7th
November
2009
Automotive News [sub] reports that the Senate has passed a $2 billion extension to the Cash for Clunkers program, extending the deal through Labor Day. President Obama has already said he would sign the bill. But will it help the taxpayer-owned auto firms that desperately need a boost? Will sales levels continue at their current surging rates? Will fraud stories start popping up as they have in Germany? Who cares. America loves a deal.
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7th
November
2009
An early look at the performance of the red light cameras in Temple Terrace, Florida shows that they have done nothing to improve safety. Instead of merely repeating city claims on the topic, investigative reporters for the Tampa station WFTS ordered accident reports and checked the data for themselves. Although the program has been operational for a year, police only released enough data to produce a limited snapshot of the effect on accidents. Over the first five months of the program, accidents decreased citywide by 13 percent compared to the same period a year earlier without cameras. At intersections with cameras, however, the number of accidents more than doubled from six to fourteen. Contrary to claims that red light cameras decrease accident severity, the average police estimate of damage costs for each accident increased by twenty percent after cameras were installed.
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7th
November
2009
On April 1st, 2008 significant modifications to road safety regulations in the Canadian provinces of Québec and Nova Scotia went into effect. CTV.ca reports that handheld cellular phones are now verboten while at the wheel, though hands free devices are still tolerated. Nova Scotia will begin ticketing the offense immediately, while Québec has allowed for a three-month grace periods in which offenders will only receive stern warnings and moralizing sermons. The first offense in Nova Scotia will cost $165, while costing $80-$110 and three demerit points in Québec. Still not satisfied, road safety advocate Jean-Marie de Koeninck argues that “[h]ands-free is just as dangerous. (But) by forbidding the hand-held it does send a signal that there is a problem with the cellphone, there’s a problem with concentration”. Meanwhile, the same traffic safety bill in Québec also doubled all speeding fines , with new suspension of license provisions for those caught traveling at 40 km/h over the limit in under-60 zones, 50 km/h in 60-90 over zones, and 60 km/h over in 100+ zones. All in the name of safety, presumably.
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7th
November
2009
Opel/Vauxhall - the final twist?
4th November 2009 15:06
I can’t help wondering if yesterday’s GM announcement that it wants to retain Opel/Vauxhall really is the final twist. Has a piece of the jigsaw that we don’t yet know about just fallen into place? Are some old private equity ‘friends’ in a position to help with capital for restructuring in return for some equity in GM Europe?
GM in the driving seat with an acquiescent investor partner simply eyeing a return on investment with maybe even a buy-back option for GM in, say, three years when everything is looking a whole lot better on the Opel/Vauxhall finances?
It’s just a thought, but if something like that were going on in the background, it probably would have not been announced at the same time as yesterday’s announcement for reasons of political sensitivity. Better to say that GM simply prefers to retain Opel than that it is also actually planning on giving a significant stake to, say, RHJ which is making a billion dollars immediately available for essential restructuring and investment. That news might be better to break to governments after the Magna-deal-off fuss has died down a bit and a new business plan is available.
Look, there have been so many twists in this saga I can’t help inventing my own.
COMMENT: GM looks to the future over Opel/Vauxhall
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7th
November
2009
So what is the very first thing you would improve on your new vehicle? (New, of course, meaning a broad range of things to a group like us Car Lust folk.) For me, it is the sound system. There are many varied ways in which you can modify and personalize your ride these days. While the sound system may not be my personal favorite mod if money isn’t a concern, the reality is, for me at least, that money is always a concern.
Every vehicle I have had since my very first 1979 Toyota Corolla has received a stereo upgrade shortly after I have acquired the vehicle. In the early days it was a cassette player so I could plug my Discman in to listen to tunes. Then, shortly thereafter, I installed some new speakers. But these weren’t just any speakers, these were home speakers, still in the box. I was broke and looking for more volume, and honestly, I didn’t know any better I had no clue about impedance and ohms and wire gauge, I just wanted more bump. Of course having speaker boxes sitting in your back seat is inconvenient for carrying passengers; since the speakers weren’t affixed to anything, stopping fast became an adventure in dodge-speaker, the cousin to dodge-ball.
My Frankensteining of vehicles with audio components didn’t stop there.
A few cars later came my beloved 75 Chevy Impala. This started out with a new cassette player, but this time it had RCA outs. I was looking forward to the day where I would be able to afford a sub-woofer and amplifier to make the thing go boom, but in the meantime I worked my way through the car replacing all the speakers and wiring. First, I put an improved speaker in the center of the dash. Then, wanting better stereo sound in front, I added some 5¼ component speakers up front. Then new 6×9’s in the rear deck. Eventually I added a subwoofer & amplifier in the trunk.
Now, you might think I’d stop there, but that wasn’t enough. Here I had one of the largest land barges on the road, with a trunk that could comfortably sleep three. Always being one to experiment, I decided that the whole trunk would be my sound chamber for my sub-woofer. I proceeded to seal any air leaks in the trunk, sprayed everything with sound deadening, and then cut a hole in the rear deck and dropped in a 12-inch sub. Remarkably, it sounded pretty good. It wasn’t until after this project that I bothered to learn about sound dynamics and many other things important to making a stereo sound good. But I was happy; you could hear me rollin’ two blocks away.
The vehicle I have put the most time, money and love into, though, is my 1988 Chevy S-10. I have an extended cab that over the years has held little other than stereo equipment. My truck has seen a half-dozen stereos, ranging from cassette to drop-down CD players (I’ve yet to move up the DVD players). I have run various configurations of multiple subs and amps. I have replaced each and every part many times over–high quality dash speakers, rear pillar speakers wiring, etc. I even removed a jump seat and added sound deadening in the hole that created and built a custom sub enclosure that would extend into this new-found space. You name it, I’ve tried it, to the point where today the dash is falling apart from being taken apart so many times.
But no matter what, when I get a new ride, it gets tunes. And for me, that makes this the single most important upgrade. The truck can run rough and need a tune-up, but the sound will come first. It might need tires, but I need my tunes. The window is cracked? With just a bit more bass we can get it to run all the way across. What’s that you say? I can’t hear you, but I’m turning it up anyhow!
–Big Chris
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7th
November
2009
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Fall is here, Is you Subaru ready for winter?
Things to look at on your Subaru now that the leaves are starting to turn color are as follows.
The engine oil level and condition should be inspected, if it has been longer than a few months since it has been changed now is the time.
Engine coolant should be inspected for level, proper freeze protection and for any signs of contamination.
The wiper blades should be checked for streaking, tears and cracks. Windshield washer fluid should be checked for level and freeze protection as well.
Tires should be checked for the proper pressure, wear, punctures (screws and nails) and for weather checking this is also a good time to consider rotating and balancing the tires as well.
All of the lights should be checked for proper function and the head light lenses inspected for any signs of dulling or pitting as this can be corrected and greatly improve night time visibility.
If the Subaru is due for any maintenance such as the transmission fluid or differential fluids being serviced now is the time, as starting out the cold part of the year with fresh fluids will go a long way in protecting the devices the fluids are intended to lubricate.
The coolant hoses and accessory drive belts should be inspected and replaced if the hoses feel soft or crunchy, or if the belts are cracked or frayed.
This is a good time to inspect the spare tire, vehicle jack and lug wrench, a flat spare tire really won’t do you much good.
The battery should be serviced and tested; the charging and starting systems looked at as well including the battery cables.
These are just a few examples of ways to get your Subaru ready for fall and winter; a little preventative maintenance can go a long way towards a trouble free Fall and Winter driving season.
Thanks for reading
Justin
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7th
November
2009
SHANGHAI, China — The Rolls-Royce luxury brand has a good feeling about China. The company’s Asia Pacific director says he expects that sales in China and India will account for three-quarters of its total business in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The action of the Chinese government to put money into infrastructure during the recession helped things considerably,” said Colin Kelly in Shanghai this week. “People who buy our cars tend to be more entrepreneurial, and when they start to feel good, they start to buy cars.”
Rolls-Royce, now owned by BMW, sold 106 cars in China last year, accounting for 50 percent of the sales in the Asia-Pacific region. China, which overtook Japan to be Rolls-Royce’s biggest market in Asia-Pacific for the first time, contributes about 10 percent to Rolls-Royce’s global sales with seven dealerships nationwide.
Compared with a 30 percent sales fall in the first half of this year, Kelly said sales have been robust in the fourth quarter in Asia-Pacific. Pre-orders for Rolls’ new model, the Ghost, are also solid, particularly in China, Kelly added, although he didn’t give any figures.
Inside Line says: The very British appeal of the brand is spreading steadily. — Vivian Jin, Correspondent
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7th
November
2009
Source: General Motors
DETROIT – Chevrolet delivers a futuristic vision of technology and design with the 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept. A version of the model was first shown at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show and stars as “Sideswipe” in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Corvette Stingray Concept represents both the iconic legacy and an exciting future for Corvette.
The Corvette Stingray Concept was developed as an internal design challenge to combine classic Corvette cues with surprisingly high-tech features, modern materials, and a striking new appearance. The car is well-appointed with a clamshell hood, scissor-style doors, ergonomic seats, rear-view camera with night vision enhancement, and a high performance hybrid drive. Interactive touch controls allow the driver to customize the power and efficiency of his or her ride and share it with friends via the in-car camera system and advanced telemetrics.
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7th
November
2009
Here are a few figures worthy of note: hybrid sales are up 11.4% year-on-year this October, while also grabbing a 2.9% market share.
Also keep in mind that overall light duty vehicle sales were pretty much flat. According to Autodata, October 2009 saw 838,052 units sold, while October 2008 had 838,156.
Why is this significant? Hybrids managed this increase despite relatively low gas prices and a slumping economy.
Toyota, not surprisingly, sold the most hybrids (18,757 units), a 15% increase year on year, while Ford followed in second (2,282 units) with a 14.3% increase year on year.
Reported US Sales of Hybrids Up 11.4% in October Year-on-Year; 2.9% New Vehicle Share for the Month (Green Car Congress)
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