Car Chute

The British School of Motoring has changed direction again, after being acquired through a pre-pack administration by the AA, in a deal that brings the UK’s two biggest driving schools under one roof.

Acromas, the private equity controlled group that owns the AA, said it would keep BSM and its 2,100 franchisee driving instructors as a separate company to its AA driving school, which has fewer than 2,000 instructors.

Article source: Article Source

Matt Stone

on
January 31 2011 9:00 AM

“The show was a failure, but at least the car was a success” chuckled Jay Leno, speaking of the electric orange Ford Focus ST driven by a wide variety of celebrities on a parking lot race track during episodes of The Jay Leno Show, NBC’s ill-fated stab at a primetime evening talk show.

Leno, car collector and motoring enthusiast par excellence, is serious in his commitment to alternative fuels and greener, cleaner energy and fuel sources.  Leno referenced his own 1909 Baker electric car, as well as Chevrolet’s Volt, as electric car pioneers of their times.  He also owns numerous steam powered cars.

The donation of this car to the museum also underscores Ford’s commitment to EVs, and that a pure electric Focus is on its way to market next year. The specially built, electric Focus was driven on Leno’s show by Drew Barymore, Steve Carell, then-governor Anrold Schwarzenegger, Serena Williams, and Sheryl Crow.  Its days as a gymkhana racer are over, and it will now join the Petersen’s impressive collection of built-in-LA, and alternative fuel vehicles.

Leno is philosophical about the need for EVs mentioning that if you drive an EV during the week, most of which cost about $1.50 to charge, then you earn enough energy points to drive a Cobra or a Hemi or a Viper on the weekend.  Good thought.

Source: Petersen.org,  jaylenosgarage.com

Tags : 2010 Ford, 2010

Article source: Article Source

Despite the recent surge in oil prices toward the US$100-a-barrel mark that caused such consternation just three years ago, we’re not in for another dramatic price spike.

Oil industry experts seem to agree that any rise at the pump will be slow and steady.

So we can keep driving our trucks, SUVs and land yachts, blithely ignoring the fact we’re still slurping fuel like drunken sailors. Truck sales soared in the United States in 2010, while the predicted increase in small-car growth slowed and hybrid sales all but stopped.

This has all manner of benefits, too, not the least of which is that the survival of at least two of the three major U.S. automakers is all but guaranteed, an outcome few would have ventured two years ago. Ford is the industry darling, having made phenomenal new products and avoided a bailout. General Motors has already started paying back said bailout money and, if its stock does indeed reach the US$50 predicted by analysts, governments will actually make a profit for their largesse. Car dealerships are booming and the travel industry is back on its feet.

It’s all good news, right?

Well, not quite. We’re not slowing down, driving less or embracing green cars. This year’s Detroit auto show was chockablock with alternatively fuelled automobiles -hybrids, plug-ins and EVs -all so much higher in price than conventionally fuelled automobiles that they will require a significant increase in fuel prices to be made viable.

And not just any fuel price increase, but a true kick-us-in-the-pants, hike that grabs our attention. The untold story is that the increased sales of gas guzzlers come among fuel prices that would have left us apoplectic just three years ago. We Canadians started screaming as soon as gas hit $1 a litre and the last time I filled up, my gas receipt indicated I spent $1.24 for every litre of high-test, not far off the $1.40 once deemed Armageddon. Californians pay as much as US$3.60 a gallon, again not far off the US$4 mark that was then determined to be the end of motoring as we know it.

Yet, unlike in 2007, when these prices led to massive protests and a surge in Prius sales, there’s been barely a peep in the papers, and this time we’ve responded by buying more pickups.

So if this gradual increase in fuel pricing continues, I suspect we may bitch and moan a little as each milestone — $1.50 a

Article source: Article Source

.

The first motorcar: the 1886 Benz Patent Motorwagen.

On 29 January 1886 Carl Benz filed an application in Berlin for a patent on his three-wheeled “motorwagen”. That date – 125 years ago this week – has always been celebrated as the birthday of the automobile. Not long after, Gottlieb Daimler built the first four-wheeled motorised carriage.

Between them, working completely independently of each other, they laid the foundations of all today’s cars, trucks and buses. The Patent Motorwagen was an exquisitely engineered lightweight, the Daimler a sturdy people carrier.

But at first nobody wanted them; the hissing, snorting, smoking machines were distrusted as “the devil’s work” and anyway, they would never be as reliable as a one-horsepower hayburner.

Something had to be done so, early one morning in August 1888, Benz’s wife Bertha – a woman of considerable character and personal charm – took the Motorwagen (without her husband’s knowledge), loaded up their two sons and set off from their home in Mannheim to visit her family in Pforzheim, 104km away.

It took about 16 hours – half the time it would have taken in a horse-drawn carriage – and late that evening Bertha was able to send her husband a telegram from Pforzheim to say they’d arrived safely. And a couple of days later she drove back again, following the scenic route along the banks of the Rhine to avoid some steep hills.

A new age of mobility had dawned – no arguments.

The first long-distance driver: Bertha Benz

.

When Daimler was technical head of the Deutz engine company in the early 1880′s he drew a star over a photo of the factory and his home alongside, as a symbom of progress; after that he and his sons used a three-pointed star as their emblem, particularly after Daimler left Deutz to pursue his dream of a self-propelled carriage.

But horseless carriages is exactly what they were – and that wasn’t good enough for Emil Jellinek, a silver-tongued Leipzig lad who, ten years later, was making a good living selling expensive cars to the titled rich of Nice on the French Riviera – and having a lot of fun racing them.

He went to see Daimler’s sons and their chief engineer,

Article source: Article Source

A year later, mystery lingers over the causes of unintended acceleration, even as experts at NASA continue to examine whether a glitch in Toyota’s electronics might be to blame and as the National Academy of Sciences considers whether the automotive industry as a whole faces similar risks.

The two reports – NASA’s may be complete by mid-February – should help clarify whether anything more went wrong beyond Toyota’s current set of explanations: loose floor mats, sticking pedals, and driver error.

Toyota has been working for the last year to try to put the issue into its rearview mirror. As the auto industry gears up for what it hopes will be its best year since 2007, it’s worth taking a snapshot of where the company stands.

Toyota still leads all automakers in worldwide vehicle sales, ahead of General Motors Co. and Volkswagen. Earlier this month, Toyota executives touted 2010′s results as evidence that the company had turned the corner quickly on the year’s ugly start – including a January that senior vice president Don Esmond said made 2010 into “essentially an 11-month year for us.”

“I know the common perception is that Toyota has been reeling this year as a result of those recalls,” Esmond told analysts and reporters. “But in fact, the final results include some remarkable accomplishments any company would love to report” – including a continued strong position in U.S. sales, with Camry leading all other car models for the ninth straight year. Esmond said the Toyota brand was “in full recovery mode.”

Article source: Article Source

Jan 31, 2011 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) —

Zipcar, Inc., a US-based car sharing service, has introduced eight Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid vehicles, or PHVs, into the Zipcar network, to further test and evaluate plug-in hybrid technology and gain increased intelligence on how electric vehicles can fit into a large-scale car-sharing model.

The Prius PHVs are now available to Zipcar members in Boston/Cambridge, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. The new vehicles are part of a pilot program with Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. to demonstrate plug-in hybrid technology, evaluate the performance of the vehicles and help to educate and prepare the public for the electrification of the automobile.

The Toyota Prius PHVs, which will become commercially available in 2012, are eight of approximately 160 being distributed by Toyota across US. The Prius PHV is powered by lithium-ion batteries and can be charged from a standard 110-volt outlet.

Zipcar currently offers three of the vehicles in Cambridge/Boston; one located at the Albany Street Garage on the campus of MIT, one at 33 Arch Street in downtown Boston and one at the Prudential Center. The eight Prius PHVs will be available to Zipcar members in Boston/Cambridge, San Francisco and Portland for reservation throughout 2011.

“As the operator of the largest connected vehicle network in the world, Zipcar is committed to taking a thoughtful and deliberate approach to EVs. Given Toyota’s long standing commitment to hybrid and plug-in vehicle technologies, they are an ideal partner for this project. We are dedicated to embracing vehicle technology in a strategic way, and in a way that meets the standards of large scale, multi-city, multi-country car sharing,” said Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO of Zipcar.

http://www.datamonitor.com

Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means,

is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall 

not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions 

taken in reliance thereon

For full details on  (ZIP) ZIP.  (ZIP) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on  (ZIP) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.
Article source: Article Source
				

Jan 31, 2011 (SmarTrend(R) News Watch via COMTEX) — Toyota Motor (NYSE:TM) traded in a range yesterday that spanned from a low of $81.15 to a high of $82.55. Yesterday, the shares fell 2.60%, which took the trading range below the 3-day low of $82.05 on volume of 828,000 shares. Often times after large one-day declines, short-term traders may play for some degree of mean revision.

Shares of Toyota Motor should find initial support at their 50-day moving average (MA) of $79.81 and further support at their 200-day MA of $74.13. Look for the MA to provide resistance for a short-term rebound in the shares.

SmarTrend is monitoring the recent change of momentum in Toyota Motor. Please refer to our Company Overview for the results of our proprietary technical indicators that have been scanning shares of Toyota Motor in search of a potential trend change.

SmarTrend expects the share price to rebound toward the $82.05 resistance level. Afterwards, we expect it to move downward with its peers in the SmarTrend Auto Manufacturers- Major industry.

Write to Chip Brian at cbrian@tradethetrend.com

———————————————————————————————

SmarTrend analyzes over 5,000 securities simultaneously throughout the trading day and provides its subscribers with trend change alerts in real time. To get a free trial of our trading calls and maximize your trading results, please visit http://www.mysmartrend.com

Get exclusive, actionable insight into how the market is expected to trend prior to market open with our free morning newsletter. Sign up at: http://www.mysmartrend.com/signup

Copyright, Comtex News Network, Inc. 2011

**********************************************************************

As of Thursday, 01-27-2011 23:59, the latest Comtex SmarTrendA? Alert,
an automated pattern recognition system, indicated a DOWNTREND on
01-21-2011 for TM @ $81.98.

For more information on SmarTrend, contact your market data
provider or go to www.mysmartrend.com

SmarTrend is a registered trademark of Comtex News Network, Inc.
Copyright A? 2004-2011 Comtex News Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

Article source: Article Source

A car for all reasons to be sold in over 120 different countries with 80 per cent parts commonality is Ford’s target for their all new global Focus.

This is the fifth generation Focus since the original was launched in 1998 and to date 10 million of them have been sold worldwide.1.4 million of them have been sold in Britain, Ford’s largest single market for the Focus.  Developed in Europe, the new generation Focus range of five door hatchbacks and estates for Europe/UK plus a saloon for other markets such as the USA and China, uses Ford’s new global C-segment platform which will underpin at least 10 model ranges around the world.  This new platform, already the basis for the new C-Max and Grand C-Max, will account for two million units of annual production by 2012.

“The new Focus is evidence of ‘One Ford’ in action, and truly represents the best of Ford Motor Company,” said Stephen T. Odell, Chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. “Our investment in a new global C-car platform is enabling us to provide consumers in Europe, and around the world, with an affordable range of cars which offer quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technology beyond their expectations.”

Volume production is now starting at the leading Ford Focus assembly plants in Saarlouis (Germany) and Michigan (USA). European production will be expanded in mid-2011 when the assembly plant in St. Petersburg (Russia) starts building the 4-door and 5-door models. The Chongqing plant in China comes on stream in early 2012 for the launch in the Asia Pacific region.

Apart from a major sales opportunity the UK features in the global production programme for the new Focus with the petrol engines built in South Wales and the diesel units come from Ford’s famous Dagenham plant.

The Focus in five door hatchback form will arrive in Ford’s 550 UK dealerships in March with the five door estates due in June.  Hatchback prices start from £15,995, approximately £500 more than the outgoing Style version’s starter price, but the new entry level Edge models include £1,000 worth of additional standard equipment over the previous Style versions.  With the added Vat costs the price increases range between three and five per cent.  The five door hatchback prices top-out at £23,995.  The Focus estate will follow in June with prices ranging from £17,095 to £25,095.  No three door Focus hatchback models are planned for this global generation although Ford says there could be a 2+2 coupe style product, rather like the Volkswagen Scirocco if world markets demand it.  There will be no Focus Coup-Cabriolet models using the new platform but the current Focus will be sold in a

Article source: Article Source