Today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2011 Infiniti EX35 a “Top Safety Pick” rating. This rating was given to the Infiniti based on the car achieving the Institute’s highest rating of “Good” in front, rear and side impact protections. The car also has to be equipped with electronic stability control, and earn a good rating in roof strength.

“Infiniti is proud to receive another Top Safety Pick rating from IIHS,” said Infiniti Americas Vice President Ben Poore. “Like all Infiniti vehicles, the 2011 Infiniti EX35 luxury crossover is designed to offer owners a strong sense of peace of mind, whether from its exhilarating driving performance, engaging interior environment, advanced technology or long list of standard safety features.”

The EX35 comes with standard with safety features such as the Infiniti Advanced Bag System with dual stage, dual-threshold front air bags and seat belt and occupant classification sensors and roof-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear occupant head protection. The Infiniti also comes with seat-mounted driver and front passenger side-impact supplemental air bags and front-seat Active Head Restraints.

Other standard equipment includes LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) system, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Vehicle Dynamic Control and Traction Control System. Optional advanced technologies include: Lane Departure Prevention system, Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist and Intelligent Brake Assist with Forward Collision Warning.

Shelby American may pair up with Hertz to offer a “rent-a-racer” program that offers upgraded Mustang GTs for enthusiast-oriented consumers. The Shelby Mustang would be offered in two traditional configurations: black and gold or white and gold. The Mustang would be powered by the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine cranking out 412-hp coupled with an automatic transmission.

The companies teamed up in 1966 to produce 1,000 copies of the performance mustang and did so again, forty years later with the GT-H. Currently, Hertz offers the Mustang GT as part of the “Adrenaline” collection, but a Shelby variant hasn’t been available recently.

Shelby has not finalized the potential 2012 program so we will have to see what happens!

[Source: AutoWeek]

Who says driving around a van has to be boring? The all new third-generation Nissan Quest, known as Elgrand in Japan, just got a whole lot wilder thanks to the tuners over at Impul. Though these styling packages are made for the Japanese Elgrand front-end, those ambitious enough to outfit it to their USDM Quest should be able to proceed with a little effort. The result will be a one-of-a-kind looking van, and we’d love to see one driving around in North America.

Impul is featuring two different kits for the van, with a spoiler add-on for the factory front bumper, or an entire front bumper replacement. Those looking at the skirt kit will be able to get it in carbon fiber or fiberglass. In addition, Impul offers several performance packages including an ECU upgrade and new throttle valve. This isn’t surprising though, as the new Quest in Japan features either the VQ35DE or QR25DE, which the aftermarket has already embraced from other Nissan platforms.

Additional accessories include 20×8.5-inch wheels, suspension modifications, an upgraded brake system, a muffler replacement exhaust system, sport filter, window visors, and Impul emblems. So those out there forced to drive a minivan packed full with kids, we dare you to order up Impul’s kits for your Quest. We’d love to see it done!

GALLERY: Impul Nissan Quest

The largest Volkswagen and Audi tuner in Europe has intelligently set their eyes on the young and rapidly growing automotive market in China. With China’s exponential growth in the auto industry for the past couple of years, the aftermarket is growing too, despite China trying very hard to restrict vehicle modification. As Audi and Volkswagen continue to focus on this market, ABT Sportsline will now have their presence known in Beijing with their largest showroom outside of their headquarters in Kempten.

In collaboration with their partner CATC and their largest dealer, ZRF, ABT Sportsline is poised to target the close to the 18 million people that live in the Beijing area. Showroom operator ZRF is a Beijing company that holds claim to the oldest Audi and Volkswagen dealer in China.

The showroom spans an impressive 21,500 square feet and will always house at least four complete vehicles. Sales staff will be more than happy to show customers ABT’s product range of accessories, such as sporty lightweight wheels. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out and how quickly the other major aftermarket manufacturers will follow ABT Sportsline into China.

GALLERY: ABT Sportsline China Grand Opening

Toyota has officially announced a recall of certain 2006 and 2007 model year Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles. The recall will affect 45,500 Highlander hybrids and 36,700 RX 400h’s. The issue stems from the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the hybrid system inverter that contains a control board with transistors.

Certain transistors on the control boards in the affected vehicles were inadequately soldered and could be damaged from heat caused by a large current flow during heavy driving.

If this were to occur, warning lights would come on and in most cases the vehicle would enter a fail-safe driving mode, resulting in reduced power and a shorter driving distance. In more serious cases, the power supply circuit fuse could blow when the transistor is damaged. The blown fuse would cause the hybrid system to stop and the vehicle would cost to a stop.

Owners with affected vehicles will be notified by first class main in mid-July 2011. An inspection will be made at a Toyota dealer, and if the vehicle is affected, the IPM will be replaced at no cost.

For years, Gordon Murray’s pet project has been rumored for a while, like the secret creation of a mad scientist. And after much speculation, it’s finally been unveiled: the T.27 city car, the world’s most efficient electric car.

The electric city car has been Murray’s singular obsession ever since he wrapped up the McLaren F1 and various go-fast consulting projects. £9 million has been invested in the project over the past three years, a car that has been described at various points as “revolutionary“—which in this case means its packaging and size.

At a tick over 7 feet long, it’s even smaller than the Smart car: three T.27s can cram into one parking space. The car seats three with the driver up front and center, just as on the F1, and they climb in through a massive upwards-swinging door that takes over much of the cockpit. As far as McLaren comparisons go, that’s about it.

With a top speed of 60mph and 15 seconds to get there, nobody is labeling it a supercar in the traditional sense. But as far as efficiency goes, the T.27 is as dedicated to mileage as the F1 was to speed: it is 36% more efficient than Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV and 29% more than the electric Smart car, with the ability to reach 100 miles on its charge. It features a 33-horsepower electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries, and still manages to be just 1,500 lbs. The T.27 has also been tested under the strict Euro-NCAP safety standards under Murray’s approval, with results that he claims are “first-class.”

The T.27 will be built in England as an example of low-cost manufacturing, with a streamlined process that adds the powertrain, brakes, and suspension to the chassis before the body panels, which should take full advantage of its lightweight packaging. A sales figure has not been listed yet.

[Sources: Motortorque, Gordon Murray Design]

Last Sunday, the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca hosted Refuel 2011, the third annual track day for electric cars and motorcycles. The event was open to anyone with an electric car, ranging from the Tesla Roadster to DIY conversion cars. This year’s event was the first time that fully electric production vehicles from mainstream car makers were present at the event.

Joe Nuxoll, Tesla employee and racing instructor achieved the fastest lap time in the production electric class and the Nissan Leaf wasn’t far behind.  The Leaf was two seconds behind the Tesla with a commendable time of 2:10.223.  Leaf owner Nadar Assemi took a video of the Leaf competing on the track. The Leaf surprisingly didn’t suffer from overheating issues like the Tesla and the DIY cars did.

“To my surprise almost every other EV out there (production or otherwise) had heat management issues after 2-5 laps. Tesla’s were hitting power cut by lap 4-5. Most of the other kit cars could do one or two laps due to heat or range issues.” Explained Assemi on a Nissan forum. “Conversely, the Leaf was pulling strong all day and the battery temp gauge didn’t move over 6 bars. Energy efficiency on the track was a stellar 1.2-1.3 m/kWh.”

Check out the video after the jump!

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Wal-Mart is rolling back gas prices just in time for the Fourth of July driving weekend. The retailer is offering ten cents off a gallon at Wal-Mart and Murphy USA stations if purchased with a reloadable Wal-Mart gift card, MoneyCard or a Wal-Mart credit card.

The discount gas is available until September 30th, but is limited to only 18 states. Americans feel very strongly about having cheaper gas which has become apparent with fuel becoming a budget concern just like household and grocery items in homes across the country.

“Our customers have told us that high gas prices are a top budget concern, nearly as large an expense to their households as food and groceries,” said Stephen Quinn, chief marketing officer. “We listen to our customers and because we know they are feeling squeezed by gas prices, we’re implementing this gas [price] rollback to help them save, especially during high travel summer months.”

Wal-Mart will be discounting gas in the following states: Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

[Source: USA Today]

The long rumored Aston Martin-Daimler alliance appears to be taking shape, with a report in the Financial Times suggesting that the British sports car builder has approached Daimler with a request for assistance regarding engines, safety systems and other technology.

Aston Martin seems to be seeking independence from former owner Ford, which helped out greatly on the technological front. Aston Martin and Ford have an engine deal that lasts until 2013, and the Kuwaiti consortium that now owns Aston has been previously rumored to have approached Daimler regarding a possible collaboration with their Maybach division.

[Source: Bloomberg]