Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Affalterbach, Germany–It's been over a half-century since Mercedes-Benz unveiled its iconic 300SL Gullwing, and we just got a sneak peek at an AMG sports car we think might be bold enough to properly honor that landmark two-door. But don't expect the new SLS AMG to simply parrot the past; this curvaceous creation is the first vehicle designed and developed entirely by AMG (Mercedes-Benz's performance arm). As you might imagine, the SLS is just as high-tech as AMG's brawny, handbuilt powerplants.

Unlike the nearly half-million-dollar Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR (with its exotic carbon-fiber chassis) the SLS AMG will be built around a cast and extruded aluminum space frame that weighs in at just 531 pounds—which helps this exotic attain a curb weight under 3600 pounds. A front, midengine layout and a rear transaxle produces front/rear weight distribution of 48/52, and optional ceramic composite brakes hint at this car's track-intended potential; 0-to-62 mph is estimated at 3.8 seconds, and top speed will be electronically governed at 196 mph.


Beneath the SLS's lengthy snout is the new M159 powerplant that AMG rounds up to Mercedes' legendary 6.3-liter figure. The V8 boasts deeper breathing over its M156 predecessor (from the Mclaren SLR) thanks to an all-new magnesium intake system and reworked valves and camshafts. Horsepower peaks at 571, and torque tops out at 479 lb-ft. The only McLaren-related item on the SLS are the exhaust headers. McLaren's computer-modeling services were tapped so the pipes could achieve their optimum shape, and as AMG technicians demonstrated to us on a dyno bench, the entire exhaust system glows bright red when the engine maintains high rpm. A dry-sump lubrication system enables lower placement of the engine in the chassis, ensuring that high cornering won't starve the powerplant of oil.

Engine power is sent to a new AMG dual-clutch seven-speed transmission via a carbon-fiber prop shaft, which is housed in a torque tube enabling a lighter and less bulky chassis. The transmission can be set to one of four driving modes—Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus, and Manual—and a "Race Start" function also enables wheelspin-optimized launches. Stability control (ESP) can also be left on, set to Sport or turned completely off.

The cars AMG showed us at the company's headquarters were mules based on several modified Dodge Viper backbones. But if the chassis we saw is any indication, the SLS AMG should boast some pretty exotic proportions.

Though the SLS AMG will cost significantly less than the old McLaren SLR, it should boast comparable performance—one engineer even asserted that it will lap the Nürburgring faster than the outgoing supercoupe. AMG cited the Porsche 911 Turbo, Aston Martin DB9, Audi R8 V10 and an undisclosed Ferrari as the SLS's main competition.

2011 Tesla Model S Concept

The Goal
At the media launch Tesla founder Elon Musk said, "We're trying to accelerate the electric car revolution, and get us off oil as soon as possible."

Musk wants his company to build a mass-produced electric vehicle. Unlike the company's Roadster, the Model S will not be handmade, and Tesla says it wants to hit 20,000 units per year when production is in full swing. Musk indicated that the car and perhaps even the batteries themselves may be leased. Due to Tesla's improvements in cell technology, the batteries may be able to last between 7 and 10 years under normal usage. The car is expected to have a three- to four-year warranty, bringing it within the range of what consumers expect from regular gas-powered cars

The post-tax-credit price, just under $50,000, doesn't exactly make it the "people's car" of the 21st century, but it does put the Model S on par with premium luxury sedans from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Design
How do you squeeze five adults, two children and plenty of cargo into a sedan? The Model S has a unique architecture that places the drivetrain components below the floorboard and between the rear wheels. The aluminum chassis and body panels will be manufactured by Tesla, and they intend to keep running weight to a minimum while aiming for a five-star crash rating. Rear passengers are expected to have roughly 10 mm more headroom than in a Mercedes-Benz CLS—not exactly SUV levels of interior space—but considering that the Model S promises to swallow a mountain bike with its front wheel intact, or a surfboard and a 50-inch television, we're impressed.

The interior setup features two rearward-facing seats for small kids (like an old-school station wagon), and the instrumentation is intended to completely eliminate buttons and knobs—sort of like a utopian twist on BMW's iDrive. Control-wise, everything is reduced to two screens—an almost conventional TFT-style dashboard unit and a 17-inch touchscreen navigation unit in the center console. The central screen promises to be customizable, with Web-ready 3G wireless capability. Speaking of computer tech, the vehicle's system CPUs are designed to communicate with Tesla headquarters, and if customers give the okay for remote diagnostics, the car will be able to troubleshoot and download software patches.

Designer Franz von Holzhausen suggests that Musk's design goals initially sounded like a minivan layout to him, but the electric powertrain architecture enabled more flexibility than he anticipated. "I call it a skateboard," he says, "because it's a flat, open space with no motor up front." The setup not only opens up the cabin, it enables front and rear cargo space.

The Bottom Line
The mass-produced electric car has yet to become a reality. But Tesla seems to have weathered some serious technical challenges with its Roadster, and the Model S Concept looks promising. If they can deliver the specs and hit a price point that falls under $50,000, Tesla might be able to achieve what other carmakers have yet to accomplish.

Tata Motors Launches the Tata Nano in India

The World Reacts
The world is buzzing about the launch of the Tata Nano, the tiny four-door, $2230 car that Tata Motors claims will be "the world's cheapest car." Although this is not something you will find in our garage any time soon—because it won't be available in the U.S., not to mention the 623-cc two-cylinder engine with about 30 horsepower, optional power steering and power brakes and lack of airbags, anti-lock brakes or even radio. Here is what the world is saying. –Tyghe Trimble Gas 2.0 asks if the Nano really is the most the most fuel efficient car in the world while Jalopnik wonders, how many better ways are there to spend $2000? (One way: 13 iPod Nanos.) The New York Times complains that, "despite appearances, the Nano isn’t exactly on sale yet" and The Hindu says the state government is calling it an “unfortunate day for West Bengal” (One Mamata Banerjee led a movement that forced the project out, according to The Hindu). Bloomberg News says that the world's cheapest car won't help Tata Motors' debt. The "low price and late sales won't generate enough revenue to refinance" a bridge loan Tata Motors used by buy Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford, Bloomberg says. The Huffington Post points out that if Tata Motors sells 250,000 Nanos annually, it will only add 3 percent to its bottom line. Consumer reports calls the launch the "dawn of the $2000 car."



Welcome to the TATA Nanosphere
Straight Talk @pseudo-eco-alarmists/pollution flakes >> a) try to give up your cars,laptops and cell phones for starters b) blamestorm on how to give up or reduce the EXISTING millions of vehicles AND their batteries (existing since the 1900s) c) Visit India and understand that there are a millions of people who just want a piece of the lifestyle pie -like you enjoy and wont give up or change. d) Responsibility is a 2 way street . e)Focus on your changes . Get a subway map , buy a bicycle , walk to work. Something, Anything.. f)Or just replace your current batmobile/hummer/tank (whatever u drive nowadays)- for a Nano. It could possibly save this planet. @ The Traffic Fixers>> a) let Indians worry about how to fix their traffic/ congestion problems. b)If ingenious Indians can turn the global auto industry upside down with their spartan and thrifty genius/creations , they could probably teach Los Angeles traffic experts how to to get home cheaply and in less time. c) TATAs are a different breed, they are reliable, honest , business group with a philantrophical legacy. Not Madoffs or auto pyramid-schemers . d)Simple is beautiful. Whatever happenned to that? Sophisticated and complex does not mean smarter or more evolved. Thats what the Nano teaches and preaches. Welcome to the nanosphere.... Oh and lastly...... I am REALLY concerned about the space-junk debris that has NOT been recycled. ..Talk about polluting the Universe. Its going to be a real hazzard for my grandchildrens space rides.

Flying Car Dreams

A proof-of-concept, road-ready aircraft’s successful test flight. Could this be the start of a new era? Not so fast: Terrafugia has a lot more to prove to make a splash in the long history of the pursuit of making a production-ready flying car. In light of the news, we looked back at some of our favorite flying vehicles.

This vehicle—which requires a Sport Pilot license to fly—takes 30 seconds to switch between flying and driving, making it a “roadable aircraft." Its wings fold up automatically and all parts, including the propeller, are stored on the vehicle when its takes to the road. The company claims this car was the first road-ready aircraft ever to take flight. While this might be technically true, the flight of Terrafugia's vehicle (which was a runway test flight—more of a hop than a full flight.) has a lot more to prove to make a big splash in the long history of the pursuit of a production-ready flying car. In light of this news, we look back at some of our favorite, quirkiest and most innovative flying cars ever made.

Solar Racer

Test Drive

It looks like a UFO, starts like a turtle, is covered with 2726 solar cells and runs as long as the sun shines. PM's Detroit editor Larry Webster goes behind the wheel of the Continuum, the University of Michigan's sun-powered car.
So futuristic and so technically advanced that it would cost nearly a million dollars to duplicate. Yet this Jet Propulsion Lab on wheels lacks the basic features of even the humblest sedan: a radio, roll-down windows, a heater. I had to slither between the rails of a roll cage to access a cockpit so cramped that it feels as though I’m sitting upright in a Niagara Falls barrel.
Working under the supervision of two faculty advisers, more than 100 very bright and very motivated University of Michigan students took two years to build the vehicle, which is designed to compete in a pair of grueling solar-car races. It’s the latest model in a program that has racked up an impressive record since its 1990 inception: Five wins in the college-only 2400-mile North American Solar Challenge and several top finishes running against Honda, GM and Ford in the 1870-mile Australia-based World Solar Challenge.

I’m about 6 ft tall and weigh 180 pounds, which is 3 in. and 20 pounds too much for the cockpit. After an unsuccessful attempt with shoes on, I go socks-only and clear the small carbon-fiber steering wheel. My knees are practically kissing my chin. Luckily, the controls are on the steering wheel: A lever on the right works the “throttle,” and one on the left activates the brakes. The team designed a dash that displays speed, charge state and distance traveled. They also built a rearview video-camera system and a wireless network that links the car to chase vehicles. The team remotely monitors Continuum with a Prius-like energy-flow graphic.

As I gingerly pull back on the accelerator, the car inches forward at a turtle’s pace. It’s so pokey that a few team members walk alongside as I get underway. Weighing a lithe 480 pounds, Continuum gets all the propulsion it needs from a 16-hp electric motor that resides in the single front wheel. The trike design lowers the car’s surface area, which in turn reduces drag. How slippery is it? “It’s a strategic advantage for other teams not to know,” a cagey Dowling says. He reveals that the team believes a Corvette has five times as much drag as Continuum. But as I am about to learn, when it comes to handling, this is no Corvette.

2010 Toyota Prius, All-New 50-MPG Hybrid Packs Solar Panels, More Power: 2009 Detroit Auto Show
Let's start with the fuel economy. Toyota doesn't have solid EPA figures yet, but they say the new Prius should hit 50 mpg combined. If true, that means the Prius will likely be the most fuel-efficient car sold in North America. The Prius rides on an all-new platform, which Toyota says will improve the car's handling and quietness thanks to revised bushings, more caster angle and an improved stabilizer-bar arrangement. However, like before, this new Prius uses struts up front and a beam axle in the rear. Disc brakes are now at each corner and combine with a new regenerative braking system. The new Prius should be a more refined car too, thanks to improved sound insulation to quell vibration and road noise.

Under the hood, a 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle four cylinder replaces the current car's 1.5-liter unit and generates 98 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque. When combined with the new hybrid system, the horsepower swells to 134. Toyota says that the larger engine actually helps fuel economy, since the increased torque allows it to operate at lower revs on the highway. That newfound torque also helps the Prius reach 60 mph in an estimated 9.8 seconds—about a second quicker than before. A new electric water pump and a new EGR system aid engine efficiency.

The new hybrid system, Toyota says, is 90 percent new. A lighter transaxle up front reduces torque losses by as much as 20 percent. A new cooling system for the inverter helps reduce the size and weight of that component. Together, Toyota says, the inverter, transaxle and motor are 20 percent lighter than before.

Aerodynamics has played a large role in helping the new Prius reach 50 mpg. In fact, Toyota says, with its .25 Cd, the Prius has the cleanest aero profile of any vehicle in the world. Though the overall height of the car remains the same, designers moved the top of the roof 3.9 in. back. And that solves an issue we've had with the current Prius—it's pointy roof profile. The new Prius looks much sharper. It rides on the same size wheelbase as the outgoing model and is only slightly longer. But there's more cargo room, and the seatbacks were sculpted to provide more rear seat legroom.

Car scratches

Car scratches can be incredibly frustrating. Tiny flaws are expensive to have fixed professionally, but it's also hard to ignore them.

The Scratched Body
Paint scratches, no matter how small, can be expensive eyesores.
You don’t need fancy tools to distinguish a scratch from a mark. A fingernail drawn over the surface at 90 degrees to the defect will tell you if it’s gouged into the paint or sitting on top of it. If it’s a mark that appears to be from rubber, plastic or even other paint, it may come off easily with an aerosol tar or adhesive remover. Stubborn marks often can be removed with acetone or lacquer thinner on a soft rag. If the mark is still there after using one of these solvents, try hand rubbing or polishing compound. First, clean the area with soap and water, then spread rubbing compound on the mark and rub the area in a circular motion until the mark disappears. Once it’s gone, switch to a back-and-forth motion to remove circular buffing marks. Buff the area with a clean cloth to remove rubbing compound. Then, using a fresh pad, clean the area with polishing compound to remove the fine scratches left by the rubbing compound. Finish by sealing the surface with a good car wax.

If the defect is a scratch, determine if it extends below the surface of the paint and into the primer. Sometimes one end of the scratch looks fine but the other end gets deeper and deeper until it breaks through into the primer and the metal underneath. How much of that scratch is below the color? If it’s a small portion of the entire scratch, you may want to repair what you can, and just try to ignore the rest until you’re prepared to repaint the panel.

Modern cars are almost always clearcoated over the color layer of the paint. This is done to provide a shinier finish, as well as to prevent ultraviolet light from fading the pigment underneath it.

Scratches in clearcoat can similarly be sanded out. However, if you sand completely through the clear into the color underneath, you have to respray the clear on that panel. That’s still easier than trying to match the color of the original paint, spraying the panel and then clear­coating over it. If the scratch goes into the primer, you’ll be forced do exactly that.


The Bumper Scuff
Bumper scuffs and scratches can't be remedied like scratches marring your paint job–this common scratch requires a bit more work. Here's how to make a scratched bumper look like new.
If there's a post in a parking lot--any post--it should be high enough to see when you're backing up. Unfortunately, the law we usually see applied is Murphy's, and the resulting body-damage repairs will cost just a few dollars less than your insurance deductible.

Foggy Headlights
After a few years, headlights don't have to be scratched to look scuffed and foggy. "Polycarbonate has a tendency to get hazy," says Popular Mechanics senior auto editor Mike Allen. "Severely neglected lenses can actually pit and develop a network of fine cracks, called craze, which makes the job of fixing them tougher." But this common malady can be fixed. We have step-by-step illustrated instructions for making your headlights look clean and clear.
Wash your car to remove any surface dirt. Waxing it, at least within a foot or two of the headlamps, is a good idea, because drips and droplets of the abrasive polishing compound are less likely to adhere to a freshly waxed surface.

Head out to the store and buy some blue, low-tack painter’s masking tape, the handy stuff that peels off easily. Mask the area around the headlamp that needs to be polished. For some reason, the red, yellow and clear lenses for the marker and backup lights, which are molded of ABS plastic, don’t seem to craze as much as polycarbonate headlamps, so you can probably just mask them as well. You may want to remove nearby trim, especially chromed metal or chrome-finish plastic, because we’ll be polishing and sanding with materials that can destroy the chrome.
That gray stuff is composed of hard-water minerals, road film and wax built up on the surface of the molded plastic panels. If the plastic is black or gray, it's black (or gray) all the way through. Beware if the plastic is the color of the body, silver or champagne, because that's painted over the base color of the plastic, and the advice I'm going to give you may not work—and may damage any paint. Treat painted areas like the rest of the car's finish.

Start by washing the area—by hand—with any commercial car-washing product as per the directions on the bottle. Use a moderately soft bristle brush to scrub any accumulated material out of the cladding's texture. Don't scratch the paint nearby. If the cladding is still blotchy when dry, try a soft cloth and straight, undiluted white vinegar. This should dissolve any minerals left behind on the surface. Rinse well.

Still blotchy? Maybe it's waxy buildup. Try a cleaner intended for vinyl surfaces, bug and tar remover or lacquer thinner on a soft cloth. Avoid getting lacquer thinner on any painted surfaces—if your car has a lacquer-based paint, the thinner will remove it.


Repainting and Bodywork

We had already sprayed the unibody inside and out with Dupont 615S self-etching primer to protect it from surface rust. Running our Campbell-Hausfeld dual-action sander lightly over the surfaces, using 100-grit paper, instantly showed high and low spots.

The next step was to sand the bad spots down to bare metal, then fill them with body filler. We mixed only a small amount at a time and threw the remains away, bowl and all. Throwing everything away avoids contaminating the next batch of filler with residue from the previous batch.

Auto body men call filler "cheese," because it is greenish-yellow and the proper time to start working it is just after the catalyst has kicked off and the filler has the consistency of Swiss cheese.

I started the sanding process by using an English File sold by The Eastwood Co. This is a body file with a turnbuckle that adjusts it to either concave or convex surfaces. It's perfect for rapidly cutting down filler.

Some auto body men like to slather large areas with filler, then sculpt it back to shape. We preferred to build up dents a small amount at a time. The sequence that worked for us is English File, DA sander with 100-grit paper, DA sander with 220-grit paper, then hand sanding with 220-grit paper wrapped around a sanding block.

The most precise tool for discovering and measuring imperfections is still the human finger. Running your hand over the surface will detect bumps and hollows you can't see.

The most difficult areas on our Camaro were the weld seams where the quarter panels meet the rear deck, and the top edge of the quarter panels where they meet the top molding. The weld seams in the door openings, floor and trunk were not filled at the factory. We brought them up to a reasonable appearance, then brushed them with seam sealer to duplicate the factory look.

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