Carl Edwards on Nationwide Series
November 10, 2008
Autoweek - Edwards began the 200-lapper at Phoenix International Raceway trailing Bowyer by 91 points. He now trails by 56 after leading the final 78 laps around the 1-mile oval where he’ll run 312 Sprint Cup laps on Sunday. Pole-winner Denny Hamlin (Toyota) was second, followed by Chevrolet drivers Kevin Harvick and Bowyer, with Kyle Busch (Toyota) rounding out the top five. Close behind were Landon Cassill (Chevy), Jamie McMurray (Ford), Mike Bliss (Chevy) and Toyota drivers Mike Bliss and Joey Logano.
Bowyer was involved in a mid-race restart accident that heavily damaged his car. He made numerous pit stops under caution and fell to 30th in the running order after extensive repairs. But he rallied to his impressive fourth-place to maintain his points lead. (At one time, even though points aren’t awarded until after the race, TV reports showed him 35 points behind Edwards).
After Charlotte, just four races ago, Bowyer led by a fairly comfortable 196 points. But he lost 80 points to race-winner Edwards a week later at Memphis, 25 more points last weekend in Texas (where Edwards was second) and 35 more on Saturday. That could set up a situation at Homestead-Miami Speedway where Edwards is in position to win both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup titles. (He trails Jimmie Johnson by 103 in Cup).
Saturday’s race ended with a green-white-checkered finish after Marcos Ambrose blew a right-front tire and wrecked in turn three with four laps remaining. Edwards, Harvick, Logano and Cassill stayed out while most of the other top-10 runners pitted. Hamlin came from fifth to second, Harvick slipped to third, and Bowyer came from eighth to fourth in the overtime. Logano was fifth until spinning and losing five spots during the two-lap overtime.
Here are the detail:
TOP-10 FINISHERS:
1. Carl Edwards, Ford
2. Denny Hamlin, Toyota
3. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
4. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet
5. Kyle Busch, Toyota
6. Landon Cassill, Chevrolet
7. Jamie McMurray, Ford
8. Mike Bliss, Chevrolet
9. Mike Wallace, Toyota
10. Joey Logano, Toyota
New SUV from Spyker
November 5, 2008
The original design is the work of Michiel van den Brink. Still under development, the D12 will be built on an assembly line, contrary to the other Spyker products, which are handmade. Spyker believes that demand for the D12 will be very high despite the economic crisis, which explains the choice of this production method.
The D12 mirrors the exclusive styling of the other Spyker vehicles with its gaping grille, its aeroblade wheels and its circular air intakes integrated into the hood. Also in the name of exclusivity, the car features suicide doors instead of conventional ones.
With its 1,850 kilos and Volkswagen-built W12 engine generating over 500 hp, the D12 will make the 0-100 km/h dash in 5 short seconds and clock a maximum speed of nearly 300 km/h.
Spyker announced a base price of 185,00 sterling pounds, around 345,000 dollars, making it the most expensive SUV in the industry. The day after its introduction in Geneva in 2006, the company received 100 solid orders for the future car.
Bigger Contributor to the pollution
October 19, 2008
Motor oil leaked from individual vehicles—or outright dumped by homeowners and commercial garages—constitutes a significant chunk of storm water runoff, the fallen precipitation that runs off of roads and parking lots and inevitably finds its way into local water bodies.
These pollutants include not only leaked motor oil—which may contain toxic substances like lead, benzene, zinc or magnesium—but also fertilizers, insecticides, plastic debris, cigarette butts, paints, solvents, sediments and other hazardous waste. Topsoil and natural vegetation would ordinarily filter many of these pollutants out, but the impermeable pavement that covers much of the surface where these pollutants originate carries it right into storm drains and into streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean where it can poison marine life—which we might eat—as well as entire riparian or coastal ecosystems.
This pollution also finds its way into underground aquifers that supply our drinking water, so reducing it is a human health measure and could also save municipalities millions of dollars a year in drinking water treatment facilities and operational expenses.
While government agencies try to craft and implement development and zoning standards to help reduce storm water runoff problems caused by commercial and industrial entities, there is still much that individuals can do to reduce their impact as well. Indeed, upwards of 40 percent of oil pollution in the U.S. comes from the improper disposal of used motor oil by individuals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends keeping on top of automotive maintenance to prevent and repair leaks, and disposing of used motor oil and other automotive fluids and batteries at designated drop-offs or recycling locations (consult Earth911.org to find one near you). Also, it is preferable to wash your car at a commercial car wash instead of in your driveway. By law, car washes must treat their wastewater before disposing of it.
Besides handling and discarding your motor oil and other automotive fluids responsibly, cutting back on or eliminating fertilizers and pesticides from your lawn or garden will also reduce your negative impact. Also, don’t over-water your lawn, as that can create extra run-off as well. And if you are embarking on a residential landscaping project, try to incorporate permeable pavement (which allows run-off through it into the soils below) as well as rain barrels to collect water, and rain gardens, grassy swales and driveway-side vegetative strips—all planted with region-appropriate native plants of course—to help filter contaminants out before they hit the storm sewers.
Car Insurance that affordable
October 19, 2008
Finding an online car insurance company is easy. Doing an Internet search for “auto insurance” or “auto insurance comparisons” in any online search engine will bring you results of companies that offer car insurance and allow you to compare plans and rates within that company and with their competitors. Have your personal information ready; name, DOB, drivers license, and phone number as well as the detailed information of your vehicle; make, model, year, and possibly the VIN number. All of this information can be found on your vehicle’s registration paperwork or its title.
Know Your Limits
How much each month can you afford to spend on car insurance? How much coverage and what kind do you really need? What is the difference between collision and comprehensive coverage? Do you need both? What are your state’s minimum requirements for coverage? All of these things are questions that you will need answers to in order to save yourself the most money and get the best coverage. Depending on your vehicle, driving history, and past insurance claims, your rate will vary from company to company.
If in Doubt…
… call an agent. If you are confused by the information you find online, choose an agent from one of the web sites and give them a call with your questions in hand. If they are a good agent they will patiently answer your questions without high-pressure-selling you. Remember, it doesn’t cost you anything to get a quote, and the insurance agent needs your business more than you need to give it to them if they start to pressure you into coverage.
When you begin your search to find affordable insurance coverage, be patient. There are a lot of choices out there, some good, some not so good. Do your research and find out what your state requires for insurance. Decide how much you can spend on insurance. Decide how much you really need on your vehicle. Begin your comparison research online, and if you have any questions, call an agent. Do not let yourself get talked into coverage you do not need by a pushy insurance salesperson. Keep these things in mind and your patience in check and you will successfully find affordable car insurance.
Ford Release Grand Prix Editions
October 13, 2008
Automotive.com - According to Ford, the Ka Digital Art brings a “vibrant street fashion” to the new subcompact. By that, we assume it means “neon green accents” - the color is liberally applied to the Ka’s grille, and also with side and roof stripes. The hue continues inside, where it’s found on both seat inserts and dashboard trim panels.
Our favorite of the three is perhaps the Ka Grand Prix (pictured), which gives the little Ka some racing flair. Externally, the Grand Prix is nearly identical to the Ka Digital, but uses white accents on a bright red body. Look closely; you may even see a checked flag motif on the hood stripe. Inside, the Grand Prix has red seats with white inserts, while the dashboard is given contrasting white accents.
2009 Smart ForTwo EV Electric Car
October 13, 2008
The unfortunate acronym implies the ForTwo abandons its three-cylinder in favor of an electric drive system. Aside from using a lithium-ion battery, we don’t have a lot of specifications - for whatever reason, Smart saw fit to skimp on those details when writing its press release.
Instead, the release focuses on the ForTwo ED’s inclusion in the “e-mobility Berlin” project, which attempts to create a viable infrastructure and market for electric vehicles in the German city. While utility company RWE is installing 500 charging stations throughout the city, Smart’s lending 100 cars for testing - much like it did in London in 2005.
Ultimately, Smart hopes to produce the ForTwo ED in droves - but that time isn’t yet. Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche previously said he’d like for an electric smart to be available by 2010, but details - notably battery costs and purchase plans - have yet to be fully developed.
Toyota Motor Corp Offer 0% Financing
October 5, 2008
AP - But after the top Japanese automaker posted a 32 percent drop in September sales that only domestic competitors had experienced until now, the question is: Is it enough to get people to buy?
“I don’t think it’s going to just open the floodgates,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at the auto Web site Edmunds.com. “But it’s going to help a lot of people who want a quality car, who don’t want to worry about it, and are now going to be able to afford it because of this deal.”
Toyota’s U.S. division said Thursday night it will offer the free financing on 11 models with terms ranging from 36 to 60 months. The incentive expires Nov. 3.
Toyota is offering the deal on a wide variety of vehicles, including the Matrix, Corolla, Camry, RAV 4, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra. The automaker’s hybrids, along with some better-selling models like the Yaris subcompact, are excluded.
Although Toyota has cut financing rates and offered other deals in the past, zero-percent financing on such a wide scale is an unprecedented move for an automaker that has prided itself on its restraint with incentives. Its U.S. counterparts, meanwhile, have aggressively used cut-rate financing and big cash-back offers as a way to bolster sales in the flagging auto market.
Sales down 27 percent industrywide
Nearly all automakers said tighter credit standards knocked buyers from the market last month, when sales industrywide fell 27 percent from a year earlier, hitting less than 1 million for the first time in 15 years.
“What this is a response to is the misconception that getting a loan or leasing a car is difficult to do,” Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis said Friday. “At Toyota it’s not. Our finance arm … it’s in a position to loan money.”
Richard Howse, senior director of auto finance for J.D. Power and Associates, said Toyota’s offer is likely an attempt to kick-start its sales considering September’s disappointing results.
“I don’t want to read their minds, but I think they realize they need to move the cars they have now,” Howse said. “It’ll be interesting to see how many people are able to take it given today’s credit environment.”
Kerry Rivera, spokeswoman for Toyota’s finance arm, Toyota Financial Services, said the requirements to qualify for the offer include a FICO credit score of at least 650. The median FICO score is 720 on the scale that ranges from 300 to 850, according to a spokesman for Fair Isaac Corp.
“This is similar to how we’ve priced zero-percent deals in the past,” Rivera said.
Toyota’s incentives come at a time when banks are curtailing lending because of widespread mortgage defaults that have brought down investment banks and a major insurance company.
Automakers’ finance arms often raise capital by bundling auto loans and selling them as securities, and more of those loans have defaulted as the economy has deteriorated. Now that any collateralized debts like mortgages have fallen out of favor, the securities are more difficult to sell, making it harder for the finance companies to raise more money to lend.
Toyota’s ‘deep pockets’
However, Toyota is likely in a better position than its domestic competitors to offer zero-percent loans to a greater number of consumers, owing to its AAA credit ratings and strong cash flow, Edmunds.com’s Caldwell said.
“They have such deep pockets they’re able to weather the storm a little bit better. … I think Toyota will be able to offer more customers zero-percent APR financing than Chrysler or GM, where they have to be more picky with the customers that can receive,” she said.
Rivera said Toyota hasn’t been lending to subprime customers, which has insulated it from some of the credit troubles that other companies have experienced. She declined to release Toyota’s loan approval rates but said the automaker’s year-over-year rate “hasn’t dropped significantly.”
David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., said Toyota may be among the best-positioned automakers to weather the credit storm.
“Toyota has absolutely gold-plated credit,” Cole said. “They’ve got $30 billion-plus in the bank. So whatever happens from a financial standpoint, they’re not going to be impacted too severely.”
That doesn’t mean other automakers aren’t offering zero-percent financing as well.
General Motors Corp. on Wednesday launched zero-percent financing on several models for up to 72 months, after more than a month of offering all buyers employee discounts, which generally knock 10 percent off the purchase price of a vehicle.
New Delhi Commercial Vehicle
October 5, 2008
To revive declining sales Hindustan Motors is planning to launch new variants of its sedan in the coming months, even as it unveiled Mitsubishi Corporation�s sports utility vehicle Outlander here.
The company will also launch a new commercial vehicle on a similar platform to its current RTV model, a top company official said.
�We plan to launch Cedia and Lancer with new features and that will boost sales,� said Mr C.K. Birla, Chairman, Hindustan Motors, at the launch of the new vehicle. He, however, declined to give a timeframe by when it would introduce the new models.
�In case of the new commercial vehicle based on the RTV platform, the launch would be in the next six-eight weeks,� said Mr R. Santhanam, Managing Director of the company.
Hindustan Motors, which produces and markets Mitsubishi range of models, currently sells sports utility vehicle like Montero, Pajero and sedans including Cedia and Lancer.
Sales under pressure
Mr Birla said that last month sales were under pressure but from January onwards outlook should look better.
While the company�s sales in the sedan segment during April-August fell 23 per cent to 3,637 units, sales of Pajero rose 46 per cent to 1,022 units.
Priced at Rs 20.2 lakh, Hindustan Motors expects to sell 100 units monthly. The company�s current capacity stands at 12,000 units in Chennai and 24,000 units at Uttharpara in West Bengal.
Nissan Releases New Diesel
September 30, 2008
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, announced the launch of a new clean diesel X-TRAIL “20GT,” which goes on sale September 18 at Nissan dealers nationwide. The new X-TRAIL 20GT has met Japan’s stringent “Post New Long-term Regulations”*1 – the first vehicle in the world to do so*2.
The X-TRAIL 20GT achieves high fuel-efficiency of 15.2km/L under Japan’s 10-15 test mode operation, representing an increase of approximately 30% in fuel economy over a 2.5-liter gasoline engine with the same power output. In addition to its low fuel consumption, the X-TRAIL’s new “M9R” clean diesel engine is more economical to operate, due to the lower price of diesel versus standard gasoline in the Japan market.
In addition to complying with Japan’s stringent “Post New Long-term Regulations” emission standards which stresses high environmental performance, the new M9R clean diesel engine also achieves high levels of driving performance demanded by X-TRAIL owners.
The 2.0-liter M9R engine has the power equivalency of a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine, generating maximum power of 127kW(173PS)/3750rpm and maximum torque of 360N・m(36.7kgf・m)/2000rpm. The engine provides high torque at low rpm and delivers ample performance in any driving situation. At the same time, the environmentally–friendly and fuel-efficient M9R engine emits far lower CO2 than a comparable 3.5-liter gasoline V6 engine, achieving excellent emissions performance. The engine design also emphasizes smooth, quiet operation, eliminating unpleasant noise and vibration associated with current diesel powerplants.
- New technologies utilized in the M9R engine which reduce emissions, noise and vibrations include:
Emissions Reduction Measures - Common rail system
EGR cooler
Diesel particulate filter (DPF)
Lean NOx Trap catalysts (LNT)
Double swirl port - Noise and Vibration Reduction Measures
- Piezo injector
Balancer shaft
Highly Rigid Chassis
Highly Rigid Engine Mount Brackets
Sound insulation glass
Distinctive Styling and Comfortable Interior
The X-TRAIL 20GT offers versatility, convenience and high levels of dynamic driving pleasure. The front grille was redesigned to the same design found on the popular European version of the X-TRAIL. The new X-TRAIL 20GT also adds Nissan’s advanced Scratch Guard paint (offered as standard equipment in six colors), which self-repairs minor scratches in the paint’s clearcoat surface.
Inside, the comfortable, high utility X-TRAIL interior adds a number of new features for the 20GT model, including new sporty seat fabric, step lamps, Intelligent Key and additional audio speakers (6 speakers total).
The new clean diesel X-TRAIL 20GT is offered with ALL MODE 4×4i and 5-speed manual transmission. It is priced at 2,999,850 yen (including consumption tax).
*1: In Post New Long-Term Regulation, regulation values of NOx is reduced by 47% and the values of PM (particulate matter) by 64% from those of “New long-term regulation” which has been in effect since 2005 (applicable to vehicles weighing more than 1,265kg). Post New Long-Term Regulation is effective for new model vehicles beginning Oct. 2009, and for existing models and imported vehicles, starting Sept. 2010.
Hummer Big Foot
September 26, 2008
Road&Track - Hummer has come up with an entry-level offering called the HX. Riding on a 103.0-in. wheelbase, the open-top HX measures 171.0 in. overall and is powered by a 3.6-liter V-6 producing 304 bhp and 272 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The suspension features an independent front with coil-over shocks and a semi-trailing link rear. Brembo 6-piston caliper front and 4-piston rear disc brakes are found beneath 20-in. alloy wheels.
This rugged, go-anywhere, do-anything SUV has the angular, bare bones look of the original H1, but on a much smaller scale. The face of the vehicle has round headlamps in square housing, the seven-slot grille opening and an upright front windshield, all classic Hummer cues. In addition, the slant-back design of the HX and the matte olive paint scheme are intended to echo the military origins of the Hummer brand.
The top can be reconfigured from a closed cabin for all four passengers, an open rear cargo area like an SUT, or a completely open roadster. The exposed hinges allow the two doors to be removed, and the composite fender flares can also be detached for additional clearance on tight off-road trails.
