· United States
· New Cars
· Used Cars
· Auto Research
· Auto Services
· Accessories

· United Kingdom
· New Cars
· Used Cars
· Auto Research
· Auto Services
· Accessories

· Canada
· New Cars
· Used Cars
· Auto Research
· Auto Services
· Accessories

 

| HOME | NEWS |

Automotive News

If you're looking for news about the automotive industry and automotive topics you're on the right page. But if you're looking for information on researching and buying new or used cars check out the main page of Where Can I Buy A Car Online.

If you're a webmaster and want to feature what we consider to be the top car news headlines from a variety of online resources, from a consumer point of view, we've created an RSS feed just for you.

We'd also like to encourage you to submit items of interest about the automotive industry to us here at Where Can I Buy A Car Online. Please send us an e-mail containing a description of your news item and its URL.

May 13, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1980, at the annual meeting of the Chrysler Corporation, stockholders voted to appoint Douglas Fraser, president of the United Automobile Workers (UAW), to one of 20 seats on Chrysler's board of directors. The vote made Fraser the first union representative ever to sit on the board of a major U.S. corporation. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM's Akerson: U.S. political system is 'broken'
General Motors chairman and CEO Dan Akerson told graduates at Columbia University Sunday that the U.S. political system is broken -- and noted that the decline in the automaker's stock value isn't unprecedented. Akerson told MBA graduates in New York that the government isn't working. "Some of the institutions that our society relies on are in serious disrepair, if not outright broken," Akerson said, according to a copy of his remarks released by GM. "The Great Recession exposed so much. Our economy was broken and teetered on failure. Our banking system ground to a halt. Our housing market collapsed. Millions of jobs evaporated. Things are improving but complete recovery is a long way off -- and that's in part because our political system is broken." GM has been a top focus on the presidential campaign for months -- a position the Detroit automaker would like to avoid. Akerson testified before Congress in January on the safety of the Chevrolet Volt -- a inquiry he said had turned the Volt into a "political football." In his speech to graduates, Akerson noted GM too had been "broken" when it nearly collapsed in December 2008 only to be saved by a $49.5 billion U.S. bailout approved by two presidents. "GM, a one-time colossus that ruled the corporate world, that set the standard of success for business schools to study, became the case study for failure. GM was broken and nearly died," Akerson said. "Two political parties with vastly different views of the world -- reached for something better than that day's headlines, or that day's tactical advantage. They rose above petulant partisan politics, to serve the greater good."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Treasury: No schedule set to exit GM
The Obama administration's nearly three years as part owner of General Motors Co. isn't going to end anytime soon. The official overseeing the government's 26 percent stake in GM says there's no timetable for exiting the Detroit automaker. In a Detroit News interview this week, Tim Massad, the assistant Treasury secretary who oversees the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, said investors aren't giving GM enough credit. GM stock has fallen sharply since its $33 IPO in November 2010, and closed Thursday at $22.37, down seven cents, or 0.3 percent. "Our perspective is that the company has made real progress, but the market hasn't given them as much credit for that as it might," Massad said. Last October, in the face of the steep sell-off of GM stock, the Treasury shifted course and said it no longer planned to exit the automaker as soon as was practical. At current prices, the government would lose more than $15 billion on the $49.5 billion bailout. GM repeatedly has expressed frustration with the government's slow exit. GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson said in June 2011 that he expected the government to be done with GM in the middle of this year. The government has recovered about $23 billion of its GM bailout. It initially held a 61 percent stake in the Detroit-based automaker, as it swapped most of GM loans for stock. The Treasury needs to receive $53 on average for each of its 500 million shares in GM stock to break even. The Obama administration is not planning to sell any GM stock before the November election because it might remind voters of the financial costs of the bailout, senior administration officials have told The News. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has criticized the $85 billion auto bailout for its costs to taxpayers. The Treasury estimates it will cost the government $21.7 billion. "We have to balance maximizing recovery for the taxpayers with the speed of exit," Massad said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Low tire pressure causing crashes
A new government study says 5 percent of vehicles involved in crashes experienced tire problems. The study warned that underinflated tires are at significantly higher risk of causing a crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says a study of crash data from 2005-2007 found that vehicles with tires underinflated by 25 percent or more were three times as likely to be involved in a crash linked to tire problems. Passenger cars accounted for 66 percent of the tire-related crashes. "Tire problems are inherently hazardous to vehicle safety," the NHTSA report said. "When these problems emerge in the pre-crash phase, the time window for attempting a crash avoidance maneuver is normally very small." Tires with worn tread also experienced a big increase in crashes linked to tire issues. The study also found that poorly maintained tires or underinflated tires were more likely to have problems in bad weather. Of the sample of vehicles studied, 11.2 percent had problems linked to tires in bad weather, compared to 3.9 percent when weather was not a factor. Dan Zielinski, senior vice president for public affairs for the Rubber Manufacturers Association, said the study reiterated the need to properly maintain and inflate tires. When tires are not properly inflated, they don't grip the roadway as well. Heat can build up, which can lead to a failure.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Racer, car builder, Carroll Shelby dies
The one thing that Carroll Shelby will be best remembered for is his versatility. Shelby -- who died on Thursday in hospital in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 89 -- touched people's lives in many areas, because of his interests in cars, organ transplants, health care and education. He was a racing car driver, team owner and car builder. He was one of the world's longest-living heart transplant recipients, after receiving a new heart in June 1990. He was a philanthropist, establishing a foundation in his name to provide medical assistance to those in need, and also to provide educational opportunities for young people. His first race was at a drag strip in a 1932 Ford. He later raced on road courses, capturing three U.S. national sports car championships. He drove on the Aston Martin team in Europe, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and set records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Shelby was twice named "Driver of the Year" by Sports Illustrated magazine. But doctors told him to quit racing because of a bad heart. So he then turned his attention to building racing cars. His concept was simple: put a V-8 in a small, British two-seater. Shelby made a trip to England in 1961 to meet with the owners at AC Cars, the Hurlock brothers. In his book, "AC Cobra -- the truth behind the Anglo-American Legend," writer Rinsey Mills says: "The Hurlocks, for their part, couldn't have failed to be just a a little impressed by the charismatic Texan who had come to them from across the Atlantic with his huge enthusiasm and adventurous proposes. The upshot of this first meeting was that they all decided to give it a try and see what kind of a car would result from a suitably modified Ace being fitted with one of Henry Ford's latest V8s." This first Cobra was introduced to the public at the 1962 New York Auto Show. That very same car -- which Shelby has owned ever since -- was put back on display last month at this year's New York Auto Show to mark the 50th anniversary of its introduction. As Shelby American President John Luft puts it: "Carroll clearly was the godfather of muscle cars."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Think you can multitask in the car? Here's a test that shows you really can't
One of my favourite questions I like to pose to drivers taking our advanced driver training sessions is, "Are you capable of multitasking and do you do it while driving?" Most people respond that they can. My informal survey in the classroom sessions shows more women than men will say they can multitask. Contrary to popular belief, humans can not multitask. When I point out this fact I always get looks of disbelief. Here is a simple test to prove to yourself it can not be done. It is a simple demonstration I use in our classroom to prove it to our advanced driving motorists. Most people know the tune to "Jingle Bells" and the tune to "O Canada". If you can multitask you would be able to tap out the beat to "Jingle Bells" with your left hand while tapping the tune to "O Canada" with your right hand. Go ahead and try it. Not one person has been able to do this simple task. I always enjoy watching the uncoordinated attempts as they sit at the table trying desperately to tap out both tunes at the same time. Why? Because the human brain is incapable of multitasking. Detailed research including brain scans show that our brain will not multitask but instead will compartmentalize the tasks. In other words, your brain will jump from task to task spending some time on each but never doing both at the same time. The bad news is you do not get to pick which task to focus on and when. Your brain does that randomly. This is important to know because we can not talk and process vital driving information at the same time. Drivers will either process the information in the conversation and a response or they will process driving information but not both. In other words, in 10 seconds of typical driving while carrying on a conversation (in car or on a hands free cell phone) drivers will process four seconds of the conversation, then four seconds of response and possibly only two seconds of processing actual driving information (traffic flow, road conditions, etc.). Processing only two seconds of vital driving information out of every 10 seconds of driving is dangerous. This is why distracted driving is a leading cause of crashes and collisions. Allowing yourself to become distracted by talking on the cell phone, text messaging or any of the other preoccupations is a form of impaired driving! Remember, not being able to process driving information due to distraction is dangerous.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Nude unicyclist takes 'road distraction' to a whole new level
Police say a man arrested in a Southeast Texas city for riding his unicycle in the nude was distracting drivers and creating a hazard. Kemah police Chief Greg Rikard says 45-year-old Joseph Glynn Farley was not intoxicated or impaired when he was arrested Wednesday on a bridge in the city 20 miles southeast of Houston. Rikard says Farley had been falling off the unicycle and into traffic. Farley told officers that he liked the feeling of riding without his clothes, which were found at the base of the bridge. Police charged Farley, of Clear Lake, with misdemeanor indecent exposure. Bond is set at $1,500.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Ferrari dealer employee offends with smoke show on China's Great Wall
The explosion of the Chinese auto market has been a boon for mainstream brands like Buick, but that also means big things for upper end automakers like Ferrari. Where there are car sales, there are dealerships. Where there are dealerships, there are guys who don't think. A Nanjing, China area Ferrari dealership was shooting a commercial atop the 600-year-old great wall when a dealer employee decided that doing some smoke donuts in the special dragon edition 458 Italia. Not surprisingly, his antics burned rubber marks into the ancient surface and Chinese authorities were not amused. The old saying that boys will be boys might allow the creation of hours upon hours of online video for us to ogle, but when expensive supercars and structural antiquities are involved, perhaps a bit of maturity should prevail.   [more]   [top of page]

May 5, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1944, Bertha Benz, the wife of inventor Karl Benz and the first person to drive an automobile over a long distance, died in Ladenburg, Germany. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) AutoNation reports 12 percent new-vehicle sales jump
AutoNation Inc. said Wednesday that its new vehicle sales rose 12 percent in April on strong demand for both domestic and imported vehicles. The automotive retailer said it sold a total of 20,534 cars and trucks in April. Sales of imported vehicles increased 16 percent to 10,358, while demand for domestic vehicles rose 9 percent to 6,306. Sales of premium and luxury vehicles rose 10 percent to 3,870, AutoNation said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Ford touts small engines, higher gas mileage
In a once-unthinkable turnabout, Ford Motor Co. is bragging about how it now makes some of the smallest car engines in the industry -- a sign of evolution for a company that once made its money selling powerful trucks, SUVs and the Mustang muscle car. Ford's race to smaller engines represents a trend in the industry as all automakers woo fuel-conscious consumers and work to meet increasingly stringent fuel-economy standards, said Jesse Toprak, an analyst at TrueCar, an auto price information company. "We believe that we are going to pay more for energy going forward and that fuel efficiency is the top reason to buy. That is going on all around the world now," said Alan Mulally, Ford's chief executive. Mulally said that Ford's strategy of making powerful but smaller engines is part of the automaker's goal to "increase the fuel efficiency every year forever." Ford has focused on small, turbocharged engines, which it calls its EcoBoost line. Although Ford vehicles with these engines carry a premium over standard models, they have among the quickest paybacks from gas savings in the industry, Toprak said. A recent TrueCar analysis of the latest industry offerings of small but powerful engines -- with and without turbochargers -- found that the Mazda3 with the SkyActiv engine and transmission was the best economic proposition. The Mazda engine features a high compression ratio and avoids the added expense of a turbocharger. Chevrolet's tiny Sonic with the EcoTec engine had the second-quickest payback. Ford excelled at building big vehicles with small engines. Its Edge sport utility vehicle with the EcoBoost four-cylinder engine was third, and its big F-150 pickup truck with a six-cylinder EcoBoost engine was fifth. The small Kia Forte sedan was fourth in the TrueCar analysis.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) New fuel rules will cost feds, drivers
Rising fuel-efficiency standards will cut gas tax revenue by $57 billion through 2025, the Congressional Budget Office said in a report released Wednesday. The government should consider hiking the 18.4 cent per gallon federal gas tax -- which hasn't been increased since 1993 -- or cutting spending on road repairs or paying for repairs through the general budget, the report said. The Obama administration reached a deal with 13 major automakers in July to hike fuel standards to 54.5 mpg between 2017 and 2025. The report says that the higher efficiency standards -- including the 2012-16 rules -- will cut the Highway Trust Fund 13 percent over 11 years through 2025. The new rules are to be finalized by late July. By 2040, the new rules will reduce the nation's gas tax revenue 21 percent annually. The full impact isn't felt immediately because the entire 2025 fleet won't turn over until 2040, the report said. The $57 billion reduction would mean $48 billion less to fix roads and $9 billion less for mass transit spending. The Congressional Budget Office says a 5 cent per gallon gas tax increase would be necessary to offset the reduction in revenue. The estimate includes a small reduction in fuel use attributable to the higher fuel tax.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Historic $3.4-million Ferrari F1 car crashes on movie set
When John Frankenheimer filmed the classic racing movie "Grand Prix", the stars did not drive actual Formula 1 cars. They were driving Formula 3 cars with bodies that looked like F1 cars, although some real race footage was also part of the film. Child TV star turned director, Ron Howard, has been hard at work filming a flick called "Rush", based on the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1976 F1 season. Unlike Frankenheimer, Howard is using real, irreplaceable, vintage Formula 1 cars. F1 cars are more than a little bit high strung and playing with them is kind of like juggling eggs. If you keep tossing them around a race track, sooner or later, you are going to smash a few. It seems the inevitable has happened if this image from racing driver Sean Edwards' Twitter account is any indication. Edwards' father Guy Edwards was one of the drivers who helped save Lauda after his near fatal crash at the Nurburgring. The damaged car is a Ferrari 312T, which was due to race at the Monaco Historics next week. From the looks of things, it might not make it to the starting grid.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Greenpeace targets Volkswagen's eco policy
Last month, the Volkswagen Group announced it would undergo a "fundamental ecological restructuring." The transformation includes tens of billions to be spent on improving the efficiency of the company's vehicles and "greening" its manufacturing plants. The centrepiece, though, is a commitment that by 2015, Volkswagen's cars will emit, on average, less than 120 grams of carbon per kilometre, or just 5.2 litres per 100 kilometres. The declaration was, to say the least, a shock to the industry, politicians and environmentalists, particularly in Europe. It wasn't just that the target voluntarily set by the world's second-largest carmaker was 10 grams below a legal limit for the entire European industry that, itself, was the fruit of years of arduous negotiations. But Volkswagen was also considered a powerful hard-line force against that 2015 limit as well as a tougher standard, 95 grams, proposed for 2020. The corporation's stance had put it in the crosshairs of Greenpeace, which launched a campaign -- spoofing a popular Volkswagen ad featuring Darth Vader -- that attacked it as Europe's dirtiest carmaker. The campaign reflected advocacy group's current view that rather than lobby governments directly, it's more effective to make life so miserable for one member of an industry that it will push the rest, and politicians, to go greener.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Halton police nab distracted drivers using panhandler disguises
Halton regional police have launched a four-day blitz in Burlington to catch people using their cellphones while driving. And they're even going undercover, disguising themselves as roadside beggars -- complete with tattered cardboard signs -- in an effort to get close enough to catch offenders. Project Disconnect is an effort to improve road safety by stopping people who are talking, dialling, texting or emailing using handheld phone devices and other communication and entertainment devices. Halton Regonal Police spokesman Sgt Dave Cross confirmed officers were conducting the blitz in "plain clothes" but refused to discuss their strategies, noting they are using various strategies to educate the public on texting while driving. The HoboCops trick was most recently employed by the Ottawa Police during a similar blitz a couple of weeks ago. Other police forces have also imitated squeegee kids, beggars and, in memorable moments in Chilliwak and in West Palm Beach -- The Easter Bunny -- in order to get close enough to motorists to catch them in violation of seat belt or cell phone laws. The annual blitz started Monday and will end Thursday. Last year, police issued 223 provincial offence notices, Cross said, adding he did not have the number of offences for the current project yet.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Russian driver takes merging to a whole new low
We've all seen the driver who leaves it till the very last second to merge when his lane comes to an end. A good many of us have even done our best to prevent said driver from forcing his way in front of us. The problem with forcing the issue is that you just never know who is in the other car. In the video below, the driver of the camera car gets more than he bargained for when trying to protect his spot in line!   [more]   [top of page]

April 29, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 2004, the last Oldsmobile came off the assembly line at the Lansing Car Assembly plant in Michigan, signaling the end of the 106-year-old automotive brand, America's oldest. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Electric cars sales slow; battle comes down to Volt or Leaf
Count the number of electric cars you see on the way to work today, and that will give you a clue as how sales are going. You're not allowed to include the ones stranded by the side of the road with dead batteries. Unless you're in central Paris or London, you are probably in shut-out territory. According to British newsletter Automotive Industry Data, sales of electric cars in Western Europe totaled only 4,856 in the first three months of 2012 for a market share of 0.15 percent. This included the Nissan Leaf, and Peugeot and Citroen city cars based on a Mitsubishi model. There were some sales of the Opel Ampera, the European equivalent of GM's Chevrolet Volt now being launched across Europe. In France the biggest seller is the Bollore Bluecar, used in a Paris-based car sharing scheme. Renault of France is launching the Fluence electric sedan, the Kangoo electric van, a smaller battery only Zoe sedan and its Twizy commuter vehicle. Ford has an electric Focus on the launch pad. Toyota's plug-in hybrid version of the Prius will muddy the waters of definition because it can run just on batteries, but then uses a mixture of gasoline and electricity to power the car when the battery runs dry. But these are early days for electric cars, and it doesn't mean that someday they won't be ubiquitous, and arguments are raging about what is the best way of providing transport that progressively cuts the use of dwindling fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel. Currently, the two main automotive contenders are the battery-only powered Nissan Leaf, and the Chevrolet Volt, which uses a back-up internal combustion engine to generate electricity when the battery runs out of puff. On the face of it that seems like an unfair contest. After all, given the choice, would you use your precious dollars to buy a car that died after 100 miles and needed an eight hour recharge, or one which gave you about 200 miles of range after the battery runs out after 30 miles, and could be refueled in five minutes?   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) New Dodge Dart dares to be different
As Chrysler Group LLC readies its new entry into the hotly contested compact car segment, the company is hoping to stand out from the crowd by allowing its customers to make their 2013 Dodge Dart different from all the rest. The Auburn Hills automaker is eschewing the menu of option packages most car companies offer in favor of an a la carte approach that allows customers to configure their car their way. Want a manual transmission with an orange leather interior and a navigation system? No problem. "We've got over 100,000 different ways to configure and personalize the Dodge Dart," said Richard Cox, Dodge brand director. "We've unbundled a lot of options to make it easier for customers to get exactly what they want." Chrysler is responding to a broader societal trend. Consumers -- particularly the younger ones car companies covet -- want to put their personal stamp on the products they own. Think cellphone cases and laptop covers. Cox said the company's market research shows these consumers want to be able to do that with their cars, too. And by allowing them to tailor their Dart their way, Chrysler hopes to give consumers another reason to buy it.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Feds test car-to-car communication
The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says new "vehicle to vehicle" communications could eventually help save thousands of lives, and the agency is considering new regulations in 2013 to eventually mandate the technology. At the SAE World Congress here Thursday, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said such regulation could "create a baseline communication system" to help prevent traffic accidents, which cost the nation tens of billions of dollars each year. NHTSA is conducting a major test of "vehicle to vehicle" technology. As an example of that technology, the driver of one vehicle could be alerted that another is about to run a red light -- potentially avoiding an accident, Strickland noted. "Our research shows that these technologies could help prevent a majority of the collisions that typically occur in the real world, such as rear-end collisions, intersection crashes, or collisions while switching lanes," Strickland said. Toyota Motor Corp. Spokesman Brian Lyons said the company thinks vehicle to vehicle technology "shows a lot of promise."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Experts suspicious of company's gas-saving claims
Aiming to make your car a gas miser? A Stoney Creek company says it can help. CareGreen Inc. recently announced itself the exclusive North American distributor of the Greentech Fuel Saver. The product, it says, improves mileage by up to 15 per cent while reducing toxic emissions as much as 80 per cent, and boosting performance -- at a cost of $150 to $350, depending on whether the fuel is gasoline or diesel, and the size of the tank. Its arrival is a sure sign the cost of gasoline is rising. "These types of devices pop up every time fuel prices go up," says Murray Thomson, director of the Combustion Research Laboratory at the University of Toronto. The Greentech was developed in 2005 by Taiwan-based Moletech International Ltd., and went on sale, under the Moletech name, two years later. It was rebranded after a 2010 redesign. The current version involves two thumb-sized metal cylinders. One goes into a vehicle's fuel tank; the other is attached to the air-intake hose. It works, the companies say, by weakening the Van der Waals force -- a bond that causes molecules to clump together. The bit in the tank contains "a very special patented type of ceramic" that absorbs energy, then, releases it back into the fuel at the same wavelength as the force. This breaks the bond, producing smaller clumps or even freeing molecules to stand on their own. The benefit: More surface area is exposed to the air, which improves combustion and fuel efficiency. Each version employs a different ceramic mix, designed to generate the precise wavelength required for each fuel type and tank size. As for "which material alters which wavelength, it's our business secret," says CareGreen president Steve Beazley.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) New Cadillac seat rumbles driver's butt when danger imminent
Formerly the stuff of video games, a new rumble technology in the Cadillac XTS delivers seat vibrations to alert drivers to crash threats. Vibrating video game devices providing tactile feedback have been around for eons. Today, the miniature motor technology is most commonly found in handheld game controllers. There, it's used to deliver a contextually relevant tremble or "rumble" sensation intimating the direction of an explosion, the force of a punch, the speed stresses on a spaceship or dozens of other virtualized rough and tumble circumstances. Tactile feedback is also found in a variety of third-party specialty peripherals, from headphones that will literally thump you in the back of the head to full size "racing seats" that will quiver your buttocks as the game terrain suggests. For serious enthusiasts, there's even the aptly-named "Butt Kicker," add-on hardware that will turn any seat into a glute-thumping chair. Cadillac is bringing this time-honored tactile tech to the automotive realm, iterating and innovating beyond an entertaining sensation; going so far as to secure a patent on its new "Cadillac Safety Alert Seat."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) A look at China's most blatant 'copycat' cars
The Chinese auto market, the biggest in the world, is growing faster every day. But with that exponential growth, some Chinese carmakers appear to be taking the easy way out in the design department, taking some obvious cues and influences from their western counterparts. In some cases blatantly ripping off North American designs. John LeBlanc provides some of the more obvious "copycat" examples from the 2012 Beijing Auto Show....   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Abandoned in the desert, rare $1-million Ferrari up for sale
A story floated around the web about six months ago, about a Ferrari Enzo that had been abandoned in Dubai by a British ex-pat. Apparently, the abandonment of cars in the desert country is quite common, as traffic fines are quite steep and being in debt is a crime. As the traffic fines add up, owners exit the country, leaving their exotics behind. Ferrari produced just 400 examples of the Enzo supercar (some say 399) so whenever one comes up for auction, it is a big deal. Of course as rich owners run out of talent and destroy the scarlet machines, the number of available cars drops, bringing sale prices up. This particular Enzo has no doubt suffered damage from the elements, as it has been sitting in the desert for 20 months. No doubt that will have little effect on the sale price when it crosses the auction block tomorrow. According to Daily Mail, the Enzo is just one of many exotics that will be included in what might be the most expensive police auction of all time.   [more]   [top of page]

April 22, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1933, Frederick Henry Royce, who with Charles Stewart Rolls founded the luxury British automaker Rolls-Royce, died at the age of 70 in England. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Loss of key resin supply may hurt U.S. vehicle production
Automakers met Tuesday at a hastily called summit in Troy to consider their options, after an explosion shut down a German factory that makes a key chemical used in plastics for brake and fuel systems. The industry is concerned that a shortage of the chemical could disrupt production in some U.S. auto plants. About 200 people, including more than 100 suppliers and representatives of auto companies, gathered to discuss alternative plastic resins, and ways to boost supplies from three other major producers. The plastic is used to make fuel tanks, coatings and connectors for fuel and brake systems, and seat fabrics. It's also used in coatings in off-shore oil pipelines, medical devices, solar panels and some sporting goods. Automakers are scrambling after the explosion March 31 at an Evonik Industries AG chemical plant in Marl, Germany. The plant shutdown sharply reduced the global supply of the resin known as PA-12 or nylon-12. Two died in the explosion and fire, and production was halted.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) European automakers braces for resin shortage
Europe's auto production will probably be disrupted first if carmakers can't find alternative resins used to make fuel systems and brake lines, according to a Credit Suisse Group AG report. Automakers in North America likely are carrying one month of supply more than European competitors of the resin PA-12, Chris Ceraso, a New York-based analyst for Credit Suisse, wrote Friday in the report. Global capacity to make PA-12, also called Nylon-12, may have been cut by as much as half after the March 31 explosion at chemical maker Evonik Industries AG, he said. "European users will be the canary in the coal mine for this problem," Ceraso wrote. Industrial customers there "are much more likely to keep comparatively thinner inventories and don't have the benefit of large amounts of materials in transit. This means that the most immediate supply disruptions are likely to surface in Europe." Automakers led by General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG, Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. and their suppliers are studying ways to find and test alternative materials and avoid losing vehicle output. A combined two to three months of resin inventory may still be "in circulation," according to Credit Suisse estimates. Evonik's Marl, Germany, factory made a base material used in Nylon-12 called Cyclododecatriene or CDT. Evonik supplies CDT to France's Arkema SA; the companies are two of only four global sources.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Wireless car-charger maker aims to cut power cord
Will the electric car recharger be the next technology to go wireless? That's the question posed by Evatran, a Morrisville startup that has created a "plugless" charging station to juice up plug-in electric cars. The company's founders -- and funders -- are betting that cutting the cord will be the next advance for electric cars, building on the same concept that has untethered telephones and computers from the tyranny of wall jacks. Evatran represents one of several efforts in academia and industry to develop wireless recharging on the theory that handling dust-caked, mud-stained, rain-soaked cables will prove to be a major impediment to mass adoption of the electric car. Evatran's approach allows an electric vehicle equipped with its device to recharge by parking over a recharging pad mounted on the ground. The concept is intriguing enough to encourage Duke Energy, Google, Clemson University, Hertz Rent-A-Car and others to test Evatran's product this spring in anticipation of 2,000 Evatran units being sold this year. Sears, the tool and appliance chain, has signed on to be an authorized nationwide installer of the garage-based mechanisms needed to make Evatran's system work at home. The car-mounted adapters would have to be installed by auto dealers. Raleigh, N.C., officials, meanwhile, are in talks with Evatran to test the outdoor version of the company's Plugless Power technology at select locations around town. "Fundamentally, what we're selling here is convenience," said Evatran co-founder Rebecca Hough. "The cord gets really dirty. People run over the cord. And nobody wants to be using a cord in a rainstorm."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) For first time, Ford reveals just how much electric-car batteries cost
Ford Motor Co. will be slower to build electric-powered pickups and other larger vehicles because the batteries to power them are still extremely costly, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said on Tuesday. The second-largest U.S. automaker is now electrifying the platforms used to build compact cars and mid-size sedans, a move that allows Ford to curb costs by building electric, hybrid and gas-powered versions of the same car on a single assembly line. But for larger vehicles, "the electrical components are so much bigger and costlier," Mulally said at a meeting with reporters in downtown Los Angeles. "So I think the migration to the bigger vehicles will be slower." Cost has been the major curb on sales of low-emission vehicles: The battery used in an all-electric vehicle such as the Focus Electric, Ford's first all-electric passenger car, can cost between $12,000 and $15,000, Mulally said this week at a conference in Dana Point, California. That would represent around a third of the Focus Electric's overall price of around $39,000. At the conference, Mulally said the batteries used in hybrids cost around $2,000 while those in plug-in hybrids can be between $7,000 and $8,000. Ford says American car buyers have increasingly focused on fuel economy since 2008 when gasoline prices shot past $4 a gallon. As a result, Ford has made improving fuel economy the centrepiece of its design strategy.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) iMiEV ads bring 'cool' factor to electric cars
In a white padded room, a frightened man gets electric jolts from the walls and floor, a chair, a bureau -- no matter what he touches he's left yelping with pain. Until, that is, he spots a little car and ducks inside. In the driver's seat, he finds blessed relief. The car is a Mitsubishi iMiEV -- one of two pure electric vehicles now on the Canadian mass market -- and the shock scene is part of a new ad campaign for it. I don't normally write about automakers' promotional material. They should pay to strut their stuff. But I'm making an exception for two reasons. First, the campaign -- although implanting the name of Mitsubishi's subcompact urban EV -- also does a favour for the Nissan Leaf, already in showrooms, and other battery-powered vehicles due to arrive over the next couple of years. Second, it's funny. The pitch for electric vehicles usually focuses on responsibility, doing the right thing and saving money. Even promises of good performance often seem to say: "Look, it's better than you probably think it is." This campaign, unveiled at Toronto's Green Living Show (April 13-15) and now on the Internet, is a breath of fresh air.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) World's oldest original Mini could fetch 30 times original price
What is believed to be the world's oldest original Mini is going up for sale in the U.K. after being discovered rusting in a garage. And despite the fact that it won't run, it's likely to sell for at least 15,000 GBP (about $24,000 CDN). The decrepit little car was only the eighth to be made in the U.K. when it rolled off the production line in 1959, and is thought to be the oldest unrestored Mini in existence. Despite its present poor condition the grey Mini is being described as a "classic" and has enthusiasts salivating because it has never been restored. The prospect of returning the dusty Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe Saloon to its original condition will be too much for some fans to resist. The vehicle was bought by David Gallimore in 1986 from a Gladys Hobro of Aldwick, Bognor Regis, a resort town on the English Channel about 55 km southwest of London. It had been kept it in a garage until last year. The 848cc engine has done a grand total of 30,000 miles, but now doesn't work and it has never been touched, apart from a few maintenance checks. When it goes under the hammer at auction, it is expected to fetch 15,000 GBP -- about 30 times more than the 497 GBP it sold for new (that was $1,331 Canadian in 1959, equal to about $10,500 in 2012 dollars).   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) BMW drivers most likely to cheat on their spouse, poll finds
As if BMW owners don't already get enough of a bad rap, now they, or more likely their spouses, have something else to worry about according to Car Advice. British website IllicitEncounters.com (Think Ashley Madison) conducted a poll of their 640,000 plus members to see what brand of car they drive. A whopping 19.21 per cent of the cheaters said they drive a BMW, compared to second place Audi at just 8.79 per cent. Interestingly, third spot on the podium also goes to a German brand, with Mercedes-Benz owners taking 8.23 per cent of the results. Rounding out the top five were Jaguar and Land Rover. Italian carmaker Fiat, known for its sexy TV spots, surprisingly came in at the bottom end of the scale with just 0.55 per cent of adulterers driving the little cars.   [more]   [top of page]

April 15, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1912, Washington Augustus Roebling II, a 31-year-old race car engineer and driver, died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM: Gases caused Warren blast
General Motors Co. was quick to fend off new fears about electric cars Wednesday, after the company said an explosion was caused by gases venting from an experimental battery pack inside a battery lab at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren. The explosion led to the hospitalization of one employee. The 8:45 a.m. incident inside a small room at the lab was likened by GM to a natural gas explosion, as gases from a battery gathered in the room during extreme testing and ignited. GM said the battery pack remained intact. One worker who was injured was being kept for observation overnight at an area hospital, said GM spokesman Alan Adler. He declined to release the extent of the man's injuries, nor what he did in the lab. Four other people were evaluated by medical personnel after the explosion blew out windows and damaged at least part of the global battery lab inside the Alternative Energy Center. The Detroit automaker, just a few hours after the incident, was quick to point out that the battery being tested was unrelated to the Chevrolet Volt or any other production vehicle.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) NHTSA proposes making brake-override standard
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Thursday proposed requiring all new vehicles have brake-override systems to allow drivers to stop runaway vehicles. Many safety advocates urged NHTSA to require the systems in the wake of Toyota Motor Corp.'s sudden unintended acceleration recalls of more than 10 million vehicles in 2009 and 2010 -- and a bill passed by the Senate in March also would have required NHTSA action. Four people were killed near San Diego in August 2009 when an off-duty California Highway patrolman couldn't stop a borrowed Lexus ES 350 that had an accelerator pedal trapped by a floor mat. The incident ultimately helped prompt Toyota's recalls for trapped accelerator pedals and sticky pedals. "America's drivers should feel confident that anytime they get behind the wheel they can easily maintain control of their vehicles -- especially in the event of an emergency," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "By updating our safety standards, we're helping give drivers peace of mind that their brakes will work even if the gas pedal is stuck down while the driver is trying to brake." The proposal would require all vehicles to have the override no earlier than September 2014 -- and because most vehicles have the software, the costs would be minimal, the agency said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Flying car now reality - for some
A group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology-trained engineers is trying to go where no corporation has gone before: building a profitable business selling flying cars. The Terrafugia Transition seats two and can take off and land from more than 5,000 public U.S. airfields. It can be driven on any road and runs on the same gasoline as high-performance cars. The company said, 95 people have put down at least $10,000 to reserve one of the $279,000 planes. Depositors include pilots and the wealthy in search of the latest toy. Whether the flying car gets off the ground or not, it's a reminder -- amid all the talk of mileage standards and profit margins -- that cars have always been about dreams, from Marty McFly's DeLorean to autos with propellers that turned into boats. Indeed, Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia's founder and chief executive officer, has dreamed about this since he watched reruns of "The Jetsons," the cartoon where George Jetson commuted to his job in a flying car. An aeronautical engineer and pilot, Dietrich is also practical. It wasn't until 2004, when the Federal Aviation Administration lowered the barrier for getting a pilot's license and created a new category of aircraft, that he decided there was business potential.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Electric Chevy owners love their Volts
The Chevrolet Volt is rated as the most fuel-efficient car with a gasoline engine by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some say it is a hybrid, but General Motors insists that with no direct mechanical linkage from the gasoline engine to the wheels, the Volt is a rechargeable, plug-in electric vehicle. Already seen on North American roadways for well over a year, the Volt is making its debut around the globe this year. More than 400 Volts have been sold in Canada since it was launched here last September. In the U.S., where it began selling in late 2010, nearly 12,000 have been sold.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) New York yellow cabs switch from Ford Crown Vics to Nissan NV200
The unveiling of New York's "Taxi of Tomorrow" -- a purpose-built unit based on the Nissan NV200 commercial van -- at the New York Auto Show presages the re-transformation of the city's 13,000-strong cab fleet into a monopoly. Production ended last year for the former monopoly holder -- the St. Thomas, Ont.-built, stretched Ford Crown Victoria. Taxi and police fleets have been in a panic ever since. The Nissan won a design competition initiated in 2007. Production is just starting at its Mexico plant, and the first NV200s will start honking their way through the streets and avenues of Le Grand Pomme late next year. The NV200 will become the exclusive New York cab by 2018. And, yes, they will all be painted yellow. The odd-looking NV200 allegedly has room for four passengers and their luggage. It has several features to make the trip more palatable for passengers and drivers, including an active-carbon headliner that is supposed to eliminate that "taxi cab smell." Amen to that.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Zero-emission Nissan Leaf gaining popularity
The zero-emission Nissan Leaf is the best selling all-electric car ever made. Introduced in Canada last summer, the Leaf is growing in popularity and sales are increasing. About 240 were sold here by the end of March, and Nissan predicts more than 600 will be on our roads by the end of this year. More than 22,000 are currently being driven worldwide -- quite amazing for an electric vehicle that was launched just over a year ago.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Angry customer rampages through car dealership after 20-minute wait
Most drivers have had a sour experience at a dealership, be it a broken promise, a long wait, or a hefty repair bill. But one doctor in Russia had an experience that police say drove him over the edge. And it led to him allegedly bringing down the dealership, literally. In amazing YouTube footage taken from a security camera, a disgruntled customer drives a 4x4 Suzuki Grand Vitara, his loaner car, into the dealership, smashing windows, two showroom cars and laying waste to the establishment. Apparently, the minutes-long rampage was sparked after the man, identified as Dr. Kustov Michael, was left waiting for 20 minutes after he came to retrieve his Nissan Navara, which was in the garage. Three brand new cars were written off and more than $31,000 (Cdn) was reported in damages, Huffington Post reports. The man is reported to be under house arrest and faces several charges. The dealership, Pelican Cars, issued a statement saying: "It is doubtful that the issue of waiting for a car for 20 minutes from the time appointed led the client to be in such a state."   [more]   [top of page]

April 8, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1979, in the Rebel 500 event at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, drivers Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty swapped the lead four times in a last-lap battle before Waltrip finally won the race. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Volkswagen Up! wins 2012 World Car of the Year
The Volkswagen Up! small city car won 2012 World Car of the Year -- defeating its much more powerful rivals BMW 3 Series and Porsche 911. Oliver Stefani, the chief designer of the VW Up!, said "the goal of this car was to make something small great, and we really got rewarded for it today." The Mercedes S 250 CDI BlueEfficiency won World Green Car of the Year over the Ford Focus EV and Peugeot 3008 Hybrid 4. Neither winners are currently sold in the United States, but Daimler AG plans to bring the Mercedes engine in the 250 to the United States in the GLK by the end of the year. Mercedes showed off the 2013 GLK at this year's auto show. The Up! went on sale in Europe in December and has had strong sales. VW has made no decision on whether it would bring the vehicle with a 1.0-liter engine and less than 100 horsepower to the United States. The World Car Awards jurors said the Up! "has altered what we have come to expect from the city car segment. Of note are the responsive steering, sophisticated suspension setup, new efficient engines and the quality of materials and finish."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Ferdinand Porsche, creator of 911 sportscar, dies at age 76
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the designer of the original version of the iconic 911 sportscar, died Thursday in Salzburg. He was 76. "As creator of the Porsche 911, he established a design culture that molds our sportscars still today," Matthias Mueller, chief executive officer of Porsche AG, said in an e-mail statement. "His philosophy of good design is for us a legacy that we will also honor in the future." Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, who created the original Volkswagen, designed the first 911 in 1962. He went on to develop racecars for the German automaker until leaving the Stuttgart-based company in 1972 with other family members, when Porsche was transformed into a joint stock company. Porsche unveiled the seventh generation of the $115,000 911 in September. The 350-horsepower sportscar has a top speed of 179 miles per hour and surges to 100 kilometers in 4.6 seconds.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Fast, flawless McLaren supercar flies on the road
The McLaren supercar is as close as you'll ever come to an asphalt-bound fighter jet. I'm screaming down a racetrack straightaway so quickly that I'd swear my silver car actually has after-burners. I lift off the gas, downshift a gear and kite into a tight U-shaped curve, brushing the brakes only once. A warning chimes in my brain, telling me I'm going to crash into a wall or go into a terrible spin. Too much speed, too complicated a turn. As tested, this McLaren is $292,800. So that would be bad. Yet, it does exactly what I ask of it, swooping through on wings. It's so fast, so flawless, into G-force-inducing corners that I equate it with only a war bird, unaffected by earthbound forces such as traction. The McLaren MP4-12C starts at $231,000 and pushes the extreme edge of what a street-legal car is capable of. Fans of Formula One racing know the name McLaren. Now based in Woking, England, the company has been around since the mid-1960s, created by driver Bruce McLaren. He died on a racetrack in 1970, testing a new car.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Sudden engine revving concerns F150 owners
Q: My son has a 2007 Ford F150 and I have a 2008 Ford F150. On two occasions in the first two months with the 2008, I put it in reverse with my foot on the brake, and the engine revved to at least 3000 rpm. Just the other day, my son was stopped in forward gear with his foot on the brake when it suddenly revved up, causing the truck to lurch forward and hit another vehicle. Ford is claiming we hit the brake and accelerator at the same time, which is not true. There are other tales like this on the Internet, and Transport Canada has a file on it.

A: You're on the right path by reporting your suspected safety-related defect to Transport Canada. The agency takes reports of such incidents, investigates where necessary, and, if a trend is noticed, may take up the issue with the manufacturer. In such cases, a recall may result. To report safety-related problems to Transport Canada, call 1-800-333-0510.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Cadillac's automated solution for distracted drivers
I'm in the driver's seat of a Cadillac SRX but I'm not at the controls. The SUV has been circling a test track at GM's Milford Proving Grounds for several minutes with another SRX crossing into my lane just ahead and slowing down, and then speeding up and changing lanes again -- the type of erratic behaviour we've all experienced during the daily commute. While SRX number two is doing its best to emulate a rolling obstacle course, I neither touch the steering wheel nor the pedals at my feet, and yet my car stays centred in my lane, maintaining a safe distance from the other vehicle and getting back up to speed when it moves out of the way. It does this electronically, using cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors, operating the electrically assisted steering or controlling the throttle and applying the brakes if necessary. The SRX's lane-keeping ability is limited, however, and is dependant on the visibility of lane markings on the road, poor weather or worn paint affecting its ability to steer. Now here's a wake-up call: Automakers are scheming to get you out of the driver's seat. No, the goal isn't to roll back automobile production or to force you into less desirable forms of public transportation. Uh-uh. They want to reduce the human factor in the driving equation with the ultimate goal of making roads safer. That's scary. The scary part isn't that this technology is aimed to make us relinquish control to a computer; what's frightening is that the primary reason carmakers are resorting to these measures is to compensate for a lack of judgment and common sense in today's driver. It's the equivalent of throwing your arms up in the air in frustration and declaring: "I've had enough! I can't do anything with these people!" The sad fact is that more and more drivers are assuming less and less responsibility behind the wheel. Although now illegal, texting and talking on hand-held cellphones while driving is still rampant. Eating, applying makeup -- even shaving -- are all activities that, in today's increasingly hurried world, are slowly migrating from the home into the driver's seat. And the worst part is that these activities aren't perceived as distractions by many of today's younger drivers -- the driving is. Just wait until the Internet becomes widely available in cars. Cadillac understands this and is taking a different approach toward a solution: if you can't teach a new dog an old trick -- like focusing on the task of driving -- why not allow the vehicle to assume some of the control? According to John Capp, GM's director of global active safety, electronics and innovation, Cadillac's goal is to "help drivers who can't make certain decisions by themselves."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Flying car gets closer to reality
Flying cars aren't just science fiction anymore. Woburn, Massachusetts-based Terrafugia Inc. said Monday that its prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle -- dubbed the Transition -- has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. Last month, it flew at 1,400 feet (426 metres) for eight minutes. Commercial jets fly at 35,000 feet (10.668 metres). Around 100 people have already put down a $10,000 deposit to get a Transition when they go on sale, and those numbers will likely rise after Terrafugia introduces the Transition to the public later this week at the New York Auto Show. But don't expect it to show up in too many driveways. It's expected to cost $279,000. And it won't help if you're stuck in traffic. The car needs a runway. The flying car has always had a special place in the American imagination. Inventors have been trying to make them since the 1930s, according to Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst who owns R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, New York. But Mann thinks Terrafugia has come closer than anyone to making the flying car a reality. The government has already granted the company's request to use special tires and glass that are lighter than normal automotive ones, to make it easier for the vehicle to fly. The government has also temporarily exempted the Transition from the requirement to equip vehicles with electronic stability control, which would add about six pounds (2.72 kilograms) to the vehicle. The Transition is currently going through a battery of automotive crash tests to make sure it meets federal safety standards. Mann said Terrafugia was helped by the Federal Aviation Administration's decision five years ago to create a separate set of standards for light sport aircraft. The standards govern the size and speed of the plane and licensing requirements for pilots, which are less restrictive than requirements for pilots of larger planes. Terrafugia says an owner would need to pass a test and complete 20 hours of flying time to be able to fly the Transition, a relatively low hurdle for pilots. The Transition can reach around 70 miles per hour (112 kph) on the road and 115 mph (185 kph) in the air, spokesman Steven Moscaritolo said. On the ground, it gets 35 miles per gallon (15 kilometres per litre). Mann questions the size of the market for the Transition. The general aviation market has been in decline for two decades, he said, largely because of fuel costs and the high cost of liability for manufacturers. Also, fewer people are learning how to fly. "This is not going to be an inexpensive aircraft to produce or market," he said. "It has some uniqueness, and will get some sales, but the question is, could it ever be a profitable enterprise?" Mann sees the western U.S. as the most likely market, where people could fly instead of driving long distances. Terrafugia has been working on flying cars since 2006, and has already pushed back the launch once. Last summer the company said it would have to delay expected 2011 deliveries due to design challenges and problems with parts suppliers. With the appearance in New York, the company hopes to attract the eye of customers as well as investors. "We are introducing ourselves as a viable company to the automotive world," Moscaritolo said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Student thinks outside the (tissue) box
Has this happened to you? You're getting ready to drive your children to school, and one of them needs a tissue. You lean over to fetch a box of tissues from the passenger's side of the car, and when you look up, you're inches from wiping out the neighbor's fence. Or how about this one: You're bringing your dogs back from the park and instead of staying in the "way back," where they belong, they bound over the seat and onto the floor, where that brand new box of tissues becomes ruined with mud. Both events befell Amy Davis, and within the span of just a few days. After angrily letting the dogs out of the car, Davis reached for the ruined tissue box "and noticed the coffee cup in my cup holder." "Why can't these be there?" she wondered. Davis, a wife, dog owner and former New York City teacher turned stay-at-home mom in Weston, Conn., had just gone back to school to work on her MBA, and one of her assignments was to create a product and a marketing plan for it. For Davis, that meant thinking outside the box -- the traditional tissue box, that is. Her product was a cylindrical tissue dispenser that fits into the cup holder of a car, minivan, SUV or pickup. Her invention, the Kiss-u Tissue Tube, has been test-marketed in some Walgreens stores and likely will be available nationwide later this year, and not only at Walgreens, but also in many other retail outlets. In the meantime, the Kiss-u Tissue Tube can be ordered through www.kissutissue.com. A pair of the tubes, available in a variety of designs, is $7.79. The tubes are made from recycled cardboard. When the tissues have been used, the tubes can be refilled from Kissues refill packets. "One of my missions was to make this as environmentally friendly as possible," Davis said of using recycled cardboard for the tubes, making sure printing inks contain no heavy metals and even monitoring water usage and waste at manufacturing facilities. Although she had to go overseas for initial low-volume production, she's quickly bringing production of Kiss-u Tissue Tubes and its components home to the U.S. "Inventions are almost always solutions to problems," Davis said. "The questions are: Has someone done it before, and does anybody else need to solve the same problem?" Davis considers her invention a life-saver, and not just for the obvious reason of, "Mom, I need a tissue now!" "When someone is driving and looking for a tissue, they are very distracted," she said. But that's not the case when those tissues are as close as the nearest cup holder.   [more]   [top of page]

April 2, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1875, Walter Percy Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation, which for years was one of America's Big Three automakers along with General Motors and Ford, was born in Wamego, Kansas. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Toyota raises prices on 5 models
Toyota says it is raising prices on five Toyota and Scion models by up to 1.5 percent. Affected models include the Camry sedan, Prius v gas-electric hybrid, Highlander hybrid SUV, Tacoma pickup and Scion tC small car. Toyota says the increases are due to overall business conditions but wouldn't give details. Automakers generally raise their prices when their costs and their competitors' prices rise. The increases range from $50 on some versions of the Camry to $270 on the top-line Camry XLE V-6. The Camry is the most popular car in the U.S. with sales of more than 308,000 vehicles last year. Toyota says the new prices will begin with cars built during the month of May.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Ford to invest $1.3B in Mexico plant
Ford Motor Co. plans to invest $1.3 billion in a plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, the automaker said Friday on its website. The investment in the plant, which will produce Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ models, will create 1,000 jobs, Ford said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) RelayRides links car owners to renters
Three years ago Jackie Capozzoli purchased her dream car, a silver 2006 Jeep Wrangler. But her graphic design job at Groupon and her side business making and selling jewelry keeps her so busy she rarely drives it. Now the 23-year-old Chicago resident has a shot at making money with her unused car. The latest twist in the car-sharing market has companies helping owners of private vehicles rent them for short periods to people in their neighborhoods. Last month San Francisco-based RelayRides entered the Chicago market as part of a national rollout, and Capozzoli signed on. RelayRides lets car owners set their own rental pricing but suggests they charge about $5 an hour, or $40 a day, for a full-size sedan; specialty vehicles might command higher rental prices. Renters are responsible for returning vehicles in the same condition they were in when picked up, with the same amount of gas in the tank. Under the RelayRides banner, the owner of the vehicle receives 60 percent of the rental proceeds and grosses an average of $250 a month, said Shelby Clark, who founded the company in 2010. Making the argument that using a car-sharing service works for the occasional driver isn't hard. The average cost of owning and operating a sedan 10,000 miles a year is $7,632, according to a 2011 study from AAA, a nonprofit drivers group. Still, renting out a personal car and thereby not having it ready for use at any time is a huge psychological barrier for some people. "Old habits die hard. Transportation habits in particular die hard," said Dave Brook, a car-sharing consultant with Team Red U.S., who has worked with RelayRides in the past. "(People) just sort of automatically go for the keys." Peer-to-peer car sharing faces other hurdles as well: Car owners have to accept that if their vehicle is trashed or crashed that damages will be covered. RelayRides, which advertises its service online, said that its car owners are covered by a $1 million insurance policy and that it checks that each renter has a valid driver's license that matches his or her credit card. The company said it charges the renters and reimburses car owners for minor damages such as stains from spilled coffee or pets. Inconsiderate renters are often rated unsatisfactory by fellow users and can be kicked out of the program, RelayRides said. Still, car owners worry. Before Capozzoli listed her Jeep on RelayRides, she was nervous the car might get scratched. "I love my car, and I take care of my car," she said. At the same time, money from renting her Jeep will offset the $500 to $600 a month the vehicle costs her.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Ford CEO's pay rose 11 per cent to $29.5M in 2011
Ford Motor Co said Friday that Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally's total compensation rose 11 percent to nearly $30 million last year, when the automaker reported its best net profit in more than a decade. Since Mulally became head of the company in 2006, he has led the automaker's turnaround, including steering it through the U.S. economic crisis without resorting to a federal bailout like its Detroit rivals General Motors Co and Chrysler Group LLC. Mulally got $2 million in salary and $5.5 million in cash bonuses. Including stock options and equity awards, his total compensation was $29.5 million, up from $26.5 million in 2010. Executive Chairman Bill Ford's total compensation last year, including stock options and equity awards, was $14.5 million, down from $26.4 million in 2010. Ford America's President Mark Fields received total compensation in 2011 of $8.8 million, unchanged from the previous year. After last year's Ford compensation figures were issued, United Auto Workers President Bob King called Mulally's compensation "outrageous" and "morally wrong" at a time when some workers making Ford vehicles made about $15 per hour.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) 'Batman' escapes ticket after being pulled over in Lamborghini
Holy dashcam, Batman! Police in Montgomery County, Md., got a treat when they pulled over a black Lamborghini for not having proper licence plates. Turns out, the pricey Lambo belonged to a real-life Bruce Wayne. Sort of. Lenny Robinson, dressed in full Batman costume, greeted officers after he stepped out of the car, and even posed for pictures. The Baltimore County businessman was driving his "Batmobile" to Georgetown University Hospital to entertain sick children. The caped crusader escaped without a ticket after he was able to show them a proper license plate for the car.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Video: Is this the worst case of road rage ever?
It's easy for things to get heated out there on the road. A dangerous merge, the wrong glance, an upraised finger, all of these things can lead to really bad things if you're not careful. But a case in Brazil best illustrates exactly how you shouldn't react when things start to get out of control. In video taken by a motorist and uploaded to YouTube, a motorcyclist and a Fiat driver engage in a scary case of road retaliation while stuck in traffic. The man on the bike, seemingly upset the female driver in the Fiat was getting too close, kicks the front of the woman's car. The woman, rather than get out and talk things over, decides to react by trying to run the man over -- not once, but twice. The Fiat ends up off the road, with the man on the hood and hanging on for dear life. Surprisingly, no one was hurt in the incident.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Video: Blind man goes for a ride in Google's self-driving car
Normally, the thought of a blind man behind the wheel would be cause for concern. Unless of course that man happened to be in Google's self-driving car. In a remarkable video uploaded by Google, Steve Mahan, who is legally blind, steps into the driver's seat of Google's autonomous Prius to take the car for a test drive. "Here's Steve, who joined us for a special drive on a carefully programmed route to experience being behind the wheel in a whole new way," Google says in the video description. "We organized this test as a technical experiment, but we think it's also a promising look at what autonomous technology may one day deliver if rigorous technology and safety standards can be met." The self-driving car uses a roof-mounted camera, radar sensors and lasers to drive without human input. Google's driverless car program has racked up more than 250,000 km of computer-led driving without incident. Well, almost without incident.   [more]   [top of page]

March 24, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 2007, an around-the-world relay celebrating Italian sports car maker Ferrari's 60th anniversary passed through Los Angeles, California. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Small SUV ready for prime time, Ford says
Ford Motor Co. will break ground in advertising next week when it becomes the first automaker to launch a vehicle through prime time television. "Escape Routes," an hourlong NBC reality series produced by Ford and featuring the 2013 Ford Escape, will debut March 31. If successful, the approach could invite a new marketing model that integrates social media with TV to enlist audience participation and build buzz for a product. The six-week show will follow six teams traveling cross-country in the small SUVs, which go on sale in June. En route, teams will compete in challenges similar to swinging on a trapeze or walking on an airplane wing for a grand prize of $100,000 and two new Ford Escapes. Viewers can vote for their favorite teams and compete online for trips, electronics and a new Escape.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM to replace Volt power cords
General Motors Co. said it is replacing the 120-volt charging cords in most of the nearly 10,000 Volts that it has sold since late 2010. GM spokesman Randy Fox said the new cords "offer some more consistency in charging." Some of the chargers built after Feb. 5 have the new cords. The company will not replace optional 240-volt power cords. "We've done some enhancements to add some durability," he said. The move was reported earlier by Yahoo Autos. Separately, GM told its Volt owners that they can start getting upgrades to protect their batteries during severe crashes. In a letter this month, GM told Volt owners they could start making appointments with their dealers on Monday. In early January, GM said it would strengthen an existing portion of the Volt's vehicle safety structure to further protect the battery pack in a severe side collision, adding a new steel structure to guard against severe side crashes. GM will also add a sensor in the reservoir of the battery coolant system to monitor coolant levels, and a new a tamper-resistant bracket at the top of the battery coolant reservoir to help prevent potential coolant overfills.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Fisker's luxury $116,000 Karma pushes battery power to limits
Henrik Fisker gets nostalgic as he reminisces about the cars of the 1950s. He loves oversized, over-the-top designs with soaring fins and lush interiors. "Those were American cars that ruled the road," he says at an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. While the 48-year-old Dane previously designed cars for Aston Martin and BMW, it takes a Grand Canyon-sized leap to start a car company. He co-founded Fisker Automotive Inc. in 2007. He showed the Fisker Karma concept a year later. It's meant to be unpredictable, surprising, fast and sexy with an environmental twist. The hybrid can run in all-electric mode or in tandem with a small gasoline engine. It's now on sale, stuffed with eco-conscious technology.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) In mileage crunch, carmakers paring engines to 3 cylinders
Imagine a car that gets more than 5.8 litres per 100 km in everyday traffic and 4.7 l/100 km on the highway -- and it isn't an expensive hybrid, and it doesn't require special fuel. Get ready for a new generation of cars equipped with surprisingly powerful three-cylinder engines that, according to early reviews out of Europe, have both the zip and zoom Americans expect in the four-cylinder compact sedans they buy today. "This engine is a game-changer," Steve Cropley of Autocar magazine, a British publication, said of the three-cylinder Ford Focus that just went on sale in Europe. "You barely hear the thing start, and it idles so smoothly you'd swear it had stalled." Better yet for power enthusiasts, "this lean upstart makes some bigger engines look puny," wrote Phil McNamara of Car, another British magazine. Automakers are starting to test the waters for how such vehicles will sell in the U.S. market. Ford Motor Co. said it will have a three-cylinder Focus or Fiesta for sale here by the middle of next year. Mitsubishi plans to launch a compact car with a three-cylinder engine sometime in 2013.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) New Zealand's 'quirky' driving rules finally come to the end of the road
New Zealand is finally yielding to the rest of the world when it comes to its unique set of road rules, after decades of confounding drivers from overseas. For nearly 20 years, New Zealand has been the only place on Earth to force vehicles hugging a turn at an intersection to yield to traffic making a wider arc across the intersection. New Zealanders drive on the left, but in the Canada it would be like making right-turning traffic yield to left-turning traffic. That will change at 5 a.m. Sunday, when the country reverses the rules. The big question may be what took it so long. The rules are "universally despised," said Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of the car review website www.dogandlemon.com. "I've had several near accidents with foreigners who were unaware the rule even existed," he said. "The rule was a shambles from the beginning." Just why New Zealand introduced such a quirky set of rules 35 years ago remains unclear. The Australian state of Victoria also toyed with a similar rule but abandoned it in 1993, leaving New Zealand a lone outlier. Some argue that the rules encourage civility by allowing cars making the more difficult turn to go first, but defenders are few. Some 77 per cent of 6,000 drivers surveyed by the Automobile Association said they thought the changes will have either a neutral or a positive effect on safety. The New Zealand Transport Agency, which implements road rules, says Sunday's switch will speed traffic flows, reduce accidents and avoid an estimated one fatality and 97 injuries per year.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Subaru, Mazda, Honda big winners in 'value' awards
Automotive research firm ALG Canada has released its 2012 Residual Value Awards, and three Japanese brands have topped its list this year. Subaru snagged the number one ranking for the third year in a row. Mazda took second place, and Honda nabbed third spot. The "most improved" brand went to Korea's Hyundai. It surpassed the industry average, ending up in seventh place overall. Among so-called "luxury" brands, ALG ranked Infiniti first, Audi second, and Acura third. Porsche was cited as the "most improved" when it comes to new vehicles holding onto their original values.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Shrimp to fuel your car?
Imagine running your car on shrimp. I don't mean pouring buckets of the tasty creatures into your fuel tank. But they might help biofuels, particularly biodiesel, replace at least some petroleum-based diesel -- increasingly the fuel of choice for efficient vehicles. It's not guaranteed and even if it works, it would be years away. Still, this is a glimpse at yet another bit of the research that -- for environmental, economic or energy-security reasons -- aims to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Shrimp and biofuel have been linked for a while, but I got an update at a recent biogas conference in London, Ont. ("You are living the life," a colleague remarked when I mentioned the event.) The main source of the two types of biofuels -- ethanol, which replaces gasoline, and biodiesel -- is vegetable matter. For now, that's mainly corn and soy. Ethanol is made from plants' cellulose, or fibrous material; biodiesel, from fats. Biofuels are controversial in part because their current source crops could be used as food, or occupy land where food could be grown. The amount that could conceivably be grown would make barely a dent in the global fossil-fuel demand. (Biodiesel can also be made from animal fats, including slaughterhouse leftovers -- a great use of troublesome wastes, but in even shorter supply.) And converting vegetable oils to biodiesel requires a catalyst. Most now are toxic, must be mixed with large quantities of water and can't be reused, creating potential issues for pollution and water shortages. Enter shrimp: A Chinese experiment is heating them until they form a lattice-like structure with a huge surface area. Coating that surface with potassium fluoride creates a catalyst that's much more effective and can be reused. A promising source of biofuels is algae -- the microscopic critters better known as pond scum. They grow quickly and in vast numbers. Inside shells made of cellulose, they're full of fat cells, or lipids. Several speakers at the conference described the promise and pitfalls of algae. In theory, and conservatively, enough could be grown to satisfy the United States' entire oil demand on just 0.25 per cent of its land area. But the stuff doesn't grow by itself: It requires a salt-watery home, nutrients and the proper temperature, which consume money and energy. The costs mount if the algae are produced indoors, where it's easier to control temperatures and keep unwanted wild varieties from contaminating the crop. Enter shrimp again: A Texas project is using shrimp excrement to feed algae, then feeding the algae shells to the shrimp in a reduced-cost, waste-free loop. But shrimp's true starring role might come from algae's most difficult problems: First, it's difficult to extract lipids from inside the tough cells. Second, the lipids are extremely diluted and must be concentrated, with additional energy and expense. Research, including an Ontario project, aims to increase the growth rate and lipid content while thinning the cell wall. But nature is often a nuisance: Various nutrients can be added to help the algae along, but they work at odds with each other. For example, nitrogen increases lipid content but slows growth; carbon dioxide does the opposite. Not surprisingly, the giant Monsanto Co. sees this dilemma as another opportunity for genetic engineering. But there's a more benign potential solution: Feed algae to shrimp, which have no trouble with the cell walls. The 0.1 per cent concentration of lipids in the algae soars to 24 per cent in the shrimp. And extracting it would be simple. Of course, the speakers noted, raising shrimp isn't a slam-dunk. The rule seems to be: Solve one problem, create another.   [more]   [top of page]

March 17, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1834, Gottlieb Daimler, who in 1890 founded an engine and car company bearing his name, was born in Schorndorf, Germany. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Obama rips Republicans for 'liking gas guzzlers'
President Barack Obama said his Republican opponents support fuel-hogging SUVs -- and ridiculed their opposition to boosting fuel efficiency standards. "A lot of the folks who are running for a certain office who shall go unnamed, they've been talking down new sources of energy," Obama said in a speech to students in Maryland. "They dismiss wind power. They dismiss solar power. They make jokes about biofuels. They were against raising fuel standards. I guess they like gas-guzzlers." Obama has been feeling heat from Republicans over soaring gas prices, which have jumped 15 percent over the last month -- up $0.50 a gallon to $3.80 this week. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has ridiculed Obama's support for advanced biofuels calling him "President Algae" and called for ending the corporate average fuel economy program that's been in place since 1975 mandating mileage standards for vehicles. He's made $2.50 a gallon gasoline the centerpiece of his campaign -- and vows to lower prices through more drilling. "I guess this year they decided, we're going to make it $2.50," Obama said. "I don't know where -- why not $2.40? Why not $2.10? But they tell the same story. They head down to the gas station; they make sure a few cameras are following them and then they start acting like we've got a magic wand and we will give you cheap gas forever if you just elect us. Every time. Been the same script for 30 years. It's like a bad rerun." Obama again noted the rise of Chinese auto sales, which is now the largest auto market in the world -- as well as the fast-growing car market in India. "They're getting wealthier. They want cars, too. And that means the price of gas will rise," he said. "And there are about a billion Chinese. So they've got a lot more people who are going to want cars in the future, which means they are going to want to get some of that oil and that will drive prices up." Obama said the long-term solution includes more gasoline production and more fuel-efficient vehicles. He noted the government is doubling fuel-efficiency standards to 54.5 mpg by 2025, which will save drivers $8,000 over the life of a car but add about $2,000 to the average price of a vehicle.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Marchionne's 2011 compensation from Fiat SpA totaled $19M
Fiat SpA Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne received compensation totaling $19 million (14.5 million euros) in 2011, mostly in stock grants. Marchionne had a salary of 2.45 million euros by the Italian carmaker, according to a filing released Thursday. He also got stock-related remuneration, which had a "fair value" of 12.01 million euros, Fiat said. "Marchionne's salary is in line with the industry's top managers, and he shares company's risk with the stock payment," said Giuliano Noci, a marketing professor at Milan Polytechnic. "Industrywide speaking, the difference between top managers' salary and workers is impressive." Marchionne didn't receive any compensation from Chrysler, where he is Chairman and CEO, last year. He is also chairman of Fiat Industrial SpA, a truckmaking unit Fiat spun off last year. His salary from Fiat Industrial hasn't been disclosed yet.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Porsche 911 takes evolutionary turn
One hundred years from now, when auto historians go all Charles Darwin dissecting the evolution of Porsche's 911 sports car, they may notice a bit of a dogleg in the year 2012. The car's progress since its inception in 1963 has been carefully modulated. Along the way, its blend of aptitude and approachability has earned it the unique distinction of having as much respect at the racetrack as it has with both patrons and proprietors of our nation's plastic surgery clinics. Yet the 2012 model is the most liberal interpretation of the 911's ethos yet. Available now as the basic Carrera and the more powerful Carrera S that I tested, it grows significantly in size and it puts a previously unappreciated importance on efficiency. What's more, its overall demeanor can lean precariously toward a grand touring car if the driver so desires. A bigger, greener and more relaxed 911 may be considered heretical by fans of previous generations and will forever alter its course. So too could its pricing. Although the Carrera S starts at $97,350, the loaded model I tested takes a mighty jump to $126,750. But lurking beneath the surface of a demure everyday sports car is an evil-seeking reprobate bent on annihilating asphalt. Nearly as interesting as what it's like to drive is how it has evolved to drive like that in the first place.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Nissan's Datsun may return
Rumors have been circulating for years now, but it finally looks like one of the most-popular Japanese automotive brands ever, Datsun, may return in a few years, but not in Canada. After being dropped in the mid-1980s, Nissan is looking at resurrecting its former Datsun brand name for a line of low-priced (about $6,500) vehicles in emerging Asian markets, according to a report from Japan's Nikkei news service. The new Datsuns will be part of a two-tier strategy that will continue to see more expensive Nissans sold in the same markets.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Honda set to pay up over inflated mileage claims
A San Diego Superior Court judge tentatively has approved a class-action settlement between Honda Motor Co. and Civic hybrid owners who claimed their cars did not get the gas mileage they were promised. The settlement, which was reached last September and is expected to receive final approval Friday, provides Civic hybrid owners $100 to $200 each and rebate coupons toward another Honda purchase. The class-action attorneys will receive $8.5 million. "The essence of a settlement is compromise," San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor wrote in his tentative ruling. "No doubt plaintiffs would have loved to have gotten more; certainly their counsel had every incentive to get as much as possible." The case garnered national media attention last month when Heather Peters, a Civic hybrid owner who had declined to join the class-action suit, won a Small Claims Court case in Torrance last month against Honda on the gas mileage issue. Peters was awarded almost $10,000 in her case when a Los Angeles County court commissioner ruled that Honda had negligently misled Peters when it claimed her hybrid would get as much as 50 miles per gallon. Honda filed an appeal in that case.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Canadian traffic laws tough on drivers? Think again
From speeding fines determined by your income to 15 years in jail for injuring someone in a highway construction zone, traffic laws vary significantly around the world -- and even within Canada. Even something as basic as the minimum age for obtaining a learner's permit can vary greatly. For instance, in Kansas you only have to be 14 years old. In California, it's 15 1/2. Here in Ontario, you can get one at 16 but you have to be 17 in England and 18 in Italy. Indeed, depending on which roads they choose to travel, motorists face a myriad of different laws legislating everything from smoking (in Ontario, it's illegal to smoke in a vehicle when children under the age of 16 are present) to towing speeds (New Zealand limits cars to speeds of 80 km/h when towing a caravan or trailer), to impaired driving (zero tolerance in Hungary means a driver found to have consumed any amount of alcohol whatsoever can have their license revoked immediately). So, how do some traffic laws in one jurisdiction stack up against another's? To fuel the discussion, here's a comparison of various driving laws from around the globe.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Why this non-functioning Mustang is worth the paper it's printed on
Got a hankering for a classic Mustang? Nothing to it, really. You just need a printer, 500 sheets of paper, two litres of ink (you'll have some left over) and then ... You're right, it'll never work. Back to the drawing board. Except Jonathan Brand did make it work. The Canadian artist spent two years creating a picture-perfect full-size paper replica of a 1969 'Stang that he used to own. "Neither of them ran," he says wryly on the phone from New Haven, Conn., where he teaches sculpture at Yale University. He also has a studio in New York. A native of Sarnia, Brand, 31, had been working for several years on restoring the real car. Then he fell in love with painter Jaclyn Conley, of Windsor, when "I was a broke student at the University of Guelph." He needed money to pay for an engagement ring and the wedding. So the Mustang had to go. But the memory lingered. The idea of recreating the car in component form was a way of linking not only to a vehicle that had not been fully reassembled but also to his heritage. "My mother's father worked at CAMI Automotive in Ingersoll and for Ford in Talbotville. My great-grandfather worked on the Detroit car assembly lines during the Depression." Brand "drew" a digital blueprint of the Mustang on his computer and began printing out the coloured components on a large-format inkjet printer. He figures he went through 300 sheets of 17x22 watercolour paper, 200 sheets of 11x17 and a total of 1,540 millitres of "high quality artist ink" in various shades. And then he started cutting, folding and glueing.   [more]   [top of page]

March 11, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 2009, the Toyota Motor Company announced that it had sold over 1 million gas-electric hybrid vehicles in the U.S. under its six Toyota and Lexus brands. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Automakers roll out in-car app technology to attract younger customers
Forget texting at the wheel: Automakers want you to be able to check Facebook, listen to Internet radio and book a table online, while live traffic information displays the least congested route to your destination. Envious of the booming market for mobile phone applications, manufacturers such as Ford and Mercedes used the Geneva Motor Show to unveil their latest efforts to attract younger customers for whom smartphones are more appealing than Smart cars. Ford is rolling out its SYNC system to European drivers this year, starting with the new B-Max family car. SYNC -- already available in North America -- lets drivers control their phone with voice commands, have a computer read out text and Twitter messages, or stream music through the car speakers. When the air bag is deployed, indicating a crash, the system will automatically call an emergency number and report the location of the car based on GPS coordinates. It will then attempt to connect the operator to the driver. Experts such as former Ford Chief Technology Officer Richard Parry-Jones say such systems could make driving a lot more pleasurable and help ease road congestion. But they also pose risks. "Quite a lot of work still needs to be done to ensure safety and compatibility," Parry-Jones told The Associated Press on the sidelines of an industry meeting at the auto show Wednesday.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Ford urges investors to reject 'mini-tender offer'
Ford Motor Co. urged its investors not to accept an unsolicited tender offer to buy up to 8 million shares of Ford stock below current trading prices. Canadian-based TRC Capital Corp. has filed to purchase up to 8 million shares of Ford common stock, or approximately 0.21 percent of the company's outstanding common stock, at a price of $11.70 per share, in what's known as a "mini-tender offer." The offer price was 4.5 percent below the closing price on Feb. 28, the date of the offer. "This does not benefit our shareholders in any way, which is why Ford is recommending that they reject this mini-tender offer," Ford spokesman Jay Cooney said. Ford stock is currently trading at $12.42 - up 1.5 percent, or $0.18 a share.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Chrysler paid CEO nothing for 2011
Chrysler Group LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne received no compensation from the Auburn Hills automaker last year, according to the company's annual report. But Marchionne, who also is chairman and CEO of Chrysler's parent company, Fiat SpA, did receive $4.5 million in management fees from the Italian car company in 2010. Fiat has not yet released his compensation for 2011. Chrysler is no longer bound by the restrictions on executive compensation imposed by the U.S. government as a condition of its bailout of Chrysler, which went bankrupt in 2009. That is because the U.S. Treasury Department sold its remaining equity in the company last year. However, the company has voluntarily agreed to continue to abide by those restrictions, said the report, which was filed with Securities and Exchange Commission late Tuesday. "Our compensation philosophy continues to center on our commitment to maintain responsible compensation practices that will allow us to attract and retain capable and experienced professionals, and that will motivate our executives to help us achieve our targets for long-term growth and appreciation in value," the company said. Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally made about $26.5 million last year, compensation United Auto Workers President Bob King has described as "morally wrong." Mulally recently vested in another $58.3 million in stock, too. But Ford was the only one of Detroit's Big Three to pass on a government bailout and avoid bankruptcy. General Motors Co. was expected to pay CEO Daniel Akerson about $9 million.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) How to survive the drive after daylight saving switch
Statistics show traffic crashes during the Monday following the weekend of turning the clock ahead one hour increased by a significant 17 per cent compared to the average Monday, according to a McMaster University study called "Sleep Deficit, Fatal Accidents and the Spring Shift to Daylight Savings Time". Surprisingly, the research shows that most of the collisions were occurring in the afternoon. Even though your watch may say it's a certain time, your body is still on the old schedule and may think it's time to slow down and relax. This little hiccup to your circadian rhythm is enough to slow your reflexes and decision-making ability just when you need them at their most efficient -- while driving. Armed with this knowledge, can we avoid becoming another statistic? Here are a few tips to help you survive the drive home after the daylight saving switch: If you currently leave for work around 7 a.m. each day, you will have noticed you are now driving into work in daylight after the long dark winter. Monday morning, 7 a.m. will be like 6 a.m. instead. You will be plunged back into darkness for your early morning drive. Be both mentally and physically ready for this change before leaving. Slow down as your field of vision is reduced by the darkness. On your drive home, use some extra effort at staying focused on the task of driving. Remember your body clock says "It's time to relax now" and you have to fight that urge to let your guard down while driving. Fifteen-minute power naps have been shown to help revitalize your energy. Before leaving work, take a fifteen minute break, close your eyes and let your body and mind relax and recoup. If you are a coffee drinker and that cup of java gives you that perk to keep you going, maybe one for the road on Monday afternoon may just give you enough caffeine buzz to help you stay more alert on the drive home.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Toyota recalls 700,000 cars, including Camry, Venza, for various issues
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall almost 700,000 vehicles across North America, including 47,655 in Canada, because of a variety of safety issues. Toyota said it will recall 495,000 Tacoma trucks from the 2005 to 2009 model years, 17,178 in Canada, to replace the steering wheel spiral cable assembly. The automaker has detected friction in the cable assembly that can disconnect the driver's airbag, preventing deployment in a crash. Additionally, Toyota will recall 2009 Camry sedans and 2009 to 2011 Venza vehicles to replace the stop lamp switch. Approximately 70,500 Camrys and 116,000 Venzas are covered by this recall. The Camry is the best-selling passenger car in the United States. Toyota said that during the installation of the switch at one of its North American assembly lines, silicon grease may have reached the inside of the switch and caused an increase in electrical resistance. "If this occurs, warning lamps on the instrument panel may be illuminated, the vehicle may not start, or the shift lever may not shift from the 'park' position. In some cases, the vehicle stop lamps may become inoperative," the automaker said.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Ford launches quirky B-Max subcompact in Geneva
Ford launched its new B-Max family car at the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday, amid concerns that faltering demand in Europe may require mass market automakers to consider further plant closures. The subcompact B-Max, to be sold only in Europe, is recognizable for its missing pillar between the front and rear doors and is aimed squarely at a demographic squeezed by government austerity measures. It features Ford's EcoBoost fuel-saving technology, another nod to cost-conscious consumers looking to counter rising gas prices.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) 100-year-old speeder in B.C. gets off with a 'finger wag'
Age has its benefits in the Victoria-area suburb of Saanich, B.C., and a perfect driving record doesn't hurt, either. Saanich Police say they pulled over the driver on Tuesday as he whipped his Buick Century through a 30 kilometre per hour school zone at nearly double the speed limit. But the officer decided against issuing a ticket when he checked the man's licence and found a recently issued five-year renewal on an absolutely spotless record. The driver is 100 years old. But the centenarian behind the wheel of the Century didn't get off unscathed. Along with a stern lecture, police say the traffic officer "issued a finger wag" for good measure.   [more]   [top of page]

March 3, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 2009, the uber-luxurious Maybach Zeppelin sedan went on sale, with a starting price of $523,870 for the Maybach 57 Zeppelin and $610,580 for the Maybach 62 Zeppelin. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) California bill would set rules for self-driving cars
California lawmakers are getting ready for a new automotive era when the first self-driving cars hit the roads. California state Sen. Alex Padilla last week introduced a bill establishing guidelines for such "autonomous vehicles" to be tested and operated in California. Tech giant Google Inc., Caltech and other organizations have been working to develop such vehicles, which use radar, video cameras and lasers to navigate roads and stay safe in traffic without human assistance. Google has said that computer-controlled cars should eventually drive more safely than humans, who, after all, get sleepy and distracted and can't see in every direction at once. Padilla, who spent Wednesday riding in one of Google's automated vehicles, agrees. "The vast majority of accidents are due to human error. Autonomous vehicles have the potential to reduce traffic fatalities and improve safety on our roads and highways," Padilla said. "California is uniquely positioned to be the leader in the deployment of autonomous technology." If approved, his legislation would direct the California Highway Patrol to develop standards and performance requirements for the safe testing and operation of autonomous vehicles on the state's roads and highways. In June, Nevada became the first state to legalize self-driving cars.    [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Tesla Model X geared toward women and their friends
Tesla Motors says its all-electric Model X, scheduled to hit the highways in 2014, combines "the functionality of a minivan with a design as cool as an SUV." And while the seven-passenger Model X is gender-neutral -- there's nothing overtly feminine about the car -- it was built with families and female drivers in mind: think moms who regularly haul around young children, their friends, groceries and sports equipment. The Model X is described on Tesla's website as being an automobile "built around the driver -- and six of her friends." To make sure the design team was on the right track, Tesla last year invited a dozen Palo Alto, Calif.-area women to its headquarters for a free-wheeling, three-hour-long focus group led by Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's chief designer. Also, several of the designers who worked on the Model X are women, including Nancy Holman, Susanne Neuhauser and Kimberly Marte. Since Tesla unveiled the Model X last month, more than 500 people have placed reservations for the car, including men who say they are buying the Model X for their wives, as well as women who reserved the car for themselves. Neither the car's price nor its expected range between charges has been announced, but Tesla says it will be comparable in range and price to its upcoming all-electric Model S luxury sedan, which will have a base price of $57,400. There's been a lot of buzz about the Model X's "Falcon Wing" passenger doors, which have hinges on the top and open upward, rather than sliding sideways like the doors of typical minivans. The large trunk is deep enough to fit bags of groceries, camping equipment or a stroller, and there's additional storage in a front trunk that Tesla calls the "frunk."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM to suspend Volt production
General Motors Co. will halt production of its plug-in Chevrolet Volt -- which was to be the symbol of the cutting-edge, post-bankruptcy automaker -- for five weeks starting March 19. An estimated 1,300 workers at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant will be idled until April 23. The Detroit automaker said Friday the second extended shutdown of the Volt assembly line is needed because there are more cars than customers. "We want to maintain the proper inventory levels," said GM spokesman Chris Lee. Current stock for the Volt is 3,596 cars, including demos and what's in the dealer network, said Alan Batey, vice president of Chevrolet sales and service. GM halted production of the Volt for the December holiday shutdown and didn't restart production until Feb. 6. The automaker also is suspending production of the Opel Ampera, the European version of the Volt.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Texting and driving ranks as top driving gripe in new survey
Texting on a cell phone while driving ranked as the top grievance among U.S. drivers in Consumer Reports' annual survey of driving gripes. Not far behind were drivers who illegally park in handicap spaces and the perennial favourite -- tailgaters. Rounding out the top five were drivers who cut other motorists off and drivers who speed and swerve in and out of traffic. The nationwide survey conducted for Consumer Reports asked 895 American drivers to score 20 common driver complaints on a scale of 1 to 10, with one being least annoying and 10 being downright maddening.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Honda falls from top spot in auto rankings as Subaru takes over
Honda Motor Co lost its top spot in an influential annual automotive report on quality, while Mazda and Chrysler showed the biggest gains. Honda, the winner the past four years in Consumer Reports' annual report card, slipped to fourth place among 13 major automakers at 72 points. The Japanese automaker was hurt by problems with several redesigned models, including the Civic small car and Odyssey minivan. Those models scored lower than the popular earlier versions they replaced. Subaru earned the top score of 75 points for the first time in the influential consumer buying guide's 2012 report, followed by Mazda (74 points) and Toyota (73 points). "While Japanese automakers still hold the top five spots, their lead is shrinking," David Champion, senior director for the magazine's automotive test center, said in a statement. "In some of Honda's and Toyota's recently redesigned models, cost cutting has become noticeable." Surveys by Consumer Reports are used heavily in auto industry marketing and are seen as influential in shaping consumer perceptions. Mazda showed the most dramatic improvement, climbing from seventh place last year and increasing its overall score by 9 points. It was helped by shedding two low-scoring models, Consumer Reports said.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Fiery crash highlights bizarre Daytona 500
Well, NASCAR certainly knows how to make a prime-time impression. Rain, fire and Tide laundry detergent all factored into a Daytona 500 that will go down as the most bizarre in NASCAR history. And Brad Keselowski tweeted most of it live. From his race car. Then he provided another update minutes after crashing at 190 mph. And oh, yeah, Matt Kenseth picked up his second Daytona 500 title. "You would think after 65 years and running all the races that NASCAR has run... that you've seen about everything," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "You do think about, 'Oh, my gosh, if that can happen, what else can happen?'" The first Daytona 500 to be postponed took more than 36 hours to complete after rain pushed it from its scheduled Sunday afternoon start to Monday at lunch, and ultimately turned it into the first ever NASCAR race run in prime-time television. Then Juan Pablo Montoya crashed under caution into a safety truck filled with about 200 gallons of jet fuel, and the collision caused a massive fireball that scorched the track and will be the most indelible image of the 54th running of the "Great American Race."   [more]   [top of page]

CHICAGO TRIBUNE (ILLINOIS, USA) Justin Bieber gets a Fisker Karma for his 18th birthday on 'Ellen'
Justin Bieber stops by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Thursday, where Ellen surprises him with a birthday present and serenade, then Biebs announces the date for his new single. Justin on his big announcement... Ellen: So you tweeted out that you have a big announcement. What is your big announcement? Justin: My big announcement is that on March 26th my first single is coming out and it's called "Boyfriend." Ellen: That's exciting. Ellen: Why is it called "Boyfriend"? Justin: Basically I'm talking to this girl if I was your boyfriend I would never let you go. Ellen: Did you write it? Justin: Yeah, I wrote it with Mike Posner... Surprise gift from his manager Scooter... Scooter: You work really really hard. I always yell at you don't get anything flashy. You know, we're not about that. Be humble, be humble and I kind of broke my own rule.... So we wanted to make sure your were environmentally friendly and we wanted to make sure since you love cars that when you're on the road you are always environmentally friendly and we decided to get you a car that would make you stand out.... I think you know where I'm going and you're kind of freaking out right now. Ellen: A very hard to get car. Scooter: ...That's a Fisker Karma!   [more]   [top of page]

February 25, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1938, the city of Miami got its first drive-in. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Bill Ford Jr. putting students on Wheelz
A firm founded by Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. said Wednesday it is investing in a transportation startup that connects students on college campuses with cars. Detroit-based Fontinalis Partners LLC, a transportation technology strategic investment firm founded by Ford Jr., is partnering with Zipcar Inc. to invest $13.7 million in Wheelz Inc., the first peer-to-peer car-sharing company for college campuses. Founded in Palo Alto, Calif., Wheelz lets students who own cars earn money by lending their vehicles to students who need transportation for errands and weekend trips. "We founded Fontinalis to help shape the future of mobility," Ford Jr. said in a statement Wednesday. "We are committed to investing in entrepreneurs and accelerating the growth of breakthrough technologies and business models such as Wheelz to explore that future." Zipcar, a Cambridge, Mass.-based car-sharing network that rents cars to city drivers by the hour or day, is the lead investor in this first round of funding but won't have majority ownership in Wheelz. It is not clear how much each partner is investing. Fontinalis is not affiliated with Ford Motor Co. Automakers such as Ford would be wise to involve their vehicles in car-sharing fleets, said Lexington, Mass.-based IHS Automotive senior director Philip Gott. Wheelz, Zipcar and similar programs are capitalizing on urban population growth and rising costs for parking and insurance, he said. "It's becoming less and less desirable to have a car in the city," Gott said. "Those (automakers) that don't become involved with it are probably going to miss out."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Fiat may close two Italian factories
Fiat SpA may shut two of its five car factories if it can't produce competitively in Italy and export vehicles to the United States. Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of Fiat and Chrysler Group LLC, told newspaper Corriere della Sera in an interview that the company must take advantage of a revived U.S. car market since the outlook for the European business is bleak. "We have everything needed to seize the opportunity to work competitively also for the U.S. market," Marchionne was quoted as saying. "If it doesn't happen, then we will have to close down two of the five plants." His comments were confirmed by a spokesman for Turin-based Fiat. Fiat, which controls Chrysler with a 58.5 percent stake, closed its Sicilian plant at the end of last year as it seeks to cut costs and improve productivity in Italy after losing 500 million euros ($670 million) in Europe last year in the volume-car business. European car sales may fall this year for a fifth consecutive year. Marchionne said last month in Detroit that he doesn't expect a recovery in Europe before 2014 and forecast Italian sales may slump this year to the lowest since 1985.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Fiat to ship most of its Serbia-made cars through Montenegro
Fiat SpA will export more than 90 percent of its Serbian car production through the port of Bar in Montenegro under an agreement with shipper Grimaldi Group and a local cargo specialist, the transport ministry said. After the start of serial production in the second quarter of its new model, a larger version of the redesigned 500 subcompact, some 90,000 units will be shipped through Luka Bar in the first year, with a gradual increase to 200,000 vehicles in three years, Montenegro's transportation ministry said in an emailed statement. The port will also handle imports of car parts from Italy for the Fiat plant in Serbia, the ministry said after the accord was signed in Bar yesterday between Fiat's shipper Grimaldi Group, Montecargo AD, the local provider of rail cargo services and Luka Bar. Fiat's facility in Serbia is a joint venture with the Serbian government, created when the Italian carmaker took over the now defunct Zastava Automobili in Kragujevac, central Serbia, to become a 67 percent owner of Fiat Automobili Srbija.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) These four cars are tops in resale value
Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has released their 2012 "Best Resale Value Awards." As always, these provide plenty of fodder for debate and complaint, but also for just plain geeking out. Because come on -- seriously, you can control the Volt's battery recharging pace from your phone? How cool is that? Kelley divides its awards into three groups: best overall brand, best in category, and wild-card winners. Based on some intricate set of calculations, a formula KBB keeps more secret than KFC's eleven herbs and spices, Kelley determines the percentage of base price that each vehicle is likely to command when resold at 36 and 60 months. This year's overall awards, presented at a special ceremony on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show, went to Toyota (best resale brand) and Lexus (best resale luxury brand). Kelley doesn't say much about these, though, other than "they're the best, take our word for it." Flummoxed? No worries, it's more interesting to check out the category winners, anyway, especially those that tend to be the best showcases for new technology: best hybrid, best electric, hybrid SUV, and subcompact. Best Electric Car: Chevy Volt, Best Hybrid: Honda Civic, Best Hybrid SUV: Lexus RX 450h, Best Subcompact: Honda Fit   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Young and casual rule at Scion
The Scion exhibit at the 2012 Canadian International AutoShow is like Toyota's cool son. Scion, by definition, means descendant and its owners, Toyota, are trying to appeal to a younger demographic -- "one that is authentic and trendsetting," according to Melanie Testani, a spokesperson with Toyota Canada. Like any good son, he will be different than his father. And everything is different at the Scion booth. The representatives stroll around in jeans, sneakers, t-shirts and hoodies. Beats pump from the resident DJ and eight cars are packed into a tight space, with two stacked up high. The entire exhibit is built to draw the attention of the younger crowd, which is similar to the 84 Scion dealerships across Canada. Those are store-within-stores at Toyota dealerships that must differentiate from the parent brand. Scion drivers are 10 years younger than most Toyota buyers, 70 per cent are new to Toyota and 10 per cent are new to car ownership, according to Testani. "The booth design not only reflects the lifestyle that appeals to Scion drivers, from tuning to music and more, it includes a DJ and a display of customization accessories which are key to the Scion brand," Testani said. In addition to the easygoing representatives and cars are a series of parts that can be added to customize the ride. The customization aspect is reminiscent of the Honda Civic marketing strategy. There are rims, shocks and exhausts on display to show clients what can be done to the vehicle. "All our vehicles are monospec, which means there aren't set option packages," Testani said. "This allows drivers to customize their vehicles to be truly unique." That uniqueness is something Toyota wanted to highlight at the exhibit with the cars themselves. The Scion FR-S, a sports coupe, made its debut at the show. "The FR-S is a legit sports car -- a car that is awesome to drive, a car that is light and nimble, a car that is sleek and sporty, and a car that is exciting and affordable," said Larry Hutchinson, a senior executive director at Toyota, at the FR-S release last Thursday.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Danica Patrick cracks a joke after ugly crash
Danica Patrick walked away OK after taking a hard hit to the wall in her qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday. Her race car didn't fare quite so well. Patrick was caught up in a crash on the final lap of the first of two 150-mile qualifying races, sending her car into the wall on the backstretch. The wreck ripped the front end off Patrick's car, and she'll have to use a backup car in Sunday's Daytona 500. After being released from the infield medical care centre, Patrick said she hoped her backup car might be even faster than her primary car.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Drivers should beware of 'toasted skin syndrome', doctors warn
Bottom warmers in cars may ease frigid winter commutes, but dermatologists warn that extended exposure to seat heaters can lead to a skin condition called "toasted skin syndrome." Two reports in the Archives of Dermatology describe rashes on legs that erupt by pressing against warmed-up seats for prolonged periods of time. Toasted skin syndrome might be ugly, but it's not serious. "Turn down the setting," Brian Adams, a dermatologist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, told Reuters Health. "Avoid prolonged, tight juxtapositioning of their lower legs on the hottest setting of the heated seats." Toasted skin syndrome, known as erythema ab igne or EAI, is caused by exposure to heat, although it is not a burn. There have been few cases of people being scorched by car seats that malfunctioned, but that was not the situation with the patients in these reports. In one case seen by Adams, a 67-year-old woman developed a web of red lines traversing the back of her legs, which he described as "rusty brown reticulated patches." The pattern of markings, he determined, matched parts of her legs that touched her car seat. Pictures showed that her left leg that remained pressed against the seat, for instance, had more discoloration than the right leg she used to operate the pedals. During the winter, the woman had her car seat heater turned on during 130 trips lasting 45 minutes each and another 10 trips lasting two hours each. "Sometimes people don't initially make the connection between the rash and the exposure, but based on the pattern you can figure out that it's probably from heat," said Jennifer Stein, a professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, who was not involved in the studies. In another case, a 40-year-old woman, who drove an hour a day for four months using a seat heater, also showed up at the doctor's office with similar markings on her thighs. The treatment? Simply avoid contact with the heat source. Eventually toasted skin will fade, but the discoloration could last for months. But one problem with toasted skin is that, because it can mimic other conditions, the syndrome can lead to unneeded testing for other problems if not diagnosed correctly. Stein said toasted skin also is interesting because it reflects changes in technology over time. In fact, people used to get rashes from sitting close to fires. In recent years, she's seen cases arising from people using space heaters under desks or having laptop PCs on their laps.   [more]   [top of page]

February 20, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1997, an episode of the hit TV sitcom "Seinfeld" titled "The Pothole" aired for the first time in which the character Kramer adopts a stretch of the fictional Arthur Burghardt Expressway through the real-life Adopt-a-Highway program. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Electric cars still a hard sell for most consumers
In the early days of the electric vehicle, they called it "opportunity charging." You plugged in wherever you could. "Laundromats, gas stations that have an outlet, car washes, hotels, churches, friends' houses ... everywhere and everything," said Todd Dore, a North Riverside, Ill., resident who converted his first gas vehicle to electric in 2003. With the delivery of the all-electric Nissan Leaf and plug-in Chevy Volt to early adopters in late 2011, Dore isn't the only pioneer getting around without gasoline. There are now hybrids that use gas engines to charge the battery, hybrids that have sockets for plugging in and, of course, totally electric vehicles. It's enough to make a formerly unique concept seem almost ordinary. Even several tried-and-true models on the showroom floor now offer various levels of electrification. The 2013 Ford Fusion -- hitting the market this fall -- comes as a hybrid, electric plug-in or regular old internal combustion. Beginning in March, hybrid granddaddy Toyota Prius is offering a plug-in in some states rated at 95 miles per gallon (equivalent) that, when charged, would allow the vehicle to run on battery power longer and at higher speeds. But if there's a full-blown revolution coming, it isn't here yet. While the hybrid market is growing, in 2012 it comprises just 2.46 percent of the overall market. Electric vehicle sales represent less than 1 percent, according to industry watcher Edmunds.com.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) DOT issues guidelines to limit dashboard distractions
Safety regulators are urging automakers to design dashboard technology with a view to limiting the amount of time that drivers take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel. Under guidelines issued Thursday, the Department of Transportation also proposed that automakers disable time-consuming functions, such as text-messaging or Web browsing, unless the car is parked. "These guidelines are a major step forward in identifying real solutions to tackle the issue of distracted driving," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. LaHood estimated that 3,000 people were killed in 2010 in accidents attributed to distracted driving. It's a growing problem as automakers pile on interactive technology and Web-based features into new models. The department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will hold public hearings next month to solicit industry and consumer reactions to the guidelines, which are voluntary. In establishing the guidelines, the government drew heavily on recommendations drafted by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade organization in Washington, D.C. Under NHTSA's guidelines, automakers would reduce the length, complexity and amount of inputs required for interactive tasks involving the driver. Operations would be designed to need one hand only, and not require the driver to glance away from the road for more than two seconds. More time-consuming functions, such as text-messaging, Web browsing or entering addresses into navigation systems, would be disabled while the vehicle was in motion. NHTSA is considering a second batch of proposals to address the use of smartphones and other devices that are brought into vehicles, as opposed to built-in car gadgetry. For now, Lahood said, "you need to put these devices in the glove compartment when you get in the car."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Gadgets raise car hacking concerns
Drivers can talk with each other via Bluetooth phone connections, ask their cars for directions and dial up satellite radio. The same cars use electronic components to signal the gas pedal to accelerate and control stability. What worries scientists is that entertainment computers could be manipulated to tell safety computers what to do. "There clearly is a vulnerability," said Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, based in Arlington, Va. "All these electronics we're bringing into cars seem to exacerbate that." A National Academy of Sciences panel, including Lund, elevated the concerns in a report Jan. 18 reviewing U.S. regulators' work in finding the cause of unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles. While safety and entertainment systems are intended to be separate, "it is not evident that this separation has been adequately designed for cybersecurity concerns," the academy wrote. It agreed with U.S. regulators who said they found no evidence the Toyota incidents were caused by faulty electronics. Automotive engineers at a conference in Washington last month said they aren't immediately concerned that a hacker will take over a car and drive it off a bridge. Instead, they said, they want to help automakers spot vulnerabilities while they're hypothetical and ease fears of consumers who are already familiar with cyberattacks in other areas. Car thieves could exploit security weaknesses to remotely open and start a car, or a spy could listen to conversations inside a car, Stefan Savage, a University of California-San Diego computer science professor, said in a telephone interview. He co-authored a paper last year after discovering ways to hack into cars.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Video: Hyundai wins big at 2012 Toronto Auto Show
The only thing we knew for sure about the Canadian Car of the Year, as chosen by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, before the announcement was made was that it was going to be a Korean car. The Hyundai Elantra won out, over its little sister Hyundai Accent and corporate cousin Kia Optima. Steve Kelleher, president and CEO of Hyundai Auto Canada, said, "I know the AJAC Car of the Year Test Fest process is the most objective, thorough and authoritative anywhere in the world. I can't say I have always agreed with their choices, but I sure do today! It's a real testament to the efforts our designers and engineers have put in over the past few years, to introduce cars that people buy because they WANT them, not just because it's all they can afford. The Elantra is, we believe, a perfect example, and we couldn't be happier." Elantra was also announced as the North American Car of the Year at the recent Detroit Auto Show.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Who is the 'mystery' swimsuit model in Ford's Mustang ad?
In a shrewd advertising move, Ford is re-defining the definition of "big tease" with its latest spot for the new Mustang. Among the pages of scantily-clad women in Sports Illustrated's 2012 swimsuit issue, Ford has splashed a blue Mustang across a tropical beach setting. A mystery model poses alluringly (we think) next to the car in the ad. Only problem is she's obscured. The tagline on the ad reads, "Swimsuit model Dalena Henriques and the new 2013 Mustang." No other details are given. But, knowing their audience, Ford probably figured there'd be a lot of curious men typing "Dalena Henriques" into Google. Searching the mystery model's name brings up a website called dalenahenriques.com. But not much is revealed there either. The model's face is totally obscured in all the photos there as well, although the shots of the red hot Mustang are in clear view. Whether Dalena Henriques actually exists or not is beside the point. Hot cars and hot women have always been a good match. Ford is just turning this tried-and-tested advertising tactic on its head, and making a point.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Electric-vehicle shortfalls may be solved by Hydro-Quebec battery invention
Quietly, Hydro-Quebec's research arm is aiming for a battery revolution. The electricity provider says it is developing a device that could outlast any car and be recharged in minutes with a fast-charging unit. On the other hand, it would propel vehicles about one-third less distance between charges than current lithium-ion batteries. In effect, this battery represents a new approach to range anxiety, requiring more frequent charges but accomplishing them in slightly more time than it takes to gas up a conventional car. "Performance, service life and, most important, safety, are issues that continue to plague the development of the (lithium-ion) battery for the mass market," states Karim Zaghib in a recent Journal of Power Sources, on behalf of his colleagues at the Institut de Recherche d'Hydro-Quebec and others from universities in Paris. "We report... a battery that fulfills these requirements." Hydro-Quebec, which has been involved in battery research for 30 years, has several partners in the project and a licensing agreement with Massachusetts-based A123 Systems, which supplies General Motors. Although most lithium-ion batteries last only several hundred cycles of depletion and recharging, Zaghib says this one would survive 20,000: If recharged daily, that's a 50-year lifespan. A major catch is the cost of the fast-charging system, also known as Level Three. (Level One means plugging into a 120-volt household socket. Level Two operates at 240 volts: This type, which costs $1,000 to $2,000 to install and replenishes batteries overnight, is becoming the standard for home charging.) Level Three chargers are commercial-scale units that cost at least $15,000. A publicly accessible network would be required for Hydro's battery to succeed. The battery itself is another invention that screams the question: How do they figure this stuff out? Each of the hundreds of cells in a battery contains two electrodes -- the cathode has a positive charge, the anode is negative. Lithium ions flow between them in a liquid called electrolyte. The flow in one direction charges the battery; the other discharges. On each trip, the ions pass through a separator, a piece of material that keeps the electrodes from touching and causing a short circuit. In most lithium batteries, the cathode is coated with a substance called lithium cobalt oxide, which is toxic and expensive. Like many other new versions, Hydro's employs a compound based on lithium, iron and phosphate. The ingredients must be heated, then, cooled, at precise temperatures and times. This forms little ingots, which must be ground and milled with equal precision. The smaller the particles, the more power they supply; but too tiny, they're hard to handle and lose energy-storage capacity. Conventional electrode materials expand and contract as the lithium ions enter and leave: Before long, they crack and disintegrate. Zaghib and his colleagues devised a structure with particles so small it won't change size: It means that a battery will be guaranteed for the life of the car. For the anode, the researchers chose the impressive-sounding Li4Ti5O12, processed similar to the cathode material. This compound replaces graphite, which is heavy and, during fast charging, reacts with lithium ions to create a coating that cuts performance. Even with its reduced range, the battery is "still more than needed for many daily uses," and its benefits outshine any inconvenience, the researchers say. They claim a car with this battery and a 200-kilometre range could be recharged in five minutes. So far, they've achieved that time only in a lightweight test car with a 32-km range and top speed of 64. Still, it's impressive work and holds promise of better days for EVs.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) The latest car safety hazard? Door fires
Federal safety regulators are investigating fires in the driver's side doors of Chevy TrailBlazers, the second such probe in a week. The latest inquiry involves more than 309,000 TrailBlazer SUVs from the 2006 and 2007 model years. The fires began in the power window switch or related electrical parts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday. The agency opened the first probe last week into similar problems with the 2007 Toyota Camry sedan and RAV4 small crossover SUV. The TrailBlazer investigation began Thursday. All three of the vehicles under investigation are popular. None has been recalled. The TrailBlazer, although phased out in 2009, was among GM's top-sellers. The Camry was the best-selling car in the U.S. in 2007 and last year. The agency has received 12 complaints of smoke or fires in TrailBlazers.   [more]   [top of page]

February 12, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 2008, in an attempt to cut costs, struggling auto giant General Motors offered buyouts to all 74,000 of its hourly employees in the U.S. represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Nissan $98,000 'Godzilla' GT-R Supercar stomps Ferrari, Porsche
It's called "Godzilla," and the nickname is apt. The Nissan GT-R is fully capable of frightening children and terrorizing cities. With a starting price of less than $100,000, this Japanese sports coupe will go horse to raging horse with the Ferrari 458 Italia and Porsche 911 Turbo, cars vastly more expensive. It's a supercar on the relative cheap. The Ferrari and Porsche are dual in nature: Quick enough to bend physics yet docile enough to scoot around town. The GT-R's only two modes are viciously fast and off. "Off" as in engine dead, doors locked, driver elsewhere. This coupe is out-and-out brutal, beating drivers and passengers into Silly Putty. Glorious, so long as you like that kind of thing. That Nissan Motor Co. even has a supercar is a surprise to some. The GT-R is an awkward fit among sedate Maximas and all-electric Leafs. Yet it's been around a long time as Japan's Skyline GT-R. Legendary, but until 2008 officially unavailable in the U.S. That year the GT-R arrived with all-wheel-drive, a twin- turbo V-6 and 480 horsepower. I tested it on racetrack and highway. Though taken with the immoderate performance, it left me just a tiny bit cold. It was in fact rather reptilian, missing the warm-blooded heat of less technical sports cars. Too many computer chips interacting between the driver and the mechanicals. The GT-R had a tendency to drive for you, washing away human error in a stream of digital code. The car has been updated continually, and the 2012 model got a big bump in power, to 530 hp and 448 pound-feet of torque. The 2013 model is even mightier, with 545 hp and 463 pound-feet. All that from a 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V- 6. The 2012 model started at around $91,000, whereas the 2013 is closer to $98,000.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) VW Beetle goes macho
Is the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle really getting tougher? Or am I just getting softer? The reason these questions even comes up is that because the longer I drove the third-generation Beetle, the more I really liked it. It's certainly not for everyone. No other car looks like a rolling batting helmet. And it's always had a certain feminine quality. It's certainly politically incorrect to call the former Beetles chick cars, but no other car arrived at showrooms with a spot to put your freshly cut flowers, European carry-all and eyeliner. No one ever named their Beetle "Butch." Bessy, sure. Buggsy McBeetle, absolutely, but never Butch. So Volkswagen tried to inject a little testosterone into the redesigned Beetle. It's supposed to be tougher, meaner, sportier. And the company continues to wrap as much macho Beetle bravado around this car as it can. It's worked. The new, new Beetle feels ready for at least fast-pitch softball.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) King calls on UAW to stage nationwide protests
United Auto Workers President Bob King used the anniversary of the Flint sit-down strike on Friday to call for "direct action" -- including nonviolent civil disobedience -- to take back America from the "right-wing Republicans" and "one-percenters" he says have hijacked this democracy. And their first target will be General Electric Co. Seventy-five years after workers took over General Motors' factories and forced the company to sign its first national contract with the union, King said the same sort of militancy is needed to stop what he called a rollback of workers' rights and civil rights. "It will take direct action. It will take us being willing to face arrest. It will take us being willing to be part of marches and demonstrations," King told a crowd of some 500 cheering union members gathered at the UAW Local 651 to mark the anniversary of the end of the 1937 strike. He said corporations such as GE are making billions and paying little or no taxes while middle-class Americans are losing their homes. "It's immoral!" King shouted. "We should be so outraged at the injustice in America!" But he said workers should not stop there. King said the UAW is joining with other unions, including the Service Employees International Union, members of Occupy Wall Street and others to create a new "movement for social justice" that will employ the tactics of the civil rights movement to fight against what he called "corporate greed" and attacks on labor. "In April, we're going to be part of a broad coalition that's going to be training our membership and anybody who cares about justice in this society in nonviolent direct action," King said. Their first mission, he said, will be to demonstrate at the GE shareholders meeting in Detroit on April 25.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Tesla takes wraps off 'falcon-winged' Model X SUV
Tesla Motors Inc on Thursday showed off a protoype of its Model X, a battery-powered SUV that represents the company's bet that consumers will buy a range of electric vehicles spun from a common platform. The Model X, which features what the company calls "falcon-wing" doors and faster acceleration than a Porsche 911 -- it goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds -- will start production late 2013 and begin delivery in 2014. Tesla begins taking reservations at noon on Friday for the characteristically sleek vehicle resembling a taller version of its Model S sedan, but with a folding door hinged on the roof. CEO Elon Musk touted his latest electric vehicle as cramming in more space than a typical sport utility vehicle. It seats seven, with ample storage. "Minivans and SUV have been trying for years to overcomer these problem," the entrepreneur told a rowdy crowd. Musk didn't lose his cool even when the front trunk -- or "frunk" -- stubbornly refused to open in the middle of his demonstration. Tesla -- which has never made a profit -- hopes to create a buzz with Thursday night's event, which featured a smattering of lesser-known celebrities, a buffet spread and an open bar, with hundreds of guests milling across a hangar-sized space at the company's California design engineering offices.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) TomTom satnavs will tell good drivers from bad -- and alert your insurance company
TomTom satnavs will in future help insurers tell the difference between a good driver and a bad one under a scheme designed to revive the Dutch navigation device maker's flagging fortunes. The company, which made its name as a maker of vehicle-based personal navigation devices (PNDs), said it had teamed up with UK-based insurance firm Motaquote to offer its first new insurance product, called Fair Play, which gives the safest drivers lower premiums. "Our entry in the insurance market with our proven fleet management technology puts us at the forefront of a move that could help to revolutionise the motor insurance industry," said Thomas Schmidt, managing director TomTom Business Solutions. Schmidt said the focus in 2012 is to expand the product to other insurance firms in Europe, where he expected thousands of customers to use the plan. The scheme gives drivers control over their own policy by using driving ability and behaviour to allocate premiums, rather than risk factors used by insurers such as postcode, gender, and age or vehicle, Schmidt told Reuters.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Video: When jumping a car battery goes horribly wrong
Now this must have definitely ruined someone's day. A new video taken and uploaded by "CarSpotter QVS" shows the engine of a C6 Corvette Z06 engulfed in flames. The apparent incident took place in the Dutch city of Baarn after the car failed to start because of a dead battery. The owner found another car nearby to give him a jump and that's when things started to go wrong. Once the cables were connected and the car was started to get the juices flowing, the engine fire erupted. The owner claims they plan to fix the Z06, but it's still unusual that a fire started in the first place. Perhaps because they hooked up the jumper cables backwards?   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Video: Bugatti Veyron hits 362 km/h on open road -- then gets pulled over by police
The Bugatti Veyron is an animal on the asphalt and this video below shows why. Kept in handling mode due to the uneven surfaces on the highway in Arizona, the $1.8 million supercar doesn't even need to switch to top speed mode to hit some serious speeds. Those are seven runs showing the supercar hitting 215 to 225 mph (346 to 362 km/h). Though it falls short of its top speed of 253 mph (407 km/h), it's still an impressive feat nonetheless. Towards the end of the video, you can see that the Bugatti Veyron's roar and obvious attention-grabbing looks alerted the local highway patrol and it was pulled over. YouTube user vesuviu2, who uploaded the video, says the film was shot "south of the border." However, the Arizona highway patrol car tends to tell a different tale. Obviously, we don't support driving at speeds of almost five times the speed limit. But it's hard not to be marvelled by just how fast this Veyron can go.   [more]   [top of page]

February 5, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1878, Andre Citroen, later referred to as the Henry Ford of France for developing his country's first mass-produced automobiles, was born in Paris. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Clint Eastwood to replace Eminem as star in Chrysler Super Bowl ad
Clint Eastwood will replace Eminem as the star of this year Chrysler Group LLC advertisement during Sunday's Super Bowl, according to the Wall Street Journal. The tough-talking actor is expected to deliver "a pep talk" to the nation, the Journal said. Chrysler spokeswoman Dianna Gutierrez said the company would not confirm or deny the report. The two-minute spot would represent the automaker's effort to follow up on the success of last year's successful "Imported from Detroit" spot that garnered an Emmy. "It has become the standard by which other ads are judged,"said Michael Bernacchi, a marketing professor at the University of Detroit Mercy. "America is still talking about it."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Auto dealers spend billions to upgrade but some question if it will boost sales
Thousands of the nation's 17,500 auto dealers are making pricey improvements, adding upgraded waiting rooms, more service facilities and other amenities. At the National Automobile Dealers Association annual four-day convention here, automakers and dealers debated the value of improving facilities -- and whether a nicer showroom or waiting room results in higher auto sales. Dealers are collectively spending billions of dollars to upgrade their facilities -- and taking advantage of low interest rates and lower construction costs. Some automakers have taken a harder line in demanding upgrades from dealers -- and required very specific changes -- including specific chairs or floor tile. Dealers gripe that those specific requirements can cost 20 or 30 percent more than what they could find. Alan Batey, vice president for Chevrolet sales and service, said Friday that General Motors Co.'s dealers are spending $3 billion on facility upgrades. "Coming out of bankruptcy, we needed to change the face of our brand," Batey said. "We were tired, we were old-looking and frankly we were nowhere near where the Hondas and the Toyotas were. We were not competitive."   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Woman takes Honda to small-claims, wins big in fuel economy case
A Southern California woman took Honda to small-claims court and won in a big way. Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan ruled Wednesday that the automaker misled Heather Peters about the potential fuel economy of her hybrid car and awarded her $9,867 -- much more than the couple hundred dollars cash that a proposed class-action settlement is offering. "At a bare minimum Honda was aware... that by the time Peters bought her car there were problems with its living up to its advertised mileage," Carnahan wrote in the judgment. Honda disagrees with the judgment rendered in the case and plans to appeal the decision, company spokesman Chris Martin said in a statement. Peters, a former lawyer, said she is renewing her legal license after a 10-year lapse so she can represent other Honda owners who have the same problems she did. "Wow! Fantastic. I am absolutely thrilled," she said when the Associated Press informed her of the judge's decision. "Sometimes big justice comes in small packages. This is a victory for Honda Civic owners everywhere." Carnahan included in his 26-page decision a long list of misleading representations by Honda that he said Peters had correctly identified. Among them were that the car would use "amazingly little fuel," "provides plenty of horsepower while still sipping fuel," and that it would "save plenty of money on fuel with up to 50 mpg during city driving."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Gorrie: Develop an app that uses GPS for Toronto parking spots
Studies suggest nearly one-third of downtown traffic consists of drivers seeking parking spots. During peak shopping times it's likely the same story on those paved acreages surrounding suburban shopping malls. As well as frazzling tempers, this circling produces copious pollution and greenhouse gas emissions What's to be done? A great deal, according to speakers at the most recent Transport Futures Mobility forum and experts I've spoken with since. It's no longer enough to provide spots, with arbitrary fees, then leave drivers to hunt them down, they say. Their ideal is to have 15 per cent of parking spaces vacant at any time. At that rate, most are occupied and generating revenue, but there are enough for new arrivals. One solution for on-street and surface parking is to set prices to achieve that target. Seattle tried it last year, in an experiment aimed at ensuring one or two free spots per block, says Dennis Burns, a parking design consultant in Phoenix, Ariz. The researchers measured occupancy rates, block by block, in 22 neighbourhoods. Then, they adjusted and readjusted parking fees until, as Burns puts it, "it had the desired impact." Of course the new rates were higher in prime congested areas and lower in less desirable spots. That's the easy part. The trick, like getting Goldilock's porridge the right temperature, was for prices to equalize demand -- high enough to persuade some drivers to walk a bit further but not so high that most would head for distant spots.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) The 10 best Android apps for commuters
While it's pretty hard to make commuting to work and back fun, at least it doesn't have be boring or hectic, confusing or aggravating. Not if you have an Android smartphone, anyway -- one loaded with these commuter-centric cheapies and freebies. iCommuteLess, Gas Buddy, Google Maps Navigation, Fake an Excuse, Crash Wiz, S.O.S. by the American Red Cross, Audible, Tune In, Where and Out of Milk Shopping List. Thanks, technology.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Behold, this is the 'safest car in the world'. Yes, really
The abomination you see here is being billed as the world's safest car. It's a bizarre-looking little ride that is completely unusable. It was made by a Japanese company called Humanix, with help from a group of students from Hiroshima University. Its method for protecting its occupants (there is room for three adults, although this is a fairly optimistic figure) is extensive use of airbags on the car's exterior. The funny part of this is that, although the exterior is covered in airbags, there are none on the interior. It is an electric car, and a three-wheeled one at that, with a top speed of 31 mph (49.8 km/h), a very safe speed. Humanix hasn't disclosed the range, but if I was a betting man, I'd guess that it isn't fantastic. Perhaps most surprising is that this wasn't done as an exercise, they intend to produce this car, called the iSAVE-SC1, at a price of $10,000 each.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Obama's old Chrysler up for sale. Asking price? $1 million
If you've got $1 million lying around, you can own a piece of history. U.S. President Barack Obama's old car -- a 2005 Chrysler 300C -- is up for auction on eBay with a minimum bid set at $1 million US. It's a hefty premium to pay to drive the president's old car. A used 2005 Chrysler 300C can range from $8,000 on the low end to $15,000 on the high end. The vehicle is in mint condition, with only 30,577 kms on the odometer. The Illinois-based eBay seller, Lisa Czibor, who has a 100 per cent feedback rating, insists the car was indeed driven by Obama and says the minimum bid requirement is not a joke. Several images of the car have been posted as well as two scans of the car's title, with the name "Barack H Obama" listed as the lessee. "(Obama) drove this Chrysler 300C from 2004 through the summer of 2007," the posting's description says. "Over 19,000 miles were put on this car before Obama traded it for a 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid." Thus far, there have been zero bids for the car.   [more]   [top of page]

January 29, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1843, William McKinley, who became the 25th American president and the first to ride in an automobile, was born in Niles, Ohio. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) California passes new auto emission rules
California air regulators passed Friday sweeping auto emission standards that include a mandate to have 1.4 million electric and hybrid vehicles on state roads by 2025. The California Air Resources Board unanimously approved the new rules, which require that one-in-seven of new cars sold in the state in 2025 be an electric or other zero-emission vehicle. The plan also mandated a 75-percent reduction in smog-forming pollutants by 2025, and a 34 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over roughly the same time. Automakers worked with the board and federal regulators on the greenhouse gas mandates in an effort to create one national standard for those pollutants. California's auto emissions standards are often more strict than federal ones. Currently 14 other states have adopted the California rules as their own. Companies including Ford Motor Corp., Chrysler Group LLC, General Motors Co., Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and others submitted testimony Thursday in support of the new standards during a meeting of the board.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM: Bad publicity hurt Volt
The day after a congressional hearing into a fire in crash-tested Chevrolet Volt, General Motors Co. acknowledged that sales of the car had been hurt by bad publicity. And as the carmaker stepped up its efforts to rebuild the reputation of the Volt, it began airing a commercial titled "Morning in Hamtramck" that portrays the extended-range electric car as part of the fabric of the Detroit enclave in which it is built. Asked Thursday if Volt sales have taken a hit in January, General Motors North America President Mark Reuss said, "Oh, yes." Reuss, on the sidelines of the Washington Auto Show, said bad publicity from the government's investigation into fire risks is "definitely a component" of the Volt's sales decline. GM had its best sales month for the Volt in December with about 1,530 sold. GM sold about 7,700 in 2011, but its sales target was 10,000. Reuss said when GM restarts production in February at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, it will build Volts in a "very reasonable" volume. He said there is some export demand. GM is focused on rehabilitating the vehicle's reputation. "It's a tough road, but we've got to do it," Reuss said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) In Beetle's creation story, a plot twist
The tale is intriguing: A Jewish engineer and journalist, whose designs and published work in the 1930s laid out the basics for the Volkswagen Beetle championed by Hitler, was arrested, chased from Germany and nearly airbrushed out of history. The story of Josef Ganz is the result of more than five years of research by Paul Schilperoord, a Dutch technology journalist who is studying industrial design in Italy. The trove of documents and photographs he assembled form the basis of "The Extraordinary Life of Josef Ganz: The Jewish Engineer Behind Hitler's Volkswagen" (RVP Publishers, 2011). The book provides a picture of the automotive culture in Germany between the wars, with many small, struggling companies. Published in English for the first time in November, the work had previously been available in Dutch, Portuguese and German. In a telephone interview, Schilperoord addressed the book's challenge to the standard history -- that Hitler hired Ferdinand Porsche, who was known as one of Germany's most successful automobile engineers from his work on military vehicles during World War I, to design and build his Strength Through Joy car. The Strength Through Joy movement was a Nazi enterprise that organized worker recreation programs, sponsoring sports and vacations. Schilperoord said that before World War II the word Volkswagen was so common as to be a cliche. "People's car" in Germany in the 1930s was like "personal computer" in the United States in the 1980s. Inspired by Henry Ford, many young engineers sought to build transportation for the many. Ganz was one. Ganz wrote for the magazine Motor-Kritik, which faulted German cars as antiquated and often unsafe, while he also consulted on engineering matters for automakers. He held a number of patents for suspension, steering and other systems. Ganz advocated a people's car with an air-cooled engine placed at the rear, based on a backbone-type frame and using independent suspension at both ends. He was a friend of Paul Jaray, an aeronautical pioneer, and pushed for Jaray's streamlined body designs whose shape resembled what is now known as the Beetle. Ganz promoted these ideas as a journalist. As part of the press gaggle covering the new chancellor's visit, Schilperoord said, "He probably stood a few meters from Hitler at the 1933 Berlin auto show." But little more than a year later, according to Schilperoord, Ganz was arrested by the Gestapo, removed from his magazine job because he was Jewish and driven from the country.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Why 'admin' fees are necessary in a car sale
Here's a recent letter addressed to SANDY LIGUORI from a Toronto Star Wheels reader: "What gives you (auto dealers) the right to think you can add an "administration fee" to a car deal? We all know that your mark-up in price should contain margin to cover this. It is my contention that it very definitely does, and the added-on fee is simply a rip-off of the consumer, some of whom are not apparently aware of this situation. It is not necessary for the buyer to pay for your operating expenses twice. If you are in business, you cover your expenses in your asking price. I know I am not telling you anything you don't already know. Quit being an apologist for such a shameful practice. I invite you to address this issue in your column." - John D. John is upset about a common practice of including administration fees in the purchase price of vehicles.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) BMW engineers create 'robot car' that can drive itself
It looks like a BMW, sounds like a BMW, but there's something different about this car. It can drive itself. BMW engineers have been road-testing a system that uses a combination of cameras, sensors and a computer to allow the car to react to different road situations. And it's very well-behaved. It's programmed to obey all traffic laws. See the car in action here....   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) The world's first folding car makes its debut
The world's very first folding car aims to make parking a whole lot easier. The Hiriko folding electric car was unveiled Tuesday in Brussels. The prototype is the result of a partnership of Basque businesses, the Spanish government, and the MIT Media Lab, a U.S. research firm. The tiny bubble car is reportedly tipped to go into production in Spain next year. The new vehicle, which has been dubbed as a "capsule-like city car," was unveiled in Brussels by Jose Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission. The car, which folds up like a child's stroller for easy parking, is reportedly powered by four in-wheel motors. Each wheel is said to be independently driven and steers by "robot" in-wheel electric motors to increase manoeuvreability. The conventional steering wheel has been replaced by a "joystick" which tugs on the driver's fingers when ordered by a navigation system. The manufacturers claim that the car only uses two-thirds of the footprint of a Smart car and the aim of the project is to free up the many miles of car parking space that inhabits cities. Around 20 vehicles will be deployed on a trial basis from autumn this year in several European and American cities including Boston, in Massachusetts, Malmo in Sweden, and Bilbao in Spain. According to the The Telegraph, the driver as well as the passenger enters and leaves the Hiriko through one single door at the front of the car. Each car will cost about $16,435 Cdn. to build.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Rare $1.3 million supercar crashes in Hong Kong
Photos of a sad-looking Pagani Zonda F have just come our way, but there's really nothing else to go on apart from these distressing images. Flickr user bigmuse posted the photos of the crash that took place near Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong. Apparently, the driver crashed the Italian beauty into a tree as well as a traffic light after losing control. Thankfully, the driver wasn't injured in the accident and reports at the scene are that the car isn't a complete write-off and should make a full recovery -- after some serious repair work, of course. Rumours are circulating that the car belongs to one of the top executives at Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. The same car was spotted in front of a D&G store in Hong Kong during a protest there earlier this year (see the video below). This is the second time that one of the 25 Zonda F hypercars has crashed in Hong Kong, and the only people who could possibly take pleasure from this are other Zonda F owners who see their cars appreciate in value each time another model meets its maker.   [more]   [top of page]

January 23, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 2006, "Who Killed the Electric Car?," a documentary about the aborted attempt by the auto industry to create an electric vehicle, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM again world's largest on strong Chevy sales
General Motors Co. says it sold more than 9 million cars and trucks worldwide last year -- a 7.6 percent increase that allowed the company to reclaim the title of world's largest automaker. The company said those gains were driven by the Chevrolet brand, which sold nearly 4.8 million vehicles in 2011. That was a record for the brand, which has become the focus of GM's global expansion efforts. "Chevrolet's impressive growth in both established and developing markets is the result of a strong new product lineup that meets the diverse needs of consumers around the world," GM CEO Dan Akerson said in a statement released Thursday. "In addition to Chevrolet's record-setting sales, the entire lineup of GM vehicles is meeting customer needs for fuel-efficient cars and work vehicles as well as unmatched luxury." But analysts said GM also benefited from the string of natural disasters that afflicted its archrival, Toyota Motor Corp. Like other Japanese automakers, Toyota's production was dramatically disrupted by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the island nation last March. Then, just as its factories were getting back up to speed, flooding in Thailand forced key suppliers to suspend parts shipments. Toyota, which snatched GM's crown in 2008, saw sales tumble in the United States and other key markets. Now, GM appears to have taken it back. Toyota has yet to report its full-year tally, but its sales in the first three quarters of 2011 were down 8.8 percent. For a while, Volkswagen AG appeared to be outselling both GM and Toyota, but it ended the year with 8.16 million vehicle sales.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Global influence hits car design
Nicholas David, a young designer from the General Motors studio in Los Angeles, was explaining his Chevrolet Tru 140S concept car at the Detroit auto show when the energy secretary, Steven Chu, passed by. The car, painted a sensual, velvety white, has a dramatic wedge-shaped body. David was telling a journalist that the Tru represents the "affordable exotic" that future car buyers are dreaming of. The energy secretary paused briefly, looked impassively at the car and then moved on with his entourage. David seemed relieved that Chu, a recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics, remained just out of earshot and had not heard the designer describe the Tru as "a $20,000 Lamborghini." But in his interview David also emphasized the car's practicality. "With a 1.4-liter Ecotec engine," he said, "it gets about 40" mpg. If wild, experimental concept cars were scarce at Cobo Center, it may be because designers have been coming to terms with a new automotive world order. Their horizons have expanded for several reasons: Not only are the Detroit companies selling more cars outside the United States, but one of them, Chrysler, is controlled by a foreign automaker, the Fiat Group. Also, the most successful examples of smaller, efficient cars are found overseas.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) GM picks N.Y. man's ad to air during Super Bowl
General Motors Co. has picked an independently produced ad to air during Super Bowl XLVI. "Chevy Happy Grad," submitted by 26-year-old Long Island resident Zach Borst, beat out submissions from other independent filmmakers from around the world in a contest sponsored by the company. "We asked filmmakers to depict life's journey and how Chevrolet is there along the way," said GM Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick in a statement Thursday. "When I saw Zach's spot, I had to laugh, because the situation is something many families can relate to -- expectation and reality. 'Happy Grad' clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits." Borst is an aspiring filmmaker who started his own production company, Goat Farm Films, in New York. His spot is expected to reach an estimated 110 million viewers during the big game. "My dad was a cop and worked real hard to be able to buy his kids their first cars. They were used, but mine meant the world to me," Borst said. "Then I wondered what it would look like if I got a brand new Camaro? I mean, after all, who wouldn't want a Camaro as a graduation gift?" General Motors is also releasing an Android app that will allow viewers to play trivia games, interact with each other via Twitter and participate in polls during the broadcast.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Chrysler Group plans to unveil new four-door Fiat 500 at Geneva auto show
Hoping to garner more sales, the Chrysler Group has announced it will be unveiling a four-door model of its two-door Fiat 500 city car at this year's Geneva auto show, scheduled for March. Speculation has the new four-door 500 being larger overall than the current model, possibly using the same U.S.-specific platform as a planned Fiat-based replacement for the Jeep Compass/Patriot. Whatever its size, the new 500 model is expected to go on sale in North America in 2013.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Average age of U.S. vehicles hits record 10.8 years
That clunker in America's driveway has reached a record old age, but there are signs that people may be growing confident enough in the economy to get a whiff of that fresh car scent very soon. The average age of a car or truck in the U.S. hit a record 10.8 years last year as job security and other economic worries kept many people from making big-ticket purchases such as a new car. That's up from the old record of 10.6 years in 2010, and it and continues a trend that dates to 1995, when the average age of a car was 8.4 years, according to a study of state vehicle registration data by the based Polk automotive research firm. However, Polk analyst Mark Seng says that a rebound in sales last year and expected growth for the next couple of years will likely lower the average age of cars as a whole in America. The aging of the American auto fleet has been a big boon for repair shops and companies that sell replacement auto parts.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Give in to the 'bark side': Volkswagen teaser ad goes to the dogs
Volkswagen has kicked off the Super Bowl ad race with a pooch-filled clip gaining steam on the Web. After garnering critical praise for its Darth Vader-inspired ad at last year's Super Bowl, VW looks like they'll be sticking to the Star Wars theme this year. In the teaser clip, dubbed 'The Bark Side', 11 dogs are featured in a canine choir barking along to Darth Vader's theme, the Imperial March. Volkswagen is keeping mum on what this is all about, saying "Keep an eye out for our 2012 Game Day commercial -- it will all make sense."   [more]   [top of page]

DESIGN WEEK (LONDON, UK) Ex-BMW designer Chris Bangle launches car design competition
Car designer Chris Bangle is inviting design students to compete for a chance to have their work featured in his fictional account of the car industry, set 25 years into the future. Open to students in all areas of design, successful entrants to Illustrate the Future will be designing cars for the prologue of Peter Teuful: A Tale of Car Design in Three Parts, written by former BMW design chief Bangle. On offer is a 2000 Euro prize or the chance to visit Bangle's CBA studio in Italy and attend a design workshop with the designer. Competition winners will also see their work published in the second edition of the ebook series, which tackles Bangle's concern with the status quo in the culture of car design.   [more]   [top of page]

January 16, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1997 comedian and TV star Bill Cosby's 27-year-old son Ennis Cosby was murdered after he stopped to fix a flat tire along California's Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Kicking off the auto show in style
Throngs filled Cobo Center at Friday's North American International Auto Show Charity Preview, the black-tie event that kicked off the auto show in high style. The shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, filled with auto executives, local luminaries and more, made previous years look lean. People stood on tippy-toes to get a peek at the cars, as the thick crowds made navigating the floor difficult. Call it a comeback. The success of the Charity Preview, which sold 12,000 tickets and raised $3 million for local children's charities, was another indicator of the auto industry's resurgence. And it was a reason to celebrate. "Today, it's like we are totally back. No one is looking backwards," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing. "It really is the Big Three again." Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of the SRT brand and head of design for all Chrysler groups, said he didn't remember seeing a crowd as big at the Charity Preview since 2007. Not only were dealers there, but their wives were, too. "That's a good sign, when they bring their wife," Gilles said.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) EV designers choose fancy or familiar
A century ago, when electric cars were popular -- especially in cities and among women drivers -- they looked discernibly different from gasoline-powered automobiles. In the age of the horseless carriage, the transportation historian James Flink wrote, electric cars looked even more like carriages. Those early electric cars were upright and boxy, just the look that today's designers are trying to avoid. The electric cars on display this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit are adopting one of two overriding design philosophies: Make it exciting, or make it familiar. Joel Piaskowski, Ford's director of exterior design for the Americas, says both approaches are valid. "Some people want to stand out and make that an expression," he said. "Others want to be discreet." While the electric design studies of the recent past were often futuristic pods, the designs of the latest production models are dictated largely by one mundane factor: where the batteries go. The most common solution, in the vehicles' floor, usually establishes what designers call the small-tall format. Fitting the elements of electric drive into a conventional body can limit range or passenger space, and the small-tall configuration isn't inherently stylish. The challenge, said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of design of BMW, is to present the small-tall configuration in an attractive way. Many designers have resorted to visual tricks to keep electrics from looking gawky or humpy. In an effort to reduce the car's apparent height, the designers of the Chevrolet Volt, a General Motors team lead by Robert Boniface, worked to fool the viewer's eye. They artificially lowered the beltline -- essentially, the baseline of the car's windows -- by putting shiny black trim under the greenhouse. They added dark glass beneath the spoiler to make the rear seem less high-set. Nissan designers kept the Leaf from looking goggle-eyed by reducing the headlights to blisters that swell above the hood. The designers also rolled the tail of the car backward and downward in an effort, not wholly successful, to hide its awkwardness.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) UAW leader lauds occupy movement, calls for economic justice
UAW President Bob King called for economic justice, a stand for immigrant rights and the re-election of President Barack Obama on Saturday as he spoke to fellow labor leaders and activists during an AFL-CIO luncheon in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Bob King spoke during a luncheon for the "We Are One" conference that began Thursday and runs through Monday at MotorCity Casino Hotel. King told the audience that this weekend's events should inspire them to listen to the civil rights leader's sermons or writings. He said he listened to "The American Dream" speech on his way to the conference. "So much of what he says is the same today, is about the world today," he said. "We're at very difficult times in the United States of America right now. We're at a time of great injustice and growing injustices. Thank God for the occupy movement and the young kids that are out there." King expressed his displeasure with what he says is a concentration of wealth with 1 percent of the population and an attack on the working class. "We should be angry about that," he said. "I know we're angry about that. Look at unemployment in this country. Thirty-five straight months of 8 percent or higher unemployment, and that's counting those that are reporting. We should be outraged." He urged the audience to speak up for immigrant rights and to not accept unemployment and foreclosures. "We can not cut ourselves to prosperity," he said.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Breaking down the Detroit auto show
The Wheels team was on the floor at North America's largest auto show. Here's what you can expect from the annual showcase in Detroit. Acura NSX hits home run at Detroit show -- Not much new with these luxury car debuts -- 5 new cars aim to make driving fun again -- Acura RDX, Audi Q3 Vail draw gasps -- Hybrids, EVs everywhere at Detroit auto show -- Cars becoming better connected -- Photos: Hottest wheels in Motown -- More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Hybrids, EVs everywhere at Detroit auto show
Ten years ago, only two gasoline-electric hybrid cars were displayed at the North American International Auto Show, Jim Lentz, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Sales, said earlier this week when he unveiled his company's latest versions of the technology. How things have changed: Hybrids are everywhere at the show's current edition, and most carmakers are also showcasing plug-in hybrid and/or all-electric models. "Hybrid technology has arrived" and "engaged our industry," Lentz declared. Whether it will engage consumers remains to be seen. Conventional hybrids are still a tiny segment of the new-car market and the more advanced alternatives sell only in the thousands. There is the promise of choice now, although many manufacturers are offering only concepts or prototypes. Some are hedging their bets, waiting to see how the market develops before committing to production. Here is what's gleaming under the show's brilliant lights: Plug-in hybrids: Chevrolet's Volt is in attendance, although no longer attracting much media attention. It has been on sale for more than a year, selling about 7,600 units. It promises up to 60 kilometres of all-electric driving on a fully-charged battery and around seven litres per 100 kilometres gasoline consumption in hybrid mode. It's an "extended range" hybrid, meaning that most of the time, its three-cylinder internal combustion engine runs a generator to charge the battery, rather than directly powering the wheels. The Canadian price starts at $41,545, before incentives. Toyota's Prius plug-in is to be sold in 13 American states this year, and the rest of the country in 2013. It will travel up to 20 kilometres on battery power and achieve fuel consumption of less than four litres per 100 kilometres in hybrid mode. The base U.S. price will be $32,000 before any green incentives, and an upscale version -- same power trains but extra bits of technology and luxury -- will sell for $39,525. Plans and pricing for Canada aren't yet set. A plug-in variant of Ford's restyled mid-size Fusion is to arrive early in 2013. It will share electric components with the C-Max five-passenger crossover, on a similar timetable. The company is offering few details, but says the Fusion Energi will achieve the electric equivalent of 2.3 litres per 100 kilometres during the brief periods it operates on battery power alone. Prices haven't been announced. BMW is still tweaking its i8 sports car, due in early 2014. This sleek beauty has electric motors to power the front wheels and a three-cylinder gasoline engine for the rear. The result is a claimed zero-to-100 acceleration under five seconds, and less than three litres of fuel consumed per 100 kilometres. Also key are a carbon-fibre passenger compartment and aluminum chassis. Mercedes-Benz is displaying a range-extended plug-in, the B Class E-Cell. It claims a 100-kilometre range under lithium-ion battery power. When the battery runs low and the car is traveling below about 60 kilometres per hour, the three-cylinder internal-combustion engine runs the generator. At higher speeds, both the electric and gasoline motors directly drive the front wheels. It's to go into production in 2014. No prices yet. Volvo's XC60 concept promises about 60 kilometres of all-electric driving and 4.7 litres per 100 kilometres in hybrid mode. This gasoline-electric technology follows the diesel hybrid V60, which is only for Europe. The XC60 is a crossover, but the technology could be used in other Volvo models. Timing and prices aren't yet available. Volvo will seek consumer information in the United States and China "for a business case," a spokesperson said. He wasn't sure where Canada fits. Honda unveiled a conventionally powered Accord coupe concept at the media preview and said a plug-in hybrid sedan will follow in about a year. It will run for up to 22 kilometres of city driving, with a top speed of 100 kilometres per hour, under the power of its six-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. For longer distances, the electric system will be joined by a two-litre, four cylinder i-VTEC gasoline engine. For highway cruising, only internal combustion will drive the wheels. Again, no prices or Canadian plans. Utah-based VIA Motors is offering a plug-in, half-ton pickup truck and a three-quarter ton van. The company takes Chevrolet vehicles with the smallest available V6 and adds a powerful electric system. It's an extended-range configuration, like a Volt but able to handle vehicles up to 3,200 kilograms. Via says the trucks will lease for about $300 per month in the United States but can save operators up to $700 in fuel and maintenance. Plans are to make them available to individual consumers. Some 33 prototypes are being tested. Commercial production is to start this summer of a planned total of 2,000 this year and 20,000 in 2013. Battery Electric: Nissan's Leaf has been on the market for a year, selling 21,000 globally, and, like the Volt, seems to be being taken for granted despite the exceptional technology that takes it up to 160 kilometres between charges. The Leaf, which starts at $38,395 in Canada, will get upgrades when production begins this year in Tennessee, including a more powerful onboard charger -- 6.6-kilowatt instead of 3.3 -- to reduce recharging times. Nissan's plans also include a version for its upscale Infiniti brand. It might be unveiled at the New York Auto Show, in April. Nissan is also displaying the NV200 concept, a boxy electric van with curvy design flourishes, to be launched in 2014. A spokesperson says it's intended mainly for commercial use -- it has a 680-kilogram payload -- but might be suitable for some families. It's based on Leaf technology and makes the same range and speed claims even though it's much larger and 40 kilograms heavier. A gasoline version is already sold in 40 countries. Also on display, and arriving next are Toyota's RAV4, to be built in Ontario, the Ford Focus EV, which began production in December, Honda's Fit and the Smart Electric Drive. All will be available this year, although in limited markets and numbers. The Fit starts going to California lease customers in July and the company expects to produce 1,000 units -- at U.S. costs of $399 per month or $33,000 purchase -- by the end of the year. The third-generation Smart EV goes in sale in the United States this fall at a price that hasn't been announced but, a spokesperson said, would be below the Leaf. The new version is more powerful that the previous prototypes, with the motor boosted from 30 to 55 kilowatts, a top speed raised to 125 kilometres per hour, and a stronger, safer battery pack. After using cells from Tesla, Smart now gets its batteries "practically in-house." Hyundai says the 80-kilowatt motor and lithium-polymer battery in its Avante EV, based on the compact Elantra, will deliver a 180-kilometre range between charges and a top speed of 145 kilometres per hour -- if and when it's built. It's not even a concept yet, a spokesperson said. "It's technology in development. We're trying to gauge interest... what people are looking for." Chevrolet promises an EV version of its tiny Spark, possibly in 2014, but no details are available. "It's not a car yet," a spokesperson said. "They've announced it's coming" but "it doesn't exist yet." A spokesperson for Toyota's Scion brand said its IQ electric model is in a similar situation. So, too, is Audi's A3 e-tron crossover. "Plans haven't been released," a spokesperson said. Tesla has a Model S prototype on hand. The California company says it has sold out its first-year run of 5,000 cars even though production hasn't yet started. Deliveries are to begin in early summer, and Tesla is taking orders for cars that will be ready next year. The Model S is the champion of range claims, with a top distance between charges of 480 kilometres -- for those who buy the biggest of three battery sizes, at a U.S. cost of nearly $80,000. BMW's i3 urban car is to be available by the end of next year. Its most distinctive features are the carbon-fibre passenger compartment and aluminum chassis, designed to reduce weight and boost safety. It's designed to go 160 kilometres between charges at a governed top speed of 150 kilometres per hour. About 80 per cent of the concept version will survive to the production model, but the battery and other components are still being tweaked. Fuel Cell: The Honda Clarity fuel cell car is looking dated and worn after so many auto show appearances. About 27 are still in use, on lease, in California. The company has no production schedule, a spokesperson said. Hyundai's Tuscon fuel cell crossover and a new concept from Toyota, based on technology tested in the Highlander prototype, are due in 2015 but in limited numbers, spokespeople said. California-based Coda Automotive announced it will offer two battery sizes for its EV sedan. The original is said to provide up to 250 kilometres of range and, in the U.S. will cost just under $40,000, before incentives. The range of the new, smaller-battery option is 190 kilometres, at $37,250 (U.S.), the company says. Coda's main distinction is a thermal management system intended to let the battery work more efficiently at more extreme temperatures. Production began in November; American deliveries start this month.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Auto technology shows improvements at Detroit
There were no technological breakthroughs in evidence at this year's Detroit auto show. No water-powered engines, no crash-proof cars, no physics-defying suspension systems. There was, however, ample evidence that the steady but relentless process of technological evolution is proceeding apace. Apart from the ongoing proliferation of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles, reported on elsewhere in Wheels, two trends seemed to dominate most new-vehicle introductions: improved fuel-efficiency and greater connectivity. Neither trend is new. But the fervour with which they are now being pursued is unparalleled. In their quest to reduce fuel consumption, which is driven by ever-tightening government fuel-consumption standards, engineers increasingly are going back to basics. To that end, there is nothing much more basic than removing weight from our cars and trucks. The lighter the vehicle, the less fuel it consumes, all else being equal. Not surprisingly, then, almost every new-vehicle introduction included an emphasis on reducing weight -- without sacrificing strength, rigidity or crash protection. That's the challenge. The most common approach to achieving that goal is the increased use of aluminum. (The aluminum industry must be booming!)   [more]   [top of page]

YAHOO! NEWS (USA) Woman drives 18 miles down wrong side of highway
A woman in Washington State drove 18 miles on the wrong side of the highway going up to 100 miles an hour. "She didn't even know she was on the freeway and at first she couldn't grasp that had happened," State trooper Guy Gill said. Police unsuccessfully tried to stop Olympia schoolteacher Pamela Drawsby, 60, by using their sirens, spotlights and even a PA system, according to the Bend Bulletin. A trooper even drove alongside Drawsby's Lincoln LS, attempting to warn her that she was headed for danger. Police were only able to stop Olympia schoolteacher Pamela Drawsby, 60, by closing down I-5 at the main gate of a joint Army and Air Force base, Lewis-McChord, using spike strips to puncture her tires. And at first, even the tire spikes were unsuccessful, "because the driver was all over the place, using all the lanes," said Gill. Amazingly, no one was hurt, despite several "near misses," Gill said. Before she was stopped Drawsby headed down the southbound lanes of I-5 at 2 a.m., reaching speeds of 100mph.   [more]   [top of page]

January 8, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1929, Walter Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation, one of America's Big Three automakers, was featured on the cover of Time magazine as its Man of the Year. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) 10 things to know about year-end vehicle sales, and some auto show insights
The last month of 2011 has come and gone, and this week kicks off the North American International Auto Show. So instead of simply offering the year end results, as provided by AutoData Corp., I've tried to add a few insights to last year's sales figures and how this year's auto show might impact next year's. To start things off, let's look at the final sales figures of the most prized title from last year's auto show: The North American Car and Truck of the Year winners. The Chevy Volt was Car of the Year; at least it had that title. Chevy sold 7,671 Volts during the year, which didn't even hit General Motors Co.'s goal of 10,000. The Ford Explorer, which nabbed Truck of the Year honors, had a much better year, becoming the top-selling midsize SUV with 135,704 units sold and beating out the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which hit 127,744 and had a record December. It just goes to show you that impressing judges doesn't always impress consumers. This year, my money is on the Ford Focus and the BMW X3 winning those honors (I am not a judge for the group) but no one will know until Monday morning. Meanwhile, perusing the numbers from December sets up a very interesting January. December brought us a new top-selling minivan, new top-selling SUV and even a new top luxury brand. The Toyota Camry remained the best-selling vehicle, and BMW outpaced Mercedes-Benz as America's No. 1 luxury brand.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) More hybrids, EVs to debut at auto show
Automakers aren't easing off the throttle in unveiling new electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in 2012, despite industry speed bumps last year for EVs. At the North American International Auto Show press preview days in Detroit on Monday and Tuesday, several automakers plan to show off electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. There's some urgency in the development of these fuel-efficient cars: Automakers face tough rising fuel efficiency standards and will need to build more EVs and hybrids to meet them. Over the next two years, according to a worldwide survey of 200 top-level auto executives by the professional services firm KPMG, more than 80 percent of automakers will increase investment in e-motor production and battery technology. "What's interesting is that automakers are placing bets across the board, and large bets at that, because no one knows which technology will ultimately win the day with consumers," said Gary Silberg, National Automotive Industry leader for KPMG LLP. Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., Volvo Cars, Toyota Motor Corp. and others plan to unveil more details at the Detroit show about their EV strategy. About 20,000 full-electric and plug-in electric hybrids were sold in 2011.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Occupy Detroit, labor group target Auto Show
A small group demonstrated outside the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center Sunday, calling for higher pay and better working conditions in factories. The Autoworker Caravan, a group made up of current and retired autoworkers, joined members of the Occupy Detroit movement for Sunday's protest. "There's a lot of talk about the recovery of the auto companies, but it's been at the expense of the autoworkers," said Frank Hammer, an organizer for the Autoworker Caravan and retired General Motors employee. "It's not enough to look at the shiny new cars at the Auto Show -- people need to know how those cars are made. Conditions in those auto plants aren't so rosy." Lower wages and a two-tiered pay system were among the issues being protested by the group of about 20. "In some plants, workers are getting only $9 per hour," Hammer said. "That kind of poverty wage isn't going to help families. There's a lack of justice when multimillionaires are paying auto workers these kind of poverty wages. The workers should benefit from the recovery, too." Nina Chacker of Occupy Detroit, said the Auto Show represents "the big disparity between these big corporations that have managed to get rich off the very people who built this country."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Eight auto industry trends to watch for in 2012
Several weeks ago, I reviewed the top trends that impacted the retail auto industry over the past year. Today, I want to examine some of the important trends looming on the horizon for 2012. 1. Pent-up demand. A surge in new car sales at the tail end of 2011 highlighted a growing trend to discard older vehicles. 2. Smartphone revolution. According to comScore, smartphones account for 40 per cent of the cell phone market in Canada and that trend will continue to climb. 3. Targeted communications. Mobile smartphone applications, text messaging, e-marketing campaigns and social media platforms are some of the unique ways that dealers are using to digitally connect with customers. 4. China and India. These two countries continue to exert a powerful influence on the global automotive market (in 2009, China overtook the U.S. as the world's top seller of automobiles). 5. Traffic to dealerships. Walk-in traffic has declined slightly in recent years. 6. Increase in MPG. For more than a year, the average fuel use by new vehicles has been declining. 7. Gas-powered engines. Although hybrids, electric vehicles and diesel-powered models are available, gasoline-powered engines will continue to dominate the Canadian market. 8. The re-invention of the automobile. The auto industry is in the midst of a total transformation, with new methods being developed to deliver power to the wheel.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Is the electric car dead? It's too soon to tell
A recent story in U.S.A. Today began with this: "Rather than electrifying auto buyers, the plug-in car revolution is feeling more like a fizzle." Several other media outlets have declared Chevrolet's Volt and Nissan's Leaf among the big flops of 2011. Give me a break. Obviously 2011 wasn't a watershed year in which Electric Vehicles gained mass appeal. Battery power barely registered in North America's new-vehicle marketplace, and there are bleak portents. Volt sales will fall about 25 per cent short of the 10,000 forecast for 2011. Surveys by American pollster CNW Research suggest interest in the vehicle is sagging. Last July, about 1 per cent of respondents said they'd consider buying a Volt. Later in the year, after one caught fire following a safety test, the figure dropped to 0.6 per cent. Nissan has sold 21,000 Leafs worldwide, but in the U.S., the numbers slipped below 1,000 during each of the past three months. EV-makers Aptera and Think filed for bankruptcy. Reviews typically concluded that while plug-ins are comfortable and perform well, they're not competitive with increasingly efficient internal-combustion products. Among many gloomy reports, a U.S. study said gasoline would have to hit the equivalent of $1.35 per litre before most Americans would give EVs a thought. The price has occasionally approached that lofty height here, but, apparently, not for long enough to spark a stampede to the new technology. Or perhaps the tipping point is $2, or $3, or more. Even so, it's ridiculous to so quickly consign EVs to history's crusher.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Mitt Romney slams the Chevy Volt
When it comes to the American auto industry, Mitt Romney believes its investment in a fuel-efficient future is a joke. The 64-year-old Republican presidential candidate and former governor of Massachusetts responded with dismissive laughter when recently asked what he thought of the Chevy Volt, adding that the plug-in hybrid is an "idea whose time has not come." His campaign later went on to defend the statement as reflective of the car's slow sales -- but critics were quick to pounce. United Auto Workers Local 22 President George McGregor says Romney should think before bashing innovation born in Detroit. "It's not an idea that is ahead of its time," he said on a conference call with reporters. "It's behind its time. It should have been here (years ago), so we wouldn't be dependent on foreign oil. We want to promote innovation like the Chevy Volt," he said. "We want to promote manufacturing and innovation. We don't want to look at ways to criticize it and stifle it." Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, also responded, posting on her Twitter account: "My blood is boiling: Romney attacks the Volt, a FANTASTIC U.S. car made in his home state by American workers." As AutoblogGreen points out, Romney has long been critical of President Obama's support for Department of Energy loans to companies like Nissan, Ford and Tesla Motors, despite the fact that the program was started under President George Bush.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Ultra-cheap ride costs $2,700. But is it a car?
India has a new ultra-cheap small car. Well, sort of. The company that introduced it Tuesday, Bajaj Auto, best known for making motorcycles and motorized three-wheeled rickshaws, does not even call its newest product, the RE60, a car. Bajaj prefers the generic term four wheeler. Executives say they have no plans to market it to average consumers. Instead, they are aiming for drivers of rickshaws, which are powered by motorcycle engines and operate as short-distance taxis in India. The RE60 offers features not found on current rickshaw models, including seatbelts, doors and a hard top. It will have windows, ones that fold out rather than roll down. The company did not say how much the RE60 would cost when it hit showrooms this year. But a rickshaw costs about 120,000 rupees, or $2,200, and one auto analyst estimated that the RE60 would be priced 25 per cent higher than that, or about $2,750. But the RE60 was expected to be more than a souped-up rickshaw. It was widely anticipated as Bajaj's answer to the Tata Nano. The Nano, which its maker, Tata Motors, introduced in 2009, was billed as a people's car that would bring mobility to India's masses. It sells for a list price of about $2,600. But the analyst, Hormazd Sorabjee, said the RE60 would pose no challenge to the Nano, which itself had attracted only a fraction of the buyers for which Tata had hoped because of production delays and safety concerns.   [more]   [top of page]

January 1, 2012

Today in automotive history: on this day in 1919, Edsel Ford, the son of Model T inventor and auto industry pioneer Henry Ford, succeeded his father as president of the Ford Motor Company. Read more about this day in history at The History Channel.

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Vehicle sales for 2011 near 13M units
U.S. automobile sales are expected to total nearly 12.8 million units for 2011, making this the best year the industry has seen since 2008. And 2012 is looking even better. "This year, new car sales are up year over year for every major automaker except Honda and Toyota," analyst Kristen Andersson of automotive research site TrueCar.com said in a report this week. The report put the December sales tally at just over 1.2 million cars and trucks -- an 8.1 percent gain over the same period last year and 24.4 percent higher than November's total. The actual results will be released Wednesday. It's already clear that all three Detroit automakers made big gains in 2011. That was partly a testament to the improving quality of their vehicles, and partly the result of the March earthquake and tsunami that disrupted production in Japan and left many Japanese manufacturers without sufficient inventories to meet consumer demand. On Friday, Ford Motor Co. announced that sales of its Ford brand topped 2 million for the first time since 2007, making it the winner in the perennial contest with General Motor Co.'s Chevrolet brand.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) Drivers change oil too often, California officials say
Many automobile owners are spending more than they need on motor oil, believing that it should be changed every 3,000 miles even though almost no manufacturer requires such an aggressive oil-change schedule. The long-held notion that the oil should be changed every 3,000 miles is so prevalent that California officials have launched a campaign to stop drivers from wasting millions of gallons of oil annually because they have their vehicles serviced too often. "Our survey data found that nearly half of California drivers are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles or even sooner," said Mark Oldfield, a spokesman for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery, which has launched the Check Your Number campaign to encourage drivers to follow manufacturer recommendations. Improvement in oils, friction proofing and car engines have lengthened the oil-change interval, typically 7,500 miles to 10,000 miles for most vehicles. Changing motor oil according to manufacturer specifications would reduce motor-oil demand in California by about 10 million gallons a year, the agency said. The state has created a website, CheckYourNumber.org, where drivers can look up the suggested motor-oil change interval number for their vehicles. The agency and other groups said slashing motor-oil consumption would be good for the environment and won't hurt the longevity or reliability of autos.   [more]   [top of page]

DETROIT NEWS (MICHIGAN, USA) High-tech cars raise possibility of cyber-attacks
Imagine this nightmarish possibility: Al-Qaida terrorists cause thousands of motorists racing down a freeway during the morning commute to suddenly lose their brakes, leading to massive chaos, death and destruction. Implausible? Maybe not, some experts warn. As cars and trucks have become laden with brainy devices to control everything from their air bags to their crash-avoidance systems, the vehicles have become increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, according to recent studies by university researchers and security companies. One found that a car's computer controls could be remotely accessed through their Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or OnStar connections, potentially allowing terrorists to simultaneously disable the brakes of numerous cars, corporate spies to eavesdrop on a motoring executive's phone calls, or thieves to electronically locate, break into and start cars they've targeted to steal. Another showed how a car's tire pressure warning system could be wirelessly tricked into sending false alerts to drivers, which could prompt them to stop and fall prey to robbers following them. Speculating that villains might short sell an auto-company's stock and then cause widespread problems in its cars, Ryan Permeh, a principal security architect at Intel's McAfee division, added, "I can definitely imagine organized crime or potentially even nation states leveraging weaknesses in these functions to cause different kinds of havoc." Although instances of car hacking have been extremely rare, the threat has gotten the attention of automakers. "We are very, very concerned," said Chrysler spokesman Vince Muniga, adding that it is consulting with computer experts to identify "things that may be vulnerable in the future." Similarly, Ford "is taking the threat very seriously" and "working to ensure that we've developed a product that is as resistant to attack as possible," said Rich Strader, the company's director of information technology, security and storage. The subject also has gotten the federal government's attention. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is aware of the potential for hackers and is working with automakers to better understand what steps can and are being taken to address the problem," the agency said in a statement, adding that it has asked the National Academy of Sciences to look into the matter. Because of consumer demand for entertainment, convenience and safety features in cars, automakers in recent years have greatly beefed up the technology in their vehicles. It's not unusual for luxury autos to sport 70 computerized control units that monitor everything from the engine, transmission and headlights to the cabin temperature, air bags and cruise control. Some cars even park themselves, or automatically brake to prevent collisions. But their various wireless connections can enable hackers located some distance away to electronically infiltrate an automobile and take virtual control of it, experts have determined. In a September report about the "emerging risks in automotive system security," McAfee described the case last year of a disgruntled former employee of a Texas used-car dealership. By accessing the system the dealership used to remotely deactivate cars whose buyers failed to make payments, he created mayhem by blaring the horns and shutting off the engines of more than 100 vehicles. Other problems could be coming down the road. In a study last year, University of South Carolina researchers in one vehicle caused the tire-pressure warning system of another to send bogus alerts to its dashboard. Because such alerts could prompt drivers to pull over to check their tires, the researchers warned, "this presents ample opportunity for mischief and criminal activities." Another troubling flaw was uncovered by a security tester hired by an unidentified U.S. city, according to the McAfee report. After hacking into police-car camera recorders, it said, "he was easily able to upload, download and delete files that stored months' worth of video feeds." Still more weaknesses were detailed in a study in August by the Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security, a collaboration between the University of California-San Diego and the University of Washington. It concluded that thieves could wirelessly command groups of cars to report their GPS coordinates and vehicle identification numbers, enabling the crooks to learn the year, make, model and location of the most expensive ones. Then, it said, they could steal those autos by issuing other wireless commands to disable their alarms, unlock them and start their engines. Using a related technique, the study warned, corporate spies could listen in on the phone conversations of a motoring executive, or, more disturbingly, terrorists who previously had infected numerous cars with malicious software could later command the vehicles to "simultaneously disengage the brakes when driving at high speed."   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Civic hybrid owner to battle mighty Honda
Heather Peters is an angry consumer who knows she has little chance of winning a war with Honda Motor Co. and its army of high-price lawyers. The Los Angeles resident is miffed that her 2006 Honda Civic hybrid doesn't get its claimed fuel economy. And she isn't satisfied with a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement that would give trial lawyers $8.5 million while Civic owners would get as little as $100 and rebate coupons for the purchase of a new vehicle. But Peters believes that she found a venue where she can win justice and where Honda can't spend a single dollar on legal help. On Jan. 3 she'll take her case to Small Claims Court in Torrance, where California law prohibits Honda from bringing an attorney. She's asking for the maximum of $10,000 to compensate her for spending much more on gasoline than expected. Honda said the Civic would get about 50 miles per gallon, but because of technical problems the car gets closer to 30 mpg. What's more, Peters is urging Honda owners across the country to do the same. Peters' www.DontSettleWithHonda.org website and a DontSettleWithHonda Twitter account include a link to state-by-state instructions for filing these lawsuits, which have low fees and minimal paperwork. Honda sold about 200,000 of the hybrids over a six-year period, and because of resales, as many as 500,000 people are eligible to file claims against Honda. "I want them to know they can file in Small Claims Court and that it is not so scary," Peters said. If she's successful in getting others to follow her example, Peters could inspire a whole new litigation strategy in the auto industry and other businesses. Working together but filing lawsuits independently, consumers could force companies to go mano a mano with individual plaintiffs in far-flung courtrooms nationwide. Call it a small-claims flash mob.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) Popemobile may get green upgrade
Pope Benedict XVI's popemobile may be getting an ecological upgrade. Young car designers participating in an annual auto style competition are being asked to design a low-emission popemobile that meets the Vatican's high security standards. The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano announced details of the competition Friday, saying the green popemobile will be one of the proposed projects of the 2012 edition of Autostyle International Design Competition. Italian auto parts maker Berman organizes the competition each year, selecting 12 students from universities and auto design schools from around the world to submit designs for particular projects. Winners are selected each October at the Autostyle show held in a monastery in the tiny town of San Benedetto Po, near Mantua, where top automakers like Nissan, Ferrari, Bentley and Toyota show off their wares. The best eco-popemobile designs will be compiled in a book published by the Vatican publishing house, L'Osservatore said. Benedict, 84, is known as something of a "green" pope because of his environmental concerns; under his watch, the Vatican installed photovoltaic cells on its main auditorium to convert sunlight into electricity as well as a solar cooling unit for its main cafeteria. It has joined a reforestation project aimed at offsetting its CO2 emissions. For the pontiff, it's a moral issue: Church teaching holds that man must respect creation because it's destined for the benefit of humanity's future.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) China rivals Germany for luxury cars
Here's some irony: The high demand for BMW and Audi vehicles in China may help that country overtake Germany as the No. 2 overall luxury car market in the world, right behind the United States. In a Bloomberg report, Audi -- the luxury-car sales leader in China -- saw its sales through the first 11 months this year grow 35 per cent to 283,600. BMW sales through November have risen 40 per cent, to 200,699. Audi is counting on China's desire for its vehicles to help it surpass rival BMW as the global No. 1 luxury brand by 2015.   [more]   [top of page]

WHEELS.CA (ONTARIO, CANADA) A weird and wacky year for cars
It's hard to believe another year is almost over and, with it, another year of auto oddities. Over the last 12 months, various owners' manuals, news reports and the odd lawsuit made for some interesting items in 2011. Dave shouldn't be here, man... Last December, a man driving from British Columbia to Newfoundland followed the shortest route given by his GPS unit. He crossed the border into Maine, where customs agents found half a kilogram of marijuana in his truck. He said he never intended to enter the U.S. and thought the border post was just a toll bridge. We forgot about that: A Chevrolet Cruze advertisement in Motor Trend magazine asked, "Why bother with an expensive hybrid when 40 mpg is available at an affordable price?" In a follow-up letter to the editor, a reader wondered if GM had forgotten it also needs customers for its $40,000 electric Volt. That's not all that isn't firmly attached: A Kansas motorist angry with his state's mandatory seatbelt law took to wearing a homemade version buckled around his waist when driving. When he received a ticket, he argued that the law doesn't specifically state that the seatbelt must actually be attached to the car. The judge disagreed and upheld the fine. And it even pats your back for you: Porsche Cayenne's owner's manual states, "Judging by the car you have chosen, you are a motorist of a special breed, and you are probably no novice when it comes to automobiles." Don't back into your closet: Honda Odyssey's rear sensors may not be able to detect "sonic-absorptive materials such as snow, cotton or sponge." Does whatever a spider can: In February, Mazda6 models were recalled for the possibility of spiders weaving webs in a vent tube, altering pressure in the fuel tank and potentially causing it to crack. Animal rights group PETA responded by asking drivers with arachnophobia to donate their cars for animal rescue work. It's smarter than you are: Mercedes-Benz's B-Class warns, "Do not leave the SmartKey in the cargo compartment. You could otherwise lock yourself out." That was easy: The manual for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class points out several potential problems and their solutions, including this: "Problem: A side window cannot be closed because objects are trapped between the side window and the door frame. Remove the objects. Close the side window." Maybe he planned to buy a car with the money: In April, a 42-year-old Connecticut man allegedly pedalled a bicycle up to a Dunkin' Donuts drive-through, threatened the clerk and rode off with a wad of cash. He was arrested shortly afterwards when he narrowly missed riding into a police officer who was responding to another call. Insult to injury: The Hyundai Equus manual warns, "A seatbelt should be used when an injured person is being transported." Work it, baby! Planning Perspectives, a survey company that rates how well automakers interact with their suppliers, reported that "the U.S. automakers, realizing that an adversarial approach to working with suppliers won't work, have been working hard to work more collaboratively with their suppliers." Making a clean start: Nissan Quest warns, "Do not wash (the key) in a washing machine." When real isn't real enough: Mercedes-Benz offers a new unfinished wood interior trim package in its M-Class for customers who complain that passengers think the high-gloss wood option is plastic. Walk softly and carry a big stick: When an 82-year-old woman had her purse snatched in Pennsylvania in June, her 89-year-old friend swung her cane at the getaway car. Police later identified the vehicle by the dent and arrested the occupants. And yet she still loves him: In possibly the most bizarre automotive marriage of all time, Aston Martin -- whose cars run from $135,000 to more than $300,000 -- offers a gussied-up version of Scion's iQ subcompact. Called the Cygnet and priced around 30,000 euros, it's meant to be a second car that the company likens to "a tender to a luxury yacht." Racing legend Stirling Moss buys one of the first as a birthday gift for his wife. Let's do crunch: In July, a woman driving a $360,000 Bentley Azure convertible lost control of it in Monaco's ultra-chic Place du Casino. The fender-bender took out a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 and Aston Martin. The total value of the cars involved topped $1 million, and it's estimated she caused $60,000 in damages. Always sit up straight: Ford Explorer's manual warns, "Ensure that the seat is unoccupied when folding it down. Folding the seat while occupied could result in occupant injury or damage to the seat." They have minds of their own: Fiat warns that you should "Never allow your fingers... to project through the sunroof opening." A really hot performer: Mazda5's manual warns, "Do not use a match or live flame in the engine compartment." It's scary they have to warn you: Hyundai's manual suggests that you "do not inhale exhaust fumes" and "never attempt vehicle repairs in the traffic lanes of a public road or highway."   [more]   [top of page]

SEARCH the Web:

· News
· Driversions!
· FREE eBook
· FREE Newsletter
· Books
· Tell A Friend

· The Ratings
· Privacy Policy
· Editorial Reviews
· Suggestions
· Contacts
· Who We Are
· Link to Us
· FAQs
· Site Map
· Investors
· Advertising
· Media Kit