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.

Gemini automotive care recommends the following procedures:

* Find a level spot completely off the side of the road, even if you must drive for a few hundred yards on a flat tire. Make sure you are out of the way of traffic.
* Apply your parking brake. If you have an automatic transmission, place the car in “park.” Manual transmissions should be placed in first gear or reverse.
* Turn off your engine and turn on your hazard lights.
* Alert other drivers of your presence by placing safety flares and / or reflectors about five car lengths in front and back of your vehicle.
* Gather your tools: the spare tire, jack, lug wrench and the wheel key (if your car requires one).

* The Process: Remove your wheel covers (if applicable). Depending on the type you have, you may need to unlock them first. Others can be popped off or unscrewed.
* Loosen, but do not remove, the lug nuts. Usually you can achieve this by turning them about a half-turn counterclockwise.
* Determine the proper positioning for your jack according to the owner’s manual and raise the car until the tire barely touches the ground. It should take the weight off the tire, but not come off the ground.
* Rotate the lug wrench counterclockwise, removing each lug nut. In order to remove the flat tire, it will be easiest if you position your hands at the “three o’clock” and “nine o’clock” positions and pull it straight toward you.
* Replace the flat with your spare tire. It’s easier if you align the holes in your spare tire with the bolts first, then place it firmly on them.
* Replace and slightly tighten the lug nuts.
* Lower your car back to the ground and then finish tightening the lug nuts in a cross pattern.

* Final Steps: Put your tools back in the proper places and conduct a final check to be sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
* Get to a service station as soon as possible. You will need to have the flat tire repaired and reinstalled (if possible) and have your lug nuts tightened with a torque wrench to the proper specification for your vehicle.

I would personally add to this list:do not throw your lug wrench in anger or disgust (always important), and try to be on level ground, if you are not, you may find yourself repeatedly jacking the car up and lowering it in a hopeless effort to simply get the tire far enough off the ground to change. This becomes a sad dance of desperation after about the third move, so you may want to move “level ground” to the top of your list.

If you are a visual learner, you may find this video (the first in a series) quite helpful.