While parent company Honda continues to bestow all of its hybrid technology on its Honda division vehicles, Acura is doing without any alternate engine sources to power their cars and SUVs. Instead, the division is relying on newer gasoline engines to promote fuel efficiency as well as to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Is Acura doing enough or is Honda’s luxury division missing the boat? Big changes are headed Acura’s way, changes that could enormously overhaul the brand and bring to the market vehicles powered by a variety of alternate fuel sources. Let’s examine exactly what might be Acura’s alternate powerplant offerings at the beginning of the next decade.
Diesel, Biodiesel – Honda got into the diesel market late, but the company’s first offerings are considered to be exceptionally good. Four cylinder powered diesel engines are being developed that will initially appear in select Honda model cars within the next two years. These new engines meet current EPA guidelines and raise the typical fuel mileage of each car by about 30%. Importantly, each engine will be able to run on biodiesel a renewable resource made of ingredients such as soybeans. Acura may get its own diesel aspirated engine soon after the launch of the first diesel powered Honda hits the market.
The line of seven series passenger cars from the BMW group of vehicles would be having new features added in. And most recently, two organizations and companies has claimed that they have been chosen by the auto manufacturer to be the lucky ones who would be providing such wireless technologies in their vehicles. These two organizations and companies are the Wavecom SA as well as the Peiker Acustic.
What they would be working on would be an integrated hands free telephone capability which would be mounted and installed in the mentioned seven series line of BMW passenger cars. This would become a reality with the use of a dashboard from the Peiker Acoustic GmbH and Company dashboard. In this dashboard, you would find Wavecom Sa’s share which is the wireless technology part.
I mentioned in a related article that the first batch of Chinese built cars to be imported to the U.S. is only a few years away. In that article, I discussed Chery Automobiles and how the company has its designs on the American market, particularly in the entry level category. Well, now a second manufacturer – Geely Automotive Company – is also planning on bringing at least one model to the U.S. by 2008. Changes are in the wind, but lest you think that Detroit is the only one quivering don’t be fooled: Japan’s automakers and Korea’s automakers all must take notice of what is about to happen.
For certain, the U.S. automobile market is the most lucrative one in the world. It is also the largest with more than 17 million new vehicles sold annually. All automakers know that if you have a piece of the American market, you have a piece of big profits as long as what you are selling is what consumers want [Ford and GM, take notice].
Posted in Vehicles | Also tagged Chery, Chinese Cars, Chrysler, Ford, Geely, GM, honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, VW |
Every BMW vehicle is truly a source of pride and of sheer driving satisfaction. Through the years, this German vehicle has lived up to the standards of its own catchphrase “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” Performance—this clearly sets a BMW car from the rest of the autos within its class. The moment you rev up the engine, you would already know how your drive’s going to be. The longer you drive it, the more you get convinced it is designed and engineered to give you an ultimate driving experience. The exterior design itself can speak for its agility and responsiveness; that is because BMW has always believed that form follows function.
People behind the design and manufacturing of a BMW car have common things in mind: your safety, comfort, convenience and driving satisfaction. For this reason, every detail in a BMW is made to match the highest standards, including your own specifications. Aside from providing whatever a driver needs, BMW also provides what car enthusiasts want. BMW achieves their goal by using the most advanced and innovative technology in all BMW auto parts. From the moment you open the door, slip into the seats until you arrive at your destination, BMW pampers you through high quality auto parts.
We all know those black and white stretch limousines that seem to be everywhere nowadays. They all look the same. They all look just like normal luxury sedans if it weren’t for the stretched passenger compartment. It doesn’t really matter if the stretch limousines are based on Cadillacs, Lincolns or Mercedes Benzs.
Luckily limousines don’t have to be that boring. Limousines that are a lot more exciting do exist, but they are better at hiding from public view. Maybe it’s because they are more expensive and difficult to make? The only thing we know is that most limousine companies seem to prefer the traditional stretch limousines to the more exciting models.
The fourth-generation 7 Series is the most successful prestige luxury performance sedan in BMW’s history. It is a highly prestigious luxury sedan offering generous space and comfort for the driver and passengers. All BMW 7 Series now feature BMW’s two-stage Adaptive Brakelights: Whenever the driver applies the brakes harder than usual, the larger brake light area warns motorists following behind. The optional CD changer is now MP3 CD-capable. The standard BMW Assist telematics service includes Bluetooth hands-free phone capability.
Virtually everything in the cabin is controlled through a single mouse-like interface called iDrive. BMW’s controversial system controls the heater, the radio, the navigation system. Amazing technology sets the BMW 7 series apart from its competitors. Silent, hidden fans and heating elements cool or warm your rear end or your soft drink; microchips can detect a skidding tire or apply the brakes full force just in case you were distracted by a phone call; power sunshades keep the sun off your rear passengers as adaptive headlights turn with the car.
Posted in Vehicles | Tagged BMW |
A venerable name in autodom is being resurrected and it will soon grace the body of a large, rear wheel drive luxury car. After a successful “concept car” debut at a pair of recent auto shows, the Chrysler Imperial will be built and should be in U.S. showrooms in 2010. Yes, it will be a long wait for the Imperial’s return but the car must first await additional changes within DaimlerChrysler before it can be built. Read on to learn more about the Imperial’s impending return.
The Chrysler Imperial that has been currently making the rounds at various auto shows has been well received. Visitors have remarked favorably about the car’s Bentley like look as well as its cavernous interior and luxury appointments. Currently, the brand has nothing larger or more luxurious to offer buyers who might want to upgrade from the 300C, thus Chrysler has been regularly losing buyers to more luxurious brands, something parent DaimlerChrysler [DCX] wants to stem.
The 3-series each year sells about 450,000 worldwide-making it one of the biggest single car lines from any carmaker, which is especially remarkable for a premium vehicle. All U.S. 3-series models come with front, front-seat side, and full-length curtain air bags, but not with rear-seat side-impact air bags, because BMW claims “advances in side-impact safety are such that it is no longer necessary to offer rear side bags.” “We cannot afford to take a risk with this car, because it is too important,” says BMW’s R&D chief Burkhard Göschel. “If you look at the Z4 as the extreme, as avant-garde, this is in the middle between safe and avant-garde.”
The BMW 3 Series represents 40% of BMW’s vehicle output. It is, as one BMW executive said, “the core product for the brand.” Not only is it important to BMW economically, but also its status as an iconic car is crucial to the company’s image. For many, it’s the car that says, “I’ve made it,” or at least, “I’m on my way.”
Posted in Vehicles | Tagged BMW |
BMW has recently announced its upcoming hydrogen-powered 7 series. According to Andreas Klugescheid, corporate communication manager of western operations for BMW, the upcoming cars will be having top speed BMW engines of 143 mph and runs off a V-12 internal combustion engine with 260 horsepower. The vehicles will also be capable of running on gasoline.
Milivoje Kostic, associate professor of mechanical engineering said “It could burn with oxygen in an engine or a burner similar to other hydro-carbon fossil fuels, but it could be used in a fuel cell to produce electricity without any moving parts, just electro-chemical reaction. The BMW hydrogen car can burn hydrogen in a combustion engine and could use regular fuel instead. It does not use fuel cells.”
Mercedes has long looked at the entire U.S. auto market as fair game, meaning it is not just a place where it can sell luxury vehicles, but a place to market “low budget” vehicles too. Unknown to some American motorists, the Mercedes name is much broader than simply being a luxury make. Like its German rival, Volkswagen, Mercedes sells cars in Europe that compete directly against the Golf as well as against the luxurious VW Phaeton. Still, introducing a “budget Benz” to America is a psychological hurdle that parent DaimlerChrysler is delaying making a commitment to. Let’s take a look at the proposed B Class and the reasons why the model not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
For starters, the proposed B Class is based upon Mercedes A Class line of cars. Okay, that tells you a lot! In short, the A Class is a true line of compact cars that are popular in Europe. If you were to give serious consideration to purchasing a Volkswagen Golf you would consider the A Class to be its logical competitor. A slightly larger model, the B Class, makes better use of engine placement and design to produce a car that isn’t much larger than the A Class on the outside, but is almost as roomy as the S Class is on the inside [when configured as a wagon].
Placing a new air deflector on your car is a wise decision. Bugs, road debris, and rocks can all macerate your hood or even break your windshield. Within moments your trip upstate has come to a screeching halt because of what was tossed up in the air by the vehicle in front of you while you were cruising down the highway. An air deflector might have sent that stone harmlessly to the side or up and over the roof of your car. Instead, your windshield took a direct hit. Let’s take a look at all of the advantages of an air deflector and how installing one is a cost effective solution.
An air deflector doesn’t have to cost you a bunch of money and when you consider what you save in replacement glass, it pays for itself right away.
The BMW M6 is the most sophisticated and powerful BMW 6 Series Coupe ever. Under the lightweight body of this luxurious 2+2 lurks a thoroughbred super sports car boasting a V10, 507bhp power unit, providing 520Nm of torque. A seven-speed sequential manual gearbox and a superior chassis and suspension compliment its engine.
The all-new M6 features weight-saving technologies such as a carbon-fiber roof and 19-inch forged aluminum wheels that are almost four pounds lighter than regular cast wheels. With almost 500 horsepower available, BMW claims the M6 will hit 60 mph in under 4.6 seconds, and it will run to 20 5mph without the traditional 155-mph speed limiter.
Posted in Vehicles | Also tagged M6, parts, smg |
There are actually two kind of car auctions; local auctions and online auto auctions. Let’s take a look at each of them, how they work and how you can utilize them to buy or sell a car easily and convenient.
Local vehicle auctions
Foreign Sport Technician of Santa Monica, California Offers Important Advice on Purchasing A Pre-Owned Ferrari, Masserati, and Porsches.
Tech Tip - Purchasing Pre-Owned Foreign Exotic Sports Cars, A Tech’s Perspective
German automaker BMW is on a quest, one that may likely make them the first automaker in the world to produce a fleet of vehicles capable of running on hydrogen fuel. That’s right, BMW is leading the way and if all goes as promised the first hydrogen cell powered production BMW will hit the streets in 2008.
Back around 2000, General Motors announced that they would work toward building a fleet of vehicles that could run on hydrogen power. When that announcement was made few thought that hydrogen technology could be successfully tapped and used in a car. However, if it was to come about, most people thought that it would take at least 20 years to come to pass.