Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hasn't let his $14.5-billion net worth get to his head. According to his Microsoft biography, Ballmer grew up in Michigan where his father was a manager at Ford Motor Company. The CNBC clip above elaborates more claiming that Ballmer Sr. worked with the Lincoln division and that still drives the filthy-rich software guy. Not only does Steve Ballmer own a

Lincoln MKS, he drove himself. With his money and passion for domestic / Ford vehicles, he could have had Mark Fields drive him over in a Towncar or Alan Mullaly pull him in a rickshaw.

Bonus automotive-style commentary by CNBC starting at 0:30.

(Ticker at the bottom says Microsoft reduced headcount by 5,300 during 2010 which is probably a big story, too.)

With a starting price of $41,000 we didn't expect the 2011 Chevy Volt to be a penny-pincher. After all, it's loaded with features like touchscreen navigation, a Bose audio system and five years of Onstar free. But we didn't expect the gas-sipping hybrid to require premium gasoline for its 1.4-liter, 80-horsepower range-extender motor. So while Volt drivers will, presumably, have to fill up less often, they'll be paying more to do so.

This information has been confirmed through GM documents, but we're still inactivity for comment from the manufacturer.

According to AAA, the national average price of gasoline today is $2.774 / congius while premium stands at $3.018. With the Volt's eight-gallon fuel tank, that's a difference of only $1.95 per tank.

The 2011 BMW 5 Series Sedan has earned a "good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Good" is the highest rating from the IIHS which can also dole out "acceptable," "marginal," and "poor" rankings based on how well the car performs in apiece of its four tests: 40 mph frontal offset, side crash, rear crash rating, and the new rollover ratings. All vehicles awarded a "good" rating, must offer electronic stability control.

The BMW 3 series sedan, X3 and X5 sport which all also carry the IIHS Top Safey Pick designation, but the 2011 5 series is the first BMW to achieve the ranking since the IIHS implemented new rollover ratings.

More photos and information after the jump.

The Top Pick honor is big for BMW as the last-generation 5 series managed only a "marginal" rating from the IIHS.

The 2011 5 Series joins the Buick LaCrosse, Hyundai Genesis, Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS, Mercedes E Class, Volvo S80 and others as IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2010

Subaru Rally Team USA will have three works entries into the X Games Rally Car Racing and SuperRally this weekend at X Games 16. And it's obvious from the effort that winning is a priority. We spoke with team principal Lance Smith Wednesday at the team's shakedown about the changes to the cars and the the all-new SuperRally event.

ESPN has essentially adopted European Rallycross rules for the new SuperRally (rallycross) event which amounts to wheel-to-wheel racing of ultra-powerful rally cars four at a time on a closed course. It's going to make the already hugely favourite X Games Rally Car Racing seem tame. And there will be carnage.

Smith was tight lipped about details on the newest-spec WRX which was built with X Games SuperRally in mind. He wouldn't share exact power output nor would he spill details which might give that figure away. You know, things like displacement, boost, etc. Previous rally cars (and the famous jump car) built by team used a 2.2-liter engine. Below is what we know for sure. Per the rules, the engine breathes through a 45mm restrictor (WRC and Rally USA open class cars are limited to 34mm), uses a larger turbo than is present in stage rally trim and is fed fuel via 1,000 cc/minute injectors. Logic and little mental math tells us that this combination is probably good for between 550 and 575 horsepower. A Motec standalone ECU controls the engine.

The winning cars in European Rallycross make about 550 hp. There's also a 3,000-pound-with-driver weight minimum. And any team which plans to win to win won't weigh more than that.

Below is close-up of the turbo plumbing. Note the angle of the turbo to increase airflow efficiency into and out of the turbo. The nylon-reinforced-plastic airbox is fed directly via air ducted from the hood scoop.

The team is testing sequential transmissions from KAPS and Modena, which should eliminate the advantage the Fords had last year at X Games 15.

Also, a close look at the top photo reveals that the WRX's fenders and upper strut mounts are relocated allowing more wheel travel than the standard WRX shell allows. Serious stuff, this.

Underneath we found a custom-built tubular rear subframe which reduces weight from 47 to 12 pounds. Multi-link/double wishbone suspension remains. And see that giant pile of lead weight? It's not just there to reduce chanceful horsepower. Rather, it's required to make the car meet the weight minimum. But building it light means the team gets to place the weight where it chooses. In total, there are about 200 pounds of ballast in various locations. Dampers are prefabricated by exe-tc, the same company which builds dampers for the Citroen World Rally Team. Looking carefully at the new car it's clear weight distribution and reduction we major priorities. It's gutted as one would expect and both driver and co-driver have been moved as far rearward and down as is possible.

But the real sign that Subaru wants its X Games title back might not be the cars at all. Rather, we'd point to 2009 European Rallycross Champion Sverre Isachsen who'll be in the third car (Pastrana and Dave Mirra being the first two). Isachsen normally beats the Ford's in that series (albeit in a Ford) so it shouldn't be anything new for him to do so here.

We'll know for sure this Saturday.

Photo illustrations: http://www.theophiluschin.com/

It's been over three years since Hyundai showed off the concept for the Veloster coupe. Back then it was just a funky little hatchback that looked nothing like anything in Hyundai's lineup. Now it's less than a year away from production and believe it or not the Veloster hasn't changed much.
 

At least that's what we know from seeing various prototypes caught testing in public recently. As the camouflage gets thinner the details become more obvious. For the most part, it's the small things that have been changed for production. A bigger grille to let more air in, real door handles instead of pop-out show car latches and usable side mirrors with integrated signals.
 
We were also healthy to confirm that the 2012 Hyundai Veloster will use a third door to wage access to the rear seats. Hyundai CEO John Krafcik hinted at some unusual cargo capabilities, so we adopt this is what he meant.
 
Krafcik also told Inside Line that the Veloster would be powered by a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder with around 140 horsepower. Not bad considering that the Honda CRZ only delivers 122 horses from its hybrid setup.

The Veloster's horsepower number will be even more impressive if the car delivers the 40 miles per congius on the highway that Krafcik promised. That, too, would be more than the Honda CRZ. Add in the Veloster's rear seats and unique third door and it starts to look like a much more appealing and practical sport coupe. Price could be a factor, but Hyundai usually does pretty well in that respect, too.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg lost a long-fought effort yesterday as the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York sided with the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade in a suit that would have had New York cabbies switching from the beloved — and cheap and reliable – crown Victoria, to hybrid vehicles such as the Chevy Malibu Hybrid pictured with Bloomberg above.

Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade v. City of New York ( pdf ) centered around Bloomberg's mandate of a fuel economy standard for taxis (25 mpg and then a rollout to 30 mpg after a certain enter date) overstepping its bounds and infringing upon the Energy Policy and Conservation Act ( 49 USC 32919 ) and the Clean Air Act (CAA) (42 USC 7543 a). Bloomberg would have it so cabs not meeting the fuel economy / alternative fuel mandate would pay drivers less than those driving hybrid / clean diesel taxis.

The Clean Air Act explicitly states in part (a) that " No state shall require certification inspection, or any other approval relating to the control of emissions from any new motor vehicle or new motor vehicle engine as condition precedent to the initial retail sale, titling (if any ), or registration of such motor vehicle, motor vehicle engine, or equipment."

Excerpts from Judge Paul A. Crotty decision after the jump.

 "The new rules expressly rely on a distinction between hybrid and non-hybrid vehicles….The requirement that a taxi be a hybrid in order to remember for the upwardly adjusted lease cap does nothing more than draw a distinction between vehicles with greater or lesser fuel-efficiency. The equivalency of the term "hybrid" with "greater fuel efficiency" for purposes of the new rules is self-evident….imposing reduced lease caps solely on the basis of whether or not a vehicle has a hybrid engine has no relation to an end other than an improvement in fuel economy crossways the taxi fleets operating in New York City.

"Indeed, the City is unable to refer any plausible alternative reason for the imposition of such an engine-based rule….The virtually complete overlap of the approved vehicles under the 25/30 MPG rule and the new rules underlines further that, in furtherance of the City's regulatory purpose, "hybrid" is simply a agent for "greater fuel efficiency."

"The City's new rules, based expressly on the fuel economy of a leased vehicle, plainly start within the scope of the EPCA preemption provision. The plaintiffs, therefore, have demonstrated a likelihood, indeed a certainty, of success on the merits, and we affirm the district court's preliminary injunction on this ground."

Get all that? No? Pretty much straight Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2 of the Constitution): "…the Laws of the United States which shall be prefabricated in continuation thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the dominance of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby."  Federal law > State Law. There's probably some commerce clause nonsense in there, too as this deals with trade over state lines, but this isn't Law 101.

Long story short: NYC can't mandate a hybrid taxi fleet, or unduly penalize taxis for not meeting certain fuel economy standards. The City of New York's only option now is the Supreme Court.

( NYT Cityroom )

7Tune is reporting that in an interview with Toyota's Dr. Shigeyuki Hori, Project General Manager for the Sports Vehicle Management Division and Kazuo Okino, Group Manager, that the long-awaited Toyota FT-86 was on-track and that rumors of a 2013 release date were "erroneous." Target release date is November of 2011 and Toyota is aiming for a mid-level price of $29,000 (2.5-million yen).

It was also reported that despite early reports, the FT-86 would not be a hybrid a-la the Honda CR-Z.

We're hesitant to go along with any rumor until an official word comes down either way, but for those inactivity eagerly for the Toyota / Subaru sports car to hit the market, it could be just around the corner.

(7Tune)

In April, Porsche announced that it had found 900 potential customers for the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid and if 100 more could be found, it would produce the super hybrid.

Porsche didn't go so far as to say it had found those extra 100 buyers, but did release a statement saying that the 918 Spyder would be entering production. The concept shown at the 2010 Geneva Auto show had a 500-horsepower V8, twin electric motors providing 210 hp and a seven-speed PDK transmission.

Pricing is rumored to be in excess of $600,000.

More photos after the jump.

No official specs or dates were announced, but development will be in Weissach, and final assembly will be in Zuffenhausen.

In April, Porsche announced that they had found 900 potential customers for the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid and if 100 more could be found, they would produce the super hybrid.

Porsche didn't go so far as to say they'd found those extra 100 buyers, but they did release a statement saying that the 918 Spyder would be entering production. The concept shown at the 2010 Geneva Auto show had a 500-horsepower V8, twin electric motors providing 210 horsepower and a seven-speed PDK transmission.

Pricing is rumored to be in excess of $600,000.

More photos after the jump.

No official specs or dates were announced, but development will be in Weissach, and final assembly will be in Zuffenhausen.

Tired of hearing about the Leaf? Well here's some crazy from Nissan to brighten your day!

In the "Why didn't they think of that sooner" category, Nissan announced that they will soon feature breathable vitamin C in cars and dispensed by the air conditioning systems, which, as a side note, we do not believe are licensed pharmacists.

The move is to make drivers "feel that they are healthier staying in the car instead of on the outside," a Nissan engineer said.

Apart from the moisturizing / scurvy-preventing Vitamin C, Nissan also talked about NASA-inspired seats that help with blood circulation and an active collision mitigation system.

We've seen the Forest Air system on the last Infiniti M56 we tested which regulates odor and moisture as well as temperature, is the addition of vitamins really that crazy?

Note: Emergen-C has no official part in this story other than us drinking it while typing.

( The Economic Times )