Not sure about you guys but finding a free parking lot at the office in the morning or when going home in the evening, it’s pretty hard job. It’s even worse when you find spot that’s big enough for your car but you’ll require a crane to put you in vertically. That’s exactly the case with this French guy, who actually managed to find a solution. And juts as a hint .. it’s not a crane!

Ingenious? Not if you’re the guy with the car in front!

Those looking for a smaller Buick baby in the States may have a surprise up their sleeve with a smaller Buick Sedan spotted by photo-ninjas. The snapped commuter is currently headed to China where GM wants to thrive furthermore on the success of the Buick moniker.

The Buick Sedan will be placed under the Lacrosse model of the Buick range. As far as the architecture goes the current model will be based on the Delta II structure from the GM territory. The front wheel driven car will share the platform with Chevrolet Cruz that replaces the cobalt. The engine has not been confirmed but the options include a 1.8 liter petrol engine which will produce 141hp with 176Nm of torque.

Another speculation is that the Chevy Cruze 1.6L 113hp churning engine might alos find a place under the hood. It will arrive in China in 2012 and the americans will have to wait a tad longer.

[via WCF]

Ultra small electric vehicles are the future for the green minded and those who’d like to slash their monthly gas bill and their carbon footprin. Renault realizes it, hence why the French have announced the production of the Frankfurt-introduced electric vehicle, the new Twizy Z.E. (Zero Emission) Concept in Spain. It will be the Renault Valladolid plant located 150 km North West of Madrid where the small electric vehicles will be produced.

Renault is committed to bringing smaller non-polluting commuters to the market (especially Western Europe) by 2011 and the Twizy will be the first product courtesy of the long term future plan. What is special about the Twizy is its Pearlescent white body coating and luminous matrix displays which can function as head- or tail- lights. You can also use these lights to create faces that communicate the driver’s emotions.

Power comes from a 20 hp electric motor which renders 70Nm of Torque. The motor is connected to a lithium-ion battery pack and this combination gives the commuter a 100 Km range.

Today, the good folks from Wheels24 have announced the launch of the annual Alternative Car of the Year Awards. Following on last year’s success when more than 48,000 South Africans have voted, the 2009 ACOTY awards have kept the same jock (straight), chop (middle-finger) and frock (gay) categories to choose from. More to it, this year’s winner will walk home with nothing less than R5 000 just by picking their favorite (until December 4th).

Nominees for the 2009 Alternative Car of the Year are:

Jock
Nissan 370Z
Audi Q5
Kia Soul
Toyota Prado
Volkswagen Scirocco

Chop
Nissan GT-R
Subaru Impreza WRX
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Mazda3 MPS
Renault Twingo RS

Frock
Mini Cooper Cabriolet
Alfa Romeo Mito
BMW Z4
Audi A5 Cabriolet
Peugeot 308 CC

Voting starts here

That time of the day again where we go out searching for funny videos that put a smile on your face. Well this time around it’s about how good of a driver are you. We all know how good we think we are when doing 150 on the highway, but are we really THAT good? Check out the car tricks these guys can do with only four wheels and a steering wheel. That’s nothing short of breathtaking.

So how about now! Still think you rock?

There’s no news that we fall for everything that starts with L and ends with amborghini, but looking at this new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster it’s more like an adrenaline shot directly into your veins. Meant as the most extreme car in the history of the brand, the new Reventon Roadster delivers not just a superior performance but also an amazing driving experience in an open-top Italian supercar that takes our breath away. Speaking of specs, this little monster runs on a 6.5L V-12 supercar that puts out 662 horsepower, sprints to 62mph in 3.4 seconds and tops at 205mph (about 330km/h).

Available in Reventón Grey with two-tone matte-and-glossy finished wheels, the new Lamborghini Reventon Roadster provides “an unusual visual impact, [and] also a turbine effect that further improves cooling of the mighty ceramic brake discs.” And if you were wondering how much it will sell for, how does 1.1 million Euros before taxes (asome $1.6 million at today’s rate) sound? [via Wired]

Now that you’ve seen the Toyota Priuses that will be present at this year’s SEMA, how about something from rival Mazda who has a spot at the show in Las Vegas, too. The Japanese manufacturer came up with two tuning ideas based on the Mazda3 and the MazdaSpeed3. They’re both covered in a Crystal White Pearl base coat with soft grey tone graphics with blackened front grille inserts, side mirrors, fog lamp bezels and roof panel. Of the two, the sedan now manages to put out a good 184kW (250hp) and comes with KW Suspension double-adjustable coil-overs and a Tri-Point adjustable rear stabiliser bar, while the MazdaSpeed3 only sports 20 more horsies but uses KW coil-overs, four-piston Stoptech calipers and modified top mounts. Rad!

SEMA is that place where all crazy tuner gather up and show off. The nice thing about SEMA is that you get to see daring models that otherwise would be locked on paper without ever seeing daylight. A very good example is the new Toyota Prius Aerius (Latin for “belonging to the air”) and Toyota Prius Aemulus (meaning “envious imitation”). Featuring a Five Axis Design four-piece aero kit with a front lip spoiler, new side skirts, and a rear lower valance, the new vehicles charm with the 3D Carbon body kit, crystalline tinted windows and the sky-inspired paint scheme by Nippon Color Design Studio America. Just by looking at those stylish 19-inch FIVE:AD wheels on the Prius Aerius, and we can already understand how Toyota manages to save the environment and make money at the same time.