Archive for September 2nd, 2008

That’s right folks —never mind the ad supplement, or the leaked pictures — now the first official press photo — or press rendering, we guess — of the new Chevrolet Camaro SS was just revealed on GM’s Media site. We can’t seem to find any other press release or official documentation accompanying it. But whatevs,… »

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, SMART
click to enlarge
We’re already jealous of people who get to test drive the all-electric smart ed, but what about people who get to drive them day after day? Daimler released photos today (see gallery below) of just such a test fleet in Islington, UK. The test of the diminutive two-seaters is being… »

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid
On Monday September 1, SB Li Motive Co. officially went into business with the goal of producing automotive grade lithium ion batteries by 2011. The company is a joint venture between Bosch and Samsung SDI. Samsung SDI already has experience with consumer electronics batteries and Bosch will work with the Korean company… »

newVideoPlayer(”/Wilson-Jeers.flv”, 494, 371,””); Last weekend saw the second iteration of the reborn Belle Isle Grand Prix and we were right there, enjoying the spectacle played out in weather so perfect Roger Penske couldn’t have paid for better. Aside from a couple spin outs, Sunday’s Indy Racing League run was largely unremarkable until lap 72,… »

newVideoPlayer(”/Wilson-Jeers.flv”, 494, 371,””); Last weekend saw the second iteration of the reborn Belle Isle Grand Prix and we were right there, enjoying the spectacle played out in weather so perfect Roger Penske couldn’t have paid for better. Aside from a couple spin outs, Sunday’s Indy Racing League run was largely unremarkable until lap 72,… »

At today’s Motor Press Guild meeting out in Cali, Chrysler’s Jim Press confirmed to PickupTrucks.com Mike Levine that the new next-generation Nissan Titan will not only be built on the Dodge Ram platform — which we’ve already confirmed — but that yes, that thing would have a Hemi. Sweet. Although Nissan may still be denying… »

Jerry Reed, best known around these parts as the actor who played the truck driver “Snowman” in the Smokey And The Bandit films, passed away yesterday at the age of 71. A successful songwriter and musician, Reed was one of the earliest country music stars to break into Hollywood, paving the way for other crooners… »

Filed under: Diesel, SMART, Germany
Click on image for complete gallery
Break out the party balloons, Smart is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The brand started as a joint venture from Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch and Mercedes and began selling cars back in, wow, 1998. Well, since anniversaries are also good marketing opportunities, Smart has launched a special… »

Sheriff Leon Lott of Richland County, South Carolina has gotten ahold of an M113A2 Armored Personal Carrier (APC) for some serious police work. And though a new APC fitted with a .50-cal belt-fed machine gun is a scary prospect, the Sheriff’s department claims it only pays about $2,000 a year to acquire this kind of… »

Though popular history tends to look at World War II as a fairly straightforward conflict between democracy and fascism it’s far more complicated than that. When the Soviets and the Americans met on the Elbe they partied as allies, which was such a distressing sight to the Germans that one shot himself in the head… »