Autoblog

We're sure there are plenty of reasons some people would want to live in New York, but it's hard to see why a car guy would want to. Forget the traffic, the kamikaze cab drivers and astronomic insurance rates. Even if you can put up with all that, where the heck are you gonna park a car?

The New York Times' story, "The Ultimate Luxury: A Garage," gives us even more reason to shun The Big Apple as a place of residence. Apparently, New York houses, condos and apartments with garages command about 5% more than those that don't. In some neighborhoods, add 25%. So that means if you have a condo worth $1 million, adding a garage could get you at very least $50,000 more than your car-hating neighbors. One real estate broker estimated that a six-bedroom townhouse he's selling will bring an extra $1 million because of its car accommodations. The townhouse is priced at $18.75 million.

So why aren't real estate owners on a garage-building spree? Because convincing the city's Department of Buildings that you need a curb cut is a long, trying process. The government agency approved only 54 new Manhattan curb cuts in 2008; three less than last year.

And then there's the anecdote of one family paying $6,600 a year to put their car in a public lot. That's enough to convince this bunch of car guys that there are better places to call home.

[Source: New York Times]

Manhattan's latest attempt at disguised taxation has ground to a halt in the most trivial fashion. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed congestion charge for cars and trucks headed into the city below 60th street was summarily ignored by lawmakers. Rather than a contentious fight in the state assembly, the clock was simply run out and the bill died without being put to a vote. The failure of Bloomberg's plan means that New York City will also miss out on 350 million federally earmarked dollars for mass transit, and other ways to improve air quality and decrease gridlock must be sought. Even if it had passed, Manhattan's fee of $8 for cars and $21 for trucks would have been lower than what Red Ken charges for entry to London proper. While the goal of decreasing gridlock and improving air quality is admirable, we can see how the congestion charge would further squeeze those who can least afford it. To be sure, an alternative to Manhattan's current traffic would be welcome, and embracing change isn't always easy, but lets see what they come up with next. Thanks for the tip, RxMadness!

[Source: AFP, Photo by Mario Tama/Getty]

New York's mayor, Mike Bloomberg, is ready to steal a page from his London counterpart's handbook and announce plans to hit drivers who bring their cars into Manhattan below 86th street with an $8 congestion charge in a bid to ease gridlock in the city's crowded midtown business district. The fee would include the existing bridge and tunnel tolls drivers currently have to pay. Some people are understandably upset, and opposition groups are said to be forming in the outer boroughs.

Naturally, there will be exceptions. Taxis are unlikely to pay the fee, and there's word that drivers who avoid the business district while heading to other parts of the city could be exempt as well. The report also mentions possible discounts for individuals who live and/or work in the impacted zone. Mayor Bloomberg is expected to detail the specifics of his proposal in a speech he's giving tomorrow, and we'll follow up after we've heard all the particulars.

If the mayor does set the plan into motion, it'll need to be improved by the state legislature, meaning those of us (ahem) in the NYC media market are going to have the opportunity to watch the political fireworks unfold during the local evening newscasts. This is gonna get interesting.

UPDATE 4/22: Ahead of today's speech, WNYC (New York Public Radio) reported that drivers who use the FDR drive and West Side Highway would be exempted from the fee. The mayor stated as much in his weekly radio program on WABC. More on the proposal as we get the info.

[Source: WCBS TV, New York]

Holographs have certainly come a long way and you just have to see this Lexus ad to believe it. The company Vizoo is responsible for its creation and has quite a few other non-automotive holographic projectors out there as well. You'll find them quick enough if you click around YouTube for a bit. This particular one is an interactive display for Lexus that allows users to select models and colors before beaming them into the indoor space for a 360-degree walkaround of the lifesize virtual vehicle. It's so realistic that the shop is drawing too big of a crowd for its own good. Police can be seen in the video asking people to move along. The old, "there's nothing to see here" line just doesn't hold water in this case though.

The full clip showing the crowd and parts of the ad is after the jump. There's also a video showing ViZoo's 3D floating video image technology in action.

[Source: Fresh Creation]

Robotic parking garages haven't caught on in the U.S. like they have in other developed countries. Perhaps that's because we're not as strapped for open space as other nations, or maybe its because the only robotic parking garage in the U.S. has dropped both a Cadillac Deville and a Jeep several stories and trapped its patrons vehicles inside for 26 hours because of a software glitch. We reported on that robotic garage back in August when a legal dispute between the city of Hoboken, NJ and Robotic Parking Systems, Inc. trapped even more cars inside.

In the Big Apple, however, space for parking is at such a premium that they're willing to risk the aforementioned pit falls to give this robotic storage-and-retrieval thing the old college try. A new robotic garage will open in Chinatown in early February that, unlike the Hoboken facility, stores its cars underground beneath an apartment building. Built by Automotion Parking Systems (click link to watch a demo), the Chinatown facility will be able to fit 67 vehicles where a traditional garage could only fit 24. Patrons can pay $25/day to park or $400/month, which the AP report tells us is competitive for NYC parking. Automotion claims there's a virtual impossibility of any snafus occuring similar to the ones that plagued the parking patrons of Hoboken, though time will certainly tell on this one.

As always, we here at Autoblog would like to extend our warmest greetings to our new robotic overlords, and just say that we look forward to becoming their sole source of power after we scorch the sky.

[Source: Associated Press]

UPDATE: Photos added from Neal M. and dc, play-by-play account from Ahmed
UPDATE 2: Video of the Auto Union Type D on the street after the jump


This morning New Yorkers on their way to work were greeted with Audi's Park Avenue parade that marked the R8's first official drive on U.S. soil and the opening of the company's new Audi Forum located at 250 Park Avenue. Autoblog reader Ahmed M. was on hand and armed with a camera phone. He sent us these pics of the R8, R10 Le Mans racer and 1938 Auto Union Type D Silver Arrow, the latter of which was one of the world's first mid-engined racecars. NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg was reportedly on hand to deliver the R8 to the Forum, which is not a dealership but rather a brand awareness space that will educate New Yorkers on the Audi experience and can also host events up to 150 people.

If any other readers were present and have pictures they'd like to share, specifically of the Forum itself, send them to abresearch at gmail dot com and we'll post them here.

Check out Ahmed's play-by-play account of the parade after the jump near the bottom of the page.

We feel lucky having been one of a relatively small group of people to see the Audi R8 in person at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. We won't feel so special after next Wednesday, however, when Audi is planning a parade in the Big Apple that will be lead by the company's new two-seat, mid-engine road rocket. Millions of New Yorkers will be able to catch a glimpse of the R8 leading a pack of Audis that also includes the R10 TDI racecar currently dominating the American Le Mans Series and a 1938 Auto Union Type D Silver Arrow, which represents the line of world's first mid-engined racecars. Why all the hubbub? The celebration commemorates the opening of the newly created Audi Forum New York City, which is not exactly a dealership but what the marketing folk call a "brand awareness venue".

If you're in the area, the procession's going to begin at 10AM EST next Wednesday and start at 52th and Park Avenue. The cars will be flanked by New York City's finest as they drive down to 47th where they'll be parked outside the new Audi Forum NYC for people to inspect. Expect a few celebrities to be present, and supposedly some will be commissioned to drive the vehicles, as well. The occasion will technically mark the first time a production R8 has been seen outside in open air, although we've seen plenty of uncamouflaged mules the last few months. If you're planning to attend, takes pics and send them to abresearch at gmail dot com.

[Source: Fourtitude]

It seem like the most suitable laboratory for testing an advanced propulsion system is the engine bay of a New York City taxi cab, just ask Ford. Hybrid Technolgies has announced it is in negotiations with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commision to get its lithium-ion battery-powered PT Cruisers on the streets of NYC ASAP. PTCruizer.com reports the electric cabs will sport a 600-pound, 320V battery pack that can go through 1,500 charges with a range of 150 miles between each plug-in. Cabbies can expect a downtime of six hours between charges. While each EV PT will cost between $50K and $75K, estimated fuel cost savings could amount to $15,000/year. We'll have to wait and see how these EVs hold up to NYC's tough durability test.

[Source: Hybrid Technologies and PTCruizer.com]

Honda announced today that it is bringing to market a compressed natural gas (CNG) motivated Civic GX to New York buyers this fall.

According to the automaker, the GX will put out 'near zero emissions,' giving owners access to tax credits and home refuelling via an optional Phill home refueling apparatus.

In CNG guise, the green Civic nets an EPA fuel economy rating of 28/39 (city/highway), while meeting federal Tier 2-Bin 2 and ILEV zero evaporative emission standards. It does so via a 1.8-liter four-banger putting out 115 horsepower and 109 ft-lbs. of twist (a 10 percent increase) and 5-speed automatic.

The home refueling appliance, "Phill" is a product of the FuelMaker Corporation, and is usually garage-resident. The system allows overnight refueling, which nets owners natural gas at a rate about 50 percent cheaper than buying traditional gasoline from a station. GX owners on the road can get fuel at select CNG stations around New York State and still save an estimated 25 percent over petrol buyers. Phill must be professionally installed.

If you're tired of walking and really don't want to risk a heart attack in one of the Big Apple's (in)famous taxi cabs--assuming you can hail one--Segway is offering an alternative.

Segways, those two-wheel motorized vehicles, will be available for demonstration at the show. The linked article cites the benefits of a Segway such as low maintenance and operating costs. Did you know it only costs 10 cents to fully charge the electric battery, which means the Segway provides 390 miles of operation for the cost of a single gallon of gas. Its tires have a 5,000 miles range. It also has an electronic key start so no one can steal your Segway from the bike rack.
 
Other advantages and contact information while in NYC can be found at the link.

[Source: PR Web via eMediaWire]