Cars

Tesla's Elon Musk lambasts New York Times article

Tesla's CEO Elon Musk has become incensed over a news article critical of the all-electric car that was published in The New York Times last week.

"I do not think this is a he said, she said situation," Musk told Bloomberg West in an interview today. "It is really black and white. The facts are the facts."

The tussle got started after New York Times reporter John Broder wrote an article about taking the Tesla Model S out on a test drive in the East Coast's freezing weather. He claimed that the car couldn'… Read more

BMW taps Apple's Genius model to educate customers

BMW is taking a page out of Apple's book with a Genius-like program, according to a report.

The car maker told Advertising Age in a story published today that it's planning to launch its BMW Genius Everywhere program nationwide next year that will aim at educating customers without actually trying to sell them vehicles. The "geniuses" will be young -- possibly college students -- who will be armed with iPads. They'll be able to answer questions about vehicles on the showroom floor.

According to BMW, which was inspired by Apple's Genius services, the program … Read more

CNET on Cars: The Cadillac ATS shines

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So glad Cadillac got the ATS to market largely as expected. This company has been trying to do a small car that doesn't strike a false note for decades. The ATS may be my favorite Cadillac because, thanks to its market segment, it has the least amount of all that Caddy gilding that has always spelled Tommy Bahama to me -- which is not a compliment.

We've been getting some great ideas from you for Car Tech 101 segments, … Read more

Cars.com's Super Bowl ad teaser: The call of the bizarre

This had almost passed me by.

Things do sometimes.

And then, searching for something fascinating on the Web, I bumped into this highly peculiar teaser for Cars.com's Super Bowl ad.

It reeks of pain, passion and dramatic twists of fate. Which is rare for a focus group.

It reeks of unbridled passion and a love triangle that has gone terribly wrong.

As if love triangles ever go terribly right.

The teaser promises that during today's big and possibly unpulsating game, Cars.com will bring the drama.

What might happen? Will there be all-out scratch-your-eyes-out war? Will there … Read more

Uber strikes key deal with California regulators

Uber, the on-demand driving service, has temporarily resolved an issue it's been facing with California, the company announced yesterday.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulates some driving services in the state, last year issued citations and fines against Internet-based Uber for allegedly operating a "charter-party carrier" service that failed to include insurance coverage and enrollment of its hired drivers in a substance abuse program. CPUC also argued that Uber failed to provide evidence of workers' compensation insurance.

Two other driving services, Lyft and SideCar, were also included in the citation, which fined all three companies $… Read more

Math teacher allegedly tweets racy pics, calls kids 'jailbait'

It's sometimes easy to forget that teachers are human beings.

They do things human beings do. You know, like get drunk, take drugs, and make mistakes.

The question now is which of these, if any, might have been perpetrated by Colorado math teacher Carly McKinney.

McKinney was behind the Twitter account @carly_crunkbear. It is gone now. But, as 9News in Colorado reports, it used to bear some very fine and slightly crunky tweets.

There were, for example, semi-nude pictures of McKinney herself, as well as interesting thoughts such as: "Just got called Ms. McCutie. Points for being clever, … Read more

Uber car service battles to stay in Colorado

Uber is headed toward another obstacle from city officials, and this time it's in Denver, Colo.

The state's Public Utilities Commission is proposing changes to the rules that regulate motor vehicle transportation, which could essentially shut UberDenver down.

The transportation startup announced today that it's going to fight to keep its service in the state. Uber has created a petition for Colorado residents to sign in support of Uber. The company is also urging locals to e-mail the state's governor, John Hickenlooper, and the chairman and director of the Public Utilities Commission.

"Since our launch … Read more

Banned license plates: DMV is hip to your txtspeak

You giggled when you filled out your application for a new Arizona license plate. You thought your chances were good the DMV wouldn't get "LOLGTFO." You were wrong. That is one of many banned license plates on the state of Arizona's extensive no-drive list.

GovernmentAttic.org has released a treasure trove of banned-plate lists from various states. Arizona, in particular, has a very long list of plates you're not allowed to have. Most of them aren't too surprising. The standard curse words aren't allowed. If you wanted your BMW to say "MYPOOPY," you're out of luck. Some of the banned plates are a bit curious. For example, "BIOPSY" is not allowed.… Read more

How to get better gas mileage (and save a little time)

The most recent gas prices report (January 22, 2013) from AAA wrote that the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded fuel is $3.31. The same report said annual household spending on gas in the United States in 2011 and 2012 was more than $4,000 each year. That's a lot of money any way you slice it.

Whether you've cut down on your driving, begun relying on public transportation, or even invested in a hybrid vehicle, there's still money to be saved by following just a few easy tips. We've put together a … Read more

5 safe places to put your smartphone while driving

After moving to a new city and buying a new car to get around in, a close friend of mine found herself needing some sort of GPS navigation to guide her around her new hometown. So, she bought a used portable navigation device and hit the road.

"This GPS sucks! The maps are out of date and it didn't come with a cable to connect to my computer for updating!" she declared after just a few trips.

"Wait, didn't you just buy a new iPhone?" I realized aloud. "You have to be the … Read more