LA 2010: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

On the eve of the LA Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz has taken the wraps off the 2012 CLS63 AMG, the bi-turbo V8 version of its thoroughly restyled and utterly delectable sedan.

AMG's new baby – the M157 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 – is finding a home in nearly every new Mercedes product, and when fitted to the CLS63 the blown mill is good for 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque... in standard form. Option up for the AMG Performance Package and Merc's in-house tuner turns up the boost from 14.5 to 18.8 psi and output rises to 550 hp and 590 lb-ft of twist. Equipped with AMG's seven-gear "Speedshift" MCT automatic tranny, the CLS63 takes an estimated 4.4 seconds to run from 0-60 in standard guise and 4.3 seconds with the AMG pack. Similarly, top speed also rises from 155 to 186 mph with the performance upgrade. And if you care, both variants clock in at 16 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.

In addition to the reworked engine and transmission, the front axle has been widened by nearly an inch and AMG fitted its independent adaptive suspension with electronic damping and a three-stage traction control system. The 19-inch, five-spoke wheels are wrapped in 255/35 tires in front and 285/30s out back, while 14.2-inch drilled and ventilated discs are fitted at all four corners.

A special "Launch Edition" will be available when the CLS63 goes on sale this coming summer and comes coated in matte grey paint with a mix of carbon fiber and piano black interior trim, alcantara headliner and AMG sports seats swathed in "Corteccia Pearl" leather. Make the jump for all the details and specs.

Chrysler 200: elegancia americana

El Chrysler 200 se renueva ofreciendo un diseño más refinado, haciendo patente la dirección que toma Chrysler hacia su nueva imagen.
Sus cambios en el exterior brindan unas líneas más suaves, un frontal totalmente renovado y retoques en la parte trasera. Unas tiras LED en faros y pilotos y unos retoques en los espejos retrovisores completan la transformación. El interior posee un nuevo salpicadero, ventilación mejorada y unos asientos de nuevo diseño mixtos de cuero y tela. Ha mejorado además la insonorización, incorporando vidrio laminado acústico en el parabrisas y ventanillas delanteras.
El tren de rodaje del Chrysler 200 aumenta la anchura de vías y monta neumáticos más anchos (de 225 frente a 215 milímetros) además de una suspensión más baja, concretamente 12 mm. más baja delante y 6 detrás respecto a su antecesor. La gama presentada en el Salón del Automóvil de Los Ángeles ofrece desde un 2.4 litros de 173 caballos hasta un 3.6 V6 de 283 cv. Además ahora dispone de un nuevo cambio de seis velocidades que mejora la los consumos pero manteniendo además la clásica opción del cambio automático de cuatro velocidades.
Este restyling renueva la imagen de Chrysler desde el lujo y la elegancia, y tras la entrada de Chrysler en el grupo Fiat de momento no se espera que este modelo llegue a Europa.

Willow Palin's Homophobic Facebook Freakout

What was Sarah Palin's daughter Willow up to during the premiere of her family's new TLC reality show, Sarah Palin's Alaska? According to TMZ, she was engaged in an epic Facebook war about the show. There are screenshots!

Apparently, a kid named "Tre," who went to school with Bristol and Willow Palin, was not a fan of the show, which he said—and I'm quoting—"is failing soo hard right now." Bristol objected to his characterization. And Willow (TMZ describes her as "the baby bear defending Mama Grizzly") joined in, calling one of her interlocutors "so gay" and another "such a faggot." (TMZ's source says she "normally doesn't use this type of language.") I guess this is how sixteen-year-olds talk on Facebook? Or, uh, everywhere? Hurrah, America.



Willow, by the way, is the Palin daughter whose trashing of a vacant house in Wasilla prompted vicious small-town drama. Here's the full, spirited discussion. Note that there's no specific proof that this is actually Willow and Bristol Palin (I mean: Why black out their last names? And Willow invokes "Matt" before he comments? And why "/b/"ackup?), but if it's not... what a bizarre

Help Choose a Name for the Prime Minister of Russia's Puppy

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently received an adorable puppy as a gift from Bulgaria. He wants to rename it. So Putin has turned over the task of naming his new dog to "all Russians." Though you can participate, too!
The dog used to be called Yorgo, which seems like a pretty good name to us. But it's not good enough for Putin, who is Prime Minister of Russia and the seventh branch of its armed forces. According to RT, his press secretary indicated that "all Russians can submit dog names via the Internet and Putin will look though them all."
So, since this is the internet, we invite you to submit a name! The Village Voice's Foster Kamer has some suggestions here. Obviously, "Puprestroika" would have some resonance, but we also think "Monty" is a great name for a dog, frankly, even if it has nothing to do with Russia.
Though, hey, if Putin wants to go in a different direction, here's a whole list of names that would be great for the dog.

Failed banks in the US: mapping the crisis

 

Failed US banks are on the increase. Photograph: Veer/Getty Images

Failed banks in the US have become such a regular event that many have stopped noticing them. But the effects live on.

Last week, regulators shut down six banks in Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Kansas - making 138 US failed banks this year alone in the wake of the US sub-prime and housing crisis. So far.
And the economy is a big issue in the US midterm elections 2010 - with high unemployment and a recovery that hasn't materialised for many Americans.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insures banks for at least $250,000 per customer. It is the body which took over the banks last week - the largest of which was Hillcrest Bank, based in Kansas, with $1.6bn in assets. Also closed last week were First Bank of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida, with $81m in assets; Progress Bank of Florida, based in Tampa, with $110.7m in assets; First National Bank of Barnesville in Georgia, with $131.4m in assets; Gordon Bank in Georgia, with $29.4m in assets; and First Suburban National Bank in Maywood, Illinois, with $148.7m in assets.
What are assets? In the topsy-turvy world of banking assets are money that people owe the bank, such as a mortgage. The total for those that have failed since 2008 is $630bn - that's over $2,000 for every man, woman and child in the US.

Creative Technology jumps into the tablet market... too late, too slowly?

 
Detail of Creative ZiiO 7 tablet: note the non-English script on the return button, bottom right. Photo by charlesarthur on Flickr. Some rights reserved

Creative Technology - the Singaporean company which five years ago vowed to go after Apple over a patent it had which it reckoned the iPod infringed - has come into the tablet market with a range of tablets, including 2 3.2-inch, 7-inch, and 10-inch models, running the Android OS.
And what does it bring to the tablet party that's different from what everyone else is doing? Wellll... that's hard to say. It has built its own processors to run the devices (designed at 3D Labs, which Creative Technology owns), and written its own audio drivers which it says means that you'll get far higher audio quality while listening or streaming (via Bluetooth) to compatible devices.
But in many other ways, Creative's output looks to be lagging behind many other tablet companies. To begin with, they're all running Android 2.1 - and none of them has 3G. This means that they won't automatically be able to access the Android Marketplace (because Android is a phone OS, and devices which don't have 3G or other phone stuff inside them can't be phones, so they can't access the marketplace for phone apps).
Update: Factoring in the prices, though, suggests that these are priced to sell - and so could give rivals quite a run for their money if Creative can get past the Marketplace hassles.
However Mac Aw Kuw Weng, director of corporate marketing, told us that there will be an over-the-air update (via Wi-Fi) to the devices to Android 2.2, which will be available as soon as Google has finished its trials of them - sometimes in late December... early January? Once that's done, then users will have access to the Marketplace. Otherwise they'll have to sideload apps via their computer.

Da vedere a Dublino: il Convention Centre

Il nome di Dublino evoca l’Irlanda, la birra Guinness, i verdi prati e le brughiere, i paesaggi bucolici e le scogliere oceaniche. E invece, oltre a tutto questo, a Dublino potreste ammirare anche lo spettacolo offerto da una struttura molto moderna, il CCD.
Il Convention Centre di Dublino è un edificio costruito tra il 2006 e il 2010 (è stato inaugurato lo scorso 7 settembre) grazie al lavoro di 750 operai che hanno realizzato un centro conferenze che, al di là del suo utilizzo interno, rappresenta una vera attrazione turistica per la sue forme e per l’illuminazione che lo anima quando calano le tenebre.
Il Centro si affaccia su un fiume che sfocia nel porto della città e lo sovrasta con un ponte anch’esso molto moderno e innovativo. Dal 26 al 28 novembre il CCd ospiterà la rassegna Taste of Christmas, dedicate ai sapori, alle tradizioni e ai riti del Natale irlandese. Potrebbe essere una buona scusa per fare una salto da quelle parti…

Chicago: The Best-Looking Skyline in the World

Chicago has the world’s greatest skyline. Yes, it’s a bold claim, but it’s rare to find anyone who will manage to go to Chicago and not be wowed by the buildings that dominate its centre.

Chicago skyline

The Loop – as Chicago’s central business district is known – is an absolute treasure trove of remarkable edifices. A few spill out further north of the ring of elevated train tracks that gives The Loop its name, stretching parallel to the shore of Lake Michigan, but the race for the sky is surprisingly enclosed.

John Hancock Building

You only need to go up to the top of one of Chicago’s tallest buildings to realise how compacted the city’s skyscraper scene is. There are generally two options here –with the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower is the tallest building in town (and, indeed, the Western Hemisphere) being the obvious choice. Sure, the observation deck is the highest point you’re going to get to in the city, but there’s a strong argument to say that the one at the John Hancock Center is a better bet. The Hancock Center is one of those buildings that is to the north of The Loop, and therefore offers better views of everything to the south of it. It also offers pretty sensational views out over Lake Michigan. Whichever observation deck you choose, though, you can see how remarkably flat the buildings seem once your eyes diverges from The Loop.

New York From the ferry

One of the time honoured, classic ways to take a look at New York is from on board the Staten Island ferry. The free service connects New York City’s best known borough – Manhattan – with its least visited – Staten Island. Leaving (approximately) every half hour from the South Ferry Terminal at the bottom tip of Manhattan, the Staten Island ferry heads out across the harbour. In doing so, it offers sensational views of the Manhattan skyline. You can watch the buildings gradually get smaller in the boat’s wake, also taking in the less-heralded cityscapes of both Jersey City on the other side of the Hudson and Brooklyn on the other side of the harbour.
And, of course, you sail pretty close to the one thing that most people come out on to the water to see – the Statue of Liberty.

The Staten Island ferry is a bit of an odd experience in that it serves a clientele of both tourists and commuters. The former tend to gasp with excitement on the outer decks, snapping away with cameras. The latter sit inside, looking bored and reading a book.

5 Unusual Ways of Seeing New York City

If you ever want to be completely overwhelmed, then New York City is probably the place to go to. It is the ultimate intense metropolis, with images, sounds and smells bombarding you around every corner. The height and the density of the buildings can be intimidating as well as exciting. And there are two ways of dealing with it – the first is to throw yourself right on in there; the second is to go for a slightly unusual perspective.

 

Followup: GM officials take issue with Whitacre's IPO share price estimates

It was only last week when Reuters reported that Ed Whitacre, Jr. told the media that General Motors IPO shares would "likely to be priced between $20 and $25 in the initial public offering by the automaker in November." GM didn't respond immediately, but now, like a judge giving instructions to the jury to disregard a courtroom outburst, The General is essentially saying "ignore everything you just heard."

According to The Detroit News, a GM response filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission refutes everything, saying that the price hasn't been set, the IPO might not happen in November, and the company doesn't know if it "will be successful or whether it will work." GM is in a self-imposed "quiet period" before its IPO "to comply with SEC regulations," which Whitacre's comments blew out of the water. According outside observers, "Any comments beyond what is included in GM's regulatory filings could be construed as breaking SEC rules during the quiet period and could jeopardize the timing of the IPO." Whoopsie.

MotoGP 2010 Phillip Island: Sometimes it's lonely at the top [Spoilers]

Proving that the power of hometown heroics should never be underestimated, Casey Stoner not only put on a great show for his fellow countrymen but once again proved to be dominant at the Australian GP. The starting grid at Phillip Island was the last time Stoner would be seen by competitors, as he converted pole-position to victory with a gap of nearly nine seconds. But was this really a fair fight?

With the championship already decided and little left to prove, we wondered if Jorge Lorenzo would merely cruise through the remainder of the season uninspired, leaving the risk to those who were still applying for a job for next season. In reality, the new champ didn't just sit back. Lorenzo rode rode well in Australia, claiming a lonely second place position almost ten seconds ahead of his teammate Valentino Rossi, who closed out the podium in style.

Nicky Hayden surely thought he had sewn up the final podium position when he made the move for third stick late in the race, but he did not count on the Rossi Factor, and his future teammate returned the favor on the last lap taking third by a very slim .038-second margin. If the rumors are true, we may even see the Doctor aboard a red bike before the end of the season, as it seems Ducati just can't wait for this whole "perfect Italian thing" to happen. Ben Spies rounded out the top five, marking the eighth time this season the young American has finished fifth or better, which secured him the Rookie of the Year title for 2010.

Click the jump for the top ten, and don't forget to check out the final two rounds, as the best things usually happen when we least expect it!

PSA: Rented Chevy Corvette not the best for doing beach donuts

How does a Corvette convertible – one rented from Hertz no less – end up in the salty brine at Pacific Beach in San Diego? The kindness of buzzed strangers, apparently. According to NBC San Diego, a visiting couple met a man in a bar, and after hearing that he had never driven a Corvette before, they offered him some seat time.

With the new acquaintance behind the wheel and the couple in the passenger seat, witnesses say the driver did a couple of donuts in the sand and then zoomed straight into the surf. Not known for its off-road traction, the Corvette got stuck, upon which the driver got out and ran. The couple was held and released, while the Corvette...well, we're sure Hertz is working on that right now. Follow the jump for some witness video of the aftermath.

Rumormill: More speculation bubbles up around Mini Moke/Beachcomber/Canyon Coupe models

Remember back in the day when BMW revived the Mini and there was just one version? That was the three-door hatchback, but was also a long time ago in product lifecycle terms. These days, the Mini franchise has expanded to include a convertible, the Clubman and the Countryman crossover. There are diesel, gasoline, supercharged and JCW versions of each, and there are more yet on their way: never mind the Mini E or the electric scooter concept unveiled in Paris (let alone the WRC rally version). In the cards are said to be coupe and seven-seat versions of the Countryman, along with production versions of the Speedster and Coupe models unveiled last year in Frankfurt.

Engine choices and one-offs aside, that's already eight body-styles off one little car. But that ain't even the end of it. Not according to reports from Mini's homeland of jolly old England.

Britain's Autocar magazine reports that BMW is working on two parallel programs to put a Jeep Wrangler or Honda Element-style crossover into the mix as well. One program apparently calls for a high-riding three-door model tentatively known as the Canyon Coupe, a model that revives the old Mini Moke beach car bodystyle. The other is closer to the above-pictured Beachcomber Concept unveiled nearly a year ago, and while doors would be added, so might removable roof panels, frameless doors and a wind-down rear window to give a real open-air experience.

Only one will be given the green light (if at all), but either would offer the All4 all-wheel drive system and a pillarless frame that would allow easier access, as well as a proper four-door version of the next-gen Clubman, addressing criticism that the single rear suicide door on the current model doesn't work well for right-hand drive markets (like Mini's own domestic market in the UK).

Ford named Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age

Ford has been named Advertising Age magazine's Marketer of the Year for 2010. The full-court press that the Blue Oval team has been applying continues to pay off, with $4.7 billion in profit for the first half of 2010 – a 17-percent boost over 2009 and the biggest company payday since 1998. No single part of Ford's strategy is a selfish star player; Jim Farley, Ford's vice president of global marketing has plotted a course for combining disciplines since his arrival in Dearborn.

The positive impression Ford's foregoing of federal TARP funds had on the public is the kind of PR coup you couldn't ever buy, and it continues to resonate positively with the public. According to a report, fifty-five percent of consumers surveyed still cite the company's ability to secure its own lines of credit as a reason for considering Ford vehicles above other brands. Shrewd PR moves aren't the whole story, though. Social media savvy launch campaigns for the Explorer and Fiesta have played into the decision to honor Farley's efforts, too.

All the clever and effective marketing in the world won't help if the product isn't compelling, however, and that's been a key piece of the puzzle for Ford. The string of hits includes the Edge, Mustang and Fusion, as well as technology like the ever-evolving SYNC infotainment system that has helped put this domestic automaker back on consumers' radars. Popular spokespeople like the Discovery Channel's Mike Rowe (shown above) haven't hurt either.

Roll all of these factors up into a Blue Oval-shaped bundle, and you have AdAge's Marketer of the Year.

Study: What vehicles get the most speeding tickets? You'll be surprised...

Quality Planning has just released its findings on which vehicles are more likely to snag their drivers a speeding ticket and who's likely to be behind the wheel when the blue lights come on. Surprisingly enough, the auto insurance analyst's list isn't dominated by hot-blooded young men with high-powered sports cars. Instead, the study found that of the top 10 vehicles most likely to be ticketed, each carried an average driver age of over 30 years old with the fair majority falling over the 40-year-old mark. Even more surprising, on average, seven of the top 10 vehicles were more likely to be ticketed with a female driver behind the wheel.

So which vehicles took the top honors? The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class took the gold as the most ticketed vehicle, walking away with four times more tickets than the national average. In second place, the Toyota Camry Solara came in with 3.5 times the national average. Interestingly enough, Scion walked away with two spots in the top five, with the tC taking number three and the xB snagging the fifth spot. That mark was only bested by the Silver Arrow, which took three spots in the top 10. Hit the jump for a look at the full press release, but only after checking out our gallery of the unlikely offenders below.

Renntech previews Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG-based C74 ahead of SEMA

 

Captured here auditioning for the role of World's Angriest C-Class is the Renntech C74 Konzept. Starting with a C63 AMG, the tuner added a body kit comprised of an aggressive carbon fiber front lip, spoiler and rear diffuser, along with 19- and 20-inch wheels. Under the hood the 6.2-liter AMG engine is goosed to 605 horsepower and 555 pound-feet of torque thanks to a upgraded internals, larger throttle bodies and a tweaked ECU, while carbon fiber stabilizer braces are fitted front and rear. And the "74"? That refers to the width of the rear track, where 11-inch, 305-series tires reside. The whole package will run you $11,950, and you can get the details after the jump.