Ford is developing technology that eliminates the gasoline engine completely. The all-electric vehicle runs on a powerful, rechargeable, high-voltage lithium-ion battery targeted to go up to 100 miles on a single charge. The new Ford Focus Electric is one of the five electrified vehicles that Ford wil release over the next three years.
Ford Focus Electric Hatchback runs exclusively on electricity stored in powerful, advanced high-voltage lithium-ion battery system, which means it never needs a drop of gas. Its electric motor is designed to help reduce energy loss and heat generation, while reducing your carbon footprint.
The Focus Electric Hatchback is powered by a 23 kwh high-voltage, lightweight lithium-ion battery system. It uses an advanced active liquid cooling and heating process to regulate battery temperature and help maximize battery life, so you can get the most miles out of each charge.
The German sports car manufacturer Wiesmann builds puristic sports cars in a classic design along with the most modern technology.
The first Wiesmann Roadster was created in 1993 and since then has become a symbol for timeless elegance. The Wiesmann Roadster has evolved continuously since then. To-date, over 680 Roadsters have been produced. There has been a wide range of detailed visual and technical modifications undertaken in recent years. However, the classic design has not been changed in the process.
The body of the Wiesmann Roadster MF3 has captivatingly distinct, curved lines and an unmistakeable face. The roadster MF3 has a body made of glass-fibre reinforced composite material and the power-to-weight ratio of 3.44 kg/hp.
Under the body, the hot-dip galvanised space frame chassis with tremendous torsional rigidity also contributes to the vehicle’s safety. It is aluminium-panelled and equipped with sturdy side-impact protection, a unique detail in the automotive landscape.
The Wiesmann Roadster’s engine technology comes from the BMW stable. The 6 Cylinder 3.2 Litre 343 HP BMW engine powers the Wiesmann Roadster MF3. The powerful BMW engines are well known for their agility and sporty pretensions, and provide impressive performance in the Wiesmann Roadster. The roadster sprints from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.9 Seconds and has a top speed of only 255 km/h.
The German automaker BMW announced voluntary recalls of 350,000 BMW vehicles globally, including 5800 Rolls – Royce, because of problem with brakes.
BMW AG is issuing the recall of nearly 200,000 luxury vehicles in the U.S. in order to fix leaks that could develop in the power braking system of the cars. This problem can result in a loss of vacuum pressure and a reduction in the amount of braking assistance the system gives the driver. When this occurs, the mechanical brakes still function and can slow and stop the car, but requires more driver effort to press the pedal.
It might also affect another 150,000 cars of the same series around the globe.
The BMW Recall 2010 covers various models of BMW vehicles, including BMW 5 Series, 6 Series, and 7 Series that are powered by V8 and V12 engines. Vehicles included in the BMW Recall 2010:
- 2002-2008 BMW 745i/Li, 750i/Li and 760i/Li;
- 2007-2008 BMW Alpina B7;
- 2004-2010 BMW 645i and 650i;
- 2004-2010 BMW 545i and 550i,
- 2003-2010 Rolls Royce Phantom models.
We put motor oil in our engines to serve several purposes. First, obviously, oil acts as a lubricant. If your engine is operating correctly, there is almost no metal to metal contact – everything is riding on a thin film of oil. However, oil has several other important jobs to do. Oil circulates throughout your engine, and cools parts that cannot get near a water jacket. For example, it’s becoming common in sport bikes to spray oil on the underside of the piston to cool it. There are no water jackets at all in your transmission. Motorcycle transmissions are oil cooled.
Your piston rings do not do a perfect job of sealing. Some combustion by products will slip past the rings into the engine. This can be little particles of carbon. Remember, diamond is carbon that was combined under heat and pressure. These little carbon particles can be quite damaging to your engine. Another job of your oil is to hold these particles in suspension until the oil filter can grab them. Also, if your gasoline has sulphur in it (it does), this sulphur can react with water and oxygen to make sulphuric acid. This is some stuff that is seriously bad for your engine. Your oil has special ingredients in it called buffers to neutralize acids. Finally, your engine can get internal build ups of tars, waxes, and other gunk. Your oil has solvents to try to dissolve this stuff and get and keep your engine clean.
Why deal with multiple bills and phone calls to different carriers? Get home and auto coverage together with Amica — and save both time and money! In most states, Amica can give you a significant discount for insuring your auto and home together.
These are the 2biggest investments you’re likely to make. So get the best coverage possible on both, and save money today!
Amica Mutual Insurance Company
Founded in 1907, Amica Mutual Insurance Company is the oldest mutual insurer of automobiles in the United States. Amica Mutual offers Auto, Homeowners, Marine, and Excess Liability insurance and does business in all states, except Hawaii.
Amica has always operated on the principle of exceeding customer expectations by providing the highest quality service in the industry.
- Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine has ranked Amica among the top 25 “Customer Service Champs” in the U.S. for the past four years.
- Amica earned the highest rating for financial strength from the A.M. Best Company: A++ (Superior)*
- Amica has more than 3,200 employees in 40 offices across the country.
- Amica provides insurance to more than 700,000 households.
Glenn Beck kicked off Monday’s radio show by thanking the many attendees at Saturday’s “Restoring Honor” rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial — at least 500,000 by his count. Glenn Beck said he’s “still waiting on the real number” and plans to look closely during his 5 p.m. Fox News show at photos of the large crowd assembled on the National Mall. Glenn Beck Rally Attendance.
The Glenn Beck rally — which took place on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the memorial — drew a good deal of controversy, with civil rights leaders holding a countermarch. But the event largely kept free of overt political references, as Glenn Beck (a longtime scourge of the Obama White House) had pledged it would. It stressed religious themes, together with celebrations of noncontroversial virtues such as charity and national service.
Even though Glenn Beck is still tabulating a crowd estimate, it can be expected to be significantly higher than the number CBS News reported over the weekend: 87,000.
How much do you value the engine in your car? Think about it, because the life of your engine depends in no small part on the quality of the oil you put in it – oil is the lifeblood of your car’s engine. From the mid 80′s for 8 or 9 years there was a veritable revolution in car engine oil. All oils were no longer the same thanks to the popularity of hot hatches, 16-valve engines and turbos as the tuner scene started to rise. Combined with the devastating problems of black death, the days of one oil catering for everyone were over.
Take Castrol for example. They led the field for years with GTX. This was surpassed a few years back by semi-synthetic and fully synthetic oils, including GTX2 and GTX3 Lightec. Now, that’s been surpassed by Formula SLX which can cost upwards of $75 for 5 litres. And most recently, Castrol GTX Magnatec which is muscling in on the hitherto separate world of friction reducers.
Since late 2008, Chrysler and General Motors have received over $85 billion in loans from the federal government. These funds were designed to revamp their current manufacturing and assembling processes. Additionally, these funds were appropriated for research and development for the production of advanced vehicles with fuel economies of at least 35 mpg by 2020. However, recent reports suggest about $30 billion will never be recovered. Consequently, both companies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2009. Since this filing, General Motors has unloaded four brands from their lineup: Saturn, Pontiac, Saab, and Hummer. Moreover, Chrysler has merged with Fiat, with plans to create smaller, more profitable vehicles. The 2009 car and light truck sales totals are at their lowest in 28 years, leaving plenty of room for speculation of these companies potential sustainability.
The beginning of 2010 continues to be a good time for car buyers. Creative buying incentives from the “Big Three” U.S. automotive companies have enticing offers to any customer walking through their dealership doors. General Motors just ended their campaign to unload all of their Pontiac and Saturn inventories with savings of up to over $7,000 per vehicle. Currently, GM is offering 0% APR financing or up to $4,500 cash back on new vehicles. Chrysler is offering incentives similar to that of GM. However, their cash back options are about $2,000 less than that of GM. Toyota, seeing a significant decrease in profits last year, are also promising low APR financing options. Expect to continue to see these specials for at least the next two quarters.
1. Initial homework – Find out about the car you are considering. Check out any known mechanical problems with that model. The consumer magazine Which! offers good long term reviews on cars. Which! offers a 1-month trial for just £1.
2. Current prices – Check out the current second hand value for the car. A good place to start is www.whatcar.com. Also get your local paper and some of the specialist second hand car magazines and look up the prices of similar cars.
3. Running costs – Plenty of costs in relation to running a car, including -
- Insurance – do a quick check on the internet. Also do a search for the car’s ‘insurance band’ which will be quoted between 1-20, 20 being the most expensive
- Road tax – is the car currently taxed, if so when does it run out. Cars are now taxed depending on CO2 emissions – check here
- General running costs – fuel economy, servicing, tyres etc.
At last, starting next week, General Motors and Ford Motor will receive normal supplies of auto components from an Indian producer, after a 45-day strike ended.
Rico Auto Industries Ltd. will resume full supplies to General Motors and Ford Motor after workers agreed to end their strike last night, Surendra Singh Chaudhary, senior vice president in charge of human resources, said by phone today. About 2,200 workers struck at the company’s factory (at Gurgaon near New Delhi), demanding that 16 of their colleagues who were suspended be reinstated.
General Motors and Ford temporarily shut factories because of the shortage of components, even as they strive to boost sales amid the worst global recession since the 1930s. Automakers sourced $3.6 billion worth of parts from India in the year ended March 2008, compared with $330 million a decade ago, according to the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India.