Mercedes SLS AMG Tunnel Video Staring Michael Schumacher [Video]

The first in a series of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG ads featuring Michael Schumacher was released today. It shows Schuey driving the car through a tunnel at high speed, steering it off the road, up one wall, across the ceiling, down the other wall, before safely and smoothly getting the car back on the road.

Rough edits of the video had surfaced over the past few weeks. This is the first to identify Schumacher as the driver of the gullwing model. Rather, it is the first to try to convince us that he is the driver.

Fake or not, the minute-long video is fun to watch. It is part of a coordinated, cross-media marketing campaign by Mercedes to promote their speedy car, and their brand as a whole.

Production of the hand-built Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG began this month, about two months before its scheduled European market launch. The car uses a 6.3-liter (6208cc) V8 engine producing 563 horsepower and up to 479 ft-lb of torque.

VW Group Considering Audi R4 Platform for New Entry Level Porsche - speculation

The R8 started an exciting journey for the Audi brand when it launched into a segment its maker had not competed in before. Soon after rumours of a smaller R8, thought to be called the R4, surfaced. A concept e-tron car unveiled at the recent Detroit Auto Show confirmed that indeed an R4 is in the works.

Now Porsche is considering using the R4 platform as a basis for its newest and smallest model line. Speaking to Autocar, VW Group chairman Martin Winterkorn finally admitted to be looking at a car below the Boxster/ Cayman pair.

"The Porsche model range is firmly based on the 911, Boxster, Cayenne and Cayman, and it will stay that way," he was quoted as saying. "We are also investigating opportunities for a smaller sports car and a smaller SUV - but I cannot say more at the moment."


The car dubbed the new 356 would use a mid-engine layout and source power (said to be about 186kW or 250bhp) from a turbocharged boxer engine. It will share its transmission with the R4 but remain very much a Porsche in most other ways.

Although the R4 is expected to go on sale around June 2011, the Porsche model won't be available until at least 2012. Speculated prices stand at the equivalent of £33,000 (US$53,300) in today's money.

Porsche 991 Latest Winter Test Spy Photos - Rear LEDs in View

Spyes have snapped new pictures of the redesigned Porsche 911 (codenamed 991 or 998) undergoing cold weather testing in Sweden.

While it's still heavily camouflaged, we can see new details about the 911's LED taillights. Overall, the shape is similar to the one used on the current model (997.5), but the turn signal elements appear wider.

As we have previously reported, the next-generation 911 will feature an evolutionary design theme with minor styling tweaks. Changes include streamlined headlights, Panamera-style door mirrors, a revised rear windshield wiper, and wider rear wheel haunches. The 2011 model may also be a tad longer than the 997.

Engine options will likely carryover with minor modifications, and they will be connected to a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission. Like the current 911, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants will be available.

Is Your Toyota On the Recall List?

In October, I blogged about Toyota's recall of selected models because accelerator pedals were getting stuck under floor mats, causing uncontrollable acceleration.  Yesterday, Toyota recalled and suspended the sale of the models after reports of sticking gas pedals that were causing unexpected acceleration. The company plans to suspend the sale of these vehicles, including the best-selling car in America, the Camry, to fix the sticking gas pedals.



Toyota's suspended models:

• 2009-2010 RAV4


• 2009-2010 Corolla


• 2007-2010 Camry


• 2009-2010 Matrix


• 2005-2010 Avalon


• 2010 Highlander


• 2007-2010 Tundra


• 2008-2010 Sequoia

Consumers who own one of these Toyota models or have questions can call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at (800) 331-4331 (AP).  Please check this list, and forward this information to anyone you know who might have any of the models in question.  Be safe!

New Pictures of Cute Kids in Ponchos!

We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to take some new pictures.

My tried and true recipe for a good shoot with kids is to bring lots of little, unusual toys and a quick trigger finger. Because every millisecond counts, I turn off the digital display and the flash -- this way there is very little lag time between shots, and shoot constantly. This way you know you will at least get something, and with the miracle gift of Photoshop, minor imperfections can be dabbed away.



Out takes, though, are the cost of doing business. This one is my favorite. Look at that pumpkin head!



Keep an eye out for the new pictures on the main website. Should be ready by the end of next week.

What's Coming Up At Car Seat Poncho?

Another sample sale --  several one-of-a-kind or last-of-its-color-ever ponchos that have never been seen outside of H Barry Boo LLC corporate offices.



And possibly (if time allows) hot pink hats with leopard or paisley trim.  Those might be coupon code specials, or gifts with purchase.



Who says the season is over?  There's plenty of cold weather ahead!

Ride a roller coaster with your baby on your lap?

Just imagine:  you're plunging downward with incredible speed, swerving in one direction, then another.  Some people love that feeling on a roller coaster, and get a happy rush of adrenaline -- but if you're on a plane, it's the last thing you want. 



The tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world is Kingda Ka, located at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, USA. Its top speed is 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) and it drops from a peak of of 456 feet (139 meters).  Even your average, run of the mill roller coaster travels between 70-100 mph.  To ensure the safety of its riders, hydraulically-powered steel harnesses brace over the shoulders and around the hips.  Eyeglasses and other loose objects must be removed before the ride begins, so that they do not injure their owners or other passengers should they come loose.

So, would you ride a roller coaster with a baby on your lap? Of course not.  You wouldn't even have a choice: If you tried to ride a roller coaster with an infant, you'd probably be arrested.



Now let's talk about airplanes.  The average commercial airplane travels between 160-180 mph at takeoff, and between 400 and 550 mph at cruising altitude, which is usually 30,000 feet. 



Take a moment to compare:

1. The fastest roller coaster in the world goes 128 mph, while the average commercial airplane travels faster than that on takeoff, and about triple that speed once it's in the air.


2. Riders of the tallest roller coaster in the world fall from a height of 456 feet.  Passengers in a commercial airplane are 30,000 feet above the ground.

So it's obvious that airplanes travel higher and faster than roller coasters, and that riding a roller coaster with a baby in your lap is an unwise and probably unlawful idea.



And yet, when planning a trip, parents wonder, "Is it safe to hold my baby on my lap during a flight? Do I have to buy a seat for him? She's so little, can't I hold her on my lap?" How sure are you that you could keep hold of your baby in heavy turbulence or a crash landing, at 300 miles per hour?  Heck, if I trip while walking down the street, whatever I have in my hands goes flying.  Crash tests conducted at slow-poke speeds of 30 mph have metal crumpling and bodies flying through windshields.



Airlines don't require that children under 2 years have their own seats, but remember that crazy, illegal notion of holding your baby on a roller coaster? 128 mph vs 170 mph.  Five hundred feet vs thirty thousand feet.  Even if it were allowed, I wouldn't do it.



Millions of people fly every single day.  Statistics indicate that air travel is the safest form of transportation, so maybe it's just one plane a year that has to ditch in the Hudson River, skids off the runway, has serious, head-knocking-on-the-overhead-bin-cancel-the-beverage-service turbulence, or inhales a flock of Canadian geese into its engines.  What are the chances that YOUR plane is going to be THAT plane?  Who can tell?



Cost is obviously an issue (especially for families with two or more children) but if at all possible, please purchase a seat for your baby and use an FAA approved child restraint.  Your baby is one in a million, but you don't want her to be THAT one.

Kicking off 2010 with love & cold

The first message of the decade is from Tamar in Indiana:

"Thank you for your excellent customer service.  We used the poncho today and I loved it!  It is everything I could want: warm, quick, easy and cute!"

And with this cold snap gripping the country, there is still plenty of winter left (especially for you folks in the Midwest and New England).  Is your town feeling extra cold this year?  How many times will you have to wrestle a kid, a coat and a car seat?  A Car Seat Poncho purchased in January would get at least 100 days of use between now and the first crocus!