I don’t mean to be a bummer, but a team of researchers from UC Berkeley, Switzerland, and Spain, have found that exposure to exhaust fumes thickens arteries and could increase the chances of cardiovascular disease.

The study looked at people in the Los Angeles area who live within 100 meters of a highway. It found that their arteries thickened by 5.5 micrometers – one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair – per year, more than twice the average.

“For the first time, we have shown that air pollution contributes to the early formation of heart disease, known as atherosclerosis, which is connected to nearly half the deaths in Western societies and to a growing proportion of deaths in the rapidly industrializing nations of Asia and Latin America,” said study co-author Michael Jerrett, UC Berkeley associate professor of environmental health sciences. “The implications are that by controlling air pollution from traffic, we may see much larger benefits to public health than we thought previously.”

Via: UC Berkeley

Infants learn the rhythm and tone of their native language before they’re born. In fact, newborns from different countries have different cries. My mom brought me home in a 1970 Austin America. I can’t consciously remember it, but it burned an obsession with tiny, quirky hatchbacks into the synapses of my brain.

The compact car market has been in full swing for some time. Cars like the Mini, Smart and Scion have helped pave the way for these new little beasties and help them become solidified as something more than just and automotive trend. While walking through the GM display I noticed two new little guys that I had not seen before. The Chevrolet Aveo RS show car and the GMC Granite were drawing oohs, aahs as well as they occasional WTF, from onlookers.

Up first is the Chevrolet Aveo RS show car. Now keep in mind, this is based off of the standard Chevy Aveo – a car that is by no means a performance oriented compact. For the show car however, Chevy took hold of the little 1.6 liter I-4 Ecotech and slapped a turbo charger on it. This bumped power from 106 hp to a semi-respectable 138 hp that is put down by a 6-speed manual transmission. Granted at 138 hp this is no pavement shredder, but when you consider the car weighs in at just over 2500 lbs. it’s actually not that bad.

There is something to be said about owning a beater. They’re not pretty, generally don’t run well and are most likely the farthest thing from a performance vehicle that one can imagine. The general public views them with looks of disgust and considers them road hazards. What they don’t realize however is that to those of us in the automotive know, our beaters are our full-on prize possessions.

The beater is a ride that laughs in the face of all that is beautiful in the automotive spectrum. They love parking on city streets and live for door dings and crappy weather. The beater is a beast that does what all high-end garage queens strive to be, that being… useful. Go to any Home Depot or the local train station and see for yourselves how many Mercedes and BMW’s you see in the lot – the simple fact is, not to many. They don’t live here… this is the beaters playground.

God knows over the years I’ve had my share of beaters. Everything ranging from a 1981 Mercury Capri (remember those), to a clapped out rusted Dodge Dakota pick-up truck, to my all time favorite… a 1997 Mercury Villager mini-van… man do I miss that thing. They were all great vehicles that did exactly what they were supposed to do. They gave me the freedom to park, go and do anything I wanted without the worry of something happening to them. So, with that being said, let’s here about the POS you’ve got in the driveway… I flippin’ love these things so post them up and be proud of your pile.

Related: RideLust’s 15 Beaters That Won’t Disappoint

More grist for the mill in the ongoing debate about the aftereffects of Cash for Clunkers and the current recession: Kelley Blue Book reports that small car sales unexpectedly rose in September, after tumbling precipitously when gas prices stabilized. This is despite the fact that the Cash for Clunkers program ended on August 24th, and that overall sales of new cars have been down after the program. This also contradicts a recent survey among new car buyers that suggested that large numbers of the C4C buyers who purchased small cars were unsatisfied with their purchase and would buy a larger car next time.

It is a bit of marketing trickery to gussy up an otherwise unremarkable vehicle with a “GT” or “Sport” or some other ambiguous nomenclature in an effort in inject a little zest into an otherwise lifeless ride. This is especially true with cars such as the 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring model. It’s unclear what is exactly so “Touring” about it other than the fact that it has a sizable wagon-hatch appendage. The idea of a “Touring” car evokes images of a Racing Green British Coupe heading to Surrey for the weekend, not a Korean wagon loaded with lawn chairs destined for the South Jersey shore. However, despite the pretense, Hyundai’s supersized Elantra delivers the goods in several areas that largely erases their careless misrepresentations. 

Maybe we’re spoiled. Yeah that’s that right. Spoiled. It used to be that buying a compact car was an excercise in self-sacrifice. And not just of space. Small cars used to also carry with them a variety of other downsides including a void of power, few amenities and questionable reliability. Not so anymore. Now the current field of compact options has expanded and improved to the point where consumers want and can have all of those things and more at a still entry-level price. Which has created a bit of a problem for the 2009 Nissan Sentra, a longtime compact entry and previously solid contender in a crowd that may have left the Sentra in their collective dust.

Forget about extended-range EVs or hybrids, Ford is going whole-hog in Europe with the Focus BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a straight-up electric Euro Focus, which is hitting the ground for a series of prototype tests in the UK. Several British utility companies and Strathclyde University will evaluate a total of 15 vehicles to see if the battery-tastic Focus is suitable for picky European market consumers. Apparently the Focus BEV will get an impressive 75 miles on a charge, is able to reach 85 MPH, and will charge up in 6 to 8 hours on a 230V outlet. Not shabby for a glorified golf cart! Press release and gallery after the jump.

Hide in shame no longer, Ford fanatics, the 2011 Ford Focus is almost here and it’s going to be a damn sight better than that Methuselah-esque jalopy currently masquerading as a new car. Ford fanboys already have some good news with word coming down of US-bound Ecoboost turbocharged four-bangers, and this is bound to have them hootin’, hollerin’, and sprayin’ each other down with Miller High Life in celebration. It’ll share architecture with the brand new C-Max pictured above which is debuting at Frankfurt, and you’ll have your choice of a four-door sedan or a five-door hatch (which isn’t a bodystyle available on the current North American Focus, although it was in the past). AND it’ll get a version of the Ecoboost engine we were gushing about earlier today. If you’ve always wanted a Focus RS, cross your fingers, because it might actually happen on these shores. Huzzah!!!

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Usually, when an automaker debuts a remarkably hideous concept car at a major auto show, you can be assured of two things: 1.) the engineers probably experiment with LSD and 2.) it’s highly unlikely it will ever see production. The Renault Twizy Z.E. Concept, however, has robbed us of that sense of security. While yes, the parties responsible for its construction are likely guilty of multiple counts of felony possession, Renault has announced that the Twizy Z.E. Concept – though not itself a production-intent vehicle – will serve as the forerunner for an as-yet-unnamed EV due out in 2011. According to the press release, the 900-pound Twizy Z.E. is powered by a 20-horsepower, 70 Nm motor that provides an acceleration rate similar to that of a 125cc bike, without any of the cool factor.