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Detroit penetrates asian motor brands

Four months ago, Chrysler took the highly unusual step of advertising its Detroit roots during the Super Bowl. The campaign has drawn a lot of attention, as well as mixed reviews for its effectiveness. Detroit, indeed most of Southeast Michigan, after all, has a reputation as a broken and battered city. What will surprise many car buyers, though, is that the leading Asian auto makers turn to the expertise found in the greater Detroit area to engineer many of their most important vehicles for the U.S.

Take the Toyota Tundra pickup truck. A slow seller so far since Toyota introduced the brawny pickup in early 2008, the Tundra is nonetheless a very capable pickup that Toyota expects to eventually challenge the Ford F Series and Chevy Silverado with builders and contractors once the pall lifts off the new-house construction industry. The truck was not engineered and developed in Japan, though, but rather at Toyota’s technical center in Ann Arbor, Mich., about 45 miles west of Detroit. (more…)

admin
September 25, 2010
Car
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Another guides drive on snow

The three key elements to safe winter driving are:

  • Stay alert; 
  • Slow down; and 
  • Stay in control

It is best to winterize your vehicle before winter strikes. Schedule a maintenance check-up for the vehicle’s tires and tire pressure, battery, belts and hoses, radiator, oil, lights, brakes, exhaust system, heater/defroster, wipers and ignition system. Keep your gas tank sufficiently full – at least half a tank is recommended. Depending upon where you drive, you may consider using winter tires or tire chains. (more…)

admin
September 20, 2010
Traffic
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Work of car engines

Have you ever opened the hood of your car and wondered what was going on in there? A car engine can look like a big confusing jumble of metal, tubes and wires to the uninitiated.

You might want to know what’s going on simply out of curiosity. Or perhaps you are buying a new car, and you hear things like “3.0 liter V-6″ and “dual overhead cams” and “tuned port fuel injection.” What does all ­of that mean?

­­In this article, we’ll discuss the basic idea behind an engine a­nd then go into detail about how all the pieces fit together, what can go wrong and how to increase performance.

The purpose of a gasoline car engine is to convert gasoline into motion so that your car can move. Currently the easiest way to create motion from gasoline is to burn the gasoline inside an engine. Therefore, a car engine is an internal combustion engine — combustion takes place internally.

Two things to note:

  • There are different kinds of internal combustion engines. Diesel engines are one form and gas turbine engines are another. See also the articles on HEMI engines, rotary engines and two-stroke engines. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
  • There is such a thing as an external combustion engine. A steam engine in old-fashioned trains and steam boats is the best example of an external combustion engine. The fuel (coal, wood, oil, whatever) in a steam engine burns outside the engine to create steam, and the steam creates motion inside the engine. Internal combustion is a lot more efficient (takes less fuel per mile) than external combustion, plus an internal combustion engine is a lot smaller than an equivalent external combustion engine. This explains why we don’t see any cars from Ford and GM using steam engines.

Let’s look at the internal combustion process in more detail in the next section.

admin
September 15, 2010
Engine
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Drive on ice

The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it. Don’t go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared (TIPS), and that you know how to handle road conditions. See also Autovermietung

It’s helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you’re familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner’s manual for tips specific to your vehicle. (more…)

admin
September 10, 2010
Traffic
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Ford fusion hybrid is winner as car of the year 2010

No green spin necessary, the Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan was soundly voted the 2010 Car of the Year. While not the first-ever hybrid vehicle to win this award (even for Ford), it is notable that the 2010 North American Car of the Year (NACOTY) was given to a U.S. automaker for a hybrid amidst one of the worst times to be selling any kind of car, much less a hybrid. And yet, the Fusion Hybrid helped Ford set record sales in hybrids in a year when overall industry demand for gas-electric cars tanked, bolstering the appearance that Ford is doing something right.

The Fusion Hybrid beat out its non-hybrid version, the Fusion sedan, as well as three other 2010 green cars on the market: the Honda Insight, the Toyota Prius, and the Volkswagen Golf/GTI/TDI (a clean diesel Green Car of the Year Finalist). So what does the Fusion Hybrid deliver? As NACOTY juror Csaba Csere said, “Though not the first hybrid on the market, or even the second or third, the Fusion Hybrid is simply the best one ever built. In addition to delivering terrific mileage, it looks and drives like a regular car — and a very good one indeed.” (more…)

admin
September 1, 2010
Car