The Sport Cross vehicle, where “all-wheel drive agility and handling meets turbo charged performance,” cruises through the streets in an advert reminiscent of a channel four teen drama.

Though not cool as giant paintballs the Juke advert features bank robbers, transvestites, creepy toys, romance and a haunting rendition of a nursery rhyme.

If that doesn’t interest you then give it a watch just to check out the exciting little red car, which has a name a lot catchier and easier to pronounce than its big brother the QASHQA, in action.

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Check out the video trailer below to get an idea of what Dunlop have on offer.

Over at the ‘Inside Racing’ YouTube page there are some cool videos such as a car stunt in a multi-story car-park in Bristol, insights into past and present racing legends and a look at landspeed records. It’s like Top Gear without the occasionally annoying presenting.

It’s worth checking out. If you’re a motorhead there’s bound to be something on there to keep you interested.

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Manchester based Keating, the supercar manufacturer will have its 260.1mph TKR supercar on display at this year’s MPH Show featuring Top Gear Live at London’s Earls Court on 5 November.

The TKR is a challenger for the production car world land speed record and last month it completed its first run on the Salt Lake Flats in California and broke current record by 3 mph. Now the British company must do it again to ensure entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The remarkable 7.0 litre, 1800 BHP car will be on the Reef Paint Shop stand at MPH The Prestige and Performance Motor Show.

Tony Keating, founder of Keating Supercars, said: “The Keating TKR realises our ambition to take on the world’s finest supercars and win. This car rivals them all for looks, handling, performance and exclusivity. And best of all, it’s British.”

260.1MPH Keating TKR at Earls Court is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

A new part EU funded project SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) has launched to develop and test technology for vehicles that can drive themselves in long road trains on motorways.

The idea is that once a car joins the motorway it meets up with a number of other cars which inch up to each other, travelling at normal speed in a close-formation convoy. At which point you stop driving the car, as it is now under computer control and can spend your time reading the morning paper, talking on the phone or watching the TV.

The first test cars equipped with this technology will roll on test tracks as early as 2011. The vehicles will be equipped with a navigation system and a transmitter/receiver unit that communicates with a lead vehicle. Since the system is built into the cars, there is no need to extend the infrastructure along the existing road network.

“The SARTRE project brings together a unique mix of technologies, skills and expertise from European industry and academia, with the aim of encouraging the development of safe and environmentally effective road trains,” explains Tom Robinson, SARTRE project coordinator, of Ricardo UK Ltd. “By developing and implementing the technology at a vehicle level, SARTRE aims to realise the potentially very significant safety and environmental benefits of road trains without the need to invest in changes to road infrastructure.”

Cars That Drive Themselves by 2020? is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

Lexus is to start production of their LFA supercar. This machine will do nought to 62mph in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 202mph. If you want one you had better get your cheque book out quick, there will only be 500 of these £336,000 cars.

The rear-wheel drive LFA was created by a small, passionate and dedicated team of engineers whose achievement has been to push the boundaries of technologies materials and engineering at every stage to produce a car like no other to have carried the Lexus badge. It is powered by a bespoke, high-revving 552bhp 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine giving 200mph-plus performance.

In the words of Chief Engineer Haruhiko Tanahashi: “The LFA is a thoroughbred supercar, a machine engineered to achieve a single goal – to deliver a supreme driving experience. Over the past decade we have pushed every boundary in pursuit of this goal and I believe we have created the most driver-orientated car we possibly could.”

The LFA programme was launched in 2000 as a straightforward R&D project. The first LFA prototype was completed in 2003 and a design study made its public debut at the 2005 Detroit motor show. In 2008 and 2009 the LFA was entered in the Nurburgring 24-hour race. 2009 sees the official launch as a production-ready model at the 2009 Tokyo motor show.

The LFA will be hand-assembled at the Motomachi plant in Toyota City. Only 500 examples will be built, at a maximum rate of 20 per month to ensure the finest build quality and attention to detail. Each V10 engine will be assembled by a single engineer, and will bear his signature as testament to each LFA’s bespoke status.

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The Vauxhall Astra has had a long history with the first model hitting the road back in the late 1970’s. Since then there have been 5 major revisions and the latest the Astra mark 6 is a a design marvel. The new 2010 Astra debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show and will go on sale in early 2010. Vauxhall have released a stunning video revealing the design and style of the new Astra.

The 2010 Vauxhall Astra is in direct competion with the Ford Focus  and Volkswagen Golf . Vauxhall is appleaing not only to its core cusomters who tend to be over 45 but also the the under under 30 age range. To do it, the 2010 Astra delivers style, technology and a superb drive. As Mark Adams, the VP of design, says in the video below, “sculptural artistry meets technical precision.”

The new Astra mark 6 range includes several models including the five-door hatch and the estate version. In 2011 Vauxhall will launch the three-door Sport Hatch model with its coupé-like styling and the high-performance VXR.

The entry level 1.4-litre Astra uses a new 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, which in replaces the mark 5’s 1.8-litre unit. The 1364cc engine has the same output as the previous 1.8 but has a 10 per cent better fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Other engines in the range consist of the 1.6 litre petrol engine in both turbo and non-turbo forms, and 1.3 litre, 1.7 litre and 2.0 litre diesels – this also leaves room  for sportier options to be added in 2011.

One thing is sure, the new Astra has got style, refinement and loads of equipment. All versions in the five-door line up feature air conditioning and electronic stability controls, while cruise control is standard on all but the basic model.

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Companies operating within the proposed charging zone could see their transport costs rise significantly, with little or no time tangible savings which may come about due to reductions in the level of traffic.  With businesses from retail to construction already feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, the timing could not be worse.

Those businesses operating in and around Trafford Park, traditionally an industrial centre for the whole region, will face a particular burden.  And while the scheme proposes discounts at a public transport level, no such considerations are made for the business community.  FTA is questioning AGMA’s commitment to the economic viability of the region.

Malcolm Bingham, Head of Roads Policy at FTA, said:

“Those behind this scheme had an opportunity to show their commitment to businesses in Greater Manchester, but they have wasted it, with poorly set out proposals which show little or no benefit to residents or companies operating within the area.  FTA fully supports measures that keep goods and services moving as quickly and sustainably as possibly, but this scheme fails on all counts.  While we welcome the plans to improve public transport options in the area, this should not be done at the expense of business and, ultimately, the consumer.”

The journey time savings outlined in the proposals offer minimal benefits at best, with just five or ten minutes shaved off certain journeys, giving little real opportunity to reschedule their operations.  The disbenefits of not only paying the charge each time the boundary is crossed, but also the administrative costs that will have to be borne by each business simply do not outweigh the savings.  For companies operating – or working with – large fleets, those costs could be substantial, particularly for those in the retail sector.

Malcolm Bingham added:

“At this time of economic uncertainty, regional authorities should be looking to support businesses, not make things harder for them by placing additional financial and administrative burdens on them.”

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“We believe that Google offers the best technical solution, allowing TRACKER to offer our customers an unrivalled quality of map display,” said Mark Walls, Head of Business Development and Technology at TRACKER Network. “The Google maps website is already well known by many of our customers, so the new maps within  www.TRACKERVAM.com will be very familiar to many, providing a fast, easy to use solution, with a whole new level of content.“

The new mapping content capitalises on the leading edge graphics created by Google, which are constantly being reviewed and updated by the Google developers. Different options are available to users, including terrain models, street level mapping and satellite imaging. These options now allow TRACKER customers to select a level of map detail that best suits the needs of their business, in turn bringing the benefits of improved customer service to their customers.

Sanjay Patel, Geo Applications Manager at Google adds:  “TRACKER is Google’s largest fleet tracking partner and this relationship enables us to apply our expertise and the benefits that brings, to an even wider audience.”   Another key benefit of the new collaboration with Google is that TRACKER users will be able to utilise the web to access maps without theneed to download specific software.  However, all the existing functionality of TRACKER’s Vehicle Asset Management service is retained to eliminate any need for time-consuming re-training.

“We have a clear commitment to sustained investment in leading edge Vehicle Asset Management tools that support all aspects of a business’ fleet activity, further securing TRACKER’s position as the number one choice for fleet managers”, confirmed Bill Raynal, Managing Director of TRACKER.  “And our partnership with Google is the latest example of this commitment, offering unrivalled mapping systems and the benefit of frequent updates and new features at no extra cost.”

Google’s Largest Fleet Tracking Partner is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars

It is perhaps of little surprise that premium brands are high on the more sophisticated cloner’s shopping list, with Mercedes and BMW both featuring in the top ten of HPI’s clones claims analysis, accounting for 16% and 10% respectively. Closer analysis suggests that the Mercedes C Class and BMW 3 series are prime targets, along with the Audi A4 and the Volkswagen Golf and Passat, all of which have seen claims rise against them.

Criminals create a ‘clone’ of a car by stealing the identity from another vehicle. They replace the number plates and VIN on their car with the stolen identity from an almost identical vehicle of the same make, model and colour. “Criminals are opportunists and will exploit any weakness, whether it’s in a car’s security system or its identity,” explains Daniel Burgess, Automotive Director of HPI. “In the war against the unscrupulous, the motor industry has worked hard to improve the quality and accuracy of the data it holds on used cars. Inevitably, this has made selling a stolen vehicle without changing its identity, all but impossible, hence the rise in car cloning. This has not been helped by further recent news from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of suspect V5 vehicle registration documents circulating. However, despite this increase, many people are still sceptical of the reality of problem and even the police admit they don’t know its true scale.”

Interestingly, the Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter and Nissan Nivara all appear on HPI’s top ten, suggesting that the white van man needs to watch out for criminals trying to earn a fast buck, particularly in today’s economic climate. However, it is clear to see that claims for Mercedes Sprinter, as well as the Mitsubishi L200, have dropped significantly over the last 4 years.

Overall, HPI’s analysis confirms that criminals seem to target one model from a particular manufacturer before moving on elsewhere. However, it is not clear if this reflects market demand or if awareness and improvements to security measures influence this change.

The HPI Check, which confirms a vehicle’s history, also provides buyers with the HPI Guarantee*. This provides up to £30,000 financial reimbursement in the event of the car not being everything it seems – including a Clone. The HPI Check is the only history check in the market to provide financial compensation in the event of a clone being bought*. Analysis of HPI’s claims data since 2004 has revealed that by educating consumers to arm themselves with the fullest possible level of information, helps them to spot a fake and walk away.

The ‘Clone’ Rise Warns Dealers to Protect is a post from: Reviews 4 Cars