NEXUS 7

Google will sell a small tablet computer earing its brand in a challenge to Amazon's Kindle Fire.
The Nexus 7 is designed specifically for Google Play, the online store that sells movies, music, books, apps and other content - the things Amazon.com Inc. also sells for its tablet computer.
Both tablets have screens that measure 7 inches diagonally, smaller than the nearly 10 inches on Apple Inc.'s popular iPad. The Nexus 7 will also be light - at about 0.75 pound, compared with the Kindle Fire's 0.9 pound. The iPad weighs 1.44 pounds.
The Nexus 7 will ship in mid-July starting at $199 - the same price as the Kindle Fire. By contrast, iPads start at $499. Customers can start ordering it through Google on Wednesday, initially in the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Andrew Rassweiler, an analyst with IHS iSuppli, said he suspects Google will be subsidizing the tablet to sell it starting at $199.
The Nexus 7 has more features than the Kindle, including a front-facing camera. The Kindle is believed to be roughly break even at that price. Samsung Electronics Co. sells a tablet similar to Google's for $250.

 

ROTARY+EV

Mazda Motor Corp. will use its hydrogen-fueled rotary engine technology as a range extender for an electric vehicle it plans to start leasing next year, according to Mazda President Takashi Yamanouchi as reported in The Nikkei.
In 2009, Mazda began commercial leasing of the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid . The Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid featured a series-hybrid drivetrain, which combines Mazda’s hydrogen rotary engine with an electric motor.

AUDI has revealed its move towards electrification will be dictated by the size of passenger vehicles.
While every model from the A1 up to A8 limousine will be made available with some form of electric propulsion under the ‘e-tron’ nomenclature from next year, the company says only the smallest ones – including the upcoming A2 – will most probably be offered with pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) power.

MS Surface

Microsoft’s newly-announced Surface tablet is powerful enough to replace your PC, but Microsoft execs told press gathered at the launch in Los Angeles that Surface is a reimagining of the tablet. In fact, Surface is both a tablet and a PC, and will be available in two versions when it ships later this year.
One is Windows RT, the other Windows Pro, running a full version of  Windows 8.

So how does the Surface tablet stack up against the iPad, the current tablet market leader? We don’t have all the specs in yet -- Microsoft didn’t release any information on pricing or availability. They did say "suggested retail pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC.”
Both Surface devices are expected to be released to manufacturing this summer, and possibly available to the public by late summer.

2014 MINI

The original Mini Cooper hasn’t had a full-on revamp since the 2007 model year, so it’s about time the hatchback gets a new look. Our spy photographer has captured the 2014 Mini Cooper testing in Europe.
Looking past the yellow and black swirly camouflage, it appears the hatchback’s hood is more sloped, and it also appears to have a greater front overhang than the current model, though fake body panels could explain the illusion. We also see that the third-generation Mini Cooper stands with a broader stance. Meanwhile, the prototype’s profile suggests the windshield and rear glass are also more sharply raked, while the floating rooftop continues to be a staple.
The biggest news with the third-gen Mini is that it will reportedly share a chassis with the next generation BMW 1 Series, and in addition to turbocharged four-cylinder engines, BMW will also add a three-cylinder option. Production of the new Mini Cooper should start in early 2013 with the convertible following shortly after one year.

FIT EV

TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) -- The Honda Fit electric car has received the highest fuel efficiency rating ever from the Environmental Protection Agency, the company said Wednesday.
Honda said the 2013 subcompact received a combined adjusted mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 mpg.
The Fit consumes 29 kilowatt hours of electricity per 100 miles. It has an EPA rated annual fuel cost of $500. Honda said the EPA estimates its combined city and highway driving range at 82 miles on a single charge.
By comparison, Honda said the electric Ford Focus has a combined adjusted mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 105 mpg and a 76-mile range, while the Nissan Leaf has a combined rating of 99 mpg and a 73-mile range.
Honda plans to lease the Fit EV in some California and Oregon markets later this summer, and it will hit the East Coast next year. Initially the company plans to lease the cars for three years at a cost of $389 per month. No other pricing details have been released.

Alfa Romeo

^{By the 1970s Alfa was again in financial trouble. The Italian government company bowed out in 1986 as Fiat Group bought in, creating a new group, Alfa Lancia Industriale S.p.A., to manufacture Alfas and Lancias. Models produced subsequent to the 1990s combined Alfa's traditional virtues of avant-garde styling and sporting panache with the economic benefits of product rationalisation, and include a "GTA" version of the 147 hatchback, the Giugiaro-designed Brera, and a high-performance exotic called the 8C Competizione (named after one of Alfa's most successful prewar sports and racing cars, the 8C of the 1930s).
In 2005 Maserati was bought back from Ferrari and brought under Fiat's full control. The Fiat Group plans to create a sports and luxury division from Maserati and Alfa Romeo. There is a planned strategic relationship between these two; engines, platforms and possibly dealers will be shared in some market areas.}

In the beginning of 2007, Fiat Auto S.p.A. was reorganized and four new automobile companies were created; Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A., Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. and Fiat Light Commercial Vehicles S.p.A. These companies are fully owned by Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A