ReportNissan abandons thoughts of 240SX revival, p
Nissan Foria Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
BCBG Dresses
As much as we’d love to see Nissan hearken back to its performance roots with a remake of the classic 240SX coupe, it seems the Japanese automaker is content to earn sales by sticking to the tried-and-true approach of offering competent vehicles at attainable prices. In other words, if Nissan has a sporty-looking coupe in the pipeline, it’ll be more of a Scion tC competitor than a Hyundai Genesis Coupe-challenger.
This revelation comes by way of Larry Dominique, chief product planner for Nissan North America DKNY Dresses, who tells Wards “he would be more inclined to do a derivative of the Sentra than introduce an entirely new nameplate.” Nissan’s internal data suggests that it could only sell about 30,000 240SX coupes in America per year, which isn’t enough to make a convincing production argument. Sad, sure, but very likely also true.
In related news, Dominique also says that the next generation of Nissan cars in the States will share a great deal of design DNA. At present, there is very little visually that ties the Versa, Sentra and Altima together in any meaningful cohesive way besides the Nissan badge on the trunk. Expect that to change in the coming years as the nameplates receive their next rounds of styling updates.
Related GalleryNissan Fiora Concept
[Source: Wards]
VideoFifth Gear checks out the two-cylinder Fiat 5
Fiat 500 TwinAir on Fifth Gear – Click above to watch the video after the jump
monster beats
The more cylinders beats by dr dre, the better. Right? That’s exactly the kind of conventional wisdom that’s being turned on its head with the green revolution. Everything from hatchbacks to muscle sedans are dropping pistons like clumsy engine-plant workers these days. But what about the TwinAir engine on the Fiat 500? Have the Italians taken things too far?
That’s what the crew over at Fifth Gear have set about figuring out. The other British car show took the latest Cinquecento – all two cylinders of it – out for video review. So how did it fare? Follow the jump to watch the segment for yourself and find out.
Mercedes GP Petronas unveils 2010 F1 livery
2010 Mercedes GP Petronas livery – click above for high-res gallery
While many parents get their baby’s first set of booties dipped in bronze, Mercedes GP Petronas have gone and dipped their whole new baby in silver. After taking over the Formula One championship-winning Brawn GP team at the end of the 2009 season beats by dr dre, Mercedes-Benz renamed the team and got to work on a 2010 car. While that new MGP W01 won’t be officially unveiled until testing at Valencia begins, the team has just shown off the car’s new livery on the ‘09 car.
The new color scheme debuted at a special event held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, and will show up on the new car February 1 in Valencia. The new liquid metal hue recalls the classic Silver Arrows grand prix cars of Mercedes and Auto Union from Germany’s glory days of racing. And hard as it is to believe, it’s been 55 years since Mercedes had its own racing team.
The MGP W01 will be piloted by Nico Rosberg and some guy named Mike during the 2010 season. Seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher will of course be rejoining team boss Ross Brawn monster beats, reviving a partnership that resulted in seven World Championship trophies for Schumi before his retirement in 2006.
Related Gallery2010 Mercedes GP Petronas livery
[Source: Autosport | Images: Mercedes-Benz]
Fray Problems
Note to all Fraysters: the Fray is offline right now because of technical problems. We’re sorry about that, we know how many of you rely on your daily Fray fix, and we hate to disappoint you. We’re working on it, and we’ll be back online as fast as we possibly can. Keep checking back, and we’ll try to get you back your boards, and to keep you informed. And when we do get the Fray back, we’re looking forward to hearing your views on the re-design of Slate.
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In the meantime, you can look at some recent Frayposts on the “Politics” article on race, here, the “Technology” item on essential software, here, and the recent “Fraywatch” column, below. Again, apologies from all concerned for the inconvenience.–MR…9.00 a.m. GMT
Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008
“Politically speaking, ‘elite’ just means ‘just as educated and rich as us, but in the opposite party.’ This was a useful definition from justicepsych but not one that was going to meet with a lot of approval. Some of us have not been able to get to the “XX Factor,” let alone its Fray, in recent weeks, so it was certainly time to drop by and see which cool intellectual debates were going on there. Whoa, take that back, the word intellectual has proved to be as controversial as almost anything in Slate this election year, and cool isn’t exactly the right word, either. Rachael Larimore’s “Thoughts on Intellectuals and Anti-Intellectuals” in the blog was the focus of endless discussion on—well, on intellectuals and anti-intellectuals. Amazingly monster beats, apparently you can insult someone by calling them either of these names. Throw in “elitist” and you have a full-scale flame war.
Ophymirage posted a splendid disquisition on intellectuals. Naturally we’re going to quote the funny bit:
When it comes down to it, Intellectual are a harmless bunch. About the worst thing that intellectuals are going to do to this country is to stage a pretentious community-theater production of “Titus Andronicus” with giant puppets.
But also a serious, if possibly idealistic, bit:
The best thing that intellectuals can do for this country is to show everyone the way to the tools that are necessary for genuine self-knowledge. And one of the chief benefits of knowing yourself is that it makes it a lot harder to hate other people.
There’s a long discussion here on whether we want elites ruling us or not. Go here to find out who’s an intellectual, who an engineer beats by dr dre, and who could run a gas station. At what might be called the far edges of the discussion: What was that again about the Labrador going to duck-collecting college? No, didn’t quite get it. Lubbesuh says there are too many intellectuals, and even those with opposing political views seemed to agree.
The splendidly-named HopefulCynic had this to say—
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2012 Chevrolet Aveo makes an early debut
2012 Chevrolet Aveo – Click above for image gallery
With the recent unveiling of the Aveo RS concept at the Detroit Auto Show and spy shots of Chevrolet’s diminutive hatch testing in Michigan beats by dr dre, Chevy is obviously prepping all-new Aveo for prime time. And judging by these pics procured by KickingTires after a presentation by Bob Lutz, the Aveo is getting a much-needed makeover both inside and out.
With a front end that stays true to the RS, along with a set of bulging fenders and an artfully carved swage line, the 2012 Aveo is a dramatic departure from the budget-conscious model roaming the streets today. Coupled with a thoroughly revised interior, complete with upgraded materials and the RS’ motorcycle-inspired gauge cluster monster beats, the Aveo has its sights set squarely on the new Ford Fiesta, particularly when it arrives in five-door form.
Pricing remains a question mark, but we’d suspect all the details to be revealed before the end of the year, with sales starting sometime in 2011.
[Source: KickingTires]
The Weekend of Magical Thinking
Tea Partiers are optimistic about the 2010 midterms
If Republicans win the midterm elections in a rout, it will be because of people like Brian Hegarty. In January, he appeared on Fox and Friends to talk about a town hall meeting where he asked Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., how Holt could support the Affordable Care Act since it “violated the Constitution.” Not long after that he lost his job as a carpenter, which may or may not have had something to do with what his union thought of the TV appearance.
“I can sure as hell attest to the fact that they weren’t happy,” said Hegarty.
I learned of Hegarty’s fate this weekend in the lower level ballroom of the Mayflower Hotel, where he was attending the first-ever conference of the Faith and Freedom Coalition—a new conservative action network launched by former Christian Coalition strategist Ralph Reed. Hegarty was one of 50 people who’d traveled by bus to the conference from New Jersey to hoot and cheer when Anna Little, the Republican candidate in New Jersey’s 6th district, gave her speech. Afterward, he was going to climb back onto the bus and go to the rally against the “Ground Zero mosque” in New York City.
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“We don’t assimilate to every subculture that comes across the border beats by dre,” said Hegarty, explaining why he was going to New York. “They’re supposed to come here and assimilate to our Constitution, our laws, and our customs.”
The next day, he would bus back down to Washington and attend the second annual Taxpayer March on Washington run by FreedomWorks. Would that be a distraction from the work of electing Anna Little? Hell no, he said. He was going right back to work.
“The Republicans are gonna win the House,” he said. “It’s a done deal. We just need to do what we said we were gonna do.”
As I talked to Hegarty in the short hall next to the main ballroom, Ralph Reed walked back and forth, talking to speakers and reporters, greeting many by name. Hegarty proved what Reed was telling them—there was a possible landslide in the making, and districts no one thought would be on the map, like New Jersey’s 6th, were worth fighting for. Reed told the overflowing room that Republicans had a chance to “change the electorate.” He remembered his own experience beats by dr dre, seeing Florida senatorial candidate Marco Rubio speak when polls showed him getting buried in the Republican primary by Charlie Crist.
“I remember thinking to myself this guy is so fantastic, it’s just unfortunate that he can’t win,” said Reed. “But I wrote him a check anyway. When you have people thinking like that—I don’t care if he or she wins or not, I want to give them money—get ready to put on a gown or a tuxedo, because you’re going to a victory party. That’s how it works. You run people who the pundits and the prognosticators and the pollsters don’t think can win. They can make contact with the voters, and the voters get excited.”
Reed’s conference was not an attempt to energize conservative activists. It was only the latest attempt—one of several this weekend—to try to capture or direct some of the boundless energy of those activists. Since the start of the Tea Party movement in February 2009, they have evolved from fear to resolve to a sort of steely-eyed giddiness in the countdown to the midterms. They now believe they can win everything. If they don’t believe that, a Republican strategist will tell them they can.
At Reed’s event, the positive reinforcement came from pollsters, candidates, and pundits who people recognized from Fox News. Dick Morris, whose fall from grace 14 years ago was not lurid enough to deny him access to a family-friendly conference, appeared via a recorded video with champagne wishes of massive Republican gains of 60-odd House seats and at least 10 Senate seats.
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Fifth Gear pits BMW M3 GTS against Porsche 911 GT3
We continue to live in what is arguably the best time for the automobile in history. If you need proof Karen Millen Dresses, look no further than German bruisers like the BMW M3 GTS and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The high-horsepower, high-performance coupes are equally wicked Karen Millen Dresses, and the crew from Fifth Gear decided to sort out which of those racers is the best bang for the buck. In a recent episode, Tiff Needell championed the Porsche and Vicky Butler-Henderson carried the BMW banner.
The two cars were thrown into a series of tests, including a drift-off and a lap battle. Which came out on top? We won’t spoil the result for you. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourselves.
Frankfurt 20072008 Porsche GT2 caught behind close
click above image for high-res gallery of live shots
We’re a little eager for this year’s 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show to start, so while attending the official soiree of media professionals at the Frankfurt Messe, we poked around until something caught our attention. That would be the 2008 Porsche GT2 Christian Audigier Clothes, the most fierce piece of hardware that Stuttgart has to offer. We already know its specs: 530 horsepower from a twin-turbo version of the automaker’s famous flat-six, 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, a 204-mph top speed, and 18.8 mpg makes a nice cherry on top. Numbers on a page didn’t prepare us, however, for the awesome presence of Porsche’s new GT2. Take a look at the rear rolling stock, for instance, which look Viper thick at 325mm across. Actually, Vipers wear 345 in the rear Chloe Dresses, but the Porsche’s rear rubber is tucked inside a much smaller derriere. Or how about those ginormous disc brakes, which we guess are carbon ceramics based on the fact the calipers were painted yellow. The seats, as well, are bolstered like a big bear hug, while being as thin as your favorite lawn chair to save weight.
We poked around the empty room in which Porsche will officially unveil the GT2 in public tomorrow, but were eventually tossed out like a used set of the GT2’s rear tires. Check out the entire group of pics we managed to nab in our gallery below, before getting the big boot, that is.
[Source: Porsche]
Related Gallery2008 Porsche 911 GT2
Texas couple name kids Lexus, Porsche and Audi
At some point in the past 20 years DKNY Clothes, it seems as though parents abruptly decided to switch from names like Michelle and Jimmy to names like Madison and Hunter. The naming trend obviously didn’t sit well with one Texas couple, who decided to name their children after luxury car manufacturers. The Lone Star duet named their first child Lexus after the new father saw a Lexus driving by. The name Porsche was shot down for the first child, but when Craig and Sondra Harrington found out they were expecting twins, Ferdinand’s namesake was back in the fold. To keep up with the German naming convention, the other child now dons the Audi name.
As it turns out DKNY Clothing, the Harringtons aren’t even car nuts, but they may be a bit looney. Something tells us the twins had better be a couple of tough hombres, because they’re likely going to have to get physical to keep kids from picking on them. Besides, Texas is truck country. Shouldn’t they have gone with Silverado and Tundra? F-Series is probably a bit over the top, but Sierra could make a great girl’s name.
[Source: PistonHeads]
The Great Debate
GOP candidates at their lecterns
Last week, I asked how readers would take the doldrums out of the presidential debates. It turns out that you are just as bored and frustrated with their sad state as I am and have a slew of great ideas for improvement (plus some exciting lifestyle tips and prescription drug offers). No one much took up my Fred Friendly suggestion, but here are some ideas I thought would best push the candidates to reveal their intellectual depth DKNY Clothes, sense of imagination, and ability to think on their feet.
Just thefacts: How about fact-checking for questionable assertions? And penalties for candidates who gave evasive or meaningless answers about the loveliness of America and all her freedom-loving people? Here’s how such a debate could work: In a first round, journalists would question candidates. Those answers would then be fact-checked by a panel. During the fact-checking, candidates would be allowed to say whatever they wanted in a second round. (This free gab period would be a sweetener that might entice them to participate.) In the third round, the fact-checking panel would make candidates defend their distortions, ask for clarifications, or point out which questions the candidates had ducked altogether. If the fact-checkers couldn’t work that fast, perhaps there would be a second debate devoted to the answers offered in the first.
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Give the audience control: Various readers suggested American Idol- or Survivor-type methods for voting candidates off the stage if their answers were no good. One reader wanted the audience to control the candidates’ microphones, cutting them off when they got too windy. Another suggested that the participants be privy to their evolving audience scores as the debate progressed. That way, they might rescue themselves from being sent down the tubes. Another option would be to allow the audience or a panel of judges to rank the performances afterward in categories like consistency, honesty, and truthfulness, or take away points for evasion Emilio Pucci Dresses, deception, or excessive flop sweat.
Off the network: No one stood up for the network moderators. Lots of people suggested Jon Stewart would make a good host. Others wanted to move the debates to PBS or C-Span, or revive the sponsorship of the League of Women Voters to strip away commercial self-promotion. Some suggested bringing in a panel of academics to fashion the questions. That’s got a downside, though: It would inevitably launch a spiraling meta debate among academics about which questions to choose and we’d then have to host a debate about that.
Let the candidates question eachother: This would lead to entertaining sparring as each candidate tried to uncover his or her opponents’ weaknesses. Since a president should know which questions to ask, we would learn something from the questioning as well. To minimize the trick questions, the candidates could be forced to ask and answer questions on just a single topic. They might still start off with a few zingers, but ultimately would have to show some depth of understanding about the issue and some ability to listen to the answers being given by their opponents. Grandstanding could also be limited by not letting candidates know beforehand the topic or which opponent they’d question. Perhaps there could be a kind of reverse “Secret Santa” approach, with candidates preparing questions without knowing which of their opponents would get them.
Shrink thepool: No one likes the idea of a stage with six or eight or 10 candidates. Some readers wanted to bounce the likes of Mike Gravel and Ron Paul by limiting the debates to only the front-runners. Others suggested allowing an even wider field, but running the debate version of a tennis round-robin. Less popular or well-funded candidates would debate their fellow second- and third-tier rivals. The winning long-shot candidate—determined by audience vote—could work his or her way up to play with the big kids. Candidates could suffer early losses and still battle their way back up. Others suggested a bracket system, with one-on-one contests and winners advancing to subsequent rounds.
Godeep: Almost all readers wanted to give candidates more time for their answers, and to limit each debate to a single issue in order to force candidates beyond their talking points. Some suggested shrinking debates into talk-show-like conversations, with three candidates at a time chatting about a single issue and a moderator playing referee. All the discussions would be posted on the Web. Lots of people wanted to mix it up and have Republicans and Democrats start debating before their party nominations.
Essayquestions: On the theory that good writing is the product of clear thinking, one reader suggested making the debates like college exams or other scholastic competitions. Candidates would get a question minutes before the debate and then have 45 minutes to write an answer. They would then have to read their response out loud. Reader James Stokes suggests candidate essays, written before the debate, to prompt reader-submitted questioning or provide a starting-off point for moderators. I’d add this wrinkle: Let readers judge the essays on honesty, depth, wit, and any other criteria we wanted. The candidates who scored highest would get the most amount of airtime, or extra time for rebuttal, or some other plum to encourage decent and thoughtful responses rather than boilerplate.
Buzzers, boxes, and instantmessages: A lot of readers seemed to think the candidates cribbed off of one another. They wanted to put all of them in soundproof booths and make them answer the same question. Since they couldn’t hear the others, readers assumed, their answers might be more honest. Several readers wanted to give candidates buzzers to either signal their opponents’ falsehoods or interrupt with their own positions. My favorite gimmick: candidate-to-candidate instant messaging:
Str8tlk: Romney is so flip-flopping
SaintSam: I know! He was like pro-choice five minutes ago.
Str8tlk: J LOL! Rudy’s going to say he’d name Jesus to the Supreme Court
SaintSam: That was going to be my answer!