According to a just-published Bloomberg report Google is preparing a bid for Waze. Earlier this month rumors indicating Facebook was in late-stage acquisition talks with Waze for roughly $1 billion appeared online. Other parties (Apple, Microsoft) may now also be interested in the social mapping…
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BMW X5 diesel lands on Top Selling Diesel list
According to Wards, the U.S. sales of diesel-powered cars and trucks have grown 41 percent in the past five years to almost 409,000 last year. The top selling diesel model in the United States is the Ford F-Series, followed by its competitor, the Ram Ram Pickup, and not at all surprisingly, the VW Jetta.
With 10,276 units, the BMW X5 is the first premium model in the Top Selling Diesel list, followed with 6,688 units by Mercedes-Benz GL.
In a previous review, our own Chuck Vossler describes the heart of the X5 diesel:
The BMW X5 35d’s diesel motor, internal code name M57TU, is an inline-6 cylinder 3.0-liter with an aluminum alloy block. It has 4 valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams and sequential twin turbochargers. Third-generation Piezo common rail direct injection pumps fuel in at 26,000 psi. The X5 35d motor produces peak 265 horsepower at 4200 rpm. An impressive 425 lb-ft of torque is available from 1,750 rpm through 2,250 rpm. The M57TU has a compression ratio of 16.5:1 and produces 88.3 hp per liter. The BMW M57 diesel hustles the X5 35d 0-60 in 6.9 seconds and yields 26 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg for the city. Add in a fuel capacity of 22.5 gallons and you get a theoretical, bladder busting highway range of 585 miles.
[Comparison: 2012 BMW X5 35d vs. 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel]
The next generation BMW X5 due out this summer will continue to be offered with the xDrive35d option, but it remains unknown if the model will be available at market launch.
| Brand | Model 2012 Sales | |
| Ford | F-Series | 105,239 |
| Ram | Ram Pickup | 87,722 |
| Volkswagen | Jetta | 48,099 |
| Chevrolet | Silverado | 43,015 |
| Volkswagen | Passat | 26,469 |
| GMC | Sierra | 21,792 |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van | 20,929 | |
| BMW | X5 | 10,276 |
| Volkswagen | Golf | 10,043 |
| Mercedes-Benz | GL | 6,688 |
Source: Ward’s AutoInfoBank
The article BMW X5 diesel lands on Top Selling Diesel list appeared first on BMW BLOG
Penguin 2.0 Losers: Porn Sites, Game Sites, & Big Brands Like Dish.com & The Salvation Army
Google’s fourth Penguin update — what the company is calling Penguin 2.0 — hit last night, and less than 24 hours later we’re already getting a first chance to look at what sites might be considered “losers” in terms of search visibility. In a nutshell, the list…
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First Apple computer up for auction
In this era of ever-accelerating technological development, we all tend to be so fixated on the gizmos of the future that we rarely take the time to think about the glorious technology of the past.
Bing News Adds Visual Carousel & Searches Years Back (Not Just Two Weeks)
Bing announced they have added a new visual way to consume news on Bing News. Now, for searches on notable people, Bing will return an image carousel at the top. Plus, you will also see on the right-hand side of the page related people to the person you searched for. Here is an example of [...]
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Don’t miss out on learning from the pros. Attend an SMX Advanced workshop!
Sharpen your marketing skill set by attending one of six post-conference workshops at SMX Advanced, June 13th in Seattle. Choose from SEO, international search, social media community management, AdWords, local search or in-house SEO. Secure your spot – register now!
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2014 Kia Cadenza
Filed under: Sedan, Kia, First Drives, Luxury
Kia’s Second Effort At Luxury Finds More Love Than The Amanti
The same recent global economic crises that have led luxury automakers to invade the small car market are also somewhat responsible for the influx of near-luxury sedans from mainstream automakers. As the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Audi are reaching down for new customers, automakers like Hyundai, Chevrolet and Toyota are reaching up to bridge the gap and fill in the white space between the industry’s typical high-volume large sedans and established luxury sedans. Joining this emerging market, the 2014 Kia Cadenza is the latest sedan to blur the line between value and luxury. One of Kia’s core focuses has been offering value to customers, and even with a starting price of $35,100, the Cadenza still represents plenty of that kind of thinking.
Despite what might first come to mind, the Cadenza is not named after a piece of furniture. Instead, Kia notes the name for its new front-wheel-drive flagship comes from the Italian musical term that translates as ‘cadence’. The name thus fits in nicely with the brand’s other musically inspired model name, Forte. Much like the Hyundai Genesis, the Cadenza will serve as a test of sorts to see how much customers are willing to pay for a Kia, and despite recent reports indicating that Kia has confirmed the Quoris for next year, the reality is that the availability of the bigger rear-wheel-drive flagship will be determined in part by how well the Cadenza strikes a chord with buyers.
This isn’t Kia’s first crack at mid-level luxury. That distinction goes to the bug-eyed, Amanti, which was killed off in 2009. The same basic recipe is still in place – V6 power, roomy interior and a lengthy list of standard features, yet this car seems altogether better outfitted to appeal to modern consumers than the baroque Amanti. We headed out to the great weather and even better roads near San Diego to test the 2014 Kia Cadenza to see for ourselves if it has the inner harmony and cadence to keep step with full-size luxury sedans or if it’s just here to make a bunch of noise.
Continue reading 2014 Kia Cadenza
2014 Kia Cadenza originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 May 2013 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Corporate: Honda Announces Major USAC Partnership Program
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., today announced a comprehensive motorsports partnership program with the United States Auto Club (USAC), including title sponsorship of several USAC racing series and a new role as Official Engine Supplier to the Ignite Midget Series. Implementation of these programs will begin this year, and will be fully in effect for the 2014 race season.
Under terms of the multi-year agreement, Honda will become title sponsor for USAC’s National Midget, Ignite Midget (to be renamed Honda Midget) and .25 Midget racing series. Honda K24 “crate” engines, sold and distributed by USAC, will become the new spec engine for the Honda Midget Series.
Honda K- and F-series engines, also supplied by HPD, are currently being utilized by individual teams in the USAC National Midget Series, and Honda GX-series engines remain a popular choice for .25 Midget competition.
Honda will become the official vehicle of USAC, as well as the Official Side-by-Side and All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) supplier; Official Generator and Official Pit Bike for the sanctioning body. In addition, Honda will become the presenting sponsor of all USAC National race broadcasts, via live streaming through USAC.TV, Ustream and USACRacing.com.
“Historically, USAC has occupied a leadership role in oval-track racing and grass roots motorsports nationwide,” said Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President, Automobile Operations, for American Honda. “We’re pleased to be able to greatly expand our role in USAC competition, while taking the next significant step in advancing HPD’s grassroots motorsports initiative. We look forward to a long and successful association.”
Honda will supply USAC with Honda Civic Si pace cars for the National Midget and Honda Midget series. Honda Side-by-Sides and ATVs also will be utilized by series officials. Signage rights for the sponsored series, including Victory Circle, will be provided to Honda for the length of the agreement; and the iconic Honda “Circle H” logo will be placed on all Quarter Midget and Honda Midget entries.
“USAC is extremely pleased to announce the new partnership with Honda today,” says USAC CEO/President Kevin Miller. “Honda’s new level of participation throughout USAC’s racing programs brings new energy with its national marketing footprint. USAC and Honda have partnered today to create an expanded level of excitement in the Midget racing community and we look forward to a mutually rewarding motorsports experience for all involved.”
Honda To Sponsor USAC Racing – 2
Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in Indy car competition – as both a Manufacturers’ Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since 1994.
In competition with other auto companies, Honda has won six championships, more than any other manufacturer. In years of multi-manufacturer competition, Honda-powered drivers have won eight titles, again more than any other. Honda has a total of 197 race victories in open-wheel racing, 65 in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition and 132 in IndyCar.
As engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series from 2006-2011, Honda supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field, and for a record-six consecutive years, the ’500′ ran without a single engine failure.
Honda scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; and the 2012 race, won by Dario Franchitti, was Honda’s ninth consecutive “500″ triumph – both against competition from other manufacturers and as sole engine supplier.
Founded in 1993, HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines, and competes at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California. The company is marking it’s 20th anniversary as American Honda’s racing arm in 2013.
In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2012 American Le Mans Series, and in the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2010 and 2012. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun-to-drive” products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.
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Google’s Hunger For Structured Markup
Google is keen for structured markup — to put it mildly. In the not-too-distant past, I wrote about Google’s Data Highlighter for event data, a tool which allows webmasters to indicate structured data for events without having to actually mark up the site’s HTML code. It has the…
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Programming Data Collection For SEO Research
Last month, I showed you three tricks I use when gathering data on websites. I used these techniques to download webpages into a local folder. In and of themselves, these procedures are not SEO; however, a search engine optimization professional working on a large or enterprise website ought to…
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