Showing posts with label April Fools' Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label April Fools' Day. Show all posts

Friday, April 6, 2012

Honda's April Fool's Day Anti-Theft Negotiator


Yes, yes, we know that April Fool's Day is done and gone for 2012 but this is one trick video that somehow escaped our attention, and since there's a good possibility that some of you may not have noticed it as well, we thought we'd share.

Hop over the break to meet TERII, Honda's "most advanced vehicle theft-deterrent system ever made" in the video that follows.

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Monday, April 2, 2012

The Scoop on Our April Fool Day's Posts


Another year, another round of fake stories, all in the name of April Fool's Day. Our top prank was the North American version of Kia's K9 flagship, which we renamed to 9'Series after we crafted in a double kidney grille from BMW to make it look…less like the Bavarian firm's sedans.

We also played along with MINI's "ingenious" Camper trailer and optional roof tent creations, and the $236,000 Cooper Yachtsman amphibious vehicle, as well as Planet Subaru's, blazingly fast solar-powered Tribeca crossover.

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Kia to Debut North American 9'Series Flagship Sedan at the New York Auto Show


In a move that was to be expected after Kia revealed the new K9 in its home market of South Korea about a month ago, the automaker announced today that the North American version of its flagship sedan will welcome the public at next week's New York Auto Show.

We were right to suspect that Kia would change the name of the car for the United States and Canada, as 'K9' is more often than not associated with the word 'canine' in this part of the world.

Instead, we will come to know it as the new 9'Series after the company adopted the use of numeric names with an apostrophe between the number and the word 'Series' in a similar fashion to the European Cee'd.

And that's not the only change to the original K9. Under the guidance of chief designer Peter Schreyer, the company's U.S studio in California redesigned the car's front grille to address critics who felt that the K9's appearance was too close to similar offerings from BMW.

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Massachusetts Subaru Dealer Turns Tribeca into a Solar-Powered EV!


After successfully installing close to 400 solar panels on the roof of its dealership in Hannover, Massachusetts, Planet Subaru is once again pushing the envelope of lime-green innovation with the presentation of the Tribeca SPT 588QW DRX EV, powered exclusively by the sun.

The single solar panel is mounted on the Japanese crossover's roof feeding a Di-Lithium Crystal Transductor that serves as a capacitor and a very powerful electric motor that replaces the Tribeca's traditional boxer engine.

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After Camping, MINI Takes the Cooper Hatchback for Yachting


For some unexplained reason, Mini has discovered a deep-seated love for nature introducing not one, but two different conceptions targeting buyers that love going out and enjoying the environment.

Following the presentation of the two camping solutions, the British brand has crafted together a new amphibious model called the MINI Cooper Yachtsman and revealed it online before it makes its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show, right beside the Hudson River.

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MINI Takes the Hatch, Countryman and Clubman for Camping


The BMW Group has presented a new way for Mini hatchback, Clubman and Countryman owners to enjoy their vehicles with the presentation of two unique camping outfits on the same day a year after it revealed the BMW M3 pickup truck.

The first solution goes by the name "Cowley caravan" and offers everything one needs for a luxurious camp out including two sleeping berths, a twin-burner gas-stove, a water tank with pump and dish-washing facility, a solar module to charge the on-board battery and a 230-volt power connection to supply the refrigerator, TV/DVD and hi-fi stereo system.

The retro-styled trailer is only 120mm (less than five inches) wider than a MINI Clubman from mirror to mirror and tips the scales at just under 300 kg (661 lb).

If you don't like carrying around a trailer at the back, the German colonizers of MINI have designed a second solution called the "Swindon" roof-top tent, which can be fitted on all three models.

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Saturday, April 2, 2011

Carscoop’s April Fool’s Day Hoaxes


Just in case you hadn’t already figured it out, the Chrysler Group has no plans to offer the latest Dodge Charger with Alfa’s turbocharged four-pot nor will Gawker restore Jalopnik’s classic blog look.

Other automotive-related April Fool’s Day jokes found around the net include: Autoblog’s Honda Accord Crossdressed Cabriolet; Pickuptruck’s 2012 Cadillac DRW Platinum Heavy-Duty Pickup; BMW’s costly M3 Pickup Truck (the joke here is that it won’t enter production because the ute is real); and Jalopnik’s announcement that AOL’s new empress, Arianna Huffington, bought the site and merged it with Autoblog to create Autoblognik.

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Friday, April 1, 2011

New Dodge Charger TBi Powered by Alfa Romeo’s 1.75 Liter Turbo Engine


Now here’s some news we weren’t expecting. The Chrysler Group announced today the premiere of a new variant of the 2011 Dodge Charger bearing the TBi moniker, which stands for Turbocharged Boosted Induction. The Charger TBi is powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine sourced from sister company Alfa Romeo. The Italian flavored 1.75-liter powerplant is the same one found on a variety of Alfa models including the Giulietta and 159, as well as the upcoming 4C sports coupe previewed in Geneva last month.

On the 2011MY Charger, the force-fed four-pot delivers a maximum output of 225HP and a peak torque of 250 lb-ft / 340Nm at just 1,900 rpm.

The Detroit automaker said that the gasoline engine “ensures performance that matches or exceeds that of a 3.0-litre V6 whilst still delivering the moderate fuel consumption which is typical of a compact, 4 cylinder unit”. The new powerplant will be matched exclusively to a new automatic "TCT" twin dry clutch transmission with eight gears.

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Breaking: Gawker Media to Revert Jalopnik Back to Classic Blog Look


We have some good news for all of you automotive-website addicts. Gawker Media, the parent company of Jalopnik, believes it’s time to admit failure and do us all a favor by reverting its flagship car site back to its classic blog look after losing a large percentage of its readers, and to a lesser extent, its advertisers. The announcement was made by Gawker CEO Nick Denton earlier in the morning and will come into effect before midnight.

For the time being, the much anticipated template rollback will be limited to Jalopnik, with Gawker’s other sites, including Jezbel and Gizmodo as well as the upcoming blogs of Murilee Martin, Junkyardo, and Matt Hardigree’s Steve McWeiner, to keep the redesigned layout – at least until further notice. Carscoop attempted to contact head honcho Ray Wert for a statement, but he was not available at the time due to a photo shoot.

Link: Jalopnik

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BMW’s Awesome M3 Pickup Truck Packs 420HP and Close to 1,000 Pounds Load Capacity


Say hello to the automotive industry’s most expensive and elaborate April Fool’s Joke; the BMW M3 Pickup Truck. While other makers turn to photoshops, the Bavarian firm went ahead and developed an actual car, going as far as testing it on the Nurburgring race track.

The sport ute packs the same 420-horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine under the bonnet as the rest of the M3 range, which includes the Coupe, Convertible and Sedan models, adding a rear-axle load capacity of up to 450 kilos or 992 pounds.

The load bed itself is clad in high-grade structured aluminium sheeting and provides the biggest cargo capacity ever offered on a M vehicle – up to 20 standard 46-inch golf bags, according to BMW. It’s also the first M3 to be equipped with a trailer tow hitch.

BMW said the kerb weight of the pickup undercuts that of the M3 Convertible by around 50 kilograms or 110 pounds. Interestingly, BMW’s designers also fitted the M3 Pickup Truck with a Targa top, which shaves another 20kg or 44 pounds and at the same time, lowers the car’s centre of gravity when removed.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

VIDEO: BMW M3 Pickup Truck Filmed Out on the Road


As it turns out, the BMW M3 sport pickup truck that has been making the internet rounds recently is nothing more than an expensive hoax being prepared by the Bavarian automaker for April Fools’ Day. Nevertheless, we can’t say we’re not interested in a ute that’s based on one of the most coveted sports cars in the market. If you’ve had your fill of spy shots and want to see the M3 sport ute on the move, all you have to do is hit the break and watch the video.

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