Need to kill some time? Have an urge to crush some cars? There’s an app that can help you do both – Squash My Car.

Available to download for iPhone and Android phones, the Squash My Car app lets you turn a run-of-the-mill, normal-sized car into a pint-sized version. All you have to do is take a picture of a vehicle and the app’s squishy software transforms it into a mini image that can be used as a screensaver and personal avatar for social media networks. You can even use the squished car to adorn keyrings, posters and birthday cards.

To make the new and improved squished car, the Squash My Car app manipulates your “before” car image by shortening the body while keeping the wheels and other surrounding elements intact. The result gives new meaning to the term “compact car” that can still be easily identified as the original vehicle.

The Squash My Car app costs $0.99 to download. You can learn more about it on the Squash My Car website or you can watch a video of the app in action after the jump.

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Last month we reported rumors of an open-top Bugatti Super Sport headed for Geneva, and as it turns out, the rumors prove to be true.

Introducing the Grand Sport Vitesse, the latest and arguably greatest Bugatti Veyron roadster. The Grand Sport Vitesse will receive the same 8-liter W16 engine as the Veyron Super Sport. Its top-of-the-line power plant produces 1,200 horsepower and 1,106 lb.-ft. of torque, thanks to greater force-induction from enlarged quad-turbos. To allow the Vitesse to manage the extra punch, Bugatti has further stiffened its chassis.

Regarding the new Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer said, “The rapid success of the Super Sport convinced us to increase the performance of there Bugatti roadster. Once again our engineers worked hard to demonstrate the Bugatti is able to constantly redefine the boundaries of what is technically feasible.”

While the world’s fastest targa-top may not have the required aero to match the 268 mph top speed of the $2.4 million Veyron Super Sport, the infinite headroom provided in the Vitesse will definitely cost a significant premium. Look for more details as we get closer to the new Bugatti’s official debut at the upcoming 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse

Backup cameras used to be a premium feature, but that will change thanks to a federal mandate expected Feb. 29.

If it goes through, the little screens that keep drivers from backing into objects will be required on all new US vehicles. The move is meant to cut down on the current death and injury statistics for backup accidents which account for 292 deaths and 3,000 serious injuries per year, according to federal statistics.

Aside from mandating the camera’s general implementation, it seems that such technology is likely be be standardized to require a 10-foot wide by 20-foot deep field of vision.

While back-up cams like the one in the Kia Sorento (above) and the annoying sonar-like beeping feature to prevent you from swapping paint with your neighbor are probably less than exciting for most drivers, there is a silver lining to the new rule.

If automakers are forced to start sticking screens into every dashboard, it’s likely that more new cars will have an infotainment system. Such technology is already finding its way into a growing list of cars, but its easy to imagine the champagne might already be flowing for companies who supply manufacturers with this equipment, after all what’s better than having an extremely inelastic good for sale?

Product manufacturers are probably giggling with glee, but consumers are probably feeling a little burned by an extra cost being forced into their next new car purchase. How much will this new requirement cost you?

That will ultimately depend on the manufacturer, but we’re betting it’s not going to be a big deal, at least as far as the budget compact segment is concerned.

Luxury automakers always find ways to charge more for their features and to be fair you often get a better product. It’s fair to assume, however, that individual unit costs will shrink as unit production goes up. Right now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that it costs about $200 to install a video system and back up camera into a car.

It’s the same as buying breakfast cereal at Costco: things are cheaper in greater volume. Beyond that, it’s up to the manufacturer to decide how much of the additional cost it will bear and what portion to pass on.

A new Kickstarter project looks to make your smartphone the center of your car stereo needs in not only a painless and effective manner, but in one that won’t break your bank account.

Compared to any traditional, high quality head unit, the Devium Dash is complete steal right now for just $250. The retail pricing will be around $300 when it’s completely released to the market in July, but what exactly does $250 get you? Well it’s a fully-functional head unit that uses your smartphone to access GPS, send texts by voice, play music, etc. Everything that you’re used to doing on your phone will now seamless integrate to the rest of your car’s stereo system.

The head unit itself will pump out 4×50 watts of power and has two preamps for front and rear subwoofers. In addition, it supports a video pass through so owners can also play video on external monitors. Best of all, the head unit will keep your phone charged while it’s in use. To make everything less distracting while you’re driving, Devium includes an app for your smartphone that will allow you to quickly bookmark your most-used automotive applications onto a quick-access home screen.

That’s not all it can do however. The Devium Dash also has your typical FM tuner and AUX input, but will also allow users to eventually connect to their vehicle’s computer.

The first Dash will be shipping out in June 2012, and will initially only support the Apple iPhone 4 and 4S, but Devium hopes to support additional smartphones in the near future including your collection of Android units out on the market now.

Watch the video here showing how the Devium Dash will operate.

Paice LLC, a company whose founder says he developed a high-voltage electrical system to power hybrid vehicles, filed a lawsuit against Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia on the claim that they infringed upon patents held by the company.

This follows on from another long running legal battle  between Paice and Toyota, also over Hybrid technology patents, which endured for some eight years and was finally settled in 2010.

As for the latest suit, Paice claims that it repeatedly tried to contact Hyundai as early as 2004, in order to discuss its patent Hybrid technology, but says that with the development and market introduction of the Sonata Hybrid sedan, the automaker infringed upon three patents owned by Paice.

The technology company  says it wants cash compensation for the infringement as well as an order that will require automakers to get permission before they can use the proprietary technology from Paice.

Ford Motor Company, which has also employed hybrid technology for vehicles such as the popular Escape SUV and Fusion midsize sedan, agreed to use Paice’s technology under license in order to avoid legal issues.

[Source: Auto News]

Recently Lexus announced the creation of the Tori 500 track, inspired by swimsuit model Tori Praver’s curvaceous body. At the time of that release, Lexus teased that a TORI 500 app would be available for iOS devices, and now here it is.

The TORI 500 racing app allows iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users to enjoy driving a virtual Lexus GS sedan around a virtual Tori Praver. Of course the racetrack in the game is the one created by Tori Praver’s body and the 3D image of the supermodel might not be the best of things to show off to your significant other.

Lexus also released another app that allows users to place the swimsuit model into their own photos with a click of a button. Oh the beauty of today’s technology. The Japanese automaker is the Official Automotive Marketing Partner of SI Swimsuit. Cars and beautiful women in bikinis, what more could a guy ask for?

Download the TORI 500 app here and the Supermodeled app here.

GALLERY: TORI 500 Gaming App

And in case you missed it, watch the creation of the Tori 500 race track below:

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Nevada is first state in the U.S. to approve the legal road use of autonomous vehicles, perhaps due to the long stretches of straight desert roads that can be found in the Silver State.

Such approval isn’t without provisos: any self driving vehicle on the road must be indicated with a red license plate. Red, usually the marker for danger, is meant to alert all other drivers on the road that the car is without a driver.

Autonomous cars sold at mass quantities are still in the somewhat distant future, but this legislation shows that it’s more than a fad. These new regulations are helping to usher in a new age of cars that drive themselves. Despite not needing hands at the “ten and two” position we were all taught, road rules still apply to Nevada drivers. The pilot of an autonomous vehicle is still prohibited from texting or talking on a cell phone while in the drivers seats.

We are still behind the times, but they are swiftly changing.

[Source: RGJ]

Chrysler has announced the withdrawal of its Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.

A loan signed in 2007 by former President George W. Bush, the ATVM program was designed to provide financial aid to companies to pursue development of advanced, high-mileage power train technologies in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Chrysler first applied for this federal loan shortly after it restructured from its 2009 bankruptcy. Initially a $7 billion proposal, distribution of ATVM loans have critically stalled as politicians argue about the program.

It seems that Chrysler is tired of waiting, having applied more than two year ago. Sergio Marchionne was outspoken of his displeasure. When Chrysler made the decision to withdraw, the ATVM had already cut its loan proposal to a figure of $3.5 billion, half of what Chrysler initially desired.

“Why am I bothering if the loan was going to be either rejected or sharply reduced,” he said.

Despite Marchionne’s disappointment does not, however, mean the company will abandon eco-friendly technology. In fact, Chrysler laid plans to fund its own research and development for hybrids, plug-ins and other advanced technologies.

“The company remains confident in its strategy to bring competitive, fuel-efficient vehicles and technologies to market on schedule. This decision will not impact Chrysler’s ability to achieve its previously announced business plan targets.”

“I am disappointed that Chrysler withdrew its Section 136 application. I regret that the DOE and Chrysler were not able to come to an agreement that clearly would have benefitted American workers and manufacturers,” said U.S. Representative John Dingell.

Dingell took notice of Chrysler’s strong performance in 2011 and it’s sales figures that improved better than the industry average. Chrysler has also repaid its U.S. and Canadian loans in full and even created 9,400 new jobs. Simply, John Dingell believed that Chrysler “would have been a perfect candidate for the loan program.”

Finally, Dingell said, “Although Chrysler has withdrawn its loan application, DOE must start acting decisively so we can fulfill the President’s goal of out-competing the rest of the world.”

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

Some people like to complain about the costs for downloadable content (DLC) for their favorite video games. But what many of them don’t think about is the work that’s involved to produce that DLC and how its pricing is really a bargain for what you get.

It’s understandable when some DLC packages are released, the vast majority of the public believe it should have been in the game to begin with. But that’s hardly the case with a game like Forza Motorsport 4 where new vehicles are being released along with customized creations that builders have built after the game came out.

So what all does it take for Turn 10 to add new cars to Forza Motorsport 4? Well, they’ve decided to release a video showing the process and a behind-the-scenes look at how some of the world’s most incredible cars are brought to life in the game. Maybe after checking out the video, you won’t have as many gripes to drop a few bucks on that DLC to virtually drive that car you’ve always wanted to hit the track with. However, paying to drive a virtual version of Rampage Jackson’s widebody Dodge Challenger SRT-8… well, we’ll reserve our opinion for now.

Check out the video after the break.

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New EPA labels have had QR codes for users to scan with their smart-phones since 2011, but an update to the mobile site of fueleconomy.gov allows users to take the next step in fuel savings.

Using www.fueleconomy.gov/m on your smartphone now gives you more options than ever before. Users can not only browse the EPA numbers of new and older cars, but can also personalize the information of each car to reflect that driver’s commute.

That means that you can plug in the cost of gas in your neighborhood, the distance of your commute, and your annual driving habits to reflect what the annual cost of fuel would be for your individual situation. Additionally, you can modify the percentage of city and highway driving you do to understand how many miles per gallon a car could bring you.

Another new feature that helps people who aren’t interested in buying a new car is the “Your MPG” feature. Now users can log their own MPG right at the pumps. The old process had users doing it when they got home to use the full desktop site.

The information you use in the “Your MPG” section of the site can be used to help fueleconomy.gov users find out real world MPG information on cars from actual drivers instead of EPA estimates.

Lastly the updated mobile site includes “Gas Mileage Tips” in order for you to save cash with better driving habits.