The good oil: Roadworks advice gets to the point

The go-anywhere Unimog truck has been used by NZ defence forces for years. Photo / Supplied

Hobson St pretty much came to a halt on Wednesday. Reason: workmen and trucks were blocking both sides of the one-way main artery and traffic was shoehorned into one and two lanes. A sign was positioned metres away from it, rather than back down the road to allow motorists to take another route. Zev Yaroslovsky knows how frustrating roadworks are for motorists. He's the county roading supervisor for Los Angeles and in charge of work for two days next month on a stretch of freeway. He warned LA commuters: "The best alternative route is to totally avoid the area, completely avoid it, don't come anywhere near it, don't even think about coming to it. Stay the heck out of here."

Wrangling laughs

The Jeep Wrangler has evolved from a crude utilitarian workhorse, to a utilitarian workhorse with a long list of comfort options. The workers in Toledo, Ohio, who assemble the Wranglers, are proud of their product. So, when President Barack Obama jokingly questioned the Wrangler's capabilities, some workers didn't laugh. Obama was in Toledo to thank Chrysler for repaying early money owed to the federal Government. He said Chrysler had faced bumps in the road that even a Wrangler couldn't drive over. Jeep workers told Obama he was out of line and the President defused the situation with a joke.

Gorgeous machines so quick you wouldn't feel a thing

It's a given - Ducati makes some of the most gorgeous two-wheeled machines on the planet.

And now Danish artist Kristian van Hornsleth has responded to the lines of the company's 1098 and 1198 bruisers by applying a special paint scheme to 10 of the machines.

Hornsleth calls the series "Kill Me Fast," perhaps appropriate for bikes that can rip off the zero to 100km/h dash in two seconds.

He was drawn to the Ducatis when he asked a salesman if it was dangerous to ride such a fast bike and the salesman said you don't feel anything when you hit a wall going 320km/h.

Tax attracts

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson and former Toyota NZ managing director Bob Field (below) have something in common: both want the tax on fuel increased. Field said some years ago - well before $2 a litre - that a higher pump price would change driving habits and drive buyers towards more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Now Akerson is saying the same thing. He told the Detroit News: "You know what I'd rather have them [federal regulators] do - slap a 50c or dollar tax on a gallon of gas. People will start buying more [Chevrolet] Cruzes and fewer [Chevrolet SUV] Suburbans."

May: Not end of the road for 'Top Gear'

Reports of the demise of Top Gear have been greatly exaggerated, says presenter James May, in response to a speech he gave at a fashion event when he said the show had only a short shelf life. Media outlets jumped on the quip but May later clarified things, saying it wouldn't last forever with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and himself at the helm.

Facelift leaves utilitarian Unimog hardly recognisable

The go-anywhere Unimog truck has been used by NZ defence forces for years. Daimler-Benz took over production in 1951 and 60 years on, Mercedes-Benz looks to honour the history of the vehicle while also taking a look at its possible future. The concept is based on the modern Unimog U 5000 chassis, while the open top is a nod to the original Benz Unimog from 1951. The rest doesn't really bring anything else from the Unimog's history to mind, instead pointing the way towards radical styling, oversize wheels and a fully exposed chassis.

Teenage drivers

Seventy per cent of the top-10 deadliest days for teenage drivers in the US fall between the last Monday in May (Memorial Day) and the first Monday in September (Labour Day). The American Automobile Association said a study of accident data from 2005 to 2009 showed an average of 422 teen fatalities a month in June, July and August compared with 363 during non-summer months. The AAA blames the spike on driver inexperience and more teens on the road at night in summer. It said teenage drivers are three times more likely to have a fatal accident than all other categories of drivers. This risk is highest during the first year of solo driving. Also, the chance of a fatal crash doubles when driving at night.

Muscling in on the market

The price of petrol hasn't stopped Americans snapping up V6 and V8 muscle cars, a reverse of recent sales trends. They bought more Ford Mustangs, Chev Camaros and Dodge Challengers (19,476) in the month of May than hybrids (17,852). But supply problems after the tsunami in Japan had much to do with the turnaround.

Toyota sold 12,477 Prius models in April, but 6924 in May. Analysts expect hybrid sales to reach new highs once the Prius is back in the inventory pipeline.