We spend a lot of time in our cars, so it makes sense that there should be a social media site that gives us the chance to socialize while sitting in traffic. Now you can meet and chat with other drivers using Bump.com.

Let’s just say you see a cutie in the next car over and you want to connect. Or the guy driving the SUV just cut you off and you want him to know just how you feel. If you’re registered with Bump.com and have downloaded the Bump iPhone app, all you have to do is take a picture of that person’s license plate. Then, you add a message to go along with the picture, like “You’re my soul mate, marry me” or “Dude, way to check your blind spot.”

However, the person you want to send the message to will only get it if they have claimed their license plate on the site and verified they are the car’s owner. A test message or email is sent to them and they can look up your identity page (anonymous messages aren’t allowed) and respond to your message.

Now, we know you’re thinking to yourself” “But isn’t texting and driving illegal and dangerous?” The folks at Bump have that all figured out. Using your iPhone’s built-in accelerometer, if Bump sees that you are moving more than five miles per hour, it won’t let you send a text message. But don’t worry, you can use a voice interface to speak the license plate and message instead.

[Source: Bump.com]

We all drool over the latest technologies, wait in line to buy them and show them off to our less fortunate friends. But a recent study shows that while we love them, we’re also frustrated when they crash and freeze. The study goes on to say that even though we’re frustrated, 49 percent of us would love to let a driverless car chauffeur us around.

According to a new Accenture survey that polled 2,000 British and American consumers, people are most interested in gadgets that do stuff automatically. These include smartphones, GPS systems, home appliances and vehicles. And if they’ll make your life easier, you’re willing to pay more for it.

Even though the survey largely concentrated its efforts in the electronics department and what people want in future models, it just goes to show you that people are really warming up to the idea of autonomous cars to get them around. But even though we’re more open to the idea, do you think the world is ready for the driverless car? We know that Google had pretty good results from their autonomous vehicle, but is the general public ready for this technology? Let us know in the comment section below.

We’ve also included the rest of the press release after the jump, so feel free to give it a read.

[Source: Translogic]

The KTM X-Bow, perhaps the only car more bonkers than the Ariel Atom, will finally be coming to the United States, and like other formerly forbidden fruit, a bit of trickery is required to get the car legally imported.

While KTM will build the cars to the customers specifications, the vehicle must be shipped and sold without any kind of drivetrain, to allow for registration as a “kit car”. British Racing Group, a Pennsylvania based company, will supply you with the necessary Audi 2.0T drivetrain, but no price was given for the component. Despite putting out a tame-sounding 240 horsepower, the X-Bow is good for a sub-4 second 0-60 mph sprint, is capable of pulling 1.5g on the skidpad and will stop from 60-0 mph in only 99 feet. And you get to wear a cool helmet while you drive it!

[Source: LotusTalk]

The last time the Jeep Grand Cherokee was sold in Japan, only 88 units found homes among Japanese buyers. After a hiatus for 2010, Chrysler is re-introducing the SUV on March 12, and is ambitiously targeting sales of between 500 and 1,000 units.

Chrysler sold a high of 15,000 vehicles in 1996, but sold only 2,350 last year. Chrysler’s top selling vehicle in Japan remains the Jeep Compass, with 760 units sold in 2010. The Chrysler 200 and 300 are both slated to arrive by 2013, although both cars, like the Grand Cherokee, seem more suited for North American, rather than Japanese tastes.

[Source: Automotive News]

With oil passing the $100/barrel mark on Thursday, analysts are warning that a gallon of gasoline could soon cost as much as $5 this summer.

“If this thing escalates and there’s a good chance that there’d be a shift in supplies, $5 gas isn’t out of the question,” said Darin Newsom, an analyst at energy firm DTN told USA Today.

With major oil companies pulling out of Libya, the 15th largest crude oil exporter in the world, oil futures contracts are trading at levels not seen since October of 2008. While countries like Saudi Arabia could theoretically pick up the slack, the disruptions will still cause a spike in prices. Other factors like increased demand as the weather warms up, and the constantly increasing demand from China, could see average gas prices continue to rise.

[Source: USA Today]

If you’re heading to the Geneva Motor Show this year, be on the lookout for Bentley‘s new line of luxe leather personal accessories.

Partnering with Ettinger, this line of modern personal accessories is inspired by Bentley’s Continental Supersport interior trim colors. Available in red and black and adorned with contrast stitching, the line includes keyrings and iPad, iPhone and Blackberry cases.

Bentley and Ettringer have been working together for over five years, and Ettinger has recently added some of the latest Bentley upholstery hides, such as fuchsia, yellow and blue, to its range. Other collections include purses, wallets, passport cases, luggage labels and portfolios, and the iconic Bentley key case.

The iPad case sells for £89, the iPhone case sells for £45, the Blackberry case will cost £45 and the keyring will retail for £22.

Saab has announced it’s updated 2012 9-3, which will be available in sedan, SportWagon or convertible forms. Chief among the changes are a new front fascia which brings the 9-3 in line with bigger brother, the 9-5.

The most visible difference are new headlight assemblies, though other updates include standard front foglights and a rear deck spoiler on all models.

Under the hood, the 2012 9-3 also gets new engines, in the shape of a pair of new direct injection gasoline four-cylinders, with twin scroll turbochargers designed to reduce boost lag, as well as variable valve timing for better throttle response, balance shafts for less vibration at higher revs and a forged steel crankshaft for greater strength.

The turbo gas engines come in two different forms, rated at 163 or 220 hp. Saab says that equipped with these engines, fuel economy and emissions on the 9-3 are improved by around four percent.

In the United Kingdom, the 2012 9-3 will also be available with a 1.9-liter twin-turbo diesel engine, which is offered in three different variants, rated at 130, 160 and 180 hp respectively. It will also be offered in two trim levels, SE or Aero.

There’s no word yet on how North American models will be spec’d though expect the gas engines to make the cut but probably not the diesels.

[Source: Saab]

Ferrari has just released some very impressive pornographically exciting video of its new flagship FF model. Easily your must-watch video of the day, it shows the FF in all its glory, highlighting in particular the car’s AWD system – a first for Ferrari.

Powered by a direct-injection 6.3-liter V12 engine with 651-hp and 504 ft lbs of torque, the FF can hit 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds and does a lot more than that in this video.

Hit the jump for some serious car porn and check back March 1st for the car’s world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show.

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Moms, listen up – this one’s all about you. To promote their new movie, Mars Needs Moms, Disney wants you to win an all-new Nissan Quest.

The movie follows the adventures of nine-year-old Milo, who discovers how much he needs his mom (voiced by Joan Cusack) when she is kidnapped by aliens. It turns out they need moms to help raise their little Martians.  Moms will love the movie because it’s all about how important they are, while the rest of the family will dig that it’s being shown in IMAX 3D.

The grand prize winner gets to take home the all-new Nissan Quest. Just sign up here for your chance to win. You can play the Mars Need Moms game for more entries to the contest (and it’s a great way to waste some time at work… although we don’t condone that). The contest closes on March 31, 2011.

[Source: Disney]

The family of a woman who was killed during a head on collision, while riding in a 1993 Mazda MPV, has been given a green light to file a suit against the  vehicle manufacturer, blaming it as partly responsible for her death.

Thann Williamson, was riding in the back of the MPV in 2002 when it was struck by another vehicle. Ms Williamson, the only occupant in the vehicle wearing a lap belt, was killed as a result of the crash, the other passengers, wearing three-point shoulder belts, survived.

The Williamson family claims that if Thann had been wearing a shoulder belt like the rest of the occupants, she would be alive today and believes that Mazda put cost considerations before safety. At the time the MPV was built, shoulder belts for the center rear seat rider were not mandatory in the US and the Hiroshima based company maintains that it was perfectly within Federal safety requirements of the time.

California Courts dismissed the Williamson case, relying on evidence from a 2000 decision, where American Honda was the target in a case involving the option of installing airbags in relation to automobile injuries.

The ruling in that particular case said that injury suits brought under state law challenging the failure to install air bags stood as an obstacle to the objectives of federal safety regulations, which were said to be the maintenance of manufacturers’ choices.

Both cases were authored by Justice Stephen G. Breyer and although he argued both were similar in scope, airbag regulations enacted by the Feds foreclosed the filing of injury suits, whereas in the case of seat belts, regulators had a mandate to pursue a standard restraint system for all seats, convinced that shoulder belts would result in increased safety. As a result, the Government urged the Supreme Court to bar the 2000 hearing of Geiger versus Honda, but allowed  the Williamson case to proceed.

It will be interesting to see if similar suits regarding injuries or fatalities result from accidents involving older vehicles will be brought to trial in the same fashion.

[Source: The New York Times]