Chevy Silverado and Texans have had an ongoing love affair and that’s not expected to change anytime soon. As a matter of fact, about 1/6 of all truck sales is made in the Great State of Texas and to honor them, General Motors has created a 2014 Chevy Silverado Texas Edition – that you can only get – in Texas. Other states will have a custom sport package that is similar, but the only way you’ll get a Texas Edition is if you head on down to Texas and buy one there. The price for this edition or the Custom Sport will be an additional $2,165 for an LT model and $1,895 for LTZ models, but from the sounds of it, that will be money well spent.

Maria Rohrer, Silverado marketing director, said, “The Silverado Texas Edition recognizes the fact that one out of every six full-size pickups are sold in Texas. It combines features that add real value for Silverado customers with unique badging that honors the connection between Texans and their trucks.”

So what do Texans get that no one else will be able to get with the 2014 Chevy Silverado Texas Edition that no one else will? For starters, they can get the Texas Edition features on either the Silverado LT or LTZ. The LT includes 20-inch polished aluminum wheels, a trailering package, locking rear differential, body-color outside mirror caps and door handles, and Texas Edition badges. The LTZ adds chrome door handles and mirror caps and a Bose premium audio system.

All 2014 Chevy Silverado 1500 models and the Texas Editions Get:

• All-new EcoTec3 engines that offers 285 horsepower (212 kW) V-6 on the LT and 355 horsepower (250 kW) V-8 on the LTZ
• A stronger, quieter, more luxurious cab
• An upgraded interior with features and connectivity tailored to the needs of truck customers
• Connectivity via Chevrolet MyLink
• Revised steering, suspension and brakes for improved ride and handling
• I-ngenious solutions for managing cargo in the bed

Source YouTube

Brokers are breaking out the champagne to celebrate Tesla stocks. As of Tuesday morning they reached a record high of just about $53 per share in NASDAQ trading. They leveled off to around $51 as of today, but that is still a fantastic bit of news even if you don’t own stock. If you do, you have more reason to celebrate because those stocks that cost $17 per share back in 2010 have jumped by more than 50 percent in the past year.

This past first quarter of this year is the first that Tesla has been in the black and not only met their sales goals, but broke them. As you can image Elon Musk is bursting at the seams in regard to how happy he is about it. Not only is he rated as one of Time Magazines 100 most influential people in the world, but the loan that was taken from the Department of Energy will be paid back in half the time that the original terms were set to.

Take note about this good news because analysts, including Seeking Alpha are estimating that Tesla shares could hit $144 close to the midterm of this year. What will determine that rate of increase will depend on the ability of Tesla to continue selling cars and its cash position.

Other analysts are looking at this news about Tesla stock as the possibility of a Short Squeeze happening. Volkswagen stock increased by 500 percent in one day as an example of what type of Short Squeeze they are looking at. This all happened about three years ago, so it might be time for another automaker to make history in this manner. From the looks of it, Tesla Motors just might be the one to do it. For a startup, that’s not bad at all.

Source Seeking Alpha

How many of us stop to think about pressure sensors? Well, they are an integral part of vehicle safety and while you may hope that the automakers and mechanics are the ones to keep on top of the latest technology, the advent of wireless handsets to do everything from monitoring your tire pressure to your brake system is actually a pretty important topic. For those of us who struggle trying to figure out those manual tire pressure gauges, the thought of having a smartphone app that will do that instead is a really exciting proposition.

Apparently, it’s not just those of us who are adverse to getting down on our knees and fiddling around with gadgets that realize the value in this type of technology.

Richard Dixon, Ph.D., principal analyst for MEMS & sensors at IHS, shares, “Pressure sensors play a key role in automotive safety. Because of this, the biggest market remains the automotive segment, where the sensors predominate in tire-pressure monitoring and braking systems. However, wireless applications—led by mobile handsets—will see the most explosive growth this year, up by 90 percent. Other important markets for pressure sensors are in medical electronics, industry, white goods and military/aerospace.”

In particular Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensors are expected to reach unprecedented amounts of growth, to the tune of around $1.71 billion for this year. This is a 14 percent increase from last year’s growth. The estimated reach is to for MEMS revenue to be at around $2.49 billion by 2017.

Samsung was the first to use this type of technology, starting with the Galaxy S III smartphone that came out in 2012. Apple, never to be left behind, is expected to jump on board soon. At that point, all the other smartphone manufacturers will be adding this technology to their own phones. This will make wireless smartphones the second largest market, just behind automotive. Then, when you tie the two together to do things such as figure out the confounded tire pressure, start your car for you and other important parts of operating your vehicle, the sky will be the limit.

Source Electroiq

The 15th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition show kicks off this Saturday and runs until April 29. The theme for this year’s events is “Innovation for Better Life” in celebration of how modern autos are using new technology and environmental considerations to offer passengers a better lifestyle.

More than 800,000 visitors are expected to fill up the 17 indoor exhibition areas of the Shanghai New International Expo Center during the event to see the foreign and domestic autos on display.

The 15th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition Schedule of Events:

April 19:  Auto Shanghai Summit 2013 — 400 business executives will take part in this opening day celebration along with foreign ambassadors and business association representatives.

April 20: Media Day – 100 press conferences will be held for media representatives to get all the lastest scoops on the new vehicles coming out.

April 20: Night of the Designers will be held at the Old Wharf on the south side of the bund to allow representative designers from the large vehicle sector to talk about endless creative possibilities.

April: Technology Sessions – seminars, workshops, special procurement and trade fairs, covering automotive manufacturing, new materials and new technologies for automotive professionals.

Dynamic Demonstration Area 20,000 square meters of outdoor area in the middle of the exhibition hall will be used as a dynamic demonstration site. “Listen,” “move,” “speak,” “demonstrate,” and “exhibit,” the technological  characteristics for the controlling, driving and braking of a moving vehicle will be on display.

If you are going to be in or around the Shanghai area, you will want to make it a point to stop by the 15th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition. This worldwide event is sure to have something interesting for everyone in your party.

Source: Shanghai International Exhibition Co. Ltd.

Audi is pulling out all the stops at this year’s New York Auto Show. While all eyes were on the new Audi A3, the 2015 Audi S3 came along to steal some of the thunder. This new sedan is a showstopper and made a preliminary stop so the press could take a good long gander before heading over to its official unveil happening at the show tomorrow. We won’t see this model here in the United States until next summer, although the European version will be released closer to the end of this year. The current pricing model is being knocked around to be in the $39,000 realm and three different versions will be ready for Americans to take their pick of.

One engine choice that we know about right now is the 2.0 liter TFSI four cylinder engine that will give 296 horsepower and 280.27 pound feet of torque. This is combined with dual fuel injection, exhaust manifold integrated in the cylinder head, the Audi valvelift system and a rotary valve module for thermal management. For this you can expect to go from 0 to 62 in about 4.9 seconds which puts the sedan up with quite a few of the sportsters coming out. Don’t be surprised though, this sedan is designed for luxury and every detail points that out clearly.

What you’ll find when you climb inside the 2015 Audi S3 is a very clean and expansive dynamic, not a lot of buttons and gadgets to have to fiddle around with, just top of the line technology. There are large cupholders to store your Mucho Grande Latte and a brand new MMI control area. Of course that is just the tip of the iceberg as even the standard version will come equipped with a sunroof, 18-inch wheels, full leather, Sirius satellite radio, the three-spoke sport steering wheel with shift paddles for the also-standard six-speed S-tronic, and fully automated adjustable sport seats.

Source Audi