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Sega, the once heavyweight console maker now buried deep beneath the letters Wii, X, and PS, still pulls its weight in the arcade arena. Sega’s Joypolis in Odaiba, Japan has an Initial D driving game based on the anime series that has the bodies of three actual cars mounted in front of a 90-inch screen. The cars don’t have engines, but they sit on tilting frames, and include an RX-7, a WRX, and a Toyota AE86, which you can throw tilt around any of three courses. The game costs $5, but the cars are only there for the summer, so book those tickets to Nippon now.

Thanks for the tip, Judd!

[Source: Gizmodo]

Tags:anime, arcade, initial d, InitialD, japan, manga, sega, video games, VideoGames

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This morning, General Motors announced its second quarter earnings, which saw the giant automaker earn $891 million in Q2 compared to a loss of $3.4 billion last year that had analysts wondering whether the automaker would be around for today’s announcement.

GM’s performance in the second quarter played out largely like it did for cross-town rival Ford, in that the profitable performance of its overseas operations in Europe, Asia and South America outweighed its losses at home. Major cost cutting also helped the bottom line, and CFO Fritz Henderson is quoted as saying the company is going to keep the “pressure” on. He’s likely referring to historic talks with the UAW occurring as we speak that GM hopes will result in lower healthcare bills for the… Read the rest of this entry

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A study by AutoBild reveals that modern crumple zones can actually hide serious damage to a car’s structural integrity because of the way they’re designed. There are two issues: the first is that crumple zones don’t just deform in the case of an accident, they are now constructed to bounce back into shape after the collision; the second is that crumple zones are now so large, by government mandate, that crumple zone deformation might extend to points quite distant from the actual impact. By returning, even partially, to a pre-accident state, it is claimed that inspectors and mechanics might not realize how much damage has actually been done, nor exactly where.

AutoBild used a laser to assess the integrity of a car that had been in an accident.… Read the rest of this entry

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Whoa. Monday came and went entirely too fast, and in our haste to get all the news that’s fit to post up for your adoring eyes, we spaced on our Reader Ride feature. That’s okay though, since this Alfa was worth the wait.

Paul Blathwayt was kind enough to share a few shots of his brand-spankin’ new 2007 Alfa Romeo Spider with us, and although the details are scarce, we think it definitely deserves its fifteen-minutes of fame. Equipped with the 2.2-liter petrol engine, this Misano Blue model was the first Spider the dealer had ever seen in this particular hue. Paul was smart enough to snatch it up less than two months ago, and decided to take a few pics so he can feel our envy abroad. When the 8C comes this direction next year, we’d be more than pleased to see a few of these stashed on… Read the rest of this entry

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Ever wondered who sets the trends for vehicle interior design? It’s not always the automakers that come up with all the innovative ideas, sometimes its the actual auto parts suppliers that create the technologies that go into new models. At this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, one such company, Johnsons Controls, will be unveiling several new concepts to give us a glimpse of what to expect in vehicle interiors of the future.

The concepts will include a new electronic driver information system that will be able to control a myriad of mobile devices, such as cell-phones or MP3 players via voice activated commands or steering wheel mounted buttons. The external devices can then be stored out of view, connected to the car in a separate compartment in the armrest. Other features include new artificial surface and trim materials developed in-house by Johnson Controls as well a plug-in hybrid battery… Read the rest of this entry

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Acura’s non-CUV lineup has been rather quiet lately while the Japanese, German, and American competition have been steadily adding new and refreshed models to their lineup. Judging by these spy shots in the California desert, that’s all about to change. The folks over at KGP Photography caught a mystery Acura sedan testing in the middle of the night, and even though the vehicle is heavily camo’d, there are a lot of interesting cues that can’t be hidden with black padding.

The sedan appears to be rather large, meaning that it’s likely the TL (the RL isn’t scheduled to arrive until 2010 or later), which has been on the market virtually unchanged since 2004. The greenhouse looks like it’s been to the Lexus/Nissan design school with its steeply raked C-pillar, although the camo doesn’t give much away. What’s visible of the front end shows a much more aggressive look for… Read the rest of this entry

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Automotive News has been pumping out a ton of information about the General’s future products, and between buffing fingerprints off the crystal ball and making phone calls to unnamed sources, they’ve shed some light on the future of Pontiac.

According to AN, we can expect to get a hard-top version of the Solstice sometime in 2008 as a 2009 model, complete with a revised powerplant that will boost output, although there was no mention of changes to the GXP. Pontiac will stick with the in-line four for the time being, as a V6 variant is officially off the table, and by 2011 it’s assumed that new sheetmetal will adorn the Pontiac and possibly its Saturn-badged brother.

The remake of GM’s performance brand will also include the demise of the Torrent, while the G5 will be replaced with the RWD Alpha platform by 2010 – unless CAFE standards put those… Read the rest of this entry

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A few weeks back, the top brass at GM stated that they intended to remain competitive in the hyper-competitive full-size truck market, and now we know just how serious the General is about protecting its truck turf. Beginning last Saturday, all 2007 extended and crew cab Silverados will have zero-percent financing for up to 60 months. GM spokesman John McDonald was quoted by Automotive News as saying that GM wanted to remain competitive with challengers that have been using “increasingly heavy spending” to move pickups.

While this news isn’t exactly great for GM, there won’t be many truck buyers complaining. It’ll be interesting to see if Ford and Toyota further escalate the prodigious cash giveaway in a truck market that is more competitive than ever.

[Source: Automotive News (subscription req'd)]

Tags:0%, Chevy, F-150, GM, incentives, Ram, Sierra, Silverado, Tundra

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Lost in the shuffle here last week was the fact that Porsche demonstrated a prototype of the forthcoming Cayenne Hybrid in Germany. Long discussed, this performance SUV will share its powertrain with the Panamera when the four-door GT arrives. Motor Trend was on hand for the demo and reported that despite being a hybrid, the “greened” Porsche retains its SUV capabilities — it is off-roadable and will ford a 20-inch body of water without complaint. Add to that a 7,000 lb towing capacity and a fuel economy rating of 24 mpg in the US FTP cycle as of right now (better economy is expected by launch), and you’ve got the makings of a pretty attractive-sounding setup. The Cayenne Hybrid is a full hybrid vehicle which boasts performance numbers that are actually a smidge better than the standard Cayenne V6. On a cosmetic note,… Read the rest of this entry

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Instead of beating each other’s brains out and assuring that nobody wins, SAIC and Nanjing have decided to stand close to each other on the playground. While they may still avoid eye contact and kick pebbles instead of developing a friendship, they will be carrying out what they’re terming a “comprehensive collaboration.” Design, production and sales efforts will be pooled in an effort to make China’s automakers competitive with outsiders like General Motors and Volkswagen, who currently dominate China’s vehicle market. The weekend announcement of the effort was mum on a merger, but did mention an asset swap as the two state-controlled businesses go forward splitting resources. At the very least, it seems like the cooperative effort will quell the bickering over the carved up carcass of Rover Cars.

[Source: Detroit News]

Tags:china, collaboration, joint, mg, nanjing, partner, rover, saic, team