TechCrunch reports that Facebook is moving to purchase the navigation and traffic app Waze for a lofty sum. The buy would be the latest in a long line of high-dollar acquisitions by the social networking site, and both sides of the acquisition have reportedly entered into advanced due diligence after negotiations began six months ago. Early estimates put the payout somewhere between US$800 million and US$1 billion... if both sides can overcome a few stumbling blocks. The biggest of those is whether or not Waze will remain based in Israel or if it will relocate to the North America.

While both companies are remaining silent about the potential purchase, such a move makes sense. Facebook is constantly refining its mobile experience, and the site boasts 751 million active monthly mobile users. That's a jump of 54 per cent over last year, outpacing Facebook's desktop growth by nearly double, and the site would surely benefit by offering its mobile users navigation functionality.

Interestingly, this apparently isn't the first time Waze has found itself the object of a larger entity's lust – Apple reportedly showed interest in the company not so long ago.

Scroll down to watch a news video on the purchase.

BAIC has officially pulled the covers off of its new Senova D Series sedan for China. The four-door is based on the old Saab 9-5 and boasts a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. Local buyers can get their hands on the machine for around US$22,745 at current conversion rates. Other engine options include a turbocharged 1.8-litre comes standard on every trim except the very base model. Those goodies include a tire pressure monitoring system, active head restraints, blind spot detection, driver fatigue detection and parking sensors.

The Senova nameplate serves every model based on former Saab architectures, including the Epsilon, GM2900 and GM2400 platforms as well as engine and transmission tech. In order to promote its new products, BAIC has hired Hollywood staple Nicolas Cage to serve as the company's brand ambassador. Cage stars in the Senova-heavy Town of Car Legends action-packed video short (directed by Olivier Megaton of Transporter 3 and Taken 2 fame) which you can watch by scrolling below.

BMW and Pininfarina are planning to debut a new concept at the 2013 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. The Gran Lusso Coupé is designed to be the next logical step forward from the Zagato Coupé, and the one-off creation boasts plenty of BMW earmarks to set the car off as a true member of the German automaker's family. With a long wheel base and a stretched nose, the two door can't help but channel the long-dead BMW 8 Series, and the potent V12 under the hood only reinforces the link.

BMW has been kind enough to slip the world a few teasers, and the images show what looks like it could be the low-slung grand tourer of our dreams. Check out the full press release below for more information, and stay tuned for the full unveiling. A video showing BMW's new front-wheel drive concept car follows.

Isuzu has taken to advertising its new KB pickup truck with a unique initiative. The company wanted to apply the Google Street View philosophy to some of South Africa's more remote off-road trails, and the result is Suzuki Trail View. Using multiple action cameras situated in a 3D-printed housing strapped to the top of the truck, the crew began bouncing along dirt and rock paths, recording all the while. They also shot additional video and worked with experts to provide excellent clips on how to navigate common off-road obstacles.

You can watch the making-of video below, and you can head over to the Trail View site to poke around a few South African trails for yourself. All we want to know is, how long before Jeep does the same here in Canada?

My very first turn at the handlebars of a motorcycle came courtesy of an MSF Honda CB125. Despite the fact that it wore a very stern sticker on the tank warning all who rode that it was for instructional purposes only and not for legal sale, I wanted nothing more than to ride it past the cones of my license test and straight home. There was just something about the lightweight, low-power machine that just felt right. Now Honda is giving lucky buyers the chance to take home something similar. Meet the Grom. Yes, it's basically a sexed up scooter, but that's fine by me.

There's a fuel-injected 125cc single pushing the fat-tired bike around, and a four-speed gearbox handles shifting duty.The smallish 12-inch wheels give the Grom a bit of a goofball appearance, but the handsome bodywork and gold forks help offset the look. Something tells me this joker is more fun than should be legal. Check out a stunt riding video of the bike in action by scrolling down, and while you're there, you'll find a full press release on all of the new Honda powersports models, including the Grom. The bike will land in US showrooms this August with an MSRP of US$2,999, but no official word yet on the Grom making its way to Canada. We'll keep you posted on anything we hear.

Click here to watch the Grom's fancy footwork in the video below.

Seeing the wild Lamborghini Egoista is one thing, but hearing the single-seat concept car fire to life in all its glory is something entirely different. Visitors at the Lamborghini 50th anniversary celebration in Sant' Agata got that rare opportunity when the Egoista made its presence felt. Nothing says, "I have arrived" quite like a 5.2-litre V10 barking at the crowd. It may not be the prettiest belle at the ball, but it has the pipes to make even the most jaded among us weak in the knees.

You can catch the clip of the machine firing up in the brief (and sadly shaky) video below. We've also included more polished video recaps from the anniversary celebration. Something tells us you don't need a reason to spend a few minutes watching classic Lamborghini models prancing through Italy. You're welcome.

Babies and cars go together like screaming blobs of insomnia and sleep machines. New parents quickly find that nothing soothes an irritable newborn quite like a quick drive around the block, and Volkswagen employed that truth in the company's newest ad for its stop/start technology. The spot follows one new dad as he tries to lull his child to sleep with the burble and purr of his Tiguan TDI. Unfortunately, his efforts are thwarted by the machine's start/stop system at each stop light.

While the video does a great job of explaining how the start/stop system works and what it does for the buyer, Volkswagen took a bit of a gamble by having the system wake a sleeping baby. Automakers spend plenty of time trying to convince the world that their stop/start gear is as smooth as possible, and while this wee Volkswagen enthusiast falls asleep the moment the diesel engine wakes up, the implication is that the system isn't exactly imperceptible.

Check out the video clip for yourself.

If you've noticed a disturbing lack of dash cam in your life, our friends at sister site Translogic have just the thing for you. They've worked up a quick play-by-play for how to turn your GoPro Hero3 into a go-anywhere camera to record everything that goes on in front of your vehicle.

The steps are as simple as drilling small hole in the camera's water proof case to allow access to the USB charging port. From there, you can supply constant power through a 12-volt USB adapter. Mount the camera to your windshield using the suction mount and you're very nearly ready to go.

Next, set up the loop recording feature and you're good to go. The Hero3 can loop record in 5, 20, 60 or 120 minute files wherein it will record to the maximum time before starting a new save file. Once the memory card is full, it will record over the oldest file. It can also loop record in "maximum" mode, where the camera fills the memory card, then starts over again. Check out the video Translogic made below for a look at the finished results.

Harley-Davidson is making some room on its dealers' showroom floors. The motorcycle manufacturer has announced it will kill off a total of six models for 2014, including the XR1200X Sportster, FXS Softail Blackline and the FLHTC Electra Glide Classic. The company says it's pulling the plug on the bikes to "optimize the number of choices available," according to VisorDown, and to "reduce product overlap." We imagine it also has something to do with the fact that Harley-Davidson saw sales decline by more than 9 per cent year over year despite an increase in profits in 2012.

Much of that sales decline can be attributed to lackluster demand in the USA. The manufacturer will axe the FLHRC Road King Classic in North America only, while the FLHR Road King will fall off of the order books in other markets. Don't expect to see the FLTRX Road Glide Custom or the FLTRU Road Glide Ultra in 2014, either, though Harley-Davidson promises both bikes will return after a redesign.

Click here to take a trip to the Harley-Davidson museum in the video below.

General Motors has released more information on the 4.3-litre V6 available in the 2014 GMC Sierra. The engine will serve up 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque, with a six-speed automatic transmission, giving the V6 Sierra a maximum tow rating of 3,266 kg (7,200 pounds) in regular cab, short bed four-wheel drive configuration. GM claims that figure is 227 kg (500 pounds) more than the equivalent Ford F-150 equipped with a 3.7-litre V6, and 318 kg (700 pounds) more than the Ram 1500 with its 3.6-litre V6. Buyers can expect to see more of the 2014 GMC Sierra with the 4.3-litre engine later this year.

While the engine does deliver more torque than either of its main competitors, it falls short on the horsepower front. The 3.7-litre V6 in the F-150 develops 302 hp while the 3.6-litre V6 in the Ram 1500 yields 305 hp. GM says fuel economy estimates for its newest entry will land later this year.

Check out the video and full press release below for more information.

Edmunds reports the 2015 Hyundai Genesis Sedan will bow at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show next January. As expected, the redesigned luxury four-door will reportedly offer buyers an all-wheel drive option for the first time as well as a more refined interior. The news that the Genesis will show up at Detroit comes courtesy of Brandon Ramirez, senior group manager of product planning with Hyundai Motor America, though the executive stopped short of serving up any more details.

Edmunds points to "other sources" as saying the Genesis will receive a styling update in the same vein as the automaker's other Fluidic Sculpture design products. That may mean we'll see hints of the HCD-14 Genesis Concept in the final product, though the influence is likely to be pretty subtle if the spy shots above are any indication. The new model will also take a stab at improving both the machine's ride and handling as Hyundai continues to attempt to lure buyers away from brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Click through to watch a video review of the 2013 Hyundai Genesis.

Bentley is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with two special edition models. Both the Mulsanne and Continental lines can now be fitted with six new specification packages to mark the event, each named after a famous racer from the automaker's past. Each package combines one select exterior colour with with special interior combinations that pay homage to the gents who took the company's cars to victory in France.

John Duff, Dudley Benjafield, Woolf Barnato, Tim Birkin, Glen Kidston and Guy Smith all get their own namesake packages. You can see the full run down in the press release below. So far, there's no indication as to exactly how much each pack will cost, but we have a hard time imagining a dollar figure scaring off any potential Bentley buyers.

Hit the jump for the full photo gallery.

Consumer Reports is awfully fond of the Tesla Model S. The EV managed to pull down an impressive score of 99 out of 100 in the organization's evaluation, besting the Porsche Panamera Hybrid by a full 16 points. CR calls the battery-operated sedan "the most practical electric car we've ever tested" thanks to its 320 km (200 mile) range and blistering 5.6-second dash to 60 mph (96 km/h). Testers also had praise for the vehicle's excellent handling characteristics and clever packaging, but found issue with the large touch screen mounted in the center of the dash. According to CR, the screen requires too much time looking down and away from the road.

The publication also called out the car for skipping the spare tire, compressor and run flat tires, but those issues weren't enough to keep the machine from earning a top nod. You can head over to Consumer Reports to read the full review for yourself, and be sure to check out the video below for a better picture of the machine's highlights, including some EV drifting (even CR likes to have some fun).

The Fullsize Pickup, Refined



No one's underestimating the importance of the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. While General Motors continues to shovel the current generation off dealer lots at an impressive pace, it would be too kind to simply say the old mule has started to show its age. The GMT900 platform that's rolling along under the 2013 model has been underpinning fullsize GM trucks since 2007, and while the Silverado has stayed competitive through most of the intervening six years, the past two haven't been kind to the machine.

Ford just won't quit sharpening its F-150 in one way or another, throwing interior and driveline updates at the stalwart pickup with the fevered pace of a company possessed. Like the Silverado, the F-150 is no fresh piece of hardware, but fuel-efficient and powerful engine options and a well-sorted interior put the truck consistently ahead of the now aged Chevrolet. And then there's the Ram 1500. Chrysler let loose with both barrels with the 2013 update, tearing into the fullsize market with a beautiful cabin, excellent tech and plenty of clever engineering.

Chevy engineers stood back and watched this happen, biting their tongues and whittling away all the while on the next-generation 2014 Silverado. There are only a handful of carryover parts from old machine to new, and the result is a pickup that offers more power, efficiency and refinement than the previous generation while holding the pricing line. This is, without a doubt, the best Silverado ever built, but does that make it the best pickup?