Category Archives: evolution

Report: ‘Smart Fabric’ could control climate, audio functions in future BMWs

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Filed under: Technology , BMW , Infotainment Touchscreens are becoming common and touch pads – like those in the Audi A7 , A8 and next A3 – are gaining traction, but the next input revolution might not be gesture controls , it’s likely to be “smart fabrics” and BMW is already toying with the technology. Researchers at the Polytechnic School of Montreal, Canada have developed a new flexible, polymer-based fiber that can be woven into existing fabrics. Essentially, it’s a capacitive pad that can register touches and swipes when alternating current is plumbed through the fibers.

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Report: ‘Smart Fabric’ could control climate, audio functions in future BMWs

Auctions: Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1948 Tucker Torpedo bid up to over $2.6 million [w/video]

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Filed under: Classics , Auctions Most, if not all, know the story of the 1948 Tucker sedan. Yes, there was a movie, and it’s well worth watching. But even if you’ve never seen or heard of a the machine, one look at Preston Tucker’s Torpedo is all it takes for you to realize it’s something special.

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Auctions: Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1948 Tucker Torpedo bid up to over $2.6 million [w/video]

Video: Nissan-wielding Bloodmasters wreak havoc on Raceway Park

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Filed under: Motorsports , Coupe , Performance , Etc. , Videos , Nissan , Racing At some point, drifting made the shift from counterculture revolution to the sponsor-laden vehicular equivalent of figure skating. We’re not sure when it happened, but we certainly miss the days of watching grainy videos of mountain pass heroes piped over from Japan .

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Video: Nissan-wielding Bloodmasters wreak havoc on Raceway Park

Spy Shots: Porsche Panamera facelift comes into view

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Filed under: Performance , Etc. , Europe , Hatchback , Porsche , Design/Style , Luxury Porsche is busily readying a facelift for the Porsche Panamera , and our elite squad of spy photographers recently clicked a few images of the vehicle as it underwent winter testing. Details are scarce as to what, if any changes we can expect from the vehicle mechanically, but the photos clearly show an updated front fascia hidden beneath a bit of cladding. Odds are we can bet on seeing a tweaked headlight design with a reworked front valance.

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Spy Shots: Porsche Panamera facelift comes into view

Teased: Mitsubishi teases mystery reveal ahead of Geneva

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Filed under: Geneva Motor Show , Crossover , Mitsubishi , Design/Style Mitsubishi has been something of a punching bag among both analysts and critics in the United States for some years now, with lukewarm reception to new products and meek sales figures. But while few were paying attention, the Japanese brand’s pendulum made a mighty swing in the right direction in 2011 , with sales finishing up over 40 percent year-over-year, making it the second fastest-growing brand in the States. Of course, total brand sales were just 77,995 (2010 sales: 55,683), but one has to start somewhere. Buoyed by increasing demand for new products like the Outlander Sport , Mitsubishi isn’t quite “feeling its oats” just yet, but it’s alive and kicking.

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Teased: Mitsubishi teases mystery reveal ahead of Geneva

Spy Shots: Chevy Corvette C7 prototype spied testing!

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Filed under: Spy Photos , Coupe , Performance , Chevrolet The Corvette is the very definition of a halo car, and the fact that 2013 marks its sixtieth year in production is nothing short of a miracle. The seventh-generation Corvette is still a model year away, during which time Chevy plans to send off the C6 with a special edition 60th Anniversary 427 Convertible . Development of the C7 , however, continues at full speed, and we have the very first shots of a prototype being tested in cold weather to prove it. The car in question is wrapped in vinyl covering, underneath which hides the familiar black-and-white swirl paint job we see so often on prototypes.

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Spy Shots: Chevy Corvette C7 prototype spied testing!