You drive so much, you might as well move into your car permanently. It’s a good thing someone thought of the Habitat micro home.

The marvellous idea of designer Jon Salerno, the Habitat micro home combines your car and your home in one convenient location. The design features a small car that’s docked underneath the home, giving occupants another room. Measuring in at 100 square feet, when you add the car to the Habitat, you get an extra 32 square feet of space.

Another great thing about the Habitat is that the home and car feed off each other. This means they can power the other, storing and feeding energy they collect from solar and wind power sources (the home’s roof is outfitted with solar panels).

It’s a cool way to save space and be eco-friendly, but we think you may need more than 132 square feet of living space. What do you think? Would you be able to make due with cramped living quarters? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Source: Inhabitat]

Chrysler has announced that heavy-duty pickups in the company’s lineup will be available with a new six-speed automatic transmission for the 2012 model year.

The Ram 2500 and 3500 HD models will receive the six-speed coupled with an available 6.7-liter Cummins High Output Turbo Diesel engine with 800 lb-ft of torque at 1,500 rpm and 350-hp and 3,000 rpm. The 3500 truck can tow up to 22,750 pounds if equipped with an optional Max Tow package. Interestingly, the Cummins oil burner manages to meet EPA emissions standards without the annoyance of having to use Diesel Exhaust Fluid.

Fuel economy ratings have not been posted for the Dodge with the six-speed nor have prices been released. More details will become available closer to 2012.

It’s last call for the ur-Tesla. The electric car company will stop taking orders for the Roadster in about two months.

Production for the Roadster is ending soon, after 1,650 examples sold. The Roadster was always a proof-of-concept for Tesla’s existence, and now that they’ve moved on to bigger and better things, it’s time to let the little guy out to pasture.
The Model S sedan is Tesla’s next latest and greatest, and it is slated to begin sales in the middle of next year. It will be built in the old NUMMI plant once shared by Toyota and GM, in Fremont, California.
[Source: CNN Money]

America’s ongoing insatiable desire for the Toyota Prius is about to be sated: the Japanese factory is sending 36,000 examples our way, just in time for summer.

Global availability of the Prius is still low. Currently, the Prius is at a 4-day supply in America and many dealers don’t have a single example on their lots: a check of nationwide inventory reveals that there are only 2,960 models, or a 10th of where they were last year before the March 11 earthquake.

“Demand for the vehicle remains very, very high, and we are doing all we can to meet that demand,” said Steve Curtis, a Toyota spokesman. “Availability is going to vary from region to region and dealer to dealer, but I can certainly tell you that it’s tight.”

Toyota hopes production and supply of the Prius will return to normal by September. These 36,000 examples will go a long way to fulfilling demand until then.

[Source: Auto Observer]

We should be thankful that millionaire Michael Stroschek hasn’t sealed away his priceless Lancia Stratos recreation; instead, he races it regularly, as seen here in this video.

In a rousing example of bringing public art to the masses, Stroschek races his Stratos at 2011′s Sachsen Rallye with co-driver Dieter Hawranke, in front of a camera-toting crowd on closed-down city streets. After the race, Stroschek went back to his underground cave to resume his lifelong goal of defeating the Joker.

Click the video to experience the wailing Stratos in all of its glory. Continue Reading…

Ever driven on two wheels? Nissan, apparently having just watched that one scene from Diamonds Are Forever, is planning to set some goofy records at the hallowed grounds of Goodwood—including driving up the entire course while balanced on two wheels.

Hey, if you can’t beat them, distract them. Nissan plans to drive a Juke up the 1.16-mile hill balanced entirely on one side, presumably to practice escaping from Wint and Kidd, as well as an attempt to drive the Nissan Leaf up the hill—in reverse.

On paper, this sounds even slower than the Leaf already is. But the Leaf’s electric motor is capable of going just as fast backwards as it is the regular way: all the way up to 90mph. On production models reverse speed is restricted for rather obvious reasons, but on this attempt Nissan is pulling out all the stops.

Both vehicles will be driven by professional stunt driver Terry Grant, though not at the same time. The festivities begin July 1st to the 3rd at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed in Britain, where Nissan will prove that just because you’re not the fastest doesn’t mean you can’t be the most flamboyant. Hey, isn’t that how drifting got started?

BMW will unveil its M3 DTM car next month to compete in next year’s DTM touring car race series. The Bavarian automaker has not competed in the series for 18 years but feels its car will pack a serious punch.

BMW has recently been with the DTM umbrella organization ITR e. V. and other manufacturers including Audi and Mercedes-Benz on issues regarding technical regulations, and taking DTM to a global audience.

BMW has been working on the M3 DTM since it announced a comeback in the series last October and has been a success so far. The car is expected to be tested in the next few months.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Formula 1 has decided to implement the 1.6-liter V6 for the 2014 race year. Teams have been grumbling over the 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder plants but are more eager to compromise with the V6.

The difference in size between the two engines may seem very small, but the idea is to get all of the current teams to agree on a standard so the series doesn’t lose any of its relatively few participants. A Kinetic Energy Recovery System hybrid has also been part of the new proposal. With the 1.6-liter V6 already approved, the next step is for the World Motor Sport Council to vote.

Stay tuned for more info!

[Source: Motor Authority]

The long-anticipated replacement for the Aveo, the Chevrolet Sonic, is set to drop in August. But a strike at the Sonic’s plant could delay this—thanks to a pay discrepancy among assembly workers.

The Sonic is being built by workers at the Orion assembly plant in Michigan, under the supervision of supplier LINC Logistics Co. Workers here make $10 per hour as opposed to the $14 to $28 they would make if they were UAW members at a GM plant. And today, workers at the Orion plant voted in overwhelming favor to authorize a strike, with 98% of workers voting yes.

Negotiations for a pay increase are set to increase soon, and with this authorization, union leaders could call for a work stoppage anytime. Despite this, GM spokespeople believe that the Sonic will still be released on time, as scheduled. Good luck, folks.

[Source: Autoblog]

It’s time to buy a car and you’re weighing all the options before making a purchase – including insurance rates. Your timing couldn’t be better, because Insure.com has just released their list of the least expensive cars, vans, SUVs and trucks to insure in 2011, and the auto brands that will lower your insurance rates are Toyota, Chrysler, Nissan and Chevrolet.

With the help of  Quadrant Information Services, Insure.com determined these findings on premiums for 40-year-old male drivers. Using six major insurance carriers’ premiums in 10 ZIP codes in each state, they were able to access which vehicles would cost less to insure.

Taking the top spot was both the four- and six-cylinder front-wheel-drive Toyota Highlander – this car will set you back $1,154 and $1,183 per year, respectively. In the minivan category, the Chrysler Town & Country LX is the least expensive minivan to insure at $1,092 per year. If you’re in the market for trucks, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 costs $1,174 per year to insure, while at $1,128 per year, the Nissan Murano SL is the least expensive SUV to insure.

Hit the jump for a list of the least expensive vehicles to insure in their respective categories, along with the cost to insure them per year.

Continue Reading…