So this video was taken by my Blackberry Bold, as you can tell the video isn’t that great.

The story behind this is as follows. We were in my friends 04 GLI driving down King St, just before Bathurst. We were looking at the new Mazda 3 was in front of us for like 5 minutes and we were just talking about it. All of a sudden a cop shows up behind us with his cherries. We thought that it was there to pull us over, but we were wrong. Cop went around us and right behind the Mazda. Following that, another 7 or 8 cops showed up and completely surrounded the car, including a forensics unit. They hopped out with their hands on their guns yelling at the car.

The video shows part of the swarm, view it full screen and I think you can see the cops as well.

According to CityNews, GM is planning on laying off another 1,600 employees over the next few days.

GM is planning on ridding a total of 4,000 workers in Canada.

for the full article: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_33851.aspx

Kei cars have a huge following in Japan and no model has benefited from the sub-sub-compact’s cult status more than the Honda Beat. Originally introduced in 1991, the 64-hp Beat was a boon for enthusiasts on a budget, with a 660cc three-cylinder mounted amidships and delivering power to the rear wheels. When production ended over a decade ago, it left a gaping hole in Honda’s line-up between the Zest and S2000, and if recent reports are to be believed, the situation will be rectified in 2011.

According to Best Car, Honda is hard at work on the Beat’s successor, but unfortunately, the previous model’s mid-engine layout and rear-wheel drive won’t be employed on the next generation. Using the same platform and 660cc engine found underneath the Life and Zest, the next Beat’s engine will be mounted up front, sending power to the front wheels. There’s also talk of an all-wheel drive variant, but consumers in Japan shouldn’t hold their breath. Pricing and a release date haven’t been disclosed, but we wouldn’t be surprised to find a Beat concept on the floor of the Tokyo Motor Show later this year.

Source: 7Tune AutoBlog
Posted by: ZX3_2NV
Forum Topic: LINK

I know this is a bit old news, but still worth the mention.

Some of you know that Mazda is considering bringing over the Mazda2 to North America in 2010.



The Car comes in two engine configurations; 1.3L & 1.5L with 62hp & 76hp respectively. Even with low horsepower, the 1.5L comes with 136lbs of torque.

For more specs on the car, visit the South African Mazda Website

Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne said that if Canadian and American unions don’t agree to substantial labour-cost reductions, then Chrysler would have to fend for itself.

If the deal goes through, Chrysler would receive $7billion from the U.S. government to sustain their operation while Fiat will overhaul the corporation.

“Fiat would get access to the U.S. market … It would bring to North America its popular Cinquecento (500) car next year, while its premium Alfa Romeo brand would make cars in Canada or the United States, Marchionne said.”

Full article: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE53C4GY20090415

According to Reuters.com, GM is recalling nearly 1.5 million vehicles from its consumers.

The recall applies to the following vehicles:

1997-2003 Buick Regal
1998-2003 Chevrolet Lumina
1998-2003 Monte Carlo
1998-2003 Impala
1998-1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue
1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix

The issue is said to be engine oil that may be deposited on the exhaust manifold under hard braking.

Said issue could start a small fire and spread to a plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond, increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire.

“GM dealers will remove the plastic spark plug retention channel and install two new spark plug wire retainers free of charge.”

Full article: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-autos/idUSTRE53D31P20090414

GM and Segway have created a new prototype transportation vehicle. Imagine if you boosted this puppy!?!?!

Check out the video:

Q: What are the specifications for this prototype?
A: Passengers: Currently configured for 2, but could carry more
Top speed: Aimed to travel between 25 and 35 mph (40 – 56 kph)
Range: Aimed to have a 25 – 35 mile range (40 – 56 km)
Weight: Currently ~300 lbs/136 kg
Key/system information: Wireless via handheld
Charge time: ~5-8 hours
Turning radius: Zero
(All specs are approximate and do not imply intended configuration if it or a variant were ever to productized.)

Q: How much does it cost in electricity to recharge?
A: Based on the current battery configuration, it’s about $.60 in electricity to recharge.

Q: How do you accelerate?
A: Push the steering console forward to alter the position of the center of mass of the vehicle and it’ll naturally accelerate forward.

Q: How does it brake?
A: Perform the opposite by pulling the steering console toward you.

Q: How does it balance?
A: It uses an array of angular rate sensors and accelerometers to determine the orientation and motion of the vehicle’s platform. As the platform leans forward, the balance sensor assembly notices and responds by requesting power to the motors to drive the wheels forward to maintain balance.

Q: When can I get one?
A: This is only a prototype with no current plans to offer it for sale, but you can sign up for our company newsletter here to receive more information about Segway.

Q: In what weather conditions can this be ridden?
A: The prototype has not been tested in adverse weather. Additional development would be necessary to determine the proper enclosure to protect against the elements and maintain traction control.

Q: What sort of terrain does it travel over?
A: The prototype was developed to travel over smooth terrain as a demonstration of what’s possible with existing technology.

Q: What would this cost if it were to come to market tomorrow?
A: Think about this prototype as building up from a Segway PT, not down from a car. As such, there are a lot of components that can be eliminated and cost saved. Still, batteries are a significant portion of any electric transportation product. Range configurations would sway any figure significantly. So we’re not going to share a figure at this time, but it’s probably less than most current small car prices.

Q: How can I get one?
A: There’s only one in the world. If you’d like to sign up to keep informed about future updates, we recommend that you subscribe to our company newsletter, read The Last Mile blog, and follow us on Twitter.

You can view their website here: http://www.segway.com/puma/

They say this whip pulls out 1000hp and only hits a 9.7 on the track … what do you think?

Check out the discussion on the forum - [ link ]

Fukenricen was recently featured on the intunedonline.com website.

You can read the article by going to this link: http://intunedonline.com/showcase/fukenricen-eg/

Even though Fukenricen takes it to the track on a regular basis during the good weather…we also hit the dirt road when the weather is bad…no pun intended there.

What happens when you put a bunch of nut jobs inside trucks? MUD, MUD, and some more MUD!

You can view more off roading videos in the forum. Click here to check them out: [ link ]

Videos courtesy of mikes2k