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2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/19138 | How New Fuel Economy Standards Are Creating New Jobs
August 11, 2011 at 10:39 AM ET by Colleen Curtis
Twitter Facebook Email Summary: The President travels to Holland, MI where one company has already hired 150 people to create batteries for the cars of the future
A fundamental part of President Obama’s strategy to energize our economy is making smart investments in research and technology to create jobs for American workers. Today, the President will be visiting the Johnson Controls advanced battery manufacturing plant in Holland, MI to highlight the key role that innovative technologies will play in the future of the U.S. auto manufacturing industry, helping automakers achieve historic fuel efficiency standards, spurring economic growth, and creating high-quality domestic jobs in cutting edge industries across America.
Today’s trip builds on the President’s recent announcement of historic fuel-efficiency standards for cars and light trucks which will bring fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 and which, combined with steps already taken by this administration, will save American families $1.7 trillion at the pump and reduce oil consumption by 12 billion barrels by 2025. It also builds on this week’s announcement of first-of-their-kind fuel-efficiency standards for work trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles, which will save American businesses who operate and own these commercial vehicles approximately $50 billion in fuel costs over the life of the program. These new standards will also protect public health by cutting air pollutants such as air toxics, smog, and soot. New cars and light duty trucks built with the recently announced standards for Model Year 2017 through Model Year 2025 will reduce carbon dioxide pollution by over 6 billion metric tons – equivalent to the emissions from the United States last year, or what the Amazon rainforest absorbs in three years.
Because the Administration was able to create a single, national program that runs through 2025, companies like Johnson Controls have the certainty they need that investments in new, game-changing technologies will pay off, enabling them to create good-paying jobs across the United States – a fact that was highlighted in a report released this week by the United Auto Workers, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the National Wildlife Federation. The report lists the top 15 states employing the highest number of autoworkers in clean, efficient technologies: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Texas, Alabama, California, South Carolina, Tennessee, New York, Illinois, Virginia, and Arizona.
And, these standards include some specific incentives to encourage early adoption of advanced technologies that represent game changing performance improvements – including electric vehicles and “off cycle” technologies like start-stop technology, where the engine actually shuts off when the driver stops at a red light to avoid wasting fuel while idling. The start-stop functionality relies on batteries like the ones Johnson Controls is manufacturing now in Holland, and will soon be manufacturing at another one of their existing battery plants outside of Toledo, Ohio which is being retrofitted to handle increased demand. Johnson Controls estimates the conversion will create 50 jobs. This builds on efforts since the start of the Administration to advance innovative battery technology that’s manufactured at home. Back in 2009, the President announced $2.4 billion in Recovery Act grants towards the development of batteries and advanced vehicle technology. Those investments are already paying off for the American people. Johnson Controls received a $300 million grant to build domestic manufacturing capacity for advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles, which enabled them to open their first domestic lithium-ion plant in Holland, Michigan and hire about 150 people to work on the project. And as facilities like Johnson Controls’ Holland plant continue to grow, we’ll see a ripple effect of economic activity in other cities and states through their vast network of suppliers. The U.S. automotive industry directly employs 700,000 people engaged in manufacturing vehicles and vehicle parts. This represents the single largest manufacturing industry in the United States. And since July of 2009, the automotive sector has added approximately 113,000 jobs, its strongest period of job growth since the late 1990s, much of this growth coming from manufacturers of vehicle parts.
And we’re seeing our share of this market grow. Just a few years ago, the U.S. had only two factories manufacturing these advanced vehicle batteries and we produced only 2 percent of the world’s advanced batteries. But over the next few years, in part because of the critical investments we’ve made, our nation will have the ability to produce enough advanced batteries to support 500,000 plug-in and hybrid vehicles per year. All told, we’ll produce 40 percent of the world’s advanced batteries – which will go a long way towards creating more jobs and boosting the domestic auto industry.
Colleen Curtis
Former Director of Digital Content for the Office of Digital Strategy | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/19459 | Bill Page Honda History
Our history began in 1950 when William H. Page opened a Buick Dealership on this very site. At the age of 14 William H Page’s oldest son, William J. Page came to work for his father cleaning automobiles. The two worked hand and hand committed to serving customers for life. Two years later the Dealership became a Ford Store and then later a Pontiac Store. In 1971 the Page’s decided to add the Honda Franchise on to the Pontiac Store. William J. Page purchased the dealerships from his father in 1980. At this point, a decision had to be made as to which franchise was going to remain. By the end of 1982 William J. Page had made up his mind. Bill Page was now an exclusive Honda Dealer. Fifty years later, Bill Page Honda continues to be a family owned dealership, ensuring the family values they have been known for stay intact, along with their unwavering focus on customer satisfaction.
William H. Page passed away in 2007 but was able to see the fruits of his labor grow as several of his children continued to open more than fifteen dealerships from Maryland to South Florida. The third generation William Page is working at Bill Page Honda today and he continues to remind our employees that success is measured by satisfying each and every customer one at a time.
Bill Page Honda Philosophy
When Bill Page opened his first dealership in the 1950’s his philosophy was simple: Take care of the customers and they will take care of you. This basic idea has allowed a start up business to flourish for more than half a century. We have expanded on this basic principle by believing in the idea of “take care of what you have and the rest will come.” We believe the tenure of our employees is invaluable. We want to treat each customer and employee with the respect they deserve. Our repeat customers are the measure of our success and there is only one way to get repeat customers: satisfying each and every customer one at a time.
For additional information about Bill Page Honda contact:
Brian R. Kanyan Corporate Secretary/ Chief Financial Officer
Bill Page Imports, Inc.
Phone: (703) 533-9700/ Direct: (703) 533-5043
[email protected] | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20065 | Home » Historic racing » The anorak: Ferrari 250 GTO #3589GT
The anorak: Ferrari 250 GTO #3589GT Written by Kurt |
Thursday, 29 March 2012 13:03 Now, normally I try to steer clear of the subject 'chassis numbers' and historic cars, as it can come over as mindbogglingly boring to normal people while at the same time being a futile attempt to sound interesting, when you are really not anything like that. But, for this post I make an exception as it is about a car with a very intriguing story. I mean, it is not often that you hear of a Ferrari 250 GTO that used to languish in a field for 15 years. Even though is a well-known story outside of the ferrarichat.com circle, it really is worth making a trip down memory lane to revisit chassis #3589GT in the various parts of its life. And what a life it was (is)! Just read on after the jump all will be explained.
Being build by passionate craftsmen in Maranello in 1962 it was one of the few right-hand drive 250 GTOs. Because of this, it obviously went to the United Kingdom where it debuted at the Goodwood race track in the hands of Mike Parkes. At the end of the 1962 european racing season it was shipped to the 'new world' and got the chance to leave behind the miserable english weather and race in a nice soothing caribbean climate. It ran a couple of races in Nassau, Bahamas with Innes Ireland at the wheel and finally went on to race in the 12 hours of Sebring in 1963. This is where the interesting bit of the story starts.
After just 2 years of active racing it was pensioned off and donated to a high school in Texas by the then owner, Tom O'Connor. It was used in parades and shows but then, in 1972, it was sold by a sealed bid ($6500) to a certain Joe Korton, who did not go on and drive it, as the average car enthusiast would do. No, he put in a field next to his home on a trailer, unprotected, all ready for the elements to munch it up over a couple of years. The car wasn't hidden in obscurity though, some people sighted it and some brave people even tried to make a photographic record of it. One person hiding behind the alias of 'triumpnutter' told us: "Got me thinking about my youth and how I remember Kortan's yard, full of collectible cars just rotting away. I lived a few miles away from him. I went to school with his daughter and she was on my bus route thru grade school. I had no idea what the cars were at the time (I was in 8th grade in 79 and watched that yard since I can remember), but we all knew they were supposed to be really collectible. It was well known that Mr. Kortan was not in the market to let them go, that he liked them just the way they were.... unprotected, just parked in the field or in the dilapidated barn, rotting away. He had no interest in showing them to anyone. A few years back, the daughter told me how she and her brothers used to sled ride down the hood of that Ferrari when they were kids!"
He wasn't the only one to tell the world something about this GTO, in the early 90s Innes Ireland described his encounter with Joe Korton in an issue of Road & Track (which I noticed during preparing this piece is also online) like this:
"I heard nothing of the car until I was invited as guest of honor by the French Ferrari owners club to its 20th anniversary of the GTO meeting in 1982. I was horrified to hear that she had been sitting in the field for years; I was unable to understand how anyone could possibly allow such a thing to happen. Finally I turned up on Joe Korton's doorstep, and, sure enough, there was a 250 GTO sitting on a trailer in a field of long grass. Although painted a dull red–by hand, it looked like-she still carried the scrutineer's stamp on the inside of the screen from Nassau 1962 so I knew she was 3589 all right. Nothing would persuade Mr. Korton to sell me the car, saying he was going to put her in order one day. But in expressing my horror at her condition, at least I persuaded him to put her in a shed under cover (which he did), and I extracted a promise that if ever he decided to sell, he would give me first option (which he did not)."
Thankfully, a certain Frank Gallogly continuously stalked Korton into selling him the GTO just before the 1980s classic car bubble burst, nothing much came of restoring it, though, and it was sold on to a Swiss collector with whom it remains to this day, restored and well. Fascinating ey? Sometimes stories about chassis numbers are well worth exploring a bit further, but most of all enjoy the photographs and then of course sob.
Photos were posted a long time ago on a forum by a certain 'El Wayne', so all credit goes to this guy.. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20077 | home news improved car sales in march 2013
Improved Car Sales In March 2013Sales of new cars in March 2013 have risen by 5.9%. Insurance comparison website Tiger.co.uk looks at the figures in greater detail.
According to figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) there were 391,806 13-plate vehicles registered in March 2013. This marks the 13th successive month of growth in new car sales. New car sales have reached their highest since 2010 when The Government introduced the car scrappage scheme.
The uplift in sales in March follows strong demand for private registrations in Q1. There was an 11.2% rise in private sales in the first quarter of the year. Figures produced by the SMMT also show that registrations of petrol fuelled cars have risen by 12.1% thus far in 2013, outselling diesel vehicles. By comparison, registrations of cars with alternative fuel sources only increased by 2.9% in the first quarter.
The 'Mini' car segment has shown the most growth in March, up 56.5%. Gains were also made in the MPV and dual purpose segments, however, the Upper Medium and Luxury Saloon car segments were the only categories that did not show growth within the month.
The figures in March showed that the Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa and the Ford Focus were the top three best sellers. The top ten best sellers in March can be seen below:
Top Ten Car Sales - April 2013
Andrew Goulborn, Commercial Director at Tiger.co.uk commented:
“The figures published by the SMMT are good news for the motoring industry and car sales figures are often a good indicator of consumer confidence overall. Our monthly car insurance price monitor, Tiger Watch, shows that while overall motor insurance rates have remained stable, younger female drivers are suffering from the introduction of the EU Gender Directive. In addition to high petrol and diesel prices, this is likely to maintain the popularity of more fuel efficient models and the decline in luxury saloon car segments. We are hopeful that this upward trend in car sales continues and that more fuel efficient technologies continue to be developed by motor manufacturers."26/04/2013 13:41:53 ErenAuthor - Tiger.co.uk | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20270 | Vertical Industries
U.S. driver interest in self-driving cars dips slightly after Tesla crash
Tesla’s technology gets huge bump in public awareness from fatal crash
By Lucas Mearian
NTSB: Tesla in fatal crash was speeding with Autopilot on
It’s not technology, but humans that may not be ready for self-driving cars
Tesla admits Autopilot was on during latest Model X accident Video
U.S. driver confidence in self-driving car technology suffered only slightly in the aftermath of a Tesla Model S fatal crash that occurred with the Autopilot engaged, two new surveys revealed.
Two separate online survey results from more than 1,500 U.S. vehicle owners by consultancy AlixPartners showed consumer interest in self-driving cars dipped about three percentage points after news of the May 7 Tesla crash was reported on June 30.
Florida Highway Safety Patrol The damage to the Tesla Model S from the impact with a semitrailer in May.
The first survey by AlixPartners of car owners aged 18 through 65, was conducted from May 30 through June 7, and the second survey was conducted from July 12 through July 20.
The surveys also found that the public's awareness of Tesla's Autopilot capabilities soared as a result of media coverage of the fatal crash.
When asked in the first survey of which self-driving cars they were aware, Google received 41% of the responses and Tesla Motors received 23.1%. In the second survey, Tesla Motors received 55.3% of the responses and Google received 19.7%.
AlixPartners
When asked which industry they trust more with programming self-driving vehicles, respondents overwhelmingly (41%) chose new Silicon Valley manufacturers, such as Google and Tesla Motors over traditional Detroit carmakers, which received 16% of responses. Japanese carmakers also received more of the public's trust with 23%, while European manufacturers garnered only 8% and "neither/other" received 12%.
Tesla Motors' Autopilot technology is known as an advanced driver assistance system, which offers lane-keeping, traffic-aware cruise control and automatic braking. While only semi-autonomous, there has been a flood of anecdotal evidence that Tesla owners are using it as if it is fully autonomous, taking their hands off the wheel and performing other tasks while driving.
In the case of the May 7 fatal crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a report that confirmed the Autopilot was on and that the car was traveling nine miles over the speed limit on a four-lane divided highway.
The all-electric Tesla hit the side of an 18-wheeler that turned left in front of it. The impact sheared away the roof of the Model S and killed Joshua Brown, 40, of Canton, Ohio.
Tesla stated that neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brakes were not applied.
AlixPartners' two surveys revealed car owners did lose confidence in a self-driving vehicle's ability to give control back to drivers. Ninety percent of those surveyed prior to the May 7 crash responded that they were confident that they could, at any time, take back full control of the vehicle. After the crash, only 86% responded with confidence that they could.
Another drop in confidence came when those surveyed were asked if they believed "the manufacturer of the vehicle would guarantee you that it will not cause an accident." Confidence in that statement dropped from 86% to 79%.
Yet another telling response came when drivers were asked if they could "text, watch a movie, surf the internet or read when in self-drive mode."
Confidence in that statement fell from 56% to 48% after the fatal accident.
The driver of the 18-wheeler involved in the Tesla Model S crash reported that Brown was watching a movie at the time of the accident, a detail that has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
NTSB Damage to the semitrailer from the collision.
This story, "U.S. driver interest in self-driving cars dips slightly after Tesla crash" was originally published by
Related: Car Tech
Senior Reporter Lucas Mearian covers consumer data storage, electronic health IT, renewable energy, 3D printing, and telematics/car tech for Computerworld. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20456 | Datsun brand re-launched for first time buyers
By Paula Duffy 2012-03-20 20:14
Datsun is making a return as a brand name under the Nissan Motor umbrella, for the first time in more than 30 years.
On Tuesday March 20, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced an expansion of its production base and sales presence in Indonesia. Along with it CEO Carlos Ghosn spoke of the return of the Datsun brand, Nissan's third global brand, alongside Nissan and Infiniti.
"Nissan is bringing new jobs and new vehicles to Indonesia," said Ghosn. "We are going to expand our production capability and offer a new and exciting product line here."
Nissan's Indonesian capacity will increase to 250,000 annually by 2014, with the workforce doubling to 3,300, and sales outlets are planned to increase by 300% to 150 by 2015.
More so than the news of the company's commitment to Indonesia it is the return of the brand Datsun that intrigued automotive analysts. The investment in Indonesia is expected to reach $400 million when it is complete. NBC News reported on Mr. Ghosn's news of the Datsun, “Datsun is part of our company’s heritage and will now become part of our growth.”
It is reported that concern of over-saturation of the Infiniti and Nissan brands will be the result of the rapid growth in emerging markets, including Indonesia and the Japanese automaker has ambitious plans for sales growth as well as market penetration.
Ghosn laid out an aggressive growth strategy which calls for the maker to boost its global market share from 5.8% to 8%, while he also outlined a plan to deliver an 8% annual profit margin.
To address brand dilution concerns the Datsun brand name will be attached to lower end vehicles in India and Russia and Indonesia that are pitched to first-time auto buyers.
Datsun branded cars are expected to make their debut in 2014 and CEO Ghosn explained that he expects the company to use it for “...a green car, affordable car, small displacement, high local content….”It’s going to be a generous car.”
The company's press release touted the return of the Datsun name, saying, "Datsun represents 80 years of accumulated Japanese car making expertise and is a important part of Nissan's DNA".
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Datsun name was first introduced in Japan in 1932 and the brand came first came to the United States in 1958. In the next two decades American auto buyers learned to love the small, gasoline stingy cars along with the sporty 280Z. The name was retired, so to speak, so that Nissan could build its own brand around the corporate name and introduce the Infiniti as its luxury line of vehicles.
Image: Wikimedia Commons/Michael 1952
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2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20829 | Mitsubishi in massive EV recall
Nino Marchetti EARTHTECHLING, 2nd February 2013
Mitsubishi Motors, in what looks to be one of the largest electric vehicle recalls ever, plans to bring 14,700 vehicles back to the shop in a worldwide move to fix a braking issue.
Though the number is small compared to traditional recalls, it is still significant for the developing green car automotive segment.
The recall, according to Reuters, focuses upon Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV as well as a cab style electric vehicle called the MiniCab-iMiEV.
The numbers of vehicles being recalled, which vary by region of the world, represent what is said to be "nearly half" of this particular EV’s total production numbers to date. Other plug-in vehicle manufacturers haven’t been immune to issues plaguing their cars, with Fisker Automotive and GM, via its Volt, issuing their own recalls last year for different issues.
This isn’t the first recall the i-MiEV has faced in its short life. Back in August, North American production models of this electric car were recalled due to a air bag sensor problem. At the time that recalled total around 310 units or so, and assuming sales of the i-MiEV haven’t grown significantly since then, it is reasonable to assume the newer recall, while likely impacting cars here as well, isn’t as big of an issue as it is in overseas markets.
The i-MiEV, which we reviewed back in October, is generally a quirky and somewhat affordable EV, though as Consumer Reports said recently, it is for the most part across the board not a very inspiring car. Introduced to the US in November of 2011, it holds a very tiny percentage of the electric car market domestically.
With regards to green vehicle recalls in general, this isn’t the largest to date. That ominous title goes to Toyota who, over the years, has issued recalls for a range of issues impacting hundreds of thousands of its hybrid models. As for the i-MiEV recall, there’s been no specific word from Mitsubishi yet on how the repairs will play out at its dealerships.
* Nino Marchetti, EarthTechling
Sustainability Features x recall x EV x mitsubishi x braking issue x Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Stories | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20924 | Autos News
Willy's Garage Your Balance +tax
Willy's Garage
Don Crosbie was a Winnipeg institution
By: Paul Williamson Posted: 01/27/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: Tweet Post Reddit ShareThis Print
This article was published 26/1/2012 (1915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When Don Crosbie, the longtime owner and operator of Don's Towing, bought his first tow truck in the early 1970s, he likely never imagined that he would one day become a Winnipeg institution.Last week when Crosbie died at 68, however, that's exactly what he was.
Don Crosbie was a longtime classic car buff and member of both the Manitoba Street Rod Association and the Fabulous 50's Ford Club of Manitoba.
"My dad made friends everywhere he went," recalled Crosbie's son, Jeff. "When I was a kid, it amazed me how many friends he had, everyone in Winnipeg knew my dad and his blue Chevrolet tow truck."Although he had a few trucks over the years and was most recently operating a newer black Chevrolet rig, Crosbie's original tow truck, a blue 1970 Chevrolet that was aptly nicknamed the Blue Mule, was a big part of his legend. Sometimes Crosbie and his beast of burden were simply helping out a motorist in need or towing cars for local garages, but the lion's share of his business was the removal of unwanted cars. Most were hauled off to the shredder.Don was a longtime friend of mine and when he spoke of his early years in the tow business he would get a twinkle in his eye when he recalled all the precious metal he hauled away to the big junkyard in the sky. "If only I'd have kept a few, I'd be a rich man," he told me many times with a chuckle.One car Crosbie did save was the Chickenmobile. A couple of summers ago when my friend Dave Radey and I resurrected it, Crosbie came up to me at a car show and offered that he had saved it from the shredder more than 20 years earlier."The car was in pretty rough shape so Chicken Delight boss Otto Koch told me to haul it away. He also asked me to make sure it got shredded because he didn't want the competition getting their hands on it," Crosbie said with a grin. "It was too neat to shred so we hid it at my friend's shop."That was what was so great about Don Crosby: He may have had a job to do, but sometimes he realized cars were worth so much more than simply the value of the scrap metal. In addition to saving many neat old cars and finding good homes for them if he picked up an old car with a few good parts remaining, he was quick to call on his countless friends in the car hobby to pick the car clean before it was shredded.In addition to his legendary status as a tow truck owner and operator, Crosbie was also a longtime classic car buff and member of both the Manitoba Street Rod Association and the Fabulous 50's Ford Club of Manitoba. Don and his wife, Kathleen, were fixtures at local car shows and cruise nights and loved to show off their prized 1954 Monarch.A service was held this week to pay tribute to Crosbie, who died of a heart attack. At press time, his son Jeff was working feverishly to get his dad's old Blue Mule tow truck ready in time. It has been off the road for a number of years and had to be yanked out of a snowbank. Other local tow truck operators were also expected to be in attendance with beacons flashing to pay tribute to Winnipeg's most colourful tow truck operator."He will be missed by so many, added son Jeff. "That's why it means so much to us to have his old truck at the service. It was his trademark, and seeing it will make us all feel like he's still with us." Advertisement | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/20999 | Classics on Autotrader › Motorcycles on Autotrader › RVs on Autotrader › Login Autotrader Classics for Sale Cars For Sale Sell My Car Auctions Resources ‹ Articles Stirling Moss Speaks
With 30 seconds to go, I press the doorbell of Sir Stirling’s Mayfair home, the fine house he designed and built from scratch on a bombed site half a century ago. His liking for precise punctuality was noted long ago and his PA lets us in immediately. So far, so good.Sir Stirling Moss is so well known that I’m determined to use my allotted hour to fill some odd little gaps in the story. Getting straight into unknown territory, I ask him about his first accident, when the back tire let go on his Morgan three-wheeler. What really happened?Moss smiles and explains that before he was 16 he applied for his licence, giving his correct date of birth. They simply processed it and sent it back, so naturally he didn’t wait for his 16th birthday to use it. It must have been just after the end of the Second World War, Stirling was in the lanes somewhere near Bray, in Berkshire, and he adds that he had his ferret with him, in a box in the back.When the rear tire burst, the Morgan’s tail swung out, up the bank, and the car toppled over. He can’t remember whether it went right over but it wasn’t a fast accident and there was very little damage. His greatest concern was not for himself: ‘The ferret, when I got him out, had a little smudge of oil on his nose – God knows where that came from – but he was OK, I was OK and the car was OK.’I switch to his flight back from Dundrod in 1950, after that famous victory in the RAC Tourist Trophy, so that he could be at Brands the next day to race the Cooper-Norton 500. There was nothing like EasyJet then. What was involved?The TT finished at about five or six o’clock and Stirling went straight to Belfast airport to catch the scheduled flight to Northolt. He believes the aircraft was a BEA de Havilland Dragon Rapide biplane. He must have felt fantastic on that flight, I have always thought, so I ask whether the full significance of what he’d achieved dawned on him then.No, he says that came later because he was just so happy with the race. It had been wet all the way, assisting him to get the best out of the Jaguar XK120 and never taxing its weak point, the drum brakes. He was also thrilled to have driven at Dundrod, which he decided was a really super circuit.On significant early career steps, Stirling mentions the 1953 Swiss GP, where he was quickest in the wet in the Friday qualifying session with his Maserati 250F. That was the moment, reckons Stirling, when the Formula 1 world started to take a real interest in him.Long before that, however, he was launched into a schedule of European travel and events that must have seemed out of this world in the immediate post-war era of austerity and rationing. By 1951, he was winning in Formula 2, in sports cars and still in 500 racing. He was only just past 20; his friends must have found it astonishing and I wondered how he coped.Stirling agrees that he was still very young but it was all handled easily thanks to John Heath of the HWM team, who managed everything. They had to go abroad to find the best races and, with Stirling in the team, HWM was able to get better start money.From 1952, Stirling appointed his friend Ken Gregory to be his manager. Gregory’s part in Stirling’s subsequent success was crucial, without doubt, but it’s time for another silly question. To save hotel bills, Stirling had ordered a new caravan to tow around Europe behind his XK120 Coupé and he’d had it fitted it out with every expensive mod con. It did not last long.He and Ken were driving down a hill in Belgium, with Ken at the wheel, when the caravan detached itself. Ken was alert enough to get the Jaguar out of the way as the caravan overtook them on the inside. After several spectacular rolls, high in the air, it ended up totally wrecked and, thanks to the four dozen eggs they’d loaded inside, a terrible mess. I ask Stirling who had attached it and whether it had been secured properly?He answers by saying that, because the caravan tended to swing around, he’d fitted a stabilizer, which worked quite well. Something went wrong with that, apparently, so we must assume that neither of them was to blame.As Stirling put it, his father and Ken Gregory worked behind his back, negotiating with Maserati and Mercedes-Benz on his behalf. Stirling readily acknowledges that, without Ken’s bold management and his dad’s guidance, his career would have been set back and possibly ‘stumped’.Stirling and Ken shared a flat in London then and I reminded him of an anecdote from Ken’s book Behind the Scenes of Motor Racing. Ken, who had a day job as well, wrote: ‘I was in bed and asleep after a particularly hard day, when at about two o’clock in the morning Stirling came in. He clumped into the kitchen, which was next to my room, and barged into tables and things, making sufficient noise so that I couldn’t possibly go on sleeping. Then he poked his head round the door, and said, “Ken, are you awake?” I said, “Yes, I’m awake.” And he said, “Will you get me a tube of toothpaste in the morning?”’Ken claimed he decided there and then to get a flat on his own, so I ask Stirling for his side of it. Obviously very amused, he says: ‘I don’t remember that but I’m sure he was right. With me around, Ken would break out in a rash and get a bit hyper.’ He laughs again. ‘Yes, I’m not an easy person to live with.’With BRM in 1952, Stirling drove the V16 in the Ulster Trophy at Dundrod and I put it to him that I cannot imagine a more daunting prospect than having to race that car on such a lethal, genuine road circuit. What was it really like to grapple with the thing in Ulster, 59 years ago?With a grim smile, Stirling recalls it was the only occasion in the BRM on which he passed Fangio, adding that Fangio was spinning backwards at the time. As an extremely patriotic young man, Stirling considered it a great honour to drive the British BRM, but at Dundrod, he says: ‘It was scary, absolutely scary.’ The tremendous slack in the steering made it very difficult to stay in a straight line. He adds: ‘The brakes were terrific, the gearbox was super but the car was not nice at all and Dundrod, as a circuit, was about the worst place you could go with it. You were always juggling with the steering. It was awful, really awful, and I was so pleased when it went out.’ The night before the race, BRM had switched cars because Fangio had had a problem. ‘That wouldn’t have worried me,’ said Stirling with smile. ‘Had they decided not to put me in the race at all, I’d have been thrilled.’Stirling wasn’t the first celebrity to exploit product endorsement but he probably pioneered a more professional attitude in that respect as far as racing drivers were concerned, particularly with Craven A cigarettes, Lucozade, Trico and Nenette. There was also an amazing in-car cigarette dispenser, which intrigued me.‘It was a fantastic thing,’ says Stirling: ‘You just pushed it and the cigarette dropped down in a tray, lit for you. I don’t remember advertising that but I certainly had it in my Standard Ten. It was a very good gadget.’Next, another little matter that’s puzzled me for years: in the 1954 Silverstone Production Touring Cars race, Stirling was delayed at the start when the Jaguar MkVII’s engine apparently would not start (see feature, page 80). Was that deliberate? Legend suggests there were team orders for Ian Appleyard to win that race. I ask Stirling for the truth, once and for all.He laughs again, declaring bluntly: ‘I don’t remember anything about that, but one thing is certain: if they’d told me to be second to Ian Appleyard, I’d have told them to stuff it. I had nothing against Ian but I just wouldn’t do that.’ That clears that up, then.Moss really made his mark in F1 by leading the 1954 Italian GP. After a straight fight with Fangio’s Mercedes, Moss pulled away in his Maserati. Although his car failed, that performance was a terrific career boost, especially noted by Mercedes-Benz. Fangio won the race and in his 1986 autobiography, co-written with a journalist, is quoted as saying that Stirling would have won that GP if he himself had backed off a bit. That seemed unfair because it was only a simple broken pipe from the oil cooler that stopped Stirling’s car. I wanted to know how that comment from Fangio strikes him now.Stirling, a bit puzzled, replies: ‘I wouldn’t think he would lower himself to say that. Fangio was a great man and I don’t think he would have criticised another driver unless he had caused a shunt.’ We agreed that Fangio’s writing colleague might have used a little licence there.It prompts a further thought from Stirling, namely that he could beat Fangio in sports cars but not in F1. When Stirling asked Fangio why he thought that was so, Fangio replied that he liked to see his wheels. Stirling says that he still doesn’t understand what Fangio meant because your focus is way up the track when you’re racing and you don’t look at your wheels. Stirling’s logic there seems impeccable to me, so that difference between them remains a puzzle.Still on Fangio, I have to bring up the old chestnut of whether he allowed the young Englishman to win the 1955 British GP. It has been discussed endlessly over the years, I know, but when the subject comes up nobody mentions what Fangio apparently said in that 1986 book. It says there that, the night before the race, the Mercedes team fixed it for Stirling to win by lowering the gearing of Fangio’s car. How, I wondered, would Stirling react to that?Even as I speak, Stirling starts muttering: ‘I doubt it, I really doubt it. I find it really difficult to believe that. After the race, I did ask Fangio, “Did you let me win that race?” And he replied, “No, no: it was your day.” I did a bad start but caught him up and got past when he was baulked by a backmarker. Then I just drove flat out.’ Stirling laughs again, adding: ‘At the last corner I went as fast as I could, got my foot flat down and then waved him past, knowing full well he couldn’t do it.’That was in 1955, and Moss was on peak form. Major wins included the Mille Miglia in May and the British GP in July – and then, I noted, he raced a 948cc Standard Ten in a saloon car race at Oulton Park in August. Autosport described his driving of the little Standard as amazing but, as it still seems rather improbable, I ask him what it was all about.That Standard, I learn, was his own car. He was at Oulton Park racing another car and he just decided to drive in the saloon car race for fun. It definitely was not, he laughs, a works entry – as some claimed.Next: the Nassau Speed Week of December 1955, when Ken Gregory had been called in as Clerk of the Course to bring some sense of order to that chronically chaotic meeting. There was pandemonium from the Americans when Ken announced that there would be a Le Mans start. They wanted time to do up their seatbelts and the drivers’ briefing was getting out of control when, according to Ken, Stirling came to the rescue with a pacifying speech. He said that they would only lose a few seconds, that the Le Mans start was the safest way and he was sure they all agreed that safety was the most important thing. What are his views now?Again, Stirling says that he didn’t recall the incident but he is quite unrepentant in his traditional attitudes. He makes that clear: ‘I have never been a believer in seatbelts. I saw a man die at Sebring when he turned his car over, it caught fire and they couldn’t pull him out.’Something that has puzzled me for a long time is what exactly it was that made the Vanwall handle so badly at the German Grand Prix on the Nurburging in 1957, so soon after Stirling’s brilliant win in the British GP at Aintree. And then, just two weeks later, he seemed to have no trouble in winning at Pescara. Had some fundamental improvements been made to the Vanwall during that fortnight?Stirling explains that, unlike the 250F, the Vanwall never handled well anywhere. It had good brakes but the gearbox was lousy and the engine had flat spots at first. It was almost undrivable at the ’Ring, says Stirling, because that circuit was like a road and not a very good one in those days. Nothing was changed for Pescara, where the circuit was smooth and fast, and the car wasn’t too bad. He admits that Colin Chapman did improve the Vanwall but insists that it was never a good car to drive. It was quite fast, it did the job, it won the title but it was never a nice car in Stirling’s view. Simple as that.According to reputation, Stirling always preferred understeering cars but my guess is that’s a rather simplified version of the truth…‘Yes, it is,’ he says and there was no need to finish my question. ‘Now, looking back on it,’ he says, ‘I actually prefer oversteer. Understeer can be easier but it’s not so responsive. That’s where the SLR [Mille Miglia winner] was so good. You could adjust it.’ Stirling never liked cars that understeer and then roll into oversteer but we all know that he had the ability to drive anything to its absolute limit, however it handled.In the wet, he invented a special technique, faking a momentary bit of extra oversteer as he entered the corners, passing a message to anyone behind that it was more slippery than they thought – but he was back on the power, having thought it all out, before they knew what was happening. More than wanting to be World Champion, he wanted to be seen as the man to beat, and that he most certainly did achieve.Quick question: in Ken Purdy’s book (1963) Stirling is quoted as saying he was frightened of the future. What exactly did that mean? The simple answer comes straight back: ‘I’m frightened of death. I don’t want to die. There are still too many things I want to do.’Many years ago, Stirling said to me that if he were 17 now he’d think twice about starting a driving career because there’s ‘too much competition, boy.’ Does he still feel that way?He would start racing but what he liked about his time was that it was dangerous. As he puts it, when you’re 17 or 18 you like to do dangerous, stupid things. That was an important ingredient to him. Motor racing was a dangerous sport and he liked it that way. The worse the conditions got, the more it played into his hands. Today’s drivers are the losers, to his mind, because they are not brushing their wheels against rock faces and precipitous drops. In his day, he felt that he was playing a game, putting in his highest bid and risking his life, and that’s what he found so rewarding.Thanks to Porter Press, publisher of the Stirling Moss Scrapbooks, www.porterpress.co.uk.
Stirling Moss Speaks Autotrader Classics for Sale | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/21445 | Subscribe via Email Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Jump the Gun: Brighton
.I was just 11 years old when my older sister took me to watch the film Tommy with the sound track by The Who... that what a strong introduction to the Rock universe!. Though I didn't particularly rank Ken Russell's film very highly, the music was addictive and the beginning of a life long love of The Who, rock music, while at the same time, another passion for British motorcycles was born.In 1979 I had a front row seat at the release of 'Quadrophenia' I already had the album but it was the film that introduced me to Mods. Without realising it, the effect of these two films meant that I was torn between two opposing groups, Mods for the music produced by The Who, and Rockers for my affiliation with the British motorcycle... Shit!!In the early sixties I was too young and sitting on the wrong side of the channel to remember the Mods and Rockers, to be part of them was a rare opportunity for English youth to rebel against the establishment. The Rockers and later the "Greasers" rode motorcycles, their clothes often covered in oil because from their machines, they listened to rock and roll, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran etc.. generally they preferred alcohol to drugs.Mods were equally rebellious but chose quite a different style. They rode scooters, Lambretta's and Vespa's, their clothes were tailored, suits, ties, shoes and the indispensable G.I. fishtail Parka. They also listened to Rock music by The Who or The Kinks, and got high on amphetamines and speed.Occasionally on Bank holiday weekends these two opposing groups would clash on the seafront in Brighton on the Sussex coast.But thats now all in the past...Last spring we visited Brighton with some friends, a slice of London by the sea and steeped in British cult history. I had to visit the famous Brighton Pier, a landmark that must have witnessed more than a few battles along the pebble beaches. It was in the North Lanes amongst so many diverse and unusual shops that I stumbled on 'Jump the Gun', a boutique selling authentic Mod clothing, certain proof that Mods are still very much alive and kicking!.
Mods,
Rockers, | 汽车 |
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The Corvette Mike Team Used Corvettes for Sale! Contact Corvette Mike | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/22265 | Twenty-four Thousand Join 2012 Hyundai Run for a Cause
/ HARI Press | May 02, 2012 15:57
A Showcase of CSR Leadership Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. (HARI) carries on the good fight and beats its record as an upstanding agent for social change. This year, the Hyundai RUN for a Cause is reprised to forge HARI’s crusade to empower every Filipino to lead productive and responsible lives and so contribute to build a strong and proud nation. HARI once again engages its stakeholders from the government and private sectors and the general public in one unifying and festive event to generate awareness and support for its continuing commitment to nation building through a three-pronged advocacy: environment protection, community development, and economic growth. According to HARI President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, “We decided to make this RUN festive and colorful to underscore Hyundai’s celebration of a happier, healthier, and safer life for all.”
This year, HARI, together with its partners in nation building, and the Filipino community made its mark through waves of colors representing the leading auto firm’s advocacies: green for the soon-to-rise GK-Hyundai Center for Green Innovation and HARIBON Foundation’s continuing “rain-forestation” program and the donation of a first-ever fully customized HARI EcoVan, a mobile school for promoting Philippine biodiversity; pink for the protection and promotion of women’s and children’s rights in partnership with the UP Women Lawyer’s Circle (WILOCI); red for empowering the students of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) through scholarship grants and the donation of a customized mobile library to K.I.D.S. Foundation; yellow for Filipino heritage and pride advocacy with the Department of Tourism (DOT), the first of which shall be the sponsorship of the Philippine booth at the Yeosu 2012 Expo in Seoul, South Korea; orange for the provision of health facilities to the National Children’s Hospital; purple for youth development through sports in collaboration with The Younghusband Football Academy (TYFA); gray for empowering social entrepreneurs and small-to-medium businesses through the GK Center for Social Innovation, and support for the Department of Agriculture’s Sentrong Pamilihan ng Produktong Agrikultura ng Quezon Foundation Inc.; and blue for the promotion of road safety and responsible car ownership in partnership with the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), in observance of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety.
A significant sidelight to the RUN was the exhilarating public launch of the all-new Hyundai EON, made even more fun with the presence of a flash mob composed of the top cheering squads from UAAP and NCAA. The presence of a dynamic and youthful flash mob cemented EON’s position as a no-frills car for the young, discerning, and upward moving new generation of car owners who refuse to settle for mediocrity in their city driving.
The Hyundai RUN for a Cause, launched in April 2011 to kick off HARI’s 10th anniversary celebration, drew a sea of 24,000-strong--from running aficionados and fitness buffs to avid supporters of HARI’s humanitarian causes. It was the first-ever local fun run that was fully sponsored by an automotive firm, and a first in the Hyundai global distributorship network.
Los Angeles 2011: Hyundai reveals the 2012 AzeraJanuary 26, 2011One Hyundai Club Life in Style 2012 Journal LaunchedJanuary 16, 2012Is Hyundai going to assemble the Eon in the Philippines?March 02, 20172012 MIAS: Hyundai Eon and VelosterMarch 30, 2012Hyundai to launch premium lifestyle event in JanuaryNovember 22, 2011 | 汽车 |
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2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/23701 | Inside the Tata Nano Factory
Inside the Tata Nano Factory The tale of the creation and design of the world's cheapest car is one of innovation and ingenuity, both inside and outside Ratan Tata's organizationdaisby Manjeet Kripalani The "Luxury" version of the car features fog lamps, power windows and A/C. Tata Motors The Nano, nicknamed the "people's car", will cost $2,500 when it goes on sale later this year. Tata Motors At Tata's Engineering Research Centre, near the bucolic surroundings of the Tata Motors (TTM) factory in Pune, a suburb of Bombay, there are two cars on display. One is a complete prototype of the Nano, the $2,500 compact car Tata unveiled in January, which has all the essentials and safety features of India's higher priced automobiles along with a sticker price that will forever change the economics of low-cost cars. The other is a neat bisection, with the car's innards clearly visible. "Every day we invite people to come and examine the car and ask: 'How can we make more savings?'" says Tata Motors Chief Executive Ravi Kant. That quest to build the world's cheapest car hasn't ended. The Nano should be available this fall, but the mission began back in 2003, when Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors and the $50 billion Tata conglomerate, set a challenge to build a "people's car." Tata gave an engineering team, led by 32-year-old star engineer Girish Wagh, three requirements for the new vehicle: It should be low-cost, adhere to regulatory requirements, and achieve performance targets such as fuel efficiency and acceleration capacity. The design team initially came up with a vehicle which had bars instead of doors and plastic flaps to keep out the monsoon rains. It was closer to a quadricycle than a car, and the first prototype, Wagh admits candidly, "lacked punch." Even a bigger engine, which boosted the power by nearly 20%, was still dismal. "It was an embarrassment," says Wagh. But the failure was also the catalyst for Tata's decision to build a proper car, not an upgraded scooter on four wheels or anything flimsy or cheap-looking. "We didn't want an apology for a car," says Ravi Kant. "We were conscious of the fact that whether it was a $2,500 car or not, it ought not to have looked like a $2,500 car." Becoming a Part of History The tale of the creation and design of the Nano is one of innovation and ingenuity, both inside and outside Tata's own organization (BusinessWeek.com, 2/27/08). First, Ratan Tata called a meeting of his top parts suppliers and, after showing them the early, earnest but flawed prototypes, asked them to help. Companies including Germany's Bosch, which makes the computer that is the heart of car's engine, were skeptical. So were local Indian players. But Tata persisted, pointing out that not only could a company's specific developments for the Nano help to make history but they could also improve their companies' businesses and bottom lines. Soon most of Tata's traditional suppliers were on board. Rane Group, for instance, makes a rack and pinion steering system. It focused on reducing the weight of the materials used, replacing the steel rod of the steering with a steel tube—a major cost-reducer. Typically, the product is made of two pieces, but it was redesigned as one to save on machining and assembling costs. According to Harish Lakshman, director of the $317 million company: "The world has seen this sort of integration of two pieces into one, but applied differently—not for a new car, and not to reduce costs." GKN Driveline India, a subsidiary of global auto parts leader GKN, made the driveshaft—the component that transfers power from the engine to the wheel. The team spent a year developing 32 experimental variants to create the perfect driveshaft for the Nano. It roped in designers from the company's French and Italian operations and changed the design to make it lighter and easier to manufacture. For the Nano's rear-wheel drive system, GKN designed a smaller diameter of shaft, which made it lighter and saved on material costs. "We thought if we were successful in this, we could dictate terms to the market, and every other car manufacturer would want to work with us," says Rajendra Ojha, chief executive of GKN Driveline India. Taking the Pulse of the Project All the suppliers have similar stories. And although none would disclose specific cost savings, most stuck to Tata's mandate to cut costs. That was, as Kant acknowledges, the biggest hurdle for the company—"then, now, and in the future,"—particularly as the price of raw materials like steel have more than doubled in the past four years, and the company has to follow new, tighter industry regulations. Kant, who recently led negotiations to acquire luxury auto brand Jaguar Land Rover, has little time to get involved in day-to-day details of Tata's many projects. However, with the Nano, "every cost, every component price, has to be run by me," he says. Coordinating the vendors with Tata Motors' team was a whole new exercise in logistics. Wagh quickly realized it was necessary to bring everyone on board, "else it leads to last-minute heartache and delays." Every morning, he would spend an hour or two on the floor of the Pune factory, insisting that everyone involved—designers, manufacturing teams, vendor development people—be there to accelerate decision-making and problem-solving. "We had to have the pulse of the project and know exactly where the hurdles were," Wagh remembers. Over time, Wagh's team grew to comprise some 500 engineers, an impractically large group to gather on a daily basis. So instead, a core team of five engineers gathered every day at 3 p.m. to discuss the latest developments. Each engineer represented a different part of the car: engine and transmission, body, vehicle integration, safety and regulation, and industrial design. Attention to Detail Pays Off Fitting the parts of the car together required lots of little, head-breaking details, recalls Wagh. The engine, for instance, was designed three times. Initially, Wagh thought they'd buy an off-the-shelf engine and so studied all the small-capacity engines available. They were unsuitable, so in early 2005 he decided to build his own. The first was a 540 CC engine that, when fitted on the prototype, lacked the necessary power. So its capacity was increased by 9%, then by another 9%, before Wagh finally settled on a 623 CC engine. Then the foot pedal had to be realigned to create more legroom. The body had to be changed because Ratan Tata, over six feet tall himself, wanted it to be easy for tall people to get in and out of the car. "Imagine the plight of the body designer—he went through hundreds of iterations, then at the last minute the car length was increased by 100 millimeters!" Wagh says. The attention to detail paid off: When the car rolled onto the dais at the Auto Show in New Delhi in January, and Ratan Tata stepped out of the driver's seat with ease, it made an immediate impact. What shook the automobile world most was the fact that the designers seem to have done the impossible: The sleek, sophisticated Nano doesn't look flimsy or inexpensive. If it had been an upgraded scooter on four wheels, Tata still would have been applauded for making a family of four safer on Indian roads. The Nano, however, affords both safety and status. "The innovation wasn't in technology," Kant recalls. "It was in a mindset change." The Nano, he adds, has put an end to all discussions of having variants of scooters or quadricycles as passenger vehicles on India's roads. Organizational Innovation Still, the story of the Nano is not confined to its impact on the auto industry. It's a tale that illuminates the India of today—an eager, ambitious nation with a combination of engineering talent, a desire for low costs and value, and the hunger of young managers looking to break from a hidebound corporate environment. Indeed, the team that worked on the Nano—on average aged between 25 and 30—has helped to flatten Tata Motors' stodgy, multilayered management structure, which has resulted in an unexpected side-benefit Wagh calls "organizational innovation". The factory in Singur, Bengal, is still being built, and machinery is being installed. Wagh now spends most of his time away from his Pune home, supervising the work at Singur leading up to the launch date in fall. Tata Motors is determined to succeed in its mission, Ravi Kant says. "We are hungry for growth—and innovation is a by-product of that." 張貼者：
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On the brink (American media) | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/23930 | The final pre-production Morgan EV3, the video-star
Morgan launched a highly attractive presentation video of its very first production electric vehicle called Morgan EV3, already introduced to enthusiastic audiences at the Geneva Motor Show. Let us quickly remind you that this is the restyled, final pre-production phase of the Phase 1 concept EV3, which was soft-launched at last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Based on Morgan 3 Wheeler, it weighs less than 500kg and reaches 240 kilometers on a single charge. The 20 kWh Lithium Battery and a liquid cooled 46kW motor driving the rear wheel take the car from zero to 100 km/h in less than 9 seconds, reaching a top speed in excess of 144 km/h – which is quite a lot, when you consider the drive is not all that comfortable.
Morgan EV3 is the first vehicle by Morgan that utilises composite carbon panels in its body construction. The carbon bonnet, tonneau cover and side pods are – much like the remaining aluminium panels – hand worked over an ash wood frame.
According to the company, the EV3 will go into production in the fourth quarter of 2016, delivering ten production units, with more to follow next year.
With EV3, the Morgan Motor Company will certainly not end its expansion into the world of EVs and PEVs, as it plans to prepare a few more hybrid and full EV vehicles in the next few years.
The price of the EV3 is expected to be comparable to the petrol 3 Wheeler.
photo: Morgan
Electric Morgan EV3 is arriving to Geneva
According to Autocar, a near production ready three-wheeler Morgan EV3 will be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Famous and infamous
The Festival of Speed has put Goodwood in the World map as the home of one of the most important annual automotive happeningsand it has given the UK a motor show which is not only relevant in the global scene – 20 world debuts this year – but also unique.
Tesla Model 3 may not be delivered until the end of 2018
As per Morgan Stanley's analyst Adam Jonas, people who pre-ordered the upcoming Tesla Model 3 after the pre-order launch event...
Quantino and Quant FE as near-production models
At the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show, nanoFlowcell AG is premiering the first street-legal low-voltage EV of the QUANT series, the QUANTiNO with nanoFlowcell powertrain, introduced as a "near production standard...
Old School and New School
Old School joins new school paving the way for the future of the automotive industry propelled by emission free cars as the German manufacturers show their iterations of what promises to be tough competition for Tesla. It is a clash of titans all wanting to...
Pininfarina at Geneva with the hydrogen-fuelled track car
At the Geneva Motor Show, Pininfarina premiered their new concept car; the futuristic, pure and environmentally responsible H2 Speed, powered by, in accordance with its name, hydrogen fuel cells.
Lexus RX 450h: Missed opportunity
The first Lexus SUV, and also the best-selling model of the Japanese brand on a global scale, has just been renewed. It now boasts an ultra-sleek design, an interior with the usual Lexus high quality and a host of new safety and infotainment features. Sadly... | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/24688 | Fiat Chrysler to drop Dodge minivan in wider revamp
The combined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is counting on expanding sales at Jeep, Alfa-Romeo and Maserati, a revival of the Chrysler brand, and some new vehicles to place it firmly in the top ranks of global automakers.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. � The combined Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is counting on expanding sales at Jeep, Alfa-Romeo and Maserati, a revival of the Chrysler brand, and some new vehicles to place it firmly in the top ranks of global automakers.Italian automaker Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group, which formed a partnership five years ago and officially combined when Fiat finished buying Chrysler in January, jointly presented their future sales targets and product plans Tuesday in a day-long meeting at Chrysler's Michigan headquarters.There are many new products, including a full lineup of cars from Alfa-Romeo, as well as some victims. Jeep is ditching the Compass and Patriot small SUVs in favor of a new compact SUV that will come out in 2016.And to entice consumers to buy more Chryslers, the company must end its internal rivalry with the Dodge brand. So, after nearly 30 years on the market, the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan will be killed off in an effort to focus Dodge on performance cars and boost sales of the Chrysler Town and Country.�While the company won't officially be known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles until a Fiat shareholders meeting this summer, the 400 analysts, media and other attendees at Tuesday's event were welcomed by a sign with the new company name at the entrance to Chrysler's sprawling campus north of Detroit.Shares of the combined company are expected to begin trading jointly on the New York Stock Exchange and in Milan, Italy, by Oct. 1. It will be officially based in the United Kingdom, for tax purposes, but is retaining headquarters in Italy and Michigan.Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne says the combined company wants to grow sales 60 percent to more than 7 million cars and trucks by 2018. Fiat and Chrysler sold 4.4 million cars and trucks last year, compared with 6.3 million for Detroit rival Ford. Toyota was the global leader with sales of 9.98 million vehicles."Today we stand before you as a global carmaker," Marchionne said. "Today is much more than a new chapter. We are beginning to write a completely new book."Among Fiat Chrysler's plans:� Chrysler will become the mainstream brand for North America, designed to compete with Toyota and Chevrolet. The Town and Country minivan will get an update and add a plug-in hybrid version in 2016. A new compact car, the 100, will compete with the Toyota Corolla, in 2016. A year later, a full-size crossover will be launched to compete with the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. The crossover will also come in a plug-in hybrid version.� Dodge will lose the Grand Caravan and the Avenger sedan and concentrate on being a sporty, performance-oriented brand designed to appeal to younger buyers. The SRT brand, which includes the Viper sports car, will be consolidated with Dodge and considered the "halo" of the Dodge brand.� Alfa-Romeo, which returns to the U.S. this year with the 4C sports car, plans to introduce eight vehicles globally by 2018, including small, midsize and full-size cars and two SUVs. Alfa CEO Harald Wester says the company will invest nearly $7 billion to develop and make the new vehicles. Alfa hopes to increase sales from 74,000 in 2013 to 400,000 in 2018.� Jeep sales are expected to top 1 million this year, and can grow to 1.9 million by 2018 with an aggressive global expansion, particularly in Latin America and Asia, the company said. A new compact SUV in 2016 will replace the Compass and Patriot, and the seven-passenger Grand Wagoneer will launch in 2017. Jeep currently makes vehicles at three plants in the U.S. By 2018, it expects nearly half of all production to come from plants in Latin America, Europe and China.� Fiat brand sales are expected to grow from 1.5 million in 2013 to 1.9 million in 2018. New vehicles will include a subcompact car and compact pickup truck for South America in 2015, the Fiat 500X crossover for North America in 2015 and a new Panda small car for Europe in 2018.� Maserati, which sells four cars now, will have six by 2018. As a result, Wester expects sales to grow from 15,400 in 2013 to around 75,000 in 2018. Sister luxury brand Ferrari expects sales to stay around 7,000, but could rise to as many as 10,000 if demand increases. "There are increasing numbers of people who can afford a car of this caliber," Marchionne said. | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/13625 | Monterey Motorsports Reunion to feature the Shelby Cobra
Bob Holbert leads Cobra teammate Ken Miles through turn nine at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in June 1963. This was the Cobra team's first USRRC Manufacturer's Cup win Photo by Monterey The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, part of Monterey weekend heaven for car guys, will honor the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra on Aug. 17-19. A variety of activities will be held at the track, but none are as fun as the dedicated Shelby Cobra race. This year's event will feature a grid of 45 authentic series CSX 2000 and 3000 Shelby Cobras, a list culled from 60 entries. The Cobras will slither in from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and across the United States. Officials say each car was picked because of its racing provenance, mechanical authenticity and period-correctness in appearance. Between 1962 and 1967, only 998 Shelby Cobras were built.After the race, all participants plus almost 150 more will park in the Cobra Corral. There will be space for 2000 and 3000 models, along with continuation cars. Even replica cars will find a home.The Cobras will be joined by 16 other race groups, with nearly every era being represented. Group 1A will feature a 1907 Renault Vanderbilt Cup car, while the later groups will feature more recent sheetmetal such as the 1990 Ford Thunderbird. General-admission tickets cost $50, and a three-day pass costs $130 and includes a complimentary souvenir magazine. For more information, visit www.mazdaraceway.com or call (800) 327-7322.Monterey car week is packed with car shows, vintage racing and car auctions. Autoweek will be there providing streaming photo galleries and live coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours, historic racing at Laguna Seca, the Monterey car auctions and plenty more. Go to autoweek.com/pebblebeach for complete coverage and live updates. | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/14057 | Tesla : Consumer Reports' best car ever tested By Peter Valdes-Dapena @peterdrives The Tesla Model S is a nearly perfect car, according to Consumer Reports, with the only issue being its need to recharge which could be a problem on long-distance trips. Consumer Reports is calling the Tesla Model S the best car it has ever tested. The Model S, an all-electric plug-in car, earned a score of 99 out of a possible 100 in the magazine's tests. The score would have been higher but for the fact that the all-electric car does need to stop and recharge during extremely long-distance drives. See what makes the Model S such a unique vehicle. "If it could recharge in any gas station in three minutes, this car would score about 110," said Jake Fisher, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports. Fisher called the car's performance in the magazine's performance tests "off the charts." Depending on price, the Model S has driving range of between 208 and 265 miles. A full charge takes about six hours from an ordinary 240 volt outlet, according to Tesla. The Model S has already won awards from car magazines like Motor Trend and Automobile, but Consumer Reports is widely regarded as being the most influential magazine among car shoppers. Consumer Reports, published by the non-profit group Consumer's Union, purchases all the cars it tests and does not accept paid ads. The score of 99 means the Tesla (TSLA) Model S, a sedan that can seat as many as seven people, performed as well or better than any automobile the magazine has ever tested. The score is not unprecedented -- most recently, it was earned by the Lexus LS460 in 2009 -- but no car at any price has ever scored higher. Prices for the Model S start at about $70,000, not including federal and state tax incentives for electric cars. The Model S tied for the quietest vehicle the magazine has ever tested, was among the most energy-efficient and had excellent scores for acceleration, braking and ride quality. Gallery - 6 greenest cars in America "We don't get all excited about many vehicles, and with this car we really did," Fisher said. The magazine's raves for the Model S stand in sharp contrast to the treatment received by the competing Fisker Karma that the magazine pilloried, calling it "plagued with flaws." Fisker is now in dire financial trouble. On other hand, Tesla just announced its first profit and raised sales forecasts for the Model S. Tesla Model S: Test drive D.C. to Boston Industry analysts have credited the quality of the Model S, in part, with Tesla's early success in an industry that has not been kind to start-ups. Just recently electric car maker Coda Automotive went under and plug-in car maker Fisker is near its demise. Tesla, meanwhile, is financially healthy thanks to good sales of the Model S plus deals it's reached to supply components to major automakers like Toyota and Daimler as well as sales of electric car credits, earned under California regulations, to other automakers that sell fewer electric cars. Tesla had previously stated a goal of selling 20,000 Model S cars this year and has now raised that goal. The question remains whether the car will continue to sell well in the long term, said Todd Turner, an industry analyst with Car Concepts in California. A lot of that will depend on the longer-term dependability of its battery technology, he said. "All kinds of cars have complexities," he said. "Everything has to work for a very long period of time." Consumer Reports isn't recommending the Model S, though. At least not yet. To be recommended, a car has to have at least average "predicted reliability," something that's based on reader surveys. Also, a car has to have good crash test scores from the government and from the privately funded Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Consumer Reports has not yet collected enough data to rule on the Model S's reliability. So far, the magazine itself has had a couple of minor issues with its test car, Fisher said, including a radio problem that was fixed by an overnight over-the-air software download and a cracked windshield. To maintain its momentum, Tesla will need to move beyond this car, said Ed Kim, an analyst with the auto marketing consulting firm AutoPacific. "Ultimately, Tesla's going to have to transition from building six-figure cars for bleeding-edge early adopters to making a car for a more general audience," Kim said. Tesla's next vehicle is supposed to be the Tesla Model X crossover SUV but, after that, the company's plans call for a less expensive car and, possibly, other products. CNNMoney (New York) May 9, 2013: 9:34 AM ET Comments Most Popular | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/14395 | BACK ADVANCED SEARCH First Name
Starts WithContains
Hazel Kolb
INDUCTED:
Motorcycle Ambassador.
"Motorcyclin' Grandma"
First Woman AMA Trustee.
Hazel Kolb (pronounced ‘cob’) was a touring ambassador for motorcycling. Dubbed the "Motorcyclin' Grandma," Kolb was famous for her perimeter ride around the United States. Her 1979 tour around the continental United States on a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide caught the attention of the media and she gave numerous interviews, made national television appearances and eventually co-authored a book about the ride and her life. Kolb’s tireless promotion of motorcycling struck a chord with the American public and helped break down the stereotypical image many had about motorcyclists. She contributed to ushering in an era when motorcycling not only became acceptable, but fashionable among aging Baby Boomers.
Kolb also became the first female member of the AMA Board of Trustees, a post to which she was reelected several times. She helped guide the Association’s focus during a period of rapid growth. The AMA Brighter Image Award, created in February 1987, was renamed in August of 1990 as the AMA Hazel Kolb Brighter Image Award to honor her public relations accomplishments. It is the Association's highest award for activities that generate good publicity for motorcycling.
Kolb was born and raised near Hannibal, Missouri, in 1926. She grew up in a poor family during the Depression and wrote in her autobiography that she had few happy memories of childhood. Her older brother, Tom, who had moved to California, bought a motorcycle, and Hazel’s first ride was on the back of Tom’s bike. She was so taken by the experience that she vowed to someday buy a bike and ride to California to visit her brother.
Before Kolb could fulfill her dream, life took over. She married and had four children by the time she was 22. Kolb’s husband worked on the railroad and she ran a small store and restaurant single-handedly while raising her children. Her marriage to an oppressive husband soured and they divorced.
Eventually, Hazel met and married Jack Kolb, a local farmer. Jack acquired a Harley-Davidson in a business deal and soon the couple became avid riders. Hazel rode as passenger with her husband, but eventually she got her own bike. Some of her most cherished memories with Jack were riding passenger on long trips they made on the bike – once to the Redwoods of California and later to Alaska.
In 1972, Jack suffered a heart attack. He recovered, but less than two years later he began experiencing heart problems again. In October of 1975, he died of heart failure. The idea of the perimeter rider came as a way to give back to motorcycling and to honor Jack’s memory. In April of 1979, Hazel, then 53, headed to Maine alone on her Harley, determined to ride the entire perimeter of the United States.
Harley-Davidson stepped up to help Hazel with her ride and the company’s public relations department arranged newspaper and television interviews along the route. Harley set up a hotline for reporters to request interviews and that became part of her daily routine. The TV appearances and newspaper features garnered enough publicity that Hazel was asked to appear on national television shows such as “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and “Good Morning America.” Millions of television viewers got to hear Hazel’s story and became fans of the down-to-earth country gal riding her motorcycle around the country.
One of the highlights of her odyssey was when she crossed into California and fulfilled the promise she’d made to her brother many years earlier to ride her own motorcycle to the Golden State. By the time the ride was complete, she’d covered nearly 15,000 miles and had been interviewed more than 300 times, giving motorcycling’s image a tremendous boost in the process.
A book on the ride titled “On the Perimeter” was published in 1983.
Kolb passed away from cancer in 1990, but she left a tremendous legacy to all of motorcycling. “To those of us who knew her, Hazel was a pioneer,” said AMA Senior Vice President Greg Harrison. “She generated an amazing amount of goodwill for motorcycling.”
Hazel’s memory was further honored when a display featuring her Harley-Davidson and her story was an integral part of the Heroes of Harley-Davidson exhibition that was displayed at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in 2003.
CategoriesAmbassadors & Industry
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Website
AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, All Rights Reserved | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/14542 | Reviews � Ford � Fusion � 2012 2012 Ford Fusion
Posted: 01/06/2012 - 7:15 PM ET
An avant-garde design, groundbreaking and a high technology midsize-car, are the features that define the 2012 Ford Fusion. Not only that, this classy car also excels when it comes to fuel consumption and running performance making it a great choice for midsized car fans out there.
Ford has added several advanced features to the 2012 Fusion to improve its performance. First, there�s an added automatic transmission that comes as a six-speed and is a standard on every SE model. The SE model is actually the most popular among five of the series that Ford has to offer. The SE model introduces the latest innovation for modern standards with its aluminum, 17-inch wheels.
Ford�s 2012 Fusion is highly competitive when it comes to fuel consumption. The reasons for that are the upgrades Ford has made to their engines. The 2012 Ford Fusion comes in a four-cylinder 2.5 liter fuel tank and gets an estimated 33 miles per gallon on the highway, and 23 miles per gallon in the city. The Fusion also comes in a V6 3.0-liter and V6 3.5-liter, which can give better driving performance with a very economical consumption on fuel. The great thing about the V6 3.0-liter is that it allows the engine to be fueled with unleaded gasoline, such as E85. In addition to those advancements, its spark timing and fuel injection have automatic adjustment mechanisms that coordinate with the blend of fuel used. Its electronic sensors make this automatic detection possible.
Of course, Ford has not forgotten to make improvements to the comfort it brings to its driver and passengers, like they have on some of their other cars and trucks. The 2012 Ford Fusion can give its customers total comfort while having extremely sound travel. This is one car company that has improved the interior features to contribute to an optimal driving and riding experience.
Now, the Fusion includes extra comfort features such as inferior control arms and dampers that diminish the noise that road travel produces. It also has door seals that are more enhanced. These door seals can help lessen the noise caused by the wind moving across the outside of the car body. The car�s mirrors are even able to dampen noise as well by deflecting the wind downwards. The Fusion can also give a secure feeling to its passengers with its antilock disc brakes, traction control and airbags at every side that will come in handy during the unforeseen occurrence of a crash. It also complies with the McKey Standards in which parents are able to set limits for stereo volume and driving speed so when their children take their vehicle out on the road, they know they can help ensure safe driving. As a matter of fact, the 2012 Ford Fusion has received a four out of five star rating when it comes to side and frontal impact collisions from studies conducted by the national government.
When it comes to style, performance and safety, the 2012 Ford Fusion is certainly a great deal. Perhaps the biggest fault found thus far has been the climate control features, as many have felt they could have been improved, but still, this complies with the previous standards and overall, the 2012 Fusion has received at least four out of five stars.
More Ford Fusion reviews:2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/14654 | Honda Develops Three New Sport Hybrid Systems
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - November 13, 2012 10:02 AM
22 comment(s) - last by Alexvrb.. on Nov 15 at 12:24 AM
New Honda hybrid systems target three different vehicle types
Honda Motor Company has announced the development of a new Sports Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system. The company has three different version of the Sport Hybrid system to accommodate different vehicle characteristics.
The new one-motor Sport Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system is optimized for small-sized vehicles. Honda has a two-motor hybrid system called the Sport Hybrid Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive that is optimized for medium-sized vehicles. The third Sport Hybrid system is called the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD that features three motors. That last system is optimized for large vehicles and has been tipped for the new Acura NSX sports car.
The one-motor system uses a newly developed in-line four-cylinder 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine mated with a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The hybrid system also uses a high-output lithium-ion battery and promises to improve efficiency by over 30% compared to conventional one-motor systems.
2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid
The two-motor system will be first used in the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in vehicle and uses a lockup clutch and lithium-ion battery pack. The system will offer three different profiles depending on the driving situation, including EV Drive for electric only use, Engine Drive for medium to high-speed cruising, and Hybrid Drive for urban driving conditions.
The three-motor system combines a V6 engine and a high-output three-motor electrical system providing acceleration performance equivalent to that of a V-8 engine. The big benefit with this system is that despite the V-8 performance, fuel efficiency is reportedly better than that of an in-line four-cylinder.
Acura NSX Concept
The system will be mated with a 3.5-liter V6 engine and a seven-speed DCT transmission with its own built-in motor. The system uses independent motors for the right and left rear wheels with positive torque applied to the outside wheel and negative torque applied to the inside wheel allowing for independent control of torque distribution. The system is designed to help improve cornering performance – this makes the NSX the perfect application for such technology.
Source: Honda Comments Threshold -1
RE: Honda
Also, the ride wasn't all that good. It's been years since I've been in it. But ride and handling were mediocre. The regenerative braking was poorly balanced with the conventional friction, and made the brake pedal feel like mushy garbage until you actually pushed hard enough to get the pads to start clamping down on the rotors.They gave him a can of fix-a-flat as a spare, too. Did I mention it felt like a tin can, at titanium can prices? Parent
All-New 2013 Honda Accord to Get 36MPG HWY w/CVT, Plug-in Variant Revealed
Acura Officially Confirms Next Generation NSX Hybrid, ILX Hybrid Sedan | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/14792 | The DUKW (popularly pronounced DUCK) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was originally designed inside General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks.
The DUKW was designed by Rod Stephens Jr., Dennis Puleston, and Frank W. Speir. Developed by the National Defense Research Committee and the Office of Scientific Research and Development, it was initially rejected by the armed services. When a United States Coast Guard patrol craft ran aground on a sandbar near Provincetown, Massachusetts, an experimental DUKW happened to be in the area for a demonstration scheduled to take place a few days later. Winds up to 60 knots (110 km/h), rain, and heavy surf prevented conventional craft from rescuing the seven stranded Coast Guardsmen, but the DUKW had no trouble, and the military opposition melted. The DUKW would later prove its seaworthiness by crossing the English Channel.
The DUKW prototype was built around the cab over engine six-wheel-drive military truck GMC ACKWX (a COE version of the GMC CCKW), with the addition of a watertight hull and a propeller. The final production design was based on the CCKW. The vehicle was built by the GMC division of General Motors. It was powered by a GMC Straight-6 engine of 270 in³ (4.416 L). The DUKW weighed 7.5 tons and operated at 6.4 mph (10 km/h) on water and 50-55 mph (80 km/h) on land. It was 31 feet (9.3 m) long, 8.25 feet (2.4 m) wide, and 8.8 feet (2.6 m) high with the folding-canvas top up. More than 21,000 were manufactured. It was not an armored vehicle, being plated with sheet steel between 1/16" and 1/8" thick to minimize weight. A high capacity bilge pump system kept the DUKW afloat if the thin hull was breached by holes up to a couple inches in diameter.
The DUKW was the first vehicle to allow the driver to vary the tire pressure from inside the cab, an accomplishment of Speir's device. The tires could be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for softer surfacesespecially beach sand. This added to the DUKW's great versatility as an amphibious vehicle. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles.
The designation as a DUKW is not a military pun - the name comes from the terminology used for military vehicles in World War II; the D indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the U meant "utility (amphibious)", the K indicated all-wheel drive and the W indicated two powered rear axles. Although technically a misnomer, DUKWs are often referred to as duck boats.
DUKW’s in Action
The DUKW was used in landings in the Pacific, in North Africa, and on the D-Day beaches of Normandy. The World War II Allied Invasion at Normandy on 6 June 1944 remains the largest amphibious assault in history. Over 170,000 American, British, and Canadian soldiers were involved in the initial assault supported by over 5,000 ships and 10,000 aircraft of all types. The logistical challenge was to supply an Army in the face of enemy resistance, bring the supplies in by sea onto hostile shores without port facilities, and in enough quantities to sustain the fight so that a foothold could be achieved. With the enemy holding all available ports, DUKWs carried 18 million tons of supplies ashore in the 90 days following the landing.
The DUKW's ability to board and debark without assistance via way of an LST's ramp enabled the ship to anchor offshore, thereby reducing reef and beach congestion and lessened the danger of enemy fire on ship and personnel. Furthermore, the DUKW's ability to cross coral reefs and sandy beaches and then proceed inland to wherever supplies were needed saved what would otherwise have been countless man-hours of handling supplies.
The DUKW further proved its value with Marine forces at Okinawa. Heavy rains made the island a quagmire at times. Loading in rear areas, the DUKW’s then proceeded by sea to deliver needs to frontline units. Crews braved enemy shells and rough seas, delivering means of war to forward units. DUKWs from USMC Second DUKW Company even evacuated a unit trapped behind enemy lines.
DUKWs from that company may have been the first American craft to enter Naha Harbor from the sea and then proceed to its inner reaches entirely by water. A dozer tank scraped a road down a harbor bank to enable DUKWs to exit the water and deliver gas to a tank unit, preventing it from being pulled off the front due to lack of fuel and other supplies.
DUKWs may have made a contribution to Desert Storm. They were used in the late 1940's and early 1950's by coastal survey teams mapping the Persian Gulf coastline, which included photographs of the shoreline taken from DUKWs on the horizon.
Post World War II
In the latter '40s and throughout the '50s, while Speir, now Project Engineer for the Army's Amphibious Warfare Program, worked on 'bigger and better' Amphibious vehicles such as the 'Super Duck,' the 'Drake' and the mammoth BARC (Barge, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo), a good many DUKWs were surplussed and put to good use as amphibious rescue vehicles by fire departments and even, coming full circle, by various Coast Guard stations. Britain's Royal Marines still keep a small fleet of DUKW vehicles for training purposes in Scotland.
Several were used by abalone fisherman of San Luis Obispo County California to take their catch right off the boats and directly to market, neatly combining the two steps of off-loading onto smaller craft, and then transferring to trucks once they reached the beach.
In the 1950's the USSR copied the DUKW and the Zavod Imeni Likhacheva factory started producing the ZiL-485 known also as BAW. Production was stopped in 1962.
Many DUKWs are still in use, as well as modern, purpose-built, amphibious tour buses, primarily as tourist transport in harbor and river cities, such as Galveston, Memphis, Boston, London, and Singapore. The Boston Red Sox celebrated their 2004 World Series victory with a parade of 17 DUKWs carrying members of the team over land and across the Charles River. One particular duck built in 1945 was loaned to a fire department during the Great Flood of 1993 and in 2005, the vehicle spent 10 days rescuing survivors from Hurricane Katrina. The DUKW maneuvered through flood waters, transporting victims from their rooftops to helicopter pads setup throughout New Orleans.
The DUKW’s operated by Galveston Duck Tours were built in 1945 and never saw action until 1998. Our DUKW’s have been re-built from the ground up and modified for your comfort and enjoyment. Our DUKW’s have undergone extensive modification and upgrades to withstand the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico. We are one of the few companies in the United States operating DUKW’s in salt water. The US Coast Guard inspects and certifies our DUKW’s yearly and works closely with us to ensure your safety. Our experienced captains are also US Coast Guard certified. There are currently about 25 DUKW tour companies in operation in the United States and we would urge you to take a “duck ride”, wherever your travels may take you.
Galveston Duck Tours
Contact us at [email protected]
Another Member of the Galveston.com Family | 汽车 |
2015-22/2197/en_head.json.gz/15184 | How China Will Dominate the U.S. Electric-Bus Market
An electric bus outside of an electric bus manufacturing plant by the Chinese firm BYD, in the Southern California city of Lancaster // Reed Saxon/AP
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Next Monday, a battery-powered, 40-foot bus is set to roll off the assembly line in a former recreational vehicle factory in Lancaster, California, a blue-collar desert community north of Los Angeles, and be delivered to the local transit authority.
There’s no missing the symbolism—a defunct manufacturing plant that once made massive, gas-hogging RVs is reborn to produce carbon-free transportation (and local jobs)—as the world tips toward climate catastrophe.
But here’s who’s driving this $800,000 bus: China. The owner of the factory and the technology that lets the eBus go 155 miles on a charge is BYD, the $38 billion Chinese conglomerate that makes everything from electric cars to LED lighting to solar panels. (The company is best known in the United States for the owner of 10 percent of its shares—a Nebraskan investor named Warren Buffett.)
As I wrote in The New York Times last October about BYD’s move into Los Angeles:
THERE’S a newcomer to this city’s auto row. Compared to the shiny showrooms displaying the latest Mercedeses and Toyotas, the Chinese carmaker BYD’s outpost in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers looks rather forlorn.
Just two of its models — a red electric sport utility vehicle and a brown gasoline-powered sedan — are on view in an otherwise empty storefront. But it’s the pair of 40-foot-long battery-powered buses parked across the street that is driving the company’s ambitions to become the first Chinese automaker to break into the United States market.
The company beat American competitors to win contracts to build electric buses for transit agencies in Los Angeles and nearby Long Beach. BYD is also pursuing deals to supply electric shuttle buses to rental car agencies, amusement parks and Silicon Valley technology companies. In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority began a two-month road-test of BYD’s battery-powered eBus in September.
Media attention, though, has focused on BYD’s rocky entry into the U.S. market. California state regulators last year docked the company $99,245 for violating state labor laws by under-paying Chinese engineers it brought over to work at the Lancaster factory. The labor commission later dropped that charge and reduced the fine to $37,803 for minor infractions of state labor laws.
Then in March, the Long Beach transit board canceled its $12.1 million deal with BYD for 10 buses because federal officials, who are providing most of the money for the transit project, said BYD had not been an eligible recipient of U.S. funding at the time of the bidding. Those setbacks are distractions from the real story: China has begun to emerge as a green tech and energy innovator.
Take the 324 kilowatt-hour iron phosphate battery that powers the eBus. BYD has built another factory in Lancaster to assemble battery packs, which can also be used to store renewable energy from solar panels or wind turbines. A smaller version of the battery pack powers the e6 SUV, giving it a range of 186 miles on a charge, compared to 75 miles for most electric cars currently on the market.
While Americans tend to focus on invented-in-Silicon-Valley technology—Tesla!—the rest of the world is jumping onboard the eBus. BYD has signed deals to supply the vehicle to countries in Asia, Europe and South America. And the e6 has started to appear in taxi fleets around the world. So don’t be surprised if you hop in one at LAX sometime in the next few years.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., there’s a paucity of homegrown competitors in the electric bus market, with the leading rival being a South Carolina company called Proterra.
So count on continued coverage of Tesla Motors’ plans to sell its luxury electric sports sedan to China’s 1 percent—Elon Musk!—while China quietly moves the masses around Southern California and Silicon Valley in its silent-running eBuses. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1340/en_head.json.gz/24843 | What is the purpose of the regulations? Regulations
EPA Resources
More Resources This page compares the physical and environmental properties of existing and alternative fuels. For a summary of current regulations dealing with alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles, see the TERC page on Alternative Fuels – State Regulations.
Since the decline of the coal-powered steam locomotive, all modes of transportation have been fueled primarily by petroleum products (gasoline, diesel fuel for road, rail, and marine freight, and jet fuel). Over the past decade, a small but growing fraction of oil-based fuel has been replaced by biobased alternatives like ethanol from corn, or biodiesel from soybeans. This trend has been largely driven by government policy (less dependence on imports, lower emissions), rather than economics. But newly developed domestic sources of natural gas may promote the first market-driven change to a nonpetroleum alternative.
Vehicles designed to run on alternative fuels are becoming available for a growing range of applications. This page provides a brief summary of the environmental and regulatory issues associated with several fuel types.
Existing emissions regulations are directed primarily toward diesel fuel, but will probably set the baseline for alternatives. In the future, regulations and regulatory incentives will probably be established for alternatives as they gain a significant share of the market.
If recent history is any guide, fuel efficiency or emissions standards that are specifically developed in response to the growing use of particular alternative fuels are likely to directly affect either the producers of the fuels or engine and vehicle manufacturers. Owners and operators of vehicles will be affected only indirectly by the regulations.
Introducing some kinds of alternative fuels and equipment into a fueling facility may require a review of facilities and procedures to ensure compliance with environmental and safety regulations that may not have been a concern for strictly gasoline or diesel-based operations.
The choice of transportation fuels has significant environmental impacts, both local and global. Vehicle emissions can strongly affect local air quality, especially in areas where many vehicles are concentrated. In addition, because transportation depends on large quantities of material and energy, fuel choices can significantly alter resource availability and greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.
There is no way to predict the future of environmental regulation of alternative fuels, but an understanding of the issues involved may help in evaluating the potential benefits and risks associated with each fuel. This section begins with an overview of the leading alternatives, and outlines how environmental concerns could affect the regulatory landscape for each of them.
For the purposes of this discussion, fuel systems are classified into three categories: liquid, gas, and electric. ("Liquid" and "gas" refer to the fuel's phase at ordinary atmospheric temperatures and pressures, not necessarily to the phase in which it is stored on board the vehicle - liquefied natural gas is grouped with the gas-phase fuels.)
Liquid fuels include gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as ethanol and other alternative liquids Gas-phase fuels include natural gas and propane, as well as hydrogen and other alternative gases Electric power includes battery only and hybrid vehicles In general, liquid fuels tend to be more compatible with existing infrastructure than the other types, although some modifications may be necessary (ethanol attacks some materials that are unaffected by diesel fuel, for example). Converting to gas-phase fuels requires different storage and delivery equipment from liquid fuels, but gas-phase fuels can generally be used in existing engine designs (with modifications, but not necessarily radical redesign). Converting to electric power requires extensively redesigned vehicle power systems, but can use the existing electrical distribution system.
The table below lists the most widely used fuels in each category, and indicates how each fuel compares to diesel in three environmental impact areas:
Air quality, affected by tailpipe emissions as the vehicle is operating Resource depletion, affected by fuel efficiency Global warming potential, affected by all of the greenhouse gases emitted over the entire fuel life cycle Vehicle emissions
Life-cycle GHG emissions
Liquid fuels
uncontrolled emissions higher in hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, lower in nitrogen oxides and soot than diesel; controlled emissions (as of 2010) comparable
lower than diesel (spark ignition less efficient than compression)
somewhat higher than diesel, due to lower fuel efficiency
baseline; can also be made from renewable sources (e.g. biodiesel from soy) or wastes
lower hydrocarbons, particulates, CO, and NOx
intrinsically lower (heat of combustion)
can be made from renewable sources (crops grown with standard agricultural practices have questionable GHG benefit; cellulosic sources potentially better)
Gas-phase fuels
lower than older diesel; comparable to 2010 diesel standards
lower: larger, pressurized fuel tanks add weight to vehicle
somewhat higher than diesel due to lower fuel efficiency
lower: larger, insulated fuel tanks add weight to vehicle
higher than diesel due to lower fuel efficiency, methane release
lower than older diesel, greater than natural gas
between diesel and natural gas
essentially zero tailpipe emissions
can be made from renewable sources
better than diesel (combined efficiency of generating power, charging battery, and converting to motion better than direct fuel burning in combustion engine)
better than diesel for operation (higher efficiency), but questionable if replacement battery manufacture is included in calculation
lower than diesel, since combustion engine is used less
better than diesel, largely due to regenerative braking
combustion fuel can be made from renewable sources
Tradeoffs Domestic vs. foreign
Fuels, both conventional and alternative, can be produced either from domestic or from foreign sources, but the environmental consequences of that distinction are less clear-cut than for renewable vs. nonrenewable. While fuel from renewable sources will generally have a lower life-cycle global warming potential than the same fuel from fossil carbon, it is hard to draw a corresponding conclusion between domestic and imported fuel. The comparative life-cycle environmental impacts of domestic and imported fuel will depend on factors such as how the fuel is extracted and processed, and how far it must be transported. Because the impact calculations are currently uncertain, it is hard to see how the geographical origin of a fuel can be used as the basis for environmental regulation. Any future regulations on vehicle operations that differentiate between domestic and foreign fuel sources are more likely to be driven by policy considerations than by environmental factors.
As the table shows, several of the alternatives involve tradeoffs between air quality and greenhouse gas impacts. Tradeoffs are unavoidable if improvements in tailpipe emissions are achieved through control devices - the weight of the devices and the energy they consume will necessarily decrease fuel efficiency and increase greenhouse gas emissions to some extent. Depending on where the balance is struck, future regulations may provide incentives to use some fuels and penalize others.
Air quality regulation is well-established for gasoline and diesel fuels. Most of the alternatives tend to have intrinsically lower emissions coming from the engine (before passing through control systems) than gasoline and diesel, and most can already pass 2010 standards. If future regulations tighten tailpipe emissions standards further, the additional burden should not pose any more difficulties for the alternatives as for gasoline and diesel.
In contrast, regulation of global impacts, and specifically of greenhouse gas emissions, is still in an early stage of development. Among other challenges, it is much easier to measure tailpipe emissions from an engine than it is to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions from the life cycle of a fuel (including the emissions from the processes used to produce the fuel, in addition to emissions from the vehicle). Future greenhouse gas standards may cover vehicle emissions only, or may attempt to incorporate more of the fuel life cycle. In the latter case, fuels from renewable sources might have an edge over non-renewable fuels. Virtually all of the fuels in the table can be derived from renewable sources, but some are harder to derive than others. (As a rule, the shorter the carbon chain, the easier a fuel is to produce. Methane and ethanol are more readily produced from waste plant material or consumer wastes than gasoline and diesel, for example.)
Vehicles powered by natural gas can potentially emit less greenhouse gas than diesel-powered vehicles, but whether the potential can be fully realized in practice is an open question. When burned, natural gas produces more energy with lower carbon emissions than diesel fuel (almost 30% lower per unit of energy). But currently available diesel engines are more efficient than engines burning natural gas, which tends to negate that advantage.
Different alternatives for different modes
Each transportation mode, road, rail, air, or water, has features that affect which alternative fuels are suitable replacements for that mode. For example, the weight of the fuel, including the equipment needed to store the fuel on board and deliver it to the engine, is a decisive factor for air transport, and an important factor for road, but is not as critical for rail and water. The following sections list specific considerations for each mode individually. Road
For vehicles powered with liquefied natural gas, unscheduled delays can result in the need to vent fuel to the atmosphere. If as little as 2% of the onboard fuel is lost in this way, natural gas loses its natural carbon footprint advantage. For long-distance vehicles, compressed natural gas does not provide adequate driving range. Instead, natural gas is chilled to a very low temperature and stored on board the vehicle in liquid form in insulated tanks as liquefied natural gas, or LNG. As the tank gradually warms, gas must be vented to keep the pressure in the tank within safe limits. The chief component of natural gas, methane, is a powerful greenhouse gas, over twenty times more effective in trapping heat than an equal weight of carbon dioxide. Doing the math, it turns out that the potential 30% lower GHG emission rate per energy unit of natural gas compared to diesel is completely negated if as little as 1.8% of the methane is lost to venting. Operators who want to factor greenhouse gas emissions into their tradeoff calculations should keep that number in mind, remembering that any unanticipated delay in a scheduled arrival could result in extra venting. The “tank to wheels” carbon footprint of most fuels depends primarily on engine technology. But for natural gas, the carbon footprint will also depend significantly on logistics.
For maximum environmental benefit from conversion to natural gas, convert vehicles operating in densely populated areas first. Engines designed to run on natural gas are not yet as fully developed as engines burning conventional diesel fuel. As the technology is optimized, the two potential environmental advantages of natural gas can be more fully realized. But note that the advantages, cleaner burning (lower toxic emissions), and more energy delivered per carbon dioxide emitted (lower greenhouse gas emissions) refer to the engine exhaust only. The potential for methane venting, particularly from vehicles fueled by liquefied natural gas, will also play a role, and as noted above, will act to negate the greenhouse gas advantage. As far as toxic emissions are concerned, methane venting may have less of an influence. The health impacts due to hydrocarbon emissions associated with liquid fuels like diesel fuel result largely from their role in promoting the formation of ozone. Methane is less apt than heavier hydrocarbon residues to form ozone. So although even a small amount of methane venting is enough to wipe out its carbon footprint advantage over diesel, natural gas is likely to remain preferable to diesel from the standpoint of toxic emissions even if a moderate amount of venting is unavoidable. Toxic emissions have their greatest impact in densely populated areas. If natural gas continues to power an increasing share of the truck sector, the environmental impact of that displacement would be minimized if conversion to methane were to occur primarily for vehicles that spend a lot of time operating in and around cities, especially those in ozone non-attainment areas.
Rail begins with a major operational advantage over road: low rolling resistance and less need for starting and stopping gives trains the ability to move loads with significantly greater fuel efficiency than an equivalent fleet of trucks. Moreover, since fewer humans are required to move the same load, fuel costs take a proportionally larger share of the operating expenses for rail, providing even greater incentives for rail operators to invest in fuel efficiency. And in fact, between 1980 and 2001, the average number of ton-miles of freight moved per gallon of fuel consumed increased by an impressive 40%, largely through a combination of improved technology and better scheduling (according to a report, Railroad and Locomotive Technology Roadmap, from the U.S. Department of Energy).
Current technology can provide lower toxic emissions, or lower greenhouse gas emissions, but not both. The control measures necessary to decrease the major pollutants of concern from large locomotive engines – nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot – consume some of the power that would otherwise go into turning the wheels. Further improvements in engine and control technology will continue to lower emissions in coming years, but a tradeoff between air quality and fuel efficiency seems unavoidable. Since fuel efficiency and carbon emissions go hand in hand, improvements in toxic emissions will have to be traded off against improvements in carbon emissions. (See the TERC page on Locomotive Engine Emissions for more information on NOx and soot reduction regulations.)
Several alternative fuels, including natural gas, are being evaluated for feasibility for rail transport. At present, interest in these fuels is driven primarily by economics and by concerns about the future availability of petroleum-based products, but environmental impacts and potential future regulations are also being taken into account.
Alternative fuels may help reduce soot emission levels, but will have less effect on NOx levels. Soot formation depends to some extent on the chemical composition of the fuel. In contrast, nitrogen oxide formation is the result of high temperatures in the engine. Large engines are more difficult to cool than smaller engines, regardless of how they are fueled.
Drop-in replacements for jet fuel are the only practical alternatives for air transportation. Aircraft in the foreseeable future will continue to use liquid hydrocarbon fuels, but an increasing proportion of the fuel will be derived from renewable or other nonpetroleum sources. Both commercial and military stakeholders are evaluating potential alternatives.
More information on biofuel use on commercial flights can be found in the Wikipedia article on Aviation Biofuel.
The tradeoffs between global warming and other impacts are particularly complicated for marine engine emissions. Marine engines use fuel containing levels of sulfur far higher than would be acceptable on land. Highway and locomotive diesel fuel is generally limited to 500 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. Marine diesel can range up to 5% (50,000 ppm) sulfur. New standards aim to reduce marine diesel limits to 5,000 ppm by 2020, significantly lower, but still ten times the highway fuel standard. (Ships operating in certain designated Emission Control Areas will be subject to tighter limits – see the TERC pages on Diesel Fuel Requirements and Diesel Fuel Requirements (Marine Engines) for more information.) The direct impacts of sulfur emissions include toxicity to people (primarily as a lung irritant) and to the environment (as a major component of acid rain). But as far as global warming issues are concerned, sulfur emissions have a net cooling effect: after being released into the atmosphere, sulfur oxides react to form droplets of sulfuric acid. As long as the droplets remain suspended in the atmosphere, they reflect sunlight away from the earth’s surface, countering the heat-trapping effect of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Alternative fuels are typically lower in sulfur than petroleum based fuels, and their increased use will help improve the toxic emission impacts from water transportation. But the net greenhouse warming due to marine engine emissions will inadvertently increase as a result. EPA Resources U.S. EPA -- Office of Transportation and Air Quality Contacts. This contact list contains the names and telephone numbers of U.S. EPA employees who can answer your specific regulatory questions regarding alternative fuels.
The EPA provides an information page on converting engines to run on alternative fuels, and on making sure that the engine remains in compliance with fuel efficiency and emissions regulations.
40 CFR 85.501. Exemption of Clean Alternative Fuel Conversions From Tampering Prohibition.
More Resources A variety of regulations involving fuels are covered on other topic pages on the TERC website. Topics include:
Diesel Fuel Storage Tanks - covers the storage and transfer of diesel fuel Fuel Efficiency standards Greenhouse Gas Emissions standards Tailpipe Emissions standards A detailed analysis of alternative fuels for buses is also available from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences.
The Alternative Fuels Data Center of the U.S. Department of Energy provides a page with information on emissions from natural gas vehicles.
An analysis of the impacts of the effects of global warming caused by each of the transportation modes, road, rail, air and water, appears in an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 05, no. 2, pp. 454-458 (2008). | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/803 | 2016 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio arrives in Frankfurt
Article by Christian A., on September 18, 2015 Alfa Romeo recently showed the public its latest offering -- the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The unveiling was done at the start of the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show held from Sept. 17 to Sept. 27. Created on the rear-wheel drive platform, the Giulia puts its focus on being agile and lighter. The Giulia’s shape is defined by its sporty foundation which also influences the design.
Most of the other parts like the engine, suspension, and brakes, to name a few, are composed of aluminum. Finally the rear crossmember is made from a composite of aluminum and plastic. But that’s not all. The ceramic disc brakes are made of carbon while the Sparco seats are composed of light carbon fiber.
This extra attention given to the materials is the same attitude that was applied on the Giulia’s interior, which is aimed at providing the best in comfort, equipment, quality, and safety.
The start button and all its main controls are integrated with the steering wheel much like a Formula 1 vehicle. The human-machine interface meanwhile is made even simpler through two user-friendly knobs that can change the Alfa DNA Pro selector as well as its Connect 3D Nav infotainment system.
Like the CDC, the Connect 3D Nav was developed in cooperation with Magneti Marelli. The Connect 3D Nav allows the Giulia to have more sophisticated functions and features like the next-generation human-machine interface (HMI).
Majority of the system is controlled through a Rotary Pad and can be viewed through an 8.8-inch TFT display that has been incorporated with the dashboard. However, it can also be controlled through voice recognition and even gesture recognition.
Thus the driver can control all features by just moving a finger. The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio will display five models for the Motor Show with each having its own colors which are: Competizione Red, Montecarlo Blue, Trofeo White, Vulcano Black, and Vesuvio Grey.
Indeed the Giulia Quadrifoglio has a great design with its mechanical components wrapped in a muscular and tight package and largely dominated by short overhangs, muscular haunches, and long bonnet. It also has the longest wheelbase for its segment.
The use of simple and natural lines to enhance the vehicle’s shape and proportion, plus the elegant surface finish that displays style and purity, meets all expectations anyone could have of the Italian-designed Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.
The same attention to detail has been lavished on the interior of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia, offering the best in terms of quality, safety, equipment and comfort.
All the main controls, including the start button, are incorporated in the steering wheel as on a Formula 1 car, while the human-machine interface consists of two simple, user-friendly knobs for adjusting the Alfa DNA Pro selector and the Connect 3D Nav infotainment system.
The Connect 3D Nav of Alfa Romeo Giulia – also developed with Magneti Marelli – offers a sophisticated series of features and functions, including a next-generation HMI human-machine interface.
The system is mostly controlled by means of the Rotary Pad and viewed using the 8.8-inch TFT display integrated in the dashboard but it can also be controlled via an advanced voice recognition system and a gesture recognition system with which the driver can interact by simply moving their fingers on the Rotary Pad.
Connect 3D Nav also allows full connectivity with all mobile devices running Apple iOS and Android operating systems, while the navigation system employs high-resolution 3D TomTom maps and Dead Reckoning technology to compensate for areas with poor GPS reception.
Audiophiles will welcome the availability of a sophisticated Harman Kardon Sound Theatre system, which debuts on Alfa Romeo Giulia and uses a 12-channel class D amplifier and Logic 7® technology to distributes rich, clear 5.1 surround sound through high-quality 14 speakers. Powertrain
Underneath the hood lies the heart of the Giulia which is the turbo 2.9-litre petrol V6 engine. Composed entirely of aluminum, the engine uses the expertise and technology of the Ferrari as its inspiration. It comes as no surprise then to know that the V6 engine has a power output of 510hp and maximum torque of 600 Nm.
Maximum speed is 191mph, or about 307 km/h, and it can accelerate from 0 to 62mph (100 km/h) in merely 3.9 seconds. Even with such power, the Giulia has the best CO2 emission levels for its class at 198 g/km.
This is mainly due to the aerodynamics and the cylinder disabling system, which is electronically controlled. This amazing performance is also due to its advanced suspension system. The front portion utilizes a double wishbone suspension that also has a semi-virtual steering axis.
This combination is able to optimize what is known as the filtering effect, thereby ensuring fast and accurate steering. In fact, Giulia Quadrifoglio has the fastest steering ratio in its segment. This is also what makes the caster trail constant when cornering; thus, lateral acceleration (even at higher levels) is made possible.
The rear portion meanwhile is reinforced with the advanced multi-link set up and an electronically-controlled Torque Vectoring for its rear differential. This allows the driver to explore its handling without the need to run up against any invasive stability control system.
Another groundbreaking technology of the Giulia Quadrifoglio is the Integrated Brake System (IBS) which manages to combine the traditional servo brake with stability control resulting in having instantaneous brake response.
As another consequence of the system, it also enables what many say are record-breaking stopping distances, enabling a 32m stopping distance from speeds of 62mph, which is about 100 km/h. Then there is also the Active Aero Splitter.
This new technology helps in the aerodynamics of the front managing the downforce to get higher performance while at the same ensuring better grip when the car is cornering at high speeds. All of these new technologies are controlled in turn by what is called the Chassis Domain Control (CDC).
This particular piece of technology was developed in partnership with Magneti Marelli and serves as the 'brains' of the car since it is also responsible for coordinating all the electronics on-board.
It is the Chassis Domain Control that manages the different technologies available on the Giulia Quadrifoglio which include the Active Aero Splitter, active suspension, steering, brakes, eSC systems, and Torque Vectoring.
This of course is dependent on what mode is chosen through the Alfa DNA Pro. The Giulia has four options available for the driving mode. There is the standard Natural, Dynamic, and Race. The latest configuration added is the Advanced Efficiency mode for those who prefer to be energy efficient.
What makes the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio have all these dynamic capabilities are the low kerb weight of 1,524kg and the precise weight distribution of 50:50. The reason is that it mainly uses light materials. The prop shaft, bonnet and hood for instance use carbon fiber material. Press Release
ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO MAKES ITS PUBLIC DEBUT AT FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW
The all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio makes its public debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show (Sept 17 – 27) with no fewer than five examples of the high-performance saloon on display across Alfa Romeo’s striking and impressive new stand, each finished in a different colour: Competizione Red, Trofeo White, Vulcano Black, Vesuvio Grey and Montecarlo Blue.
Built on an all-new, rear-wheel drive platform with an emphasis on light weight and agility, the sporty underpinnings of the new Giulia define its shape and strongly influence its design with Alfa Romeo stylists wrapping the mechanical components in a taut, muscular package dominated by its long bonnet, short overhangs, muscular haunches and the longest wheelbase in its class. Simple, natural lines enhance its shape and proportions, while the surface is finished with elegance and restraint, exuding the purity and style one comes to expect of Italian design.
Under the bonnet beats the heart of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, an all-aluminium, 2.9-litre turbo petrol V6 engine, inspired by Ferrari technology and expertise, which produces 510hp and 600Nm of torque, resulting in a top speed of 191mph (307 km/h) and a 0 – 62mph (100 km/h) time of just 3.9 seconds. Despite this high levels of performance, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio also returns best in class CO2 emissions levels at just 198g/km, largely thanks to its electronically-controlled cylinder disabling system and excellent aerodynamics.
Transmitting this performance to the road is a sophisticated and advanced suspension system:
The front employs a new double wishbone suspension with semi-virtual steering axis that was developed to optimise the filtering effect and guarantee rapid, accurate steering – the quickest steering ratio in its class, in fact! This exclusive Alfa Romeo feature keeps the caster trail constant in corners allowing higher levels of lateral accelerations thanks to its always-perfect footprint.
The rear is underpinned by an advanced multi-link set up, with electronically-controlled Torque Vectoring on the rear differential allowing the driver explore the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio’s handling without ever having running up against an invasive stability control system.
A new Integrated Brake System (IBS) – an innovative electromechanical system which combines stability control and a traditional servo brake for instantaneous brake response and consequent record-breaking stopping distances – is also being introduced on the new Alfa Romeo, resulting in a stopping distance from 62mph (100km/h) of just 32m. A new Active Aero Splitter, a front aerodynamic aid which actively manages downforce for higher performance and better grip at higher cornering speeds, also debuts on the new Alfa Romeo Giulia.
All of the Alfa Romeo Giulia’s state-of-the-art systems are governed by the Chassis Domain Control (CDC), a technology developed jointly with Magneti Marelli which acts like the car's 'brains' and coordinates all the on-board electronics.
The system manages the action of the various features – Torque Vectoring, Active Aero Splitter, active suspension, brakes, steering and ESC system – according to the mode selected by the driver using the new Alfa DNA Pro.
Four driving configurations are available: Dynamic, Natural, Advanced Efficiency (a new energy efficiency mode) and, of course, Race on high performance versions. Underpinning the dynamic capabilities of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio are its low kerb weight of just 1,524kg and perfect 50:50 weight distribution which are achieved by using ultralight materials including carbon fibre (prop shaft, bonnet, roof), aluminium (engine, brakes, suspension, front suspension turrets, rear subframe, doors, wings) and aluminium composite and plastic (rear crossmember).
Carbon ceramic disc brakes and ultra-light carbon fibre Sparco seats are also available.UK sales of the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio will begin in the autumn of 2016 with pricing to be announced at a later date. Pricing for left-hand drive markets has been announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show, positioning it in direct competition with key performance car rivals while offer higher levels of performance and more advanced technologies.
Topics: alfa romeo, alfa romeo giulia, sedan, frankfurt motor show If you liked the article, share on: | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/956 | Home » Recent CSD Articles » Categories » Top Stories » Driving Car Wash ProfitsDriving Car Wash Profits September 1, 2010 Erin Rigik : 0 CommentsIncreasing profits at the car wash depends on two tasks: drawing new customers and tempting current customers to increase the frequency of their visits. Determining which tactics will best accomplish these feats is where it gets complicated.
Tactics that are working for many in the industry include touting loyalty programs, embarking on water-saving initiatives, participating in fundraisers and following maintenance programs to prolong the life of equipment. And when all else fails, social networking can remind c-store customers it might be time to give that car a good scrub. But perhaps the most difficult hurdle is converting the non-car washing segment of the population to take a whirl in a professional wash tunnel.
“There is a segment of the population that doesn’t wash their cars or they do it themselves. We want to get those people to the car wash,” said Eric Wulf, executive director and CEO of the International Carwash Association (ICA).
For these car wash newbies, the deciding factor could be the fact that a car wash is a more environmental-friendly way to clean their vehicle.
In a recent study, a water conservation specialist from the Lower Colorado River Authority, did an experiment to determine whether home washing or professional car washes actually used more water. The results revealed that self-service car washes use about 17 gallons of water per vehicle. In-bay car washes at gas stations use about 20-40 gallons per vehicle. Full-service car washes can use up to 60 gallons per vehicle. And washing the car at home? That uses a whopping 100 gallons per vehicle, or 10 gallons per minute from the garden hose.
What’s more, some car washes are taking water conservation up a notch, not only to appeal to eco-conscious customers, but to save on costs, too.
Save Water, Save CostsWhen it comes to strategies for driving business, Leo Vercollone, president of Verc Enterprises, which operates 21 c-stores and four Briteway car washes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, has tried it all. Having been in the car wash/c-store business for 35 years, he’s used promotions that have included gas discounts, buy one get one free washes and couponing, among others.
“With the car wash business, the environment is always changing and you have to adapt. Right now with the recession, we are focused on creating value, so we’re running a promotion called Wacky Wednesday where car washes are half price on Wednesdays,” Vercollone said.
The car wash chain is also catering to customers’ increased focus on sustainability.
“The thing we’re pushing now is that we’re environmentally sensitive. We’re making an investment into our equipment so we can make our washes 90% recyclable,” Vercollone said. “As that becomes better known to our customers and as we become better at that, we’ll be known as having a good car wash that is also environmentally sensitive and that offers a good value. As we accomplish this, we will also increase customer loyalty.”
As part of its commitment to being more environmentally friendly, Briteway is also part of the Watersavers program. Watersavers was launched by ICA at the beginning of 2009 to help professional car washes educate customers about their eco-friendly ways.
Just 18 months later the program has more than 300 members with a collective 1,000 locations. To join, car washes must show they reclaim or recycle treated water for future wash cycles and discharge effluent into a sanitary sewer or septic field. The program costs between $49 and $250 annually, depending on the number of locations a company owns, and includes marketing signage and brochures to get the word out to customers.
“You can hand a brochure to your customers that explains, I’m ‘green’ and here’s how and why, and you get the credibility of an association and a program behind it,” Wulf explained.
Vercollone’s goal is to use fresh water only for the final rinse cycle and use recycled water for the washing process. “Right now in two of the communities where we have car washes there are water conservation days and the towns like us because our business model allows us to use less water than the consumer does,” he said.
Wulf by contrast has seen water regulators shut down car washes in times of drought—yet another reason why educating customers about water-recycling can be a powerful businesses tool.
Water conservation also can help retailers save on costs in the long run as reducing water usage also helps decrease sewer and water supply bills. “A payback on a water reclaim system can be as quick as two years and by 3-4 years it’s a net improvement in your bottom line,” Wulf said.
Weathering the WeatherThe slow season at car washes depends largely on location. For Briteway in the Northeast, summers are slow while winters are the busiest season as snow and salt keeps cars continuously in need of a decent cleaning and customers find it too cold outside to think about washing the car themselves.
To drive the slow summers, Briteway added an additional half-price car wash day from June to August this year on Sundays and marketed the promotion calling it “Super Sundays.”
On the opposite side of the country, Pastime Auto Wash, a flex-serve car wash business in California, finds early spring and summer to be the most popular time for car washes, while winter rains keep carwash customers away.
Wulf noted that social networking can be a useful tool for reaching customers on slow businesses days. “On an overcast day, which typically isn’t good for car washing, for example, operators can tweet about their special interior cleaning. So on any given day an operator can post about a promotion and it reaches customers at their homes instantaneously,” he said.
Still, social networking remains a niche marketing channel. “It’s not replacing traditional advertising or promotions, but we have a lot of operators talking about social media because it can be instant, and so they are doing great things with it,” Wulf said.
Beyond social media, many car washes are looking to monthly wash programs to increase frequency among current customers. Monthly or unlimited wash programs can encourage customers to return for frequent basic washes and possibly chose to upgrade to a more expensive wash option.
Pastime Auto Wash is driving repeat business in a similar way with prepaid cards through AutoPilot Carwash Control Systems. The program allows Pastime to customize and print its own cards.
“We have prepaid cards that offer buy three washes get one free, buy four get two, buy 10 get four and so on, and we have it customized for the different types of washes,” said Mike Berger, president of Pastime Auto Wash.
The prepaid cards lock customers into multiple washes, which brings them back to the car wash. “I’ve seen people go through one prepaid card in a day. They’ll buy one and then wash the cars of everyone in their house,” Berger noted.
The cards come in handy, especially when it comes to Pastime’s Helping Hands fundraiser program, which it started two years ago. Through Helping Hands, Pastime partners with local schools, sports teams or other charitable organizations to help them raise money, and they split the profits.
“When we do fundraisers we’ll sell the prepaid cards to the schools for a discount, so we’ll give them the $10 prepaid card for $5 and then they sell the cards,” Berger said.
Most recently, Pastime partnered with a group raising money for a camping trip. “We gave them 200 cards and they had a week to sell as many as they could. They came out to the car wash with posters and encouraged customers to upgrade their washes. Anything over $10 we donated back to them, so they told family and friends,” Berger said. “We did pretty well that day and they made a little over $400. They also sold soda out front and took donations.”
The fundraisers not only increased the traffic at the car wash, but introduced a range of new customers to Pastime. “To sell the washes they went door-to-door, to businesses and to grandparents to sell them, so it’s free marketing for us,” Berger added.
Maintenance MattersKeeping car wash equipment in top shape also helps save on costs and lost revenue in the long run. Just ask Tim Jones, president and CEO of Champion Carwash, which operates five locations in Nashville, Tenn.
Last year, Jones was installing some new tunnels at a couple of his locations and wanted to make sure he was able to care for them in the proper way so they lasted as long as possible. He and his wife attended the Sonny’s Car Wash College seminar on maintenance.
“When you invest in your car wash program, you want to make sure you get the most out of it and that you care for that investment. When you train yourself and get your people trained to care for your investment it lasts longer, and you’re going to save money in the long run,” Jones said.
The course gave Jones a better understanding of what he needed to do weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly with the equipment to ensure longer life. “Now we have those things on a schedule, so we can take care of our equipment to prevent costly repairs, and it prevents us from having downtime where I would be losing revenue,” he said. “Downtime also means you’re losing customers, because if your car wash breaks down and the customers see that, they lose confidence in you.”
Just recently Jones saw first hand what can happen to a carwash if it isn’t well maintained when he purchased a full-service car wash in May. “It was obvious the previous owner didn’t take care of the equipment and so we had to gut all the equipment and start from scratch,” he said.
The new car wash has been up and running since early July, and Jones is confident he’s armed with the proper information on maintenance to keep it and his other sites from a similar fate.
In addition to being diligent on maintenance, Champion Car Wash offers gift cards and a loyalty card where every 10th wash is free. But the most important obstacle is grabbing customers from the get-go.
To stay ahead of the curve, Champion works with Moving Targets, a company that tracks the new customers in a particular market. “Anytime someone moves into the area from outside that zip code, we send them a (coupon for) a free Best Wash,” Jones said. “We try to get ahead of the competition by getting them to come to our car wash first because then they’ll come back. It builds customer loyalty.” CSD | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/1387 | Ford buys back its oldest car
1903 MODEL A: Purchased just in time for Henry Ford's 150th birthday.
Not to be confused with the car with the same name that came a quarter of a century later, this 1903 Ford Model A has just been bought by Bill Ford as a major exhibit as part of the year-long 150th birthday celebration for Henry Ford.
Bill Ford is of course the great-grandson and current Ford executive chairman. He says: "The timing was perfect to bring this key part of Ford heritage back to the family as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of my great-grandfather's birth and vision to improve people's lives by making cars affordable for the average family."
The Model A was a vital car for the struggling young company at the time. With a cash balance of just US$250 (NZ$303), one full payment and two cash deposits came in, totalling US$1320 (NZ$1600) for three cars. It was because of these orders that Ford managed to keep the business going and continue building it into the global industrial powerhouse it is today.
The red 1903 Model A purchased by Ford Jr is believed to be car No 3, chassis No 30, and if historical records are correct, it's the only surviving original car.
In total 1750 cars were made during 1903 and 1904 before the Model A was replaced with the Model C. The car came as a two-seater runabout or four-seater tonneau model with an optional roof. The horizontally mid-mounted flat-twin engine produced 6kW and could propel the 562kg Model A to a 45kmh. A planetary transmission was fitted with two forward speeds and reverse. The car had a 1800mm wheelbase and sold for a base price of US$750 (NZ$909).
- Sunday Star Times | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/2294 | Carworld Fuso breaks ground in Pampanga
Febuary 13, 2017
PAMPANGA. MMPC First Vice-President for Vehicle Sales and Marketing (Fuso Division), LGC consultant Frank De Jesus, LGC Chairman and CEO Levy P. Laus, Bacolor Mayor Jomar Hizon, MMPC Executive Vice-President for Vehicle Sales and Marketing Division, and Carworld, Inc. Chief Operating Officer Paul Laus break ground for the Carworld Fuso Pampanga facility on Friday. (JTD)
BACOLOR -- Carworld Fuso, the newest dealership under the LausAutoGroup, broke ground for its facility in Barangay Macabacle, Bacolor, Pampanga yesterday. Through the partnership between Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) and the LausAutoGroup, the said facility shall be the first Fuso dealership in Central Luzon. During the groundbreaking ceremony, Laus Group of Companies Chairman and CEO Levy P. Laus noted that the inception of Carworld Fuso marks another milestone for the company for the year 2017. He stressed that the dealership aims to serve the growing demand of the region’s market for reliable, heavy-duty trucks that will meet the customer’s needs and requirements for trade and other purposes. “We are definitely confident and proud to carry Fuso as part of Carworld and the LausAutoGroup. We have been selling Fuso Canter or the light and medium trucks for the longest time, but to eventually venture in selling heavy-duty trucks is something we believe will have a future of its own,” he said. “It’s very timely, now that these particular brand new trucks are slowly being accepted as the better alternative to the used and reconditioned truck vehicles. I believe that many middle and upper class investors are now very practical in a sense that they know that buying a brand new truck is more viable and profitable instead of gambling on secondhand trucks,” he added. Furthermore, MMPC Executive Vice President for Vehicle Sales and Marketing Divison Shigeru Ogura said that he is assured that the commencement of the dealership between the truck manufacturing company and Carworld will “double and even triple Fuso’s truck and bus sales in the region”. “The partnership of MMPC and Carworld shared through the years is very good and deep. Moreover, this dealership is a testimony of our commitment to grow and reach out to more truck customers in this region. We believe that this new venture gives us tremendous opportunities because it is situated near economic zones in various areas such as Subic, Clark, and Bataan,” he shared. For his part, Bacolor Mayor Jomar Hizon said that the project will spur more investments and developments in the community. “This will definitely jumpstart and encourage more capitalists to invest in our town. It is not only a privilege, but an opportunity for us, the people of Bacolor, to prove that this once lahar-stricken town is now conducive for business. I would like to thank the LausGroup for their trust and confidence to invest in our area,” he said. The construction of the 1.4-hectare facility which is solely dedicated to the sale of brand new Fuso vehicles and aftermarket services is expected to be completed by December and shall be fully operational in the early part of 2018. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/2483 | AUSTIN POWER, In Quest for Cleaner Energy,Texas City Touts Plug-In Car
Submitted by Charles Frost on Tue, 03/27/2007 - 07:57.
This is from yesterday's Wall Street Journal.... Austin plans on using the local wind power that is generated at night to charge plug-in hybrid car batteries, and then tap into those same car batteries for extra power during the day time.
If they can do it in Austin, why not here in Cleveland, particularly if we are going to be building a thousand wind turbines in our lake? It seems like a nice "green" plan to me.
Mayor's Unusual Plan
Links Wind, Batteries;
Pitching Auto Makers
By JOHN J. FIALKA
March 26, 2007; Page A1
AUSTIN, Texas -- Of all the plans cooked up by cities to combat pollution and global warming, the one hatched here is among the most ambitious -- and, some say, one of the more quixotic.
Mayor Will Wynn is pushing a new version of the electric car called the plug-in, which runs almost entirely on electricity and has a big rechargeable battery. But that's not all. Mayor Wynn envisions the parked electric cars plugging into a network operated by the city's utility, which would then use the powerful car batteries as a big storage system from which to draw power during peak demand.
Roger Duncan, deputy manager of Austin Energy, the city-owned electric utility, dreamed up the scheme three years ago after the mayor ordered him to get more electricity from "green" sources, especially from wind. Austin Energy already got 6% of its power from wind, but wind production peaked at night, when electricity demand was low. Mr. Duncan needed more clean power during hot days, when demand was high.
If there were enough plug-ins around Austin, Mr. Duncan figured, he could buy more wind-generated electricity, sell it to plug-in owners at night, then buy some of it back during the day from cars sitting in parking lots equipped with special sockets.
With concern about climate change on the rise, interest in renewable energy sources is moving from the fringe to the mainstream. Some utilities will buy extra power that their customers produce by home solar panels. These days, seemingly far-fetched plans like Austin's are drawing a level of support that would have been unlikely just a few years ago.
Austin, a city of 719,000 and the capital of Texas, is becoming one of the nation's biggest promoters of plug-ins. To give the market a push, it has launched a campaign -- called Plug-In Partners -- to line up people to buy the cars when they reach the market. Organizers say they've secured 8,000 pledges from individuals and organizations around the country to buy one when they're introduced.
The mayors of 50 major cities, several environmental groups and hundreds of utilities have endorsed the campaign, and many are intrigued by the power-storing concept. In California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit System, or BART, is looking into setting up a similar system for tapping into electric-car batteries in commuter parking lots, and several large utilities are studying the concept.
Although Mr. Duncan's 8,000 pledges are dwarfed by the 16 million vehicles sold annually in the U.S., both General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. have said in recent months that they plan to develop plug-ins and bring them to market. Their intention is to try to tap growing consumer demand for nongasoline-powered vehicles -- not to provide power storage for utilities. Other car makers also have expressed interest. GM spokesman Greg Martin says Mr. Duncan's effort played a part in the decision.
President Bush, in his last two State of the Union addresses, has cited plug-in cars as a promising alternative to gas-powered ones. Legislation has been introduced in Congress that would provide a tax credit to partially offset the cost of buying the vehicles when they become available.
Big hurdles remain. The cars require expensive lithium-ion batteries that haven't been perfected. Production of plug-ins is at least three to five years off, and experts say the cars could cost $50,000.
"Plug-ins will have a niche market," says Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil industry. "They're certainly not going to replace the family car."
Austin's plan to use the plug-in batteries as a power-storage network also requires additional work. Mr. Duncan will have to devise financial incentives, such as cheaper parking or discounted power, to induce car owners to allow Austin Energy to buy back extra power from their batteries. The city will have to install a computer-monitoring system to make sure the utility doesn't leave car owners without enough battery juice.
Mr. Duncan has found his most enthusiastic backers in the electric-utility business. Shifting some of the nation's vehicles from gasoline to electricity, these people say, would curb pollution and reduce reliance on imported oil -- and would make utilities more profitable and efficient. The Electric Power Research Institute, an industry group, has spent years researching and touting plug-ins, and supports efforts to use their batteries to store extra power. Utilities, which use thousands of vehicles, would likely be the first big buyers of the vehicles, the group says.
The idea of tapping the electricity stored in car batteries -- called vehicle-to-grid power, or V2G -- originated with Willett Kempton, an electrical engineer and associate professor at the University of Delaware. He came up with the idea in the late 1990s after he learned that electric cars require large batteries and that most cars sit parked most of the day.
"I said to myself, 'Wait a minute, this is a big storage system,' " Dr. Kempton recalls. In a 1997 paper, he and economist Steven Letendre detailed how electric cars, using computer-controlled connections, could draw power from the electric grid at times and pump it back into the grid at other times. Much of the software and hardware needed to do this, Dr. Kempton discovered, already existed. But car makers thought the idea was crazy, he says.
In 2001, Dr. Kempton went to San Dimas, Calif., where AC Propulsion was developing one-of-a-kind prototypes for electric cars, including a roadster called the Tzero. He and Alan Cocconi, the founder of the company, conducted an experiment using a two-way charging system that Mr. Cocconi had developed. The car's special lithium-ion battery was drawing power from a wall socket. With a laptop computer, the two men directed the electricity to move the other way -- from the car into the power line. The car's powerful battery generated more than enough electricity to temporarily meet the modest needs of the small company.
Electric cars first appeared in the 1890s. But they were overshadowed within 20 years by gasoline-powered cars, which were cheaper and had unlimited range. In the 1990s, concerns about reliance on imported oil and about climate change rekindled interest. Hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, which married electric drive systems with small gasoline engines -- but don't have to be plugged in -- have come to market and proven popular. But GM canceled its $1 billion drive to market an electric car, the EV1, in 2003 after California dropped a regulation requiring auto makers to sell some.
Austin takes pride in both its environmental record and its quirkiness. Austin Energy's Mr. Duncan, 59 years old, once raised money for local antinuclear campaigns by producing concerts starring Willie Nelson and other local musicians. These days, Austin Energy is part owner of a nuclear plant, and Mr. Duncan considers such plants part of the solution to global warming because they don't generate the pollutants that coal-burning ones do. The utility already uses more wind-generated power than any other major utility does, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. "This global-warming problem is so severe that we've got to use everything we have to fight it," he says.
Mr. Duncan concluded that plug-in vehicles would be especially useful in Texas, where wind-turbine "farms" in the western part of the state now supply the cheapest electricity. He figured he could sell the wind energy to plug-in owners at night, and during the day buy back extra power to help cool homes and office buildings.
To make the plan work, electric cars would have to plug in during the day at parking lots equipped with computer-monitored plugs. Dr. Kempton and other V2G devotees have written about existing technology that can track how much power utilities drain from each battery, so that too much isn't removed and car owners can be credited.
As Mr. Duncan saw it, the battery power could supplant dirtier energy generated by coal-fired plants and more expensive power from natural-gas-fueled facilities. The bottom line, he concluded, would be cleaner air for Austin and, assuming several thousand plug-in customers, $27 million more in annual electricity sales for Austin Energy.
But Mayor Wynn and Mr. Duncan quickly discovered that pushing plug-ins wasn't easy. Hardly anyone knew what they were talking about. At the moment, only a few hundred plug-in vehicles exist. Some are custom-made experimental cars; others are conventional hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid that have been converted using kits, a process that car makers discourage.
Conventional hybrids, which average 40 to 60 miles a gallon, are propelled by both electric motors and small gasoline engines, which also keep the batteries charged. Plug-ins have much bigger batteries and are propelled solely by electric motors, with their smaller gasoline engines serving only to recharge batteries that run down on the road. Because they can run most or all of the day on electric power, they can travel more than 100 miles per gallon of gasoline.
In 2005, Austin's city council launched a public-awareness campaign about plug-ins. More than 11,000 residents signed petitions calling on auto makers to produce them, and local government agencies and businesses signed pledges to buy as many as 600.
Early on, Mr. Duncan met with some car-company officials in Washington to urge them to make plug-ins. "I didn't get a no, or anything. There was just plain silence," he recalls. "Finally, one of them asked me why was Austin doing this. I explained, and there was more silence."
In 2006, Austin's city council ponied up $1 million to mount a national campaign to drum up support. Mr. Duncan hit the road with a PowerPoint presentation, telling audiences that the cost of driving a plug-in car was comparable to paying 56 cents a gallon for gasoline.
Mayor Wynn, who headed the energy committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, rounded up endorsements from fellow mayors in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He lobbied the U.S. head of Toyota during a meeting in New York City. Mr. Duncan pitched farm groups, emphasizing that the plug-in's auxiliary motor could be made to run mainly on ethanol or biodiesel fuel.
Some environmental groups have been leery of the campaign, worried that utilities would want to use coal-fired plants, rather than clean energy sources, to power plug-ins.
Technical challenges need to be overcome. Developing the plug-in battery "is the biggest show stopper, if you want to call it that," says Ahmad Pesaran, a battery expert at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Plug-ins need big lithium-ion batteries, 200- to 300-pound versions of the ones used in many laptop computers. The batteries have to store 100 times as much power as conventional car batteries and at least five times as much as batteries in current hybrids. Batteries for prototype plug-ins, Mr. Pesaran says, run $15,000 to $20,000 apiece. Plug-ins won't be commercially viable, he says, until the battery costs are cut by 75%.
A joint government-industry research program could help reduce the cost, as could economies of scale from mass production, he says. While plug-ins might reduce dependence on imported oil, they'd require imported copper, nickel and cobalt, and lithium-ion technology currently dominated by Japan, South Korea and China.
Optimists predict that plug-ins will be in showrooms within three to five years. It's likely to take longer for utilities to be able to tap the extra power stored in plug-in batteries.
Mr. Duncan says he's willing to wait. During a four-year stint on Austin's city council, he sometimes practiced a Tibetan form of Buddhism during fights between pro-environment and pro-business members. "He meditates a lot and remains a completely calm person," says Jim Marston, director of the Texas office of Environmental Defense, a New York-based nonprofit group. "I don't think I've ever seen him raise his voice."
The vehicle-to-grid technology that utilities would need is slowly taking shape. In California, utilities are introducing computer-driven "smart meters" that can be set to run appliances, such as washing machines, at night, when rates are lower. A plug-in family car sitting in the garage could be one of those appliances, says Sven Thesen, an engineer who is exploring electric-drive systems for PG&E Corp. in San Francisco.
This two-way process could be used on the nation's electric-power grid, according to a study released in January by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The national grid has enough spare capacity at night to fuel as many as 180 million electric cars, which is equivalent to 84% of the nation's current automobile fleet, the study says. Fuel for cars powered by electricity would cost customers only about 30% as much as fuel for gasoline-powered cars, the study estimates.
Auto makers haven't said when plug-ins will reach market, but Mayor Wynn says Austin's City Council has already set aside $1 million to fund rebates for the first 1,000 residents to buy plug-ins. The city intends to change building codes to require plugs in municipal parking lots, with Internet connections to Austin Energy. After that, the mayor explains, "we'll be able to start harvesting parking garages."
-- Mike Spector contributed to this article.
Write to John J. Fialka at john [dot] fialka [at] wsj [dot] com
( categories: Environment
CLEVELAND PUBLIC POWER - JOIN AUSTIN
Submitted by Jeff Buster on Tue, 03/27/2007 - 16:55. This is a very practical concept and offers many benefits for all parties: the utilities, the traveling public, the environment, and alternative vehicle and battery manufacturers. Charging cars at night - from whatever source - will smooth out the generation demand curve, and that curve will be further smoothed during the hot summer demand peaks if there are a huge number of high capacity batteries to discharge back into the grid. Battery charging and discharging is not terribly efficient though...
Why do we have to wait for new generation battery technology? Electric fork lift lead acid battery packs can run a working fork lift easily for an 8 hour shift. Why can't a few of these be plunked in a vehicle chassis right now? Too heavy? Login to post comments
Austin is awesome
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 03/27/2007 - 19:05. I lived in and loved Austin for about a year, and Austin Energy was a client of mine, with the Lower Colorado River Authority, and all are good. No surprise they are doing such cool things promoting green and hybrids - this is the home of SXSW and the first place I learned the term zeroscape (which I've never heard uttered here)... home of hippies who didn't sell out to be Baby Boomers... slackers and hackers... gay rights and green lights. We are so not Austin here, now... could we be? Never (for 1,000+ reasons). Could we learn anything from there... yeah, lots. This is a good idea... great posting Bill! Who is going to make this happen? In Austin, the driver of this is the Mayor... see more on the Austin Energy program here.
Disrupt IT Login to post comments
Public Power advised to expand to entire city
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 03/28/2007 - 13:07. There was an article in the Plain Dealer today reporting on a study conducted for Cleveland Public Power recommending they expand to provide services city-wide. It would seem that such expansion should include proposals such as this... is Cleveland ready to become a leader in advanced energy? Disrupt IT Login to post comments
This should...
Submitted by DerekArnold on Thu, 03/29/2007 - 17:51. This should have been done long ago. A city of Cleveland's size can benefit from municipal power. The 8/14/03 blackout should have alerted us of the motivations of FirstEnergy (profit before power). I happened to live in Cuyahoga Falls, OH at the time and I had to hear about the blackout from my mom. Why? Because power didn't go out in Cuyahoga Falls. The municipal light company disconnected from the grid when they saw irregularities and kept Cuyahoga Falls in the light. Give muny power a chance.
Derek Arnold - http://subsetofderek.blogspot.com Login to post comments
Thanks for making such a
Submitted by Clouston181 on Sun, 09/25/2011 - 12:58. Thanks for making such a killer blog. I come on here all the time and am floored with the fresh information here. .. Login to post comments
Today's:Black is a DOMINANT gene. - All people are genetically BLACK. Color comes up through black. Black to black can produce any colorSCAN AMERICA - LIVE SCAN OF POLICE FIRE EMERGANCY - IN THE USA - AND MOREOpen Data - guaranteed won't happen in NEOCentipede is warning us which means a disaster(s) will be in a short time (are you experencing strange days - be prepared))111112.sun.filament.jpgThey want to be above the law - The International Criminal Court (ICC) - Desmond Tutu (also 757 brayton crimnal gang family)"He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it" - MLKSuccessful cannabis entrepreneurs may either have their picture in the Wall Street Journal or on a most-wanted posterWARNING! TOO MANY NEO BRAINS CONTAIN HARMFUL AMOUNTS OF LEADAbout REALNEOAll time:? of the day: Who are your favorite local artists?? of the Day: Is air pollution in the region becoming better, staying the same or becoming worse?Last viewed:catania_ sentenced_ plain_press_ color_photo_ 1.jpgFrank Russo's campaign donors got big tax breaks on their propertyCUDC gets NEO rational about serious architecture - Albini, just in timeINVESTIGATE CITY HALL FOR THE SENSELESS DESTRUCTION OF HISTORIC JOHN MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL IN CLEVELAND, OHIO!Should a non-bribing independent company test the water at the new Cuyahoga County Juvenile Justice Center?FRANK_ZAPPA.jpgCrayon Carving ArtREALNEO to be featured on WVIZ Applause, premiering this Thursday, March 29, 2007Revisiting an old concept - adding a mushroom module to the Sustainable Living MachineNEO Knows Clevelend Orchestra Violist Eliesha Nelson, who will allow world to know composer Quincy Porter | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/2801 | Jeep To Fuel Grand Cherokee With Biodiesel Blend
Chrysler Group has announced that it will fuel its new diesel-powered Jeep Grand Cherokees with B5, a blend containing 5% biodiesel. The Jeep Grand Cherokee CRD is the Chrysler Group’s first diesel-powered, full-sized sport utility vehicle offered in the U.S.“Vehicle manufacturers are responding to consumer demand for more fuel efficient vehicles,” says Grant Kimberley, market development director for the Iowa Soybean Association. “The new Jeep Grand Cherokee is an excellent example of new generation clean diesel engines.”The 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee features a 3.0-liter common rail turbo diesel (CRD) engine built by Mercedes-Benz. Clean diesel technology improves fuel economy by an average of 30% and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20%. The Grand Cherokee will be manufactured at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit and will arrive at Jeep dealerships in the first quarter of 2007.“It’s very exciting that an internationally-respected company like Daimler-Chrysler is taking a leadership role in protecting the environment and reducing dependence on petroleum by factory filling the Cherokee with biodiesel, a domestic, renewable, cleaner burning fuel grown here in Iowa,” adds Kimberley. Factory filling demonstrates that engine and auto manufacturers are accepting biodiesel. At this time, the state of Iowa has more than 50 retail pumps where you can purchase a biodiesel blend, and that number continues to grow weekly. There are currently six biodiesel manufacturers, six more under construction, and 10 in the feasibility and planning stages. Within the next year and a half, Iowa’s biodiesel production capacity will be more than 250 million gal./year.In addition, Iowa lawmakers recently passed the Iowa Renewable Fuel Standard, which has many provisions that benefit biodiesel, such as a three-cent-per gallon tax credit.“Biodiesel can play an important role in our future energy security,” says Kimberley. “Our state is poised to be the leading producer of biodiesel in the U.S.” To learn more about ISA or about soy biodiesel, visit ISA’s Web site http://www.iasoybeans.com/ or http://www.soybiodiesel.com/. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/3455 | Toyota Says Goodbye To California Taxes --Moving 5,300 Jobs To Texas
Here's a truism the progressives ignore, when you overtax-people and corporations vote with their feet and scram. Toyota has just proved it again. According to the L.A. Times Toyota Motor Corp. plans to move the 5,300 jobs now at its sales and marketing headquarters in Torrance to suburban Dallas.
Toyota has long been a Southern California fixture. Its first U.S. office opened in a closed Rambler dealership in Hollywood in 1957. The site is now a Toyota dealership. In 1958, its first year of sales, Toyota sold just 288 vehicles — 287 Toyopet Crown sedans and one Land Cruiser. Last year, Toyota sold more than 2.2 million vehicles in the U.S. The U.S. branch picked Los Angeles for its first headquarters because of proximity to the port complex — where it imported cars — and easy airline access to Tokyo. As Toyota grew, it opened its national sales and marketing headquarters in Torrance in 1982. The complex, built where its parts distribution warehouse was once located, now has 2 million square feet of office space. But today, about 75% of the Toyota branded vehicles sold in the U.S. are built in America — many of them at plants in Texas, Mississippi and Kentucky
In making the move, Toyota and its employees could also save money in an environment of lower business and income taxes, real estate prices and cost of living.
Toyota isn't the first automaker to leave Southern California. In late 2005, Nissan announced it was moving its North American headquarters from Gardena to Franklin, Tenn., just outside of Nashville. About 550 employees left for Tennessee; an additional 750 left jobs at Nissan to stay in Southern California. "The costs of doing business in Southern California are much higher than the costs of doing business in Tennessee," Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said at the time. He cited cheaper real estate and lower business taxes as key reasons for the move.
In the commercial below which ran last month, Texas Governor Perry that there are 50 more firms about to make the move: --
I remove blogs that use auto-play videos from my semi-automatic blog reader.
April 29, 2014 at 3:31:00 AM EDT | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/3848 | You are here: EPA HomeNewsroom News Releases from HeadquartersDOT Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa ....
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson Propose National Program to Improve Fuel Economy and Reduce Greenhouse Gases/New Interagency Program to Address Climate Change and Energy Security
Release Date: 09/15/2009Contact Information: CONTACT: EPA: Cathy Milbourn
DOT: Rae Tyson
WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today jointly proposed a rule establishing an historic national program that would improve vehicle fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gases. Their proposal builds upon core principles President Obama announced with automakers, the United Auto Workers, leaders in the environmental community, governors and state officials in May, and would provide coordinated national vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions standards. The proposed program would also conserve billions of barrels of oil, save consumers money at the pump, increase fuel economy, and reduce millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions. “American drivers will keep more money in their pockets, put less pollution into the air, and help reduce a dependence on oil that sends billions of dollars out of our economy every year,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “By bringing together a broad coalition of stakeholders – including an unprecedented partnership with American automakers – we have crafted a path forward that is win-win for our health, our environment, and our economy. Through that partnership, we’ve taken the historic step of proposing the nation’s first ever greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles, and moved substantially closer to an efficient, clean energy future.”
“The increases in fuel economy and the reductions in greenhouse gases we are proposing today would bring about a new era in automotive history,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “These proposed standards would help consumers save money at the gas pump, help the environment, and decrease our dependence on oil – all while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices.” Under the proposed program, which covers model years 2012 through 2016, automobile manufacturers would be able to build a single, light-duty national fleet that satisfies all federal requirements as well as the standards of California and other states. The proposed program includes miles per gallon requirements under NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) program and the first-ever national emissions standards under EPA’s greenhouse gas program. The collaboration of federal agencies for this proposal also allows for clearer rules for all automakers, instead of three standards (DOT, EPA, and a state standard).
Specifically, the program would: Increase fuel economy by approximately five percent every year
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons
Save the average car buyer more than $3,000 in fuel costs Conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil
Increase Fuel Economy and Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions:
The proposed national program would require model year 2016 vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. Under the proposed program, the overall light-duty vehicle fleet would reach 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) in model year 2016, if all reductions were made through fuel economy improvements. If this occurs, Congress’ fuel economy goal of 35.0 mpg by 2020 will be met four years ahead of schedule. This would surpass the CAFE law passed by Congress in 2007, which required an average fuel economy of 35 mpg in 2020.
Reduce Greenhouse Gases:
Climate change poses a significant long-term threat to America’s environment. The vehicles subject to the proposed rules announced today are responsible for almost 60 percent of all U.S. transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. These will be the nation’s first ever national greenhouse gas standards. The proposed standards would require model year 2016 vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile under EPA’s greenhouse gas program. The combined EPA and NHTSA standards would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the light-duty vehicle fleet by about 21 percent in 2030 over the level that would occur in the absence of any new greenhouse gas or fuel economy standards. The greenhouse gas emission reductions this program would bring about are equivalent to the emissions of 42 million cars. Save Consumers Money:
NHTSA and EPA estimate that U.S. consumers who purchase their vehicle outright would save enough in lower fuel costs over the first three years to offset the increases in vehicle costs. Consumers would save more than $3,000 due to fuel savings over the lifetime of a model year 2016 vehicle. Conserve Oil and Increase Energy Security: The light-duty vehicles subject to this proposed National Program account for about 40 percent of all U.S. oil consumption. The program will provide important energy security benefits by conserving 1.8 billion barrels of oil, which is twice the amount of oil (crude oil and products) imported in 2008 from the Persian Gulf countries, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration Office. These standards also provide important energy security benefits as light-duty vehicles account for about 60 percent of transportation oil use.
Within the Auto Industry’s Reach:
EPA and NHTSA have worked closely to develop this coordinated joint proposal and have met with many stakeholders including automakers to insure the standards proposed today are both aggressive and achievable given the current financial state of the auto industry. NHTSA and EPA expect automobile manufacturers would meet these proposed standards by improving engine efficiency, transmissions and tires, as well as increasing the use of start-stop technology and improvements in air conditioning systems. EPA and NHTSA also anticipate that these standards would promote the more widespread use of advanced fuel-saving technologies like hybrid vehicles and clean diesel engines. NHTSA and EPA are providing a 60-day comment period that begins with publication of the proposal in the Federal Register. The proposal and information about how to submit comments are at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm for EPA and http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.43ac99aefa80569eea57529cdba046a0/ for NHTSA.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement:
NHTSA has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed CAFE standards. The Draft EIS compares the environmental impacts of the agency’s proposal and reasonable alternatives. NHTSA is providing a 45-day comment period on the Draft EIS. Information on the submission of comments is provided at the above NHTSA Web address. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/4738 | Online Newsroom
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FEB. 9-10, 2017• McCormick Place
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Continental invites showgoers to find the Smartest Cars
When Continental Automotive Systems added a facility in Deer Park, Ill. to their organization, Chicago became their kind of town, too. This global $17 billion company is a leading manufacturer and developer of safety, comfort and performance technologies for all automobiles. They wanted to show their support of the community by being involved in the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. The well-attended event proves up to be the perfect venue to share their excitement for the automobile. For their people in Deer Park, they created a game called MapHunt which involves finding the answers to questions on a game card as they visit the Chicago Auto Show. Using a map of the show they've invited all of their employees to come to the show, take pictures of their favorite vehicles and enter a contest to win prizes. To also show support for the community they are sending the same game card to area non-profit organizations to give them a chance to tour the show and have fun. When they turn in their game card at the Continental Safely There mobile exhibit, they will be entered into a drawing to receive more than $9,000 for their group. “This is a way to recognize those who are contributing to the Chicago area community and making it a better place to live and do business,” said Bill Kozyra, president and CEO of Continental Automotive Systems, North America. Continental is also inviting area engineers affiliated with the automotive industry to participate in the game and win prizes too. “Continental is serious about our role in automotive development and safety," said Kozyra. "That is why we are participating with our Safely There mobile exhibit. We want to share the future of automotive safety and performance and get ideas from show visitors."
The Safely There exhibit chronicles the move to smart cars, a development made possible by the great leaps in microelectronics capability and functionality. Like “smart” homes, smart vehicles use technology that is interconnected, works in harmony with various components and does so imperceptibly. Safely There contains a Disney-like simulator that enables groups of people to have a realistic driving experience with various new crash prevention features. The display also has a “reality theater” and interactive exhibits where visitors can learn about such topics as staying in their lane, safely changing lanes, detecting blind spots and other equipment among the growing number of intelligent vehicle safety technologies. These devices contribute to a safer driving experience and help to save lives. It is an opportunity to learn about the many new safety features found in our modern vehicles. The multi-million dollar exhibit offers visitors a great experience on how technology is benefiting today’s driver. Also available are two concept cars equipped with future telematics safety and convenience technology that connect consumers to the world around them. “These amazing vehicles bring the future closer to today”, said Jim Kropp, Director of Sales and Marketing. “Continental decided to be involved in the 2007 Chicago Auto Show because of its reputation for attendance and excitement. We are new in town and what better way to say we are here than to be at the auto show and invite others to share our excitement about the industry. As Continental we have a global role in vehicle safety, comfort and performance. The people of Deer Park are part of future smart car solutions. Their minds are what Continental invested in when they became part of the company.”
Continental is best known for their role in developing Anti Lock Braking Systems (ABS) and popularizing Electronic Stability Control (ESC). These two advances contribute to overall vehicle safety and performance. The future of the modern vehicle is looking better as the people at Deer Park become involved in more advanced technology and technology integration. They have ideas on how vehicles can talk to each other and avoid an accident from happening altogether. They are bringing in the future ahead of schedule with their ideas of driving intelligence in global vehicle systems. The Continental booth is located in McCormick Place North and the Safely There mobile exhibit will be open to the public during the show. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/4753 | BMW Manufacturing announced that it exported a record 287,700 BMW X models from the Spartanburg plant during 2016. Approximately 86 percent of these Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes were exported through the Port of Charleston with an export value of $9.53 Billion, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. This confirms that the South Carolina factory is the leading U.S. automotive exporter by value.
The other 14 percent of BMW X models were exported through five southeastern ports: Savannah, GA; Brunswick, GA; Jacksonville, FL; Miami, FL; and Everglades, FL. All totaled, the Spartanburg plant exported 70 percent of its total production volume of 411,171 units.
“We had a record-breaking production and export year in 2016, and these new export figures reinforce BMW’s commitment to South Carolina and the United States,” said Knudt Flor, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “Our vehicles are in high demand. Customers from 140 countries around the world are eagerly awaiting our vehicles. We build our product with precision and pride every day.”
“There’s no overstating the value BMW has brought to South Carolina since opening its doors in Spartanburg County over twenty years ago,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “The fact that the same facility that represented such a commitment to our state is now the leading automotive exporter in the country is something that all South Carolinians should be proud of.”
“In 1994, the first South Carolina-produced BMW rolled off the assembly line at the Spartanburg facility, forever transforming the economy of our state,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “Since that time, BMW’s continued success and commitment to South Carolina have shown the world that we are a state with a strong business environment and skilled workforce that are unmatched.”
“SC Ports Authority has a strong history with BMW Manufacturing, and we are proud to serve the nation’s leading automotive exporter through both our Charleston and Greer facilities,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. “We congratulate BMW on their record-breaking production and look forward to supporting their continued future growth.”
Construction is continuing around the BMW site as the plant prepares to add a fifth model to the vehicle line-up: the all-new BMW X7. The second phase of a new state-of-the-art body shop continues with the installation of robots and special tooling in the 1.2 million square foot facility. An additional 200,000 square feet is being added to the X5/X6 Assembly Hall – where the BMW X7 will also be built.
BMW began manufacturing vehicles in the United States in 1994 and has since produced more than 3.7 million vehicles for the world. In 2016, BMW Manufacturing produced a record 411,171 vehicles, confirming the Spartanburg plant as the largest by volume in the BMW Group global production network. Through December 31, 2016, the BMW Group has invested more than $7.8 billion in the facility.
BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC:
BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC is a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany, and is the global producer of the BMW X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X4 and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. In addition to the South Carolina manufacturing facility, BMW Group North American subsidiaries include sales, marketing, and financial services operations in the United States, Canada and throughout Latin America; and a design firm and technology office in California. For more information on BMW Manufacturing, visit www.bmwusfactory.com.
BMW Group in America:
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 152 BMW motorcycle retailers, 126 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/5790 | Release of Toyota Documents Blocked, Ex-Official Says
Mike Ramsey And Josh Mitchell
DETROIT—Senior officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation have at least temporarily blocked the release of findings by auto-safety regulators that could favor Toyota Motor Corp. in some crashes related to unintended acceleration, according to a recently retired agency official. George Person, who retired July 3 after 27 years at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in an interview that the decision to not...
By Mike Ramsey And Josh Mitchell | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/5842 | DMV announces new laws for the new year
q:Is stainmaster carpet really worth the extra money? a:Is stainmaster carpet really worth it?
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No cell-phone texting while driving among the laws to take effect Jan. 1
By Signal Staff
December 23, 2008 9:12 p.m.
December 24, 2008 4:55 a.m.
The Department of Motor Vehicles reminded motorists of several new laws effective in 2009.Among the legislation was AB2241, which limits the issuance of temporary operating permits to those with vehicles yet to pass a smog check.The law called for a $50 fee for one 60-day temporary operating permit only if the vehicle was tested at a smog station and failed."This new law ensures that vehicles on our highways are properly registered and maintained," said DMV Director George Valverde. "We also support efforts to reduce emissions which keep Californians healthy."In the past, owners were able to secure a temporary operating permit for 60 days or more if, after paying their renewal fees on time, they were unable to obtain a smog certificate.Currently, the continued operation of vehicles that do not meet California's smog test requirements is estimated to be emitting one to two tons per day of hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen.Another law taking effect in 2009 is SB28, which coincides with the cell-phone law of 2007 and prohibits text messaging with a cell phone or other text-based communications while driving a vehicle.In all, 1,187 bills were passed and 772 were signed into law, including more than 80 changes to the Vehicle Code during the 2008 legislative year. Some of the other changes included fee increases to improve air quality, DUI penalties and a new special-interest license plate take effect on Jan. 1.Following is an abbreviated summary of the new laws that will take effect Jan. 1 unless indicated otherwise. A more comprehensive list appears on the DMV Web site at www.dmv.ca.gov. * Unlicensed Car Dealers (AB 2042/Fuentes). This new law allows law enforcement officers to impound vehicles that are being sold by unlicensed dealers.* Counterfeit Clean Air Stickers (SB 1720/Lowenthal). This new law will make it a crime to forge, counterfeit or falsify a Clean Air Sticker. These stickers are currently issued by DMV to certain low-emission vehicles and permit vehicles with these stickers to be driven in the HOV lane.* Text Messaging (SB 28/Simitian). This new law makes it an infraction to write, send or read text-based communication on an electronic wireless communication device, such as a cell phone, while driving.* DUI Probation License Suspension (AB 1165 Maze). A change in the driving under the influence (DUI) law creates a new authority for DMV to administratively suspend the driver's license for one year under a zero-tolerance standard. The new law authorizes law enforcement to issue a notice of suspension and impound the vehicle of a person who is driving with a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 percent or greater while on court-ordered post-DUI probation.* Temporary Operating Permits (AB2241/Saldana) This law restricts DMV from issuing temporary operating permits to allow more time to obtain a smog certificate as part of the registration renewal process. Under the law, extensions will cost $50 and are only allowed if the vehicle has been tested at a smog station and failed. The extension can be for no more than 60 days from the registration due date. The $50 fee will be waived for owners accepted into the Bureau of Automotive Repair Consumer Assistance Program (CAP).* San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District Fee (AB 2522/Arambula). In an effort to fund programs to reduce vehicle emissions, vehicle owners who register their vehicles in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties and valley portions of Kern County will be assessed an air quality fee of $6.* New Special Interest Plate (SB 1455/Cogdill). A new "Gold Star Family" special interest license will be available to family members of individuals killed in the line of duty while serving in the Armed Forces during wartime or military operations.* Motorcycle Definition (AB 2272/Fuentes). This new law changes the definition of a motorcycle, deleting the existing weight limitation of 1,500 pounds. It also removes a separate definition for electrically-powered vehicles. This change in law will also allow drivers of fully-enclosed three-wheeled motor vehicles to use the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.To easily access the California Vehicle Code for further information, log on to the DMV Web site at www.dmv.ca.gov and click on the "Publications" button in the upper left hand corner of the home page. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/6669 | Get Automobile, Gasoline from Amazon.com
Order our Automobile, Gasoline Encyclopedia Article
Automobile, Gasoline
Automobile, Gasoline - Research Article from World of Invention
This encyclopedia article consists of approximately 6 pages of information about Automobile, Gasoline.
Gasoline was first used as a fuel for vehicles in the early to mid-1820s. Inventors had experimented with vehicles powered by other means almost two centuries earlier; the first horseless carriage was a toy built in 1680 by Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and a road vehicle using a steam engine was exhibited as early as 1771. A claim exists that an English mechanical engineer named Samuel Brown drove a self-powered vehicle in London. Brown's engine apparently had separate combustion and working cylinders and used hydrogen gas as a fuel. The patent specifications for his vehicle and eyewitness accounts of his drive both exist, but details are sketchy.
Setting aside the claim made for Brown, the first well-documented instance of an automobile using gas as a fuel dates from around 1862, when French inventor Jean-Joseph-tienne Lenoir adapted a one-cylinder engine to a vehicle that traveled about six miles...
More summaries and resources for teaching or studying Automobile, Gasoline.
Automobile, Gasoline from Gale. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/6676 | Bricklin Autosport
Autosport Inventory
About the Bricklin SV-1
Organization of Bricklin Owners
Bricklin Parts, Manuals, & Accessories
Website Special Offer:Set of Eight Updates includingTech Point...................................$ 75.00Set of 10 Tech Points.................$ 50.00Add 10% for Shipping and Handling. The Organization of Bricklin Owners was created in April 1975 following a visit to the Bricklin Canada Assembly Plant in St. John, New Brunswick and meeting with Operations Manager Albert Reynar and President Ralph Henry. It was believed that since America had a new sports car, that there should be a club for the owners and enthusiasts of this new very unique motorcar.By October of 1975, One hundred owners of a Bricklin had been registered in the Organization of Bricklin Owners. The First OBO Gathering was held in Rochester, New York. The club began publishing a newsletter called the OBO News UPDATE and was able to circulate three issues of the UPDATE during 1975, one for each month. In 1976, the publication continued as a Quarterly. A total of eight issues were published in 1976 and 1977.
In 1978, two issues were published as Semi-Annual periodicals. Each issue of the 1976-1978 UPDATE had a technical column enclosed called TECH POINT which offered OBO members technical information concerning specific areas of the car that were or could be problematic. Today, the OBO News UPDATE is no longer published to due limited resources. However, back issues of each Quarterly magazine are still available to new members.
In addition to the printing of the quarterly magazines, the Organization of Bricklin Owners offered assistance to any member on any Bricklin matter. Members could simply call the OBO office to seek assistance in solving a problem that had arisen. The Annual OBO Christmas Card illustrating a specific Bricklin model was one of the members favorite mailings.
Since 1975, over 800 Owners of the Bricklin from 47 States and Canada had been recorded in the OBO Registry. During the 1970's and early 1980's, OBO sponsored annual gatherings in various locations on the East Coast. As membership decreased, those gatherings were no longer planned.Although the club still exists today and members can still contact OBO on any Bricklin matter, the club is not considered to be active. A much larger club called Bricklin International continues to serve the Bricklin community. That club offers many services to its members that the much smaller OBO could not offer due to limited financial resources. It is highly recommended to all new Bricklin Owners that they join Bricklin International to take advantage of the services that BI offers as well as their Quarterly magazine called the BRICKLINE.Should Bricklin owners wish to join the OBO, which has been exclusively for only owners of the Bricklin SV-1, contact information is listed below:Organization of Bricklin OwnersPO Box 24775Rochester, New York 14624(585) 247-1575Email:[email protected] club still has a wealth of information to share with its members, both existing and new members. It also has all Bricklin Manuals, Brochures and Bricklin Accessories available should members wish to purchase them.
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/6788 | Business of buying
Test drivers needed If you've always wanted to test drive a new ATV, utility vehicle or pickup truck, here's your chance. Farm Industry News is planning to run its popular ATV/UV and pickup truck rodeo this summer. Farmers will test drive and evaluate the vehicles, and we will report the results in the magazine. We're looking for additional drivers from our farm readership to help test drive the new machines. If you are a full-time farm operator, you're eligible to enter the random drawing for drivers. We'll pay the expenses for the four to five days you spend in Minneapolis, MN, while testing the vehicles. Let us know if you're interested. Write to us with your name, phone number and e-mail address at Farm Industry News, 7900 International Dr., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55425, call 800/722-5334, or send an e-mail to [email protected]. New EPA manure rules EPA just announced new standards regulating manure handling at the nation's approximately 40,000 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). Previously regulated mainly by state rules, the CAFOs will now come under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act, which will require discharge permits. The animal feeding industries estimate it will cost between $850 and $950 million for the livestock operations to comply with the new regulations. EPA also ruled that farmers don't need permits under the Clean Water Act to use herbicides in irrigation canals to maintain their irrigation systems. GM offers rebate If you're in the market for a new pickup truck, check out the models with the new flexible-fuel option. These models also come with a rebate. General Motors is offering a $500 rebate to farmers who buy either a Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra 1500-series pickup truck that is E85-capable. The trucks will operate on either regular gasoline or E85, an alternative fuel made from 85% ethanol. Be sure you have updated your National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) membership, though, because only NCGA members will receive the rebate. Monsanto, Pioneer call a truce Two of the world's largest seed companies have called a truce over their 11 pending lawsuits against each other. DuPont and its subsidiary, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, and Monsanto Company have dismissed all the lawsuits, some of which dated as far back as 1996, and have agreed to several major patent and royalty issues. As a result, Pioneer can now use Monsanto's Roundup Ready and other biotechnology traits in its seed for a royalty fee. The companies did not disclose financial terms of the agreement. Pioneer claims to be the world's largest seed company, selling seed for 40% of the domestic corn crop and 20% of the domestic soybean crop. Monsanto reports that 45% of North American corn seed and 35% of soybean seed planted last year was either a Monsanto brand or a Monsanto-licensed genetic trait or germ plasm. Claas buys Lexion factory Claas KgaA of Harsewinkel, Germany, now is the sole owner of the new Lexion combine factory in Omaha, NE. The company announced it has completed the purchase of Caterpillar's one-half ownership in the plant, which it will rename Claas Omaha LLC. Day-to-day operations will remain largely unchanged. The eight models of the Lexion combines will continue to carry the Cat brand name and Caterpillar components, including engines. Caterpillar dealers will continue to distribute the combines. Number of biotech seed acres grows Soybean seed varieties with genetically modified traits were the hot sellers in the seed market this year. A USDA report estimates that 74% of all the soybean seed sold for the 2002 crop was biotech seed. This is an increase from last year when growers planted 68% of the soybean crop with biotech seed. Based on the seed sales, biotech soybeans should cover 54 million acres. Genetically modified corn hybrids were not as popular, but still increased in amount sold. About 32% of the corn crop covering 25.3 million acres will be biotech, up from 26% in 2001. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/7436 | SmartBike: Do it right for the long term
BicyclingBy David Alpert (Founder) June 22, 200915
SmartBike’s expansion might not be happening as quickly as we’d once thought. Georgetown Metropolitan heard that Clear Channel, which operates the SmartBike system in exchange for putting ads on bus shelters, isn’t so interested in running a much larger system. And, GM adds, Clear Channel is even less interested in expanding to Arlington, which doesn’t allow bus shelter ads.As a result, DC officials are considering dumping Clear Channel altogether. That might slow down Phase 2, but it’s probably the right move in the long run. Our goal isn’t 50 or 100 stations, it’s a thousand. That’ll take time, but it’s important to grow with a partner that’s interested in growing to that size one day.Clear Channel is not a bike sharing company. They’re an advertising company that runs a bike sharing program on the side. That means they’re never going to really put a lot of effort into the program. They got their ad contract, and will do the minimum necessary to keep it. And, as we’re seeing with Arlington, even if a jurisdiction wants to pay for stations, they won’t be interested. Getting money in exchange for running bike stations doesn’t enhance their core business, and good companies avoid having a lot of peripheral businesses that don’t contribute to their central mission.A world-class bike sharing program means more than just more stations, as well. SmartBike subscriptions are only available annually. That’s fine for residents, but provides no way to try out the system, and doesn’t work for tourists. Paris’s Vélib lets people subscribe for a day, a week, or a year. You can sign up with a credit card at a kiosk in Paris, but can’t in DC. Our SmartBike vendor ought to be interested in exploring new pricing schemes and technologies to make the system as useful as possible to everyone. A company only interested in the bus ads, instead, will simply run the program as cheaply as possible in a way that complies with the contract. Better to have a vendor which makes more money as more people use the system.The Clear Channel deal allowed DC to launch a pilot system quickly. Now we’ve seen it can work in DC. It’s time to think big, and long-term. The region should find a partner that’s interested in growing a system from today’s 10 stations all the way to something as great or greater than Vélib. It may not happen all at once, but we need a partner willing to travel that route with us. That partner needs to be flexible enough to work out different deals with different jurisdictions that met their particular needs.The contract should anticipate future growth and also provide the right kinds of incentives for the vendor to innovate and improve the system in ways we haven’t yet conceived of. And, most of all, it should give us the freedom to switch vendors without losing the capital investment or membership data if the vendor stops sharing our bike sharing vision. It might take a little more time, but it’s easier to change horses with a 10-station system than with 100, and will pay off in the long run.Tagged: bike sharing
David Alpert is the founder of Greater Greater Washington and its board president. He worked as a Product Manager for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.RSSTwitter
If you are at the West Hyattsville Metrorail station and head inbound on the Green Line, what is the next station you will reach? | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/7771 | How Automotive Air Conditioning Works
Kristen Hall-Geisler
Auto | Other Systems
Browse the article How Automotive Air Conditioning Works
What's missing from this picture? Automotive air conditioning.
Stockbyte/Getty Images
You're stopped in traffic on an August afternoon. Sweat drips from your neck all the way down your back until your shirt absorbs it, making a damp spot between you and the seat. Your legs are either stuck to the vinyl upholstery or prickled by its cheap velvet. Your hands feel like they're about to slip off the steering wheel, and you're thankful your eyebrows are keeping the sweat from running into your eyes. Well, mostly.
What's missing from this picture? Automotive air conditioning. It's become nearly universal, with 99 percent of all new cars as of summer 2010 coming equipped with it. When it's missing, we notice.
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It's also been with us longer than you might think. Packard invented automotive AC all the way back in 1939, and in 1940 was the first car company to offer factory-installed air conditioning. Of course, this early system didn't have a thermostat, but it was better than not having anything at all. The idea caught on, though, and by 1969, more than half of all new cars were sold with air conditioning built in. That's not including the aftermarket AC units that could be installed during the first heat wave of the year, when the new owner regretted his penny-pinching at the dealership in January.
Eventually, it was determined that the refrigerant used for decades in automotive AC, known as R-12, CFC-12, or its brand name Freon, was damaging the ozone layer (it's a chlorofluorocarbon). It was banned from being manufactured in the United States and an alternative, called R-134a or HFC-134a, was required for all cars manufactured after 1996. Now, any car older than that needs to be retrofitted with a new system that can use the newer, safer refrigerant.
Air conditioning has worked pretty much the same way for its entire existence: it cools and removes humidity from the air. There are three main parts to the system -- the compressor, condenser, and evaporator -- that achieve this, plus a few other parts to keep the system running smoothly. Let's take a look at each.
The High-pressure Side
All automotive air conditioning systems are (nearly) closed loops with a high-pressure side and low-pressure side. We'll start with the high-pressure side as it leads from the engine to the passenger compartment:
Compressor: The compressor is a pump driven by a belt attached to the engine's crankshaft. When the refrigerant is drawn into the compressor, it is in a low-pressure gaseous form. Once the gas is inside the pump, the compressor lives up to its name. The belt drives the pump, which puts the gas under pressure and forces it out to the condenser. Compressors cannot compress liquids, only gasses. You'll see as we go through the system that there are other parts whose job it is to capture any water that accidentally makes into the AC loop.
Condenser: The condenser is basically a radiator, and it serves the same purpose as the one in your car: to radiate heat out of the system. The refrigerant enters the condenser as a pressurized gas from the compressor. The process of pressurizing the gas and moving it to the condenser creates heat, but air flowing around the twisting tubes of the condenser cool the refrigerant down until it forms a liquid again. Imagine steam cooling down and condensing back into water, and you've got the idea. The liquid refrigerant is now a high-pressure liquid and nearly ready to cool the car.
Receiver-Dryer: But first, the refrigerant needs to be prepped for the evaporator. As it moves out of the condenser, the liquid goes through a little reservoir installed in the line. This receiver-dryer contains desiccants, small granules that attract water. You've seen packets of desiccants in shoeboxes, where they do the same thing: attract water from the air to keep new shoes fresh and ready for your feet. (They're usually labeled "Do not eat.") In the receiver-dryer, they remove any water that has entered the system. If the water is allowed to remain and possibly form ice crystals, it can damage the air conditioning system.
That's enough high-pressure for anyone, so let's move on to the low-pressure side of the system.
The Low-pressure Side
Thermal Expansion Valve (TXV): Here, the system changes from the high-pressure side to the low-pressure side. If you were to touch this part of the system, you'd feel it change from hot to cold.
The high-pressure liquid refrigerant flows from the receiver-dryer through the expansion valve, where it is allowed to expand. This expansion reduces the pressure on the refrigerant, so it can move into the evaporator. The valve senses pressure and regulates the flow of refrigerant, which allows the system to operate steadily, but the moving parts of the valve can wear out and sometimes require replacement.
Some vehicles have an orifice tube rather than an expansion valve, but it serves the same purpose in allowing the refrigerant to expand and the pressure to be lowered before the liquid enters the evaporator. The orifice tube allows refrigerant to flow at a constant rate and has no moving parts, but it can become clogged with debris over time. Systems with an orifice tube automatically turn the AC system on and off to regulate the flow of refrigerant to the evaporator.
Evaporator: This is where the magic happens. While all the other parts of the system are located in the engine compartment, this one is in the cabin, usually above the footwell on the passenger side. It also looks like a radiator, with its coil of tubes and fins, but its job is to absorb heat rather than dissipate it.
Refrigerant enters the evaporator coil as a cold, low-pressure liquid, ideally at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), which is why you don't want any water in the system. The refrigerant doesn't freeze at this temperature, but it does have a very low boiling point. The heat in the cabin of the car is enough to make the R-134a in the evaporator boil and become a gas again, just like water turning back to steam. In its gaseous form, refrigerant can absorb a lot of heat.
The gas moves out of the evaporator -- and out of the passenger compartment of the car, taking the heat with it. A fan blowing over the outside of the evaporator coil blows cool air into the passenger compartment. The refrigerant in gas form then enters the compressor, where it is pressurized and the whole process starts all over again.
If the system uses an orifice tube, there will be an accumulator between the evaporator and the compressor. An orifice tube sometimes lets too much refrigerant into the evaporator and it doesn't all boil. Since the compressor cannot compress liquid, only gas, the accumulator traps any excess liquid before it can get into the compressor.
The evaporator also takes humidity out of the air in the car, which helps you feel cool. Water in the air condenses on the evaporator coil, along with dirt and pollen and anything else floating around in the cabin. When you stop the car and see water dripping underneath, it's probably the water from the AC evaporator and nothing to worry about.
We've all heard about "recharging the AC," so we'll take a quick look at that next.
Recharging a Car's AC
An assortment of automotive air conditioning gauges
Thinkstock/Comstock Images/Getty Images
Most of us start seeing ads in the spring for car repair shops offering deals on recharging your car's air conditioning in time for the coming summer. Which makes us ask, what is recharging the AC? Is it required, like an oil change? Does my car's air conditioning need to be recharged? Is this another scam that repair shops can pull on unsuspecting customers?
The answer to that last one is definitely no; recharging the AC is not a scam. It simply means that fresh refrigerant is added to the system. If the refrigerant is a bit low, it can be topped off, the same as if you were a bit low on oil in the engine. If it's really low, though, whatever refrigerant is still in the system needs to be drained out and replaced. This process of clearing out the system and adding new fluid is called recharging.
In either case, you've lost some refrigerant, which isn't so great. Even though R-134a is better for the environment than Freon, the Environmental Protection Agency would rather not have any air conditioning refrigerant leaking into the soil and rivers. If you're going to have the system drained and recharged, the EPA recommends having the technician take a look at the system to find the source of the leak and fix it. They don't require the repair, but they'd really, really like you to have it done.
This article has talked a lot about R-134a as a replacement for big, bad Freon, but there are others that have been approved by the EPA, too. R-134a has the distinction of being the refrigerant most tested and recommended by manufacturers, but there are others with names like Free Zone, Freeze 12, and Kar Kool that the EPA will allow in automotive air conditioning systems [source: EPA].
How Air Conditioners WorkHow Car Cooling Systems WorkHow is Freon utilized in air conditioning?
How does the thermostat in a car's cooling system work?
How to Maintain an Air Conditioner
Automobile Magazine. "Automotive Air Conditioning History." July 2010. (Feb. 1, 2012) http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1007_automotive_air_conditoning_history/index.htmlFamily Car Parts. "Automotive Air Conditioning Systems." (Jan. 25, 2012) http://www.familycar.com/ac1.htmAirconCars.com. "How Air Conditioning Works." (Jan. 25, 2012) http://www.airconcars.com/html/how_it_works.htmlAirCondition.com. "How Refrigerant Flows through the System." (Feb. 1, 2012) http://www.aircondition.com/tech/questions/13/All About Auto AC Systems. "Orifice Tubes and Expansion Valves." (Feb. 1, 2012) http://www.autoacsystems.com/fasttrack/otubes.htmlEnvironmental Protection Agency. "Recharging Your Car's Air Conditioner with Refrigerant." Aug. 19, 2010. (Feb. 1, 2012) http://epa.gov/Ozone/title6/609/recharge.htmlEnvironmental Protection Agency. "Substitutes in Motor Vehicle Air Conditioners." Oct. 7, 2011. (Feb. 2, 2012) http://www.epa.gov/ozone/snap/refrigerants/lists/mvacs.html | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/8702 | Ford Says It Can React Quickly If There is U.S. Demand for Diesel Cars
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - February 12, 2013 8:36 AM
The Focus Estate, another Ford delicacy that we don't get in the United States
Ford offers diesel-powered cars in Europe already making a transition for the US very easy if needed
Several automakers have been announcing new vehicles powered by diesel engines for the U.S. market. Chevrolet recently announced the Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel and Mazda will be bringing a diesel-powered version of its Mazda6 to the U.S. And we can’t forget that Volkswagen has been selling diesel vehicles in the U.S. for years with great success. Despite these major automakers announcing diesel-powered cars, Ford is still playing it safe.
Ford has long offered diesel engines in its heavy-duty F-Series pickups and will offer a diesel engine in its upcoming Transit commercial van (which will replace the E-Series), but is playing it safe when it comes to passenger cars.
"If we see diesels start to take off here in the U.S., we can react very quickly," said Ford's Mark Fields. While diesel-powered vehicles make up only 3% of retail passenger vehicle sales in the U.S., that figure was actually up by 25% in last year compared to 2011 according to Edmunds.
Ford already offers diesel-powered cars in Europe (where half of all vehicles sold come with a diesel engine) and other world markets as part of its global strategy. If Ford sees the demand in the United States increase significantly for diesel-powered cars, it would be easy to start placing those engines into vehicles destined for the United States. However, Americans would be facing a $3,000 to $4,000 premium compared to an equivalent gasoline-powered vehicle.
Ford has been slow to introduce diesel engines in its U.S. vehicles because it has put quite a bit of energy into promoting its EcoBoost engines instead. The turbocharged engines can be found in varying displacements in everything from the tiny Fiesta to the hulking F-150. However, the fuel efficiency ratings of those comparatively small, turbocharged engines have recently come under fire. Consumer Reports maintains that Ford's turbocharged engines offer little to no improvement over conventional engines in fuel efficiency or performance.
Source: Detroit News "Intel is investing heavily (think gazillions of dollars and bazillions of engineering man hours) in resources to create an Intel host controllers spec in order to speed time to market of the USB 3.0 technology." -- Intel blogger Nick Knupffer
Chevrolet Unveils '14 Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, Priced from $25,695
Consumer Reports: Small Turbo Engines Don't Meet Efficiency Claims
Mazda to Bring Diesel Engine to U.S. by '14 January 18, 2012, 11:00 AM
Volkswagen Announces Third Generation Beetle, TDI Tops Out at 40MPG | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/8716 | Home > Cars > Shift it yourself: Manual transmissions regaining… Shift it yourself: Manual transmissions regaining popularity By
Stephen Edelstein
May 2, 2012 4:00 PM Subscribe
If you buy a new Corvette, the most low-tech component is probably the transmission. Most Corvettes come with a manual, which means that magical box of gears operates just like the one on the first Chevy, from 1911. However, that is exactly how most performance enthusiasts like it. Manual transmissions, they say, make driving more involving. No wonder car people are often called “gear heads.” Luckily for those gear heads, sales of cars equipped with stick shifts is on the rise.
According to USA Today, the proportion of cars sold with manual transmissions in the first quarter of 2012 is the highest since 2006. The take rate has been 6.5 percent, compared to 7.2 percent in 2006. In the intervening years, the number has dropped as low as 2.9 percent (in 2007).
Stick shift sales have been declining for a number of reasons. The most obvious is the inconvenience of having to use a clutch pedal and manually select each gear. That drove away all but the most miserly, or most enthusiastic, drivers. However, transmission technology has caught up with those fringe groups as well. Stick shifts used to be a cheaper option, but now automatics are a no-cost option on most cars, if a manual is offered at all. New automatics also return higher EPA fuel economy numbers.
The proliferation of “automated manual” transmissions eroded the manual’s popularity with car enthusiasts. These transmissions can shift themselves, but don’t have an automatic’s torque converter. That, and the fact that many of these transmissions have two clutches, means they can shift faster than a person, and offer better performance. Drivers can still shift for themselves with steering wheel-mounted paddles, just like a Formula 1 driver. That increased performance is why Ferrari no longer sells cars with manual transmissions.
Nonetheless, a manual renaissance seems to be occurring on the opposite end of the spectrum. Last year, Buick introduced its first stick shift in over 20 years. Ford is adding a manual transmission option to the Focus Titanium, due to customer demand. Crosstown rival Dodge expects 20 percent of 2013 Darts to be sold with manuals.
Why the sudden shift to self-shifting? Modern cars are peerless in terms of their safety, fuel efficiency, and safety, but they’re just not as much fun. New cars are full of electronic systems that separate the driver from the action of driving, so the whole experience can seem a bit artificial. In many new cars, the steering, brakes, and throttle have electronic assistance, so each control input goes through a computer. That makes the car drive more smoothly, but it also makes the experience more like a video game.
Video games are fun, but when we’re out in the real world, things should seem real. Perhaps people are looking for a bit more reality when they get behind the wheel, and aren’t bothered by having to use a third pedal to get it. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/9128 | Toyota hints at racier new Corolla design
By AP Auto Writers DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writers TOM KRISHER (AP)Jan. 15, 2013
DETROIT (AP) – The Toyota Corolla is getting a facelift. But the jury is still out on how extreme its makeover should be.
Toyota hinted at a new, edgier style for the staid compact at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday. The cautious Japanese automaker unveiled a car that could become the blueprint for the 2014 model. It ditches the current Corolla’s soft, bland styling in favor of sharper lines, a dramatically sloped windshield and more aggressive headlights.
The redesign could ultimately get incorporated into the next Corolla, or get dropped. It all depends on how people react to the changes.
Still, the world’s largest automaker knows it needs to update the Corolla if it wants to attract younger buyers, who have been flocking to newer, more stylish rivals like the Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra. The Corolla was last revamped four years ago.
Even though Corolla’s U.S. sales rose 21 percent to 290,947 last year, they trailed the Honda Civic, which was new in 2012. Civic sales jumped 44 percent to 317,909.
It’s risky to toy with one of the best-selling cars in the world. Toyota has sold 200,000 Corollas every year in the U.S. for nearly two decades.
“It’s a tough balance. How do you appeal to younger buyers without alienating your older one?” says Larry Dominique, a former Nissan executive who is now president of car value forecaster ALG Inc. “And if you make a mistake, it’s very expensive to fix.”
The show car also includes a blacked-out grille that’s reminiscent of Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand. Toyota says it wants the car to look like it’s in motion even when it’s parked. The show car, called the Furia, is slightly longer, narrower and lower than the current Corolla.
Earl Stewart, a Toyota dealer in North Palm Beach, Fla., thinks the Furia is beautiful. But he worries that it could turn off his customer base of retirees.
“With my customers, the jury is out on what they would say,” he says. “Some people just don’t like the rocket look about the car. They just want a car. They love Camrys and they love Corollas as they are.”
The reliable Corolla is still a strong performer for Stewart, who sells 700 or 800 per year, about one-quarter of his dealership’s sales. But Stewart understands that Toyota has to appeal to younger buyers with a sportier look and feel.
“It’s risky, but sooner or later, you’ve got to get into the youth game,” he says.
Toyota also needs to up the ante on horsepower, fuel economy and options in an increasingly competitive market. The current Corolla starts at $16,230, slightly more than the Ford Focus. But the Focus has better fuel economy and a more powerful engine. Toyota doesn’t offer an optional rearview camera, which is now available on every other competitor, or safety features like blind-spot monitors, which are found on the Chevrolet Cruze and others.
Toyota builds 70 percent of the cars it sells in the U.S. in North America. The Corolla is currently made in Canada and Mississippi. Toyota won’t say where the 2014 Corolla will be made.
The Corolla – which means “crown” in Latin – was introduced in Japan in 1966 and came to the U.S. two years later. The new sedan went a long way toward changing U.S. buyers’ perception of Toyota as a maker of cheap, poorly built cars. The Corolla was still inexpensive, but had innovations like two-speed wipers, an improved suspension and more comfortable seats. Buyers were further impressed when Toyota – responding to the U.S. market – quickly added more powerful engines.
As a result, the Corolla became the go-to car for generations of young graduates and their downsizing parents, who bought for quality and price despite the ho-hum styling. Last year, it was surpassed only by the midsize Camry and the hybrid Prius in Toyota’s U.S. lineup, and it was the 8th best-selling vehicle in the U.S.
“The Corolla is known as a really great appliance,” Dominique said.
Dominique said Toyota has gradually realized that reputation and quality alone can’t sell a car that looks boring, especially now that its competitors are turning out cars that are just as good but look a lot better. Toyota lost sales to Hyundai after the Korean automaker brought out a dramatically styled Sonata sedan a few years ago.
Tom Libby, lead North American analyst for the Polk automotive research firm, said Toyota will see how customers and fans react to the Furia show car before making a final decision on the Corolla’s design. But Libby thinks bold styling is now the price of admission to the small-car market, and the Furia isn’t so radical that it will scare off traditional Corolla buyers.
“It might alienate a few people,” said Libby. “But I think it will be viewed by a significant number of people as modern and stylish, and that’s way better than prior versions of the Corolla.” | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/9542 | NewsToyota and BMW strengthen fuel cell partnership
Wednesday, 4th July 2012 In Business In Japan, Toyota and BMW strengthen fuel cell partnership
Toyota Motor Company (TMC) has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with BMW that will see the two car manufacturers work together to develop pioneering new technologies. Following an initial agreement last year, the Japanese carmaker has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its German rival setting out the terms of their collaboration. Under the agreement, they have committed to work together in the development of a new fuel cell system. The MoU also sets out collaboration on a futuristic sports car and the development of lightweight technologies. Akio Toyoda, the president and chief executive officer of TMC, said that mutual respect between the two companies would help them develop even-better vehicles. "Toyota is strong in environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells. On the other hand, I believe BMW’s strength is in developing sports cars," he said. "I am excited to think of the cars that will result from this relationship." Written by Graham McPherson Previous story
Related news stories:Toyota boss faces workforce in Japan (5th March 2010)Toyota admits further car problems (18th February 2010)Faulty window switches spark Toyota recall (10th October 2012)Toyota announces new eco-vehicle aims (19th November 2010)Toyota hit by further woes (8th April 2010) | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/9903 | Korean Owned, Vietnamese Operated | Hyundai-Vinashin Shipyard Thrives in Vietnam
June 13, 2012 by gCaptain – by Matthew Flynn, DNV
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]e have the best Korean technology and also the mentality of the Korean approach. We can do. We will do!” said Mr Lee Young Hoon, President & CEO of HVS. “We will become the best shipyard for bulk carriers in the world and we are preparing ourselves to achieve this ambition.”
He pointed out that HVS has achieved its success through its relationship with its parent company, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co Ltd, which is a 70% shareholder and controls all the commercial factors, design work, procurement, production and service guarantees for all the vessels built in the yard.
Sixteen of the ships built to date and another 11 ships in the order book are classed by DNV. As part of the journey to becoming a dedicated shipbuilder, Hyundai-Vinashin selected DNV for its ISO quality certification.
Mr Lee called DNV “a partner in our strategy to deliver the highest quality bulk carriers to the international market.”
Lee Young Hoon, President and CEO of Hyundai Vinashin Co Ltd. Photo: Hyundai-Vinashin Shipyard
He also pointed out that “We have 110 Korean shipbuilding specialists and 3,700 Vietnamese workers. We have completely transferred all of the best practices, quality control and discipline from our parent company Hyundai Mipo to our site in Vietnam.” He added that reputable ship owners, such as E.R. Schiffahrt, Norden, Geden, ESL Shipping and others, that have built here “enjoy productivity and quality that is the same standard as that at our parent yard in South Korea.”
In the first quarter of 2012, Hyundai-Vinashin reached a new milestone in its newbuilding history with the delivery of the 82,000 dwt bulk carrier named M/V Ams Pegasus I to HI-Invest. The vessel was the largest delivered by the Korean-managed shipyard since HVS first started building ships in 2008.
DNV is the primary classification partner for the shipyard. Hyundai-Vinashin’s first two vessels, delivered in July 2009 and October 2009, were built to DNV class.
These two 56,000 dwt bulk carriers for German owner E.R. Schiffahrt were selected as Significant Ships of 2009 by the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.
President Lee is very proud of what has been achieved by the yard in such a short period and very confident about the yard’s great prospects, pointing out, “we are facing a very weak demand for ships at the moment, but I really don’t have worries. We are fully backed by the financial strength of the Hyundai Group. This is when we are able to spend even more time strengthening the already high capability of our workforce. We invite international owners to visit the shipyard and see for themselves the high standards that are in place here.”
Market misconceptions
Only a one-hour drive from the bustling coastal city of Nha Trang in southeastern Vietnam, the shipyard is ideally positioned, with a 10-month dry season with low humidity and two-month rainy season from October to December. The site is protected from the open sea by a large island several kilometres offshore. The sunny tranquillity and beauty of the natural landscape of the nearby coastline is in sharp contrast to the somewhat long shadow cast by the market perception that any shipbuilding site in Vietnam is far behind one in China.
To clarify the first misconception, Mr Lee said HVS is recruiting from 10 universities in Vietnam and has 3,700 employees working in the yard. “Our experience of working in Vietnam is that the workers are in fact very optimistic, open-minded about international practices, passionate about craftsmanship and above-all very hardworking.”
The other challenge faced by HVS is that caused by the financial troubles at Vinashin Group.
“It’s true that the Vietnamese enterprise Vinashin Group has encountered some severe difficulties, but here I must emphasise that Vinashin’s involvement with the shipyard is as a contributor of the land. They have not invested financially in our shipyard and nor are they directly involved in any management of the shipyard,” said President Lee.
[pullquote]A high-quality bulk carrier builder, is like a vigorous Korean tree that has taken strong root in Vietnamese soil.[/pullquote]Hyundai Group signed the joint-venture contract with Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin), according to which Hyundai has a shareholding of 70% while Vinashin has a shareholding of 30%, in 1996 and Vinashin’s 30% stake is for land rental only. All investment in the shipyard has been done by Hyundai Heavy Industries Group and the shipyard has Korean management and key personnel (general managers), which means HVS is entirely independent from the Vinashin Group.
HVS operates as a subsidiary and subcontractor of Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), which takes full responsibility for business development, engineering and procurement. Virtually all the steel plate and equipment are shipped from South Korea, except for some foreign-licence-built equipment such as MacGregor cranes and hatch covers.
“Any clients who have come to our shipyard can immediately see that this shipyard achieves very high quality, like our parent company, but is just located in Vietnam,” said Mr Lee.
HVS does not have its own marketing division as it serves as a subcontractor of the Korea-based HMD according to a very specific agreement between the parent and subsidiary. The shipyard operates inside a Korean IT system which controls production and human resources.
HVS has adopted the same quality assurance and Health Safety & Environment systems as HMD. Ships are built by HVS according to a design and production package supplied by HMD.
HMD has delivered over 600 newbuildings and HVS is following the same path. Foreign owners such as Norden, for example, expect and experience the same attention to safety and quality as is the case at HMD.
“As a Danish company, our standards and the flag standards are extremely high. We have very strict standards with regard to safety and the environment. Actually, we are fully satisfied by HVS’s standard both in quality and safety,” said Kim Hai Nguyen, a Naval Architect & Site Manager with Norden, which has ordered six ships and taken delivery of four from HVS.
“We do bear in mind that Vietnam is a developing country where the challenges are substantial. At the same time, we don’t compromise on our quality requirements for the shipbuilding process and our care for workers,” said Mr Nguyen. “HVS positions itself as HMD located in Vietnam, and we have found this to be very true.”
Competitive edge to sharpen Since it started operation in 1999, HVS has acquired extensive know-how and expertise in shipbuilding techniques through repair and conversion work on various ship types, including sophisticated offshore projects.
HVS cut its teeth in the repair sector. Until it stopped ship repair work in 2011, it had repaired over 900 ships, including some very complex conversions and repairs such as lengthening Pure Car Truck Carriers by 28.8 metres, crane vessels, Floating Storage Offloading units and even platforms.
Since venturing into the newbuilding market in 2008, the company has focused on bulk carrier newbuildings from Handysize up to Kamsarmax-size and has successfully delivered 22 high quality ships to worldwide customers.
All shipbuilders are facing hard times based on continued concerns over the European debt crisis and the imbalance between supply and demand, and HVS is no exception.
Furthermore, due to the lack of finance, the poor charter market and the increasing number of idle vessels, contracting activity has slowed down considerably and the market prices remain under downward pressure while all related building costs (material, labour and other services) are increasing continuously.
HVS also senses severe competition from Chinese yards, which have access to cheap human resources and government support.
However, in this global downturn, HVS believes that strengthening its quality and competitiveness is the only way to survive and thrive.
“I don’t worry about the market situation since I see the current market conditions as an opportunity to train our workforce,” said President Lee. “We will develop qualified workers to prepare for the market upturn.”
There are 3,700 permanent staff and 1,000 subcontractors working at the shipyard. In addition to the focus on enhancing employees’ basic technical skills, HVS is also investing in developing management skills at the yard.
The yard has 110 Korean experts who are managers and general managers. Vietnamese staff are currently acting as middle management. A number of Vietnamese workers go each year to HMD for training for further promotion to upper management positions.
HVS’s Education & Training Department is mainly responsible for the training and development of Vietnamese workers. HVS organises many training courses guided by Korean instructors or well-known local professors. In addition, HVS regularly dispatches Vietnamese staff to HMD for training in up-to-date technology and “studying the working spirit in shipbuilding.”
According to Mr Park Tae Wook, Vice President of HVS, the shipyard has two shifts – 7:30 am to 5:00 pm for all types of work and then a night shift from 7:30 pm to 6:00 am, which is only allocated to steel cutting, block blasting and painting. The yard can handle 450 tonnes of steel a day and can now build 20 ships a year.
The yard’s productivity has improved gradually since 2008 and there is even further improvement ahead.
The pace of construction is 10 months from steel cutting to delivery, with 4.5 months for block fabrication, three months in the dock and 2.5 months at the quayside. This compares to eight months at HMD.
“The labour productivity is now 2.0 compared to 1 for Korea, and the target for the coming years is to bring this to 1.5 by 2014,” said Park Tae Wook, the Vice President for the Customer Support Division.
HVS also benefits from the leading edge design work of the HMD design office, which has 700 employees working on new designs on a regular basis. They use the state-of-the-art engineering system to constantly search to improve the portfolio of designs using the latest generation of engines, optimised hull forms and energy saving technologies.
In order to meet customers’ various needs for fuel efficiency and environmental features, HMD is currently focusing on developing the latest “ECO” designs to satisfy the increasing global demand for higher efficiency vessels.
Three areas of focus
Quality improvement, cost reductions and safety guarantees are currently HVS’s three focus areas.
HVS’s management highlights that the quality of the ships has been showing up quite well even compared to HMD, based on a strict consideration of non-conformity reports and guarantee claims.
Being selective with owners and other partners has been one of the keys to HMD’s and HVS’s success.
Over the past 15 years, HVS has achieved close and good cooperation with all the international classification societies, such as DNV, KR, ABS, NK, relating to both ship repairs and newbuildings.
“We are very happy with DNV as it operates at the highest level of professionalism and is one of the world’s top classification societies. Even minor comments and/or recommendations are carefully reviewed so as to ensure customer satisfaction,” said Mr Lee Jong Chan, General Manager of the Contract Management Department.
“From when HVS commenced the first newbuilding project with DNV until now, we sincerely appreciate DNV support and cooperation in all respects, especially its willingness to clarify issues at the initial stage,” said Mr Lee Jong Chan.
HMD is known as the world’s leading shipbuilder for medium-sized Product Carriers, Containers, Pure Car and Truck Carriers, Ro-Ro/Con-Ro Vessels and LPG Carriers. Due to HVS’s abilities, HMD has recommended some customers to order certain types of bulk carriers from HVS to get the same quality and safety standards as from HMD but at a better price.
HVS’s status is as HMD’s subcontractor for construction while HMD will remain as the main contractor and will undertake all the Contract’s guarantees and responsibilities.
At this moment, HVS only focuses on the construction of bulk carriers but other ship types may be considered in the future, depending on the market situation.
“As always, HMD has a glorious track record of various ship types and will be able to support us in building other ship types based on their know-how and the experience we have been accumulating,” said President Lee.
This article was written by Matthew Flynn first appeared in the May 2012 edition of DNV’s magazine Bulk Carrier Update.
Filed Under: Maritime News, Shipyard Tagged With: Featured, Hyundai Shipyard, shipbuilding, Shipyard, vietnam About gCaptaingCaptain is the top-visited maritime and offshore industry news site in the world. Since 2007, gCaptain has proven to be a highly effective platform for information sharing and a source for up-to-date and relevant news for industry professionals worldwide. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/9916 | DMC-12
"Doc Brown Called, He Wants His Ride Back!"
SCEDT26T1BD002704
130HP V6
With the original MSRP of $26,000 in 1981, these cars were surely for the enthusiast and the belief that John C. Delorean was building a truly remarkable car and certainly in 1981 when lets face it, design of cars were quite boring. People flocked to purchase the DMC-12 even though the cost was twice of what the original price was going to be.
Body design by Italians, powered by the French and built by the Irish. Sounds like a perfect combination to me. Gullwing doors, un-painted stainless steel bodies and only two options offered was a success. Unfortunately the quick demise of the company was the result of bad decision making and drug problems.
These cars have been sought after for some time and have had a cult following for a long time with the help of movie stardom.
The Delorean that we are representing here is the one to have. Having one owner from new and driven just 17,000 miles.
The car was purchased new in November 1981 and used sparingly by the owner and then given to his daughter to use in high school and College. After that the car was stored for almost 20 years before being sent to DMC in Chicago for a full restoration. This car is ready to go and would make a great addition to any ones collection.
Accompanying this fine example is the original window sticker, sales agreement, factory books, first registration and insurance certificate. This car is still on the original A title. | 汽车 |
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G4 Challenge Print Email Details Category: Land Rover Published: 21 June 2012 Hits: 19455 Land Rover had very happily sponsored the Camel trophy events from 1981 until 1998 when it was noted that the event had moved away somewhat from being a 4x4 challenge. Land Rover still wanted to have a full-on off road challenge showcase for their vehicles, and so they introduced the Land Rover G4 Challenge.
In 2003 the first Land Rover G4 Challenge was launched with teams from 16 participating nations who traversed the USA, South Africa and Australia over the course of 28 days. The 2003 Challenge was won by Belgian fighter pilot Rudi Thoelen. Rudi declined the prize of a brand new Range Rover, opting instead for two new Defenders. The Team Spirit Award was won by Tim Pickering from the UK, this award was given by the other competitors for the person who in their view contributed most to the race.
The 2006 G4 Challenge saw 18 nations participating in the trial which was staged across Thailand, Laos, Brazil and Bolivia. Land Rover delivered a more vehicle-focused event in 2006 after some criticism that the 2003 event focused too strongly on the adventure-sports element, which had been a criticism of the 1998 Camel Trophy. South African adventure racer Martin Dreyer was the eventual winner of the 2006 event.
In 2007, the Land Rover announced a partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which would have seen the programme aim to generate more than £1 million over the course of the next two G4 Challenges. The prize for the winning team in these events would have been the donation of a Land Rover to their nation's Red Cross or Red Crescent Society. The 2008/9 Challenge was intended to be staged in Mongolia with selections events in 2008 and 2009 and the main event later in 2009. the event was billed as: "a thrilling three-week off-road driving and multi sport adventure in the wilds of Asia". 18 countries would have competed. However Land Rover announced the cancellation of the event on the 18th December 2008 due to the current global financial situation. It is currently unclear if there will be future events.
The 2009 G4 Challenge would have seen the introduction of several revisions to the previous Challenge composition. Land Rover announced a slight change to the team dynamics for the 2008/9 Challenge, there would be one male and one female competitor from each country competing as a team with their own team Land Rover against other participating countries. In the previous Challenges there had been one competitor per country, male or female and countries were not allocated their own Land Rover. Instead the entire range of Land Rovers - Range Rover, Freelander, Discovery and Defender were driven by each competitor over the course of the event in individual vehicle based challenges which supplemented the adventure sports element.
The 2009 event was also highly anticipated by Land Rover enthusiasts because it intended to return to a more vehicle based event, with a stronger focus on the competitive off-road driving element in the vein of the original Camel Trophy events, rather than the multiple adventure sports which the previous Challenges had emphasized.
At the point the 2008/9 Challenge was cancelled selectors had narrowed the UK qualifiers down to a final four: Sarah Davies, Bruce Duncan, Mia Leijerstam and Andy Grieve. They would have represented the UK in the February 2009 International qualifier competing against the top four qualifiers from the other 17 competing nations. The four representatives from each country would have been reduced to two after the International qualifier, judged on their performance this final selection. The final two representatives from each country (one male and one female) would have gone on to represent their country in the Challenge proper in Mongolia, in June 2009.
Vehicles prepared for the 2003 G4:
Vehicles Used
Number Prepared
Stages Used By Competitors
31 (29 used on main challenge)
Stage 2: South Africa
Stage 3: Australia
Stage 4: USA (Las Vegas & Moab Desert)
Freelander I
Stage 1: USA (New York)
Td5 Diesel 110 CSW
None - Support Vehicle Only
4.4 V8 Petrol Vogue
Discovery 3 (LR3)
4.4 V8 Petrol HSE
Stages 3&4: Bolivia
2.5 V6 Petrol SE
Stage 3: Brazil
Stages 1&2: Thailand
Although the 2009 Challenge was cancelled a few vehicles were prepared and used as pre-event recce vehicles. The 2009 vehicles were decked out similarly to previous Challenge vehicles with the distinctive Tangiers Orange paintwork, but with new body decals emphasizing the G4 Challenge's new association with the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. At least two Defenders, two Discovery 3s (LR3s), two Freelander 2s (LR2) and one Range Rover were produced for the 2009 event.
G4 Vehicle Pictures:
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/10437 | Smart fortwo celebrates 10-year anniversary by Chris Chase - July 8, 2008
Mercedes-Benz is celebrating 10 years of production of its diminutive Smart Fortwo this year. The company says it has sold more than 900,000 examples of the two-seater since it began building it in 1998, including 12,400 in Canada since it became available in this country in 2004.
The Fortwo recently went on sale for the first time in the United States, and future plans include establishing a retail presence in China and adding an electric-drive version of the current model for 2010.
The car was initially offered in Germany and eight other European countries, and is now sold in 37 countries on five continents including Canada, the United States, South Africa, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Australia, and Malaysia.
In markets other than North America, Smart also markets Roadster and four-seat Forfour models. Along with its cult status, the Fortwo can also claim to be the only production vehicle to be displayed at the New York Museum of Modern Art.
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About Chris Chase
As a child, Chris spent much of his time playing with toy cars in his parents’ basement; when his mother would tell him to go play outside, he made car sounds while riding his bicycle or dug roads for his toys in the flower garden. Now he gets to indulge his obsession playing with real cars that make their own cool noises, and gets paid for it. Follow Chris Ontario government announces investment in au...
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/10473 | Lot 233 1969 Aston Martin Lagonda 4-Door Prototype Registration no. JPP 5G Chassis no. MP/230/1 Engine no. V/540/008/EE
£320,000 - 380,000
US$ 410,000 - 490,000
The Aston Martin Works Sale
Newport Pagnell, Aston Martin Works Service
Ex - Sir David Brown1969 Aston Martin Lagonda 4-Door PrototypeRegistration no. JPP 5GChassis no. MP/230/1Engine no. V/540/008/EE
This unique and well-known Lagonda was created in 1969 as the prototype for a new four-door saloon based on the existing two-door DBS V8. It represented the first use of the Lagonda name since the demise of the Lagonda Rapide in 1964. A four-door DBS variant had been envisioned back in October 1966 when the project had first been proposed to Aston Martin chairman, Sir David Brown. The new Lagonda was 305mm (12") longer in the wheelbase than the two-door V8 whose engine and running gear it shared and to which it bore an understandably strong resemblance, both cars being the work of stylist William Towns. Unlike the seven production models that followed later, which had only two headlamps, 'MP/230/1' featured a four-headlamp front end identical to that of the contemporary two-door DBS V8. Also unique is the boot arrangement, the lid being combined with the between-the-lights vertical panel for easier loading of heavy objects.After completion, 'MP/230/1' was reserved for the personal use of Sir David Brown but the project would not come to fruition until after his departure and Aston Martin's acquisition by Company Developments. Priced at £14,040, including Purchase Tax, at the time of its launch in 1974, the Lagonda cost 24% more than the contemporary V8 and thus was one very expensive motor car. An exclusive model even by Aston Martin standards, it was catalogued until June 1976, by which time only seven had been made. Chassis numbers ranged from '12001' to '12007', while a further example - chassis '12008' - was sanctioned at a later date. Dudley Gershon's book 'Aston Martin 1963-1972' contains a wealth of information about this Lagonda. Gershon was the engineering director at Newport Pagnell at the time and was personally responsible for the Lagonda's development. Copies of the relevant extracts from the book are contained within the car's file. The Lagonda was announced by press release with photographs in January 1970. Copies are included in the car's file together with a copy of the article published in the May 1970 edition of 'Road & Track'.An interesting anecdote in Gershon's book concerns the disagreement within the factory over whether the car should be badged as an Aston Martin or a Lagonda. Gershon confesses that only an hour before the press and distributors were to view the car he took the decision to badge it as a Lagonda, ignoring a written instruction he had just received from on high to badge it as an Aston. The decision to resurrect the Lagonda name was much praised at the viewing and the badges remained.The car was originally finished in Sir David Brown's favoured colour of Roman Purple with seats and door cards in crimson velour, creating something of an 'Odeon Cinema' look. The V8 power plant was too much for the original wire wheels, which were soon replaced with GKN alloys, while the velour interior was replaced with blue hide and the coachwork refinished in blue metallic. Originally the car was fitted with a prototype 5.0-litre fuel-injected V8 engine but the factory quickly changed this for a very early production 5.3-litre four-carburettor unit, which remains in the car today.The Lagonda was a personal favourite of Sir David Brown and in the early 1970s it was a familiar sight in and around Newport Pagnell, usually with Sir David in the back and his faithful chauffeur, George, at the wheel. Included with the file is a transcript of a 1970 interview with Sir David Brown where he discusses his current wheels: this Lagonda prototype. The Lagonda remained with the factory until it was sold to Peter Biggs after Sir David Brown's departure in 1972. Peter Biggs retained the car for the next 36 years, selling it in 2010 to the current owner, an Aston Martin collector. In 2011 the Lagonda featured in 'Classic & Sportscar' magazine (April edition). A distinguishing feature of the Lagonda prototype is that is remains to original specification and has not been updated like some of the production cars. The body and paintwork are very good, with no dents and even panel gaps, while the leather interior is excellent and free from damage. Marque specialists Desmond Smail Ltd have gone through the car thoroughly to ensure it is in top mechanical condition (see bill for £13,725 on file). The car has also had an engine bay restoration and looks in top condition under the bonnet. We are advised that it runs sweetly and is free from faults, and currently shows a mileage reading of approximately 14,000, which is believed to be correct. Currently MoT'd, the car comes with V5C registration document the aforementioned history file containing the buff logbook, old-style V5, SORN paperwork, sundry service/maintenance invoices and a substantial quantity of expired MoT certificates and old tax discs. The four-door Lagondas are rare cars; this one, however, is very much more special.
Saleroom notices
The mileage on this car is circa 48,000 miles
Go to Motor Cars
Tim Schofield
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/10497 | 02/10/15 Long road ahead for safe, secure and private autonomous vehicles Industry experts focus on challenges facing automotive, security, telecoms and insurance industries at Cambridge Wireless event While next generation connected and autonomous vehicles are being road tested daily, one of the biggest transformations in the history of the motor industry has still a long way to run if it is to deliver the safety, security and privacy we can trust, according to industry experts speaking at yesterday’s Cambridge Wireless (CW) event at the Transport Systems Catapult in Milton Keynes. “Autonomous capabilities are developing fast, with the first so called ‘Supercruise’ or ‘Highway Autopilot’ vehicles expected to appear in 2017 or 2018; but there are still major concerns that the current architectures are not yet fit for purpose to provide the levels of security required,” said Andrew Miller, Chief Technical Officer at Thatcham. “Our New Vehicle Security Assessment (NVSA) provides an international benchmark for the security of vehicles in any market, but insurers now require significantly improved on-board diagnostics security to extend physical security assessment into wireless connectivity security. This is a very complex area which requires the close cooperation of many stakeholders such as telecom and infrastructure providers.” “There have already been several scare stories that have put automotive cyber security under the spotlight and highlighted the need for real-world counter-measures,” said Mike Parris, Head of Secure Car Division at SBD. “With an absence of relevant cyber security standards, the Automotive Secure Development Lifecycle (ASDL) is a 7-step inclusive framework that is agnostic of specific methodologies and is therefore globally applicable and applies across the whole connected vehicle ecosystem to manage cyber threats in terms of safety, security and privacy. In addition, the trend towards integrating smartphones and related technologies in to the car is presenting some very significant challenges for OEMs due to the differences in product lifecycles between the automotive industry and consumer electronics.”
Manufacturers have to deliver robust in-vehicle platforms that are also resilient to influence from externally connected systems and third-party cloud services. The challenge will be to keep up with the ever-growing ‘threat profile’ and develop platforms and test solutions that deliver future-proof vehicles with certified resilience to these threats.
Peter Davies, Technical Director at Thales e-Security, told the delegates: “In the face of cyber-attacks it must be possible to understand how remediation may be rapidly applied. It is impossible to control the global attack surface and many of the techniques being discussed will in fact worsen the ability of distributed systems to defend themselves. Understanding what is reasonable, or semantically sensible, for a component of a certain type to be doing offers most promise in defending automotive security systems in a quantifiable way.” “The potential for environmental and commercial benefits and the safety of operators and passengers in connected and autonomous vehicles are all predicated on a wide range of new digital trust relationships,” said Nick Cook, Chief Innovations Officer at Intercede. “It is critical that digital trust can be established and maintained via properly managed digital identities between components, systems and people. Without it the industry cannot hope to move from concept and trial to commercial implementation.”
“The Transport Systems Catapult has identified automated vehicles as one of the largest opportunities for the UK within the fast-growing Intelligent Mobility sector, but if the general public are going to embrace this new form of transport they need to be reassured that it is efficient, accessible and, above all, safe,” said Transport Systems Catapult Programme Director Neil Fulton. “Cyber-security is clearly one of the challenges that people currently have understandable concerns over, so we were really happy to host this event, which brought together so much expertise in this crucial area.”
The event was sponsored by Rohde & Schwarz and organised by the CW Automotive & Transport SIG, championed by Andrew Ashby of Plextek Consulting, Tom Blackie of RealVNC, John Okas of Real Wireless and Nigel Wall of Climate Associates.
To see the presentations, please visit:
http://www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/crmapp/EventResource.aspx?objid=50287 See also: | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/10503 | New & Reviews / Car Reviews / Toyota Car Reviews
Toyota Car Reviews
Toyota is a Japanese car manufacturer and the largest automotive manufacturer in the world.
Prius+
Toyota Overview
Toyota’s first product, the type A engine, was produced under Toyota industries, a company owned by Sakichi Toyoda. By 1936 a Toyota had made their first passenger car leading to Sakichi Toyoda’s son, Kiichiro Toyoda to create a spin off company which is now known as the Toyota Motor company, and is part of one of the largest conglomerates in the world.
In the late 1990s Toyota established Toyota Motor Europe Marketing & Engineering to help promote Toyota sales in Europe. Two years later, Toyota set up in the United Kingdom where the cars were already popular. Todays Toyota brands include Scion, and Lexus. The Toyota Group also owns controlling stakes in Daihatsu and Hino, 8.7 percent of Fuji Heavy Industries, and 5.9 percent of Isuzu Motors Ltd.
Toyota have also achieved much in the form of electric technology. They were the first to push and mass produce hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and continue to expand the hybrid market.
In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation alone employed over 315,000 people worldwide.
Model Range
The Toyota is a medium family hatchback which can either come with 3 or 5 doors and offers a wide range of engines to choose from including both diesel and petrol variations. The Auris was released in the United Kingdom on the February 1, 2007. A Hybrid version was also made available to the British public on July 1, 2010 around the same time it also achieved the’ What Car?’ magazines “WhatGreenCar Car of the Year 2010” award.
The Toyota Avensis is a large family car that has been produced in two generations and is available in three forms; four-door saloon, five-door estate, or as a five-door hatchback. The Avensis comes with a wide range of engine choices including a diesel option. The Avensis was designed to replace the Toyota Carina E and was first produced in 1998.
The Toyota Aygo is a city car and is the result of a joint venture between Toyota and the Peugeot Citroen Group. There are two engines available a 1.0-litre three cylinder engine and a 1.4-litre HDi diesel engine. There is also a choice of a 3-door hatchback body style or a 5-door hatchback body style. The Aygo has received high marks for safety and reliability.
The Toyota IQ is a small city car which was introduced in 2008 with European sales beginning in January 2009. It is a 3-door hatchback and can be purchased with either a diesel or petrol engine.
The Toyota Land Cruiser is a series of large 4X4’s which been produced in several generations. The Land Cruiser was first produced in 1954. Many second-hand car buyers look to buy a used Toyota Land Cruiser as a viable alternative to Land Rovers or Range Rovers.
The Toyota Prius is a medium family hybrid automobile and the first gasoline-electric hybrid to be mass produced. The Prius has won many awards from various countries including Car of the Year awards from Europe, North America, and Japan. The Prius was first produced in 1997.
Toyota Prius+
The Prius+ is a seven-seater version of the standard Prius+ and shares the smaller car's hybrid drivetrain.
The Toyota RAV4 is a medium 4X4 that was first produced in 1994 and has been produced in three generations. The RAV4 is front-wheel drive with a four-wheel drive option designed to satisfy costumers who wanted a car which has all the benefits of the larger 4X4 as well as the manoeuvrability and fuel economy of a smaller car.
The Toyota Urban Cruiser is a small 4x4 which was first produced in 2008. It is smaller than the Toyota Rav4 in order to compete with other vehicles such as the Nissan Quashqai and Kia Soul. The Urban Cruiser also appeals to the family hatchback buyers giving it a very diverse market.
The Toyota Verso is a small MPV people carrier which was first introduced in 2009. The Verso can either be purchased with 5 or 7 seats. It was also named the safest MPV by Euro NCAP’s standards scoring 100 points overall on their safety tests.
The Toyota Yaris is a small family car which was first produced in 1999. It was designed to replace the Toyota Starlet and is available as a three or five-door hatchback. The Yaris has been produced in three generations. The used Toyota Yaris is a popular choice amongst those looking for an ultra-reliable small car. They are economical to run, although they do retain their value and so can be expensive to buy.
The Toyota MR2 is a two seat sports car which was produced from 1984 to 2007 in three generations with the third generation model capable of doing 0-60 in 6.8 to 8.7 depending on the transmission option which could be any one of three.In the second-hand market, the used Toyota MR2 remains a popular and inexpensive choice for those looking for a relatively inexpensive sports car.
The GT86 is a 2+2, rear wheel drive coupe which was developed in conjunction with Subaru -- the GT86 is near-indentical to the Subaru BRZ. It's great to drive and certainly looks the part.
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/11054 | HomeNewsDepartment of Transportation
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication may finally be mandatory on new cars
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AAA & Secretary Foxx plead: Don't play Pokemon Go while driving
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/11515 | Home Middlebury team raises money in Mongol Rally strict warning: Non-static method view::load() should not be called statically in /home/addison/public_html/sites/all/modules/views/views.module on line 1118.
August 2, 2007 By MEGAN JAMES
MIDDLEBURY — About a week into the 2007 Mongol Rally, an annual extreme car race from London to Mongolia, recent Middlebury College graduates Tommy Heitkamp of Orwell and Joya Taft-Dick, and their friend Alex Switzer, a.k.a. Team Ironsides, stumbled upon a country they didn’t know existed. Driving “Diana,” their 1995 Fiat Uno — the rally requires participants to drive a beat-up car — the trio had zipped hundreds of miles since the race began July 21, booking through France and Germany and then easing into Eastern Europe via the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Just as they were about to reach the Ukrainian border in Moldova, Team Ironsides hit Transnistria. The 1,600-square-mile region nestled between the two former Soviet republics broke away from Moldova in 1990 but is not recognized as independent by the rest of the world. “We spent over seven hours at borders, being harassed and having to pay bribes to make it through the six military checkpoints,” Heitkamp wrote in an e-mail en route this week. “An absolute nightmare, but a great story now that we are safely out.” Apparently, that’s what the Mongol Rally is all about: mishap and adventure. But it is done in the name of charity. Last year the rally raked in more than $500,000 for various causes. To date, Team Ironsides has raised about $1,800, which it intends to contribute to international charity organization Mercy Corps and to Send a Cow, an organization that provides livestock to farmers in Africa.
The rally was born in 2001 when two Brits, for lack of anything else to do, decided to drive their dilapidated Fiat to the most unreasonable place they could imagine, Mongolia. They never made it — they had visa trouble at the border — but the journey was so much fun they invited the rest of the world to join. “The world is just a little bit too safe,” they wrote on the rally’s official Web site. “Gone are the days where the edge of the map called you forth to discover what lay beyond. Satellite maps and (global positioning systems) have it laid out before you leave the armchair. What if you want things to go wrong?” This year 180 teams from across the globe departed nearly two weeks ago from London’s Hyde Park. They won’t exactly be racing: the goal isn’t as much to arrive in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar as it is to have a great time trying. In fact, ralliers are encouraged to take zigzagging routes. In past rallies, teams have driven as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Afghanistan. There are only three rules: The car must have an engine of less than a liter, unless it has “high comedy value,” like a cherry-picker; teams have to raise at least 1,000 British pounds (about $2,000) for charity; and ralliers are entirely responsible for their own safety and behavior.
“Other than these (rules) you are free to sneak, bribe, cheat, connive and generally out-wit the world to get yourselves to Ulaanbaatar,” the Web site declares. “In fact you will probably have to. If you get to the end of the race without some good stories to tell, then the Mongol Rally has failed in its mission.” So far, Team Ironsides is living up to the expectations. Heitkamp, Switzer and Taft-Dick started out with no explicit route, though they secured visas for Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Heitkamp and Taft-Dick graduated from Middlebury College in May, and Switzer, who is from Shelburne, graduated from Iowa State University. Listing some past experiences they believe might help them in the Mongol Rally, Taft-Dick cited off-roading in a U.N. four-wheel-drive vehicle in Chad, and Heitkamp noted he recently slept in the trunk of a car. The trio bought Diana the Fiat on eBay in London, and they knew nothing about her history. Her steering wheel was on the right, for driving on the left side of the street British style, and she had a stick shift. Only Taft-Dick had experience driving a standard.
“We basically picked her up, and pointed her east,” Heitkamp said. “We are asking a lot of our 1995 Fiat and she’s rising to the challenge, whining occasionally up some mountains in Romania, but overall going smoothly. She’s not pretty, but we’re confident she’ll get the job done.”
Crossing the border into Slovakia, the Fiat’s alternator blew and the trio had to push the car to the nearest gas station.
“After a wonderful night in a tent behind a gas station in Slovakia, a tow truck came and picked Diana up,” Taft-Dick wrote on the team’s blog. “The driver, who spoke no English, communicated that only two of us could accompany him to the mechanics.”
So they left Heitkamp behind. Their cell phone was out of credit, and Switzer and Taft-Dick found the tow-truck driver was taking them farther and farther out of town.
They did get to a mechanic and, through a tangle of hand gestures, managed to communicate the problem. The mechanic fixed the Fiat but remained baffled as to what these hapless Americans were doing in Slovakia. “I explained to the nice mechanic that we were driving from London to Mongolia and he responded with a lot of head-shaking and, ‘Fiat? Oh no! Oh no!’” Taft-Dick wrote.
But they continued anyway, only to find that Heitkamp, tired of waiting for his team at the gas station, had hitchhiked to Bratislava with a Danish family. So they drove off to meet him and, hours later, reunited. Then they hit the road for Budapest.
What is ahead for the trio no one knows for sure. They don’t even have an estimated date of arrival in Mongolia. To track their progress, visit www.badcolonies.org/ironsides, where Team Ironsides has been posting stories and updates from the road and where donations to their charities can still be made. ? | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/11957 | Richard Cranston's 95 GT St Louis, MO The driver of #32 is Richard Cranston, an Englishman turned American who now enjoys the pleasures of burning copious amounts of gasoline on race weekends in an American V8 race car.
In England Richard enjoyed driving three Lotus sports cars over the years, but his boyhood love was the 427 Cobra. After years of casual enjoyment of his sports cars, a day at the Castle Combe racing school in England taught Richard some basic racing skills and planted a seed for the future.
On moving to America, the urge to own a bona fide V8 musclecar grew and the Mustang was purchased. Richard made friends with other Mustang owners that took their cars to track events at the weekend and he became hooked. After two years of club events, Richard finally took the plunge at the end of 2003 to enter amateur racing with the National Auto Sport Association and the rest is history!
Construction of the #32 Mustang began in the winter of 2003. Prior to this the car was an everyday driver. Some select aftermarket components were chosen for the race suspension, namely an SLA front suspension with a Panhard Bar and Torque Arm for the rear. The late model fuel injected motor was treated to AFR heads, custom cam and a new valve train from Flowtech Induction Systems. At the same time the motor was converted to a carburetor for simplicity and ease of maintenance.
The winter of 2004 saw a number of modifications to #32. The engine was set back 3” which required the use of an external oil pump for steering rack clearance, but a poor choice of oil pump sidelined the #32 for a number of races while issues were resolved. The final resolution was to replace the first oil pump with a unit of much better quality and this is when we were introduced to Roy Johnson and Amsoil lubricants. Roy’s company designs and manufactures some of the best external oil pumps you can buy. As a part of Roy’s oil system he also recommended using Amsoil series 2000 0W30 motor oil for its extremely high quality and excellent flow characteristics.
Richard and the #32 showed their true potential in the final four races of the year with two fifth places, a third and a second place finish. The only hiccup was that now the car made too much horsepower for the AI class and so we ran in the AIX (unlimited) class. With the run of good finishes we were able to secure third overall in the Midwest AIX Championship for 2005.
http://www.cranston-racing.com Back to Mustangworld.com | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/12232 | Gov. Hickenlooper and Oklahoma Gov. Fallin Announce Results of 22-state Bipartisan CNG Vehicles Award
By: Mary Fallin
Date: Oct. 5, 2012 Location: Denver, CO Gov. John Hickenlooper joined Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin this week to announce the results of a multistate solicitation designed to encourage auto manufacturers in the U.S. to develop more functional and affordable compressed natural gas vehicles.
Fallin and Hickenlooper are leading a bipartisan group of 22 states seeking to use compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in their state fleets. Hickenlooper said this week's award will help move CNG into the marketplace, both in and outside of government.
"This announcement represents a major success for CNG and even more importantly for our economy," Hickenlooper said. "We believe this is the start of a national movement to add much-needed fuel diversity to our nation's transportation sector while at the same time creating jobs and helping to grow local economies." More than 100 bids were submitted by dealerships in 28 states representing Ford, Chrysler, General Motors and Honda. In Colorado, awards given through the multi-state Request for Proposal will allow the state to: Save up to 19 percent below current CNG vehicle retail or conversion prices.Offer at least four classes of CNG vehicle types to state and local fleets.Extend the same vehicle savings to all local governments through the state's bid list.Purchase CNG vehicles as required by law if the lifecycle cost is within 10 percent of that of a gasoline vehicle.
Awards in Colorado went to Spradley Barr Ford in Greeley and GO Honda 104th in Westminster. More information is available at http://tinyurl.com/9ylkvb8. Hickenlooper and Fallin announced the start of the CNG project one year ago, at last year's Oklahoma Governor's Energy Conference in Oklahoma City. Fallin and Hickenlooper later petitioned other states and governors, met with automobile manufacturers in Detroit, and issued a Request for Proposal soliciting bids for more affordable CNG vehicles for use in state fleets. After receiving the support of 20 other states, they announced the preliminary results of the initiative at this year's conference this week in Oklahoma City. "The initiative has been enormously successful," Fallin said. "We asked auto manufacturers to develop products that were more affordable and functional. With the combined purchasing power of our 22 states, we successfully provided the incentive to do so. States will now have the incentive and ability to begin converting their fleets to CNG while saving millions of dollars in taxpayer money."
Additionally, states will now have the opportunity to purchase at least one model truck with improvements in functionality. A ¾-ton pick-up with a fuel tank underneath the vehicle, as opposed to in the truck bed, will now be available for purchase. Moving the tank from the back of the truck to underneath will add significant storage space and functionality to the vehicle.
Hickenlooper and Fallin hope awards are eventually added for four-door sedans and ½-ton pickup trucks, the two most popular models in the private sector.
Source: http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=GovHickenlooper%2FCBONLayout&cid=1251632191158&pagename=CBONWrapper | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/12274 | Audi sees need for city traffic solutions, launches UR:BAN cooperative project
Article by Christian A., on October 7, 2015 Audi was set to make the concluding presentation for the UR:BAN cooperative project for October 7 in Düsseldorf. This four-year project involves 31 partners who are working to develop traffic management solutions as well as driver assistance for urban traffic.
The German carmaker became involved in the project because it wants to make city traffic flow smoothly and safer. Dr. Horst Glaser, Head of Development for Chassis and Driver Assistance Systems, commented that developing driver assistance systems raises safety when it comes to urban traffic.
Glaser adds that the role of Audi in this project was to focus on systems that aim to assist the driver with regards to steering and braking in serious urban traffic situations. As such, the project required a way to reliably scan the vehicle environment, Glaser concludes.
UR:BAN is an abbreviation of the German acronym which means “Urban Space: User-oriented assistance systems and network management.” This Germany-wide cooperative project started in April 2012 and is expected to end in March 2016.
This project brings a total of 31 partners from different industries that include cities, the automotive and supply industry, communication technology and software companies, electronics manufacturers, research institutes, and universities.
The main objective is to develop traffic management systems and driver assistance specifically for the cities. Funding for the project was given by Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) which provided around EUR 40 million.
The project has three major subject areas which include Cognitive Assistance, Human Factors in Traffic, and Networked Traffic System. This project also centers on people as drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, or even traffic planners.
Under the Cognitive Assistance area, the objective of the project was to be able to comprehensively scan the vehicle environment through a 360° all-round view. The principle is that when drivers and cars can better perceive the environment, the better they can avoid possible collisions caused by braking or swerving.
An important part of this is a design system that can consistently avoid any false activation. Audi has been running tests for this system on three cars. One of these cars is the Audi A7 Sportback which can be seen in action demonstrating this technology in different traffic scenarios.
The demonstration is set to be part of the concluding presentation this Wednesday. This particular vehicle comes equipped with a close-to- production sensors. It has a video camera and laser scanner at the front as well as a dual radar system.
It also has a side and rear radar system. Furthermore, this demonstration will also feature the control components that have managed to aid three piloted driving Audi RS7 concept vehicles obtain driverless records for the years 2014 and 2015 on four racetracks which are the Ascari, Hockenheim, Oschersleben, and Sonoma tracks.
New Audi models like the Audi A4 and Audi Q7 already have collision avoidance assistance that helps reduce the risk of being in an accident. Audi discloses that it is applying the findings of this project to refine its current assistance systems. In this same cooperative project, there is a sub-project which AUDI AG also heads, dubbed the “Effectiveness, Assessment and Legal Issues.”
Its goal is to sort out the legal framework of the driver assistance systems developed in UR:BAN. For instance, one of its tasks is to clarify the different issues that concern the eligibility for approval of the systems like the automatic emergency steering system. Under the subject area of “Human Factors in Traffic,” Audi intends to highlight and investigate the different interactions between environment and car especially in an adapted human-machine interface.
Thus, the aim is to be able to not just register but also to systematize various urban junctions as a way to define the appropriate warning and information strategy. There are currently 20 employees involved in this project, coming from different areas like MMI vehicle concepts ergonomics development, accident research, and automated driving functions pre-development.
Audi has been a pioneer when it comes to piloted driving. Since 2009, the brand has been staging different driving demonstrations on international racetracks, public roads, and even a salt flat. All of these are part of the company’s development work.
The technologies developed for piloted driving have already managed to deliver not just improved efficiency and safety but it has also saved time and even made it more convenient. The brand intends to get the first piloted system into production for the Audi A8’s next generation model.
This technology allows it to take charge when it comes to driving the vehicle in stop-and-go traffic up to a maximum of 60 km/h or about 37.3 mph.
SAFER AND SMOOTHER URBAN TRAFFIC: AUDI IN UR:BAN COLLABORATIVE PROJECT
Audi wants to make city traffic safer and flow more smoothly. That is the motive behind the brand’s involvement in the UR:BAN cooperative project. 31 partners are jointly developing driver assistance and traffic management solutions for urban traffic over the project’s four-year term. The concluding presentation will take place on October 7 in Düsseldorf.
“The further development of driver assistance systems harbors considerable safety potential, specifically in urban traffic,” commented Dr. Horst Glaser, Head of Development for Chassis and Driver Assistance Systems, ahead of the concluding event. “Audi’s role in the project concentrates mainly on systems that assist the driver with braking and steering in critical situations in urban traffic. To that end, we require among other things reliable scanning of the vehicle environment.”
The abbreviation UR:BAN is the German acronym for “Urban Space: User-oriented assistance systems and network management.” The Germany-wide cooperative project has been running since April 2012 and ends in March 2016. It brings together 31 partners from the automotive and supply industry, electronics manufacturers, communication technology and software companies, universities, research institutes and cities. Their common objective is to develop driver assistance and traffic management systems specifically for cities. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) is providing some EUR 40 million in funding for the project.
The project activities center on people as drivers, cyclists, pedestrians or traffic planners, along with three major subject areas: Networked Traffic System, Cognitive Assistance and Human Factors in Traffic.
The aims of the Cognitive Assistance area, for example, include comprehensively scanning the vehicle environment in a 360° all-round view. The better drivers and cars perceive their environment, the more easily they can avoid collisions for instance by swerving and braking. A robustly designed system that reliably avoids false activation is a particularly important aspect here. Audi has been running tests using three cars. One of them, an Audi A7 Sportback, can be witnessed in action as a technology demonstrator in a variety of traffic scenarios at this Wednesday’s concluding presentation. The experimental vehicle is equipped with close-to- production sensors: As well as a laser scanner and a video camera at the front, it has a dual radar system at the front, a rear and a side radar system. This technology demonstrator also features control components that helped the three Audi RS7 piloted driving concept vehicles to set up driverless records in 2014 and 2015 on the Hockenheim, Oschersleben, Ascari and Sonoma racetracks.
Collision avoidance assist in Audi models such as the new Audi A4 and the Q7 is already helping to reduce the risk of an accident. Findings from the UR:BAN project are being applied in Audi’s development work in areas such as the refinement of existing assistance systems.
Furthermore, in the cooperative project AUDI AG is also heading up the “Effectiveness, Assessment and Legal Issues” sub-project which above all addresses the legal framework for the driver assistance systems developed in UR:BAN. This includes for instance clarifying various issues concerning the eligibility of automatic emergency steering systems for approval. In the “Human Factors in Traffic” subject area, Audi wants to investigate and highlight the wide-ranging interactions between car and environment in an adapted human-machine interface. Here, it aims to register and systematize diverse urban junction situations in order to define an appropriate information and warning strategy.
Twenty employees from the areas of automated driving functions pre-development, accident research and MMI vehicle concepts ergonomics development are involved in the UR:BAN project.
Audi is a pioneer of piloted driving. The company has staged numerous driving demonstrations since 2009 as part of its development work – on public roads, international racetracks and a salt flat. The technologies for piloted driving deliver improved safety and efficiency, save time and bring added convenience. Audi plans to go into production with its first piloted system in the next model generation of the Audi A8. This is capable of taking charge of driving in stop-and-go traffic at up to 60 km/h (37.3 mph).
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/12309 | At the AMA Supermoto Season-Opener in Bakersfield
It all started with the Superbikers. As a young man growing up in the late 70s, there were only three network TV stations for me to watch, and unlike today, motorsports programs were few and far between. Other than the Indy 500 and the occasional airing of stock car racing, motorsports just weren’t on the air very often. During one serendipitous Saturday, I happened upon ABC’s Wide World of Sports. And on that particular day, they were airing the Superbikers. Looking back, the influence that program had on the rest of my motorcycling life is immeasurable. An unusual combination of road racing, dirt track, and motocross, the Superbikers showcased racers I had only read about in the motorcycle magazines.
The WorldSBK Season So Far: Yamaha & Honda
While it has hardly been surprising to see Ducati and Kawasaki maintain their position as the dominant forces at play in WorldSBK, the battle for best-of-the-rest has been an interesting subplot for 2017. Over the course of the opening three rounds of the campaign, the form of Honda and Yamaha has been marked by their stark contrast in fortunes. Last year, Honda had been a podium and front-row regular as the season moved into the European swing, and Yamaha looked to be clutching at straws and looking for any positives they could find on their return to the series. This year has seen their roles have reversed, with Yamaha consistently the best-of-the-rest and in position to fight for a rostrum finish. Honda on the other hand have had a disastrous start to the campaign with an all-new Fireblade.
Investors Leveraging MotoGP for Sizable Payout
According to several reports in the financial sector, the investors behind Dorna Sports S.L. are readying themselves for another sizable payout from the media rights holder for the MotoGP and WorldSBK Championships. Using a bit of financial finesse, the move would see Bridgepoint Capital and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) – the two major investors in Dorna Sports – taking roughly €889 million off the books of the Spanish media company, according to Reuters. As such, today’s news would make this the third time that Bridgepoint and the CPPIB have raided the piggy bank for motorcycling’s premier racing series, having done similar deals in 2011 (€420 million) and 2014 (€715 million).
Norton Gets £3 Million to Increase V4 Production
If you have had your eye on a Norton V4 superbike recently, you might not have to wait as long for it to arrive, as the British marque has secured £3 million from the Santander Corporate & Commercial bank. The debt investment will allow Norton to triple its production rate on the V4 SS and V4 RR models, and also allow for the company to hire 40 new employees for the job. Additionally, according to Norton this will allow the company to increase its production volume to 1,500 motorcycles per year. “Having developed and pre-sold a huge number of bikes, we needed the funding to be readily available to pay for tooling, stock and people to allow production to move from 40 bikes per month to in excess of 130 bikes with effect from summer 2017,” said Stuart Garner, CEO of Norton Motorcycles.
Is The 2018 BMW HP4 Race About to Debut in China?
After this year’s April Fools hijinks, we have a whole new respect for the cunning that resides at BMW Motorrad, and the Germans seem to be honing that trait even further today. Announcing its plans for the upcoming Auto Shanghai 2017 later this month, BMW lists a number of four-wheeled news items for the Chinese auto show, and then casually slips-in at the end of the press release that we should expect a big unveil from BMW Motorrad. The statement reads that “the highlight of the BMW Motorrad stand is the world premiere of one of the most exclusive models ever offered by BMW Motorrad,” which is terse, though given what we know about the Bavarian brand, it should be easy to guess what they are hinting at.
Vyrus 986 M2 Street Bike Now Priced at €38,000
It is apparently more difficult to sell a kidney than I had previously thought (type o- / non-smoker / non-drinker…if you happen to be in the market), which isn’t good news when you are trying to get together some scratch for a Vyrus 986 M2 – the hottest supersport we have ever seen. Making matters worse is that Vyrus got in touch with A&R, updating us with their latest pricing structure for their Honda-powered hub-center steering masterpiece, which now comes with a price tag of €37,940 for the street bike, and €27,930 for the street bike kit. That is quite the change from the originally quoted €25,000 street bike model and €16,000 kit, and there is good reason for that, say the folks at Vyrus.
You Didn’t Know You Missed It, But the Honda NM4 Is Back
You probably didn’t even realize that the Honda NM4 was missing from Honda America’s model list for 2017, but the polarizing motorcycle is back for the 2018 model year. The first 2018 motorcycle to be announced so far this year from Honda, it probably helps that the Honda NM4 is featured in the Ghost in the Shell movie, which stars Scarlett Johansson. Laugh if you want, but the NM4 is a surprisingly pleasant to ride, even if you aren’t dressed like the Caped Crusader. As such, the Honda NM4 represents a tradition of motorcycles from Big Red that have pushed that boundaries of not only what we visually accept a motorcycle to look like, but it also blurs the distinctions we make between different motorcycle segments.
US Senate Establishes Motorcycle Caucus
The motorcycle industry has found more allies on Capital Hill this week, with the creation of the first “motorcycle caucus” in the United States Senate. Established so motorcycle manufacturers and motorcyclists would have a greater voice in the upper chamber of the American legislature, the Senate Motorcycle Caucus is the work of Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Gary Peters (D-Michigan). Motorcyclists typically aren’t single-issue voter – not for issues pertaining to motorcycles, at least – but with several important political issues currently affecting the motorcycle industry, the formation of the Senate Motorcycle Caucus comes at an advantageous time.
Husqvarna Two-Strokes Get Fuel-Injection Too
We shouldn’t be surprised to hear that Husqvarna will be following suit with its Austrian sibling, and adding fuel-injection to several of its two-strokes enduro motorcycle for the 2018 model year. After a long history of rumors and development, KTM finally debuted fuel injection for a production two-stroke model just a few weeks ago, using the technology on two of its upcoming enduro models, the KTM 250 EXC TPI and KTM 300 EXC TPI. Husqvarna will use the same technology for its own motorcycles in the same segments, announcing today the the all-new 2018 Husqvarna TE 250i and 2018 Husqvarna TE 300i enduro models with transfer port injection. Opinion: The Danger of Expanding the MotoGP Calendar
It is looking increasingly like the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand will be added to the MotoGP calendar for the 2018 season. I understand from sources that there was a significant hurdle to be overcome: circuit title sponsor Chang is a major beer brand in Thailand, and a rival to the Official MotoGP Beer Singha, also a major beer brand in Thailand and further abroad. The race can only happen if a compromise has been found to accommodate this conflict. This is good news for Thailand, and good news for fans in Asia. The World Superbike round at the circuit is always packed, and MotoGP should be even more popular. It is hard to overstate just how massive MotoGP is in that part of the world.
A&R Pro
Triumph’s Proposed Plant in India Could Increase Production 10x – New Small-Displacement Bike Coming
07/17/2012 @ 8:44 am, by Jensen Beeler7 COMMENTS
Like many other brands ahead of it, Triumph is getting ready to enter the Indian market in a serious way. Eyeing a piece of property in Narasapur in the Karnataka region of India, Triumph’s initial plan is to build a facility capable of producing 250,000 units per year, with an expansion plan that could double that number. Currently producing 50,000 units a year in its British and Thai facilities, Triumph’s move into India could increase the company’s production ten-fold per annum.
Said to be bringing mostly its full-size premium offerings to the Indian market, Triumph is also rumored to be working on a small-displacement single-cylinder motorcycle that could be developed with the Indian and Southeast Asian markets specifically in mind. With India’s premium motorcycle market still quite small, though growing, the initial quarter-million unit estimates from the British brand are sure to be heavily relying on this new small-displacement model, rumored to be called the Triumph Cub.
Tagged under: business, Cub, emerging markets, India, Karnataka, Narasapur, production, production capacity, production plant, rumor, small-displacement, Triumph, Triumph Cub, Triumph India, Triumph Street
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Gone Riding: 2017 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Sunday MotoGP Summary at Austin: Leaders Crashing, And Rossi vs. Zarco Watch the BMW HP4 Race Do Its Thing Sunday at Austin with Scott Jones Gone Riding: Aprilia RSV4 & Tuono V4 Mmm...Check This Suzuki GSX1100SD Katana Race Bike Q&A: Jorge Lorenzo on Developing the Ducati Marc Marquez Continues His Streak at the Americas GP Fuller Moto's Custom Motus MSTR Streetfighter Saturday MotoGP Summary at Austin: Explaining Crashes, And New Rivalries | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/13439 | » Car
» Car 2011
» GMC
» Trucks
» Cars GMC Sierra HD - Car pro, auto pro
Cars GMC Sierra HD - Car pro, auto pro
GMC Sierra HD
The model is offered in three different styles - the crew cab, extended cab and the regular cab style. The pickup truck shares most of the design features from the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 model.
The extended cab model comes with their usual rear hinged back doors that do not open the doors independently. The regular cabs have the capacity to accommodate three passengers, while the crew and the extended cabs come with six seating capacity. The vehicle is offered with two different interior styles, the "luxury inspired" and the "pure pickup" style.
GMC Sierra HD Videos
2010 GMC Sierra Announced
By Geof Ryan The 2010 GMC Sierra has been announced and it is expected to come with the latest V8 turbo diesel engine, but the vehicle's launch has been delayed due to the General Motor's weak financial position. The new Sierra from the GMC falls under the category of large size pickup trucks. The 2010 Sierra model, which is yet to be released, is modified to a good extent, and few major changes are expected over the previous Sierra model.
The engines that will be made available to the 2010 Sierra include 4.3 liter V6 that produces 195 horse power, 4.8 liter V8 that produces 295 horse power, 5.3 liter V8 that produces 315 horse power and the 6.2 liter V8 engine that produces 403 horse power.
The GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid model comes with the 6.0 liter V8 engine that produces 332 horse power of throughout in tandem with an electric motor. The new Sierra will be able to make use of one or both power resources based on the needs. It will be offered in variable automatic transmissions, and its top towing capacity will be close to 6100 pounds.
To know more about the specifics of 2010 GMC Sierra Click-Here.
Check out the latest GMC Sierra Wallpapers Here.
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Car 2011, | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/13724 | Stopping car thieves via a satellite signal
Here is the situation. Inside their squad car, police officers are waiting for a location message from the dispatcher regarding a stolen vehicle report. The location of the stolen vehicle is being relayed to the local law enforcement agencies dispatch headquarters from an operations center using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
This information is then dispatched to the officers and they begin their pursuit. They have the stolen vehicle in sight there are no other cars near the stolen vehicle as it hurries down the highway. Now that the police officers have the vehicle in sight, the officers will communicate with the satellite operator to verify they are following the correct vehicle. To help make that determination, the satellite operator could make the stolen vehicle’s lights flash.
One of the police officers then radios in and says, “Activate stolen vehicle slowdown.” Suddenly, the stolen vehicle begins to slow down and then comes to a complete stop. Bad car thieves are captured and the stolen car is returned to the rightful owner. All this is possible, in part, to a satellite signal beamed down to the GPS receiver the owner had installed in his car. The remote signal that was sent to the stolen car made it gradually slow down by remotely decreasing the flow of fuel to the engine it also interacted with the vehicle’s power-train system to reduce engine power.
This action would enable the police to apprehend the driver without a risky high-speed chase.
Does this sound like something we would see in a futuristic science fiction movie?
Well, the people at the OnStar Center, which happens to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of the General Motors Company, recently announced this kind of technology. They call it “Stolen Vehicle Slowdown” and it will be available starting on the new General Motors 2009 OnStar-equipped models. This service is provided by OnStar’s newest generation of hardware, which they call “Generation 8.” Among other things, OnStar allows drivers, by pressing a button inside the car, to contact the OnStar call center operators for help with things like driving directions or emergency services. We have all heard those radio commercials featuring recordings of actual conversations between drivers in distress and OnStar operators unlocking car doors. The OnStar call-center operators are located in Detroit, Mich.
I learned that since 1996, OnStar has been providing “Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance,” to track the location of stolen vehicles and report them to police. OnStar receives approximately 700 Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance requests from subscribers to their service each month. This company has helped in 28,000 requests over the past 10 years.
To use the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown feature, car owners must first report a car theft to the police and then contact OnStar to request the “tracking” procedure to begin. Once OnStar locates the vehicle, they would report its location to the police. The location of the stolen vehicle is provided to the local law enforcement agency from OnStar using GPS technology. Because OnStar uses global positioning technology, their operators can accurately direct police to the location of a stolen car.
The GPS measures how long it takes a radio signal from the satellite to reach the car, and then it calculates the distance. OnStar also is using this technology to enhance its ability to get a “fixed” location of a vehicle
“The Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service will allow our subscribers added peace of mind by possibly preventing their vehicle from being used as an instrument of harm if it happens to be stolen,” said Chet Huber, OnStar president. “We look forward to having technologies like Stolen Vehicle Slowdown available to aid our officers in apprehending suspected car thieves and keeping our officers, highways, and citizens safe,” said David Hiller, national vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police on the OnStar web site.
Stolen Vehicle Slowdown will be included as part of OnStar’s Safe & Sound plan. After the first year, during which the service is free in most new General Motor vehicles, Safe & Sound costs $18.95 a month or $199 a year, as reported, on the OnStar website.
“Telematics” is the word that defines the technology of putting computer systems in cars.
Telematic systems are used in automobiles and combine wireless communication with GPS tracking. This term is further evolving to include a wide range of telecommunication functions that originate or end inside automobiles.
One of OnStar’s competitors since 1996 is a company called the “ATX Group,” which provides its automotive computing systems in cars like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Rolls-Royce.,
The ATX Group web site is located at http://www.atxna.com
OnStar provides services to more than 5 million subscribers in the US and Canada. More information about OnStar can be found at www.onstar.com. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/14135 | Bugatti Veyron Super SportHave you ever felt like saying “I feel the need, the need for speed!” The 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport gives you just that.The fastest production, road legal vehicle in the world made its American debut on August 2010 at the Pebble Beach Concourse. This new offering from Bugatti went into production towards the end of 2010. The first five cars that came off the line has been sold as a limited “World Record Editions.” At a cost ofover 2.4 million dollars (2.08 million Euros at time of purchased) each, the first five immediately sold out. This World Record Edition is a replica of the car that clocked 267.9 miles per hour at Volkswagens Ehra-Lessien test tracks in Germany.Bugatti Veyron Super SportThe conditions were perfect when the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport broke the record. SSC Ultimate Aero previously set the 256 mph record in 2007, in order to better the earlier Bugatti Veyron, but then, Bugatti came back with a vengeance by beating the record by at least 11mph.Bugatti Automobiles SAS and the Volkswagen Group led the design and development of the Veyron. Hartmut Warkuss is the chief designer, while Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen is responsible for its exterior design. In naming this outstanding vehicle, they have combined two giants in the car industry, Pierre Veyron and Ettore Bugatti.Italian Ettore Bugatti founded his automobile company in 1909. Bugatti’s vehicles were much in demand for its engineering and stylish lines and finish. Story has it that only a select number of people had the privilege of owning a Bugatti, you were royalty or high up in the social class to own one. One other distinction Bugatti has is that it won the first ever Monaco Grand Prix.Pierre Veyron, a Frenchman, was a racing driver that won the 1939 Le Mans 24 Hour race driving a Bugatti made vehicle.Bugatti Veyron Super Sport PerformanceThe Veyron Super Sport gets its power from a 16 cylinder engine helped by 4 bi-turbochargers with a displacement of 487.8 cu in. Because each cylinder has four valves, this means the Veyron SS has a total of 64 valves. The engine configuration is that same as combining two V8 engines which make it look like a W than a V. This generates a total of 1200 horsepower, nearly 200 hp more that the previous model.It uses a dual-clutch direct-shift gearbox that is computer controlled automatic having seven gear ratios. The gear box is built by Ricardo of England. Given the opportunity, you can either drive the Veyron SS in fully automatic or semi-automatic mode. To replace a transmission on this car will cost you $172,000.00 dollars.Another feature in the Bugatti Veyron SS that makes it stand out is that it uses ten radiators, which help to keep the car cool after generating all that heat and speed. One radiator each for the engine oil, differential oil, transmission oil, and the AC system; at the same time there are three radiators each for the engine and the inter-coolers. Michelin designed special tires to meet the specs for which the Veyron was designed, high speeds. When replacing a set of tires for the Veyron SS, it costs $ 36,000.00 for a set of four.Braking for the Veyron SS is made by SGL Carbon, which is a carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide composite disc. This type of brakes is suitable for less brake fading which works best for the Bugatti Veyron.The Bugatti hits 0-62 mph in less than 3 seconds at 2.4 seconds. The progression in hitting given metrics for the Veyron SS include 150mph at 10 second, 186 mph at under 15 seconds, and in less than a minute, you could be going as fast as 245 mph.
Shofia Lee
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/14355 | The Birdman Cometh
Having scored a great deal on a 2001 Z06, Wes Bird immediately modified the Corvette for track duty.
By Eric Gustafson Photos by Tony Parrish
After selling the ’68 convertible he had fixed up, Wes Bird was Corvetteless. Though this condition lasted a mere week, Bird found it intolerable. “It practically killed me,” says the 25-year-old college student. The C3 had been his second Corvette (his first was a 2000 convertible) and now he needed another one—bad. Relief came courtesy of Craigslist, where he found a 2001 Z06 with a $20K asking price. Conveniently enough, this was the same amount he had just gotten for his ’68.
The ex-Army Airborne soldier was not content with paying the asking price, however. Knowing that he planned to autocross the Corvette and eventually get it on a racetrack, he wanted to keep some spare cash for modifications. Plus, he noticed some problems on the car that would need to be addressed, such as a faulty electronic brake control module (EBCM), a mismatched set of tires and various exterior blemishes. The 28,000-mile machine was in otherwise fine shape, but Bird had something else on his side when it came to bargaining: The owner was going through a divorce and needed the money. Bird obliged, handing over a check for $15,500. He nearly paid the ultimate price on the rainy, nighttime drive home, however. With the EBCM out, the Corvette’s anti-lock braking system didn’t function, nor did its electronic stability- or traction-control systems. Though he experienced a few harrowing moments, Bird returned safely to his South Carolina home.
Corvettes have long been a part of Bird’s life. “Growing up my dad had owned Corvettes,” he says, “but being a married Aviation officer, he had bigger priorities and so could only afford the much older ones. His first Corvette was a ’77 that I remember helping him restore at around age eight. He then owned two C4s after that. I suppose he is the reason the Corvette bug has infected me ever since.”
When Bird bought the ’68 convertible, he thought it was his dream car. He enjoyed the process of working on it and showing it off, but eventually the dream started to fade. “I enjoyed the shark for a while and then decided that I wanted a car that I could drive every day and that I could use at more than just car shows,” he explains. That’s what led him to the Z06. After Bird installed a rebuilt EBCM, he turned his attention to sundry appearance-related items on the C5. In addition to touching up the exterior paint, he installed a pair of fixed headlights, blacked-out the taillights, bolted on side skirts and added Grand Sport-style hash stripes. On the hood he affixed a pair of black stripes and the lettering of his nickname: Birdman. The fitment of a black roller-latch gas cap further heightened the race look. On the inside, he added a yellow shift knob and few yellow trim pieces.
Bird had no intention of turning his Z06 into a show car, though, so he quickly got down to the business of installing a host of performance mods—which, for the most part, he did himself. Extracting more power from the car’s 5.7-liter LS6 V8 was his priority. To that end, he swapped the stock exhaust manifolds for a pair of Belanger Tri-Y headers and attached them to an SLP Powerflo exhaust system. On the intake side, Bird went with a Vararam cold-air setup. As a precaution, he installed an Elite Engineering catch can to prevent oil blowby from entering the intake tract. Bird then had the engine dyno-tuned, and was pleased with the results: The LS6 now generates 375 horsepower at the rear wheels, roughly 40 more than stock. Equally satisfying for the young Corvette enthusiast is the Z06’s raucously loud exhaust note. Though the noise is well controlled at low engine speeds, Bird says the decibel count gets pretty lofty at high revs.
A number of other less attention-grabbing performance mods were also added. Bird installed a B&M short-shift kit, for example, as well as a set of of drilled and slotted brake rotors, HPS brake pads and C6-spec Z06 shocks. Though he retained the stock alloy wheels, Bird went with Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta tires with a slightly wider section width in front: 275 mm versus 265 mm.
As mentioned, Bird intended to autocross his Corvette; he just didn’t know when. It turns out that day came sooner than he expected. Though not big on the show-car scene, Bird brought his Z06 to a local event for the fun of it. “I go to shows to meet people,” he says. Only when he arrived did he learn that the car gathering included an autocross component, and that it wasn’t too late to enter his ’01. Despite the flip flops on his feet, Bird, thinking there was no time like the present, decided to give the cones a go. He was surprised by how well it went. “I did really well,” Bird enthuses. “After those two runs, I decided I definitely wanted to race.”
Since buying his Z06 nine months ago, Bird has done as much autocrossing as his budget and college course load will allow, competing in various Sports Car Club of America events in the Carolinas—and he always remembers to wear shoes. Because of its engine modifications, the car runs in the Super Street Prepared class. “If I was very serious about autocross, I would probably return the engine to stock,” says Bird, “but I rather enjoy the extra power.” He also acknowledges that a switch to racier rubber would improve his times, but he needs to be able to drive his Corvette in the rain; it is, after all, his daily driver. “For now, the practice and experience is more important than a sticky set of Hoosiers,” says the University of South Carolina student.
Though hooked on autocrossing, Bird would eventually like to race on road courses—a much more expensive proposition. With that aim in mind, he’s been volunteering with his local National Auto Sport Association chapter to learn the ropes. He’s already put in enough hours to earn him a free slot in a high-performance-driving event at Carolina Motorsports Park in November, and can’t wait to get his Z06 out on track and flex its muscles at higher speeds. Watch out, the Birdman is coming.
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1971 LS6 Convertible | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/14446 | Learn the history of Henrik Fisker and VLF Automotive's supercar, the Force 1 V10.
THE STORYLegendary automotive designer Henrik Fisker and American race car driver Ben Keating unveiled the 2016 Force 1 V10, an all-new American Super Car, during the 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on 12 January 2016. The two-seat, carbon fiber-bodied Force 1 is a high-performance, low-production sports car, manufactured in Auburn Hills, Michigan by the newly launched VLF Automotive, of which Fisker is a partner and design chief.
Fisker and Keating entered partnership discussions in early 2015 after bonding over their mutual love of cars, fondness for each other’s professional work and the possibilities that could emerge if their skill sets intersected. Keating was a multiple National Champion in the Dodge Viper Cup before teaming up with Bill Riley and Riley Motorsports to be the only American sports car to compete in the GTD class of the Tudor United Sportscar Championship. With six wins and multiple podiums for the Viper GT3-R over the last two years, including the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Keating is one of the most successful Viper racers in history. Keating and Riley brought home the Patron North American Endurance Championship in 2015, and also took a Viper GTSR to France to compete in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans, earning the fastest lap of the race for the GT-Am field. In addition to racing, Keating is also the world’s largest volume Viper retailer, which gives him the opportunity to explore many opportunities to bring his racing knowledge to street car performance.“What inspired me most about building this partnership with Ben is that he is the most passionate Viper racer in the world and understands performance metrics in cars, both on the track and on the road, better than anyone I’ve ever met,” said Fisker.“He’s developed a unique active suspension for superior handling and ride, which is seamlessly integrated into the Force 1, enhancing performance whether on track and or road,”“To work with Henrik as one of the world's best designers to create a super exciting, wide curvy body for this amazing car is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Keating said. “Plus, it’s the perfect vehicle to showcase many of the incredible performance features we've been working on for years. It really is the chance to start with an amazing initial platform to develop an incredible American super car with exceptional design and performance” Production commences April end 2016 in Auburn Hills, with deliveries in third quarter 2016. Force 1 will be produced in limited numbers with an initial production of only 50 units and available through Ben Keating’s Viper Exchange. Besides owning a limited edition all-American, high-performance luxury sports car, Force 1 owners will have the unique opportunity to attend two racing events per year with Ben Keating as an integral part of the team, in the paddock and in the pits where all the action takes place. This is an exclusive, all-access pass into the drama and excitement of sport car racing in a way found nowhere else. More about henrik
more about ben | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/14647 | Peugeot 308 Named 2014 European Car Of The Year Email This Page
Peugeot 308 Named 2014 European Car Of The Year
2014 Peugeot 308Enlarge PhotoThe Peugeot 308 compact has picked up top honors in the 2014 European Car of the Year awards, managing to edge out the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Tesla Model S in the hotly-contested award. The results were announced at a satellite event for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, which kicks off tomorrow.
The 308 received 307 points from the 58 jury members, with top points from 22 jurors. Second and third, in a close race, were two electric cars, with the BMW i3 scoring 223 points to secure second place and the Tesla Model S taking third with 216 points.
The 308 is the fourth Peugeot model to win the award; it comes after the 307 back in 2002, the 405 in 1988 and the 504 all the way back in 1969. It was picked because of its elegant design, strong dynamics and advanced approach to weight reduction.
Yes, even though Europe is where some of the fastest and most luxurious cars on the planet are made, the region’s annual award has tended to highlight efficiency and practicality in recent years. In 2013 it was the humble Volkswagen Golf that took top honors, and for the two prior years electric cars received the award (the Nissan Leaf in 2011 and the Opel Ampera in 2012).
No less than 30 new models, from North American, Korean, European and Japanese manufacturers, were included the voting. To be eligible a car has to be a new vehicle available now or before year’s end in five or more European markets. The car must also have the prospect of at least 5,000 annual sales, thus ruling out many of the exotic supercars the European region is renowned for. Some other contenders this year included the BMW X5, Ford Kuga (Escape) and Jaguar F-Type.
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/15402 | Hi, I’m Mark Gardiner.
I’m a Canadian, although I spent a chunk of my childhood in Switzerland. I now live in Kansas City. I started riding motorcycles -- more accurately, I got my first moped -- in the summer of ’69. There were a few breaks in there, but I’ve basically been riding motorcycles about 40 years and writing about them for about 20 years.
I club-raced in Calgary with the CMRA at Race City, and after moving from the prairies to the maritimes, I raced a few seasons at Loudon with the LLRS. At different times, I raced with WMRRA (Seattle), OMRRA (Portland), AFM (San Francisco), and in the oft-derided AMA Pro Thunder class. But I’m best-known as the guy who quit his job, sold everything he owned, and moved to the Isle of Man to compete in the TT.
That story is told in my memoir Riding Man, and in Peter Riddihough’s great documentary film One Man’s Island. Riding Man is currently in development as a feature film, at Escape Artists, but it’s Hollywood; I’m not holding my breath.
When I returned from Europe, I worked first as a full-time freelancer then as Senior Editor at Motorcyclist, until the embittered old fucks and psychopaths fired me. (I'm over it.) As a journalist, my work has appeared in virtually every major English-language motorcycle magazine, including Cycle World in the U.S., MCN and BIKE in the U.K., and Australian MCN. My stories have also run in France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, and Poland. I currently write a monthly column for the great British magazine Classic Bike, and blog monthly for Motorcycle-USA.com.
I’ve written several other books. Classic Motorcycles is a survey of the cultural on motorcycle design and engineering -- and I just released my Bathroom Book of Motorcycle Trivia. I co-wrote BMW Racing Motorcycles (with ex-Road Racer X editor Laurel Allen). I’m currently shopping around a screenplay based on the real-life ‘Great Escape’ of the British Army team which went to compete in the 1939 ISDT, and had to escape Nazi Austria on their motorcycles when WWII broke out.
On non-motorcycle subjects, I wrote Build a Brand Like Trader Joe’s and a non-fiction novel about fly-fishing called Year of the Raven that earned me $11 in royalties when it was first published but is now available again on Kindle and has pulled in an additional four bucks.
With royalty income like that, you might be surprised to learn that I actually still work. I’m currently the CEO of an advertising consultancy called Revolutionary Old Idea. I live in Hyde Park (near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art) in Kansas City. I’m married to Mary Pinizzotto, a gifted dancer, teacher, coach, and actor. We have a scruffy mutt named Mr. Chubbs.
My Flight!May 8, 2013 at 6:14 AMThis comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDeleteMatt WarburtonJuly 15, 2013 at 11:11 PMHey Mark. Nice to meet you at the TT. Email me if you want to do that interview on the motorcycle stamps. Cheers, Matt WarburtonReplyDeletefouracesAugust 18, 2013 at 7:45 PMHey man, I am a Bonneville Racer and have supervised filming out there on an amateur level. If you need any advice, feel free to contact me [email protected] 10, 2013 at 7:46 AMHi Mark,Hope this email finds you well. I am emailing from one of the leading digital agencies based in London. I am getting in touch with you as I am looking for quality websites such as yours, to place some adverts on your website and would like to know if this is something which would be of interest to you? The placement of our adverts is contextually matched to the content on the page, therefore relevant. Do let me know if you are interested to discuss any partnerships with us as we feel the positioning of your website will have strong benefits for both parties. Please email me back with your thoughts or questions. Kind regards, SylvesterReplyDeleteAdd commentLoad more...
I got that all wrong | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/15912 | Ford, Toyota fight over crown for top-selling car
Detroit: A name makes all the difference in the fight between Ford and Toyota over who has the top-selling car in the world.
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Toyota (L) Ford (R)
Ford on Thursday claimed the crown for its Focus compact during the first half of the year, based on registration data gathered by the RL Polk & Co research firm. The Dearborn, Michigan-based company sold 589,709 Focuses from January through June across the globe, a 20 percent increase over the first half of last year, said Erich Merkle, Ford's top sales analyst. The Focus, according to Ford, beat the perennial No. 2 Toyota Corolla, although Merkle said that he could not release Polk's numbers for the Corolla. A Polk spokeswoman confirmed that the number provided by Ford was accurate, but declined further comment. If the Focus beats Corolla for all of 2013, it would be the second year in a row that Ford lays claim to the top honours. But Toyota disputes Ford's leadership. The Japanese automaker has said that it sold a Corolla hatchback under the Matrix name, and it sells cars that are nearly identical to the Corolla under different names in countries outside the US Ford doesn't tally Toyota's other nameplates in its count. Toyota has contended that if all the other nameplates are added in, the Corolla is the winner. A Toyota spokeswoman said on Thursday that the company disagrees with Ford and is drawing up a response to Ford's claims. Merkle said that the Focus' gains are largely due to China, where sales more than doubled to 202,380 in the first half of the year. A new version of the Focus has been on the market only about a year in China, and it's considered a new product there. But Focus sales aren't as hot in the US, where they're up only 1 percent to 188,654 through September. US sales overall are up more than 8 percent for the first three quarters of the year, according to Autodata Corp. Slow sales of the Focus and the C-Max gas-electric hybrid have caused Ford to plan a two-week shutdown of the Michigan Assembly Plant near Detroit, where both cars are made, during the fourth quarter to control inventory. Corolla's US sales also lag the overall market. They're up 5 percent through September. That's because Toyota had a 5-year-old model on the market until it was replaced recently by a new, sleeker-looking version.
top-selling car
Focus compact | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/16102 | On Eve of U.S.-China Trade Summit, Senators Rev Up Pressure on China to End Trade Barriers that Have Put the Brakes on U.S.-Made Motorcycle Sales
By: Herb Kohl
Bob Casey, Jr.
Date: Dec. 4, 2007 Location: Washington, DC ON EVE OF U.S.-CHINA TRADE SUMMIT, SENATORS REV UP PRESSURE ON CHINA TO END TRADE BARRIERS THAT HAVE PUT THE BRAKES ON U.S.-MADE MOTORCYCLE SALES
American-Built Icon, Harley-Davidson, is Unfairly Shut Out of the Chinese Motorcycle Market In Letter to Administration Officials, Senators Demand Lifting of Chinese Regulations Limiting Biker Access in Urban Areas Senators Call on China to Eliminate Restrictions Impeding Open and Fair Competition
Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) announced they have urged trade and commerce officials to press the Chinese government to remove trade barriers that are effectively preventing American motorcycle companies from competing in China. In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab and Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez, the senators said China should take a visible step towards eliminating the barriers at the upcoming meeting of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT). This round of the annual meetings is set for next week in Beijing.
Despite a two-year presence in the Chinese market, Harley-Davidson's sales in the country are virtually non-existent due to municipal regulations that limit or even ban heavy-duty motorcycle use in urban areas. The rules are just another example of the arbitrary, non-tariff barriers erected by China that have the effect of unfairly limiting access to the Chinese market. Such actions call into question China's compliance with its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization.
"Fair trade must be a two-way street," said Senator Casey. "China's roadblock to Harley-Davidson is unacceptable. There will always be a demand for a classic like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, but artificial barriers are threatening U.S. jobs." "The Chinese market should be a hog heaven for U.S. motorcycle companies, but China's unfair trade practices are slamming the brakes on Harley sales," Senator Schumer said. "Companies like Harley-Davidson should be rewarded for keeping manufacturing jobs here in the U.S., not punished by China's attempts to control the market. The U.S. Government should be going to bat for an American icon like Harley-Davidson. The bottom line is that American-made motorcycles should not be prevented from participating in the Chinese market."
"A premier American-made product like Harley-Davidson motorcycles can compete anywhere in the world based on engineering and design merits, but only if given fair access to the marketplace," Senator Kohl said. "Harley-Davidson is ready to do business worldwide, and we need to eliminate the trade barriers that are preventing their legendary cycles from reaching buyers who want them."
"As we import billions of dollars worth of Chinese products each year, American companies like Harley-Davidson deserve fair access to Chinese markets," Senator McCaskill said. "This is important not only to American jobs, but also to our trade relationship with China."
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson employs 8,500 workers at its plants in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Missouri. In addition to these manufacturing plants, the Goodyear Dunlop tire facility in Buffalo, NY employs 1,300 people. Goodyear Dunlopthe last American manufacturer of motorcycle tiressupplies Harley-Davidson with 100% of its original equipment and replacement tires. These tires are produced solely at the Buffalo facility. Last week, Harley-Davidson experienced a planned shut down of operations at its plants in those three states due to flat sales. Source: http://casey.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=288180 | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/16140 | autobeat daily
Engineering 2014 Acura MDX
Article From: 8/1/2013, Gary S. Vasilash, Editor-in-Chief, Gardner Business Media, Inc.
Here’s a look behind developments that led to the creation of an all-new crossover utility, the third-generation of a vehicle that is critically important to Acura.
Jim Keller, large project leader for the third-generation Acura MDX, and the vehicle that he and his team based in Raymond, Ohio, developed.
What’s notable about this is that area painted purple. It is a hot-stamped, single-piece ring that is engineered to provide safety. The material is HSS 1500. It is thought to be the first stamping of its type in the world.
One issue that needed to be addressed for the third-generation MDX was NVH. This is an example of one of the countermeasures taken to address noise. Those are two of 22 foam inserts that are located throughout the vehicle to help minimize wind noise. The inserts expand (they are show here pre-expanded) when the body goes through the paint bake oven.
The 2014 MDX is longer, lower and narrower than its predecessor. It is also significantly lighter. Yet it still handles seven passengers and provides more cargo volume.
While the crest or shield on the grille of Acura models has been a (controversial) signature for the brand, the headlights—called “Jewel Eye”—are becoming the new sign of Acura, first appearing on the 2014 RLX, and now on the 2014 MDX. In this case, five LEDs are used.
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A key aspect of the development of the 2014 Acura MDX—the third generation of the vehicle, a whole new development for the three-row crossover—is mass reduction. But as Jim Keller, large project leader for the program (i.e., chief engineer), who has been working on the vehicle development since its inception in 2009, explains they worked to reduce mass without adding cost to the vehicle: they avoided doing such things as using “exotic materials.” Yes, they could have gotten to a lower curb weight by using materials other than, by and large, traditional ferrous materials—and they do use some nonferrous, but this use tends to be more judicious rather than across-the-board—but doing so, Keller points out, would have been more costly.
And it’s not like the second generation MDX is particularly chunky in a class that includes vehicles like the Audi Q7, Buick Enclave, and BMW X5. In fact, at 4,500 lb., the 2013 model is lighter than any of those vehicles. But Keller and his crew went at it essentially piece by piece, and reduced the weight of the MDX by 275 lb. The curb weight of a 2013 Q7: 5,192 lb. The curb weight of a 2014 MDX: 4,255 lb.
A delta of 937 lb.
Pretty much everything went on the scale during the development program. “Even little parts,” Keller says, and explains that there is often a tendency for the smaller components in a vehicle to pass through the mesh of what gets serious attention. So what happens is that there is a multitude of parts that receive less rethinking and possible redesign, and given that there is a great number of those parts, an ounce here and an ounce there adds up to excess weight.
“Not everyone does an FEA for every component in a car,” Keller says, adding that this was also the case with the MDX—but then he points out that they actually did more quick finite element analyses (through a program resident in CATIA) on more parts than is generally the norm. The major structures, of course, underwent rigorous analyses as they developed the new platform for the vehicle.
What’s more, they went at the redesign of the components in a way that is certainly out of the mainstream: engineers from one function looked at parts from entirely another area. He cites as an example a bracket used to mount audio components: chassis engineers examined the design and helped reduce the mass of the part. Keller calls the approach “cross pollination.” This was something of an ad hoc approach, not a regimented process. It was largely a case of someone who might have been working on how to support a suspension component looking at how an electronic component was being held in place, which undoubtedly gave rise to questions as to “Why do you do it like that?” But relative informality notwithstanding, Keller says that it helped achieve the goals they were trying to reach.
And as previously indicated, materials played a large role in the weight reduction efforts, as well. And, yes, they do use some materials that don’t have Fe in their chemistry.
The car has a magnesium steering hanger beam that goes across the car from side to side beneath the skin of the instrument panel. It replaces an aluminum structure. The aluminum was light. But this is lighter. What’s more, Keller says the aluminum structure consisted of a variety of extrusions, stampings and castings, some 26 pieces in all, which had to be put in a jig and welded. The magnesium structure consists of three castings that are assembled. One of the three is necessary in order to provide accessibility to the passenger-side airbag for maintenance or repair. (He also notes that this magnesium beam is but the second in Honda production, with the first being for the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. In 2012, there were five Claritys moved; there were 50,854 MDXs sold last year.) The weight savings for the magnesium beam vs. the aluminum: 7.5 lb.
While there is the use of aluminum for the hood, engine, and front lower control arms, the use of high-strength steel for the body-in-white is significant: 59% of the total mass compared with 25% for the 2013 MDX. This represents a weight save of 123 lb.
The materials used for the body-in-white include:
• HSS 340: 4%
• HSS 590: 31%
• HSS 1500: 7%
As for the remainder:
• Mild steel: 36%
• Magnesium: 2%
• Aluminum: 3%
One interesting aspect of the body-in-white is the front door stiffener rings. Each ring—which makes up the A- and B-pillars, roof rail section, and lower frame area—is a single hot-stamped component. It is thought to be the first such deployment anywhere. The reason behind the ring is to enhance safety.
While on the subject of safety: the 2014 MDX uses the second-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure, which is engineered to provide occupant protection and crash compatibility with other vehicles in frontal crashes through a network of structural body components such that in the event of a collision, there are engineered paths for crash energy management. Keller says that they designed the structure not only to meet present regulations and requirements from non-government agencies (e.g., the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), but for those that are likely to be in place in the future.
Keller says there were four primary areas that he and his team addressed in developing this all–new platform—and this is the first time that a specific platform has been developed for the MDX, with the previous models being based on the same platform used for the Odyssey minivan: “We wanted it to be safe yet light, sporty yet refined,” he says, adding, “We pushed the boundaries for all four; usually it would be just two or three.”
The 2014 MDX features an i-VTEC 3.5-liter, 24-valve. 60° V6 engine with direct injection and Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology. This engine has the same architecture as the engine found in the 2014 Acura RLX sedan. The engine in the RLX is the first deployment of direct injection in an Acura vehicle; this is the second.
The 2014 MDX is the first MDX to use VCM, which allows the engine to operate on six or three cylinders, based on engine load. Due to the nature of shutting off cylinders, 28-Volt active control engine mounts and active noise cancelation are deployed to counteract the effects of vibration and noise.
The i-VTEC system—intelligent-Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control—changes the lift profile, timing and duration of the intake valves predicated on engine operating conditions for purposes of optimizing the performance of the engine, low rpms or high.
The block and heads are aluminum. The block has spin-cast cast iron cylinder liners. The heads feature a “tumble port” design for more homogeneously mixing the air and the fuel for better combustion. Exhaust manifolds are cast into each head to not only reduce weight and parts counts, but to help optimize the location of the close-coupled catalyst.
The transmission is a six-speed automatic with Sequential Sport Shift; the transmission can be controlled by the console mounted shifter or steering wheel-mounted paddles.
For the first time, the MDX is offered with front-wheel drive standard for the simple reason that in many markets, all-wheel drive—even the optional Acura Super Handling All-Wheel Drive—isn’t all that necessary. In addition to which, the front-wheel drive vehicle has an EPA-estimated 20/28/23 (city/highway/combined) mpg fuel economy, which bests the AWD by 2 mpg in the city and 1 mpg on the highway.
Even though the 2014 MDX is (comparatively) light, it is also (comparatively) big. It is 193.6-in. long (2-in. longer than the 2013 model), 77.2-in. wide, and 66.7-in. high (both lower and narrower than its predecessor).
The MDX features an electric power steering system—the last one has a hydraulic system—with a larger diameter, one-piece steering shaft (30 mm from 22 mm). The steering system is highly beneficial in both low- and high-speed conditions; the steering ratio is 9% faster than the previous setup. The increased size of the steering shaft reduces vibrations. All of this contributes to improved maneuverability.
The new platform features a new suspension system. In the front, there is a strut-type system with forged-aluminum lower control arms. The rear is a multilink design with a tubular stabilizer bar; its control arms are steel. One interesting aspect of the rear suspension is that it has a compact design and the forward trailing arm that’s used for the 2013 MDX has been eliminated. Consequently, the vehicle’s floor is lowered by 1.8-in. and accessibility to the third row has been improved.
The MDX, which is being produced by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln (where the engines are also manufactured), was styled at the Acura Design Studio in Torrance, California. The theme that the designers pursued was “Executive Aero Sculpture,” which essentially means that they wanted to provide something upscale for the seven-passenger vehicle and to make it as sleek as practical.
The MDX was the first vehicle to be developed using the 40%-scale wind tunnel that Honda operates in Raymond, Ohio.
Because the vehicle is lower (by 1.5 in.) and narrower (by 1.3 in.) compared with the 2013 model, the frontal area is 2% smaller. That and a variety of countermeasures and improvements—from side mirror design to air flow through the engine compartment—results in an 18% improvement in aero efficiency.
Not only does the MDX have an engine that is directly related to the RDX, but it also has a Jewel Eye LED headlight approach similar to the sedan. In this case, each side of the vehicle has an array with five LEDs that are covered by a composite lens and chrome surround. The LEDs not only act as daytime running lights, but the three outer LEDs are used as the low-beam headlamps and the two inner LEDs are the high beams.
Contemporaneity
Jan Moore, MDX senior product planner, is fairly blunt about the place of the MDX in a market segment that has some capable competitors. Although the MDX was the first seven-passenger luxury crossover back in 2001 (when it received both the North American Truck of the Year and Motor Trend SUV of the Year awards), and while the second-generation (2007) MDX has been well received in the market, that was then, and customers buy now. Things had to change. And they did.
She points out that surveys indicate that people like the package, perform-ance, utility (5,000 lb. towing capacity), and the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive of the second-generation model. But people weren’t so keen on the materials used on the interior, the required steering effort, NVH, and the accessibility and leg room in the third row. And there were, Moore points out, some things that were lacking. Like pushbutton start. Remote start. Parking sensors. And a 2WD model for those in the Sunbelt states.
As indicated, Keller and his team addressed these issues, from the steering to the accessibility. They added the pushbutton start and the sensors. And the 2WD model.
In one regard, one could say that they checked all the boxes. That they ran the analyses and created the spider charts, they made the assessments of where the MDX was in relation to the competitors and the regulations, they made the determinations of where they needed to bring the third-generation model and how they’d get there.
And they did. Search | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/16327 | Home > Cars > Review: Hey stud, forget the Lamborghini, AMG’s… Review: Hey stud, forget the Lamborghini, AMG’s SLS GT is the gentleman’s sportscar By
Davis Adams
Folks toss around words like “supercar” and “exotic” interchangeably when it comes to the ultra-fast/luxurious/expensive end of the automotive spectrum. But, we’re not sure who’s responsible for classifying these models or why some cars make the cut and others don’t.
Sure, a Lamborghini or Ferrari will land pretty squarely in the bucket, but what about cars with subtler styling? Aston Martin? Bentley? Maserati? Even some of the upper-end Porsche 911s have the price tag to match, despite looking like every other Carrera on the road. Whether it’s price, performance or exclusivity, it seems like everyone has a different measuring stick for “exotic.”
So, when the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Roadster arrived in the garage, we debated back and forth about how to label it. The base price on the GT coupe is just $500 shy of the $200,000 threshold, and the roadster starts at $206,000. A well-optioned SLS AMG GT Roadster can exceed $258,000, but the not-so-exotic SL65 AMG costs well over $200,000, too. Conundrum.
What’s New After just two short model years, the SLS AMG has been replaced with a slightly more powerful, slightly higher-tech version for 2013, the SLS AMG GT. The same 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 powers the SLS GT, making it one of the last cars to keep the big engine, despite the option of swapping for AMG’s 5.5-liter turbocharged V8.
This year, power is bumped up to 583 horsepower over last year’s 563, a result of tuning the engine’s spray, spark and timing for more efficient combustion. Torque remains unchanged at 479 lb-ft, which is enough to keep your head pinned against the seat all the way through fourth gear. There’s still not a manual option, leaving the same seven-speed dual-clutch automatic in place from previous models. The transmission’s software receives an upgrade intended to quicken the shift times, especially in manual mode.
For the sake of comparison, the Ferrari 458 Italia produces 562 horsepower and 398 lb-ft of torque. Just sayin’.
The suspension in the SLS GT is upgraded, too. Gone is last year’s Adaptive Suspension, exchanged for the AMG Adaptive Performance Suspension. Comfort mode remains just as relaxed as past models, but switching the car into Sport or Sport+ gives you an even stiffer suspension with sharper handling.
With exception to the tuned-up sport modes and more aggressive engine, there aren’t really any surprises when it comes to drivers’ technologies in the SLS. Yes, there’s navigation, heated and cooled seats and satellite radio. And yes, there are driving aides like blind spot detection and adaptive cruise control, but for $250,000, those technologies are expectations, not surprises. The one “fun” technology bit in the car comes with the AMG gauge screen, selectable from the console, that displays engine temperatures, lap times, G-forces and other performance metrics for the track.
Plain-Jane Supermodel
For a car enthusiast, getting your hands on a model like the SLS is a dream–a fantasy–that most will never experience. We combed over every nuance, from the GT’s new smoked headlights to its stunning Designo interior with respect, appreciation and trace amounts of drool. So, it came as a surprise to us exactly how little other folks noticed us on the road while driving the GT.
Maybe it’s because we were riding around in a white car, rather than something green, orange or yellow. Maybe our exhaust note was too much like a muscle car’s and not enough like a motorcycle’s. Either way, we didn’t find people circling the car at gas stations, racing us at stoplights or even cornering us in parking lots to talk about it.
It feels like a gentleman’s sports car, and you feel attractive, rather than ridiculous while behind the wheel.
Perhaps this is where the SLS GT really loses the most “exotic” points: it just looks too much like a Mercedes. There’s no question that the car is insanely fast, tremendously sporty or wicked expensive, but it just doesn’t look like other cars with the same profile. A couple folks mentioned that they had “never seen that Mercedes before,” and another even asked us if it was an SLK. But, upon hearing that our particular roadster had a price tag of $234,000, we were met with the same question over and over, “That Benz costs how much?”
Now, before we go dismissing this car as not exciting or distinguished enough to justify the sticker price, hold your horses. Because it’s worth every penny – to the right buyer, anyway. If flash-factor is what you’re looking for in your next exotic sports car, this isn’t the right car for you. Whether it’s that it looks too much like the other Mercedes convertibles or that there haven’t been enough Super Bowl ads promoting it, the average John Doe and Jane Smith just aren’t familiar with the SLS.
However, if you’re the kind of shopper who wants to quietly appreciate ultimate engineering and conservative, yet immaculate design, it’s worth a look. It leaves us thinking that Lamborghini Gallardos are for rock stars, and SLS GTs are for investment bankers.
Behind the Wheel Slipping into the driver’s seat in the convertible Roadster is easier to accomplish than in its Gullwing brother, which makes life a little more difficult. That car requires a little more of a duck-and-grab motion to get seated. Regardless, the Roadster’s seat is both plush and supportive, and it’s comfortable for drivers up to about six-foot two-inches tall. Push the start button, and the car roars to life with one of the sexiest exhaust notes in business. Where most exotics sound high-pitched and tinny, a la sporty motorcycles or a Le Mans cars, the SLS makes a deep, boat-like burble at idle and barks and backfires on downshifts. It’s fantastic.
In “Comfort” mode, the car is relaxed and gentle, and it doesn’t really drive much differently than its less-expensive SL sibling. If we’re comparing the available settings, moving the drive select into “Sport” turns the SLS into a muscle car with tons of available power, while turning it all the way up to “Sport+” essentially makes the car track-ready by keeping the revs high. There’s also a “Manual” mode that requires the use of the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The dual-clutch transmission responds about as quickly as you can consider touching the paddles, and this is the most rewarding way to drive the car if you’re looking to play.
The SLS has exceptional balance, despite the fact that the cabin essentially sits on the rear axle. While the hood feels a mile long, the engine is pushed far enough back to keep the weight mostly centered. That’s offset by putting the transmission behind the seats, too, which distributes the weight in a way that makes the car predictable, rather than wily. Selecting the performance setting on the suspension also helps stiffen everything up for twisty roads or track use.
So, what do you get when you spend nearly a quarter-million dollars on a Mercedes instead of a rarer breed of vehicle? The SLS ends up feeling like it has a similar personality to a Chevy Corvette, but with every possible aspect improved 300 times over. You get one the most handsome, distinctive, monstrous cars on the road today, but you also get an extensive dealer network to back your purchase. That means you can order it without having to drive to a major city, and you can have the car serviced without shipping it off to the nearest exotic dealer several states away.
No, the SLS GT isn’t as flashy as many of the other cars in its class, but we’re ok with that. In fact, we almost prefer it. It feels like a gentleman’s sports car, and you feel attractive, rather than ridiculous while behind the wheel. It’s a different emotional experience for the money than your standard supercar, but it’s one that we feel like you could live with every day, instead of only on the weekends.
Simple, driver-centric interior
Deep, manly exhaust
Daily drivability
Stealth-mode styling
Doesn’t feel like an exotic
Doesn’t fit tall drivers Next | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/17801 | ZFPartnersSocial Media: « » ZF became an official series partner of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2014 and is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology as well as active and passive safety technology. The company acquired TRW Automotive on May 15, 2015, which was then integrated within the organization as the Active & Passive Safety Technology Division. The combined company reported sales of €29.2 billion in 2015 and now has a global workforce of around 135.000 employees with approximately 230 locations in some 40 countries. ZF annually invests approximately five percent of its sales in Research & Development (€1.4 billion in 2015) ensuring continued success through the design and engineering of innovative technologies. ZF is one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide.
Today’s product range includes driveline and chassis technology such as transmissions, driveline and chassis components, hybrid systems as well as complete axle systems and modules. ZF products are used in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, construction and agricultural machinery, rail vehicles and marine applications. The company also focuses on the wind power and electronic components business. In addition, ZF Services represents the Group on the international aftermarket.
In international motorsports, ZF is one of the biggest suppliers of high-tech clutches and shock absorbers worldwide. Customers range from Formula 1, World Rally Championship and Rally Dakar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and touring and sports car championships in Europe (DTM), Japan (Super GT), Australia (V8 Supercars) and the United States (IMSA WeatherTech Championship).
The “Motion and Mobility” slogan clearly states the company’s core mission: Right from its foundation, ZF has developed and manufactured innovative products for all people around the globe who want to move things reliably, comfortably, and safely, and experience the ultimate in efficient mobility. Quality, technological leadership, and innovative power have always defined the Group’s identity – today as much as ever.
The partnership with the WeatherTech Championship enables ZF to focus their North American motorsports efforts toward the further development of the sports car series, helping establish a firm presence and increased awareness of the ZF brand in North America. ZF’s popular Race Reporter program, which has previously taken fans behind the scenes in Germany and Japan, will be succeeded by the ZF Dream Jobs program in the United States for the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech Championship season. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/19307 | Nissan’s Brexit ultimatum a sign of United Kingdom auto industry concerns
When asked about remarks by the chief executive of Nissan, who said on Thursday he would halt new investment in Britain without a pledge of compensation for tariffs imposed on UK-built cars in the event of a hard Brexit, Speth said: “We are the only auto manufacturer in the United Kingdom to do all the work in terms of research, design, engineering, production planning in the UK”.
“I’m going to have to make a deal with the United Kingdom government”, he said, adding that he would be looking for compensation if his company’s tax regime became less favourable or cross-border duties had to be paid once Britain left the European Union.
The Sunderland plant has been a powerhouse for Nissan over the years. The site produces Nissan’s Qashqai, Note, Juke and Leaf models.
Nissan has said it wants Britain to pledge compensation for any extra taxes resulting from its decision to leave the European Union, or they could scrap potential new investment.
“If 85 percent has to pay trade duties it will be very, very tough but we want to stay committed to the United Kingdom business and our factory in the United Kingdom”, he said.
“The challenge for all of us in the United Kingdom is to stay competitive because 85 percent of our production from the United Kingdom plant is exported to continental Europe”, Didier Leroy said.
If Britain failed to conclude a free trade deal with the rest of the European Union and was forced to fall back on basic World Trade Organisation rules, British vehicle exporters could face tariffs of up to 10 per cent. He said: “We like our presence in the UK”.
But the next line of cars could be built at other plants across the EU.
“Then what we need is free trade”, Jean Marc Streng, Honda’s general manager for Europe, told the BBC. “That’s what we have said to the British government”.
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/19553 | John's Stuff - Toyota Prius Personal Log 551Prius Personal Log #551
Last Updated: Fri. 2/17/2012
page #550 page #552 BOOK INDEX 2-15-2012
The End Is Near, excitement. Being able to step back from the Volt fallout and look only at PHV is a challenge. After all, the typical will only give you 20 to 30 seconds to point out differences when the opportunity presents itself among random conversation. Comparing plug-in to no-plug is even harder, since most people are aware of what Prius offers in the first place. That's sad but true. With priorities balanced so well, it doesn't stand out as much as Volt. Heck, there isn't even much of a stir about price. So, a question like this was quite reasonable: "Is it my imagination or do I just not quite feel the same excitement over the Plug In Prius?" That makes sense. PHV is debuting with an existing model, not a next generation. So the only part that changing is the basically most use of the electric motor. That puts focus entirely on MPG, which there are only samples of. Release of official EPA estimates hasn't even happened yet. It does feel a bit subdued from the observer point of view. In a few weeks, that will all change. But for now, it was just this: That's called effective expectation management. In other words, the underwhelming outcome of Volt following such extreme hype has caused people to wait, rather than allowing anticipation to build upon uncertainty. Look at all the rhetoric already. PHV is causing quite a stir on the other side, even if you aren't seeing it here. The excitement will grow later, from real-world data. It will resemble what happened with the Classic model. We're basically starting with a fresh perspective, not knowing what to expect beyond the reputation for reliability.
The End Is Near, what happens? Today, a constructive question caught my attention: "What happens after the tax credits go away?" That's something to really get me animated. There isn't much to actually say though. With so much disregard for MSRP, it would just fall on deaf ears. We've heard so many cost analysis reports that automatically deduct the subsidy, it makes you wonder if any of the published ones don't. I can't recall seeing any like that. They all look exclusively at the situation in 2012 only. I chimed in regardless. Time flies by so quickly anyway, they'll have no excuse not to address the question and this will add to the proof that it's been asked many times already. So, the message was: We've already had several examples in history where next generation expectations proved much more challenging than expected... IMA, BAS, Two-Mode. Not delivering enough of an efficiency improvement combined with not enough of a cost reduction is a very real problem. Focus may be on the immediate situation, but it's that next step which will really be bittersweet. How in the world will Volt appeal to the people who would otherwise just purchase a Malibu or Cruze?
The End Is Near, focus. We know that the promotion of Volt is now all about being an EV. The attempt to be a plug-in hybrid didn't work out. It's too bad there was more interest in having a standout vehicle than supporting something with the potential to become so common, it hardly gets noticed. Oh well. Success isn't always about being in the spotlight. Becoming ubiquitous is actually self-deprecating. But that's what the ultimate goal is with anything vying to turn into a standard. Years of study to deliver what's needed rather than what's wanted doesn't get most people excited. In fact, that type of return is typically mocked. It's like how being "green" is being transformed into a political stereotype, making it acceptable to dismiss & avoid. Needless to say, I had little to say about today's spin. I just responded with: Saying the same things over and over again is staying focused, not losing sight of priorities. Meanwhile, how Voltec is actually "superior" remains a mystery. What are the goals? This topic reminds us about the importance of sales… needed soon.
The End Is Near, debates. Attempts to exploit a perceived weakness just prior to rollout is nothing new for Prius. In fact, we've been able to gauge how much the competitor supporters fear success of the newest model by how much rhetoric comes about. We find their arguments quickly fall apart when pressed for detail. Their hope is to create new misconceptions are squashed surprisingly quick. It's just a matter of having enough real-world data available. Arguments on paper are typically way too generalized, which we easily poke holes through once getting behind the wheel. Heck, that backfired for Volt enthusiasts several times already. Their estimates of gas usage were way off. Implementation results can be bittersweet. Fortunately for us, Toyota was smart by handing over fobs to ordinary people for long-term testing in uncontrolled environments... in other words, everyday traffic rather than only short drives in coned off parking lots as with Volt. That provided for realistic expectations to be set, instead of allowing hype to confuse & mislead. So, I'm certainly not going to worry about heated debates arising.
The End Is Near, EV traits. With PHV so close, it was interesting to see the question about some switching to Volt instead being asked. On the big Prius forum, you do get fairly constructive feedback from Volt owners. And who could resist asking for more information with the following listed as his top three factors against PHV: "Can't go faster than 62mph EV, can't accelerate full throttle EV, doesn't go 35-46 miles EV". So, I asked: Do you think the typical consumer will care about any of those particulars? The appeal of Prius has been outstanding MPG. The plug will greatly increase that. We haven't actually heard requests for EV purity. That's really only been promotion from GM enthusiasts. The simple approach of adding a plug to enhance the hybrid system makes it easy to understand. The benefit outlet-provided electricity provides is increased efficiency. You choose it as a package option. You still get a large cargo area, which is more practical than Volt since it's flush rather than sunken. It's larger too. You'll have an ordinary bumper in back available for supporting a bike rack, unlike Volt. And you there's 2 more inches of legroom for the rear seat than Volt. You get a back wiper too (very handy in areas where it snows), which Volt doesn't offer either. It makes you wonder who will be interested in Volt beyond EV supporters. Those with really short and really long drives will be drawn to the Prius PHV. It's the ones in the middle who will ponder whether it's a good choice or not. Price will be a factor for all. And fortunately, being able to reduce production-cost to offset the tax-credit prior to it expiring is fairly realistic. So, there isn't much question about it's future. PHV will improve as Prius itself improves, and all the models will continue to appeal to the masses.
The End Is Near, greenwashing. It gets tiring to read article after article with incorrect & misleading information. Today, it was stating the original estimates for PHV, not the higher ones was from last week. With that being such big news, how could the updates have been excluded? Then there was mention of the $7,500 tax-credit that "makes up for the price difference" of Volt. You're led to believe PHV doesn't qualify for anything, because there was nothing pointing out the $2,500 for it. Instead, that $7,500 was repeated later followed by "erases the price difference". And of course, there's the capacity reference. Rather than the official 25-50 for Volt range, it was stated as 35-50. Where do that come from? When the typical person encounters information like that, they have no idea what just took place. Subtle stuff doesn't often get noticed. And when it does, you have no idea if the person was just a reporter who didn't actually study the topic or if some of it was intentional. Remember what started this whole mess? It was those "leapfrog" hype. Rather than coming up with something competitive, it would be "vastly superior". Dealing with such a goal unfulfilled results in this type of outcome. I see it as greenwashing, since I notice the pattern and the lack of effort to actually verify facts.
The End Is Near, unfortunate. We've stumbled across several Volt owners & enthusiasts now who weren't well informed about what the plug-in Prius will offer. Some made assumptions. Others didn't realize their information was outdated or incomplete. There were a few that jumped to conclusions too. But what really bothers me is when the intention was sincere and they convey those "facts" to others. It's how misconceptions come about, which are very difficult to debunk later. Fortunately, we do have new resources at our disposal now, like being able to share video online. Anywho, it was this comment today: "I was told the PiP prototypes drove pretty close to a 2011 except for the difference in EV range and top speed (which I got to experience in the conversion)." I replied with: That's unfortunate to hear. You weren't told the whole story. PHV is able to draw & utilize more electricity than the 2011. The value we've seen is 38 kW instead of 27 kW. That means you'll get more power while EV driving, not just a faster top speed. In other words, PHV delivers a new level of acceleration and hill-climbing performance beyond the 2011 model.
The End Is Near, oil & gas. The price of gas is likely to play a major role in acceptance of any plug-in vehicle. Watching the weekly closing price for a barrel of oil over the past month, we see: $98.33 three weeks ago, $99.56
two weeks ago, $97.84 last week, $98.67 this week. It appears to have stabilized just under $100. How long will it stay there? For my area of the country, that price for oil translates to $3.39 per gallon for gas. For others, that means another 30 to 40 cents more. It's at the level previously considered intolerable. In fact, that caused panic for some. Of course, they were probably driving monster-sized SUVs back then. Having switched to a much more efficient traditional vehicle would have relieved that situation. So, what does all that mean for plug-in hybrids? My experience tells me that the must be competitively priced. As important as cost-to-operate can be, that's not the biggest purchase factor for many. They focus heavily on purchase price. That's why the approach of offering the plug in terms of a package choice for Prius has been so important. With that approach, the premium is considered separately... just like any other upgrade. It aligned engineering design with the way people actually buy cars. And with the way people change their view of the price of gas, that makes more sense than a 5-year analysis report.
The End Is Near, leases. Taking the time to think through all the factors of influence, you sometimes have a revelation. That did indeed happen in this case. Sales have been lower than expected for Volt. But when you look at the detail, you discover a chunk of them weren't even to consumers. They were fleet purchases by businesses. I hadn't occurred to me to look even deeper until today. Turns out, the consumer sales themselves are not all what they appear to be. GM offered a killer lease deal, $350 per month for 3 years. The catch was annual mileage was limited to 10,000 miles. With distance that short, it helps to ensure most of the driving will be with EV... resulting in "owners" who report extremely high MPG. That got me curious. Sure enough, 3 of the 5 frequent posters with a Volt on the big Prius forum had indeed leased rather than purchase. The other 2 hadn't revealed their decision. The founder of the daily blog for Volt did though. His was a 3-year lease as well. Doing more search, I found that others had been able to negotiate a lease with a 12,000-mile annual limit for a high monthly charge... which still keeps them within EV threshold. Whatever the circumstances, it's easy to see that the market will have consumer-lease and fleet-purchase Volts available for sale within 3 years. What will they be valued at then? And does that indicate anything about market confidence now knowing that sales aren't actually what they appeared to be?
The End Is Near, need. Long story short, we've seen this all before. It's panic just prior to the rollout of a new vehicle with much higher sales potential. The plug & capacity PHV provides is a natural step forward, very easy to understand, enhancing the abilities Prius already offers. There's not much new, just much higher MPG for those who would otherwise purchase a Camry or Corolla or Prius. The same buyers were targeted for Volt, but things went horribly wrong along the way. Management followed want rather than sticking to need. Now they have an appealing niche and nothing to sell to the mainstream. So basically, anything I say will be met with resentment for being correct about keeping focus on need. Fortunately, the message is still being heard, even if their reaction is rude & misleading. That's easy to confirm when you hear others outside the GM blogs & forums agreeing with the need importance. Waiting years for something that may not even be competitive then isn't a good plan. This must end and a realistic solution emerge quickly.
The End Is Near, defense. The favorite excuse to not acknowledge the problem is to blame someone else, saying they have an agenda and they are causing the problem. For me, they hear "Prius" no matter what I say: Claiming that motive is in defense of Prius doesn't work anymore. Over time, it has become easy to see how some intensely some fear the watering down of Volt. Reducing the size of the battery-pack to offer an affordable model of Volt to choose from is treated as if that would destroy all that had been worked for. So much effort has been focused on outperforming the competition, other vehicles within GM's own product line ended up becoming the biggest challenge to overcome. You can't place blame on Prius owners for that. Notice how GM won't be offering either the hatchback or the wagon versions of Cruze in the United States. That doesn't make any sense knowing that both types are becoming quite popular here. Those looking for a fuel-efficient replacement for their SUV wouldn't consider a Cruze sedan if there's a version with a larger cargo area. Then the step down to a compact is a bit more appealing. So, GM is hoping they'll end up buying a Volt instead by limiting choice. Is it that only Prius owners are well aware of all the other issues still to deal with following rollout? We're the ones pointing out how mainstream purchase priorities don't match what Volt currently offers. We're the ones pointing out the misconceptions associated with hybrids & plug-ins. We're the ones reminding Volt owners & enthusiasts that traditional vehicles are the true concern. We also see that becoming mainstream means becoming ordinary.
The End Is Near, comments. I've been saving this message for the right now, which seems to be now. It was a comment posted about one my recent drive videos, which made no sense... because it didn't actually match what the video itself showed. I certainly wasn't accelerating slow. You could clearly see that by the speed displayed on the speedometer. This person obviously felt threatened by seeing the world change. Knowing some with money are choosing Prius must really hurt, losing interest in the horsepower this person clearly prefers. I find it fascinating how some just plain don't care, how they justify low MPG with weak reasoning and sometimes no reason at all. They know the end is near. They know gas prices are rising. They want someone to blame. In this case, it was me. Check this out the following. Even with the profanity censored, it's easy to see the attitude conveyed: "WOW, no wonder I ****ing hate Prius drivers in front of me. Sitting there with 250+ hp, getting 25+ mpg, and stuck behind some *****ing ****** missing every ****ing light because it takes him the length of the ****ing block to accelerate. ****ing thereby missing every *** **** green light. ****ing Prius owners need to stay the **** in the right ****ing lane or move the **** over. *** **** you and your 45, 50, 55 mpg. The only people who are concerned with gas mileage are people who can't afford it." | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/19647 | NAFTC Adds Leaf and Plug-In Prius to Electric Drive Vehicle Training Aids
The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) recently acquired two new vehicles, a 2013 Nissan Leaf and a 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In hybrid. These vehicles will serve as additional training aids to enhance the NAFTC Electric Drive Automotive Technician Training and new Electric Drive Vehicle Infrastructure Training.
A 2013 Nissan Leaf and 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In hybrid will be used as training aids in upcoming NAFTC electric drive vehicle trainings. Credit: NAFTC.
NAFTC Assistant Director Curricula and Training Micheal Smyth elaborates, “Students in the NAFTC electric drive vehicle courses will be able to work with a wider variety of electric drive vehicles. The NAFTC already had a Toyota Prius hybrid and a plug-in (extended range) Chevy Volt, along with a cutaway Prius for students to see and work with. Adding the Leaf and Prius Plug-In to the mix allows automotive technician students to get hands on experience with additional technologies. Students who attend the infrastructure training can benefit by seeing the different charging components and equipment for a wider variety of vehicle models.”
The Leaf, Prius Plug-In hybrid, and other NAFTC electric drive vehicles will be available at electric drive vehicle trainings at the NAFTC headquarters in Morgantown, WV and at other locations around the country.
The Nissan Leaf is a 100% pure electric vehicle with a 4kWh rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The Leaf averages about 75 miles from a single charge.
The Toyota Prius Plug-In is a plug-in hybrid with a 4.4 kWh rechargeable lithium ion battery. . The Prius Plug-In can operate in EV mode, which has an all-electric range of 11 miles. After running out of electric charge, the Prius Plug-In will automatically shift into hybrid mode.
Additionally, the new Leaf and Prius Plug-in will be displayed at conferences, trade shows, and outreach events attended by the NAFTC. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/19741 | Monday Memories- The amazing, Buick Powered Norman Timbs Special
Our Monday Memory this weeks is a quick recap of what is perhaps the coolest car that you've never heard of- the Norman Timbs Special. Mr. Timbs was n automotive designer who worked on some pretty cool projects like racing cars and the ill -fated Tucker, but he also had his own ideas about what a car should look like and wasn't afraid to put them into action. Working in his own garage, he created this incredible one of a kind mid-engined speedster out of hand formed aluminum over a steel tube frame.
Starting with drawing, he created 1/4 scale models and worked his way up to a full sized wooden body buck from which he shaped the aluminum panels, which he welded together and mounted the body to a tube frame he had made from aircraft tubing. The drive train he chose was a Buick straight eight engine which was mounted behind the driver's seat. The rear streamlined section of the body was hinged to allow access to the running gear. The overall car was over 17 1/2 feet long but weighed only about 2500 pounds.
The car, which cost about $10,000 to build, was featured in many magazines including the October, 1949 issue of Motor Trend. By 1954, it appeared on the cover of Motor Life, now painted white and under different ownership.
The the car disappeared for many years. It turns out that it was stored outside in the desert for many years and was all but forgotten. The good news is while the car was highly weathered from neglect, it was nonetheless still 90% original and largely intact.
The current owner, Gary Cerveny of Malibu, bought the car at a Barrett-Jackson Auction at the Petersen Auto Museum in 2002. It was in very complete unrestored condition with few modifications from new. He undertook a complete Concours quality restoration at Custom Auto in Loveland, CO to bring the special back to its exact original specification. The car was completed in December of 2009.
This year the car was invited to the prestigious Pebble beach Concours to compete in their Sport Custom class for American Custom built postwar creations. We're pleased to report that the Special won Best In Class. Congratulations to Gary and Diane Cerveny. It's a lovely car with a heart of a Buick underneath. Posted by
Buick engine,
Norman Timbs Special,
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/19901 | Chrysler Group LLC changes name to FCA US LLC, Italy unit becomes FCA Italy SpA
Article by Christian A., on December 18, 2014 The name “Chrysler Group LLC” is now nothing but a memory. This came after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles disclosed that it Chrysler Group is now legally known as FCA US LLC. Fiat Chrysler also disclosed that Fiat Group Automobiles SpA is now known as FCA Italy SpA. The new name effectively removes the name of founder Walter P. Chrysler from the company.
Fiat Chrysler said in a statement that the name change does not affect Chrysler Group’s base location in Auburn Hills, Michigan, its holdings, management team, board or brands. The company added that FCA US LLC “remains proud of its joint heritage” and that the company continues to “build upon the solid foundations” set by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 and a “rich Fiat heritage that dates from 1899.”
The name change also does not affect the names of its US brands -- Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo – as well as their marketing efforts. Ed Garsten, FCA US’s head of digital media, explained in the company’s Web site that the name change is part of the changes underway since Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was created in October.
He noted that despite the change, FCA US’s commitment to quality, style, performance and service hasn’t changed. He added that the new name reflects FCA US’s in the new company.
However, it is not only Chrysler that is losing its name, but also Fiat, which stands for “Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino” or “Italian Auto Factory Turin."
The company said the change was made to emphasize the fact that all Group companies globally are part of a single organization. Other Group companies in other operating regions will also have their names changed.
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2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/20216 | Home » Ferrari
Ferrari F150 to debut in February
on January 16, 2013 in Ferrari, News Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo has hinted the public debut of the F150 has been set for February.
The Italian based automaker Ferrari hasn’t chosen the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in order to unveil its latest supercar, the F150, and the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, which will open its gates in March, had also been left aside for the public debut of the model, which should see daylight for the first time in February, as the company’s chairman, Luca di Montezemolo, hinted in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport.
As a quick reminder, the Ferrari F15 will be powered by a 6.3 liter V12 engine, an upgraded version of the one used on the F12 Berlinetta, which will produce more than 750 HP (559 kW), compared to the 731 HP (545 kW) in the F12 Berlinetta, which will be backed up by an electric motor to provide an extra 100 HP (74 kW) and 270 Nm of torque (200 lb-ft). The Ferrari F150 is the official successor of the iconic Enzo. dAditional details on the Ferrari F150 are limited for the moment and will be announced once the supercar will be unveiled.
Source: Auto Motor und Sport | 汽车 |
2017-17/1341/en_head.json.gz/20440 | By Brian Smith
Don Petrone and his 1953 Dodge ambulance.Paolo Vescia
The fact that the Korean War-era ambulance is lumbering along well below the posted speed limit is causing the motorist behind us to become irate as all hell. You can always tell when a driver's tweaked: His head is invariably tipped back and askew, his mouth works out all the insults, the car takes unpredictable aim, and it's all easily spotted in the rearview. Over the next half-mile, the gunmetal silver SUV has attempted to pass us several times, each time jerking suddenly back into our slipstream. The rush-hour traffic in the adjacent lane is too dense and unwavering to let the SUV slide in. "At 35 miles per hour, you've got to take your time," says the ambulance's owner, Don Petrone, with nary a trace of irony. "There's plenty of time to see everything."Not all drivers regard the olive-drab hulk with disdain. Some, according to Petrone, hit the car horns or wave madly at the sight of the thing. And it is a sight. The beast with the Red Cross markings has a dull, almost dark presence on the road. Nothing on it shines, there's no chrome."It means different things to different people," says Petrone. "Some people I've met have memories of having ridden in one of these after having been injured in battle. For them it's not the best memory." Upcoming Events
Petrone's 1953 Dodge ambulance doesn't go a lick over 35, unless it's downhill with a tailwind. By design, it is purposely outfitted with low gears for tactical and precarious off-road maneuvers. The M-43, as it is commonly called, was the ambulance version of the M-37 Dodge Military Truck. Around 130,000 of these trucks were built by Dodge for military service during the 1950s and 1960s. Petrone reckons his has close to 400,000 miles logged in already.Petrone purchased the ambulance 20 years ago from the wife of a Queen Creek cotton farmer. Part of the truck's history includes a handful of years with the Costa Mesa Police Department's search and rescue team."I'm not interested in new cars," he says. "Nothing new. It has to speak to me."Petrone's ambulance is his main transportation. He owns a 1943 Jeep that's out of commission and a 1954 Ford that's questionable. He uses the M-43 for schleps to the grocery, to date women, to earn a living. What's more, a drive to Flagstaff takes him 12 hours. He has rented it out for action scenes for local Hollywood productions, one of which was the short-lived TV series called Highway Man.Petrone can neither signal nor safely steer through turns, which the massive weight of the ambulance makes especially tricky. As a passenger, there is a sense of immunity in that you are free from danger because there's lots of hard metal. There's also lots of discomfort because there's little padding.The M-43 is all thick steel and is designed with practical, über-masculine lines. Headlights look like eyes on big, curved front fenders. Passenger and driver-side bucket seats lean forward for toolbox and battery access. Secured by a lock above the windshield is a Stalin-era Mosin-Nogant bolt-action rifle, which Petrone keeps loaded.The boxlike rear of the ambulance allows room enough for four canvas stretchers or eight seated patients. Now the back is outfitted with implements of Petrone's work: buckets, pails, squeegees and other accouterments of his business, Rub-a-Dub-Scrub window washing."Driving this, you feel like you are in control of the situation," he says, flashing a kind of boot-camp-ready grin.Petrone is the activities chairman for the 20-year-old Arizona Military Vehicle Collectors Club (AMVCC), a group of almost 100 local military vehicle enthusiasts, historians and collectors interested in the procurement, preservation, public education and display of historic military transport. One need not own a vehicle to belong to the club; the basic requirement is an interest in military vehicles. The club's members, most of whom hail from the Phoenix area, meet regularly for parades, camp outs, flag raisings or military vehicle shows. Last November the club won a first-place award in the Phoenix Veterans Day parade.If spending an afternoon admiring weaponry sounds appealing, then this Saturday and Sunday the AMVCC is co-sponsoring the 10th annual Papago Military Vehicle Show at the Arizona Military Museum. The event will showcase a gamut of military transport and artillery, including bulletproof staff cars, weapons carriers, cargo trucks, non-civilian Hummers, multi-caliber machine guns on pedestal mounts, armored cars, Jeeps, Unimogs and troop carriers. Sheriff Joe's Paladin tank will be on display for all to see. Events include a "parts and militaria" swap meet, a surplus auction and a military vehicle contest, plus galleries of battle implements.
As a kid, Petrone says he played Army with pals outside his house in the woods of suburban Chicago. Prisoners were held in nearby "stinky" outhouses. For a guy who sports an Army-issue flattop, thick specs and a tendency to restrict his vocabulary to only those words that state his intent in the most curt, most achromatic way imaginable, it's surprising that Petrone's military experience doesn't extend beyond boyhood days of Army dress-up. Petrone describes himself as an ex-hippie. "I cut my hair off five years ago."It was more than five decades ago when they cut off Frank Ellis' hair, and they didn't do it to make a fashion statement.When Ford Motor Company was churning out B-24 bombers instead of automobiles during World War II, Detroit native Ellis was a newly married doctor fresh out of med school with an internship at a local hospital. Nine months later, he found himself mired in the brutal French theater, a battalion surgeon in the 70th Infantry Division. His job was similar to what was required of most physicians on the front lines: to recover casualties and initiate treatment to prevent or minimize shock, and to prepare wounded for transport to safe ground; work as an "overpriced first aid man," witnessing the maiming and death of comrades and friends."We had plasma, morphine, splints and dressing," Ellis recalls. "That was all we had to work with. That and minimal medications like aspirin or something for the guy who couldn't poop."The experience didn't expand Ellis' knowledge on medicine as much as it was a crash course on the human condition. Seeing a man "decapitated with his shoulder still hooked on to his head" surely hastened the learning process."You don't have to get any closer than that to appreciate not only the futility of war but the horrors of it," he says. "Those ideas don't go away all that rapidly, either."He learned to differentiate between the genuine personality of a person and a persona. He learned to trust his instincts about people."The guy who came in saying he was gonna kill every German in the place ended up thinking that over again once he found out how tough they were," he says. "Often they were the first ones to cave in. He would be the guy hiding in the corner and forgetting to pull on the trigger . . . just like the kid in Saving Private Ryan. There's that point where you are overwhelmed with fear. I think everyone has a level of fear they can tolerate without breaking up, but everybody also has the capacity to collapse if that level is exceeded. I know I was damn scared. And not just some of the time, but most of the time."Ellis is one of two WWII vets who belong to the Arizona Military Vehicle Collectors Club. At 85, he's its eldest member. He's still with the same woman he married in his med-school days. In June, the couple celebrates its 60th wedding anniversary. He's soft-spoken, articulate and spry. Others in the club use "tireless" and like synonyms to describe him. He's a voracious reader, a habit that's reflected in the sharpness of his observations.Growing up, Ellis says he was always interested in the mechanical, particularly the automobile. "I must have a little bit of rust in my oil or grease in my veins."In high school, Ellis and a buddy fabricated a replica of a World War I truck. The two got hold of a '27 Buick and began the transformation process. The end result was nothing like they had imagined, or hoped. "We had some fun with it until this other kid pushed it out of the garage, put it in gear, and got it going. The damn thing went sailing across the street and plowed into the front yard of this neighbor's house. Nobody got hurt, but we just about got put in chains for that."A decade ago, Ellis found the Jeep of his dreams, a 1943 Willy. The guy who sold it to him had unearthed it in a Midwestern junk yard.Ellis meticulously restored the classic Jeep to pristine condition. He purposely made it a replication of the one he was assigned during the war, complete with accurate number schemes and traditional medic colors.Ellis has restored other cars, too, most of which he's had to give up. In exchange for the Jeep, he parted ways with a 1911 Buick and a 1930 Packard. "When I decided I wanted a Jeep, my wife said I had to sell two autos for every one I wanted to buy!" He pauses, lowers his voice, and says, "It's because they won't fit under the bed, you know."Lately, there is a problem. Ellis' Jeep won't start, not even to get it across town for a photo shoot. "The damn thing won't run," he explains. "I tried to start it today, and man, it doesn't like the idea of getting up to go like it used to. I have to tear it apart one of these days and get after it."I'm kinda pissed off with the Jeep," he adds, laughing. "I may not even talk to it this week."Ellis, like many members of the vehicle club, may bestow his Jeep with personification, but that doesn't mean he sees military vehicle shows as a way to coat grim periods in history with a celebratory sheen. He understands them as a tribute of sorts, part of the overall necessity for younger generations to see a connection between what's old and what's new."Anything that has historical value, no matter what it is, if some of these things aren't saved and preserved and either put away and kept for others, younger people are never gonna have any concept of what they were like," he says. "As a means of being able to touch something, and see things that others had to contend with, that to me is one of the most fantastic parts of this whole thing."Even though attitudes are entirely different than they were that long ago. It seems to me if this country were seriously threatened, I think the American people would come together and put up just as big a fight as we did before."Is his Jeep a sad reminder of tragic days?"Yeah, it is," he says matter-of-factly. "To me that's a good thing. I wasn't overwhelmed with a sense of nostalgia when I found my Jeep."Others see it a little differently."Jeeps," says Don Petrone, "are always in style. A lot of people coming to the show will come specifically to see the Jeeps. People are also attracted to the armor. A white, bulletproof WWII scout car will draw people. That thing'll deflect shrapnel. The Hummer is very in vogue now. There are a number of club members that have Hummers, and they'll have them on display at the show."The Hummer is the civilian version of the all-purpose HMMWV, or "Humvee." Currently utilized by the U.S. Army, the Humvee was popularized during the Gulf War by coverage on CNN; today it is a modern Army symbol much like the Jeep was during WWII.The Jeep, of course, is the prototype for the modern sport utility vehicle.Just as we turn off Van Buren, the pinch-faced driver finally maneuvers his SUV around us. He's shaking his head from side to side in disgust."Rarely do you see these 'off-road' trucks around here with Arizona pinstriping," snorts Petrone."Arizona pinstriping" is a term used to describe the thin scratch marks that run in horizontal lines on sides of trucks whose owners spend time in the rough, as opposed to the drive-through at Burger King."It's just how it is," says Petrone, whose 1953 Dodge ambulance is veined with Arizona pinstriping. "I would never drive anything new."A simple guess would be that the man has a bit of identity wrapped up in his vehicle."This truck has done a lot for me over the years," he says. "And probably for many years to come." Contact the author at his online address:[email protected] Light Rail Moving Fast Toward South Phoenix, but Who Stands to Benefit? | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/10930 | Creative Technology at The Tokyo Motor Show
The Tokyo Motor Show showcased many of the most exciting concept cars of 2011. Many companies had efficiency in mind with their eco-friendly models while others pushed their concepts to the limits of creativity. Here we will examine a few of the more intriguing and eccentric designs of 2011. Volkswagen Volkswagen unveiled their newest Beetle and it is ready to rock. Teaming up with Fender, this Beetle is equipped with a sound system that includes a 400W 10-channel amplifier, a subwoofer, and two sets of tweeters, one set in the front and one in the back. This car is perfect for anyone who is ready to rock out!
Honda This eco-friendly design is Honda’s “micro commuter” car. This tiny electric car is just 98.4 inches long, 49.2 wide, and 56.3 tall and looks like something from a video game. To add to its arcade feel, it’s controlled with two joysticks. While its top speed is only 37 mph and can only carry three people its tiny size is great for the city commuter.
While this design from Daihatsu resembles a bus, it is not; it’s the FC Sho Case. FC standing for fuel cell. Daihatsu’s revolutionary design contains no rare earth metals, which makes it more economical to produce then other fuel cells. The LCD screen on the outside plays relaxing wave patterns, but when getting into the car passengers must step over these to get in which makes it hard for elderly people or individuals with injuries.
Toyota and Yamaha
We see increasingly more scooters on the streets these days as people look for easy and fuel-efficient ways to get around town. Toyota and Yamaha partnered up to take this a step further with an electric tricycle called the EC-Miu. It has Wi-Fi capabilities and can be recharged at charging stations used by other electric vehicles.
The cars debuted at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show were extremely imaginative and focused on energy efficiency. I can’t wait to see what will be unveiled next year.
The Creative Business Card Nanotechnology in Our World Creative Collaboration in the Cloud The Greater Impacts of Battery Technology Posted on: 12.14.11
William Haygood, President, Global Networkers (IT Consulting Firm)
“I am always impressed with the professional service and knowledge from the team at Waypoint Solutions Group. They make it easy for me to recommend them to my colleagues.” ©2017 Waypoint. All rights reserved. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/11365 | wasted day, peculiar behavior
Well that was both well and truly annoying, and also a little wierd... After arranging with the "two guys" (who supposedly wanted my car to fix up their own) that they would come and pick it up and pay me on Friday around lunchtime, between 11 and noon, I set up my schedule yesterday so that could happen... and waited, and waited, and waited...After calling them around 2PM got a very odd callback about how the tow truck driver would pay for it and I should sign it over to him (!?! wtf?), then another callback to say that no, don't do that that they were on the way with the money (?!? more wth?) and then I waited...and waited... for another four hours!! The tow truck drove by, but didn't stop, our street was too small, and the ostensible "guys who wanted the car" never showed up at all! I called and left a message on their machine saying that (as I'd waited over seven hours) the car was no longer for sale -There is no excuse for such odd and discourteous behavior, I just can't believe that they were stuck in traffic for seven hours; I know that the traffic between here and Vancouver is sometimes bad but not that bad!SO Nimblefoot is still in the driveway taking up space, albeit now completely empty and without license plates (I paid for those plates, they don't go with the car. I'm going to make them into bookends) It was rather unexpectedly sad to clean out the car, there was still rather a quantity of Smokey hair dusted over the back seat debris...Question now is: sell the car to the parts junkyard, or try to sell it on Craigslist...
whinge,
SharonAugust 29, 2010 at 5:05 PMI would try craigslist and see if you get lucky and find the right person. Our trailer went in under a week.ReplyDeletehidingplainsightAugust 29, 2010 at 5:48 PMCraigslist but don't let them in your house...ReplyDeleteAdd commentLoad more... | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/12187 | Excerpt: Exporting America - Part 1
For the first time in history, corporations are laying off Americans from well-paying jobs and replacing them with low-paid foreign workers. A recent study revealed that 14 million American jobs are now at risk of being outsourced overseas. Read more in this excerpt from Chapter 1 of Exporting America by world renowned journalist Lou Dobbs.
ISBN: 0446577448 Hardcover$19.95/U.S.$28.95/CANWARNER BOOKS
Assault on Middle-Class Americans
The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy. —ALEX CAREY
The odds are that during the past recession, you or someone you know was affected by corporate layoffs and the loss of a job. It’s a painful experience, and one that can have a devastating effect on individuals and families. But in some cases, layoffs have affected entire towns, in effect crippling communities. And layoffs related to outsourcing have long-term effects on those communities, because companies pulling out take their taxes with them—that is, if they paid them at all. And the people in the town are also unable to pay taxes, because they’re no longer getting paid to work.
These corporate pullouts run the gamut from manufacturing to high tech. The examples in the next few pages are just a few of the scenarios that are playing out with alarming regularity in communities all across America.
In Syracuse, New York, Carrier, the maker of air-conditioning and heating units, is closing two of its most productive and profitable factories and laying off 1,200 workers. Most of those jobs are headed to Singapore and Malaysia. It’s too early for many of Carrier’s employees to retire—the average worker at the plant is only forty-nine years old. In a move to save the jobs, New York State and the plant’s union tried to dissuade Carrier from exporting the jobs to Asia by offering a $42 million incentive package. To no avail—the company is outsourcing these jobs.
With the closing of the Carrier plant, central New York State has now lost 10,000 jobs since 1990. Senator Hillary Clinton told me that she believes “Manufacturing is not a luxury. It’s not an old-fashioned economic activity. It truly is core to much of what we need to do to maintain a strong economy and, I would argue, a strong national defense.” Senator Clinton’s assessment is close to that of Republican congressman Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. A conservative Republican and a liberal Democrat in agreement on economic issues is a sign that the times, and Washington’s policies, could be changing.
Syracuse may be better off than some cities in that it has an anchor industry: higher education. It’s home to Syracuse University, and the city has worked hard to diversify its economy in the wake of plant closings by General Motors, General Electric, and Allied Signal. However, even with the anchor of Syracuse University, wage growth in the city has fallen below the national average as manufacturing jobs have left.
What’s happening in Syracuse is no different from what is happening in many communities across America. From steel to appliances to automobiles, paying manufacturing jobs are being exported out of the country, leaving behind workers and communities struggling with how to recover.
The automobile industry is a prime example of a business in which ruthless pressure to cut costs has driven jobs abroad. And it affects jobs in many states. At Tower Automotive in Milwaukee, 500 employees used to make the frames for Dodge Ram pickup trucks. Now that work, and their jobs, are going to Mexico. The decision was made by DaimlerChrysler, which is squeezing its American suppliers by asking them to match the lower prices available from overseas manufacturers. All the automakers, not just Chrysler, claim they need these lower prices in order to keep making affordable cars and to keep market share.
Early this year, Ford closed its plant in Edison, New Jersey, after more than fifty-five years of producing cars and trucks there. A Ford spokesman said it would be too expensive to retool that plant so that it could produce different models. About 300 of the plant’s 900 workers were relegated to early retirement, while others were transferred to Ford plants elsewhere in the country. Most important, at least 400 jobs were eliminated. Ford is, however, investing heavily in Asia and has set up a new regional headquarters in Thailand.
General Motors, long the symbol of Detroit’s automotive might, has introduced a new Chevy, the Equinox. The Equinox is assembled in Canada with a Chinese-made engine. Now, the three most expensive parts of any automobile are the body, engine, and transmission. With the Equinox featuring a foreign-built engine, more than a third of the vehicle’s cost is being transferred—and paid out—to China and not to American suppliers or workers. An interesting statistic: Employment in the U.S. auto industry has dropped by 200,000 jobs over the past four years. During that same time, imports of Chinese auto parts have doubled.
What makes all these examples so frustrating for American workers is that while Detroit throttles back at home and invests in Asia, foreign automakers, including Honda, Nissan, and Toyota, are investing in this market. In fact, as American automakers cut back, these Japanese companies are providing all the production growth in the United States. And calling our American automakers the Big Three is now a myth. Only two companies, Ford and GM, are American-based, while Chrysler is owned by German manufacturer DaimlerChrysler. To put a fine point on it, Toyota is selling more cars in the United States than Chrysler. And Toyota is now the second leading global car company, after General Motors.
We’re not faring well in the auto business, and we’re not faring well in the appliance business. Galesburg, Illinois, is the birthplace of poet Carl Sandburg and for many years was home to a large Maytag factory. In fact, Galesburg was a Maytag company town, and Maytag provided 1,600 jobs to local workers.
But Maytag decided to close its Galesburg factory and move much of the work to a new refrigerator manufacturing plant in Reynosa, Mexico. None of the American jobs are slated to be transferred—all 1,600 are scheduled to be laid off. Employees who made $15 an hour are being replaced by Mexican workers who earn less than $1 an hour. Maytag justifies the closing by citing competition from cheaper Asian refrigerators, and the tighter wallets of cost-conscious consumers.
With a current jobless rate of 9 percent, Galesburg will soon face a possible unemployment rate of 20 percent, along with a very uncertain future. People there can’t turn to the government for help. After all, free trade agreements signed by the government promised workers at plants like this one a chance to export their products to new markets around the world. But the reality is, the only thing being exported from Galesburg is American jobs.
Clintwood, Virginia, has a population of 1,800. It’s not a big town, but 250 of its best jobs are in the process of being outsourced to India. Online travel service Travelocity is shutting down its call center here. Workers at Travelocity made a starting wage of $8 an hour, plus training and benefits. But Travelocity lost $55 million last year and was looking to cut costs fast. It decided it could save $10 million by moving its Clintwood call center to India. Travelocity told CNN that “We made a difficult decision to outsource following significant losses last year. Our costs were significantly higher than our major competitors, who had chosen long ago to outsource to the Philippines, India, and elsewhere.”
Travelocity is trying to give workers a soft landing by providing eleven months’ notice, along with possible interviews at Travelocity’s two remaining U.S. call centers. Clintwood, meanwhile, is going back to its roots, marketing one of the few things that can’t be outsourced: tourism. Combined with local crafts and a mountain music museum dedicated to a local artist, Grammy Award winner Ralph Stanley, the town is attracting attention to itself. As a final note, the whole Travelocity episode was the second of two body blows to Clintwood. Just before Travelocity set up shop there, Nexus Communications had shut down a similar call center operation in the town.
Continued on Page 2 >>
Copyright © 2004 by The Dobbs Group | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/12285 | 93464 remained with just delivery miles on the clock until 2001 when it was first road registered and used on the road by its owner Ferrari F40 7,170 Kms from new - Cat & Non Adjustable Suspension
Top Gears F40 review
Ferrari's 201mph F40 is the definitive supercar and has a formidable reputation alongside the 250 GTO as possibly the best road Ferrari built to date. With the F40 Pininfarina produced an era defining creation, one that even today is instantly recognisable by old and young enthusiasts alike. F40's were closely derived from the experimental GTO Evoluzione's and the road 288 GTO (that the F40 replaced).The design features a tubular steel chassis with bonded composite inserts, most notably around the sills and floorpan, The 2936cc motor produces approximately 500bhp at 7000rpm with the help of two water-cooled IHI turbochargers running 1.1bar of boost - at 1202kg the F40 had a and still has a phenomenal power-to-weight ratio. Shatteringly fast by any comparison (especially for 1988), the F40 can sprint from 0-60mph in just 4.4 seconds and hit 201mph flat out making it the first production car to surpass this mystical boundary. Whilst the GTO had pioneered the use of composite panels, the F40 was the first whose bodywork was constructed entirely from such materials. Comprising eleven panels made from Nomex, Kevlar and Carbon composite with a heavily ventilated Plexiglas rear windscreen. Sliding Lexan windows were fitted to the first 50 cars, these getting replaced by wind-ups thereafter. The F40 was a landmark not just on account of its crushing performance and stunning looks, but it was fittingly the last ever car presented by Enzo Ferrari, this taking place at Maranello in June 1987, 14 months before the great man's death.From 1991 onwards cars were fitted with catalytic convertors to meet ever tightening legislation and at this time adjustable suspension became an option. Production was discontinued in 1992 after 1311 examples had been completed in five years (600 or so being bound for the USA and being noticeably different to their lighter and faster European cousins), the F40 was only ever available from Ferrari in left-hand drive and presented in Rosso Corsa. (Approximately 7 examples were converted to RHD for the Sultan of Brunei)At the start of January 2010 DK Engineering completed their 100th sale of this iconic supercar. Our workshops have maintained approximately 75 different examples at various points in their life over the past 22 years. With this we are generally acknowledged as one of the leading F40 specialists in Europe.This example offered for sale, chassis 93464, was supplied new in May 1992 to SAMO CAR, Italy - the car was swiftly sold to Germany to its first proper owner at the height of the market. 93464 remained part of this German private collection until 2005 with just delivery miles on the clock until 2001 when it was first road registered and used on the road by its owner. Up until this point the car had just running in miles of circa 1,000 kms on the clock. Since then 93464 has been serviced regularly by a historic Ferrari specialist, "Lackmann" in Germany. The car changed hands in 2005 with just under 6,000kms and has been used sparingly since. As such the mileage today of this car is just 7,170 kms from new.This car is a very late example and as such is a catalytic model fitted with non-adjustable suspension. It is fair to say that 93464 is presented in stunning condition, the car represents an opportunity to purchase what is surely the finest, genuine and low mileage F40 available for sale at this time. Thorough inspection shows substantial evidence of weave and originality throughout. The car is accompanied by its books and tools, has been comprehensively serviced as part of the sale and is available to view at DK Engineering immediately. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/12376 | Nissan says ‘no comment’ on future of Sunderland plant after Brexit
Sue Kirby
Nissan has refused to comment on what today’s EU referendum means for the future of its Sunderland plant.
The car giant - which employs 8,000 people in the UK across its Sunderland factory, Cranfield engineering centre and Paddington design base, and supports a further 32,000 jobs nationwide indirectly through dealerships and its supply chain - has made no secret of the fact it favoured an ‘In’ vote, even though it did not actively campaign for one.
A spokeswoman said this morning: “We will not be commenting at this time.”
But Nissan said in February it believed it made ‘the most sense for jobs, trade and costs’ for the UK to stay within Europe.
Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said then: “We are a global business with a strong presence in Europe.“We have a rich heritage in the UK, with 30 years of manufacturing and engineering presence, and remain committed to building and engineering cars in the country. Last year we produced more than 475,000 vehicles in the UK – 80 per cent of which are exported.“Our preference as a business is, of course, that the UK stays within Europe - it makes the most sense for jobs, trade and costs. For us, a position of stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns.“While we remain committed to our existing investment decisions, we will not speculate on the outcome nor what would happen in either scenario.
“We obviously want the Nissan UK plant and engineering centre to remain as competitive as possible when compared with other global entities, and each future investment opportunity will be taken on a case by case basis, just as it is now.”Ukip MEP Diane James said the large win for leave in Sunderland could be down to anger over Nissan writing to employees to make clear the company would prefer Britain to stay in the EU.She told BBC News: “Nissan, I believe, was one of those companies that was effectively asked by the Prime Minister to write a letter to the employees and I think what you’re seeing here is the reaction to that, which I understand has been quite widespread across the country where people have actually taken offence at being directed to do something and then seemingly that whole message has been undermined in the later stage.”The national motoring industry body says the Government must make a deal with the EU to secure the automotive industry.Mike Hawes, chief executive of The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: “The British public has chosen a new future out of Europe.
“Government must now maintain economic stability and secure a deal with the EU which safeguards UK automotive interests. This includes securing tariff-free access to European and other global markets, ensuring we can recruit talent from the EU and the rest of the world and making the UK the most competitive place in Europe for automotive investment.”Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!Always the first with your local news.Be part of it. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/12947 | HubPages»Autos
Ten Cars which have been the Fastest in the World since 1980Updated on July 14, 2014
Savio Koman moreContact Author
When it comes to the fastest cars in the world, we all know that the Bugatti Veyron is the current topper. But the question is if we know who the title holders were prior to the Bugatti Veyron? If you do not know the answer then you are at the right place. Let’s look at the Fastest Cars in the World over the years, until our current leader Bugatti Veyron Super Sport took over.
We will go from the current to the past. Fasten your seat belts ladies and gentlemen.
1. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Let us start with the all conquering Bugatti Veyron. This is the car to beat and now it has been at the top for three years, albeit a small hick-up with the Hennessey taking the top spot for a month. The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was developed to take on the SSC Ultimate Aero’s speed of 256 mph which was the fastest in 2007 and was recorded by Guinness Book of World Records. The Bugatti team was successful in toppling the SSC in 2010 and have remained at the top ever since.
Take a look at the car’s stats:
Redline: 267 mph or 429.87 kmph
Standstill to 60: in 2.4 seconds
Power: 1200 hp
Period at the top: June 2013 till date
These figures ensure that the Bugatti remains the fastest car in the world officially.
2. Hennessey Venom GT Hennessey happens to be the most serious competitor for the Bugatti and in fact had toppled the Bugatti for a month. However, the toppling was not the result of going past the Bugatti’s top speed rather an allegation that the Bugatti could not achieve the top speed without some additional fitment. This allegation stripped the Bugatti of the crown but was reinstated once a clarification was presented.
This meant that our super car was numero uno only for a month. This happens to be the shortest stay at the top for any car ever in automobile history.
Redline: 265.5 mph or 427.46 kmph
Period at the top: May 2013
All was not lost since the Hennessey bagged the fastest accelerating car from 0-300 kmph in just 13.63 seconds and it has Guinness Record validation on that one. This is one area that the Bugatti, at least for the time being cannot beat the Hennessey.
But here comes the cropper. The Hennessey actually did a 270.49 mph, which was faster than the Bugatti, but still did not make it to the record books. Why?
Read the reason for Hennessey staying at number 2 here:Hennessey Venom GT does a 270 mph run beating the Bugatti Veyron and yet is not the fastest car!
All these hiccups notwithstanding, the Bugatti stays at the top.
Hennessey Venom GT doing a 300 kmph in 13.63 sec
3. Bugatti Veyron Super Sport This is the same car which is at the current top position but is addressed once again since the Hennessey broke its continuous reign by a month. This car was powered up to beat the SSC Ultimate Aero, originally but it ended up doing better than that. It beat all top speed records and now other cars are finding it tough to catch up.
Period at the top: 2010 – May 2013
Ultimate Aero SSC
4. SSC Ultimate AeroThe Shelby Super Car (SSC) Ultimate Aero is the only American car which reigned at the top and therefore, makes itself to a list which is dominated by European cars. The SSC Aero was built to be the fastest car and it did so by toppling the first generation Bugatti Veyron; mind you Bugatti Veyron and not Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
The speed test was witnessed by Guinness Records team and they certified the car for the top speed, which at that time was at 256 mph beating the Bugatti Veyron’s top speed of 253 mph. Here are the car’s stats:
Period at the top: 2007 – 2010
At the time the SSC Ultimate Aero toppled the Bugatti, there were only two cars in the world which could go beyond the 250 miles per hour mark. Incredible achievement!!
Bugatti Veyron - Looks similar to the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
5. Bugatti VeyronThis is the first version of the Bugatti and the first car in the world to go beyond the 250 miles per hour barrier. Bugatti’s from the times bygone have been known to build technically sound and fast cars. The Bugatti Veyron was the epitome of that. The car that was to be beaten at that time was the McLaren F1 and the Bugatti did it in style. Here are the stats of the first generation Veyron. Redline: 253 mph or 407.33 kmph
Unknown to the Bugatti team in 2005, they would have made a clincher of a car which would remain at the top for a long time, but for minor falls.
At the time the SSC Ultimate Aero was toppled the Bugatti there were only two cars in the world which could go beyond the 250 miles per hour mark. Incredible achievement!!
6. McLaren F1McLaren F1 was the car which dominated the top spot for most part of the late 20th century and the early 21st century. It is the only car to have been at the top spot for most number of years, if we consider all cars from the 80s. The McLaren made a car which had a heart of gold, quite literally. The engine was coated with a layer of gold since gold was a good conductor of heat. The car makes it to the all time list of the Titans. They could have fallen but they still are the Titans. McLaren’s impressive stats are as follows: Redline: 240 mph or 386.4 kmph
Power: 627 hp
Bugatti Veyron vs. McLaren F1
7. Jaguar XJ220Jaguar XJ220 held the record for the fastest car for a period of two years from 1992 to 1993, until the McLaren F1 came by. The car has a humble beginning in the sense that it was made by a group of Jaguar employees who spent time in creating it in their spare time. The intention, like all other fast production cars, was to make a speed demon and they ended up being successful at that. The stats are as follows:
Redline: 213 mph or 343 kmph
This particular Jaguar was being built with an intention of reaching the 220 mph target and hence was named as XJ220. Although the car never reached the intended top speed, the top speed which it did achieve was good enough for the fastest car tag in 1992.
Bugatti EB110 - GT
8. Bugatti EB110 GTWe have one more Bugatti making it to the top. This was the Bugatti EB110 which was partly made famous by its purchase by the Formula 1 Legend Michael Schumacher in 1994. The car was an attempt by the Bugatti to reach the pinnacle which at that time was occupied by its other famous European peers; read the Ferraris, McLarens, Jaguars and one American company – Porsche. They were successful and made a car which had hot stats. Here they are: Redline: 209 mph or 336 kmph
This was also the beginning of the reign of the Bugattis, which would eventually, only get better until they conquer the world.
9. Ferrari F40Ferrari F40 was designed and made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ferrari and is allegedly the last Ferrari to be approved by Enzo Ferrari himself. The car was the fastest, most ferocious looking and the costliest car sold at that time. Only about a 1000 were ever sold. The car held on to the crown of the fastest car for good four years. Here are the stats: Redline: 202 mph or 326 kmph
The Ferrari F40 was the first car ever to break the 200 mph barrier. The car was designed to take over its main competitor of its time the Porsche 959 and it did so in style. The car still remains one of the best manufactured cars ever. This therefore, takes the car to the list of the Titans.
Prosche 959
10. Porsche 959The Porsche 959 came into the global view after smoking another Ferrari – the 288 GTO, ending a reign of two Ferrari cars at the top since 1968. So, it came as no surprise that Ferrari chose to hit back with the Ferrari F40. The Porsche 959 was hailed as the technologically most advanced car of its time, capable of reaching a top speed of 195 mph. Here are the stats: Redline: 195 mph or 314 kmph
The Porsche therefore completes the list of top 10 fastest cars spanning three decades.
The fastest cars keep getting faster and some day we may even see some Asian or Middle East super cars. Till such time, it is good to delve in the era of the Ferraris to the Bugattis. Which according to you is the best car of all time? Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Hennessey Venom GT Bugatti Veyron SSC Ultimate Aero McLaren F1 Jaguar XJ220 Bugatti EB110 - GT Porsche 959 Ferrari F40See results
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CommentsSign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account.0 of 8192 characters usedPost CommentNo HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.sendingrose-the planner 3 years ago from Toronto, Ontario-CanadaGreat article! By the way, I can't decide in which one I like the most. They are all amazing to me. Thank you for sharing. (Voted Up) -Rose
AuthorSavio Koman 3 years ago from Mumbai, IndiaThank you so much rose-the planner! You are very kind in your analysis and glad you enjoyed reading! | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/13273 | UK End of Life Vehicles Blog Post from Salvage Wire
Utter the words End of Life Vehicle (ELV), and many will immediately picture a scrap yard full of old cars leaking oil and water, been involved in a heavy impact, or are simply a gutted shell. But this is only part of the story.
The End of Life Vehicle Directive – 2000/53/EC (to give it’s full title) is a Europe-wide directive that was to be enforced in all member states by 21 April 2002. However, some countries failed to implement the legislation by the deadline and many took advantage of flexibility within the directive so that the ‘last owner’ of the vehicle would be responsible for disposal of an ELV until the end of 2006. From 1st January 2007 this responsibility passed to the vehicle manufacturers bringing all member states in line. The directive includes various targets involving: environmental practices in the motor salvage industry, the prohibition of the use of various heavy metals in vehicles and the removal of various hazardous fluids and components in a safe manner. Additionally the directive seeks to promote and encourage the development of markets for recycled parts.
The target causing most discussion is that 95% of a car (by weight) must be reused, recycled or recovered by 2015. These, and other regulations in the directive, close the loop, from design and build, through sale, service and use, to disposal and recycling. The vehicle manufacturer is now responsible for the whole life of the vehicle, not just design and sales.
So what has changed in vehicle design and build? Plenty. The directive dictates that the use of Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Hexavalent Chromium is now prohibited except in certain applications (i.e. batteries) according to a list that will be regularly reviewed. This ensures that these materials do not become shredder residues and are not incinerated or disposed of in landfills.
The European Union recently reported that this section alone has reduced the use of hazardous substances in vehicle production by 90%.
Manufacturers have also had to provide the industry with all requisite dismantling information with particular emphasis on hazardous materials and have to use component and material coding standards established by the European Commission to identify each individual part for recycling purposes.
In the next 5-10 years designers will have to adapt to many issues including:
Greater environmental awareness resulting in lower vehicle weights and the use of alternative construction materials
New Legislation and industry standards, such as:
Pedestrian impact
Reduction of emissions in production and use of the vehicle
Further increased environmental awareness
Lower production costs
Shorter lead times from design to manufacture
Looking closer at the first issue, vehicle weight is a major contributor to emissions, but it’s not all environmental, lighter cars have enhanced dynamics – handling, braking etc. The quest is on for designers to find components that meet all their requirements: are lighter and stronger, relatively inexpensive, environmentally attractive to produce and also recyclable in 2015. It’s a tough challenge. For example, polymeric glazing (plastic glass) will be in use by a volume manufacturer within the next five years. Yes, it will be lighter than glass, however the plastics recycling market is currently not as advanced as the market for glass, so this has the potential to negatively impact the drive towards the 95% target. Many manufacturers are already designing plastic components to be built using recycled materials and in many areas this is being achieved. Moreover, developments in shredder technology are starting to separate more of the various vehicle parts, resulting in less shredder residue going to landfill or incineration. Ultimately though the success of these developments rests upon the creation of a suitable marketplace willing to purchase the materials produced. Outsourced parts are also a concern, as the manufacturer is ultimately responsible for the recyclability of all the components in their vehicles. Therefore they must ensure that all parts are recyclable within the terms of the ELV directive, i.e. do not contain any banned materials, are coded correctly and are also fit for the purpose for which they were designed.
The use of recycled material brings additional issues, including the availability and consistency of the material. It also requires the education of designers who may have little or no experience of working with recycled materials. Concern remains over a number of areas both within and outside the ELV directive. For example, work must be done to develop effective recycled marketplaces. This has already started in the form of ongoing research, supported by the European Commission and many member states to investigate and develop recycled marketplaces and recycling processes in order to reach the 95% target. The Commission also reported on the ELV process, specifically completing an impact assessment on the targets contained within the directive. It has concluded that there is no need to change these targets, despite fears that the current target of 95% by 2015 is unattainable.
The report highlights that any reduction in the targets will end the development of technology to treat the waste and that confirmation of the 2015 target will assist in removing current blockages to innovation. The assessment goes on to support the ELV Directive because it has triggered technological development in ELV treatment and stresses that continued development of treatment technologies will bring substantial environmental benefits. You can find more details at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/elv_index.htm
As the worldwide vehicle market expands over the coming years environmental concerns are only going to increase, leading many areas of the world to follow the example set by the European Commission. The work already completed in Europe has made this region a world leader in motor vehicle environmental and recycling activities, creating business opportunities by setting high, but in my opinion, achievable standards.
Salvage Wire Blog
Auto recyclers from around the world gather in Québec City for the IRT
It started as a simple forum--an exchange of ideas and discussion of what the auto recycling industry could do to improve the business.
Currently, in its 5th year, the International Roundtable on Auto Recycling--IRT for short--has become a global phenomenon, uniting leaders and scholars in auto recycling, insurance, repairs and government in one forum over the course of a few days.
This year, the Auto Recyclers of Canada (ARC) played host to the IRT in Québec City. Representatives from Canada, US, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and Malaysia met from September 19-21, 2010 to discuss the issues and challenges affecting the world-wide industry.
The three-day event began on a high note, sparking new friendships and networking opportunities and facility tours at Pièces D’autos Dumont Inc., a family-run business who also hosted the ARPAC convention the same week; Lecavalier Auto Parts, one of the oldest auto recycling facilities in Canada and a second-generation family business; and LKQ Pintendre Autos Inc., one of Canada's largest auto recycling facilities.
Each of the host facilities provided food and refreshments for the visitors with Pièces D’autos Dumont serving a delicious breakfast, Lecavalier serving hors d'oeuvres and locally made ice wine, and LKQ finishing off tours with a roast beef lunch.
The day continued back at Hotel Plaza Québec with a social mixer, followed by a good night's rest in preparation for the the next day's jam-packed schedule.
Day two consisted of global presentations and country and association reports. It began with an opening message from Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association executive director (OARA) and ARC managing director Steve Fletcher, who also acted as the discussion moderator and host.
Ed MacDonald, ARC chairman, formally welcomed the group in the dialectics of each of the visiting countries. He also challenged the group.
“The task of this meeting is for everyone to gain a world understanding of automotive recycling,” MacDonald said.
During the association and country reports, speakers presented snapshots of the successes and challenges auto recycling has seen their regions recently.
Automotive Recyclers' Association (ARA) executive vice president Michael Wilson discussed US recyclers' experience with the Cash for Clunkers program, which the American government instated in 2008 to try to stimulate the automotive industry. "Most of the vehicles hit the doors last September," Wilson said. "ARA received a lot mileage from the program and free media helped spread the word on the initiative."
The program wasn't flawless, however. It's primary intent was to stimulate auto sales; many government elements didn't take the recyclers into account.
As the conversations continued, Canada's Retire Your Ride emerged as a better model due to the government consultation with automotive recyclers, its more modest scope and cooperation with OEMs.
Kasper Zom, senior consultant to Auto Recycling Netherlands (ARN), discussed the evolution of vehicle recycling and extended producer responsibility in the Netherlands, as well as what practices they've found useful in raising auto recycling awareness.
“The most important incentive to handing in a car in the Netherlands is the ownership tax," Zom said. "When you go to a recycling shop, they will de-register your car for you and you will not have to pay taxes on it anymore.”
During the Japan Automotive Recyclers Association presentation, director of automotive environmental analysis Minoru Goko proposed the idea of marketing recycled parts with a points system of CO2 rates. The CO2 reduction rate of recycled parts is lower and therefore, better for the environment than the rate of new OEM parts.
Recycled steel from end-of-life vehicles is also better than iron stone from the steel manufacturer process.
"I hope the CO2 reduction rate of recycled parts gets spearheaded by the IRT network as an international standard for all recyclers in the world as green parts for a greener world,” Goko said.
In Malaysia, the import of used automotive parts and components will be prohibited starting June 2011, which will put Malaysian automotive recyclers in serious trouble.
"MAARA is vigorously promoting membership amongst the industry," said Malaysia Automotive Recyclers Association president Gwee Bok Wee said. "We look forward to any support and assistance any associations have to offer. We are in the process of preparing a proposal to be submitted to the International Trade and Industry Ministry in Malaysia to reconsider their national automotive policy."
Mexico, who are currently in the preliminary stages of creating an end-of-life management plan, have enlisted the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
“Some of the problems we have encountered already are insufficient confirmation on treatment of ELVs [end-of-life vehicles] and shredders don’t receive sufficient ELV metal scrap from ELV dismantling sites due to a lack of reliable relationship,” said JICA's Kazunori Kitagawa.
Kitagawa used the IRT as an opportunity to seek input from the world's established automotive recycling associations--many of whom had offered their continued support by the conference's end.
After another full day of information, attendees were invited to relax and enjoy each others' company during a dine-around dinner tour. It was a feast for the eyes and mouth. Attendees split up into three groups to tour through old Québec, stopping to enjoy their appetizers, entrées and desserts at a different restaurant for each course.
Day three of the IRT conference was the last day of the conference and the official roundtable discussion.
The general consensus was that more channels of communications were necessary to share international knowledge and information among the associations as well as with the public.
“We are generating a number of resources that will come out of this event,” Steve Fletcher said. “We are committed to issuing a CD of some the resource materials and some of the speeches. My goal is to get that to all of the associations and for the delegates as well.”
The group agreed to share the Green Parts name and logo, which are owned by OARA and ARPAC. Representatives from the ARA volunteered to share their knowledge on trademarking to help the various regions navigate the some times complicated terrain of establishing the name and logo.
All members of the discussion agreed that having an internationally recognized brand would be beneficial to the selling recycled parts' environmental merits.
Finally, Kasper Zom put the Netherlands' name in to host the next IRT in approximately 18 months (which, he cautioned, would be pending approval from the association). Both the ARA and the MAARA also put their names in to host future IRTs.
"These meetings are very good for networking," said David Nolan, who was representing the Auto Recyclers Association of Australia. "I learned a lot, especially during the tours of the facilities--it was really interesting to see how they work with the insurance companies."
Nolan was particularly interested in the conversations surrounding the implementation of the US Cash for Clunkers program. Australia is getting ready to establish its own program to take older vehicles off the road. "It was clear that the US government had not thought [Cash for Clunkers] out...Obviously we're going to work with the Aussie industry to make sure all the problems are ironed out before it's implemented."
AADCO Auto Parts' Don Fraser was similarly delighted with how much he learned during the three-day conference. "This was the first IRT I have been to, so I went in with high expectations," Fraser said. "All of my expectations were met due to the hard work put in by Steve and the ARC board. The Sunday yard tours were great...Even the discussions on the bus were enlightening," he continued.
"Monday was packed with speakers, but every one had there time and made the most of it with informative topics."
Auto Recyclers’ Code of Practice leads to Positive Change
At a time when most industries are rising up against government sticking their bureaucratic noses in their business, why on earth would the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA) be pushing for more regulation in their industry? In short, because it is necessary to protect the environment from unscrupulous scrap operators, and to preserve the economic viability of a responsible recycling industry.
Leading the way The association is leading the way in controlling what it can. In January 2011, they adopted the National Code of Practice for Auto Recyclers as a condition of membership for all of its Direct Members - both existing and new. This stringent code was developed by the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) to support the National “Retire Your Ride” program. It includes minimum compliance requirements to properly and legally process a vehicle in Ontario, along with best practices and guidance on some housekeeping items. OARA retained an independent auditor to physically visit each member and evaluate their business against the standardized protocol. A minimum score of 70% was required to pass the audit.
Methodical process preserves the environment
Every vehicle that an OARA member handles goes through a methodical process to maximize reclamation and minimize environmental impact. Reusable parts, batteries, mercury switches, oils, fluids, coolants, gasoline, and refrigerants are all removed and properly managed before the remaining hulk is sent for metal recycling.
Unfortunately for the industry and for the environment, not everybody processes end-of-life vehicles (ELV’s) the way OARA members do. It’s almost unfathomable, but there are some scrap operators who buy cars just to crush them and sell them for the value of the metal, allowing toxic fluids and heavy metals to escape into the soil and groundwater. They don’t recycle any usable parts and pay no regard to the damage they’re doing to the environment.
An industry threatened
Reputable auto recyclers are at a disadvantage on two fronts when it comes to purchasing vehicles. Both are a threat to the sustainability and economic viability of the entire industry. Without the cost of facilities, equipment, training and labour involved in handling vehicles responsibly, unscrupulous scrap operators can simply afford to pay more for a vehicle. Secondly, there is increased competition for good quality accidented vehicles at auction. With no restrictions on who can purchase a write-off, more vehicles are being shipped offshore where they can be repaired and re-sold without being “branded” as a total loss vehicle. That is driving up prices and threatening the supply of good quality recycled parts.
A level playing field
OARA is pushing for legislation that will ensure all vehicles be handled according to the National Code of Practice. If the standard to which they hold their members was a legislated requirement for all, it would level the playing field and put an end to the environmental nightmares.
They are encouraging both insurers and collision repairers to be aware of the situation they’re in and lend their support. The supply of good quality, recycled parts from reputable auto recyclers plays an integral part in keeping repair costs in line and reducing the number of write-offs. And from that we all benefit.
What We Know After A Year Of ARC's Environmental Accreditation Program
January 1, 2011 -- In 2009, the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC) won a contract to complete 350 environmental reviews at the automotive recyclers involved in the federal Retire Your Ride program. An environmental review in this case is defined as a two to three hour visit from a trained professional to review the recycler’s management of hazardous materials within the context of provincial and federal legislation.
The automotive recyclers who participated in this review stretched from St John’s, Newfoundland to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and in just about every community between.
Colin McKean, the manager of the Automotive Recyclers Environmental Association (AREA) in British Columbia, was contracted by ARC to train and coordinate three other professionals to share the load of the inspections. Patrick McMahon from New Brunswick, Alain Joyal from Quebec and Greg Thomas from Ontario were hired with Colin to ensure the ARC Environmental Code of Practice was delivered consistently and professionally from coast to coast.
The inspectors have many years of experience and they understand that their job is to provide “on-site” education and guidance on how to improve the environmental performance of recyclers. The inspectors focused on making the program informative and beneficial. The reviews were an enormous challenge and one of the biggest projects ever undertaken by ARC, but with the possibility of a growing number of vehicle recovery programs (e.g. the Recycle Your Ride, Cash For Clunkers, and Car Heaven retirement programs, and the Tacoma and Windstar buyback programs), the establishment of a national network of environmentally certified recyclers will have important benefits to the sector in the future.
“The national certification program for automotive recyclers will exceed 350 yards by the end of [2010] with overwhelming support from the industry,” said ARC managing director Steve Fletcher.
Because the inspectors quantify each inspection, they were able to glean some important statistics.
The average score for recyclers in the first year of the program was 79.4 per cent (with a standard deviation of 11.2 per cent). Graph 1.1 shows that the results followed a pretty normal distribution.
Note that recyclers who did not score more than 60 per cent on the assessment were temporarily suspended from the program until they improved their environmental performance.
Congratulations are in order for Mary Poirier of Valley Automotive for obtaining the highest overall score in Canada.
One of the issues ARC had to confront was ensuring that the results were consistent from one inspector to the next. To do this, the inspectors met a few of times over the summer, visited the same recycler and conducted inspections independently. Then the different inspectors shared the results and the reason for their scores. For the most part, all of the inspectors judged the recyclers similarly and the inspection scores were within a couple of percentage points of each other.
Where possible, recyclers who scored less than 70 per cent were subject to a re-inspection. So far, the recyclers that have been re-inspected have obtained significantly higher results the second time through the process.
“Most recyclers are simply not aware of the requirements to remove, store and transport hazardous materials,” McKean said. “Once you can explain the requirements in plain language, the recycler will make the necessary adjustments.”
Some recyclers were very nervous at having some one come on site to inspect their practices. But with the exception of a few people, everyone was pleased with the approach and the results.
ARC has big plans for its network of certified automotive recyclers. Steve Fletcher feels that vehicle manufacturers will be impressed with ARC’s approach and, in time, the network will form the basis of a more formalized stewardship program for end-of-life vehicles.
“Environment Canada has provided a critical start to creating a national network of accredited automotive recyclers from coast to coast,” Fletcher said. “It is now up to the automotive recyclers to build on this legacy.”
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2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/13522 | The 2010 Mazda RX-8 is a nice little powerhouse with an economical price tag. In fact, U.S. News and World Report recently ranked it as 1 of the 5 most economical sports cars for your money. So what about the engine of this beauty? The 2010 Mazda RX-8 has a rotary engine, which the technology is called RENESIS, and it is available as either a 232-hp 6-speed manual or 212-hp 6-speed sport automatic transmission.The RENESIS rotary engine is the next generation of rotary engine that powered the RX-7, retaining the power of the previous rotary model 13B-REW, holding onto all the power of the RX-7, while increasing fuel economy and reducing emissions, while the rotors weigh about 14% less than the ones used in the engine of the RX-7. The RENESIS engine also has its intake and exhaust ports in the side housings, which allows better heat dissipation and a longer power stroke.RENESIS also sports a six port induction system, called 6PI. Each rotor uses 3 of the ports, and each also uses a variable intake timing mechanism, which allows it to maximize compression efficiency at both high and low speeds. In addition, the RENESIS has two exhaust ports for each rotor. This allows a massive reduction in exhaust resistance.Both the automatic and manual models have a 1.3 liter, 2 rotor rotary engine, capable of 159 lb-ft of torque at 5500 rpms and are capable of a displacement of 1308 cc and a compression ratio of 10.0: 1, being sure you'll get a lot of power for your dollar. The fuel economy is improved from the RX-7 as well... this car averages 16 mpg in the city and 22-23 on the freeway (23 for the sport automatic, 22 for the manual transmission).In conclusion, the engine of an RX-8 is a nice piece of machinery, and if you take care of it, it will take care of you for years to come.
The Honda S2000 is a two-door sports car manufactured by the Japanese automobile manufacturer, Honda, between 1999 and 2009. The S2000 was created to celebrate the manufacturers 50th anniversary. This article provides some information about the Honda S2000, its history, changes to specification and why you might want to buy one.At the heart of all Honda automobiles are their engines and the engine designed for the Honda S2000 is a very special one indeed. Created using lightweight materials, the engine in the early S2000 sport scars are capable of revving up to 9000rpm, producing around 240hp. The early cars used a 1997cc engine mounted front-mid for optimum weight distribution. The VTEC unit in the Honda S2000 means that below 6000rpm the car is quite docile while driving through town but once you get above 6k the car springs to life with an eagerness to head to the red line as quick as possible. In S2000 terms this means a 0-60 sprint in around 6 seconds! The engine is mated to a manual gearbox with no option for automatic.The Honda S2000 sports cars are available with two designs. The AP1 chassis was introduced in 1999 and ran until 2004 when the AP2 design started manufacture.The AP1 Honda S2000 had remote central locking, airbags, cassette radio entertainment system and an immobilizer. From 2002 the model benefited from a heated rear screen and 2004 models were available in GT spec with hard top. From 2004 the car has heated mirrors, LED tail lights and an upgraded alarm system.The AP2 Honda S2000 has remote central locking, airbags, electronic brake force distribution and ABS as standard on the later models.Options:
If you buy a S2000 then you'll be pleased with the array options which come as standard on a S2000. The S2000 has leather seats available in a variety of colours including some two-tone shades.From 2004 the GT specification comes with a hardtop as well as the folding roof to help keep you warm in the winter months. The hardtop has a glass heated rear screen.Of course, all manufacturers produce a list of optional extras for your car and the S2000 benefits from an optional spoiler for extra racy looks, front and rear protectors and extra speakers for the hifi.Colours:
The Honda S2000 is available in Berlina Black, Moon rock metallic grey, Silverstone Metallic Silver, Lime Green Metallic; Royal Navy Blue Pearl; Neuburgring Blue Metallic; New Formula Red; Monza Red Pearl; Imola Orange Pearl and New Indy Yellow Pearl. Popular colours for the Honda S2000 are the Neuburgring Blue, Moon rock and Silverstone metallic silver colours. Inside the cockpit, the leather seats are available in Red, Black and Tan, or blue for the Neuburgring coloured cars. Two-tone red-black seats are also available.Size:
The Honda S2000 is approximately 4100mm long by 1750mm wide.Running costs:
If your looking for a low cost runabout then you probably should be looking elsewhere. That nippy engine earns the Honda S2000 an insurance group 20 quote! Take it steady on the motorway and you could get upto 35mpg though combined cycle will get more like 28mpg. Also road tax could quite easily be between £200-£400 at time of writing. Servicing costs aren't too badPrices
The Honda S2000 has been around for quite a long time now and there are many higher mileage cars around the £5k area. A good well cared for model can be had for around £8-10K for an AP1 spec or £12k plus for an AP2. Prices are representative at the time of writing. Honda has an excellent reputation for reliability so buying an older car shouldn't represent too much of a risk when compared with other options.Alternatives:
Around at the same time as the S2000 was the Mazda MX5 and Porsche Boxster 2-door open top sports cars. The little Mazda is a fun car to drive with an almost classical style and look dating back to cars of the 60's. The Porsche boxster is a highly accomplished sports car at the lower end of the Porsche range.
The aerodynamic design as well as the computational fluid technique incorporated in the 2010 Chrysler Firepower make it dashing sports car. For proper engine cooling, a low mounted Chrysler grille is also equipped in it. The regular lights have been put instead of the LED lights, while the bonnet is designed with a clean and neat look.The aluminum wheels of the car are measured to be 19 x 12 inches in the front and 20 x 12 inches on the rear end. The wheels are also decreased in the size with the above-mentioned dimension. The chassis of the car is similar to that of the Viper cars.The front brake of the car is equipped with the Brembo vented discs with the 14 inches large and 4 pot calipers. The same system is observed in the rear break, but it is 12 inches large. The Chrysler Firepower comes with the A580 5 speed automatic transmission system.But, the fuel economy won't be too high as expected. But, the vehicle is estimated to feature the fuel economy of 14/19 mpg (city/highways). The output of the vehicle is quite high and the 2008 Chrysler firepower was considered to be the highest output engine in its class.The torque of the car is about 420 lb - ft, while Chrysler has also put forth the new high flow cylinder heads, performance oriented camshaft, reinforced engine block, calibrated Auto stick and much more in the latest Chrysler Firepower. It is expected to come with the oyster leather, ocean deep blue and Behr maple accents.
The Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a breathtaking stunner of a sports car displaying the best auto engineering, exclusive performance and modern design. There is no doubt about it; you will be the center of attention and other fellow automotive enthusiasts will undoubtedly turn green with envy when you arrive in style at the trendiest hot spot in town in this sophisticated car. Sleek and powerful at the same time, the V8 Vantage has it all. The Vantage features an aesthetically pleasing C-pillar look that is simply stunning and the interior seats are crafted with high quality leather and detailed contrast stitching. This sports car was designed to weigh as little as possible while maximizing performance.This incredible car offers superior performance; this auto can reach a remarkable sixty two miles per hour in just 4.9 seconds and can reach speed limits of up to one hundred and eighty miles per hour. The Vantage is a car that is built for speed and it would be the thrill of a lifetime to test this high performance vehicle out on the open road. The Vantage's V8 engine is actually built by hand at Aston Martin's exclusive engine factory in Germany. The hand built engine produces 450 hp at 7,000 RPM.The sleek sports car offers loads of safety features such as the inclusion of front and rear crumple zones engineered to absorb energy during a high-impact car accident and dual airbags which can actually be set off in two separate stages depending on the impact, plus side airbags as well. Further safety features in the V8 Vantage include Traction Control and ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Dynamic Stability Control and Positive Torque Control. In depth testing has been performed on the Vantage in such strenuous and rigorous locations such as the Nardo racing track in Italy, the Nurburgring in Germany and in Dubai where degrees regularly hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit and the the exterior of cars an even reach intense degrees of 188 F.One very nifty feature that comes standard on the V8 Vantage is that of the integration of all versions of the iPod music player including the iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPod Classic etc. You can easily control your entire iPod library from the Vantage's in-dash display including play lists, albums and artists. In addition, the V8 also comes with a 160-watts audio system and 6 disc cd changer, which will enable you to savor the sweet sounds of your favorite tunes as you cruise down the highway in opulent style.The V8 Vantage is Aston Martin's most affordable and best selling vehicle available on the market. This is an stunning automobile that will certainly provide you with lots of envious glances as you drive her at full speed on the road. Check out the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and get ready for a taste of luxury, elegance and excellent performance.
Ferrari 250 GTO - One of the most popular sports car of all times
This Car is ranked the number one sports car of all times. This car was designed by Giotto Bizzarrini and his team back in 1962. There were only 36 units produced of this model during the two year production period. With a V12 engine this car can drive at 302 hp energy. Its start up time is 6.1 seconds with the acceleration reaching up to 100Km/hr.
Scuderia Spider 16M By FERRARI
In order to commemorate its 16th label as an F1 Constructor, the Prancing Horse has revealed the extraordinary version Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M at the World Finals in Mugello.The Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is motorized by the 4.3 liter V8 mechanism that yields 510 hp at 8500 rpm and 470 Nm of torque at 5250 rpm.In the company of this engine the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M is able to go up to 315 km/h and requires merely 3.7 seconds to get to 100 km/h.The corporation will put up 499 pieces of the Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M and the cars will simply go to only those adoring Ferrari fans.The Scuderia Spider 16M is on hand in a preference of two latest signature colour designs: the model version is black in the company of grey trim, at the same time as a tricolour insignia is furthermore offered as an element of the Carrozzeria Scaglietti Personalisation course.The latest car moreover sports an out of the ordinary plate on its rear fence to celebrate Ferrari’s 16th Constructor’s World title.The exclusiveness of the inside is highlighted in silver.
Bugatti veyron 16.4 Grand Sport (MOST EXPENSIVE)
Time to test out all this technical wizardry after patiently awaiting over a year for my thrill behind the wheel. Yet, like a rookie, I started in the passenger seat while AMLS Pro Driver Butch Leitzinger broke down the vehicle's performance procedures, which all seemed very simplistic from observance and just as easy to operate from the pilot position. The interior layout is far from complicated. Moisture-resistant, backstitched leather seats are very accommodating and supportive; the steering wheel houses the two paddle shifters for gear selection; a new rear view camera transfers images into the rearview mirror, and of course there is an iPod connection. Also, don't expect a navigation screen -- turn by turn and voice guidance are its substitute. The start button sits at the bottom of the multi-function gear selector which in turn is positioned within an oval and shiny plate of machined aluminium. Two simple switches decorate the gear selector -- LC for Launch Control, a mode normally reserved for racing take offs, or should I say lift-offs with this vehicle. The button to the right of lever is Handling mode which lowers the entire vehicle and brings up the rear wing for more downforce. If you don't want to use the paddles but need routine power then set the gear lever in Sport (S) which puts the Grand Sport in its lowest gear, but will deplete your 25 gallon tank at a rate of 8 or 9 mpg. Dynaudio's $30,000 Puccini sound system specifies only four speakers (2 bass drivers in the doors & 2 tweeters) but is advanced with Magnesium-Silicate-Polymer and light aluminium featuring amplification with digital signal processing. Yet, an audio system is irrelevant when you have a 16 cylinder to listen to.
Rolls-Royace GHOST
The 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is the latest model to come from this storied manufacturer, and it's positioned as the brand's entry-level vehicle. At a quarter-million dollars worth of starting price, that's quite a misnomer. As with all Rolls-Royce vehicles, the new Ghost surrounds occupants in top-notch luxury and unmistakable style. Attention to detail and craftsmanship border on the obsessive. However, we wonder if it's really worth the added cost over a Mercedes-Benz S600 or Jaguar XJL Supersport. Still, for shoppers with the financial means, the 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is an intriguing choice. As for Rolls-Royce, it’s the business savvy and engineering might of BMW that has kept the stately and exclusive automobiles at the very forefront of the ultra-luxury segment. Since 2003, when the brand was transferred from Volkswagen to BMW, the line has included just one model—the Phantom and its four different variations. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/14133 | Remembrance Day 2009
Posted: Nov 10, 2009 1:16 PM ET
Read more from Reg Sherren about "Restoring a Memory" I remember hearing about young Mike Seggie’s passing last year. I remember because he and his comrades were killed on September 3rd, which happens to be my birthday. I followed the ramp ceremony, and Mike’s funeral. One more funeral, when there has already been so many. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it’s been for Jim and Shirley Seggie. They lost a daughter, Kimberly, in a car accident a few years back. She was just 17. And now their only son was gone. Mike's pride and joy. Mike Seggie’s 1968 Plymouth Barracuda had a good coat of paint on it, but… I heard about the car project a few months ago. Now a fast-back 1968 Plymouth Barracuda is a fairly rare beast these days. But beyond that, as people got to know Mike Seggie’s sense of duty, his humour, his willingness to give others the shirt off his back, they too wanted to attach themselves to his memory. It was worse than anyone imagined. Mike’s car was rotten with rust and barely attached to the frame. Hence, the restoration project. The car project provides the family with a much-needed source of strength, and while Mom Shirley says she doesn’t know how she will ever repay their kindness, those I talked with say no thanks is necessary, they are honoured to be part of the team. Soldiers who have worked on the car are deployed in Afghanistan right now. My final connection with this story came when Jim showed me a special license plate a woman named Kay Kennedy had made, which will go on the front of the car. We had been talking about where I grew up when he said. "you’re kidding, you grew up in Labrador? The woman who designed the license plate is from Wabush, Labrador. She lost her son, too." Her son was Private Kevin Kennedy, Royal Canadian Regiment. For close to 30 years now I have been covering November 11th, and telling the stories of those who served. I’ve seen the torch passed from our veterans, to the men and women in the Persian Gulf, and now Afghanistan. I feel a responsibility to tell their stories, to ensure people can see beyond those painful ramp ceremonies, and understand the tremendous loss good families are dealing with every day. Here's a list of those who have helped out on the car project, in Mike Seggie's memory: CFB Shilo Car Club/Mike Mulvihill Brandon Radiator Piston Ring NAPA Castrol (through NAPA) Wheelers Gunn Transmission Select Upholstery Fountain Tire Brandon Dodge Accent Striping H. Bullee and Sons Minute Muffler R.D. Rutherford Pony Corral (a restaurant in Winnipeg that helped with fundraising in a huge way) Sam from D.J. Autobody Report Typo or Error | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/14458 | More News White House calls for further heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency standards
Following steps taken in 2011 to mandate new heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency standards going into effect this year and running through 2018, President Barack Obama said this week he is again upping the ante for further fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks that will head into next decade. in the News
By Jeff Berman, Group News Editor · February 19, 2014
Following steps taken in 2011 to mandate new heavy-duty truck fuel efficiency standards going into effect this year and running through 2018, President Barack Obama said this week he is again upping the ante for further fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks that will head into next decade. “Today, I’m directing the Secretary of Transportation, Anthony Foxx, and Gina McCarthy, the Administrator of EPA…to develop fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks that will take us well into the next decade, just like our cars,” Obama said at a Safeway Distribution Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland on February 18 And they’re going to partner with manufacturers and autoworkers and states and other stakeholders, truckers, to come up with a proposal by March of next year, and they’ll complete the rule a year after that.”
The President stressed the fact that the nation wants trucks that use less oil, save more money and cut pollution, and he noted that the White House’s National Clean Fleets Partnership, which was established in 2011 and is focused on helping large companies cut down on diesel and gasoline usage in their fleets by meshing electronic vehicles, alternative fuels, and fuel-savings measures into their daily operations, is now up to 23 member companies, including transportation titans UPS and FedEx. Specifics of the improved fuel efficiency standards is Obama calling for have yet to be disclosed, but he did note that for in order to have businesses and manufacturers meet the new goals, the White House is offering new tax credits for companies that manufacture heavy-duty alternative-fuel vehicles and those that build fuel infrastructure so that trucks running on biodiesel or natural gas or hybrid electric technology, will have more places to fill up.
When the White House issued its mandate for improved fuel efficiency in 2011, it was estimated that these regulations would add roughly $6,200 to the cost of a $125,000 Class 8 tractor, and it also called for that the trucking industry start to become more efficient—to 6.5 miles per gallon from today’s 5 mpg average for a typical loaded semi-trailer. And for combination tractors it called for up to a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas consumption by model year 2018, with a savings up to 4 gallons of fuel for every 100 miles traveled, with vocational vehicles, including delivery trucks to reduce fuel emissions and greenhouse gas emissions by ten percent in the same period along with saving an average of one gallon of fuel for every 100 miles traveled.
The White House also said that by model year 2018 these heavy-duty standards can save vehicle owners and operators and estimated $50 billion in fuel costs and save a projected 530 million barrels of oil or more than the U.S. imports in a year from Saudi Arabia. While industry stakeholders were largely positive about what the White House proposed back then, some appear to have taken a bit of a more guarded approach this time around.
“We stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the President and his administration in 2011 when the historic first fuel efficiency standards were set for heavy-duty vehicles,” said American Trucking Associations (ATA) President and CEO Bill Graves. “As we begin this new round of standards, ATA hopes the administration will set forth a path that is both based on the best science and research available and economically achievable. Fuel is one of our industry’s largest expenses, so it makes sense that as an industry we would support proposals to use less of it. However, we should make sure that new rules don’t conflict with safety or other environmental regulations, nor should they force specific types of technology onto the market before they are fully tested and ready.”
Using the past as prologue, Kevin Smith, president and CEO of Sustainable Supply Chain Consulting, said that efforts to regulate diesel carbon emissions over the last decade have actually hurt fuel efficiency and increased the cost of equipment and created another gap for carriers to fill in their efforts to remain profitable. “Fuel is a major component of operating cost and a necessary focus of every carrier in order to maintain profitability,” explained Smith. “It is in their best interest to be as fuel efficient as possible. But, can the government do a good job of regulating efficiency? It is unlikely given their track record. We have been trying to improve automobile fuel efficiency, in part through government regulation, since 1974 when the Department of Energy was formed ostensibly to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Forty years and billions of dollars of bureaucracy later, we have made some progress. But, it was not through regulation so much as market forces. As the cost of gasoline went up, people sought out more fuel efficient vehicles. Overall fuel efficiency is better than 40 years ago because dependable technology became available and affordable.” He also noted that there is a possibility the new rules will not be beneficial to carriers and shippers as they night be onerous and may include requirements for alternative fuels or overly expensive engine alterations or some type of proprietary technology that allows little or no opportunity to pursue competitive advantage.
“The government should let the industry seek out efficiency and provide incentives or rewards for successful execution rather than trying to regulate better fuel efficiency,” said Smith. February 18, 2014
About the Author Jeff Berman, Group News Editor
Jeff Berman is Group News Editor for Logistics Management, Modern Materials Handling, and Supply Chain Management Review. Jeff works and lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where he covers all aspects of the supply chain, logistics, freight transportation, and materials handling sectors on a daily basis. Contact Jeff Berman
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2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/14532 | Downside seen to drivers' use of less gas | New Hampshire Contact us
September 07. 2013 10:55PM
Downside seen to drivers' use of less gas
Thousands of Granite Staters are driving hybrid, electric or alternative-fuel vehicles as a way to save money and protect the environment.And new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards are boosting fuel economy for gas-powered cars and light trucks.But one unintended consequence is that the gas-tax revenues that fund the roads and bridges are decreasing, in New Hampshire and across the nation.Now there's a growing consensus among state leaders that New Hampshire should find a way to ensure all drivers are paying their fair share.Michael Pillsbury is deputy commissioner of the state Department of Transportation. He described the problem of highway maintenance: "It takes the same effort as it did a number of years ago, it costs more and revenues are stagnant."In the New Hampshire Constitution, the state's gas tax is called the "road toll." The state collects 18 cents per gallon from distributors, and dealers add that cost to the price paid at the pump, Pillsbury said.The system worked just fine for a long time, he said."The nice thing about a gas tax is it is a user fee," he said. "If you don't drive very much, you don't pay a tax. If you drive a lot, you pay more because you're using the roads more."But what happens if your vehicle uses biodiesel, electricity or compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of gasoline? You still use roads and bridges; you're just not helping to pay for them.According to the state Department of Environmental Services, there were 156 electric cars registered in New Hampshire last year. And there were about 14,000 hybrids, out of a total of 1.4 million vehicles, registered here in 2011.A previous state law required "alternative energy" vehicles to "pre-pay road toll fees at the time of registration," an amount equal to twice the annual registration fee, Pillsbury noted. It was repealed in 2001.The idea may get a second look.No fee on CNGRep. Candace Bouchard, D-Concord, chairs the House Transportation Committee. She said the idea of capturing revenue from alternative-fuel vehicles has been discussed in Concord for years.Her own interest in the issue was reawakened when she learned that a new CNG fueling station was being built in Pembroke. There are other CNG stations - at the state DOT, Nashua Public Works Department and the University of New Hampshire."And a lot of commercial fleets are now switching over to CNG," Bouchard said. However, she said, "There's no user fee on that fuel."Bouchard has begun researching the issue for possible legislation in the upcoming session."I look at it as just being progressive. As we're all trying to be more fuel-efficient or looking for other fuel sources, we still have to keep our infrastructure workable," she said.Sen. David Watters, D-Dover, said he expects to file legislation addressing the issue of hybrids and electric vehicles. He's considering proposing a surcharge on the registration fee for such vehicles.And while he expects the owners of those vehicles may grumble, Watters noted they're still saving money on the gas tax.He's also considering proposing that any funds raised by such a surcharge be dedicated to what's called "betterment," money that goes directly to local municipalities for their roads.That would offset property taxes that would otherwise go to maintain those roads. "And maybe that makes it more palatable," he said.Gasoline usage trendIn the early 2000s, the gasoline usage the road toll was based on was increasing each year. But that trend has reversed, and revenue from the road toll is projected to drop about a half-percent a year, according to Scott Bryer, road toll administrator at the Department of Safety.In fiscal year 2005, when vehicles used 860,955,143 gallons of gas, the gas tax brought in nearly $155 million, according to figures provided by the department.In 2009, the gallonage dropped to 815,353,404, which raised about $146.8 million in road tolls. And for 2013, that figure is projected at 801,737,916 gallons, or about $144.3 million.Rebecca Ohler is transportation and energy program manager at the Department of Environmental Services' Air Resources Division. She said there have been ongoing discussions between the DES and the DOT about the effects of reducing petroleum use and improving vehicle efficiency.Her division is tasked with protecting air quality, Ohler said, which includes reducing air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles."But in our opinion, every vehicle that's on the roadway should be paying their fair share for the support of the roadway network," she said. "Bridges that continue to stand are everybody's concern."Some states are looking at systems that tax drivers based on how many miles they drive each year, Ohler noted. But here, she said, that would work best on a regional basis, since commuters and vacationers use roads and buy fuel across state lines."The solutions in theory are so simple, but in practice are very complex," she said."In theory, you just do a formula with the weight of the vehicle and the number of miles driven and you've got your solution. But then there are people that have privacy concerns about not wanting to have to divulge how many miles they drive in a year."And it would be very complex to implement because it would mean all of the states need to talk to each other."Still, officials say the state's current dependence on a gas tax to maintain the roads isn't sustainable as more vehicles use alternative fuels or get better fuel economy."I think as we move closer and closer to crisis, there's going to be more impetus for people to keep the conversation going and really bring some solutions to the forefront for broader discussion," Ohler said.Pillsbury expects some of the privacy and jurisdictional concerns will be worked out over the next decade. [email protected]
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2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/15103 | Home > AUTHOR BIOS > Page
Stephen Page was born in London and now lives in Dallas, Texas with his wife Kathi. He has always been a Formula One fan and car nut. While restoring a 1954 Jensen Interceptor (one of only 88 built) during the mid-1970’s, he helped his friends at Huron Racing in Byfleet, Surrey England build Formula Ford and Group One Saloon Sports cars.He saw James Hunt win his first Formula One race for Heskith Racing at Zandvoort in 1975. Not until 2001 when he was a pupil at the Laguna Seca Skip Barber Race School, did his passion for driving race cars take hold.From 2001 until 2012, driving as a non-professional, Stephen competed in vintage racing with CVAR in the Southwest. He won CVAR’s Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic Championships during 2005 and 2008 respectively.Stephen is the founder of the VRL (www.thevrl.com) an online community for people who love racing and cars. The VRL’s objective is to use the content management attributes and converging mechanism functionality of its online community to collect archival information on the 3,000 plus manufacturers of car marques since 1895, ultimately building a Global Museum of Automotive History (www.gmah.org). As of 2016, VRL members have contributed 40,000 plus unique images, videos and comments to the archive. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/15114 | Legendary car designer Fisker unveils his new luxury EV in August
Microsoft has a plan to beat Chromebooks at their own game
Latest in Electric vehicle
Tesla recalls 53,000 vehicles for potential parking brake issue
Chinese EV supercar maker is prepping an all-electric SUV
Volkswagen's crossover of the future uses AR to keep you informed
Microsoft and Toyota to partner on smarter charging systems for EVs (update: yes)
Today at 3:00pm EST Microsoft and Toyota are holding a little webcast and, while they're staying mum on just what the topic of discussion will be, we're hearing they've been having some heart-to-hearts about making dumb power grids a little smarter. The details naturally are yet to be unveiled, but we're presuming it'll be similar to what Microsoft and Ford have worked on for the Focus Electric, technology that enables the car to know when rates are cheapest and only charge up then, also providing detailed data on the car's power consumption. The Tesla-powered RAV4 EV will be Toyota's first pure electric vehicle, and while it surely won't be as invigorating to drive as the similarly Tesla-powered Roadster, thanks to Microsoft maybe it'll be a little smarter. It'll certainly be cheaper.
Update: Sure enough. Toyota and Microsoft have announced a ¥1 billion (about $12 million) deal to extend Microsoft's telematics wizardry (which powers Toyota's Entune system, among many others) to help "link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption." Interestingly it's all going to be built on Azure, Microsoft's cloud operating system that, apparently, works in cars as well. That and lots more PR speak after the break. Show full PR textMicrosoft and Toyota Announce Strategic Partnership on Next-Generation Telematics Microsoft and Toyota to participate in 1 billion yen investment in Toyota Media Service Co.REDMOND, Wash., and TOYOTA CITY, Japan - April 6, 2011 - Microsoft Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) today announced they have forged a strategic partnership and plan to build a global platform for TMC's next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure platform. Telematics is the fusing of telecommunications and information technologies in vehicles; it can encompass GPS systems, energy management and other multimedia technologies. As part of the partnership, the two companies plan to participate in a 1 billion yen (approximately $12 million) investment in Toyota Media Service Co., a TMC subsidiary that offers digital information services to Toyota automotive customers. The two companies aim to help develop and deploy telematics applications on the Windows Azure platform, which includes Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure, starting with TMC's electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012. TMC's goal is to establish a complete global cloud platform by 2015 that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customers around the world. As part of its smart-grid activities, aimed at achieving a low-carbon society through efficient energy use, TMC is conducting trials in Japan of its Toyota Smart Center pilot program, which plans to link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption. TMC believes that, as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles become more popular, such systems will rely more on telematics services for achieving efficient energy management. Microsoft has a long history of delivering platforms and services to the automotive market, including in-car infotainment systems built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, in-car mapping services with Bing and the Microsoft Tellme voice application, and many other consumer solutions. "Today's announcement of our partnership with TMC is a great example of how we continue to invest in the automotive industry and of our commitment to power the services that are important to consumers," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "It further validates the power of the cloud, as the Windows Azure platform will provide the enterprise-grade, scalable platform that TMC needs to deliver telematics in its automobiles worldwide." "This new partnership between Microsoft and Toyota is an important step in developing greater future mobility and energy management for consumers around the world. Creating these more efficient, more environmentally advanced products will be our contribution to society," said Akio Toyoda, president of TMC. "To achieve this, it is important to develop a new link between vehicles, people and smart center energy-management systems." Virtual Press Conference Information Following a signing ceremony today at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash.-based headquarters, Ballmer and Toyoda will hold a virtual press conference online from 1 to 2 p.m. PDT. Media can register for the event at http://www.studiosevent.com/press-event and ask questions of both company leaders. More information on the announcement is available at the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/newscenter or the Toyota USA Newsroom at http://www.toyotanewsroom.com.About Toyota Founded in 1937, TMC (NYSE "TM") is a global automotive company with production in 27 countries and sales in more than 170 countries. Founded in 2000 as a wholly owned subsidiary of TMC, Toyota Media Service is a consumer IT service provider for Toyota automotive customers that actualizes the connected, in-car experience.About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
electric vehicle, ElectricVehicle, entune, ev, microsoft, smart charging, smart grid, SmartCharging, SmartGrid, toyota 30m 30m ago in | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/16195 | Maine Considers a Ban on 15% Ethanol Fuel
Maine will ban E15 if at least two other New England states follow suit
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is working on a bill that would ban E15 fuel blends from being sold within the state. E15 is a blend of fuel that has 15% ethanol content compared to the E10 with 10% ethanol that is common across the country today. The United States EPA approved the sale of E15 in June of 2012.
However, filling stations have been very slow to adopt the new E15 blend and as of now, the fuel is only available at 10 stations in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection says that it will ban E15 blends within the state if at least two other New England states go along with the prohibition.
The move comes amid concerns that many vehicles on the highways today and most small engines don't support the higher ethanol content in E15 fuel. The ethanol industry is reportedly aggressively marketing the new E15 blend in seeking to spread its availability outside of the current small footprint.
“We see the writing on the wall from the feds, and we want to make sure that Maine consumers and businesses are protected if others in the region are doing the same,” said DEP spokeswoman Samantha DePoy-Warren.
AAA recently conducted a survey and found that five automotive manufacturers specifically state warranties do not cover E15 related engine damage. Eight other automakers have said that E15 fuel does not comply with their vehicles fuel requirements. On the flipside, the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol industry association, claimed that 60% of the light-duty vehicles on the roads within the U.S. today can use E15 fuel blend.
Source: Bangor Daily News "So, I think the same thing of the music industry. They can't say that they're losing money, you know what I'm saying. They just probably don't have the same surplus that they had." -- Wu-Tang Clan founder RZA | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/16196 | Backup Camera Supporters Urge Regulators to Finalize Vehicle Mandate Shane McGlaun (Blog) - April 9, 2013 9:56 AM
Secretary of Transportation repeatedly postponed making a decision on this legislation
Lawmakers in Washington have been considering a mandate that would force automakers to install rear view cameras in most all-new vehicles. Two members of Congress and parents of children injured (or killed) by inattentive drivers backing over them are now calling on regulators to finalize the regulations.
The advocates are urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to finalize regulations that have been delayed four times since 2011. Congress approved legislation in 2007 that was signed into law by President George W Bush requiring the government to set regulations for rear visibility by February 28, 2011.
However, that date has come and gone many times with Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood repeatedly choosing to delay making a decision on the rule.
The NHTSA has proposed standards that would have required automakers to install backup cameras on all new vehicles by the year 2014. The regulation was expected to be in effect by September of 2014 and was estimated to cost the auto industry in the area of $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion annually. The regulation would also likely increase the purchase price of new vehicles.
NHTSA administrator David Strickland recently said that the ruling would happen "at some point in the near future." He did point out that the rule is still under review, commenting, "We are still working through a number of issues. It's a very important rule for the department… We want to make sure we get it right."
The backup camera regulations are intended to help eliminate the blind spots on vehicles that could obscure pedestrians, particularly the elderly and children, from the driver's view. The NHTSA says that about 100 children age 5 or under die each year in backup accidents and more than half of those are one year old or younger. Source: Detroit News "If a man really wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion." -- Scientology founder L. Ron. Hubbard
Safety Advocates Question Why It's Taking So Long for Backup Camera Regulations | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/16293 | An interesting idea from BMW
The BMW Sauber F1 Team is putting its name to a new "theme park" area at the Nurburgring, in which race fans can get a look up close at what happens in the pit lane and team garages at a Grand Prix. The new displays will be open to the public at the European Grand Prix at the beginning of May
"The Pit Lane Park" is part of the BMW branding process in F1 and features as much detail as possible. The displays will feature a pitlane with cars running through it from time to time, plus a garage area set up as it is at a Grand Prix. Inside the garages there will be a selection of cars, some race-ready, others stripped down allowing fans to see and even touch parts of the cars to see the weight. There is even the chance to be photographed in BMW racing overalls and to sit in an F1 cockpit. There will be a variety of other activities such as pit stop challenges, quizzes and driving simulators. There are to be regular visits from the drivers to answer questions for the fans and, naturally, a merchandising area. The display will then be packed away and will be transported to five other Grands Prix in 2006: Barcelona,
Silverstone, Montreal, Monza and Shanghai. The display will be able to handle 16,000 fans a day.
Stories:: APRIL 7, 2006 | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/16346 | Next-gen Skoda Fabia spied near the Nurburgring
By Cristian Gnaticov
on May 21, 2014 in News, Skoda, Spied The next generation of the Skoda Fabia has been spied for the very first time while it was being tested out in Germany.
With new models rolling out, such as the Rapid, and with the updates made to the Octavia and Superb, it was just a matter of time until Skoda turned its head towards the B-segment vehicle. The new generation of the Fabia has been caught on camera for the first time while it was being tested out on city roads, close to the Nurburgring facility. The model in question has an angular exterior design which is making it look similar to new vehicles in the lineup, such as the Rapid.
It has also received a wider grille, sportier C-pillar and a more distinctive greenhouse. The resemblance to the Rapid is also seen in the rear end where we can spot the stylish tailgate with the integrated spoiler or the redesigned taillights. As far as the engine lineup goes, this remains a mystery, but chances are than small petrol and diesel units, shared with other Volkswagen-made vehicles, will be adopted. The 2015 Skoda Fabia is believed to be unveiled this October, during the 2014 Paris Motor Show. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/16495 | U.S. Carmakers Are Riding High, But Detroit May Not Feel It Listen
U.S. Carmakers Are Riding High, But Detroit May Not Feel It 4:02
U.S. Carmakers Are Riding High, But Detroit May Not Feel It U.S. Carmakers Are Riding High, But Detroit May Not Feel It Listen
July 25, 20135:25 PM ET
Sonari Glinton
Jeff Caldwell, a chassis assembly line supervisor, checks a vehicle on the assembly line at the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly plant in Detroit on May 8.
Paul Sancya/AP
The news out of Detroit has been grim of late, but there are some bright spots coming from one corner of the Motor City. On Thursday, General Motors posted its 14th straight profitable quarter since emerging from bankruptcy. Ford announced its 16th consecutive profitable quarter Wednesday, and Chrysler is expected to offer good news soon as well. And for the first time in more than 20 years, a domestic sedan, the Chevy Impala, won top marks from Consumer Reports. But while this should be good news in a city that has just filed for bankruptcy, what's good for Detroit's automakers isn't always good for Detroit. None of the car companies would agree to talk about Detroit's bankruptcy on tape for this story. But when you consider the Big Three — and the auto industry as a whole — there's one fact to recognize, says Michael Robinet, an analyst with IHS Automotive. "The epicenter for the U.S. automotive industry, from a vehicle production perspective, is probably northern Kentucky," he says. Robinet says cars and Detroit are inextricably linked emotionally and culturally, but not so much financially anymore. "All the major decisions within the global automotive industry somehow weave their way through Detroit," he says. "So this is still the heart of the industry. A lot of the muscle around it has sort of moved to other parts of the country." The home of General Motors sits in downtown Detroit, but GM is the only auto company actually headquartered inside the city limits. The company has about 30,000 employees in the Detroit area, but just a little more than 4,000 of them work inside the city itself. Ford, in contrast, has its headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., and its plants in the region are outside the city limits. Chrysler is headquartered in Auburn Hills, north of the city. Back in Detroit, Michelle Krebs, an auto analyst for Edmunds.com, drives this reporter past a Chrysler plant where the Jeep Grand Cherokee is manufactured. "It's building a lot of vehicles right now," Krebs says. "They're fully employed and then some." News Detroit Businesses See Opportunity In Bankruptcy Politics Detroit's Comeback Story Proved Too Good To Be True What A Bankrupt Detroit Means For The Auto Industry
This plant is special, Krebs says, because it's the only significant plant left in the city of Detroit. There are two others, but one of them manufactures the Dodge Viper, which is not a high-volume-selling car. The second makes the Chevy Volt, but only one-half of that facility lies inside the city limits. Krebs says what helped make the Detroit carmakers healthy is that they got leaner and shed much of their legacy costs for retiree benefits. If the auto industry can't come to the rescue of the city, she says, maybe it can serve as an example. "First of all, we didn't know if [the carmakers] would exist and we didn't think they'd make it through a bankruptcy process. And now they're flourishing like crazy," Krebs says. "We're seeing that same bleak picture for Detroit. So I think there is some hope that [since] we got through the GM-Chrysler bankruptcy, maybe we can get through the Detroit bankruptcy." People who are interested in the auto business and Detroit say cars are absolutely vital to the health of the city — but they just aren't enough anymore. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/17045 | Home>Toyota>Truck>Tacoma Double Cab
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab
2017 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma sees the return of the TRD Pro model, an off-road-ready version with extra gear to make the Tacoma even more capable when the going gets extremely tough. Other changes include a standard appearance package on SR5 V6 models.
Toyota's midsize truck is essentially all new, with new styling, a new V6 engine and transmission, a more refined and quieter interior, more capability, and new features, including Crawl Control to make off-roading even easier.
About Toyota Tacoma Double Cab
The Toyota Tacoma continues to be the best-selling midsize truck in the U.S. by a wide margin, thanks to a decades-long reputation as a capable and reliable truck that's as tough as nails. However, strong competitors like the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon have begun to eat into that dominance. Still, the Tacoma's versatility, wide range of styles and prices, and attractive styling are a compelling argument for truck buyers who want something capable, not in a package that has its own Zip code. The 2017 Toyota Tacoma builds on its reputation for off-road ability with the reintroduction of the TRD Pro model, which adds serious off-road gear to the basic package, making it a realistic off-road alternative to the Jeep Wrangler. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/17918 | Fiat working on a performance version of the 2012 Panda
Article by Christian A., on February 24, 2012 Fiat is developing a performance version of the new Fiat Panda city car. According to a Fiat spokesman, a 105bhp version of Fiat’s 875cc, two-cylinder TwinAir engine is being developed. A spokesman said that this installation into the Panda is “the next logical step.” The TwinAir engine is available as an 85bhp turbocharged unit, and a 65bhp naturally-aspirated version will be presented later this year.
The engine has enough flexibility to offer a wide range of power outputs but 105bhp is the limit without major re-engineering of the unit.
The spokesman said that the company can go beyond this but it isn’t prepared to do so while sacrificing drivability. The Panda 100HP, the previous performance variant of the model, was accepted well. Because of this, there’s pressure for a replacement to be offered. This model would link the gap between standard Pandas and the 500 Abarth and Punto Evo Abarth.
But then, Fiat has discounted the idea of an Abarth Panda, halting rumors that Fiat's 1.4TB unit may be intended for the model. Fiat said that the next major launch for the Panda range would be a couple of 4x4 models that will be launched this September.
The Panda 4x4 Climbing is a four-wheel drive variant that will be available with a selection of petrol and diesel powertrains. The preferred options are the 1.2-litre FIRE and 1.3 MultiJet engines.
Topics: fiat, fiat panda, sports car If you liked the article, share on: | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/18505 | Scott Keogh named new Audi of America President
Following Johan de Nysschen's recent departure to rival Infiniti, Audi has today announced that Scott Keogh will become the new President of Audi of America. Formerly Chief Marketing Officer at Audi of America, Keogh has demonstrated an amazingly keen eye for marketing the Audi brand here in the U.S. Some of Keogh's marketing credits include award-winning Super Bowl commercials, Truth in 24 documentary series, cinematic product placements (Iron Man) and the strategy to re-introduce RS and allroad models to the U.S. We wish Scott the best of luck and look forward to the next milestones for Audi USA under his leadership. Full report after the jump.
Jun 20, 2012 , HERNDON, Va. - Audi will build on its record-setting performance in the U.S. market with a new President to lead Audi of America.
Scott Keogh will assume the top leadership role for Audi brand activities across the U.S. effective immediately. Keogh comes into the job with experience of six years as Chief Marketing Officer at Audi of America. In that position, he led all product planning for the U.S. market in addition to award-winning marketing and advertising campaigns that helped Audi of America achieve record levels of consumer awareness and consideration.
A strong advocate for Audi performance and efficiency engineering, Keogh helped steer the introduction of Audi TDI clean diesel technology to the U.S. market by positioning it as a social cause rather than a mere engine variant. He developed the strategy to re-introduce RS performance models, including the new RS 5 coupe coming to dealerships this year, to the American premium sports car segment. Keogh also advocated for the return this year of the iconic Audi allroad, as part of a strategy that has resulted in 14 new Audi model launches for American consumers since 2006.
Among the Audi brand accomplishments led by Keogh – each with its own portion of risk and unconventional thinking for the segment – have been early awareness-building exercises such as the Truth in 24 documentaries about the Audi dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race; bold Super Bowl advertising; a significant push into social media; and integration of Audi into blockbuster Hollywood productions, such as the Iron Man movie series.
The Audi brand has established sales records over the past 17 consecutive months, culminating in an all-time annual record of 117,561 premium performance models sold nationwide in 2011. That topped the previous annual sales record of 101,629 Audi vehicles sold in the U.S. market just one year earlier.
“We see exceptional growth opportunity in the U.S. market as we continue moving toward our goal of positioning Audi as the leading luxury automotive brand in the world by 2020,” said Rupert Stadler, AUDI AG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Gains in the U.S. are truly a strategic pillar for the brand and we are confident that the leadership provided by Scott Keogh will continue the momentum at Audi of America.”
Audi of America has shown momentum across its businesses. Consumer awareness and consideration are at an all-time high level thanks to Audi of America marketing and media activities. Audi Parts and Accessories sales reached record levels in 2011, and are poised to eclipse those results in 2012. Audi Certified pre-owned sales achieved record numbers in 2011, as well. The 278 Audi dealer partners in the U.S. are seeing record returns on sales on average, and the brand demonstrated solid profitability in the U.S. last year.
“Audi has demonstrated remarkable progress in recent years,” Keogh said today at Audi of America headquarters in Herndon. “There is much work to be done in a highly competitive segment of the auto business. But the sights are set and the team is in place to meet our goals.”
As the next Audi of America President, Keogh replaces Johan de Nysschen who led the organization over the past 7 ½ years in an Audi career that spanned nearly 20 years. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/19203 | High in the Andes, in a remote corner of Bolivia, lies more than half the world's reserves of a mineral that could radically reduce our reliance on dwindling fossil fuels.Lithium carries a great promise. It could help power the fuel efficient electric or petrol-electric hybrid vehicles of the future.But, as is the case with fossil fuels, it is a limited resource.Lithium carbonate is already in the batteries of laptop computers and mobile phones.It is used because it allows more energy to be stored in a lighter, smaller space than most alternatives.And as the auto industry rushes to produce new fuel efficient and electric cars, it too is turning to lithium batteries as its first choice to boost the power of their new models.GM has one in its new hybrid Volt, Toyota is testing one in its next generation hybrid Prius. Mercedes is testing an electric version of its Smart, while BMW is doing the same with its Mini.And Nissan-Renault, Mitsubishi and VW are all rushing to buy or produce enough of the batteries to power their future models.The best of the pure electric cars can reach ranges of more than 150 kilometres per charge.More is neededBut there is a problem. This isn't a magic solutionLuis Alberto Echazu, Bolivian minister for miningMorales defends Bolivia changesMitsubishi, which plans to release its own electric car soon, estimates that the demand for lithium will outstrip supply in less than 10 years unless new sources are found.And they have ended up in Bolivia."The demand for lithium won't double but increase by five times," according to Eichi Maeyama Mitsubishi's general manager in La Paz."We will need more lithium sources - and 50% of the world's reserves of lithium exist in Bolivia, in the Salar de Uyuni," he adds, pointing out that without new production, the price of lithium will rise prohibitively.Valuable resourceLithium is found in rocks and sea water.Village bordering the flatsLocals fear the benefits will not be passed onBut almost all the commercially exploitable reserves are found in the brine under salt flats.The world's largest reserves lie in Bolivia at the Salar de Uyuni - in the remote southern Andean plane.But Bolivia is not a country known to be friendly to foreign industry.Its socialist president, Evo Morales, is keen to expand state control over its natural resources, a task carried out by Bolivia's minister for mining, Luis Alberto Echazu."We want to send a message to the industrialized countries and their companies," Mr Echazu says."We will not repeat the historical experience since the fifteenth century: raw materials exported for the industrialisation of the west that has left us poor."Modest ambitionsGold, silver, tin, oil and gas have all been found and exported from here whilst the country remains the poorest in the region. They probably don't have a lot of experience of doing this sort of thing themselves so they'll have to bring in expertise and technologyCharles Kernot, mining analyst, Evolution SecuritiesFor President Morales' supporters, that is reason enough not to allow in foreign mining companies to extract the lithium.Across the flats, freelance miners work to break up the surface salt selling it to passing trucks for just a few dollars.Indigenous and poor, they are core supporters of the president.A grizzled old miner, giving his name only as Alfredo, says he does not believe that lithium will ever be extracted."We don't want to see foreign companies here," he says."It would be very bad, as the government says."Alfredo's hopes for the future are modest."I just want to work until I die" he says, a smile across his face. It is not an uncommon sentiment here.Sharing the benefitsIn spite of the grinding poverty here, attempts in the 1980's and 1990's by foreign companies to extract the lithium met with resistance from the community.Planned pilot plantBolivia is concerned about damage to the environmentThey say the money would go elsewhere.Francisco Quisbert is a local activist with President Morales' party who took part in the resistance.Now he is working with the president to hammer out a new plan for a state-owned pilot plant on the flats."We don't want international involvement," he says."This plan has raised the hopes of the region."Before our grandparents lived on the salt. They arrived from the valleys in caravans of llamas, but the market forced them to leave."We want to return to live on the salar [and] improve our living conditions and to participate in the project."To begin with the pilot plant will produce no more than 1.2 kilotonnes a year.If an industrial plant is then built it may increase to around 30 kilotonnes by 2012, - thats just under a third of current production.But most lithium now goes to small batteries for electronic goods.Car batteries are far larger and Mitsubishi estimates the world will need 500 kilotonnes a year just to service a niche market. For electric cars to become the norm, it could need far more.Mitsubishi predicts that there will be a supply shortage by 2015.Pollution neverthelessAnalysts suspect that Bolivia's government can produce this much."Governments in South America have had a very successful history of mining," explains Charles Kernot, a mining analyst at Evolution Securities.But the question is how fast."They probably don't have a lot of experience of doing this sort of thing themselves so they'll have to bring in expertise and technology," Mr Kernot adds."That whole process may take a lot longer than people are anticipating."Consequently, he continues, "the car manufacturers will have to strike a balance between how quickly they manufacture with the supply of metal because they don't want to drive the price up to such an extent that the cars get priced out of the market".Long-term, Bolivia's government is wary of the environmental damage mass extraction could cause.The mining minister, Mr Eschazu, has a stark message for Western firms."The capitalist leaders have to change," he says."If all the world had consumers like North America, everyone with a car, it would grind to a halt."It is also going to generate pollution, not just from fossil fuels but also from lithium plants, which produce sulphur dioxide. This isn't a magic solution."It is not a view likely to go down well in the offices of Toyota and General Motors. | 汽车 |
2017-17/1233/en_head.json.gz/19386 | Home » Catalog » Bilstein
High Country Performance 4x4 » Bilstein
When August Bilstein laid the foundations for the innovation incubator BILSTEIN in Altenvoerde in Germany's Westphalia region in 1873, nobody had any idea of the crucial influence the company's products would one day have on the driving comfort and safety of cars. Instead it was metal window fittings - sold under the catchy name of AUBI, an abbreviation of August Bilstein - that soon made the company famous far beyond the boundaries of Bilstein's local region and even abroad.A whole series of technical innovations followed and the revenues earned through these patents provided a solid basis for the later successes of what was still a young company. In order to meet the exacting quality demands already in the preliminary stage of manufacturing the fittings, the company set up its own strip iron rolling mill in 1919. In line with the motto "A rolling stone gathers no moss", Hans Bilstein, who had taken over the running of the company from his father, returned to his native Westphalia from the USA, which in the 1920s was still a long way away, bringing with him new concepts for nickel- and chrome-plating processes.
Entry into the automotive business: 1928-1954
It was in 1927 that Hans Bilstein made the first move towards the automotive accessories industry, through his co-operation with the Berlin-based lifting gear company Levator-Hebezeug-Fabrik. He did not have to wait long to see his activities bear fruit.In 1928, four years before the opening of the first motorway between Cologne and Bonn, BILSTEIN supplied the first chrome-plated bumper for mass-produced cars. Just one year later the company began producing car jacks. In typical BILSTEIN style, it entered this market with a resounding technical innovation, introducing the first usable side jack to a world that was only slowly getting used to the car. But the true world sensation was still to come.
Gaining the lead through expertise and technology: 1954 to the present day
In 1954, BILSTEIN was the first to realise the potential offered by an idea of Prof. Bourcier de Carbon, a French researcher in the field of vibrations. The aim was to eliminate the physical disadvantages of the conventional telescopic shock absorbers, whilst at the same time making the dampers lighter and able to be fitted in any position.Enormous effort went into development, accompanied by substantial investment in the necessary production facilities, in order to achieve this ambitious target. And it paid off. The introduction of the first mono-tube gas pressure shock absorber in a standard production Mercedes-Benz vehicle in 1957 by what was at the time the 'Fittings and car jack manufacturer BILSTEIN' (Beschlag- und Wagenheber-Hersteller BILSTEIN) is still today considered a major contribution to active driving safety.Gas pressure technology is now used in all types of telescope shock absorbers developed for use on powerful, high-class cars. The latest highlight is the development of the air spring module that BILSTEIN supplies 'just in sequence' to the Mercedes S-Class production line.To this day, the demands of its customers in the automotive and tuning industries, combined with its commitment to motor sports, are what drive development and innovation at BILSTEIN. All AMG Mercedes in the DTM and over half of the teams in the 24 hour race on the Nürburgring approach the starting line with BILSTEIN accessories.The name BILSTEIN has for many decades been closely associated with high tech in the field of suspension design, driving comfort and safety. In order to expand this position in the future, BILSTEIN became a division of ThyssenKrupp Technologies AG in 1988, and a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2005. The partnership and co-operation within the group will enable the company to continue to inspire with innovations in the traditional BILSTEIN way. | 汽车 |
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