On the recent events which dreadfully happened in Japan because of the killer quake and tsunami, General Motors announced that people living on affected areas can push the OnStar button to be connected to Crisis Advisor, a feature which gets them help from the proper authorities to get them to safety as soon as possible.

OnStar customers can contact such as emergency services, provide points of contact for assistance like food, shelter, or hotel accommodations. If they have no power, they can access the Internet or charge phones or stay in contact. They can also get weather and other updates. Federal emergency management agencies can also be contacted for assistance.

Over at the recent Geneva Auto Show, if you recall the explosive action-packed film Terminator 2, then this car will give you a trip down memory lane while warping into the edges of innovation. Audi’s MTM R8 V10 BiTurbo is a polished aluminum body work that took 700 man hours to get it done as it is. This reminds me of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s out-of-this world enemy T2000 which is like a mercury taking shape of anything it trips to.

Just what is under its hood? It’s got a 5.2 liter FSi V10 engine with six-speed manual transmission. This packas a whopping 777 hp with top speed of 224 mph.

You don’t have to go to the nearest bath room to get your hair done with this.

Maybe becasue of that everyday stressful gridlock we are experience on our way to work or going home. Consulting firm Accenture says that according to their study,49 percent of people are comfortable in a driverless car. The study focuses on the users’ frustrations of the performance and complexity of certain electronic devices, such as mobile phones, TVs and computers.

If you could recall, Google has successfully driven a robotic Prius for over 140,000 miles through heavy traffic in San Francisco and Los Angeles. There are also other model having autonomous technology features like lane departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control, crash avoidance and self-parking systems.

I for one, is agreeable to this, if only the manufacturers assure a failsafe technology from the get-go. This prevents any accidents to occur while reducing traffic jams, exhaust pollution and improve fuel cost. Who knows, we could develop a great bond with our vehicles?

Now that you have souped up your roadster with a mean turbocharger, body kit, and posh interior, there’s only one thing left for you to do: not getting it stolen. Little did I know that there are many types of alarms the market offers these days. These alarms suit up the type of alarm you want in your ride. Carsforgirls gives a rundown on these alarms from the passive and activa alarms, silent ones, factory, to the after-market alarm. Fee free to read them.

Gone are the days when the slowpoke solar-panel cars hover around the race track like overgrown cockroaches. Thay can only do so much with speed since they don’t have enough ponies to match up with mainstream vehicles at the major thoroughfare. Today, manufacturer are at par with speedsters with updated technology and revved up engines driven by the heat of the sun. Today’s fastest according to Guinness Book of World Records goes to Sunswift IV of Australia with a top speed of 55 mph, beating out previous champ Sunraycer from General Motors.

Designed by a group of enthusiastic students of University of South Wales, the IVy uses 1,2000 watts of energy, or equal to the amount of power used by an  oven toaster. The light weight is comprised by carbon fiber, weighing about 1/10th the weight of an average car. It is more aerodynamically sound, which gained speed with little amount of power. However, it would take a while before it hits the streets. The technology is still in the development stages. And it is already helping hybrids and Evs operate more efficiently. Would IVy makes its way into Formula One, which is the testing ground for the technology to be used mainstream?

Electric cars will go mainstream, indeed. Along with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the first batches of the all-electric 2011 Nissan Leafs have arrived in dealerships specifically in the San Francisco Bay Area. Meanwhile, Volts had been rolled out to California, Texas, New York, and Washington DC.

This week, Leafs will also be sent to Arizona, Oregon, Seattle, Southern California, and Tennessee. There will be another round of deliveries come next week. By early next year, Nissan expects to have them Leafs delivered to as far as Hawaii and Texas. And by 2012, they will be rolled out nationwide.

Consider it passe, but at least Ford is now doing all they can to equip their vehicles with the much-needed safety precautionary measures to beef them up. Such is having all of their models with Rearview Camera System.The camera features a low light capability with the intensity of the vehicle’s reverse lamps to lighten up the image even in dark parking spaces.

Included in the equipment stage are full-sized pickups, vans and crossovers like the Ford Explorer. The camera is most especially handy since they have winches to haul and tow load form behind.

If you are in to some trippy art works tinkering in your ride, you may find inspiration to this recent obra by reknowned didgital artist Laurence Gartel. With the use of Tesla’s Roadster, Gartel tricked out the vehicle with some insanely-embelished digital swirl design. Using a vinyl wrap to crate such intricate design is no stranger for Gartel, since he’s been doing it since the 70s. The image above is taken at the Miami Art Basel Fextival. You can click here for a full widespread view of the vehicle courtesy of Autoblog.

Die-hard Batman fans have always wanted to feel what it’s like to get in and drive the Batmobile. But since the car is only made available to the actors that play Batman, ordinary folks (like you and me) will find it hard to make this dream come true. So what’s another way of fulfilling that fantasy? Well, just do what the owner of this 1988 Ford Escort did; make your own.

The makeshift Batmobile, which was spotted in New Jersey, mimics the 1960 version used by Adam West in the campy Batman TV series. While not an exact replica, it does manage to capture most of the vehicle. It’s got bat-fins protruding on each side at the rear as well as three muffler-like tubes coming out of the trunk area. Not only that, it even sports a red Bat-logo on each door.

As for the interior, the Jersey Batmobile comes in a combo of red and black. The funny part is that it’s even equipped with its very own Batman Command Console. While it looks like a toy that a 10-year old would love to play, it does add to the overall look and campiness of the vehicle.

So how does the car rate with us? It could be better. But since we love the 1960’s Batman so much, we’ll give it 8 out of 10. We’ll rate it higher provided we can take it out for a spin. Hint, hint.

Source: Car Domain Blog

This ’68 Volkswagen Bus gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “killer vehicle.” In case you’re wondering why, this bus happens to be formerly owned by a Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Who’s he? Oh, just some guy who happened to advocate voluntary euthanasia. That pretty much means, you’re free to kill yourself provided, of course, that you’re terminally ill. This practice of his by the way led to his conviction, although he was later paroled.

Anyway, according to the current owner of this vehicle, the Kevorkian Bus (we like the sound of that) needs to be sold ASAP. However, it needs to be sold in a non-driveable condition. Why the owner would want that is beyond us, but if you’re interested in owning a vehicle that was driven by somebody branded as a murderer, here’s the ride for you. Just be prepared to fork up a huge sum and the guts to parade around town in it.

Source: Ride Lust