LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Consistent Contenders; Or, A Look at Teams to Watch

While LeMons organizers make no secret of the fact that their hearts are with the cars that never belonged in the same time zone as a race track and machines that aren’t even cars at all , there’s still a contingent of hard-core racers bent on getting the most laps in the race and spraying $1.99 bottles of “champagne” on their teammates in the winners’ circle. As any driver who has competed in a LeMons race will tell you, taking the overall win is tough as hell; make even one small mistake in a typical race and you’ll lose the lead forever. I’d say that we have perhaps a dozen teams across the country that have the requisite combination of professional-grade drivers, reliable car, and crew discipline to contend in every race they enter. Here’s a selection of some teams to watch this year. Read full story »

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LeMons Good/Bad Idea of the Week: Consistent Contenders; Or, A Look at Teams to Watch

Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars

An iCar? Not yet. But a steering-wheel-mounted remote control was among the 21 patents granted to Apple this week. We don’t typically track patent applications and grants for the Cupertino-based tech company—it holds or has filed for thousands of them—and came to this one through PatentlyApple.com . The device, as Apple describes it in its paperwork, is pretty simple: A disc with traditional iPod controls can be clamped to the steering wheel rim. It could then, we take it, remotely operate an iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Read full story »

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Apple Patents a Remote Control, Apparently for Cars

2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Long-Term Test: Halfway Through the 40,000-Mile Gauntlet

For most of its history, the Volkswagen Jetta was the three-box version of the two-box Golf hatchback , which also meant that the performance-oriented Jetta GLI was simply the sedan version of the coveted 10Best-winning GTI. The Jetta’s sixth-generation makeover , however, included plopping the four-door onto new underpinnings. The idea was to give it a bigger back seat, a larger trunk, and reduced complexity to better compete with the likes of the Honda Civic, the Ford Focus, and the Toyota Corolla. (The Golf will move to VW’s new MQB architecture .) (more…)

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2012 Volkswagen Jetta GLI Long-Term Test: Halfway Through the 40,000-Mile Gauntlet

Ford Announces 2013 C-Max Hybrid to Start at $25,995; Plug-In C-Max Energi Available in Select Markets

It has been a while since we last heard any news regarding Ford’s upcoming C-Max twins —hybrid and plug-in Energi—but today the silence was broken. Ford has announced the C-Max hybrid will start at $25,995 when it goes on sale in the fall. (The company has not disclosed how much it will charge to deliver the C-Max to a dealer near you.) Ford is quick to point out that the C-Max’s price undercuts that of Toyota’s similarly sized Prius V tall hatchback/small van thing by $550. (Again, not including applicable destination charges.) The C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid will arrive towards the end of 2012 and its price tag hasn’t been revealed. Read full story »

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Ford Announces 2013 C-Max Hybrid to Start at $25,995; Plug-In C-Max Energi Available in Select Markets

How Active Safety Tech Is Developed, Wherein We Mow Down Dudes with Our Car.

I feel a little perverted driving into Carson City—but it’s not because I’m in Nevada, about to slink out to some brothel. No, I’m in a silent and snow-crusted part of western Sweden, a place where apparently you can mow down pedestrians and get away with it. (more..)

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How Active Safety Tech Is Developed, Wherein We Mow Down Dudes with Our Car.

Chevrolet Trax to Join Global Lineup, Will Debut in Paris

We first saw a Chevrolet bearing the Trax name as a concept at the 2007 New York auto show, riding on the bones of the Chevy Spark. Now Chevy has announced that something called the Trax will go into production for global markets. But the only thing this Trax has in common with the Trax of five years ago is its name. Read full story »

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Chevrolet Trax to Join Global Lineup, Will Debut in Paris

The Continental: Opel’s Adam, Hyundai’s European Engines, and News From Audi

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. Opel has disclosed the name of its upcoming minicar: Adam. I am not kidding, it will be called the Opel Adam. Adam Opel, you see, was the founder of the company. Sort of like Enzo Ferrari founded the company that would later build the Enzo. Here’s a “spy shot” conveniently provided by Opel—the Adam looks almost as appealing as its name. Luckily for us, it won’t be sold in the U.S. Read full story »

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The Continental: Opel’s Adam, Hyundai’s European Engines, and News From Audi

2013 BMW M135i: Not a True M, But It’s M Quick

The  1-series M coupe is going out of production, but there will be a successor: Here is the M135i, the most powerful derivative of the second-generation 1-series. But before you get out your checkbook, know that it is based on the three- and five-door hatchback, and that’s why there is little chance it will be offered in the U.S. Read full story »

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2013 BMW M135i: Not a True M, But It’s M Quick

2013 BMW 3-series Sports Wagon Revealed

We like the BMW 3-series, and we like station wagons. So here’s good news: BMW has released the first round of info on the new 3er Sports Wagon, or Touring as it is called in the Old World. It will be offered in the U.S. once again, and we expect to see a 328i with the 2.0-liter four making 240 hp, a 300-hp 335i with the 3.0-liter turbo six, and a 330d with a 3.0-liter straight-six turbo-diesel and around 250 hp. (more…)

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2013 BMW 3-series Sports Wagon Revealed

2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP Hatchback: Mini Has Saved Its Fastest for Lastest

We’ve previously run a couple of speculative stories on the Mini John Cooper Works GP. It is with some relief that we are now able to provide some official information and images of Mini’s worst-kept secret. (more…)

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2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP Hatchback: Mini Has Saved Its Fastest for Lastest

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