News from around the world

[Ducati]

I am going to post auto related news from around the world in the thread, please feel free to add yours and I hope in the process we can all learn something new

HONDA'S INTELLIGENT AIRBAG

Honda has launched what it calls the worlds' first intelligent driver-side airbag in Japan.

Developed by Honda, the i-SRS airbag system uses a spiral-shaped seam structure and a gas release control valve that controls the deployment and the pressure of the airbag.

This allows the airbag to deploy quicker, but also reduces the impact of the airbag on the occupant.

Furthermore, the airbag remains inflated for longer (it has a maximum volume of 60 litres) and is effective over a range of occupant positions and collision types.

Honda is already working on a passenger-side i-SRS airbag system using the same technology.

The Honda Life, which is sold only in Japan, will be the first model to be fitted with the new airbag system. The intelligent system is expected to extend to other Honda models over a few years.

GEELY TO ELECTIFY LONDON CABS ?

London - Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile has been in talks over the possibility of converting London's black cabs into electric-powered cars, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

The company, which co-owns black London taxi-maker Manganese Bronze, says it has held talks with UK government officials about the plan.

Chairman Li Shufu said he had discussed the idea of electric taxis with London mayor Boris Johnson at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

"One of our ideas is to convert London taxis (to electric cars) ... we are doing research on this project," Li told the Financial Times in an interview.

Geely owns about 23% of Manganese Bronze and 51% of a Shanghai-based joint venture with the UK company that will produce the cars in China from December, the paper said.

DRUNK MOM GETS 9 YEAR OLD TO DRIVE

Toronto - An Ontario woman was charged with a traffic violation after having her nine-year-old daughter drive her home following a night of drinking.

"The woman was concerned that she was unable to drive having consumed some alcohol at a social function," police said on Thursday.

The child was driving the car slowly along country roads in southeastern Ontario when police noticed how tiny she was and pulled her over, police said.

[Clubshaker_UK]

Hmmmmm, the second one

Geely to Electrify London Cabs

[Ducati]

@Clubshaker_UK

I thought the 3rd one would be more shocking ?

[Clubshaker_UK]

It is aswell, my question is how did the 9 year old know how to drive!

[Ducati]

@Clubshaker_UK

Good point mate ! LoL

[nickatnite]

@Ducati

You're tempting me!.:p. You said "around the world". If i post anything beginning with the "T" word.......:d

[Ducati]

GODZILLA TO STORM INTO SOUTH AFRICA !

A local launch for the GT-R has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, and according to Nissan SA’s general manager, Wilhelm Baard, the decision to bring the GT-R to SA has been a long time coming.

“We are truly thrilled to confirm that the Nissan GT-R will come to South Africa. It's an extraordinary car, a showcase for Nissan's engineering talents and a technological flagship that demonstrates the brand's passion for cars," said Baard.

Final specification details about the SA-bound GT-R have not yet been released, but something to look forward to would be the hand-built VR38 twin-IHI-turbo engine, claimed to be the most potent production powerplant ever produced in Japan. This unit is no longer a straight six, as in Skyline GT-R models. The new unit is a 3,8-litre V6 that delivers 353 kW at 6 400 r/min, while 588 N.m of torque is available between 3 200 and 5 200 r/min.

Mated with a six-speed paddle shift transmission, the GT-R goes from zero to 100 km/h in a claimed time of 3,6 seconds before maxing out at 310 km/h.

In a driving impression in the February 2008 issue of CAR magazine, editor John Bentley explains the technical aspects of the GT-R. “Mounted well back in the engine bay, the engine’s mass up front is balanced by a rear-mounted six speed manual transmission supplied by Borg-Warner. Nissan calls it an ‘independent’ transaxle by virtue of the fact that engine and transmission are connected by a ‘double jointed’ carbon fibre driveshaft, with another shaft running forward from transaxle to drive the front wheels”.

The interior of the GT-R driven by Bentley in Japan featured bucket seats, an instrument panel with easy o read graphics, a high-speed, high- capacity CARWINGS navigation system, with a 30GB hard disk drive, operated by a touch pad as well as traditional buttons. Entertainment comes in the form of a Bose entertainment system with a Music Box hard drive, DVD and CD player, and Bluetooth audio functions.

While many of these bells and whistles will be lost across the ocean before the GT-R gets here, it wouldn’t be complete if it wasn’t equipped with the obligatory cabin mounted G-meter to record both longitudinal and lateral forces.

How the GT-R will be priced is still unknown, but bear in mind that when this beast arrives, only certain Nissan dealers will be able to service it. The equipment needed to keep all the components of the GT-R in check will carry a heavy price tag for dealerships. Here’s to hoping we don’t have to sell our houses to get our hands on one… (although living in my GT-R doesn’t sound like a bad idea)!

[Ducati]

@nickatnite

LoL.

Well I hope you wont post news on the Ford Model T cos the news would be kinda stale :p

[tiger727272]

News from the UK:

Mclaren have sold the final Mercedes Mclaren SLR which should leave them room now to concentrate on their next supercar the P11.

[Ducati]

VW : MORE DOOM AND GLOOM FOR 2009

The chief executive of Volkswagen AG warned Wednesday that the auto industry faces a difficult business climate next year, but added that his company - Europe's biggest carmaker - still expects to reach this year's goals.

"The world economy is going through tough times," Martin Winterkorn said on Wednesday. "We don't know the full impact on our business yet, but VW is doing better than the competition so far." Winterkorn added that "2009 will be difficult for the entire industry."

He made the remarks during a meeting with civic and business leaders from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the company plans to open a new manufacturing plant in 2011.

The visit to Germany, led by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, is part of an effort to persuade auto parts suppliers to locate production facilities near the new plant, which is projected to cost about US$1 billion and employ more than 2 000 people.

Speaking about the Chattanooga plant, Winterkorn said "I'm confident we'll build another great example of German and American partnership."

Volkswagen's brands include VW, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Seat and Skoda. Winterkorn reiterated that Volkswagen expects to surpass the 6.2 million cars it sold in 2007, which was an increase in sales of 4 percent on the previous year.

Earlier this month, European automakers and several European units of their American competitors announced plans to cut production and jobs because of flagging demand from customers rattled by uncertainty amid the global financial crisis.

BMW AG, Daimler AG, General Motors Corp. subsidiary Adam Opel AG and the German unit of Ford Motor Co. all announced production cutbacks. GM said its other subsidiaries in Europe were also affected. Italy's Fiat and Renault of France likewise said they would curtail production.

Volkswagen, however, has managed to avoid such a move, as has its Audi subsidiary, although its Spanish-based Seat unit planned to produce 13 000 fewer cars by stopping assembly lines at three plants for a week.

Volkswagen announces its third-quarter results on Oct. 30 and analysts expect it to report a profit on the back of solid sales and because it is less exposed to the U.S. market than its competitors.

The company saw its second-quarter net profit rise 35 percent to €1.6 billion on sales of €29.5 billion, pushed up by improved demand in India, Russia and China.

[Ducati]

GM DISPLAYS CAR 'SIXTH SENSE'

GM has revealed its car-to-car communication system to prevent accidents by warning drivers about potential danger from other vehicles.

Vehicles equipped with this technology, irrespective of manufacturer or vehicle type, can exchange information such as location, speed, acceleration and direction of travel within a few hundred metres.

The system uses existing components and the hardware consists of a microprocessor, GPS receivers and wireless LAN modules.

According to GM, the system is particularly useful in situations with decreased visibility or on winding roads.

Depending on the situation, the system issues visual or acoustic warnings, or vibrates the driver's seat.

The company says it has deliberately based the technology on proven technology to increase the potential of it being included as standard equipment in many vehicles.

"Our (GM's) C2C systems are affordable and could potentially be used in every vehicle class. That’s especially important because cooperative systems like these become more effective when many vehicles are equipped with them,” Hans-Georg Frischkorn, GM's executive director for global electrical systems, controls and software.

Opel is hosting the second international Car 2 Car Communication Consortium (C2C-CC) at GM's Dudenhofen Test Center in Germany.

[ToofaneBatameezi]

Great Topic!!Keep on sharing people!!
Shabba \m/

[Ducati]

@ToofaneBatameezi

Mate gotta tell you I love your nick ! it always brings a smile on my face

And thanks for appreciating this thread

[Ducati]

COPS GET LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO

If you could drive a Lamborghini, as some lucky Italian cops do every day, wouldn't you consider donning a blue uniform too?

Lamborghini on Friday donated a version of its latest super car to the head of the Italian State Police, Prefect Antonio Manganelli.

The Gallardo LP 560-4 Polizia has a 418-kW 5.2-litre V10 engine and can reach speeds up to 327 km/h. The car will ostensibly be used by the Lazio Highway Police Department for accident and crime prevention.

Some adjustments have been made to allow the supercar to fulfil its duties. The police beacon on the roof had to be "aerodynamically optimized" considering it regularly reaches higher speeds than the average service vehicles.

The car is also kitted out with the latest in police technology including an automatic number plate recognition system and a video recording system.

The Gallardo Polizia replaces the previous Gallardo used by the Italian police force since 2004. A second Gallardo has been in service around Bologna since 2005.

Aside from regular servicing, neither cars have required major repairs, it is reported. Only 30 police officers are permitted to drive the car.

[riz_]

I wouldn’t mind at all getting pulled over by this officer. :d

[portage1]

@riz ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ lolz

[Mehran]

@Riz
You took the works out of my mouth! My thoughts exactly when I saw the unveiling pic!

[ToofaneBatameezi]

Thnx Ducati!!

@Alikolsawala..... errr... WHO?[:p]

Anways,

The Foreseen Future:MotorSports in 2025;
LA Design Competition goes underway and the competitors with their respected upload, Get ready to be stunned:
http://www.laautoshow.com/DesignChallenge.html

[Ducati]

AUDI TDI DOES 4L/100 KM

Audi calls it a "near-production" study, but this A4 packs a fuel-sipping 2.0-litre turbodiesel which the manufacturer claims is good for 3.99 l/100 km.

The technology concept shown at the Paris show is called the A4 TDI concept e.

The powertrain uses a direct injection TDI engine producing 88 kW and 290 Nm, giving the sedan a 0 - 100 km/h-time of 10.7 seconds and a top speed of 206 km/h.

According to Audi, this is possible while consuming under 4 l/100 km while emitting 105 g/km of CO2.

A host of details, including soft springs on the intake valves to a new heat management system, is said to improve the engine's efficiency. The fuel pump and the air conditioner's compressor have also been adapted.

This A4 is also equipped with a recuperation system that recovers energy that would have been lost when braking and temporarily stores it in a battery. A stop-start system switches the engine off when the car comes to a standstill.

Weight reduction techniques are also in place, including the use of magnesium to reduce the weight of the six-speed manual transmission with modified gear ratios.

Physically, the body has been altered to make it more aerodynamic with adjustments to the grille and underbody and a modified ride height.

Furthermore, the 17-inch tyres fitted to this A4 have a low rolling resistance and an electric brake system is used on the rear axle.

While on the road, the driver is able to access a training programme to help him drive more economically or he can use the navigation system to calculate the most fuel efficient route.

[carbonclass]

Goood