It’s no secret that car manufactures road test their vehicles in the public domain.  To keep their worst kept secrets, well, slightly more secret they’ll generally finish the car in a vinyl covering or some sort of atrocious paint job.  Fortunately, that has never fooled anyone and good thing, because if it did we wouldn’t have this video of the BMW i8 prototype electric/gas hybrid vehicle being tested in inclement weather (i.e. snow).  Donuts aside, which is what you’ll see in the above clip, the i8 can supposedly achieve 87mpg, though that mileage will no doubt very with acceleration, traction and tomfoolery.

Winter is well under way, though you wouldn’t know it here in SoCal where we’ve experienced an uncanny amont of 70 degree days.  No matter, because we’ll never be able to go sledding, that is unless of course we drive 2.5 hours north.  And if we do, we’ll surely be dragging along VW’s – yes, the carmaker – latest sled, Crazy Bob.

If you can’t tell, the design is inspired from their latest model GTI.  Heck, it even says it on the sled itself, so you’d have to be pretty thick to not pick up on that.  Then again, if you have a penchant for sledding, then you may have already experienced a fair amount of head trauma, so will let it slide.

Feature wise there is a big red handle and a set of foot rests to help you keep your butt in the seat.  VW has also included your very own VW logo and a GTI honeycomb grill, though the latter will do nothing for performance.

If you’re interested in picking up Crazy Bob from the German company, expect to pay a few dollars shy of $90.  Unfortunately, we can’t find an official buy link, so hit the comments if you find one.

Long ago Acura discontinued the all mighty NSX.  Despite being a futuristic car of its time, it still managed to garner a small following and loyalty that is equitable to that of Porsche owners.  So who knew that Acura would finally reissue the vehicle in a concept format that perfectly mimics the original body shape yet boasts a set of updated lines and curves that makes it a more than a suitable fit for the year 2012.

While details are scant, we do know that a hybrid powertrain will propel this futuristic car off the line and will be further complemented by an all-wheel-drive traction system.  That said, the engine will be composed of a naturally aspirated V6 that powers the rear wheels and electric engine that powers the front ones, with the ability to send power to the outer wheel during a turn.  All said and done total horsepower should top out at 400, at least according to Motor Trend.

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Launch date?  No clue, but Jerry Sienfeld and Leno want one (see above commercial).

Car stereos specifically designed to hold the iPhone aren’t exactly a new piece of tech.  In fact, we’ve seen a few iteration over the years.  However, one major drawback to them has been that they’re designed to work with the iPhone and generally speaking the current generation iPhone only.   So what’s an Android user to do or anyone waiting for the next greatest device from Apple?  Say hello to the DASH from Devium.

Unlike other smartphone compatible head units, which consist of one faceplate and the body of the system, the DASH can be used with a variety of faceplates that are hot swappable and can accomodate a variety of popular phones.  However, for their Kickstarter project, and the sake of simplicity, they’re only building an iPhone/iPod compatible version, at least for now.  So, if you invest in the DASH today and 1 year from now Apple releases a new iPhone, with an entirely new form factor, Devium will develop a faceplate to accomodate the new shape and size.

Now, in terms of the Body, it will boast 50×4 watts of power and 2 preamps running at 2V for a front and rear subwoofer.  It measures  4-inches by 7-inches, which is apparently the standard double DIN size, allowing it to fit in a large number of vehicles.  A set of magnets will hold the iPhone in place and they’ve even allowed enough space for those of you that use a bumper case.    They say that none of this, not even the aluminum body will interfere with the GPS single, though it might be worth noting that the back of the faceplates will be made from plastic, which hopefully means they they’ll be on the cheaper side of things.  For inquiring minds that want to know, the 200 watt amp is built and made from Maxim, a company out of Sunnyvale, CA.

So how much do you need to spend to your get your own DASH?  $250.  They’re looking to raise $45,000 and they’ve got 57 days to go.  Something tells us they’ll accomplish this goal and much more.

Getting behind the wheel of a 2-ton piece of machinery requires a vast amount of responsibility.  Unfortunately, accidents happen every day, many of which are avoidable if today’s drivers paid a bit more attention to the road and not their smartphone or radio.  So wouldn’t it be great if you could have a copilot monitoring your driving behavior and provide you with a heads up to would be obstacles?  Well, now you can. It’s called the Mobileye 5-Series.

The Mobileye 5-Series is similar to some of the systems found in today’s luxury vehicles, though this one can be outfitted in any car as an aftermarket part.  It is composed of a camera and heads up display.  Inside the camera is a microprocessor that actively watches the road as you drive and warns of you of any impending dangers, such as a bicyclist in the road or a stopped car in the middle of a freeway.  They say it’s capable of alerting a driver 2.7 second before a crash, which might just be enough time to avoid one.  The system can also be programmed to teach you to keep a safe driving distance from vehicles in front, warn you of a dangerous lane change, lower and raise your vehicle’s high beams, and read speed limit and traffic signs to help you reduce the likelihood that you’ll get into an accident or receive a ticket for speeding.

We’re not sure how the system wires into your car for controlling the vehicle’s high beams, but it will also connect to your smartphone (Android or iOS) via Bluetooth and provide the same information displayed on the included heads up display.

The Mobileye 5-Series is available now in two models, the Mobileye 560 and Mobileye 550. The Mobileye 550 has a list price in the USA of $749 and the 560 model is listed at $849 USD.

Slot cars have all been forgotten, or have they?  When we were kids they were pretty common place, but that was 20 years ago, long before the Internet and the advent of super advanced and immersive video games that required more than 10-15 hours of play to beat it (case in point Skyrim).  But it turns out that Slot Cars have advanced at the same pace as the rest of our toys, as proven by this video.  We’re not exactly sure what’s going on here, but it appears to be some sort of competition hosted in a German local.  Suffice to say, the cars are traveling so stupid fast that all the fun has been drained out of the toy, though it would appear that a hair senstive trigger figure is still the key to a successful lap.

Automated driving is old news at this point thanks to a DARPA project, which pitted a handful of engineers against one and other over the last few years.  Their challenge was to outfit a production car with a system that allowed it to traverse a course without a driver a the steering wheel.  Now, BMW has developed their own automated driving system that combines a variety of sensors and has already logged time on a public highway in Germany.

The system uses 4 types of sensors: a camera, a laser, a radar and ultrasonics.  The car appears to be an everyday 5 series BMW, but step inside and you’ll see that it has been outfitted with a variety of screens and a computer system that combines the data collected from the sensors, along with GPS information, to drive itself.  The team of BMW engineers have also taken into account all the street laws, ensuring that this car of the future obeys all speed laws and never passes other vehicles on the right.  Because the system is built to learn as it drives, it can handle entirely new situations, meaning it can work on a variety of roads and in theory different countries.  However, keep in mind that BMW hasn’t said that ConnectedDrive Connect will ever be designed to operate without a driver behind the steering wheel.

But before you get too excited, you won’t see this tech emerge into the consumer marketplace for at least another 10 years.  But until then you can enjoy the above video, which shows the technology off in a real world driving situation.

This is Lexus’ latest concept vehicle, the LF-LC.  Yup, it bears some resemblance to the LFA, a $375,000 vehicle that Lexus loses money on every time they build one.  They’re currently mum on the LF-LC’s performance specs, amongst other things, but you can expect more details on this red beast to arrive on January 9th, when it will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Autoshow.

The front end boasts a massive grill that looks like it would swallow other super cars whole, for breakfast.  However, word on the street is that it’s powered by a hybrid system, which hopefully equates to an electric and gas powered combo for fast pickup and a long range.  While there is a back seat, at best you can probably stuff in a few small children or one adult laying perpendicular to the cars intended direction of travel.

Price?  Unknown.

Volvo decided against a svelte plug-in hybrid when coming up with its XC60 and opted for a more boxy SUV type as the base for its newest concept. It gutted its XC60 and used a turbocharged gas 4-cylinder engine that pushes out 280hp up-front, and also used a 70hp electric motor that powers the rear. Together they produce 350 hp and can accelerate the concept from0-60 mph in 5.8 seconds. The new concept can also run in pure electric mode by simply pressing a button on the dash that enables it to get 35 miles on its electric juice from its 12kWh battery pack. Taking only three and a half hours to charge via 220V, it will take seven and a half hours when using a 110V plug. More info will be released when it debuts at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show.

Tesla has long been a car company that produces only one car.  And that one car’s price is far out of reach for the majority of people living on this Earth.  But come this summer, they’ll release the Tesla S, their all electric sedan that can carry up to 7 people.  And today, the company finally announced pricing and models for their all new vehicle.

There will be four packages and with that four prices.  The 160-mile version will cost $57,400, the 230-mile $67,400 and the 300-mile variant coming in at $77,400.  They’ll also sell a limited edition Performance model, which includes the same range and engine as the top end version, but will cost $87,400.   Note that pricing listed here is before the $8,000 tax credit.

All models feature their giant 17-inch touchscreen and an 8-year warranty. However, the lower end model will rocket 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, where as the model up from that accomplishes that feat in just 5.9 seconds and the top model in 5.6 seconds.  The Performance Model, which comes with the aerodynamic wheels (they increase range by 20 miles) and a high performance driver inverters cruises to 60mph in just 4.4 seconds.

As it turns out, paying for the top dogs, well, pays off, since the Tesla S in these setups will arrive summer of 2012, where the lower end versions will come sometime during the winter and fall of 2012 respectively.

Had a flat tire recently?  If so, you probably wished you had a set of these, Bridgestone’s puncture proof tires.

Unlike traditional tires, these use thermoplastic resin spokes that fire out from the inner hub to the outer rim at a 45 degree angle.  If you look closely at the pattern you’ll see that the resin spans in both directions, creating a honey comb like weave and with it a tire that is supportive and supposedly as responsive as its rubber counterpart.

Ultimately, the tire uses no air, which means you can run over a myriad of objects without having to worry about tire damage and with it rim damage.  That said, parking lots around the world would have to start installing gates as oppose to tire spikes.  And police would have to find a new method for stopping criminals from fleeing since tire spikes would no longer be effective.

We’re hearing that the above model, which has or will be unveiled at the Tokyo auto show this week, measures just 9-inches in diameter.  Unfortunately, there is no word on whether or not these will hit the consumer market any time soon.

There is no doubt that the Chevy Volt is a revolutionary machine. Housed inside the seemingly normal sedan like body is not only a naturally aspirated engine, but an electric one as well. That said, the Chevy Volt appeals to wider audience than that of the Nissan Leaf since it can run like an everyday vehicle without the range concerns, yet still boasts the same green street cred.

Over the course of the 7 days I drove the Chevy Volt in a variety of scenarios and tried to unearth the car’s flaws. And while it definitely has some, I was pleasantly surprised with Chevy’s attention to detail and overall craftsmanship. My friends, this is the just the beginning of a revolution.

Exterior

The Chevy Volt is a 4 door sedan with hatchback like trunk. It’s rather unremarkable at a glance, but there a number of subtelties that makes this anything but your parent’s Chevy. First off, the car has specifically been designed with a drag coefficient in mind; they’ve tried to minimize wind resistance with the hopes of increasing fuel economy. The windshield sits as a rather aggressive slope, the mirrors look like they’ve been molded by air themselves and the traditional vehicle grill has been replaced by a metal body like armor that looks like it was crafted in the the future. However, Chevy has taken care to make sure that the Volt is not a vast departure from their other vehicles on the road and in fact could pass for Chevy Malibu at a quick glance, provided you overlooked the Volt insignia on the rear of the vehicle and some other design cues.

Needless to say the Volt houses two “gas” flaps. At the rear of the vehicle is your traditional gas tank lid, while the electrical socket is located just in front of the driver’s side door. Unlike its gas guzzling counterpart it can be opened directly from the key fob, or by an interior button found on the driver’s side door. Like the Nissan Leaf, Chevy has opted for the standard charging plug, which is now popping up around the US, though the majority are still located throughout California, with an additional roll out planned that promises ultra fast charging.

Just beneath the car front bumper sits a rubber flap. It’s an assumption, but I believe it is designed to further help reduce the drag of the car. At glance of the vehicle it’s virtually undetectable, that unless of course you driving the Volt down a ramp, say into a garage, where upon it will inevitably drag. It took some getting use to, but I eventually took comfort knowing that it was a rubber flap, and while it may be incurring some damage, it won’t aesthetically impact the car’s facade and probably is easily replaceable in the event it incurs too much damage.

I live in Santa Monica, CA so there is no shortage of Toyota’s Prius; sneeze and you can hit one. To be completely candid, I’m not a fan of Toyota’s vehicle, both because I think it’s a poser’s car and is God awful ugly. After parking the Volt side-by-side with the Japanese hybrid I could see similar design cues, but it was absolutely apparent that the Volt is a better looking vehicle that boasts more aggressive lines and appeal that doesn’t try to be what it hopes to be, it just is, which is a green vehicle. Nonetheless, it’s still very much a Chevy, all American vehicle despite its forward thinking internals. Don’t expect European like curves and subtleties to surprise you as you continue to drive this vehicle.

Interior

Chevy Volt cockpit – click to enlarge

Contrary to the Volt’s exterior design cues, the interior of the vehicle is supple, comfortable and all together a pleasure to sit in. The center console divides the entire car’s seating arrangement to house the battery pack. As a result the rear can only accommodate four adults, though that might be questionable if a 6-foot plus driver is at the wheel such as myself; there was mere inches of leg room behind me. However, I’m glad to report that I didn’t have to put the seat all the way back to find a comfortable driving position. Notably there is more than adequate room for drinks, though I’m sure a family of 5 would gladly sacrifice that feature for more seating room.

The leather seating is nothing short of exceptional, and like the rest of the car’s interior received the same attention to detail that Chevy put into crafting the interior cabin’s line. But, that said, the Chevy Volt’s interior, at least in terms of driver position in regards to the dash, windshield and blind spots is an entirely different beast and one that had me frustrated. I’ll let the pictures do the majority of the talking, but as you can see the rear window is heavily obstructed. On the converse, turning into crosswalks almost resulted in a few flattened pedestrians as the frame of the vehicle is just wide enough that it blocks your line of sight when looking 45 degrees forward; your line of sight into the cross walk. The front windows are heavily angled and couple that with the angled windshield and it makes it a challenge to lean forward and peak as you enter into perpendicular streets – I know because I received a few rude gestures (use your imagination).

The center dash is littered with touch like buttons that all look the same; it’s far from intuitive – click to enlarge

Unfortunately, the pain of my interior woes doesn’t end there. The center console, which houses the touchscreen LCD, DVD player and nav controls is an atrocious oversight on the behalf of Chevy. In fact, I couldn’t help but wonder how a car with so much advanced tech under the hood could possibly have such an antiquated center console. Again, I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking, but as you can see there are a vast array of touch buttons. They’re designed to be touch sensitive, but are really anything but. Though it did get some what easier to administer over the course of 7 days, trying to locate a button while driving was a test of not only my memory, but of my multitasking motor skills (keeping the car on the road). To add insult to injury the Nav system is your usual fuddy duddy, choppy graphics without any of the pizzazz of an Android or iPhone, the exact people Chevy must be targeting with this vehicle.

Nonetheless, there is a USB port to accomodate such a smartphone and a system that works directly with your iPod. Unlike Nissan’s Leaf, there is no specialy designated system to locate a charging station, though you can pull these up as a point of interest. And like the Leaf, which displayed a growing tree as an indicator of your green driving habits, the Volt can show you your driving efficiency, which is based on your level of acceleration, breaking and slowing as you approach stops – shift the car into L and like a gas powered automatic, the car will automatically slow, though the Volt will capture energy thanks to a regenerative breaking system.

The Volt’s audio system was surprisingly robust. They’ve outfitted it with Bose speakers and for a sedan vehicle it seriously kicks. While it doesn’t support A2DP Bluetooth for playing music, you can take calls directly over the car’s speakers. I was fortunate to be able to test this with my iPhone 4s. Calls came in fine, with callers reporting that I actually sounded very present with no detection of echo. But, Siri refused to cooperate and I wasn’t able to control Spotify using the center dash’s built-in controls. A small caveat, but one worth noting in this day and age.

The center dash is complemented by a driver heads up display that can display the car’s speed, two trip computers and total mileage. You can toggle between battery and gas remaining, as well as view the tire pressure as well view the approaching GPS turn. It’s not the most remarkable of displays, but it can be easily be administered by an adjacent knob and button that is simple to use and works, especially when compared to the Leaf’s overly complicated version.

Performance

The Chevy Volt’s fuel economy broken down by fossil fuel and electricity – click to enlarge

While the Volt is not a “driver’s vehicle” it does boast some road handling skills and a smooth ride that rivals some luxury sedans. First off, the interior, especially when the gas powered motor isn’t engaged, is remarkably quiet as affirmed by a few friends who stated just such. However, once the combustion engine kicks in you’ll be greeted with a rather whiny, but weak sounding engine noise.

The Volt is equipped with three driving modes: normal, sport and mountain. Normal is for every day driving. It uses the battery powered until you run out of juice. Sport is similar to normal, but provides an extra kick off the line. Mountain, though, is a different beast. It’s designed to run the engine at a higher RPM, which in turn generates more electricity for the batteries to capture. So why mountain? Mountains take more juice to climb, so in practice this mode would be engaged before approaching hilly terrain allowing the batteries to soak up more juice before the drive train demands it. So in theory, you could run the car on Mountain mode, charge up the batteries – it would take a long time and defeat the cost savings – and never have to plugin the car.

Everyday driving around the city of LA and Santa Monica was for the most part a pleasurable experience. The Chevy Volt handles relatively well, is smooth on the bumps and is agile enough for the average driver. But for those of you that have a tendency to zip through corners, you’ll want to think twice. The Volt has some body roll, but nothing above or beyond the average sedan. On the highway the ride was very smooth, the cabin quiet and the handling sufficient to travel at speeds of 70-80mph. Passing cars, if planned ahead of time, and assuming battery juice is still present didn’t seem to be a problem and was on par with Nissan’s Leaf.

I’m most accustom to driving a VW GTI, where breaking and handling are very responsive. That said, I couldn’t help but feel as though the Volt had a tendency to stop short with the majority of breaking power engaging at the latter end of the pedal’s range. Again, it’s a sedan, so by no means is the car unsafe, it’s just a bit sluggish in the turns and given its rather small engine don’t expect to race off the line, though in sport mode it seemed pretty adequate – the power is instant thanks to the battery power.

Conclusion

Chevy Volt’s reverse light – click to enlarge

I haven’t been a Chevy fan. I’ll probably never buy one of their cars, unless it was born before 1970 and even then I’m more inclined to go for a Ford Mustang. Nevertheless, the Volt is an astonishing upgrade and a bold move by Chevy that is sure to pay off. I can only commend them on their willingness to risk so much, even though they killed the electric car 7 years ago. So perhaps this is their way of making good on their past mistakes.

The Volt to me is the ideal green vehicle since range anxiety is virtually eliminated thanks to the combination of a gas and electric engine. Unlike the Prius it can run off electricity only, and in the event you’re traveling 40+ miles you’ve got the gas engine to fall back. Where as with the Leaf you’re limited to a 100 mile range in absolutely ideal scenario, and that’s only twice the range of the Volt’s electric range. In theory you can drive the Volt purely on electricity, provided you live about 20 miles from work (most Americans live within 16 miles from their job). Though, the Volt’s engines will automatically flush gas through it periodically to keep things operating smoothly.

The Volt in many ways is an unrivaled vehicle that was and still is awe inspiring. The target market is still rather niche and Chevy will have to invest, along with other car manufacturers to educate the general public. That said, anyone purchasing this vehicle will want to ensure that there is a garage that can service the Volt’s dual engine setup.

Bottom Line: A friendly everyday driver that offers amazing fuel economy. However, it’s slightly overshadowed by obstructed views from within the cockpit and a center dash that makes no sense.

Editor’s Rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Very Good

Pros:

• Amazing fuel economy
• Great interior that is very comfortable
• Runs on fuel and electricity, you choose

Cons:

• Cockpit has obstructed views
• Center dash is a complete mess and a huge oversight
• Only seats 4

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Another year, another LA Auto show.  While we didn’t see anything that we hadn’t already seen online, we were able to score some photos of the latest and greatest cars in the flesh.  Probably the most memorable of the show was BMW’s concept vehicles, the i3 and i8.  There are also a few other notables, so take a gander at the below gallery and get up to speed on what you missed this past weekend.

Of note, don’t forget about the life sized Mario Karts.

Thank to V-Studios for hooking up the images.

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Ever play Mario Kart and say to yourself “damn, I wish I could drive that in real life.” Well, if you’re a Gamestop PowerUp Rewards member, you may get the chance to make that into a reality. Nintendo and West Coast Customs (the guys who fix up cars from the MTV show Pimp My Ride) worked together to build the actual Mario karts, two of them, that really work. Or, if not, then you may be lucky enough to at least touch or sit in one at the LA Auto Show this and next week. Check out the pictures taken at the LA Auto Show inside.

The guys at West Coast Customs built two karts, the Mario Standard Kart and Luigi Bumble V. I’m more of a motorcycle Mario Kart player, but these are still damn awesome.

Reggie Fils-Aime was on-hand to reveal both Mario Kart 7 and the real karts in a press conference, which unfortunately we missed. However, Reggie was spotted later on shooting a video for the Nintendo Fanclub Facebook page (I subsequently stopped filming when I learned that, but we did catch the big man in the relatively-small kart. Let’s just say these aren’t made for tall people). As Nintendo spokespeople told me outside of the show floor, the karts are actually the first vehicles presented at the show floor that can actually fly in the air and drive underwater*.

The karts themselves weren’t being driven at the show, but you will be able to watch them in full use on TV on an episode of  Inside West Coast Customs in early 2012. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the crew in the body shop loves Mario and Mario Kart, and that at least some of them are living the dream building the first real driveable karts.

It was really surprising to see Reggie fit in the car. Christen barely fit in himself, and he’s just over 6′. Reggie didn’t exactly slide out though, as you may imagine.

Mario Kart 7 releases for the Nintendo 3DS on December 4th.

*”Note that while the gliders and propellers on the in-game go-karts let players soar through the air or drive underwater, these real-life karts do not. Trust us on this one.” – Nintendo Press Release

Chevy’s Spark minicar is becoming an electric vehicle come 2013, which is GM’s first full EV since their EV1. The Spark EV joins Chey’s growing electric vehicles that includes the Volt extended-range EV and the 2013 Malibu Eco with eAssist technology.

Chevy plans to start out the new EV model of the Spark with limited production offering in select countries with the American market being one of the chosen few. The advanced nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs that will power the Spark EV will come from A123 Systems. These batteries supposedly utilize nanoparticles to increase the battery cell’s storage surface area, facilitating quicker storage and release of electrons. No information on its driving range, recharge time, battery size or other performance specs have been announced yet, with details being released closer to the launch date GM executives mention.

GM is also keeping a tight lip on details like pricing, where the new EV will be built and other interesting specs. However, by the looks of pictures, it seems that the Spark EV will have a some exterior styling differences than the standard spark, but, again, no real information has been released.

There are already many EVs on the market already, with Tesla and Nissan being the bigger names in the game, but electric vehicles from other auto brands like Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Kia are in the works. Looks like we’ll be seeing a battle of the EVs in the coming years!

Volkswagen showed off its new 2013 E-Up! at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s a city car that sports that will first be made in gasoline form, but will soon include an electric drivetrain by 2012. VW is calling it a “giant among small cars,” as it measures 39.4 inches long and 64.6 inches wide, making it a bit narrower than a Mini Cooper hardtop. Although it’s tiny, the interior will comfortably fit four passengers and still have room for cargo space (you get even more if you fold the rear seats up!).

Under the hood is an electric motor that supplies the propulsive power for the concept car. Propelling it to a top speed of 184 mph, the electric engine produces a continuous output of 54 hp with a peak of 80 hp. The nearly silent electric motors also develops a maximum torque of 155 lb.-ft. of torque. Drivers can activate the forward or reverse gear by a pushbutton that’s stored on the center console of the vehicle’s interior.

As for the battery capacity, it’s said to be 18 kilowatt-hours (kWh), which allows for about 80 miles of driving between charging (all depending on how you drive though). The batteries are located in the underbody of the vehicle, while all other key driving components are located in the front engine compartment.

As for its styling cues, the E-Up! features a very distinctive design at its front end, which is its arc-shaped layout of the LED daytime running lights in the bumper. It also has an upper engine cooling air slot that’s between the headlights and the VW logo, which is covered by a chrome trim strip due to narrow air intake slots above and below the license plate serve to cool the drive system of the car.

We’re in love with the Tesla S.  Here’s hoping they provide us with a review unit (imagine us begging and pleading on our knees).

If this model wasn’t enough green tech for us to gush over, Elon Musk, the car company’s CEO, announced earlier this week that they’ll launch a Sport version, which rockets the car from 0-60 in a reported 4.4-4.6 seconds.  Fast?  You bet, though the standard S accomplishes this feat in 5.5 seconds, so which ever one you end up with your penchant for speed will surely be satiated.

Apparently, 1 second comes at a cost.  More specifically $25,000, making the final cost, before rebates $80,000.  However, Tesla will toss in a set of aerodynamic wheels and their largest battery pack allowing you to drive up to 320 miles on a single charge.

These speeds are relatively unorthodox in a sedan vehicle.  Fold in the ability to transport up to 7 passengers without sacraficing storage and you’ve got the world’s best electric car with some balls behind it.  And let’s not forget about those massive LCD screens on the dash and center console.

Known for their aftermarket creations, BRABUS has decided to get into the electric car game and debuted a high-performance 4WD full electric prototype at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September. While they didn’t create the car from the ground up, they did use a Mercedes-Benz E-Class as the base unit for their prototype.

BRABUS usually tries to boost the power of what they’ve chosen to tune, but this time, they’ve totally replaced the E-Class’ gasoline engine and replaced it with only electronic hardware. But they’re not putting any ordinary hardware in; they’re replacing it with High Performance stuff. This refers to the E’s very impressive 429 horsepower and 2,360 lb.-ft. of torque. But it’s 4WD label implies that each of its wheels is fitted with a Protean electric motor, which are lightweight, thus making them perfectly suited for the project since BRABUS likes to keep their creations. Light. Each 330-volt motor produces a peak power output of 80 kW, which fit inside of some 19-inch BRABUS Monoblock Q wheels that were added for better styling and handling.

The car  can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds. It can also go from 37-74 mph in 5 seconds, which is quicker than a Mercedes-Benz E 500 4Matic.The prototype also packs a 56-kWh lithium-ion battery that allows the BRABUS electric vehicle a range of 150 miles. But when used in Eco mode, each motor produces only 50 kW (instead of 80 kW), the range increases to about 217 miles (if the car is going 62 mph). BRABUS says the prototype tops out at 137 mph in Sport mode, or 118 mph in Eco mode. For charging on the road at any normal 220 V AC outlet or on a 380 V three-phase outlet the car is equipped with an integrated charger that recharges the batteries fully in five hours.

But because BRABUS not only does performance upgrades, but also exterior modifications, they’ve added some aluminum front sport fenders with integrated clear-coated carbon-fiber inserts that create a very sporty look, while some side skirts calm the airflow between the wheel wells and feature highly convenient, visually striking LED entrance lights. The interior features a special instrument cluster, which provides the most essential information about the battery, the electric motors and other driving parameters such as speed etc. They’ve also added a ergonomically-shaped sport steering wheel and aluminum pedals and footrest add sporty highlights. Stainless-steel scuff plates with backlit BRABUS High Performance 4WD Full Electric logo and velour floor mats sporting the identical marks are further exclusive accessories.

BRAUBUS hasn’t released any info on price or availability, leaving the automotive world to wonder if they will indeed bring their prototype to life.

We’ve all done it.  Opened the garage and drove out only to forget to close it.  Go back and you’ll be late for work, but alternatively you’ll spend your day consumed by images of the neighbor’s kid and his degenerate friends dismantling your home at the screws with your very own power tools.  However, chances are you didn’t leave the garage open, but wouldn’t you like the piece of mind to know you didn’t?

The Craftsman Assurelink Garage Door Openers does that and more.  It connects to your home’s Internet (hopefully wirelessly) and allows you to access its controls on your iPhone or Android device.  So provided you’ve got an Internet connection, you can open/close your garage from just about anywhere and check to see if you left it wide open.

While it might seem like a pricey prospect for opening your car’s hanger bay, Craftsman also includes a motion detector that automatically turns on the lights, a wireless key entry keypad, a timer function to automatically close the door and an energy efficient sleep mode to save on energy.

For some added scratch, $310+, you can pick up a version that includes a backup battery in case a rolling blackout is deployed, otherwise expect to drop $275.

Getting busted for texting on your iPhone while driving is slim at best, but this iPad mount, called the Valet Seat Bolt Mount for iPad, all but guarantees a hefty fine from the strong arm of the law for using your iPad while operating a motor vehicle.

The Valet Seat Bolt Mount for iPad is made from carbon fiber, which supposedly will reduce vibrations and shaking, or at the very least appeal to the tuner heads out there.  A hinge allows you to control the height, while the mount looks to use a ball and socket design enabling you to rotate the iPad 360 degrees.  Remove the iPad holder and the arm can be folded out of the way, though it will obstruct the passenger’s leg room.

Now, the major crux of any smartphone, let alone car iPad mount is the installation.  Those silly dual sided stickers never last and mar the interior of your vehicle when and if you remove it.  However, The Joy Factory says that this system is simple to install thanks to a Snap-n-Roll design, which can be installed by just “Snap it in and go”.  We know it mounts below the car’s seat, but onto what isn’t detailed on the product page.

In addition to an unclear mounting method, we also don’t know if the Valet Seat Bolt Mount for iPad is iPad 2 or just iPad 1 compatible.  Joy Factory says “Versatile iPad In-car Retractable Carbon Fiber Seat Bolt Mount (First Generation)” so safe to assume they’re still working on a mount for the iPad 2.

You can purchase the Valet Seat Bolt Mount for iPad for $149.95.