Car and Truck news and reviews

Mercedes Benz settlement in attempts to make bribery case go away

2010-04-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here is a story from the BBC regarding the $185 Million Daimler Benz bribery settlement. It seems the Mercedes Manufacturer has been busted for giving kick backs and bribes to win multiple foreign accounts.

Daimler agrees to pay $185m after admitting bribery

German carmaker Daimler has pleaded guilty to corruption in the US and will pay $185m (£121m) to settle the case.

The charges relate to US Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission investigations into the company's global sales practices.

Daimler, the owner of Mercedes-Benz, admitted to paying tens of millions of dollars of bribes to foreign government officials in at least 22 countries.

The company said it had now reformed the way it did business.

The offences were committed between 1998 and 2008 by Daimler's German-based exports subsidiary Export and Trade Finance, and its Russian business Mercedes-Benz Russia.

"Today, we are a better and stronger company, and we will continue to do everything we can to maintain the highest compliance standards"
Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche

They were said to have given money and lavish gifts to help win contracts in countries including China, Russia, Thailand, Greece, and Iraq.

The Justice Department said that by "using offshore bank accounts, third-party agents and deceptive pricing practices, these companies saw foreign bribery as a way of doing business".

Daimler has since fired 45 employees implicated in the bribery.

The company's chairman Dieter Zetsche said the firm had "learned a lot from past experience".

The case was heard in a federal court in Washington, where the presiding judge, Judge Richard Leon called the financial settlement a "just resolution".

Prosecutor John Darden added that Daimler had "showed excellent cooperation".

"The company has undertaken an effort to clean its own house," he added.

"That reflects a serious change of mind on part of Daimler. This deserves credit."

Daimler's agreement to pay $185m is broken down into $93.6m to end the US Justice Department investigation, and a payment of $91.4m to settle the civil case from the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US financial watchdog.

The company made a 2.6bn euros ($3.5bn; £2.3bn) loss last year.

Back in 2008, German industrial group Siemens paid $800m to settle a US investigation into bribes paid to government officials in Argentina, Bangladesh, Iraq and Venezuela.

FORD CRUISE CONTROL RECALL EXPANDED

2009-10-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

Ford issued the largest single recall in Ford history on Tuesday. Owners of an additional 4.5 million Ford vehicles were warned about recall due to a fire hazard from a faulty switch.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said this was the eighth Ford recall, involving a total of 16 million Ford Motor vehicles, concerning the cruise control deactivation switch manufactured by Texas Instruments

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The faulty cruise control switch involved in this Ford Recall can leak hydraulic fluid, overheat, smoke and then burn, and risks causing a fire even when the ignition is turned off, parked and unattended, the NHTSA said.

The risk is elevated for 1.1 million Windstars that were subject to a government investigation, said Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood.

"We determined with the government that there is a low risk of fires for those vehicles," Sherwood said. "The other 3.4 million vehicles are the remaining vehicles that have the Texas Instrument switch, so we're recalling them to reassure customers and prevent future recalls." Sherwood added Ford has always gone beyond recalling only the cars that present a risk. While the Ford does not discuss its current suppliers, Sherwood said Ford vehicles did not use the Texas Instrument switch in post-2003 models.

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NHTSA said Ford drivers should look for warnings of possible imminent fires, including malfunctioning cruise control systems and brake lights and antilock braking system and brake light warnings on the dashboard. The safety agency also said difficulty in getting the vehicle out of the park mode should be treated as a warning.

"I urge customers to pay attention to this warning and bring the affected models in to have them repaired as soon as possible," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, in a statement.

Ford is notifying customers and instructing them to take vehicles to dealers for a complimentary installation of a fused wiring harness that will eliminate the risk of fires, the NHTSA said.

The safety recall is expected to begin around Oct. 26. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673 or NTHSA's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit http://www.safercar.gov.

Tuesday's Ford recall includes the following recalled Ford models: 1995-2003 Windstars, 2000-2003 Excursion diesels, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 F-Super Duty diesels, 1992-2003 Econolines, 1995-2002 Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 Rangers and 1994 F35 motorhomes.

In other Ford news, Ford Motor Company is building another plant in China.

TOYOTA & LEXUS RECALL

2009-09-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Toyota Motor Company has announced a massive recall on several vehicles in the Toyota and Lexus lines. This Toyota / Lexus recall effects over 3.8 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

TOYOTA / LEXUS SAFETY RECALL FLOOR MAT PROBLEM

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The Toyota / Lexus recall comes as a result of a problem where the floor mat has a tendency to jam the accelerator on several Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Although seemingly simple, this 2009 Toyota / Lexus recall is being treated very seriously as the floor matt problem recently resulted in a fiery crash involving a runaway Lexus which ended up killing a family of four. The vehicle hit speeds in excess of 120 MPH before it crashed into a SUV and flew off the embankment subsequently bursting into flames killing all those inside.

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Vehicles affected by the Toyota / Lexus recall of 2009 include 2007-2010 Camry, 2005-2010 Avalon, 2004-2009 Prius, 2005-2010 Tacoma, 2007-2010 Tundra, 2007-2010 Lexus ES 350 and 2006-2010 Lexus IS 250 and IS350.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging owners of the Toyota and Lexus vehicles effected by this Toyota / Lexus Recall not to wait for a fix. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is reported as saying "This is an urgent matter, for everyone's sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."

VOLKSWAGON - VW L1 Concept Car

2009-09-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

VOLKSWAGON - VW L1 Concept vehicle

Back at the 2003 Frankfurt Auto Show, Volkswagon revealed their L1 Concept car, a super economical one-litre car weighing only 840 lbs. The tandem-seat VW L1 by the folks at Volkswagon is powered by half of a 1.6-litre TDI engine in a hybrid installation. In addition, the Volkswagon L1 comes with a 800cc, twin-cylinder, common-rail, turbodiesel is joined by a 14bhp electric motor.

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To avoid wind drag caused by side view mirrors, the Volkswagon L1 comes with 2 CCTV camera's with monitors mounted on the left and right dashboard of the VW L1 Concept.

Another favoured feature of the Volkswagon L1 Concept is its' ability to "sail" or glide with the engine shut off. The Volkswagon L1 Concept definitely seems designed with the fuel miser in mind. The Volkswagon L1’s headline fuel consumption is an EU Combined figure of 180mpg with CO2 emissions of 39g/km.

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In addition to being very economical, the Volkswagon L1 is capable of reaching speeds of 99mph, with the ability to accelerate from 0-62mph in 14.3 seconds.

If you are eager to own a VW L1, the very spacey looking Volkswagon L1 Concept will be ready to ship in 2012.

Limited Recall of Toyota Vehicles due to braking Issue

2009-08-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

TOYOTA Motor Corp is recalling 95,700 Toyota and Scion cars sold in the United States. The reason for this massive Toyota Recall is as a result of a fault in their braking system

The Toyota Recalll effects 2009 and 2010 models of the Toyota Corlolla, Corolla Matrix as well as the 2008 and 2009 Scion xD's

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According to the recall notice, vehicles driven in extremely low temperatures may have ice buld up at the braking system port. This ice build up will decrease braking power.

Since the condition can happen at low temperatures, Toyota's recall applies to vehicle owners in 19 states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Those living in other area's who are concerned about potential travel to these low temperature area's should contact Toyota directly to push for a wider recall area.

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There is also an indication of another recall involving Chinese made Toyota Camry's and other sedans involving a faulty window control switch.

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GENERAL MOTORS RECALL - GM RECALL effects 1.4 Million cars

2009-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

GENERAL MOTORS RECALL
GM is recalling 1.4 million vehicles because of a problem with an oil drip in the engine that could lead to a fire.

GENERAL MOTORS says the engines in the vehicles can drip oil into the wrong place and start a fire in the engine compartment. The GM cars included in the GENERAL MOTORS RECALL are:

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1997 - 2003 Buick Recal
2000 - 2003 Chevy Impala
1998 - 1999 Chevy Lumina
1998 - 2003 Chevy Monte Carlo
1998 - 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue
1997 - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix

If you own one of the listed GM vehicles, you're advised to take it to the dealer so it can be repaired.

General Motors Corp. is recalling 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S. to fix a glitch in an engine component that may cause oil to leak and lead to a fire.

The move includes certain Buick, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac cars from model years 1997 to 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site.

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Oil could drop on the exhaust manifold, posing a risk of engine fire. The recall for Detroit-based GM will begin in May, the agency said.

The recall affects Buick Regals from model years 1997 to 2003; Chevrolet vehicles including 1998 and 1999 Luminas, 1998- to-2003 Monte Carlos and Impalas from model years 2000 to 2003; the 1998 and 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue; and some Pontiac Grand Prix cars from model years 1997 to 2003.

2010 Camaro SS

2009-04-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

At first glance, the 2010 Camaro SS makes us feel like we’ve stepped back in time to a more innocent era when gas was cheap. Yet the 2010 muscle car is more than just a retro-mobile.

It’s the long-awaited revival of General Motors’ classic American pony car. First seen in 1967, the iconic design that GM designers have liberally borrowed from debuted two years later.

Sure, it’s got the bones of the most popular Camaro in the brand’s long history, with its egg-crate grille, Coke-bottle silhouette and the muscular kick-up of its rear shoulders. But this is a decidedly modern interpretation, taking advantage of state-of-the-art engineering and technology. The long side aperture, for example, running front fender to rear, is stamped from a single piece of steel, a task impossible during the classic muscle car era.

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The “halo rings” around the headlights add a decidedly contemporary touch as well.

The 2010 SS is the most powerful version of the new Camaro and the only one with a V-8, in this case, turning out a solid 426-horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque with the manual transmission.

With the new 6-speed automatic, the engine had to be detuned slightly to 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet. But with the auto box you get cylinder deactivation, which shuts off four cylinders during low power demand, improving highway mileage to 16 city/25 highway, from 16/24 for the stick.

If you’re willing to sacrifice performance for fuel economy, the still sporty Camaro LS and RS models get 30 mpg on the highway out of their V-6s.

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The new Camaro SS will turn 0 to 60 times in 4.7 seconds, despite its 3,800-pound heft, which is notably quicker than domestic competitors like the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang GT, as well as the new Nissan 370Z. But the Chevy coupe delivers more than just straight-line performance, in part because of its new, independent rear suspension.

The 2010 Camaro SS is arguably the best version of the pony car in more than 40 years, and it will give challenge to just about anything in its class. Sadly, the planned convertible version has been delayed and the even more powerful Z28 model has been cancelled. But expect to see the SS burning rubber as it flies out of dealer showrooms.

2010 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS
Miles per gallon: 16 city/24 highway with six-speed manual, 16/25 with six-speed automatic.

Engine options: 6.2-liter LS3 V-8, 426 hp/420 pound-feet, with manual; 400/410 with automatic.

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (base): $30,995.

Cost fully loaded: $35,000.

SWEDISH AUTOMAKER SAAB FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY

2009-02-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

STOCKHOLM (AP) Saab has filed for bankruptcy protection and intends to split from its troubled parent company, General Motors.

GM had asked Sweden for government help for Saab but had to take 'no' for an answer.

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With no help forthcoming from Sweden's government, Saab has filed for bankruptcy protection. The goal is to split from its parent company, General Motors. GM says its exploring all options.
General Motors' subsidiary has filed for reorganization, a step taken to stave off bankruptcy protection.

General Motors' Swedish subsidiary, Saab, confirmed on Friday that it has filed for reorganization, a step to avoid bankruptcy protection, as the company seeks to pay down pending debt and return to profitability.

"I can confirm that Saab has filed for reorganization. It is not a bankruptcy situation. The aim is to have Saab as a freestanding entity," a spokesman for the firm told Forbes.

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SAAB is seeking funds from both public and private sources but will operate as usual with government funding during the reorganization process.

Under Swedish law, when a company files for reorganization, it means that it is looking for ways to raise capital to pay off debt. One of the solutions a company might consider is seeking a buyer to could acquire an equity stake.

The legal process will be headed by an independent administrator appointed by court as the company seeks funds from both private and public sources, TradeTheNews.com reported. Saab will operate as usual, with the central government providing assistance during the process, which will be executed over a 90-day period.

The Swedish government has categorically denied the possibility of buying equity in its struggling carmakers. "The Swedish state and taxpayers in Sweden will not own car factories," Industry Minister Maud Olofsson said on Wednesday. "Sometimes you get the feeling that [GM] is a small, small company, but it is the world's biggest automaker, so we have a right to make demands."

Saab builds fewer than 1 million vehicles per year, in contrast to Renault or Volkswagen, whose capacity ranges between 2 million and 3 million cars per year.

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Inside, a forward-leaning center stack clearly makes the 2010 Ford Taurus a five-seater. There will be no front bench seats or column shifters available for this car (we hope fleet car purchasing agents aren't crying too hard). New production techniques have yielded better looking and richer feeling dash and door coverings. As evidenced in recently introduced models, Ford knows how to craft high-quality and visually pleasing interiors. Panel gaps and materials appear on par with luxury cars.

Even though the Taurus is a full-size car, the amount of passenger room is still surprising. The adjective "huge" comes to mind. The trunk, thanks to the high profile of the rear fenders and the tall deck, is likewise enormous. Back in the days of drive-in movies, it would have been easy to fit three stow-aways back there with room for beer and chips.

The 2010 Ford Taurus is a sleek, stylish update of a car that has been one of the mainstays of the Ford fleet, and it's turning heads at the show with its expressive lines and improved interior, including a new instrument panel with chrome ringed gauges. The Taurus also delivers more fuel efficiency. No fuel economy numbers are available as yet, though Ford promises that it will be 10% better than the 2009 Taurus.

The 2010 Ford Taurus should have the moves to match its trimmer more athletic looks. The mechanicals are based on the Lincoln MKS, a car we've driven and liked. The standard engine is the proven Duratec 3.5-liter V-6, generating an estimated 263 horsepower and 249 foot-pounds of torque. Along with earning ULEV-II emissions certification front-wheel-drive Taurus (all-wheel drive is optional) is expected to deliver unsurpassed highway fuel economy in the class, but Ford hasn't yet released mpg estimates. Plan also calls for the availability of Ford’s turbocharged and direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 to become available after the car goes on sale. In the MKS, the boosted engine produces 340 horsepower. Perhaps this foreshadows the return of the SHO (Super High Output)?

The base Taurus SE offers a six-speed automatic transmission with a Grade-Assist hill-holding rollback prevention feature, paired with an economical 2.77 final drive ratio. Taurus SEL and Limited models get the SelectShift gearbox used in the Lincoln MKS. It features paddle shifters on the steering wheel, manual shift mode, and rev-matching downshifts. Enhancing acceleration, the Limited series uses a 3.16 gear in front-wheel-drive models, and a 3.39 ratio in all-wheel-drive models to provide compensate for the added weight of the extra drive mechanicals.

Compared to the outgoing model, the chassis components under the 2010 Taurus should deliver sportier ride dynamics. Ford engineers promise more roll stiffness and more responsive steering. Like the MKS, the new Ford uses struts up front and multi-link, fully-independent arrangement in the rear.

Ford added a healthy helping of technology to the 2010 Taurus. Many of these features were once found exclusively in high-end luxury cars, but now Ford is making them mainstream. The list of optional features includes: Adaptive cruise control that uses radar to adjust the car's cruising speed in traffic; keyless entry with push-button start; and Ford's keyless entry keypad with a new pad flush-mounted on the driver’s side B-pillar. These are added to the latest version of Ford's SYNC infotainment interface that includes turn-by-turn route guidance (SYNC and GM's OnStar are in a heated battle to out-feature the other).

Offering even more travel-type information is optional voice-activated NAV with SIRIUS Travel Link. It uses a large eight-inch screen to present a birds-eye-view map with 3D landmarks. The Travel Link subscription provides current weather conditions (real-time radar), a five-day forecast, local fuel pricing by cost per gallon as well as brand, sports scores and movie listings.

One especially interesting option is what Ford is calling multi-contour front seats. These seats include six-way lumbar support and subtle rolling pattern massage. The minute but continuous movement stirs a change of muscular activation helping a driver avoid back pain and help reduce long-distance driving fatigue.

On the safety front, the 2010 Taurus is well equipped with standards including six air bags (including a two-row side canopy), electronic stability control, ABS, traction control, automatic high beams, rain-sensing wipers, plus a post-crash feature that unlocks all doors, flashes the emergency flashers, and sounds the horn in an event of an airbag deployment.

Safety enhancing options include a collision warning system that's part of the adaptive cruise control. When the potential for a collision is detected, the brakes are pre-charged for faster response, and a visual "heads-up" warning signal is flashed on the base of the windshield. Drivers are also warned of traffic they might not see on the highway or in parking lots by Ford's Blind Spot Information and Cross Traffic Alert systems; these use rear- and side-aiming radar. Additionally, Ford's SYNC now includes a 911 Assist enhancement that will place a call to a local emergency operator in the event of an air bag deployment incident.

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The 2010 Ford Taurus also boasts a stronger body structure that makes use of high-strength boron steel. If the crash results of the 2009 Lincoln MKS are any indication, this sedan should earn full five-star ratings and a "good" rating from the IIHS.

Regardless of your take on the old Taurus, this new offering looks to be a lot of bull for the money.

2008's Worst-Performing Cars

2008-11-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

The recent news that Chrysler may merge with General Motors didn't come as a surprise to many, as Chrysler has been struggling for years. It can't negotiate a deal with GM fast enough to save it from going under, in large part because its poor-performing vehicles are a drag on overall sales.

It therefore shouldn't come as any surprise that when the performance of cars is examined according to their predicted reliability, recalls and rate of depreciation, Chrysler vehicles dominate the list of the poorest performers, with seven of the 10 models on our list. All the vehicles have multiple recalls, ranging from airbags to door latches, along with mediocre resale values and bottom-level reliability scores for market-research groups.

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Owners of the current-model-year Dodge Avenger, for example, have had to deal with six recalls. The depreciation and true market value of Avenger only ranks at two stars (out of a possible five) in the Automotive Leasing Guide, which provides depreciation estimates for use in the automotive financing industry.

And experts see no signs of Chrysler making quality improvements across the board, because the company currently lacks the financial resources to do so. It also remains unclear if the company has the means to hang on until auto sales revive.

"I'm not sure Chrysler can weather the storm as an individual company," says Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at Edmunds.com.

It's an entirely different story, however, for the two Japanese auto giants, Toyota and Honda. The best-performing cars, according to our rankings, are all made by these two carmakers, with Toyota claiming six spots and Honda four in the top 10.

In the sixth spot is the immensely popular Honda Accord. It earned the highest Insurance Institute Highway Safety crash test ratings, its predicted reliability is high and there are no recalls so far this year.

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"Honda's manufacturing quality is strong, and the consumer's perception of quality is also strong," says Jonathan Banks, senior director of consulting services for Automotive Leasing Guide.

Behind the Numbers

To compile our list of 2008 best- and worst-performing cars, we looked at five factors, all pertaining to 2008 model-year vehicles: the number of recalls to date, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database; reliability ratings from Consumer Reports; depreciation, in the form of Automotive Leasing Guide's (ALG) star ratings; safety from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test ratings; and fuel economy and annual fuel costs from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Fuel costs were based on AAA's national regular gas price of $2.42 and unleaded at $2.60.

Aside from a standout number of recalls, we looked specifically for below-average reliability, high depreciation and IIHS results of "marginal" or "poor" for worst performers. Of the vehicles that met at least two of these qualifications, we also looked at other factors, such as fuel efficiency and fuel cost per year of ownership, assuming 15,000 miles driven per year.

Leading the Pack

Just as Chrysler dominates the bottom of the list, Toyota reigns at the top, with six vehicles that have among the highest resale values and best reliability scores. And all of the top 10 are among the most fuel-efficient cars and SUVs on the road.

The fuel-efficient Toyota Prius hybrid tops the list with an "excellent" reliability rating, no recalls and a five-star-rated resale value. It has the highest fuel economy (1.61 km per litre) and the lowest annual fuel cost of any car on the list ($789).

Another top performer is Toyota's Scion xD , a hatchback introduced in the 2008 model year as a replacement to the xA hatchback. The xD has an "excellent" reliability rating, no recalls and good fuel economy (1.62 km per litre).

While the Scion is a solid performer, however, it isn't perfect. It earned an "acceptable" (second-highest) frontal crash-test rating but did score a "good" rating (highest) in side- and rear-impact crash tests. Also, its resale value is an average three stars.

Which is more attractive in buying a car: a better price or better predicted reliability? Weigh in. Add your thoughts in the Reader Comments section below.

While there are no similar cars from U.S. automakers on the top half of the list, there are bright spots for 2009 and beyond, as GM and Ford Motor both plan to bring more fuel-efficient, nicely equipped small cars like the Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Festiva to the U.S. from other countries.

"There are things in the pipeline," says Edmunds, at least for those two companies. "I just don't know if Chrysler will be around to do it."

Trailing the Pack

Chrysler has carved out for itself a big space on our list of poor-performing cars, but the automaker has plenty of company.

When gas prices topped $4 a gallon this summer, consumers dropped gas-guzzling SUVs like the Nissan Xterra (1.6 km per litre), as sales plummeted 29.1% from January to October, compared with same period in 2007. The Xterra falls to sixth place among the worst-performing vehicles, as there have been three recalls on the car so far this year, not to mention its below-average performance in crash ratings in side (marginal) and rear (poor) tests, as well as its mediocre three-star resale value.

The Xterra's sales drop can't be chalked up to a general anti-SUV sentiment either, as the smaller Toyota Rav-4 rated fourth among best-performing cars and the Honda CR-V came in fifth. Unlike the Xterra, both cars deliver on fuel economy and resale value.

With the 2009 model year now in full swing (it kicked off Oct. 1), the 2008 model-year cars still sitting on dealer lots are loaded with incentives to make them more appealing to consumers. Chances are, says Banks, many poor-performing vehicles are among the ones with the highest incentives. But while you may save with a lower transaction price now, on a year-end deal, you're likely to be paying for it later.

"If it has a one- or two-star resale value, then it's not a great quality car," says Banks. "If it has a lot of recalls, then you may spend a lot of time in the repair shop. And when the vehicle warranty ends, you may face high repair costs."

Porsche - A Pioneer in Hybrid Technology

2008-10-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Porsche®, a name long associated with engineering innovation, stunned the automotive world by introducing the world’s first advanced electric car – a vehicle that also led to the world’s first hybrid car. While this “green” alternative to petroleum-based transportation may be considered a mundane news story in the 21st Century when green technology announcements are a daily occurrence, a 24-year-old engineer by the name of Ferdinand Porsche developed, produced and raced such a car more than 100 years ago when horseless carriages were in their infancy.

Working for Jacob Lohner & Co. in Vienna, Austria in 1899, Ferdinand Porsche – father of Dr. Ferdinand ‘Ferry’ Porsche who in 1948 founded the Porsche high performance sports car and SUV company we know today – developed and built the world’s first automobile that used electric wheel hub motors rather than a fossil-fuel combustion engine and transmission to drive the wheels. It was called the Lohner-Porsche.

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A Lohner Porsche and concept versions of the Hybrid Cayenne® SUV can be seen at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show to be held Nov. 14-25, 2007.

Ferdinand Porsche installed his patented invention, the electric wheel hub motor, directly on the front wheels. Standard output was 2.5 horsepower at 120 rpm, but they were capable of 7 horsepower each for up to 20 minutes.

This technology could provide speeds of just over 10 mph and a top speed of about 31 mph. Using a 44-cell battery with 300 ampere hours and 80 volts, Porsche’s new vehicle had a range of about 30 miles.

Hailed as “the greatest invention of the age” by one trade journal because electric wheel hub motors eliminated the need for a transmission, gears, belts, chains, differentials and other moving parts and could be produced very quickly, this drivetrain was 83 percent efficient because there was no mechanical loss due to friction. Its debut at the World’s Fair in Paris on April 14, 1900 hurdled Ferdinand Porsche to worldwide fame overnight and prompted Lohner to produce and sell well over 300 such vehicles.

Soon after, Porsche took his invention to the race track. On Sept. 23, 1900 he fitted his electric wheel hub motor car with a larger battery and set his first speed record at Semmering, covering the 6.2-mile route in less than 15 minutes with an average speed of 25.5 mph. The best internal combustion engine powered car averaged 21.5 mph.

Later that year, Porsche fitted his wheel hub motors on all four wheels, thus producing the world’s first all-wheel drive car. To give the car sufficient power and range, it required nearly 4,000 lbs. in batteries, proving to be the same challenge faced by today’s engineers. He tried to solve this dilemma by fitting the all-electric speed-record car with two De Dion Bouton gasoline engines producing current for the electric powertrain. The result was the world’s first hybrid.

He again surprised the automotive world when this new concept debuted at the 1901 Parisian Auto Salon. His design used the 3.5-horsepower combustion engines to drive dual generators to supply current to the two wheel hub motors on the front wheels. It also was possible to run the gasoline engines after start up to so that the electric motor functioned as a generator and kept the battery charged. If necessary, both the combustion engines and electric motors could be used in parallel. Porsche stepped up performance and created variations delivering 5 to 12 horsepower. And in 1902 he piloted his hybrid during trial runs at the Exelberg race, finishing first in the large-car class and third overall.

Porsche went on to develop automobiles for Austro-Daimler, Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart, and Steyr-Werke AG in Austria before forming Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche GmbH in 1931. He is most remembered as the inventor of the Volkswagen Beetle, yet his innovative work in the areas of electric and hybrid drive systems is substantial. His wheel hub motor resurfaced decades later when the concept was used to power the Lunar Rover during NASA’s Apollo missions to the moon. Today, his innovative spirit lives on at Porsche AG’s Research and Development Center in Weissach, Germany where the company is applying its engineering strength to develop hybrid systems for the Cayenne SUV and the upcoming Panamera four-door gran turismo.

LAMBORGHINI ESTOQUE

2008-10-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

After much teasing from Lamborghini over its all-new concept car, here's the whole thing - and it's said to be close to production.

The Estoque, named for a bullfighter's sword, is the long-rumored four-door Lamborghini, a 2+2 seater to rival the likes of the Aston Martin Rapide and the Porsche Panamera.

It uses styling cues from the Murcielago and Reventon to look every inch an uncompromised supercar - its extra rear doors are subtle. It should also be lightweight; it's built around an aluminium spaceframe structure similar to that of the Audi A8.

Though it's not a working prototype as yet, this four-wheel-drive Estoque could be fitted with the 5.2-litre, 560bhp V10 as used in the Gallardo LP 560-4, rather than the Murcielago's V12, though several other engines from the Volkswagen-Audi Group could also be used in the production vehicle - even the V12 TDI diesel as in the latest range-topping Q7, a smaller but turbocharged V8, or a hybrid powertrain system. The engine is front-mid mounted, for optimum weight distribution.

Though just 1.35m tall, the Estoque is 5.15m long and has a wheelbase of over 3m, plus a large boot - said to be big enough for a pair of golf bags. It sits on 22-inch wheels up front and 23-inchers to the rear, giving a muscular stance, and its cabin, with large LCD display screen which can be set to a traditional design with circular dials or digital displays, is upholstered in 'highest-quality' nappa leather. Rear-seat passengers can enjoy a top-notch entertainment system, as well as a high-end stereo.

The Estoque is thought to be scheduled for production in 2010, with annual sales of 3000 planned, though Lamborghini is remaining tight-lipped: it says only that the Estoque 'represents one of several possibilities for a third model series within the Lamborghini product line-up. At this point in time, no decisions have been taken in respect of either a third model series of any kind or of the Estoque concept in particular.'

The fact that this concept has been engineered to meet all European occupant and pedestrian safety standards suggests that it's very much a goer, though, for a start, and Lamborghini does admit that 'it is based on a feasible technical concept.'

Saab 9-X Air

2008-09-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's just over 25 years since Saab unveiled its first four- seat convertible, a car based on its 900 model that became the most popular rag-top in the world.

In a new take on topless motoring the Swedish carmaker has come up with its 9-X Air concept car.

It will be revealed to the public at the Paris Motor Show next week and Saab says it's a glimpse of what a convertible from the company could look like.

Featuring what Saab calls a canopy top, the 9-X Air is not like other convertibles as it incorporates prominent rear pillars which curve upwards to mount the flat folding roof.

This is not dissimilar to Ferrari and Ford sports prototype endurance cars of the 60s which never resulted in production versions. With the top down in the 9-X Air, occupants can enjoy open-top motoring free from buffeting, while with the cloth top in place, the 9-X Air assumes the appearance of a solid-roofed coupe.

The 9-X Air's raked rear pillars – which have a separate rear screen between them – support the canopy top in a design development of the classic Targa roof principle.

However, instead of having a manually detachable roof section, the Saab canopy top will be power operated, neatly and quickly folding away in the boot, taking up very little load volume. Saab has already filed a patent for the design.

The roof design allows a clean, sculpted body contour for the 9-X Air, but there's no mistaking the car as being anything but a Saab, for its Scandinavian-inspired design links as directly as ever to Saab's aircraft heritage.

With a purposeful stance, and minimal front and rear overhangs, the effect is complemented by the single, wraparound window graphic, and smooth, uncluttered body surfaces.

Anthony Lo, director of advanced design at General Motors Europe, says of the car: "Like her sister, the 9-X BioHybrid, this car is all about efficiency in design and performance. It offers important benefits in weight-saving and packaging, as well as giving us the freedom to take convertible design forward."

The 9-X Air showcases seamless, wireless connectivity (Bluetooth) with one or multiple devices (mobile phones, PDAs etc).

Designed in parallel with the Saab 9-X BioHybrid concept, the 9-X Air shares its distinctive frontal styling, together with its highly efficient powertrain. The small, 1.4-litre Saab BioPower engine combines measures for more responsible performance: smaller engines, turbocharging, the use of biofuel and hybrid technology.

Running on E85 fuel (85 per cent bioethanol/15 per cent petrol), the engine delivers 147kW, giving zero- to-100kmh acceleration in 8.1 seconds and CO2 tailpipe emissions of 107g/km. Compared with normal petrol, the environmental impact on a source-to-wheel basis of using E85 is even more beneficial.

The exterior of the 9-X Air is defined by the prominent C-pillars, or buttresses, that provide the rear mounting for the canopy top – a powered, flat-folding roof developed from a Targa top principle. In a further break with design convention, the 9-X Air dispenses with a boot lid.

Instead, a large storage compartment, big enough to accommodate two golf bags, slides out from underneath the rear light bar. To save weight, it is spring- loaded, without power assistance, and slides on rollers.

Inside, the 9-X Air's driver information zone encompasses the top of the door moulding as well as the traditional dashboard. It's a fresh execution of Saab's traditional, driver-focused cockpit layout and dispenses with a central, floor-mounted console.

The zone is a flat, arc-shaped surface, within which a row of five display screens is embedded and illuminated in green 3D graphics.

In cooperation with Sony Ericsson, the 9-X Air's in-car interface enables streaming of data, entertainment and satellite navigation functions, which are transferred automatically to the car while the driver's PDA, phone or iPod remains on board, and the smarter the device, the more functions are available.

The same unit could also be programmed to remotely lock /unlock the car, raise or lower the canopy top, and even remotely change in-car pre-sets.

FORD 2009 FIESTA ECOnetic - 65 Miles per Gallon

2008-09-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor, known widely for lumbering gas hogs.

Ford's 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here's the catch: Despite the car's potential to transform Ford's image and help it compete with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. "We know it's an awesome vehicle," says Ford America President Mark Fields. "But there are business reasons why we can't sell it in the U.S." The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.

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Automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have predicted for years that a technology called "clean diesel" would overcome many Americans' antipathy to a fuel still often thought of as the smelly stuff that powers tractor trailers. Diesel vehicles now hitting the market with pollution-fighting technology are as clean or cleaner than gasoline and at least 30% more fuel-efficient.

Yet while half of all cars sold in Europe last year ran on diesel, the U.S. market remains relatively unfriendly to the fuel. Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel. "Americans see hybrids as the darling," says Global Insight auto analyst Philip Gott, "and diesel as old-tech."

None of this is stopping European and Japanese automakers, which are betting they can jump-start the U.S. market with new diesel models. Mercedes-Benz by next year will have three cars it markets as "BlueTec." Even Nissan (NSANY) and Honda, which long opposed building diesel cars in Europe, plan to introduce them in the U.S. in 2010. But Ford, whose Fiesta ECOnetic compares favorably with European diesels, can't make a business case for bringing the car to the U.S.

TOO PRICEY TO IMPORT
First of all, the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high. Plus the pound remains stronger than the greenback. At prevailing exchange rates, the Fiesta ECOnetic would sell for about $25,700 in the U.S. By contrast, the Prius typically goes for about $24,000. A $1,300 tax deduction available to buyers of new diesel cars could bring the price of the Fiesta to around $24,400. But Ford doesn't believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic.

Ford plans to make a gas-powered version of the Fiesta in Mexico for the U.S. So why not manufacture diesel engines there, too? Building a plant would cost at least $350 million at a time when Ford has been burning through more than $1 billion a month in cash reserves. Besides, the automaker would have to produce at least 350,000 engines a year to make such a venture profitable. "We just don't think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars," says Fields.

The question, of course, is whether the U.S. ever will embrace diesel fuel and allow automakers to achieve sufficient scale to make money on such vehicles. California certified VW and Mercedes diesel cars earlier this year, after a four-year ban. James N. Hall, of auto researcher 293 Analysts, says that bellwether state and the Northeast remain "hostile to diesel." But the risk to Ford is that the fuel takes off, and the carmaker finds itself playing catch-up—despite having a serious diesel contender in its arsenal.

Hyundai Genesis

2008-09-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hyundai Motor America today announced that HKS USA, Inc. will create a high-performance Genesis Coupe 2.0t for the 2008 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. The all-new, rear-wheel drive Hyundai model will make its SEMA debut at the Las Vegas Convention Center Nov. 4 - Nov. 7, 2008. HKS, the leading manufacturer of premium performance parts, is the second company to join Hyundai for this year's SEMA show.

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"Genesis Coupe has the basic DNA that HKS looks for -- an excellent chassis, rear-wheel drive, aggressive styling and a new generation turbo-charged engine. These attributes provide the opportunity for HKS to maximize the Genesis Coupe driving performance capabilities for the serious driving enthusiast," said Rick Lafferty, president, HKS USA, Inc. "HKS is allocating R&D, engineering and prototyping resources to lay the groundwork for HKS-brand Genesis Coupe performance parts. We are looking forward to working with Hyundai to realize the full performance potential of the Genesis Coupe."
The HKS plan for the Genesis Coupe includes a HKS GT Turbo upgrade to maximize horsepower and torque, HKS engine internals, HKS limited-edition turbo exhaust system, HKS Super Mega Flow Intake System, HKS Engine Management and HKS Hipermax III fully-adjustable suspension.
"We've designed Genesis Coupe from the start to be tuner-friendly," said John Krafcik, vice president, Product Development and Strategic Planning, Hyundai Motor America. "Partnering with an industry leader like HKS is a terrific way for us to stretch the performance envelope of Genesis Coupe."
The HKS Genesis Coupe will also showcase functional ground effects designed by Ken Style, HKS Time-Attack cars' aerodynamic partner. The interior will emphasize driver comfort and control with HKS electronics including CAMP2 that monitors up to 24 data signals from the Genesis OBD2 and programmable calculations for fuel costs, average fuel consumption and fuel efficiency in real time.
HYUNDAI GENESIS COUPE HIGHLIGHTS

-- Hyundai's first rear-wheel drive sports car
-- 306 horsepower (est.) from enhanced 3.8-liter V6 from Genesis sedan
-- Standard 210 horsepower (est.) turbocharged, intercooled inline four
cylinder
-- Genesis Coupe arrives in the spring of 2009 as a 2010 model

HKS USA, INC.
HKS USA, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and supplier of premium automotive aftermarket performance systems, parts and accessories. Delivering its products to both the import and domestic car markets, HKS has been recognized for its engineering and performance excellence in the automotive industry since 1973. Established in 1982, HKS USA, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HKS Company, Ltd. Japan and distributes its products through its worldwide dealer network. For more information about HKS USA, Inc., visit their website at http://www.hksusa.com.
HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of South Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through 800 dealerships nationwide.

BMW Recalls over 200,000 cars over Airbag concerns

2008-08-13T12:34:00.001-07:00

BMW AG said Wednesday it was recalling 200,000 vehicles over concerns that the front passenger air bag may not deploy in a crash.

The German automaker said the recall involves the 2006 3 Series, the 2004-2006 5 Series, and the 2004-2006 X3 compact sport utility vehicles in the United States.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a posting on its Web site that small cracks could develop in a seat detection mat and deactivate the front passenger air bags.

NHTSA said the air bag warning lamp and the passenger air bag "on-off" light would remain on. The head protection system, however, would not be affected, the government said.

BMW spokesman Tom Plucinsky said there were no injuries or accidents reported.

If the seat detection mat fails to sense that a person is sitting in the passenger seat, it deactivates the air bag. Plucinsky said customers alerted the company when they noticed that the air bag light indicated a deactivated air bag even when a passenger sat in the seat.

NHTSA opened an investigation into the issue in September 2007 and upgraded its probe in January. In addition to the vehicles under Wednesday's recall, the ongoing investigation also includes the 2004-2006 Z4, 2006 X5, 2006 6 Series and some 2004-2006 7 Series vehicles.

BMW had received 23,739 warranty claims over the air bag system issue by early January, NHTSA said. Plucinsky could not immediately address why the additional vehicles under NHTSA's investigation were not part of the recall.

To respond to the problem, BMW said it would extend the warranty to 10 years without any mileage limit for the following vehicles: 2006 6 Series, 2006 3 Series with standard seat, 2004-2005 Z4, 2004-2006 7 Series, 2006 X5, and 2004-2006 5 Series with comfort seats.

BMW said under the extended warranty program, the detection mat in a vehicle with the air bag system problems would be replaced at no charge to the customer.

Owners can contact BMW at (800) 525-7417.

On the Net:
BMW of North America: http://www.bmwusa.com

BMW Winning back Market

2008-08-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

BMW, buoyed by a new line of small cars, threatens to end the 8-year reign of Toyota's Lexus as the leading US luxury brand.

BMW topped Lexus in July for the third time in 2008. BMW, the world's largest maker of luxury cars, trails Lexus by 3466 sales after 7 months, erasing 90% of the gap from the start of the year.

The US debut of the 1-Series car in March bolstered BMW's offerings with a model that gets 28 miles per gallon on the highway, blunting the effect of record gasoline prices that are sapping sales of big four-wheel-drives. Lexus has added only a sports car and a 4WD with 400 horsepower, V8 engines.

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"Looking at BMW's line-up with all the gas issues of the day, they may be in better shape than Lexus,'' said Stephanie Brinley, a product researcher with AutoPacific. She said Munich-based BMW may pass Lexus by the end of the year.

A 40% jump in global demand for the 1-Series helped boost last month's worldwide deliveries by 2.2%, BMW said.

The 1-Series generated 7400 US sales through July that the Munich-based carmaker didn't have a year earlier. BMW also is benefiting from a 32% rise in US sales of the Mini compact.

V8 engines

Lexus has this year introduced a redesigned version of its biggest 4WD, the $US74,000 LX570, powered by a 383-horsepower V8 engine, and the $US56,000, 416-horsepower, IS F sports sedan. The brand is suffering its biggest decline since Toyota unveiled it in 1989.

But a BMW title isn't assured. The company is scaling back on leasing programs after being forced to take writedowns on returned leased vehicles. Residual values, the projected worth of a vehicle at the end of a lease, are dropping industry-wide because of waning demand for pick-ups and 4WDs.

BMW also is struggling with the weakest industry-wide demand for new cars in 16 years. The company said this month that it would ensure profitability by reducing the number of vehicles produced for the US market this year by 40,000.

Still, BMW's 8% US sales decline in 2008 has been less severe than the industry's 11% drop and Lexus's 15% slide.

Cadillac, Lincoln

Lexus and General Motors' Cadillac have held the top-luxury-brand title for most of the past seven decades. Ford's Lincoln took the crown from Cadillac in 1998 and ceded it to Mercedes-Benz a year later. Lexus has held it since.

Ms Brinley said BMW had more small cars. The 1-Series starts at $US28,600, and the best-selling 3-Series line begins at around $US32,700 for the 328i. The 3-Series also gets as much as 8.4 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway.
Lexus relied on 4WDs for 39% of its 2007 US sales; BMW's 4WDs accounted for 22% of its volume.

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Lexus has also been among the leaders in quality. It ranked as the most dependable car brand in the US for the 14th consecutive year, according to a study of 3-year-old vehicles released last week by J.D. Power & Associates. BMW ranked 7th.

Enjoying the title

"We definitely have enjoyed having that status'' as the best-selling luxury brand, said Greg Thome, a spokesman for Lexus in Torrance, California. "That is not our number one goal, especially in context of this market.''

In addition to the 1-Series, BMW has introduced a small 4WD called the X6 as well as its M3 series of performance sedans. It also will sell a partially redesigned 3-Series starting in October and introduce two diesel-powered models late this year, said spokesman Tom Plucinsky.

"It is not at all a focus to beat Lexus,'' said Jan Ehlen, a spokesman for BMW North America. "All we are doing right now is trying to maintain profitability in the current market conditions.''

BMW and Lexus may not be affected in the same way by changes in consumer behaviour, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics, an automotive market research company in Birmingham, Michigan.

"The brands are getting two different parts of the market,'' Mr Hall said. "BMW has a much younger demographic'' and a broader line-up with several niche, low-volume vehicles for which Lexus doesn't have a competing model, he said.

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Should Lexus cede the crown, it may not be runner-up for long, Mr Hall said. A redesigned RX, the brand's best-selling 4WD, will boost sales after it reaches showrooms early next year, he said.

2009 Hyundai Genesis

2008-07-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Genesis is out as are the reviews. Here is the National Posts' take on the 2009 Hyundai Genesis.

Trot out any tired old metaphor you'd like -- a deal changer, a seismic shift, a quantum leap. Whatever the verbiage, not since Lexus introduced its LS 400 in 1990 has so much luxury and performance been offered for so little money. For the first time in a very long time -- since that first Lexus, in fact -- mere proles can afford the same performance, luxury and amenities as all the yuppies in their BMWs can.

There was really no indication the new 2009 Genesis would be this good. After all, there is a Hyundai badge on its rear deck. Oh, sure, the company's Sonata now competes head to head with the Camry, but there's a huge gulf between benchmarking a Toyota and claiming that one's car is on an equal footing with a BMW.

To Hyundai Canada's credit, it admits that with perception being so crucial to buyers in the car's snack bracket, its new Genesis has neither the pomp nor the circumstance to challenge the marketing might or brand status that BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi command. Indeed, Hyundai Canada is looking to prospect Lexus ES 350 and Cadillac CTS buyers with the Genesis V6's $37,995 base price.

That intention sells the Genesis's performance far too short. The car that compares most equally with the Genesis is BMW's 5 Series -- and not just any 5 Series, but the mondo-powerful and very expensive 550i. Yes, the Hyundai Genesis, in its $43,995,4.6-litre V8 guise, can keep up -- and occasionally trump -- BMW's finest sedan at roughly half the price. Don't believe me? Then take a gander at the specs for the Genesis's new 4.6L DOHC V8. At 375 horsepower, it out-muscles the BMW's 550i and, thanks to its smaller displacement, also gets superior fuel economy. Opting for a V8 when premium fuel exceeds $1.40 a litre may seem profligate, but the Genesis's fuel economy ratings of 12.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 8.1 on the highway border on economical.

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But mere numbers don't do the Tau V8 justice. On the open road, the Genesis feels as quick as the 550i and just as sophisticated. Acceleration to 100 kilometres an hour from a standstill arrives in just 5.7 seconds, the same as with the 550i and quicker than the comparable Audi or Jag. Only the Mercedes E550, with one litre greater displacement, is quicker -- and then only by 0.2 seconds.

And the sound! Again, the comparison with BMW comes up. At idle, the V8 burbles with equal authority. There's the same ripping silk roar as the tach passes 4,000 rpm, not to mention the same eerie smoothness as the revs crest 6,000. It's all very authoritative without intruding into the cabin's calm.

Punch the V8 at any speed and the Genesis surges forward as fast --or faster -- than any of the mega-buck German sleds. It's smoother than the Mercedes and quicker than either the Audi or normally aspirated Jaguar V8. And it uses the same ZF six-speed automatic transmission as many $80,000-plus European sedans, meaning the entire powertrain is equal to the best from the continent. The closest I can come to a complaint is that the transmission, which offers manumatic shifting via the centre console-located lever, doesn't come with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

It would be natural to think there's no way the Genesis can keep up with a BMW in the chassis department. After all, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar, to name but a few, have all tried and -- to date -- failed. Yet, after spending a day terrorizing California's Highway 150 and scorching the tarmac at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, I can only assume Hyundai hired some BMW chassis engineers. At the very least, it bought some German suspension bits since the Genesis rides on Sachs dampers all round. As well, Hyundai has the audacity to claim that the Genesis's chassis is stiffer in both torsion and bending than its BMW, Mercedes and Audi counterparts are. Throw in the five-link suspension setup front and rear and you're looking at the beginnings of fine-handling sedan.

The suspension's tuning means the Genesis is nearly as well controlled as a 550i, with mid-corner bumps handled with an aplomb a Mercedes E550 can only envy. In the end, it remains a little behind the Bimmer in suspension performance. But, unlike the Bimmer, the Genesis doesn't come with an upgraded sport suspension. Still, you'll need access to a race track to feel the difference. Besides, the Hyundai has a slightly better ride.

After so obviously benchmarking BMW in drivetrain and suspension performance, it seems a little odd that the Genesis's steering most closely emulates Mercedes' propensity toward heavy on-centre damping. Turn-in requires more effort than in a BMW 550, and, in fast transitions between ess turns, the Genesis feels a little ponderous. It's the car's worst dynamic trait, although it's hardly a dramatic shortcoming. It's just that I had to find fault somewhere or nobody would believe me.

The surprises continue inside the cabin. The leather -- even the stuff used for the dashboard -- is top-shelf. Everything is simply laid out, ergonomically correct and easily decipherable. The one exception is Hyundai's answer to BMW's iDrive. Here, the emulation goes a megabyte too far and, although not unmanageable for us Luddites, it adds nothing to the enjoyment of the Genesis compared with the base model. The bigger problem is that opting out of the multimedia controller also means forgoing the excellent 17-speaker Lexicon audio system, which also makes up part of the Technology package.

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All of this makes the Genesis a tremendous accomplishment for Hyundai. Price aside, the V8 model makes a worthy competitor for BMW's 550i. With a sticker price starting at $43,995 and topping out at $48,995, the 4.6L-powered Genesis gives incredible value. It's the best sedan you can buy for the money and a great car regardless of its price.

Ford to Bring European Models to North America

2008-07-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

Ford this Thursday is expected to announce it will fast-track at least one of its European passenger cars for U.S. production. The announcement will come amidst Ford’s second quarter earnings report and an update on its restructuring plan.

The two cars that CEO Alan Mulally has been pushing Ford to build in the U.S. are the Ford Mondeo and European Ford Focus. I have also heard that some in Ford have been trying to make a business case to sell the tiny Ka car in the U.S.

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It is vital that Ford build these cars in North America if they are to sell them, rather than trying to export them from Europe. The weak dollar makes such a move a loser. Ford would lose money on each Mondeo and Focus it would import from Europe today. Those cars are not “federalized” for U.S. emissions and safety standards anyway.

For years, Ford’s management has fended off calls to unify its product offerings in Europe and the U.S. The European Mondeo, for example, is a huge critical and sales success, and is widely viewed as a more attractive vehicle than the U.S. Fusion. Too, the auto press has long praised the European Focus, while Ford has chosen to sell a different Focus in the U.S.

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When Ford launched the Focus in the U.S. and Europe in the late 1990s, it was the same car on both continents. The manufacturing launch, though, was chaotic and the U.S. Focus was beset with numerous recalls. Once Ford got the bugs out, the reputation of the car was damaged. The automaker has not remade the car from top to bottom since its launch, choosing instead to change the design while keeping much of the mechanicals beneath. The current U.S. Focus is selling well as the demand for fuel efficient cars has spiked. But the car is not critically praised much for design and performance. The European Focus, meantime, has been substantially upgraded twice.

Ford managers have pushed back against Mulally’s directive to “make it happen,” referring to his desire to unify Ford’s global product line and make some of the European product in the U.S. These are the same strategic planners in some case, though, who made Ford so top-heavy on trucks and SUVs and short of competitive passenger car products.

This is where the choice of Mulally should really pay off for Ford. An outsider who came to Ford in 2006 from Boeing Co., Mulally has a retort for long-time Ford managers who fight him on a decision that makes so much sense…”How’s that workin’ out for ya so far?” Not too well. Ford managers have painful memories of the company trying to sell the Ford Contour/original Mondeo globally. And who could forget the raging success of the Merkur Scorpio in the U.S. But those people are responsible for a alot of Ford’s problems today. It’s time to try it Mulally’s way.

But just because those Euro models didn’t work, it doesn’t mean that today’s Focus and Mondeo can’t be globalized with success. The designs are much better than those previous attempts, and the world is different when it comes to design. Last time I checked, Toyota was doing pretty well selling a global Camry and Corolla design.

Given the long-term prospects or oil prices, Ford would do well to have a full line of passenger cars that includes the Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, Mondeo, Taurus…Ka? What remains to be seen in Mulally’s announcement is whether or not the Mondeo will replace the Fusion, or be added to the lineup. There has already been a move to unify the design of the Fusion and Mondeo for each car’s next generation. Ford also has an updated design of the Taurus due next year. The update, as seen in spy shots and in a slide presented to dealers a few months ago, looks akin to the Mondeo.

The next generation Focus, too, was to be brought together. So, Mulally will be outlining whether or not the end result of this will be adding models, or just accelerating the merging of these model programs. Either way, Ford’s car lineup is going to get a needed boost.

Ford Posts $ 8.03 billion Loss for second Quarter

2008-07-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it lost $8.67 billion in the second quarter and will retool two more North American truck and sport utility vehicle plants to build small, fuel-efficient vehicles. The net loss includes $8.03 billion worth of write-offs because of a decline in value of North American assets and Ford Motor Credit Co.'s lease portfolio. Even excluding those items, Ford lost 62 cents per share, worse than Wall Street expected. Twelve analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, on average, expected a 27 cent loss per share. Including the write-downs, Ford lost $3.88 per share in the April-June quarter, compared with net profit of $750 million, or 31 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago.

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Second-quarter revenue was $38.6 billion, down $5.6 billion from the year-ago period. Analysts expected $34.6 billion. Ford also announced that it will bring six European small car models to North America by the end of 2012 as it deals with a market shift from trucks to cars brought on by high gasoline prices. The company said it will retool the Michigan Truck plant in suburban Detroit, shifting its products from large SUVs to make global vehicles off the European Focus platform by 2010. The SUVs made at Michigan Truck — the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition — will be shifted to the Kentucky Truck plant in Louisville, which makes Ford Super Duty pickups.

The company also will retool the Louisville Assembly Plant, which now builds the Ford Explorer midsize SUV, to produce vehicles on the European Focus frame, starting in 2011. The company had previously announced it would retool its pickup truck factory in Cuautitlan, Mexico, to build the Fiesta subcompact for North America starting in 2010. Ford also said its Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minn., will continue producing the Ranger small pickup through 2011. The plant was scheduled to close next year, but Ranger sales are down just 4 percent in the first half of this year, versus 18 percent for the U.S. light truck market as a whole.

The company said its write-offs included $5.3 billion in North America and $2.1 billion for Ford Credit's truck-heavy lease portfolio. Chief Financial Officer Don Leclair said most of the write-down was triggered by the drop in value of the company's truck and SUV inventory and lease residuals. Ford reported a pretax loss of $1.3 billion in North America because of the deteriorating U.S. market and the shift away from trucks. U.S. sales overall were down 10 percent in the first half of the year, with Ford's sales down 14 percent.

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The company, though, continued to be profitable overseas, posting a $582 million profit in Europe and $388 million in South America. The company also made $50 million at its Asia-Pacific-Africa division.

"The second half will continue to be challenging, but we have absolutely the right plan to respond to the changing business environment and begin to grow again for the long term," President and CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement.

Ford said it does not expect a U.S. economic recovery to start until early 2010.

The company identified only three of the European small vehicles it will bring to North America: the Transit Connect small van, the European Focus and the subcompact Fiesta. Most will be built in North America, and Leclair said some might be exported. Ford already has announced that the Transit Connect will be imported from Turkey.

Ford said the other three vehicles would be identified later, including one that is unique within its segment.

Other possible vehicles are the Kuga small crossover, the C-Max small van and the Mondeo midsize car.

Ford also announced that the next-generation Ford Explorer midsize SUV will come out in 2010 and be built on car underpinnings, making it more fuel efficient than the current truck-based model. And it announced it will build a seven-passenger car-based crossover vehicle for Lincoln in mid-2009.

Gasonline to Ethanol conversion

2008-07-18T07:05:00.001-07:00

Can Alcohol be gas?

I just ran across some information on running your vehicle on Ethanol as opposed to gasoline. I can definitely understand and appreciate the desire to save money and reduce one's carbon footprint. However, prior to jumping on the bandwagon, one needs to realise the energy required to distill Ethanol. I do not know the numbers, or how they compare to the environmental cost of refining oil into gasoline but this should be an interesting development. If nothing else, at least the air around the cities will be a little cleaner.

Volkswagon Anounces new Plant in Chattanooga

2008-07-15T08:59:00.001-07:00

Volkswagen AG will build its first United States assembly plant in Chattanooga, reports said today.

Europe’s biggest automaker said it will put a nearly $1 billion investment in Chattanooga’s Enterprise South Industrial Park.

The new plant is expected to eventually create 2,000 jobs.

Volkswagen officials said the surging euro has pushed plans for a production facility forward. The 15-nation currency has been hitting record highs in recent weeks against the U.S. dollar, making goods exported from Germany more expensive in the United States.

Volkswagen recently moved its North American headquarters from suburban Detroit to Herndon, Va., outside Washington, to bring it closer to its East Coast customer base.

Volkswagen produces VW cars and trucks and also makes vehicles under the Audi, Skoda, Seat, Lamborghini, Bentley and Bugatti names.

Prius Hybrid to get solar panel

2008-07-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

Although some aftermarket operations have tried installing rooftop solar panels on the Toyota Prius, none of the pioneering hybrids have ever come so equipped from the factory. This will reportedly change next year when the third-generation model hits the streets. Top trim levels of the new Prius and likely the Lexus-badged version will be equipped with photovoltaic cells on the roof. The solar cells won’t generate enough power to do any significant charging of the battery pack but will be able to power accessory drives like the air conditioning. That should reduce the parasitic loads on the power-train, helping to improve the mileage slightly. The solar panels could also be used to keep the ventilation system running on hot days while the car is parked. That would reduce interior temperatures, cutting the load on the air conditioning when the driver gets in. The new Prius and the Lexus hybrid will debut in January 2009 at the Detroit Auto Show.

Toyota Shifting Gears as demand for fuel efficient cars booms

2008-07-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

Toyota Motor Corp. will build its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid in the U.S. as part of an overhaul of North American production driven by record-high gasoline prices.

The Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid, will be assembled in late 2010 at a plant under construction in Blue Springs, Mississippi, Toyota said in a statement today. That factory originally was to build the Highlander sport-utility vehicle.

The change mirrors U.S. consumers' rapid shift to fuel- efficient models and away from large pickups and SUVs as gasoline soars above $4 a gallon. It also eases production constraints on the Prius, now built mainly in Japan, that have left U.S. dealers with shortages of the car and an oversupply of its biggest trucks.

``They bet wrong on the truck market,'' said Jeff Liker, a University of Michigan engineering professor and author of ``The Toyota Way.'' ``They've been really good about not screwing up like that in the past.''

The company will consolidate production of Tundra large pickups at its San Antonio factory. The model currently is assembled in Texas and in Princeton, Indiana. The Princeton plant will suspend work on the Tundra and Sequoia SUV starting Aug. 8 until November. The Highlander will be shifted to Indiana.

American depositary receipts for the Toyota City, Japan- based automaker rose 50 cents to $91.98 at 10:54 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The ADRs have dropped 14 percent this year through yesterday.

First Decline Since 1995

Toyota's U.S. sales fell 6.8 percent in the first half, with trucks dropping 13 percent, pushing Japan's biggest automaker toward its first annual decline in U.S. sales since 1995. Toyota introduced a bigger, redesigned Tundra last year to increase its share of the U.S. large pickup market.

Bob Carter, general manager for U.S. Toyota brand sales, has said since January the company will sell about 170,000 Priuses this year, down from 181,221 in 2007, because of tighter supplies in the hybrid model's largest market. U.S. Prius sales last month plunged 34 percent to 11,765 from a year earlier and fell 3.2 percent in the first half.

Toyota had to make sure that there would be sustained demand for the Prius before moving production to the U.S., said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

``Toyota has come to the realization that this is not just a blip on the radar screen, but is a long-term trend,'' he said.

Ford, GM, Chrysler

Fuel prices have prompted similar changes at U.S.-based automakers General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC, all of which rely on trucks for a majority of their U.S. sales.

Ford has cut output at truck plants, including a nine-week shutdown of a Michigan SUV factory, while assigning overtime work at another Michigan plant that produces the Focus small car. Ford's F-Series pickup was passed by Toyota and Honda Motor Co. car models as the top-seller in the U.S. in both May and June.

GM said it will close four North American truck factories and is reviewing whether to divest its Hummer brand of SUVs. Chrysler plans to close its Fenton, Missouri, minivan plant. The company also will cut to one shift production of its Dodge Ram pickup at another plant in Fenton. Production also has been temporarily suspended for several weeks at SUV plants in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio.

2009 Volkswagon TDI Diesel coming to North America

2008-07-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Volkswagen's long-awaited new family of diesel engines has finally hit the road to the United States.

The powerful and fuel-efficient engines, which account for 63% of VW sales in Europe, have been absent from the automaker's U.S. lineup for more than a year.

Diesel buyers are among VW's most eager and enthusiastic owners in the United States, but they had to do without 2008 models because the automaker was caught flat-footed without engines that met U.S. emissions standards that took effect Jan. 1, 2007.

VW will rectify that by offering the engines, which have used less fuel than gasoline-electric hybrids in some driving tests, in two 2009 model year vehicles. Both models will wear VW's TDI badge, which stands for turbocharged direct injection, two of the technologies that make modern diesels cleaner and more powerful. The Jetta Sportwagen and sedan are already in showrooms. The Jetta scored 29 m.p.g. city/40 highway in EPA tests, up from 21 city/29 highway for the 2.5-liter gasoline engine.

VW will also add a V6 diesel version of its Touareg SUV in 2009. It may add diesel versions of other models later.

The Volkswagen group's Audi luxury brand will offer its first U.S. diesel, with a 3.0-liter 221-horsepower V6 for sale in the Q7 SUV in March. Audi is expected to add diesels to other models in the United States, including the all-new A4 sport sedan that goes on sale later this year.

GM Shifting focus to more ECO friendly cars including GM BEAT

2008-07-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

General Motors Corp., the automaker that popularized the Hummer, may sell a mini-car four feet (1.2 meters) shorter than its biggest offering and more than a foot shorter than anything else it markets in the U.S. to win back buyers scared off by high fuel prices.

GM may bring the production version of the Chevrolet Beat to the U.S., people familiar with the plan said. The car, which would normally be reserved for markets such as Asia and Latin America, gets as much as 40 miles a gallon, a fuel efficiency topped in the U.S. only by hybrids.

The possible American introduction of the Beat would be one step in a fleet downsizing and shift away from fossil fuel-based vehicles that the people said is already under way at Detroit- based GM. Resigned to $4-a-gallon gasoline and stricter pollution rules, the largest U.S. automaker has recognized that its response must go beyond the mothballing of large truck plants, the people said.

``This is a very big change for GM,'' said John Wolkonowicz, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. ``They have no choice. There's never been as rapid a shift in consumer demand in the history of the auto industry.''

GM, turning 100 this year, has few options to re-inventing itself. The company reported its largest annual loss in 2007, $38.7 billion, after a tax accounting change, and hasn't had a profitable year since 2004. The carmaker's U.S. market share hovers at the lowest level since 1925, and last year GM was 3,000 cars away from being dethroned by Toyota Motor Corp. as the world's largest automaker.

Smaller Than Mattel

The company's current market value is smaller than that of Mattel Inc., maker of Matchbox cars, and a 10th what it was in 2000. A Merrill Lynch analyst said yesterday that a GM ``bankruptcy is not impossible if the market continues to deteriorate.''

GM rose 15 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $10.13 at 8:56 a.m. before regular New York Stock Exchange trading. Yesterday, GM fell 15 percent after Merrill downgraded the stock to ``underperform'' from ``buy.'' The price was the lowest since 1954 adjusted for splits, according to Global Financial Data in Los Angeles.

Besides the Beat, GM is weighing a list of options for refocusing its auto lineup on fuel efficiency rather than performance. They include the U.S. introduction of a small pickup popular in Latin America and an expansion of the number of versions of the Volt plug-in electric car, the people said.

GM is also trying to increase production and speed up availability of the successor to the Chevy Cobalt sedan and develop a fuel-efficient alternative to the Cadillac Escalade sport-utility vehicle, they said.

Portfolio Review

``We are looking at and reviewing our entire portfolio, not just because gasoline is $4 but because of stricter government fuel economy regulations,'' GM spokesman Dee Allen said, referring to U.S. requirements that automakers reduce fuel use 40 percent by 2020. He declined to discuss specific projects.

Already, GM has reassigned engineers to many of the projects, according to the people familiar with the planning. The company is taking them from SUV and truck programs suspended while awaiting the return of customers. Now, these people said, GM sees no point in waiting.

``This is the biggest change that we have seen at GM in three decades in terms of engineering,'' said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics, an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Michigan.

Close to Smart

The automaker unveiled the Beat as a prototype at the New York auto show in April 2007, along with two other 40 mpg Chevy small-car concepts. Besides two hybrid models, the only car in the U.S. that comes close to the Beat's projected fuel efficiency is Daimler AG's Smart car, with 36 mpg, according to Yahoo! Autos.

At about 138 inches (3505 millimeters) long, the Beat would be among the smallest cars sold in the U.S. Only the 106-inch Smart car is shorter.

Sales of the smallest cars in the U.S. have risen 31 percent in the first half this year as the industry total fell 10 percent and the largest SUVs 31 percent. GM reported a 21 percent plunge in U.S. sales of pickups, SUVs and vans for the first six months.

In November, GM said it approved a model based on the Beat prototype for markets outside the U.S. and Canada starting next year. GM wouldn't disclose where the new vehicle would be built.

GM may also expand the Volt electric car program, the people said. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, 76, said last month the company currently plans to build about 60,000 Volts a year after they go on sale in late 2010. The product is designed to drive 40 miles on a charge from a household outlet before an onboard engine recharges the battery.

Variation on the Volt

``The Volt is going to have far more variations than people imagine,'' said Hall, who studies GM's plans for future models.

The small pickup GM is considering for the U.S. would be similar to the Chevrolet Montana, according to the people with knowledge of the plans. The 174-inch Montana is sold in Brazil and in Mexico as the Tornado and in South Africa as the Opel Corsa Utility. The Chevrolet Colorado, GM's smallest U.S. pickup, is 192 inches.

Additionally, Cadillac is considering a smaller SUV, known internally as the MiniSlade, as a more fuel-efficient option to the large Escalade SUV.

Tesla Motors to manufacture all electric car in California

2008-07-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Tesla Motors will build the follow up vehicle to the Tesla Roadster in California. The plan to manufacture the 4-door, 5-passenger sedan was announced earlier this week by Ze’ev Drori, CEO of Tesla Motors, and California Governor Schwarzenegger

Known as the Model S, the second addition to the company's fully-electric line-up is slated for late 2010 production and will reportedly cost around US$60,000 and make 225 miles on a single charge. The new model signals Tesla's intention to evolve beyond the boutique market targeted by the US$100,000 Roadster

“Make no mistake - we are not a niche player with a car only for the rich and famous. As our agreement with the state so clearly demonstrates, we are building a high volume ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE, manufactured in California for mid-range family use. And we aren’t going to stop there. We will continue on and build even more affordable cars. You are witnessing the debut of a new car company, a company unlike all others, a company with a disruptive technology, a company dedicated for the exclusive production of Zero Emission Vehicles,” said Ze’ev Drori.

The decision to build the new sedan in California (not New Mexico as originally planned) keeps the manufacturing operations close to Tesla's engineering and research HQ in San Carlos. Tesla’s battery pack and the final assembly of the Tesla Roadster is also currently in California.

The news also boosts California's push to attract ZEV manufacturers. The California Alternative EnergyAlternative energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) recently approved a new program that exempts new manufacturers from paying sales and use tax on the purchase of manufacturing equipment and Tesla will also be eligible for at least USD 1 million in Employment Training Panel Workforce Development Funds to train employees according to the company's press release.

There's no details yet on what the new car looks like or exactly when we may see it

HONDA FCX CLARITY - Honda's First Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

2008-06-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Honda's new zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell car rolled off a Japanese production line Monday and is headed to Southern California, where Hollywood is already abuzz over the latest splash in green motoring.

The FCX Clarity, which runs on hydrogen and electricity, emits only water and none of the noxious fumes believed to induce global warming. It is also two times more energy efficient than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a standard gasoline-powered car, the company says.

Japan's third biggest automaker expects to lease out a "few dozen" units this year and about 200 units within three years. In California, a three-year lease will run $600 a month, which includes maintenance and collision coverage.

Among the first customers are actress Jamie Lee Curtis and filmmaker husband Christopher Guest, actress Laura Harris, film producer Ron Yerxa, as well as businessmen Jon Spallino and Jim Salomon.

"It's so smooth," said Harris, who played villainness Marie Warner on the hit TV show "24" and was flown over by Honda for the ceremony. "It's like a future machine, but it's not."

The FCX Clarity is an improvement of its previous-generation fuel cell vehicle, the FCX, introduced in 2005.

A breakthrough in the design of the fuel cell stack, which is the unit that powers the car's motor, allowed engineers to lighten the body, expand the interior and increase efficiency, Honda said.

The fuel cell draws on energy synthesized through a chemical reaction between hydrogen gas and oxygen in the air, and a lithium-ion battery pack provides supplemental power. The FCX Clarity has a range of about 270-miles per tank with hydrogen consumption equivalent to 74 miles per gallon, according to the carmaker.

The 3,600-pound vehicle can reach speeds up to 100 miles per hour.

John Mendel, executive vice president of America Honda Motor Co., said at a morning ceremony it was "an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars."

The biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption of fuel cell vehicles are cost and the dearth of hydrogen fuel stations. For the Clarity's release in California, Honda said it received 50,000 applications through its website but could only consider those living near stations in Torrance, Santa Monica and Irvine.

Initially, however, the Clarity will go only to a chosen few starting July and then launch in Japan this fall.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for a statewide network of hydrogen stations, but progress has been slow.

The state has also recently relaxed a mandate for the number of zero-emission cars it aims to have on roads. By 2014, automakers must now sell 7,500 electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, a reduction of 70 percent.

Spallino, who currently drives Honda's older FCX and was also flown in for the ceremony, said he will use the Clarity to drive to and from work and for destinations within the Los Angeles area. The small number of hydrogen fuel stations is the "single limiting factor" for fuel cell vehicles, he said.

"It's more comfortable, and it handles well," said Spallino of Redondo Beach. "It's got everything. You're not sacrificing anything except range."

The world's major automakers have been making heavy investments in fuel cells and other alternative fuel vehicles amid climbing oil prices and concerns about climate change.

Although Honda Motor Co. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. in 1999, it has been outpaced by the dominance of Toyota's popular Prius.

Toyota announced in May that it has sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids, while both the Honda Insight and the hybrid Accord have been discontinued due to poor sales.

Honda also plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid-only model, as well as hybrid versions of the Civic, the sporty CR-Z and Fit subcompact.

Toyota has announced that it would launch a plug-in hybrid with next-generation lithium-ion batteries by 2010 and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle later in Japan later this year.

U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp. plans to introduce a Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric vehicle in 2010. It also introduced a test-fleet of hydrogen fuel cell Equinox SUVs.

Honda has no plans for a plug-in electric vehicle. President Takeo Fukui said he does not believe current battery technology is good enough to develop a feasible car.

The company has not revealed how much each car costs to make, and it is unclear when, or if, the car will be available for mass-market sales. Takeo has set a target for 2018, but meeting that goal will depend on whether Honda can significantly lower development and assembly costs as well as market reaction to fuel cells.

Ford moving towards cars over trucks and SUV's

2008-06-11T11:34:00.001-07:00

Ford Motor Co is assembling a plan to retool its North American truck plants to build cars in a bid to keep up with changing consumer demand in the United States, the Detroit News reported on Wednesday.

Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski declined to comment on the report, but said plant managers and local union leaders from across the United States have been summoned to meet at Ford's Dearborn headquarters on Friday.

"It's a private meeting to discuss the state of the business," Kozleski said. "What we're going to do is to keep everyone up to date on the changing business situation."

The No. 2 U.S. automaker would revamp some of its North American plants to produce vehicles currently built in Europe, where it is a leader in the small-car segment, the paper reported, citing people familiar with the company's plans.

Details of the plan are expected to be announced in July, it said.

Ford is currently reviewing its entire product pipeline in North America to accelerate the introduction of more fuel-efficient cars and build more vehicles on fewer platforms.

Ford's U.S. vehicle sales plunged 12 percent in the first five months of 2008 from a year earlier as record gasoline prices depressed sales of large gas-thirsty trucks and SUVs.

Last month, Ford dropped its long-standing goal of returning to profitability in 2009, saying the shift in consumer demand toward fuel-efficient cars and crossovers and away from trucks and SUVs is permanent.

Ferrari Recall's 2,171 612 Scaglietti's

2008-06-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

Fiat SpA's Ferrari is recalling 2,171 cars of its model 612 Scaglietti due to a possible malfunction of a sensor in the Formula One transmission, Auto Motor und Sport magazine said, citing a spokesman for Ferrari.

The malfunction could make it impossible to shift gears, the magazine said in its online edition.

The recall affects 612 Scaglietti model cars build between 2004 and 2007, the magazine said.

Automakers bring back Purchase incentives following dip in market

2008-06-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

With gas prices high, a weakening economy and slowing demand, automakers will need incentives to lift sluggish automobile sales, automaker Chrysler decided Friday.

"Incentives will be a key part but the focus will shift on those products that are facing the headwinds, such as trucks and SUVs, rather than those benefiting from the tailwind like cars." said Chrysler LLC President Jim Press, according to Dow Jones Newswire.

Incentives, which can help raise sales numbers, are not always an automakers ally as they cut into the profit margins of their dealers.

Some of the major automakers began to phase out the buying incentives early this year and offset any reduced sales with expense reductions, choosing to keep plants idle rather than produce an inventory build up. With May auto sales down across the board, automakers are quickly shifting their philosophy.

Your Ad Here

Employee price discounts have already been brought back by Ford for its F-series pickup trucks.

For the month of May, Chrysler had an average incentive per vehicle sold of $3,714, the highest among the major automakers.

HYUNDAI Tries to compete with Mercedes with the new HYUNDAI GENESIS

2008-06-03T05:12:00.001-07:00

Hyundai's production version of its first rear-wheel drive luxury sedan is about to hit showrooms. The Genesis will have a choice of three powertrains: a 3.3-liter V6, a 3.8-liter V6, and a new 4.6-liter V8. Starting at under $30,000, the Hyundai hopes the Genesis will be strong competitor to $60,000 premium sedans such as the Mercedes E-Class, Infiniti M, and Lexus GS.

Hyundai will offer a host of safety features on the Genesis including standard stability control, eight airbags, electronic active head restraints, and adaptive cruise control, which adjusts the vehicle speed to maintain distance from the vehicle ahead.

What is new or notable? Hyundai claims the V8, dubbed the Tau, will produce 368 hp on regular fuel. With the Tau matched with a six-speed automatic transmission, Hyundai says it will propel the Genesis from 0-60 mph in less than six seconds.

PICTURES and Details of the 2009 FERRARI CALIFORNIA

2008-05-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ferrari will unveil at the Paris show next October a new car called the California, its first convertible with a retractable hard top. Although the Italian luxury sports car maker of Formula One fame has only released the slightest of details about the car.

The car has a V8 engine like the F430 Scuderia, but it is placed in the front rather than the back. And it is strong enough to propel the two-seater from zero to 100 km/h in less than four seconds.

Other details about the car have yet to be published, but it will be similar in size to the F430, according to a spokesman. The car, which is similar to the 1957 250 California in name only, will arrive on the market in early 2009, he said.

Its price tag has yet to be posted.

-----------------------------------------------

The first official photographs have been published of the Ferrari California, the latest addition to the new generation of Ferraris launched in 2004 with the 612 Scaglietti and added to more recently with the 430 Scuderia.

The Ferrari California joins the Prancing Horse's 8-cylinder family which has always been defined by power and performance. It also flanks the flagship 612 Scaglietti in the prestige sporty Grand Tourer segment.

The new Ferrari California will satisfy even the most demanding of owners in term of its superb vehicle dynamics and driving pleasure. The new model will be available exclusively as a convertible with a folding hard top. Both chassis and bodywork are aluminium, in line with the rest of the current range. The California will be powered by a new V8 engine mounted for the first time in the marque's history in the mid-front position.

In line with Ferrari tradition, the new model also features several innovations. Apart from its folding hard top, these include the original 2+ concept which guarantees exceptional versatility of use in the rear of the car. The California's 4,300 cc V8 engine features direct fuel injection and a "flat" crankshaft. It generates 460 CV at 7,500 rpm with a torque curve that enhances vehicle dynamics and provides maximum driving pleasure which is typical for Ferrari.

As per the traditional Ferrari transaxle layout, the engine, which allows the Ferrari California to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 4.0 seconds, will be coupled to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission that boosts the car's performance while enhancing the driving pleasure, improves ride comfort and reduces fuel consumption and emissions (c.310 g/km CO2). The comfort is further enhanced by a new multilink rear suspension system. The Ferrari California is also equipped with the exclusive F1-Trac traction control system which made its debut on the 599 GTB Fiorano and has been further honed to suit the typical driving conditions expected for this new GT. Brembo brakes featuring carbon-ceramic material disks as standard guarantee superbly efficient braking.

In addition to sporting the marque's classic styling cues, the cabin has also been beautifully trimmed using quality materials by Ferrari's own skilled artisans. New accessories and equipment, such as the seats, steering wheel, instrument panel and infotainment system, together with optimised aerodynamics ensure that this is a highly ergonomic and enjoyable car to drive regardless of whether the top is up or down.

The Ferrari California is aimed at owners who desire a car which embodies everything the Prancing Horse represents in terms of sporty design and innovation, but also seek a car with greater versatility than ever. The car will be officially unveiled to the public at the Paris International Car Show. However, over the coming weeks, new photographs and further details about it will also be published.

"It's not a cheap car. It's not an entry-level car," the spokesman added.

Ferrari is a subsidiary of Fiat, the Italian industrial group.

FORD is RECALLING more than 650,000 F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks

2008-05-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 650,000 F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup trucks because of a faulty power brake assist hose.

The Ford recall covers 2005 and 2006 F-150 and Mark LT trucks equipped with the 5.4-liter three-valve engine, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Web site.

The brake hose may swell over time causing the hose to become detached from the intake manifold, NHTSA reported. As a result the agency warned, applying the brakes could require increased pressure on the brake pedal.

“Several brake applications with power assist will be available before the vacuum reserve is depleted,” according to the NHTSA report.

A Ford spokesman said there are reports of 11 minor accidents caused by the brake hose issue with no injuries.

More than 600,000 of the recalled trucks are in the U.S. and roughly 50,000 are in Canada. Another 1,500 pickups are in other countries.

“Parts are currently not available to complete the required repairs” the automaker said in a letter to all Ford Lincoln and Mercury dealers. Ford plans to begin notifying F-150 and Mark LT owners of the recall in early July.

Dealers will replace the hose at no charge to customers when the recall begins.

Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673 or NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

SMART FORTWO car receives top crash scores

2008-05-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Smart fortwo micro car, the smallest car for sale in the U.S. market, has earned top scores in crash tests conducted by the insurance industry.

The 8-foot, 8-inch vehicle received the highest rating of good in front-end and side-impact testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, helping address some concerns that consumers may be more vulnerable in the tiny two-seater.

The tests, released Wednesday, show how well vehicles stack up against others of similar size and weight. The institute noted that the front-end test scores can't be compared across weight classes, meaning a small car that earns a good rating isn't considered safer than a large car that did not earn the highest rating.

Adrian Lund, the institute's president, said a small car may be more practical in congested urban areas where serious, high-speed crashes are less likely. The institute conducted the crash test to help guide consumers who want a small car that can give them good protection.

"All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better. But among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package," Lund said.

The institute's frontal crash test simulates a 40 mile per hour crash with a similar vehicle. The side crash simulates what would happen if the vehicle was struck in the side by a sport utility vehicle at 31 mph.

In a test that assessed the vehicle's protection in rear crashes, the fortwo received the second-highest rating of acceptable.

Smart, a division of Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand, has arrived in U.S. showrooms this year as consumers deal with rising fuel prices. The automaker has received more than 30,000 reservations for the vehicle — which has a base price of more than $12,000 with destination charges included and more than $17,000 for a fully loaded Smart passion convertible. Customers are putting down $99 to reserve a car.

The vehicle, which had sold 6,159 units through the end of April, gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. The fortwo is more than 3 feet shorter and nearly 700 pounds lighter than a Mini Cooper.

In earlier crash tests conducted by the government, Smart received the top score of five stars in side testing but the driver door unlatched during the test and opened. While it did not affect the vehicle's test score, government regulators said the incident required them to note a safety concern for the vehicle which will appear on window stickers at dealerships.

The concern was warranted because the unlatching of the door could increase the likelihood of a driver or passenger being ejected from the vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

When the IIHS conducted its side test, the driver door also became unlatched. But the institute said the injury measurements on the test dummy were low and the opening didn't affect the dummy's movement.

The 1,800-pound car has a steel safety cage and four standard air bags, including two in front and two on the sides to protect the head and abdomen. It also has standard electronic stability control, which is designed to stop vehicles from swerving off the road.

"America has never seen a car this size before and their first question usually isn't about (fuel) economy, it's about safety," said Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA. "And that's why we think these results are so very important."

Clean Cars - Civic GX

2008-05-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

Clean Burning Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs) are hot commodities in some parts of the country, where fuel can sell for as low as $0.63 per gallon.
Unlike the world’s most fuel efficient car (VW’s 285 MPG bullet), the Honda Civic GX looks like a standard passenger vehicle. What makes it special is what you don’t see: tailpipe emissions that are often cleaner than ambient air.

The Civic GX is powered by compressed natural gas—methane—the simplest and cleanest-burning hydrocarbon available. With an economical 113-hp, 1.8-Liter engine, the EPA has called the Civic the “world’s cleanest internal-combustion vehicle” with 90% cleaner emissions than the average gasoline-powered car on the road in 2004.

And get this: in Utah, natural gas can be purchased for $0.63 per gallon.

At $24,590, buying a new Civic GX won’t exactly break your bank account, especially since up to $7,000 will come back to you in the form of state and federal tax credits. But don’t expect to find one easily. The car is only sold in two states, New York and California, and Honda can’t build them fast enough. One dealership said they have over 80 people waiting to buy.

It’s fairly obvious why densely populated states would be interested, especially since natural gas is a readily available source of heating fuel for many parts of the country. Most importantly, the Civic is the Eagle Scout of emissions certifications: it qualified for the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) status, which means that it’s a Super-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle (SULEV) with zero-evaporative emissions. To qualify for AT-PZEV, the Civic must also carry a 15-year/150,000-mile warranty on emissions equipment. It also meets EPA’s strict Tier-2, Bin-2 and ILEV certification.

Despite getting the equivalent of a good but not quite amazing 36 MPG highway/24 MPG city, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) awarded the Civic the green ribbon as the greenest vehicle of 2008. That’s the fifth consecutive year it’s taken the top prize.

So what’s the downside?

Drawbacks to the Civic GX and other Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles
Earlier this week I was clued-in to the explosion in popularity of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in Southern Utah, and their potential to overwhelm the 91 refueling stations already in place there.

That’s the biggest drawback to NGVs:

There are only about 1,600 CNG stations nationwide (compared to 200,000 gas stations), though some areas (like Utah and California) are better served than others. To see where these stations are, see the alternative fuel locater from Mapquest (under #2 on that post).
One way to get around this is to buy your own natural gas refueling station. Since a large number of us burn natural gas for heat, this doesn’t require much more than setting up a pump. The refueling kits, made by FuelMaker, will set you back about $3,500, but that can be offset by substantial tax credits.

Second drawback: since natural gas is a compressed fuel, the tank takes up some trunk space, and only holds the equivalent of 8 gallons of gasoline. Honda estimates the vehicle’s range to be 220 to 250 miles, although Consumer Reports claimed it was closer to 180 miles.
NGV enthusiasts are getting around range limitations (and vehicle scarcity) by converting their own vehicles to run on natural gas and adding spare tank capacity. Throwing extra tanks in the bed of a truck, for example, can boost driving range to around 600 miles. The best part about converting a vehicle (as opposed to the Civic GX) is that if you run out of CNG, the system automatically switches back to gasoline.

Third drawback: NGVs don’t provide that great of a reduction in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions when compared to their gasoline counterparts.
According to the industry group Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVA), the reduction is only 20%, which is about the same GHG reduction you get from corn-based ethanol. That doesn’t sound too impressive, but it’s still a reduction, and clean air could be worth it.

The big question mark is natural gas supply. If large amounts of biomethane can be produced from biomass (which is probably already done at your local landfill), the emissions reductions would be much greater.

But What About Natural Gas Supply?
Natural gas supplies 20% of all energy use in the US. According to NGVA: “Even if the number of NGVs were to increase 100-fold in the next ten years to 11,000,000 or roughly 5% of the entire vehicle market (a formidable goal), the impact on natural gas supplies and the natural gas delivery infrastructure would be small — equating to about 4 percent of total U.S. natural gas consumption.”

At first glance, that sounds pretty good, but any increase in natural gas usage means importing more fuel.

Taking a look at data from the Energy Information Administration, the US uses about 21.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year, most of which is produced domestically (18.5 trillion cubic feet) with the difference being imported (4.2 trillion cubic feet). Proved natural gas reserves in the US amount to about 211 trillion cubic feet. If my math is correct, without taking into account any increase in demand, the US only has about 11.5 years of natural gas left. After that, we’re back to square one: importing oil from Russia, Qatar, Iran, and Saudi Arabia

Like petroleum, two-thirds of world natural gas supply exists in just a few countries. If we’re at all worried about having domestic (let alone renewable) energy sources, basing the future of US transportation on natural gas puts us right back in the same position we’re in now.

Also like petroleum, there is an “infinite supply” argument: “Don’t worry, we won’t run out… promise.” NGVA says that if we can tap into methane hydrate ice formations that exist under 1000 feet of water at the bottom of the arctic oceans, we’ll be just fine. Right now, this is about as plausible as time travel, and methane hydrates serve a very important function—they’re a crucial sink for carbon dioxide in the global carbon cycle.

Conclusions
Whether or not we’ve learned our lesson about importing foreign energy, natural gas could still provide a functional infrastructure and technology for transition to hydrogen fuel cells. Natural gas is currently the number one feedstock for producing hydrogen, and refueling stations along California’s hydrogen highway may produce the fuel by reforming natural gas on-site. Basically, this gives us a transition fuel until we figure out how to make hydrogen sustainably.

As for the Honda Civic GX, it may be the cleanest-burning vehicle on the market, but the drawbacks listed above are likely to keep NGVs out of mainstream production for the forseeable future. It seems unlikely that natural gas will stay as cheap as it currently is in Utah, but relatively low pricing could keep the car’s popularity high in some areas. It will be interesting to see how things resolve there.

Volvo Recall's 65,000 Cars due to Side Aiarbag problems

2008-04-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sweden's automaker Volvo Cars said on Monday it will recall 65,000 cars for a problem with side-impact air bags.

The recall affects 2008 models such as the V70 and XC70 and they were sold primarily in Europe, Volvo Cars spokeswoman Maria Bohlin said in a statement.

The cars' so-called "inflatable curtains" did not deploy as quickly as designed in a European safety test in the winter, due to a software problem, she said.

Volvo will recall the cars to fine-tune the software that triggers the release of the air bags, Bohlin said, adding that the company will send letters to all the owners of the affected cars and tell them to take the car to a mechanic to get this upgrade.

Volvo Cars has been owned by U.S. Ford Motor Co. since 1999.

Porsche Accusing VW of Spying on Porsche CEO

2008-04-29T07:51:00.001-07:00

It looks like Cold War-style intrigue is back in Germany. In a case of apparent corporate espionage, while on a visit to Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg, the hotel room of Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking was found to be bugged.

According to a report in the German magazine Der Spiegel, last year a private security firm discovered an activated baby monitor hidden behind a couch in Wiedeking's room at the Wolfsburg Ritz Carlton, just a day before a meeting of the supervisory board of Volkswagen AG. State police in Lower Saxony have confirmed they are investigating a complaint filed by Porsche with prosecutors in Braunschweig, but have declined to say who it is against.

Porsche currently owns 31 percent of Volkswagen, but has been angling for some time to gain a controlling stake in the automaker. However slightly more than 20 percent of VW is in the hands of the Lower Saxony government, and the two are locked in a battle over a rule requiring that "significant decisions" regarding the company have the approval of 80 percent of shareholders, plus one share, rather than a simple majority.

Considering how easy it is to get hold of professional quality wiretapping equipment these days, the use of the microphone end of a baby monitor doesn't smack of professional work. Hopefully the amateur spies will soon be apprehended, but regardless, Porsche's attempt to acquire VW will no doubt continue as planned.

US Hybrid Sales jump while overall car sales drop

2008-04-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

A gallon of gas costs $3.57 cents in Quincy Tuesday. With gas prices soaring through the roof, we wanted to know how car companies plan to adapt.

Hybrid car sales are so popular at one car dealership in Quincy that it's nearly gone dry.

Shottenkirk Toyota only has four hybrid vehicles left on its lot. Three of them are Toyota Camrys, the other is the Toyota Highlander. Now they've completely sold out of all its Priuses, but they've ordered four more. Two of them have already been pre-sold.

Michael Hoxie, Shottenkirk Toyota, said, "the problem is the supply and demand thing, especially with the Prius because Toyota literally could sell every one they could build, they just can't build them fast enough."

If Michael Hoxie had it his way, the whole lot would be filled with hybrid vehicles.

So is there any down sides of owning a hybrid?

"Not that I've seen, they come with a 100,000 mile warranty on the power pack, we've had terrific success with them and when we occasionally trade for one, we almost sell one immediately, they've been great cars," said Hoxie.

They sold nearly 100 hybrid vehicles in 2007. The Camry and Prius are its two best selling models. Those cars have higher fuel efficiencies than a regular gasoline run vehicle. The Camry gets up to 34 miles per gallon while the Prius gets 48. Buying the hybrid 2008 Camry over the regular 2008 Camry will save you more than $1500 a year on gas.

So will car companies adapt to the rising fuel costs and produce more hybrids?

"We keep hearing rumors that they're going to build more and more but the demand is so high right now, it's really hard to quantify how many you could sell," said Hoxie.

While overall car sales in the U.S. have dropped, hybrid sales have increased.

URGENT Jeep Liberty Recall

2008-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

The government has upgraded an investigation into Chrysler LLC's Jeep Liberty following reports of drivers losing control of their sport-utility vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has received 22 complaints of the upper ball joint separating on either of the front wheels. The problem can lead to the front wheel collapsing, which can disable the vehicle or cause the driver to lose control.

The investigation involves more than 300,000 2002 and 2003 model year Liberty 4X4 SUVs.

Max Gates, a Chrysler spokesman, said Monday the automaker was continuing its investigation. Chrysler has received 74 complaints, but no reports of any accidents or injuries tied to the problem.

Most of the drivers who filed complaints have said the joints separated at speeds of under 20 miles per hour, according to NHTSA. But the government said it received five complaints of the separations happening at speeds of 40 mph or more, including one at 75 mph.

Seven of the separations occurred while the driver was pulling into the flow of traffic and two others happened while the driver was trying to make a left-hand turn across the flow of traffic.

One of the drivers who filed a complaint said they almost got hit by an oncoming truck. Another driver said the front right wheel collapsed while making a turn, causing the vehicle to swerve into a ditch and narrowly missing striking a telephone pole.

NHTSA has upgraded the investigation to an engineering analysis to "assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect," the agency said in a report on its Web site.

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The issue has caused problems for the Liberty before.

Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 Liberty SUVs in August 2006 to fix the front suspension lower ball joint, which could experience excessive wear and looseness. The recall affected Liberty SUVs from the 2002-2006 model years.

Previously, in November 2003, the automaker recalled more than 300,000 2002-2003 Liberty vehicles because of problems with the lower ball joint, but some of the parts were damaged during the shipping process or installation.

In a March 14 letter to NHTSA, Chrysler said publicity from the two recalls may have led to an increase in the number of complaints about the ball joints, along with confusion about the differences between the lower and upper ball joints.

Chrysler looking to Make Cars in China

2008-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Chrysler LLC is discussing joint ventures with a number of potential Chinese partners, including Chery Automobile, in a bid to return to producing vehicles at its own plants in China, executives said on Sunday.

The company aims to become one of the top 10 competitors in the industry's biggest boom market, they said.

"We're having discussions with several potential partners. Those discussions are ongoing," said Phil Murtaugh, who became chief executive of Chrysler's Asian operations last year.

Chrysler representatives also said the privately held No. 3 U.S. automaker was still working with Chery to modify one of its small cars so that it could be ready for export from China.

Murtaugh declined to specify a timeframe for concluding that work and clearing the way for what had been expected to become one of the first Chinese-made cars to be sold in large volumes in developed markets such as the United States.

"I don't think we're too far away, but neither of us is ready to say let's go yet," said Murtaugh, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Beijing Auto Show. "We're working to make sure the product's right."

Chrysler announced a tie-up with Chery last year as part of a bid to reduce its reliance on trucks and SUVs by giving it a subcompact car to sell under one of its own brands.

But when progress in readying the Chery-built vehicle stalled, Chrysler turned to Nissan Motor Co, and this month announced a production swap under which Nissan will build a subcompact in Japan using a Chrysler design starting in 2010.

Murtaugh said that Chrysler and Chery were reviewing safety-related issues such as body structure in order to ensure that the resulting China-built vehicle could be marketed successfully overseas.

"Safety is a huge challenge because of the size of the car," said Murtaugh, who joined Chrysler from SAIC Motor Corp, China's largest automaker and a joint-venture partner with General Motors Corp

Murtaugh said that the engineering work needed to ready the new small car was substantial but stopped short of a wholesale re-design. "We don't have to re-engineer the whole car," he said.

For its part, Chrysler sells a total of 12 models in China but only four of those are locally manufactured through joint ventures now managed by Daimler AG, which sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management last August.

The Chrysler 300C sedan, two minivan models and a version of the Chrysler Sebring -- rebadged in China as the Borui -- are all locally manufactured in China. The rest of Chrysler's line-up, which is sold through a network of about 110 dealers, is imported to China, a step that drives prices higher in a market where vehicle prices are falling.

Murtaugh said Chrysler's high import ratio would have to change if the automaker was to realize its ambition of becoming one of the top 10 competitors in the Chinese market, now the world's second largest and widely seen as on track to become the largest over the next decade.

DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH

Murtaugh said he expected China's auto market would grow by between 15 percent and 20 percent this year. "We have to grow faster if we want to hit (the) top 10," he said.

Chrysler has made it a priority to increase the number of its dealers in China and to allow all of them to represent all three of its brands -- a step it is also taking in the slumping North American market, which still accounts for some 90 percent of its overall sales.

Separately, Murtaugh said Chrysler was looking to source "a lot" more components from China for cars sold around the world. Chrysler, he said, currently ships less than $1 billion in components from China out of a total procurement bill of between $25 billion and $35 billion.

He also said he was standing by a forecast that Chinese automakers would not be ready to export to the United States until sometime between 2010 and 2012.

Chrysler, which lost $1.6 billion in 2007, is counting on diversifying by selling into faster-growing emerging markets as part of a turnaround under which it has slashed production and jobs in the United States. The automaker has trailed its larger U.S. rivals Ford Motor Co and General Motors in establishing joint-venture production deals with Chinese auto partners.

Chrysler's Jeep brand had been in the first wave of such deals. AMC, which Chrysler later acquired, reached a deal in 1983 to build Jeeps in China with Beijing Automotive Works. That partnership was disbanded in 2003.

Over 300,000 Hyundai Sonata's recalled due to Airbag problems

2008-04-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Over 300,000 Hyundai Sonata sedans are being recalled due to an issue with the air bag system. The system isn’t defective per se, but the company has received complaints about how it works. Advanced air bag systems are supposed to be able to detect when small children are present in the front passenger seat, then deactivate the airbag from deploying in case of an accident.

In regards to children, the force of an airbag deploying is considered more dangerous than if an airbag had not deployed. However, there are complaints that the system is shutting off even when small adults are in the front seat. A small adult would be better served with the airbag deploying.

The recall will begin next month. Dealers will evaluate the systems and make necessary repairs. Owners can call Hyundai at 800-633-5151 for more information.

GM Pushing industry to get on the Hydrogen Bandwagon

2008-04-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

General Motors Corp.'s leading proponent of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will challenge the energy industry and governments to commit to developing a public hydrogen fueling infrastructure when he addresses the National Hydrogen Association's annual conference in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday.

In his keynote address to the conference aimed at ramping up commercialization of hydrogen, GM Vice President of Research & Development and Strategic Planning Larry Burns is expected to urge cooperation from government and the energy industry and to outline GM's proposed plan for establishing hydrogen fueling stations first in small numbers in and around a few major cities and over time connecting cities to one another along main arteries.

"The automobile industry has reached a critical juncture in our journey to realize the full potential of hydrogen fuel cell-electric vehicles," Burns is expected to say as part of his prepared remarks. "We have now reached a point where the energy industry and governments must pick up their pace so we can continue to advance in a timely manner."

Urban areas that could be first to establish hydrogen fueling infrastructures include Berlin, Shanghai and Los Angeles, Burns says.

But even in California, a state that is pushing automakers to improve fuel economy and lessen vehicle dependence on fossil fuels, GM says government hasn't cleared the way for hydrogen fueling stations.

The Los Angeles area is one of three urban areas where GM has launched a pilot program called Project Driveway to put Chevrolet Equinox hydrogen fuel cell vehicles into the hands of businesses and average drivers. To support the program, GM is prepared to put in fueling stations that deliver hydrogen in a compact form, called 700-bar, that delivers the desired mileage from a fill-up. But GM was surprised at how difficult it is to get the permits it needs to build adequate fueling stations.

"We are all excited about the project and frustrated by this issue," said Chevrolet spokeswoman Carolyn Normandin.

"What is urgently needed is sufficient investment by energy providers and the cooperation of government."

New E3 Spark plugs - Marketing myth or Gas saver?

2008-04-12T11:20:00.001-07:00

Over the years, countless companies have come up with devices claimed to reduce fuel consumption. The claims have ranged from plausible to the ridiculous. For example, wrapping magnets around your fuel line will not double your mileage and the only way you will ever get 200 mpg with a carburetor is to make it so small that air and fuel flow are so restricted that it can't possibly use more fuel than that. Of course your engine would produce so little power in the process as to be useless.

Spark plugs have long been a popular area for "innovation" of this sort. One of the latest comes in the form of the E3 spark plug featuring its DiamondFire electrode. This one falls into the plausible-but-unlikely category. Writer Larry Edsall recently undertook the latest iteration of a 5,000 mile annual road trip and decided to try out the E3 plugs. While E3 claims a 3-5 percent improvement in mileage, Edsall found his dipped from 20.11/19.98 the previous two years to 19.18 with the E3 plugs. He did all the usual maintenance like oil changes and tire pressures before leaving. Of course the vehicle was a year older and more worn which may have contributed to the dip. But even a fully scientific test with two or more vehicles running side by side in the same conditions (aside from the spark plugs) would probably yield a negligible difference at best. The E3 plugs aren't that pricey ($6-7 each) so if you do choose to try them it won't cost a lot. Just don't be too disappointed if you don't see much improvement in mileage.

Chrysler recalls 1.4 million vehicles

2008-04-11T10:57:00.001-07:00

An electrical problem in Chrysler LLC's Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger vehicles is resulting in a massive recall of 212,347 cars to fix the problem.
The vehicles in question involve models from 2007-2008 that deploy standard tire pressure monitoring systems. Apparently, electrical connectors in the system have been rusting, leading to problems starting the engine, dead batteries, inoperative cruise control, or even the vehicle's engine stalling.

Chrysler has stated that there have been no injuries reported as a result of the problem, but that it had already received nine reports from consumers that their engines had stalled out on them.

The vast majority of recalled vehicles are located in America, with the remaining being in Canada, Mexico and Europe.

If you suspect that your car may be a part of the current recall, you can call (800) 853-1403 to see if you need to get your car looked at.

Chrysler offer lifetime warranty

2008-04-11T10:56:00.001-07:00

In what was probably a very statistically calculated marketing move, the Chrysler Group has one-upped most of the auto industry by announcing that it will be offering lifetime repairs for the powertrain sections of its cars and trucks sold to U.S. customers.

The move, made public yesterday, replaces the industry-standard three-year, 36,000-mile powertrain warranty and should give Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge cars and trucks a much-needed public relations boost. Chrysler Group needs to fan this for as long as possible and gain as much traction with customers and dealers as possible, as this is one of those paradigm-shifting moves that could change the auto industry's warranty practices soon.

Starting with yesterday's Chrysler vehicle sales, the new lifetime warranty covers most Chrysler vehicles (and the sub-brands, of course) and "the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair covered powertrain components - engine, transmission and drive system." Will customers start choosing Chrysler vehicles knowing that they'll be protected from failures in these components for the lifetime of their ownership?

Did Cerberus Capital Management (in the process of taking ownership of the Chrysler Group) have a hand in this under the expectation that a warranty program like this would spike sales? Who knows. The bigger question is whether this move will prompt other automakers, like Ford and GM, to offer a similar warranty, and if so, was Chrysler's move a blindsided tackle instead of some kind of desperate expectation?

Safety Recall on Toyota Corolla, Matrix & Pontiac Vibe

2008-04-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

More than 700,000 Toyota Corolla, Matrix and Pontiac Vibe vehicles are being called back to the dealership because of a problem with a bolt in the power window system. Toyota is notifying some 50,000 Canadian and 540,000 U.S. owners of Corolla compact cars and Matrix crossover vehicles from the 2003-2004 model years about the need for free repairs.

GM is recalling 123,000 Pontiac Vibe models assembled in a joint venture with Toyota in California.

Toyota also said it is recalling almost 630,000 Noah and Voxy minivans from the 2001 to 2007 model years in Japan to fix a flaw that could lead to cracks in fuel tanks. Toyota Canada says the problem originated with defective bolts from a supplier, saying those bolts have now been redesigned.

Federal safety officials had been investigating complaints about the windows in the Toyotas and in similar Vibes, built by GM in a joint venture with Toyota.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in February that some side windows became inoperable or made popping noises and occasionally shattered.

The agency and the automakers together had collected more than 500 complaints, including 36 claimed injuries and one reported crash. There were also more than 12,000 possibly related warranty claims, according to NHTSA records.

Indian Study indicates many vehicles are not ready for 10% Ethanol Blend

2008-04-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

The mandatory 10 per cent ethanol blending in petrol may not happen for the existing 101 million vehicles on the Indian roads without introducing technical changes in them.

The central government plans to make 10 per cent blending compulsory from October from the current 5 per cent.

“We can introduce 10 per cent blending in new vehicles from October, after making the necessary changes in them. However, we are not ready to introduce 10 per cent ethanol blending in the existing 101 million vehicles from October since there is no domestic study on the impact of 10 per cent blending,” said an automobile industry official.

The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is conducting a study with the oil marketing companies to study the impact on existing vehicles.

These vehicles are not capable of running on 10 per cent ethanol-blended petrol as ethanol releases more heat and can corrode vehicle engines, experts say.

Automobile industry officials also say that 10 per cent blending will lead to a 3 per cent drop in a vehicle’s mileage since ethanol has a lower calorific value than petrol. “However, being an energy deficient country, this should not deter us from blending,” the official added.

In a move that could have implication for India, Germany, which had plans similar to India’s, has decided to scrap the 10 per cent blending programme “as the cost of damages to existing vehicles” would be very high, news agency Bloomberg reported recently.

Biofuel programmes around the world are at the centre of a food-versus-fuel debate. Ecologists argue that producing ethanol from sugarcane and corn, which is being done in the US, is responsible for rise in food prices as a result of food supply shortage.

According to a recent Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)-European Bank for Reconstruction and Development report, the reliance of the expanding biofuels market on commodities such as sugar, maize, oilseeds and palm oil is a major reason for the global price rise in foodgrain.

Ecologists also argue that while biofuels reduce emissions, production of ethanol is resulting in large-scale deforestation across the world.

Officials in the petroleum ministry contest such criticism by saying that ethanol used for blending with petrol in the country will be indigenously procured.

Volkswagen recall on Passat Sedans

2008-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Volkswagen AG issued a voluntary recall of 1999-2005 Passat sedans sold in the United States to install an additional heat shield.

About 410,000 Passats with automatic transmissions are eligible for the recall. A damaged heat shield that comes in contact with the exhaust system "could create risk," the German automaker said in a statement Friday.

GM's Chevy Volt Plug-in Concept: How It Works

2008-04-05T09:14:00.001-07:00

A little old, but still an interesting read

The Volt, a new Chevrolet concept car, is a different kind of hybrid. In a standard “parallel” hybrid, such as the Toyota Prius, a gasoline engine provides most of the drive to the wheels, assisted by a battery-powered electric motor. The Volt, which introduces GM’s E-Flex “series” hybrid technology, is propelled only by its electric motor. There is a gasoline engine onboard, but its sole job is to turn a generator that produces electricity. Here are the details.

1. Gasoline Engine
The three-cylinder, 1.0-liter turbocharged internal-combustion engine turns on as needed to power the electric generator. In other E-Flex cars, diesel engines or hydrogen fuel cells could be used.

2. Generator
The 53-kw generator, powered by the engine, can recharge the battery in about 30 minutes and, under certain driving conditions, send current directly to the motor.

3. Electric Motor
The 120-kw electric motor produces 160 hp. The car’s top speed is 120 mph. 4. Charge Ports
Ports on each side of the car allow a driver to recharge the batteries from a 110-volt outlet in about 6.5 hours.

5. Battery Pack
A 16-kwh li-ion battery pack provides enough power for up to 40 miles of driving before the generator is required.

6. Fuel Tanks
Two tanks hold a combined total of 12 gal. of gasoline or E85 (a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline).

Vehicles with poor re-sale values

2008-04-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Some cars just don't age well. Even a great value buy in the new-car market can bomb in the used-car market with low resale values.

Vehicles like the Kia Sedona minivan and Lincoln Town Car look good, perform well and often are purchased new at bargain prices. But take a closer look at them three years later, and their value has decreased at an accelerated rate. By the time a car owner is ready to unload one of these vehicles, the owner is often surprised to learn that the car has lost more than 50% of its value.

The shock doesn't end there. After the fifth year, when most vehicles have lost 65% of their value, these vehicles have lost 74% or more. The owners of value-losing vehicles learn that the cost of ownership, which includes depreciation, financing, insurance, repair, maintenance, fuel, taxes and fees, far exceed the vehicle's total monetary value in the fifth year of ownership.

"Resale value matters to everybody unless you are buying to drive it until the wheels fall off and never plan to sell it," says Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst with Kelley Blue Book. "That group represents a small percentage of new-car buyers. Everyone should look at this."

To identify the top 10 value-losing cars, we enlisted the help of Kelley Blue Book's Residual Value Guide for resale values. Kelley Blue Book defines resale value as the projected market value of a vehicle at a specific time in its life cycle. It is typically represented as a percentage of a vehicle's original manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) and is used for estimating the vehicle's value when it's sold or traded in.

Kelley Blue Book updates the data every two months. Our list was based on the November/December 2007 resale value statistics, which are also used by Kelley to compile its 2008 annual analysis.

Depreciation is often the greatest expense incurred by drivers during the first five years of vehicle ownership, but the most overlooked cost among consumers shopping for a new vehicle, says Nerad. With the average new vehicle losing 65% of its value--retaining about 35%--after a five-year ownership period, a $20,000 new car today will be worth somewhere close to $7,000 after five years. The vehicle that best holds resale value is the Mini Cooper, which retains 52% of its value after five years.

Consumer perception plays a big part, says Nerad. If consumers don't believe that a Kia or Suzuki is as good as a Honda or Toyota--whether that perception is justified or not--there will be a dampening effect on value. Shaking off bad brand perceptions isn't easy, says Nerad, adding, "Consumer perception doesn't change rapidly."

Take Kia Motors' popular value-priced Sedona minivan, which tops our list of value-losing vehicles. It comes with an industry-leading 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and has earned the Insurance Highway Institute's "Top Safety Pick" tag in the minivan category for the past three years.

But after five years of ownership, the Sedona retains an estimated 20% of its value. That works out to about $4,280 when using the base MSRP of $21,420 for a basic, entry-level Sedona. That's about $3,000 less than Edmunds.com's projected $7,101 true cost of ownership during year five. (Edmunds.com projects true cost of ownership data for all vehicles.)

Kia Motors says it is working to improve the Sedona's resale value. "It is important to note that Kia's resale values, including the Sedona, are rising," says Kia spokesman Alex Fedorak. He cited Automotive Lease Guide's published residual values for November and December 2007, where Kia received a three- to five-point improvement on its residual values across the board on the basis of current auction values in the standard 36-month period on 2007 and 2008 model-year vehicles.

A consumer also has to decide if saving money on the purchase of a new vehicle is more important than earning more money when selling the vehicle. Buying low is often the wrong strategy, says Nerad. "You end up losing more than you thought you were saving, because in three to five years it is worth so much less than a more tried and true brand," he says.

Suzuki is also working to boost its brand image. Three Suzuki vehicles made the value-losing list: the Reno, the Forenza and the Aerio, which was discontinued at the end of the 2007 model year. Its replacement is the 2008 SX4. The Reno and Forenza are projected to retain 25% of their original value; the Aerio 26%.

Suzuki, which is also battling against negative brand perception among consumers, says it is gradually winning points with skeptical U.S. buyers. It is offering new products backed by a seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty that is fully transferable and is intended to improve Suzuki's value position in the used-car market.

"In the last four years, Suzuki is second among major manufacturers in improving its resale performance," responds Suzuki spokesman David Boldt in an e-mail. "Enhanced brand awareness improves perception, and with it, opinion."

Boldt adds that newer models are receiving "residual values fully competitive in their respective segments." Supply and demand also affect resale value. That's the case with the Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis, which are plentiful in rental car and corporate fleets. The Town Car has a projected resale value of 21% of its original value; the Grand Marquis, 25% of its original value.

Vehicles that do not meet consumer expectations for reliability, dependability and fuel economy also struggle. The Dodge Durango SUV has a projected resale value of 24% of its original base MSRP of $26,455. "Resale values are influenced by supply and demand in the new- and used-car market." says Dan Bodene, a Dodge spokesman. "As gas prices have gone up in the last five years, the entire full-size SUV segment has dropped, depressing prices for most entrenched competitors. Most of the Durango's direct competitors are in the same range of value retention."

Mediocre models that went out with a whimper when discontinued don't resurface in the used-car market with a bang. The Suzuki Aerio was discontinued as a 2007 model; it has a projected 26% resale value after five years of ownership. The Chevrolet Uplander ends its run this year. It has a projected resale value of 25% of its original base MSRP of $21,540.

Customized vehicles, like the Ford Econoline van, tend to have lower resale value. Buyers equip the vehicles to fit their lifestyle, but there may be few others in the used-car market who share the same tastes.

Where else can consumers research this information on the Internet? In addition to the Kelley Blue Book information, Consumer Reports also publishes predicted depreciation vehicle ratings that forecast how well a vehicle is expected to hold its value during the first three years of ownership. The Lincoln Town Car, Dodge Durango, Ford Econoline, Mercury Grand Marquis and Chevrolet Uplander all received the lowest rating of 1 on a scale of 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor). The Suzuki Forenza and the Sedona each earned a rating of 2 (fair).

Data were not available for the Isuzu Ascender and Suzuki Aerio and Reno. Isuzu announced in January that it will discontinue selling Isuzus in the U.S. after January 2009. Suzuki is revamping its U.S. lineup. Forenza and Reno will "play a significantly smaller role in both sales volumes and resale performance," says Boldt.

Consumers can try to shore up resale value by equipping their vehicles with options others may want to buy later, like anti-lock brakes, alloy wheels, a CD player with CD changer, parking sensors, navigation systems, sensing cruise control and leather-covered seats. Kelley Blue Book also recommends selecting colors like black, white or silver and avoiding too much customization

Malaysan car PROTON recalled for rear whell bearing problem

2008-04-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

PROTON is recalling its PROTON Savvy cars to address a possible problem.

In line with PROTON's continuing commitment to quality, regular random checks are conducted on PROTON cars as part of its i.Care programme. The results from the most recent inspection brought to attention the possibility of water entry into the rear wheel-bearing which could lead to a malfunction of the affected components.

PROTON's Managing Director Dato' Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said, "The safety and satisfaction of our customers is a primary concern. As a precautionary measure, we are recalling all Savvy's for inspection and repair. We do apologise to all the Savvy owners for any inconvenience".

The recall will affect a total of 34,000 Savvy cars and PROTON will conduct the necessary checks and replacements at no cost to the customer. All PROTON Savvy owners are advised to take their cars to the nearest PROTON EDAR or EON service branches for an inspection. This recall is purely a precautionary measure as the convenience and safety of its customers is PROTON's highest priority.

Customers are therefore encouraged to immediately contact the nearest Proton Edar or EON service branch for an appointment to have their cars inspected.

As an alternative, please call PROTON i-Care at 1-300-880-888. Our staff will be happy to answer any queries that you may have as well as assist in making an appointment with a service centre.

PROTON assures its customers that it appreciates the trust and confidence reposed by its customers in its products. PROTON sincerely regrets any inconvenience to its customers.

PROTON thanks all of its customers for their patience and understanding and their support.

View the full listing of Proton Edar Service Centres, EON Service Centres and our Authorised Service Dealers.

About PROTON
PROTON, was established in 1983, and is Malaysia's 1st National manufacturer of automobiles. With operations in key market centers from UK and Western Europe to the Middle East, and across South-East Asia and Australasia, PROTON produces cars to suit a range of consumer demands and preferences. The offerings include versatile and reliable four-door family vehicles, two-door hatchbacks for the young-at-heart, luxurious and stylish executive sedans, as well as the world-renowned sports cars from Lotus.

PROTON’s inception as a key driver of national development has seen the brand accelerate its learning curve through technology transfer with strategic partnerships and technical collaborations. PROTON cars are now steadily on track to achieving the mission for the future, gearing up to achieve the promise of a marquee which builds cars with passion and soul; cars which are a delight to drive and a pleasure to own.

Three new eco-car projects approved

2008-04-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Thailand Wednesday approved granting tax privileges to automobile-makers Mitsubishi, Toyota and Tata to invest a combined 16.6 billion baht (536 million dollars) to produce more than 300,000 eco-cars for the domestic and export markets. Thailand's Board of Investment (BoI) Secretary General Sathit Chanchouwakul said the three companies would be ready to begin operations within two to four years.

Volkswagen, which has also submitted a proposal to produce eco-cars in Thailand, was not included among the approvals granted by BoI Wednesday.

The Mitsubishi project promised to invest 4.7 billion baht to produce 107,000 eco-cars in Thailand, 88 per cent for export, while Toyota will invest 4.6 billion baht to make 100,000 units by 2012, 50 per cent for export, and India's Tata Motor has pledged to invest 7.3 billion baht to make 100,000 units by 2010, of which 52 per cent will be exported.

The BoI - the government's investment promotion body which grants tax waivers to favoured industries - had previously approved similar eco-car investments worth 21.8 billion baht (703 million dollars) by Asian Honda Motors, Suzuki Motor and Siam Nissan Automobile, the local subsidiaries of Japanese auto multinationals Honda, Suzuki and Nissan, respectively.

Thailand, which already ranks among the world's top 15 auto exporters, is seeking to become a hub for manufacturing small, reasonably priced "eco car" models for both the domestic and export markets.

Under the government's policy, manufacturers who produce eco-car models in Thailand that meet the set requirements will be eligible for a cut on excise taxes from the current 30 per cent of the factory price down to 17 per cent, as of October 2009.

The projects will also receive BoI privileges, which grant tax exemptions on imported equipment and parts, plus tax holidays. To qualify for the tax privileges, manufacturers must produce cars with an engine size of no more than 1,300 to 1,400 cc, using no more than 5 litres of fuel per 1,200 kilometres and must comply with Euro 4 emission standards.

Thailand is already the world's second-largest market for pickups after the United States and has become a leading exporter of the vehicle over the past decade. During the first two months of 2008, Thailand produced 231,680 vehicles, up 27.28 per cent from the same period last year. About 57 per cent of the total production, or 132,674 vehicles, were exported from January to February, a 39.5-per-cent jump on last year's vehicle exports from the same period a year ago. In 2007, Thailand's total vehicle production reached 1.25 million units.

How to Pick out GPS for your wheels

2008-04-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

SOURCE: http://consumerreportsblog.blogspot.com/

If you often travel to new places, have trouble reading maps, or simply hate to ask for directions, you might want to consider a portable GPS navigation system. Once you give it a destination, the system can plot out a route, deliver spoken directions, and display each turn as you drive, or in some cases, walk. Most units let you choose guidance options that include plotting the shortest, fastest, and even a toll-free route. An internal database also includes common points of interest such as gas stations and ATMs, and the nav system can route you to the nearest one. You can even choose a nearby restaurant by the type of food.

Although not always as easy to use as the in-dash systems available on many new vehicles, portable systems are catching up. Features like internal, rechargeable batteries and pre-loaded North America map databases are now commonly included on budget systems. More premium features such as real-time traffic reporting are becoming available on more affordable units, although those often require additional hardware.

Portables have the distinct advantage of being easy to move from car to car, enabling a family to share a unit or lend it to others. Their low weight and small size are well suited to long-distance business travel and vacations by plane (for use in a rental car when you arrive), or for walking and biking tours (for use as a handheld device).

And with prices from about $200 to $650, portable units are much less expensive than the typical price tag of up to $2,000 for an integrated, in-dash factory system.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE
As sales of portable GPS navigation devices continue to skyrocket, more manufacturers are entering the market, giving shoppers many products from which to choose. With our latest ratings update, we have added new units from Garmin, Hewlett-Packard, LG, Magellan, Mio, Navigon, Pioneer, and TomTom. For our next update, we plan to post ratings on devices from Garmin, Harman-Kardon, Panasonic, Sony, and Uniden.

Units have decreased in size since the first portables came on the market, but that is not always good. If a device is too small, it can be hard to read or operate. We find that the common 3.5-inch screen, measured diagonally, is a good compromise between portability and usability. If you plan to use the device frequently, consider a compact unit with a wide screen, giving a larger map view, easier-to-read information, and bigger touch-screen buttons.

Special features like photo viewing, a video player, hands-free calling, and traffic information are available in an increasing number of units.

HOW TO CHOOSE
None of the navigation systems we've tested is perfect. They don't substitute for local knowledge, and all databases had minor errors. But a portable system will usually get you there, guiding you on the way and providing you with peace of mind when you are traveling to unfamiliar areas. The highest-rated models make it especially easy to enter destinations and they give the most helpful directions.

Navigation is the priority. We recommend focusing first on how well the system works for navigation, using the ratings to prioritize nav features and map database coverage, over entertaining, nonessential extras.

Built-in battery convenience. Look for a unit with good battery life, especially if you want to use it for walking. While all systems include a plug for your car's 12-volt outlet, a built-in battery leaves you the option to use the power port for another device, such as a cell phone, and it eliminates cord clutter. A battery also enables you to preload a route before you enter the vehicle. Some models are also packaged with a traditional AC plug for in-home use and recharging.

Text-to-speech capability. A system that speaks street names rather than says simply "turn left" can help you negotiate an unfamiliar area and is especially useful in urban driving, where streets can be close together. It is a handy feature that reduces the need to take your eyes off the road to scan the on-screen map.

Avoiding traffic. A system with traffic-information capability can be helpful if you travel a lot in cities that have good traffic-monitoring coverage. Between the map and detour functions, the system can help you route around traffic congestion and alert you to accidents and road construction. But as with traditional radio traffic reports, there are some weaknesses in the nav-system-based services, specifically related to available data and the timeliness of the report. Unless specifically stated that a unit has an internal receiver, many devices need an external receiver or a cell phone to obtain traffic data and most will require a subscription fee for the information. (Typically, only the premium-priced units have a built-in receiver and that is noted on the product pages, accessed through the Ratings chart.)

Modern features. A full-featured model can effectively upgrade an older car with features like Bluetooth hands-free telephone capability, MP3 player, an iPod connection, and an FM transmitter.

Travel gear. If you travel outside the United States, look for a unit that offers maps for navigating overseas. Most will function in the U.S. and Canada, but some models, such as the Garmin 770 and TomTom GO 920t, will also work in Europe and other countries.

Size matters. The more portable the unit, the better-especially if you frequently pack it in a suitcase. Some are no bigger than a wallet and weigh less than 7 ounces, while others are as large as a paperback book and weigh considerably more-two pounds or more.

Mounting. Most models mount to your windshield using a suction cup attached to either a ball-in-socket, rigid, or gooseneck-type arm. We find the rigid arms are better at holding the units in place, especially over bumps. (Note: Windshield mounting is prohibited in California and Minnesota.)

The Little Zipcar Deal Dwarfs the Big Jaguar Sale

2008-03-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

We often measure change by large events, such as Ford's sale last week of its Jaguar and Land Rover luxury brands to the Tata Group, a wealthy Indian conglomerate.

But such measurements can be misleading.

The sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata is not the seminal event some in the media have portrayed it to be. Instead, examined in its particulars -- Ford's unloading of those brands for $2.3 billion, less than half of what it paid to acquire them in 1989 -- is little more than a desperate correction of a mistake that never should have been made in the first place.

Ford bought Jaguar and Land Rover to regain some of the prestige it had lost by failing to build desirable, high-quality cars wearing Ford, Lincoln and Mercury badges. It was a waste of money, a pursuit as useless as trying to buy friendship. Now, Ford plans to use the money it gets from the Tata deal to do what it should have been doing all along: designing and manufacturing superior quality, must-have, Ford-branded cars and trucks.

It is important to note that development. But it is also important to point out that Ford's deal with Tata, expected to be finalized by the end of the quarter, is not nearly as significant as something else that occurred last week: the merger of Zipcar and Flexcar, the nation's leading urban car-sharing providers.

The Zipcar-Flexcar deal, which could help reduce the number of cars and trucks crowding America's roads while simultaneously boosting the fuel efficiency of the vehicles using them, points to the future of the automobile industry.

The resale of Jaguar and Land Rover is in many ways a continuation of the past, the purchase of prestige stemming from an age when fuel was plentiful and relatively cheap, when luxury meant the exclusion of most things practical, when horsepower ruled.

In short, here's betting that Tata will have more success with its super-cheap, super-efficient Nano city car and that automobile's future derivatives than it will have with keeping fuel-consumptive Jaguars and Land Rovers afloat in an era of $100-per-barrel and higher oil costs.

A Nano-like car, should it ever make it to the Western Hemisphere, would fit in perfectly with Cambridge, Mass.-based Zipcar and D.C.-based Flexcar, now merged singly under the Zipcar banner.

The newly expanded Zipcar will bring car-sharing to 26 of the United States as well as to jurisdictions in Canada and London.

The merged company now has 180,000 international members -- consumers using the service -- who will have access to 5,000 vehicles, many of them representing the best fuel efficiency available, in the Zipcar fleet.

Simple math breaks that down to 36 people per Zipcar.

New Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

2008-03-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

It promises a better way of doing things. It just may help save the earth. And you can dress it up any way you want.

Wonderful qualities, you say? In a hybrid truck?

"Certainly in the full-size truck area, you can make a general statement that accessorization is very important to buyers. On the hybrid side, it's hard to say," said Brian Goebel, a spokesman for General Motors, whose Chevy Tahoe Hybrid is arriving in dealerships now.

The Tahoe Hybrid, which promises up to 21 miles per gallon in city driving - 50 percent better than the conventional Tahoe - was named SEMA's most accessory friendly hybrid last fall. SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, represents companies that build aftermarket products and names a "most accessory friendly" vehicle each year in four categories.

As hybrid truck offerings begin to proliferate, most experts, including those from SEMA and GM, acknowledge that buyers are primarily looking to improve their mileage. But, while accessorization is no more important to buyers of trucks as any other hybrid, it may be no less important for hybrids than any other truck.

"Personalization is experiencing such a groundswell among consumers that it plays an increasingly important role in every category," said Peter MacGillivray, SEMA vice president of events and communications. "Everybody, every type of consumer, is talking about ways they can make their vehicle fit them like a glove."

Be that as it may, J.D. Power analyst Mike Omotoso said the purchase of any hybrid boils down to more practical concerns.

"The two main reasons are fuel economy, No. 1, and the image of being environmentally conscious," said Omotoso, director of global powertrain at the research firm.

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Lance Rack of Hyde Park, who has been researching full-size trucks to replace his 1999 Ford Expedition, fits squarely in the first category. Rack's work for a plumbing supply company requires him to haul bathtubs, 10-foot pipes and other large equipment.

"Most of my driving's in the city, and I'm getting 8 miles a gallon. If I could get 20 miles a gallon carrying the same stuff, why wouldn't I?" he said.

He was intrigued by the Tahoe Hybrid when he came across the mileage figure and is now considering it for his next purchase.

"Of course, not everyone with a big truck uses it, but I'd say about 80 percent of the time I'm doing something that a Prius wouldn't fit my needs," he said.

Rack says he would look for add-ons -- factory or aftermarket -- to make a vehicle fit his needs, which also include towing a motorcycle trailer. But with a Tahoe Hybrid there would be no need, as the fully loaded SUV can haul 6,000 pounds.

In fact, that's part of the reason to believe that right now, hybrid buyers would be among the least likely to accessorize their vehicles.

Hybrid technology carries a built-in premium of several thousand dollars, so automakers usually put the powertrain in a model's top trim level, giving buyers a fully loaded vehicle for the high price. (Indeed, the Tahoe Hybrid starts just under $50,000, making it more expensive than a Lincoln Navigator.) But, Omotoso points out accessorizers might not be looking at the top trim level.

"Those type of people want to spend their money on accessories," Omotoso said. "So they'll buy a cheaper version of the vehicle and have extra money to put toward accessories."

Furthermore, excessive personalizing goes against the pragmatic nature of the hybrid, as adding too much weight will reduce mileage.

"We see hybrid truck buyers purchsing the same type of things as non-hybrid buyers, such as functional items like our cargo management system; appearance items such as grilles, chrome mirror caps, tube steps; and a hard tonneau cover, which actually helps improve aerodynamics," said Tom Henderson, spokesman for GM's Service Parts Operations division. "Those would be some things we sell a lot of on our regular pickups; we would also expect to sell them on the hybrids. And then we have a lot of electrical products. Again, these are all products that don't add much mass to a vehicle."

GM's hybrid truck offerings include the GMC Yukon and Saturn Vue. Hybrid versions of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra are planned for 2009. Henderson said GM offers the same range of accessories for the conventional version and the hybrid.

SEMA's MacGillivray said he also has no specific knowledge of aftermarket add-ons designed for hybrids, but he suggested that fringe elements probably are working on products to further improve their mileage.

"They have not reached a level yet where they're part of our industry," he said, but "we've seen it happen over and over where new technology comes into the marketplace and people out there take it to a whole new level."

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Still, SEMA sees value in the award. Truck owners buy the lion's share of aftermarket accessories, MacGillivray said, and when hybrids are common enough that factors beyond mileage enter the purchasing decision, consumers will expect the aftermarket to provide the means to their custom dreams. By recognizing models that are easily served by the aftermarket, he said, SEMA is preparing for the future.

"The change is inevitable. It's going to happen. When it's going to happen, nobody can predict," he said. "Once there is real money to be made out there, it will be interesting to see how our guys react."

Even J.D. Power's Omotoso sees that day.

Omotoso believes hybrids may account for as much as 6.5 percent of all light-vehicle sales by 2013, when as many as 80 models will be available, in all market segments and possibly all automakers selling in the U.S. In 2007 hybrids made up 2.2 percent of the market.

"In a way, the novelty value of a hybrid will wear off and people will start to take it for granted," he said, at which point buyers' priorities will migrate to the hybrid class. "You want the fuel economy of a hybrid, but you want all the creature comforts and all the other add-ons that you can afford."

Peugeot Recalls 904 Cars in S. Korea for Brake Defects

2008-03-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

European carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen is recalling 904 passenger cars in South Korea over brake defects, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Thursday.

The recall applies to 495 units of the 307 sedan and 409 units of the 607 model, the ministry said in a statement.

The malfunction of a vacuum pump system or brake fluid leakage in the vehicles undermines their ability to stop in time, according to the statement.

High-precision connector for automobile

2008-03-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

A high-precision 36-way sectioning connector set for Renault automobile front/rear harnesses benefits from the exceptional dimensional stability, high electrical insulating property and mouldability of Arnite® polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) TV4 261 (30%GF) resin from DSM Engineering Plastics. Designed and manufactured for Renault by FCI, the two-connector set incorporates many intricate geometric features for precise positioning and locking. Arnite® TV4 261 resin’s balance of flow and mechanical properties helped enable the design of these complex parts using automated manufacturing equipment. The connector set is a standard component that fits many Renault vehicles manufactured after 2006.

According to FCI advanced engineering, "the critical design objectives were foolproof mating of the male and female connectors, and ensuring connection over the lifetime of the part. Thanks to cooperation between our design group, DSM and the harness maker, Valeo, we were able to develop an entirely new connector in a short time. In particular, the use of DSM's Arnite helped us optimize the design while keeping costs reasonable."

Arnite resin offers an excellent balance of tensile strength, high flow and elongation at break compared to competitive materials, which typically sacrifice elongation benefits as flow increases. These properties enabled the highly complex connector design, which features an intricate, moulded-in protective grid to separate and protect the wires feeding 30 signal pins and six power pins. On the male connector, a slide creates a positive lock between connecting parts for reliability; the female connector includes several pre-positioning lugs, as well as ridges that mate with grooves on the male connector.

The DSM resin also helped FCI control costs. First, this competitively priced material is a standard grade with an extensive database covering relevant properties at a range of temperatures and mold flow specifications. This comprehensive information allowed FCI to quickly set up its production line. Second, Arnite TV4 261 resin keeps costs down by simplifying the coloring process: FCI purchases the material in two basic shades and adds its own masterbatch.

About DSM Engineering Plastics
DSM Engineering Plastics is a Business Group in the performance materials cluster of DSM, with sales in 2007 of EUR 1068 million (which number includes the sales of DSM Dyneema) and approximately 1500 employees worldwide. It is one of the world's leading suppliers of engineering thermoplastics offering a broad portfolio of high performance products including Stanyl® high performance polyamide and Akulon® 6 and 66 polyamides, Arnitel® TPE-E, Arnite® PBT and PET polyesters, Xantar® polycarbonate, Yparex® extrudable adhesive resins. These materials are used in technical components for electrical appliances, electronic equipment and cars, in barrier packaging films as well as in many mechanical and extrusion applications. With Stanyl®, it is the global market leader in high heat polyamides.

Hitchi to re-enter automobile Engine Market

2008-03-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Japanese electronics giant Hitachi Ltd plans to resume production of automobile engine turbochargers by 2010 in partnership with group member Hitachi Metals Ltd, the Nikkei reported over the weekend, without citing sources.

Hitachi, which stopped taking new orders for turbochargers in 2006, has decided to get back into the field because of anticipated demand growth for vehicles equipped with fuel-efficient turbochargers as fuel economy regulations are toughened in Japan, Europe and the US, the business daily said.

Hitachi is targeting 1 trillion yen in sales in its automotive business in the year to March 2011 and aims to generate some 40 percent of sales from such environment-related parts as motors and rechargeable batteries used in hybrid cars.

(1 US dollar = 99.56 yen)

Extneded Warranties - Not always what they seem to be

2008-03-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Source: http://consumerreportsblog.blogspot.com/

When it comes to most purchases today, extended warranties seem to be the final sale offering before the seller runs to the bank with your hard earned cash. Extended warranties can cover purchases from Automobiles to electronics and even real estate. And of course, just like any insurance policy, most of the "fine print" exclusions are not discovered until a loss actually occurs.

This is not to say all entended warranties are a rip off, just a warning that many extended warrantee's are not what they may seem to be.

Pricey new-car extended warranties are usually poor deals, according to a recent survey and in-depth report published in Consumer Reports' Annual Auto Issue. Providing further evidence is action by the Missouri attorney general against several warranty companies in the St. Louis area.
Sixty-five percent of more than 8,000 Consumer Reports readers surveyed by the Consumer Reports National Research Center earlier this winter said they spent significantly more for a new-car warranty than they got back in repair cost savings.

Extended warranties are very lucrative for dealers, who are being squeezed by lower commissions and better pricing information. On average, dealers collected around $800 on each extended warranty they sold.

Meanwhile, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon took legal action against several businesses, most of them based in the St. Louis area, that he said used misrepresentation and deception to sell motor vehicle extended service contracts to consumers around the country.

Nixon said the coordinated filings of lawsuits and settlements, dubbed “Operation Taken For A Ride,” involve scores of consumers who were misled into paying for extended service contracts on their vehicles that, in most cases, they did not need.

CR Survey

In the Consumer Reports survey, respondents cited warranty costs of $1,000 on average that provided benefits of $700 -- an average $300 loss.

Some 42 percent of extended warranties were not used, and only about a third of all respondents used their plan to cover a serious problem. About one in five respondents (22%) said they had a net savings. Seventy-five percent did not buy extended warranties at all.

"Extended warranties sell costly 'peace of mind' for repair nightmares that probably won't occur," said Rik Paul, automotive editor, Consumer Reports. "Sellers know what tends to break, and in most cases consumers are betting against the house."

Extended warranties were, however, a better deal for those who bought more troublesome cars scoring lower in CR’s reliability ratings, such as those from Mercedes-Benz. Still, only 38 percent of Mercedes-Benz owners said they saved money. The average loss was $100.

Lexus and Toyota owners lost the most money: $600 on average for Lexus and $550 for Toyota. Owners of Pontiacs and Jeeps broke even because on average they had covered repairs that equaled the warranty cost.

Consumer Reports' analysis of specific car makes was based on 5,465 responses from a December 2007 online survey of CR readers who owned 2001-2002 vehicles.

What to do

Consumer Reports experts suggest, among other things, shoppers put the $1,500 to $2,300 they might spend on an extended warranty into a money market savings account or mutual fund instead, to insure against unlikely significant repair costs.

For consumers who want absolute peace of mind and don't mind paying for an extended warranty, Consumer Reports offers the following advice:

• Don't feel pressured to buy an extended warranty at the same time as buying a new car. Instead, shop about six months before the vehicle's factory warranty runs out.
• Ask for and have a trusted mechanic review sample contracts before buying.

• Bargain hard -- sales commissions can be large.

"Taken for a Ride"

Missouri AG Nixon said the companies targeted by his office used use high-pressure, misleading tactics.

“It’s rather insidious how these companies prey upon consumers’ fears, sending misleading letters informing them that their current motor vehicle warranties were about to expire, when in fact many of the consumers possessed factory warranties that wouldn’t expire for several months,” Nixon said.

“That was the hook to sell these consumers unneeded motor vehicle extended service contracts for hundreds or thousands of dollars. When consumers canceled the contracts, many received only a partial refund or no refund at all.”

Nixon says the companies mislead consumers in letters and postcards with boldfaced statements such as “Notification of Interruption!” and “Important Dated Material Enclosed” — leaving the impression that they are sent from the manufacturers who produced the consumers’ vehicles or the dealers who sold the vehicles to them.

In fact, Nixon said, the defendants fail to inform the consumers that they are not affiliated with the manufacturer, dealer or any local, state or federal government agency, and that the mailings amount to advertisements for the company’s service contracts.

“Many consumers — confused, but not wanting their car warranties to expire — went ahead and purchased the new, but in most cases unneeded, service contract the company was hawking,” Nixon said.

In one case, an elderly consumer received a postcard stating that her motor vehicle warranty was “expired or about to expire” in March 2007, even though her actual extended warranty through General Motors wouldn’t expire until November 2008. The consumer purchased a new service contract for $1,898 from the company, and the company refused to issue a refund when it was requested.

Nixon filed one of his lawsuits against that company, Vehicle Services Inc., of St. Peters, in St. Charles County Circuit Court, requesting injunctions, restitution for consumers, penalties and other relief. In addition, the Attorney General filed lawsuits today against the following businesses:

• TXEN Partners, which does business as Service Protection Direct of St. Louis; and a related company, United Warranty Solutions, for using misleading notification letters to pressure, confuse and intimidate consumers into purchasing MVESCs they did not need. The defendants failed to disclose coverage requirements to consumers who purchased MVESCs (such as the requirement to use a specific brand of oil to receive reimbursement for repairs); failed to honor contract terms and perform repair on consumers’ vehicles; and failed to issue refunds to consumers, including one consumer who is owed as much as $3,800. The lawsuit was filed in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

• Dealer Warranty Services of St. Charles, for using misleading notification letters to pressure, confuse and intimidate consumers into purchasing MVESCs they did not need. The defendant also misrepresented to consumers the cost of purchasing the MVESCs and debited the bank accounts of several consumers without authorization. The lawsuit was filed in St. Charles County Circuit Court.

• Certified Auto Warranty Services Inc., of Lenexa, Kan., which promised a “100 percent Money Back Guarantee” to those consumers who purchased and canceled MVESCs, but then issued only partial refunds or no refunds at all. One consumer who paid $1,335 canceled her contract, but has received no refund to date. The lawsuit was filed in Greene County Circuit Court.

• National Dealers Warranty Inc., of St. Peters, which sent consumers postcards and letters informing them that they had limited time to purchase renewed, extended warranties for their vehicles. The company neglected to inform consumers that it was not affiliated with the dealers or manufacturers of the vehicle, or that it was actually offering to sell MVESCs instead of warranties. The lawsuit was filed in St. Charles County Circuit Court.

• National Auto Warranty Services Inc., of Wentzville, which also sent consumers postcards and letters informing them that their warranties were about to expire, and that it was offering them their final chance to purchase a renewed, extended warranty. The company failed to inform the consumers that it was not affiliated with the dealers or manufacturers of the vehicle, and that it was actually offering to sell MVESCs instead of warranties. In addition, the company violated the Missouri No Call Law by calling Missourians who were on the No Call list, as well as federal telemarketing laws by contacting consumers by phone and failing to honor their requests not to be called. The lawsuit was filed in St. Charles County Circuit Court.

• Smart Choice Protection of St. Louis, doing business as Direct Dealer Warranties, which also sent consumers postcards and letters informing them that their warranties were about to expire, and that it was offering the final chance to purchase a renewed, extended warranty. The company failed to inform the consumers that it was not affiliated with the dealers or manufacturers of the vehicle, and that it was actually offering the sell MVESCs instead of warranties. The lawsuit was filed in St. Louis City Circuit Court.

In addition to the lawsuits, the Attorney General filed assurances of voluntary compliance with two companies to settle allegations of misrepresentation in the selling of extended warranties:

• Carhill Enterprises, which does business as Consumer Protection Services, of 1232 Washington Avenue in St. Louis, will pay $7,209 restitution to eight consumers and $4,000 to the state to cover the costs of the investigation and enforcement of the case. The company also agreed to injunctive relief which requires them to inform consumers upfront of specific details of their product prior to purchasing. The agreement was filed in St. Louis City Circuit Court;

• Warranty Activation Headquarters, of 12244 Tesson Ferry Road in St. Louis, satisfactorily responded to all consumers who complained. The company will pay $5,000 to the state to cover the costs of the investigation and enforcement of the case, which was filed in St. Louis City Circuit Court. The agreement also requires the company to provide full refunds to any consumers who cancel within 30 days.

Nixon encouraged consumers who have complaints about businesses selling motor vehicle extended service contracts to file complaints with his office, by either going online to ago.mo.gov or by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-392-8222.

Influx of Chinese cars expected to drop overall vehicle pricing - Just don't let your kids lick the car

2008-03-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

THE influx of cars manufactured in China in the Philippines is expected to pull down the prices of automobiles, especially Japanese brands.

The price tag of a Chinese manufactured car is the “true price,” said Raymond Tumao, chief operating officer of Iseway Motors Phils. Inc, the exclusive distributor of Chery cars from China.

Chery Automobile Co. was founded in 1997. It penetrated the Philippine market in May 2007 with 31 dealerships, 14 of which are already operating in key areas in the country.

“Japanese car brands are priced way too high. As soon as Chinese brands come in and people will be given alternatives, we expect prices of vehicles to go down,” said Tumao during the opening of the Chery showroom on March 15.

Other Chinese car brands that are expected to be introduced in the Philippines this year are Lifan, Foton, Chana, Kama, Jac and Chang An.

Tumao said he wants to organize Chinese car distributors so they can consolidate marketing efforts in the Philippines.

He said Chinese brands offer “affordability, utility and quality.”

Chery vehicle lineup includes sedans and sports utility vehicles with prices ranging from P360,000 to P850,000. It has introduced six types of car: Cowin, Eastar, QQ3, Tiggo, A5 and V5.

Seven years after it started, Chery had sold 189,100 cars with a total increase rate of 118 percent and had exported 18,000 cars.

In the Philippines, so far, Chery has closed corporate accounts. This year, it targets to sell 2,500 units.

Manufactured in China, Chery cars feature European technology and standards in automobile fabrication.

Tumao said Chery buyers will experience “excellent after sales service” and “cheap spare parts.”

X-Prize Foundation announces $ 10 Million award for most fuel efficient car

2008-03-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

An insurance company and a nonprofit group today announced plans to give $10 million to the team that designs, builds and brings to market the most viable and efficient vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon of gasoline.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. and the X Prize Foundation jointly made the announcement at the New York International Auto Show.

The international competition, called the Progressive Automotive X Prize, was launched to help break the world's addiction to petroleum and stem the effects of climate change, according to the X Prize Foundation, a nonprofit group that sponsors contests encouraging innovation.

The foundation billed the contest as independent and technology-neutral. It is open to teams from around the world that can design green vehicles that people want to buy and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance.

"The Progressive Automotive X Prize is a call to action to promote and inspire innovation," said Peter H. Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation, in a statement. "The environmentally friendly cars created as a result of this competition will affect everyone who drives in ways we can't even imagine today."

The foundation said that so far, more than 60 teams from nine countries have signed a letter of intent to compete. Four teams and their vehicles were on hand at the auto show during the announcement today.

"Development of a superefficient car would be a major step forward in the fight against global warming, and it would help us reach our goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30% by 2030," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who attended the press conference today. "The Progressive Automotive X Prize is an excellent example of how the private sector can spur solutions to our most complex challenges."

The foundation will be accepting applications for the competition until midyear.

Teams and their plans will be examined for safety, cost, business plans and production feasibility. The teams that are accepted into the competition will race their vehicles across the U.S. in various legs in 2009 and 2010. Overall performance will be rated, along with emissions standards and their placement in the races.

Host cities for the races will be announced "soon," according to the X Prize Foundation.

In 2004, the X Prize Foundation awarded a $10 million prize in a global competition to design a private suborbital spacecraft.

Misc stuff from the New York Auto Show

2008-03-19T09:51:00.001-07:00

The 2009 Pontiac Solstice coupe is set to hit dealerships in early 2009. Pricing hasn't been revealed, but the current Solstice starts at $22,785.

The roof panel is removable for drivers who still want the convertible experience. The panel's frame is made of lightweight magnesium and weighs 31 pounds.

The coupe has a standard 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine with 173 horsepower. A high-performance GXP version has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 260 horsepower.

More of Dodge Challenger
The 2008 Dodge Challenger won't be in showrooms until May, but Chrysler LLC is already taking the wraps off the 2009 version.

Only one model of the updated pony car -- the SRT8 -- is available in 2008, but the 2009 Dodge Challenger will come in three versions: the SRT8, SE and R/T. All go on sale this fall.

The 2009 SRT8 has the same 6.1-liter HEMI V8 engine with 425 horsepower that the 2008 SRT8 has.

The SE has a 3.5-liter V6 with 250 horsepower, while the R/T has a new-generation 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with 370 horsepower.

Ethanol-powered speed
Troy-based sports car maker Saleen unveiled a concept coupe that could become an ethanol-powered sequel to its S7 supercar.

The S5S Raptor on display this week boasts a 650-horsepower supercharged V8 engine that burns 85% ethanol fuel. Tied to a six-speed manual, and with a light aluminum chassis and composite body, Saleen said the mid-engine S5S can hit 60 m.p.h. in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 200 m.p.h.

If it decides to build it, Saleen said the S5S could be on the market in about two years with a price tag of $185,000.

Fresh look for taxis
Ford, the leading provider of taxis in North America for decades, is offering a fresh take on the urban transportation for the New Yorkers who flag them down every day.

While the Ford Crown Victoria is the most popular taxi vehicle in America, Ford is now showing a new people-hauler: the Transit Connect Taxi concept.

The vehicle has a vertical stacked design to accommodate three rear-cab passengers and 75 cubic feet of cargo. With its standard, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, Transit Connect delivers an estimated fuel economy of 19 m.p.g. in the city -- an improvement of more than 30%. Tailpipe emissions would be nearly 90% lower than many of today's traditional taxis.

2009 Nissan Maxima

2008-03-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

In 1989, Nissan introduced the third-generation Nissan Maxima -- arguably the most important model in the 32-year history of this car in the U.S. Why? Because of a little 4DSC sticker it plastered on the rear side windows.

Car geeks know this stands for Four-Door Sports Car -- a bold claim at the time, but one Nissan backed up with a sport-tuned suspension and a 190-horsepower V-6, mated to a five-speed manual. With our current crop of 260-horse Accords and Camrys that may not seem like much, but back then it was enough to get the Maxima SE whispered along with the likes of Benz and BMW.

Perhaps Merc and Bimmer comparisons are what Nissan is aiming for now, with its all-new, seventh-generation Maxima. The 2009 Maxima represents a return to the car's 4DSC heritage -- at least that's what Nissan marketers hope to invoke with the addition of the very same stickers on the rear windows.

Liquid Motion

At first glance, it seems clear the 2009 Maxima designers are a breed apart from the ones that birthed the avant garde, but feminanonymous 2004-2008 Maxima.

Nissan's new flagship sedan is built upon an all-new front-drive "D platform" that is shorter between the wheels and overall, yet boasts a wider front and rear track. Why then does it look larger and meaner? Because of a butched-up styling language that Nissan calls "liquid motion." Just look at the aggressive stance and wide, upright grille work. Then notice the broadly spaced, asymmetric head and taillamps and sculpted muscular lines down the sides and hood. No slab-sided antiseptic styling here; the 2009 Maxima channels the GT-R and Infiniti G35 to great effect.

Though the chassis and sheetmetal are new, performance will come from the standard 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve VQ-series V-6 engine that powered the previous-generation Maxima and nearly everything else in the Nissan fleet. This revised engine is now rated at 290 horsepower and 261 lb-ft of torque, an increase of 35 horsepower and nine lb-ft of torque over the 2008 Maxima engine. Will such impressive output make it a torque-steering beast? Nissan engineers say no and claim to have implemented appropriate countermeasures.

On the handling side, Nissan has outfitted the Maxima with aluminum intensive MacPherson strut suspension up front and a separate spring and shock multilink setup in the rear. There are various chassis reinforcements throughout the car, including a front strut tower brace and, for Sport/Premium package-equipped models, a rear seat panel that is said to improve torsional rigidity by 17 percent.

All 2009 Maximas come in two trim levels, 3.5 S and 3.5 SV, and are equipped with a revised version of the Nissan's standard Xtronic CVT with manual mode and available paddle shifters. A new "Ds mode" (drive sport) also has been added to the CVT for 2009. No official word yet, but you can bet a six-speed manual Maxima SE version is in the works if Nissan is bold enough to put the 4DSC sticker in the window.

New BMW 520 Beats Prius in fuel Economy

2008-03-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Is this a case of man bites dog? A mid-size BMW sedan equipped with a diesel engine returned better fuel economy on a 545-mile, London-to-Geneva, run than a gasoline-powered Toyota Prius. A BMW 520d with a 2.0-liter diesel engine and regenerative braking (but no heavy duty hybrid features) got 41.9 mpg while the full-hybrid Prius, 500 pounds lighter, got 40.1 mpg.

Two writers for the Sunday Times (London) wondered if official mpg ratings were accurate after hearing from their readers who said the Prius ratings were high by 15 (U.K.) mpg. "If our readers are right and the official figure is wrong it has important implications, not least of which is that people driving frugal diesels are getting a raw deal," the paper said, since hybrids get some tax and roadway access benefits in Europe as they do in the U.S. To find out, they drove BMW's midsize 5 Series sedan and the Prius London-to-Geneva, adding 100 miles to the route "to give the Prius the advantage of running in urban conditions where its petrol-electric drivetrain comes into its own."

Whilst the BMW "doesn't have the external look of a green car and you don't get the same self-righteous glow when you are driving it," it does have a series of energy-saving features BMW calls EfficientDynamics: battery recharge when braking, good aerodynamics, low rolling resistance, a continuous fuel consumption gauge on the dashboard, and a six-speed manual transmission that is rated as improving fuel economy by about 10%. Testers found the 520d "not startlingly quick ... [but] it cruised happily at the French autoroute limit (dry conditions) of 78mph towards the champagne region." When the trip was done, the BMW still had a third of its tank in reserve.

The Prius, in comparison, ran out of gas. Not because of lousy mileage but because the tank is smaller (and the testers had a spare can of gas aboard). Acceleration was "hardly dragstrip quick and slower than the BMW, but still respectable." The Prius weighed 573 pounds less and had an aerodynamic shape "as slippery as a campaign manager discussing political donations," leading the testers to believe "the Prius should take less energy than the BMW to maintain a constant cruising speed." Not so. As many people know, the advantage of hybrids lies in urban driving where the stop-and-go recaptures the car's energy. On the highway, it's one more four-cylinder car pushing throught the wind.

The full story is on the website of the Sunday Times (London): "Toyota Prius proves a gas guzzler in a race with the BMW 520d: The Toyota hybrid is hailed as an eco-paragon, so how does it fare against a big BMW? To find out our correspondents go on a run to Geneva." An Imperial gallon is 1.2 U.S. gallons, or a U.S. gallon is 0.83 Imperial gallons. Roughly speaking, discount the Times numbers by one-fifth: a 50 mpg vehicle to them is a 40 mpg vehicle in the US. Another reason we should all go metric.

Peugeot Citroen plans to outsource to China

2008-03-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen plans to boost its sourcing of spare parts from China by the end of this decade, according to its local car joint venture.

The venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp, the nation's No 3 auto group, said yesterday that PSA Peugeot Citroen plans to procure 600 million euros of spare parts from China a year by 2010 for its production in Europe and South America.

The tie-up, based in the central city of Wuhan, said the French carmaker bought a total 350 million euros in spare parts from China during the 2004-07 period, without providing a figure for last year.

"Its China sourcing will be on a fast track in the coming years ... this is a big opportunity for our suppliers," the venture said.

The venture now has 326 suppliers in China.

PSA Peugeot Citroen set up a procurement center in 2004 in Shanghai. The venture said the center will double its staff to 100 by 2010.

A spate of other global automakers, such as Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors, are also increasing procurement from China, taking advantage of low costs and the improving quality of the spare parts industry here.

Meanwhile, the Sino-French venture said it plans to build a third car plant. But it wouldn't reveal the size of the investment, production capacity, location or a time frame for its opening.

The company has a 300,000-unit plant in Wuhan that makes Peugeot and Citroen small and medium-sized models. Its second factory, also in Wuhan, will be operational next year with an annual capacity of 150,000 larger sedans.

The venture said it plans to launch 20 all-new models before 2013, with five this year to woo Chinese buyers.

It expects to increase sales by 30 percent this year from 207,255 cars in 2007, the venture said.

PSA Peugeot Citroen last June signed a memorandum of understanding with China's main minibus producer Hafei Automobile Co to produce high-end vans. Hafei, based in Northeast China, is reportedly in merger talks with Dongfeng.

Sales of China-made vehicles rose by 19.27 percent year-on-year to 1.52 million units in the first two months of this year, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Full-year sales are predicted to hit 10 million vehicles, up from 8.79 million units in 2007.

Bio-diesel & Ethonol craze could harm US Food Supply

2008-03-08T22:16:00.001-08:00

Corn is a key element of the U.S. food supply. It is what dairy cows eat to make milk and hens consume to lay eggs.

It fattens cattle, hogs and chickens before slaughter. It makes soda sweet.

As the building block of ethanol, it is now also a major component of automobile fuel. In fact, Bio-diesel is largely dependent on it.

And that just might be a signal of trouble ahead.

Economists are cautioning that the nation’s growing dependence on corn would make for a double jolt if there were to be a drought across the Midwest: soaring prices not just for food but also for gasoline.

Analysts now warn that “corn shock” might not be far off — and it could lead to $5 gas and $3.50 eggs as the effects reverberate across the economy.

“We are replacing price volatility from the Middle East with Midwestern weather price volatility,” said Michael Swanson, a Wells Fargo & Co. vice president and agricultural economist.

Such a scenario would occur against a backdrop of soaring prices for basic food items and other commodities that are already stressing the economy.

Coffee is up 21 percent to date, platinum 42 percent and already high oil an additional 6 percent.

After a torrid 2007, corn prices have risen an additional 20 percent this year because of global demand for livestock feed, sweeteners and ethanol.

The rush by American farmers to plant cash-producing corn — along with the added pressure from weather problems — has squeezed wheat supplies, pushing the price of that grain up 21 percent. The cost of soy has risen 25 percent this year.

Analysts are already simulating what would happen if a drought hit the corn belt. Bruce Babcock, an agricultural economist at Iowa State University, estimates that corn could reach $8 a bushel from $5.46 now.

It could happen as soon as this summer.

“The risk of a drought right now is higher than normal because of the La Niña we are seeing,” Babcock said, referring to the cooling of ocean temperatures that often has a drying effect.

As any farmer can tell you, Mother Nature is fickle.

The U.S. has suffered four major weather disasters since 1971 that wiped out 21 percent to 29 percent of the corn crop at a time.

Periodic bad weather, including droughts, scorching heat waves and cold, cloudy spells at just the wrong time, has reduced harvests by billions of bushels.

Previously, these disasters have raised food prices. The next drought will be the first to affect gas prices.

That’s because ethanol — mostly refined from corn — will make up about 6 percent of the nation’s gasoline supply this year, and that’s expected to rise to 10 percent over the next five years.

But if there were a crop shortfall, the rising price of corn would prevent ethanol distillers from earning a profit, prompting them to slash production, Babcock said.

Oil companies would have to scramble to fill that sudden gap with conventional gasoline. Prices would soar for both fuels, said Philip K. Verleger Jr., an energy economist in Aspen, Colo.

A slowing U.S. economy would blunt demand. But such safety valves won’t always exist.

“Five years from now, this could be a big, big deal,” Verleger said.

Farmers are also worried about what could happen in the short term.

“A drought would be bad for everyone. The high prices would hurt my customers, and I would have no crop to sell,” said Ron Heck, a fourth-generation soy and corn farmer from Perry, Iowa.

As demand for gasoline outstrips refinery expansions, fuel prices will be linked more tightly with the size of the corn crop.

“You might see a point where even the threat of a drought could cause gas prices to rise,” Wells Fargo’s Swanson said.

Lester R. Brown, an author and president of the Earth Policy Institute, sees a scenario with global implications.

He estimates that as long as oil prices continue to hover around $100 a barrel, ethanol distillers could pay up to $7 a bushel for corn and still make money.

However, Brown said, “if the ethanol producers stay in the market, that will disrupt the food supply.”

Vehicle GPS now available in Jamaica

2008-03-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

It is all the rage now. Cars that can find your favourite restaurant, know which street you work on, and can take you home with a voice command.

It is the leveraging of global positioning systems for everyday use and car manufacturers, working with the doyens of technology like Microsoft, are including them in vehicles now to keep their edge on the market.

In Jamaica, the Mona Geo-Informatics Institute (MGI) has created its own mapping or navigational system, and will in a matter of months, offer the service to companies and individuals.

Here is how it works: You buy the hardware, and MGI will program the Jamaican coordinates for a cost.

Now the fancy device on the dashboard of your BMW, Volvo, Benz or any other showpiece vehicle can actually have functionality.

Of course, a car finding its way through New York is not the same as, say, an SUV taking on the challenge of the twists and turns of Stony Hill, nor locating a house in a small township in diverse St Elizabeth.

For one, street names and numbers are not a given here, so it makes MGI's work all the more challenging.

Still, it is not altogether clear what MGI's product will look like, nor how detailed it will be.

The institute merely mentioned its project at the 'Management Control Systems (MC Systems) 35th Anniversary Exposition and Technological Conference' held Wednesday at the Jamaica Pegasus.

According to director of MGI, Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee, the idea is to give Jamaicans the ability to track their location anywhere within the country, while also levelling the playing field by providing software to make GPS as useful here as it is in countries of North America and Europe.

While the date that the product will become available is not known, Lyew-Ayee told Sunday Business that it would be later this spring.

For now, MGI and Jamaica National are in negotiations to bring the navigational technology to market.

"MGI is responsible for the research and technical development of the product, but commercialisation will be done through the JN group and MCS and JAA," Lyew-Ayee told Sunday Business.

MC Systems and the Jamaica Automobile Association are both JN subsidiaries.

On Friday, MC Systems confirmed the talks but said they remained in the embryonic stages.

"Our partnership with Mona Geo-Informatics will see us offering Jamaican consumers a range of superior products starting with vehicle tracking and navigation solutions," said general manager Shereen Todd.

"We are very excited about this new technology and have great plans in store for our corporate customers as well as individual consumers."

Lyew-Ayee said it did not matter the type of navigational tools owned by potential clients, and MGI would configure any the device to the Jamaican landscape.

"We are not interested where you buy the device - whether it is Best Buy, it doesn't matter to us. What we are concerned with is the data that will make it work in Jamaica. That is the business," Lyew-Ayee said.

Bring navigational devices

MGI representative Mario Mighty said when the product makes it to market, prospective clients - companies and individuals - would have to bring their GPS navigational devices to MGI for configuration to Jamaica's topology.

MGI is the focal point for geo-informatics study at the University of the West Indies.

But the institute is also commercially savvy, developing products and services that it sells to different markets.

MGI, for example, provides services for private companies wishing to create virtual replicas of buildings and structures. It also maps and identifies areas suited to particular purposes for, say, a company seeking to expand to new locations.

Lyew-Ayee disclosed to Sunday Business, for example, that MGI has been asked by Digicel Jamaica to map all its billboards across the Jamaica, and to appraise the condition and content, and review new locations.

The new GPS technology is being launched after 18 months of research, field work and programming by MGI.

Lyew-Ayee refused comment on the actual investment in getting the product from design to market, but said it was funded by endowments as well as revenue from other projects.

Currently, only private security firms such as King Alarm and Marksman have the ability to track vehicles from a remote location, with the help of telecommunication companies.

This would be the first time that Jamaicans would have access to GPS technology that can be functional within Jamaica.

Misc Auto News

2008-03-08T22:07:00.000-08:00

Starting this weekend, Honda DN-01 automatic motorcycle is officially on sale in Japan. When we first heard about the concept, we wondered how it would perform with its 680 cc V-Twin and new hydraulic transmission design. Since then, we've heard that the engine will make 61 horsepower, so think of this machine as a bridge between large maxi-scooters and entry-level sportbikes like the Ninja 500 or GS500. We expect that the DN-01 will have no problem handling daily commuting chores and the often necessary highway-drones, but don't expect to challenge any sportbikes on long straights. Handling will likely be a strong point, with 17" rims sporting 130/70 front and 190/50 rear tyres combined with ABS for panic-free stops.

Honda ending US motorcycle production

Honda has announced that next year it will cease motorcycle production at its Marysville, OH manufacturing plant. That facility's output, along with that of the Hamamatsu, Japan factory, will be shifted to the company's brand-new bike plant in Kumamoto next year. In 2007, Marysville built 44,000 Gold Wing and VTX models, though Honda notes that there will be no layoffs because of this shift in production. Instead, the Marysville workers will be reassigned to other Honda businesses in the fair state of Ohio.

Ban on used cars

Mexico has ban all imported used cars from US except 1998 models. The only used cars the Mexican government will allow across its borders for resale are those exactly 10 years old. There are two main reasons for Mexico's seemingly arbitrary automotive adjudication. First, its new-car dealers are tired of trying to compete with all manner of relatively inexpensive, recent-model used cars from the US. Second, the government says cars older than 10 years are wreaking havoc on the country's air quality. Until now, it was legal to import cars into Mexico that were between 10 and 15 years old. The Mexican Association of Automobile Distributors fought for the newer, more restrictive law.

BMW diesel hybrid

BMW's X5 Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid has a 2.0-litre twin-turbo 4-cylinder diesel engine mated to a li-ion battery pack. Third-generation common-rail injection and an all-aluminum crankcase to deliver 204hp 400Nm of torque between 2,000-2,250rpm. The relatively small capacity engine delivers nearly the same levels of horsepower as the conventional X5, but offers improvements in its already class-leading consumption and emissions figures. Special aero rims, a solar roof panel to heat up engine fluids before you start the vehicle; it has an 8-speed transmission. The mild hybrid solution in the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics uses a compact generator that, for the first time, is flange mounted directly on to the gearbox. This motor produces up to 20hp of on-demand power. Innovatively, the alternator is also integrated into the crankcase rather than conventionally driven from the front of the engine.

Lancer Sportback coming to America

Mitsubishi has put out its global business plan for the next few years. The official title of the blueprint for Mitsubishi's future is 'Step Up 2010' and the automaker's overall prognostication look good globally, but more 'bear' than 'bull' for the US market. Mitsubishi figures that worldwide sales will increase from the 1.34 million units sold currently to 1.42 million by March 31, 2011. Most of the boom is expected to come from emerging markets in Brazil, China, India, the Middle East and Russia, with the latter expected to climb by close to 70 per cent and eclipsing the American market by around 63,000 in vehicle sales. On the product front, Mitsubishi is touting the introduction of the Evolution X that's currently on sale, plus a redesigned Eclipse that will be coming to market in the next few years.

No diesel hybrids for Toyota

One company that won't be joining that diesel hybrid party is Toyota. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said the hybrid pioneer had no plans to introduce any diesel hybrids.

Watanabe announced that Toyota would offer a diesel engine in the Sequoia and Tundra in 2010. Toyota already offers a variety of diesels in the European market. However, according to Watanabe, the combination of diesel and hybrid doesn't yield enough of an incremental improvement in efficiency to justify the combined cost premium of both. At this point, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system is not suitable for use in the big trucks, which is why Toyota is following just the diesel path for now.

BMW to offer unlimited in-car Internet access

BMW is planning to offer a production version of its Connected Drive system by the end of the year, which will allow for unlimited web browsing while on the go. BMW says that the functioning display model it has in the X6 is a prototype, but that the final consumer version of the system won't look a lot different. Connected Drive will be interfaced with BMW's much-discussed iDrive, with the web pages appearing on a high resolution, dash-mounted display. The engineers have wisely limited front-seat access to the system to when the engine is turned off, but passengers with an optional rear display (and a special iDrive interface) will be able to browse while the car is running.

No Honda Accord Type-R

The all-new European Honda Accord buyers will be disappointed to hear there are apparently no plans to launch a high-performance Type-R version of the car. Honda does not feel the all-new model fits the Type-R brand, adding that the new European Accord is designed to propel the company into competing with the likes of BMW and Audi. Honda does have plans to release Accords with modified suspension and body kits, but with standard engines, much like Audi does with its S-line models.

Toyota Decides not to follow Lithium Ion Battery Trend

2008-03-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

Sure, lithium-ion batteries are all the rage with consumer electronics and are slowly making inroads with carmakers. Toyota, however, has bucked the trend and decided to say "Screw it!" and skip the lithium-ion battery bandwagon altogether. Rather, Toyota is looking towards some really futuristic concepts for auto batteries. Like air-zinc. And what the hell is that, exactly?

A battery that can be charged off a standard AC outlet, and that has a 50-mile range. Toyota set a goal of 2020 to commercialize the new battery. You know, I don't really have a problem with Toyota deciding to skip out on lithium-ion batteries. Those things are freaking dangerous. You ever see an exploded laptop battery? Yeah, it's bad news bears. Imagine a battery bigger than that exploding at 75 mph. Hello, zinc-air!

Toyota extends Tacoma truck warranty due to Rust problem on Frame

2008-03-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Sort of a recall, but not quite.

Toyota says it will extend warranty coverage on 813,000 Toyota Tacoma truck frames because of problems with corrosion.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday the warranty extension would involve coverage on corrosion that leads to holes in the frames of Tacomas for the model years 1995 to 2000.

The warranty will be extended for a period of 15 years from the original sale without mileage limitation.

Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong says the company received 240 complaints about excessive corrosion in the Tacoma's metal frame. Most of the cases come from cold weather states with road salt.

Toyota says owners will be notified about the extended warranty in the middle of March. For additional information, owners can call Toyota at (800) 331-4331.

BMW working on Bi-Fuel Liquid Hydrogen car

2008-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

BMW may have a limited number of a 7 Series bi-fuel hydrogen-gasoline vehicle in the hands of a small number of customers in Europe and perhaps the US this year, according to Christoph Huss, senior vice president Science and Traffic Policy, BMW Group.

Huss made the remark during a panel session at the NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference and Expo in Long Beach, CA.

The 7 Series vehicle will use a bi-fuel 6.0-liter V12 engine fueled by gasoline and liquid hydrogen (LH). Both the engine and the LH storage system were on display at the Hydrogen Expo. (Earlier post.)

The engine, which uses direct injection for gasoline but port injection for the hydrogen, is optimized for neither—in other words, it sits in the middle. Running on hydrogen, it can produce 170 kW (228 hp) of power and 337 Nm of torque.

A monofuel-fuel hydrogen version of this engine powered the record-setting H2R in 2004 (earlier post), highlighting that there is further power enhancement work that can be done.

With the 170-liter liquid hydrogen tank storing about 8 kg of hydrogen, the car has a hydrogen-fueled range of 200 to 300 kilometers (125 to 185 miles). On gasoline, the car has a range up to 500 kilometers (310 miles).

Running on hydrogen, the bi-fuel engine far exceeds SULEV II targets in the US:

Less than 1% of the 0.01 g/mi NMOG
Less than 1.0% of the 1.0 g/mi CO
30% of the 0.02 g/mi NOx. The monofuel version delivers less than 10% of the NOx target.
BMW combines engine management with catalytic aftertreatment to reduce the NOx emissions. Through the mid range of the engine curve, BMW operates on a lean burn to reduce NOx. Once a power threshold is crossed, is switches to a stoichiometric mix, with the aftertreatment handling the NOx.

BMW continues to explore the utility of liquid hydrogen as a vehicle fuel (earlier post). With its higher volumetric density (0.070 kg/liter) than gaseous hydrogen (0.030 kg/liter @ 10,000 psi, liquid hydrogen offers BMW an way to satisfy what it sees as its customers needs better than a compressed hydrogen gas system. (Both BMW and DaimlerChrysler were in full agreement during the panel discussion that storage is the biggest obstacle automakers faces in delivering hydrogen vehicles acceptable to the market.)

Cutaway view of the LH tank, with the insulating layers visible between the two walls.

One of the downsides of liquid hydrogen is the energy required to compress it. The other is that as the liquid hydrogen inexorably warms from its fueling temperature of -253º C, it expands, increasing the pressure in the tank. Once internal pressure in the tank reaches 5 bar, excess pressure is relieved via a pressure check valve.

Boil-off management catalytically converts the hydrogen together with oxygen in the air to form water.

With current tank technology, the hydrogen takes about one day with the engine not running to reach a pressure of 5 bar.

BMW notes that it is “carefully observing” the ongoing technical development of gaseous fuel tanking systems, and will ultimately deliver the best solution for the customer.

In close cooperation with the South German Technical Inspection Authority (TÜV), BMW has simulated a variety of accident scenarios with the tank, which it is developing with Magna Steyr. (BMW earlier had worked with Linde on LH tanks. Linde is still working with BMW on standardizing liquid hydrogen fueling systems.)

In one series of tests, full tanks with blocked safety vales were destroyed under high pressure. Additional safety valves inside the tank ensure that the hydrogen discharges safely under such conditions.

Another series of test exposed filled tanks to fire on a test bed, surrounding the tanks with flames of almost 1,000 º C for up to 70 minutes.

A final series of test deformed full LH tanks by hard and solid objects causing “substantial damage” in the process. No tank exploded. TÜV concluded that running a car on liquid hydrogen can be just as safe as running a car on gasoline.

BMW is definitely in a minority among automakers with respect to its work with liquid hydrogen, especially given the additional energy required to compress the gas. In response, the company keeps coming back to the need to fit a technology to customer requirements and capabilities.

There are a number of reasons BMW sees it worthwhile continuing to work with LH—one is the range of the vehicle as mentioned before. The other is the geographic area available for refueling stations in Europe.

Liquid hydrogen storage requires a smaller footprint than on-site production, for example, and BMW argues that those restrictions would prove to be important obstacles in the widespread deployment of a hydrogen infrastructure.

With a road program looming, the company should soon be able to collect both quantitative data and subjective responses from its test customers on the LH bi-fuel vehicles, just as other automakers are collecting data on their fuel-cell prototypes, to enhance its work and validate—or disprove—its assumptions.

Honda unveiles new Accord at Geneva auto show

2008-03-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Honda took the wraps off its new family car at the show, with the fresh saloon and sporty Tourer models the stars of its Geneva stand.

The upmarket newcomer features a host of advanced technologies, including Honda’s Lane Keep Assist System, Adaptive Cruise Control and Collision Mitigation Brake System.

Buyers will get the choice of three new engines, with 2.0 and 2.4-litre petrol units joined by the firm’s new 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel. Later next year it will be available mated to an automatic gearbox – a first for the family model.

The eighth-generation Accord goes on sale in June as a saloon, with the Tourer arriving in September. Prices are likely to be similar to those for the current model.

New Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid

2008-03-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Competes with: Lexus LS 600h L
Looks like: A run-of-the-mill S-Class
Drivetrain: 3.5-liter V-6 with electric motor and seven-speed automatic transmission
Hits dealerships: Fall 2009
The Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid is a gasoline-electric hybrid version of the automaker's flagship S-Class sedan that's expected to arrive in the U.S. in fall 2009. Average fuel economy is about 30 mpg, according to Mercedes, which is nearly double the 16 mpg combined rating of the V-8-powered S550.

Though a gasoline-electric version of the S-Class is significant in its own right, the S400 BlueHybrid's hybrid system also incorporates a lithium-ion battery pack. Mercedes says the operating temperature of the battery pack is regulated by the car's air conditioning system, thereby enhancing battery life and performance.

Total system output of the 3.5-liter V-6 and electric motor is 299 hp and 277 pounds-feet of torque. Mercedes-Benz spokesman Rob Moran says the electric motor supplements the gas engine during acceleration. The automaker cites a zero-to-62-mph time of 7.3 seconds for the car and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

Buyers of expensive luxury sedans haven't had many eco-friendly alternatives to traditional V-8-powered models, and even the new Lexus LS 600h L is no fuel-saver with its 20/22 mpg city/highway rating. That's about to change with the S400 BlueHybrid, which gives big spenders all the luxury they'd expect from an S-Class with significantly improved gas mileage.

Geneva International Motor Show Showcases Eco Friendy Automobiles

2008-03-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

Car makers showed off their leanest, greenest mass-market models Thursday in anticipation of stricter European emissions controls as the Geneva International Motor Show opened its doors to the public.

A host of small cars are celebrating their debut in Geneva, including production versions of Ford Motor Co.'s new, fuel-stingy Fiesta and Toyota Motor Corp.'s three-seater iQ, and a concept version of Fiat's 500 Aria. All three boast carbon dioxide emissions of under 100 grams per kilometer, which will help those manufacturers beat an EU proposal for a fleet average of 130 grams by 2012.

Environment ministers from the 27-nation bloc _ the world's biggest consumer market with 490 million people _ met in Brussels earlier this week to discuss the plan, which has ruffled feathers among Europe's large car-producing nations such as Germany.

The environmental group Greenpeace says even tighter emissions targets than those in the EU proposal are needed if climate change is to be reigned in.

About 20 activists protested at the show on Thursday morning, demanding that auto makers rethink what makes a good car and calling for average fleet emissions to be limited to 120 grams per kilometer by 2012, and 80 grams by 2020.

The Geneva show is traditionally regarded as the most level playing field for car makers because Switzerland lacks its own industry.

Europeans will get their first glimpse of Indian manufacturer Tata's Nano, hailed as the world's cheapest car and due to begin rolling off the production line by the end of the year. The pint-sized five-seater will cost $2,500 plus tax and delivery, but will initially only be available in India while Tata works on improving the car's emissions ratio and safety features.

Chevrolet too will be appealing to Europeans accustomed to driving smaller vehicles than their trans-Atlantic cousins.

General Motor Corp.'s top-selling brand is unveiling a three-door version of the Aveo, which debuted in Europe at last year's IAA exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, with a five-door model.

One of the loopholes to the emissions proposal currently being discussed in Brussels lets car makers pool their fleets with those of companies producing more efficient vehicles.

Companies that exceed the limit would face stiff fines starting at 20 euros ($30) per gram per kilometer, multiplied by the number of cars sold, rising to 95 euros ($144) by 2015. If auto makers pass this cost on to consumers it would add hundreds of euros (dollars) to the price of a car.

Low-volume manufacturers producing fewer than 10,000 vehicles a year would be exempt, but major players such as BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen would have to team up with greener car makers or improve their own fleet if they want to continue selling high-powered SUVs and sports cars in Europe.

The EU proposal, even if it is watered down before being agreed upon, has set auto makers fine-tuning their product range to reduce emission levels as much as possible.

Moves by several large cities to follow London's lead in charging owners of gas-guzzling vehicles a daily fee to enter the city have also spooked manufacturers and given them a further incentive to reduce emissions.

London mayor Ken Livingstone last year raised the daily charge to 25 pounds ($49) for cars that produce more than 225 grams of CO2 per kilometer, while those that produce less than 120 grams per kilometer enter free of charge.

Matthias Wissmann, head of the German auto industry group VDA, has accused Livingstone of appealing to "social envy" rather than pursuing a sound environmental goal.

Almost every major manufacturer in Geneva is showing off hybrid versions that use electricity or hydrogen in addition to conventional fuels. Lighter materials, electricity-generating brakes and even solar panels will be on show by the 260 exhibitors.

No single technology has yet emerged as the definitive way of reducing emissions, but manufacturers including General Motors and Daimler have put their weight behind developing more efficient lithium-ion batteries for use in hybrid vehicles. The German car maker said its Mercedes-Benz flagship S-class luxury sedan will be available in a gas-electricity hybrid version next year.

Martin Lloyd of Greenpeace, who toured the show before its official opening, accused car makers of "greenwashing" their industry with a few headline-grabbing eco models while continuing to sell heavier, faster and less efficient vehicles.

"The industry knows what it has to do and it has the technology to do it," Lloyd said.

The show runs through Sunday, March 16.

Nano Technolgy involved in Scratch resistant self cleaning Automobile coating

2008-03-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Imagine for a moment, a world where pilots can safely bypass the deicing pad prior to a winter flight, an automobile that is car key resistant and requires 60% less cleaning, an ocean liner hull that repels marine growth, or a car wheel that prevents the unsightly appearance of brake dust or a speed boat that resists fading. These and other amazing coating benefits are now possible due to recent developments in nanotechnology.

According to Nanovere Technologies Chairman and Principal Scientist Thomas F. Choate, "What's most unique about Zyvere coatings based on nanotechnology; is their ability to resist scratching and ease of cleaning. Zyvere Nanocoatings are permanent, Self-Cleaning and Car Key Resistant! Even after 5 years, our Zyvere Nanocoatings provide 100% gloss retention, a feat just not possible with any ordinary clear coat finishes." Zyvere Nanocoatings outperform all automotive OEM coatings, automotive aftermarket coatings and aerospace coating competitors;

-- 53% higher scratch resistance: 6H pencil hardness
-- 60% improved clean ability over any competitor
-- 476% higher chemical resistance over the nearest competitor
-- 100% gloss retention even after 5+ yearsWhy is tiny such a big thing?

Nanotechnology can be described as the science of molecular engineering. The word Nano is derived from the Greek word "small". A nanometer is one- billionth of a meter. For comparison purposes, a human hair is roughly 80,000 nanometers. The smaller the particle, the closer they reside together, which alters the surface area and material characteristics dramatically. Zyvere nanocoatings provide permanent surface protection, and utilize nanostructured materials which form three dimensional molecular networks. These molecular networks form a very high crosslink density coating with remarkable physical properties including extreme scratch resistance, ultra high gloss, very high chemical resistance, extreme UV resistance, remarkable flexibility and self- cleaning properties including dirt, oil and ice release properties.

Zyvere nanocoatings were specifically designed to be applied over Automotive OEM Coatings, Aftermarket Paint finishes, Aerospace Paint, Industrial Coatings and Marine Coating surfaces. To learn more about Nanovere, please visit http://www.nanocoatings.com or call (877) 998-3737 or e-mail at question@nanovere.com.

About Nanovere

Nanovere Technologies, Inc. specializes in the research, development & manufacturing of permanent coatings based on nanotechnology materials and concepts.

Ford Motor Company to take over Romanian Car Plant

2008-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Ford Motor Co. will formally take over a Romanian car manufacturer by the end of this month, the prime minister said Wednesday.

Ford was the only bidder for Automobile Craiova in September, paying 57 million euros ($77.9 million) for a 72.4 percent stake in the state-owned company and vowing to invest another 675 million euros ($923 million) to upgrade and expand car production.

Parliament voted 238-15 with five abstentions Tuesday to approve the sale.

The European Union has criticized the sale, accusing Romania of underselling Automobile Craiova to Ford. Regulators have ordered the government to demand Automobile Craiova pay the state the lost revenue from the sale.

The EU executive said the stake was actually worth 84 million euros ($125 million) and the Romanian state lost 27 million euros ($40 million). Romania joined the EU in 2007.

Despite the EU criticism, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said: "I am happy we can finalize this project ... We can ensure jobs to workers in Craiova."

"An entire network of suppliers of parts and components will be created, which will become the second major industrial landmark of the automobile industry in Romania," he said.