In the news - Nissan pulling Facebook ads over hate speech concerns

The advertising system on Facebook allows companies to target specific demographics with their ads, which follow people based on their personal information. However what these companies have been finding out recently is that this system could lead to their ads showing up on questionable pages. According to Automotive News and The New York Times, Nissan has joined a growing list of companies, which have pulled themselves from advertising on Facebook until the social media site can guarantee that the ads won’t appear on offensive or questionable pages.

This issue came to light as a result of a group calling for Facebook to ban gender-based hate speech that went unchecked on some fan pages. Some of the offensive pages even showed images of abused women apparently.
This issue came about as a result of a group calling for Facebook to ban gender-based hate speech that went unchecked on some fan pages. Apparently, some of these offensive pages even showed images of women being abused. You can find some of these pages listed on the NYT article, though it looks like most of the pages have since been removed. As for Nissan, AN says that the only ads it had at the time were for Nissan UK, and there is no telling how this issue will affect Facebook advertising in the future.

2014 Ford Mustang

The basic make-up of the 5.0 2014 model has stayed the same as the 2013 generation. The 2013 model had seen a number of updates to keep the Mustang fresh until it’s replaced in

2015. So, for its goodby tour, the fith-generation Pony Car which has only seen a few modifications. Modifications such as  a couple of new paint colours (Oxford White and Ruby Red Metallic), trim and wheel revisions and, sadly, the deletion of the Boss 302 from the Ford lineup.

However, while the limited-edition Boss is likely to reappear sometime after the gen-six Mustang makes its debut in 2015, the GT Track Package provide at least a partial solution for those looking for hot laps.

Key stats:

Engine: 5.0L V8

Power: 420 HP / 390 LB-FT

Transmission: 6-Speed Manual

Drivetrain: Rear-Wheel Drive

Curb Weight: 3,618 LBS

Seating: 2+2

Cargo: 13.4 CU-FT

MPG: 17 City / 26 HWY

Base Price: Around £20,000

Lamborghini Egoista Concept Unveiled For Selfish Supercar Owners

A supercar may not necessarily make you immediately think that the owner and driver of the car is innately selfish, however when you take into consideration that the new supercar concept unveiled by Lamborghini is in fact only a one-seater, you can definitely say that it is a selfish car for selfish people. The megalomaniacal owner of the car would simply not want to share his experience with his friends...

For a selfish owner, Lamborghini's Egoista Concept was unveiled at a private 50th birthday party that the automaker had thrown for itself. Without an official announcement from Lamborghini to go by, all we can glean is that the Egoista Concept has room for a single occupant, is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine and boasts styling said to be inspired by an apache helicopter.

Have a browse of the concept images and say what you think about the supercar:

2015 Mazda3 interior glimpses revealed

In terms of the exterior of the hatchback there is a clear Kodo design influence in terms of the front ends bring to remembrance the new Mazda6. From spy shots of the Mazda3 being tested, a glimpse of the interior has been taken.

Taken from the Autoblog:
“Feast your eyes on the Mazda3's insides, showing a vastly reworked interior that also takes cues from the automaker's most recently refreshed products. We can see that there's a simple, clean center stack with a slim row of heating and cooling functions, and up top there's a large, presumably touchscreen display, with redundant controls found just aft of the shifter.”

The car is expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Credit: Images taken from the Autoblog: http://www.autoblog.com/

Economic Car Advice

 

Here are a few tips to keeping the costs of keeping a vehicle on the road down.

Downsize Your Vehicle:

A smaller car is more economically viable to run. They use less fuel, are cheaper to insure and tax, and ten to be less expensive when it comes to servicing and new parts. Now the idea of spending money to save money may seem like the antithesis to tightening the purse strings, but on the long term this is the way to go.

Vehicle Sharing:

For regular commutes sharing your car with colleagues can help save on fuel costs by sharing the costs. Also the environment and fellow road users can benefit from this because there will be less cars on the road.

Make sure to look for the best insurance you can get:

It is very easy just to let your insurance roll over from one year to the next without checking to see if there are any better deals, but trust me, this is where you can make the greatest of savings. Look at price comparison sites and speak to advisors each insurance year-end to make sure you can find the best deal on your policy.

Change the way you drive:

The way you drive your car can make a real impact on the amount of fuel you go through and the amount of wear and tear your vehicle goes through. Aggressive driving, and by that I mean quick accelerations and sudden harsh braking, uses up a lot more fuel in comparison to smooth driving. Changing to a high gear as soon as possible can also help save on fuel.

Also when you’re stuck in a traffic jam switch off your engine to save on fuel. Leaving the engine on just wastes fuel. Keeping your car in good condition is also a good idea. Properly inflated tires will prevent rolling resistance and a properly tuned engine will use fuel more efficiently.

Other things to keep in mind:

You can also save money on all the extras that come with driving. For example, instead of buying coffee at the fueling station, bring a flask with you instead, or wash your own car instead of forking out a tenner to have someone else do it for you. These little things can help turn pennies into pounds.

Mazzanti Introduces Evantra V8

Mazzanti Automobili showed us its Evantra back in December, but this month at the Top Marques Monaco show they unleashed their production beastie. The internals suggest that it will be a great car: all-aluminium 7.0-liter V8, 701 horsepower, 624 pound-feet of torque, 0-62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds, six-speed manual or sequential paddle-shift transmission, bodywork in either aluminum or carbon fiber laid over a steel and chromoly chassis.

Mazzanti hope that the shape of the vehicle is what will make its name. It was designed by founder Luca Mazzanti and by Zsolt Tarnok. They designed it with the idea that the various lines would be a "perfect equilibrium of classical and modern." No matter where it sits on the spectrum, it's busy. Small details have been changed since the initial reveal a few months ago, but items like the tailored leather interior, Tricolore start button, 20-inch wheels on super low profile rubber and Brembo brakes remain.

Below watch its debut video:

Upcoming - Great Wall aims to break into US market by 2015

According to Automotive News, Great Wall Motor Co. plans to sell its vehicles in the US by 2015. The Chinese car company has been planning its expansion for the last two years and has looked at everything from regulatory hurdles to establishing a dealer network, as well as the customers needs and wants.

Although it isn't clear what model car they plan to bring to the US, it is apparent that they have been looking to establish a factory stateside. The Chinese automaker currently sells its wares in over 70 countries and regions across the earth, but has yet to establish itself within the US or within Canada. Great Wall brought 26 vehicles to last weekend's press day for the Shanghai Motor Show, including a stand-alone section for its Haval brand of SUVs.

At the moment, the only Chinese-built cars sold in North America are Honda Fit models, and they are only available in Canada (however, General Motors recently opened the door to importing their own Chinese-built models). So even though Asian car companies have bee promising to deliver their cars to the US, none have exactly been able to as of yet.

That being said, Great Wall is one of China's most respected automakers with lots of experience in setting up global factories and exporting, so it seems inevitable that they will be able to break into the US market in real moment. For now though, there is still debate as to how quickly they will be able to actualise their plans. A recent study by Bernstein Research suggested that Chinese automakers still have a decade or more of development before they will be able to field globally competitive products.