The Mother of All Parking Fails Happened Right in front of the DMV!

It starts with a simple bump to another car stationed behind, but this parking incident quickly escalates from a silly facepalm into a massive "holy crap!" episode. Seriously, you have to see it to believe it.

Scary Close Call Will Make You Move from Your Chair

Brazilian college student and motorcycle driver Renan Ribas together with his cousin, who was riding at the back, are extremely lucky to be alive after a Volkswagen Polo that had just made a dangerous and foolish pass slid out of control on the BR-280 highway in São Francisco do Sul, this past Saturday, clipping the bike before crashing into another vehicle. 

Ford Shows Stylish 2015 Ka Concept in Brazil

In spite of what the title of this article may have you believe, the recently revealed 2015 Ford Ka concept doesn’t really appear to have anything in common with what those who know the Ka associate with.

The car we have here is for all intents and purposes, a different Fiesta that uses a name that since 1996 has been synonymous with very small dimensions, two doors and unbeatable agility around crowded cities (more so with the first-gen and less so with the latest Fiat 500-based model).

Granted, no information on dimensions were provided, so it may very well be smaller than the regular Fiesta, though knowing that car, it would translate into a completely unusable back seat if the same style of interior packaging is used.

This all-new model, which seems to have been styled along the same lines as the older Escort concept, and since the old one wasn’t an eyesore, this new Ka is not bad either. Revealed yesterday in Brazil, it’s design is the work of Ford’s Brazilian design team, but unlike the Escort, this is a production model in disguise, with blacked out windows and most likely no interior (yet).

It features LED headlights, the now-trademark Aston Martin-esque grille and pleasing proportions from any angle, though the back is a bit anonymous - if we were to edit out the badge, and not tell you what it is, you’d be hard-pressed to peg it down as a Blue Oval car…

Expect to see this again, actual production form, closer to its suspected release date, sometime around the middle of next year when it becomes available in Brazil, likely as the Figo.

Scroll down and check out the gallery below.

By Andrei Nedelea

Story References: Indianautosblog via Novidadesautomotivas

PHOTO GALLERY

Toyota's Low Cost Etios Gains a New Cross Edition in Brazil

Apparently, there's a strong market for small pseudo-SUVs in Brazil, as after Volkswagen with its Cross Fox, Fiat with the Idea Adventure and Uno Way, and more recently, Hyundai with the HB20X, Toyota is also jumping on the bandwagon with the Etios Cross that goes on sale from November 18.

The Cross treatment on the Etios hatchback (there's also a sedan body style) applies on the lower part of the body with some visually questionable black plastic moldings and silver-colored trims together with a new grille, roof bars that can transport luggage weighing up to 50 kg (110 lbs) and restyled wheels.

The car also rides on a taller suspension, but that's the only change under the sheetmetal, with the Cross retaining the regular Etios' front-wheel drive powertrain that links a 96hp 1.5-liter engine to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Changes inside are also limited to the seat fabrics and the trim accents, with the Cross featuring the same basic equipment as the top-line Etios XLS.

Prices in Brazil start from R$45,690, which comes to around US$20,100 or €14,900.

PHOTO GALLERY

If You're Going to Anger Your Lady, You Better Hide Your Car or Else….

Reminds us not piss off any Brazilian woman. Dozens of bystanders on a street in Vila Olímpia, an upper-class neighborhood in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were treated to a spectacle earlier this week when a young woman lashed out her anger on her boyfriend's or according to some other accounts, husband's black Honda Accord.
The woman used anything she could get her angry hands on, from keys to bricks, to cause as much damage as she could on the Japanese sedan.

Formula 1: Brazilian Grand Prix Race Report

It’s not the first time that the Formula 1 title has gone down to the wire. Far from it, since any fan of the sport can certainly recall some epic finales.
In 2008, for example, when Ferrari’s Felipe Massa crossed the finish line, he had won not only the Brazilian Grand Prix but also the world championship as McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was in sixth place. The latter, though, passed Timo Glock in the second-to-last corner and moved up to fifth, clinching the title by a single point and leaving Massa second.

Infiniti Goes to Brazil, will Launch with a New Sedan, the FX and JX in 2014

Even though Nissan originally created Infiniti in 1989 to cater to the needs of North American consumers, the Japanese brand has since rapidly expanded its global network that currently includes 47 countries around the globe.
This year alone, Infiniti added Singapore, Chile, the Dominican Republic, South Africa and Australia to the list of countries it operates within, with Hong Kong to follow in early 2013.
And that's no all, as on Saturday, Infiniti announced plans to begin sales in Brazil starting in 2014 with the opening of "Infiniti Centres" in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Fiat to Launch New Strada Small Pickup Truck in its Home Market

Starting from next week, Fiat will offer its new Strada pickup truck in its home market of Italy. The Strada is Fiat's second best-selling commercial vehicle after the Ducato with 127,800 units sold worldwide in 2011. It is built at the company's FIASA plant in Betim, Brazil.
The revised light commercial model comes in three flavors named Working, Trekking and Adventure plus three body styles, including short cab, long cab and the four-seater crew cab for a total of six different variants.

European Automakers Demand a Fair Deal in Emerging Auto Markets

At a recent meeting of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), industry leaders voiced their concerns over government assistance, high import tariffs and other trade barriers in newly minted auto markets such as China, India and South Korea. It’s a situation that’s made it very difficult, if not impossible, for the Euros to compete.
Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler and the President of ACEA puts it well: “We are asking for a level playing field.”
Paul Everitt, CEO of the UK’S SMMT motor industry group echoes those remarks: “Our vision is for us to design, develop and manufacture high-value vehicles to export around the world. That is difficult if we don't get access.”

Mazda and Sumitomo to Open New Plant in Mexico, Sales Company in Brazil

Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that it is opening a new production facility in Mexico, and a sales company in Brazil, both in collaboration with Sumitomo. The Japanese manufacture proceeded with these moves in order to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing Central and South American markets.

New Chevrolet Colorado Roughens Up with Double-Cab Rally Concept

The Buenos Aires Motorshow is proving to be an important event for GM as after the debut of the Chevrolet Cobalt Concept, the Detroit automaker released the first details on its second design study, the Colorado Rally Concept.
We first saw the Colorado as single-cab concept truck at the Bangkok International Auto Show earlier this year.

The Argentine study is a double-cab racing version of that concept fitted with a bevy of off-road accessories and components such as the front and rear bumper hooks and tow winches, an adjustable suspension that allows the driver to increase the ride height by 5 inches and special acrylic windows.

GM Unveils New Chevrolet Cobalt Sedan Concept at Buenos Aires

Here in the good ‘ol US of A, General Motors replaced the Chevrolet Cobalt compact car with the new Cruze sedan. In South America, however, it’s another story as the Detroit brand has given birth to a new Chevy Cobalt that is being revealed in pre-production form at this week’s Buenos Aires Motor Show (June 17 to 26) in Argentina.
Developed by General Motors Technical Center in South America, the four-door sedan Cobalt Concept is slated to enter production within the next year. GM’s press blurb doesn’t mention anything about the Cobalt’s underpinnings, but judging from the size of the car, it appears to be based on the Chevy Sonic (Aveo in Europe) saloon.

New Renault Duster for South America Debuts at Buenos Aires Motor Show

The Renault-Nissan Alliance’s low-cost Dacia Duster SUV has lost its Romanian badges to cater to the needs of the South American market where it will be sold under the Renault brand.
Redesigned for the local market, the Renault Duster SUV makes its regional debut at this week’s Buenos Aires Motor Show. It will first launch in Argentina and Brazil during the last quarter of the year, with more countries to follow after. Production will take place at Renault’s Curitiba plant in Brazil.

The Great Escape: Motorcyclist Rides Through a Three-Car Accident

It is a known and sad fact that most drivers will experience an accident two at some point in their careers on the road. Fortunately for the motorcyclist seen in this footage from a closed circuit camera in a tunnel, it just wasn’t meant to happen this time. The driver of the motorcycle miraculously passed through a three car accident that seems to have been caused by two cars chasing each other,
We don’t know the wheres and whens of the incident and there’s a good chance that this video may not be new, but the commentator on the background appears to be speaking Portuguese (any help with translation would be appreciated). Watch the clip after the break.

Nissan Brazil Strikes Again with an Ad for a Family Minivan that You’re Never Going See in the U.S. [NSFW]

Back in March, Nissan do Brasil aired a commercial, which drew the wrath of Ford’s local arm for making claims that the Detroit automaker charges customers too much for its family models. But while Ford’s people only saw a Focus and a pair of rappers dressed as engineers chanting about the money they made by overpricing the hatchback, some viewers were also captivated by the curvalicious bikini-clad models…
Now, Nissan of Brazil returns with a new TV spot, this time for the Livina 7-seater compact minivan. While the Japanese carmaker avoids referring to a specific rival, the theme appears to be similar: scantily dressed female models dancing provocatively and a tagline aimed at the competition. And oh; towards the end of the clip you may notice the Livina and young family of four (not that we’re complaining about the appearance of the ladies…).

Urban Trash Art Car from Brazil - Country covered in trash gets a makeover

This Urban Trash Art Car is brought to you by Urban Trash Art that I found via my new ACC central follower Rodrigo Machado who posted it on his blog. Not really a street legal art car due to the lack of any front or side impact safety zones. But it is a good use of trash and these guys go around Brazil and reconstruct trash into these amazing sculptures. I guess that means there is a lot of trash laying around Brazil. Nice work guys!!! Here is the video as well of the two gusy in action.