There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today.

BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove to be a key time for the company to move into the California electric car market.

Their opening is hot on the heels of the California government deciding to limit HOV lane benefits to electric cars in an effort to encourage greener transportation. BYD has a chance to get a jump on the electric car market considering the only EV’s available to consumers are the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster.

Things may not all be bright though, BYD saw their profits drop by just over a third between 2009 and 2010 and lackluster sales in the first half of this year aren’t boding well either.

Their financial woes are largely due to poor car sales in China, where they failed to meet even half of their projected numbers.

Their push into the North American market could prove to be a good source of revenue, but BYD Vice-President Michael Austin admitted earlier this year to the Glendale News-Press that “the paradigm of driving a Chinese car in the U.S. is going to be hard to break.”

[Source: Auto Observer]

A study published in the Journal of Psychology & Marketing has revealed that driving enthusiasts and gear heads are more likely to be aggressive drivers.

Perhaps because the observation is so obvious, a formal study has not been conducted until now. In a statement released by Temple University, Ayalla Ruvio, lead author of “Aggressive Driving: A Consumption Experience” tells us that her studies, “explain much of the phenomenon we knew existed.”

Ruvio’s studies also determined that, “young people who are in the early stages of forming their self-identity might feel the need to show off their car and driving skills more than others.” Extending the idea of one’s self identity affecting their attitude behind the wheel, Ruvio continues, “People with compulsive tendencies are more likely to drive aggressively with disregard for potential consequences. Increased materialism, or the importance of one’s possessions, is linked to increased aggressive driving tendencies.”

Moreover, as a general characteristics amongst the sample set of volunteers conducting the study, “a sense of being under time and pressure leads to more aggressive driving.”

As the studies prove nothing we haven’t already realized, we’re not sure what exactly is the significance of these findings.

[Source: Autoblog]

With the 2011 SEMA Show just around the corner, we’ve been getting fed tons of teasers and sneak peeks of finished projects that will be making their way to the big aftermarket expo in Las Vegas. But forget teasers, here’s the full reveal of Fox Marketing’s 2012 Honda Civic Si, boasting a wickedly clean widebody and packing over 450-hp thanks to Full-Race’s turbo kit.

The custom widebody and body kit is courtesy of carbodykits.com, while Fox Marketing opted to have the entire body resprayed by BASF’s R-M Ultrasonic Blue Pearl. Handling suspension duties are springs from Road Magnet while SSBC contributed a brake upgrade to the Si Coupe. For wheels, Fox Marketing opted for a custom 20-inch setup from Vossen. CV3 wheels adorn each corner of the project wrapped with Toyo Proxes 4 tires.

On the inside, Yonaka Ronin racing seats found their way inside after being reupholstered with factory Civic Si fabric inserts in the front and the rear. AutoGuide.com will be sure to check out the finished project up close in person starting on November 1st.

GALLERY: Fox Marketing 2012 Honda Civic Si

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show preview here

Discuss this story at 9thGenCivic.com

Carhenge, Nebraska’s remarkable automotive replica of England’s Stonehenge, has been a proud display of automotive greatness and whimsical art for 24 years. Jim Reinders, the man behind the fantastic creation announced that Carhenge and its land will now be up for sale, with an asking price of $300,000.

A not-for-profit landmark, Reinders has dwindled his finances in an effort to maintain the admission-free monument, admitting he, “can’t develop the land as we should.” The organization, Friends of Carhenge, envision a future Carhenge with additional amenities including a campground, a go karting track as well as convenience and souvenir shops to give visitors reason to pay admission in the future.

They hope that a new buyer will assist in bringing Carhenge to its deserved potential.

[Source: Autoblog]

While currently operating brands Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Wuling in China, the very first China division GM crossover, the Buick Envision, will come to market next year, according to a report from the Beijing Times Newspaper.

Shanghai GM first introduced the Envision concept at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show and presented a very progressive shape, further evolving Buick’s design philosophy. A GM representative said, “Envision merges Buick’s global design language with Chinese aesthetics and was designed specifically for the China market.”

The Buick Envision will receive a plug-in hybrid powerplant. To highlight the technology fitted to the vehicle, the Envision’s technology driven interior will feature a futuristic dashboard, flat bottomed steering wheel, an oversized central instrument tunnel and a flat floor to optimize passenger cabin comfort.

Some initial reports indicate the Envision may be built in China and for the Chinese market, but production and sales of the hybrid crossover are expected for other markets as well.

GALLERY: Buick Envision Concept

[Source: InAutoNews]

At the annual Truck Rodeo in San Antonio, the Texas Auto Writer’s Association (TAWA), declared that of the 48 vehicles evaluated among 57 members, the 2012 Ford F-150 was most deserving of the prestigious “Truck of Texas” award for 2012.

In other categories, the Ford Edge was named best Crossover Utility Vehicle of Texas, while Ford’s EcoBoost direct injection/turbo technology, available in both vehicles was named best overall vehicle feature.

In addition, the entire Ford truck line was also named “Best in Texas” for the 12 consecutive year, in recognition of best-in-class durability and capability.

“Texan consumers put their trust in TAWA’s automotive journalists,” stated the association’s president Mike Herzing. “After lining up vehicles from major auto manufacturers, our members determined Ford simply had the best trucks and crossover.” He also went to say that “ the real winners here are Texas’ truck buyers. Ford delivers the trucks that fit their lifestyles.”

Ford’s President of the Americas, Mark Fields, added, “these awards validate what our customers have been telling us about our ‘Built Ford Tough’ F-150, and we are honored by their recognition of the strength of our truck lineup as well as our crossovers and EcoBoost engines.”

As impressive as BMW M cars are, ask a Porsche representative what’s missing and they’ll tell you that behind the big engine, updated styling and upgraded components and M5 is still just a 5 Series. Mercedes’ AMG division can now also make the same claim thanks to the SLS, the first ever Mercedes built entirely by the brand’s high-performance arm.

Now BMW is looking to do the same says the automaker’s product development boss. “From an engineering perspective we have the skills and we’d love to do it,” said Albert Biermann in a recent interview.

Unfortunately, Biermann says past efforts to make a business case for such a car have never proved successful. There are no write-offs at BMW, he says. “Everything we do has to make money.”

While not an indication that such a project is currently under development, it is a hint that BMW continues to look at building a complete no-compromises M model.

Speaking with Inside Line, Biermann boasts of BMW’s new turbocharged engines, which he says almost deliver the identical throttle response of a naturally aspirated engine but with significantly reduced fuel economy. He says now is the right time for the technology, and hints that the same could be said in the future for diesel or electric powered M cars.

Denying that there’s any horsepower race with rivals he also says, “M is not selling horsepower; that’s not what we’re about.”

GALLERY: 2012 BMW M5

[Source: InsideLine]

Recognized each year at the LA Auto Show, the finalists for the 2012 Green Car of the Year award have been released, spanning the gamut of possible alternative fuel vehicles. The nominee include the Ford Focus Electric, the 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, the Mitsubishi i, the Toyota Prius v and the 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI.

While fully electric models like the Fusion Electric and Mitsubishi i are obvious choices, the list goes on to include the Prius v hybrid, the Passat TDI diesel and even the natural gas powered Civic.

“This year’s Green Car of the Year finalists underscore that there is no single solution to our transportation challenges,” said Ron Cogan, publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. “Here we have five exceptional answers to the question of how we’re going to increase efficiencies, reduce tailpipe and CO2 emissions, and decrease petroleum use. These nominees deserve to be recognized for their unique approaches in providing consumers diverse choices as cars intelligently evolve toward a more environmentally-compatible motoring future.”

Along with staff from the Green Car Journal, this year’s judging panel for the 2012 Green Car of the Year award includes Carl Pope, Sierra Club chairman; Frances Beinecke, Natural Resources Defense Council president; as well as Jay Leno and Carroll Shelby.

Last year the Chevrolet Volt took home the 2011 Green Car of the Year award.

Click here to see AutoGuide’s complete 2011 LA Auto Show preview

Promoting a new product through a Facebook app is nothing new, but Toyota added an extra spin to their virtual racing game by building the track’s signage based on your personal Facebook content. Called Social Network Racer, the purpose of the Facebook racing game is to help promote the FR-S Concept, even though the game has no real presence of the vehicle other than some images and text at the starting line.

Each race tracks your time and places you in a ranking system, with the top 20 Social Network Racers shown off on a leaderboard. You can also accumulate points in order to upgrade your ride towards conquering that leaderboard. And if you’re bored of seeing your Facebook content streaming as you zoom by, you can create courses out of your friends’ Facebook pages too. A novel idea, sure – but we’re still a tad confused at the point of it all. But hey, it’s another racing game and time killer on Facebook, hooray!

To start playing the game, click here.

[Source: CNet]

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Addictive Desert Design is teaming up with JPM Coachworks to build a one-of-a-kind Luxury Performance Ford Raptor for this year’s SEMA Show. Starting with a 2011 Raptor SVT SuperCrew, the team revamped the sport truck from bumper to bumper, with a collection of some of the industry’s finest products available for the Raptor.

The first stop for the Raptor SVT was nowhere else but Hennessey Performance where the SVT was outfitted with their VelociRaptor 600 SC package, giving the truck 605-hp thanks to a supercharger. From there, it headed down to JPM Coachworks where the interior was completely redone with Royal Hides from Edelman Leather and Alcantara. Next, it headed over to High Desert Mobile where it received a complete audio upgrade featuring products from Mosconi, Blackhole, Chasecam, Visualogic and Tsunami.

The now-heavily modified Raptor was then shipped to Addictive Desert Designs where it received front and rear bumpers from Stealth, LED lighting from Rigid, rock guards, King Shocks coilover shocks, Fuel Hostage wheels with Goodyear MTR Kevlar tires. Braking upgrades come from Baer Brakes with their Extreme Plus Calipers and 15-inch rotors.

Bodywork enhancements were done over at Hi Tech Collission where some custom touches were added. Spintech Muffler then added a one-off true dual exhaust system while the bed, wheel-wells, underside and bottom 12-inches of the body were coated by Line-X.

Affliction Clothing will be holding a contest to name the finished Raptor SVT project and participants interested in contributing some suggestions will have a chance to win some prizes.

The full build process can be seen at LuxuryRaptor.com or on Facebook.

[Source: Truck Trend]

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show preview here