The attached video explains it all, so we’ll keep this simple. It seems Michael Bay directly cribbed scenes from his 2005 movie, The Island, for 2011′s Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which is gobbling up people’s disposable income this weekend.

Extreme credit goes to the YouTube user who recognized Bay’s clever use of CGI and called him out on it. This also proves that at least one human being actually saw The Island. Hit the jump to watch the side-by-side video comparison.

China has just opened up a new roadway that stretches for a distance of 26.4 miles. Not impressed? That’s 26.4 miles over water. It’s called the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, and stretches for a span longer than a marathon. The bridge took four years to build, opened on June 30 and was then recognized by Guinness as the longest roadway bridge over water.

You would think that a 26-mile bridge would be used to shave serious commuting time off an otherwise long journey. Strangely, the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge only saves commuters 19 miles and 20 minutes of travel time.

Click past the jump for videos of China’s new king of bridges.

Bowler is not a well-known automaker, and with good reason. Its vehicles, based on Land Rover mechanicals, aren’t street legal. They’re rally-raid off-road racing machines; Defenders with an attitude. But Bowler has big plans, ushered in by new ownership and management.

The company was recently bought up by CPP – the same Coventry-based coachbuilder that now owns Spyker as well. Bowler’s new managing director Steve Haywood comes to the company from his previous position as chief engineer at Land Rover, so he knows a thing or two about producing capable off-roaders.

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It was reported that Audi’s competitors such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz have already announced plans to launch small cars in India. The reports quoted Anil Reddi, Head (Sales), Audi India as saying “There is definitely a huge market in India for such cars (compact). We are evaluating various options (to tap this segment). The important questions are what car, at what price and the target segment. Our customers in India are very demanding and want the latest.” But he, however, declined to put any time line for the proposed roll-out.

Audi has recently launched A7 Sportback, a luxury sedan with a price tag of over Rs 65 lakh. The reports mentioned that Reddy stated that the company would be launching a brand new version of its existing A6 model in India in the fourth quarter of 2011. “The current A6 model is priced at about Rs 38 lakh. It is too early to put a price tag to the new A6 model that we will be launching. It will be on the same A6 platform,” he said. It was also reported that when asked about the likely roll out of its premium sports utility vehicle Q3, he said the company is currently working on the launch of the five-door coupe crossover, which is likely to make its debut in India by late 2011 or early next year.

Fisker Karma may have been driven for “a couple of laps” around the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix by Prince Albert of Monaco in late May, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to hit dealerships in the U.S. anytime soon. In fact, word is the promised delivery date of the Karma plug-in has been pushed back again. Sort of.

According to Green Car Reports, Roger Ormisher, Director of Global Communications for Fisker Automotive, says that the “first dealer [demonstrator vehicles] and customer cars will arrive on these shores in July.” Of course, that means the automaker will log zero sales in May and, as Ormisher told GCR, “probably not June either.” Previously, Ormisher told AutoblogGreen that:

We will start shipping cars to retailers and importers in both U.S. and Europe to arrive during May/June and the first deposit holders will be in their cars in the June/July timeframe.

Let’s hope this is the last of the Karma’s already numerous delays.

Source: Autoblog

Chevrolet

General Motors is adding a photovoltaic array to the roof of its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. The facility’s new solar panels will help offset the energy consumed when producing Chevy Volts. GM has partnered with DTE Energy on the planned 516-kilowatt installation, which will cover 264,000 square feet on six acres of land. In addition to the solar array, further energy-saving measures like automated equipment shutdown, more efficient lighting, and upgrades to more energy-efficient assembly tools will be implemented.

Aston Martin

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been waiting to unleash the full might of the Aston Martin customization program on the Toyota iQ Cygnet. What colors, both hideous and delicious, will the pint-sized Aston boast? What kind of leather will coddle the behinds of the overpaid and tasteless? Fear not, friends. All these questions and more are now easily answered with nothing more than a visit to the brand-new Aston Martin website. From there, you can easily configure your Cygnet in any fashion possible.

Unfortunately, there are four 16-inch wheels to choose from, so if you want any serious rollers, you’re going to need to turn your attentions to the aftermarket. Should you find yourself with a heap of time on your hands, we highly recommend heading over to the new Aston Martin site to wile away the day. The good news is that you can build up any number of the automaker’s products, including the sexy new Virage, should the Cygnet fail to inspire

Source: Autoblog

Volkswagen today launched the Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion TDI in India. The new super luxury sedan is powered with the 2.0 liter diesel engine. The diesel engine can produce a robust 170 bhp of power and an excellent 350 Nm torque. This new sedan is incorporated with fuel saving features like reduced engine idle speed, longer gear ratios, Start-stop technology, Regenerative braking etc. Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion diesel is priced at 20.18 lakhs for the Trendline model, however the Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion Comfortline model is tagged at Rs 23.80 lakhs. On the other hand Volkswagen has priced the Highline model at Rs 25.65 lakhs.

Overall

Volkswagen Passat, the name that symbolizes sophistication supremacy has been designed with extra care to give it a dynamic and stunning look that will enchant the onlookers at first sight. The company had discontinued its diesel operated Passat Highline DSG and Passat Highline DSG S and later offered the car with a new TSI petrol engine. Volkswagen Passat now comes in only one variant.

Volkswagen Passat is packed with new 1.8L, 1798cc TSI petrol engine, enabled with 6 Speed manual gearbox and direct injection supply system. This highly advanced engine is very powerful and fuel efficient and offers a very smooth and luxurious drive alongwith power of 160PS at 4500-6200 rpm and maximum torque of 250Nm at 1500-4500rpm.

Ford is ready to show off the 2011 F-150… in fact it’s so excited about it that it wants you to drive one (or four) before the truck arrives in dealer showrooms. The F-150 is receiving a slew of new powertrain options, including the all-new 3.5-liter EcoBoost unit. The twin-turbocharged. direct-injection V6 mill is capable of great power numbers and is rumored to come in around the 400 mark for both horsepower and torque. Also making their debut in the 2011 F-150 are the 3.7-liter V6 base engine, the 5.0-liter V8 and the top-of-the-line 6.2-liter V8 for the Platinum edition truck. Ford is taking a fleet of trucks on a whirlwind tour around the country and expects to put 20,000 butts in the driver’s seats. The Built Ford Tough Roundup is going to kick off in Texas on Saturday, September 25th, 2010. It will then make a great big convoy across the USA as Texas gives way to Maryland, Georgia, Florida and finally California. All those stops will be hit before the 2011 Ford F-150 checks its on-sale date off the calendar. If you are interested in checking out these updated trucks for yourself, you can register online atDriveF150.com. If you are on Facebook (at this point, who isn’t on Facebook?), you can sign up by going toFacebook.com/FordTrucks.

Source: Ford, Auto Blog