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J.D. Power has released its 2009 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study, which rates Jaguar as the highest-ranked luxury vehicle and Mercury as the top mass-market make. The index focuses on the new-vehicle purchase experience, as defined by dealership facility, salesperson, paperwork and financing process, delivery process, and vehicle price. The survey highlights dealer salespeople's improved quality, no doubt spurred by the need to be extra attentive to car buyers in a down car market.

"In this difficult economy, dealerships are working particularly hard to close sales, but need to be attentive to customers without exerting unwanted sales pressure ...

We have posted many a Nurburgring video here before and probably will keep doing so as long as gasoline floweth in our veins. However, this video is a little different. Unlike the usual driver’s view, silent-but-for-engine-noise clips, this one is narrated by Ring expert Dirk Schoysman who has put in over 14,000 laps around the famed track (equivalent to driving around the world seven times). He explains how different areas of the track test the various components of a test car as Chris R from Pistonheads goes along for the ride.

As an interesting addendum, Dirk switches places ...

Fresh from winning MotorTrend’s Car of the Year award with the Fusion, Ford Motor Company received more good news today. In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) annual Top Safety Picks test, Ford leads the list with six vehicles, including four models from its Swedish subsidiary Volvo. Subaru and Volkswagen/Audi came in second with five vehicles each. Troubled Chrysler was third with four models on the list.

The bigger new, perhaps, concerns a company whose vehicles did not make the cut: Toyota. While Toyota and its Lexus and Scion brands were named for 11 safety picks ...

A while ago, a hoax video appeared on the intertubes in which a young man drove his Honda Civic using his iPhone. Leave it to the Germans to make that joke a reality!
Engineers at the Freie Universität Berlin have created the "Spirit of Berlin", a completely autonomous vehicle that can be driven remotely using an iPhone. The iPhone app taps into the vehicle’s drive-by-wire system via powerful computers onboard to achieve this futuristic feat.

However, the tinkerers did not stop there. If desired, the Spirit of Berlin can drive itself to a location programmed into its GPS ...

Finally, some good news for at least two of the players in Detroit. Ford has posted a $1B Q3 operating profit ($997M to be exact), thus turning a profit for the first time in more than a year. This welcome news is paired with a 3% increase in year-to-year October sales for the Blue Oval.

Cross-town rival GM can also enjoy an upturn in its fortunes, announcing a 5% increase in year-to-year October sales. Conversely, Chrysler is struggling mightily, down a whopping 30% since last October. While FIAT is hard at work preparing what the industry calls product "synergies", no ...

If you follow technology news, you already know that Google has been working hard to dethrone the iPhone as the market's darling smartphone. A big step forward is the Motorola Droid powered by the 2.0 version of Google's mobile operating system, Android. The big news for you drivers, though, is the free, turn-by-turn navigation system Google is offering on the Droid and future Android 2.0 devices.

This new offering seems quite powerful, if the accompanying video below is anything to go by. In addition to the already-familiar Google Maps, the navigation system has voice-activated search, voice-guided ...

Consumer Reports has released its annual reliability reports, and the big winner is Ford. No, Ford does not trounce the Asian brands outright, which still lead the way overall. However, a large majority of its products - about 90% - find themselves at average or above average for reliability. Consumer Reports states that Ford has made the most progress of any major automaker and is the only American maker that competes with the Asian brands in terms of world-class reliability. The Fusion even outscores the class benchmarks, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Ford looks even better when compared to its cross-town ...

If you love cars, you surely consider the actual production a special process. Things get even more special when the object of production is an exotic car, say a Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV.

The National Geographic channel has just started airing its new series of Ultimate Factories, kicking things off by following the production of a Lamborghini Murcielago SV. We have the videos for you below.

The Lamborghini special will be followed tomorrow by a by Rolls-Royce episode, with Camaro and Porsche episodes coming soon:

ULTIMATE FACTORIES: ROLLS-ROYCE
Thursday, October 8 at 8PM ET/PT

ULTIMATE FACTORIES: CAMARO ...

The guys at MotorTrend recently gathered 10 fantastic cars in their first ever Best Driver's Car competition. Rather than focus on track performance numbers as a ranking mechanism, MotorTrend has focused their test on discovering which car offers the most accessible performance, day in, day out.

The cars in the lineup are all very talented machines, so even die-hard car nuts should theoretically have a hard time guessing which one comes out on top.

The contenders are:

- Audi R8
- BMW 135i
- Cadillac CTS-V
- Chevrolet Camaro SS
- Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1
- Ford Shelby GT500
- Jaguar XFR
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Nissan Nismo ...

Ummm.....no comment.

In order to celebrate its 50th anniversary and its contributions to automotive safety, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has crashed a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air head-on against a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu with dramatic results. IIHS devised this crash in order to demonstrate the advances in crash-worthiness that have taken place since it began independently testing cars fifty years ago.

As you can see in this graphic and eye-opening video, the '59 Bel Air is decimated by the modern Malibu. IIHS engineers overseeing the crash reported that the Malibu's driver would have sustained minor knee injuries, while the ...

What's a Friday without some fun? We have your car fun fix here, with a new TopGear behind the scenes outtakes video. Nuff said, happy Friday to you all.

[Source: TopGear]

Winner's circle
Now that August sales are behind us, a mixed picture emerges of the state of auto sales in the US. Ford's light vehicle sales rose by 17.2%, the largest boost the company has enjoyed since July 2005. The Ford Focus and Escape were particularly strong sellers.

Honda's light vehicle sales went up by 9.9%, while rival Toyota's sales gained 6.4%, the largest increase for the Japanese giant since June 2007. Toyota's German challenger Volkswagen Group saw an 11.4% increase. On the premium side of the market, the most notable ...

Road & Track has done a pretty good job of selecting five cars they wish were available for sale in the US. It's a pretty good list so we thought we would reproduce it here. However, we disagree a bit with R&T's ranking:

Road & Track’s ranking:
1)    Nissan GT-R Spec V
2)    Ford Focus RS
3)    Audi TT RS
4)    Aston Martin V12 Vantage
5)    VW Scirocco

rightpedal's ranking:
1)    Nissan GT-R Spec V
2)    Aston Martin V12 Vantage
3)    Ford Focus RS
4)    Audi TT RS
5)    VW Scirocco

Why can’t we get these ...

Put this is the 'random Friday afternoon video' file. This incredible video shows how a turntable barrier absolutely chews a big truck into smithereens. So now you know what can happen to any criminal dumb enough to try and pass one of these things.

[Source: Motormouths.com]

You are doubtless among the literally millions of people who have watched Ken Block's ungodly gymkhana videos (click here and here for a refresher).

Thanks to naughty car fans, we bring you this clip from a recent TopGear video in which James May, aka, Captain Slow, jumps into Block's passenger seat. Words are not enough, so we'll let you watch now.

[Source: YouTube]

If you read car magazines and blogs regularly, you will know that Nissan and Porsche are locked in a bitter feud over whose flagship sports car is faster around the Nürburgring: the Nissan GTR or the Porsche 911 GT2? Porsche unbelievably accuses Nissan of making times up, but Nissan keeps going back with an updated GTR to set new times. So far, the fastest GT-R time is 7:26:70, while the fastest GT2 time is 7:32.02 set by none other than rally legend Walter Röhrl.

Here is the latest GTR video in the hands of ...

There have been rumors that Jay Leno would be the guest 'star in a reasonably priced car' on TopGear. Jay was recently in the UK to attend, among other things, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the star-studded launch of the new Jaguar XJ.

Watch this little snippet from Jay Leno's Garage, confirming that Jay will indeed be on an episode of TopGear. We CANNOT wait to see how fast his lap was.

[Source: Jay Leno's Garage]

It is one thing when editors of car magazines and blogs recommend their favorite cars. These people (yours truly included) are often much more nuanced when it comes to rating a car's positive attributes and more often that not, are biased toward sports or sporty cars. It is another thing entirely when real-world car owners make recommendations based on their own first-hand ownership experiences.

The annual AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards address this very topic. 25,000 owners of new cars purchased between September and December 2008 responded to this year's eight-page questionnaire which covers 48 vehicle attributes. From ...

A good automotive brain teaser for you to start your Fourth of July weekend: can you guess what this car is? We don't yet know either but have been googling car interiors to figure it out. Share your guesses with us below.

[Source: Autocar via Youtube]

And here's our home country's list. American automotive journalists will be voting fro the following cars and trucks for the 2010 North American Car/Truck of the Year awards, respectively. Last year, the impressive Hyundai Genesis took the car award, while the venerable Ford F-150 took home the truck award.

As you can see below, BMW and Ford have a remarkable four cars each spread across both categories! Ford actually beats BMW if you count the Lincoln MKT, which is in fact a Ford (does Ford really want to admit to that, though?!)

Candidates for the 2010 North ...

A consortium of European automotive journalists has selected candidates of the 2010 Car of the Year award. Last year, the surprisingly good Opel/Vauxhall Insignia won the award.

As per the award's website, the contenders 'must be new models available in at least five European countries at the time of voting, with foreseeable minimum sales of 5,000 per year.' Here is the list:

• BMW Z4
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Citroen C3 Picasso
• Ford Ka
• Honda Insight
• Hyundai i20
• Hyundai ix55
• Kia Sorento
• Kia Soul
• Land Rover Discovery IV
• Lexus RX 450h
• Mazda3
• Mercedes E-Class
• Mitsubishi Colt
• Nissan 370Z
• Nissan Cube ...

Mercedes-Benz the brand has always been synonymous with safety. The company is in fact responsible for many safety breakthroughs including front and rear crumple zones, anti-lock braking (ABS) and traction control. Within this context, the S400 Hybrid called the Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF in German), a rolling demonstrator of the company's safety technology, is right at home.

The novel technologies being shown in this demo car include the braking bag, a panel that juts out underneath the car in the case of emergency stops and reduces speed through the creation of additional drag. The system also prevents the car ...

Itching to buy that Nissan GT-R but wondering how much it would cost to insure? Thanks to researchers at Insure.com, who have compiled a list of the most and least expensive 2009 cars to insure, you now know. At an average premium of $2,533, the GT-R is the most expensive car in the country to insure.

BMW, which always seems to have several cars in top anything lists, wins again here by having four of its cars featured on the most expensive list. But at least, its M3 costs less to insure than a Chevrolet Cobalt SS!

Below ...

And you thought the Camaro in Transformers was cool: the Dodge Vapor (that is one hell of a cool name) and Ford X-1 you see here have been commissioned by the US Air Force as recruiting tools for young Americans. And no, you are not being punk'd!

While we doubt either of these vehicles will ever be used in combat - even though we can imagine young enemy combatants dropping their guns in awe when these cars roll into town - the Air Force has seen it fit to equip the Vapor with radar-absorbing paint, carbon fiber wheels, and a 360 ...

As promised, here is part 2 of DC Shoes co-founder Ken Block's follow-up to his immensely popular gymkhana obstacle driving video. For part deux, Block drives a 566hp Impreza prepared by Crawford Performance.

The filming is beautiful, and the driving.....well.....leaves us speechless.

[Source: YouTube]

At the time of posting, this video has been viewed 5,338,556 times. That should be enough of a context, just watch it! Trust me.

The driver in this Gymkhana video is Ken Block, co-founder of DC Shoes.  Due to the overwhelming popularity of this first video, Block is set to introduce a follow-up in a new car on June 1. He has set the bar quite high for himself, so we cannot wait to see part 2.

[Source: Autoblog]

Today, I am allowing myself to regress to my inner boy – how can I not after seeing the work of one Firas Abu-Jaber, who must surely be a wizard in the world of Lego? What you see in these pictures is a snap shot of his world of Lego cars. Even after poring over pictures of the detailed creations, Firas’ creativity with these crude plastic bricks is mind-boggling. I mean, he even made the engines! The man must have the patience of a saint. It is one thing to create miniature cars or engines from scratch, but another thing entirely ...

This is one of those cases where a picture is worth a thousand words: Sara Watson, a design student from the University of Central Lancashire in the UK, has transformed a junkyard Skoda to an incredible work of illusion art. Yes, that’s right, Sara has painted the car such that it seems to meld into its background parking lot – no magic tricks here!

From what we can recall here at rightpedal World Headquarters, this is the single coolest piece of car art we have ever seen. Great job Sara!

[Source: BBC]

Let the arguing begin: a panel of legendary car designers assembled by Classic & Sports Car magazine has voted the 1955 Citroën DS the most beautiful car of all time. And when we say “legendary car designers”, we mean Leonardo Fioravanti, Marcello Gandini, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and Gordon Murray among others. These men themselves are responsible for a selection of the most achingly-desirable cars in history.

“The Citroën is a benchmark design, but we were still astonished that it came out on top when you look at the sexiness – and values – of some of its rivals,” said James Elliott, editor ...

Today at the exclusive TED conference, where Bill Gates, Pierre Omidyar and the Google twins go every year to wonder at how smart they and their friends all are, Mission Motor Company debuted the exceptionally-beautiful Mission One, a 150mph electric motorcycle that has a range of 150 miles. Yes, this is the Tesla of motorcycles, with an equally for-the-rich-only price tag of $68,995 for the first 50, limited-edition models coming to the market in 2010.

The bike has only one speed and is propelled by a lithium-ion battery, just like the Tesla. In fact, Founder and CEO Forrest North ...

Take a look at a sneak-peak of the commercial Audi has planned for the Superbowl, starring the decidedly typecast but badass Jason Statham. While others backed out of this most-coveted airtime, Audi is stepping in, just like it did at the Detroit Auto Show, to continue nurturing its seemingly unstoppable brand awareness campaign.

[Source: worldcarfans via youtube]

In case you were not watching the Presidential parade yesterday, the world got to see our 44th President's new limo. It's built by Cadillac and understandably, no one is allowed to know much about it. Rumor has it that USA-1 has a massive, truck-derived diesel engine. Check out the pictures in this Autoblog entry; you will be able to see that the door is more like that of a bank vault. What struck me is how much taller this new version is than the older version, to which our new VP is limited. It is SUV-tall, with massive ...