Friday, August 12, 2011

Automotive Addicts

Automotive Addicts

6th Infiniti JX Concept Teaser Image Reveals Grill Action

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 09:27 AM PDT


Infiniti is milking the remaining time leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance when they will officially introduce the new Infiniti JX Concept, their new 7-passenger crossover vehicle. The 6th teaser image, just released on Infiniti's Facebook page, is not as shocking as the previous 5 although it does give us another angle to view the front fascia and grill. Look for the new Infiniti JX Concept to be introduction alongside of the new 2012 Infiniti FX on August 21st.

infiniti-jx-crossover-concept-teaser-1 infiniti-jx-crossover-concept-teaser-2 infiniti-jx-crossover-concept-teaser-3 infiniti-jx-crossover-concept-teaser-4 infiniti-jx-crossover-concept-teaser-5 infiniti-jx-crossover-concept-teaser-6

Good News, Supercar Fans: Airbags For Pagani’s Huayra In Process

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 08:01 AM PDT


The Pagani Huayra. Image: Autoviva

Earlier this week it looked like Pagani’s Huayra would be excluded from sales in the U.S. after all. The reason was an NHTSA ruling that required all cars built after the 2000 model year to use advanced airbags. Some manufacturers, such as Tesla and Lamborghini, were granted exemptions due to their low unit-volume sales in America. Pagani attempted the same thing when they decided to sell the Huayra in the U.S., filing for the exemption with the NHTSA back in 2008. The boutique supercar builder estimated that designing, testing and implementing an advanced airbag system for the Huayra would cost upwards of $5.7 million. Besides, they argued, the Huayra already uses advanced safety features in its construction, such as a carbon fiber and titanium safety cell designed to protect the occupants in the event of a crash.

The NHTSA wasn’t impressed, and slapped Pagani with a cease and desist order on delivering cars to U.S. customers. Things looked bleak, as designing an NHTSA-compliant airbag system from the ground up could take years. That was still the lesser of two evils, since Pagani’s alternative was pulling out of the U.S. market entirely, as they did with their Zonda supercar.

Now comes word that Pagani anticipated the NHTSA’s move, and has been working on a Huayra airbag system for some time now. If the reports are accurate, Pagani is proceeding with U.S. sales, but deliveries will be pushed back from late 2012 to early 2013. There’s no word yet on whether the airbag requirement will raise the price of a Pagani Huayra, but does that really matter? With a sticker price of $1.1 million, who’s going to notice another $10,000 or so for airbags?

Source: Autoblog

The Ultimate Drive? There’s An App For That

Posted: 11 Aug 2011 07:59 AM PDT


Wouldn't it be cool if there was an app to tell you about great driving roads near you? One that rated them and gave details on why the road was so good? Better yet, what if the app allowed you to share routes on Facebook or via e-mail, and even upload them to a GPS device? Thanks to BMW Financial Services, there is, and the best part is that the app is free.

Available for both iPhone and Android platforms, The Ultimate Drive shows you scenic and entertaining roads all over the Untied States, and in 49 other countries. If you live in Colorado or Southern California, epic roads are a dime a dozen; living here in Florida, they're a bit harder to come by. Sure enough, though, The Ultimate Drive gave me a few nearby roads that I didn't even know about.

It's an interactive app, so drivers can upload and save their favorite stretches of asphalt. In the future, the app will award you points based on the number of routes you've driven, and will rank drivers by their scores. If you're awarded the "Mayor of Deal's Gap" honor, I'm guessing you know your way through the Dragon well enough.

I haven't had much time to play around with it, so I can't give you an official review just yet. It's a great concept, and it's a whole lot easier than staring at Google Maps for hours on end. I'd say it's worth a download.

Source: Left Lane News
Posted by Didik Rg at 6:10 AM

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