Hasta La Gadget!

Honda is celebrating the history of its cars over the last 50 years by asking people to vote on their favorite model out of the 208 that have come out over this period of time.

It is a popularity contest for its cars.

Voting can be done from the “Kuruma Zukan (car picture reference book)” after checking the cars’ specs and photos. Those voting for their favorite model will be able to get a rare original wallpaper of that car.

Honda is accepting votes by 11:59PM on July 31.

The picture album is here. It is in Japanese only, but you will be able to look at the pictures, organized by decade and year.

This week if you’re in Google’s neighborhood in Calofornia, you might be seeing one eye-murdering iteration of an electric vehicle swinging your way, complete with a Batman symbol on its hood and massive plastic eyelashes above its headlights. This is the vinyl-wrapped Tesla Model S late April Fool’s Joke the Google executives other than Sergey Brin have played on the man – and yes, he is Batman. And yes, it’s not permanent.

Investigators have spotted this vehicle in multiple instances from multiple angles, and have caught it in motion, so there’s no reason to think the abomination that is bubble gum pink isn’t wrapped around this otherwise glorious electric vehicle. While the custom Google Chrome rims are part of Brin’s original build, the rest will only be there so long as the Google head decides they’re still funny.

If you head down to the TeslaMotorClub forums you’ll find several ladies and gentlemen confirming that they’ve been up close and personal with the vehicle – and that it’s not painted this way, only vinyl wrapped. The largest photo you see above comes from user Trnsl8r who appears to have caught the vehicle in the wild, parked sideways awaiting its pilot. You’ll find zebra print seat and steering wheel covers ready to rock with a pair of pink dice and flames on both mirrors busting out.

No word at the moment whether or not the Bat Wings on the back of this masterpiece will be auctioned off for the needy. You’ll also find Google’s Nathan Johns posting an image from another angle up on Google+ and the photo of Brin driving the vehicle was taken by Brian Li, Five Visions Photography and posted to Forbes. Keep on rolling right!

Have a peek at the timeline below for more information on the Tesla Model S and stick around the Google tag portal we’ve got set up for all the greatest Sergey Brin adventures you can handle each and every afternoon!

Sergey Brin’s Pink-Wrapped Batmobile Tesla rolls through Google HQ is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the folks at Audi and T-Mobile have let it be known that they’re going to offer data plans in the near future that allow drivers to be connected at an extremely affordable rate. Connected, that is, to mobile data inside their Audi next-generation Connected Vehicles. You’ll be rolling out with web connectivity for a variety of apps and services anywhere you drive for as little as $15 USD a month!

What we’re talking about here is the T-Mobile data plan you’ll be using in your Audi vehicle equipped with Audi connect. With T-Mobile data you’ll be paying a cool $450 USD for full data service over the course of 30 months – there’s also a six-month free trial period you get at the time of your purchase. That equals out to be just $15 or month if you pick up that one lump sum! There’s also a $30 USD month-to-month service plan if you’d like less of a contract situation.

Above you’re seeing a demonstration of what Audi connect brings to you on their next-generation line of vehicles. Hot tip – we’ve been reporting on this fabulous technology integration since all the way back at Audi’s CES 2012 keynote – going big with NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor integration and ultra-fast data speeds!

With T-Mobile data you’ll be rolling out with Audi connect’s connections to Google Earth, Google Voice Local Search, and a collection of other online services straight from Audi like news, gas prices, travel information, and weather! You’ll also be able to share internet inside the vehicle to up to 8 devices on the same data plan – no need to have two data plans working at once!

Have a peek at our Audi tag portal as well as our giant Car Hub right this minute, and see the timeline below for all the most excellent recent reports on Audi from the past few weeks – stay up to date!

Audi T-Mobile in-vehicle data plans revealed starting at $15 a month is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, and what better way to kick things off than with a study on fatal crashes? As it turns out, despite the popular belief that texting and talking while driving is the leading cause of car crashes, it turns out that daydreaming and other distractions is the bigger culprit.

Erie Insurance Group looked at data collected from law enforcement agencies, which showed that out of all fatal car crashes, 10-percent of them were due to a distraction. Despite what one might assume as the cause of the distraction, cell phones were in the minority. As it turns out, being distracted, such as zoning out or being “lost in thought” is the primary cause, responsible for about 62-percent of crashes.

So what kind of distractions, cell phones aside, are causing drivers to crash? The top ones on the list include loose pets and items in the car, rubbernecking at another crash or some roadside event, eating while driving, and talking to other passengers in the car — fairly common things we might fall into the trap of thinking aren’t distracting.

Said Erie’s Personal Lines Senior Vice President Doug Smith, “The results [of the analysis] were disturbing.” Drivers are being urged to pay better attention to the road, and to put away, shut off, and disable potential distractions. To keep one’s mind from wondering, suggestions including playing the “what if” game, where drivers ask themselves how they would handle certain situations on the road, such as a car suddenly braking in front of them.

[via Bloomberg]

Distractions cause more fatal crashes than smartphones says study is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last month, we reported that Detroit Electric planned to unveil an electric sports car, of which only a single teaser image was supplied with no information about its name, price, or other details. In Detroit earlier today, the car – called the SP:01 – was unveiled, along with its specs and an image of the mean-looking electric beast.

The SP:01 is an all-electric sports car that will be released as a limited-edition (only 999 will be made) for those with a fair amount of cash to spare. Because it is powered by a 37kWh battery, which can be recharged in a little over 4 hours and has a range of 190 miles, the vehicle is emissions-free. The body is constructed from carbon fiber, making it lightweight (it weighs 2,354lbs) and helping it achieve its high speeds.

The Detroit Electric SP:01 boasts a 0 to 62mpg time of 3.7 seconds, making it the fastest all-electric production car anywhere in the world. The top speed clocks in at 155mph, and is achieved via a 201 bhp motor offering 166lb/ft of torque. There’s a four-speed manual transmission, but also an automatic transmission option for those who prefer it. The SP:01 is also decked out with an infotainment sytsem that can be controlled entirely via a smartphone, with the app also providing information on the car’s various systems.

Detroit Electric’s CEO and Chairman Albert Lam had this to say: “The SP:01 will be exclusive, luxurious and technologically advanced. The car will be an exciting and innovative product, displaying outstanding performance coupled with strong green credentials, and delivering an exhilarating driving experience.” The vehicle will be available for purchase by the end of August this year with a base price of $135,000 USD.

[via PRNewswire]

Detroit Electric unveils all-electric SP:01 luxury sports car is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.