Volvo Designer Imagines a P1800 Coupe for the 21st Century

The P1800 is by far the sportiest looking model ever to leave Volvo's production facilities - though to be precise, manufacturing began in the UK by Jensen Motors before Volvo moved production to Sweden in 1963. This year marks the 50th anniversary since Volvo introduced the coupe model to the world in 1961, and to celebrate the event, the Swedish firm's head designer and an avid fan of the P1800, Christopher Benjamin, came up with a sketch to show what a modern day version could look like.
Benjamin's proposal blends the lines and shapes of the original P1800 with the styling language of Volvo's most recent and future-telling study, the Concept You sedan that was displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show this past September.
You can see the result in the pictures below. And for the record, Volvo has no current plans for a spiritual successor to the P1800.

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Crash Tests Reveal that Most Cars Sold in Latin America are Deathtraps on Wheels

The FIA Foundation announced the results of the first ever crash tests carried out by the Latin New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP), and the news isn’t good for consumers and automakers alike.
Actually, the crash test results reveal a terrifying reality: most of the best selling cars in Latin America’s emerging markets offer minimal or no protection at all to their adult occupants let alone children...
Max Mosley, president of Global NCAP, said: “The latest results of the Latin NCAP reveal that South America’s most popular cars are still about 20 years behind the levels of safety enjoyed in Europe and North America. This cannot be acceptable.”
"We want to see the UN’s global crash test standards applied to all new cars across the world. And we want consumers to be aware of the life and death choices they make when buying a new car," Mosley added.
The 64 km/h (40 mph) frontal impact crash tests revealed that most of the cars that were tested suffered from poor structural rigidity which, along with the absence of airbags in most of them, “awarded” them an unheard-of, in the 21st century, one-star rating!
This kind of performance is indeed scary, especially when compared to models sold to the European and North American markets, where the top five-star rating for every new model, save for ultra compacts which usually score four stars, is the norm.
Whereas in North America and Europe safety agencies constantly upgrade their requirements, in most Latin American countries safety regulations are virtually non-existent.
A measure of the work that needs to be done is the fact that Argentina and Brazil will make airbags mandatory by 2014 – and that, sadly, is hailed as a sign of progress.

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Subaru Owner Goes Berserk Upon Seeing New 2013 Scion FR-S [Video]

Some of us may have been slightly disappointed by the conservative transition of the original Toyota FT-86 and Scion FR-S from concept to production, but there's a lot of enthusiasm out there, especially from young buyers looking for an affordable, rear-wheel drive sports coupe. You can see that from the interest shown in all three derivatives of the collaborative project between Toyota and Subaru, despite the fact that the BRZ, 86 and FR-S are virtually identical sans for some insignificant styling and trim differences. In the States, the plan is to bring the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S (instead of the 86 / GT 86).
To see just how enthusiastic some potential buyers are, take a look at the reactions of a driver of what seems to be a 1990s Subaru Impreza and his passenger after spotting a Scion FR-S somewhere in California, in the video after the break.

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Holy Smoke! Meet the 9.68 Second Quarter Mile Corvette ZR1

We can't be 100 percent certain that this Corvette C6 ZR1 modded by the crew over at 'Late Model Racecraft' is indeed the quickest ZR1 in the world as claimed by its builder, but after watching it run the quarter mile in just 9.68 seconds with an exit speed of 147mph [237km/h], we have no doubt that it's blazing fast. But don't just take our word for it, scroll over the jump to watch the video for yourself. 

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EU Ruling Raises Car Insurance Cost for Young Women and Lowers it for “Boy Racers”

For many decades, women have been talking about sex discrimination. We for one, support equality for both genders. And so does the European Court of Justice, which just last March, ruled that it is illegal for insurance companies to set premiums according to gender.
The case was brought to court by a Belgian consumer group, which argued that it was illegal under EU law to make risk assessments based on gender.
The judges agreed, citing that the Fundamental Charter of Human Rights included in the EU Lisbon Treaty “aims, in all its activities, to eliminate inequalities and promote equality between men and women”.
Up until now, young women drivers were widely perceived to be a low-risk accident group; therefore, they received lower insurance charges.
In contrast, male drivers under 25 years of age were, according to insurance companies, 10 times more likely to be involved in an accident – and their insurance costs were appropriately higher.
When the new rules come into effect on December 2012, the cost of car insurance for female drivers aged under 25 years old could rise by as much as 24%, while young male drivers will pay up to 9% less.
As expected, the news created quite a fuss. Adrian Webb, spokesperson for Sheila’s Wheels that specializes in female drivers’ insurance, said: “Twenty-five times more young men are convicted for dangerous driving in the UK each year than women of the same age.”
 
"An unintended consequence will be that boy racers will find themselves able to afford insurance for more powerful cars, which could in turn lead to more accidents at their hands," Webb added.
On the other hand, instantly labeling any young male as a “boy racer” and penalizing him with a much higher insurance than any female of the same age who is automatically considered a “safe driver” is, indeed, an unfair and gender-based conclusion.

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2011 Nissan Rogue

More than 7,300 Nissan Rogue crossovers from the 2011 model year are being recalled after it was discovered that circuit board might not have been installed in the correct position on certain electric power steering (EPS) assist control units.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] said that this may cause the circuit board to fail and as a result, the power steering assist feature will cease to function thus increasing the force needed to steer the vehicle.
The Japanese automaker said that the affected vehicles were manufactured from August 17, 2010, through October 30, 2010.
Nissan plans to notify owners for the safety recall before the end of December. If necessary, the firm's dealers will replace the EPS control on the affected Rogue models free of charge.

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