Hasta La Gadget!

Hyundai has unveiled its latest sporty car that will slot into the line of Veloster Turbo cars the company already offers. The new car is aimed at driving enthusiasts and is the Veloster Turbo R-Spec. The car gets a number of special touches to set it apart from the standard Veloster Turbo cars.

The R-Spec gets red exterior touches and is only available with a 6-speed manual transmission. The transmission also comes with a B&M Racing Sport Shifter for improved shifting feel.

The car will use the same 1.6-liter direct-injected turbocharged engine available in other Veloster Turbo models. The car gets special black and red cloth seats with red leatherette bolsters. It also gets revised suspension and steering tuning for a sportier feel.

The R-Spec is also the cheapest Veloster Turbo available starting at $22,110(USD). Hyundai says that the R-Spec will begin production in early December of this year and will hit dealer showrooms in February of 2014.

Nissan is on its home turf at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, and has used the occasion to unveil some very cool concept cars. One of the coolest cars to turn up at the show is called the IDx Nismo.

The IDx Nismo is also accompanied by a very similar concept car called the IDx Freeflow. Nissan says that these cars are its attempt to lure in younger generations who aren’t that interested in cars.

Anyone familiar with past Nissan and Datsun models will recognize the profile as being similar to the classic Datsun 510.

Nissan is rumored to be working on a car aimed at combating the Subaru BRZ and it’s Scion twin, the FR-S. I hope this is the car, because the Nismo version looks fantastic.

Nissan says that the IDx Nismo would use a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine combined with a CVT transmission featuring a six-speed manual shift mode and synchronized rev match control. That sounds a lot like the powertrain in the current Nissan Juke, and the car isn’t exactly a rocket ship. It’s also unclear if these concept cars are front-wheel-drive or rear wheel drive. What is clear is that they both look very cool.

A new version of the venerable MINI Cooper that has been around for decades will be unveiled this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The new Mini is getting both larger and smaller at the same time. The vehicle will grow physically larger while getting a smaller engine to help improve fuel economy.

MINI has extended the length of its new car by almost 4 inches. Mini promises that the extra length will be used throughout the cabin, increasing both passenger and cargo space. That extra space will definitely add to the leg room inside what is traditionally a very cramped car. While the car gets longer, it’s standard engine is getting smaller. The MINI hard top will be getting a new three-cylinder engine to improve fuel economy.

The three-cylinder engine will be a 1.4-liter unit producing 134 hp using a turbocharger. It will be paired with a standard six-speed manual transmission and an optional six-speed automatic. The three-cylinder engine will be able to push the car to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds. Drivers wanting more power will be able to opt for the Cooper S using a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 192 hp. MINI will also offer a 116hp diesel model, the Mini Cooper D, which is designed specifically for fuel economy.

You can check out more details on the various other new features and model variants on the BMW/MINI press site.

Its impressive to hold a Coca-Cola bottle in your hand and think that about 30% of the bottle is actually made from renewable plant material. Coca-Cola and other soft drink companies have long been using a durable lightweight called PET. Ford uses PET in some of the materials in the interior of its vehicles including headliners, fabrics, and carpet among other things.

Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle technology makes for a greener version of PET and Ford has announced that it has teamed up with Coke to utilize the PlantBottle tech inside of its vehicles.

Ford will be showing off the Fusion energi plug-in hybrid vehicle in Los Angeles next week and inside the vehicle makes extensive use of PlantBottle technology.

Scientists and engineers from Coca-Cola and Ford worked together to develop a fiber using PlantBottle technology that can be woven into automotive grade PET fabric. Ford is using the technology to make fabric coverings for seat cushions, head restraints, and other components inside the car including headliners and door panels. Ford is currently evaluating using the material in other applications as well.

[via Coca-Cola]

Forget extra cup holders or power windows: the new Renault Zoe comes with a "feature" that absolutely nobody wants. Instead of selling consumers a complete car that they can use, repair, and upgrade as they see fit, Renault has opted to lock purchasers into a rental contract with a battery manufacturer and enforce that contract with digital rights management (DRM)restrictions that can remotely prevent the battery from charging at all.

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