It’s not every day we think about key chains.  Sure, they’re a necessary part of every car trip, and they do a whole lot more than we think (who here hasn’t made the key chain claw in a bad neighborhood?) but there are key chains out there that do plenty more than just hold keys.

Today we’re talking about one such key chain, which Wholesale Keychains so kindly sent a model of for my consideration, the lockback knife.

It’s a lot smaller than you’d expect, and offers a short knife with a partially serrated edge.  You might well wonder why you’d ever want to carry a knife around on your keychain, especially with all the various laws around them, but I can assure you that if you ever get in an accident and caught in the seatbelt, you’d be glad to have one.

And frankly, I believe this little badass of a knife could cut through a seatbelt, too.  It tore through a Rent A Center circular like Lindsay Lohan through a bag of coke.  Best of all, you can get one of these yourselves for the low, low price of $4.99, and if you order from them, you can get ten percent off if you use the promotional code carbuyer.

So if you live in fear of being pinned upside down in a car, worry no longer.

Tags: key chain, keychain, knife, lockback knife, wholesale

Something else made a splash at SEMA, and it was an accessory. The MotionLites guy are clearly something that you will see on tricked-out vehicles everywhere like spinners.

The kit is available for about $400, and there is a nice video after the jump if you want to see more. The tune alone makes it worth watching.

continue reading "MotionLite: The next spinner?"

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iSwim Waterproof iPod Case and Headphones
Square Enix releases official Final Fantasy XIII box art
Got Twenty Five Million Dollars? Buy Terminator!

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Okay, so there’s plenty of people right now that are super pissed that their car phone of choice, the HTC HD2, which is by itself supposed to be some kind of super-magnificent Windows based mind-smasher that will change most everything, but from the looks of things, O2 will be carrying it.

Now, for you American readers, you likely won’t want to be getting it from O2 as everything there is sold in pounds sterling, but a US launch is forthcoming and should hit sometime in the front part of 2010.

Here’s why you should probably want this, and want it pretty badly:

The HTC HD2 has a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen running at WVGA resolution, and is powered by the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.  Connectivity includes HSPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and – in a first for an HTC Windows Phone – a microUSB port; it’ll also be offered with an optional in-car kit, though that’s not expected to hit the market until December.

Sounds like a pretty top-flight car phone, huh?  Well, considering I can’t find much pricing data on it, it likely WILL be pretty top flight and will be reflected in the price.

Tags: Car Kit, car phone, HTC HD2, O2

I know, it sounds kind of like a non-sequitur, something like that insane bit in The Graduate in which the poor kid’s asked what the future is and gets the one word answer: plastics.

But it’s true–based on some advance word from the Center For Automotive Research, the word of the day is aluminum.

By replacing steel, which costs more, weighs more and is harder to come by, with lighter, cheaper, more plentiful aluminum, there’s every chance that, in a stroke of master irony, the beer cans of today will become the drunk driving vehicle of tomorrow.

Quoth the Center:

“Plug-in and hybrid electric cars contain precious little, and quite expensive, ‘fuel’ in the form of batteries,” added Bull. “Therefore, every effort must be made to utilize this stored energy to the highest possible efficiency. The solution lies in lowering the vehicle’s weight with aluminum as part of a holistic approach to also include advanced powertrains and batteries, enhanced thermal management, improved aerodynamics, and reduced rolling resistance.”

It makes sense, when you think about it.  Of course, the only problem is that these new lightweight cars are also prone to danger from high winds, rollovers, other cars and large trucks.  Think about how easy it’d be for a semi truck to roll right over a beer can…now think about how easy it’d be for a semi to roll right over the beer can car of tomorrow.

Kinda gives you pause, deoesn’t it?

Tags: aluminum, car construction, Center For Automotive Research, Detroit, steel, superstructure

Earlier this month we got our first glimpse of the Nissan Land Glider, a concept vehicle that features the unique ability to lean into turns for increased stability. While we’re sure to hear more about the concept during this week’s Tokyo Motor Show, there have been no words on North American availability.

However, reports have just surfaced that say the vehicle may be coming to the U.S. with an Infiniti badge. Considering Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury line and the Land Glider is an all-electric vehicle, it most definitely won’t come cheap.

We’ll keep you posted.

via autoblog

Tags: all electric, Infiniti, Land Glider, Nissan, rumor

You might be surprised to hear it, but guess who one of the biggest provider of car gadgets is.  Give up?  As it turns out, it’s Texas InstruUments.

Yeah, I know, I gave it away up in the headline, but that’s for the search engines.  Anyway, as it turns out, Texas Instruments is the major supplier of UHF chips, which in turn provides the basis for a surprising array of devices.  Check this list out:

TI has created the family to meet consumers’ demand for timely visibility into their vehicle status to ensure their car is properly maintained. The wide range of wireless applications in automobiles include tire pressure monitoring, auxiliary heating remote control and key features such as garage door openers or the standard remote control.

None of those things would actually run without Texas Instruments hardware located inside it.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I personally think that’s a massive slice of fried awesome.

Tags: IF transceiver, Texas, Texas Instruments, tire pressure monitoring system, UHF chips

It’s not exactly the kind of thing you ever expect to read about, but it seems that the auto industry likes to indulge in its share of “black repaints”.  The recently announced Peugeot i-On, as it turns out, is actually just a really lightly modified Mitsubishi iMiEV.

This isn’t the first time that Peugeot’s been a bit strapped for ideas and turned to its Japanese cohorts for advice and new options–as it turns out, the Peugeot 4007 SUV is really just, again, a really lightly modified Mitsubishi Outlander.

I’m at a loss to describe what exactly this means.  Is this the start of a strange new strategic alliance?  Is this some kind of unexpected business move?  Or is Peugeot’s design team just so utterly bereft of ideas that they’re willing to subcontract designs from Mitsubishi so they have something, ANYTHING, to show?

I invite discussion on this one–the idea is outlandish but just about anything’s a possible explanation at this point.

Tags: Mitsubishi, mitsubishi imiev, mitsubishi outlander, Peugeot, peugeot i-on

Yesterday we told you that Ford’s hybrid sales were up 73% over last year but we had no idea the Detroit automaker was going to see this kind of success. Recent reports have surfaced that suggest Ford is dangerously close to surpassing Honda as the second best hybrid seller in the United States.

Let’s take a look at some numbers: Honda has sold 29,958 hybrid vehicles so far this year which is a 8% increase over last year while Ford sold 26,016 vehicles, a 73% increase over last year like we already told you.

If these trends continue, by this time next year we may very well be seeing the U.S. hybrid seller top 3 looking like Toyota, Ford, Honda. But don’t pop the champagne yet, Ford, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

via autobloggreen

Tags: auto sales, Ford, Honda, hybrid, Toyota

Okay, this is too good. Apparently, it has been discovered that many of the vehicle registration stickers and inspections stickers in New York just aren’t staying stuck.

Feel free to use this blog posting to explain this to your officer. Hopefully, the officer will let you off with a warning and you can immediately go to get your stickers replaced, free of charge. That, or follow the instructions here.

That, or you could just use some transparent adhesive tape, which a lot of New Yorkers are already using as a fix.

Source

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Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, SSC Ultimate Aero and a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Convertible.

No, that’s not the guest list on tomorrow night’s BBC installment of Top Gear, but rather a partial lineup of the kind of things you’ll get to see at the OC Auto Show, widely regarded as the “start” of show season.

Knowing that it’s fighting an uphill battle with consumers in rapid retrenching mode and corporations cutting back in a grim death march to bankruptcy, the show’s got to pull out a few stops in order to get anywhere.  Included in this year’s plans?  A special appearance by Absolute Poker pro Matt Vengrin, a live mixed martial arts cage battle, and not one, but THREE bikini contests, including the Miss Hawaiian Tropic Model Search.

If I’ve got your attention, and chances are something on that list did, you’ll be happy to know that getting into the show might be the cheapest thing you do all day:  adults get in for $10; senior citizens (62 and older) shell out $6,  students with ID pay just $5 and kids under 12 are admitted for free.

The show starts today and runs through Sunday.

Tags: Bugatti, Ferrari, Maserati, OC Auto Show, rolls royce phantom, SSC Ultimate Aero

You’ve been reading in this space piece after piece about electric and plug-in hybrid cars with ranges so preposterous you could probably walk farther than they could take you on a single charge.

Well, you can look to the Suzuki Swift to be a step in the right direction.

Designed to be used by motorists with about ten miles per day commute (does anyone live that close to work?  If so, chances are they work from home.) to be a pure electric, those of us who live farther away for once can actually still apply–the critical difference here being that the car could then switch into hybrid mode to get the rest of the distance.

I’ve been sick to death of reading all these reports about these electric cars that can’t go more than thirty, forty miles without whimpering like a schoolgirl and then folding up into the night.  Even though this is just a hybrid, it’s still a pretty good move, and hopefully the Suzuki Swift is just the beginning.

And, though you’ve heard about that one here once before, there’s some extra news along with it–not only will we be seeing that one at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, but we’ll also get the fuel cell version of the SX4 SUV.

The fuel cell in question for that one is being provided by General Motors.

Tags: fuel cell, hybrid, plug in hybrid, Suzuki, Suzuki SX4 SUV, tokyo motor show

Pontiac may be dead and gone but that doesn’t stop their vehicles from having problems. GM has recently issued a recall for 2009 – 2010 Pontiac Vibes with a 1.8-liter engine.

The problem here is with Vibes in cold environments as when driven in the cold the “intake manifold suction port for the brake vacuum may become locked because of freezing condensation coming from the positive crankcase. In other words, there is a problem that could cause the brakes to improperly function.

GM says to head to your local dealership or call 1-800-620-7668 to get the problem sorted out.

via kickingtires

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Mitsubishi has today let us know of the price scheme for their all new 2010 Lancer Evolution MR Touring edition. We’ll get to the specs in a bit but this car is by no means cheap starting at $40,990 and going all the way up to $52,728 with all of the premiums selected.

Of course you’re paying for a nice car as it features a 4 cylinder turbocharged 291 hp engine, a 6-speed dual clutch transmission with paddle shifters, 18-inch BBS wheels and Brembo brakes. Add all of that to the fact that the car features Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control and you have yourself a force to be reckoned with.

via autoblog

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Last Friday we let you know that Spectre Performance was planning on going up against the world speed record with their Speedliner vehicle, pictured above.

Well, they recently attempted the feat and managed to propell the Speedliner 330.7MPH utilizing the heavily tuned twin turbocharged Cadillac engine.

Everyone here at Carbuyersnotebook congratulates Spectre Performance on a job well done!

via jalopnik

Tags: spectre performance, speedliner, world record