2008 ~ Automotive

Nissan conversion

Roshaizul who blogs at autolure recently sent me some pics of a Nissan Cefiro converted to the Skyline R34 by a young Malaysian car Modifier.

More about the car on the blog post "Nissan Cefiro Skyline R34".

Thanks for the pics Roshaizul.

The new BMW Z4 is out. In case you are wondering what's new. Well, it's the first BMW with a retractable Hard-Top roof. I wonder why it took them so long. The Mercedes SLK has had retractable hardroofs for a long time.

Anyway, the two-piece, electro-hydraulically operated Retractable Hard-Top roof can be raised or lowered in 20 seconds.

There is a choice of three six-cylinder engines. Their flagship model features the International Engine of the Year winning 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine. It produces 306hp at 5,800rpm, and the car goes from zero to 62mph in 5.2 seconds (5.1 seconds for a Double Clutch Transmission-equipped car) and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.

The new BMW Z4 is slightly larger than its predecessor measuring 148mm longer at 4,239mm and 9mm wider at 1,790mm, and according to their news release, means "greater interior space and luggage capacity". Apprently, this means that the boot is large enough to stow a full set of golf clubs. As for driving comfort, bigger drivers can feel less cramped as there is more head and elbow room.

The new roadster is also offered with Adaptive M Suspension. Electronically controlled dampers allow for three different configurations and can lower the ride height by up to 10mm for a more dynamic drive.

Other new features include their latest generation of the iDrive - BMW Professional Multimedia Navigation system.

Prices of the new Z4 start from £28,645 (OTR ) for the sDrive23i.

Jaguar's Used car locator

Jaguar has launched a brand new Used Car Locator to find approved used Jaguar cars. With great features including personalised content, high quality images and links to fully interactive e-brochures among others.

According to them, all the used cars undergo extensive warranty and vehicle checks.

So if you are looking for a Used Jaguar, do check out their Approved Used Car Locator.

The Nissan Z tour

The Nissan Z has developed quite a following and as a warm up to the upcoming launch of the all new 370Z, Nissan is having a rally across the US. You can Follow the Z North American Rally which is currently in Washington D.C.. This will be followed by a stop in Gaithersburg, Maryland on December 11th.

Check out the new Z promo video clip:

National Tyres and Autocare Spon End

Contrary to what some people might believe, I don't have anything against National Tyres and Autocare. If I have a good experience as a customer with any business, I will write about it and vice versa. In case you are wondering what I am talking about read my review "Experience with National Tyres and Autocare". It was about my experience with their branch at Gosford Street, Coventry.

I wanted to make sure that it was just one branch and not all branches cheating customers. This time I decided to try out their branch at Spon End, Coventry. However, I called them first to make sure whether their wheel alignment was only £12.50 as advertised. When I received an answer in the affirmative, I drove down to their workshop.

They checked my Volvo and I found out that I had to change one of the Tyres. This cost me £44 for a Tigar Prima (one of the cheapest). The final cost came to £62/

I was quite surprised when I found out that they had given me a further discount of £5/ which was quite welcome. Of course, this was before the reductions in VAT was announced.

More info about the branch is given below:

National Tyres and Autocare
70 Spon End, Coventry, CV1 3HA
Phone: 02476674206

Monday - Friday: 8.30am - 6.00pm
Saturday: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Sunday: 10am-4pm

UK Car Industry in Trouble

Just last month, Tata the new owners of Jaguar and Land Rover announced that 850 workers could lose their jobs. This was following a meeting with Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary and attended by 17 senior representatives from the troubled motor industry. The representatives wanted a rescue package.

Today, the latest figures show that sales of new cars in the UK have fallen tremendously. The annual fall was the biggest since June 1980 - that's in 28 years. Read the BBC report: 'New car sales fall by one-third'.

Euro NCAP test results

Euro NCAP recently released the results of the test on 12 of Europe’s best-selling cars. These were for cars in the following categories: Supermini, Small Family, Large Family, Small Off-Roader, Pick up and Large MPV.

Apparently this is the last time the present rating system will be used. The new rating system will be launched in February 2009.

The cars which received the top score of five stars for adult occupant protection were the Alfa Romeo Mito, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 308CC, Volkswagen Golf VI, Renault Megane, Honda Accord, Opel Insignia and the Volvo XC60.

However, some of the cars didn't do as well for child occupant or pedestrian protection.

Go over to the Euro NCAP site for more details.

Fuel prices go lower

I am delighted. I thought I would never see the day when petrol prices would go below the 90p mark. Well, today on my way back from the University, saw that petrol is now 89.9p.

I have to thank Asda for this new development. They were the ones who started the price war by lowering the fuel prices first of all. I think I will start shopping there even though it's a bit further away.

Battery down

Last weekend we were all set to go to Bristol for a day trip - all got into the car, TomTom ready and then the car refused to start. It was really frustrating. I suspected a run down battery but wa snot sure as I could still use the locking remote.

Waited till Monday this week. Called up RAC. A guy turned up promptly in less than an hour. He confirmed that the battery was down. Used his van to recharge the battery and my car started up without any problems. His diagnosis - "change the battery". They do sell batteries but it was way too costly - around £90.

Called up my regular workshop and they said they could replace it for a new one for only £75/

I decided to check out the workshop Ace Auto Parts and Accessories on the way to my son's nursery. Was really surprised when I found out that a brand new batter would cost me only £55/ inclusive of labour. The guy was friendly and had the battery changed in a couple of minutes.

Also noticed that they do battery, brakes and exhaust checks for free. Maybe later.

Here's the address:
Ace Auto Parts and Accessories
103, Radford Road, Radford
Coventry CV6 3BQ
Tel: 024 76601006

Least expensive cars to drive

Our Volvo is really comfortable but I have come to realise why it is a "luxury" car - it guzzles fuel. Now I find myself driving the old Ford Escort most of the time as it is more economical.

Anyway, just came across this article about the "Least Expensive Cars To Drive" on the Forbes site.

The Jeep Patriot

On the list are two Toyota cars, the Prius and the Yaris. However they have included two cars that I am wouldn't put under the "economical" category, namely the Cadillac DTS and the Jeep Patriot. However according to the article, the latter has a "has a long-term cost of ownership similar to that of the Toyota Prius."

Finding a repair shop with RepairPal

If you are a conscientious car owner like me, I am sure you have at one time or the other faced the problem of finding a suitable garage to repair or service your car.

Unless money is not an issue, it can really be time consuming and stressful to find a repair shop. One site in the US that is getting a lot of attention is RepairPal. Set up by a couple of auto enthusiasts and entrepreneurs in California, to make it easier for car owners to access a comprehensive auto shop directory and more. Their encyclopaedia page is filled with a lot of useful explanations of car related terms. Found it really useful.

You can get fair auto repair estimates in a few steps by choosing your car make, model, year, the service type you are interested in (for example, Timing belt replacement) and finally providing your zip code. Customers can then rate the shops as per their experience.

Signing up allows you to access a number of features including a place to maintain your car records. The will even email you when your car service is due. Definitely a useful site for all car owners.

Changing clutch on my Ford Escort

The problem with buying a used car, especially one that's older than 5 years, is that the parts start failing one after the other.

I have had clutch problems on my old Ford Escort from day one. Of late it had been giving me a lot of problems - the clutch was so damn hard that I used to have pain in my left leg driving anywhere. It was worst whenever there were traffic jams with short 'Stops and Gos'. However, last Monday, I got stuck at an intersection as the gears refused to go into first gear. I eventually managed to get it into first hear but that was really frustrating and that was it. Finally decided to have something done.

So this Tuesaday, I took the car back to the best Ford specialist in Coventry, KNS Autoparts. Left it in the morning and the car was ready by 5pm. It cost me £164.50 (inclusive of vat). Lot cheaper than what other garages were quoting - one said £300 before VAT and another £250.

I had a tough time adjusting to the new clutch - it' so soft. The car drives like a dream now. I am definitely not selling it anytime soon.

2008 Singapore Motorshow

The 2008 Singapore Motorshow is now on. This bi-annual event started on the 26th of this month at at the Suntec City Convention Centre It will run on till the 5th of October.

Response to Anon - National Tyres and Autocare

Someone "Anonymous" left a comment on my post "Experience with National Tyres and Autocare". He or She said:

"hi there i work for national, the advert is not mis leading !! if you bother to read it properly it states, ON A RANGE OF BARUM AND AVON TYRES, SELECTED SIZES ONLY !! as for the tracking, the vocher (sic) sheet also states that prices are subject to change at any time, plus where else are you going to get tracking done for £15.00 any way ???"

In response to Anonymous, I am so sorry I forgot to read the SMALL PRINT. It does say that. Regarding the Wheel alignment offer, they have now increased the price to £12.50 from £11/ If it costs £15, why don't they just say so instead of misleading consumers.

This is precisely the reason why so many companies in the UK are unable to retain customers. They are so focussed on getting new customers by any means possible (including misleading ads). However, the most important part - retaining customers, is forgotten.

I left them a complaint on their web site and I am still waiting for their answer. A simple apology would have been enough and I won't have written the post and even if I had I would have written it in a more positive tone. Maybe "National Tyres and Autocare" got back to me and they were willing to even do the alignment for FREE. Amazing company". Unfortunately that didn't happen and I will go to the tyre shop near my house who are friendlier.

Remember it is cheaper to retain old customers instead of getting new ones. The old satisfied customers will bring new ones along with them.

Small 4X vehicle

My "Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday" post.

These kind of vehicles are used in the University of Warwick, Coventry by the Landscaping people. Not sure but I think they are Kawasaki 4X mules.

Fuel prices may go down in the UK

According to Sky News, petrol prices may fall in the country. I hope this is true even though I am not betting on it.

It's quite funny to see petrol pumps increasing the prices as soon as World oil prices go up. However, when the World prices go down, they will take their own sweet time to lower the pump prices.

According to the report, the most expensive petrol prices are in London. Even in Coventry itself, prices vary between pumps. The costliest in our area is the Texaco, while the cheapest is Shell.

A batch of MG Rover cars left the Longbridge plant in Birmingham today - the first time since April 2005 when MG Rover was taken over by Nanjing Automobile Corporation for £53 million. The first batch of 47 MGTF LE500S was sent to dealers all over the country. The will be launched to the public on 20 September 2008.

Only the first 500 cars to leave the world famous Longbridge factory will receive the LE500 designation. I guess LE stands for Limited Edition.

They say that the car will be available in 6 body colour choices but so far I have only seen the orange coloured cars.

The car is powered by a 1.8 16v 135bhp 4 cylinder dohc engine with 5 speed manual gearbox.

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, the latest fuel efficient car from Ford is set to hit European roads soon. Recently unveiled at the British International Motor Show, the car does 65 miles to the gallon (some say 63.5 miles to the gallon). It has been hailed as UK's greenest car.

However, it won't be sold in the US. The reason: it has a diesel engine and apparently the fuel is still not popular with Americans due to a negative image plus the fact that it costlier than gasoline.

Proton Cars UK has announced the launch of the GEN-2 ecoLogic range (Yes! That's how they write the name). Available in a hatchback or saloon version, the ecoLogic models are priced 10,995 and £10,795 respectively.The dual fuel models are able to run on either petrol or LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

This is not something new for Proton in the UK as the Humberside Police have been running LPG-converted Proton vehicles for over 10 years.

The Proton ecoLogic GEN-2 has a 1.6 litre engine and is available in a sporty hatchback or saloon version, priced at £10,995(OTR) and £10,795 (OTR) respectively.

Both cars come with reverse sensors, air conditioning with pollen filter, electric front and rear windows, automatic central locking and alloy wheels. All customers can get a black leather interior on the GEN-2 ecoLogic hatchback absolutely free for a limited time only. This will be optional in the future and customers would have to pay £100 extra for it.

Since I didn't hear anything about this in the news, thought I should spread the news around. Read their press release here: Half price motoring with the new dual fuel ecoLogic.

Buying from a used car dealer

A few friends are looking to upgrade their cars and having read my review of Station Garage in Balsall Common, were asking my opinion on various options available.

Buying a used car is always a gamble. There are usually three reasons a person sells of a car:
1. Upgrading to a new car
2. Financial problems &
3. Some problems with the car.

More often than not, it is usually the third reason. So be very careful when buying a used car. Used car dealers are usually costlier than private sellers. However, most usually offer some kind of warranty or the other. Take Station Garage for example. Their main selling point is the fact that they offer 12 months warranty on their cars and 12 months MOT as well. However, I have to be honest.

I am not really happy with the garage. I specifically requested them to change one of the back tyres and to top up the engine oil as I found out that it was quite low. They did change the tyre and topped up the oil as well. You will notice that I say "topped up" and not "change". That's because they simply topped up the engine oil with some used oil. Some of my other friends confirmed this as well.

I am not sure why they did this but it really lowered my evaluation of the garage. I stopped recommending them after I found out about the oil. Going to have to go for a full service soon because I am not really sure what they meant by "car serviced" and what they did with the car now. That's what happens when customer don't trust a company any more.

Satisfied customers will usually recommend the company and help bring in new customers. On the other hand, unsatisfied customers will spread the bad news even more, more so when they happen to be bloggers.

Washing the engine

I plan to sell off my old Ford Escort. Decided to give it a nice wash before putting it up on the market. Took it to the car wash nearby, just behind "The Pilot" pub on Burnaby road. The rates were not bad - £5 for external wash and £10 for steam washing the engine.

The guy did a great job and my car looks like new (well almost).

However, the story does not end there. Yesterday, I was driving to Ikea with my wife, the car suddenly started backfiring and jerking. Quickly drove over to KNS Autoparts Ltd at Foleshill. Found out that a pipe was loose and leaking air (I am not sure from where) and also that water had got into my engine (where the spark plugs are located). So they took my car in for a while and cleaned the engine up. The damage was not that bad - only £10/ The car was perfectly OK after that but what a scare.

My "Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday" post.

Electric cars in La Rochelle

This is my second "Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday" post.

Saw a few cars near the Les Minimes post on our vacation in La Rochelle. They were hooked up to some sort of recharging post. I don't understand French but I immediately realised that they were electric cars. Later on found out that they are part of La Rochelle's active environmental pollution reduction policy. The electric cars are for hire and pay by usage time and mileage totalled during the month.

The pictures here are of the Citroën AX. You can recharge them for free.

Malaysians may recognise the shape. The Proton Tiara produced in the country from from 1996 to 2000 was based on the Citroën AX.

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If you wish to join "Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday, just send me an email (ahoklah@gmail.com) with a link to your post and I will email you the code for the blogroll. Will add you to the blogroll as soon as you have it up on your own blog.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the iconic XK120 sports car, Jaguar has launched a special addition to the XK range, named Special Edition XK60.

The car is available in both coupé and convertible version and is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.2 litre V8 engine. The car' has something known as the Computer Active Technology Suspension for better control and agility with comfort.

Unique styling includes Senta alloy wheels, a sporty alloy gear knob and selector-gate surround, plus distinctive body enhancements: a new front spoiler and rear valance panel, chrome finished side vents and bright upper and lower front grille meshes, special tailpipe finishers and sill appliqués on both sides of the car.

There is no at no additional cost and prices start from £60,995.

Reviews of garages / workshops in Coventry

Hollis Road garage - MOT

KNS Autoparts Ltd, Foleshill - Car Repair/Ford Specialist

National Tyres and Autocare, Gosford Street - Tyres

Station Garage Coventry, Ballsal Common - Used Car and Servicing

Taxi & car repairs, Stoney Stanton - Car Repair and Servicing

TPS Autos Ltd, Foleshill - Car Repair/ MOT

Review of KNS Autoparts - Ford specialists in Coventry

After I bought the Volvo from Station Garage, I was wondering what to do with our old Ford Escort. Read my post "Ryanair to La Rochelle" in case you are wondering what happened to the car.

I had made up my mind to sell it as scrap as almost everyone I had talked to had convinced me that it was not worth trying to fix - "The cost would be more than it was worth".

Looked up the local newspaper and called up some scrap dealers, enquiring how much they could give me for the car. The maximum offer I got was £100. That was ridiculous considering the fact that the new Barum tyres I had fitted recently cost me £45.

I then checked with my favourite garage - Taxi & car repairs. Unfortunately Mr. Isfaq told me that he doesn't do engine repairs. There's one guy whom most Malaysians living in Coventry send their Mercedes Benz cars for repairs. He told me that it would cost me a minium of £500 to fix the head gasket. That was the same amount that he had charged my friend Ihsan for a similar problem with his car as well. Considering the fact that Ihsan's car was a Mercedes and mine, a Ford Escort, I certainly expected him to charge me less.

By that stage, I really didn't know what to do and had made up my mind to sell off the parts bit by bit on eBay when one of my friends told me to try KNS Autoparts Ltd in Lockhurst Lane. They are specialised in Ford cars.

I didn't really have any high hopes but I called them up anyway. Chris picked up the phone and I described my car and the problem. I couldn't believe it when he told me that he could fix the car and that it would cost me only £300 plus VAT. Of course I readily agreed. They were even willing to tow the car to their garage Free-of-charge.

So I gave them my car keys, told them where it was parked and went off on my holiday to France.

Called them up yesterday morning. Chris replied saying that the car was fixed and I could pick it up anytime. I was actually expecting him to tell me that the car needed more work and that it would mean more money. A lot of dishonest garages do that.

Altogether it cost me £352.50 (inclusive of VAT). It may be my imagination but the ride feels much smoother than before. Of course, it's been just one day but I am impressed with the work the guys at KNS Autoparts have done. Chris told me that I could bring back the car if it has any problems.

If you are in Coventry and have a problem with your old Ford Escort, you know where to go now.

The garage is located at 187, Lockhurst Lane, Foleshill, CV6 5NQ, Coventry.
Tel: 024 7658 1798

Buying a used car - my experience with Station Garage

Continued from "Buying a used car - my experience 1."

Note: Company not recommended. Have had numerous complaints about this company from various readers. Moreover the company website has been down for quite sometime. Calls to the owner were unanswered and I assume the company has closed down. However, I am still using the Volvo I bought from them and is still running fine.

After my disastrous day in Solihul and Birmingham, I was back on the Auto Trader site. I found a few Ford Mondeos I liked and within my budget. Unfortunately found out that the first two I had listed down had been sold. There was a private seller but he was still servicing the car and asked me to call up later.

While going through the various cars, I noticed one Mondeo with really low mileage and if I was able to knock down a couple of prices, it would be well below my budget. The used car dealer - Station Garage Coventry was in Balsall Common, about 7.3 miles from my house. As I couldn't wait, I just took a cab and set off for the place directly without calling. What really attracted me was their claim that their cars:

"come with 12 months parts and labour warranty. For your peace of mind, they are all HPI checked."

It is a good idea to go to a car dealer without calling so that you can look around at leisure. Even if you do call them up, don't tell them what car you are interested in as I learnt from some friends that they would "prepare" it for you before you turn up and you might miss a few things.

Anyway, I reached the place and Jonathan, the guy running the place showed me the Mondeo I was interested in. Around that time, my friend Ihsan turned up as well. Had a look at the engine which was tip top by the way, and took it for a test drive. It was OK but not that smooth. The clutch was stiff and the hand brakes were not working.

While looking around, I suddenly laid my eyes on this Volvo S40. The price was slightly higher than my budget but I was sure that I could knock it down a bit. It had only done 65K miles and took it for a test drive. That was it - I decided to buy the car. The car ticked all my requirements - including the extras, sports rims, air conditioning and CD player. Now was time for haggling.

As much as I tried, Jonathan wouldn't budge on the price. I gave up on the Volvo and tried to reduce the price of the Mondeo but it was "No!" again. As I was about to leave , he was willing to reduce the price on the Mondeo by about £99 pounds but I decided to look for another Volvo elsewhere.

When I came back home I had a discussion with my wife. We looked at other Volvo S40s available and found a few within the same price range. Some were cheaper but with a higher mileage. However, none offered a 12 months parts and labour warranty. Plus it came with 12 months MOT.

That was it. I called the garage up and informed Jonathan that I wanted to buy the car and would be back at the garage the next day. He told me that there was someone coming to look at the car as well. I doubted it as the car was no where listed on their stock list nor on the auto trader.

Later at night we decided to check out the car's history on the RAC site.That's when I started to have doubts. The report said "Details currently held on the National Mileage Register (NMR) indicates that there may be a mileage discrepancy on this vehicle". That set off a lot of alarm bells even though the estimated market value was higher at that mileage.

So called up the garage in the morning the next day and informed Jonathan about my concerns. However he assured me that it might be human error and had the service records to prove it.

To cut a long story short (it's already long) I went back and finally bought the car. The garage had the car serviced and replaced one of the tyres as well. After I had paid the money (via debit) and as I was about to drive away, suddenly realised that the car had no floor mats. And I wasn't getting any. A small thing but left me somewhat dissatisfied.

Anyway, that's was my experience with Station Garage Coventry based in Ballsal Common and here's my new ride:

Here's their address:
Station Garage
Station Road
Ballsal Common
Coventy
CV7 7EF

Tel: 01676 534055

Related Link: Find used cars

Ford sued for selling too many limited edition Mustangs

Drew Connor, a Ford customer along with 100 other people are suing Ford and Roush Performance Products Inc. for alleged misrepresentation. According to them, they were promised that only 100 Roush Stage 3 BlackJack editions of the Ford Mustang would be produced in 2007 which were sold at a premium (Conner paid $58,846.25 for his car). Ford than later produced another 100 for sale in 2008.

Image from the Ford Power site.

Though it seems ridiculous, the guys have a point. The car is not as rare as they were promised they would be and the value would be lowered.

Have to see how this turns out.

Read on the Auto Blog: ROUSH and Ford sued for making too many Blackjack Mustangs
& on CNN: 2nd UPDATE: Ford, Roush Sued Over Limited-Edition Mustang

Buying a used car - my experience 1

Buying a used car is a tiring and frustrating task. I have learnt that over the course of thiese few day. Ever since my car broke down along the A14 and I found out that repairing the engine would cost me more than the value of the car, I have been looking for a good used car.

Besides looking at the newspapers (where I didn't find anything I liked) I also went to the Auto Trader site. Initially I looked for private sellers listing their Toyota Avensis but all the good ones (read best prices) had already been sold. It's amazing how popular this model is here in the UK. My next choice was the Nissan Primera because of the good review. I usually refer to Honest John which lists1200 comprehensive car reviews. Coming back to the Nissan Primera, it was my choice because it receives quite favourable reviews. However, every single one I liked on the Auto Trader site was beyond my budget (which is not really much to start with).

A relative living in Birmingham gave me some leads around Birmingham. My friend Ishan kindly consented to drive me around. My first car was a Nissan Primera at a car dealer in Solihul. I didn't like the car the first time I laid my eyes on it. It was in a really bad shape and when I gave it a test drive, it had a really unbearable odour inside. I don't need to tell you my decision.

Next was a 1.8 Turbo Diesel in Birmingham. I really liked it but the guy who was selling it really talked a lot and it was really suspicious because the price was too cheap. He seemed over eager to get rid of the car as well. Never-the-less I decided to buy the car and gave him £70 as deposit after agreeing on a price. However, I just couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling.

I had passed over the details of the car to my wife and I didn't know it but she had done a check on the car's history on the RAC site. You have to pay £5 but you get to learn some important details about the car. In this case, she discovered that the car had previously been involved in an accident and had been recordered as a total loss by the insurance company. It was listed as a category D "Vehicle damaged but repairable - the insurer decided not to repair". Not all category D cars are bad but I was not willing to take the chance and turned back at once. The guy agreed to give me back my deposit and he looked really miserable and I pitied him, but I had no choice.

Now it was back to the Auto Trader site and I widened up my option. I started looking for Ford Mondeos, VW Passats, etc.

To be continued in next post...

Fuel prices down

Finally some good news.

My car was low on fuel and I drove down to my favourite petrol BP station. I was really happy when I noticed the prices have gone down to 113.9p from 117.9p

As I wasn't sure how long the prices would remain down, I filled up the car - full tank. Half an hour later as I was driving past, I noticed that the prices have further gone down to 111.9p and has remained at that price since then.

If you want to find out the cheapest fuel prices in your area (in the UK) check out Petrolprices.com.

However, in order to get the details, you have to sign up for something called the Fubra Passport but that's a minor irritation.

The costliest around my area is the Texaco station at Jubilee Crescent. It is fast to increase it's prices but relaly slow to lower it. Right now the prices over there are still at 117.9p

Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday

I am starting this new meme called "Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday".

This meme is for auto enthusiasts, photographers, car owners - in fact everyone is welcome to join in. It's really simple. All you have to do is post up a picture of anything related to the auto industry that you feel tells a story on Wednesday.

Just leave a comment here or send me an email (ahoklah@gmail.com) with a link to your post and I will add you to the Auto Story in Pictures Wednesday blogroll.

I start the ball rolling with this photograph I took in Coventry. Calcott was a car manufacturer based in Coventry.

The 1937 Tatra T87

Check out the classic 1937 Tatra T87 at Jay Leno’s Garage. Designed by Hans Ledwinka, this streamlined, air-cooled, rear-engine car was built by Czechoslovakian manufacturer Tatra and was the favourite of German officers during World War II.

Check out the Wikipedia page of the Tatra T87.

Thanks for the link Michelle.

The new Citroen C3 family body style will be presented at this year’s Paris Motor Show and launch in the first-quarter of next year.

Despite it's small appearance, this MPV measures 4.08 m long, 1.73 m wide and 1.62 m tall with a fairly big boot space. The split-fold rear seats can be folded away with one hand in one simple movement. The new C3 allows flat loading space right up to the seatbacks in row one. That's not all. the load length can be further extended by folding the front passenger seat back down into desk position.

Check out the innovative, three-part windscreen with slim pillars. Combined with the high seats, it will give the driver a wide-angle vision.

Regarding the engine, the C3 Picasso there are four options. Either the two new-generation petrol options – the VTi 95 and VTi 120 – and two diesels, the HDi 90 and HDi 110 DPFS. As for environment fliendliness, these engines provide low CO2 emissions, with the HDi 90 unit emitting just 125 g/km.

Discounts on car rentals

One of my friends is going to Austria for a holiday and he initially had planned to drive there but later on decided to fly there. I asked him how he was planning to get around the place and found out that he planned to use public transport from moving around the city and hiring a car for going outside town.

When deciding on a car rental company, two companies usually come to mind, namely, Hertz and Avis. However, in the process we miss out on a number of other companies which provide competitive rental rates. One searching around the web, we came across Advantage Rent A Car. This car rental company is more than 40 years old and has a presence in 150 U.S. locations and 130 locations in 33 countries internationally. Yes! They are in Austria as well.

Found out that they are offering some special offers including a 50% discount on luxury cars and convertibles. Definitely worth considering when deciding on a car rental company.

New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport SUV

A new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport SUV model will be unveiled at 2008 Moscow Motor Show. the show will run from August 26 to September 7 (open to the public on August 29) at the Crocus Expo in Moscow.

The model will be known as the "Montero Sport" in South America, "Shogun' in the UK, "Nativa" in Latin America and "Challenger" in Australia. However, it will not be sold in Central and Western Europe nor in North America.

Rear

Front view

The new Pajero has a really sporty look. They are offering a choice of three engines viz.,: 2.5-litre and 3.2-litre common rail direct injection diesel units and a 3.5-litre V6 gasoline unit.

Very practical innovations include the water-repellent seats and waterproof luggage compartment floor.

According to their press release, Mitsubishi choose to launch the new Pajero Sport at the Moscow Motor Show to indicate "Russia's eminent position within Mitsubishi Motors". It's not surprising because in the last fiscal year (2007) Mitsubishi Motors sold some 100,000 vehicles on the Russian market.

Image released by Mitsubishi

Here's the new 'Racing Lancer' developed for the 2009 Dakar Rally. It has the codename MRX09, which stands for 'Mitsubishi Rally 'Cross Country'('X'). The suffix 09 stands for year 2009.

The Lancer (known in Japan as Gallant Fortis) takes over the competition baton from the Pajero/Montero and the Pajero/Montero Evolution.

It has been developed in compliance with the FIA's Group T1 regulations (modified cross-country rally cars) which also complies with the new rules due to come into force in 2010.

The MRX09 features a new, multi-tubular steel frame and will be powered by the 3.0-liter V6 turbocharged diesel engine, which is wedded with a Ricardo manual five-speed sequential transmission.

The engine is currently being tested on qualifying rounds of the 2008 Dakar Series and the 2008 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup.

BTW, Mitsubishi Motor has a new corporate communication tagline : 'Drive@earth'.

Toyota showcase at British Motor show

Toyota GB will be will be showcasing its entire range of vehicles at the British International Motor Show 2008.

The IQ

This includes the revolutionary Toyota iQ and the Urban Cruiser SUV.

The Urban Cruiser

The show will run from 23 July to 3 August of this year at ExCel London.

Experience with National Tyres and Autocare

I needed to change my tyres and was quite excited when I found out that National Tyres and Autocare was offering two tyres for the price of one. As they say, "if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is." Found that their promotions and offers are quite misleading.

They have two branches here in Coventry and I went to the one in Gosford Street, near Coventry University.

Found out that the "Buy one tyre, get one free" offer is not available for my car tyre size. I only had one replaced - a Barum Bravuris tyre (195 / 50 R 15 82V) costing £45/

It's not that bad considering that I had one tyre changed at the "New Cheap Tyres" shop on Stoney Stanton road. It cost the same for a no-brand Chinese made tyre (the cheapest according to them).

Coming back to the National tyres shop, I wanted to take advantage of their Wheel alignment offer - only £11 according to the coupon. However, when I asked the guy in charge, he said that it will cost me £15. Of course, it's a difference of only £4/ but I do feel like he was trying to take advantage. Another thing that reinforced this suspicion was when he told me that the 2 rear tyres needed to be changed as well. It's obvious I am a foreigner here, but I am not stupid. They still have good thread depths. The minimum legal thread depth is 1.6 mm in the UK while on the tyres on my car, they are between 2.5 to 3mm.

the only positive thing I can say is that the whole process of changing to the new tyres was that I didn't have to wait too long and it was relatively fast. I also got Tesco clubcard points.

That's another shop I won't be going back to. I am not so sure about their other branch at Spon End.

One of Nissan's best selling cars - the Sylphy has finally reached Malaysia. It was launched last week by Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd, Nissan's official distributor in Malaysia.

It features an alluminium MR20DE 4 cylinder engine with continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The 2-litre executive sedan is locally assembled and is priced approx. RM112,800 between and RM116,800 on-the-road. It will be available in 6 colours.

Stunt driving

A friend forwarded me these pics of some crazy Arabs doing stunt driving.

Really dangerous and I don't recommend anyone from following their example. However, I go to admit, the driver is quite skilled.

Tata to create 700 jobs in the UK

Indian car maker, Tata recently announced a £ 700 million investment plan with the creation of 600 jobs at Jaguar Land Rover. It is also launching a new programme to recruit new graduate engineers in September. That's great news for the Midlands.

I have no idea why but unlike other companies, there is absolutely no news about this in both the Jaguar or the Land Rover sites. Only got to read bout it in the local newspaper.

McCain to issue Clean Car Challenge

Republican John McCain want's to be seen as environmentally friendly. He said that he would issue a Clean Car Challenge to U.S. automakers. If he was elected, he would propose "A $300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars."

Read the Reuters report "McCain calls for $300 million prize for car battery".

Ford to reduce production of bigger vehicles

Hit by falling demand for their bigger vehicles - namely pickups and sport utility vehicles, Ford will produce 25% fewer vehicles in the third quarter of this year as compared to last year.

They also announced the delay in launching their new F-150 pick-up truck. It will now come out in late fall.

The 105th Anniversary Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 bears the Bar & Shield logo on the center caps of its 22" polished forged aluminium wheels. It comes in two distinctive paint treatments (shown in Black monotone exterior). From the ford website.

Read the report in CNN Money: Ford delays launch of new F-150
The BBC Report: Ford 'to make fewer big vehicles'

Lancer Sportback to be unvieled at Paris Motor Show

The new Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback will be unveiled at the Le Mondial de l'Automobile 2008 (Paris Motor Show 2008). The show is being held in Halls 1-8 of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from October 2 to 19 and will be open for the general public on 4th October.

The Lancer Sportback is a 5-door sport hatchback with a unique inverted-slant nose and trapezoidal grille. It will be available 1.5-liter (109PS), 1.8-liter (143PS) gasoline engines and a 2.0-liter (140PS) turbo diesel engine versions.

Lancer Sportback (Europe spec.)

Other cars that will be on display at the Mitsubishi stand include the Lancer Ralliart and Lancer Sportback Ralliart models.

Lancer Sportback Ralliart (Europe spec.)

Lancer Ralliart (Europe spec)

These models are powered by a turbocharged engine mated to Mitsubishi's Twin Clutch SST (Sport Shift Transmission) and delivering power to all four wheels through an Active Center Differential.

Job cuts at Aston Martin

Around 60 temporary workers at Aston Martin's Gaydon factory will lose their jobs later this month. Some of the staff that will lose their jobs said that "they were given less than three weeks' notice"

Read the report here: Jobs axe falls at Aston Martin Gaydon base

Asian brands beat American brands in the US

According to a report in the International Herald Tribune, the three big US car makers, namely, General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler, combined sold less than (44.4 %) than the Asian brands - 10 brands in total (48.1 %) for the first time ever. The data was provided by the Autodata Corporation.

Amazingly, Toyota overtook GM in United States sales.

The drop in sales of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles with growth in sales of compact cars show that consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about fuel economy of their cars.

Read the full report here: U.S. cars lose to Asian rivals for first time

Nissan to build new model at Sunderland plant

According to latest reports, Japanese carmaker Nissan will build a new compact car at its Sunderland plant in the UK. That is good news as it means more jobs. At present the Sunderland factory also makes the Note.

It also plans to move manufacturing of the Micra to Chennai in India.

According to Carlos Ghosn:

"By delivering on tough commitments, our employees at Sunderland have demonstrated our plant can be a globally competitive centre for the production of high-value products. We are encouraged by the proactive support shown by the British government to decide new products for the Sunderland plant."

Read the full report here: NISSAN ANNOUNCES NEW VEHICLE FOR SUNDERLAND PLANT

Safety test results for some family cars

Euro NCAP recently released the test results for seven cars in five different categories. The cars, which are targeted at consumers with families, include the Audi A4, Skoda Superb, Citroen Berlingo, Ford Kuga, the VW T5 Caravelle and two Superminis, the Hyundai i10 and the Seat Ibiza.

All of the cars received four stars in Child Occupant Protection. SO far, no car has received the maximum of 49 points or five stars.

The Child Occupant rating was introduced in November 2003 and is based on the evaluation of the manufacturer’s recommended child restraints for an 18-month infant and a 3-year old child.

For more information, go to www.euroncap.com.

Nobody has heard of Proton

I was quite surprised to find out that among all my PhD friends here at the Warwick Business School, there's only one guy who has heard about Proton, Malaysia's national car company.

A friend who's quite knowledgeable about cars told me that at one time there were a number of Proton cars on UK streets - mainly the Proton Persona (the Proton Wira). We do see some of them around in Coventry but I have never seen any of the newer models including the Gen 2, Savvy, Satria Neo or even the Impian. From my friends' reactions when I tell them about the company and the fact that it owns Lotus, Proton cars UK is obviously not doing a good job with it's marketing. From what I learnt from my sources in Proton, they want to concentrate on the domestic market which is what they should have been doing. I guess that strategy comes at a price. I am not sure about other foreign markets but when it comes to branding, Proton has a lot of work to do in the UK.

Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi to collaborate in in Russia

According to a news release, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will set up a joint venture in Russia. The JV will produce vehicles for 3 brands, namely, Peugeot, Citroën and Mitsubishi in aassembly plant which will be located in Kaluga, 180 kmd South-West of Moscow.

The plant will have a capacity of 160,000 vehicles and the the foundation stone of this future plant will be laid on June 10th 2008. Production is planned to start in 2011.

This JV follows the sucessful launch of the an SUV - the Peugeot 4007, which was jointly launched in 2007, for the European market. Read Paul Tan's post about the Peugeot 4007 here.

Flying cars

Was stuck in a jam back from the University yesterday and how I wished I had a car that could take off vertically and just fly back home. Well the idea is nothing new and countless sci--fi movies feature flying cars.

In fact there are several prototypes of flying cars in existence right now. Check out this feature about flying cars on Yahoo! news.

Check out the test flight of the Moller Skycar.

Get auto insurance quotes

One of my friends was planning to buy a used car and asked me if I had some tips. He was so surprised when he learnt about the road tax, the MOT tests and of course the cost of insurance. If you are buying from a dealer, they will usually try to convince you to get the insurance from one of the companies they partner with. Naturally these are not necessarily the cheapest or the best.

In the US, if you are buying your first car, you need to buy the insurance even before you can drive away from the dealership with your new car. I think it's unethical for some dealers to force down their insurance policies on some unsuspecting customer. I mean not all customers will want a full coverage and would rather go for the legal minimum required. You have to note that different American states have different rules and most require you to have an insurance if you drive.

There are several sites where you can obtain and compare quotes and all you have to do is enter your Zip code. Getting a auto insurance code has never been easier. And of course you get to save some money.

Most efficient cars

Yahoo! Cars UK has come up with a list of Five of the most efficient cars. This was based on fuel uses and emissions. They are listed under 5 different classes :

City slickers
Fiat 500

Compact superminis
SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive & VW Polo Bluemotion

Family hatchbacks
Ford Focus Econetic

D-segment saloon cars
BMW 318d

Compact SUVs and crossovers
Ford Kuga

Read "Five of the most efficient cars in their class"

The Dacia revolution

Check out the ad for the Dacia Logan. See whether you can recognise the prominent revolutionary figures portrayed in the clip. I heard it caused quite a stir.

The "revolution" apparently refers to the fact that, due to it's aggressive pricing, the Logan MCV is a real "car for the people".

For your information, Dacia is a subsidiary of Renault and the car is manufactured Dacia's automobile plant in Mioveni, Romania.

Thanks to Kathrin and Timothy from Nordpol for the info.

Least fuel economical cars

Forbes has compiled a list of the "World's Worst Gas-Guzzling Cars". It's not surprising that some of the most desirable cars are also the ones on top of the list. This includes the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Bugatti Veyron.

Lamborghini Murcielago

According to the report:

"Drivers of both can expect to pay $5,025 a year in fuel costs."

Bugatti Veyron

Check out the slide show on the Forbes site.

There has been an overwhelming demand for the Nissan GT-R here in the UK. They were swamped with 700 orders within 48 hours of the official opening for orders on 2 April 2008, even though the cars would only be delivered in March 2009.

Nissan UK even had to request an additional supply for UK in order to meet the demand.

Read the full report: "NISSAN GT-R GOING EVEN FASTER THAN EXPECTED".

The car is available exclusively through 10 Nissan High Performance Centres in various parts of the country.

1. Alex F Noble GT-R, Edinburgh
2. Benfield GT-R, Newcastle Upon Tyne
3. Hursts GT-R, Belfast
4. JFE GT-R, Exeter
5. Marshalls GT-R, Cambridge
6. Middlehurst Motorsport GT-R, St Helens
7. Motorline GT-R, Tunbridge Wells
8. Sims GT-R, Oxford
9. Westover GT-R, Bournemouth
10.WLN GT-R, Mill Hill, London

In case you are interested, you can also place a reservation online at www.gtrnissan.co.uk.

Regarding the Nissan GT-R

Powered by a 480 PS twin turbo 3.8-litre V6 engine, the Nissan GT-R is a full time four-wheel drive which can go from 0 to 62 mph in around 3.5 seconds. It's potential top speed is 195 mph (provisional figure).

The GT-R features a paddle shift six-speed transmission that allows the driver to manually shift gears via paddles located behind the steering wheel or they can instead opt for automatic transmission.

As for comfort, all models come equipped, with eight-way adjustable front seats trimmed in leather and perforated Pearlsuede, dual zone automatic climate control and cruise control.

For those who love their music, the car comes with a AM/FM/CD audio system as standard, with six speakers, RDS and MP3/WMA CD playback capability, and features an HDD Music Box system capable of storing 9.4 GB of your favourite sounds.

Regarding safety features, it is equipped with six airbags, special wide-beam xenon headlamps, a tyre pressure monitoring system, Intelligent Key, and a Thatcham-approved anti-theft system.

Just check out the 20-inch alloy rims.

On-the-road pricing for the GT-R is as follows:

* Nissan GT-R £52,900
* Nissan GT-R Premium Edition with automatic headlamps and digital Bose® audio system £54,200
* Nissan GT-R Black Edition with exclusive Kuro black paint, gunmetal grey alloy wheels and black leather and Pearlsuede interior with red leather highlights £55,500

Th!nk cars in the UK soon

With the petrol prices way up, it's becoming quite a burden to drive the car. I really do wish I had a hybrid or electric car> Anyway, was just reading about the Th!nk cars from the Norwegian company Think. They recently launched the TH!NK city and concept TH!NK Ox at the 78th annual international Motor Show in Geneva.

The TH!NK city is totally emission free and looks like a fun car. Moreover, the body is 95% recyclable. Talk about environment friendly.

On a full charge it can go up to 200 kilometres (124 miles) in city driving, with a top speed of 100km/h.

However, I have to say, the 'Ox' definitely looks way better than the 'City'.

UPDATE:

According to various reports the Th!nk cars will go on sale during the last quarter of this year at a retail price of around £14,000.

Read more on Autobloggreen.com and on the Channel 4 websites.

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