Cars Blog April Archive

For the Jensen enthusiasts

04/27/09 22:23

Are you an owner of a Jensen car? Or are you simply an enthusiast who want to know the latest about the company?

If your answer to either question is a "yes", then this website is fit for you. Learn Jensen's latest products, upcoming events, and other updates at British-Steel.org

Link: Jensen Cars

Tags: jensen cars • classic cars • british cars •
0 Comments. - Permalink

Canada puts millions of dollars in automotive R&D

Research and development is the future for the automobile industry. The government of Canada has seen this, prompting it to invest a substantial amount on research and development in this field.

The money, which amounts to C$145 million (US$121 million) will be invested to improve ten key research areas, including advanced power train, alternative fuels and vehicular software, and energy storage.

[404 Check: was link to http:/ / online. wsj. com/ article/ BT -CO -20090416 -709234. html, anchor: Link: Article - WSJ.com]

Lotus to the rescue

Lotus will be providing Harman Becker(a division of Harman International which is usually behind a large number of audio brands in major automaker like Harman Kardon, Infinity, Lexicon etc.) with a variety of audio technologies. Three audio technologies of Lotus which are is the active noise cancellation, sound generating technologies designed for silent-running hybrid and electric cars and sounds generator which is tied to the actual engine speed. Details about the three technologies is on the link below.

Link: Lotus makes cars roar | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews

Britain gives new subsidies for electric cars

Oil prices may not be that high as a year ago, but countries are still pushing to subsidize electric car programs, seeing that this may well be the future of automobiles.

Britain, for its part, signed firm backing for low-carbon, electricity-based vehicles by providing millions of pounds worth of subsidies for customers who want to purchase theme. This article from the NYTimes.com gives us more details.

Link: New Subsidies for Electric Cars in Britain - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

Volkswagen may beat Toyota as top automaker this year

Volkswagen's global sales may have decreased by 11.4% in the first quarter, but its increased market share of 11% may be enough to push the German automaker to the top of the industry and push the Japanese carmaker Toyota out of the top spot.

Among the reasons cited for a relatively good performance are the numerous incentives given by the German government in key industries.

[404 Check: was link to http:/ / money. cnn. com/ 2009/ 04/ 17/ autos/ Toyota_ VW. reut, anchor: Link: Volkswagen may replace Toyota as top seller - Apr. 17, 2009 ]

Small Cars

According to Institute for Highwys Safety, small or mini cars contributed more crashes, say, almost twice as high as that of large cars. And death rate is three times as many as in large cars. It is very important when buying a car, we should not only consider saving fuel,to ease traffics but as well as the very important thing is our safety once we drive our car. Everything should be put into consideration, we should not dwell only on the performance of the car but also the proctection it will provide on us once we are already driving it.

Link: Small Cars Are Dangerous Cars - WSJ.com

Rolls-Royce confident in sales growth in 2010

Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce announced that they are confident that they will have a steep increase in car sales in 2010 due to economic recovery and the roll-out of a new model.

Even though it is possible that car sales may turn out flat this year, the company said that they are in a "perfectly normal economic condition," adding that they expect anything between 50 to 100 percent sales growth next year.

Link: Rolls-Royce sees sales rising after flat 2009 | Reuters

 

2010 Prius is bigger and better

The Toyota Prius is back with a reengineered design and improved efficiency. However, we still cannot be sure if it's worth it until the Japanese car manufacturer release its pricing next month.

Let us take a look at some of the specs of the new Prius and find out for ourselves if there are any goodies hidden inside.

Link: New Toyota Prius: More posh, more power and more mpg - USATODAY.com

Carmaker stock prices rose on recovery hopes

Carmaker share prices posted stronger returns today as hopes that we will soon recover from the crisis swelled. Among the good news were Germany's 40% jump in car sales due to government incentives, and a less-than-expected shrinking of the giant US economy.

India's Maruit Suzuki also posted its third consecutive month of higher sales this March, while other car markets in Europe showed temporary growth.

Link: Car stocks advance as recovery hopes swell | Reuters

 

Germany to trim automobile incentives

Germany is well-known for its automobile industry, so it is quite obvious that the slump in this industry caused tremendous impact on the German economy. To keep up the automobile industry, the German government gave out incentives to people to dish their old cars and buy new ones.

Last Tuesday, however, government officials said that it will keep the incentives but will most likely trim it down. Find out why.

Link: UPDATE 1-Germany to keep, but trim, car subsidy -sources | Motoring | Reuters