Cars Bikes Boats

Parrot just announced a new car stereo with a dock for the iPod or iPhone, the Parrot RKi8400. The RKi8400 is an FM/AM RDS Bluetooth car stereo with a USB port, an SD Card reader, and offers hands-free phone functions. It has a cool little storage compartment located behind the removable front panel – perfect for hiding your iPhone or iPod when you leave the car (that is, if you don't take it with you).

"With the RKi8400, Parrot allows users to take advantage of the iPhone in car through a system that is easy to use and fully integrated in any vehicle," said Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. "All iPhone functions -- music, navigation of the music directory and playlists and Bluetooth phone capabilities -- have been adapted for in-car use. Parrot's application of its renowned acoustic quality and voice recognition capabilities to the iPhone is sure to please even the most discerning listeners."

The Parrot RKi8400 is available now for $399.99.

Zoombak announced today that their personal GPS tracking devices are now available at Best Buy. We told you about Zoombak tracking devices before, but to refresh your memory, Zoombak uses a satellite-enabled GPS and a location network server to find a lost pet, recover a stolen car, track your teen driver, find lost luggage, the list could go on and on...

But now, in addition to being able to locate the item, device, or person on demand from your PC, Zoombak lets you set up Speed Alerts and Safety Zones and receive an SMS Text message when a speed limit or safety zone has been broken. A great feature for those who have a newly licensed teenager in the house (like me).

Zoombak is available at Best Buy stores for $99.99 with a monthly service fee starting at $9.99, as well as being sold online at www.bestbuy.com.

Sirius XM just introduced SkyDock, a new dock for your iPhone and iPod touch that lets you listen to live Sirius XM radio from your device while in the car.

Designed for use through your existing vehicle audio system, SkyDock has a built-in XM tuner which is controlled by a free iPhone App. The App allows you to control the XM tuner using the iPod touch or iPhone Multi-Touch user interface. SkyDock will also charge your device while listening to live satellite radio.

Vehicle installation is easy with Sirius XM's PowerConnect technology which works through the existing vehicle radio and makes it easy to move the device from vehicle to vehicle. An Aux In Cable is also included for cars that have an Aux In jack. Read more

Scosche on Thursday announced the availability of its "green" solCHAT handsfree speakerphone. The device features an integrated solar panel that keeps the solCHAT's battery charged.

For added safety, it has a Voice announce caller ID that tells you the phone number of incoming calls, so you can know whether to take (or avoid) the call while keeping your eyes on the road.

The solCHAT has a simple three button design (volume up, volume down, and answer/hang-up) and automatic cell phone pairing. It doesn't get much easier than that.

The speakerphone comes with a USB charging cable and car adaptor for charging at night and on overcast days. A windshield suction cup mount and sun visor clip is also included.

The SolCHAT is available at Best Buy stores, www.bestbuy.com and www.scosche.com for just $99.99. It is coming soon to other major retailers.

Tuner firm, Sportec has added an extra 92hp to this ride. However, its 0-62mph is only 0.1 seconds quicker. But, other areas of performance have improved much more. In-gear acceleration, rolling acceleration and everyday driving will all be improved by the extra power. So, race this in a rolling start.

You can outfit this Audi with a customizable body kit and 19- or 20-inch rims. Other options include lowering it 30mm, adding stiffer springs and upgrading the brakes, too. Also, you can pick and choose what you want from Sportec, opting for a giant package with everything or just add a body kit and lower it some and save some cash.

Sportec hasn't officially announced the prices for everything or when they plan to sell these mods just yet.

Last year Reiter Engineering created a monster FIA-spec Lamborghini Gallardo race car. Then they announced the Strada edition which was a street legal version of it. Basically, it was the same car with a modest power increase and some added weight.

Well, Reiter has just announced an updated version for 2010 of the FIA-spec racer. This Gallardo produces 570hp and 399lb-ft of torque from its 5.2L V10 engine and has a weight of only 2,627lbs. Also, the balance was set to 43% front and 57% rear.Read more

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a historic UK race event. Here is Jaguar's custom lime green painted XKR. The Goodwood Special XKR is said to have an "unspecified" power upgrade on top of the standard 2010 XKR's 5.0L supercharged V8, which does produce 503hp (375kW).

The Goodwood Special could possibly have as much as 550hp (410kW) or more, though. Some people did notice that this XKR did have a louder exhaust, 21-inch wheels and a lowered ride height.Read more

Senner Tuning is well known for their subtle and unique tuning packages. They add minor visual upgrades to create a clean, non-tacky, look. Senner offers a wide range of front and rear fascias, side skirts and roof spoilers for the Audi A5. The new pieces are designed to fit and enhance the stylish coupe, with special pieces for the high-performance S5 model.

The two-piece front spoiler kit only works on non-S-line models, however. Additionally, Senner offers 20- or 21-inch wheels for the A5. Other modifications include a fully adjustable Bilstein B16 PSS10 coilover suspension kit and a new stainless steel exhaust system with quad tailpipes (only for non-quattro models).

It looks like Senner Tuning has created another unique and tasteful tuning package for the automotive industry; this time for the Audi A5.

From the pictures you can see the LED daytime running lights, also note that door-mounted side mirrors stand out further on thinner stands and it looks like the hood will be a little bit longer than previous versions.

The rumored powertrains for this new generation SLK include the 2.2L four-cylinder diesel found in the current C250 CDI, with a rating of 204hp (152kW) and 369lb-ft (500Nm) in its C-Class application. There is also the possibility of a twin-turbo 3.5L V6, generating over 470hp (350kW), for an AMG version.Read more

General Motors just announced that the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected get city fuel economy of at least 230 miles per gallon.

The Volt is scheduled to start production in late 2010 and be available as a 2011 model. It is said to travel up to 40 miles on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 300 miles with its flex fuel-powered engine-generator.

The Chevrolet Volt uses grid electricity as its primary source of energy. It has two modes of operation: Electric and Extended-Range. In electric mode, the Volt will not use gasoline or produce tailpipe emissions when driving. During this primary mode of operation, the Volt is powered by electrical energy stored in its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Read more