Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu expresses regret after at least nine people die as troops storm aid ships trying to reach Gaza.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Work, Specialty, Design/Style

A couple of years have passed now since the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) announced its search for a vehicle that would replace the taxis of New York City with something that better fits the times. The TLC created a website for creative types to submit ideas for the “Taxi of Tomorrow,” and one of the more interesting proposals to come in over the last couple of years is something called the UniCab.

The groundwork for NYC’s Taxi of Tomorrow is quite simple:

• Meets highest safety standards
• Superior passenger experience
• Superior driver comfort and amenities
• Appropriate purchase price and ongoing maintenance and repair costs
• Smaller environmental footprint (lower emissions and improved fuel economy)
• Smaller physical footprint (with more usable interior room)
• Compliance with appropriate Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
• Iconic design that will identify the new taxi with New York City

Born out of those guidelines, the UniCab looks nothing like a traditional taxi, aside from the yellow color. The UniCab features seating for four passengers, an automated ramp for those with disabilities, an infotainment center that displays intended routes and attractions along the way and outward sight lines that allow all of the passengers to get a great view of the glorious city of New York. Though nothing more than a design sketch right now, the UniCab could change our perception of taxis in the future and make hailing a cab the hip, green thing to do. Hat tip to Zelda!

[Source: The Taxi of Tomorrow]

NYC seeks Taxi of Tomorrow; is UniCab the answer? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 May 2010 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Diesel, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed to Autoblog that the S400 hybrid won’t remain the only efficiency-minded member of the S-Class family for long. The S350 Bluetec will be coming to the U.S. market for 2011 as the first diesel S-Class since the mid-1990s. The S350 will use the same 3.5-liter turbodiesel V6 already used in Mercedes’ ML, GL and R-Class SUVs. That engine is rated at 210 horsepower and 400 pound-feet and includes a urea injection system to treat the NOx emissions in the exhaust.

We expect the S350 to at least match – if not beat – the 22 mpg real-world results we achieved with the S400 gas-electric earlier this year, and it will probably have similar performance thanks to its exceptional torque. There is no word on pricing, but we anticipate it will sticker at or below the S400′s $87,950 base price for 2010.

[Source: BenzInsider.com]

Report: Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec joining lineup for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 May 2010 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Group of 20 should show its concern about those that the global economic crisis “is leaving behind” by putting the plight of least developed countries on the agenda at its meeting later this month.

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Kenya has started reaping the benefits of financial innovation as it continues to entrench itself as a global hub of innovation in promoting products that expand access to finance to millions of its poor.

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Israel has been widely condemned by the leaders of the United Nations following Monday's attack on a flotilla of ships carrying aid to Gaza.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Etc., Videos, Chevrolet

Chevrolet products are no strangers to hydraulics, but models that get the height-altering technology usually go by names like Impala or Caprice, not Camaro – and they are usually decades old, not 2010 models.

We say ‘usually’ because apparently an Arizona lad has gone and thrown some extra pistons underneath his gunmetal gray Camaro SS, and the result is a pony car that goes from limbo to lofty in a couple of secs. It nothing else, we can’t help but think it’d make a great doppelganger Decepticon for Transformers 3. Follow the jump to check out the vid, but sadly, there’s no three-wheel motion on display

[Source: YouTube via Tampa Examiner]

Continue reading Video: 2010 Chevy Camaro SS gets switched on hydraulics

Video: 2010 Chevy Camaro SS gets switched on hydraulics originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 May 2010 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Technology, BMW, Diesel

When considering how to go about improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions, we typically think of smaller engines, alternative fuels and electrification. One area that doesn’t typically come to mind is that of sound design and acoustics. While the noises produced by a vehicle don’t directly affect fuel efficiency, soundtracks are important because they are often a prime determinant in whether a given powertrain solution is acceptable to drivers and passengers.

Companies like BMW, General Motors, Honda and others have been actively pursuing mechanisms of controlling noise at the source in order to create more flexibility for modifying the powertrains. A key example is the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox with its 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder gasoline engine. GM added active noise cancellation so it could allow the engine to spend more time running at lower speeds where the engine tends to make more of a low booming sound. Without the noise cancellation technology, the engine’s sountrack would turn off drivers.

Similarly, BMW has been carefully studying the structures of engine blocks and engine bays. Careful application of ribs and tuning of the structural shapes have allowed these structures to be made lighter without risk of excessive vibration. Similarly, adding insulation materials closer to the engine also reduces the amount needed overall as well as facilitating the use of other types of engines that might be inherently noisier.

All of these factors play into making more efficient vehicles that are appealing to customers. After all, if consumers don’t want to buy a vehicle for reasons that have nothing to do with function, all of the efficiency advantages they might offer will be left stuck in ‘park.’

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW experimenting with electronic noise canceling tech for diesels

BMW experimenting with electronic noise canceling tech for diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 May 2010 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Business will have “pride of place” at this week’s France-Africa summit, the first to be open to non-state players, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told Les Afriques, according to a transcript of excerpts of the interview published by the French foreign ministry:

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Landlocked East African Community member states are to benefit from a proposed oil pipeline to connect them to Tanzania if negotiations, now at an advanced stage, go through.

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