Alex Nunez
LA Auto Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Nissan

Click image for photo gallery

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/design/Leakage_2009_Nissan_Murano_pics_hit_the_web’; Ahead of its planned LA Auto Show debut, Nissan’s 2009 Murano is doing the sneak preview thing courtesy of the NICOclub forums where these pics originated. They’ve since been GM Inside News and FreshAlloy.com, as well. Clearly not wanting to mess with success, the CUV’s general overall shape, as well as that of its side glass, is fundamentally the same. The ‘09 gets more muscular, Rogue-ish wheel flares, taillamps that extend into the rear hatch, and a new front end that makes silver Muranos look kinda like the updated Cylon centurions from Battlestar Galactica. We don’t get a good view of the passenger cabin, other than to see a panoramic roof is obviously an option. Hopefully the current car’s chintzy-looking gauge cluster got flushed in the revamp, too.

[Source: NICOclub.com]

Gallery: 2009 Nissan Murano

Source: Leakage: ‘09 Nissan Murano pics hit the forums

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German automaker Volkswagen has set a new sales record for commercial vehicles with 356,000 units in the first nine months of the year (January to September), an increase of 11.4 per cent compared to 319,650 vehicles sold in the same period in 2006. According to VW, this has increased total turnover by 12.1 percent to €6.6 billion or $9.7 million.

Stephan Schaller, CEO of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said: ‘Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is on the fast track to a record year. The strong demand in the summer months delivered additional volume rather than purchases that have been brought forward. We stay optimistic for the rest of the year.’

Source: Volkswagen: Record Sales For Commercial Vehicles

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We like seeing design proposals. We like them even if there’s a bigger chance of hell freezing than seeing them going into production. Cause lets be honest here; Lancia had a hard time putting the Delta HPE in production (expected in 2008), let alone introduce a successor to the butt-ugly and complete market failure, the Thesis. Still, Infomotori’s proposition for a possible return of Lancia Thema nameplate (introduced in the mid 80’s) in the form of an aggressive and stylish sport sedan, does tickle our senses. -More pics after the jump

Source: Infomotori , Via: Autoblog.it

Source: 2010 Lancia Thema Proposal

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Eric

The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY has inducted its newest member into the Toy Hall of Fame.  Five years after Raggedy Anne became a member of the collection of classic toys, her brother, Raggedy Andy, joined the group. 

The official website of the Strong National Museum of Play describes the museum’s mission:  “Strong National Museum of Play is an exciting, hands-on, welcoming place to play, learn, and dream; a place to pretend, wonder, and explore; a place to discover the past and imagine the future; and a place to rekindle memories and make new ones.”

If seeing classic toys is something you want to do, but you don’t live near Rochester, NY, why not check out DFW Elite Toy Museum in the Dallas – Fort Worth area?  The DFW Elite Toy Museum, founded by Ron Sturgeon, owner of DFW Elite Auto Rental and DFW Elite Car Club, has an impressive collection of automotive-related toys. 

“I hope you will enjoy the collection,” says Sturgeon on the DFW Elite Toy Museum website.  “It’s been my pleasure to open it up to my friends on display here at my business.”  Included in the DFW Elite Toy Museum collection are tin cars, radio-controlled dragsters, pedal cars and carousel cars, and construction equipment toys. 

The Strong National Museum of Play Toy Hall of Fame includes classics we all remember from our childhood.  According to the Strong National Museum website, “the following 36 toys have made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame: Alphabet Blocks, Barbie®, Bicycle, Candy Land®, Cardboard Box, Checkers, Crayola® Crayons, Duncan® Yo-Yo, Easy-Bake® Oven, Erector® Set, Etch A Sketch®, Frisbee®, G.I. Joe®, Hula Hoop®, Jack-in-the-Box, Jacks, Jigsaw Puzzle, Jump Rope, LEGO®, Lionel® Trains, Lincoln Logs®, Marbles, Monopoly®, Mr. Potato Head®, Play-Doh®, Radio Flyer® Wagon, Raggedy Ann™, Rocking Horse, Roller Skates, SCRABBLE®, Silly Putty®, Slinky®, Teddy Bear, Tinkertoy®, Tonka® Trucks, and View-Master®.”

Raggedy Andy will not be the only new member of the Toy Hall of Fame.  “Thursday’s other winners spanned the extremes of high- and low-tech,” reports the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.  “The Atari 2600 game system burst on the market in 1977, just in time for young video addicts to try Pac-Man, Space Invaders and more. The kite swooped down on Chinese youngsters 3,000 years earlier.”

Source: Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, NY Inducts Three New Toys

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Despite every automotive blog on the planet running the same story with the same picture (right), we have not witnessed the first signs of the JCW Clubman. The image above is actually an official press photo issued by BMW of Germany to show-off some of the JCW accessories available for the upcoming Clubman. In fact it’s the same photo we wrote about a few months back.

The accessories shown on this car are the exact same ones you can buy for the current R56 and they do not include the dealer installed engine kit, suspension kit or even the aero kit. Instead they’re simply a limited collection of basically whatever happens to fit on the Clubman.

So for those waiting for real news on the JCW Clubman, here’s a little nugget for you. The dealer JCW kit (the Stage I) hasn’t yet been approved for the Clubman. MINI is currently studying whether or not it’s worth the effort to produce given the number of potential sales. But before you count out a JCW Clubman altogether - remember, this is the same company that created this.

Written By: Gabe

Source: Is This the JCW Clubman? Guess Again

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By Matt Calkins
Nov 08, 2007

Petty Enterprises recently announced that it will be moving its NASCAR shop 70 miles from Level Cross, N. C., to Mooresville, N. C., to be closer to the center of racing in the Charlotte area.

As for Kyle Petty, he traveled a little bit farther Wednesday to give hot laps for a group of businessmen at California Speedway in Fontana as a favor to track president Gillian Zucker.

In the car, the 47-year-old usually goes in circles. Outside the car, Petty’s a pretty straight shooter.

Read the full story

Source: Petty offers view from driver’s seat

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John Neff
Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Volkswagen

When Volkswagen unveiled its new 50 state-certified Jetta 2.0L Clean Diesel TDI back in January, the company line was that the car would be available in the spring of 2008. We’ve been impatiently waiting because we’re excited by the prospect of diesel engines penetrating the U.S. market again, and no other vehicle could do more for the cause than the relatively inexpensive Jetta TDI. Now comes word from the TDI Club forums that the diesel sedan will be further delayed until late summer 2008 because of a “technical issue that was found during the later stages of durability testing.”

The news comes via an email sent by VW to its dealers, who are reportedly disappointed that they’ll have to wait even longer for this highly anticipated car. Brandweek cites one dealer who claims that three out of every five calls he receives is about the Jetta TDI.

The fact is, the U.S. now has the strictest emissions standards for diesel powerplants, and if an automaker wants to sell its diesel-powered vehicle in all 50 states, it has to meet the even stricter standards set forth by the California Air Resources Board. The complexity that must be involved to achieve this feat is likely considerable, especially without the use of a urea injection system. Hopefully, it’ll be worth the wait.

[Source: TDI Club via Brandweek]

Source: VW Jetta TDI delayed until late summer 2008

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Dan Roth
Time Warp, Sports/GTs, Etc., Japan, Videos, Nissan

It was a life changing experience, coming across that pearl white 300ZX Turbo one warm summer evening. It was the first car that I ever photographed with a zoom lens, staving off boredom waiting for some fireworks to start. The Nissan Z cars had already been well established for a generation by the time I shot it on that July night back in the early ’90s. This car, however, etched itself into my psyche in an instant.

Follow the jump to revel in the early ’90s with us and view one of the best car ads ever.

Gallery: Nissan Z32

The early ’90s were a time of great promise for buyers of overtly sporting cars. There were incredibly capable (and horrifically uncomfortable) new F-Bodys growling around, the RX-7 was in its third generation and sported twin sequential turbochargers, Toyota was still building the Supra, and everyone was dumping big old helpings of high-tech into their performance cars.

Contemporaries to the 300ZX were cars such as the Mitsubishi 3000GT and the aforementioned RX-7. Both the Nissan and the Mitsu had 4-wheel steering setups, turbocharged V6 engines with four valves per cylinder, and the 3000GT also had all-wheel drive that offered the advantage of traction yet with the handicap of weight. The Z32 version of the Nissan Z-car was the né-plus-ultra of its series, and until we got the 350Z it was the final gasp of what started out as the 240Z way back when.

Street parked neatly with its standard T-tops stowed in the cargo area, the particular Z that caught my fancy some 15 years ago shone like a diamond along a thoroughfare lined with late-70s Malibus, Stanzas, and the occasional slightly-sporty-but-mostly-dorky Turbo Probe. That pearl white exterior was complemented nicely by a tan-hued passenger compartment. At once, the lines were clean and purposeful without being flamboyant, almost reminiscent of a Porsche 944 but not in the direct-lift way that the second generation RX-7 was. The looks have aged well, and given the choice between a 1995 300ZX Turbo and a 2005 350Z, I’d pick the ‘95 on looks alone.

I keep coming back to the scene of the Z on the street in my formative years, because it’s the same type of story you’ll get from a Baby Boomer, only they’ll be reminiscing about the first time they saw a split-window Corvette. These early-90s-near-supercars occupy the same status for some of us. You can’t argue with all of the accolades that the Z32 received, either. Buff-books happily showered the Z32 with praise and positions on many “best-lists.”

The 1990 300ZX was a clean-sheet rethink of what had become more of a pleasantly capable GT by the time the R31 300ZX came online in 1983. The R31 heralded a new V6 powerplant, the VG series V6; the first Nissan bent-six that made us swoon. The VG was in everything from the Maxima to the Infiniti J30. Wearing dual overhead cam cylinder heads for 1990, the VG30DETT nestled down under the sloping hood of the 300ZX. Fed by twin turbochargers blowing through a pair of intercoolers, the three liter engine pounded out 100hp/liter. Even now, 300 horsepower isn’t anything to sneeze at, but at a time when the Z28 was laying down 275 horsepower from an LT1, a 300 horsepower V6 was heady stuff.

Technology was all over the ‘90 Z cars. Two-position variable valve timing, which advanced the intake cams at low engine speeds, smoothing out the idle and offering improved torque. All four wheels steered, either via the hydraulic HICAS system, or the much lighter electrically-actuated Super HICAS setup that appeared on later models. After the Buick Grand National terrorized roads everywhere with a single AiResearch huffer hung off the 231 V6, the 300ZX gets our vote for baddest of badass turbo V6 cars that you stand a chance of ever buying. A quick check of eBay shows prices in the $5-12,000 dollar range for something that’s not a basket case. The good thing about the Zs is that they’re popular, so there’s lots of aftermarket and enthusiast support, unlike some other more esoteric choices.

The Zs weren’t a screaming bargain, ringing up for around $30,000, a sum that still remains more than I want to spend on a car and entirely out of my reach when I was in high school. That price bought you a car that was attractive, able to run with the big dogs and well assembled. The 300ZX Turbo was and is a well-rounded package for the money. There were better handlers, faster competition, even competitors with more seductive lines, but the Z did just about everything well, and it was liveable, too. Besides, the Z had one of the best car commercials ever, with Barbie jilting Ken for GI Joe in a Z, set to Van Halen. That right there likely sold a good many Zs.

Click here to view past Future Classic features.

Source: Future Classic: 1990 Nissan 300ZX Turbo

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Xavier Navarro
Filed under: Etc., Ethanol, Green Culture, Solar, Green Daily

It seems to be no doubt that Green energy is quite a hot sector these days, although people in the industry might be wise not to be pushing for a dot.com kind of mentality/burst. Such is the statement of the ASES (American Solar Energy Society) who states that “as many as 1 out of 4 workers in the U.S. will be working in the renewable energy or energy efficiency industries by 2030″.

The report includes really positive forecasts for 2030. Let’s highlight a few:

• Green energy could generate up to $4.5 trillion in revenue in the US, although an adequate public policy will be required.
• Up to 40 million jobs could be related to renewable energy, which include not only engineering, but indirect jobs such as accountancy, management, and construction.
• Renewable energy and energy efficiency already generate $1 trillion revenue, contributing $150 billion in tax revenue.
• Currently, the biggest part of this trillion comes from energy efficiency (insulation, recycling, newer appliances) but the renewable energy is rising more quickly.
• Solar, wind and ethanol are considered the hottest areas of growth.

ASES created the report to work as a guide for political leaders to attract renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses and jobs. You can download the PDF here.

[Source: ASES]

Source: ASES Report: 40 Million ‘Green Collar Jobs’ by 2030

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As usual, Ford has mysteriously released images of a new model without updating their press site or revealing any details. Anyway, following our first report on the redesigned 2008 Focus ST, we’ve updated our image gallery with six new pictures featuring the five-door version of Ford’s hot hatch. From what we know, there are no mechanical changes as the new ST uses the same 220 Hp 2.5L turbo unit as the current model. Changes include the redesigned front and rear end along with the slightly revised interior. -Pics after the jump

Source: 2008 Ford Focus ST: Image Gallery Update

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