that, yes, indeed, he was in the clear.

Vegas Man Paints Car Like Police Cruiser (Associated Press)

Play Ball: Boston Red Sox Special Edition Volvo C30

We’ve seen more special editions than we can count here at Cars.com. Usually they’re just gussied-up versions of aging models meant to help them sell better. Volvo’s latest special offering, however, is a whole new ballgame. The company has a partnership with the Boston Red Sox and is building a limited run of its new C30 hatchback to commemorate the team’s championship season in 2007.

Volvo will build 107 of the C30s, in reference to the team’s 107 wins in ‘07. Each will have a plaque telling owners which of the 107 wins the car is commemorating. They’re finished in Passion Red paint with team logos on the fenders and rear glass hatch, as well as on the floormats. There’s also matte-silver finish on the mirrors and grille, plus a hefty array of features, including an alarm, fog lights, heated front seats, sport shifter and pedals, and a beefed-up audio system. 

All the special editions come with a five-speed automatic and 227-hp, turbocharged five-cylinder engine and will cost $29,465, not including a $745 destination charge. That’s compared to the C30 2.0’s MSRP of $25,700. Of course, the special editions will only be sold at select New England Volvo dealers. A few more photos are below.

Cars' Cool Factor Depends on Younger Generation

Kids don't have the money to buy whatever new car they want, but they do have influence in convincing older buyers what to get.

"The complaint among teens for years was that they wouldn't buy their father's Oldsmobile," said Rob Callender, spokesman for TRU, a Northbrook, Ill.-based subsidiary of Research International USA that specializes in the buying behavior and trends of teens and 20-somethings. “By the time Olds turned around its lineup with vehicles for younger buyers, it was too late. It went out of business.”

Callender said the reason Toyota created the Scion division and its novel-looking machines was to avoid the day when "Not my father's Camry" would become the cry of youth turned off by driving the same vehicle Dad puttered around in.

"Youth doesn't have the bulk of the cash consumers spend, but they set the buying tone," Callender said. "Youth has an enthusiasm about cars that rubs off on others and influences what they buy. If youth likes a car, the old will, too, but if old like the car, youth might not. Chances are greater that a 35-year-old will buy a car that a teen or 20-something likes than he would a car that a 60-year-old likes."

Society may dictate that adults set the example for kids to follow, but when it comes to the vehicles they buy, kids set the example for adults, Callender said, which is why automakers continue to covet the youth market.

N.J. Drivers Get New Incentive to Hang Up

While many cities and some states have made it illegal to use cell phones while driving without a hands-free device, New Jersey has become the first state in the country to give cops the right to pull drivers over for only that offense. In Illinois and elsewhere, cops could add that charge to the ticket if they pulled you over for some other reason, or if you’d been in an accident while on the phone.

Now, cops in “Sopranos”-land can make you cough up $130 just for talking or text-messaging on a hand-held device. Ouch.

Newsday reports that cops will keep their eyes open for distracted drivers. How? They look for warning signs, of course: Slow driving and the “cell-phone weave,” said Pam Fischer, director of New Jersey's Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

Motorists are still allowed to use their phones in case of emergency, and can still talk while using a hands-free device to avoid the fine. Of course, there’s plenty of research out there that says it’s not holding the phone that’s the biggest problem; it’s being deep in conversation that’s the distraction. Jersey cops also admit that enforcement may be tough, but they say they’re hoping the new law will open the eyes, if not the ears, of local drivers.

Shut up or pay up: Drivers face start of tougher NJ phone ban (Newsday)

Teens Say They'd Most Like to Drive a Mustang

When you’re young, fun takes priority over function. Once age sets in, function gets the nod.

That's the finding of a nationwide survey by TRU, a Northbrook, Ill.-based subsidiary of Research International USA, which specializes in the buying behavior and trends of two of the nation's most sought-after age groups by those with products to sell: teens and 20-somethings.

In its latest survey, TRU asked youth what new vehicle they most want to buy — with one stipulation: To keep the kids from simply inking “Lamborghini” on the dotted line and returning to their iPods, their desired car had to be one they could buy if they’d socked away enough money on their own or if their parents opened the checkbook.

Teens picked the sporty Ford Mustang first, while the 20-somethings went with the practical Honda Civic.

Fewer 16-Year-Olds Hit the Road

According to The New York Times, young drivers are in less of a rush to get their driver’s licenses when they turn 16. A study from the Federal Highway Administration found that less than a third of 16-year-olds in the United States have their license. Nearly half had theirs in 1998.

The Times points to numerous factors in this decrease. State laws for teen drivers have become stricter, public high schools are less likely to include driver’s ed in their curriculum and insurance prices for young drivers have risen sharply.

It now costs between 80% and 100% more for a parent to add a teenage driver to the family’s insurance policy. Teenage drivers are the riskiest drivers to insure and the most dangerous on the road; a third of all deaths of 16- to 18-year-olds are car-related.

The decline in teenage driving has impacted this statistic. The number of fatal crashes involving 16-year-olds has declined by 11%, with the average increasing to a 20% decline in states with the toughest teen driving laws, according to a study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

While many of us here at KickingTires would have mourned if we had been denied our licenses much longer than the day after we turned 16, the safety benefits of keeping kids out of cars longer are hard to deny.

Fewer Youths Jump Behind the Wheel at 16 (The New York Times)

E85 Hitting L.A. at 85 Cents a Gallon

Don’t get too excited, Los Angelinos. GM is footing the bill to promote the first gas station in Los Angeles to sell E85. The company says there are about 46,000 flex-fuel vehicles in the area that could take advantage of the station. If you drive one of them, you can check out ConservFuel in Brentwood between noon and 2 p.m. Feb. 26 to get your 85-cent-a-gallon E85.

Vanity Plates Get Pricey

Usually we’re the ones informing our readers, but today KickingTires would like you to explain something to us: What’s the deal with spending a literal fortune on a license plate?

We pose this question in the wake of several stories involving very rich men spending oodles of cash on specialized vanity plates. Delaware resident Frank Vassallo IV bought a license plate with only the number 6 on it for $675,000. He explained to reporters, “It’s a family thing. … It’s a Delaware thing.” Who knows how much the number “1” would have cost him…

Oh wait, we do know, because Saeed Khouri, a member of a wealthy Abu Dhabi family in the United Arab Emirates, bought a license plate with the number 1 for $14 million.

OK, so the answer would be $14 million.

When explaining his decision to purchase the exorbitant license plate to The New York Times, Khouri made the argument sound very simple: “I bought it because it’s the best number. … I bought it because I want to be the best in the world.”

Now, one might infer all sorts of things about the poisoning power of unrestrained wealth, especially in the Middle East, where extreme economic disparities help fuel violent extremism, but let’s just say that this reasoning sounds suspect at best. At least Khouri’s money went to a charity to help victims of traffic accidents, while Vassallo was at a traditional auction, where the money went to a private party. But still.

Maybe these purchases would make a degree of sense if the plates had some kind of message or clever pun, but just a number? A London man named Afzal Kahn bought a plate that reads only “F1” for just under a million bucks, but at least he got a letter.

Let us know what you think about this trend and how much you would pay for a license plate if you had all-but-unlimited disposable income.

The $14 Million License Plate (The New York Times)
Delaware Man Spends $675k on License Plate 6 (Autoblog)
No. 6 Delaware license plate draws a record $675,000 at auction (Cape Gazette)

150 MPG Non-Hybrid May Be Reality in 2010

*Standard We’ll Believe it When We See It Disclaimer*

German car company Loremo is showing off its ultra-low-resistance car, simply called the Loremo, which it says can get between 130 and 150 mpg with a simple two-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and aerodynamic body. Sounds unrealistic, right? To us too, but supposedly the Loremo is set to go into production in 2009 for sale in Europe at a low cost of $15,000 Euros, or roughly $22,000.

GPS and Breathalyzer All in One

We don’t need to tell anyone that drinking and driving is not a good idea. A Portuguese GPS company’s latest handheld navigation unit not only tells you how to get where you’re going, it also tells you if you should even get behind the wheel; one of the settings is a breathalyzer.

You simply blow into a small sensor on the side of the unit and it tells you your blood alcohol level. The price overseas is 200 Euros, but because the company only sells its products in Portugal, it’s unlikely this one will come to the U.S. However, it seems like a good idea for domestic GPS companies. Keep reading to see a video of the unit in action — in English even.

NDrive's G400 PND Knows When You're One Sip Over The Line (Engadget)

Product We Don't Need: Lavender-Scented Tires

There’s an expression we all know and love: burning rubber. Just reading the words makes one think of beautifully smoky burnouts, muscle cars and that awful, smoldering rubber smell, which many, many of us love. Obviously the folks at Kumho don’t share that fascination, as they’ve debuted a line of tires that are lavender-scented.

Before you ask why, we’ll answer some basic questions. The Ecsta DX tire’s lavender scent lasts a year, and the company says it’s most noticeable after normal driving when the tires are still warm. Presumably this will freshen up the garage when you come home from a long commute. The price is also pretty good — $81 a tire via TireRack.

Now you can discuss the “Why?” and the “Why lavender?” below.

Kumho's Lavender-Scented Tires Go By the Name of Ecsta DX; Probably Answer to the Name 'Pointless' (Gizmodo)

Subaru Plant is Extremely Green

There’s a movement in corporate America to achieve zero-landfill status. That’s when a company operates without a bit of waste going into the trash; it’s all recycled. Subaru’s Lafayette, Ind., plant — where it builds the Outback, Legacy and Tribeca, along with some Toyota Camrys — has a 99.8% zero-landfill rating, and everything from scrap metal to plastic caps are reused or recycled, making it a pretty green plant.

The USA Today article doesn’t mention other U.S. automakers and if they’re as green, but it does say Toyota’s 14 assembly plants are 97% zero-landfill.

What’s really interesting is to hear that so much can be reused, and that it also helps save the company money. Even waste that isn’t made of recyclable materials is sent to an Indianapolis plant to be turned into steam for heat.

We’d be really interested in hearing how other automakers stack up. Subaru is also promoting its green status in commercials. Does knowing how environmentally sound the building practice of an auto company is impact whether you’d consider buying one of its cars?

It's Waste Not, Want Not at Super Green Subaru Plant (USA Today)

Jewel-Encrusted Hot Wheels Car Valued at $140K

Do you have a spare $140,000 sitting in your bank account, gathering dust? Sure, you could buy a house with that, or maybe a college education for your kid, but who's that going to impress? Instead, why don't you head to the New York Toy Fair and put in an opening bid on a diamond- and ruby-studded Hot Wheels car worth an estimated one house (or one college education).

So-called "celebrity jeweler" Jason of Beverly Hills constructed the car, casting the body in 18-karat white gold and studding it with blue, white and black diamonds, as well as rubies for the taillights (which makes us wonder why those cheapskates couldn't spring for some red diamonds).

All told, the miniature car weighs 23 karats and has roughly 2,700 jewels. Why deck out a toy car in such riches, you ask? Supposedly to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Hot Wheels, although you'd think a car-shaped birthday cake would have been just as effective.

We do have to admit, the money will go to a good cause when the car is finally auctioned off by former Mr. Jessica Simpson himself, Nick Lachey. All proceeds will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters, so the new owner (who will get a jewel-encrusted box to go with his jewel-encrusted toy car) will look almost as charitable as shallow. Remember, we said "almost."

$1 Hot Wheels Car Blinged Out to $140,000 (Autoblog)

Catch a Ride With Pickup Pal

The minds behind PickupPal.com have thought of a way to bring market forces to bear on carpooling. The website matches drivers with those who need to snag a ride, and even lets the drivers bid on their passengers.

For example, say you're making the trip from Chicago to Indianapolis. You would log on to Pickup Pal as a passenger and check out the people going to your destination. When you find a price that seems suitable — not to mention a driver you think you can spend two hours in a car with, based on his or her limited profile — you make your bid. Maybe the driver agrees to that price, or maybe you lose the bid and have to go with another driver on his way to Colts country for $20 more. PickupPal then makes a 7% commission when it matches passengers and drivers.

PickupPal has marketed this idea mostly from a financial perspective, emphasizing the entrepreneurial benefits of making money while driving somewhere you need to go anyway. Of course, carpooling also has a healthy environmental benefit that need not be overlooked. The site advertises this with a small green footprint at the bottom (reducing one's carbon footprint - get it?), but stresses the economic angle a bit more because they "don't want to scare away the masses."

We're pretty sure the "masses" are OK with lowering pollution while making money, but thanks to PickupPal for sugar-coating it for us.

PickupPal Makes Carpooling an Online, Financial Thing (Autoblog Green)

UK Takes on Carless Community Planning

We recently wrote about how more compact community development could cut down on the number of cars on the road. More tightly organized neighborhoods lead to less driving, which in turn leads to less traffic, fewer accidents and lowered carbon dioxide emissions. Now the British government plans to take this principle to new heights.

As Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his government plan the construction of “eco-towns” across the English countryside, they plan to make at least one of these hamlets a completely car-free zone. The town will serve as a prototype, and if all goes well, others may soon pop up.

Basically, residents of the 10,000-home development will have to either walk or use public transportation to get around. Those who own cars will have to keep them in designated parking areas on the outskirts of the village.

A carless community of this size raises some questions: What about the handicapped, invalids or others with mobility issues? What happens in the event of an emergency? And if you can’t call it a one-stoplight town, how are surly teenagers — angry that their parents moved them to a town where they’ll never get a driver’s license — supposed to complain about it?

Let us know what you think. Could you adjust to living in a town that banned cars?

Cars Set to Be Banned From Entire Towns in Environmental Crackdown (The Mirror)

Miley Cyrus Told to Buckle Up

Yes, we know we're not a teen celeb site but this news item definitely caught our eye. Consumer Reports' blog is upset that both Miley Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, are shown riding in a Land Rover without wearing seatbelts. The scene — presumably a real-life segment — takes place in her concert film "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of BothWorlds Concert."

The reason CR thinks this is such a big deal is that 65% of 13-15-year-olds killed in auto accidents in 2006 weren't wearing their seatbelts. Since there probably isn't a bigger superstar among pre-teens and teens, the magazine thinks the scene in the movie is a bad example for Cyrus' fans.

Having not seen the movie ourselves — shocker — we can't say if it was a quick shot of the two getting in the SUV or an extended drive, but there isn't an excuse not to wear a seatbelt once a car is moving.

Note to Hannah Montana: Seat Belts Are Necessary, Not an Accessory (ConsumerReports)

Squish Cities, Save Gas

One of the oddest ways we’ve heard to stop car pollution comes to us care of BusinessWeek. Columnist Alex Steffen says that we shouldn’t be looking at reworking the car to save the planet, we should be reworking the American city.

The thought is if communities are denser — clustered around shopping and other needs like hospitals — then folks will need to drive less. Steffen almost has us when he digs up the fact that half of America will be rebuilt anyway by 2030, so we might as well make it denser.

He also says that cars take too long to redesign. However, we’ve seen radical changes in automotive technology, and in a few years, plug-in electrics look to be a reality coming from many automakers.

Condensing neighborhoods still sounds like an interesting idea, but if you think it was hard to get people to give up their big SUVs, giving up quiet cul-de-sacs full of two-car garages might be even harder.

Cities: A Smart Alternative to Cars (BusinessWeek)

Super Bowl Car Ads: Winners & Losers

The Super Bowl is the premier place to debut commercials that can help make or break a car company. One of the big players every year is the automotive industry and Super Bowl XLII was no different. KickingTires’ David Thomas and Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen go over the winners and losers. And no, we’re not reviewing Cars.com’s two spots. The ads are listed in order of their airing.

2008 Audi R8

David Thomas: Winner
Taking on the Godfather is the appropriate way to deliver the message that Audi wants to play in the $100,000+ luxury market, which it’s new R8 certainly does. Of course, it doesn’t really replace a Bentley or a Rolls like we saw in the bed, but the ad was extremely well done and the R8 blasting down the drive was sure to win over any car guy.

Patrick Olsen: Winner
The ad took the idea someplace that The Godfather movies never went: It showed the villain gloating over his bloody (oily) deed. The closeup on the R8 grille and LED lights were as expressive as Marlon Brando, and all the guys in my family room reacted well to the ad. My favorite car ad of the night.

Video: Cars.com's Super Bowl Ads

If you’re like 90 million or so other people, you’re probably watching the Super Bowl right about now. You’re probably also watching the commercials, which often are vastly more entertaining than the game itself. This year, Cars.com has two commercials airing during the big game and we have them both right here for you via the magic of You Tube — so you can, you know, share them.

The one above is our favorite, but don’t forget the second ad. After all, shrunken heads have been funny since Michael Keaton was "Beetlejuice." OK. That’s it for the shameless plug. Go back to enjoying the game.

Update: Check out all our commercials in a virtual waiting room here.

China Hits the Roads

As China continues to expand in every category and dimension, the Chinese people have become serious car-buyers as well. The middle class has been expanding along with China's rapid economic growth, and now they're buying cars, too.

Since 2001, Chinese car ownership has risen an astonishing 300% as hundreds of thousands of new drivers have roared onto streets and highways each year. This influx of vehicles has led to the rise of a new car culture — an appreciation for the dynamic freedom offered by automobiles. For families separated by dozens or even hundreds of miles of China's sprawling provinces, this development has shrunk their world. Often, the Chinese take vacations that consist entirely of one lengthy road trip.

Of course, there are obvious downsides to this newfound sense of freedom. With more than a thousand cars being added to the roads each day (Ford sold roughly 5,000 cars and trucks a day in the U.S. last month), the infrastructure has not kept pace. Only 3 million of the 16 million people in the capital city of Beijing own a car, and already the streets are chocked to the brink with new vehicles. Emissions are another serious concern, especially in more industrialized cities, where pollution is already a significant problem.

Yet there's no sign that car sales will slow in the future, as more residents have enough disposable income to buy cars. Some of the best-selling cars in China include familiar names like Volkswagen, Buick and Toyota, but two Chinese brands — Xiali and QQ — have also seen enormous sales.

Chinese Take to Roads Amid a Cultural Shift (The Boston Globe)

Top 10 Songs About Cars

With the Grammys fast approaching, Cars.com took some time to determine the ultimate car songs of all time. These are ditties that name cars either in the title or in the tune itself. It might come as a surprise, but this was one of our most hotly debated Top 10s yet. Check it out here.

On a side note, we decided to ask our editorial staff what would be their Top 10 must-have songs if they were stuck in their car with nothing else to listen to. These “desert car” lists are below. Feel free to share your own list and/or ridicule our questionable taste in music in the comments below.

Hyundai's Super Bowl Ads Show Revised Genesis

Hyundai has unleashed both of its planned Super Bowl spots. Narrated by Jeff Bridges, the subdued videos try to hammer home the message that Hyundai is indeed bringing big-car luxury at small-luxury prices.

At that it does a good job. But for us, we’re dismayed that the car in the commercials is sporting the Korean market’s grille and not the grille we fancied in Detroit, nor the alternate grille with the big H on it. Ho hum. Let us know what you think. The first ad is to the left, the second ad is below.

Garmin Announces GPS Phone

Many high-end smart phones these days have GPS capability, but not many offer the same GPS experience that a full-fledged portable navigation system does. Now, GPS heavyweight Garmin has announced the nuvifone, a phone with GPS navigation as its core feature.

Will folks pay for such a thing? We think so. Especially since the nuvifone is long on other popular smart-phone features, like a 3.5 inch touch-screen — yes, like the iPhone — camera, video, email, IM, MP3 and MPEG4 playback, and more.

Still, this phone is all about the navigation; it even features a car dock that when you remove the phone from it automatically registers that location. So when you go to find your car in a big mall parking lot, the phone knows where it is. The nuvifone will also use Google local search, so it won’t rely on stale or limited points of interest.

Big questions remain, like price and which cellular carrier will be on board. Garmin says it will be on the market in the third quarter of 2008 — right in time for Christmas — and we’d guess prices will be in iPhone territory or higher. Check out more photos below and let us know if you would buy one.

Tolls Rising Nationwide

If you have a heartbeat and have turned on the news in the past few months, you might have heard that times are tough. Housing’s in a crunch, there’s stock market instability, you name it, and it’s all doom and gloom. However, those problems are filtering down to state governments, which are also facing some tough times. They’re turning to the nation’s toll roads to help alleviate some of their pain.

A number of states with busy toll systems are looking to hike fares by significant margins. The toll for the George Washington Bridge in New York will rise from $5 to $8 during peak times and from $25 to $35 for trucks. Toll authorities in Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, California and other states are looking at large hikes as well. Pennsylvania is even considering adding tolls to Interstate 80. It would cost car drivers $25 to cross the 316-mile stretch. Check out the link below for more cost hikes and tell us what you think in the comments below.

Drivers to See Major Toll Hikes (USA Today)

Pickup Logos: Mine's Bigger Than Yours

Welcome to the Battle of the Badges, an arms race among pickups to adopt a logo capable of obscuring everything between the lights and the bumper. You may think we’re kidding, but Dodge announced at the Detroit auto show that the Ram-head logo on its namesake pickup is 250 percent larger than before. Asked if the badge had reached critical mass, designer Ralph Gilles chuckled: “It’s about there.”

Evidently, the competition knows no limits. Ford’s redesigned F-150 comes with a blue oval decked out in three-dimensional chrome trim. GM’s pickups sport titanic Chevy and GMC logos, and the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan badges don’t lack for impact either.

Who wins? Ruler in hand, we hit the floor in Detroit to investigate. Some ground rules: We calculated total size in area — length times height — with measurements to the nearest quarter-inch. We counted whichever badge was biggest, whether it was on the grille or the tailgate. Only half-ton, hard-working pickups need apply, so no Ford F-450s or International MXTs here. On principle — many principles, actually — we also disqualified the Cadillac Escalade EXT and Lincoln Mark LT. (Dissenters, the point is moot: Both trucks were AWOL in Detroit.)

Let the badge-nauseam begin.