msnbc.com: Autos

No related posts.

GoAuto RSS – Car News

No related posts.

No related posts.

Everyone knows the danger of exceeding your vehicle’s tow rating. Perils aplenty await those foolhardy enough to brush off manufacturer recommendations, including nuked transmissions, en fuego brakes and popped head gaskets, to name just a few. But what happens when you put a standard-duty pickup truck up against something truly monumental. You know, something like a 600-ton mining truck?

The crew from Top Gear Australia wanted to know just that, so they borrowed a run-of-the-mill General Motors pickup, strapped one serious tow rope to the aft of both rigs and got down to business.

Or at least they tried.

Judging from the short preview clip after the break, things didn’t go quite the way the TG team imagined. It wasn’t for lack of trying that the big mining truck failed to budge an inch as the driver of the pickup sent a pair of what were certainly minty-fresh rear tires to their blazing great beyond. Follow the jump to check out the quick teaser.

[Source: CarPix via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Top Gear Australia tries towing a 600-ton truck

Video: Top Gear Australia tries towing a 600-ton truck originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.

Infiniti is clearly interested in expanding its model line into the compact segment, a fact evidenced by the Etherea Concept that it is currently showing off at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The most far-out styling feature of the Etherea is no doubt the crescent-shaped C-pillar, though opinions seem to vary on its effectiveness on such a compact car.

In any case, all the hallmarks of a modern-day concept car are present and accounted for, including a hybrid powertrain that features a 245-horsepower supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a twin-clutch system that links the electric motor to the engine. All those ponies are routed through a continuously variable automatic transmission to the front wheels.

As far as the styling goes, Infiniti has this to say about the Etherea Concept: “As an exploration of a future entry-level Infiniti production model, Etherea can be summed up as a four-door coupe with five-door practicality – a hatchback that doesn’t look like a hatchback.” We’ll let you decide how true that may be…

Feel free to read the complete press release after the break, and be sure to check out our high-res gallery of live photos below.

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Infiniti Etherea Concept tries not to look like a hatchback

Geneva 2011: Infiniti Etherea Concept tries not to look like a hatchback originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments
Autoblog

No related posts.