Toyota today announced its “100 Cars for Good” program, which will award 100 vehicles over the course of 100 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on votes from the public.
Beginning March 7, 2011, registered 501c(3) non-profit organizations can apply online through Toyota’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/toyota for a chance to win a Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander Hybrid, Sienna, or Sienna Mobility. A six-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty will also be provided for each vehicle awarded. Applications submitted by March 21, 2011 will be reduced to 500 finalist organizations that will be in the running to win a vehicle. These final organizations will be selected by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the fields of philanthropy and social responsibility. Finalists can submit videos, create their own online profiles and rally their friends and supporters to encourage voting for their organization.
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Experian Automotive today announced CheckMyRide.com, a free social media Website for car enthusiasts. Members of the site can build their own personal vehicle history timeline, track the whereabouts of vehicles they have owned in the past, and easily share their favorite memories about the cars and trucks they love on Facebook and Twitter. The new site also allows members to receive a free AutoCheck® vehicle history report so they can fully understand and share their current vehicle’s history.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/experian/48613/
At the Detroit Auto Show, there is something for everyone. Cars you wouldn’t expect to be able to buy anytime soon. The best thing about this show is the business is getting a lot more responsible a lot more tighter if you will. And they’re bringing out vehicles that are good to buy, smart to buy, good on your pocket book, and also fun to own.
There’s the easy way, and there’s the Lexus way. A lone crane slowly lifts the front end of a Lexus LS, then a second vehicle is attached using cables and stretch bars, then another and another and finally, a fifth Lexus vehicle is suspended in midair from the crane, using no support other than the strength of the LS. The gravity-defying vehicles aren’t a figment of your imagination or a camera trick. They are part of a new advertising campaign from the automaker, which debuted on Jan. 16.
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Drivers of vehicles that perform well in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's side-impact crash test are much less likely to die in a real-world left-side crash than drivers of vehicles that do poorly, a new analysis finds. The study includes only passenger vehicles with side airbags, demonstrating that airbags, while crucial, are far from the whole story in side crash protection.
After controlling for driver age and gender and vehicle type and weight, a driver of a vehicle rated good for driver protection in a side impact is 70 percent less likely to die in a left-side crash compared with a driver of a vehicle rated poor. A driver of a vehicle rated acceptable is 64 percent less likely to die, and a driver of a vehicle rated marginal is 49 percent less likely to die.
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is continuing to extend its performance and high efficiency competence via intensive development work in the field of hybrid technology. With the Porsche 918 RSR, the manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles is presenting a high-end synthesis of 2010's successful hybrid concepts. The two-seater mid-engine coupé 918 RSR clearly reveals what happens when the technology fitted in the 911 GT3 R hybrid and the design of the 918 Spyder are transferred to a modern, innovative super sports car.
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Sixty-six vehicles earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s TOP SAFETY PICK award for 2011, including 40 cars, 25 SUVs, and a minivan. TOP SAFETY PICK recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Winners also must have available electronic stability control, a crash avoidance feature that significantly reduces crash risk. The ratings help consumers pick vehicles that offer a higher level of protection than federal safety standards require.
With only two weeks to the start of the Dakar 2011, gruelling challenges await the drivers and their vehicles. The Volkswagen team around Kris Nissen and Carlos Sianz seem strangely cheerful despite being about to face intense and grindingly painful special stages. Pointing the way to the first stage, the ‘Race Touareg 3’ travels from Europe to South America. This is very special freight indeed. The journey begins at Amsterdam airport.
The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) will open its doors to more than 4,500 automotive journalists in a few short weeks with an anticipated 30-40 worldwide debuts from automotive manufacturers around the globe.
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The vehicles can only be described using superlatives. And the same is pretty much true of the terrain in which they will eventually be deployed – in what is quite simply considered the toughest rally in the world. The 2011 Dakar Rally will be the ultimate acid test for a team that has twice in succession dominated the mother of all rallies and taught its competitors a lesson or two. The opponents of Volkswagen’s Race Touareg have no desire to let the team surrounding Carlos Sainz and Kris Nissen dominate the classic rally for a third year running. This is why the Volkswagen team must prepare more meticulously than ever. A faultless performance may be necessary to secure a third victory in South America.
These days, the world’s toughest rally is about a lot more than just the driving skills of the men behind the wheel. Proper navigation is equally important, and of course: being in top physical form. And the Volkswagen team has been working really hard on the latter in the Austrian village of Grän. We went along to watch the defending champions work out as they prepare for their Mission Hat-trick.
Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used vehicle information, announces the all-new 2011 model-year vehicle winners of its annual Best Resale Value Awards, which recognize current and forthcoming vehicles for their projected retained value five years from now. Since depreciation (or loss of value) is typically a car-buyer’s primary expense during ownership, these awards, like all of kbb.com’s new- and used-vehicle information, are designed to help consumers make more informed car-buying decisions.
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