The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize organization, and Progressive Insurance, the country’s fourth largest auto insurance group, today, at the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., awarded $10 million to three teams who successfully completed the rigorous Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE. The winning teams—Edison2 of Lynchburg, Virginia; X-Tracer of Winterthur, Switzerland; and Li-ion Motors Corp. of Mooresville, North Carolina—emerged from an original field of 111 competing teams, representing 136 vehicle entries from around the world. The winning vehicles were showcased to an audience of auto industry, business and government leaders. Each of the winning teams was also presented with a towering bronze trophy designed by Harry Winston, Inc.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/xprizefoundation/46187/
Boosters are better than they used to be at fitting lap and shoulder belts on 4 to 8-year-old kids to restrain them in a crash - so parents don\'t have to search as hard for a good fit for their child and vehicle. Most belt-positioning boosters, though, don\'t offer consistently good fit in all vehicles. This is the bottom line in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety\'s third round of booster evaluations.
Researchers assessed the safety belt fit of 72 boosters, assigning the best ones the top ratings of BEST BET or GOOD BET because they correctly position belts on average booster-age kids in most vehicles. The worst performers are ones the Institute doesn\'t recommend because they do a poor job of fitting belts. A good booster routes the lap belt across a child\'s upper thighs and positions the shoulder belt at midshoulder.
It all begins in a sleek warehouse where 122 percussion instruments are arranged to create a precision-driving course full of angles and straightaways. Each instrument has a tiny lever. An Ultrasonic Blue 2011 Lexus IS sport sedan revs its engine, wheels spinning as it roars to life to debut its musical prowess. The vehicle navigates the raceway, precisely tripping each and every drum lever on the track, creating a beat as it speeds by, igniting the base, snare, toms and cymbals. Through it all, the IS doesn’t knock over a single instrument. As it comes screeching to a halt, the final drum beat is triggered. The new 2011 IS has just laid down its first custom track.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/lexus/45983/
Named the Range Rover Evoque, this all-new coupé will join the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport in North American dealerships in fall, 2011. It will be the smallest, lightest and most fuel efficient Range Rover ever produced. The compact 4WD Range Rover Evoque is engineered to meet North American customer and regulatory demands for increased fuel efficiency in highly capable luxury SUVs.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/landrover/45066/
Roy Lindahl has been driving his white Jeep Cherokee since the day they drove off the lot together seventeen years ago. He and his vehicle, affectionately nicknamed
Choosing the right tires and properly maintaining them are effective ways to enhance your vehicle’s performance and improve road safety. This week is National Tire Safety Week and leading tire manufacturer Michelin is reminding consumers of the benefits of choosing the right tires and of simple, cost-effective ways to contribute to tire safety. After all – your tires are the only part of your car in contact with the road.
For more information, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/player/44463-michelin-tire-safety-week/
It\'s a dramatic moment. In an ultra-modern audio studio, a Pearl White Lexus LFA supercar faces its challenger: a lone crystal champagne flute on a pedestal alongside a sleek amplifier. The vehicle\'s keyless ignition is engaged, and its rear wheels start spinning on a dynamometer. The engine roars louder and louder, the speedometer clicks past 150, 160, 170 mph. That\'s when the glass quivers and shimmies until – kshhh! – the flute shatters in gorgeous slow motion.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/lexus/44440/
A San Francisco Duck Tour is unlike any other. See the city of San Francisco on the water or along the streets. The tours are in an amphibious vehicle crafted from the WWII DUKW. The San Francisco Duck Tour offers a Quack-tacular ride that is unique to the city. Expect the ride of your life. Smiling and laughing are mandatory. When you see the bus you will ride in, you will readily see just how much fun you will have. Be sure to take pictures so your friends and family will believe you really took this wacky tour.
More states are allowing a relatively new breed of vehicle on public roads, but crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show why the mix of low-speed vehicles (LSVs) or minitrucks and regular traffic is a deadly combination. LSVs are designed for tooling around residential neighborhoods, and minitrucks are for hauling cargo off-road. While these vehicles have a lot of appeal as a way to reduce emissions and cut fuel use, they don't have to meet the basic safety standards that cars and pickups do, and they aren't designed to protect their occupants in crashes.
“Across the country we’re seeing an alarming number of what we call staged accidents,” said Joe Wehrle, NICB president and chief executive officer. “These are crashes that are made to look like accidents, but in reality are carefully orchestrated scenarios aimed at collecting medical and vehicle damage payments from insurers. The simple truth is they are expensive and dangerous. We are working with our member insurance companies and law enforcement partners to put the people that commit these crimes behind bars.”
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/nicb/43814/
As most high school and college students are busy tackling tests or taking it easy during spring break, student teams from across the Americas are preparing for the ultimate extracurricular activity – designing, building, and testing a vehicle that travels the farthest distance using the least amount of energy. After months of coordinating designs and constructing vehicles, 43 student teams – among 9 high schools and 29 universities – are putting the finishing touches on their vehicles for the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Americas energy challenge. These leaders of tomorrow, and their fuel-efficient creations, will soon take to the streets of downtown Houston, March 26-28 around Discovery Green Park. We’ll find out if these students can beat the 2,757.1 miles per gallon (1,172.2 kilometers per liter) achieved in 2009 by Laval University, but more than that, the students will grant us a glimpse into the fuels, technologies and transportation of tomorrow.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/shelloil/42793/
