The cars taking part are prototypes that combine technologies such as electric motors, batteries, solar energy and, in one case, hydrogen fuel cells, says Jordaan.
Three South African teams are taking part, two are from India and one is from Japan. A hydrogen-fuel-cell motorbike built by a Malaysian team is also racing.

(Source iol.co.za)

It has been a hard fought battle to stage the race, and several teams did in fact have to drop out due to a lack of funding. The main idea behind the race was to highlight the talents of engineers, as well as to build interest in alternative fuel source vehicles. The route the vehicles will travel will take them from Cape Town to Ermelo with many city stops along the way.

The race seems like a great way to showcase new car ideas, and it should be interesting to watch these cars transport themselves around the country. Who knows what great ideas might come from this race?

The auction disposed of part of the collection of car fancier Richard Paine Jr. of Seal Cove, Maine, who died last year. The 1910 Mercedes and the 1913 Rolls-Royce were the top-priced items, and a half-dozen other cars sold for more than $250,000 each. Proceeds of the auction go to an endowment for the Seal Cove Auto Museum, which houses the core of Paine’s collection.

(Source AP)

It looks like a lot of car shippers and auto transporters will be hitting the roads after this auction to bring this cars to their new homes!

Higher level employees are the ones likely to suffer from the new round of layoffs. Much like it’s parent company Ford, Volvo is looking to cut cost by closing down plants on specific shift hours. Volvo in fact already announced plans in June to cut 2,000 jobs and reduce plant hours. Volvo has also estimated that it would need to cut 900 more jobs next year.

I was actually surprised to learn that Ford was Volvo’s parent company. I wonder if another Jaguar deal might be in the works, do you recall when Ford sold Jaguar to an Indian company for a significant loss in recent years? Much of Volvo’s decline has been linked to poor sales.

An increase in the number of complaints of motorists speeding through school zones has led to an increase in police traffic enforcement efforts by the police, according to the Carlsbad Police Department. Those efforts, in turn, are reflected in an increased number of school zone citations passing through the city’s municipal court.
Recently, the week between Sept. 3 and Sept. 10 saw 15 citations heard in court, with each guilty finding translating to a $128 fine for the motorist and mandatory time spent in Defensive Driving School.

The next article I read: Kardashian Ticketed for Speeding in School Zone. Even thought it wasn’t in New Mexico, Kim Kardashian, of pornography fame, was cited for speeding in a school zone. It just goes to show that even celebrities might get a ticket if they are in danger of running over a kid. In all seriousness though, I notice people flying through school zones constantly, and it is obviously just a bad idea. Let off the gas and coast through people.

Southbendtribune.com is chronicling one such company, Lapeer Metal Stamping. It seems that four factories owned and operated by Lapeer are going under due to lack of business from Ford and GM. The company is now making half of what it has in the past, $60 million in stead of $120 to be exact, and apparently has become unprofitable. According to Southbendtribune.com a recent company notice reads:

“Due to sudden, dramatic and unexpected deteriorating circumstances in the automotive industry and in Lapeer’s financial and economic condition, its management has been compelled to sell its book of business and permanently close its operations.”

Another casualty of America’s declining auto industry, but auto transport of imports always seems to be doing well. It’s just a shame the Big Three didn’t revamp their companies years ago.

Guardian.co.uk is reporting that:

There are three musical strips in central and northern Japan – one of which plays the tune of a Japanese pop song. Notice of an impending musical interlude, which lasts for about 30 seconds, is highlighted by coloured musical notes painted on to the road. According to reports, the system was the brainchild of Shizuo Shinoda, who accidentally scraped some markings into a road with a bulldozer before driving over them and realizing that they helped to produce a variety of tones.

The idea sounds cute and all, but if I’m doing some auto transportation, that last thing I really want is a song vibrating up from out of no-where. The series of events goes like this as I see it: the song plays, I freak out, I veer off the road and slam head on into a school bus full of nuns. Do you really want that Shizuo Shinoda? …also, I don’t like Japanese pop music.

The Australians do some serious auto transporting and they are looking to get more fuel efficient cars on the road. Reuters is also reporting that:

The sector [vehicles] accounts for 14 percent of the nation’s emissions, or 79.1 million metric tons.

“The federal government has put forward eight possible measures to reduce carbon emissions from Australian cars,” the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

“It does not advocate any particular measure, but recommends considering different registration and stamp duty for new light vehicles based on their emissions.”

Australia is apparently looking to cut carbon emissions by 60 percent over the next 50 years. As it stands they are the 16th biggest carbon polluter in the world.

The problem is with the safety standards of the different countries. Many cars simply won’t pass safety standards in all the countries they could be retailed in. According to MSNBC:

“Each party negotiating this has their own views about their own standards being better,” said Ronald Medford, senior associate administrator of vehicle safety at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which sets U.S. standards. “But as long as we can show we’re not lowering safety and we’re lowering cost, we’re all interested in that.”

You know that Ford must be hating Ralph Nader right about now! For years American car companies have been producing cars that would be perfect in the states, but considering the safety regulations I don’t expect to see them on our streets any time soon.

Americans appear to be cutting down on day-to-day travel as well. Since last November, U.S. drivers have driven 53.2 billion fewer miles than they did during the same period the previous year, a drop in driving larger than that seen during the 1970s oil crisis.

The impact of this recent lack of driving will reverberate through the economy. If people aren’t driving places they aren’t buying gas for one thing. The next hit to the economy (not that gas companies are hurting for business) will be to all those businesses that depend on customers coming by car. Think of all the small towns that depend on the traffic that comes off the interstate to visit, and shop. The only difference is that all businesses will start to suffer those same effects if no one wants to drive anywhere.

I agree with Leno, 100 years ago we were on top of our game. Since then workers have done everything in their power to unionize and suck the blood from their employers, who in turn are looking for the government to pay for their problems…and lest we forget, you and I pay the government’s tab. With that in mind Mr.Leno offers some more advice:

I believe that, all things being equal, Americans will buy American. It just has to be as good as the competition; it doesn’t have to be better. The classic example is Harley-Davidson. Throughout the ’70s, the motorcycle maker had huge quality-control problems. Then Harley-Davidson said, “Look, let’s take our time. Let’s build fewer bikes. Let’s build them properly, so they don’t leak oil and they’ll run forever.” Harley-Davidson won back the market share it had lost, and it continues to dominate today.

If we start to build some better automobiles, more people will buy them. Supply and demand at it’s finest. Much like King Lear, this tragedy has the comedian telling the truth.