Right out of a James Bond movie, you can look just as cool when you open or close your Mercedes-Benz with help from a stylish timepiece.

The brainchild of French designer Fabien Cacheux (the same designer who brought us the Bugatti Galibier GT concept watch ), the Silver Arrow concept watch is his latest creation, which draws its inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

The Silver Arrow is a stunning and timeless work of wearable art that incorporates a whirl, a power reserve, and a tachometer needle’s three star-shaped reflecting the emblem of the brand. Its case is mounted on a machined titanium neoprene bracelet that opens and closes just like the butterfly doors of the Mercedes’ AMG SLS.

But the coolest feature on this watch has to be its Open/Close buttons that surround the ring, which allow you to lock and unlock the car remotely, much like the Aston Martin AMVOX2 DBS Transponder watch. It looks so good, even Bond would approve.

[Source: Ubergizmo]

Given that the Mazda B-series has been binned, Ford’s Ranger will bite the dust next year and GM is planning to kill the Colorado/Canyon, the choice for buyers of mid-size pickups will become fewer and fewer, with only the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier remaining as true contenders. Nissan isn’t giving up on the Frontier just yet (as the Navara it’s hugely popular in other world markets) and for 2011 is dishing up a few updates.

Like bigger brother Titan, trim levels have been changed to S, SV and SL from XE, SE and LE, while the PRO-4X off-road specialty truck carries on, essentially unaltered. Configurations remain King or Crew Cab with a choice of short or long boxes; 2.5-liter, 152 hp four-cylinder and 4.0-liter, 261 hp V-6 engines, manual or automatic transmissions (depending on trim level) and two or four-wheel drive.

The biggest differences for 2011 concern dropping the six-speed manual gearbox option on SL King Cab and SV Crew Cab models, while adding it to the S and PRO-4X King Cab trucks. In addition, standard child tether anchors have been added to all King Cab trucks, while the four-cylinder SV truck now adopts the same interior trim as its V6 engined counterpart. SV trucks can now be ordered with a Premium Utility package, while the PRO-4X can be ordered with a Luxury package (confused yet?). In addition, Navy Blue paint will be offered on the SV. The 2011 Frontiers are scheduled to go on sale in September 2010, roughly a month after the 2011 Titan.

Even though everything seemed all but confirmed until now, Audi has finally released the detailed info on their R8 Spyder sporting a 430-hp, 4.2L V8 powerplant. We first reported on the 4.2L FSI availability in February, and it’s interesting to see that it will have slightly more power (10-hp) than the R8 V8 coupe.

Audi’s recent marketing campaign in setting itself apart from the crowd has now included an R8 to rival Italian-manufacturer Ferrari. And even though it still has quite a ways to go before kids truly compare an R8 to a famed stallion or bull, Audi is making a great effort in putting the R8 in the same conversation. It is very hard to deny that the R8 is a much more functional daily driver than any of its Italian counterparts from Ferrari and Lamborghini.

And in nontraditional fashion, Audi has released the lower, cheaper and less powerful model after releasing the 5.2 FSI. Offering a healthy alternative and just another overall choice to the R8 Spyder line, the 4.2 FSI carries traditional Audi Quattro all-wheel drive and the aluminum body with carbon fiber composites that the R8 is infamous for. The cloth top is powered with an electrohydraulic drive for quiet and lightweight operation.

Top speed of the R8 Spyder is limited to 185 mph and 0-62 mph is a little shy of 4.8 seconds. The 4.2 FSI will be available in European markets for close to $150,000 in the third quarter of 2010. So while it may not have the same powerplant as the LMS race car, you’re still getting a hand-assembled beauty that’s high revving and surely a pleasure to drive.

And hey, when it’s an Audi R8 Spyder and you’re cruising down the street, you think that kid peering out the window knows the difference between a 4.2 and a 5.2?

*NOTE: The photo above is of the R8 5.2 FSI as no images were available at the time of publishing this story

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The electric car is still a hard sell for a significant part of the population, and for those who are still skeptical, Nissan has something geared towards them, with a massive campaign designed to get “thousands” of people test driving the Nissan Leaf.

The test drives will occur alongside traditional media buys. The buzz for one of the first electric vehicles to be sold nationwide is something that Nissan is eager to capitalize on, and the sight of the Leaf on the road is sure to generate tons of attention for the brand. Nissan will also be able to leverage the all important word-of-mouth marketing from (presumably) enthusiastic test drivers, who will not only tell their friends, but presumably talk about their experiences via blogs, Facebook or Twitter (where users could conceivably live-blog their driving experience, posting pictures and impressions through their mobile phones).

[Source: Nissan]

Subaru is recalling 70,000 2010 Legacy and Outback models due to a defective steering column electrical roll connector. A broken wire within this component can cause the airbags, paddle shifters, horn or steering wheel audio controls to malfunction.

A Subaru spokesperson told Inside Line that the recall resulted in no injuries and the fix takes roughly an hour. In May, Subaru recalled nearly 30,000 of these vehicles to replace a fault hose in the CVT gearbox.

[Source: Inside Line]

British automotive tabloid AutoExpress is reporting that Volkswagen‘s long awaited two-seat sports car has been approved for production.

Designers have reportedly stayed true to the Bluesport concept that previewed the car at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The car is expected to weigh in at around 2600 pounds, roughly the same weight as a Mazda MX-5. The roadster will be powered by the familiar 1.4TFSI four-cylinder making 170 horsepower, as well as the 200 horsepower 2.0TFSI from the GTI. Staying true to the Bluesport concept car, the new roadster will also offer a 178 horsepower 2.0L diesel engine. All three choices will be available with a DSG or 6-speed manual gearbox. VW’s new sports car should hit showrooms in mid-2013.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Inside Line was awarded a plug-in hybrid version of the Toyota Prius, well in advance of official production, and after reaching the 500 mile mark, some observations have begun to surface about Toyota’s newest hope for green motoring.

The plug-in Prius delivers about 62 mpg combined, an impressive figure, but according to Autoblog Green, something that regular Prius drivers can replicate with their own cars. With a starting price of $27,500, a Prius plug-in owner would have to drive the car 215,000 miles before recouping the financial cost of the car, a towering proposition in light of how little we know about the durability of hybrids. The costs don’t even take into account the cost of charging a Prius plug-in, which currently sits at 65 cents per fill.

Right now, the Prius plug-in is just a prototype, but you can be certain it will arrive in showrooms sooner rather than later.

Check out Autoguide’s review of the Toyota Prius here

[Source: Autoblog Green]

China’s Geely is planning on moving 150,000 Volvos in China by 2015, a prediction that could very well come true in the world’s largest car market.

According to reports, Geely will manufacture the Volvo XC60 and S60 in China by 2011, while discontinuing production the S40 compact sedan at its Chinese factories. Geely will establish an all-new plant to help meet its sales targets, but the company has yet to announce a location for the factory. Geely purchased Volvo for $1.8 billion in March, making it the largest automotive acquisition by a Chinese company.

[Source: Reuters]

Mazda’s Miata is notorious for the sheer number of special editions that have been released. Since the 1991 British Racing Green edition, the company has had one Special Edition model for nearly every year of production from 1991-2006.

In 1999, Mazda launched the 10th Anniversary Edition to commemorate a decade of Miata sales in North America. For the cars 20th anniversary, Mazda seems to be releasing a commemorative model everywhere but North America, which is traditionally the hottest market for Mazda’s diminutive roadster.

In the United Kingdom, Mazda will be selling the Miyako edition, limited to 500 units and available only in Aluminum Silver Metallic on both the soft top and folding hardtop versions, while the soft top gets an exclusive Velocity Red Mica paint scheme. Both cars feature a black leather interior, special badging, floor mats and air-conditioning. Outside, the Miyako gets 17″ wheels, fog lamps, and a strut tower brace.

Interestingly, the Miyako soft top is only available with the dreadfully slow 1.8L 126 horsepower engine (that’s 2 horsepower less than the 1994 Miata), while the hardtop gets the familiar 2.0L 160 horsepower four-cylinder motor.

[Source: TopSpeed]

In 1969; Ford Motor Company and Bud Moore battled Roger Penske and Chevrolet in the Sports Car Club of America’s Trans American Sedan championship for supremacy. Now, one of the survivors of that tremendous season is being put up for sale.

Despite being highly competitive in the 1969 season (Bud Moore/Ford team drivers Parnelli Jones and George Follmer won four out of the first five races) a series of late season mishaps, including a spectacular three car crash at Ste. Jovite gave Mark Donohue and the Team Penske Camaros the edge and the manufacturer’s title went to Chevrolet. Nevertheless, the surviving Trans Am Mustangs from this golden era, still command serious money when they go up for sale today.

One of only two genuine 1969 Trans Am Mustangs still in existence, is this car – chassis number 112074, which is due to be auctioned off at Russo and Steele’s event in Monterey on August 12-14th. This particular machine made it’s competition debut at the Citrus 250 NASCAR race in February 1969, driven by Parnelli Jones. Built originally as a Daytona Special, it became the Bud Moore prototype and later the team’s main car during the 1969 Trans Am season. It’s also significant in being the only 1969 Trans Am Mustang to be raced both by Bud Moore and Team Shelby. The car, which is fully certified and documented by both the Federation Internationale d’Automobile (FIA) and the Historic Trans Am Registry, is likely to attract a lot of attention and some very serious bidding at Russo and Steele. Make sure you check back with AutoGuide for the final sales results from this highly anticipated auction.