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Buy, Sell or Hold? Ford EV Push Promises Dozen New Hybrids in 5 Years

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Ford is making a giant hoopla over a very unexciting announcement. One mostly sans cars, by the way, excluding the 2016 Focus Electric and teased ______ Energi PHEV. The plan lacks a catchy name for now, so let’s just call it e-Ford for short. Will e-Ford be able to make a big market impact from the 4.5-billion investment over the next half-decade?  And is Ford really the one to pursue this?  Their tech, as many know all too well, is woeful at times. They kept paying SONY and Microsoft ridiculous licensing and tech-services fees for MyFord Touch long after the …

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The Evolution of BMW xDrive – 325iX to 2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e – PHEV M Sport from $70k

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THe BMW eDrive X5 is officially in the USA! This huge advance in AWD tech for BMW is being celebrating with a look back at the first 30 years of BMW four-paw models. We still remember the special body-color aero kit and special wheels from the US-market 325iX. Was just a tiny bit cooler than even the very-chic 325i sedan and coupe of the era. The honor that original look, we spec’ed out a 2016 BMW X5 xDrive40e in M Sport guise.  The truck looks very, very nice on its available 20-inch alloys. Particularly so with the $1,100 adaptive LED …

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2015 Lexus Hoverboard – Liq Nitro Cryostat MagLev Prototype – New Film at Barcelona Hoverpark Is Must-See

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Okay, you have probably seen the same headlines since the teaser of the Lexus Hoverboard concept a few weeks back. Well, this is the full reveal with award-winning film and much more technical explanation. And let me tell you, this is quite a project. Lexus developed this magnetic levitating skateboard to not be an April fools jest, or even a Popular Science look into the future. This is the future, and it is hovering around a custom skate park in Barcelona as we speak. So what were the goals? — Real rideability and fun — but sans friction and rolling …

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2010 Red Bull X1 Launched Gran Turismo As Ultimate MMO R&D Engine

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As we look to the future of disruptive, breakthrough innovations in racing — it helps to start with a blank sheet of paper. This is counterintuitive, of course, versus the typical half-step of evolution among all species — racecars included. What is needed to deliver the TV ratings and championship trophies all race series crave? Speed, beauty, drama and technical innovation. There must be balance between outright speed, sound and safety. In short, a revolution is needed to put put racing into hyperdrive. The world championship Red Bull and Vettel pairing from 2010 provided a clever look at priorities of …

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2015 Lockheed Martin JLTV Looks Set to Win High-Tech US Military Truck Contract

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We speculated in the previous AM General BRV-O article that the three-way race for the US military’s new JLTV looks pretty clear-cut. That being said… nothing with government work and billion-dollar deals is straightforward or very transparent, so we are just basing these predictions on what we would do if sitting in the Pentagon. With Oshkosh Defense already drowning in orders, a strike-out for this hot ground-transport maker looks more likely in JLTVs than ever before. One of the military RFPs is for high-volume JLTV manufacturing, likely replacing many behind-the-lines Humvees. In this case, AM General’s proven high-volume manufacturing may …

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All-New 2016 Scion iA Poised to be Best Subcompact 4-Door With Sporty Chassis and Upscale Cabin

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Scion’s littlest car in history is also set to be one of its most chuckable and sporty handlers!  This new four-door compact sedan will be priced around $16,000 with just one well-speced trim level and choice between six-speed manual or six-speed automatic. The 106-horsepower four-cylinder sedan is closely related to the new 2016 Mazda2, but offers a sedan bodystyle not available on the Mazda. The style is quite fresh from nose and profile angles, with shapely creases and an overall lean and sporty look. The roof is fairly low, which is refreshing versus the too-tall Ford Fiesta and Chevy Spark. …

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Concept Flashback – 2009 Mercedes-Benz F800

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If you want a solid starting point for the latest sexy Mercedes designs, you might start at the first-gen CLS in 2005. But those proportions needed work, and the surfacing left much to be desired. Between the CLS and this 2009 F800 Style lived the ghastly F700 and the notorious bionic fish van concept. F700 This 2009 F800 Style Research Concept really set the tone for a new Mercedes aesthetic. This slinky design was followed by the Style Coupe concept in 2012 — wearing lines that are even closer to what is now the CLA-Class. 2012 Style Coupe Concept There …

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