Car Tech Articles

Cadillac gives a nod towards the environmental set with its all-new hybrid Cadillac Escalade, which gets a 50 percent fuel economy improvement over the standard Escalade. The Escalade has been a symbol of conspicuous consumption, so it seems surprising that Cadillac would outfit it with a gas-saving hybrid powertrain. But this hybrid system, developed in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz and BMW, works very well, and won't detract from the Escalade's luxury image. We've driven a GMC Yukon Hybrid using this same system and came away impressed. Starting out, the truck drives like a Prius, under electric power up … Read more

BMW unveiled two completely new motorcycles and two revised models at the 2007 EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan on Wednesday.

The much-anticipated BMW F 800 GS is a middle-weight motorcycle capable of being taken for the occasional off-road shortcut, while the new G 450 X is an off-road racer.

Meanwhile, the R 1200 GS and its heftier counterpart, the R 1200 GS Adventure, have been updated for better endurance. The Adventure also includes a gas tank that doing an average of 56 mph should take you 466 miles before you need to refuel.

Click here for full gallery on the bikes.… Read more

Daimler and Ford Motor are partnering on a privately held company to develop automotive fuel cell technology, both companies announced Thursday.

The companies plan to buy the automotive fuel cell business unit of Ballard Power Systems, a British Columbia-based supplier of hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles. From that asset, they plan to start a private company, according to a joint statement.

Daimler will own a 50.1 percent share of the new company, Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC), the companies said. Ford Motor will own a 30 percent share, and 19.9 percent will be owned by Ballard.

AFCC will … Read more

When the 2008 Honda Accord EX-L arrived in our garage, we initially weren't sure we had received the right car. The dark-red sedan was too large to be an Accord. The bodywork had more curves than we had ever seen on an Accord. Looking inside the car, we were sure it must be an Acura. It had leather seats and the same multitude of buttons we had seen in Acura models. But with the Accord label on the trunk lid and the Honda "H" badge on the grille, we had to accept this car as the new … Read more

If you're one of those people who can't stand the constant "beep-beep" of horn-happy motorists, you might not want to read any further. A start-up called Horntones is giving drivers the opportunity to customize their own car horn's output by using any MP3 file as their honk of choice.

Using a combination of Horntones' Web site and the company's flagship FX550 device, drivers can download any audio file they like (copyright issues notwithstanding) to use as their car's horn sound. The FX550 comes with 256MB of memory and nine preset buttons, giving horn-pimpers … Read more

And here we thought the 727 jet limo was insane. The vehicle pictured here might seem like an ordinary fire engine at first look--until it's turned around. From that angle, it's a work of insanity.

Not only is it modded with a turbine engine, but it's one from a Russian MiG fighter jet--making it "the largest turbine motor in a land vehicle anywhere in the world," according to LifeOnTop. The size alone would seem to lend credence to that claim, at 27 feet long and 5.5 feet in diameter.

If they add one of … Read more

Imagine an unmanned version of a rickshaw designed to pull along a roller-blader who didn't want to roller-blade. That pretty much describes the "Electric Cruiser" by Mademoto.

This weird contraption is powered by an electric motor that can reach a top speed of just under 19 miles per hour, which is easily fast enough to cause major injury. But that assumes one will be actually pulled in a straight line, rather than using it as a partner for a pairs skating demonstration as it appears in this picture seen on 7Gadgets.

Online stores like Hammacher Schlemmer are turning into little Harrods. To prove the point, one needn't look any further than this two-person, three-wheeled scooter coupe on its virtual storefront.

In addition to a retro-chic design, it has all the trappings of a miniature car: a 50cc air-cooled, four-stroke engine can reach 30 miles per hour on a 1.5-gallon fuel tank that's good for 100 miles with two riders up to 400 pounds. The coupe sports a steel tube frame covered in a fiberglass body and comes with 13-inch alloy wheels, rubber tires, front disc brakes and rear … Read more

Comedian Jay Leno is known for his coveted collection of performance cars, but here is one Leno's babies that had eyebrows raising all over the SEMA show here in Las Vegas. This Pratt & Miller-designed road rocket come with an 8.2-liter engine--that's 1.2-liters more displacement than the "regular" competition Corvette CR.6 on which it's based. Not only is it equipped with a T-56 six-speed transmission, Arvin Meritor dynamic ride control suspension, and a K&N air filter with carbon-fiber ram air induction, it also has a Dewitt high-capacity aluminum radiator with … Read more