Pandora the popular internet radio service, today announced that it has increased its automotive footprint via a new relationship with Scion and an expansion of its relationship with Ford Motor Company where the service will be available in 10 Ford vehicles and two Lincoln vehicles.

Currently, Pandora has in-vehicle integrations with BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, MINI and Scion. Additional automotive manufacturers who have announced plans to integrate Pandora into their vehicles include Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Hyundai and Toyota. The popular personalized radio service is also available via integrations in popular aftermarket automobile radios made by Alpine Electronics, JVC, Kenwood and Pioneer, with additional radios from Sony coming soon.

At the Pandora Analyst Day today in San Francisco, Executive Vice President of Business Development Jessica Steel said, “Our goal is to allow people to personalize their radio experience anytime, anywhere.  Nearly 50% of radio consumption happens in the car, so it’s a natural venue for Pandora. We want to make the experience as easy in the car as it is at home, at the office, and on a mobile phone.”

Pandora gives people music they love anytime, anywhere, through connected devices. Personalized stations launch instantly with the input of a single “seed” – a favorite artist, song or genre. The Music Genome Project®, a deeply detailed hand-built musical taxonomy, powers the personalization of Pandora® internet radio by using musicological “DNA” and constant listener feedback to craft personalized stations from a growing collection of hundreds of thousands of recordings. Tens of millions of people in the U.S. turn on Pandora to hear music they love. for more visit  pandora.com

Mercedes-Benz USA announces that in late 2011 it is planning to offer driver’s education with the aim of teaching teenagers the skills and competencies for safe and enjoyable driving.

At the core of Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is an innovative driver’s education approach that reflects the best teaching methods from around the world that is currently being finalized and specifically tailored to the U.S. environment.

The research-based approach is being designed to improve the effectiveness of time spent in the classroom, online, and behind-the-wheel.  The goal of the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy is to prepare students for today’s driving environment by going beyond basic car control skills and rote learning of traffic rules.

Research clearly identifies that the standard U.S. formula of 30-hour in-class education followed sequentially by 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training cannot reasonably be expected to transform a non-driver into a safe driver(1).

“Despite the dramatic changes in vehicles, highways, and the driving environment over the past 60 years, driver education remains relatively unchanged in the U.S.,” said Alexander Hobbach, Senior Manager, Daimler AG.  “The skills required to simply get a license do not fully prepare young drivers to meet the demands of the road.  Mercedes-Benz recognizes this issue and as a result is creating an educational program for the U.S. that is based on the best teaching methods and tools available.”

Mercedes-Benz has been working with international driver education experts to develop an innovative curriculum-based program.  A Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in the U.K. was launched for the first time in 2009 based on this curriculum and since then 4,500 students have enrolled in the program.  Amongst those who already obtained their driver’s license and participated in the program, had a first-time pass rate of 79 percent – nearly double the U.K. national average of 43 percent.

Mercedes-Benz is combining insights and key elements of the U.K. curriculum and delivery methods with U.S. DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) requirements to develop the integrated program that is going to be offered at the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy in the U.S. later this year.  Mercedes-Benz has already met with DMV representatives to discuss the development of an integrated curriculum that fulfills all state requirements, which positions the Company as the first and only auto manufacturer to offer a complete, state-certified driving school in the U.S.

“As a company, we have a long history and continuous efforts to improve vehicle safety so the Driving Academy is a natural extension of Mercedes-Benz desire to achieve accident-free driving,” said Hobbach.  “With only 10 percent of crashes being a result of technical failure and 90 percent due to human error, Mercedes-Benz sees an opportunity to actively improve drivers’ skills, focusing first on novice drivers, who are most at risk on U.S. roads.”

It is well known that there is a disproportionately high driving incident rate among teen novice drivers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the U.S.  In fact, teens aged 16-19 are four times more likely to crash than adults. While technology has led to more driver distractions, especially for teens, driver’s education is being offered in fewer and fewer high schools in the U.S.  That is why many organizations and experts are seeking ways of improving driver’s education.

“Driving is one of the most important skills that a teen can learn, and it is extremely important that parents do their research before sending their child to a driving school,” said Daniel R. Mayhew, Senior Vice President, Traffic Injury Research Foundation.  “Getting parents and teens working together is one crucial step among many that can better prepare beginner drivers.”

Due to the alarming rate of teen deaths caused by motor vehicle collisions, national and state legislators, regulators, law enforcement, public agencies and other safety advocates have worked hard over recent decades to find ways to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes on our highways for decades.  In fact, Mercedes-Benz is also finalizing plans to work with leading driver safety advocacy organizations and law enforcement to create a public service outreach program that emphasizes safe driving and driver’s education.

Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy’s approach also seeks to achieve greater compliance with policies that have successfully been implemented to increase driver’s safety such as the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) rules.  The GDL framework provides for compulsory driver’s education, combining classroom or online learning, on-road training, mandatory supervised practice, and restricted driving privileges once a novice driver starts driving solo.  By using an integrated program to reinforce learning points throughout the learner driver period, as well as involving parents in the process, the students can realize greater benefits of GDL.

This is a Garage-Girl favorite and will be among anyone who has a special place for muscle cars.

David Uhl has announced the release of a piece he has worked on since December of last year.  It was conceived in conjunction with the Shelby American Museum in Boulder, Colorado and has taken countless hours of historical photo referencing along with the obvious time spent at the easel.  “Snake Oil” features legends Carroll Shelby and Bob Bondurant and the timeless Shelby Cobra celebrating the peak of the Ferrari Wars.

A brief history provided by Eddie O’Brien with the Shelby American Museum in Boulder, Colorado:

This is a compilation of all the races Bob Bondurant raced in Europe to win the World Championship, Hill Climbs and Road Races.

This is the Cobra, the Ferrari GTO in the background is correct.  Bondo beat it up the Hill by seconds, setting new hill climb records again by nearly 3 seconds. It took a Ferrari LM a year later to match it. The Cobra was running on 7 cylinders crossing  the timing lights!  Bondo said the car was never straight even on the short straightways.

Very rarely does David allow the signing of his works by anyone else.  Fortunately, he is making an exception this time!  A limited number of each size of print will be signed by both Bob Bondurant and Carroll Shelby.

Carroll Shelby is sending back the first batch of signed prints now, so these will be shipping out in the very near future.  He will be signing a total of 50 prints.  For more info contact Gregg at Uhl Studios  303-913-4840   uhlstudios.com

Burnout: The Ultimate Drag Race Challenge Premieres June 25 at 12:00 p.m.

As the smell of burning rubber and gasoline fill the air, an engine revs and two cars rocket down the quarter-mile track, racing to the finish – this is Burnout: The Ultimate Drag Race Challenge. Ushering in a new class of reality show, Burnout is a nine-part MTV2 reality series that follows two teams of students and instructors from Universal Technical Institute (UTI) as they battle against each other in a test of skill, persistence and dedication to see who can build the fastest drag car with just 100 hours of build time.

Hosted by drag race legend Clay Millican and freestyle motocross and off-road racer Carey Hart, the action-packed series follows 20 UTI students and four instructors as they participate in challenges and work together to build a drag car from the ground up, all while working feverishly to source parts, keep up on schoolwork and maintain their everyday lives. It all leads up to a final race to determine the winning team, coming down to two cars and just ten seconds on the strip.

Fueled by competitive drive and bragging rights, each episode features the teams competing in various timed challenges, from unbolting engines to diagnosing clip cars, for the opportunity to add more time to their team clock. The premise is simple – win a challenge and win more build time for your team or lose a challenge and along with it precious hours. The winning team will earn scholarships and cash prizes, while the losing team’s car gets crushed.

Burnout: The Ultimate Drag Race Challenge premieres at 12:00 pm(EDT) on Saturday, June 25 on MTV2. Check local listings for more details or visit http://www.uti.edu/Burnout.

Mustang has introduced a full line of seats for the 2011 Yamaha Stryker model.

The deeply pocketed driver seat on the two-piece Studded Wide Touring style with Driver Backrest is a full 16.5” wide and sits you at the ideal cruising angle. The 11” wide passenger seat utilizes Mustang’s unique internal steel support wings.  The optional driver backrest provides superb back support for those longer rides and is fully adjustable and easily removable.

Featuring chrome studs and leather-tied conchos, the seat is sold as a three-piece set including solo, removable driver backrest and passenger seat for $719.  If you prefer a simpler look with no studs or conchos, opt for Mustang’s Wide Vintage Touring Seat with Driver Backrest for $689.  To complete your bikes’ custom look, add a matching tank bib or sissy bar pad.

Mustang’s Wide Touring styles without a built-in backrest are designed so that the driver’s back is well supported by the nose of the passenger seat that extends forward and are priced from $489.  For a totally different low, lean look, check out Mustang’s DayTripper™ seat for only $359.

All Mustang seats for Metric Cruisers and H-D® models are proudly handcrafted in the USA.  For more info, visit MustangSeats.com or call 800-243-1392.