GDP Grew 3.5% During Q3. What Does That Really Mean?

The Commerce Department today said the economy grew at 3.5% during the third quarter of this year. This is the first time that gross domestic product (GDP) has been positive since Q2 2008. It is also the fastest rate of growth since Q3 2007. According to Forbes:
Growth was driven by consumption, exports, federal government spending, home building and inventories. Consumption contributed 2.4% of the growth, with a particular boost in autos. Thanks to the Cash for Clunkers program, motor Source: Business Pundit RSS Feed

Vroom for everyone: Local Motors unveiling crowdsourced Rally Fighter at SEMA

Filed under: Diesel, SEMA Show

Local Motors Rally Fighter - Click above for high-res image gallery
The wild things have left the movie theaters and are headed to SEMA. Case in point, the Rally Fighter. Coming from Local Motors, which dipped into the collective wisdom of the Internet (not sure if wisdom is the right word there, but whatever) to crowdsource the design and specifications of their first vehicle. Intended to be an eco-minded Baja-like daily driver, the Rally FighterSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

PC’s Purchased From Microsoft Stores To be Bloatware-Free

By Chris Scott Barr

Whenever you purchase a new PC, one tends to notice all of the extra software that comes with it. If you ask the manufacturer, they’ll tell you that they’ve done you a favor by providing lots of “useful” trial applications for you. Of course any tech-savvy person with half a brain immediately goes through and systematically removes every bit of it. Well if you want a computer without all of these “extras”, apparently you’ll be able to get one at theSource: OhGizmo! RSS Feed

AutoblogGreen for 10.29.09

Joe Biden reveals Fisker's future plans: sedan, coupe and crossover in the works
Project Nina just got a lot more interesting.
GM-Volt founder stranded, learns why EVs take so long to bring to market
Read the fine print.

PEV 2009: 1916 Woods Dual Power Model 44 Coupe hybrid on display
The specifications are only slightly worse than a potential 2016 model. Other news:

• Fanciful rendering of Audi Avatar shows what ultralights couldSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Swedish report says Koenigsegg wants to sell fewer Saabs for more money

Filed under: Saab, Earnings/Financials, Rumormill

Just because Koenigsegg is working to by Saab doesn't mean that the maker of million dollar coupes plans to spend time in the mass-market end of the buying pool. In fact, according to Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, Koenigsegg wants to make more money selling fewer Saabs, which it can only do by taking Saab upmarket. And the numbers being reported indicate not just medium luxury, but top shelf, Cadillac Margarita luxury.Source: Autoblog RSS Feed

REPORT: Honda plans a return to larger hybrids

Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Sedan, Honda

2009 Honda Skydeck Concept - Click above for hi-res image gallery
To put it mildly, sales of the Honda Accord Hybrid never quite set the world on fire. Regardless, Japan's second largest automaker is reportedly hard at work developing its proprietary Integrated Motor Assist hybrid platform so that it can once again be used to power larger vehicles like the Accord.
To make it all work out, Honda is adding an extra electricSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Verizon BlackBerry Storm 9530 official OS 5.0.0.328 plus changelog

Just before the BlackBerry Storm 9530 was officially launched, Verizon rolled out the official OS 5.0.0.328 for all their Storm users.

The software is a much needed upgrade for 9530 users and it will be great to see it launched across all devices, not just the Storm 2, 9530 and 9700. RIM has officially committed to launching OS 5 other devices (likely only ones launched with 4.7+), before 2010.

Head over to Verizon Wireless to get your official Storm 9530 OS 5.0.0.328.

Source: BlackBerryCool RSS Feed

Toyota Celica or Scion tC? Toyota reportedly deliberating over production FT-86 nameplate

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Tokyo Motor Show, Scion, Toyota

Toyota FT-86 Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
Although the Toyota FT-86, freshly unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, is billed strictly as a concept car, we're fully expecting the rear-wheel-drive coupe to foreshadow a new production car from Toyota. The question on everyone's lips, then, is what Toyota will call the final version when it hits the market.
Some reports are indicating thatSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Barns & Noble Announce ‘Nook’ eBook Reader

By Chris Scott Barr

The last month has been a pretty big one for e-book readers. Some of the highlights include Sony’s touchscreen e-reader, another from Irex and the international version of the Kindle. Well another big name has decided to throw their hat into the ring, and it’s a damn-good looking hat.

Barnes & Noble announced that they will be launching their own reader, dubbed ‘Nook’. The first thing you’ll notice about the Nook is that it has a pair of screensSource: OhGizmo! RSS Feed

GM's OnStar EV Lab opens its doors, loves the Chevy Volt

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM

OnStar EV Lab - Click above for high-res image gallery
One of the features that GM is promoting with the Chevy Volt, due late next year, is a completely new level of connectivity for the plug-in hybrid. Well, completely new isn't quite right. The Volt will certainly communicate with the grid and with GM in new ways, but the underlying OnStar technology that will make all of this possible isn't new atSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

This Karaoke Machine Keeps Score

By Andrew Liszewski

You can brag about your karaoke skills all you want, but if you want to prove you’ve got the chops when it comes to singing along with a bouncing ball you’ll need to take this karaoke machine for a spin. You see the microphone detects the pitch of each note you sing and compares it against how it’s supposed to sound, and the closer you are, the higher your score will be.

The Scoring Karaoke Game comes with 100 songs from the likes of Elvis, TheSource: OhGizmo! RSS Feed

eBay Find of the day: battery powered Porsche 356 Speedster replica

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Porsche

Porsche 356 Speedster EV - click above for high-res image gallery
Over the last several years, we've seen numerous conversions of Porsches to battery electric vehicles, but this may well be the prettiest. Most of the previous Porsche EVs have been based on either the 911 or 914, but this seller of this eBay find of the day used a 356 Speedster replica is a foundation. The Beck 356 speedster used for this car has a fiberglass body on a steel tubeSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

Peugeot 308 spied

The Peugeot 308 sedan has been spied without camouflage, showing off changes to its front design. The front air intakes have been reduced to the advantage of greater elegance, losing some of that voracious look of the current model.

The headlights have also undergone some modifications, and the new design begs the question as to whether we will see this restyling on other Peugeot models. The new 308 sedan will debut next year sometime.

Source | Autosblog.fr

Source: EuroCarBlog RSS Feed

MediaWatch: The East Coast Tech Revival . . . More To Come?

There's an East Coast tech revival underway, I'm told. The publicists for TechStartsUps.com say that Hulu and Etsy have been "overwhelmingly successful" and that is propelling New York City into "once again becoming a hot spot for creative people who make inventive and viable technologies."

I spoke with Kris Smith, the newly appointed senior editor of TechStartsUps.com. He recently moved from Chicago to New York city and says their is a vibrant startup scene and people are dusting offSource: Silicon Valley Watcher RSS Feed

It's Friday: Is this the World's Most Miserly VW Bus?

Filed under: Etc., Volkswagen, On Two Wheels, Green Daily

Way before it was particularly popular to do so, Volkswagen was offering people movers in various shapes and sizes with small-displacement engines that offered up very favorable fuel mileage. Of course, the most famous of the old air-cooled VWs is the Beetle, a car so iconic that it was revived not long ago by the German automaker to inject a little nostalgia into its lineup.
Perhaps even more innovative than theSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed

24 Hours of LeMons announces 23-race 2010 schedule

Filed under: Motorsports, Humor

Snoopy Red Baron van at the Lamest Day - click above image for hi-res gallery
Full disclosure: I work for the 24 Hours of LeMons. Once a month (though twice as often next year) I don a black robe, white wig and a rubber mallet spray-painted brown to look like a gavel. It's all part of the traveling big top nonsense that is $500 car racing. I mention this because I have a huge small financial interest in seeing LeMons succeed. And man oh man is itSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Ford Fiesta U.S.-spec gets caught in Mexican factory

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Spy Photos, Budget, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Ford

Ford Fiestas being built in Mexico -- Click above for high-res image gallery
What is reported to be the coming U.S.-spec Ford Fiesta has been photographed during assembly in Mexico, and the minor changes we can glean so far center around the grille. Compared to its European counterpart, the American version gets a much chunkier front end which has pushed the leading edge of the hood back. TheSource: Autoblog RSS Feed

Volkswagen Passat CC coming to China as Magotan CC

Volkswagen is to start producing the Passat CC in China next year, with FAW Group to handle the production. The Passat CC will be known as the Magotan CC on the Chinese market, and while specs are not available, it is likely to be equipped with a 1.8 TSI or 2.0 TSI, also to be built in China.

The Magotan CC should prove to be a lower-spec model, with the Passat CC currently housing a 3.6-litre engine. It will join a number of Volkswagen models already being produced inSource: EuroCarBlog RSS Feed

Graham Prix: Brawn GP finally gets its own watch line... and it's about time

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising

Graham-London Chronofighter G-BGP-001 - Click above for high-res image gallery
If you're going to be a world championship Formula One team, you're going to need your own watch line. Ferrari is with Panerai, McLaren is with TAG Heuer, and even Williams has Oris. The Honda team was in league with Seiko, but since splitting off as Brawn GP, the title-leading race team has been decidedly bereft of sponsors. But a new partnership with Source: Autoblog RSS Feed

Consumer Reports: 2010 Toyota Prius still most fuel efficient car in America

Filed under: MPG, Toyota, Green Daily

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery
When Toyota redesigned the popular Prius hybrid for the 2010 model year, the Japanese automaker claimed it had made the car a bit larger, improved its performance and decreased its fuel consumption. A number of first drives and road tests seemed to prove that Toyota had indeed hit the target on all counts, and now Consumer Reports is jumping into the ring with its own testSource: AutoblogGreen RSS Feed