Ford Figo 2009: Small car for India

Ford Motor Co. understand two things, smaller cars are now the future, and they have to push down production cost. Ford thinks that they might have the answer to both, and that is with the launch of its Figo 2009- its first small car to be produced in India. Read more

Porsche at 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show

When you think of sports cars, Porsche are a brand that is right at the top of the list, but the German automaker mixed things up a few years back when they introduced their SUV. Late last year, Porsche announced their first four-door vehicle, the Panamera. While at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, Porsche has been giving us details about what other vehicles we can expect soon. Read more

Cash for Clunkers: Recall and Senate Vote

It has been confirmed that the US Senate has extended the Cash for Clunkers problem, as widely expected. We reported to you here that it was only a matter of time until the deal got improved, but now its a reality.

Its good news for consumers, as an extra $2 billion pumped into in the Cash for Clunkers program, will now allow half a million more Americans to make use of the program.

As reported from Examiner, the Sierra Club has just announced that they will continue helping consumers to understand the economical benfefits that the program brings, in helping to choose the right vehicle for them.

If you head over to their online guide here, you’ll see that they have added a calculator which lets you compare the emissions reduction benefits and fuel savings for various new models.

Ann Mesnikoff, Director of Sierra Club’s Green Transportation Campaign had this to add on the matter:

“We are excited to continue helping consumers choose a vehicle that gives a boost to both the economy and our environment. Choosing the right new vehicle will save money at the pump, cut dependence on oil, reduce carbon emissions, and help the auto industry.”

Head over to the Examiner for the full article. Keep up to date with the latest news on Cash for Clunkers here.

GM CEO Fritz Henderson: Exiting bankruptcy protection

On June 1, 2009, General Motors had filed for bankruptcy protection, well according to General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson; GM will be able to exit bankruptcy protection long before the 60 to 90 days timeline. Henderson said that GM is moving aggressively and according to plan. Read more

Camaro Accessories, Black, and Earnhardt, Jr. at live show

GM have been showing all there is to show of the Camaro, they had a range of different Camaro’s on show as well as a host of accessories. On show at Camaro Live was the Camaro Black Concept, Camaro Convertible Concept and the Dale Jr. Camaro. Read more

Software Automation to Play Key Role Reducing Rising Energy Costs

STOUGHTON, Mass., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ — In a white paper announced today, Beagle Research Group, LLC founder and managing principal Denis Pombriant called on the software industry to develop and enhance technologies that can reduce corporate energy use and create greater customer intimacy Read more

Ceramic Nanotechnology Applied to Metal Restoration to Create Fuel-Savings

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ — The value of ceramic as a thermal barrier and for protection against corrosion has been proven in thousands of applications over the last five decades in the electronics industry, and in other products. Ceramic coatings, achieved through a physiochemical process, can create a ceramic-metal structure that reduces friction in metal-to-metal environments Read more

Toyota Profit hits five year low: Down 28 percent

Toyota Motor Corp. has seen a huge drop in their profit, the biggest in five years. The world’s second-largest carmaker has blamed poor sales of sport-utility vehicles and trucks, due to high fuel prices.

Toyota has reported that their net income has fallen by 28 percent to 353.7 billion yen or $3.2 billion, shares are now just 112.28 yen a share. The year earlier net income was 491.5 billion yen, or 153.89 yen per share.

According to Bloomberg, Toyota’s operating profit in North America feel by 57 percent, as we mentioned it is the sale of larger vehicles that have seen the biggest drop. Katsuaki Watanabe, President of Toyota Motor Corp. has had to halt the production of Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs for three months as a result of high oil prices.

Toyota has always been known for their larger vehicles, where Honda seems to produce smaller and fuel-efficient cars. This has seen an 8.1 percent gain for the automaker.

It is not just Toyota who is being hit with huge profit losses; Ford and GM are two more to add to that list. Automakers are now facing a fork in the road; they now have some tough decisions to make. One thing is certain; they will all have to think about producing smaller fuel-efficient cars.

2009 MAZDA Details: CX-9, MAZDA6, CX-7, MAZDA5, RX-8 & More

MAZDA6 Sports Sedan - The 2009 MAZDA6 is all new, and built specifically for the North American market. Lessons learned from the first MAZDA6 and Mazda’s newer successful vehicles - especially the Mazda CX-7 and award-winning CX-9 - encouraged a clean-sheet approach to building the best mid-size sports sedan the US market has ever experienced.

All efforts have been focused on a single four-door sedan bodystyle offered in two basic series: the MAZDA6 i powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and the MAZDA6 s powered by a 3.7-liter V-6. The lineup also includes a comprehensive choice of equipment levels, interior colors and distinct interior trims Read more

Supermarkets begin petrol price war

I am getting a little exited just thinking about this piece of new, it looks as though the UK’s top supermarkets have started a petrol price war. This will bring a huge relief to millions of motorists in the UK.

Asda have cut the cost of a litre of unleaded and diesel by 3p, Morrisons then reacted by reducing theirs by 4p. Both supermarkets have said that the reason for reducing the price of fuel is a direct result of the price of a barrel of oil going down.

Sainsbury’s have announced a new promotion, if you spend £50 in store; you will receive a voucher for 5p of a litre. That is the same deal that Tesco has on at the moment.

Tesco have also announced that they are reducing the price of a litre of diesel and unleaded by 4p.

BP are only lowering their prices by 1p, well at least it is better than nothing.

According to The Guardian, the AA president, Edmund King has said that this current price cuts show that the fuel spike has now reached a plateau. Hopefully if the price of oil drops further, then we could see even more reduction in the price of fuel.

76.3mpg Ford Fiesta ECOnetic at British International Motor Show

Ford’s new ultra-frugal Fiesta was unveiled at the British International Motor Show today, completing the company’s small, medium and large car ECOnetic line-up.

The wraps came off the 76.3mpg Ford Fiesta ECOnetic – Britain’s greenest family car with CO2 emissions of 98g/km. On sale from £11,800 by the end of this year, Ford Fiesta ECOnetic joins existing Mondeo and Focus ECOnetic models Read more

Elevated Gas Prices: Ford helps you save money on fuel

Ford calls it EcoDriving – ECOnomical because it saves money and ECOlogical because it is better for the environment. Following are simple tips from Ford that any driver can use:

Consolidate trips – Plan ahead to consolidate your trips. This will enable you to bypass congested routes, lead to less idling, fewer start-ups and less stop-and-go traffic. Whenever feasible, share a ride and/or carpool.

Choose the right oil – Use good quality, energy-conserving EC oils with the viscosity grade recommended in the Owner’s Manual Read more

What Credit Crunch? New iPhone 3G selling out

The reason we ask if there is a Credit Crunch, it seems hard to believe that we are actually in one when you see how the consumer keeps spending like there is no tomorrow.

Today has seen nearly every Apple, O2 and Carphone Warehouse store sell out of iPhone 3G’s, if they have not yet then they will do buy the end of the day.

100 Mortgages has raised this point and why spend like we do with the economy in the state it is? Interest rates feared to increase to keep inflation down, house prices dropping, oil prices extremely high and food prices increase thanks to the cost of fuel.

Have you bought the new iPhone 3G today and if so, does it not worry you with budgets getting tighter?

If your in a contract already then we can understand that you can get the iPhone 3G for free on a price plan £45 or more and its only £99 for the iPhone this time.

Some families will need this £99 in the months to come and the £45 a month will be near impossible to find, so looking at the demand for the iPhone 3G today, we guess inflation may keep rising and the consumer is not that worried about the future.

New buyers will have to keep up this contract for 18 months, even if they have no money.

Via 100 Mortgages

U.S. auto sales hits 15 year low: more fuel-efficient cars needed

It looks as though the current price of a barrel of oil is now having a profound affect on U.S. auto sales, which have now hit a 15 year low. The rest of 2008 does not like it will be any better, now automakers are working hard to meet the demand for smaller fuel-efficient cars. So it now shows that the current credit crisis is not just causing problems for the housing market.

Many automakers in the U.S. are now cutting the production of trucks; they are now scrambling to increase production of fuel-efficient cars as it is these that are now showing more sales strength. Auto sales for North America are down 18.3 percent from June 2007, this is now the worst half year sales performance since 1993. Autodata Corp has released some data stating that U.S. consumers purchased just 7.41 million vehicles in the first half of 2008.

According to Freep, some automakers are having worse sales figures than others, Chrysler LLC is 35.9% down, Ford Motor Co. is down by 27.8%, and Toyota Motor Corp. is down by 21.4%. Also down is Nissan Motor Co. by 17.7% as well as General Motors Corp. who are down 18.2%.

However Honda Motor Co. has bucked the market by reporting a 1.1% sales increase; this is a result of their more affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles.

It is not just in the U.S that people are wanting more fuel-efficient cars, in the UK they have to pay £5.40 a liter, that about $10.69. Also they are being taxed for having larger cars, so more people want to sell their larger cars and swap them for smaller cars.

Review 2008 BMW X6 and 2009 Infiniti FX: More Sport, Less Utility

Just a few years back one of the most popular types of vehicles was the S.U.V., but it seems as if an epidemic is now hitting this popular vehicle. We have always known that this type of vehicle is thirsty on fuel, and with the current high oil prices, this was something that BMW and Nissan had to address when developing their 2008 X6 and the 2009 Infiniti FX. It seems that these vehicles are now sneaking a little towards being a station wagon.

Ok I understand that these Sports Utility Vehicles do not look much like a station wagon, but The New York Times has hit on something very interesting about their mission statements. Both are unit-body four-door hatchbacks with a priority on performance and luxury trappings. So will these new vehicles be able to cut in this tough market, remember economy has to be the major factor now.

The 2008 BMW X6 is being called a SAC or sports activity coupe, BMW have decided to trade the back seat area so that they could have that sloping roofline. ON first look the X6 looks like an over grown hatchback, however just consider that this beast managed to pull about 6,000 pounds, so that V-8 really comes in handy. The NY Times sums the car up by saying that the “X6 is basically a luxury tow-vehicle sports-car grocery-getter 4-by-4 hatchback.”

Nissan like BMW faced the very same challenge with their new 2009 Infiniti FX and it seems that the car maker has come up with a fresh new design. The front end is blunt while the roofline is tapered; the vehicle seems to have a more aggressive stance than the older Nissan Murano did.

The 2009 Infiniti FX uses 21-inch rims and vender vents also helps to give it that sinister and aggressive look. Both the BMW and Nissan offer the choice of a V-6 or V-8, so if you want to be kinder to the environment you now have a choice. As you would expect the BMW’s engines seems to be a little more refined than the ones used in the Nissan, The Infiniti FX engines are slightly larger than the BMW’ but this is because BMW have dropped twin turbochargers inside.

For a full review visit: NY Times

Honda to mass produce and lease FCX Clarity fuel-cell car

Honda have announced that they are to mass produce their FCX Clarity fuel-cell car, they hope to be able to do this within the next ten years. Honda, who are Japans second largest automaker after Toyota, are looking for ways to meet public demand for more fuel efficient car models, and they might just have the answer with the Honda FCX Clarity. Read more

Hyundai i800 full-size van: on sale in Europe in late June

When it comes to full-size passenger vans in Europe it seems that only a few companies have a decent choice to choose from, while in the US they have a huge choice of these vehicles to choose from. However; from June drivers in Europe will have the opportunity to choose the Hyundai i800, well those in the UK will. There are a total of eight seats this includes the two three-passenger benches at the two rear rows as well as the all important driver chair and the passenger seat beside it.

This huge van is powered by a four-cylinder 2.5 Liter CRDi diesel engine which has a combined fuel economy figure of 33.2 mpg. Do not expect much from the Hyundai i800; it is in fact a pimped-up van with a few extra toys thrown in to the interior to make life a little more comfortable. Unlike a van thought this passenger vehicle comes with coil-sprung rear suspension which gives a softer ride, the design of the i800 is a little les intrusive than a van is also.

The Hyundai i800 well be a great vehicle if you have a large family or you and a few work colleges need to get to the airport in a bit more comfort than a minibus, and one thing is certain, the U.S. market can’t wait to get their hands on the Hyundai i800

Source - AutoBlog

Ford 2009 Escape and Mercury Mariner get advanced 6-speed automatic transmission

Ford Motor Company is fitting the 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner with the automaker’s newest, advanced 6-speed automatic transmission, further demonstrating its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy for customers.

The new 6F35 front-wheel-drive transmission offers a 4 to 6 percent improvement in fuel economy versus conventional 4- and 5-speed automatics, in addition to improved acceleration.

“With a greater gear span, the 6F35 allows the engine to operate at more optimum combinations of speed and load to meet certain driving conditions,” said Craig Renneker, chief engineer for new automatic transmissions, Ford Powertrain Operations. “The new transmission also enables the engine to run at lower speeds on the highway, which aids fuel economy.”

The 6F35 will be mated to a new 2.5L I-4 engine and a power-improved 3.0L V-6 in the 2009 Escape and Mariner. The engine offers horsepower increases of 17hp for the I-4 and by 40hp for the V-6, while also boosting fuel economy by 1 mpg when mated to the new six-speed transmission. The 2009 Mazda Tribute also will feature the 6F35, as will two other vehicles early next year.

The new 6-speed offers numerous technologies and design features that increase durability, performance and quietness. Ford’s patented one-way rocker clutches allow for smoother, quieter, more precise shifts. Working like a socket wrench, the rocker clutches spin freely one way, but securely lock in the other direction. As result, gears are engaged and disengaged more quickly.

Other notable features include:

• Chain-driven secondary gearset – Specifically designed with random-size links, the unique chain reduces noise, vibration and harshness when driving the transmission’s secondary gearset.
• Unique pump-filter interface – Virtually eliminates pump whine, contributing to projected best-in-class noise, vibration and harshness characteristics.
• Flat-tow capability – Vehicles equipped with the 6F35 can be flat towed (all four wheels on the road) behind other vehicles without damaging the transmission. When flat towed, the transmission is in neutral, but internal parts rotate, causing heat. With the engine turned off during towing, the pump cannot create pressure to move oil around in the transmission and cool parts. To address this, internal baffling was added to the 6F35 to capture and direct oil to key areas.
• Fluid fill for life – A special blend of transmission fluid is maintenance free for the life of the gearbox.
• Transmission System Characterization – A process that utilizes software to ensure proper transmission operation before a vehicle leaves the assembly plant. During final testing, the functioning of several common shift cycles are matched against established parameters. Variability is then corrected by software in the Powertrain Control Module. The process helps deliver a high-quality, correctly operating transmission to customers from the very first day they drive their new vehicle.

Quality Tested for Durability
Ford automatic transmissions are subjected to hundreds of hours of durability, noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) testing. A series of accelerated durability trials equate to 150,000 miles of the most abusive customer usage under extreme conditions.

“One test for the 2009 Escape was to run in fourth gear with maximum trailer load at 100 mph for 15 miles. And that was repeated about 500 times,” explained Rich Rej, 6F35 systems engineer, Ford Powertrain Operations. “We determine what the most abusive driver would do to our transmissions and then we do more to it to make sure that we are delivering a high-quality, durable gearbox for our customers.”

Ford also utilizes a state-of-the-art Transmission NVH Hemi Anechoic Chamber that allows engineers to develop hardware to meet noise and vibration targets that will result in a quiet, interior cabin, and yield higher customer satisfaction levels for transmission quietness.

The new 6F35 6-speed automatic transmission is assembled at Ford’s Van Dyke Transmission Plant, which also produces the 6F50 6-speed automatic in 2008 models of the Ford Taurus, Taurus X, Edge, Mercury Sable, Lincoln MKX and 2009 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS.

2008 Chevrolet Tahoe: world’s first two-mode hybrid SUV

Before you go out and make your purchase on a new SUV, maybe you should stop a think a little about the planet that we are living on. If you were to purchase the new 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, which is actually the Read more

Xbox 360 Frontlines: Fuel of War review, is it another COD4 rip-off

One of the hottest talked about games that are being released on the Xbox 360 soon is the first person shooter Frontlines: Fuel of War. IGN raises a good question and that is people are wondering if these FPS games are now Read more

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