U.S. safety bill could triple cost of automotive black boxes to $5,000

by Zach Bowman

When word first came down that Congress was looking to mandate that all new vehicles to be sold with Event Data Recorders, we knew that the added tech was going to be pricey. According to Automotive News, if legislators have their way, the new automotive black boxes will need to be both fire resistant and waterproof. Add in a significant amount of recording time before and after an accident, and suddenly the price tag per unit could soar up to a lofty $4,000 to $5,000. Currently, the EDRs track about five seconds worth of information just before an accident, though some legislators are pushing for up to 75 seconds of recording pre-crash. Between the fire insulation and added recording time, analysts believe the devices will swell to shoebox size, also creating a new packaging issue for automakers.

And who's going to be shelling out the cash for the indestructible, mammoth recorders? The short answer is the automakers, though you can bet they won't just be soaking up the cost out of the goodness of their hearts. Odds are that $4,000-per-box price tag will be passed right along to consumers if such devices become law, so don't be surprised to see sticker prices climb if the boxes become mandatory in 2015.

McLaren gives Button and Hamilton extra bling for good luck

by Noah Joseph

We've seen F1 teams pulling all kinds of shtick in an effort to edge out the competition. But embedding diamonds into the helmets and steering wheels? Well, it seemed to work in 2008 for Lewis Hamilton, and he, for one, is hoping it'll work again this year at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren has partnered with Steinmetz Diamonds to carry off the bedazzling, creating commemorative wreath emblems for both its world champions. The results were unveiled on Wednesday at Steinmetz's villa in Monte Carlo, and both Hamilton and Button will be using them during this weekend's race. Only in Monaco, kids. Details in the press release after the jump.

Saab 9-5 Estate leaks out

by Jonny Lieberman

For many moons now, your humble Autoblog crew has been following the new Saab 9-5 around the globe. Not intentionally mind you, but it seems that Saab has been dragging their 9-5 show car out to every show we've covered since before Obama was elected. Which is many, many shows (turns out it's been since Frankfurt). And while we're big boosters of the new 9-5, something's always been... lacking.

That's right, a fifth door. And this totally suspect, but nonetheless quite intriguing, photo seems to indicate exactly that – a Saab 9-5 Estate (also called the 9-5 SportCombi, maybe) – is nigh. That's yet another victory in the eventual, inevitable and ultimately exciting comeback of the once totally dismissed station wagon.

Now it's true, we've covered this territory before. More than once. And back then we felt the same way about the upcoming 9-5 Estate as we do now – it's very, very sexy. Or at least, as sexy as a wagon can be. Which, to us auto journo types, is quite sexy. Regardless, too many a Saab'o'phile, the very essence of the brand is a hatch. Without that fifth (or third) door, a Saab just isn't very Saab like. Therefore this here blurry image, which looks like it was hastily photographed from a presentation or sales brochure, fills Saab boosters with great hope. Go, go Griffin.

Chrysler wraps Auburn Hills HQ in honor of Truck of the Year award

by Zach Bowman

Chrysler has decided to celebrate the Dodge Ram winning the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award by barring employees at its Auburn Hills headquarters from seeing the sun for 120 days. The company has turned its HQ into one big billboard with a 14-story building wrap. The 140-foot tall, 120-foot wide graphic features a massive 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty atop a pile of rocks.

The company says the wrap is part of a nationwide campaign to get the word out about the Ram's win, and that around 200,000 people will see the display every day as they travel along I-75. The install took a total of three days, and Chrysler says that the truck featured in the wrap is a 100 feet long and 41 feet tall. No word on whether or not those specs will line up with what we can expect from the 2015 pickup. Hit the jump for a look at the press release.

Never blow up your battery with Michelin Smart Jumper Cables

by Sam Abuelsamid

Virtually every driver will, at some point, get that sinking feeling that comes when your car doesn't start. Digging out a set of jumper cables to boost a battery is a rite of passage. Jump-starting a car can be a slightly tricky process, though. The positive and negative terminals of the booster and "boostee" need to be connected properly or the battery can be blown up. Which is, you know, sub-optimal. Over the past decade, a number of devices have come out to help ease the battery-jumping process, including portable booster batteries and even jumper cables that plug into a 12V outlet inside the car. Those plug-in cables will never be connected with reverse polarity, but they might not be able to carry enough current to actually crank your engine.

Enter the Michelin Smart Jumper Cable. Instead of the usual color-coded clamps for your battery's positive and negative terminals, the cables are all Michelin blue. Halfway down the cable is a box of electronic smarts. Just put one clamp on the positive terminal of the battery and the other on any piece of bare metal and the electronics will detect whether you've made a complete circuit and illuminate an LED on the central box. When the second battery is connected, the electronics automatically determine the polarity and switch it as needed. A set of these smart jumper cables runs about $30 to $40.

Ford Mustang Lights: Great Deal to Safety

Visibility is one of the most essential part when you are driving, a driver should be able to spot where they are going to elude hitting something or anyone .Car lights are very significant to a driver’s safety because they enhance the visibility on the street and maintain the driver and the passengers safe and sound especially in driving through feebly lighted areas. There are numerous types of lights used in cars specifically in Ford Mustangs; each with its own specific and important function and definite location in the automobile.

The Ford Mustang Headlights is sometimes referred to illumination produced by the lights installed on the front of your Mustang vehicle. The equipped light itself is in principle termed as headlight. Others may say that the term headlight is used to represent both the construction itself and the light formed. Mustang headlights without a doubt improve your line of vision when driving specially during the day. Mustang headlights can deliver the clear view you needed on the road. Mustang headlights are also very important to use whenever it rains or snow because the headlights on your Ford Mustang will absolutely increase your capability to see and contrive your movements during these times and definitely these will make your cars much more noticeable to other vehicles and pedestrians on the roadway.

The Taillight or stop lamp is set up at the back end of the car. It produces a red light when the brake is activated therefore giving warning to the vehicle at the back indicating that your car would stop. This will enable the driver of the preceding car time to slow down. Mustang Tail lights is made up of the tail lamp bezel or tail light frame. Mustang Tail light lens improves the car’s style while adding security to the driver and the passengers. They have wire casing fixed over the lenses for safeguard and an extra hard and fashionable look. Latest Mustang models use lucid bulbs and red reflector.

Safety issues are always raised when buying a car that is why car producers provide their cars with the latest and ground-breaking features that could be positioned on their vehicles to make them dependable and safer. One of this features are the Fog lights. They are set up and mounted on the framework of your Ford Mustang. Fog lights give extra lighting during rough weather specially on rainy and winter season, helping you find the road safely. Mustang fog lights work as a complement to your headlights. Ford Mustangs used halogen bulb as fog lights to produce brighter beams. Fog lights are particularly intended to cut all the way through the fog to give you enhanced visibility. They are set up to harmonize with the stumpy beams of your headlights; collectively they work to maximize your visualization on the road.

Our genuine effort to increase your knowledge base on various auto parts. We are selling Ford Mustang Parts across USA if you don't find what you are looking for doesn’t hesitate to drop us an email and we will get back to you with it. We provide high quality Ford Mustang Headlight.

Foose/Deere 4020 vs John Deere 620 Orchard

by Alex Nunez

Chip Foose's John Deere 4020 is pretty kickass, but the reality is this: You needn't enlist the services of a famous pro rodder to get a slick-lookin' John Deere tractor. Take, for instance, the John Deere 620 orchard model shown above. Standard-issue 620s have a traditional tractor look to them, but the ones fitted with the additional orchard equipment a streamlined appearance that looks like it's a set of giant-sized moon caps away from making a land speed record run at Bonneville.



In fact, all that extra bodywork has nothing to do with aerodynamics or improved performance; its shielding designed to let the tractor operate in an orchard without the tires causing damage to the the tree branches. So, not only does this 620 look great, it does so for totally functional reasons.



And so, we come to tonight's poll: Which one of these tractors would you rather have? Follow the jump and declare your Deere.




[John Deere 620 image via TractorClocks.com]

Which tractor would you rather have in your barn?

The one-off, Foose-designed John Deere 4020
A restored John Deere 620 orchard model
Neither. My Lamborghini tractor laughs at your John Deeres.