Hyundai's New Elantra GT and Elantra Coupe Make their Video Debuts

So you want to see the newest additions to Hyundai's Elantra range on film, do you? If the answer is yes, follow the break to watch the first videos of both the Elantra GT, which is the North American version of the European market i30 hatchback, and the Elantra Coupe that is based on the sedan model sold in select markets around the world.

For more information regarding the two newly introduced Hyundai models that premiere at this week's 2012 Chicago Auto Show, visit our previous posts on the Elantra GT here and the Elantra Coupe here.

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Arab Spring Brings Increased Car Sales in the Middle East as Governments Toss Around Money

When oil prices go up, car sales, especially those of gas-guzzling models, go down. There's one place, though, where the exact opposite is happening right now: it’s the Middle East where new car sales are booming.

Sure, many countries in the region, like Bahrain and Syria, are facing severe political turmoil, but on the other hand, since oil prices are on the rise with crude oil having gained 6.7 percent over the last 12 months, revenues of local governments have increased accordingly.

Said governments, wanting to avoid uprisings, are injecting cash into the economy increasing their citizens’ income.

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Man Builds a Gaming Cockpit out of an Opel Astra

If you're into cars, then it's very likely that you're also into racing games like the PS3's Gran Turismo, the Xbox 360's Forza or online sims like iRacing.

Since most auto enthusiasts / gamers want to play in an environment as close to reality as possible, they usually end up swapping the regular controller for a steering wheel, pedal and gearbox set and the couch for a racing seat - chassis combo.

However, some gamers take the idea to far more extremes, like YouTube user "NBJAG" who is currently in the process of creating a real life simulator using the interior and parts of the exterior of a first generation Opel Astra from the 1990s with the Thrusmaster T500 RS steering, pedal and TH8 gearbox bundle.

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New Toyota Prius C Hybrid Hatch Priced from $18,950*

Toyota has released pricing on its new Prius C, which is the third hybrid model to join the Prius range in the States after the original liftback and the new minivan.

The subcompact hatchback will arrive at Toyota dealerships in March 2012 with prices starting from $18,950, not including a $760* destination, processing and handling fee that puts the total to $19,710.

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Nissan Debuts NV200 Compact Cargo Van at the Chicago Auto Show

The Nissan NV200 compact cargo van made its North American debut today at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The commercial version of New York City's NV200 Taxi joins Nissan's expanding lineup of professional vans that includes the full-size NV Cargo and Passenger variants.

Even though the NV200 Cargo is making its first appearance on U.S. soil, the compact van is already available in more than 40 countries around the world. However, the North American NV200's body has been extended 7.9 inches (200 mm) compared to the regular models sold elsewhere.

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Video Footage Shows Police Officers Beating a Diabetic Driver in Shock [NSFW]

The "shoot first ask questions later" approach of some police officers from Henderson City in Nevada resulted in the cruel beating of Adam Greene who was suffering from a diabetic shock at the time.

The incident took place more than a year ago but the video footage from a Highway Patrol vehicle was released on Tuesday after Green reached a settlement in his federal lawsuit against the Henderson police department.

According to the police report, a patrol car spotted a Honda Accord weaving among lanes at about 4 a.m. on October 29, 2010, before it came to a stop near Lake Mead Parkway and Boulder Highway in Henderson. More Nevada State Troopers and Henderson police cars soon arrived to the scene.

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GM Officials Shocked by Opel & Vauxhall's Latest Losses, Demand Much Deeper Cuts

It surely came as no surprise to General Motors executives that their European division is once again, bleeding cash. After all, they knew that Opel and Vauxhall had already lost US$580 million in the first nine months of 2011.

However, as the Wall Street Journal reports, they weren’t prepared for the “horrendous” fourth quarter losses. Therefore, despite declaring last week that it is determined to turn around Opel, GM is now seriously reconsidering its options.

According to the report, an unnamed GM official said on Tuesday that the U.S. group is almost fed up with its European brands’ inability to make progress: “There is an increasing frustration with Opel and a feeling that the cuts two years ago did not go deep enough. If Opel is going to get fixed, it is going to get fixed now and the cuts are going to be deep.”

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