2010

Honda goes CR-Z crazy at SEMA 2010

Rounding the corner leading to Honda's booth at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, I was a bit taken aback as I suddenly found myself confronted with the largest gathering of modified CR-Zs I'd ever seen, 12 in total. Heck, considering that the CR-Z has only been available for a handful of months, this was the largest gathering of any CR-Zs I'd ever seen. Most of these examples were built by third parties, but at the center of Honda's presentation was a trio of special compact hybrids built by Honda itself: a 2011 CR-Z equipped … Read more

Scion bringing nautical themed xB to SEMA Show

Whether you're a fan of its vehicles or not (and we're pretty split here at Car Tech), Scion's booth at the SEMA Show is always a treat. With the automaker's support of the aftermarket and a veritable army of customizers putting their individual spins on their xBs, tCs, and xDs, the Scion booth is always home to crazy customs and tricked-out tuners. Scion sent us a preview of this year's show cars, which includes a nautical themed xB dubbed The Squid and an All Stretched Out xB that's been extended by 48 inches into … Read more

A look back at CES 2010

CES 2011 is right around the corner and we're all getting excited about the gadget possibilities in store for us. From 3D cameras and televisions to my personal favorite Android tablets, there will be no shortage of tech to sink our teeth into. There are only 32 days until the official start of the show, but if you can't wait, take a look back at the products we picked as our Best of CES 2010.

Mitsubishi to unveil 2011 i-Miev at LA auto show

Mitsubishi announced on Twitter that the U.S. version of its 2011 Mitsubishi i-MiEV will be unveiled at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show next month.

Earlier today Autoblog posted online sketches it snagged from Mitsubishi's global corporate site of a wider-bodied i-MiEV. They're guessing that these drawings could be the beefed-up version of the compact EV that will enter the North American market next year.

The all-electric compact car that we've been seeing up to this point is the Japanese model that seats four and has a 100-mile range. The i-MiEV is expected to be upgraded for the North American market, … Read more

Hennessey's 2011 Venom GT heads to SEMA (video)

The 1,200 horsepower club has a new member. Hennessey Performance's 2011 Venom GT makes its first appearance at the 2010 SEMA show next week, the same aftermarket and tuner conference at which its prototype was revealed three years ago.

Since then, the Texas-based boutique carmaker has been busy producing what could be described as the Tesla Roadster's much dirtier evil twin. The Lotus Elise/Exige-based supercar has a 6.2 liter V-8 mid-engine that delivers 1,200 horsepower, a top speed of 267 mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.5 seconds. Getting to 200 mph … Read more

Apple releases Mac Pro EFI firmware update 1.5

Apple has released an update for the firmware on Mid 2010 Mac Pro models. The update addresses issues that prevented the firmware password prompt from being displayed when a firmware password was enabled and corrects a problem where the Boot Picker would not be presented when connected to a network that did not use DHCP.

The update is a 1.96MB download and requires OS X 10.6.4 to install. It should be available via Software Update for your system, but if not then you can download it from the following Web page:

Mac Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.5… Read more

Microsoft updates Internet Explorer 9 test version

REDMOND, Wash.--Microsoft kicked off its Professional Developers Conference today, releasing an updated test version of Internet Explorer 9, the company's effort to reassert itself in the Web browser market.

"We've tried to make the Web feel more like native applications," CEO Steve Ballmer said as part of a keynote speech this morning.

The update is a new platform preview that developers can use to test Web sites, but is not an update to the more full-featured beta version that Microsoft released earlier this year. Microsoft had said it would continue to update the platform preview … Read more

Bring on the Mustangs (SEMA preview)

Yesterday, we took a sneak peek at some of the custom Ford vehicles that will be on hand at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, NV. However, that list was all Fiestas, Explorers, and Fusions. Where were the Mustangs?

Today, Ford delivers with an all-pony car preview of a few of the custom Mustangs, most of which started life as 5.0 GT models, that we'll see at the show. From the pink Creations n' Chrome convertible to the street-warrior-themed MRT custom coupe, it's always a thrill to see the completely different directions the customizers take when … Read more

Cult Motorsports' 1,000-hp Challenger to stalk SEMA Show

Earlier, we featured the 470-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, boasting more displacement and more power than the standard SRT8. But for pure bragging rights, the aftermarket can always do better. Enter the Cult Motorsports Challenger SRT8. This menacing custom, set to debut at the 2010 SEMA Show, has a look that borders on demonic and an estimated power output that you wouldn't believe.

Photographer Webb Bland of Not Bland Photography brings us the first look at the Cult Challenger. Details are slim, but the rumors circulating this matte-black beast point to an 8.3-liter blown V-8 replacing the standard … Read more