Alizium Auto Blogs: сентября 2009

2010 Mazda 3 I-Stop and MPS

New Mazda3 I Stop And Mazda3 MPS Car Walls

Mazda3 is one of the Mazda's core products, with more than 2 million unites of the first generation produced. Mazda3 I Stop and Mazda3 MPS will premiere at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March 2009.

[Source: Mazda]

Porche says No Thanks to the Detroit Auto Show

The North American branch of Porsche announced today that they would be skipping the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in 2009. Vice President of Marketing, David Pryor, explained that Porsche would instead be focusing their marketing on areas in which they recorded the majority of their sales in the past year.

porche detroit auto show

So by refocusing their attention on their current customer base Porsche North American, Inc will only be taking their displays to the major auto shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto. Thus, Porsche will be attending all the major shows in the USA except Detroit. In making this decision to sit out the 2008 NAIAS in Detroit Porsche has given up their prime space in the Cobo Arena and thus opted to sit-out the season opener of the Auto Show season.

Source[PureGreenCars]

Gas Not So High by 4th of July

Well July 4th has come and gone, the hot dogs have been devoured, the fireworks have gone off, and gas…. well gas prices actually have gone down since the month of July started. Oil dropped $2.97 a barrel today alone. It’s so low that today’s price is just a little more than half of what speculators put as the peak price for this summer. So if you happened to catch our fuel speculation contest back in March, and you were feeling a little optimistic about gas prices, you were right. After checking out all of the potential prices I couldn’t help but point out the most optimistic and pessimistic members who participated. The most optimistic award goes to suzukiesteem for his guess of 30 cents. Maybe he thought the Honda Insight would bring about the fuel apocalypse and drive prices to the ground. We can all dream, can’t we? The most pessimistic was surkalistahoe who envisioned a different fuel apocalypse with a prediction of $6.00 per gallon. Thank god he was wrong. As for the winner, he’s a mild-mannered man with a mild-mannered car, he likes his eggs sunny side up and believes the grass is just as green on his side as it is yours. That man is no other than Satty12 with his dead-on accurate guess of $2.60 as the national average for regular gas in America on July the 4. Congrats Satty12, on this July 6th we salute you and your optimistic nature !

Gas Not So High by 4th of July

What Are The Best Ways to Sell a Car?

There comes that time when we need to get a new car, and great rid of the one we have now. When we’re looking to get rid of our current vehicle, we often do some research for the best ways to sell it. We of course want the most money we can get for it, and some ways will make sure of that. There are several different strategies, so if you’re interested in finding out how you should sell your car, consider a few of these tips!

Craigslist – If you’re looking to reach a ton of people in a little amount of time, consider putting your car on craigslist. This is a website on the Internet that allows people looking for cars to find what they want (which may be your vehicle.) Consider Craigslist and see what happens!

Ad – Another great way to sell your car is through an ad. Try putting it in the “for sale” category of your local newspaper. This will allow people in the area looking for car to come by and see yours. Ads are cheap, and allow everyone in the area to see it!

Display – Displaying your car where there is a lot of traffic is a great way to find someone that is interested. Ask if you can pay someone to set it on their lawn (like at a busy store or intersection.) This will draw the attention of the people around the area, and increase your chances of selling it.

Trade it – Trading your current car for a newer one may be a good option for you. See how much money you could get for it, and be sure to check out a few other dealerships before you settle on one price. Sometimes this is a great way to bring in money, and sometimes this will bring you less money than you want.

There are many different things you can do to sell your vehicle. Always find which way would bring in more money for your vehicle. In the meantime, consider a few of these ideas to sell your car!

LA 2008: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder unveiled LIVE

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertibles, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

When we got word that Lamborghini was bringing a new model to the LA Auto Show, it wasn't hard to guess what it would be: the Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder. Sun-loving Californians would all drive convertibles if they could, making Los Angeles an ideal venue for the debut, and Lamborghini has a habit of following up its coupe models with a drop top version. Our hunch was confirmed earlier this morning when pictures flooded the internet, and we know have live shots from the show floor, along with more details on the car. The new folding top runs via a hydraulic pump as well as electric motor that can close and raise the top in around 20 seconds. The headlights have been slightly updated with new LEDs and daytime running lights. As with the coupe version, the Spyder features the new 5.2L V10 producing 552 bhp and 398 lb-ft torque, and the suspension and e-gear transmission upgrades carry over as well. With the reduced weight and added power, the Spyder now reaches 100 km/h in four seconds flat and tops out at a touch over 200 mph. Full details can be found in the press release after the jump, and both live and press shots are in the high resolution galleries below.

Gallery: LA 2008: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder

Continue reading LA 2008: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder unveiled LIVE

LA 2008: Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder unveiled LIVE originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG: Fine-Tuned Saloon

When you’ve got two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen and German touring car legend Klaus Ludwig at your stable, prototyping your latest performance car, then you can be sure that the result is a sure winner. Before Mercedes-Benz released the E63 AMG into the wild, it was first tamed by Mika and Klaus to expel the bugs and reveal the most powerful sedan yet from the three-pointed star. The hand-built 6.2L V8 delivers 518 horsepower all channeled into the 7-speed MCT dual-clutch transmission. This means that the car can gallop to 60 mph from a standing start in 4.4 seconds onward to a 155 mph top speed. Despite the added power, the car boasts of a 12% better fuel efficiency, resulting from better engine management and clever transmission setup. Setting this E63 apart from the other E-Classes are the AMG-specific 18 inch wheels (19s also available), different front and rear fascia, and the quad-exhaust. ~$88,000.

Top Gear 13×04 Out Now

I really gotta come up with something else to say besides that it’s out now.

Chevy-Sponsored Camaro Black Heading For SEMA Show Floor [Sema]

Chevy has released a single teaser-style image of their 2008 SEMA show-bound Camaro Black, described only as "a dark and mysterious interpreta." We're pretty sure they meant "interpretation" but ran into character limitations in their imaging software. Regardless, the Camaro Black show car actually looks to be a gunmetal gray based on the photo and appears decked out with a sinister-looking body kit and the requisite SEMA monster alloy wheels shod in low-profile rubber. The red glow from the headlights may also indicate some sort of LED illumination kit, but what you see is all we know at this point; we'll either get a constant dribble of teasers a-la 2010 Mustang or just bring you the goods from the Vegas show floor in two weeks.

Applying for a Gas Card

Gas rebate cards If you’re in the market to apply for a gas card to save money, you may be wondering where all those reward cards are. Are there any out there when the economy isn’t doing so hot? Yes, actually there are, and they have been doing great since day one. If you’re considering one for your wallet, here are some tips that I use when looking for the best card.

Is it for one gas station only?

Some gas cards out there are designed for one gas station only. For example, the BP visa card is designed for the BP gas station, where as a card like Discover’s Open Road is designed for all gas stations. Do you want a card that’s for one station only, or do you want one where you can use it anywhere? Yes, they both have their upsides, and downsides, but I’ll let you be the judge.

Watch for the intro rates

Some intro rates look really appealing, but when you peel back the terms and conditions, and read what you’re really getting, you’ll be in for a shock. For example, you may find one card may give you 10% back, but you find out that it’s only for the first 60 days. After the 60 days, you’ll find that you get only 2% back. You want to look at what you get in the future for good, instead of the introductory rate.

Watch out for the fees

In my opinoin, a great gas card is going to have no fees at all. This means no monthly fees, or an annual fee. You’re not going to use your card that often, but when you do, you don’t want to see a pesky little fee on your statement. There are a lot of great cards out there with no annual fees. Consider getting one of these so that you can make the most of out your spending.

Get more than gas rewards

You’ll find that some cards will give you more than just gas rewards. This is why I recommend that you get a Visa or MasterCard branded card. If you use it on other purchases, you can get points as well. As you should know, these points will turn into bonuses like cash back, or gift cards.

Mercedes-Benz MP4 24

With an unprecedented series of rule changes introduced ahead of the 2009 season, the new Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 represents a significant departure from its world championship-winning predecessor.

Incorporating new bodywork regulations and the much-heralded return of slick tyres, the team’s new challenger not only looks radical but also incorporates a host of new innovative features under the skin, such as a sophisticated kinetic energy recovery system (KERS).

[Source: Mercedes]

Ouch! Unhappy Holiday News from Chrysler

chrysler-logo2 The Chrysler Media site just posted an announcement that the company will “idle” all manufacturing operations at the end of the day Friday, 12/19, and that “impacted employees” won’t return to work before Monday, 1/19/09. The company claims it has lost 20 to 25% of its sales volume as a result of the credit crisis. Wonder whether this news could have any impact on the bailout announcement expected Friday. Stay tuned!

Frank Kurtis’s shops in and around L.A., an incomplete list

While researching Frank Kurtis’s life for an upcoming Hot Rod Hero article in Hemmings Muscle Machines, Donnelly lent me Gordon Eliot White’s book, “Kurtis-Kraft: Masterworks of Speed and Style,” which detailed Kurtis’s life and achievements. Of course, what interested me quite a bit were the various locations mentioned in the book: Kurtis worked out of no less than seven locations when working on his own, and White included the addresses for several of those locations, making it simple to seek those locations out on Google Maps. So let’s begin.

Kurtis’s family moved to Los Angeles in 1921, and he worked for Don Lee Coach Works for his first several years in California, then set up his first shop in 1929, in the alley behind McKenzie’s Garage at 6516 S. San Pedro Street. The map above, which White provided on the endpapers of the book, shows 6516 as the fifth of six lots on that block. From the looks of the area today, it appears the lot that McKenzie’s Garage sat on has been replaced with a giant parking lot, and 66th Street on that side of San Pedro has been eliminated altogether.

That venture lasted only six months, after which Kurtis retreated to the garage attached to his house at 236 73rd Street. Unfortunately, White didn’t indicate whether that was East 73rd or West 73rd. The former is still residential, but the addresses there seem to skip from 234 to 238. The latter is also still residential, with an actual 236 address, and seems to have garages and alleyways behind the houses large enough to support a small repair business.

6215 S. San Pedro St., LA

Don Lee lured Kurtis back later in the 1930s, and Kurtis also worked briefly for Hollywood Trailer Corp., Dutch Darrin and Joel Thorne, but then in 1938, he struck out on his own again, this time setting up shop in a top shop (possibly Pioneer Auto Tops, judging from the photo?) at 6215 S. San Pedro Street (the lead photo was taken inside that location). That location definitely still exists today, though slightly altered, as Mendoza’s Pressing (what’s written on the building) or Mario’s Professional Garments (the business name Google attached to the address).

Kurtis then went back to Thorne’s shop, and then during World War II ran his own shop on Brand Boulevard in Glendale (White gave no street address). He laid out his plans for the post-war midget at the Tam O’Shanter Inn, then toward the end of the war bought a shop at 1107 E. Colorado Boulevard in Glendale.

Whatever building was at that location appears to have since been demolished to make way for a Taco Bell and a gas station.

The post-war midget proved popular enough to warrant a new location in mid-1946, when Kurtis moved to 4625 N. Alger Street, right by the South Pacific railroad tracks. Another map that White provided shows two connected buildings on the east side of Alger between Sequoia and Baywood, and the two buildings currently at that location certainly look to fit the profiles in the map. Rex Dean, the guy behind VukovichAccident.com, also believes those are the same buildings:

The original building is still pretty much intact. Please note that the address on the buildings do not match the original addresses. There are two similar looking buildings. We believe that Kurtis occupied both these buildings. The temporary structure between the buildings has been added since 1955. Originally the “alley” continued until the railroad tracks. The picture of Vuky’s wrecked car being unloaded at the shop was in the wider of the two openings — the one between the two pink buildings. There is work going on in the buildings so please be aware of that and people may not have time or desire to show your through. If you can get in it would be worth it as you can still feel the vibes from the Roadsters being built in there. It is incredibly fragile to think that practically the entire field of the Indianapolis 500 was constructed in this building.

According to Google, Columbia Fabricating Co. and Tajima Corporation USA currently occupy that location.

After the McCullough fiasco in 1956, Kurtis moved to what White only described as “Earl Farrand’s old Indian motorcycle shop on Colorado Boulevard.” Some cursory searching turns up Farrad’s name, but no street address for his shop. Dean reports the address as 525 W. Colorado Boulevard and claims that some of the building still stands, but Google Maps shows the address as either a bridge parallel to the Ventura Freeway or a residential neighborhood.

Kurtis spent his remaining active years at that location and handed off the shop to his son, Arlen, who in 1977 moved the company to 3951 S. H Street in Bakersfield, where Arlen continues to operate the shop, building limited runs of midgets and Kurtis sports cars and restoring older Kurtis products.

Fifth Gear 16×05 Out Now

Today’s Fifth Gear is available here.

Sneak Peek at the International Car of the Year Nominees!

The International Car of the Year Awards aren’t like other car awards. Rather than judging a car on its performance, comfort, quality and value, the ICOTY awards judge on emotion. They represent how cars make us feel, rather than how fast they get to 60 mph.

The award will be presented at the North American International Auto Show in January.

With that background in mind, here are the nominees along with my prediction of which car will win!

flexpng The Flex has two main innovations that will give it a shot at winning, the first being a built-in refrigerator that is surely a hit with parents on road trips. The second is Ford’s EasyFuel capless refueling system, which reduces the risk of gas theft and decreases the release of fuel vapors. Too bad it won’t win, though; the Flex’s exterior design is apt to produce emotions, just not the kind that make us feel good.

gt-r The $80K Nissan, with a twin-turbocharged V6 that corrals 473 horses and the ability to scream to 60 mph in three and a half seconds, could blow the doors off some Porsches. It has everything going for it, including a dashboard monitor to display steering angle and G-forces. This car will make your heart pound and your palms sweat… but it’s not something the average car consumer can identify with. That’s why it won’t win.

This reincarnated icon of the past is being brought back to life and will be accessible to nearly anyone with the desire to drive a symbol of American muscle. Yes, that muscle has weakened in past years, but that’s not the point. The Challenger invokes pure emotion in the millions of Americans who remember Dodge’s heyday. This isn’t just a car; it’s a car that builds hope in America’s automakers. And that’s the point of the ICOTY awards and why my money is on the Challenger to win.

Which car would you vote for to win the International Car of the Year Award: the Flex, GT-R or Challenger?

-tgriffith

Ikea UK to use hybrid vehicles

Swedish design and retail sensation Ikea are going to be switching their entire fleet of cars over to hybrid power in the UK. Hybrid powered vehicles use a combination of electric and normal fuel engine for it power.

honda

The company at the moment uses Skoda for all of their company cars, but by next year will be switching those for the Honda Civic hybrid power. This is said to a pilot program to see how it goes and if all goes fine then this trend is likely to be rolled out all over Europe and other Countries with an Ikea presence.

This is great news for Honda, especially as the main rival in the hybrid market is Toyota, whose hybrid vehicles totally dominate the market place throughout the world where they are available. However there are changes ahead for both Honda and Toyota as they change their hybrid ranges, Honda will be bringing to the market a new small hybrid car.

ikea

The move by Ikea is a bold one, but this only effects their company cars, and as they wish to reduce their Co2 emissions by nine percent by the year 2010, they may need to look at their commercial vehicles, it is these larger diesel powered vehicles that need to be looked at more closely.

Source [Money Central]

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