Acura TL on PUR Wheels

Nice....

Black is the new white, especially since they’ve started painting chrome grille and wrapping cars in matte finishes. The color shows you’ve got style and it’s easy to match.

All-black cars are especially cool, because they show are a non-conformant and don’t like to be with the in-crowd. The Acura TL is also a sedan that doesn’t care about the trends. It’s edgy and angular, bucking the current trend for fluid lines.

SR Auto new this when they got a request to do this sedan, and they started by stripping off the silver accent pieces and painting them black. “By doing so, the front and rear have been revamped with a more aggressive look. These subtle changes do not require a lot of work, but feature amazing results,” the Canadian tuner says.

The standard suspension was soon after replaced by f H&R lowering springs to bring the TL a closer to the ground. For the wheels, they chose 20-inch gunmetal grey PUR 4OUR Depths with a gloss lumiere grey lip.

Source with more pix;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/acura-tl-on-pur-wheels-photo-gallery-48604.html

Temple of Vtec; Spied at a Kroger! 2013 Honda Accord Sedan

Photo's taken by TOV Reader Scott Rockeat www.vtec.net

Wow, this car looks good in the Cherry Red, and nice interior shot, I am going to guess that this is of the EX-L 4cyl (not sure if they are going to call a 4cyl a Touring, but I like the previously V6 only chrome door handles), due to the single exhaust.  Great find Jeff and Scott!

Source (check out the comments section for feedback from the TOV community);
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1087630

Audi R8 V10 v Honda Civic Type R Mugen - autocar.co.uk

Stumbled across this and thought I'd pass it on....

Video purports to show successful hover bike test flights

Awesome....

I couldn't resist....

Videos released by California-based tech research company Aerofex appear to show successful test flights of a prototype hover bike that gains lift from two large ducted rotors, similar in principle to Chris Malloy's Hoverbike prototype we've previously covered. Aeroflex claims its hover bike allows the pilot intuitive control over pitch, roll and yaw without need of artificial intelligence, flight software or electronics of any kind.

According to a report in InnovationNewsDaily on Monday, Aerofex has resurrected 1960s research technology which had been abandoned due to stability problems. The company has apparently rectified the issue with the addition of knee-level "control bars" on either side of the vehicle that make the vehicle more responsive to the pilot's movements.

"It essentially captures the translations between the two in three axis (pitch, roll and yaw), and activates the aerodynamic controls required to counter the movement—which lines the vehicle back up with the pilot," Aerofex founder Mark De Roche told InnovationNewsDaily. "Since [the pilot's] balancing movements are instinctive and constant, it plays out quite effortlessly to him."

InnovationNewsDaily reports that although the hover bike is capable of greater altitudes and speeds, test flights to date have been limited to 30 mph (48 km/h) and 15 feet (4.6 meters) for safety reasons.

In recent days and weeks Aerofex has released a number of videos on its Youtube channel and "flightlog" Tumblr page. A video uploaded to the latter back in March appears to show the prototype losing control during a test flight on February 13 2010. "It would take 16 months, two inventions, and 41 field tests before we were back in the air," the caption reads. "The result of that effort on control would be dramatic. Our take-away: Fail sooner and never again test on Friday the 13th." My calendar indicates that Friday 13, 2010 was a Saturday. Subsequent videos appear to show more successful tests.

According to InnovationNewsDaily, Aerofex has no immediate plans to commercially launch a manned hover bike but instead sees the technology as a test platform for new unmanned drones. Outlets including Fox and Yahoo! News have since picked up InnovationNewsDaily's story, and there appears to be no suggestion from any quarter at this stage that the authenticity of the videos is in question. Here's a sample video. You be the judge.

Source (via www.autoblog.com);
http://www.gizmag.com/aerofex-hover-bike/23798/

'Talking' cars inevitable, says Honda

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- It is "inevitable" that U.S. automobile manufacturers will use technology that will allow vehicle-to-vehicle communications, an auto executive said.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in Ann Arbor, Mich., this week to launch a yearlong pilot project that will test vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communications.

The technology works with Global Positioning Systems to ease traffic congestion and prevent accidents that may be caused by conditions beyond a driver's line of sight.

"Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world," National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Director David Strickland said in a statement.

The University of Michigan will oversee road tests for 3,000 vehicles equipped with the wireless technology in the study.

The NHTSA said the technology could prevent 80 percent of accidents associated with rear-end collisions, blind intersections and from vehicles that may stop quickly but are beyond a driver's direct line of sight.

LaHood said road tests are necessary to determine whether the program is worthwhile. Participants include manufactures ranging from Ford Motor Co. to Honda.

"We do think this (technology) is inevitable," Bill Konstantacos, who is in charge of research for Honda in America, told Bloomberg News.

Source;
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2012/08/22/Talking-cars-inevitable-says-Honda/UPI-89431345638151/

New Toyota Corolla Altis sedan to debut in 2013

Here is a rendering that was done a while ago of what the next Corolla could look like.

Here is a more recent rendering of what the next Corolla may look like, based on what we've seen of the Camry and Rav4.

Toyota will unveil the next-generation Corolla Altis sedan next year, and according to Toyota and Scion USA vice president Bill Fay in an interview with WardsAuto, the new Toyota C-segment sedan will be a clear departure from the outgoing model.
According to Fay, the new Toyota Corolla will have an even more dramatic change than the recently-launched Toyota Avalon. The new Avalon is Toyota’s flagship sedan in the USA, one size up from the Camry. There were indeed big changes in the Avalon on both the exterior and interior. The Avalon now has a four door fastback coupe kind of look which reminds us of the Audi A7 from the side view, while the model it replaced looked like a bland giant Camry.
We can expect the new American market Corolla to be used in our region as the Corolla Altis, as that was the way it was for the last few generations. There is stiff competition in the C-segment scene these days in both terms of design as well as value for money in terms of equipment, but in Malaysia the Corolla Altis continues enjoy the promise of reliability and good resale value that the Toyota badge brings. Still, an edgier design wouldn’t hurt at all.
The renderings you see in this story by our resident automotive manipulator Theophilus Chin was inspired by the new Toyota Auris. Could this be the face of the next-generation Corolla Altis?

Source;
http://paultan.org/2012/08/22/new-toyota-corolla-altis-sedan-to-debut-in-2013/

New Honda Paint Process Now 25% More Efficient [Video]

                                        Of all the separate procedures that are required to properly build a car, the most energy-consuming of all the processes is painting. According to Honda engineer Shubho Bhattacharya, paint alone uses as much as 60% of all the power used to build a car.

This realization prompted Bhattacharya to come up with a new way in which to more efficiently paint Honda’s cars, and with the help of a clever algorithm which has now been implemented throughout their North American plants, he has managed to cut each plant’s energy use by a staggering amount - 25% in one fell swoop!

What this means is that simple optimization without any sort of retooling has slashed a considerable amount of electricity off of Honda’s monthly bill. We say if the rest of the procedures would be similarly optimized, perhaps building cars would become even cheaper, quicker and yield a higher quality finished product in the process.

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/honda-paint-process-now-25-more-efficient-video-48585.html

TOV Reader Aaron Hilbert Spies a 2013 Honda Accord Coupe

From what I can see there is only one exhaust so this is of a 4cyl.... Nice find Aaron!

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1086408