Main page | May 2007 »

What's up with gas prices?

Gas prices across the nation are $2.95 a gallon, the highest level since August, while the price of crude oil is averaging around $68 a barrel this morning on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
What's going on? It's a mix of greed, politics and supply and demand, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Posted by   at 2:49 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Ten E85 vehicles available now

Ethanol-powered vehicles aren't just coming to a showroom near you. Vehicles that run on an ethanol-gas (E85) blend are already here, and automakers are ramping up production of them to cut our use of imported oil and thecarconnection.com provides a list of 10 vehicles available now.

Posted by   at 2:42 PM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Buying a new used car

Last Friday was my birthday and I decided to treat myself to a new car. My favorite exotic - and I am not alone - is the Lamborghini Muira, the first great super car that hit the roads in 1967.
I was a student in France at the time and became a lifelong fan after a visit to Monaco to see the Grand Prix. There were quite a few Muiras bubbling around and I have never recovered from the sight of what many argue is one of the most beautiful cars ever.
So I treated myself to a burnt orange Muira circa 1971 - in a 1/18 scale version! Like the real thing, it was not cheap and had to be ordered over the Internet, but it is incredibly detailed and certainly the closest I'll ever get to owning one. By the way, if there is anyone out there in Rhode Island or southern Mass. who owns one of these beauties, I'd love to profile you and the car.
No, I am a journalist and I went into this business for honor and glory rather that riches. So while I am interested in buying one of the new German diesels due next year - the VW Jetta Sportswagon caught my fancy at the recentt New York Auto Show - I decided to buy yet another second-hand Volvo wagon, trading in my 180,000 mile version for one with 105,000 miles on it.
Why buy such an old car? I guess we all have favorites and the tank of a Volvo wagon is certainly mine. I figure Volvo owners are like me - boring and responsible - and so look after their cars well which means second-hand Volvos are in pretty good condition. And with children, I like the safety aspect.
Finally, I like the comfort. Unlike the TV ads which would have me thundering across mesas in New Mexico or speeding snow covered mountain passes in glorious solitude, I spend most of my driving with my fellow commuters in traffic jams that range from 50-to-0 mph.
So rather than railing at the ride, I would rather be sitting in a big leather chair with a good sound system and just enjoy the scenery.

Posted by   at 10:18 AM to Transportation | Permalink | Comments 0

Scion wants the hip only

Toyota is actively trying to isolate Scion messages from the tragically unhip by relaunching the xB without any advertising on television or in mainstream publications.
Auto industry executives say such a move is highly unusual, according to USA Today. The only other recent example was in 2000 when Volvo tried an online-only approach to launch a sedan at the height of dotcom mania, the paper writes.

Posted by   at 10:15 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Buying peace of carbon emissions mind

There is a growing movement among celebs and companies to buy "carbon neutrality" rather like the devout bought indulgences in Middle Ages, according to Sunday's New York Times.
In those longlost days, buying a piece of wood purporting to be a genuine piece of the cross that Christ died on assured you heavenly grace despite a life dedicated to exploring the seven deadly sins. Now you can buy a similar sense of grace by buying a tree or something to make up for your belching SUV.
Indeed, an accompanying cartoon illustrates a penitent kneeling in confession and declaring: "Forgive me for I have SUV'd."

Posted by   at 9:26 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat driver: GM's slide from top long expected

So GM has lost the top spot to Toyota, which sold 2.35 million cars and trucks worldwide in the first quarter; that was about 109,000 more than GM.
It was a long time coming, but was there any doubt it was coming?
Hell's bells, the late David Halberstam pretty much predicted it in his book 'The Reckoning,' which was published in 1986.
For decades, Detroit's Big Three - GM, Ford and Chrysler - have been blinded by short term sales and profits and have ignored the bigger forces at work. While the rest of the world pays astonomical prices for gasoline - $7 a gallon in Europe, for example - Americans pay next to nothing thanks in large part to the anti-gasoline tax lobby promulgated by the Big Three.
And while the Big Three kept on ignoring those signs, it opened the door for Asian manufacturers to start nibbling at the lower end of the food chain. Sure the small, fuel efficient cars were less profitable but once oil prices lost their moorings with the first OPEC crisis of 1973, Americans starting turning to the smaller cars and have never looked back.
I can think of another company that became incredibly successful by building market share while flying under the radar (excuse the pun): Southwest Airlines. Birthed in the shadow of American Airlines and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Southwest started operating as a puddle jumper from Dallas' Love Field Airport. Slowly it nibbled away until it is now one of the largest and most successful airlines in America.
How did it do it? Good management was one essential key, and the same applies to the Asian auto makers. If you're going to lead, know where you're going!
The management running the Big Three have proved themselves clueless time and time again. They tried every trick in the book including persuading Congress to implement import quotas against Japanese auto makers in 1981. They responded by moving up the food chain and building bigger and more expensive cars. And so it went on, with the Asian manufacturers gaining one segment after another and not giving it back.
Talk about being hoisted by your own petard.
In this sense, the recent introduction of Toyota's Tundra full-size pickup truck represents the final step to the top of the food chain just as its worldwide sales finally moved ahead of the heretofore iconic GM.

Posted by   at 12:52 PM to Auto industry , Companies , Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Facing the prospect of $4 a gallon gasoline

The Associated Press’ report last week that $4 a gallon gas was on its way should send a shudder through every reader of TheCarConnection.com.
As thecarconnection.com's blog states: "While we’re not global-warming enthusiasts like some of our readers and colleagues, we do believe that using less gasoline helps lower prices and will one day disentangle us from dealings with medieval dictatorships in the Middle East, South America and western Africa. And frankly, the specter of $4 gas makes a $50 fill-up for our Prius a little frightening."

Posted by   at 12:24 PM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Calif. to sue EPA for permission to regulate automobiles

California will sue the Environmental Protection Agency if it does not act soon on the state's request for permission to regulate automobile emissions, according to the Associated Press.
The state applied in 2005 for a waiver that would exempt California from the federal Clean Air Act, allowing it to more aggressively regulate greenhouse gases as air pollutants. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he called EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson on Wednesday and told him that his agency was moving too slowly.

Posted by   at 12:10 PM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford post smaller loss, auto division still struggling

Ford posted a first-quarter net loss of $282 million, a vast improvement over the $1.4 billion it lost in the first quarter of 2006, according to the Associated Press. It was the company's seventh consecutive quarter of losses, but the automaker said the smaller deficit reflected its restructuring efforts aimed at cutting costs in the face of fierce competition from Asian automakers.

AP said that despite the improvement, Ford is still having trouble in its core business in North America, where the company said it had a pretax loss on automotive operations of $614 million for the quarter, wider than the $442 million it lost in the first quarter of last year. Ford also posted a pretax loss in its Asia Pacific and Africa operations, but it made a pretax profit in Europe and South America, and in its financial services sector.

Posted by   at 12:07 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Backseat Driver: Clean diesel the way to go for short term

Expect diesel technology to hit like a tornado next year because depsite all the hoopla about ethanol, biodiesel and hydrogen fuel cells, it seems to me that clean diesel will join gas hybrids be the alternative fuel of choice in the near future.
A week ago, USA Today published a story about the plans of a number of auto manufacturers to bring diesels to market next year. They include Audi, DaimlerChrysler, GM, Honda, Nissan and Volkswagen.
Certainly the German auto makers have taken a solid lead in developing clean burning diesel engines. The Volkswagen Group has developed exceptionally fast and powerful diesel engines with its Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) technology. The essence (if you will excuse the pun) of TDI is the enormous pressure applied in injecting the diesel into the combustion chamber. The result is a fine vapor that burns exceptionally efficiently.
At the same time, government regulations in Europe and now here have cleaned diesel fuel by removing the sulfur which was added for lubrication. It turns out biodiesel does the job and is cleaner. Indeed using it as an additive is about as much use as we can expect to get out of biodiesel given the minuscule amounts being produced.
VW's Audi division has been dominating the race tracks with its R10 TDI Le Mans racecar; the car is incredibly fast, almost emission free and practically silent.
Those three attributes make the new diesel technology very attractive. And don't forget that diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline ones - ie they get more miles per gallon. Overall, they present a very attractive mix of performance, fuel-efficiency, quietness, low-emissions and the traditional low-maintenance associated with diesel engines.
To be sure, it's still a fossil fuel, so it's not a perfect solution. But in the short term, it's certainly a viable alternative to gasoline in that diesel is readily available at the nation-wide network of gas stations. That's a problem with ethanol based E85, hydrogen fuel cell technology and compressed natural gas. That and production limitations.
I agree with the president that hydrogen fuel cell technology offers the most viable alternative to fossil fuels because electricity is undoubtedly the way to go - but it's at least 20 years away. In the meantime, expect more manufacturers to get on the clean diesel bandwagon as it establishes itself as the breakout alternative fuel for the near term.
Actually, BMW has already taken it one step further by proposing to build diesel hybrids by 2010. That's a really smart combination.

Posted by   at 11:04 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 1

Halberstam saw rise decline of Detroit, rise of Japan

The Detroit Free Press's Tom Walsh reminds us that the late great David Halberstam predicted the decline of Detroit's auto industry and the rise of Japan's auto companies back in 1986.
He remembered a phone interview at that time in which Halberstam said Detroit's auto industry was "extraordinarily vulnerable." It "remains weaker and smaller than ever before. There's an illusory quality to the industry's comeback," he added.
It was Sept. 17, 1986, Walsh writes. The man speaking was David Halberstam, whose book "The Reckoning," on the stunning rise of Japan's auto industry and the decline of Detroit's, was new in stores.
Walsh goes on to argue that it should not matter that Toyota is now No.1, the focus in Detroit should be better autos

Posted by   at 10:51 AM to Auto industry | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford promotes environment exec

Hoping to redeem itself among environmentalists and portray itself as a car company worth keeping around, Ford said yesterday that it had given its environmental chief a broader job and bigger title, according to USA Today.
Saying he's convinced that global warming is a real threat and is man-made, Ford CEO Alan Mulally elevated industry veteran Sue Cischke to senior vice president for sustainability, environment and safety engineering. Cischke, previously vice president for environment and safety engineering, reports directly to Mulally. "Green is good business," Mulally said. "Companies that make the products and services people want … (using) the least resources" will stay in business and profit

Posted by   at 9:32 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Toyota tops GM in global sales in first quarter

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. became the world's top auto seller in the first three months of the year, passing rival General Motors for the first time, the Japanese automaker said today, according to the Associated Press.
Toyota sold 2.35 million vehicles worldwide in the January-March quarter, the company said, surpassing the 2.26 million vehicles that GM said it sold during the same period. The results mark the first time Toyota has beat GM in global sales on a quarterly basis.

Posted by   at 9:30 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil prices rising on Nigeria's instablilty

Oil prices climbed to $67 a barrel in London today after Nigeria's presidential election drew condemnation from monitors and investors waited for fresh word on oil supplies from the world's eighth biggest exporter, according to Reuters.
Militant attacks have shut about a fifth of Nigeria's oil production. Energy Minister Edmund Daukoru said last week he expected the country's biggest foreign operator, Royal Dutch Shell to restart its Forcados fields in May.
London's Brent crude was up 51 cents at $67.00 a barrel; U.S. crude was up four cents at $64.15.

Posted by   at 10:05 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Sex sells at Shanghai auto show

Political correctness be damned. Modern China’s founder, Mao Zedong may have promised a truly egalitarian society, but today’s increasingly capitalistic Chinese have discovered what the West long knew: sex sells, according to thecarconnection.com. And they seem to have foregone that limiting discipline that has tamed and toned down most U.S. and European auto shows, political correctness.

Posted by   at 9:14 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Nanjing's plan for assembling MGs in Oklahoma?

Will Nanjing Auto be coming to Oklahoma to assemble its new line of MG cars?There is some question about the deal, according to thecarconnection.com
The Chinese auto maker made plenty of headlines when it acquired the remains of the bankrupt British automaker, Rover. But it topped that act, last year, when the company announced plans to produce a new version of Rover's classic-reborn MGF sports car - at a plant in Oklahoma.
Since then, there've been a series of conflicting reports suggesting Nanjing/Rover has scuttled the deal. But reports of the death of the American MG have been greatly exaggerated - well, at least maybe, according to MG CEO Zhang Xin.

Posted by   at 8:53 AM to Companies , Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

Where is China's unique sense of design?

The main language spoken at the Shanghai auto show is Chinese, but the vocabulary of the designs is polyglot: Italian flourishes, high Japanese roofs, German solidity, American assertiveness, according to The New York Times.
What is missing? Almost anything that could indicate the emergence of a distinctly Chinese school of automotive design.

Posted by   at 8:43 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

GM Plugs Fuel Cells into Volt

Following up on the high-profile launch of its plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt concept, at January's Detroit Auto Show, General Motors returns with an alternate take on the show car at the Shanghai Motor Show, according to thecarconnection.com. This Volt version uses a downsized battery paired with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell.

Posted by   at 10:10 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Design , Environment , Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Insurance Institute issues report on vehicle safety records

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released a report on the vehicles with the worst and best safety records on the road. The report looks at driver death rates by make and model in 2001-2004 model year vehicles. The death rate is based on the number of a particular model vehicle on the road in calendar years 2002 to 2005 and the number of driver deaths in that vehicle.

Posted by   at 10:06 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler sale seen done by May

DaimlerChrysler wrap up a sale of its ailing U.S. arm Chrysler as early as next month, a source familiar with the situation said yesterday, according to Reuters.
Corporate strategy chief Ruediger Grube was in New York for talks with potential buyers, the source told Reuters, adding that a deal in May was likely but not definite.
The source said the talks would not produce a deal in time to present it to the carmaker's supervisory board this month. "This will take some time. There are a lot of aspects to take into account," he said.

Posted by   at 9:34 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

GM's global sales hit new record

General Motors said it sold 2.26 million cars and trucks – a record – across the globe during the first quarter of 2007, according to preliminary figures released by the company today, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The world’s largest automaker said worldwide sales for the first three months of the year were up by 67,000 vehicles, or about 3%, compared with the 2.19 million cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles sold during the same period in 2006

Posted by   at 9:29 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Diesel seen making comeback in US car market

Diesel is about to make a major comeback. Nissan plans to sell a diesel-power version of its Maxima sedan in the USA in 2010, joining a small but rapidly growing parade of diesel sellers, according to USA Today.
And Volkswagen says that, for the first time, it is developing diesels specifically for the U.S. market and will sell them in the USA first, instead of starting in Europe.
Together, those signal a new willingness by automakers to offer fuel-saving diesels in what has been considered an anti-diesel market.

Posted by   at 9:25 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Ethanol-based fuel seen causing health problems

Emissions from vehicles running E85, or 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, are just as harmful to humans as those from vehicles that run on regular gasoline, according to leftlanenews.com which cites a new study directed by Stanford Associate Professor Mark Jacobson at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Jacobson argues that switching to E85 could result in higher ozone-related mortality, hospitalization and asthma because it could cause the ozone problem in urban areas to worsen.

Posted by   at 10:52 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Two supercars that are beyond gorgeous and your wallet

Vote on two super, way-beyond-drop-dead gorgeous.cars that nobody's ever heard of - the Koenigsegg CCR and Spyker C8 Double 12 S - on Forbes.com.
The 806 hp Koenigsegg from Sweden gets 0-to-60 mph in 3.2 seconds and costs about $540,000; the 400 hp Spyker from the Netherlands gets 0-to-60 mph in under 4.5 seconds and costs about $325,000.

Posted by   at 10:34 AM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil prices ease on futures markets

Oil prices fell in early trading in Europe today despite expectations that weekly U.S. petroleum inventory figures will show the 10th straight weekly decline in U.S. gasoline stocks, with traders focusing instead on the likelihood that they will also reveal an increase in crude supplies. Increasing U.S. refinery restarts also eased upward pressure on prices, according to the Associated Press.
Light, sweet crude for May delivery fell 37 cents to $62.73 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange by afternoon in Europe. Brent crude for June was down 52 cents at $65.41 on London's ICE futures market.
Gasoline futures slipped 0.01 cents to $2.05 a gallon.

Posted by   at 10:31 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Nissan to sell diesel Maxima in 2010

Nissan plans to sell a diesel-powered Maxima sedan in the USA in 2010, Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn said in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington Wednesday, according to USA Today.
Ghosn said the diesel vehicle is "basically a bet that regulations will get stricter and fuel prices will get higher." He said the diesel-powered Maxima should get "up to 30% greater" mileage than a similar-size gasoline engine. And because it burns less fuel, it will produce less carbon-dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Nissan is the second Japanese automaker to announce a diesel car for the U.S. market. Honda said last year that it will sell a diesel car in the U.S. in 2009.

Posted by   at 10:26 AM to Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Heads up displays, anyone? Perhaps not

Alex Ion writes there seems to be a real interest in the auto world in the kind of heads up displays that pilots use in fighter jets - where instead of having to look down at the various dials, pilots read them on a a transparent display on their windscreen that does not obstruct their overall view.
However, for his list of pros and cons of the technology, see his article on Devicepedia.com .

Posted by   at 3:00 PM to Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Push for clean diesel gaining support

As the auto industry moves toward more fuel-efficient, cleaner vehicles, there's a cluster of automotive, environmental and energy experts rooting for the diesel engine, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Perhaps their biggest challenge is to convince drivers that today's diesels aren't the slow, noisy, smelly diesels of the past.
A leading voice in that effort is DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, which in January started producing its second diesel vehicle for North America. A diesel version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee will be hitting dealerships soon. It comes after the automaker sold more of the diesel Jeep Liberty than expected last year, Robert Lee, vice president of powertrain product engineering for DCX, told more than 100 people at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress on Monday at Cobo Center in Detroit.

Posted by   at 11:50 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Canadian parts maker said interested in Chrysler

Magna International Inc., a Canadian auto parts maker, is in advanced talks with DaimlerChrysler AG about a possible purchase of the money-losing Chrysler unit, according to an AP report in the Detroit Free Press. AP cited German newspaper The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung for the news.
The paper reported that the Aurora, Ontario-based company is in continuing talks with the German-American automaker about acquiring a majority stake in the Chrysler Group, but the paper did not name its sources. The paper said DaimlerChrysler would keep a minority stake in the U.S. division.

Posted by   at 11:46 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler sale talks seen going on and on

The negotiations over the possible sale of the Chrysler Group are likely to drag on for several more weeks, despite some brave talk by DaimlerChrysler executives of making some kind of a decision by the end of the month, according to thecarconnection.com.
For one thing, it is now apparent that any deal will require at least some semblance of approval from both the United Auto Workers and the Canadian Auto Workers, which are both showing increasing signs of resistance to any deal that turns the company over to a private equity group, the Web site said.

Posted by   at 10:46 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

GM ramping up production and sales in India

General Motors plans to ramp up production and sales in India, one of the world's fastest-growing auto markets, according to USA Today which cited Chairman Rick Wagoner as he introduced a mini car to Indian customers with a competitive price tag yesterday.
GM also is scaling up procurement of low-cost auto components from India in a move that will help keep costs low at plants in other parts of the world, Wagoner said.

Posted by   at 10:44 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

All four of R.I. congressmen sign on to backover bill

Effective April 16th, all four Rhode Island legislators on Capitol Hill - Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and James Langevin - have signed on to co-sponsor the Cameron Gulbransen KIDS AND CARS Safety Act, that among other things would direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a minimum visibility requirement behind all vehicles in the interest of preventing backover incidents, according to Sue Auriemma, vice president of KIDS AND CARS .
Each week in the US, an average of 50 children are struck by reversing vehicles - often in their own driveways - with two of these incidents resulting in fatalities.
The bills respectively are S694 on the Senate side and HR1216 on the House side. On the Senate side, the bill has been to a subcommittee hearing for the Commerce Committee and is awaiting mark up. On the House side, the bill is awaiting a subcommittee hearing.

Posted by   at 10:26 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 1

Auto engineers mull engines of the future

The Detroit Free Press reports that ashttp://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070416/BUSINESS01/704160362/1014/BUSINESS01 more than 35,000 engineers and executives gather in Detroit this week for the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress, one question will dominate the convention: What will power the car of the future?
The gas engine has dominated the U.S. auto market for decades, but gas-electric hybrids and diesel engines are gaining ground. Ethanol is being promoted as an alternative fuel, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are being tested in real-world conditions.

Posted by   at 12:36 PM to Alternative fuels , Auto industry , Design , Environment , Transportation | Permalink | Comments 0

Nissan seen heading down electric path

Could the electric vehicle be poised for a comeback? A new joint venture between Nissan Motor Co., NEC Corporation, and its subsidiary, NEC TOKIN Corporation, could pave the way for a new generation of battery cars, including super-high-efficiency hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric vehicles with far more range than the EVs California consumers snubbed in the 1990s, according to thecarconnection.com.

Posted by   at 12:33 PM to Alternative fuels , Alternative fuels , Companies , Environment , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Airstream trailers are still going strong

The first Airstream, the Clipper, arrived in 1936 amid a national craze for streamlining — in cars, in buildings, in toasters — as the brainchild of an inventor and travel promoter named Wally Byam. according to the New York Times in a piece dedicated to the famed trailer.
After World War II, as the highway system expanded, the economy boomed and Airstreams gained starring roles in Hollywood films, the trailer came to symbolize American-style travel.

Posted by   at 12:21 PM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Forbes' greenest vehicles

Check out a photo gallery of Forbes.com's list of 10 greenest vehicles. While most are gas hybrids, four are small, economic gas-powered cars.

Posted by   at 10:14 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

New breed of crash test dummies sought

An international consortium of nine automakers and two parts suppliers is asking researchers for proposals to develop "virtual humans" — computer programs that will help them design safer cars and trucks, according to USA Today.
The Global Human Body Models Consortium LLC says the computer models will provide better simulations of crash injuries than current crash dummies.
In an announcement scheduled for Sunday at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit, the companies say they have requested proposals from 40 research and university groups worldwide, and plan to create five centers of expertise for different parts of the body and two centers for full body models, the paper says.

Posted by   at 9:45 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Clean car rally in San Francisco tomorrow

Bay Area residents concerned about the climate crisis are joining with thousands across America in the largest ever National Day of Climate Action tomorrow, according to a Automotive.com. The Step It Up "Lighten Up Your Ride" clean car rally -- part expo, part action fair -- will be showcasing the cutting edge of clean car technology and calling on Congress to step it up: cut CO2 emissions 80% by 2050.
The clean car rally will feature the latest in green vehicle technology with demonstrations of plug-in hybrid cars, 100% electric cars, bio-diesel conversions and solar buses. The day will end with a Clean Car Caravan of vehicles and bikes to the GM dealership in Marin, calling on the company to "Step It Up GM: Plug In Hybrids not Hummers, Now!"
When: Saturday, April 14, 2007, 11 am - 3 pm
Where: 610 Mason Street, The Presidio, San Francisco. (There are two Mason Streets in San Francisco, and this event is located in The Presidio, adjacent to Sports Basement facing Crissy Field, not in the Financial District.)

Posted by   at 10:30 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

GM mulling options to shed $64 billion in retiree health benefits

General Motors is considering at least three proposals to shed most of its $64 billion in costs for retiree health-care benefits in an attempt to return to profitability, according to people with knowledge of the plans, according to bloomberg.com
GM, the world's largest automaker and biggest private provider of medical coverage, is developing the options even as union leaders suggest any comprehensive health-care fix will be rejected, the Web site says. Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner said in January the automaker must reduce health-care obligations for U.S. retirees after losing more than $12 billion the last two years.

Posted by   at 10:24 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Car thieves go hi-tech and police have to keep up

Participating in a recent operation in San Diego to bust street racing were officers from 10 Southern California police agencies and one civilian: Mike Bender, one of the country’s foremost authorities on auto theft, according to the New York Times.
He accompanied the mission, as he has many others over the last decade, to help the police identify stolen car parts and to train officers to recognize the connections among street racing, auto theft and insurance fraud.
Mr. Bender, 51, a former special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, acts as a consultant to police departments and conducts auto-theft seminars around the country. His message is that thieves have gone high-tech, so the police need to go high-tech, too. To prove the point and destroy the myth that advanced antitheft systems are impenetrable, Mr. Bender often heads out to his garage to get his hands dirty and crack security systems himself.

Posted by   at 10:19 AM to Police | Permalink | Comments 0

German bank ups stake in Chrysler to 14%

DaimlerChrysler AG said German bank WestLB “temporarily” boosted its stake in the company to 14%, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The paper's Web site says the world’s fifth-largest automaker and parent company of the embattled Auburn Hills-based Chrysler Group, announced this morning that WestLB increased its stake on April 4, the same day as the DaimlerChrysler annual shareholder meeting in Berlin. DaimlerChrysler also said WestLB’s holdings will be cut to less than 3% “in the foreseeable future.”
WestLB, the third-largest state bank in Germany, is now the largest share owner of DaimlerChrysler stock,

Posted by   at 12:54 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Iacocca tears into the Bush and U.S. auto industry

Former Chrysler Chairman Lee Iacocca tears into the Bush administration and the U.S. auto industry in a new book, saying America's political leaders have failed the nation and urging voters to pick more carefully in 2008, according the Detroit Free Press.
The 82-year-old Iacocca -- who was urged to run for president in the 1980s after turning around Chrysler -- also says in "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" that he's for higher federal fuel-economy standards, warns that Chrysler could become a "shattered remnant" if sold and offers suggestions for Detroit's automakers to turn their businesses around, the paper says.

Posted by   at 12:43 PM to Auto industry | Permalink | Comments 0

Yeah! Combining diesel and hybrid technologies

At last someone is combining two of the most promising alternative fuel technologies, according to leftlanenews.com. BMW is considering offering hybrid versions of its 5-Series sedan and X5 crossover in 2010, according to a new report by Britain's Autocar citing a BMW engineering source, leftlanenews.com says. Unlike most hybrids, the vehicles would run on a combination of diesel and electricity, rather than the typical gasoline-electric configuration.

Posted by   at 12:29 PM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

10 concept cars that should have been built

Looking back, dozens of concept cars could rightfully be considered significant, but thecarconnection.com has selected 10 that it says should have been built starting with the1938 Buick Y-Job which was built under the direction of Genera Motors' first design czar, Harley Earl. It says the car foreshadowed styling and engineering cues that would pop up on future GM vehicles. The Y-Job's stubby tail fins found their way onto the iconic 1948 Cadillacs, while the grille design still influences Buicks today.

Posted by   at 12:19 PM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Top ten sexiest luxury cars

Check out Forbes.com's tally of the 10 sexiest luxury cars.
Forbes.com ranks them by ideal driver/owners, including Hip-Hop Moguls
(Rolls-Royce Phantom sedan), Miami Beach plastic surgeons (Lamborghini Murciélago convertible) or Newly Divorced Moms (Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG).

Posted by   at 12:12 PM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Is that car gay?

While cars are no more straight or gay than cellphones, office chairs or weed whackers, that truism has not stopped a perception among some motorists that certain cars can, in the right context, might be statements about a driver’s sexual orientation, according to the New York Times.
At a time when car makers are marketing aggressively to gay consumers and mainstream culture has become more literate about stereotypically gay tastes, it may not be surprising that some people make such assumptions about motorists based on their cars, the paper reports.

Posted by   at 11:43 AM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Hybrid technology spreading beyond cars

Hybrid cars and trucks, which use gas-electric technology, have become the poster children for energy savings in the automobile world, but industry has been paying attention, and hybrids are quietly starting to show up in other transportation uses, from locomotives to construction equipment, according to USA Today.
After looking over several hybrid and other "green" commercial vehicles recently, President Bush said they will play a role in meeting his administration's goal of reducing gasoline usage by 20% over 10 years.

Posted by   at 11:22 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Sales of small cars soar

Fast-growing sales of the smallest cars are siphoning market share from compact sedans, according to USA Today. Citing auto industry experts, the paper says sub-subcompacts "are the new hot darlings of the market."
Sales of the minis doubled in the first quarter compared with a year ago, when some of the smallest models hadn't yet gone on sale.

Posted by   at 11:19 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford recalling 2001-2004 Escape SUVs for brake work

Ford said it was recalling 527,000 Escape sport utility vehicles after receiving reports of engine fires linked to the anti-lock brake connectors, according to Reuters.
The vehicles involved in the recall were from the model years 2001 to 2004, Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said. The automaker is recalling 444,000 in the United States. The rest of the SUVs were sold in Europe, Mexico and Canada.
The recall does not affect hybrid versions of the SUV, Kinley said

Posted by   at 12:15 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil prices jump on cut in gasoline stocks

Oil prices jumped today after U.S. gasoline stocks fell far more than expected ahead of the busy summer months in the world's top consumer, according to Reuters.
U.S. crude was up 64 cents at $62.54 a barrel in morning trade. Gasoline stocks fell 5.5 million barrels last week compared to 1.4 million barrels predicted in a Reuters poll. Crude stocks climbed 700,000 barrels against a forecast 1.5 million barrel rise, the Energy Information Administration data showed.

Posted by   at 12:10 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Odds and Ends from N.Y. Auto Show

Here are some thoughts from the N.Y. Auto Show which I visited on Saturday.

Scale:
Living in the provinces, one forgets just how many people live in the New York area. The show was not only enormous, taking up two floors of the imposing Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan's midtown, but absolutely crowded. And the variety of people - every culture and race, with a different language at every turn.
Trying to get close to see some of the hot exhibits (themselves works of art, with special flooring, loud music, videos on massive screens, turntables) such as the Ferraris, the various concept cars, the high-end German marques - Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz - was all-but-impossible.
As for the Lamborghinis, forget about it - but more about that later.
Just remember, if you ever go, start on the top floor - where all the cars and especially the exotics are located - and then go downstairs for mostly trucks and minivans (although some key marques such as VW, Subaru and Mitsubishi were downstairs too). It takes a good 3 hours to see it all and it's better to be fresh for the truly exciting stuff upstairs.
I started on the lower level, partly because Ithe media center is downstairs and I naturally drifted into the lower show area and partly because I am an idiot, and I was truly tired by the end of my visit 3-1/2 hours later.

Hybrids
Maybe it was because I hit the VW display first, but I found myself getting very interested in which companies are really going for alternative energy - whether hybrid. clean diesel, hydrogen fuel cell electric ethanol. Most of the German manufacturers - Audi, Merecedes-Benz and VW - are all pushing clean diesel and will be bringing in a range of models next year. VW, for example, will introduce diesel Beetles, Jettas and Rabbits and I for one find the Jetta Sportswagen , which was introduced at the show, very tasty indeed.
Anyway, while Honda and Toyota are off to races with the alternative fuel thing - they both have well-known hybrids and are also experimenting with various other technologies, other companies are clearly playing wait and see. Subaru, for example, has nothing in the pipeline; nor does Mitsubishi or Suzuki. Mazda has a hybrid version of its Tribute SUV coming out in the fall and Lexus was making much of its new hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h, which gets 31/27 mpg. Saab seems to be chasing the ethanol line and had a bioethanol vehicle at the show.
With global warming and the environment becoming an ever more serious issue - highlighted by the Supreme Court's recent ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency can regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases - the move to alternative fuels is going to explode.

Overheard
"I can see you tooling around in that thing. It has to be an obnoxious color, though."
- One woman to another as they looked at the Toyota FJ Cruiser.

"It's the Batmobile."
- Heavyset African-American in Hawaiin shirt, fur coat and straw hat, about the Mosler MT 900S Corvette-powered super car.

"The flared fenders put people on notice that this is a rear-wheel driving machine."
- Model on turntable describing the Dodge Demon roadster.

"It's the new concept car coming out next year."
"Yeah, it's called the Frame."
- Teenagers looking at Volvo's display of the frame of a sedan color coded to indicated the various grades of steel used.

"Inside, the Nitro is both people and cargo friendly."
- Model on turntable describing the Dodge Nitro

Concepts and Debuts
Auto shows are famous for the concept cars and New York did not disappoint. Among the more exotic was the Infiniti EX 3.5, a small crossover, the Lexus LX 570, $60,000 monster luxury SUV, Chevrolet's tiny trio - the Beat, the Groove and the Trax - which were all designed in Korea and are very small indeed, the Kia Soul which is a small SUV and the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept. Apart from the far out designs, many come in brilliant white with white interiors, blue and orange lighting and open or glassed roofs giving them an even more exotic air.
Less exotic were a number of vehicles from Ford, including the Airstream, which was introduced in Detroit and is truly far out with its nods to Airstream trailers and futuristic visions from the 1960s. The vehicle which opens fully on one side to reveal a seating area straight out of StarTrek, is powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell electric engine. Other Ford notables included two trucks designed by current favorites, the Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition by DJ Funkmaster Flex, and an F-150 designed by Chip Foose. And then there was the 540 horsepower, V8 Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang modifed by Carroll Shelby.
And talking about StarTrek, the concept with the most far out lines was Mazda's Hazake which had been introduced at the Geneva Auto Show and looked like a bar of soap that had been left in a sandstorm - all raked lines and angles.

Lamborghinis
Of all the displays, Lamborghini was the most exotic. The company exhibited all three of its current models, a white Murcielago LP640, a white Murcielago LP640 Roadster and an orange Gallardo SE. They were accompanied by four of the tallest models wearing fairly skimpy evening dresses who stood around occasionally opening or closing doors.
The crowd was divided into two section - those on an inside track who had been "invited," and the rest of use relegated to the outside where we could see nothing but the roofs of the cars and the models.

Posted by   at 3:30 PM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Are we ready for Jeremy Clarkson?

The BBC is considering producing a version of its "Top Gear" program for the U.S., according to leftlanenews.com which cited the Sun newspaper of Britain for the news. Clarkson is a larger-than-life character who writes about cars for the London Times as was as hosting "Top Gear," a loud show with a live audience that indulges in everything from serious critiques to insane tests and commentary.

Posted by   at 11:33 AM to People in the News | Permalink | Comments 0

Boch Toyota sues Bob's Discount

Norwood, Mass.-based Boch Toyota is suing Bob's Discount Store for using its catch phrase "Come on down," according to Boston Business Journal.
But hang on a second - wasn't that Bob Barker's catch phrase on CBS hit "The Price is Right?" Indeed it was. The show with Barker as host hit the airwaves in 1972 and is still running although Barker retires this year. The 35-year run makes it one of the longest-running games shows in history.
President Ernie Boch Jr. told me he does not want to comment on the lawsuit other than to say that he is negotiating with Robert "Bob" Kaufman and hopes to work it out. But if he can't, he said he is prepared to go ahead with the case.
A spokeswoman with Bob's Discount was not immediately available to comment.

Posted by   at 10:59 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Take that, Al Gore

Judging from the media in recent months, the debate over global warming is now over, writes Richard S. Lindzen, Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Newsweek.
There has been a net warming of the earth over the last century and a half, and our greenhouse gas emissions are contributing at some level. Both of these statements are almost certainly true. What of it? Recently many people have said that the earth is facing a crisis requiring urgent action. This statement has nothing to do with science. There is no compelling evidence that the warming trend we've seen will amount to anything close to catastrophe. What most commentators—and many scientists—seem to miss is that the only thing we can say with certainly about climate is that it changes.
Lindzen is a controversial figure who claims his research has always been funded exclusively by the U.S. government and that he receives no funding from any energy companies. Newsweek appears to have trotted him out as the contrarian, flat-earth viewpoint as his article appears in the context of the issue being devoted to political leadership and the environment titled: Save the Planet or Else. See the lead article and related news and analysis.

Posted by   at 10:35 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Audi RS8 goes for broke

Check out a video of Audi's RS8 tearing round the test track in Germany looking and sounding very unroad legal on thecarconnection.com. The car later caught fire and was largely destroyed but the driver got out safely.

Posted by   at 10:15 AM to Marques | Permalink | Comments 0

Gas prices continue upward trend

The national average price for gasoline rose for the 10th straight week, according to USA Today. Based on figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the paper said drivers paid an average of $2.802 a gallon for regular gasoline in the week ended April 9, up from $2.707 the previous week.
AAA, which also tracks gasoline prices, said the national average was $2.792 a gallon Tuesday. Retail gasoline prices are up 11.9 cents from a year ago at this time. Prices have risen 54.2 cents over the past 10 weeks, following a previous five-week decline.

Posted by   at 10:13 AM to Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 2

Vermont's bid to curb emissions heads to court

A week after the U.S. Supreme Court said vehicle carbon dioxide emissions can be regulated like other pollutants, an effort by several states to do that is about to get its first court test, according to the Associated Press.
California long has been the pacesetter in regulating car emissions, setting tougher limits than those imposed by the federal government. To avoid having cars built to meet 50 different sets of state rules, federal law allows other states to choose between the federal and the California rules. Vermont and nine other states follow California.
But the focus shifts to Vermont tomorrow, where a trial begins over new rules - adopted by California in 2005 and soon after by the other states - designed to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

Posted by   at 10:43 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil prices decline following Iran's release of British sailors

Oil prices fell Monday following last week's release of British sailors detained by Iran, but concerns over the tight U.S. demand-supply balance and other geopolitical issues supported prices, according to the Associated Press. Volume was light with much of Europe celebrating an extended Easter holiday.
Light, sweet crude for May delivery fell 44 cents to $63.84 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange at midday in Europe.

Posted by   at 10:36 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Supreme Court rulings cast pall over NY Auto Show

Just as automakers prepared to parade their signature V-8 models with 300, 400 and even 500-plus horsepower last week at the opening of the New York International Auto Show, the New York Times noted yesterday, a landmark Supreme Court ruling on greenhouse gas emissions wafted a message to the petrol-fueled party in Manhattan: enjoy the fun while it lasts.

Posted by   at 10:31 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment , Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

In Pictures: Best Of 2007 New York Auto Show

Check out photos of Forbes.com's favorite debuts from the New York Auto Show - although the slide show does not include one of my favorites - the Kia Soul.

Posted by   at 10:14 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

More than 4,000 Chrysler workers take buyout

More than 4,300 hourly employees of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group have accepted early retirement and buyout packages offered as part of the automaker's recovery plan, the company said last week, according to USA Today.
In the United States and Canada, 4,312 hourly workers have accepted the packages offered as part of the company's plans to reduce its workforce by 13,000 people in three years. The goal for 2007 is 5,875 hourly employees; some employees are still eligible to accept the offers.

Posted by   at 9:24 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Crossovers remain hot at NY Auto Show

Automakers are showing plenty of crossover SUVs at the New York International Auto Show as well as a small car or three, according to USA Today's James R. Healey.
Included in his list are the 2009 Ford Flex, 2008 Volvo XC70, 2008 Jeep Liberty, VW Jetta SportWagon, 2008 Subaru Tribeca, 2008 Infiniti EX 3.5 and 2008 Lexus LX 570.

Posted by   at 9:16 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Kerkorian bid for Chrysler seen getting cold shoulder

The $4.5 billion bid for DaimlerChrysler by Los Angeles billionaire Kirk Kerkorian is likely to get a very chilly reception in Germany, according to thecarconnection.com
Even without the standard German aversion to meddlesome corporate raiders, DaimlerChrysler's directors have a deep-seated mistrust of Kerkorian and his automotive adviser, Jerry York, because of the litigation that followed the original merger that created DaimlerChrysler in 1998, the Web site says.

Posted by   at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Champ Cars Open Season in Las Vegas Sunday

With seventeen brand-new Champ Cars set to take the grid on one of six new venues to grace the 2007 schedule, the Champ Car World Series finds itself on the brink of a future that may be even brighter than the glitz and glamour that surrounds the season-opening Vegas Grand Prix on Sunda, according to champcarworldseries.com.

Posted by   at 10:21 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

High track and temps hurt grip for Malaysian Grand Prix

Kimi Raikkonen added fuel to Ferrari’s fire today when, despite setting the fourth-fastest time (1m 36.160s) within four-tenths of a second of team mate Felipe Massa (1m 35.780s) in the second practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, he revealed that he was not happy with his F2007’s performance, according to Formula1.com.“The car feels reasonably okay but I’m not 100 percent happy,” he said. “We learned things but there is still work to do. The car felt different to the way it did here last week, the set-up was not as good as it was. The grip’s slightly different.”
Most felt the same as the high track and ambient temperatures hurt grip significantly.

Posted by   at 10:12 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

Transportation Dept: Anti-Rollover for U.S. Vehicles

The government says it will require all new passenger vehicles to have anti-rollover technology by the 2012 model year, predicting it could save thousands of lives and dramatically reduce rollover crashes, according to the Associated Press.
The Transportation Department said "electronic stability control" could prevent between 5,300 and 9,600 deaths annually and up to 238,000 injuries a year once it is fully deployed into the nation's fleet, AP says.

Posted by   at 10:00 AM to Transportation | Permalink | Comments 0

GM Still Being Outsold in Nation's Cities

Two years ago, General Motors promised dealers it would do whatever it took to reverse falling sales in the American cities that set the industry's trends, but the slump has only worsened, according to Bloomberg.com
Toyota outsells GM two-to-one in Los Angeles and by a slightly smaller margin in Miami, according to U.S. data compiled by R.L. Polk & Co. In the New York City metropolitan area, where GM had a 4.5 percentage point lead in market share five years ago, Toyota has surged to a four-point advantage.

Posted by   at 9:37 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

What makes 89-year-old Kerkorian Run?

Bloomberg.com's John Lippert offers an overview of Kirk Kerkorian's $4.5 billion bid for Chrysler. It seems the 89-year-old - yes, that's 89 - billionaire from investing in airlines and casinos, still hasn't given up on his Detroit dreams, Lippert writes. He has sought a major role with a U.S. automaker since 1990.
His offer to buy DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler comes 12 years after his first attempt to buy the company and six months after his failed effort to pressure General Motors into an alliance with Renault and Nissan.

Posted by   at 9:32 AM to People in the News | Permalink | Comments 0

USA Today: Crossovers Star in New York

Check out USA Today's auto writer James Healey's take on the New York International Auto Show which opened yesterday, complete with a photo gallery of some of the stars of the show. I'll be heading down tomorrow for a first-hand look at the nation's biggest show after Detroit and Los Angeles.

Posted by   at 9:19 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

States offer protection against buying lemons

Don't give up if you buy a lemon - a vehicle that is a complete disaster from start to finish, USA Today reports. There is reason for hope even if your car has persistent problems ranging from safety-related to simply annoying.
Every state has a lemon law protecting and spelling out your rights. Most declare vehicles lemons after up to four unsuccessful repair attempts within about 24,000 miles or 24 months, although the laws vary widely, the paper reports.

Posted by   at 9:13 AM to Consumer rights | Permalink | Comments 0

Kerkorian makes $4.5 billion bid for Chrysler

Kirk Kerkorian, once Chrysler's biggest shareholder, has sent a letter to DaimlerChrysler offering to buy the struggling automaker back for $4.5 billion, according to CNN.
Kerkorian is proposing to take the automaker private, and his bid is contingent upon reaching a deal on a new labor agreement with the United Auto Workers union, CNN says.

Posted by   at 2:43 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Nice work if you can get it

CNN reports that Ford, which posted a record $12.7 billion net loss in 2006, gave its new CEO Alan Mulally $28 million for four months on the job, according to the company's proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday.
The pay package comes on top of the $7.4 million that aerospace company Boeing had previously reported paying him for his eight months running that company's commercial aircraft unit before he made the move to Ford at the beginning of September.

Posted by   at 2:39 PM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford sees no more job cuts, factory closures

Ford won't cut more jobs or close more factories in North America beyond those already announced, CEO Alan Mulally said yesterday at the New York International Auto Show, according to USA Today.
Mulally acknowledged that some analysts have speculated that Ford will need to get even smaller. "There's a lot of work we need to do over the next three years (of the restructuring plan), but we're just about right," he said.

Posted by   at 10:58 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Listen Up - Get that Headrest Sorted

This is serious stuff.
If you've ever known anyone who has gotten whiplashed by someone slamming into the rear of their car, you know the pain and expense involved with neck and back injuries can be really debilitating. Rear-end accidents are far more common that most people realise and it's a really good idea to protect yourself by making sure your headrest is adequate, set at the right height and that your head is close to it at all times.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety today issued its findings from rear crash tests and finds that seat/head restraint designs in 22 current car models provide good protection, but those in 53 other cars are rated marginal or poor.
The IIHS says its latest evaluations of occupant protection in rear-end collisions found that the seat/head restraints in more than 60 percent of car models fall short of current state-of-the-art protection from neck injury or whiplash.
Check out an AP Video showing test results together with instructions on how to adjust your headrest. Go to the Web site and select "Crash Test: Headrests Unsafe in Many Cars."

Posted by   at 9:39 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Chevrolet's 3 concepts on view

Pix of the three Chevrolet concept cars that GM is unveiling at the NY Auto Show are available on Leftlanenews.com
The Beat, Groove and Trax are all small runabouts and all three look gonky in a way that has been common in Europe for years. Maybe Detroit is finally getting it - but then gas is still basically free over here compared to Europe - so it's hard to blame Detroit for riding the monsters as long as it has.

Posted by   at 12:09 PM to Companies , Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Check out slideshow 16 vehicles skedded for NY show

Check out a slideshow prepared by USA Today of some of the vehicles that automakers are going to be showing at the New York International Auto Show this weekend.

Posted by   at 11:57 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Mulally: Ford turnaround on track

Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally, said today that the automaker's sweeping turnaround remained on track, according to USA Today.
"This is a massive, massive restructuring of Ford and generally it's going, it's going pretty well," Mulally said in a speech at the New York International Auto Show.
Ford, which has announced plans to shutter 16 plants, lost $12.7 billion last year and mortgaged its factories, brand names and other items to secure a $23.4 billion line of credit to pay for its restructuring plan and cover losses expected until 2009, the paper said.

Posted by   at 11:51 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

March sales figures are out - trend continues

March sales were released today by automakers, and Detroit's automakers continued to see sales dip while Toyota and Honda watched their totals rise, according to thecarconnection.com
GM registered 349,867 vehicle sales and deliveries in March, down 7.7 percent from a year ago while Toyota reported its best month ever in the U.S., selling 242,675 vehicles, 7.7 percent more than in March 2006.
Ford sales totaled 264,975, down nine percent compared with the same period a year ago. Chrysler sales declined 4.4 percent to 537,249 units. Mercedes sales rose 0.9 percent, while the brand hit a record for the first quarter in the U.S.
Honda posted its fifth-best month ever as it sold 143,392 Hondas and Acuras. Sales rose 7.3 percent over 2006.
Nissan reported sales of 111,119 units in March, up 3.9 percent. Nissan Division rose by 2.8 percent, while Infiniti sales grew by 12.6 percent. Mazda sales zoomed 47.9 percent over March 2006 as the brand marked its best March since 1994.
Volkswagen of America, Inc. says it had March 2007 sales of 17,355 units, a decrease of 16.3 percent from March 2006 sales of 20,730 vehicles.

Posted by   at 11:44 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

Zetsche confirms talks about sale of Chrysler

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of DaimlerChrysler, has confirmed for the first time that discussions have taken place with interested parties regarding future options for the Chrysler Group, according to PR Newswire.
"In this context, I can confirm that we are talking with some of the potential partners who have shown a clear interest," Zetsche is quoted as saying in the text of the speech he will deliver at the Annual Meeting 2007 in Berlin today. However, Zetsche continued, "But it is also true that we need to keep all options open, and that I cannot disclose any details, because we need to have the maximum scope for maneuver."

Posted by   at 11:35 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

French train breaks speed record

France's high-speed TGV (Tres Grande Vitesse, or very high speed) train broke the record for speed on a rail today in a much publicized test, according to the Paris-based International Herald Tribune. The train, code-named V150, reached a maximum of 574.8 kilometers an hour, or 357 miles an hour, but fell just short of the record for all types of train.
That record is held by the magnetic levitation train of Japan, whose technology means it does not touch the rail. It reached a speed of 581 kilometers per hour, or 361 miles an hour, in 2003. But the Japanese technology is more costly, typically runs shorter distances and is less compatible with existing rail networks.

Posted by   at 4:13 PM to Transportation | Permalink | Comments 0

All go at the New York Auto Show this weekend

The New York Times identified expected highlights of this week's New York International Auto Show in the Sunday paper.
They include the “Taxi 07” exhibit of eight cars and showcase prototypes for taxis of the future, including a Toyota Sienna minivan taxi with a motorized seat and a Chrysler PT Cruiser taxi prototype powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.
Vehicles making their debut include the Infiniti G37 coupe, a stronger 330-horsepower follow-up to the popular G35 and the Ford Flex, a three-row crossover based on the Fairlane concept of 2005. Chevrolet will show three concept minicars from its South Korean design studio, including the Trax, a boxy bulldog-faced crossover with a frugal 1-liter 4-cylinder engine. And a larger 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class will also make its first United States appearance. Mercedes hopes the redesigned sedan will offer tougher competition against the BMW 3 Series in the compact luxury class.
Meanwhile, in front of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan's midtown, Camp Jeep will let showgoers ride shotgun in Jeeps to demonstrate their off-road ability, including fording water and climbing an 18-foot hill.
Ths show runs Friday through Sunday.

Posted by   at 10:51 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0

Auto balls. Yes, they're art

Check out the work of Artist Lars-Eric Fisk who somehow turns entire vehicles into balls about six feet in diameter, in The New York Times. Fisk, of Burlington, Vt., specializes in sphere-shaped sculpture and has made balls out of a VW Microbus - his best known piece - a school bus, a green John Deere tractor, a brown U.P.S. truck and a white Mister Softee ice cream truck, complete with lights
His work has been shown in museums including the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Mass., outside Boston, and the Dartmouth College museum. The VW ball is in a private collection.
In the catalog for the DeCordova exhibition, he called the sphere a “simple, seamless form expressing movement and the concept of endlessness and timelessness without a beginning, without an ending.”
Crikey! But then it's usually best to let an artist's work speak for itself and these pieces are great.

Posted by   at 10:39 AM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Looking at DIY projects for green wheels

Forbes.com's Dan Lienert reports on a number of companies and technologies offering "do-it-yourself" kits for building hybrid cars or converting existing cars into hybrids.
For example, for $200, Robert Q. Riley Enterprises, a Phoenix-based design company, offers construction plans for a three-wheeled sports car called the XR-3. A completed XR-3 will reportedly deliver between 125 and 225 miles per gallon, Lienert reports. A three-cylinder diesel engine powers the front wheels and an electric motor run by a lithium-ion battery powers the rear wheel. The driver can switch between battery-only, diesel-only and hybrid driving modes. The DIY kit will be available this May or June.
Riley is just one of several companies offering electric-car conversions. Spend, say, $15,000 to $25,000, and you can have any car you want converted into an electric one thanks to an array of emerging, green technologies carmakers are unveiling, Lienert writes.

Posted by   at 10:31 AM to Alternative fuels | Permalink | Comments 0

Rand McNally offers NASCAR Road Trip Guide

Hey, NASCAR fans, check out Rand McNally's new Ultimate NASCAR Road Trip Guide.
The guide blends 160 pages of maps with 200 pages of in-depth travel information and visitor tips for each of the 31 NASCAR-sanctioned tracks in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Available now at RandMcNally.com, the 8.5 x 11-inch guide
has a suggested retail price of $14.95.

Posted by   at 10:18 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

Proposed law aims to curb street racing in R.I.

Lori Nunes endured every parent’s nightmare in April 2003, when her 17-year-old son, Justin Nunes, was killed in a grisly accident caused by two teenagers racing their cars through Swansea, Warren and Bristol.
Last night, The Providence Journal's Scott Mackay reports, Nunes joined Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, State Rep. Raymond Gallison, D-Bristol, Sen. Walter Felag, D-Warren, Bristol police officers and 30 or more relatives and friends of her son in an event at Colt State Park to remember Justin and argue for legislation that would make it easier to prosecute drivers who use the public streets for drag racing.
To make it easier to prosecute violators, the legislation that Nunes has worked on with Lynch would define street racing as a crime, and would establish tougher penalties for it. A second or third street racing offender would incur an automatic felony. License suspensions of six months and one year would accompany second and third violations respectively. Current law does not provide for an automatic license suspension for street racing, a fact that Lynch said was a “shocking” hole in state law.

Posted by   at 10:02 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

After dry spell, RIDOT projects set to hit the road

After a seven-month financial drought, the state Department of Transportation is about to resume the multimillion-dollar flow of contracts that build and repair the state’s highways and bridges, reports The Providence Journal's Bruce Landis.
Edmund T. Parker, the DOT’s chief engineer, told Landis his agency hopes to advertise 16 contracts, worth an estimated $29 million, for bids from contractors this month and next, after the release of $104 million by the Federal Highway Administration.

Posted by   at 10:00 AM to Traffic , Transportation | Permalink | Comments 0

Justices give EPA power to regulate car emissions

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down two decisions yesterday that could create an unprecedented opportunity for setting new standards for reducing greenhouse gases from automobiles and lead to emissions reductions by a major utility, reports The Providence Journal's Peter Lord.In Massachusetts et al v. Environmental Protection Agency et al, the court ruled 5 to 4 against the Bush administration’s contention that it didn’t have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles. The EPA had resisted calls by Massachusetts and other states to impose limits, saying it didn’t have the authority to do so. Yesterday, the court rejected every argument made by the EPA to do nothing, Lord writes.
Environmental Defense et al v. Duke Energy Corp. et al, which Lord says appears to have more limited impact, the court ruled unanimously to vacate a lower court ruling that allowed the power company to upgrade 29 of its generating plants without having to conform to stricter air emissions rules. The case was sent back to the lower court for further review.

Posted by   at 9:49 AM to Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Johnson wins at Martinsville Speedway

Teammates Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon duked it out over the final 18 laps of the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway yesterday afternoon, with Johnson holding on for a .065-second win, according to the speedway's Web site.
The final lap was entertaining as Gordon slammed Johnson's rear bumper in the third and fourth turns and pulled halfway alongside his teammate before the two slammed together. Both kept their Chevrolets under control and Johnson edged ahead for the win.

Posted by   at 10:59 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

What's a Turn Under?

Check out a fabulous piece in Sunday's New York Times about the official names that designers give to parts of the car. Do you know what the cowl is, for example? (The base of the windshield) Or the greenhouse (the glassed-in upper section of a car's body), the beltline (the line that divides the greenhouse from the lower body), or the tumblehome (angle formed by the inward slope of the greenhouse sides as they rise from the beltline)?
The online article is accompanied by an interactive graphic.

Posted by   at 10:20 AM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford to show off three hot vehicles in N.Y.

Ford says it will show off a trio of specialty vehicles at the New York International Auto Show next week, meant to lure enthusiasts who influence the opinions of other buyers and to boost troubled Ford's image, according to USAToday.
Each of the three, which were unveiled in Dearborn, Mich., late last week, will be a high-price, limited-production model co-designed with an automotive celebrity, according to the USAToday:
The 2008 Ford Shelby GT500KR is a 540 hp Mustang modified by Carroll Shelby. KR stands for "king of the road," a designation used on a now-classic 1968 Mustang.
The 2008 F-150 Foose Edition has huge wheels, a lowered stance and dramatic racing stripes mark the specialty truck styled by Chip Foose. Foose is a car customizer, known for a cable-TV show called Overhaulin' on TLC. Ford says the supercharged V-8 engine will be rated 450 horsepower and 500 pounds-feet of torque.
The 2008 Expedition Funkmaster Flex Edition comes with wild paint and a jazzy interior. Funkmaster Flex is a hip-hop music disc jockey and auto enthusiast who has designed vehicles for celebrities.

Posted by   at 10:13 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0

GM to debut 1-liter Trax concept car in New York

General Motors will introduce its 1-liter Chevrolet Trax concept car at the New York Auto Show later this week, according to thecarconnection.com
The Trax is one of three Chevrolet minicar concepts featuring an array of powertrain options, starting with the 1.0-liter gasoline engine under the hood of the Trax, that will be unveiled at the show, thecarconnection says. The concepts will
Fuel economy is clearly part of the goal for GM in developing these all-new minicar concepts, but the automaker says it has put an equal emphasis on value and, notably, on design.

Posted by   at 10:02 AM to Companies | Permalink | Comments 0