Dave is in Trouble

Dave is going to lose his sweet Excursion after the divorce. That's why his wife didn't key it.

Best truck commercial ever: Ferd F-teenthousand

Honda Jazz All New 2011 Facelift

Raising the bar again by a notch for sure! Can all other hot hatches catch up?


Honda All New Jazz / Fit Hybrid Variant 2011
Picture from: http://www.dieselstation.com/cars/honda-jazz-hybrid-2011-a2832.html

The most obvious difference at a glance is a brand new exteriorcolour -- Brilliant Orange Metallic -- which joins the other choices of Polished Metal Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, and Brilliant White Pearl.

"Honda enthusiasts can expect the new Jazz to deliver even more value with new exciting styling, enhanced safety and practicality; and with all these enhancement and improvement, we are delighted to maintain Jazz price at RM109,800 (on the road with insurance), so as to offer Honda customers the satisfaction of owning a new, value-for-money and yet premium 5-door hatchback Jazz," said Yoichiro Ueno, Managing Director & CEO of Honda Malaysia.

Since the Jazz model line was added to the Honda range in 2001, more than 3.7 million units have been sold globally. Its popularity and strong sales in the Asia and Oceania region opened up the 5-door hatchback segment in this regional market, and the Jazz has been recognised as a pioneer and trendsetter in its own category.

The Jazz (which is also known as Fit in some countries) has also won many awards for its practical and smart design. Two generations of the Jazz have won the Car of the Year title in Japan (for 2001/2002 and 2007/2008). More significantly, the Jazz was the first Honda to become the best-selling model in Japan when it outsold the Toyota Corolla in 2002. It was an major achievement because the Corolla has been the best-selling model every year for 33 years.

For the latest version, which is imported from Honda Thailand's factory, a more sporty and bold look comes from new front and rear bumpers as well as a new mesh grille. Additionally, the headlights now have silver and matte coloured highlights and are complemented with a set of all front fog lights and rear combination lights.

The cabin, with one of the best-in-class volumes, is also refreshed to complement the new sporty exterior. There's a new colour scheme (a combination of blue and black coloured materials for the seats and door panels) and amber illumination for the speedometer and audio displays.

The improvements for certain utility features have been based on customers' feedback. These include a revised locking knob for the inner door handle with a new orange coloured highlight, new opening sound indicator to the fuel lid, and an orange marker on the air conditioning control, all of which improves recognition, operability and usability of these features.

Honda Malaysia makes no mention of technical changes under the bonnet and the model continues with the proven 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine which produces 120 ps, the highest output in its class. Though certified to higher Euro-4 exhaust emissions standard, the engine is fully compatible with the Malaysian Euro-2M RON95 petrol. A 5-speed automatic transmission is standard.

Jazz drivers will enjoy higher safety levels with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) now fitted to the model. VSA comes into action when the car fails to maintain the chosen line through a corner, preventing it from spinning out of control. While it is not intended to allow a driver to take corners faster than what is safe, VSA can prove to be a valuable safety feature that can reduce accidents.

The Jazz utilizes Honda's G-CON Technology for its body structure which designed to spread out and disperse collision impact so as to limit cabin intrusion and effectively minimise injuries to the driver and passengers. Standard with the Jazz are dual SRS airbags, ABS and new safety features including headrests for all three rear passenger seats. The centre occupant also gets a full 3-point safety belt for better restraint. Honda's designers also think of other road-users and the car's exterior design has certain features to minimize injuries to them in a collision.

Source: Autocar Asean & Motor Trader
http://youtu.be/DoX9TfiG1rE

Perfect Gift for Valentine’s Day: A Chocolate Mercedes !!!

Few weeks before St Valentine’s Day, car manufacturer Mercedes Benz has unveiled a chocolate version of the Mercedes Smart in Tokyo.
Image credits
Designed by a Japanese accessories company, Q-Pot, the car is brown and patterned like a bar of chocolate, according to the Telegraph.
Tadaaki Wakamatsu, a designer and Q-pot owner, displays the car designed for the French-made Smart, which is produced by Germany’s Daimler… and it is a two seater, which makes this car a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day.
“I designed this car hoping that not only men but also women would drive this car and spend sweet time at the wheel,” Wakamatsu explained.
The limited edition vehicle costs over £18,000, which is £4000 more expensive than a standard version of the Smart car.
It’s a tradition in Japan for women to give chocolate gifts to boyfriends, husbands, male family members and even male bosses and male colleagues on Valentines Day… So, the chocolate car would be a perfect idea for the women that have pockets deep enough to buy it.

Luxury Cars Falling From The Sky?

Did you know that in Minsk expensive cars fall right from the sky?

Thus a Mercedes ML fell from the 5th floor on the parking place. A woman of 32 years was at the wheel. Maybe like a bonus…

Ford: U.S. hourly labor costs $8 more than nonunion plants

Ford Motor Co., set to enter contract talks with the United Auto Workers, said its U.S. labor costs are now $8 an hour higher than the mostly nonunion U.S. factories of foreign automakers such as Hyundai Motor Co.

Ford, on a website it posted last month, said it pays about $58 an hour in wages and benefits to its 40,600 U.S. hourly workers, $3 more than the automaker said last year.

Labor costs average $50 an hour at the U.S. plants of international automakers such as Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and South Korea's Hyundai, according to Ford.

Closing the labor cost gap with foreign automakers' U.S. plants was important to the restructuring Ford, General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC undertook two years ago.

Ford, the only one of the three to avoid bankruptcy, convinced the UAW to accept concessions in 2009 that lowered annual labor costs by $500 million and cut hourly rates to $55, Ford said at the time.

"There is still a gap," Ford wrote on www.fordahead.com, a website that details its negotiating position in contract talks. "We cannot continue to have a cost gap with the competition and still be able to make significant U.S. investment and create new jobs. For Ford to be fully competitive in the years ahead, we'll need to focus on closing the gap even more."

In a speech in New York last October, Ford CFO Lewis Booth said the automaker's labor costs were "close to being fully competitive." He said Ford's labor costs would drop to $50 an hour, from $55, once the automaker hires new workers, who can be paid half what senior workers make.

Profit sharing

Ford's labor costs have risen, in part, because of the $5,000 profit sharing checks the automaker handed out to U.S. workers this year, said Marcey Evans, a company spokeswoman.

Ford earned $6.56 billion last year, the most since 1999.

"Profit sharing has been added to the amount and the $5,000 adds about $2 an hour to our labor costs," Evans said. "Without that, our labor costs are closer to $56 an hour."

Ford's new website is more elaborate than previous online repositories of labor information the automaker has posted, she said.

The site, which went live April 21, is aimed at informing the media and "influential thought leaders" about the issues in this year's contract talks as Ford sees them, she said.

Ford's side

"This is a site where folks can go to get the facts and Ford's point of view on the issues that are in play," Evans said of the site, which includes a video of Ford CEO Alan Mulally, articles about Ford and the auto industry, and photos of workers on the assembly line.

Michele Martin, a spokeswoman for the UAW, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

UAW President Bob King will negotiate new contracts this year with Ford, GM and Chrysler. While the agreements don't expire until Sept. 14, King has said workers must be rewarded for the $7,000 to $30,000 in concessions they each gave since 2005 to help the automakers survive.

King told delegates to the union's bargaining convention in March that he is committed to gaining back what workers gave up.

The concessions included surrendering raises, bonuses and cost- of-living adjustments as well as agreeing to a two-tier wage system, in which new hires earn about $14 an hour, half the wage paid to senior production workers, and limited benefits.

"We did what we had to do to save the companies," King said in a March 22 speech at the convention in Detroit. "It will take time to win back what we've given up."

Narrowing gap

The concessions helped the U.S. automakers lower labor costs to about $58 an hour for wages and benefits from about $75 an hour and get close to the $52 an hour Toyota gives its U.S. workers, according to Sean McAlinden, chief economist with the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Labor rates at U.S. automakers remain above the $44 to $48 hourly rate Hyundai pays its U.S. workers in wages and benefits, McAlinden has said.

To come up with the $50 an hour average for foreign automakers' U.S. workers, Ford blended labor rates among several international carmakers, Evans said. In 2007 contract talks with the UAW, U.S. automakers benchmarked Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky, factory.

"We have to be competitive period and we can't look at just one location," Evans said. "No matter how you look at it, there's still a gap. We need to be competitive with not just one location; we need to be competitive with the full range."

Yike Bike

The YikeBike is a carbon-fiber electric bike, weights only 22 pounds (10.8 kg), is capable of going up to 6.2 miles on a single charge, and tops out around 14mph. You ride it by sitting on the combined saddle/handlebar, and when you reach the destination, you can fold the bike, and put the in a bag. Now it is available in the U.S. for 'just' $3,595

Cargo Scooter Concept

 

Elliot Ortiz, an industrial design student from San Francisco has designed a modern cargo scooter around the cargo itself. The problem with traditional scooters is that they have no cargo space. So the purpose of this attractive design, thought the designer is to create much more luggage space for the scoot people. With its large capacity for storage and a “Drive by Wire” tank-style steering system, it can carry up to “one whole crapload of junk.”

Toyota MOB From Liquid Wood

The Toyota MOB is a sports buggy concept taken to extremes. The car is conceived by Spanish designer Jorge Marti Vidal, inspired by the Mobius strip incorporates unusual bodywork. The car is made up of two continuos panels, which weave their way back and forth through the vehicle to create the structure as a whole. Moving on the wheels with built-in motors, the racing car includes an all-electric drivetrain to make it more eco-friendly. Let’s see more rendering details.

The material used is “liquid wood”. Basically it is formed using the waste product of lignin – which is left over during the manufacturing of paper. The lignin is then combined with wood fibers to form a composite material which is durable, recyclable and easily formed into complicated shapes.

Motorcycle Handcuffs

It’s a cool gadget that will prevent thief from stealing your bike. Sick of taking off the rim for full-bike lockdown? Now you don’t have to. Like handcuffs, but for your bike, these cuffs are virtually impossible to cut because they fit snugly, leaving no room for pry bars. You know leverage is a bike thief’s best friend. 9-link, 3in. cuffs fit fork legs or frames and can be secured to sign posts, parking meters or another bike. Pivoting action combined with 22in. length provides lockdown versatility. Heat-treated patented lock core and push-button keyless locking convenience. Storage is easy too, like your cargo areas. Buy from Kotulas.com for $50

Vault XXL Armored Limousine

This limousine can be easily called an apartment on wheels. After all, this huge truck with 26 seats in the cabin is equipped with a bar, toilet and sink. Take a look at its cool interior and find out limousine’s price on eBay after the jump. The Vault XXL Armored Limousine also has a 36 inch plasma TV, and four 15 inch monitors with DVD player and iPhone/iPad connection. It’s interesting that the driver’s cab is separated from the passenger compartment with an armored bulkhead… this should probably protect the driver from being accidentally shot from the VIP zone during a party.

This limousine “nightclub” uses Navistar International vehicle as a basis. It is a serious vehicle with a fantastic blend of comfort and security, but for the horrible noise level inside the cabin. That’s another reason for having an armored bulkhead inside. The Vault XXL Armored Limousine is sold on eBay for $175,000.

Ferrari Eyes India Entry In 2011

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Finally, the prancing horse will be officially available in India. Luca Di Montezemolo (Ferrari president) has told BBC news about the Italian company’s plans to setup the first Ferrari dealership in India before the end of this year. The dealership is most likely to come in New Delhi or Mumbai. The supercar maker plans to exploit its partnership with Tata Motors to set shop in the country. The company plans to launch its entire line up of cars such as the 458 Italia, California, 612 Scaglietti, 599 GTB Fiorano and the 599 GTO.

Honda Now Makes Flying Car

Honda with its motto the Power of Dream, is making another revolution in concept car design. Honda air is a new vehicle concept designed by Honda’s advanced design studio in Pasadena, California. The concept was created for the 1000 pound car design challenge put on by the Los Angeles Auto Show. The vehicle takes its lightweight inspiration from skydiving and roller coasters, using compressed air to powered its pneumatic regulator system.

This system utilizes turbo vacuums and external air-flow to regenerate tank pressure for extended range and increased boost for an estimated 100 miles. To keep the car lightweight, all components are mounted directly to the chassis, eliminating unnecessary structures. The exterior is made from vegetable based plastic wrapped around the body with an open-air style. the concept is estimated to weigh only 800 pounds.

Source: Designboom

Amazing Car Towers in Wolfsburg

Visitors to the Autostadt in Wolsfburg (Germany) are now able to experience the CarTowers from the inside! A special glass, panorama lift takes six guests through the same procedure as one of the 800 cars stored in the CarTowers. The transparent cylindrical buildings rise 48 meters above the grounds. They work like giant vending machines. As a new car arrives from the Volkswagen factory, it’s transported by robot to an empty storage slot in one of the towers.









Source: www.autostadt.de