Imagine having a gadget in your car that could tell you how fast to go to avoid stopping at the next light. Well, now you can. A network of dashboard smartphones can monitor traffic lights and congestion helping drivers avoid idling, cutting fuel use by 20 percent.

SignalGuru collects and analyzes traffic data from images captured on dashboard smartphones, to inform drivers of the most efficient routes. The researchers installed iPhones on car dashboards in Cambridge, Massachusetts and in Singapore, where traffic lights have fixed schedules. SignalGuru can predict when lights will change with an error margin of two-thirds of a second.

The SignalGuru study won a best paper award at last month’s Association for Computing Machinery MobiSys conference, but the program would require many users to be a real solution for traffic congestion.

“If you can save even a small percentage of that, then you can have a large effect on the energy that the U.S. consumes,” Emmanouil Koukoumidis, a Princeton PhD candidate and visiting researcher at MIT, was quoted as saying.

[Source: CNET]

Lamborghini is always on the cutting edge of what’s new and exciting. So it isn’t a big surprise that the company has taken its accessories line in a new direction. Its new line of bags and luggage is made from carbon fiber – the same material used to make planes, cars and boats.

In Lamborgini’s new collection, there are three different styles to choose from – Travel, Messenger, and Envelope. Each style features hand-stitched leather with palladium-finish galvanized brass accessories, hand-mounted studs, and cotton lining. They boast diagonal graphite reflections that are highlighted by the carbon fiber.

“The uniqueness of these products is not by chance, each one has been carefully studied and is one-of-a-kind, entirely made by hand by craftsmen who carry out each phase of the process,” said Stefan Winkelmann, president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

The Carbon Envelope bag retails for €850, which comes out to around $1,230US, while the Carbon Messenger bag sells for €1,050 (around $1,720) and the Carbon Travel bag costs €1,450 ( about $2,100).

[Source: Top Speed]

If the shape of this vehicle  looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, don’t be alarmedThis sleek concept is the winner of the Aurora Survivor 2050 Competition hosted by Mazda, dubbed the Aurora Solar Vehicle Association.

Designed by All Jafari, this futuristic concept is powered solely by solar and electric power. It’s super efficient and can reach a top speed of 93 mph. Giving the impression that it floats across the road, this concept seats two and it might be on the streets as early as 2013. In fact, Aurora is hoping to turn this concept into reality in time for the 2013 World Solar Challenge.

The Aurora Survivor 2050 Competition was launched in collaboration with Monash University near Melbourne, Australia and its mission is to promote the technology behind the Aurora solar car. The idea is to bridge elements from solar racing into a new breed of car that’s built for two passengers and comes with luggage space that can be used by the general public, all while maintaining the Mazda design aesthetic.

[Source: Inhabitat]

Thanks to the modern reality of doing business in the automotive sector, more and more car companies are seeking alliances in order to share development costs.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is one of the most notable in recent years, but some analysts were quite surprised when back in April 2010, the company announced an alliance with Daimler AG.

At that time, Nissan had planned to introduce an updated, rear-drive Infiniti G, slated for a 2011 model year release, but with new input from Daimler, the introduction was pushed back as the car underwent some significant revisions, including the adoption of a Mercedes chassis, sheetmetal changes, and a Mercedes diesel engine.

As for gasoline powerplants, the decision was taken to stick with Nissan offerings, at present, a 3.5-liter version of the VQ bent-six, possibly turbocharged is the preferred option, though a Hybrid drivetrain, similar to the 2.5 V-6/ electric motor combination currently employed in the M35h could also make the cut.

Scheduled for a 2014 model year release it will be interesting to see what both Infiniti and Mercedes customers make of this car and down the road, what other potential products can result from the synergies between the three automakers. Renault Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has said that Infiniti plans to launch some 10 new models by 2016 with a goal of capturing around 10 percent of the luxury car market; the new G is merely the first step.

[Source: Motor Trend]

BMW used this past weekend’s Indianapolis MotoGP to unveil its new F10 M5 safety car. The BMW was fitted with an Akrapovic titanium exhaust system that sounds amazing. Other goodies that set this  safety vehicle aside from all other standard M5′s include high performance coilovers, new front and rear spoilers, Recaro bucket seats and 20-inch rims.

The M5 has been entirely redesigned but the biggest change is the switch from a high-revving V10 to a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8. The new engine will crank out 552 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The car is capable of achieving a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, not bad for a car weighs around 4,000 lbs. Pricing has not been announced but the M5 will probably sell for around $85,000.

Check out the video after the jump!

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Have you ever wondered how many kids you could fit in your car before you would get arrested? Of course you haven’t. Then again, neither did a South African man who, in retrospect, probably should have.

The unnamed man (lucky for him) was arrested near Cape Town, driving with 17 children in a Mazda hatchback sedan – we’re assuming it’s a 6 hatch. Aged two to five, three of them were riding up front with the 20-year old driver, while the remaining 14 were piled into the back – making the most of the hatchback’s extensive cargo room with the rear seats folded flat. Not surprisingly, the car’s 14 child cargo capacity was absent from the dealer pamphlets

The “gentleman” in question was arrested, and not just for overloading his vehicle. As it turns out, he was also driving with a suspended license and his car was deemed unfit to be on the road.

[Source: IndependentOnline]

Toyota has a long history of building rugged off-road trucks, the latest of which is the FJ Cruiser. And if you’re looking to match capability with Jeep’s “Trail Rated” machines there’s no better way to do so than with a more off-road capable Trail Teams Special Edition.

The latest Trail Teams model is available exclusively in a Radian Red paint for 2012 with black painted door handles, bumpers and front grille. Up top a set of off-road lights improve night time visibility, while inside there’s plenty of red accenting to go with the new paint color. Getting dirt into the Trail Teams model is part of the fun and getting it out is easier thanks to water resistant seats, plus a rubber floor and rear deck.

The standard 260-hp 4.0-liter V6 engine get a cyclone pre-air cleaner (another standard FJ goodie) to trap dirt, while off-road capability has been enhanced with an off-road package that includes Bilstein shocks, TRD wheels with BFG All-Terrain tires, rock rails, as well as skid plates for the engine, fuel tank and transfer case. Also standard is a rear differential lock and Toyota’s A-TRAC traction control system.

Other items that come standrad on the special edition model include a multi-information display, remote keyless entry, cruise control, 12V/100W and 115V/400W outlets, a back-up camera integrated into the rear view mirror and the final touch, a Trail Team badge.

GALLERY: Toyota FJ Cruiser Trail Teams Special Edition

It’s been a long time coming but fans of the Toyobaru sports car soon won’t have to wait much longer. Expected to officially debut at the Tokyo Auto Show in both its Toyota and Subaru forms, Subaru recently announced that its version will be called the BRZ.

When it is unveiled, interested buyers won’t have to wait long to get behind the wheel with Subaru announcing the car will go on sale in the Spring of next year.

But before any of this, Subaru will give yet another glimpse at what it’s preparing to offer by unveiling what it’s calling the “Subaru BRZ Prologue – Boxer Sports Car Architecture II” at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

GALLERY: Subaru Boxer Sports Car Architecture

Discuss this story at SubaruBRZforum.com

When it was first revealed that Infiniti was planning a Sebsatian Vettel edition model, the immediate assumption was that it would be some sort of G37 Coupe. Not so.

Rumors then turned towards an FX model, and those reports have proved accurate, with the Nissan luxury division releasing a photo of custom crossover. Unfortunately few details have been provided, other than the fact that it will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 13th and that Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel helped design it.

The image does, however, give away a few hints, with this FX sporting some aggressive styling, additional LED lighting, badging and wheels. And even though the FX50 already features a 5.0L V8 powerplant with 390-hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, we’re hoping Vettel designed some more performance DNA into the special edition.

In this crazy video, a Los Angeles firefighter is only inches away from a burning car that explodes in his face. Perhaps more impressive is that he doesn’t even flinch – showing some serious cojones.

“As they were attacking the fire, it appears from the video, that an airbag went off, sending sparks,” LAFD Capt. Jaime Moore told NBC news. “They had their personal protective equipment on, so he was not injured.” ”As you can see in the video, he didn’t event flinch,” said Moore. “He took a step back and continued fighting the fire.”

Check out the video after the jump! It’s pretty spectacular.

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