autoMedia Auto News Blog : carnival

autoMedia CARnival 11-20-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:06:00 GMT

It's the week ending November 20, and we've browsed our favorite automotive ...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 11-13-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:36:00 GMT

It's the week ending November 13, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each....(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 11-06-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:00 GMT

It's the week ending November 6, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each. ...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-30-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:52:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 30, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each. First, it's too obvious to forget, but this weekend is Halloween, and there are sure to be lots of kidlets swarming the roads in costume on Saturday evening. AskPatty knows Halloween is the most dangerous day of the year for children to walk and offers up a selection of tips to help drivers do their part to keep trick-or-treaters safe from harm. Love this one: "Empire Strikes Back: White House calls out Edmunds on Clunkers story, Edmunds responds" The facts in the case of the White House versus Edmunds are essentially indisputable - but they are open for interpretation. Thanks to AutoBlog for summarizing this excellent -- and entertaining -- case of "He said, They said." Daylight savings time ends this weekend, be sure to take extra care when driving in residential neighborhoods and approaching intersections and stop signs as you adjust to the added darkness along your familiar roads. Automotive Traveler advises your children to be extra careful if they're walking in a parking lot or crossing the street as the sun sets...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival October 23, 2009: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:55:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 23, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each. Toyota's problem with unintended acceleration remains in the headlines at LeftLaneNews where they suggest the problem goes deeper than loose floormats, perhaps even to a flawed design with a highly computerized engine control system that lacks a fail-safe mechanism for emergency situations. Betcha that's something lots of people are thinking! Tokyo Motor Show is underway, and as much as we especially love all the fun concepts and high-tech prototypes we see there every two years, we also love the Tokyo booth babes, whose costumes are even more funky than the vehicles themselves. Carscoop has posted a gallery of Tokyo Motor Show girls that perfectly illustrate this point. And yes, they also show some fun cars too. Lounging under the influence: A Minnesota man took his motorized La-Z-Boy out for a drive, and after drinking eight or nine beers, crashed it into a parked car while trying to "pop a wheelie." Apparently, his blood alcohol limit was 0.29 - more than three times the legal limit. Yeah, if I had a cushy chair powered by a...(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-16-09: This week in Auto Blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:24:00 GMT

It is the week ending October 16, and we have browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather the highlights from each....(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-09-09: This week in auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:15:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 10, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each....(read more)

autoMedia CARnival 10-2-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:38:00 GMT

It's the week ending October 2, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Toyota is recalling 3.8 million vehicles to check the floor mats and Cash for Clunkers makes it back into the headlines, but we've also got plenty of unusual news sure to entertain the automotive fan.

Cash for Clunkers might be over in the United States, but it lives on in France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. AutoBlogGreen says European buyers who trade in their cars to purchase something else offering reduced CO2 or powered by compressed natural gas or electricity receive rebates ranging from 1,500 to 3,500 Euros. That's about 2200 to 5000 US dollars!

The first complete month of sales after the Cash for Clunkers has been tallied up and the predicted result - that auto sales would drop once the government stopped giving free money in exchange for clunkers - didn't exactly happen. In fact, according to John Neff at AutoBlog, nine brands posted positive sales in September versus the same period in 2008 with another three posting only single-digit losses.

Penske backed out of its agreement to buy Saturn, and as a result General Motors has announced it will kill the brand. As GM struggles to sell off languishing vehicle divisions, the latest rumor from LeftLaneNews says Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation is pursuing the tooling and design rights to produce the outgoing Saab 9-5 in one of its Chinese factories. Meanwhile, there's still no word on the status of the sale of Hummer to China's Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Company.

Auto show season is upon us! Last month was Frankfurt, later this month will be Tokyo, and in early December, Los Angeles will launch the domestic events. It seems clear that alternative fuel vehicles will be hot concepts this year, and HybridCars has a preview of two plug-in hybrids promised to be on display by Suzuki and Mitsubishi, though I can't wait to see all the far-out and freakish displays that make Tokyo so iconic.

Next week is the inaugural "Heads Up Driving Week," in which the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is urging us all to drive distraction-free for the week. What bad habits will you give up? Coincidentally, this week, According to The Detroit Bureau, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging or using cell phones while driving government-owned vehicles or while driving privately owned vehicles when they are on official government business. Todd Lassa has more on the topic of distracted driving in his blog here at Motor Trend.

In a disappointing twist of fate, I couldn't find anything that made me ROFL at Jalopnik this week, so in order to present some silly entertainment, I'm giving you a link to a video of some "Candid Camera" style automotive pranks. Have a great weekend!

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 9-25-09: This week in auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 GMT

It's the week ending September 25, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Everyone's multi-billion dollar tax drain, aka the Cash Allowance Rebate System, aka CARS, aka Cash for Clunkers, is back in the headlines again.

Soon after Cash for Clunkers ended, many supporters were boasting that the average mileage for the first quarter million trade-ins improved from 16.3 mpg to 24.8 mpg. That's a great fuel savings, right? Wrong: research shows that C4C participants intend to drive almost twice as many annual miles, which will certainly offset any efficiency-based fuel savings. Find out more at AutoBlogGreen.

More bad news about cash for clunkers: Exotic cars were also sent to the crusher! Though the most popular vehicle destroyed under Cash For Clunkers was the Ford Explorer, Jalopnik says buyers also smashed AMGs, Rolls-Royces, and even a LaForza. We can't imagine crushing a $130,000 Aston Martin DB7 Volante for a $4500 credit. That's just wrong.

Hey, not ALL the clunkers have been traded in! If you're looking for some classic American haulers, TruckTrend.com has found three 1960s-era passenger vans for sale on eBay. Take your pick from a 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier, a 1966 Ford E-100, or a 1966 Dodge.

Yeah, we all thought the Segway was a strange invention at first, but it recently had a starring role in "Paul Blart, Mall Cop." Now Honda has released its own personal mobility device, the U3-X, which stands for both "universal" and "unicycle." According to AutoBlog, the large wheel contains a series of smaller wheels that can rotate independently, allowing the awkwardly perched user 360 degrees of movement. Like the Segway, the person piloting the U3-X simply leans in the desired direction to control the movement through the Honda Omni Traction Drive System. Not sure what movie this device will star in, but it causes me to envision human bowling pins, just waiting to be knocked over...

Stranger than fiction: LeftLaneNews is publishing prognostications that Fiat's master plan for the Chrysler Group, includes turning Dodge into a sports car brand and transforming Chrysler into a Cadillac rival. Another proposal reportedly would eliminate Dodge's trucks from its lineup and place them into a whole new division called, not surprisingly, Ram. Hmmm.

Shell will award free V-Power premium gasoline and an all-new 2010 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo motorcycle to the winners of their "Fuel My Passion" Contest and Sweepstakes. All you have to do is submit a creative photo posing with your vehicle and showing the "V" Sign, and also include a short story of up to 100 words on how Shell V-Power has fueled your passion. Details are at AutomotiveTraveler, though we suggest you leave out references to the Mercury Mistress from your entry.

After nearly two years in fleet service, the Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicle fleet has surpassed more than a million miles on the road. According to AskPatty about 5,000 people have driven the fuel cell Equinox in short test drives. More than 80,000 people in New York, Washington, D.C., and Greater Los Angeles, have volunteered to drive the vehicles as part of Project Driveway's experimental program began in November, 2007.

Consumer Reports asks "Do cars dream of electric beeps?" Many have said the silence of electric cars could be potentially dangerous; Well, Nissan proposes breaking EV silence with 'Blade Runner' whir while moving, to alert pedestrians who can't see or hear them

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment.

Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 9-18-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:01:00 GMT

It's the week ending September 18, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. The Frankfurt Motor Show was the main focus online this week, with exotic alternative fuel concept vehicles such as the the Audi e-tron, Peugeot Globule shapeshifting electric car, Mercedes-Benz BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS, and the Volkswagen E-Up and L1 arnering a fair amount of attention. More traditional vehicles, such as the Ford C-Max compact crossover,
Lexus 600h, Mini Cooper Coupe Concept, next-gen Toyota LandCruiser, 2010 Aston Martin Rapide,
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and even an 800-hp Brabus E V12, also gathered headlines. Take your pick, the smorgasbord of vehicles at Frankfurt truly offered something for every automotive taste.

We can always count on Jalopnik for the most unusual tidbit each week. Yes, we can. So, how about a gallery demonstrating the types of the automobiles found parked at everyone's favorite world's largest retailer. No, these are not art cars: they are the cars of WalMart.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety celebrated its 50th anniversary by crashing a modern Chevy Malibu into 1959 Bel Air. The intent of the crash was intended to demonstrate how the leaps and bounds taken in automotive design contribute to passenger safety. Autoblog has an interesting assessment of the video, and while it's sad to see the demise of a perfectly lovely classic car, it's even sadder to see what happened to its crash-test-dummy driver. And as usual, the readers' comments are quite interesting as well.

The Holden Commodore enjoyed a brief run as the Pontiac G8 in the United States, but that came to an end with the demise of Pontiac this summer. Although GM has denied plans to sell a rebadged Commodore as a Chevrolet to U.S. consumers, the automaker might have a new set of customers: American police departments. Apparently, according to LeftLaneNews, General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson recently confirmed in an Australian media interview, rumors saying a Commodore police cruiser could be destined for America.

Jay Leno should be nicknamed "The Regurgitator," because you just can't keep that man down! After leaving "The Tonight Show," Leno has recently reappeared in a new primetime talkshow format, and with him he brings his interest in specialty automobiles. AutoBlogGreen has info on Jay's Green Car Challenge, which puts celebrities behind the wheel of an electric Ford Focus competing for best possible lap times.

President Obama made the headlines at Consumer Reports in a blog about his recent visit to a General Motors factory in Ohio. While there, the POTUS unveiled new regulations for fuel economy: By 2012 new cars and trucks must average 29.2 mpg, but those targets will increase to average 35.5 mpg by 2016. Apparently, according to research at CR, "more than 80 percent of Americans said fuel economy was the most important factor in choosing a new car."

Have you ever taken a good close look at the collection of automotive gadgets found in those onboard airline product catalogs? Just because most of us really CAN live without animated hitch critters doesn't mean we can't still secretly wish for them! AskPatty reviews the Delta Airlines "Skymiles" catalog, and discovers some practical devices meant to make life in and with your car more convenient.

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 9-11-09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:29:00 GMT

It's the week ending September 11, 2009 and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Big news is General Motors' announcement of a 60-day money-back guarantee, that will allow eligible buyers of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles that will allow customers to return their vehicle to their dealer between 31 and 60 days of purchase and receive a refund of the purchase price for the vehicle.

Sneak Peeks from the upcoming Frankfurt Auto show are everywhere to be found! AutoBlogGreen has news and photos of the Mercedes-Benz S 500 plug-in electric Hybrid set to Debut in Frankfurt next week. The luxury PHEV features a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and a 44 kW/60 hp electric motor that promise the S 500 Hybrid races from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, while also offering more than 70 miles per gallon. Race on, Treehuggers!

MotorTrend's Frankfurt preview is live now, with first looks at more than a dozen of the cars set to be revealed next week. They've got everything from the Audi R8 Spyder, Lamborghini Reventon Roadster, Lexus LF-Ch and BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concepts. The content here will just keep growing, so check back again next week to see what else has been added.

This announcement from Jalopnik is worth running just because the photo is so entertaining! During a marketing call to promote GM's GM's new marketing campaign: "May The Best Car Win," Bob "Maximum Marketing" Lutz challenged any comers in an unmodified production sedan to a duel against a Cadillac CTS-V. So, Jalopnik challenged Lutz to race against Wes Siler in a Mercedes-Benz AMG C63. Regardless, Lutz told the assembled reporters "You're running into a trap because if you beat me by a second on the lap time, we'll just advertise the price difference." Can't wait to see the outcome of this event!

Ahead of its official debut at the State Fair of Texas later this month, images of Toyota's next-generation 4Runner SUV have been leaked at LeftLaneNews. You'll have to wait until September 24 for more official news, until then, this is all you get.

Next week is National Child Passenger Safety Week, and to launch the event, Inspection stations across the United States are standing by on Saturday, September 12 so that car seat installations can be explained and demonstrated in person. AskPatty.com suggests that if you've got babies or young children, this would be a good reason to take the grandparents and caregivers for a refresher course on child seat safety

Moving up from child safety to Teen Driving Safety, Liberty Mutual Insurance has just released an analysis that claims to show that moms and dads are not exactly setting good examples as the drive. According to the article at TheDetroitBureau, 69% of parents of teen drivers report they practice at least two dangerous or distracting behaviors while driving, and nearly half do at least three. Blame the dads (not the moms) for these bad examples, as the survey finds dads are less likely than moms to encourage their teens to practice safe driving in general. While 85% of moms discuss safe driving often with their teen drivers, only 73% of dads have had the same conversation.

Before we end for the week, let's take a moment to enjoy a funny car commercial, brought to us by those wacky humorists at AutoBlog. Ever wonder what goes into the design of the cars we see on the road? Well, here's an inside look at what goes into styling a sexy German-designed automobile. It'll take your breath away...

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, autoMedia.com Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 8/28/09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:25:00 GMT

It's the week ending August 28, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each.

Once again, the biggest news involves the end of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program AKA "Cash for Clunker" rebates, culminating in 690,114 transactions valued at $2.88 billion, with stories galore on its "wildly successful" outcome. LeftLaneNews reports on some of the downfalls of the program, saying the clunkers' Web site crashed several times, resulting in a bottleneck of applications. Moreover, only about a third of dealers have received their first clunkers check, leaving many dealerships with cash flow problems. Consumer Reports shares the environmental impact, saying the average new car bought with the rebates got 9.2 mpg more than the average clunker traded in, for an annual average fuel savings per driver of 277 gallons of fuel or about $720.

Pizza magnate Papa John Schnatter has finally been reunited with his Camaro. In celebration, he gave away nearly 36,000 free pizzas. Click here to read the detailed story of how Jalopnik helped make it happen -- and if you want, you can even browse the gallery of photos snapped by Camaro owners when they used their car as the ultimate coupon.

You wake up in the morning and suddenly everyone is driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Sound freaky? Well, that is exactly what is going to happen in Samoa on September 7th of this year. All Cars All The Time predicts this move will be an epic fail. The Wall Street Journal seems to agree. We suggest travelers stay away until they get their drivers retrained.

Are we there yet? Jaime Case and Chris Hodges hopped into a Fusion sedan provided by Ford, and took off on a six-week pre-wedding road trip around the country to see friends and family prior to signing their marriage certificate. Well, they've finally tied the knot, apparently the road trip is nearly over, and to celebrate the couple plans to change their names.... to Ford. Jeez, I hope Ford lets them keep the car after all that!

Get this: AutoBlogGreen.com suggests watermelon juice could be the next great automotive fuel, saying there's enough watermelon juice available to brew 2.5 million gallons of ethanol, which would displace up to 15 percent of corn or molasses, cut down on water usage, and supply needed nitrogen to the mix. Seems like the perfect use for the 360,000 tons of watermelons left to rot and spoil each year!

Chrysler and Nissan have decided to part ways, scrapping three joint-vehicle programs originally intended to fill yawning gaps in their respective line-ups. With Nissan officials recently telling TheDetroitBureau.com they were still open to working with their Detroit counterpart, it appears that the announcement was heavily influenced by Chrysler's new parent, the Italian automaker Fiat. It also appears Nissan is the loser in the latest developments. A separate agreement calling on Nissan and Chrysler to share transmission remains unchanged.

AutomotiveTraveler.com has snagged spypix of the upcoming 2011 Ford Fiesta -- only not the little Euro hatchback version we've seen so many Fiesta Agents driving! This article features several remarkably clear road shots of the four-door sedan version destined to arrive in American dealerships in the second quarter of 2010. I'd like one in magenta, please?

We all hate sitting in traffic, and in the Los Angeles area, it's notoriously bad. AutoBlog.com shares the results of a study that demonstrates having a GPS system with real-time traffic can save drivers four days per year and reduce emissions by 21%!

If you're writing a research paper on the history of electric vehicles, then look no further than cleancartalk.com which shares everything you ever wanted to know -- but were afraid to ask -- about the electric car. With detailed info from its origins in the 1830s to modern-day options, this article is good reading for green gearheads.

Mark Tapscott may very well be THE founder of the Carnival of Cars concept, and he had the wisdom to include ME in one of his first editions, nearly three years ago! If you want to keep up with Tapscott's current content, favorite him at Examiner.com

autoMedia CARnival 8/21/09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:36:00 GMT

It's the week ending August 21, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. Big news involves the end of the CARS rebates on Monday, as once again the Feds predict the money will run out over the weekend. People: That's nearly $3 billion dollars in rebates and admin costs car shoppers have burned through in barely a month!

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced the cash for clunkers program will come to a close on Monday, August 24th at 8 p.m. EDT. According to The Detroit News, the latest round of Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) rebates has inspired 457,476 sales worth $1.91 billion in rebates. Apparently, dealers have been submitting paperwork for 20,000 vehicles, or about $100 million, a day in recent days, since the program was renewed. And this time, lawmakers have no interest in extending the program. Unfortunately, while sales have been brisk, reimbursements have not, so Chrysler Group and General Motors have announced they will advance funds to dealers who are still awaiting payment from the government for clunkers deals. DetNews reports the administration has paid just $145 million of the $1.9 billion in vouchers submitted -- or less than 10 percent of the funds requested. YIKES!

For more than a year now, says The Detroit Bureau, automotive manufacturers have, done nothing but cut, cut, cut. Thanks to the cash for clunkers sales melee, and inventories so low that some popular models are literally being sold right off the car haulers, automakers are cautiously starting to ramp up production again. Hope they get to lots before the money runs out!

Dealership inventory is quickly thinning many towns, even as factories ramp up overtime to deliver small, fuel-efficient vehicles in before the funds run out. There is a definite race against the clock for all involved to take full advantage of this unique program, and car shoppers shouldn't delay. You can learn about the so-called "cash for clunkers" from our guide, and research year-end clearance models in our new car buyer's guide and reviews here at autoMedia.com

It might appear to be little more than a toyish looking box on wheels, but Trabant has released teaser images of its upcoming all-electric Trabant nT set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. AutoBlog Green has a fun photo gallery of the new electric Trabant nT (new Trabi) which promises a range of about 156 miles from its lithium-ion battery.

With the oldest car yet, cross-dressing maids, and a crash-and-roll finale, people have been talking about this high-performance exhibition for weeks! At last Jalopnik has posted the results of all 95 entries into the Buttonwillow Histrionics 24 Hours Of LeMons. Be sure to check out the gallery of entries - it'll almost be like having attended the event! And to think: Some of these cars could have been worth $up to $4500 as Clunker trade-ins...

She's the modern-day version of a photographic Mata Hari, and LeftLaneNews reports that ABC News spent a day Automotive Spy Photographer Brenda Priddy as she followed various camouflaged vehicles the sun-soaked southwest desert. To read ABC News' report and to watch their video, click here.

Would you spend $129 for a video game if it promised to make you a better driver? AskPatty.com reports on DriveSharp -- computer-based exercises produced by a provider of brain fitness programs -- which has been shown in independent studies to improve reaction time, cut crash risk by up to 50 percent, and increase control in most driving conditions.

Last week, General Motors gave journalists and consumers a sneak peek at several models expected to debut over the next two years. This week, in response to its poor reception, All Cars All The Time reports that Buick has decided to cancel the Saturn-Vue-based electric crossover, but promises the important plug-in hybrid technology will quickly be applied to another vehicle.

So, do you enjoy the broad variety of headlines and automotive websites here in our weekly carnival? If this still doesn't provide a broad enough selection of car content, then you should check out autos.alltop.com: They've got links to more than a hundred automotive websites, and list the five most recent headlines at each. So whether you're looking for the most popular auto items at Digg.com, auto & transportation press releases from PR Newswire, and anything in between, autos.alltop.com is the place to go when you've got too much time on your hands, and an insatiable appetite for car news.

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 8/14/09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:33:00 GMT

It's the week ending August 14, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. This weekend is one of the biggest weekends of the year for car fans, with the Wooodward Avenue Dream cruise in Detroit, and Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in Monterey. No matter whether you prefer classic American musclecars or the most beautiful and rarest historic automobiles these two events are certain to indulge your wildest automotive fantasies.

AutoBlog has more than a few stories on the West Coast's Pebble Beach activities so take your pick: You can choose to check out this 2010 Morgan Aero SuperSport, peruse the debut of the new Porsche Panamera or wish for a woodie from the Nick Alexander Woodie Collection.

The New York Times has several features on Woodward, including a happy, sentimental feature on a true love story that began more than 50 years ago in a Ford Model A on Woodward Avenue, a gastronomical observation on participation in the nostalgic event, as well as an economical observation of the event's financial importance.

At the beginning of the week, General Motors announced the EPA has created a new methodology for evaluating electric vehicles and proclaimed its upcoming Chevy Volt would be rated at a stunning 230 mpg. The rating seems so difficult to believe that The Detroit Bureau calls the new EPA Mileage standard bogus, but the smart folks over at Consumer Reports break its economy down into numbers and figures that make more sense. Or cents. Whatever.

Porsche gets a second mention in this week's carnival, this time in a series of articles at Jalopnik about the truth or falsehood of the rumored Cayman Shooting Brake. Based on such supporting evidence as a screen cap supposedly snapped from the yet-unreleased Forza 3 for Xbox 360 and a "leaked" photo showing the vehicle being prepped for its anticipated Frankfurt Motor Show reveal, it was ultimately discovered to be a going-away hoax from the-website-formerly-known-as-Top Gear USA. Awesome prank! Jalopnik got pwned!

This week's Greenlings column over at AutoblogGreen explains why today's gasolines include ethanol, and explains whether your car needs any modifications to use this ethanol-infused gasoline.

LeftLane News has two stories on the new BMW ActiveHybrid cars released this week. The first report covered the upcoming X6 ActiveHybrid sports activity coupe, set to reach dealers by the end of 2009. Powered by a gasoline twin-turbo V-8 and two electric motors, the X6 hybrid promises acceleration to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and a total of 480 horsepower. In addition to that one, they also share details of the new top-of-the-range ActiveHybrid 7 hybrid sedan. Powered by a three-phase electric motor and a twin turbo V-8, the ActiveHybrid 7 will crank out a combined 455 horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque. Word on the street says these hybrid versions will improve economy by 15 to 20 percent.

As the extra $2 billion 'cash for clunkers' extension settles in with lawmakers, Motor Trend reports many dealers are still waiting for their rebate money from the original CARS plan. Apparently one Toyota dealer in Southern California has 450 unpaid claims totaling $1.9 million. Another in North Carolina has only received $26,000 of his $319,000 unpaid claims.

So, do you enjoy the broad variety of headlines and automotive websites here in our weekly carnival? If this still doesn't provide a broad enough selection of car content, then you should check out autos.alltop.com: They've got links to more than a hundred automotive websites, and list the five most recent headlines at each. So whether you're looking for auto & transportation press releases from PR Newswire, the most popular auto items at Digg.com, and anything in between, autos.alltop.com is the place to go when you've got too much time on your hands, and an insatiable appetite for car news.

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor

autoMedia CARnival 8/7/09: This week in the auto blogs

Brandy Schaffels — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:00:00 GMT

It's the week ending August 7, and we've browsed our favorite automotive blogs all week long to gather a collection of what we feel is the highlight from each. The biggest news this week continues to be discussion of Obama's Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program, as websites discussed the outcome of the program's first week, as well as plans for its next installment.

Thanks to AutoBlogGreen for the latest update clarifying the mysterious status of the Car Allowance Rebate System legislation, telling us it looks set to continue for at least another month. Apparently, the Senate confirmed the House's $2 billion funding of the incredibly popular program yesterday in a 60-37 vote, Obama is expected to sign it into law soon, and the money should last through Labor Day. Note: If you're considering making a purchase based on CARS rebates, don't delay, as it's not expected to be extended again.

A report at Edmunds Auto Observer, which was heavily based on information obtained from a Hyundai press release, states that these new purchases could result in a 59-percent fuel economy improvement between the new and old vehicle of the early clunker trades. In fact, according to their report, Hyundai estimates individual fuel consumption will decrease by 275 gallons per year, reducing fuel costs by nearly $680 annually at current gas prices. According to Hyundai's calculations, this first round of trade-ins could potentially decrease annual fuel consumption across the U.S. by 69 million gallons, reducing spending by a total of nearly $170 million on gasoline and cutting CO2 emissions by more than 600,000 metric tons.

A deluge of car shoppers purchased nearly 185,000 vehicles within the first week of activity: Consumer Reports shared data showing what participating consumers were trading in and then buying with their rebate dollars. As expected, the vehicles most often cashed in are popular SUVs and pickup trucks, with small and midsized sedans dominating the new-car purchases. They also include lists of the top vehicles purchased (Toyota Corolla was the number one most purchased car) and the top ten vehicles traded in (Ford Explorer 4WD wins that dubious honor).

With nearly all gas-electric hybrid cars qualifying for the Cash for Clunkers vouchers, hybrid sales in July grew to 3.55 percent of the new car market--its largest market share ever. According to HybrdCars.com, new car dealers sold 35,429 hybrids, with more than half of the sales coming from the Toyota Prius. Hybrid sales jumped by 35 percent in July compared with last month and a year ago--while sales of conventional new vehicles rose 15.4 percent for the month and were down 13 percent from July 2008.

Finally, there's been lots of greenwashing on this subject, but Bill Basore over at AutomotiveTraveler has the courage to explain, in painful detail, all the reasons why the Cash for Clunkers program is bad. While many consumer and industry insiders may quietly agree with him, nobody has written anything that so clearly explains why it's so clearly bad. Plus, all the videos demonstrating how they disable what appear to be perfectly reliable cars are just tragically sad.

Sick of Cash for Clunkers news? Okay, let's move along....
We already know those snarky guys over at Jalopnik love cars. They love movies, too. Would it surprise you to hear they also love movies about cars? Well, we all know there are some really great car flicks out there, as well as some really pathetic car flicks. Click this link to view Jalopnik's list of 12 of the greatest car flicks of all time. Or click this link to view their list of 12 of the worst.

If you're one of those folks who's always on the move, check out this article at The Detroit Bureau explaining a new generation of wireless technology that provides Internet access via cellular data networks for devices in a moving vehicle. With in-car internet service like this, your kids may soon start asking, "Already?" rather than, "Are we there yet."

Automotive journalists drive a lot of cars. And since most of that time is spent sitting in the driver's seat, certain things tend to annoy them more than others. AutoBlog has compiled a slideshow of interior annoyances, gripes, and grievances. Not everyone will agree with all the choices, but some of them are especially problematic. What do you think?

I hate to report it myself, so I'll let the folks at MotorTrend.com say it: The Chevy Camaro got a 4-star crash test rating in front driver and passenger tests. :( Now that the NHTSA put the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro through four crash tests, the Mustang has another minor selling point over its main rival: Compared to the Mustang coupe's five stars all around, the Camaro only received five stars for the side driver and rollover tests. According to the article, the Camaro continues to outsell the Mustang, and in July, 7113 Camaros were sold to 6686 Mustangs.

The 15th Annual Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise is taking place next weekend! Are you going? Whether you'll be there or not, you'll want to check out this collection of billboards that Chevrolet has commissioned to be displayed in the Detroit area as part of the festivities. Happy Cruising!

Thanks for joining us for this week's autoMedia.com CARnival! Have you got something of interest you want us to include in a future carnival? Then fill out our online form so we can be notified of your interesting entry to our weekly blog CAR-nival. Check back next week for another installment--until then, have a great weekend!

Brandy Schaffels, Contributing Editor