McLaren prices MP4-12C at $229,000 US (19,500,000 PK )

McLaren has finally slapped a sticker on its first road car in nearly a decade and to get behind the wheel of the all-new, carbon-fiber tubbed MP4-12C you'll need $229,000. To start.

As expected, the 12C's sticker is right in line with the primary competition from Ferrari and Lamborghini, with the 458 coming in around $225,000 and the latest Gallardo LP-570-4 stickering for just over $237,000.

 Naturally, $229k doesn't include the extras, and after speaking with Managing Director Antony Sheriff last year in Monterey, it's clear that McLaren plans on on offering a host of upgrades to the 12C, ranging from lightweight wheels and bespoke paint to a three-camera interior recording system for track days. Expect ordering details to be released soon, but if you haven't put your name on the waiting list already, we suspect you might have a tough time getting your hands on one before 2013.

Video: Chevrolet gives Kid Rock custom Camaro for his 40th birthday

Chevrolet and NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson teamed up to make Kid Rock's recent birthday party one the Detroit city rocker will likely never forget. During the singer's 40th birthday celebration concert, Johnson presented Rock a brand-new Chevrolet Camaro on behalf of the Bow Tie brand. You know, because if there's anyone who can't afford to buy his own car, it's Kid Rock. Sarcasm aside, Rock seemed genuinely surprised and grateful for the gift.

BMW X1 gets brand's first 245-hp turbocharged four-cylinder

The BMW X1 may not arrive in the U.S. on schedule, but when it does show up, it will come packing a turbocharged four-cylinder. The all-aluminum 2.0-liter mill cranks out 245 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque thanks to direct-injection and a single twin-scroll turbo. European buyers will be able to bolt the engine to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic and the company's xDrive all-wheel drive system. BMW claims the manual-equipped X1 will do the 0-62 mph in around 6.1 seconds. while opting for the auto will tack another .3 seconds onto its sprint time.

 The German automaker has bolted on a heap of fuel-saving technologies, including start-stop and regenerative braking systems as well as a shift indicator. All told, BMW is shooting for 35.7 mpg on the imperial scale, or just under 30 mpg by U.S. measure – not too shabby for a full-time all-wheel drive machine. The fuel economy marks an improvement of 16 percent compared to the old lump.

Presenting the Remote Controlled Super Doggie

Dogs are smart—they deftly navigate obstacles and help us locate contraband like weapons and drugs—but they're easily distracted. This new GPS- and radio-equipped harness allows computers to keep trained pups on task remotely with sounds and vibrations.
The harness, developed at Auburn University, solves the foremost shortcoming of trained canines: they must remain in close physical proximity with a handler. The rig has GPS sensors, a processor and a wireless radio, and a computer programmed with a target destination can remotely trigger tones or vibrate the pack on either side to guide the dog. The humans, presumably, are kicking back and drinking margaritas.
In a preliminary test a yellow lab named Major followed the harnesses computer-given directions 80% of the time (while the computer itself correctly administered those directions 90% of the time). Pretty good!
Paul Waggoner, a senior scientist at the Canine Detection Research Institute, acknowledges that some people might object to technologies that make it easier for us to put dogs in dangerous situations. But "the reality is," he explains, "a dog is much more capable at avoiding, recovering, and basically retreating from any kind of dangerous situation than a person is...Often, a person is what's encumbering a dog." And maybe sometimes a huge computer backpack.