Hasta La Gadget!

A new deal is in the works this week that would have Google running their own fabulous Google-branded airport out of San Jose has been reported this week, city approval and all. This report comes from the current San Jose airport where officials are “urging” the city to sign a deal that would allow two private companies to fund an $82 million dollar facility on land that up until now has been a west-side parking lot near the airfield. Google would, if approved, be flying Google-branded aircraft in and out of the area.

This deal is being penned by Signature Aviation and Blue City Holdings, the latter company being the one that currently represents the Google fleet. At the moment Google has a set of aircraft owned and operated by the company, each of them used for private Google flights – CEOs and the like. The memo this week would include a 29-acre plot made to house the planes as well as a main airport ticketing/baggage/general boarding area.

The lease with Signature and Blue City Holdings would have them using the area for “at least 50 years” where standard airport leases, according to Mercury News, tend to last between 20 and 30 years. Currently it’s at the Moffett Federal Airfield that Google aircraft are housed on the whole. Aviation Director Bill Sherry spoke up on the matter this week saying that all the way back in 2005 Google has approached the San Jose airport for a similar facility, but that back at that time, not enough space was to be had.

The proposal will be seen by the San Jose city council later this month, specifically by the council’s Airport Competitiveness Committee. This will be the first step in a series of reviews which will be completed by a full city council vote this Spring.

Sound like a fabulous sort of situation to you? It’s not just private Google employees that will be riding out on the Google flights flying out of San Jose. Would you ride a Google Airlines aircraft? Or are you move of a Virgin Airlines sort of traveler?

[via Gizmodo]

Google Airport set for San Jose, California is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

On Thursday, Toyota unveiled its 2014 Tundra pick-up truck at the Chicago Auto Show, showing off a newly designed interior and larger, more built exterior. The truck is slated to be available in September, but no word was given on how much this beastly-looking vehicle will cost. In an effort to boost sales, Toyota will also be offering two luxury Tundra models.

The 2014 Tundra will be available in three varieties, two of which are meant to appeal to those looking for high-end, sophisticated offerings in a pick-up. The first of the two higher-end models is the 1794 Edition, which is named after the ranch where the manufacturer’s factory in Texas was constructed. Second is the Platinum Tundra, which has a big-city feel to it.

As its name suggests, the 1794 Edition is aimed at those who want an old world feel, with the truck boasting embossed leather. The Platinum edition, meanwhile, will have black leather-trimmed heated seats and a 12-speaker system. Buyers can choose between a double cab, which is a four-door option, a CrewMax four-door cab, or a regular cab.

Powertrain options include a 4-liter V6 with 270 horsepower, a 4.6-liter V8 with 310 horsepower, and a 5.7-liter V8 with 381 horsepower. Neither a hybrid Tundra nor a diesel option are available, although according to USA Today, Toyota stated that both are possibilities in the future. While some have expressed doubts that Toyota’s dolling up of the Tundra for those demanding luxury won’t have the effect on earnings hoped for, the manufacturer remains confident, stating, “The segment is moving more in that direction.”

[via USA Today]

Toyota unveils the 2014 Tundra pick-up truck at Chicago Auto Show is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier today at the Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet unveiled the first diesel car to grace the roads in the United States since 1986. The 2.0 Turbo Diesel Cruze is slated to compete with Volkswagen’s Jetta, and has a starting price of $25,695. The Cruze’s diesel engine runs clean, and the car is currently estimated to get around 42mpg.

The Chevrolet Cruze diesel features a 148 horsepower diesel engine, a 15 gallon fuel tank, and is said to accelerate from 0-to-60mph in 8.6 seconds. Although the current fuel estimate places the car at 42mpg, General Motors says that the car is still being tested for its final mileage rating. The Cruze has up to a 10 second turbo boost.

General Motor’s small cars chief engineer Gary Altman said about the upcoming compact car: “Cruze turbo diesel is the cleanest operating diesel engine ever produced by General Motors. We leveraged our global engineering expertise to take a great diesel engine from Europe and improve it to meet the stringent U.S. standards.”

Earlier today, we reported that Chevrolet’s low-cost Spark vehicle is the most popular Chevrolet vehicle among female buyers and those under the age of 35. One of the biggest selling points is it excellent fuel efficiency, one of the diesel Cruze’s main selling points. The difference with the Cruze is that diesel costs more than gas, so only time will tell if drivers take to it.

[via USA Today]

Chevrolet announces diesel Cruze, first US-bound diesel vehicle in 27 years is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s no doubt a happy day for fans, who have long been teased by the barest glimpses of the Ferrari Enzo’s successor, codenamed the F150, which has been seen in bits and pieces, sometimes cobbled together, but nothing of the entire car – until today. A private showing event has lead to some detail leaks, including that only 499 card will be made.

Likewise, the limited run of cars will be available in only three colors. The seats will be molded into it and fixed into place, with adjustable pedals instead to deal with different driver heights. Although not mentioned, as Car and Driver noted, the steering wheel will probably be adjustable as well, so that the fixed seats won’t be a big deal.

The Ferrari F150 will feature a hybrid V12 powertrain, producing a whopping 800 horsepower, with an extra punch of 150 horsepower with the KERS electric-boost system onboard. It’s said the F150 will have a neck-snapping 0-to-62mph time of only 3 seconds, reaching 124mph in seven seconds and topping out at 230mph.

The Geneva Motor Show is coming up, and there’s a chance we could see it revealed there. According to rumors, this will be the fastest Ferrari to hit the Fiorano test track. Of course, this information is subject to change, and might not be correct, as it is coming from individuals who are said to have attended the events, not from any official source.

[via Car and Driver]

Ferrari F150 details leak from private preview event is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week at the 2013 Chicago Auto show the next generation of KIA crossover vehicles has been revealed in a teaser image. This image shows a Cross GT concept vehicle with just a few details being revealed, most of them inside smooth lines and a laid-back feel. This vehicle has been tipped as a lovely Urban Vehicle with two-door action and next-generation innards – this we can guess while details involved are quite scant at the moment.

Another interesting choice by KIA here is the treatment of the photo – or concept drawing, shall we say. Here we’ve got a set of extremely simple yet stark colors that push against one another to create an illustrated look. In fact what is happening is that this Urban Vehicle is being masked as much as possible without losing the interest of the viewer – and the interest is what we’ve got!

This machine will likely be revealed within the next few weeks at least in part while the details this week stay in the “non-existent” category. The KIA Cross GT is shown here with emphasis placed on the “cool” factor while the forward-facing appeal. This Cross GT is being tipped as coming in at a larger size than the Sorento crossover revealed previously, this being suggested by Motor Authority to leave room for three rows of seating – we shall see!

Have a peek in the timeline below for several entries in our massive Car hub, each of them blasting forth from KIA itself. We’ve had several test drives of future vehicle releases very recently with our man Cory Gunther taking the wheel down in Arizona with the new 2014 KIA Forte as well as the 2014 KIA Sorento – have a peek! Jump in our Car Hub for looks at the automotive universe from all directions!

KIA Cross GT concept crossover teased is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.