Archive for March, 2010
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.
Is it a car? Is it a helicopter? Actually it’s both. A futuristic dream becoming reality! The first flying automobile, equally at home in the sky or on the road – meet the gyrocopter PAL-V Europe NV. “Driving and flying will be combined in one vehicle that could cost little more than an executive saloon car.”
Experts have designed the world’s first practical flying car aimed at frustrated commuters – and it looks like a Reliant Robin.
The bizarre three-wheeled vehicle promises relief to motorists stuck in traffic jams by turning into an aircraft capable of soaring up to 4,000ft above congested roads. With a top speed of 125mph on land, the Personal Air and Land Vehicle, or PAL-V, corners like a motorbike by automatically tilting as it negotiates each bend. But hidden in its roof and rear are a foldable rotor, propeller and tail section which allow it to take off and fly at speeds up to 120mph.
Its comical appearance betrays its rapid acceleration from 0 to 60 in just 5 seconds – a far cry from Del Boy Trotter’s yellow Robin Reliant in Only Fools and Horses. Its inventors believe that when the the one-seater cars go on sale to the public, they would cost little more than an executive saloon car. When airborne, the PAL-V is similar to the tiny autogyro aircraft Sean Connery flew in the 1967 James Bond movie ‘You Only Live Twice’.
The PAL-V Europe NV’s design includes a rotor on the roof to lift it through the air, and a propeller at the rear to provide forward thrust.
To fly the PAL-V you need a recreational pilot’s licence, which takes between 10 and 20 hours training to obtain, while a normal driver’s licence covers you for use on the road.
If you secretly nurtured a dream of owning a flying car, the good news is your dream can be a reality by 2011.
Terrafugia, a start-up created by Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winner Carl Dietrich and colleagues at MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is aiming to show off what it calls the Transition “personal air vehicle,” a vehicle resembling an SUV with retractable wings, to the EAA AirVenture Conference in Oshkosh, Wis., at the end of July 2009.
TMIT students, from Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, have successfully flight tested the prototype of a winged car for the first time. This car took off from a runway in Plattsburgh, New York. It flew for 37 seconds. The engine used in this whole exercise was 100 hp Rotax engine that gets 30 mpg on the highway using regular unleaded gasoline.
Many people do not think about car insurance until they need it. That’s perfectly natural. However, to save your family some stress and anxiety, be sure that you always have current car insurance. Your car insurance protects you and your car in case of an accident. Policies vary, so it is critical to check your car insurance policy. Most car insurance policies will cover you if you have a car accident with another car at either you are at fault or it is a no-fault accident. Your car insurance will pay to have your car repaired. The good news is there are some simple steps you can take to get cheaper car insurance and keep down the cost of covering your set of wheels:
1. The car insurance industry relies on customers being enticed with generous initial offers which don’t last forever, so the key message when looking for cheaper car insurance is shop around. Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show you can save 35% on your premium by comparing as few as five car insurance providers – so don’t automatically settle for your renewal premium until you have made sure it is competitive.
2. Auto Car insurers use a combination of factors to work out how much to charge. Those living in areas with high crime rates can expect to pay more, as can those in certain professions. This is why it is crucial to keep your policy details accurate and up-to-date, including as much information as you can about factors such as where you park the car, your mileage, and whether you use the car for commuting.
3. Make savings by buying online, and by paying for your car insurance annually upfront, rather than in monthly instalments.