Those of Los Angeles' much-vaunted and desperately-hip Westside can now shop for their EVs in a new 10,000-square foot showroom owned by Tesla, the troubled Northern California electric vehicle-builder. Tesla employees, not commissioned salespeople, will also staff the facility, opened on May 1st. Located at the heavily-trafficked corner of Santa Monica and Sepulveda Boulevards, one of the most-clogged intersections in the entire city, Tesla says (still) that the best is yet to come. Like actual cars.

[SOURCE: THE CARNUT - READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]

GM says it is investing in a company that makes ethanol economically out of nonfood plant matter. The investment in Boston-based Mascoma comes at a time when the whole ethanol industry, as well as the U.S. government, is under fire for pushing ethanol too fast when it can only be made from corn on a mass scale. That policy has helped drive up the cost of corn, as well as food, and helped, many argue, drive food shortages in developing countries. GM President Fritz Henderson said the investment in the company is because of its "best-in-class microorganisms and enzymes could lead a transformation to a new era of biofuels."

It looks like BMW will begin rolling out its in-car internet system to markets outside of Germany sooner than expected, according to Automotive News. ConnectedDrive offers unrestricted access to the Web through the EDGE network, one of the faster mobile connections on the planet, and while backseat passengers can surf while on the go, front seat occupants will have to keep their speed under 5 kph if they want to check their favorite websites. BMW is setting up the system so that unlimited access will cost customers 15 euros each month...

\r\nThe 2009 Dodge Journey combines the best of a\r\npassenger car, a SUV and a mini van. Weather you have a family ready to got on\r\na road trip or need to hall things around town you will love the storage space and\r\nseating possibilities. Most people care about safety and the Dodge Journey has\r\ngot airbags, rear backup camera and much more. What will really get you is the price of\r\nthis amazing iron. With so many features and benefits people really seem to love this vehicle. \r\n

This is either the stupidest idea ever or the most brilliant co-promotion for two brands in the history of mankind. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, the distributor of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue across the pond, and Nissan are joining forces to host a competition that could place a really good gamer behind the seat of a real Nissan 350Z at a very real 24-hour endurance race in Dubai. The competition is called GT Academy, and the first round will be an online GT5 Prologue tournament hosted on the PLAYSTATION Network (for Europeans only, we presume). Based on the picture provided, it appears that entrants will be racing a Nissan GT-R in a special livery when the competition begins later this month. The rest of the competition will span some eight months, at the end of which the winner will receive a four-month training program to earn actual racing licenses. With his or her newfound knowledge of real physics and how actual damage occurs, the winner will then be given a stint behind the wheel of a Nissan 350Z in the 24-hour endurance race in Dubai.

Based on the press release after the jump, we're a little unclear exactly how GT Academy will whittle down all of these entrants over eight months or how much driving the winner will actually be doing in Dubai. Having raced GT5 Prologue online using the PLAYSTATION Network, we can't imagine qualifying is going to be a pretty sight. There are always plenty of jerks willing to brake late in a corner and buddy bump you into the wall regardless of the game's imposed penalties, especially if they know that seat time in a real 350Z is beyond their own reach.

[SOURCE: autoblog.com VIA Nissan, SCEE READ THE FULL ARTICLE] 

With gloomy weather and poor driving conditions in the rear view mirror, April is the perfect time to give your vehicle a thorough spring cleaning. To help maintain that new car shine through spring and summer, Meguiar's, the century-old leader in vehicle appearance care, presents the "Dirty Dozen" car care myths, and the real facts on how to keep your vehicle looking its best.

Myth 1: Dishwashing detergent is safe to use as car wash. Absolutely Not! Dishwashing detergents remove everything from your paint finish!
Myth 2: Washing and cleaning are the same.
They sound similar, but are vastly different.
Myth 3: If it looks shiny, the cleaning process can be skipped. Not until you complete a thorough physical and visual evaluation of your paint finish.

This year's auto-show season threw up a rich crop of cars that are never likely to make it to production in this decade. 

But who knows what features future cars will have? Solar panels? Mood-sensors? Video-game controls? Built-in Segways?...

Check out the Future Car cnet slideshow...

[SOURCE: cnet.com READ THE FULL ARTICLE] 

Like politics, American big business has its "great families" and its "great characters". And its "great stories" ... This is one of them. In the auto industry, the names Kerkorian, York, Iacocca, Eaton, Lutz and Perot have all had long and strong connections to every one of the Detroit Three, connections several decades long. This week, all those connections again came to light as Kirk Kerkorian's company started buying-up 20-million more shares of Ford (he already owns 100-million shares, almost 8% of the whole company) and advising Ford's CEO, Alan Mulally (a Detroit newcomer), to sell-off that company's Volvo and Mercury divisions.

[READ THE FULL ARTICLE]