Audi knows a thing or two about thumbing their nose at the world. The question is if people generally take it in stride or take offense.

Their latest advertising escapade (shown above) is probably one of the more unabashed examples of their cocksure style. A Chicago area Audi dealership sold an R8 GT and decided that moving a single unit was justification to rent a billboard warning other motorists of the possible predator in their rear view mirrors.

Car ads in general have a tendency to play up stereotypes and pander to particular crowds, but what does it say about Audi customers if that rule holds true? Consider this: Volkswagen, their parent company, recently had to pull a TV ad in Canada for their Passat because of complaints that the spot portrayed women in a bad light. Decide for yourself, but realize at the same time that the company, and in some senses the message may be similar.

Truth is, nobody gets hurt when a smug billboard goes up, and Audi does this a lot. Another R8 billboard sported the slogan “stay in school.” Another, perhaps more clever example was an Audi A4 ad in California that read “your move, BMW.” To the right of the Audi poster, BMW ran a response, saying “checkmate.”

One way or another, we’re happy to sit back and watch car companies one-up each other like kids playing chicken at recess.

[Source: Fourtitude]

Telsa Motors is expanding its presence in North Amercia with three new retail locations.

The automaker is opening locations in Bellevue, WA, Chicago, IL, and Newport Beach, CA, in November that will showcase the new Model S, the world’s first electric premium sedan.

The first location in Bellevue opened this past weekend, with the Chicago store opening on November 12 and the Newport Beach store on November 18. All three of these locations already have service stations open for business. These retail stores will also feature hands-on exhibits, interactive touch-screen experiences, and a design center where customers can customize their own Model S.

“Tesla is reinventing the way people buy cars, with stores designed to engage and inform prospective customers,” said Tesla CEO and Co-founder Elon Musk. “Located in high foot-traffic locations, Tesla stores are designed to introduce people to Tesla’s advanced electric car technology and show the benefits of driving electric. Tesla stores lay the groundwork for the distribution of Model S today and increasingly affordable electric vehicles tomorrow.”

Nissan has announced it will launch the all-electric Nissan Leaf ahead of schedule in the city of Chicago, citing popular demand as well as preparedness by the city.

Last February, Gov. Pat Quinn announced that $1 million would be invested to install state-of-the-art charging infrastructure for electric cars throughout the Chicago area. The City of Chicago matched the investment with an additional $1 million for the project to implement 280 EV charging stations.

“Illinois is laying the groundwork for electric vehicles, and our efforts are paying off,” Gov. Quinn said. “By investing in electric vehicle technology, both the State of Illinois and Nissan are making transportation in our state more efficient, sustainable and affordable.”

The City of Chicago has also spearheaded an aggressive infrastructure plan to add 73 DC quick charging stations and 207 Level 2 stations by the end of 2011. So far, 40 stations have been installed, but when complete, the system will provide the Chicagoland area with the most extensive infrastructure for electric vehicles in the U.S.

Wanna make some extra dough on the side? Illinois is deciding whether to allow advertising space on its state license plates. If approved, this would allow corporate sponsors to put their business logos on the plates, which would be offered to drives at a lower price. A vote last month decided that the secretary of state should look at the pros and cons of corporate plates. Sen. John Mulroe, D-Chicago believes corporate plates will be a great way to bring in money without raising taxes.

Corporate plates have already been approved in Texas, and produced by a firm called My Plates. Companies advertising through these plates include Re/Max real estate and Mighty Fine Burgers. 489 plates have been sold in Texas since Nov 2009 and $51,805 has already been raised for the state’s general revenue fund, according to a My Plates spokeswoman.

The corporate plates may not be approved in Illinois, because there are already 70 specialty plates available ranging from promoting veterans and colleges to nonprofit organizations.

[Source: Chicago Tribune]

There are two things you may take away from this: 1.) there’s an International Parking Institute, and 2.) there are places in America to park that aren’t a painful, emotionally-draining experience.

In fact, places like Gateway Self Park, in Chicago, are actually a rather pleasant place to ding your bumper. The International Parking Institute cited this facility as well as 12 others around the country in the 2011 Awards of Excellence competition.

Parking is a $25 billion dollar industry, and the best parking garages are distinguished by their cutting-edge architecture, environmental impact, ease of parking, and efficiency. The Chicago garage, for example, recycles its own water and power and features electric charging and a green roof. Categories included “Best Design of a Parking Facility with Fewer than 800 Spaces,” “Best Parking Facility Rehabilitation or Restoration,” and “Innovation in a Parking Operation or Program,” which does not just consist of getting your parking validated from TGI Friday’s.

Click the jump to see if your city made it.

Continue Reading…

Red Bull has done some impressive things lately with their marketing involving all forms of motorsports. This time around, they took their Toyota Camry NASCAR race car, tossed in their driver Scott Speed and headed out to Chicago. But it wasn’t to attend a race or put their car on display. They slapped on a taxi sign to the roof and drove all over Chicago, picking up passengers and taking them to their destination in a fully decked out NASCAR race car.

Speed even does some stunt driving, revving up the big V8 and doing a few donuts in downtown Chicago.

We imagine it was a ton of fun to film and produce, and we’re jealous that the residents of Chicago got to take in on the action.

Check out the video after the break, it’s awesome.

[Source: CarDomain]

Continue Reading…

New proposals like a London-style “congestion charge” and highway tolls for special lanes that would move faster are being floated both in Canada and the United States, as major cities grapple with traffic problems and infrastructure that wasn’t meant to deal with an increasing number of cars.

An article in the Chicago Tribune details how a government-sponsored panel concluded that new strategies, involving tolls on key expressways, involving fees on certain lanes during peak demand periods, may be necessary to discourage cars from driving into the city, and collect revenue from drivers willing to pay a premium to for the privilege of driving.

Minneapolis and Orange County, California have both implemented similar schemes, while Toronto, Canada’s largest city, with a population of 5.6 million people is also debating the whether to enact road tolls to discourage drivers in the downtown core.

The key element in all of this is public transit. Toronto has a fairly comprehensive system, that is expensive and fault, but the choice of many due to convenience, and the high costs of owning a car. London’s charge is similarly successful, by making those who can afford it pay the charge, while most people who wouldn’t have driven previously continue to take the subway.

[Source: Chicago Tribune]

The Corvettes, Porsches and Vipers that compete in the SPEED World Challenge GT series are about to get some serious competition from a serious car – the Mercedes McLaren SLR 722 GT. The car was homolgated to World Challenge specs by The Racers Group (TRG) and our sources at the series tell us it will first see competition at the Autobahn County Club outside Chicago on July 24-26th.

Designed specifically to run it a spec series in Europe, the 722 GT is powered by a modified version of the supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and makes 680hp and 612 ft-lbs of torque. It also only weighs 3,200 lbs, meaning it can accelerate to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. Thanks to some serious aerodynamics and a significantly lowered ride height, the 722 GT is also capable of hitting 2 Gs in the corners.

No doubt the SCCA (the governing body for World Challenge) will level the playing field, forcing the SLR to either add weight or reduce horsepower… or probably both.

TRG Motorsports should still put on quite a show with the SLR as the team has plenty of racing experience, running cars in the Grand-Am Koni Challenge as well as in the Grand-Am Rolex Series. In 2005 and 2006 TRG competed with a Pontiac GTO.R team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series GT class, and has since been involved with a two-car Porsche effort in the GT Class.

See the Speed World Challenge series website for more info:

http://www.world-challenge.com/

Follow the jump for all the specs on the McLaren SLR 722 GT

[Source: TheRacersGroup]

Continue Reading…