With the allegations of bent frames, the Ford Raptor has had some wind taken out of its off-roading sails. The outcry from its owners has made SVT Chief Nameplate Engineer Jamal Hameedi come out of hiding to answer some questions.

Speaking to Autoblog, Hameedi believes that the frame bending isn’t a Ford issue, and one of owner treatment—but it’s not exactly abuse, either. “I think there’s a certain learning curve going out there,” he said. “The cool thing about the Raptor is that it’s something new that has never been done before. So it’s bringing a lot of new enthusiasts into this realm of high-speed off-roading.”

Judging by the video of the 10 trucks conducting high-speed runs, the owners were driving a 60 to 80mph in the desert, and anecdotally up to 120mph—too fast for the terrain, and forcing the truck to run out of suspension travel. According to Hameedi, the frame was designed to yield in such conditions, to avoid kicking the rear end into the air and causing an even worse accident.

“There’s a learning curve with these new enthusiasts and the organizers – of how to properly run an off-road, high-speed event like this. This is part of that learning curve. You can’t just find an off-road trail and barrel down it at 100 miles an hour.”

These owners, who are still negotiating their warranty claims, might not be happy to hear that the source of all their problems is that they don’t know how to drive. But that’s the story Hameedi is sticking with, along with what’s outlined in the owner’s manual: “you can get yourself into trouble very easily if you don’t know what you’re doing or if you’re driving above your ability or those of the vehicle. It’s not very different than a very capable, very fast sports car on a road course.

“You can break anything, you can even break a trophy truck,” said Hameedi, when asked about the ads and videos from Ford that show the Raptor’s high-speed off-road capabilities. “You have to be responsible and sensible about the way what you’re doing to the vehicle and the way you’re driving it.”

Hameedi advises that owners who may get their warranty claims denied can always get their frames restraightened for about $800, and that there are aftermarket solutions to prevent this sort of thing from happening to other Raptors. But this won’t sit well with the members of RaptorForumz.com, who publicized the issue in the beginning: they’ve argued that the event where 10 out of 14 trucks were damaged was well-organized with GPS tracking and marked obstacles, and that some of the trucks were damaged even before any off-roading.

Hameedi has explained that SVT will work on communicating with owners and event organizers, even focusing on instructional sessions. But for the 10 owners who see this as a manufacturing defect, and aren’t too keen on fixing the problem with their own money—hearing this from the head of SVT won’t end their situation.

[Source: Autoblog]

Revenge is a dish best served sour, or at least that’s the opinion of one Massachusetts man who exacted his own form of justice on a car dealership he claims sold him a lemon.

Earlier in the week David Cross of Salisbury, Massachusetts purchased a van from the Portsmouth Used Car Superstore. After taking it to his mechanic, numerous problems were found with the vehicle and Cross referred to it as a “lemon.” Cross then attempted to return the car, but the dealership refused to take it back. Thats when things went sour.

On Tuesday night, Cross returned the car himself, in the process smashing his van into seven other vehicles on the lot, including a Mercedes C300 and a Ford Mustang, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage. Rather than flee the scene, he then spotted a near by police cruise and turned himself in.

Cross was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and has since been released until his September 19th arraignment.

[Source: Reuters]

Lexus has confirmed that the next-generation GS luxury sedan will make its world premiere at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance – a fact our company insider let slip just a week ago.

A car that has evolved slowly over the years, Lexus is promising the four-generation model will take a much bolder step forward. “Our customers have been waiting for a new GS that’s more intense in every way,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager. “They’ll soon discover this GS was well worth the wait.”

The Lexus GS will feature a new distinctive front grille, previewed in the LF-Gh concept (above), as well as numerous other styling cues that will find their way into the designs of other future Lexus models. In addition, Lexus promises a, “more engaging and dynamic driving experience and the highest levels of refinement.”

The 2012 Lexus GS350 luxury sedan will debut on Thursday, August 18th. AutoGuide will be on hand to deliver coverage.

GALLERY: Lexus LF-Gh Concept

Pre-Collision Systems are a proven method of not only reducing accidents but of limiting the severity of injuries should a crash occur. Current systems like Volvo’s City Safety will apply brakes if an impact is inevitable.

Looking to rebrand itself as a safety leader, Toyota has just announced its own PCS that goes a step further, taking over control of the steering in order to avoid a collision. It works by using millimeter-wave radar, cameras and even infrared detection at night to detect vehicles and pedestrians, and when combined with a new Lane Departure Prevention system can “change the direction of the vehicle” to help avoid a collision.

Two other systems being developed simultaneously include an Adaptive Driving Beam system and a Pop-up Hood. A previous version switched high beams to low beams when it detected the taillights of a vehicle ahead or the headlights of an oncoming car. The latest advancement allows the high beams to stay on, but blocks a portion of the light that would interfere with the vision of oncoming traffic, allowing near high-beam visibility without blinding oncoming traffic. As for the pop-up hood, it is designed to reduce injuries in collisions with pedestrians.

Finally, in response to an aging population, Toyota has announced a new Emergency-response Technology, which allows the car to monitor the driver’s vital sign through touch points at the steering wheel, in order to detect a possible loss of consciousness due to “cardiovascular irregularity.” Still under development, Toyota aims to showcase this new technology at the Japan Medical Congress next April.

Recently, Formula One has take a greener turn, becoming more environmental by exchanging high-revving V8 engines for 1.6-liter turbo sixes in 2014.

In addition, changes to the 2012 regulations now make it mandatory that F1 cars run entirely on electric power for the entire time they’re in the pit lane. Rule 5.19 of the revised technical regulations states that, “The car must be run in electric mode (no ignition and no fuel supply to the engine) at all times when being driven in the pit lane.” To accommodate electric-only propulsion in and out of the pit lane, the new Energy Recovery Systems have been increased in capacity to 120 kW, and the system will also be allowed to recapture energy from exhaust fumes as well.

While a victory for technology in once respect, unfortunately it also means we will no longer be able to enjoy the high-pitched whine of the engine revving as the car leaves its pit stall. And with no sound to notify surrounding pit crews that a car is leaving, there’s certainly a level of danger involved too.

[Source: Pitpass]

The Carabinieri in Rome and Milan will now be enjoying their daily patrols in sporty new Lotus Evora S police cars. Specially modified for the po-po in Italy, the Evora S fleet will feature new-age voice recognition technology, and a special portable refrigeration compartment for the transport of vital organs and blood for medical emergencies. Powered by Toyota‘s supercharged 3.5L V6, the Evora S will pack 350-hp and more than 300 lb-ft of torque to handle almost any high speed chase.

Those on the force who will be fortunate enough to pilot these Evora S models have already received special training at a new test track at Lotus’ headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk. There, they learned all about the potential of the Evora S model.

GALLERY: Lotus Evora S Italian Police Cars

Click here to read AutoGuide’s Lotus Evora S Review

Mercedes-Benz wants you to buy an AMG, but they also want you to not suck at driving it. Hence, the AMG Driving Academy makes its leap from Lime Rock Park onto Youtube, to prepare us for that day of handbuilt-engine-ownership.

Hosted by Tommy Kendall, four-time Trans Am champion and AMG instructor, it’s a primer in the high-buck AMG Driving Academy program, where the well-heeled zoom off to Europe and learn hands-on behind the wheel of the entire Benz lineup.

But since not everybody sleeps on a bed of money, the series covers everything you need to know about performance driving, short of actually stepping into a performance car: from adjusting mirrors and seats to the differences between oversteer and understeer, from threshold braking to weight distribution during a slalom. The cars shown include a CLS and C63 AMG, as well as the occasional cameo from the SLS.

Click the jump to view the 4-part series.

Continue Reading…

The AAA is taking the first steps to diversify its offerings by providing a “range anxiety solution” for electric vehicles. The new trucks will roll out in a limited pilot program over the next year to offer a standard service for EV recharging. The trucks have a 4.5 kWh lithium-ion battery on board that can give a stranded EV anywhere between 3-15 miles of power.

The range is dependent on the type of charger the car has. If the EV can take a DC fast charge using CHAdeMo, it can get around 15 miles of power in a 15 minute charge. The AAA truck can recharge it’s pack from the grid or it’s gasoline-powered engine. The first six test trucks will see duty this August in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Knoxville and Tampa/St. Petersburg. AAA members will not be charged an added price for the EV recharge service

[Source: Autoblog Green]

Buick and GMC understand the importance of social networking and have set up online vehicle-shopping experiences that are socially engaging, letting site visitors build, save and share their configured vehicles.

This new type of connectivity enables customers to share with their Facebook friends who can post comments or “like” their customized selections. Both Buick and GMC are among the first automakers to provide customers the opportunity to deepen and personalize the shopping experience.

“We recognize that car buyers are not only looking for product information when shopping for their next car or truck but also use feedback from friends and family to help narrow down their selection,” said John Schwegman, U.S. vice president of GMC Marketing.

A study conducted by Bereford Research that found approximately half of respondents consider information shared on their social networks when making a purchase decision, and that proportion was much higher among users 18-24 with 65 percent doing so. “By offering a connection between our web sites and Facebook, we help our customers get the feedback they want and need to make vehicle purchase decisions,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing.

You’ll be fighting with your kids on who gets to use the MINI Cooper Convertible Inflatable beach toys next.  One of the coolest promotional items we’ve seen in a while, these bad boys go from the sand to the water with the top down.

Created by Access Agency after the unveiling of the MINI Indoor Drive-in cinema for the new Countryman in Italy, these inflatables look like they may be a bit too big for the pool, but perfect for lounging on the beach and water. We’d like to pull one behind a boat for some MINI tubing, and we’re pretty sure we’d draw more than a few looks from impressed (and envious) beach goers.

The beach toys are a great way for MINI to get across that they are a fun, cool brand. No word if they’ll be floating over to North America anytime soon, but if they do, you’ll find us lounging around and soaking up the sun (after a full day of blogging, of course).

What’s the coolest automotive brand promotional item you’ve ever seen or received? Let us know in the comments section below.