McDonnell Douglas MD-83 Crash Landing on Christmas Day Captured on Film

This past Sunday, on Christmas day, a chartered flight operated by AMC Airlines with 72 passengers aboard flying from Saudi Arabia to the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, was forced to make an emergency landing at the Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) in Karachi, Pakistan, after the pilot experienced a problem with the McDonnell Douglas MD-83's nose gear. Several people captured the life-threatening crash landing on film. Amazingly, the experienced pilot was able through skill and a whole lot of luck to bring the plane down without a single person being hurt.
“All the 72 passengers onboard the chartered aircraft which made an emergency landing at Karachi Airport remained safe as luckily the plane escaped any disaster or major damage,” a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority told local newspaper "The News".
Scroll down to watch the videos.

VIDEO

Firefighter Truck Plunges into the Deep Like a Boss

The city of Melbourne is one of the best cities to live in, not only in Australia but in the world. Nevertheless, it can also drive you crazy with its variable weather conditions; one minute it's nice and warm and the other you get pounded by rain or even severe hail storms, as happened on Christmas day this year. In fact, aside from the huge hailstones that damaged around 10,000 vehicles, the ferocious Christmas Day storms that hit Melbourne and northwest Victoria sparked some heavy flash flooding in certain areas.
But the flooded roads were no match for some Aussie firefighters who didn’t even blink an eye when their Isuzu truck plunged into very deep waters of what looks like a street somewhere in the Melbourne suburb of Eltham. Still here? Just go and watch the video we've got after the break.

VIDEO

A Year's Worth of Nissan GT-Rs at the Nürburgring

If you live within the European Union or at least in a neighboring country like Russia or Turkey, and you happen to own a Nissan GT-R (or any sports car, for that matte), the best place to thrash your car is without doubt the world famous Nürburgring race trackin Germany.

And given the price of the GT-R, it shouldn't surprise anyone that many owners were indeed able to afford the trip and live the magic of the Nordschleife.
For the rest of us, we'll have to do with a four-minute long video prepared by a YouTube user, which includes many of the Nissan GT-Rs that were spotted on the 'Ring throughout the year. Enjoy the video right after the break.

VIDEO

The Worst Performing Auto Stocks of 2011

The year that is ending tomorrow night has certainly been a strange one for investors: while the Standard & Poor’s 500 will end flat, stock prices of the automotive industry have experienced a great fall.
After all that’s happened this year with the Euro debt crisis and the U.S. avoiding one at the 11th hour, this was more or less to be expected.
What is surprising though is that the worst performer in terms of stock price is the car company that has regained the number one position globally and rolled out many new competitive products. And yes, we are talking about General Motors, which saw its share price drop by 46 percent!
Despite GM’s amazing recovery after the 2009 bailout, the fact that the U.S. government is still a major stakeholder is a negative factor, since investors prefer to wait until the Treasury decides to sell – at which point, the price will most likely go down.
Furthermore, the brand's exposure in Europe, which has more than its share of problems, and GM’s loss-making operations in the Old Continent contribute to the low share price, which, if you’re willing to invest, looks quite attractive.
Like GM, Ford’s European operations have harmed its stock price that is down 37 percent. It is in better shape than GM, however, since all three major credit rating agencies are expected to upgrade Ford to investment-grade status, making it less expensive to borrow money and allowing many funds to invest in the company, thus increasing its share price.
The funny thing is that the two main U.S. carmakers that posted increased sales this year saw their shares fall far more than overseas competitors like Toyota and Honda, which were hit by more than one catastrophe.
In theory, the March earthquake and tsunami along with the October Thai floods, which seriously curtailed production, as well as the strength of the yen that made manufacturing cars in Japan unprofitable, should have hurt them the most.
Yet, while both Toyota (-27.1 percent) and Honda (-21.5 percent) lost some of their shares' value in 2011, it wasn't as bad as their U.S. counterparts.
Story References: The Motley Fool / S&P Capital IQ

Company - % Return in 2011

Tenneco - (29.7)
Tata Motors - (31.0)
Dana Holding - (31.1)
Autoliv (34.1)
Visteon - (34.9)
Magna International - (35.9)
Ford - (37.3)
TRW Automotive - (40.0)
Cooper Tire & Rubber - (41.7)
General Motors - (46.1)

2013 Dodge Dart Compact Sedan: First Official Shots of the Interior

Last week, the Chrysler Group gave us our first look at the exterior details of the brand-new 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan with the promise of teasing the interior on December 13. True to its word, the Detroit automaker published a fresh batch of photos today giving us a sneak peek into the interior of the new Dart saloon, which will officially break cover at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in the second week of January.
The futuristic looking instrument binnacle houses an available 7-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) customizable cluster display with a light surround between the analog tachometer and fuel gauge.
On the upper side of the center console, we find the Chrysler Group's UConnect multimedia system sporting an 8.4-inch touchscreen that Dodge says is the largest of its kind in the compact segment.
According to the Detroit automaker, while the Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based Dart packages the footprint of a compact car, its interior space will be equivalent to that of a mid-sized sedan.
Dodge also makes claims about "materials and precision craftsmanship typically found in more expensive vehicle segments" while also highlighting the fact that it will offer "thousands of ways to personalize" the compact model through a choice of 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim combinations, six wheel options, three engine options and three transmissions.
Mopar will also offer its own customization options and themed packages specifically developed for the Dart.
Standard features will include 10 airbags, while the Dart will also be available with the Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path Detection systems.

PHOTO GALLERY

New BMW 6-Series Range with Four-Door Gran Coupe [146 Photos]

It took BMW 20 months from the presentation of the Concept Gran Coupe at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show in April of 2010 to present the production version of its foray into the premium four-door coupe segment, the all-new 6-Series Gran Coupe. The new model is essentially a four-door version of the latest 6-Series Coupe and will allow the Bavarian automaker to compete head on with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A7 Sportback and Porsche Panamera sports saloons.
Given that the original concept was production ready, it doesn't come to much of a surprise that the only styling changes made concern the lower part of the front bumper, the re-positioned reflectors on the rear bumper and the different tail pipes.
The Gran Coupe's exterior styling builds on 6 Series Coupe adding an extra pair of doors while keeping the low-slung appearance.
Measuring 197 inches (5,007mm) long with a wheelbase of 116.8 inches (2,968 mm), the Gran Coupe is 4.4 inches (111mm) longer than its 2-door coupe sibling, with most of the extra length going towards the rear passengers.
The 6-Series Gran Coupe is also 74.6 inches (1,894 mm) wide and stands 54.8 inches (1,392 mm) tall. For comparison purposes, the Gran Coupe is 4.0 inches (102mm) longer, 1.3 inches (34mm) wider and 2.8 inches (72mm) lower than the BMW 550i sedan.
For the most part, the interior design is identical to the 6-Series Coupe, though BMW has used exclusive materials and trims while the seating position is slightly higher. The German company describes the Gran Coupe as a "4+1" as the center tunnel extends to the rear seat. The luggage compartment has 16.24 cu. ft (460-liter) of space, which is exactly the same as the 6-Series coupe.
The new Gran Coupe will launch with three engines, all linked to a standard 8-speed automatic transmission. The 640i comes with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six petrol delivering 320HP, while the 640d features a 3.0-liter turbo diesel with 313HP. Finally, the 650i gets a 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 gasoline engine that churns out 450-ponnies. The 650i will be available from launch in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive flavors.
BMW said that in the States, the series would launch with the 640i early in the summer of 2012, with the 650i and 650i xDrive to be available a couple of months later.
More engines, including a twin-turbocharged V8 with around 560 horses linked to a dual-clutch seven-speed gearbox for the flagship M6 Gran Coupe, will join the lineup down the line.
The Gran Coupe will make its world premiere at the next Geneva Motor Show in March of 2012.

SPECIFICATIONS

BMW 650i Gran Coupe (BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe) : V8 petrol engine, BMW TwinPower Turbo technology with two turbochargers and High Precision Direct Petrol Injection, VALVETRONIC.
Displacement: 4,395 cc, output: 330 kW/450 hp at 5,500 – 6 000 rpm,
max. torque: 650 Nm / 479 lb-ft at 2,000 – 4,500 rpm.
Acceleration [0 – 100 km/h / 62 mph]: 4.6 seconds (4.5 seconds),
top speed: 250 km/h /155 mph.
Average fuel consumption*: 8.6 – 8.8 (9.2 – 9.4) lt/100km / 32.1 – 32.9 (30.1 – 30.7) mpg imp,
CO2 emissions*: 199 – 206 g/km (215 – 219 g/km), exhaust standard: EU5. BMW 640i Gran Coupe: Six-cylinder in-line petrol engine,
BMW TwinPower Turbo technology with twin-scroll turbocharging,
High Precision Direct Petrol Injection and VALVETRONIC.
Displacement: 2,979 cc, output: 235 kW/320 hp at 5,800 – 6 000 rpm,
max. torque: 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) at 1,300 – 4,500 rpm.
Acceleration [0 – 100 km/h / 62 mph]: 5.4 seconds,
top speed: 250 km/h (155 mph).
Average fuel consumption*: 7.7 – 7.9lt/100km (35.8 –
36.2 mpg imp),
CO2 emissions*: 179 – 183 g/km, exhaust standard: EU5.
BMW 640d Gran Coupe: Six-cylinder in-line diesel engine,
BMW TwinPower Turbo technology with two-stage turbocharging and common-rail direct injection.
Displacement: 2,993 cc, output: 230 kW/313 hp at 4,400 rpm,
max. torque: 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) at 1,500 – 2,500 rpm.
Acceleration [0 – 100 km/h / 62 mph]: 5.4 seconds,
top speed: 250 km/h (155 mph),
Average fuel consumption*: 5.5 – 5.7lt/100km (49.6 –
50.4 mpg imp),
CO2 emissions*: 146 – 149 g/km, exhaust standard: EU5.
* Figures according to EU test cycle and depending on tyre format;
BMW 650i Gran Coupe: provisional figures

PHOTO GALLERY