Author: Tabitha
For the car nut who has trouble getting out of bed in the morning, this will make the perfect gift. The Clocky, from Nanda Home Products, is an alarm clock on wheels that sits on your night table. If you fail to react within a minute after you hit the snooze button, it will roll off the table and commence to wheel itself around the floor while buzzing away at a disrespectful and annoying 83 decibels (Clocky does not come with a volume control). It’s guaranteed to drive you crazy chasing after it to shut it off, but then that’s…
Many do-it-yourselfers place (or misplace) their trust in jack stands, cinder blocks or other items to prop up their vehicles while working beneath them. The Bodyguard from Creepex has a built-in protective framework that’s designed to provide an extra measure of safety and comfort. The company claims the Bodyguard can support up to 30,000 pounds and the design means you won’t have to lift your vehicle any higher than you normally would when using a regular creeper. Each unit has three heavy-duty six-inch-diameter locking casters and an ergonomic four-position backrest with lumbar support. The Bodyguard sells for $700 (other Creepex…
Ford says it will deliver a high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle for ride sharing/hailing purposes in 2021, and to get there the company doubling the size of the California teams it has working on the project and is contracting with four new technology start-up companies. Ford CEO Mark Fields says the development of autonomous vehicles will have an effect on society as great as the development a hundred years ago of the moving assembly line that revolutionized not just automobile production, but manufacturing itself. Ford this year will triple its autonomous-vehicle test fleet, bringing to about 30 the number of self-driving…
The Sleuth hears that Hyundai’s junior division is adding a diminutive wagon-shaped model. This comes at a time when nearly every other mainstream automaker has introduced, or has in the works, a similarly sized and shaped set of wheels. There’s no official name yet, but apparently the vehicle is loosely based on the Provo Hybrid concept that Kia displayed at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland. That car came with a turbocharged 201-horsepower four-cylinder engine plus an electric motor, but The Spy Guy doesn’t believe that kilowatts will play a role here. Since it will compete against vehicles…
Nissan’s luxury and performance division Infiniti unveiled the world’s first production-ready variable compression ratio engine. Lauding its VC-T (Variable Compression-Turbocharged) engine as a breakthrough in internal-combustion technology, Nissan said the new four-cylinder delivers the power of a high-performance 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine and high efficiency both at once. Its success lies in the engine’s ability to ‘transform itself’ and seamlessly raise or lower the height the pistons reach in the combustion cycle, adjusting the compression ratio in the process from high performance (8:1 ratio) to high efficiency (14:1). Sophisticated engine control electronics automatically applies the optimum ratio, depending on driving-condition…
That’s what The Spymaster’s insiders are saying. Not only that, they’re telling him the car will be called the ZSX and could be revealed as early as January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich. Word is that the car will be far less complex than the latest all-wheel-drive gasoline-electric-powered Acura NSX and will make considerably less than the NSX’s 573 net horsepower (somewhere in the 300 and 400 horses is likely). And because it will use a turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine paired with a single electric motor sending torque to the rear wheels instead of the…
Mercedes-Benz plans to launch a handful of electric cars over the coming years to counter models already offered by Tesla Motors and its German rivals Audi and BMW, reports automotive lifestyles web magazine Motor Authority. The first of these electric cars will include a pair of sedans and a pair of tall wagons. Bloomberg news service reports that Mercedes will follow the lead of BMW and establish a sub-brand for electric cars, a name for which has yet to be determined. Mercedes promises a range of 300 miles or more, ‘though stricter EPA ratings may see a lower figure stated…
It’s not a new idea, but a suspension that also harvests energy from the motions generated between a vehicle and the road is new. Audi’s electromechanical rotary (eROT) suspension system is based on the company’s high energy, 48-volt electrical system, reports emerging technologies webmag New Atlas (formerly Gizmag). In addition to improving in-cabin refinement, the system recuperated between 100-150 watts under average conditions, Audi said. Results differ wildly depending on the road, however. On billiard-smooth surfaces it created just three watts, while bumpy side roads returned up to 613 watts. ‘Every pothole, every bump, every curve induces kinetic energy in…
Until fairly recently, full-size sedans were the backbone of General Motors’ upper-level division. Since then, tall wagons have taken center stage, but Buick isn’t completely ignoring its roots. Recently The Sleuth had an up-close look at the upcoming 2017 Lacrosse and he came away quite impressed. The car’s sheetmetal is nothing short of stunning and is matched by its impressive interior. Although a bit larger than the outgoing version, the Lacrosse’s three-inch gain in distance between the front and rear wheels creates added rear-seat legroom. Both front- and all-wheel-drive models will arrive with an all-new 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 310…
Before both brands were purchased by the Tata Group of India in 2010, Jaguar and Land Rover used BMW V-8 engines. The Spy Guy has learned that a deal is in the works that will result in a return to BMW power. The engine purchase will be an all-new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 that is expected to produce in excess of 450 horsepower. BMW will use it in the 7-series line as well as a planned high-end tall wagon and it will also be nestled between the flanks of Jaguar’s premium XJ sedan and the six-figure Land Rover Range Rover Portfolio.…