Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Ford GT tweaked to 900hp
With its mighty engine, the car can go to a top speed of 200mph in under 19 seconds. With so many positives to boast of, it’s no wonder that the car sold out moments after it was revealed.
Built around the philosophy of being an active commuting car as an urban transportation tool the S-Ride is devised mainly at replacing the motorcycle as the choice of popular transport vehicle among the younger generation. The mini-car combines enjoyment with practicality with its aluminum outer shell housing two compact but comfortable seats and a rear mounting engine to add to its sporty feel. Though still in its development phase, the Suzuki S-Ride concept car also suggest a possible incorporation of telematics in its working scheme of things not so far in the future which shall be an added attraction for its target consumers.
The macho ANVIL from Tomberlin
Powering the ANVIL, is an all electric motor which can be plugged into any household plugpoint due to it’s 110 volt rating. And take this for economy, Tomberlin claims a stupendous 50 miles for one dollar’s worth of electricity. The ANVIL’s interiors too take an innovative approach with an option of folding it’s rear seats, making the ANVIL a pick-up truck for some light load handling capabilities. Thus, the ANVIL comes across as a butch looking, innovative, eco-friendly urban transport vehicle that has the go to match it’s show.
Li-Ion breakthrough can change the face of electric cars
While this holds great significance in a number of electronic devices, it could deal with the most nagging problem in electric vehicles – the range. With greater charge available, battery packs will be able to power vehicles for a longer duration, proportionally increasing the range by a factor of up to 10 times (ideally). The same can also be applied to get more power and performance out of these vehicles. This definitely will help in making electric vehicles more mainstream, powerful, less fussy and easier to maintain.
Peugeot Touch Concept: Mobility at your fingerprints
Constructed to be light-weight, the car also has unique LED lights that can create symbols for a more custom look, making the car stand out of the crowd at night.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Mitsubishi Fubuki Review
TOKYO (AFP) - - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said Thursday it would cut 1,100 jobs, laying off one third of its temporary workers in Japan, as it reduces production to cope with sagging sales.
Japan’s fourth biggest carmaker said it would not renew contracts with the workers when they expire at the end of March.
“We are adjusting production in order to reduce inventory stockpiles in view of the recent economic and market conditions,” the company said in a statement.
Mitsubishi Motors aims to reduce its production in the current fiscal year to March by a further 30,000 vehicles, in addition to a reduction of 80,000 announced in October, a company spokesman said.
Mitsubishi has lagged behind other Japanese automakers as it recovers from a defect cover-up scandal that badly hurt its reputation, but other carmakers are also shedding temporary workers.
Toyota Motor Corp. has said it plans to axe 3,000 jobs — half of its temporary workforce in Japan.
Nissan Motor, Japan’s number three automaker, is shedding 3,500 jobs worldwide, while Mazda is scrapping 1,300 temporary jobs and truckmaker Isuzu is axing 1,400 domestic posts.
Japanese carmakers have expanded rapidly in recent years to meet brisk demand for their vehicles, but they have not been immune to the global economic downturn, even if they are in much better shape than their US rivals.
Not yet seen THE Italian car
This shot clearly doesn't show a Murciélago SV or Superleggera as some sources on the internet stated, and which took over forums since Tuesday ... too bad, but my first idea now seems to be correct, Lamborghini is getting ready to add a third model to the line-up, and my guess would be either a 2+2 GT or even a four door super sedan, probably with the engine up front, hence the side air outlet just behind the front wheel, which by the way looks awesome I think. Too bad they edited the image so we can't see the size, but expect at least 18, probably 19 inch, looking at the disc brake we note it isn't a ceramic unit, and it actually looks rather small inside the rim which leads me to believe we could be talking about a V10 powerplant up front, but I could be wrong here.
The small carbon fiber undertray at the front, and the carbon fiber difusor at the rear we saw on Tuesday September 16. look like some amazing details, they even put the Italian flag on the side of the car, how's that for attention to detail.
Can't wait to see this car for real in Paris on October 2nd, but we can admire it in photographs on October 1st at 21:00 CET already ... these are going to be some long 10 days to wait ...
Ford Wayne Truck Plant Closes For Retooling
Just a few miles west of the quaint downtown village of Dearborn lies the city of Wayne, Michigan. For years Ford’s Wayne Michigan Truck Plant has produced Ford Expeditions and Lincoln Navigators by the hundreds of thousands. This week, the plant on Michigan Ave built it’s last Ford Expedition. It is a signal of changing times where large trucks and SUV’s are giving way to smaller more efficient cars and crossovers.
That may sound like bad news at first, but it marks a big step in the transformation that is about to take place. The plant which has been a long time player in Ford’s collection of factories will undergo a complete modernization and retooling to begin building a new small car platform in 2010. Often thought impossible in today’s Detroit, the plant will build high volume economy cars based on Ford’s European Focus chassis.
The existing tooling for the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator will be shipped to the Louisville, Kentucky plant where the model will resume production later in 2009. This is good news for Louisville where F-Series trucks are already being built as this plant’s future had been in question in recent years. Ford’s Kentucky contingent have a breath of new life in their futures.
What will be produced in the transformed Wayne plant? That has yet to be announced, but Ford has said that it will be bringing a number of its European models to the states. These cars are top sellers across the pond and have won many accolades from the world automotive press. They are stylish, dynamic, and efficient - something hard to say about our American Ford Focus.
There are a number of derivatives of the European Ford Focus including a small people mover known as the C-Max and a small SUV known as the Kuga. Another possible model that might be in the works is a premium small car for the Mercury brand. The European Ford Focus is already a known model that Ford plans to bring stateside, but will likely be produced at the existing Focus production plant that is next door to the Wayne Truck Plant.
Ferrari looks to a new generation
Scuderia Ferrari has been testing three young Italian drivers to see how they do wioth F1 power. The team ran a test for Edoardo Piscopo, Salvatore Cicatelli and Mirko Bortolotti at Fiorano. Piscopo currently races in the Atlantic series in the United States, while Cicatella and Bortolotti have been racing in Formula 3 in Italy.
Ferrari has long had Italian test drivers, notably Luca Badoer but also the likes of Gianni Morbidelli and Nicola Larini but it has been a long time since an Italian last raced for the Ferrari on a regular basis, that being Ivan Capelli back in 1992.
The last Italian to win a race for Ferrari was the late Michele Alboreto back in 1985.
Won’t a big 6.0-litre V12 keep occupants happy
This is the first official image of the new Aston Martin
How has the Aston Martin Rapide changed from prototype concept to production car reality?
There have been a few minor tweaks here and there, but nothing major. At the front, the production car has lost the concept’s quad air intakes, instead making do with a double-decker grille.
Down the sides, there’s now a strong crease that runs from the front wing vent through both doors, while the fuel filler cap is now body-coloured rather than chrome.
The rear features a redesigned bumper and bootlid, with a chrome strip running between the rear lights to split up the mass of bodywork on the rump.
We’ve yet to see inside the Rapide, but from our image you can see the cabin is lifted from the DB9, will be bathed in light from the full-length glass sunroof, while the rear passengers will be kept entertained by televisions in the front headrests.
Won’t a big 6.0-litre V12 keep occupants happy?
It will do, and we expect around 500bhp and 420lb ft to move this two-tonne aluminium Aston saloon along. Expect the six-speed ZF auto to be standard and a high-power Rapide to follow later.
The Rapide will be the first Aston Martin to be built outside of Britain, with production being carried out by Magna Steyr at its plant in Graz, Austria. We’ll see the Rapide early in 2009, drive it next autumn and the first customer cars should be delivered in 12 months' time. Expect the Rapide to be priced between £130,000-£150,000.
High-performance version of its Scirocco coupe
The new R20T will go on sale in early 2010, crowning the Scirocco range. Currently, UK customers can only buy the Scirocco in lighter pressure 2.0-litre turbo form with the Golf GTI engine. But the range will expand in January 2009 with the arrival of a 160bhp 1.4 Twincharger unit and a 140bhp 2.0-litre common-rail diesel. A more powerful, 170bhp derv arrives later next spring.
Tell me more about the new Scirocco R20T!
Fitting the S3's turbo to the Scirocco will turn the affordable coupe into a real firebrand – with the 0-62mph sprint likely to fall below six seconds and a 155mph limited top speed. Perfect for those who find the current 2.0 just a little too Golf GTI.
Volkswagen sources familiar with the project claim the R20T has 80% of the visual aggression of the Scirocco GT24 racer pictured. Remove the race-track wing, splitters and other Nurburgring paraphernalia and you get the idea.
The Scirocco R20T is likely to wear a price tag of £25,000, reflecting its performance ability. The UK won't, however, take the cheapest Scirocco derivative, the 140bhp 1.4 petrol TSI.
Cars will be banned from the 2010 British Grand Prix at Donington.
During an open day at Donington, which is yet to receive planning permission for renovations, Chief Executive Simon Gillett said F1 spectators will be able to book their transport with their tickets and accommodation. Look for car audio.
You may easy buy cheap car parts in USA.
Car accident in North Side
All lanes of the Edens Expressway have been reopened after a five-vehicle crash Thursday morning on the North Side.
The five-vehicle crash happened about 4:15 a.m. in the outbound lanes of the Edens Expressway (I-94) near Peterson Avenue, Illinois State Police District Chicago Trooper Ivan Bukaczyk said.
Prior to the crash, police received a report of a wrong-way driver and are investigating a report one of their vehicles may have been involved, State Police said.
An unidentified number of injuries were reported, but none are believed to be life-threatening, State Police said.
Part of your car repainted
This device came to fruition because of EUREKA, an EU research agency that brought together Merck, a power player in the chemicals industry, AkzoNobel, one of the world's biggest paint producers, and BYK-Gardner, a firm that makes quality control equipment. Together, they were able to produce the BYK-mac, which has a database of more than 100,000 colors to work with.
The device has a spectrometer that not only analyzes color, but also can pick apart the texture of any paint. Texture is referred to as paint components that affect the appearance, but not necessarily the color—most of the time these are the glittery or sparkle effects in the paint, which can change the appearance of a paint job depending on what angle you view it at. All these colors and textures in the database of the BYK-mac have mathematical values attached to them, and fiddles around with all these different colors until it can match what it reads in the spectrometer perfectly.
The Economist also writes that paint matching is much more difficult these days because the complexity of how car paint is made and how it's applied has increased significantly. Even using a stock paint, applying paint in the wrong direction can make it look mismatched. In any case, there's no mention of when this will leak into the public sector, but seeing as they have a working prototype, I'd assume we'd see it sooner rather than later. [The Economist]
The ocean plays a significant role in global cycles
The new study is based on 24,519 measurements of ocean pH spanning eight years, which represents the first detailed dataset on variations of coastal pH at a temperate latitude—where the world’s most productive fisheries live.
The ocean plays a significant role in global carbon cycles. When atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in water it forms carbonic acid, increasing the acidity of the ocean. During the day, carbon dioxide levels in the ocean fall because photosynthesis takes it out of the water, but at night, levels increase again. The study documented this daily pattern, as well as a steady increase in acidity over time.
The increasingly acidic water harms certain sea animals and could reduce the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide, the authors said. Scientists have long predicted that higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide would make the ocean more acidic. Nevertheless, empirical evidence of growing acidity has been limited.
The acidity increased more than 10 times faster than had been predicted by climate change models and other studies. This increase will have a severe impact on marine food webs and suggests that ocean acidification may be a more urgent issue than previously thought, at least in some areas of the ocean.
—J. Timothy Wootton
Conducted at Tatoosh Island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington, the study documented that the number of mussels and stalked barnacles fell as acidity increased. At the same time, populations of smaller, shelled species and noncalcareous algae increased.
Models revealed strong links between the dynamics of species living on the shore and variation in ocean pH. The models project substantial shifts in the species dominating the habitat as a consequence of both the direct effects of reduced calcification and indirect effects arising from the web of species interactions.
—J. Timothy Wootton
Jaguar XF Wins NBR Car of the Year
Jaguar XF Wins NBR Car of the Year
Following much international acclaim the Jaguar XF was finally launched to the New Zealand public in May of this year and has already been awarded the coveted National Business Review overall Car of the Year.
Wallis Dumper, the Managing Director Jaguar New Zealand said “It’s fantastic an award is coming home so soon to the XF in New Zealand, where it is outselling competitors such as the BMW 5 series and Mercedes E class, in its market segment. This is a great reward in return for that performance.”