Chinese women buying disproportionate percentage of exotic cars?

The number of Chinese millionaires is growing rapidly, and women account for a third of that rising, affluent population. This is good news to exotic car manufacturers because wealthy Chinese women are snatching them up like Italian pastries.

Sales of high-end automobiles rose 60 percent last year and analysts are already pegging a 35 percent climb for 2011. Maserati reports that 30 percent of its Chinese sales are to women, compared against just 10 percent for European sales. China is now on track to pass Italy as the automaker's second largest market.

It's not just Maserati, either; Ferraris and Lamborghinis are being purchased in large numbers. The wealthy women of China account for 20 percent of local Ferrari sales, which is double the global average. The rise in exotic vehicle sales has even gotten the attention of Bugatti, and the Volkswagen Group is now discussing a potential sales plan for China.

Test Drive Unlimited welcomes virtual characters

Can you think of something missing from the current crop of automotive video games? If you said cosmetic surgery then you must work for Atari. The upcoming Test Drive Unlimited 2 is going to let you customize more than you car. Your on-screen avatar can appear exactly how you want it to thanks to numerous facial and clothing options. Click past the jump to see what we're talking about.

Jumo: An innovative Social Networking Platform

Jumo is an exciting and innovative social network platform that uses Facebook login of users so that they can ultimately connect with multitude of good causes. Jumo keeps you up-to-date about all those dear ones with whom you want to keep connected with all the time. This amazing Jumo service is recently launched by social networking giant Facebook’s co-founder Chris Hughes. This is the same guy who was working on Barrack’s Obama Presidential campaign.

The site has a tagline stating that Jumo is there to connect individuals and organizations to change the very face of world’s social domain. But the question is, whether Jumo is just a promise or a passionate and dedicated attempt to support projects, charities and all the good causes.

A Comparison Of 3G And 4G Wireless Networks

In the technological world of mobile phones, 4G is the terminology used for the fourth advanced group of wireless network platforms for mobile devices and especially smart phones. While there is no consensus on the standards of 4G generation, the promises are high to provide, faster, dependable and a very secure wireless networking. There is no doubt that 4G networks will outperform 3G networks, but by what margin? And should we pay a higher price to get the 4G service?

Comparing Speeds
It is true that some of the 4G networks actually do have the capability of transmitting as fast as 100Mbps, the service providers are not too keen on claiming those huge numbers. This is sometime sowing to the limitation of basic technology, while sometimes low transmission speed is offered by the service provider to make sure that the network is reliable and minimum service standards are met all the time. Wireless service provider actually learnt a lesson the hard way when AT&T launched its smart phone in large numbers, especially the iPhones, over burdening its network which did not have the infrastructure to cater to the huge demand for data transmission services.

iPhone Or Android?

No doubt, Smartphones have taken the world by storm. Providing flexible usage, 3G net, fun apps, usability, connectivity, business solutions and the list goes on. Apple Inc. is the company that brought out an expensive Smartphone with the name of iPhone that hit the charts as being the world’s most popular Smartphone, but apparently it has met its rival; the Google Android ! With Android taking on the race, there seems to be a fierce competition bringing out some major innovations amongst the two companies. Let’s take a quick glimpse of the two Smartphone operating system giants, in terms of their features, functionality, network, apparatus flexibility and usability.

Chevy offers free driving school to all Corvette buyers for limited time

We operate under the impression that on the whole we live in the best period of automotive innovation and power that the world has ever seen. Manufacturers are turning out four-cylinder engines with more horsepower and torque than the mighty V8 lumps of just two decades ago and eight pots that boast fuel economy numbers as impressive as their dyno charts. These days, mega power is mega cheap and more accessible than ever. But, as Uncle Ben reminds us, great power comes with great responsibility, and to that end General Motors is offering all Corvette buyers a chance to learn how to get the most out of their machines.

For a limited time, GM is giving away vouchers to both of the company's Corvette Driving Schools to anyone who buys any model of a new Corvette. Typically, the driving schools are free only to those who lay down the coin for a mighty ZR1, but for a limited time, The General is splurging for Coupe, Convertible, Grand Sport, Z06 and ZR1 buyers to go on the company's dime. The schools are at the Bob Bondurant school in Phoenix, Arizona and Ron Fellows school in Las Vegas, Arizona.

Your Porsche 911 GT3 isn't that fast...

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium plays host to a variety of racing events, ranging from from Formula One and touring car to weekend track days. When out on the course in a production car, it might feel like you are conquering the Eau Rouge better than any human on the planet. This video mashup is here to remind that you're not.

This isn't ground-breaking information, but it is interesting to see just how much faster an F1 car is around a series of high-speed turns. Someone over in the VWVortex's Car Lounge decided to overlay two videos of the same corner, and while they don't line up perfectly, you get the point. Check it out after the jump.

Land Rover launches Defender X-Tech edition in Belgium

The Belgians may not be known as much for military prowess as, say, for beer or waffles – at least not since conquering the Congo, anyway – but Brussels is also the seat of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO was established as a united front against the Communist bloc, and still stands as one of the most formidable alliances of nations this side of the Star Wars empire. A perfect place, then, to unveil a paramilitary-type vehicle like the X-Tech Limited Edition.

Easily as tough as any Hummer or Jeep, the X-Tech is based on the Land Rover Defender – one of the most rock-solid rock-crawlers ever devised. It's available in either silver, three-door Defender 90 form or in five-door Defender 110 long wheelbase in olive green, both offset by black roof, wheel arches, interior and new "saw-tooth" alloys. Not a major upgrade on the standard model, but just enough to give it the attitude it deserves.

Unveiled at the Brussels Motorshow, the Defender X-Tech is unfortunately unavailable in the North American market, but you can dream by checking out the gallery below.

Drift battle pits Mazda RX7 against Kawasaki ZX10

Regardless of where you stand on the "drifting is/isn't a form of motorsports" debate, it's fun to watch a car being piloted on full opposite lock. But is it possible on a motorcycle? Icon Motorsports rider Nick Brocha answers with a fat sideways-smoking yes.

Icon may be know for providing gear for maniacs fans of two-wheeled transportation, but they also sponsor a team of skilled bikers. Brocha is one of those riders and he pits his modded Kawasaki ZX10 against Jim Guthrie and his Corvette-powered Mazda RX-7 drift machine. Add in some cameras and a prime location and we have ourselves an entertaining video, which you can watch after the jump.