MINI F56

The next MINI, dubbed F56, will be unveiled this year, either at the Geneva Motor Show next month or in September at Frankfurt Auto Show. The F56 MINI is built on a new front-wheel drive platform which will be shared between the MINI and the FWD BMW vehicles. The first FWD BMW made its debut in concept form in September at the Paris Auto Show.

Several prototypes are currently undergoing intensive testing and the latest spy photos place them in the snowy Nordic part of Europe.

The F56 will compete with offerings from Audi, the A1 and other non-premium European brands. Design wise, the proportions of the F56 are similar to its predecessor, R56. Some design elements like the headlights and taillights will go through some changes, but will not steer away from the DNA of the British brand.

Galaxy S4, available worldwide soon

It’s been leaked, teased, accused of being a copy of its predecessor, and celebrated as the likely champion of the mobile ecosystem for 2013. Samsung has finally unveiled the next in their line of globally available smartphones, the Galaxy S4.  Times Square lit up in anticipation of Samsung’s event, and despite LG’s shenanigans earlier in the day it felt like the world stood still. The Galaxy S4 is finally here, and while it may look almost exactly like last years model, the two phones couldn’t be more different. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is just barely lighter (130g), thinner (7.9mm), and possibly even shinier than the Galaxy S3, but what is underneath that Gorilla Glass 3 and textured casing is entirely deserving of the praise it will undoubtedly display.

Samsung's new Galaxy S4 features a 5-inch 1080p HD screen and a slightly slimmer, lighter build than its antecedent.

MINI Paceman

It’s no accident that the brand refers to the Paceman, essentially a two-door Countryman, as a sports activity vehicle, the same nomenclature that BMW applies to its X5. That said, if there is a variation that’s likely to endear a few critics to the Paceman, it’s this one. Meet the John Cooper Works Paceman, a vehicle created essentially from the parts bin, but impressive nevertheless. The JCW Paceman is powered by the same turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that resides under the hood of the JCW Countryman, a proven unit co-developed with PSA Peugeot Citroën. This engine turns out 208 hp at 6000 rpm and maximum torque is 207 lb-ft, which is available from 1700 rpm. The power and torque is transmitted through a reinforced Getrag six-speed manual box. An Aisin-sourced six-speed automatic with steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters is optional. The standard all-wheel-drive system is fully variable and can send up to 100 percent of its power to the rear wheels.Performance is, in Mini’s words, “gratifyingly vivacious,” with a claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 6.5 seconds. Top speed will be governed at an unremarkable 127 mph (European models can reach 140). Those JCW Pacemans equipped with the manual are EPA-rated for 25 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway, while self-shifting versions get a 23/30 split.Tangible performance upgrades include a lowered sports suspension with a high-performance braking system; a louder, “suitably stirring” (so says Mini) exhaust with chrome outlets; and unique 18-inch aluminum wheels. A 19-inch wheel option also is available. Like any Paceman, the JCW comes with electromechanical power steering.

Alfa Romeo MiTo

Four international awards, two cylinders, and congestion charge beating technology. 

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the latest Alfa MiTo TwinAir model was more tree hugger than corner hugger. Well believe it or not, the all-new Alfa MiTo satisfies both modern driver requirements. Fitted with the revolutionary TwinAir engine - a compact 875cc turbo petrol engine - and MultiAir technology, the Alfa MiTo TwinAir delivers on performance with a punchy 85 bhp and 145 NM of torque whilst being the cleanest and most economical car in its class.

LA Auto Show 2012

As Day One of the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show comes to a close, many exciting vehicles took the stage, from wild concepts like the Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force, Nissan Hi-Cross and BMW's i pair to exciting compact cars such as the Mini Paceman, Ford's refreshed Fiesta and Kia's all-new 2014 Forte. Even a few hot performers made their debuts like the Fiat 500c Abarth, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series and the upgraded GT-R from Nissan.

2014 Fiat 500L at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show

Competes with: Mini Cooper Countryman, Volkswagen Tiguan, Ford Focus hatchback

Looks like: Fiat's take on the Mini Cooper Countryman

Drivetrain: 160-hp, turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder with six-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions; front-wheel drive

Hits dealerships: Mid-2013

Fiat may not yet own all of Chrysler, but its namesake brand's inexorable march into the U.S. market continues with the 500L, which is far from just a four-door version of the 500 For starters, Fiat says the 500L sits on its new "small-wide" platform, giving it 27.5 inches of extra length compared with the non-turbo 500. It's also about 6 inches longer and wider. That puts its footprint between a Mini Cooper S Countryman (5.3 inches shorter) and a Ford Focus hatchback (4.5 inches longer). The 500L could be cross-shopped against either, or dozens of other compact crossovers or hatchbacks.

Black Friday

Black Friday is the name given to the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. On this day, most major retailers open extremely early, often at 4 am, or earlier, and offer promotional sales to kick off the holiday shopping season, similar to Boxing Day sales in many Commonwealth Nations. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many non-retail employers also observe this day as a holiday along with Thanksgiving, giving their employees the day off, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time.

America's choice 2012

The president rolled to a second term over Romney, winning more than 300 electoral votes. Obama told supporters "the best is yet to come."

 

Following America's big moment of political decision, the election revealed a country that is still split in a divisive duel.

The election laid bare a dual — and dueling — nation, politically speaking, jaggedly split down the middle on the presidency and torn over much else. It seems you can please only half of the people nearly all of the time.
Americans retained the fractious balance of power in re-electing President Barack Obama, a Republican House and a Democratic Senate, altogether serving as guarantors of the gridlock that voters say they despise. Slender percentages separated winner and loser from battleground to battleground, and people in exit polls said yea and nay in roughly equal measure to some of the big issues of the day.
Democracy doesn't care if you win big, only that you win. Tuesday was a day of decision as firmly as if Obama had run away with the race. Democrats are ebullient and, after a campaign notable for its raw smackdowns, words of conciliation are coming from leaders on both sides, starting with the plea from defeated Republican rival Mitt Romney that his crestfallen supporters pray for the president.
But after the most ideologically polarized election in years, Obama's assertion Wednesday morning that America is "more than a collection of red states and blue states" was more of an aspiration than a snapshot of where the country stands.
"It's going to take a while for this thing to heal," said Ron Bella, 59, a Cincinnati lawyer who lives in Alexandria, Ky. He is relieved Obama won, but some of his co-workers are in a "sour mood" about it.
"They feel like the vast majority of the country wanted Romney, and the East and the West coasts wanted Obama," he said. "I'm not sure exactly why that is, but there just seems to be such hatred for Obama out there."
Compromise was a popular notion in the hours after Obama's victory and an unavoidable one, given the reality of divided government. But the familiar contours of partisan Washington were also in evidence, especially the notion that compromise means you do things my way.