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After last year's electric scooters, the Mini brand continues to explore two-wheel territory, this time with a folding bicycle. The Mini Folding Bike stays true to the company's tradition, in the sense that it fits into the boot of almost any vehicle when it's folded. Not surprisingly, all Mini models can accommodate the small bicycle into their trunks. Read more »

Remote control cars have come a long way. From the little electric fun-buggies that never held a charge long enough, R/C vehicles have evolved into tools and toys - some that even run on fuel and go fast enough to take your legs out from under you (long story) - serving a variety of purposes. After all, aren't those little bomb cars in Black Ops controlled by remote?

Now, it appears, we've found a new use / time waster: towing stuff. In the video below you can see a larger-than-normal R/C hauler actually hauling a Nissan SUV along someone's driveway.

At this week’s 50th Furniture Fair in Milan, Italy, Fiat previewed the “Fiat 500 Design Collection”, an initiative by the firm’s marketing boss Lapo Elkann and furniture maker Meritalia. The collection is a tribute to the original Fiat 500 and includes a sofa, a table and a console, all inspired by the 1970's Fiat 500. Each of the three pieces sports a plate that says: “Lapo and Meritalia pay tribute to the Fiat 500”. Read more »

BMW’s M division has one, and so does McLaren, Audi and even German tuning firm Lumma Design introduced a bicycle bearing its name in 2009. Therefore, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that Italian sports car maker Maserati has presented a two-wheel creation.

To be precise, Maserati joined forces with Sicilian bicycle maker Montante Cicli for the development and production of the 8CTF that borrows its name from the Italian automaker’s famous racing car that won 500 miles of Indianapolis in both 1939 and 1940. The Montante for Maserati 8CTF will be produced in a limited run of just 200 individually numbered units, with all bicycles to be custom made to fit the rider.

Sebastian Thrun, leader of Google's driverless car project, talked about the technology of self-driven cars at TED Talks, claiming it could save one million lives each year if it would replace human driving.

Google's test cars have so far covered over 140,000 miles (225,300 km) in all types of driving conditions without a single fault. “People didn't even notice” Google's cars were not driven by humans, said Thrun, who lost his best friend to a car accident when he was 18. The Stanford professor of computer science said that moment made him decide dedicating his life to saving one million people every year.

Oh, if only all those futurists from the 1930s could have predicted a device as wondrous as the Smart Phone. It’s the communicator from Star Trek, a world atlas, the world’s largest department store and a personal assistant / concierge all rolled into one. You could organise a wedding or run a global empire from one of these things, and many people do.

Unfortunately, like seemingly everything humanity invents, it has its downsides as well. For some of us it can be addictive and overuse of these distracting devices can result in devastating consequences for one’s self and others, especially when use in conjunction with another wonder of the last century: the automobile.

For all you MINI fans and car gadget geeks, BMW’s British subsidiary has released a new collection of USB flash drives. The data storage devices come in three unique shapes: an 8GB stick in the form of a MINI ignition key with an illuminated ring; a 4GB unit in the shape of a bulldog, which is said to reflect the firm’s British heritage, and a dual-purpose liquid mouse with a white MINI miniature swimming around in a two-tone, transparent orange fluid. More photos after the jump.

Playseats, a Netherlands-based gaming seat company, has signed a licensing agreement with Red Bull Racing for the creation of a pricey but admittedly cool new F1 game simulator. Designed and developed by Playseats, the simulator is branded with the Red Bull Racing logo and sports the Austrian racing team's F1 colors.

Chrysler has released a new dedicated lineup of clothes and apparels featuring the brand’s “Imported from Detroit” motto, which first appeared on the 200 Super Bowl commercial with Eminem. And yes, the possibility that the merchandise may not be made on this side of the world did cross our minds too, but Chrysler’s website put those dastardly doubts to rest stating that the clothes and apparels are all made in the USA.

Initially created to facilitate BMW’s racing program, the Bavarian firm’s M Gmbh division gradually expanded its activities to include the development and manufacturing of the company’s sportiest production cars, and more recently, crossover and SUV models as well. Now, the M brand is entering new territory with the introduction of its first racing bicycle, the M Bike Carbon Racer.

Initially created to facilitate BMW’s racing program, the Bavarian firm’s M Gmbh division gradually expanded its activities to include the development and manufacturing of the company’s sportiest production cars, and more recently, crossover and SUV models as well. Now, the M brand is entering new territory with the introduction of its first racing bicycle, the M Bike Carbon Racer.

Remember a few years ago when every wannabe gangsta was buying those awful “spinner” alloys for their beat up old Chevys and Oldsmobiles? Well, French artist and teacher Thierry Dumaine (who sounds like a character from a historical romance) has taken the concept of the spinner and applied it to an imaginary hydrid he calls the Ventile.

It’s all very simple. You know those bicycles that have pedal powered lights? Same principle, though in this case the fans are turned by the circular motion of the wheels and not by being affixed to the wheels themselves.

The fans power a generator that helps recharge the Ventile’s batteries. I don’t know how well this would work in the real world, mostly due to the Law of Conservation of Energy, but really who cares.

In the late 1940s, as the world started to recover from the wounds of war, people were trying to leave the past behind and focus on the future. In fact, some individuals were so fascinated with the future that they tried to tune in it and predict the outcome. In this nostalgic video, we see how some people imagined the future of automobiles in 1948. Watch the clip after the break.

In 2010, “unintended acceleration”, a phrase that had been somewhat forgotten in the automotive lexicon returned to the hearts and minds of many Americans. After exhausting research by the NHTSA and other independent agencies, the culprit was found to be a combination of poorly designed floor mats, “sticky” accelerator pedals...and driver error.

As our roads become more congested and the traffic rules more and more complicated, incidents of driver error resulting in accidents are likely only to increase. The solution: smarter electronics that take the “driver” out of “driver error”.

Ford will offer the infotainment and connectivity system to its European models starting from 2012, the company announced today. The all-new Focus will be the first vehicle in Europe to feature the SYNC technology, with other models to follow. Ford said it wants to have 2 million SYNC-equipped cars on European roads by 2015.

The 2012 Chevrolet Volt and Equinox models will be the first to offer Chevy MyLink, an in-car infotainment equipment that integrates internet radio, hands-free, voice and touch-screen controls, all of which can be accessed via Bluetooth connectivity.

If you're looking to add some style to your winter-time outdoor activities, you may want to take a look at these cool skis from Audi. Initially designed and developed as a concept study at the Audi Concept Design Munich, the Carbon Ski is now heading for production with the Ingolstadt-based automaker estimating that it could be available for sale as early as this year.

As its name implies, the Audi Carbon Ski is made out of carbon fiber for reduced weight as well as optimal stiffness. More precisely, a cab of high-strength carbon fiber encloses layers of aluminum and titanium, as well as a wood core. The result is 170cm-long ski that tips the scales at 1,550 grams. According to Audi, the ski weighs 200 grams less than comparable models.

If you enjoyed Phil's video of the RC drifters from the recent Tokyo Auto Salo, then you're in for a really special treat with this 4 minute-long clip shot at the 2010 Korea RC Street Drift Challenge. By far this is the most amazing RC drift setup that we have ever seen. Just follow the jump and you'll see what we mean.

The automobile is such an integral part of so many people’s lives that it’s no wonder than artists and sculptors often use them for inspiration. Take Sandy Sanderson of Hamilton, New Zealand, for example. He takes beer and soft drink cans and crafts them into meticulous, highly detailed replicas of hot rods and other classic cars. And Mr. Sanderson really is a meticulous sculptor.

As an automotive blogger that also works in the IT industry, I feel I have a somewhat unique perspective on in-car technology. Whereas a new car may have a three to five year buffer between upgrades and replacement models, for electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers it's more like six to eighteen months.

This brings up an interesting conundrum: what to do when the sat nav or Bluetooth devices in your car age more quickly than the car itself? Few people this side of Dhiaa Al-Essa can afford to replace their car every six months, so the answer - to automakers at least - is to do the same as software companies: roll out upgrades.

It could be something as simple as the dealership checking your oil and tire pressure remotely to recalibrating the transmission or updating the car's sat nav system. San Francisco based Cisco Systems has even constructed an experimental dashboard out of LCD panels that acts as a giant touch screen: driver's can drag and drop instruments, personalize the look and feel of said instruments and add new functions such as g-force meters.