vLane Blog

Articles Matching “2009”

• Video: Kia gets its Tron on

  Banovsky on November 4, 2009

  "The face of marketing is changing," yadda yadda yadda. Fact is, 30-second TV commercials don't do it for us any more. So Kia, as part of their interactive marketing campaign for the Soul, decided to make a pretty kick-ass short flick about a time-travelling Nissan and Tron-slash-zombie creating Soul. Really.

  

  We love the effects… [via freshnessmag]

  So click through to see this frankly awesome-filled Internet commercial. Why? Because it's cool. And normal car commercials are typically awful.

  Read full article | Comments (2) | Filed under Video, WTF, Crossover, Advertising, Kia, Kia, 2009, Soul

• Car brands: Who owns what

  Banovsky on October 23, 2009

  With all this global automotive industry turmoil, it seems as if vehicle brands are trading hands like poker chips. How will you know if you're buying a British car…if it's owned by an Indian automaker?

  Here's an updated list for the major automotive manufacturers in the world.

  Read full article | Comments (2) | Filed under Future, Feature, WTF, Goodyear, manufacturers, 2009, Original

• Why I love accessories catalogues

  Banovsky on October 16, 2009

  Yes, in my research on cars with tents uncovered the coolest option I've seen. Well, it's not really an "option" per se, but…

  

  Yeti plush toy

  Available on the Europe-only Skoda Yeti, this plush toy would sure make a kid happy. Or a grown kid.

  Oh, Skoda also has a Yeti Game (with awesome music) to try out. How cute.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Event, Crossover, 2009, Skoda, Yeti

• Feature: The Porsche Cayenne, on-track and off-road

  Banovsky on October 12, 2009

  If I had a better memory, I could have told you when I first heard Porsche was making an SUV. I do remember I wasn’t pleased. Actually, I was so upset I’d drafted a letter to the head of Porsche Cars North America. It sits, never sent, on the hard drive of a computer long deceased.

  

  The Cayenne Turbo S on-track at Mosport

  Since, I’ve driven the Cayenne on several occasions. And what I feel for Porsche’s SUV is very much parallel to my own life: that youthful rage and sense of purpose has subsided, into a more adult-like sense of responsibility.

  Not unlike Porsche itself. It’s taken them 50 years to come from giant-killing sub-2.0-litre race cars like the 550 Spyder and 904, to producing a vehicle in the relentless pursuit of profit. For years, the company was happy to earn extra cash, helping fellow automakers by providing engineering assistance; a kind of high performance know-how that resulted in 90s rockets like the Audi RS2 and Mercedes-Benz E500.

  And when faced with the realization their whole model range rested on the back of the legendary 911 sports car, a rarified market that comes and goes during each global recession, the company did the same thing I’d do if I made cola: invent a product that had less of the expensive syrup (sports car capability) and more filler (profit margin.) Let’s call it diet…

  Click through a hot lap video and more photos!

  Read full article | Comments (1) | Filed under SUV, Feature, Porsche, SUV, tracking, 2009, Original, Cayenne, race track, Mosport, David Empringham, 959, GTS, Turbo S

• Trapeze-E G: the Infiniti G37 Anniversary Art Project G37 Coupe

  Banovsky on September 25, 2009

  Art is a beautiful thing. Like the Adult Swim x Kia Soul we posted a few months back, cars can be stunning when treated to an artists' brush. Update: now with video!!

  

  2009 Infiniti G37 Anniversary Art Project G37 Coupe

  This particular car was hand-painted over a month by Montréal artist Heidi Taillefer, and inspired by Cirque du Soleil.

  Why? To commemorate Infiniti’s 20th anniversary. Partner Cirque du Soleil is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and will be on tour at Cirque du Soleil shows over the next few months. Then, if you'd like this piece of history, it'll be auctioned off.

  Just remember to protect its one-of-a-kind paint.

  Click through for more photos.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under News, WTF, Sports car, Infiniti, Coupe, 2009, Art Car

• What the…? Audi's e-TRON concept

  Banovsky on September 14, 2009

  Ok, so Audi's going to show this, their R8-based electric car concept, at the Frankfurt Motor Show, tomorrow. Why do we think it might be special? Audi keeps saying it'll be "electricity, untamed."

  

  The 2009 Audi e-Tron concept

  Though it looks like some low-rider enthusiasts mounted the rims, everything else is essentially a smoothed-over R8. Audi's microsite, at electricityuntamed.com (thanks, stergios!), gives facts that electricity "travels at speeds more than 670 million mph."

  We'd be happy if this Audi was faster than a Tesla Roadster. Just sayin'.

  

  Click for more photos!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Future, Green, News, Audi, WTF, Sports car, Concept, Coupe, 2009, Germany, Electric car, e-Tron

• vLane reviews: Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, and Chevrolet Equinox

  Banovsky on September 1, 2009

  OK, so you're in the market for a compact crossover? But which to choose? We've assembled reviews of our favourites, and want you to vote on which one you'd have in your driveway.

  The cars

  

  The Forester: "The fact that the Subaru Forester is Motor Trend’s 2009 Sport Utility Vehicle of the Year is no fluke; Subaru’s back-to-basics approach on what drivers actually need in a vehicle means that you get a lot of performance and safety for your dollar."

  

  The CR-V: "Driving the CR-V is, well, largely unexciting. Its 4-cylinder engine is punchy and moves the vehicle well, and is about all you’d ever need. Around town, you can tell that Honda put a premium on ease-of-use, driver comfort, convenience, and fuel economy."

  

  The Equinox: "…it's proof that the company is committed to producing products that are relevant to the average consumer. It's not puffed up on navel gazing market research (Malibu Maxx, anyone?) but fits the needs of a large portion of the population."

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  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Honda, SUV, Crossover, Advice , Subaru, Chevrolet, SUV, 2010, 2009, vLane, Equinox, Forester, CR-V

• Video: MINI Cooper S vs shopping carts

  Banovsky on August 30, 2009

  We love the Mini Cooper, and this one-minute short pretty much sums everything up regarding the car. Place one scratch-adverse stunt driver behind the wheel of a Cooper, throw in some possessed shopping carts, and you have one minute of pure fun.

  

  Time to click through!

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Hatchback, Video, Misc, Advertising, Humor, MINI, 2009, LOL, MINI, Cooper, MINI

• vLane compares: Kia Soul, Honda Civic, Nissan cube

  Banovsky on August 24, 2009

  On the surface, these three models don't have much in common. Sure, the Soul and the cube look like competitors, but the Soul is much more conventional under the skin — and in design, it must be said — than the totally out-there Japanese-built cube. But if it's a conventional car you're after, the Honda Civic will likely fit the bill nicely…and put you to sleep.

  The cars

  

  The Soul: "Gimmicks aside, this $13,300 hatchback might just be the coolest thing to come out of Korea since the barbecue." (review)

  

  The Civic: "I wish the Civic traded a slice of performance for a bit more refinement. I’m also annoyed that for all its swoopy good looks and futuristic interior, the Civic remains a pretty conventional car." (review)

  

  The cube: "The cube’s engine makes it move, and that’s fine. It’s not the point — this square is more than the sum of its parts." (review)

  
  

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  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under Hatchback, Sedan, Crossover, Advice , Kia, Nissan, Kia, 2010, 2009, vLane, Poll, Opinion, Civic, Soul, cube

• Jalopnik drives the Corvette Stingray concept

  Banovsky on August 13, 2009

  It must be nice to live in Detroit…at least for one day out of the year. Jalopnik editor-in-chief Ray Wert got to drive the Transformers 2-featured and pretty-damn-sexy Corvette Stingray concept.

  

  2009 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray concept

  Wert says in his writeup that the Stingray is older than one may think.

  You see, the Stingray was actually first sketched over six years ago, predating both the Camaro and even the C6.

  But how was the car to drive?

  It's a multi-million dollar one-off concept car driven at 15-20 MPH, how do you think it felt to drive? Right. It felt awesome, which is exactly how it should feel.

  Click through for more photos and video.

  Read full article | Comments (0) | Filed under GM, Future, Video, Concept, Misc, Chevrolet, Photos, Corvette, 2009, Corvette, Jalopnik, Corvette, Stingray