We’re guessing it won’t be the tipping point that finally convinces you to buy an Audi A8, but it looks like those in the market for the car will be able to add a nice little option to the 2011 model: a built-in nav system complete with Google Earth and a GPRS / EDGE modem. Yeah, so it’s not 3G, but it is apparently the first time that Google Earth has been made available in a production vehicle, which certainly counts for something. In addition to serving up various Google-sourced points of interest, that modem will also let you download a range of other up-to-date information to the nav unit, although it’s not clear exactly what that will entail. No word on how much it’ll add to the cost of the A8, but it looks like it won’t be available right when the car rolls out early next year — Audi is only saying “mid 2010″ at the moment.

It seems that while the A8 won’t initially roll out with 3G, it will be getting a UMTS modem in mid 2010, which should provide the bandwidth necessary for Google Earth and allow for simultaneous voice and data connections.

You can make a robotic car, and you can make a robotic car — and it looks like Stanford is leading the charge on the no compromises approach with its new driverless Audi TTS. That, of course, is only the latest in a long line of robotic cars from the folks at Stanford, and it looks like it’s also by far their most ambitious, as it’s going above and beyond the usual DARPA challenges in the hope of breaking a few records and winning a few races. In fact, the car apparently already holds the “unofficial” speed record for an automous car at 130 miles per hour and, in the long term, Stanford hopes that it’ll be able to complete the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which stretches some twenty kilometers and includes no less than 156 turns. To balance all that adreneline, the Volkswagen Automotive Innovation Laboratory at Stanford has also developed a new VW Passat “valet system” that may not win any races, but can sure do some mean parallel parking. Videos of both after the break, more details a few hands-off impressions courtesy of BotJunkie at the links below.

Read - BotJunkie, “Stanford’s New Robotic Audi TTS Knows How To Drift, Will Tackle Pikes Peak Next Year”
Read - BotJunkie, “VAIL Demonstrates Autonomous Valet Parking System”

Volkswagen will display an updated version of its 1-Liter concept this week at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The diesel-hybrid car which only weighs around 800 lbs gets an jaw-dropping 170 MPG. So who wants one?

It was seven years ago when VW first announced the idea. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch–currently the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Volkswagen Group–drove a prototype of the car from Wolfsburg to Hamburg. It was the world’s first car to travel 100 kilometers on just a single liter of fuel. But the concept wasn’t ready for production as the body’s carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) was too costly for consideration.

Gas2.org

Sure, cars like the Cayenne and even the Panamera are enormous in comparison to the 911. But there’s still only so big Porsche can go. That is, on land at least. Not one to be told to stick to its core business, Porsche’s design arm has teamed up with a Singapore shipyard to design a state-of-the-art catamaran megayacht….

Via AutoBlog.com

South Korean carmaker goes after BMW, Lexus and other luxury brands

Its very name has long been synonymous with “cheap,” yet the South Korean carmaker, Hyundai Motors, is taking aim at some of the most lavish and costly segments of the automotive market.

Hoping to build on the success of its up-market Genesis sedan, which was named North American Car of the Year last January, Hyundai is getting ready to roll out an even more luxurious sedan, dubbed Equus, which will target some of the toughest — and highest-priced — competitors in the automotive market, including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

Source: MSNBC

I gotta admit, I chuckled a couple times in the beginning until I saw the dead baby.

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Now this is an effective PSA and it certainly went on for a long time. But will people actually get the message? Pun intended.

Twin-turbo power pack provides performance boost with improved economy and lower emissions.

The next version of Porsche’s seminal 911 Turbo will be the company’s fastest-accelerating 4×4 when it goes on sale in November.

It is powered by an all-new 3.8-litre, direct-injection, twin-turbo flat-six, delivering 500bhp and driving all four wheels.

It’s only the second road-going 911 ever to breach the 500bhp milestone, after the current GT2 which delivers 530bhp.

The new engine might only boost power by 20bhp but it’s enough to deliver 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds (three tenths quicker than the current Turbo) and a top speed of 194mph… up by 1mph.

Changes inside, however, are just as notable. The much-vaunted PDK twin-clutch gearbox can now be specified with standard wheel-mounted levers rather than the push-button affair on earlier models, which came in for criticism from some owners for being counter-intuitive. With the lever system, the driver simply pulls the left one to change down and the right one to change up.

Externally, the only changes are chrome headlight surrounds, restyled foglights and new wheel designs.

Crucially, in the current climate, Porsche says that while improving performance it has also managed to cut CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by about 18 per cent.

Coupé and Cabriolet versions of the new Turbo go on sale on November 21, priced at £101,823 and £109,048 respectively – about £2,000 more than the outgoing model.

It was close, but the Google Van took forth right behind the GT3. See full race HERE

Rally drivers are a plucky bunch but there are times when you have to gracefully admit defeat. One such occasion may be when the car breaks and it stop moving. But whereas us mere mortals might call it a day when a throttle cable snaps, French rally drivers call it an opportunity for a spot of heroics.

Without a moments hesitation the pilot hops into the engine bay to manually control the throttle cable bracket while the co-driver climbs behind the wheel. After narrowly avoiding another competitor the duo then set off to complete the stage of the Ralley de Serrains in France. Its mesmorizing stuff and proof that motorsport really isnt boring

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