NEWS: 2006 Mazda Miata pricing

By Michael Banovsky

Okay, I know many of you are itching to see how far your Solo2 budget can stretch next year, and if…if you can be the first between the cones to have a DIY turbo kit for the all-new Miata.

Good news: The new Miata starts at $27,995 (the same price as this years’ model), up to $33,995 for the luxo-spec. Press release is as follows:

“Mazda Canada will offer the 2006 MX-5 in three versions: GX, GS and GT.

“The 2006 MX-5 Miata GX is ideal for driving enthusiasts looking for an
affordable sports car. Standard equipment includes a 170-horsepower,
2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing; 5-speed manual
transmission; 16-inch alloy wheels with 205/50R tires; 4-wheel disc
brakes; front and rear stabilizer bars; power windows and door locks;
AM/FM/CD with 6-speakers and steering wheel mounted audio controls; tilt
steering, cruise control, keyless entry and fog lamps. Starting at $27,995
the 2006 MX-5 is the same price as the 2005 model, but has even more
standard features. A new 6-speed sport-shift automatic transmission, air
conditioning and a detachable hard top are available options.

For sports car lovers who are especially looking for an exhilarating
driving experience Mazda Canada offers the 2006 MX-5 GS. Upgrades from the
GX model include a 6-speed manual transmission; 17-in alloy wheels with
205/45R 17 tires; anti-lock brakes (ABS); limited slip differential (LSD);
dynamic stability control (DSC); strut tower bar; sport tuned suspension
with Bilstein shock absorbers. The price of the 2006 MX-5 GS is $30,995.
Air conditioning and a detachable hard top are available options.

If luxurious amenities are of prime importance then the 2006 MX-5 GT is
available. The GT model comes equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission;
17-inch alloy wheels with 205/45R 17 tires; ABS; strut tower bar; Xenon
(HID) headlights; heated leather seats; cloth convertible top (vinyl on GX
and GS); air conditioning; side airbags; smart card keyless entry and
Bose® audio system with 7-speakers. 2006 MX-5 Miata GT models start at
$33,995. A new, 6-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel mounted
paddle shifters is available as an option, as is a detachable hard top.”

NEWS: The million dollar computer that crashes all day

By Michael Banovsky

It’s not every day that someone brags about their computer crashing (except Windows users, of course), but Volvo isn’t a normal person. It’s not a person at all. Volvo is a team of androids whose only goal is to produce the safest cars in the world.

Aided by their new computer, Volvo employees (who are seriously not androids) are able to do an entire crash simulation in five hours, as opposed to their old computer that took three days. But at least they didn’t have to worry about pop-ups!

From Volvo Canada:

“GÖTEBORG (June 22, 2005) - Volvo Car Corporation, the recognized leader in automotive safety research, has commissioned one of the world's most powerful supercomputers to simulate vehicle collisions. Using a collection of more than 300 processors, the crash simulator works around the clock to accelerate 'real life' safety engineering and reduce the development time of new Volvo automobiles.

With computing power that is the equivalent to more than 1,000 ordinary home PCs, this new supercomputer has effectively doubled Volvo Cars' virtual crash simulation capacity and is a natural continuation of the company's long-term commitment to safety research.

"Investing in cutting-edge virtual development resources will help us to achieve our aim of making Volvo's real-life cars the safest on the market," says Anders Djärv, head of Crash Simulation at the Volvo Car Safety Centre in Sweden.

Advanced development of virtual crash tests was initiated three years ago to make use of the company's cost-effective Linux clusters. Supercomputers have been integral to the Volvo Cars vehicle development strategy since the 1987 development of the Volvo 850. At that time, high-capacity computers were used to perform flow, panel pressing and crash simulation calculations.

With the installation of Volvo Cars' new supercomputer, the company has achieved its goal of developing sufficient computing capacity to enable crash simulation engineers to input test data before going home in the evening and have the results waiting for them the following morning. Reviewed together with the design engineers during the day, crash engineers can then assemble fresh input data for that night. The result is that Volvo Cars can conduct crash safety research 24 hours a day.

The new supercomputer consists of 151 nodes (IBM eServers 325), each consisting of two CPUs, for a total of 302 AMD Opteron processors. The measured capacity is 1.3 TFlops (peak), making it one of the fastest Linux clusters in the automotive industry. Although it's a fairly approximate measure, the capacity is equivalent to more than 1,000 ordinary home PCs!

NEWS: Four-saddle Bull

By Michael Banovsky

So don’t let rumours of a four-seat Porsche scare you off – Lamborghini is also readying its entry into the super-luxury-grand-sports-sedan segment with a car to be called the Lagartijo.

Lagartijo (we’ll let you come up with your own pronunciation, as if Murciélago and Gallardo weren’t hard enough) was the name of a bullfighting legend, who spared the life of the famous bull named…you guessed it: Murciélago.

It will be constructed in carbon fibre, share the Murciélago’s 6.2L V12 (620 horsepower), and sales will begin in 2009 at about $330,000 USD each.

But what happens when they run out of bullfighting names? Maybe they’ll start using names from their old tractors… Hey, the “Runner 450” doesn’t sound too bad, eh?

NEWS: See? Classique.

By Michael Banovsky
Photos courtesy Mercedes-Benz

Well, here it is… Now, before you get all excited and throw your arms up in disgust, I must say the design does grow on you. At first thought, I had considered to show (with pictures) how Mercedes-Benz ripped off such well-known vehicles as the Ssangyong Rexton, Maybach 59, Ford Focus, and BMW 7 Series. (Front end, rear tail lights, fender flares, and Bangle-butt, respectively.)

Well, I’m sure it was designed to look good in either silver or black – like they sell any other colours – and despite the wheels in these press photos (one as-nameless editor here had a particularly tough time keeping his lunch down) it is an elegant car.

If only they didn’t do a Chery and reverse-engineer a 7-Series’ interior…

NEWS: Five Hundred stars

By Michael Banovsky

Ford’s decision to base the Five Hundred and the Mercury Montego off of the Volvo S80 platform have paid dividends. The Five Hundred starts at $29, 295. Ford-speak follows:

“DEARBORN, Mich., June 20, 2005 – The 2005 Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego large sedans today added another award to their safety “trophy case” by earning IIHS’ highest technical safety rating of “Good” and a “Best Pick” designation for offset frontal crash performance. The sedans’ “Best Pick” designation by IIHS is awarded to vehicles that are top performers in a particular class.
Five Hundred and Montego are the only 2005 model passenger cars to have received a “Best Pick” designation from IIHS and NHTSA’s top five-star crash-test rating for front- and side-impacts for vehicles tested without the optional side air bags. A two-row Safety Canopy™ side air bag system with rollover sensor is available and provides additional protection not only in certain side collisions, but in rollover events as well.”

NEWS: New Scooby...

By Michael Banovsky
Photos courtesy Subaru

...and it's a doozie.

We'll let the pics speak for themselves, as it's not like Subaru will change a whole lot spec-wise.

NEWS: New RAM

By Michael Banovsky

For the ’06 model year, the Ram will go through a host of changes to keep it competitive against stiff competition from Ford, Chevy, and the imports. Changes include cylinder deactivation on the Hemi option, which will save customers “227 million litres of fuel annually.”

From DaimlerChrysler:
“In addition to being the first pickup truck to offer Chrysler Group's MDS technology, the new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 the most powerful light-duty pickup truck on the market boasts an all-new frame and suspension, an all-new interior, and an even bolder new Dodge Ram exterior.
The new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 is the first pickup truck and latest Chrysler Group vehicle to feature standard MDS with the 5.7-litre HEMI. Without compromising its best-in-class 345 horsepower, the new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 s HEMI V8 engine seamlessly alternates between four-cylinder mode when less power is needed and V8 mode when more power is in demand.
The Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 model utilizes a new coil-over shock absorber and double wishbone front suspension. Mounting the shock absorber inside the coil spring enables four-wheel-drive models to benefit from the coil springs added tuning characteristics.
The interior of the new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 complements the bold exterior by taking
luxury and refinement to new levels in the pickup truck market. Enhanced driver and
passenger comfort and more feature content is abundant inside the new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500.
Driver and passengers will experience an interior environment that is 20 percent quieter than the previous Dodge Ram 1500, achieved by employing laminated front-door glass and improved door seals. In addition, extensive use of Polymer Constraint Layer (PCL) and new body mounts reduces road noise and resonance between the engine and cabin. All-new seats, including optional bucket seats with available leather trim, provide substantial bolstering and generous support while adding a rich appearance to the new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500’s interior.
A new instrument panel cluster placed underneath a redesigned cluster brow is designed to reduce glare, and a new, wide center stack contains a new audio system and new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls.
Premium amenities including a new GPS Navigation radio, new rear-seat DVD (Quad Cab"
only), Infinity® sound system, UConnect" hands-free communication system, SIRIUS
Satellite Radio (late availability, pending CRTC approval), sunroof, adjustable pedals, dual-zone climate control, heated seats and a new power-sliding rear window are available on the new 2006 Dodge Ram 1500.”

NEWS: Ferrari FXX

By Michael Banovsky
Photos courtesy Ferrari

Okay, okay… I know that they aren’t doing too well this year in F1, and that they make really expensive cars almost all of us won’t be able to afford…but this proves my theory that Ferrari could throw a prancing horse on a Pontiac Aztec and sell it for $400,000.

In fact, the Ferrari FXX (taking the “F” moniker (F40, F50, F60, etc.) to an “X-treme” level) is much more ugly than the Aztec. It’s also much more expensive, at roughly $1,800,000 USD. (That’s over $2,250,000 Canadian…) Thankfully only 20 or so will be made.

Obviously, there is some purpose for the looks: the aero parts add 40 per cent more downforce over the Ferrari Enzo. The engine is 0.2L bigger, for a total output of more than 800bhp at 8500rpm. The transmission will shift at 100 miliseconds. The aero parts are fully adjustable. It has carbon brakes and custom 19-inch Bridgestone racing slicks.



Slicks? Yeah, it’s not road legal. It’s the showcase of Ferrari’s Corse Clienti (Track Client) program. The FXX package includes Ferrari-organized track events during the next two years, an official team of technicians to look after the car, storage of their FXX at the Ferrari factory, a driving course, individually-tailored seats and pedals, and a full evaluation of the client’s driving via onboard data collectors.

Ferrari says: “the wealth of data and experience gathered in the course of this very special program will be exceptionally important. In fact, the feedback from these highly skilled, non-professional client test drivers will be compared and supplemented with suggestions from Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Ferrari’s professional in-house test drivers.”

I’ve got a suggestion: You’re driving the ugliest Ferrari ever made. That fact alone is worth avoiding the FXX. I bet they're already lining up outside the “more money-than-brains club...”

NEWS: Jeep Accessories

By Michael Banovsky

Okay, this is to offset the super-crazy Ferrari FXX that was shown today. Mopar has created a line of new accessories for the Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. Well, we got a separate release for each new product… From Mopar:

“Jeep Wrangler is rugged, durable, and capable. And authentic Jeep accessories by Mopar included in the Off Road Enthusiast Package are just as hardcore, including skid plates, rock rails, unlimited half top, rugged full coverage flooring, off-road front and rear bumpers, Warn winch, and corner guards.”

We’re sure they are available at your local Jeep dealer. For a full rundown, visit www.mopar.com

NEWS: Challenging the X

By Michael Banovsky

Just driving down a Canadian highway fills most people with a sense of environmental responsibility. After all, only an hour outside of Toronto, rocks begin to jut parallel to the road and the roadside trees seem to go on forever.

So it’s no surprise, then, that a team of students from Waterloo University have won round one in the Challenge X, a competition sponsored by General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Waterloo team used Canadian-sourced components (a fuel cell engine from Mississauga, ON’s Hydrogenics Corp. and an electric drive system from Burnaby, BC’s Ballard Power) – to create an Equinox that improves on-road fuel economy and reduces emissions.

They beat out 16 other teams from around North America – which is even more impressive considering they are the only Canadian entrant. They drove away with a Chevrolet Equinox, over $20,000 in prize money, and a great head start for rounds two and three of the competition.

"This is the ultimate made-in-Canada success story," said David Paterson, Vice President Corporate & Environmental Affairs, GM Canada. "Canadian students using Canadian technology on a Canadian-designed and -built vehicle are shining on the North American stage. All of us at GM Canada salute the University of Waterloo team's major achievement, and we look forward to more success from these remarkable students in the years ahead."