Gizmodo: icar

Volkswagen/Apple iCar On Hold, Upper Middle Class Weep

Jason Chen — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:50:28 EST

If you've been looking forward to a possible Volkswagen + Apple car, or iCar, you'll have to wait slightly longer as talks between the two companies have just been put on hold. The bad news is that the exploratory talks are at an end, but the good news is that there were exploratory talks to begin with. VW fans and Apple fans overlap pretty well (picture a Venn Diagram with Batman on one circle and Bruce Wayne on the other), and will be willing to purchase any type of iCar that will eventually be sloshed forth from the combined loins. [Presseportal via German Car Blog via Jalopnik]

Steve Jobs and VW Chairman Talk iCar

Charlie White — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:49:04 EDT

A Volkswagen spokesperson told German magazine Capital that an iCar may be on the way. Steve Jobs and VW Chairman Martin Winterkorn got together in California a few days ago to "plan an intensive co-operation with the building of vehicles." It might even be called an iCar. This is against a background of chatter we heard floating around last month, but we're not thinking Apple's going to get into the car business.

This will probably be another exercise in incorporation, where iPod functionality is integrated into the car as it was on BMW 7 series. We're hoping it's considerably more substantial than the iPod integration into the Honda Civic Hybrid, which we've tested here and had a hard time getting enthusiastic about.

But if rumors from last month are true, we might see additional niceties on board, such as Wi-Fi and maybe even a Mac mini, totally driving drivers to distraction. Just don't check your email at 80mph, please. [Capital, via MacRumors]

Corgi iCar Speakers For Digital Audio Players

Gizloco — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:41:37 EDT

Respected replica car maker Corgi has come out with the iCar, a tricked out set of speakers that's compatible with digital music players. What puts the "car" in "iCar" is the 1:24 scale model car. In addition to the sporty-looking car above, there's also an Escalade version, so you can pretend to be Jay-Z all over again. Once plugged in, the model jumps and tilts just like all those urban assault vehicles on the road. What's more, you don't really even have to plug in a digital music player: the iCar comes with is own set of tunes that it'll play in lieu of real music. There's enough lights and annoying sound effects to drive any man daffy.

The iCar is available now for and can be found for around $30 online. Corgi's Web site has a video of the iCar in action, so get to it. – Nicholas Deleon

Product Page [Corgi USA via Pocket-lint.co.uk]

iPod on Wheels: Mitsubishi "i" Play Edition

Charlie White — Wed, 17 May 2006 12:03:43 EDT

Even though we are quite fond of Mitsubishi's "i" car, our Gizmodo soul takes a special liking to the iPod nano receptacle within its Play Edition. Slide the nano into the appropriately-sized slot and then you can control it from the navigation screen's touch panel.

Choose white or black to match your nano, and listen to your tunes with six speakers. The car starts selling today in Japan for $14,500; there's no word if it will be available in the states. Never mind the car, we just want that plug-in iPod interface, preferably one that will also work with larger iPods.

Mitsubishi "i" Play Edition with iPod slot [Newlaunches]