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Auto Show, Safety, Ford Edge

When is aВ power 2,700 pound projectile? When little Muffy is riding shotgun, big old fuzzy head stuck out the window, tongue lolling in the breeze and all of a sudden master crashes the darn thing into some unforseen obstacle. In the interest of keeping pets safe, Bark Buckle UP, a pet travel safety organization, has some recommendations. Among endorsement of the Doggie Seat Belt and exhortations to take steps toward pet safety in the car, are some vehicular mentions. While pet safety is a laudable goal, this announcement leaves us feeling a little dirty, like it’s mostly a thinly-veiled ploy to sell stuff.

In any case, Bark Buckle UP gave its Top Dog awards away at the New York Auto Show, and the Ford Edge has trotted away with the Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice Top Dog award. “The Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets,” says Ford Edge marketing manager Brett Burin upon the Edge’s crowning. Bark Buckle UP agrees, citing the vehicle’s combination of space, ease of ingress and egress for Fifi and Fido, rear ventilation and adaptability to pet gear as reasons for the win. Ford vehicles took four of the award’s ‘choice’ slots for 2010, with the Transit Connect, Flex, and Lincoln MKT also making the list. The other alternative is to avoid either having a dog altogether (they’re smelly, and they lick their butts) or don’t chauffeur your pooch around if you have opened your home to canis domesticus. If you’re a dog lover, though, you might want to check out the official press release after the jump.

Geneva 2010: Hispano Suiza debuts the… Hispano Suiza

Frankfurt Motor Show, Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Luxury

В The new Hispano Suiza (there’s no model name) is essentially a rebodied aluminum, magnesium and carbon fiber Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI, only they’ve pluggedВ  two electric-superchargers into the intake manifold. As a result, power is up through the roof, improving upon the R8 V10′s 525 hp by 225 ponies for a total of 750 horsepower. As you may have guessed, performance is also way up, with 60 mph happening in 3.3 seconds (up from 4.5 in the R8) and a top speed of 211 miles per hour (196 mph in the Audi), propelling the new 3,505-lb Hispano Suiza squarely into hypercar territory.

The reborn Hispano Suiza company plans to build between 20 and 25 of their new cars per year. Our take? Good luck. Frankly, that’s a ludicrous amount of money for a vehicle that just doesn’t do much for us. For that lofty price tag, you’d think they could at least give the poor car a name.