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One Lap of the Web: Exotic car dealerships, fake Ferraris and the Renault R5 Turbo

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Meet the real-life Little Old Lady from Pasadena courtesy of YouTube as this "60-something" lady roasts the meats on her C63 AMG Benz.

Ford posts record first-quarter profits

Ford Motor Co. said first-quarter net income increased 15 percent from a year earlier to $1.61 billion, as rising U.S. auto sales pushed North American profits to a record, offsetting deeper losses in Europe.

Hurricane Sandy cars up for auction in New York

New York City is auctioning off 535 vehicles abandoned after Hurricane Sandy. More than 100 of those vehicles were sold on Tuesday; the rest will be auctioned May 2 and May 7 at David Maltz & Co. in Central Islip, Long Island.

Motorcycle deaths spike in 2012

Motorcycle fatalities rose by 9 percent in 2012, totaling more than 5,000 deaths, according to data released Wednesday by the helmet laws play a part, as well. According to the GHSA, only 19 states currently require motorcycle drivers to wear a helmet at all times. This number is down from 26 states in 1997, showing the willingness of states to repeal helmet-required legislation.

Fisker to face Congressional committee probe

Henrik Fisker's congressional testimony on Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will paint the automaker he founded as a victim of "a confluence of events" and as a still-salvageable enterprise. Fisker, who resigned from Fisker Automotive on March 13, is among the automaker and government representatives scheduled to appear before Congress to answer questions regarding $193 million in Department of Energy loans made to the company. Fisker Automotive has appeared to be on the brink of filing for bankruptcy for the past few weeks.

Lexus launches 'Design Matters' campaign

Lexus has hosted an event called ‘Design Matters' in New York City, as part of a new strategy to showcase the brand's commitment to design. Toyota's global president Akio Toyoda attended the event along with Mark Templin, executive vice president of Lexus International, who said, "Lexus is expanding as a global company and we need to speak to a broad global audience. There's no better way to do that than through design." Templin used the event to announce its other design-related campaigns.

Toyota ME.WE concept

Toyota and leading European industrial designer Jean-Marie Massaud have developed a new electric car concept, dubbed the ME.WE. Developed at Toyota's ED2, Massaud and Toyota wanted the ME.WE – named after personal wellbeing and that of others – to be adaptable to suit a range of lifestyles while being high quality. It also had to "propose an alternative synthesis based on personal choices about vehicle architecture, lower running costs and the way the vehicle will be used".

Renault previews new electric vehicle concept

Renault will unveil its latest concept car tomorrow at its plant in Valladolid, Spain. The carmaker says the concept, previewed in one image, will "provide a bridge between the world of Formula 1 and that of electric vehicles". Very few details are available, but look out for further news as the concept is revealed.

Ferrari LaFerrari lands in China: Shanghai Motor Show

Ferrari’s hybrid supercar was as eagerly received as it was in Geneva, with a sea of photographers, press and visitors thronging to get a glimpse of what is undeniably an impressive ‘F70′ from Ferrari. But looking good is perhaps the second ‘must have’ for a supercar – especially one that replaces the Enzo – and LaFerrari looks to deliver on the number one priority for most supercar buyers - performance. With 798bhp from its naturally aspirated V12 and an extra 161bhp from its electric motor, LaFerrari promises a dose of green credentials – important, to a degree, on China’s polluted roads – to go with its performance and handling, performance that can see the car it get to 62mph in under 3 seconds and on to a 186mph in an even more impressive 15.5 seconds.

Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake on the way

Mercedes’ design boss Gordon Wagener has revealed to WhatCar that they are planning to go exactly the same route with the CLA as they did with the CLS, and create a coupe estate. The CLS Shooting Brake (pictured below) has been very well received, and with much of the world downsizing its cars a CLA Estate is a very sensible way to go, offering all the good design elements of the CLA – which already looks like a CLS on a boil wash – in a car that has more practicality. Wagener gave no idea of time scale for the CLA Shooting Brake, but with the first CLAs expected to hit customers in June it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a concept CLA Shooting Brake arrive by the time of the Frankfurt Motor Show in September before going on sale in 2014.

Toyota Me.We concept (2013) first official pictures

Toyota’s new Me.We concept aims to rethink multi-purpose vehicles, with an adaptable cabin set-up and Earth-friendly components. The boxy crossover combines a light, cheap-to-produce architecture with an electric powertrain and full-recyclable body panels. A car of the future, or concept fantasy?

Jaguar F-Type: ‘Desire’ the movie released

A part of that has seen Jaguar rope in Lana del Rey as a headline act for the launch and as the chanteuse on a new short film commissioned by Jaguar from Ridley Scott Associates to feature the F-Type in a dramatic role in a half-decent short film. Now, with the new F-Type finally in dealer showrooms in the UK, the pieces of the puzzle have come together and ‘Desire’ has premiered at the London Sundance Festival, and you can view it below. Starring the Ginger Etonian – better known as Damien Lewis and dressed by Burburrey (every penny helps) - Shannyn Sossamon and Jordi Mollà, Desire is a story of “real adventure; a story of betrayal, retribution, passion and greed.”  We hope that’s not meant to encapsulate the F-Type’s target customers.

Toyota ME.WE Concept: It’s an egalitarian EV

Based on the electric running gear of the Toyota i-Road we saw at Geneva (but with a full set of wheels) Toyota and Massaud have created an urban vehicle that takes transport back to the basics; a 2CV for the 21st century, perhaps, or a grown up home-made kart seems to be where the ME.WE is at. The construction of the ME.WE comprises a tubular aluminium chassis and a pile of interchangeable polypropylene panels that can change the function of the ME.We from city car to convertible to pickup to 4×4 (thanks to electric motors on both axles) and is, by any definition, transport and not a car you’d have to make a statement. Inside is just as basic with a single dial for the instruments, flat surfaces made from bamboo (designers love a bit of bamboo), batteries for the electric motors under the floor and you have to store any luggage on the roof under a weatherproof cover.

Toyota works to make driving while elderly easier, safer

Japan is getting older -- much older. By some estimates, 30 percent of Japanese city dwellers will be 65 or older by 2040. Never mind its financial implications: This demographic time bomb may be a recipe for on-road mayhem.

Spy Shots show 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe

Cadillac coupes have always carried a certain degree of dignity and romance, often underlined with performance and imposing design. Think Don Draper's '62 Coupe de Ville. Now comes the 2015 Cadillac ATS Coupe, the two-door version of the sedan launched last year as a BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-class fighter.

New NHTSA guidelines recommend vehicle systems disable text entry, videos while driving

Federal regulators, moving to curb distracted driving, issued final voluntary safety guidelines today that would disable certain in-vehicle functions such as manual texting, Web browsing and video phoning while driving. Automakers should do more to keep drivers' eyes on the road and hands on the wheel, U.S. auto regulators said as they released the latest guidelines meant to cut down on crashes caused by the use of electronic devices in cars.

2014 Nissan Versa priced at $12,780

The 2014 Nissan Versa with a five-speed manual transmission -- at dealerships today -- will set you back $12,780, including $790 for destination. Stepping down to a four-cog automatic will cost a grand more. For that price -- the lowest in America, by the way, more on that later -- buyers get a 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine, available air conditioning, six-way adjustable driver's seat, and a radio with an auxiliary input.

Video shows voice-to-text is as dangerous as actual texting

As we cruise through Texas A&M Transportation Institute Tuesday revealed that voice-to-text apps -- which read text messages aloud and allow users to respond using their voice -- are equally as distracting as manual texting. In the test, TTI had 43 drivers complete various tasks within a closed driving course. The drivers were asked to finish one lap completely free of cell phone use.

Energy Department recovers $21 million from Fisker to pay back loans

The U.S. Department of Energy says it recovered $21 million in cash from struggling Fisker Automotive that will go toward repaying nearly $200 million in loans extended under a U.S. program to spur advanced vehicle development.

Interior Motives China Conference Day Two

Interior Motives is the print magazine from Car Design News, which focuses on the design development of vehicle interiors. Session One: 'The multi-mode interior' Conducted by Mark West, Chair of Transportation Design at CCS, the day's first session explored how vehicle designers can develop a versatile environment for urban dwellers. Ikuro Horii, general manager, Toyota Horii took to the podium to cite the example of the brand's GT86, which has room for up to four wheels in the trunk for the track but enough room in the back for the kids and shopping.

Who's Where: Stephane Schwarz appointed Zagato design director

Stephane Schwarz has joined Milanese design house Zagato as its design director. Born in Switzerland, raised in France and educated in Italy, Schwarz is perhaps best known for his time as Nissan Design Europe design director. He first worked with the illustrious, family-run company in September last year before recently taking up his new, full-time role.

One Lap of the Web: The Economist talks cars, Maria Sharapova's Porsche and crazy bikers

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Have you ever seen two motorcycles going wheel-to-wheel at 200 mph in the rain?

VW Taigun Compact SUV heading for production

It was a good-looking and appealing effort from VW to tap in to the very compact SUV market, with a real family look (a Tiguan on a boil wash), peppy little 3-cylinder 1.0 litre engine delivering 108bhp and a 0-62mph of 9.2 seconds (with 60mpg economy) and enough room to carry stuff and people thanks to an extra 50mm in the wheelbase compared to the Up! Now it looks like the Taigun is heading for production after VW’s Chief designer, Klaus Bishoff, told Autoexpress that he deeply believed the Taigun would be heading for VW showrooms very soon, and could be sold in the UK and Europe as well as in emerging markets. So you can add the Taigun to the list of VW’s SUV offerings, and with new versions of the Tiguan and Touareg (perhaps based on the CrossBlue Concept) and a Polo based SUV on the way too, it looks like VW are covering all the bases.

Volkswagen UK’s dealer showrooms get a revamp

It’s an interesting exercise to ponder on the future of main dealer showrooms as the world moves more and more towards an online buying experience. Are car showrooms a relic of the past or the perfect way, still, to showcase the offerings from a car maker? Volkswagen are taking no chances on the future and have already rolled out their ‘Digital Showrooms’ across the dealer network where staff get iPads and advanced web tools to try and bring the on-line and off-line worlds in to a workable intersection, and offer customers virtual product that wouldn’t otherwise be available on show.

Volvo drops plans to compete in the luxury F-Segment car market

In fact, at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2011, Volvo delivered the Concept Universe car which we all though was pointing the way to what could be a Volvo S90; Volvo’s luxury car for Chinese plutocrats. It sported a rather strange ‘East meets West’ design language with a very odd nose and lots of curves, and it wasn’t exactly showered in plaudits. But that didn’t stop Volvo coming back at Frankfurt in 2011 with an altogether more convincing concept – the Volvo Concept You – that sported a much clearer vision for a future luxury Volvo.

Alfa Romeo MiTo Live launches

Alfa Romeo has launched a limited edition MiTo – the MiTo Live – with a Pioneer App radio and Marmalade ‘Black Box’ Insurance aimed at new drivers. So on the engine front the MiTo Live gets Alfa’s 875cc two-cylinder turbo – a crackingly good little engine – which delivers up a modest, but fun, 85bhp with emissions of 98g/km and the promise of 67.3mpg if you drive like a saint. And if you do drive like a saint, there’s a cost saving beyond great fuel economy.

Renault Captur compact SUV prices revealed – costs from £12,495

But by the time Renault had run their Captur Concept through the inevitable watering down concepts from mainstream car makers suffer, it turned in to a Clio with rufty-tufty bits and a higher ride height. Enter the production version of the Renault Captur at the start of 2013 and its subsequent debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Now Renault has revealed prices for the Captur, and its costs from £12,495 for the entry-level Expression trim with the TCe 90 engine, rising to £18,895 for the Dynamique S Media Nav with the dCi 90 engine and auto ‘box.

CDN–GM/PATAC Interactive Design Competition China winners announced

The winners of the CDN-GM/PATAC Interactive Design Competition China have been announced during Car Design Night at The Waterhouse in Shanghai on April 20, 2013. The inaugural Chinese installment of the popular student design competition has been a huge success, with 1,241 submissions during the five-month process. February saw an amazing number of last-minute entries that ensured a tough decision when the judges, including Brian Nesbitt, vice president of Design at GM International Operations, Michael Simcoe, executive director – Global Design GMIO at Holden, Min Cao, chief designer/Advanced Design director at PATAC, Burt Wong, executive deputy director of PATAC Design Department at PATAC, and Holt Ware, executive Design director at PATAC, met to choose a winner last month.

One Lap of the Web: Cool classic concepts, Rat Pack Cadillacs and even more Vin Diesel

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Petrolicious brings us an awesome VWvortex forum thread packed with prototype photos, design proposals and concept sketches of everything from the Iso Grifo to the 1994 Mustang.

MG3 supermini (2013) first official pictures

This is the MG’s new Fiesta-fighting supermini: the MG3. It’ll go on sale in late 2013 carrying Korean brand-challenging prices and what MG is touting as ‘a distinctive statement of modern British style’ aimed at young buyers. Though the 3 is more likely to draw in penny-pinching pensioners, given that MG’s past that is rather more evoctive than its present.