Auto Transports,Car Shipping,Car Transports,Auto Shipping,Auto Shippers,Vehicle Transports

House transportation bill would spend about $260B

2012-01-30T22:46:00.000-08:00

House Republicans are proposing to spend about $260 billion over the next 4 1/2 years on transportation programs, as well as substantially increase the size of trucks permitted on highways, according to a draft bill being introduced this week.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and other GOP leaders are expected to introduce the bill on Tuesday. Mica's committee is poised to approve the measure on Thursday.

Significant policy changes in the bill include giving states far greater power — and the U.S. Department of Transport far less say — over how federal transportation aid is spent. The bill also consolidates many existing transportation programs, and makes it easier and quicker for road construction and other transportation projects to meet the requirements of federal environmental laws.

States could permit trucks weighing up to 97,000 pounds — and in some cases as much as 126,000 pounds — on interstate highways under the bill. The current limit is 80,000 pounds in most states. Increased weight limits are supported by the trucking industry, but opposed by safety advocates.

"Larger and heavier trucks mean bigger safety risks for highway drivers," Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., wrote in a letter to House lawmakers last week asking them not to raise weight limits.

The bill would maintain current spending on transportation despite declining gasoline and diesel fuel taxes, which historically have paid for highway and transit programs.

A separate committee will decide how to cover the gap between gas-tax revenues and the spending levels proposed in the bill. GOP leaders have said they plan to use revenue from expanded oil and natural gas drilling, but haven't provided details. However, congressional aides knowledgeable about the proposal said it would include drilling off the Virginia coast and in federal leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The aides weren't authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be named.

The bill provides enough money to prevent the nation's roads, bridges and transit systems from falling further into disrepair, but not enough to significantly reduce the backlog of needed work on transportation infrastructure, transportation experts said. A congressionally mandated commission estimated in 2009 that it would require $200 billion a year to reduce the backlog while maintaining the current transportation system.

"Clearly this level of funding is inadequate to support our needs as a nation," said Joshua Schank, president of the Eno Center for Transportation, a Washington think tank that supports greater transportation investment.

But the bill is expected to save jobs in construction, bus manufacturing and other transportation-related industries in part because it allows state transportation departments to make long-term commitments of funds. Those kinds of commitments are usually necessary before companies can go forward with major new transportation projects.

Each $1 billion in transportation construction spending supports about 30,000 jobs, said Andy Herrmann, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The GOP bill is "holding along the lines of what we've been doing in the past," he said.

But that may be enough to propel the bill through the House in an election year where voter regard for Congress is at rock bottom and lawmakers are eager to show off an accomplishment.

The last long-term transportation bill expired in 2009. Congress has kept transportation aid flowing to states through a series of short-term extensions. The current extension expires on March 31.

The Senate is working on its own bill, which would spend $109 billion over two years. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a co-author of the bill, says the bill's sponsors have a plan to pay for the measure, but hasn't detailed how that would happen.

A bipartisan proposal introduced in the Senate on Monday would continue transit spending at current levels while giving the regulators greater safety oversight of transit agencies, including the power to impose fines. The Banking Committee is expected to approve the measure on Thursday, after which it will be incorporated into the Senate transportation bill.

Attack on Melbourne public transport ticket and validation machines!

2012-01-25T04:32:00.000-08:00

We cram ourselves into these steel tubes like sardines. Forced to endure the discomfort day after day, literally being crushed by society. The sweat, smell, and heat is unbearable. As we stand clinging to a stupid little loop, gasping for breath and shifting our weight from foot to foot aching from the tedium and muttering apologies to the fellow passengers we are crushing and suffocating, we can't help but think of livestock packed together being transported to the slaughterhouse. Because work and consumerism is a slaughterhouse of our minds, and free will.

The public transport system is an essential apparatus of capitalist democracy. It is a conduit with the purpose of efficiently transporting the inhabitants of the metropolis between their homes, their workplaces, and the shops. Making our exploitation by managers and bosses possible. Limiting our actions to either work or consumerism.
[

We are subjected to constant surveillance in the stations, trams, busses and trains. Security personnel silently observe banks of monitors behind thousands of cameras. Vigilantly watching for “suspicious” behaviour. The ticket inspectors terrorise us into paying up everyday, they are nothing else than armed enforcers of capitalism who use violence and fines to guard the profits of companies who make millions of dollars everyday out of their need for us to travel to and from work.

We spend all our day at work at jobs we hate, making a profit for bosses that humiliate us. And with the meagre earnings we take home we buy into the illusion of happiness and freedom that we can find in the latest electronics, or clothing, cars, and other products which ultimately bring us neither happiness nor freedom. Our homes have become merely the location where we recover from the previous days work and await the alarm clocks chime which interrupts our sleep and signals us to proceed again to work.

And now the metcops who fulfil their role as armed enforcers of capitalism- guarding profits and threatening us with violence and fines if we refuse this exploitation.

We don't demand cheaper, more efficient, or more punctual public transport. We attack this entire way of life. Even to make it free doesn't satisfy us. We already ride for free everyday and refuse to pay or submit to the terrorism of the ticket inspectors. It's not enough to merely evade the fare or hand our ticket to the next passenger boarding the carriage, an invisible rebellion against these circumstances which we all hate. This whole system must be attacked and sabotaged.

7 Most Unusual Road Signs

2012-01-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

We have all seen our fair share of unusual things while we drive.What we aren’t used to is proper road signs throwing us for a loop. There are plenty of crazy signs you may see on a trip across the country. Here are a few of them.

No Hitchhikers

There is a sign that reads “Correctional Facility Area: Do not Pick up Hitchhikers.” Well, this sign is not only unusual, but it’s also highly necessary. It’s one thing to be a Good Samaritan, but it’s another to pick up a guy who should be serving 25-to-life.

No Explosives
“No explosives” is a rule that shouldn’t have to be put on a sign, but one that was anyway. The location of this sign is unknown, but it exists, and you may want to steer clear of any area where you see it.

No Falling Limbs

“Warning: Limbs May Fall” is not exactly what you want to see on your journey through an area, but it’s nice that they’re making it known. Of course, this sign isn’t as bad as the “Falling Rocks” sign you might see elsewhere, but if the limb is big enough, it could be a problem. If your car encounters a big limb, it could affect your auto insurance rates.

Message to Dogs

Vancouver certainly has a sense of humor. In a sign made to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets, there’s also a message for the pups themselves: “Grrrr, bark, woof. Good dog.” Clearly, this sign is an attempt at being cute. It’s certainly original because you’ll never see a sign like this anywhere else.

No Fun

Santa Cruz is supposed to be a pleasant place to visit. However, one sign outlaws almost everything from pets to driving to playing ball. In reality, these are necessary to outlaw in the area, but putting them on a sign only makes you think of doom and gloom.

Beware of Tanks

You’ve heard of deer, dog and duck crossings, but tanks? Yes, apparently there are some places in the world where a tank will cross your path. Clearly, any collision with the tank means bad news for you and not for the tank, so this sign is strictly for your benefit.

Beware of Your Grandpa

Yes, there is a sign somewhere that reads “Beware of Elderly Crossing.” This sign tops even the tank sign. It’s only right to respect your elders, especially when they’re crossing the street.
These signs might be unusual, but they’re around to help you, so be informed and enjoy the next time you drive past one.

Professional Chicago Movers are more reliable than Contract Laborers

2011-12-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

When researching moving companies, it is necessary to do your homework and inquire about out those that only deal with professional movers. Companies with professional movers are probable to be licensed and insured, have a trustworthy status in the community and pack and load your prized belongings with interest and knowledge. Even if there are contract laborers that will also act efficiently, you are motionless running a risk by hiring a moving company without knowledgeable staff. For instance, a contract laborer is moving your coffee table, when the glass top falls and shatters on his hand. Is that contract laborer insured? Will he sue you for damages? What if the contract manual worker is untrustworthy and steals your beloved items? Also, who would you feels more contented with handling your priceless family heirlooms: professional movers, or contract laborers who do different jobs every week?

We USA Moving and Storage, Inc., a Chicago Movers in Illinois, only do business with professional movers. Our policy is to not work with bond laborers so we can promise our clients that their property will be handled with the utmost care and expertise. Our movers are a quantity of the greatest paid in the industry and we have kept them so happy some have even stay with us for more than a decade. Our professional Chicago mover will do as much or as little as you wish. Be it to enfold, pack and cargo all of your items or just securely cover and pack your most valuable belongings; our Chicago movers are trained to do it all.

Contact us for a free estimate (800)626-4474, and our Chicago movers will be happy to help you have a successful, hassle-free moving experience.

Future CV products at Ford include new Transit van and plug-in trucks

2011-12-19T02:09:00.000-08:00

Ford Motor Co. is prepping a next-generation Transit van for the North American market as part of ongoing upgrades to its commercial vehicle (CV) lineup. In the 2013 calendar year, the updated Transit will join the automaker's other Class 1 through Class 7 CV offerings.

The next-generation Transit will be at least 300 lb (136 kg) lighter than today's E-Series van and provide a minimum 25% fuel-economy improvement, Derrick Kuzak, Group Vice President of Ford's Global Product Development, said at a Dec. 7 commercial vehicles media event at the company's Dearborn, MI, Product Development Center.

According to Rob Stevens, Ford's Chief Program Engineer for Commercial Vehicles, the Transit van eventually will replace the E-Series full-size van in the North American marketplace following an undetermined period of overlap between the nameplates.

The Transit van's unibody is an underlying reason for the vehicle being lighter weight than an E-Series counterpart. The current Transit van is offered in three different wheelbases, four different body lengths, and three different roof heights.

Ford is investing $1.1 billion to retrofit one-half of its Kansas City Assembly Plant to accommodate the production of the Transit van for the North American market. (Production of F-150 light-duty pickup trucks will be unaffected by the facility upgrades.)

The automaker currently sells its Transit van outside the North American market in various cargo, passenger, and chassis cab configurations with a choice of three diesel engines—a 2.2-L four-cylinder, a 2.4-L four-cylinder, and a 3.2-L five-cylinder.

Transit Connect, Transit Connect Electric, and Transit Connect Taxi are C-Class commercial vans. All have sold globally for a decade. In the U.S. market, the Transit Connect launched in MY2010 while the Transit Connect Electric and Transit Connect Taxi launched in MY2011.

Good Health is Major Object during Travel

2011-10-31T03:37:00.000-07:00

Travelling in a bus may lead us to much tiredness and health problem. Make sure your travel agencies provide you clean seats, toilets, place etc. Humans must keep in clear about their health. Only cleanliness may secure you from diseases. Reducing the hassle in travel, Washington Deluxe picks up and drops off its passengers at Metro accessible locations in the Washington, DC Metro area, and recognized and well-located New York City locations.

Each one of our motor coaches removes up to 56 cars from the road, considerably reducing air, ground, water, and noise pollution. Travelers can rely from BUS DC TO NYC for dependable on-time arrival, well-situated pick-up and drop-off locations, money-spinning travel fares and a safe, relaxed travel experience.

Daihatsu releases new compact gasoline car on market

2011-09-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Daihatsu Motor Co. began marketing its new compact car "Mira e:S," the most fuel efficient non-hybrid gasoline car on the market.

The car runs around 30 kilometers to the liter, and is Daihatsu's try to capture a share of the green car market with an extremely efficient gasoline car. Such cars have been called the "third" type of green car after hybrids and electric vehicles.

"We've returned to the things that create compact cars appealing. Low price, good fuel economy, and little use of resources and forced them to the limit," said Daihatsu President Koichi Ina at an announcement of the Mira e:S's sale in Tokyo. In add-on to superb fuel economy, the Mira e:S's price tag has been kept low, with prices starting at 795,000 yen.

The car carries a new engine with enhanced fuel-burning efficiency and a function that turns off the engine automatically when speed drops to seven kilometers per hour or lower. By finding ways to decrease the number of parts, engineers made the car around 60 kilograms lighter, or about 8 percent lighter, than earlier cars in the Mira line.

To maintain prices down, Daihatsu used parts from Chinese and South Korean makers for the first time. "We cannot permit our company to be adversely affected by foreign exchange rates," said Ina, who expressed his intent to increase imports of parts from abroad.

"Interest in compact cars has grown-up, and we are expect a boost in demand," said Ina. The company predicts high sales of the new car: 120,000 for the first year, and 50,000 for the rest of this year.

The company plans to initiate technology used in the Mira e:S into other car models, including ones made and sold in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Easy, Comfort, Less Cost Travel to New York

2011-09-20T06:40:00.001-07:00

With the high cost of gas and continued airline turmoil, Washington Deluxe offers the most cost-effective, well-timed, and peaceful mode of transportation for travelers. It certainly beats the hassle of flying or driving yourself. With fares as low as $21, traveling BUS DC TO NYC has never been so easy, convenient, or cost-effective. We are happy to do our part for a healthier environment. Each one of our motor coaches removes up to 56 cars from the road, considerably reducing air, ground, water, and noise pollution.

Travel with Convenience

Washington Deluxe is committed to offering the busy traveler the newest and most scrupulously maintained vehicles, fully prepared with the latest in comfort and convenience. Our comfort motor coaches can contentedly seat up to 55 customers with abundance of leg room. Most buses are Wifi enabled for your amusement and communication needs with plug-Ins available to charge your cell phone or laptop.

New Renault’s Clio generation coming to Paris Auto Show

2011-09-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

With the Frankfurt Motor Show not even over, Renault’s officials are preparing for the next year’s Paris event, declaring that the fourth generation of the popular Clio model will be officially presented in France.

Renault’s product manager, Beatrice Foucher, proclaimed at the Frankfurt Motor Show that the new Clio generation will also get “an athlete”, in the form of a Renault sport version, while it will still be saving the planet by using a downsized turbocharged engine.

“Look to the new Twingo for even more clues, such as the more technical headlights, large diamond logo and black gloss grille”, said Beatrice Foucher. “It will be a real wide car and much lower too.

There is always a bigger volume for the five-door car. It is expensive to invest in a three-door and you make less money on it, so it’s not as profitable”, added the Renault official.

The French automaker says that the new Clio generation is inspired by the DeZir Concept and Renault’s designers, in their turn, say that the DeZir Concept was inspired by Aston Martin V8 Vantage, so now we are truly peculiar what the new Clio will look like.

This is all we now for now about the new model which will enter Renault’s line-up starting from next year and unluckily, with the Frankfurt Motor Show keeping them busy, the French didn’t release any images or even sketches of the future Clio.

Hyundai to Introduce New Electric vehicle make in China

2011-09-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

New Electric Cars for China

Hyundai's been on the ascendency these past few years, and they've decided to make a new electric vehicle brand only for the Chinese market, in partnership with Beijing Automotive (the Chinese government normally forces companies from outside the country to form joint ventures with local companies, mostly as a way to transfer technology).

Plans are to start marketing the first electric car from the new brand in the first half of 2012, which means they've been working on it awhile, or it’s based on another EV model that Hyundai plans to release elsewhere. And maybe the Chinese experience will help make EVs more affordable around the world...

China has been encouraging its automakers to jump into the growing market of hybrid and electric cars so they will be able to vie with global competitors. The Chinese government said earlier that it will invest more than 100 billion Yuan (US$15.5 billion) to help nurture the new car industry over 10 years, opening this year.

In May, the Chinese government begin a plan to subsidize private purchases of alternative fuel cars in five cities Shanghai, Hangzhou, Changchun, Hefei and Shenzhen offering carmakers up to 50,000 yuan for each plug-in hybrid car and a maximum of 60,000 yuan for each full electric vehicle.

Chen Qingquan, chairman of the World Electric Vehicle Association, projected that the volume of new energy vehicles will attain 500,000 by 2015 in China and double to 1 million by 2020.

Skoda Mission L Concept Brought out

2011-09-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Skoda will be unveiling a new concept car at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, called the Mission L.

This C-segment sedan is based on the car maker’s new design language, and appears to be a more production-ready version of the Vision D revealed before in the year. When you consider the car from the side you clearly find the cues inherited from the D, especially the taillights, and the rear hatch.

The unique shape of the body gives it the profile of a sedan but with added practicality, as the rear window opens with the trunk lid, like the old Citroen Xantia.

Distinctive design features include the signature grille, and the LED headlights, which will likely make it into production entire.

No words on the technical specs yet. For that we should wait for the Frankfurt show.

Brand new Fiat Panda 2012 model revealed

2011-08-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

The third generation of the admired Panda model in its 31year history has just been officially revealed by Fiat and it has a more flexible exterior design with rounder lines but its power still remains under the 90 HP barrier.

According to the automaker, the new Panda model comes with four airbags, anti-lock, daytime running lamps, sunroof and electric power steering, some of them as standard, a few available as an alternative, Fiat didn’t say which is what yet.

The 2012 Panda is powered by Twin Air two-cylinder petrol engine delivering 64 BHP in the 0.9 Aspirated TwinAir form and 84 BHP in the 0.9 liter Turbo. A larger 1.2 liter and 68 BHP petrol unit is also existing, along with the 1.3 liter Multijet diesel which is developing 74 BHP.

The engines will be affiliated to Fiat’s Dualogic robotized manual transmission and the stop/start system will also be available.

The building quality of the new Panda generation will be enhanced by using 603 state-of-the-art robots and the new 2012 model will come in production in winter 2011 at the Giambattista Vico plant in Naples.

Seventh Generation Camry was Introduced by Toyota

2011-08-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Toyota introduces today the all-new, seventh-generation Camry, America's best-selling car for nine years running & 13 of the past 14 years.

The 2012 Camry introductions a bold, sophisticated new design with a wider interior, improved driving dynamics and an even quieter ride than before. Since from Introduce, Toyota has sold more than 15 million Camry models world-wide.

"The all new 2012 Camry blends a development of the car's values such as comfort, efficiency, reliability and safety with a more attractive design and engaging driving experience," said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager.

The Toyota Camry once again offers three power train choices, all of which have been enhanced for 2012 to give better fuel economy and more responsive performance.

All Camry models with the revised 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that offer 178 horsepower, an increase of nine hp, and 170 lb.-ft. of peak torque.

EPA-estimated fuel economy figures are 25 mpg city/35 highway, and the 28 mpg combined is two more than the earlier generation Camry. The 2.5-liter engine employs Dual VVT-i (Dual Variable Valve Timing-intelligent), which controls valve timing on both the intake and exhaust camshafts for optimal performance and efficiency at all engine speeds.

The Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS) help optimize torque over a broad engine speed range.
To tease out the Camry’s claim to improved performance, Toyota proclaimed that the 2012 model would be the official pace car at the Daytona 500 Nascar race next year.

Denny Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup series, piloted a Camry appareled in pace-car livery onto the Paramount Studios lot during Tuesday’s presentation.

View this site: Business Class Airlines | budget class flights

Maruti Suzuki expect New Swift sales in Festival Season

2011-08-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Maruti Suzuki doesn't anticipate cutting vehicle production in September as the forthcoming festival season and an upgraded version of the Swift hatchback will likely drive more customers to its showrooms.

"I don't think we'll involve to cut production beyond August," Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer for sales and marketing at Maruti, said at the introduction of the upgraded Swift hatchback.

Two month long festival season, which begins in the last week of September, is considered auspicious to make new purchases in India.

India's largest car maker Maruti by sales, fell 5% in the April-July period to 317,187 autos. That compares with a 4% arise in total sales of cars and sport-utility vehicles in India to 785,204 autos.

"The Swift has been a bestseller since it’s established. We wait for even better demand for the new Swift," said Shinzo Nakanishi, chief executive and managing director.

Maruti introduced Swift small car in May 2005, and since sold more than 600,000 units of the model. The Swift is one of the Maruti's bestselling models with a waiting period of up to six weeks.

Maruti has already got orders for 50,000 units of the upgraded Swift, Mr. Pareek said, adding that the company will lift production capacity for the car because of the strong demand. Also he added that Maruti will raise Swift's production to 17,000-18,000 a month by November from about 12,000 currently.

Audi to show urban concept electric city car at Frankfurt auto show

2011-08-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

Connection the race to conduct a new generation of city cars, Audi urban concept will demonstrate a 1+1 seat electrically propelled urban vehicle at next month’s Frankfurt auto show (IAA).

The German premium car maker said in a press release that the urban concept car, which will be made of lightweight carbon fiber, will blend “elements of a racing car, a fun car and an urban car.”
Rival BMW recently also unveiled a new city car, the i3, which will seat four.

Other car brands are also developing smaller, electrically driven vehicles that will provide to urban habitants. The moves are activated by prospect that more people will live in megacities and that concerns over air pollution will trigger a sharp rise in electric vehicles in those cities.

Audi said its concept car is not based on any earlier model. The two-seater will contain controls and materials that will all be ultra light. The driver can adjust the steering wheel and pedals and the roof slides open to the rear to let in passengers.

Sporting 21-inch wheels, the Audi concept car will be impelled by two e-tron electric motors that will be motorized by a lithium-ion battery.

Coolest thing about the Audi urban concept car is? Sporting 21-inch wheels.

View this site: Business Class Airlines | budget business class flights

Chevrolet Beat Diesel Car Faces a New Challenge

2011-08-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

General Motors India (GMI) has recently established the diesel version of its most popular hatchback Chevrolet Beat, which has acknowledged rave reviews and gushing response. Chevrolet Beat's petrol model and LPG version have already received warm welcome from Indian customers.

GMI has great hopes from the newly launched Beat Diesel model and anticipates that it will certainly add to its reputation. At the launch of the diesel variant, GMI President and MD, Karl Slym said, “Offering a diesel engine developed for Indian consumers in our most popular model is a momentous achievement for GM India.”

The Beat Diesel was designed with the goal to effectively cope up with the fuel worries as it provides the ARAI certified mileage of 24 kmpl. Beat Diesel accompanies 1.0 XSDE SMARTECH Engine, designed specifically for Indian market by the Bangalore based GM Technical Centre in partnership with GM Power-train Europe. It renders 58.5 PS at the rate of 4000 rpm with 150 Nm torque. Furthermore, Beat Diesel will prove to be economical as the engine oil will need to be changed only once in 1.5 years. The car allows better fuel economy and superior emission performance too.

The model's 65% high-strength steel body cage provides better resident safety. The sleek and stylish interior of the model is complemented by an advance in-dash integrated ice-blue lit music system. Additionally, the new Chevrolet Beat Diesel model costs between Rs. 4.40 lacs and Rs 5.5 lacs and comes with three years or 1 lac kilometre warranty.

GMI has great hopes from Beat Diesel and expects it to touch new borders of success; however, the way is not as smooth as it was speculated. The dynamics of auto business will surely change after the government indicated on Thursday that dual pricing of diesel may be introduced to remove the subsidy enjoyed by car owners.

Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, affirmed in the Lok Sabha that passenger cars were consuming about 15% of the diesel supplied in the country and that "we can try to work out mechanism, so that this section is not subsidised".

Oil Minister, Jaipal Reddy, also supported the Finance Minister's concern about the subsidised diesel. Besides, all these statements are coming at a time when most of the car manufacturers are working hard to maximize their share of the domestic diesel car market. Moreover, the number of sales of diesel cars has risen over the last few years only as diesel is cheaper than petrol.

All the car manufacturers have voiced their bear on as any change in policy or an additional tax on the fuel would harm an already sulky auto market. Besides, domestic car sales has already faced constant decline, which is 10% year-on-year in July. This is the worst statistics since the 7% decline in January 2009.

General Motors India President Karl Slym said "We are for market-driven price of diesel. Already the sales of car and passenger vehicles are sluggish in the domestic market and any change in policy will further impact it". However, GMI is not taking it as a fatal issue, as the Vice President of GM India, P. Balendran, adds, “We have diesel models, but diesel has other advantages than simply being a cheaper fuel. Diesel technology today is cleaner and fuel efficiency of diesel vehicles is higher. We would rather let the consumer choose according to his requirements”.

There are lot of hurdle race in the way, but GMI hopes that all these issues will not hurt Beat Diesel sales that much as it is ready to face all challenges boldly.

View this site: business class flight | budget class flight

BMW introduces new i3 and i8 hybrid concepts

2011-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

BMW has fully dedicated itself to the battery-electric driving revolution by setting up a whole new sub-brand - BMW i - devoted to emission-free motoring. Now, the i group has released details of two concept cars that appear set to become production models within a few years.

The i3 concept is a fully-electric city car with an everyday driving range of about 160 km (100 miles) per charge, and the i8 is a sporty 4-seater plug-in hybrid that combines electric and petrol drive to give a good compromise among emission-free commuting and petrol-powered range and performance.

Both cars make widespread use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) to keep weight down, and both offer a raft of fascinating new driver assist and efficiency initiatives that look likely to make it throughout to the real world.

The BMW i3 - all-electric city boy

First up is the town car getabout - the i3. As a fully electric car, it's mainly aimed at urban commuting, but its battery range is conditioned to a level a little beyond that. On the FTP72 cycle, it's rated for 225 km (140 miles), but BMW says the car's everyday range, being driven by regular lead-foot clowns like you and I, is more like 160 km (100 miles).

Acceleration is in the range of 8 seconds to 100 kph (62 mph), but it should be fairly zippy off the line, as it develops 100 percent of its torque from a standstill. Top speed should be about 150 kph (93 mph) - but that's electronically limited, because autobahn speeds can be brutally draining on most electric vehicles.

The i3's large battery pack sits under the floor of the vehicle in a slab that's protected from crash damage by a number of buffer zones in the structure. As batteries are typically the most expensive part of an electric vehicle, you'd surely want to protect them.

The 170 hp electric motor, single-gear drive system and differential are located over the driven rear axle, and there's room there for an optional range extender - a high efficiency petrol engine that putts away and brings forth electricity to charge the batteries. With the range extender on board, you can roughly double the i3's range, and fill up at any petrol station.

The BMW i8 - a clean, hybrid all-rounder

While the i3 is best suited to round-town usage, the i8 has broader dreams. It uses the same electric motor as the i3, this time mounted over the front axle, in conjunction with a three-cylinder, 220 horsepower petrol engine over the rear axle. Blended, you're looking at a 354 horsepower all-wheel-drive with 550 Nm of torque.

All wheel drive isn't altogether accurate though - the i8 constantly proportions the power between the front and rear drive systems according to how the car is being driven. With a much smaller battery system than the i3, the i8 can only manage around 35 km (20 miles) in full electric drive mode - but then, that would cover an emission-free commute for the majority of people.

The true value of the hybrid system comes with longer range driving, where on the EU cycle, the i8 carries off a banging 104 miles per gallon (2.7 liters per 100 km). Driven hard, the fuel consumption will double, but don't forget that the Toyota Prius is advertised as a 50 mpg hybrid and is nowhere near as much fun.

Like the i3, the i8's top speed is electronically governed, but this time at a very sporty 250 kph (155 mph), so it'll hold its head high on any autobahn. The i8 will hit 100 kph (62 mph) in a brisk 5 seconds or less, decent sports car territory there, and the car's entire underbelly is totally enclosed to boost aerodynamic efficiency and cut down fuel consumption.

Common features

The i3 and i8 share a contrive philosophy and a number of characteristics worth talking about.

LifeDrive component separation and CFRP

Both cars are built on the LifeDrive philosophy, which separates the drive and passenger components and treats each differently. The Drive components, including engines, suspension, structural and crash protection functions, are chiefly housed in aluminum structures, while the Life elements - effectively the passenger cell - are designed using high strength, featherweight, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP).

Accelerator/Decelerator pedal and regenerative braking

Even as they incorporate it in different ways, both cars feature a regenerative braking system to hold the battery topped up and cut down wear on the conventional brake system.

On the i3, this comes in the form of an accelerator/decelerator pedal, with which you're either on the gas, coasting, or braking depending on how far the pedal is pressed down. BMW approximations that around town, you can do as much as 75 percent of your braking this way - that is,without lifting your foot and hitting the brake pedal at all - and in our experience with other regenerative braking systems, that's not far off the mark. The regenerative braking system can contribute back up to 20 percent extra range to the battery charge, and it's very sensitive to use.

The press release is less clear about how the system works on the i8 - or how it works in with the petrol engine - but we assume it's somewhat similar, including a brake pedal which seems to use the regenerative system for the first part of the pedal travel, and the conventional disc brakes beyond that.

Intelligent Electronics: Proactive Front Protection, Parking Assistant, Traffic Jam Assistant

Driver aids abound on the i3 and i8, including frontal collision warning systems that flash, beep and eventually hit the brakes for you if they find out you're going to hit something.

Parking Assistant is a press-button parallel parking system that not only manages the steering to lead you into your parking spot, but also handles the accelerator, brake and gear changes for you, even if the park takes a few moves.

Traffic Jam Assistant is a wonderful stress-saver that holds a constant distance from the car in front, all the way from standstill to 40 kph(25 mph), and actually provides active steering input as well to keep you inside your lane. You just need to keep one hand on the steering wheel as you drift off to sleep.

Smartphone integration

Equally with all things in the future, the i3 and i8 will be highly integrated with your smartphone. You can use your phone to find your car,lock it, unlock it, make it beep its horn or flash its lights.

Your smartphone can also tell you where the nearest charging stations are, and through integration with the navigation system, it can tell you where to walk once you've parked your car to get to your destination.

ECO PRO mode

ECO PRO mode immediately changes the accelerator response characteristics so that you're constantly using less power for a given throttle application. It caps top speed at anywhere between 90 and 120 kph (56 and 75 mph), and it reduces the effectiveness of heating and cooling systems so they consume less too.

Whenever things get really scary, ECO PRO+ mode sets in and basically closes down everything except the absolute essentials, like demisters and whatnot. Top speed is reined in to 90 kph (56 mph) and you can be certain you're getting maximum mileage.

It'll be fascinating to see what alterations on these two concepts if and when they hit the market - but it looks fairly clear that through its i division, BMW is serious about emission-free motoring and ready to get into the game with some pretty competitive products.

View this site: cheap business class flight | budget class airfares

Porsche Releases new high performance bicycle

2011-07-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

The folks at Porsche Designs have entered yet an additional new market as they have introduced a line of high performance bicycles offering high performance features and a very high price.

It's nothing new for a car manufacturer to dig into the world of bicycles to get its branding on a different sort of vehicle, but as with most things, when Porsche does it, it just appears well.

Through Porsche Design, the company has just introduced a duo of two-wheeled people-powered machines, and yes, they're nice-looking cool.

The more affordable of the two bikes is the Porsche Bike S, which starts with an aluminum frame and forgoes a typical chain drive in favor of an 11-speed belt drive system that's pretty interesting. It has 29-inch wheels, weighs about 26 pounds and will cost 3300 Euros when it goes on sale in Europe in September.

There's no cite of US pricing, but a release does say the bikes will come to "worldwide markets." They both also include serial numbers linked to a Porsche database that indicates whether that used bike you're purchasing is stolen.

For further serious bikers, there's also the Porsche Bike RS. Instead of aluminum, its frame is formed from carbon fiber, dropping its overall weight below 20 pounds. It has a traditional chain drive with 20 speeds and Shimano XTR components, 29-inch wheels, and disc brakes. It also has a steep price of 5900 Euros.

If you're already spending $100,000 for that new Cayenne Turbo, though, don't you think a set of these on top would just look great?

View this site: cheap business flight | business class fares

Toyota’s new pre-crash technology is taking control of the car

2011-07-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

In an unstoppable race to cut down the number of car accidents, united with the newest achievable technology, the Japanese auto maker Toyota is working on an unusual safety system which will take control of the car’s steering to avoid accidents so the vehicle can veer away when it isn't able to stop before impact.

New Pre-Collision System (PCS) from Toyota will use a super sensitive radar called “millimeter-wave” radar and two cameras with infrared night vision and, according to the manufacturer, it will take control of the steering wheel and “change the direction of the vehicle” to avoid hitting an object.

The vehicle computes how braking and steering must be applied to avoid a crash, said chief safety technology officer Moritaka Yoshida.

"We must learn from accidents and keep making improvements in safety features," he said.

Toyota said it was aiming for zero fatalities and injuries, although it did not say when that goal would be attained.

Another system on which the Japanese car manufacturer is working is an advance of the automatic high-beam headlights, where the technology can partially shade the high-beam lights to prevent blinding.

And if this wasn’t sufficient, Toyota is also working on a system which will notice the driver’s heath and in case of a sudden cardiovascular irregularity it can warn the driver or stop the car.

View this site: cheap business travel | business class ticket

Here’s what watch out for before you buy a new car

2011-07-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

1. What engine size do you want?
What is under the hood is as important as what you see on the outside and what you do not see under the vehicle. A slow under-powered car can be very irritating if you travel long distance often. If you only require the car to get to the office 10 kilometers away in frustrating jams then a smaller, more economical engine is best.

2. How much money must you spend on a car?
You must first and foremost decide your short-term and long-term obligations. How much money can you spare without changing your lifestyle? If you have saved up and the cash is in the bank, then you have an even bigger trouble because there is nothing worse than having money at the ready and a list of gorgeous cars calling out to you.

3. How many seats do you require?
The passengers you expect to carry helps you determine the number of seats your new car must have. Your wife is expecting and you will now have three at the back with the child seat taking up most of the space. Count a house-help and you have it. You are looking at a 7-seater.

4. How long do you plan to keep the car?
If you plan to sell the car after two or three years what do you expect to get for it and will that amount go into financing your next car? If the answer is yes then you should ensure the value of your car is going to hold. Some cars lose about 50per cent in the first year while others hold up to 80per cent.

5. Will you be taking a loan or are you self-financing?
Today most financial institutions are offering unsecured loans so you are not obliged to buy a car that is less than 5 years old although it is recommended. This means you can afford that car of your choice. Take your time to do your homework. You might be better off with a new car than forking out millions only to have eternal mechanical troubles.

6. What’s the condition of the roads you often use?
The roads are your link to your destination. What are they like on your regular way? The car you choose must have the neccesary ground clearance to keep away from the annoying battering of the undercarriage. You must also pick out the size of rim and tyre carefully. Low profile tyres look nice but will cost you thousands of shillings to replace.

7. Are you looking for a diesel or petrol powered engine?
This is a very puzzling decision to make. Diesel engines are very efficient and the new generation ones are quiet and environmental friendly. Bigger engines consume less while smaller engines perform better. If your do high mileage then you will need an engine that goes longer without needing service.

View this site: first class travel | business class airfares

Cumbria's M-Sport launches two new rally cars

2011-07-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

M-Sport has launched the new Ford Fiesta Regional Rally Car (RRC) – a variant of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC - to customers at the Cumbria-based company’s testing ground at Greystoke Forest this week.

The new Ford Fiesta RRC is based on Ford’s Fiesta RS WRC which arrogated a podium clean sweep at the FIA World Rally Championship season-opener in Sweden earlier this year.

Both cars share the same DNA but the Fiesta RRC features a 30 mm engine restrictor and aerodynamic modifications to qualify for the regional regulations. The RRC is supplied as a WRC variant with a kit of parts to enable it to be changed over to WRC specification in six hours.

The Fiesta RRC is directed at rallying’s most experienced drivers and marks the next step for drivers in their career after the extremely successful Ford Fiesta S2000.

The car is built to comply with FIA regional rally rules and the versatility of the car lets it to compete in national championships in its RRC guise but also in the World Rally Championship in its WRC variant. The Fiesta MS1 will complement the Ford Fiesta R2 and turn out to be the first step in Ford’s ladder of opportunity.

The MS1 is intended as the initial step for drivers in global markets including the USA, China, India and South America. Facebook pages have been set up to watch the progress of the new Fiesta RRC and Fiesta MS1 as they contend in regional rallies throughout the world.

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

“We are delighted to introduce the new Ford Fiesta RRC and the Ford Fiesta MS1 as both cars offer competitors more flexibility to help further their rallying career. M-Sport have been looking to expand the range of rally cars available to our customers and the latest additions have allowed us to provide two extra rungs to Ford’s ladder of opportunity.

The Fiesta MS1 offers drivers an introduction to rallying at an affordable level whereas the Fiesta RRC/WRC provides experienced drivers with the highest level of rally car but also includes the necessary components to convert it into a regional rally car. I look forward to revealing our new cars to the world rallying scene and to monitoring their performance in regional championships across the globe.”

View this site: business flight | cheap airline tickets

Budget Business Class – A Journey to a New World

2011-07-14T01:33:00.000-07:00

BudgetBusinessClass is one of the best travel sites with a well collection of free services that helps you to find the best and cheapest flight we possibly can. We provide all the details of flights and starting price of the ticket. You can search the flights at anytime from anywhere. We help the customers to understand the service render by BudgetBusinessClass by clicking the links of Flight Search, Specials, Insurance and service.

We are not just search fares and flights service across the web, we also provide the online ticket booking service. If you want to book a flight just check out the page http://www.budgetbusinessclass.com/flight-search.php and tell us where you want to go, we match you up with the best people to fly there. So if you want to fly to any country, just type the country name into the search box with your departure region. We provide you with a big list of all the airline and ticket price details for that route. To book your discounted tickets, call our toll free number or complete and submit the request form.

BudgetBusinessClass is the industry for discounted business and first class ticket booking. BudgetBusinessClass specialty is to provide a best service for all flight tickets. Our business class fairs are 40-60% normally below retail price. For the further details of price and flights you can visit our site budgetbusinessclass.com.

The further information which help the customer to understand our service in a new way

Business Class Flights Upgrade - This links provides the information about the business class upgrades.
Airline Codes and Phone Numbers - This links is used to show a complete list of the toll free numbers, airline codes to contact them, and the variety of airline websites.
Business Airlines Comparison Chart - This links provides the Airline Comparison Chart, it gives the full details about the various airlines, dealt with us, offering Business class Flights. This chart exposes the variations between the airlines.
World Airline Awards - World Airline Awards is more prestigious and respected award. By clicking on this link customer can get more details about this award and they can know which airlines received this award for this year.
Air travel prohibited Items - Many passengers does not know which items to be carried and which items should not be carried during flight journey. This links provides the useful information to the customer about the prohibited items in the flight travel.
Business Class Flights Brand Name - It provides different brand names for various flights.
Business Class Flights Sitemap - This link is the collection of all the information available in a single page. We reduce the customer’s time by visiting this single page.
Business Class Travel Tips - It gives the easy and most important traveling tips to the customer.
World Top 10 Airports - This link gives up the world’s top 10 airports by passenger numbers for 2010.
World Airlines Contact Information - It provides a list of airlines and there contact information.
Business Class Flights Quotes - By using this link the customer can request a quote.
Business Class Flights Glossary - This links provides you an alphabetical list of terms about Business Class Flight with the definitions for those terms.
International Airport Guides - It provide all the important airport information.
Best Airports by Region - It gives the full details of best airport in all regions.
Airlines Seat Maps - By clicking this link the customer can preview the seat maps of the list of airlines. Hence they can decide the seats of the airlines.

World's 'most efficient' electric car unveiled by Gordon Murray

2011-07-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Gordon Murray has unveiled an electric car he claims is the most efficient in the world.

The T.27 shares its design with the ultra-compact T.25 city car revealed last year, and uses the same innovative manufacturing processes to deliver a three-seater EV with a 100 mile real-world range.

Gordon Murray Design's new model gets a modified 33bhp electric motor mated to a single-speed gearbox. The T.27 is limited to 65mph, but is said to hit that speed in less than 15 seconds.

It will return that performance while using significantly less energy than its rivals. According to Murray's company, the Smart EV uses 29 per cent more energy per km, with the Mitsubishi iMiEV and Mini-E on 36 per cent and 86 per cent.

Like much of the designer's work, the secret here is the T.27's low kerbweight. Murray has delivered a realistic electric car which weighs in at just 680kg, including the normally prohibitively heavy battery.

On unveiling the car, Murray said: ''Lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armoury in the fight against emissions and fuel expenditure. This is true of all cars and especially so with electric vehicles.''

The T.27 is intended as another showcase of Gordon Murray Design's new iStream manufacturing method, and turning it into a production actuality depends on someone investing in the entire process.

That could just be a matter of time though, as the firm is said to already be in discussions with three interested parties.

View this site: business class airline | business class ticket

Mr Money: Best selling new cars reduced by 20 per cent

2011-06-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

Vauxhall's latest deal sees almost all of its new models greatly reduced in price as it competes with Ford to become the bestselling car manufacturer in Britain.

Buyers of brand-new cars can look forward to a price war in the showrooms this summer, with numerous top-selling models being formally discounted by a fifth before the haggling even starts.

As I reported lately, Vauxhall dealers have set the price agenda by taking it upon themselves to offer selected fresh-from-the-factory models discounted by thousands of pounds. But now the manufacturer has bigheartedly stepped in and instructed them to slash the price of new cars by 20 per cent across the board, for at least a month.
Even already reasonable models such as Agila are cut by £2,000-plus, while the Corsa and Meriva both have more than £3,000 off. The saving is nearer £5,000 on the British-built Astra Sports Tourer, and customers who choose an Insignia VXR Nav 2.8i V6 24v Turbo 4x4 auto will enjoy savings starting from £7,165.

Under the terms of the "Vauxhall Countdown" programme, the vast popular of the company's most popular models come with 20 per cent off – but only when a car is ordered or registered between June 17 and July 18 2011. Cars ordered prior to the 17th of this month but still not delivered will also be eligible – but only if registered between the particular dates. It's worth noting that the industry-leading 20 per cent reduction applies to the list price only and excludes factory-fitted options, delivery and other on-the-road charges, and that bottom-of-the-range Expression models, plus ES/Tech, Zafira Exclusive and Astra GTC, are excluded.

View this site: business class airline | business class ticket

Motoring Memories: Duesenberg J and SJ, 1928-1937

2011-06-03T01:53:00.000-07:00

Among the thousands of automobile nameplates throughout history, America’s Duesenberg J and SJ ranked with the worlds greatest. They were the equal of such famous marques as England’s Rolls-Royce, Germany’s Mercedes-Benz, France’s Bugatti, Italy’s Isotta-Fraschini and Spain’s Hispano-Suiza.

The J and SJ were the creation of German-born Fred and August Duesenberg, who came to America as children in the late 1800s. Growing up in Iowa, they were keen cyclists with enough natural mechanical capacity to build their own race-winning bicycles.

With the emergence of motorized vehicles, the brothers were soon dabbling in motorcycles and cars. In 1906, with backing from a Des Moines lawyer named Mason, they began production of the Mason car, a high-quality performer that won hill climbs and races. The company prospered and in 1910 was bought out by the Maytag Company, improved known for washing machines than for cars.

By 1913 the Duesenbergs were able to classify their own Duesenberg Motor Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, to build automobile and marine engines. They were soon producing winning racing cars that were made famous by such legendary driving greats as Eddie Rickenbacker and Ralph Mulford.

This attracted New York capital and in 1916, a $1.5 million venture was organized and a enormous factory constructed for the Duesenberg Motors Corp. in Elizabeth, New Jersey. This was during the First World War, and car building was late while the plant turned out aero engines.

When the war ended in 1918 the brothers returned to the car-building venture with a four-cylinder engine, but their hearts weren’t actually in it. This led to their departure, leaving them free to think on their real love, an eight-cylinder overhead camshaft racing engine.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Lotus Looking to Partner with a Major Automaker Says Company CEO

2011-05-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has made several changes to the storied British brand since he joined the company in 2009 and he’s not done yet. In a recent interview he made known his desire to see Lotus split off from its present Malaysian owner Proton, in search of a major global automaker – like Toyota.

According to Bahar, Lotus will need a partner in order to offset the cost of meeting strict new emissions ratings and crash tests. If a partner can’t be establish, Lotus could look at spinning off into a private company with publicly traded stock.

Rumors of a tie-up with Toyota are only too simple to generate with both automakers sharing a long-term partnership, with Toyota supplying engines in cars like the Elise since 1994.

Bahar’s plan is to build up Lotus as a serious rival to Porsche, with total sales reaching everywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 units annually by around 2015. In order to achieve this significant growth Lotus has already unveiled its New Era plan to expand several new models including a new Elise, an Esprit and even a possible city car, among others.

According to a report by Inside Line, the company is developing a latest aluminum tub to be shared across these models, which weights 220-lbs less than the 520 lb one used in the Evora.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

New BMW 328 Hommage

2011-05-21T05:06:00.000-07:00

BMW has uncovered a surprise new car this weekend at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este classic car demonstrate, to mark 75 years of the BMW 328.

The BMW 328 Hommage is an amazing modern day reinterpretation of the 1930s classic, which BMW has dramatically debuted at the lavish Italian classic demonstrate.

It is the latest in BMW’s line of ‘Hommage cars’. These are design studies created by BMW’s chief stylists, which are their take on how a model line could have evolved had it remain in production.

The first BMW Hommage car was the 2008 BMW M1 Hommage: be expecting such models to become a BMW staple in future years, as a celebration of the firm’s past icons.

Style by BMW design director Adrian Van Hooydonk, the BMW 328 Hommage is a streamlined design with the ‘taut surfacing’ style that seems to be developing into a prospect BMW theme.

The silhouette is flat with a strong wedge shape and a distinctive front bonnet line. All design elements have been done to make the 328 Hommage look very low, extensive and sporting.

The kidney grille is also famous, while the leather straps and distinctive alloy wheels with ‘knock-off’ centre bolts extra add to the retro air. It is an incredible-looking machine that MSN Cars will bring to you in fuller detail next week.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Europeans see U.S. market for new small luxury cars

2011-05-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

As head of Mercedes-Benz USA in the late 1990s, Mike Jackson was determined to keep the clumsy, expensive A-class small car out of the United States.

The original A class, you would say, 'Oh, my God. I will never be capable to sell that to anybody. What can I do to keep it out of the U.S. so I don't have to deal with it?'" Jackson recalls.

Americans were unwilling to pay premium prices for little cars then, even if the cars wore luxury nameplates. And sales of such cars remain low.

But European luxury brands aim to change that noticeably in the next few years. Eager to increase sales and meet strict government fuel economy standards, they plan to roll out new small cars with premium prices and luxury content.

Now Jackson's on board. Mercedes-Benz unveiled a concept version of the redesigned A-class coupe in April at the New York auto demonstrate. Jackson, on the other side of the fence as CEO of AutoNation, the country's biggest automotive retailer, calls it completely beautiful.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Daimler car sales up 7.7% on China demand

2011-05-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

FRANKFURT - GERMAN carmaker Daimler said its passenger car business sold 7.7 per cent more vehicles in April, helped by continued tough demand for luxury cars in China.

We continue to be hopeful about the second quarter, during which we want to boost sales above last year's level,' Mercedes-Benz Cars sales chief Joachim Schmidt said in a statement on Wednesday.

Vehicle sales in China, including Hong Kong, jumped 47 per cent to a record level of 16,536 units. In the United States, where the largely car market grew 18 per cent in April, Mercedes-Benz sales edged up 2.3 per cent.

Rival BMW earlier said it expected US sales to persist growing while Chinese demand would slow this year.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Rutgers student club designed, assembled race car shown at N.Y. International Auto Show

2011-04-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

NEW YORK — On the main floor of the New York International Auto demonstrate last weekend, thousands of car lovers crowded around the glitzy displays where Chevy, Volkswagon, Toyota, Ford and dozens of other carmakers unveiled their most recent models and concept cars.

One floor up, 6-year-old Cameron Birnbaum climbed into a little race car with wide eyes. Among the hundreds of vehicles at the auto show, this one was special, Rutgers University senior David Gumpert explains to the Boston boy and his mother.

We intended it ourselves. And we take it out and race it, said Gumpert, an electrical and computer engineering major from Hunterdon County.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Man bailed after reservoir deaths

2011-04-21T06:11:00.001-07:00

A man has been bailed after a collide in which a woman lost her mother, husband and two foster children when their car plunged into a reservoir. The woman has been described as "deeply traumatized".

The 23-year old man, detained on suspicion of causing the four deaths by dangerous driving, has been released on bail.

The four people died, believed drowned, when the people transporter they were travelling in plummeted into a reservoir in Wales on Wednesday. It is believed that the man's Ford Mondeo may have been accountable for forcing the people carrier off the road.

The woman at the wheel of the people carrier was the only person to endure the horrific accident, and was described today as "deeply traumatised" following losing her 84-year old mother, 66-year old husband, and two male teenage foster kids.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Things To Check For A Proper Insurance Coverage

2011-04-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

If you are lucky enough to find an car transport company that offers insurance coverage, then there are a few things that you must check to receive the insurance coverage without difficulties. Never hesitate to ask questions about the auto shipping company’s insurance policies. You should study the insurance policy documents of the auto shipping company and to satisfy about the genuineness of the documents, you can even crosscheck with the auto transport insurance provider.

Beware that some auto movers may provide only very restricted insurance coverage – at times, it will be even less than your vehicle’s actual market value. It has to be stated that there may be a few unscrupulous auto transport companies that may try all types of tricks to evade paying insurance claim. It is also important to personally verify whether the auto transport company has a valid insurance certificate.

Please note if your auto shipping company avoids or deliberately delays settling your damage claim, you are at liberty to file a complaint with local Better Business Bureau. This apart, you can also report the matter to the Department of Transportation for speedy redress and as a last resort you can also approach the law courts. But it is prudent to first attempt to sort out your complaints with your auto shipping company and if you still feel that you are not getting justice, you can take recourse to other measures.

Quite often, the insurance coverage provided by the auto transport company may not be sufficient to cover the expense of the vehicle replacement. It is therefore preferable you contact the company's insurance agency and know firsthand the terms and conditions in the policy. When transporting luxury vehicles or any other unique types of vehicles, you must ensure that the insurance coverage includes the blue book value of the vehicle.

What ZipCar's IPO means for car-sharing

2011-04-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

Car-sharing company ZipCar is expected to hit the public markets afterward this week, after some fits and starts caused by anti-trust issues in Britain. It would have an preliminary market cap of approximately $618 million, were it to price its IPO at the high end of its future $14-$16 per share range.

To get a better sense of what this listing could mean for the burgeoning car-sharing market, I spent various time on the phone with Shelby Clark, founding CEO of Relay Rides, a Google Ventures-backed company that lets users "borrow" their neighbors' car (ZipCar owns its individual fleet).

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Up your street - Microsoft's take on Streetview

2011-04-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

If you live in London you may see a car with cameras mounted on the roof coming down your street more the coming weeks. You are probable to assume that it's those folks from Google refreshing the Street view service which shows views along just about every road in the UK. But you'd be wrong - the car will be operated by Google's deadly rival Microsoft.

As it tries to make its Bing search engine a more potent rival to the company that dominates search, Microsoft is sending its cars crossways London to start building something called Street side. This service is already obtainable in the United States and is now coming to Europe. According to Microsoft, Street side "provides a true-to-life view you can explore to get a feel for a place and plan your activities. Travel along streets, view storefronts and parks, and navigate to destination without an address.

Ah, you might think, that sounds just like Street view. No, no, says Microsoft, it's very dissimilar. For one thing, we won't be going up every street, just sticking to downtown areas and traveler locations. For another, we will be distant more careful about telling everyone in advance that we are doing this.

When Google was gathering the images for Street view it ran into a number of privacy rows, particularly when residents of a village near Milton Keynes forced the driver of one of its cars to turn around and depart because they were sad about his cameras peering over their hedges.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Cars after Japan's quake: Toyota, Nissan, and Honda plan to restart production

2011-04-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Despite the huge difficulties the Japanese car industry is facing, analysts say automakers will be capable to recover in the year ahead.

Tokyo
As every car owner knows, it only takes one missing part to carry a car to a screeching halt. And the average car contains anyplace from 20,000 to 30,000 parts, many of which – even in American-made cars – come from Japan.

As disaster-hit Japanese automotive manufacturers and parts suppliers resist to resume operations, the global auto industry hasn't fairly come to a standstill, but it is suffering losses in production of hundreds of thousands of vehicles, amounting to billions of dollars.

We’ve already seen production at GM, Ford, Renault, and Peugeot being disrupt, says Christopher Richter, a Tokyo-based auto analyst for the Hong Kong-based CLSA investment group. The auto supply chain is a bit similar to a house of cards; and there are going to be some surprises popping up in the form of sudden shortages down the line.

Still, despite the enormous difficulties the industry is facing, analysts say automakers like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda will be capable to recover in the year ahead.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Putin rides first Russian hybrid car to see Medvedev

2011-04-01T23:39:00.001-07:00

(Reuters) - Avid car lover and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin herd Russia's first gasoline-electric hybrid car on Friday to visit supporting partner President Dmitry Medvedev.

Called Yo-mobile, the car is a personal project of billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who has said it could bring Russia a spirited edge in the global automotive industry, where the country is better known for its boxy Lada cars.

I would like to drive your Yo-mobile to Dmitry Anatolievich (Medvedev), and demonstrate it to him ... I hope your Yo-mobile will not fall apart on the way, Putin told Prokhorov at a meeting just outside of Moscow.

About 5 kilometers (3 miles) detach Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo country residence, nestled in a pine forest exterior Moscow, from Medvedev's home in Gorki.

The car, whose name is a play on a Russian swear word, drives both on petrol and ordinary gas.

It has a rotary engine and uses ultra capacitators, an energy-storing device seen as an choice to lithium-ion batteries, which are installed on all other hybrid cars presently in production.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Mercedes-Benz E350 Estate CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde

2011-03-28T22:22:00.000-07:00

IF there’s a more relaxed and versatile all-round family car than the Mercedes E-Class Estate then I’d like to know what it is.

I’m not sure how much of a priority console is for Mercedes-Benz designers but it feels like it’s the starting point for this car and pretty much everything revolves around it.

From the moment you sit in you feel relaxed and very at home. In fact the at home analogy is fairly accurate.

With the possible exemption of a Range Rover it’s the closest automotive experience I’ve had to sitting at home and relaxing in my living room.

The seats have the kind of adjustment controls you might wait for to find flying club class, to the point where I was still discovering what some of the buttons did after a week. I also liked the fact that you feel as if you’re sinking in to them yet they’re still extremely supportive.

At the risk of stating the understandable you actually have to wonder whether the E-Class Estate is just a little too comfortable for its own good – to the point where you’re in danger of nodding off at the wheel.

Perhaps with this in mind the designers have very gently come up with a range of gizmos that will prevent you doing so.

But on a serious note this safety technology is completely state-of-the art, all encompassing and actually very useful.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Mercedes Benz USA Gives the SLS AMG GT3 a Walk-Around

2011-03-25T01:49:00.000-07:00

Mercedes Benz’s US division has launched a five-minute video devoted to the stunning SLS AMG GT3. The company’s Assistant Product Manager, William Vetter, was present at the Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance to show off the car and offer an in-depth look at the many unique features.

The racer got a lot of concentration at the event, thanks in part to its white paint that has a matt finish. The body kit is not something that should be ignored either, as wide use has been made of lightweight carbon fiber. The big splitter and the winglets at the front force the front down. Unlike the production car, there are air vents on pinnacle of the wheel. Other aerodynamic modifications include a cowling in the sides that are used to cool the rear brakes.

The hood features a central opening for the taking out of heat from the engine, while side openings in the front fenders facilitate air flow through the wheel arches. Weight optimization measures comprise the application of extremely lightweight polycarbonate for the side and rear windows and, if specified, for the front windshield as well. The most famous piece of the car is the huge rear wing that produces down force a can be adjusted.

Vetter then moves on to the interior of the car and the racing navigation wheel, which features paddle shifters. One of the most attractive features of the interior is a button that detonates two pyrotechnic charges that blow up the doors if the car is upside-down.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

1 dies in 3-car crash in North Andover

2011-03-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- A three-car collide in North Andover killed one person and sent two others to the hospital on Monday morning.

The crash occurs on Route 114 near Route 125.

A reconstruction team was on the scene on Monday morning trying to figure out how the collide happened. The accident is causing delays to the morning commute in the vicinity.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Tata Chairman Says U.S. Car Will Cost ‘$7,000 or $8,000’

2011-03-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Tata Motors struck headline gold in 2008 with the 100,000-rupee price tag ($2,172) for its Nano city car. But if the Indian automaker succeeds in bringing a vehicle to the United States, the car’s window sticker will forfeit a good deal of its shock value.

Last week Ratan Tata, the Tata Group chairman, discussed sales and pricing prediction for a United States city car after a symposium at Cornell University’s College of Art, Architecture and Planning. Mr. Tata is an alumnus. The symposium was held in concurrence with an exhibition that explored the design and development of the Nano.

It won’t be a $2,000 car; it will be a $7,000 or $8,000 car, Mr. Tata said during the Q&A session. But it will still be, in proportional terms, a car that the U.S. would accept.

The ultimate vehicle, he added, would be produced with the same design philosophy and frugal engineering that informed development of the Nano.

Mr. Tata was not asked whether the Pixel, a scissor-doored runabout that was exposed in concept form at the Geneva auto show this month presaged neither an American Tata nor whether the company still intended to bring the Nano in a few form to the American market.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

The Mini Seven turns your kid into the envy of the whole school

2011-03-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

If you have a kid who is into cars and racing, the Mini Seven from Micro Electric Vehicles will most likely make his/her dreams come true. It’s no Ferrari, but it will allow you kid to experience the joys of driving before the lawful age. The Mini Seven is hand-built and proportionally accurate to a real car and is powered by a little petrol Honda HP motor. It can hit a top speed of 19 mph (30 km/h) and seats 2 children. The seats are equipped with a 4-point harness seat belt system to keep the driver and passenger secure, wand all moving parts are fully enclosed in the vehicle, ensuring nobody will get their small fingers or hair caught in such situations. The car even has an adaptable engine and hydraulic disc brakes that parents can customize to make sure their kids don’t drive a car they can’t handle. With a starting price of $11,305 (£6,995) it won’t come cheap, but you can be attractive sure you’ve bought your kid one of the best presents of his/her whole life. Head here to find out more about the Mini Seven.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

Pixel: Tata's new pocket-sized concept car

2011-03-07T04:02:00.000-08:00

Tata Nano's newborn cousin is three meters long, gives 29 kilometers per liter, has four full-sized seats and can turn approximately in as much space as your office cubicle. And it's too attractive to boot

Don't get all excited yet Ratan Tata says -- it's just an idea -- but last week his company introduce a concept car for the most "package efficient" four-seater in the world at the 81st Geneva Motor demonstrate.

The Tata Pixel, a cousin of the pioneering Rs 100,000 Tata Nano, is just over three meters in length and has a turning circle radius of just under that amount.

There is an chance in Europe for a city car, which is optimal in space, maneuverability and environment-friendliness. The Tata Pixel is a reflection of Tata Motors' idea of what such a car should be, says Carl-Peter Forster, managing director and group CEO of Tata Motors.

When the Hindustan Times asked Forster's boss, Ratan Tata, if the Pixel could meet the demands of Indian customers, he said, it may.

Indian auto blogs reckon the Pixel may feature in New Delhi's Auto Expo in 2012 and transform into a production model between the Tata Nano V2 which is due for open this year and the Tata Indica Vista.

View this site: Analyzing English Grammar (6th Edition) by Thomas Klammer | Business Class Flights

SUBARU SHOWS SPORTS CAR 'ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT'

2011-03-02T00:43:00.000-08:00

While Toyota grabs the headlines with its second-generation of the FT-86 concept, Subaru has, er, a glass model that doesn't actually depict what its version of the shared sports coupe project will seem like at all.

In fact, apart from the common dimensions of the car, the only real significance of this unveil is the visual proof that Subaru's version of the car will be rear wheel drive - and how the drive train layout really looks.

This is a shame: while Toyota bathes in the generated excitement, Subaru admits that its more meagre budget is being spent on really engineering the thing. The firm is leading the partnership, and it will be building the dissimilar cars for both companies as well.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Business Class Flights

Spyshots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster

2011-02-21T04:18:00.000-08:00

The Mercedes-Benz engineers are testing fairly a lot these days. After seeing spy shots of the next generation S-Class and C-Class Coupé AMG the 2012 SL Roadster was currently spotted road testing in Spain.

The Mercedes-Benz team took it rather gravely, as they were out with convoy of camo’ed SL prototypes, which were accompanied by numerous other products from Stuttgart as well as an example of the current generation SL hardtop roadster model.

Although Mercedes has complete its best to disguise the SL by covering it with tons of black tape, we can see that the new generation model keeps its predecessor’s two-piece folding hard top. Beside that the 2012 SL roadster will come with a more aggressive looking front grill.

Information regarding the engine are still clandestine, but buyers can expect a entry-level V6 and the customary lineup of V8 units including the newly developed 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 for the AMG model. Or will we see the 6.3 liter AMG again?

View this site: Vacation Directory | Business Class Flights

Government BMWs: good car, not a good look

2011-02-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

It was predictable that when the National government came to fulfill a contract for new BMWs to replace the ones ordered by Labor, there would be some fallout.

In light of high unemployment and the struggle-street on which a lot of us are travelling at the moment, it's easy to criticize a government when it's ordering a nice fresh fleet of what many would call flash German luxury cars.

But what they are doing is common business practice, something that many fleets have to do as fraction of their contract with a supplier.

Fleets do not change their cars when they are worn out. It is excellent practice to do so within a pre-agreed timeframe, with the distance travelled also factored in. That way the cars have plenty of life left in them and are a better-looking proposition when they re-enter the market as a used car.

Few people are privy to the deal that the Labor government inked with BMW New Zealand when the first BMW 7-series diesels came on to the fleet, but it must have been a sugary one. At the time some pundits in the automotive industry opined that the price could have been as small as $100,000 - but that was pure assumption.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Business Class Flights

Renault Captur concept car (2011) first pictures

2011-02-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

Renault today whisked the covers off the latest Captur concept car. It’s a compact SUV akin to alliance partner Nissan’s Juke – and the Renault Captur will be the French brand’s star at the 2011 Geneva motor demonstrate in March.

It’s surely a welcome look at a clean-sheet proposal for an SUV. We’ve never fully warmed to the bigger Koleos, a short-cut gleaned from the innards of Renault’s Asian partners.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

School automobile club hopes to drive into record books with 'world's lowest car'

2011-02-07T22:39:00.000-08:00

OKAYAMA -- Students at the automobile department of a local high school are seeking bureaucrat recognition by Guinness World Records for producing what they claim is the world's lowest car.

In March previous year, students at Okayama Sanyo High School's Automobile Department in the Okayama Prefecture city of Asakuchi erudite about a car holding the Guinness World Record for the lowest height.

The students then decided to expand a car that measures around 45 centimeters in height -- about 2.5 centimeters lower than the record -- by using their cleverness, such as cutting off the upper part of the steering wheel.

The new single-seater electric car, which is named "Mirai" (future) and runs at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour, was unveil in the city of Okayama on Feb. 5.

We faced some hardships, but I'm pleased that we never gave up, one student said, gaining smiling agreement from his classmates.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Criminal defense lawyers in Houston Texas

McLaren Automotive's First Major Milestone of 2011 As MP4-12C Enters Production

2011-02-03T02:21:00.000-08:00

WOKING, UNITED KINGDOM – February 3, 2011: Following a winning public world debut at Good wood Festival of Speed, and a series of elite presentations to prospective customers and media across the globe in 2010, the first McLaren MP4-12C high-performance sports car has begun production at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) in Working, England.

McLaren Automotive plans to build up to 1,000 12Cs in 2011. Most will be manufactured in a bespoke new £40m McLaren Production Centre, which is due for completion in May on a site neighboring to MTC. However, ‘Chassis 01’ is being built in the accessible MTC production facility, where outstanding quality and highly competent production methods have been fine-tuned since the Foster + Partners-designed building opened in 2004.

The innovative 12C was first presented to the public at the famous Good wood Festival of Speed in southern England in July 2010, prior to a North American debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August. 12Cs were then presented at exclusive events to potential customers and media around the world as McLaren Automotive toured many of the cities that will form a network of 35 retailer launch locations.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Good start to 2011 for the auto industry

2011-02-02T01:45:00.000-08:00

The automobile industry has started 2011 on a well note, with sales of 10 leading car manufacturers rising by approximately 14 per cent to 245,664 units, owing to burly demand in the domestic market. A total of 216,002 units were sold in the year-ago period.

Exports, however, remained a concern for both Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL)and Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), who jointly account for nearly 65 per cent of sales in the Indian market.

MSIL, which accounts for almost one of every two cars sold in the country, posted sales of 109,743 units, a 14.7 per cent rise. While the company's domestic sales grew by 23.8 per cent to 100,422 units, exports dropped to the lowest in the previous three months at 9,321 units. MSIL is the first in the country to cross the 1-million sales mark in the first three quarters of the economic year. MSIL had recorded sales of 1037,408 units in April-December, 2010.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Toyota Prius cedes Japan car market leadership to Honda Fit in Jan.

2011-02-01T00:44:00.000-08:00

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid surrendered its leadership in Japan's passenger car marketplace in January for the first time in 20 months, with Honda Motor Co.'s subcompact fit probable to capture the top slot, industry sources said Tuesday.

Overall vehicle sales in January, excluding mini vehicles with engines of up to 660 cc, tumbled 21.5 percent from a year former to 187,154 units, falling for the fifth successive month, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said the similar day.

While sales of the Prius began falling year on year following the government subsidy program to promote eco-friendly car purchases ended in September, Fit sales have been robust due to the launch in October of a hybrid model with a preliminary price of 1.59 million yen, the most inexpensive in Japan amongst vehicles powered by electric motors and gasoline.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

US consulate car had fake number plate

2011-01-28T02:28:00.000-08:00

LAHORE: The US consulate vehicle, a car, which was used in Mazang Chowke occurrence in Lahore, carried a fake number plate, Geo News report Friday.

Sources said the car, which knocked down a youth to kill the deprived who was identified as Abadur Rehman, had a number LZN6970.

As par investigation, the real car registered under this number, was owned by Sufi Munawwar Hussain, a occupant of Sahiwal district.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Car Insurance Claims Increase Due to Bad Weather

2011-01-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

Statistics have shown that the terrible weather in UK, last December has led an increase of 23% on car insurance claims. This event caused a rapid enlargement of insurance firms in the country, making drivers and car owners to subscribe for an wound firm, even if they have not suffered from any car damage.

According to AA research, UK’s car insurance premiums have increased at about 6% to an regular of £843, wherein, home insurance premiums have only increased at approximately 7% for a £143 average. The biggest augment in car insurance premiums was caused by teen drivers, aged 19-22, who pay at about 60% more to an average of £2,251 for their car insurance.

In addition, the company stated that the cause of boost was also due to the increasing number of injury claims, which also comprise frauds, such as; “cash for crash” schemes, exaggerated injury claims, uninsured driving and poor savings returns.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

McLaren Automotive Prices McLaren MP4-12C for US

2011-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of month ago, McLaren Automotive announce the pricing for the MP4-12C for the European and UK markets. Now the automaker is reverse in the news, and has announced the US pricing of the super car. The company has price the MP4-12C at $231,400 in the United States, which include a $2,400 in shipping fees.

The company said it has plans to build up to 1,000 12C’s in the car’s first full year, with production set to augment down the line. The McLaren MP4-12C will be obtainable through 11 dealerships in the North American market.

The McLaren MP4-12C will come prepared with a 3.8 liter V8 engine that can deliver power of up to 600-hp and a torque of 443 lb-ft. The supercar is believed to be intelligent to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds, while achieving top speeds in excess of 200 mph. The car is also expected to weigh in lower than similar supercars at 2,867 lbs.

The company has plans to offer an extensive range of personalization options to the vehicle, which is offered in 14 interior trims that can be particular inside the cabin. Performance upgrades in the McLaren MP4 12C include a sports exhaust system, carbon ceramic disc footbrake, polished-finish calipers and two lightweight forged wheel options.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Criminal defense lawyers in Houston Texas

Bajaj to bring out Ultra Low Cost Car in 2012

2011-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bajaj Auto will unveil the Ultra very low cost car in 2012. The little car will be direct competition to the cheapest car in India so far, the Tata Nano. The Pune-based Bajaj Auto is developing this little car and it will be marketed by the Renault-Nissan alliance. The low price car is designed keeping the Indian customer in mind.

Bajaj already benefits from a enormous following that the company has in the two-wheeler market and it will not be very tricky to convert those riding on two wheels as customers of the ‘yet-another-one-lakh-car’. We wonder that the Bajaj small car (may be named Lite) will be motorized by a 600cc rear-mounted engine that will drive the rear wheels. So, the subsequently year be geared up to see this USD 2,500 significance car hit the Indian roads.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Car thieves can easily hack remote keyless systems

2011-01-18T02:30:00.000-08:00

In the recent times we see that the automakers offer fashionable and stylish remote key fobs. They are trendy and permit the option for a much better and stylish way to opening your car door. This particular automatic devise has been the bone for contention in the latest times as we see that this particular devise could be hacked simply by professional hackers and this lead to a gala time for all the auto thieves. In order to address this issue, the car makers have to come up with a fresh and improved brand of key fobs.

As the case stands in the current times, we see that this is a function that has enabled the car thieves to unlock the car lock and swindle the car by the time you return from your shopping. The car with the keyless entry and having the push button system, similar to the one with 2009 Lincoln MKS, is shown here.

Well in case of a Ford Motor we see that it has the function of remote key fobs. And if we try to appreciate the basic structure of the same we will see that there are not many compensation that it serve. It is seen that if your car own a remote sensing machine, then too it requires a key. This is the area where bad guys cannot take advantage even though they can get inside the car simply. Car keys are the best and this provides a lot of safety to the cars. Whereas if a car is run only by a remote sensing machine this can be a cause of fret as the remote can be easily hacked by hackers. The hacking set up is easy but not easy at all. All it requires is a special type of antenna and a close nearness to the victim. This can be of immense help in case of hacking.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

VAT Free Offers

2011-01-17T04:44:00.000-08:00

It is still possible to beat the VAT amplify as many manufacturers have some implausible VAT free offers.

It is still possible to beat the VAT increase as many manufacturers have some extraordinary VAT free offers. Huge savings are currently available, Skoda’s ‘we’ll pay the VAT’ deal can save up to roughly £3000 on some of the dearest cars. Citroen have cut £2000 from the list price of the popular Citroen C3 super mini.

Suzuki is extending their VAT gratis offer on the Suzuki Alto SZ3 and SZ4 models until the end of March. In addition to the VAT free present Suzuki has introduced further affordability options with low rate PCP schemes on the Suzuki Alto and Suzuki speedy models. Hyundai have a implausible offer for 2011, they have decided not only to freeze the VAT but actually pay the 20% VAT on selected Hyundai i10, i20 and i30 console models as part of a range of VAT offers for 2011. Hyundai’s 20% contribution will be valid until the ending of March.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

Fire drama follows Willenhall collision

2011-01-13T04:44:00.001-08:00

This was the dramatic scene when a car collided with another and rupture into flames in the Black Country.

A Land Rover Discovery and Ford Fiesta collide in Lucknow Road, Willenhall, at about 12.40pm yesterday.

The male driver of the Land Rover, aged 70, is believed to have suffered a heart attack and misplaced control.

The collision sent the Fiesta ploughing into another three cars, setting it on fire, with flames spreading to the Land Rover.

Both drivers managed to get out of their cars before firefighters from Bloxwich and Walsall arrived to put the fire out.

The Land Rover driver was taken by ambulance to fresh Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, while the female driver of the Ford Fiesta was given a preventive check-up at the scene by paramedics. Crew commander Phil James, from Bloxwich Fire Station, said: If we hadn’t of gotten there it would have extend further.

Engineer Wayne Millard, elderly 45, saw the drama unfold as he was driving behind the Land Rover Discovery. He said: The cars that were parked were moved about 20 to 30 yards when they were strike.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Chevy Volt wins North America Car of the Year

2011-01-11T03:51:00.000-08:00

General Motors latest electric car, the Chevrolet Volt, has won the 2011 North American Car of the Year award.

The Chevrolet Volt was lately named as the most likely electric vehicle that US consumers would buy in a survey, has triumphed over other electric contenders to win the popular award.

The Chevrolet Volt is General Motors latest electric car and wins the company the coveted award for the fourth time.

Other finalists integrated other electric cars, the Nissan LEAF and Hyundai Sonata.
This is the third time Chevrolet has win the North American Car of the Year, and the fourth time for General Motors (GM).

The Volt runs on its electric battery for 40 miles before switching to a petrol powered electric motor that extends the driving variety to more than 370 miles.

Speaking on receiving the award, GM CEO Dan Akerson said that since development began GM believed the Volt had the possible to transform the automotive industry.

Being named the North American Car of the Year will help convince customers that the Volt is really a breakthrough vehicle, delivering the benefits of electric driving without the range nervousness associated with pure electric vehicles, said Akerson.

The Volt will retail at $40,280 and GM predicts it will sell 10,000 in 2011 and between 35,000 and 45,000 in 2012.

The Washington Post feel the winner of The Car of the Year award 2011 highlights what some enthusiast say they hope will be an industry-wide turn to alternative fuels, which so far has proved to be more assure than reality.

The European version of the Chevrolet Volt, the five-door, four-seat Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, will go on sale belatedly 2011.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

Renault's tasty cabinet filler

2011-01-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

THIS car makes you sick. It is competent of cornering so hard that you might develop motion sickness as a result of the G-forces on your tummy.

Best drive the Renault Sport Megane Trophee hard on an unfilled stomach.

It’s Renault’s hero car and what a hero car it is offering superb concert and handling as well as stunning looks in a package pitched at a reasonable $41,990 for the Cup model, $5000 more for the Trophee.

Based on the new Megane chassis, the RS Trophee we drove is debatably one of the quickest and best handling front-drive cars available right now? It’s unquestionably the most excellent looking.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Potholes Ahead For UK Car Industry

2011-01-07T02:36:00.001-08:00

New car registrations rose during 2010 but there is strong proof of a rocky road ahead for the UK car industry this year.

Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders say 35,847 more fresh cars were sold previous year compared to 2009 - a rise of 1.8%.

But it seems fewer people got a latest motor for Christmas, as registrations plunged by 18% in December - a drop to 123,000 vehicles.

The SMMT believes car sales could fall by as much as 5% this year.

The proof is backed up by the story of 2010 - with volumes up 19.9% in the first half but falling 13.8% in the second half.

It says the step change was a reflection of the elimination in March of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme, introduced by the Labour Government to boost the industry through the financial crisis.

Over 100,000 cars were registered through the plan in 2010, around 5% of the total market.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

Supercars in lift-off mode

2011-01-06T02:56:00.000-08:00

Sprint times of approximately five seconds were once the benchmark for go-fast cars. Not anymore, not when a high-performance flyer from mainstream carmaker Nissan can scoot from a standing create to 100km/h in a claimed three seconds.

But the Nissan GT-R is not the quickest off the blocks - that title has been claim by Lamborghini's latest supercar, codenamed LP837.

The all-wheel-drive substitute for the Murcielago launched itself through to 100km/h in a claimed 2.9 seconds, one tenth of a second faster than the GT-R.

Nissan was testing the 2011 GT-R before Christmas at the Sendai Highland Raceway, in Japan. Its engineers said the time would have been even quicker had the road temperature been elevated than the 13C.

Witnessed by a group of Japanese journalists and recorded by a V-Box measure device, the standard production R35 model GT-R took just 3.046 seconds to reach 100km/h from a reputation start on the circuit's main straight.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

Prince Charles 'insisted on Rolls Royce' for night car was attacked

2011-01-05T04:53:00.000-08:00

Prince Charles insisted that he and the Duchess of Cornwall concentrate the Royal Variety performance the evening their car was attacked despite warnings from his defense team about their safety, it has been reported.

The Prince also insisted on travelling in the high-visibility Rolls Royce Phantom rather than a lower-profile Jaguar, the Daily Mail claim.

The Jaguar would have made the convoy more supple as it had a better turning circle and could have used side roads, a basis said.

The revelation came as disturbing footage of the moment a mob descended on a car carrying the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall shows that a woman in her twenties was one of the major protagonists.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Criminal defense lawyers in Houston Texas

Ford Focus electric car debuts at electronics show, not car show

2011-01-04T02:14:00.000-08:00

We've long suspected that Ford Motor is so profound into electronics that it's not so much manufacturing cars as it is making transportation apps. The newest word about the Ford Focus electric car does nothing to dissuade us.

Ford says it will unveil the battery-power Focus, going into production belatedly this year, on Friday at the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, not at the Detroit auto demonstrates in two weeks.

The Detroit show, formally the North American International Auto Show, is the most prestigious car show in the U.S. because it gets the most support from automakers and draws the biggest media throng. Of course, that means automakers have to work oddball angles to stand out amid the clamor at the NAIAS. Using the CES is Ford's answer.

Ford, having learned the art of milking better than a dairy planter, says the CES nugget is only a taunt, and more info about the Focus EV is to come. The Focus EV is based on the not-yet-launched 2012 gasoline Focus little car, meaning that Ford didn't have to create an inimitable (read expen$ive) electric-car chassis.

Focus EV is predictable to have a battery range of about 100 miles. That's the same as the Nissan Leaf electric that went on sale final month.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Criminal defense lawyers in Houston Texas

Eitech's Race Car Construction Set: Ja, Bitte!

2010-12-30T01:11:00.000-08:00

The Germans are known worldwide for their engineering cleverness. Some of us here at TrulyObscure daydream about one day owning our own BMW (take a spin in one and you will appreciate). Thus, it comes as no surprise to discover German metal construction toy company Eitech. Eitech offers a extensive range of building sets for young, developing minds, ranging from their Beginner line of plastic sets for little children, to metal construction sets that include tiny starter sets, mid-range sets, solar sets, experimental emotional sets, and large sets with over 1,000 pieces for the experienced builder. In fact, Eitech products are credited and used in German schools (not a bad idea for the U.S. education system to consider).

We tried our hand at the Eitech Classic Radio Control Race Car Construction Set, designed for children 8 years and up. Including over 350 parts made of high-quality steel, we found ourselves both exhilarated and slightly frightened. But, keeping in mind these sets are designed for children, we determined to give it a go. Thankfully, the set includes a step-by-step set of illustrated instructions. Instructions can be hit or miss (we’re looking at you, Ikea), but Eitech’s instructions were clear and simple to follow. What is enormous about this kit is that a variety of different race cars and off-road usefulness vehicles can be built. Once one car is built, it can be taken apart and a dissimilar vehicle can be made. The auto is powered by a 2-way remote control (batteries not included), and can zip along fairly fast. A 9-volt block battery is included to power the car. All essential tools are also included in the set.

Our race car looked quite stylish and exceptionally shiny when we finished building it, attracting attention when we took this baby for a spin on the San Francisco streets. Amazon sells this set for $99.99 as well as a variety of other Eitech construction sets at a variety of prices that can fit every budget. Other Eitech sets include locomotives, dump trucks, construction cranes, and ingenious solar panel-powered vehicles and wind turbines. What better way to get the future generation to grow up green? These sets are a enormous gift to develop the minds of creative children and, for that matter, adults.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorneys in Houston Texas

All new Skoda Fabia WRC

2010-12-29T03:14:00.000-08:00

Skoda is not fairly well known in the world rally circuit (WRC). But guess what, this season; Skoda Auto has some solemn plans to launch themselves as a rally car manufacturer. Skoda Auto has developed their tailgate Fabia into a rally car that will be competing in the 2011 WRC.

The car shown in the images here was really developed in the year 2000. Skoda Auto required competing with this car in the Super 2000 championships. As that plan did not work out, now Skoda Auto is going to join hands with Red Bull Racing and the fresh team will be called Red Bull Skoda Team. The 2011 Red Bull Skoda Team will include of champion driver Juho Hanninen and Navigator Mikko Markkula.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal attorney in Harris County Texas

Toyotathon Deals on a New Toyota in Irving, Dallas, Hurst and Grapevine Ending Soon

2010-12-27T05:29:00.000-08:00

Toyota of Irving wants to let you know that Toyotathon 2010 will be ending soon. If you’re looking for a fresh Toyota in Irving, a new Toyota in Dallas, a new Toyota in Hurst or a new Toyota in Grapevine be convinced to visit Toyota of Irving.

Toyotathon is here and Toyota of Irving hopes you’ll come by and purchase a latest or used vehicle during this special savings event. Specials include 0% financing on nine dissimilar Toyota models including the 2011 Toyota Camry and Tundra, 2010 Toyota Corolla, Highlander, Prius, Rav4, Tundra, Venza and Yaris. Every latest car purchase or lease also comes with Toyota Care a special two year/twenty five thousand mile preservation plan that includes roadside help.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Federal criminal lawyers in Harris County Texas

Mercedes-Benz unveils redesigned C Class sedan

2010-12-23T01:47:00.001-08:00

As the Detroit auto show quickly approaches, another automaker is unleashing photos of one of its more significant next-generation cars. This time it's Mercedes-Benz with its restyled 2012 C Class sedan.

It will come to showrooms by next summer and changes extend beyond those you can simply see in the pictures here, such as the restyled front end. C Class is Mercedes' little car in the U.S., the entry level into the luxury brand here.

The C250 will come with a innovative 201-horsepower direct-injection four-cylinder bi-turbo engine. The fancier version, the C300, will have a 228 horsepower V-6 engine. And fanciest will be the C350 with its 302-horsepower V-6.

View this site: Vacation Airfares | USA top fitness camps

Nissan delivers first LEAF cars in Japan

2010-12-22T01:24:00.001-08:00

Nissan Motors, on Wednesday, deliver the initial 10 units of its 100 percent electric and zero-emission Nissan LEAF in Japan.

The all electric car, Leaf, which has taken the globe by storm, has delivered 10units to the Kanagawa Prefectural Government. Of which, six will be used for official purpose and the remaining will provide as hire cars to be used in the prefecture’s EV Sharing Model Business, the car-maker said in a statement.

Nissan Motor is predictable to sell 500,000 electric vehicles annually by the end of 2013, Renault Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn had told reporters on eve of the marketplace debut of the Nissan Leaf.

We're going to have to put some efforts into selling the car, but the kind of impulsive demand is going to be driving the sales for the subsequently three years, Ghosn said. There is such a curiosity about the car and notice to the car.
The car has already sold out for this fiscal year in Japan at 6,000 orders and in the U.S. at 20,000, reaching manufacture limits.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prearranged the 2011 Nissan Leaf a mileage rating of 99 miles per gallon (mpg); besides dubbing the electric car to be the "best" for fuel competence and the environment.

View this site: Vacation Directory | USA top fitness camps

Trailer-Lift enables on-site servicing and repairs to vehicles

2010-12-21T01:23:00.000-08:00

Trailer-Lift looks like a traditional vehicle trailer but incorporates a specially modified scissor lift which means that servicing and repairing vehicles can be carried out from the customer’s office or house.

This is seen as a new income stream and puts no limits on income generated by their service departments. It seems that car owners and dealers and favor this option which avoids disrupting their busy lives and Service Managers save cash on courtesy cars as well as boosting profits from increased business. And of course Trailer-Lift provides car fleet managers with that superfluous facility to help keep their vehicles on the road delivering winning results for their customers.

Trailer-Lift managing director, Tim McCullagh, says that this is becoming a very accepted trend with car dealerships and general car maintenance companies around the globe. The product was originally invented to maintain rally cars at events as there are no garage facilities or electricity contribute. However, we are experiencing amazing curiosity from countries all over the world for a multitude of uses.

The trailer can transport vehicles and raise them in the air for inspection, repairs or display. The hydraulic lift is powered by a self-sufficient 24v battery which can be charged from the towing vehicle; therefore no external power supply is necessary.

View this site: Vacation Airfares | USA top fitness camps

Mercedes-Benz to set record production for 2010

2010-12-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

In the United States, Mercedes-Benz expects to conclude 2010 in third-place, when competing against other luxury automakers counting Lexus and BMW. However, the brand expects to fabricate a record number of cars this year as demand for the E and S-Class is hiking.

Mercedes-Benz said in a declaration today that it plans to produce 1.2 million cars and SUVs in 2010, beating its preceding record of 1.19 million set in 2008.

Our production was running at elevated speed, especially in the second half, Wolfgang Bernhard, who heads Mercedes operations, said in the declaration.

Mercedes is the universal second-largest maker of luxury vehicles, coming in behind BMW.

View this site: Vacation Airfares | USA top fitness camps

Next A-Class to get AMG version

2010-12-17T05:02:00.000-08:00

Now that BMW has the 1 Series M Coupe and Audi the RS 3, Mercedes-Benz also wants a slice of the strong small car scene and its protagonist will be an AMG version of its subsequently A-Class.

According to Auto car, the A25 AMG will be based on the next-generation A-Class and will be powered by a 2-litre four-cylinder engine that will put out as much as 240kW, albeit that's still 10kW shy of the aforesaid German rivals.

Reports also suggest that a dual-clutch transmission with six forward gears will be fraction of the smallest AMG package to date.

Even though the next A-Class will still be front wheel driven, you don't have to be anxious about the A25 being a torque-steer extravaganza - AMG are developing an all-wheel drive system for the baby surprise.

Nor should you fear it being too top-heavy like today's A-Class as the latest model is set to move onto a conventional platform as Mercedes-Benz ditches the 'sandwich floor' design of the present A.

That should mean a sportier and more low-slung design for the complete A-Class line-up, in the process also making it more desirable to the younger intention audience that Merc no doubt want to attract.

View this site: Vacation Directory | USA top fitness camps

Contempo Technologies Pvt Ltd

2010-12-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

Contempo technologies pvt ltd is a private limited IT company in chennai India. We have branches in US, UK and other countries. Contempo Technologies is one of the leader provider of web development and software development work. We have good client base across the world.

Contempo technologies PVT LTD is one of the top companies in chennai in web development technologies. We have a dedicated team of 100 professionals with varied expertise. was found in 2004 by Mr.vijay he has run his company successfully and in the best way possible. Contempo technologies PVT LTD recently moved into a new facility with an area of 10,000 Sq feet in the heart of chennai. Contempo Tech is well established and the company is running healthy.

Renault Set For January Sales Bonanza With 2011 New Car Range Price Reductions

2010-12-16T04:42:00.000-08:00

PARIS – December 16, 2010: Energy and train prices might be increasing, but car buyers in the New Year can look forward to some January bargain-hunting at the present that the cost of buying many new Renaults is being cut in premature 2011, in spite of the increased VAT rate.

Following the recent simplification of its car assortment, Renault has announced key model pricing with result from 4th January 2011, including the new 20% VAT rate. The welcome news for anyone with funds left after the celebratory period is that many of the best-sellers will be the identical price, or in many cases, substantially less than today, by up to £2,000.

View this site: Vacation Directory | fitness retreat

Direct Line offers winter driving guidance

2010-12-14T05:22:00.000-08:00

Car insurance supplier Direct Line has advised drivers to take care on winter roads and offered its top tips for getting behind the wheel in hazardous conditions.

According to the firm, to avoid having an accident, and in turn rising their car insurance premiums, drivers should ensure that their wiper blades are in high-quality condition and use de-icer so they have good visibility.

It is also advisable to drive gradually and leave plenty of distance between cars in case the roads are icy.

Direct Line advised people to be conscious of other drivers on the road and give them more warning than customary when turning, stopping, or changing lane and to approach corners extremely carefully.

The insurer also told anyone who is planning on fitting snow tyres to help them cope with the winter weather to inform their car insurance provider as a few may class it as a modification and charge an extra premium.

View this site: Vacation Directory | fitness retreat

Electric Car Battles Heat Up – A Long Road Ahead

2010-12-13T04:40:00.000-08:00

Nissan delivered its first the entire electric Leaf to the customer in Redwood City, California Saturday. GM CEO, Dan Akerson called the Toyota Prius hybrid a geek mobile. GM’s have Chevy Volt is also being rolled out to dealerships this month.

Akerson’s tough words are an indication of the significance of the electric car market as it moves from infancy into something not quite as developed as puberty. Automakers are obviously experimenting with cars as varied as the all-electric Tesla Roadster that runs on laptop batteries and retails for more than $100,000, to the Honda imminent hybrid getting an average of 41 m.p.g. and selling for less than $20,000.

Battery costs make the electric vehicles more luxurious than their gasoline counterparts and companies are taking two paths. One is the huge, car-only style batteries favored by the Chevy Volt and the other is bundles of battery cells similar to those used in a laptop being used by Tesla, Toyota and Daimler AG.

View this site: Vacation Directory | fitness retreat

Elvis Presley’s Mercedes Benz fails to make its asking price at auction

2010-12-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

It seems no even Elvis Presley is recession proof after a Mercedes Benz limo previously owned by The King was sold at auction for half of its estimated selling price.

We reported previous month that the Mercedes Benz 600 Saloon car, which is reported to be one of just a handful of cars to have been registered in the Blue Suede Shoes singer’s name, was predictable to make between £150,000 and £200,000 when it went under the mallet at Mercedes Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey at the beginning of the month.

However when the Mercedes Saloon went up for auction previous Monday, it sold for £80,700, less than half of the expected top end of the probable price for the car with the famous connection.

However the auction house which was dependable for selling the vintage ride, Bonhams, defended the apparently low auction price, saying that the £80,700 which it achieved was fair considering that the car is realistically worth £40,000 when you take out the Elvis Presley link. Bonhams suggested that the estimated selling cost of £150,000-£200,000 was unrealistic.

View this site: Vacation Directory | USA top fitness camps

City on the halt: Lagos’ 10-hour paralysing traffic jam

2010-12-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is the most horrible traffic jam I have experienced in my 17 years in Lagos. I have been here since about 9.30 a.m., it is now 2.30 p.m. and the complete road remains blocked. As it is already, the day is wasted.

MOTHER of all traffic jams. That was what Kunle Bodurin, a medical tackle sales representative, yesterday called the scene ahead of him as he resignedly stepped out of his car at Charity Bus Stop and surveyed the endless line of vehicles, three abreast, winding their way towards Anthony, along Oshodi-Oworonsoki thruway.

Anthony spot was where the gridlock, Bodurin referred to started at about 6.30 a.m.
Shortly after, it led to a gridlock that paralyzed activities in Lagos metropolis for close to 10 hours.

Bodurin said it was very annoying as slowly but steadily, the seconds ticked away into minutes and before I knew it, I had used up more than three hours, stuck at a point.

View this site: Vacation Directory | USA top fitness camps

America On Wheels Museum hosts book drive, wreath decorating contest

2010-12-06T05:58:00.000-08:00

America on Wheels Museum is celebrating its Train Time Holiday Exhibit with a unique December line-up. The exhibit runs through the ending of the month.

In addition to enjoying the museum's holiday compilation of trains, visitors can:
Dec. 12: Bring a gently used or new book to the museum to donated to Judith's Reading Room, which sends fully-stocked book carts to public who are not mobile, for example, in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, in institutions or on active-duty overseas, according to their website.

Dec. 18: Enjoy free admission to the museum with the contribution of a new, unwrapped toy.

Dec. 19: Listen to public holiday tunes at the museum from 1 to 4 p.m.

Dec. 22: Get $1 off admission on this specially-priced day. Also be sure to vote for your favorite garland in the Holiday Wreath Decorating competition. Winners will be announced at noon.

View this site: Vacation Directory | boot camp workouts

US Auto Industry Gains 17% in November

2010-12-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

According to Auto data, automakers’ sales for November totaled 873,323 cars and light trucks, which are up by nearly 17 percent from the year-ago total.

It was another solid rise for the automobile industry in the United States previous month, lifting expectations for a strong finish to the year specially with the typically robust holiday sales season looming. The results lifted the seasonally attuned annualized sales pace to 12.26 million vehicles.

Ford, General Motors (GM), Chrysler and Honda are among the numerous others, which reported a gain of as much as 11 percent more. Ford GM and Chrysler cited burly sales of pickup trucks, sport-utility vehicles (SUV) and car-based SUV’s dubbed crossovers.

On the other hand, Toyota was one of the little makers that saw a decline. The company’s sales dropped 3.3 percent, which was forced by a 17 percent drop in sales of its cars. Toyota said that a shift by buyers to trucks and SUVs caused the refuse, although Nissan and Honda showed no ill belongings from that trend. Nonetheless, the car sales industry made an overall increase of about six percent so far this year, while truck sales soar as much as 17 percent.

View this site: Vacation Directory | boot camp fitness program

Porsche Encourages Designers to Develop a Sports Car Pattern and Win Tuition

2010-12-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

Porsche teamed up with Design boom to launch a competition for those who have an profusion of imagination, a passion for cars and a resourcefulness to achieve wonderful and unexpected results in developing patterns for the Porsche Cayman model variety. The entrants are expectant to unveil both repeating and non-repeating original designs, which will be featured on both sides, back, front as well as on the top of the sports cars.

Those who want to contribute in the ‘Radically Rorsche’ competition, are invited to visit the dedicated page to download EPS files to use them as the canvas for prospect pattern designs for the side, top, front and rear views. They will also have to supply short description of their work in English to explain the idea. The finished works should be submitted to the website by January 1, and the public will be selecting greatest four designs from January 9 and through the end of the month. The chosen concepts will be implement by Porsche on four real Cayman model range sports cars, and then their photos will be posted to the website for the after that round of voting set to run from February 20 to March 30.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Best fitness camps

RK Motors tunes 1967 Shelby Supercharged GT500

2010-11-30T04:51:00.000-08:00

A better couple than Muscle Cars & America is almost probable. Beside the standard muscles there are also numerous tuners who bring even more passion into the cars. A rather new tuner, RK Motors, decided to generate a package for a Shelby GT500, one from 1967.

In teamwork with Pro Touring Super Cars they have created a supercharged GT500. Starting with a standard 1967 GT500 they’ve built a genuine dream car. RK Motors added a rear cap and incorporated spoiler, C-pillar and quarter panel scoops, nose cone with central mounted lights, 18-inch Coys wheels and a vented Shelby hood. Finishing detail for the looks is an Acapulco Blue paintjob with Shelby stripes.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Best fitness camps

Unplugged: inductive charging on the road

2010-11-29T04:20:00.000-08:00

Inductive charging could one day enable drivers to refuel electric cars while on the shift. Stuart Nathan reports.

Whether your car runs on petrol, LNG, diesel or electricity, using it is a stable cycle of fuel, consume, and refuel. You have to keep your eye on the gauge that tells you how filled your tank is (or, in electric versions, how your battery is doing) and make sure you’re in variety of a petrol station (or charging point) when the indicators edge close to empty. And while most drivers develop a sense for how far they can push the limit and start getting antsy someplace between a quarter and an eighth of a tank, the issue of range nervousness is still seen as a stumbling block in the development of electric cars.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Best fitness camps

Tata-Fiat rolls out 200,000th powertrain

2010-11-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

Fiat India Automobiles Ltd(FIAL), a 50-50 joint venture between the Fiat Group Automobiles S. p. A and Tata Motors Limited, has roll out the 200,000th power train engine from its Ranjangaon plant in Pune, which started manufacturing authority trains since July, 2008.

Ranjangaon plant has also produced 110000 car units which comprise both Tata and Fiat branded cars. Tata Motors manufactures its hatchback, Indica, and its recently launched sedan Indigo Manza. Fiat India manufactures two hatches, Palio and Punto and the Linea sedan.

FIAL’s Ranjangaon facility is among major powertrain manufacturing plants of Fiat anywhere in the world. The plant was built to manufacture engines for Tata and Fiat cars as well as for export engines to other Fiat facilities across Europe.

View this site: Vacation Directory | fitness vacations

General Motors Sets Sail in China and Targets Small Cities

2010-11-25T02:15:00.000-08:00

GM, one of the major overseas car manufacturers in China, is proud to present its innovations developed specially to cater for the needs of emerging Chinese market — Chevrolet New Sail as well as a new car brand Baojun. By building economic yet dependable cars in cooperation with local manufacturers, GM is determined to gain a enormous presence in small Chinese cities.

Combining Chevrolet’s world-class design, consistency and security with the affordability and economic fuel consumption that are a must for a car to become popular in China, GM plans to win the hearts of Chinese consumersis with the new competitive pricing for Chevrolet fresh Sail. According to GM’s media website, with the base model priced from RMB 56,800 (US$8,400) to RMB 68,800 (US$10,100), it marks a breakthrough in the under-RMB 70,000 (US$10,300) little car segment, where Chinese brands have traditionally been dominant.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Best fitness camps

New deals on approved used Mercedes

2010-11-24T03:11:00.000-08:00

Customers who buy a Mercedes-Benz during the company's approved used service before the latest year will be able to choose from a number of extra deals.

The luxury car manufacturer is offering customers either two years' gratis servicing, an additional year's warranty or a £500 contribution towards their vehicle deposit until New Year's Eve, when the proposal comes to an end.

Cars purchased through Approved Used Mercedes-Benz are already given a 30-day/1,000 mile swap plan, 12 months' unlimited mileage warranty and 12 months' roadside help.

All vehicles sold through the scheme have been put through meticulous security, mechanical, electrical and history checks and every vehicle comes with a certificate confirming that the recorded mileage is genuine.

View this site: Vacation Directory | Best fitness camps

US Owners of Mercedes Benz SUV Requested to Return Their Cars

2010-11-23T04:48:00.000-08:00

Mercedes-Benz USA has issued a recall for brand latest 2011 E-Class, M-Class, GL-Class, and R-Class models in the U.S. due to leaky fuel filters. supposedly, the O-ring on the fuel filter may not have been properly lubricated, and that can result in fuel spilling out onto roads, causing greasy unsafe conditions for other drivers, according to the U.S. NHTSA security agency. The main danger, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is that diesel fuel dripped on roads can make the surface slippery and amplify the chance of crashes.

Since all of the affected vehicles come from the 2011 model year, this recall is not especially big: around 2,300 vehicles to be recalled recalled, whereas Mercedes Benz USA dealers will replace the fuel filters gratis of charge.

Estimates are that this problem potentially affects a few cars in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries too, though it is unknown if any 2011 cars have already been shipped here or not as we have been out of touch with their Middle East office. The fault can also arise in diesel E-Class vehicles built from December 2009 to October 2010.

View this site: fitness spas | boot camp workouts

Bloodhound-World’s speediest car on the track

2010-11-22T02:21:00.000-08:00

A dream to build world’s speediest car is set to attain its target soon.

The work on project to expand a 1,000mph car will start soon, director Richard Noble said.

The supersonic car is named Bloodhound and construction will start on the rear of the vehicle in January subsequently year and it is expected to be developed in 2012.

This is an effort to build a car with World Land Speed record, Noble said.

The project is aimed at promotion of science and engineering to youthful people and it has been taken as huge educational programmed in British Schools.

The bloodhound will break the highest speed proof of Thrust Supersonic Car (763mph or 1,228km/h) in 1997.

Hyundai Azera teased in sketches – debut next year?

2010-11-19T00:31:00.000-08:00

The Hyundai Azera (also known as the Hyundai Grandeur) remains one of the very little Hyundais remaining on sale now that still has the old design language instead of the latest fancy fluidic design that we’ve seen on the Sonata, Elantra, and even the humble Accent.

It was sold in Malaysia, but attractive much had no real competitor. In the US, it belongs to the same class of large sedans that’s one size larger than what we know as D-segment sedans (Sonata, Accord, and Camry). These larger sedans called full size sedans comprise the Toyota Avalon, the Ford Taurus and the Chevrolet Impala. These class of cars have big V6 (sometimes V8) engines, and Hyundai’s marketing for the Azera in the US has the slogan more horsepower than a BMW 5, more internal than a BMW 7.

Murano CrossCabriolet is no mad-cap fad

2010-11-17T02:03:00.000-08:00

THIS is another niche car from Nissan and it is debuting at this week’s Los Angeles Motor demonstrate.

It’s called the Murano Cross-Cabriolet, which, if you feel about it, makes sense starting with the MPV, then the city car, the crossover, the folding hard-top and even the four door coupe – now you have the crossover convertible.

This is based on the four-wheel drive Murano. Nissan is claiming it will offer room for four adults, space for golf bags or luggage and a best leather interior.

And don’t think this is a madcap notion: Nissan insists the car will go on sale next year.

Toyota has one small car and many big plans

2010-11-16T02:51:00.000-08:00

Toyota lastly enters the compact car race in India. At stake is much more than the Indian marketplace.

Hot, grimy, full of noxious fumes and infrequently splattered with dog-piss, the road Yoshinori Noritake was staring at in Bangalore seemed forbidding. The chief engineer at present for Toyota’s passenger vehicles division, he tugged uncomfortably at his custom made suit. The Peace Boulevard in Hiroshima seemed a distant dream from one more time. But with the precision characteristic of Toyota, the company he works for, he positioned himself at that great icon of Indian democracy — the traffic signal.

Through the chaos, he could see hideous trucks hold court with quaint auto-rickshaws; government buses enforce the iron hand of the state; faux SUVs air-kiss the real McCoys; taxis in the center of a mutiny and small cars organizing a monocracy; handcarts, pushcarts and cyclists seemed desperate to secede, but nobody gave a damn really.

The new electric sports model from Audi that will sound as futuristic as Will Smith's car in I, Robot

2010-11-15T05:23:00.000-08:00

Audi is developing an artificial engine noise for a revolutionary latest electric sports car that will sound just similar to the futuristic vehicle Will Smith drove in blockbuster sci-fi movie I, Robot.

The aspire is to warn pedestrians of the approach of the otherwise-silent vehicle.
Audi’s ‘brum, brum durch technic’ synthetic car-sound strategy comes as campaigners at Guide Dogs for the Blind this week called for all electric cars to be fitted with comparable warning noises to reduce the risk of accidents.

Guide Dogs for the Blind’s access manager, Carol Thomas, said: ‘We recognize the environmental benefits of electric and hybrid vehicles.

However, they are nearly silent and blind and partially sighted people rely on vehicle sound to assist with their mobility and orientation.

BMW World Singapore major showcase exhibition in festivity of 25th anniversary.

2010-11-13T01:50:00.000-08:00

The BMW Group Asia opened BMW World Singapore, its main showcase innovation, design and legacy in Asia. The demonstration is open to the public from November 9 to 14 at Hall B of Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in celebration of its 25th anniversary.

Covering almost 50,000 square feet of display space, BMW World takes inspiration from the iconic BMW Welt in Munich. The five day extended showcase offers a look at BMW’s eminent history as a German engineering icon and comprises the Asian opening of the all new BMW X3, also the much awaited unveiling of BMW M3GTS in Singapore. It also offers a sight into the future with BMW idea cars and a foretaste of the 2011 BMW Lifestyle Collection.

Skoda Fabia RS Limited Edition

2010-11-11T04:50:00.000-08:00

You might not know this, but Skoda has been concerned in motorsport for nearly 110 years! Now to celebrate this, and also to mark the fresh victory at International Rally Championship (IRC), Sokda released a fresh limited edition of the Fabia RS inspired by the IRC winning Fabia S2000 rally car.

The car’s limited to 200 units, and skin texture the livery of the championship-winning Fabia S2000 which includes green, a white roof, white alloy wheels and stickers in S2000 colours. The technical specs are not dissimilar than the regular Fabia RS, which means it comes with 1.4 liter four-cylinder engine with double charging developing 132 kW.

Leading the (electric) charge in Houston

2010-11-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

Houston, Tex., is generally better known as a capital of Big Oil. But things may be changing. Wendy Siegle reports on the city's efforts to turn into a leader in the electric car race.

In the case of bailing out General Motors, the government did everything right

2010-11-08T01:53:00.000-08:00

Not even a week has passed since Election Day, when it seemed American voters obsessed on throwing the bums out because of the belief that the government does the whole thing wrong. Yet I want to tell you that, in the case of General Motors, I think the government has done most everything correct.

As someone who's been involved in the auto industry as an analyst and saver, I looked at GM as the business equivalent of a departed man walking.
It had lousy cars, too much capacity, high union salaries and valuable health care plans. Just a few years ago, it price GM about $2,000 more to build a car than Toyota or Honda.

GM also had thousands of wasteful dealers. The average Toyota dealer sold six times as several cars as the average GM dealer. This made Toyota dealers far more gainful. They could use up money to upgrade their facilities, while GM dealers looked increasingly shopworn.

New car sales fell 22 percent in October

2010-11-04T05:07:00.000-07:00

Sales of new cars fell 22 percent in October compared with a year ago when an inducement scheme for trading in older models was helping demand, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.

The SMMT said on Thursday sales over 2010 as a whole were on course to rise by 1.5 percent on very last year. It saw improved confidence and demand during 2011 on the back of slow but steady economic enlargement.

There was a important fall in October's new car registrations, reflecting the impact of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme at this time last year and some worsening in consumer confidence, chief executive Paul Everitt said.

Sneak peek at McLaren's most lust-worthy car

2010-11-03T01:50:00.000-07:00

McLaren announced production plans for its MP4-12C supercar former this year, and most recently brought the car to California so we could get a look.

Along with the car, which a McLaren representative said was 98-percent production ready; McLaren also put an open chassis on display to demonstrate off the MP4-12C's construction. The cockpit is housed in a thick carbon fiber tub, with aluminum deferral pieces bolted on front and rear. As these pieces make up the structural elements of the car, the body panels work for aerodynamics, not inflexibility.

GM improves reliability ratings among buyers in US; Honda, Toyota continue domination

2010-10-27T05:19:00.000-07:00

Detroit-based automaker General Motors has improved its consistency ratings among buyers considerably, though Honda and Toyota continued to dominate in the newest reliability ratings of new cars, according to Consumer Reports' 2010 Annual Auto Survey.

While some GM nameplates had been among the least dependable brands in past years, they now rank above some main European competitors such as Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, the survey said.

The key factors aiding GM's dependability improvement are its recent introductions, such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Equinox, Buick LaCrosse V6 (FWD), and Cadillac SRX.

Citroen C5: news and pics of 2011 facelift

2010-10-26T03:58:00.000-07:00

Its facelift time for the Citroen C5. The Gallic family car gets a cosmetic fillip, latest safety toys and a range of engine revisions to keep it bright in the face of new competition from the new VW Passat and pepped-up Ford Mondeo.

The 153bhp turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol nets inferior CO2 emissions, down 14g/km to 153, and economy is also improved, up to 42.2mpg from 39.8. This downsized turbo is currently the only petrol engine available in the Citroen C5 – and the Tourer estate range is diesel only.

The 3.0-litre diesel V6 with 237bhp is also revised, with carbon emissions down to 189g/km and mpg augmented to 39.2. Impressively, both economy figures are the equal for the saloon and estate.

Mercedes-Benz A Class Review

2010-10-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

The Mercedes-Benz A Class is a city car and hatchback rolled into one. The newest Mercedes-Benz A Class is safer, greener and more attractive. It is obtainable in a three door and a five door version. It is deceptively spacious with a luxurious interior packed with safety features, innovations and equipments levels predictable from Mercedes-Benz.

The interior has been upgraded with larger stowage compartments and fresh fabrics. The rear seats can tumble forwards to extend luggage space and there are orderly storage areas around the cabin.

There are two petrol options, the A160 with a 1.5 litre 95bhp unit and the A180 with its 1.7 litre producing 116bhp. Performance is as modest as those power ratings propose with the A160 taking 12.6 seconds to reach 62mph from a standing start and the A180 able of 10.9 seconds from 0 to 62mph. The diesel options comprise the Mercedes-Benz A160 CDI 2.0 litre and the A180 CDI which has 109bhp.