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What is the Powerwall? I don’t know either! Anyway, I’m glad Ford.com has the answer! According to my source, Ford is completing the preparation of several state-of-the-art digital powerwall studios at its Product Development Center (PDC) in Dearborn, Michigan. The system will offer a hand in promoting the company’s manufactured goods. These Powerwalls uses high definition (HD) rear-screen projection to tolerate analysis and alteration of full-size computer-rendered vehicle designs before it undergo molding physical properties in fiberglass, foam and clay.

“This technology is an integral daily working tool that enables us to bring more of our vehicle design processes into the digital environment. It expands our capability and has the potential to save a significant amount of time and money as we continue to globalize product development,” says Peter Horbury, Ford's executive director of Design for North America.

Every event in the auto industry is worth going to as you are sure to find some cool stuff and cool happenings. The recently concluded 2007 PRI Trade Show is one of those events.  The Performance Racing Industry Trade Show was held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

According to The Auto Channel, here are some of the highlights of the show:

• Booth count was up to 4,250, with 1,450 exhibitors participating. Both are new records for the Show!
• 2007 NASCAR Busch Champion Carl Edwards entertained a crowd of 3,200 at the Grand Opening Breakfast with personal stories about moving up the racing ranks from dirt to today’s superspeedways.
• The second Snap-on Stars of Karting All-Stars produced a dynamic show, highlighted by its 18 pro drivers in the Masters division, from Jamie McMurray to Marco Andretti to Christian Fittipaldi and Ron Capps, all returning to their racing roots. Grand-Am’s Michael Valiante took the All Star win, while ICC National Champ Gary Carlton won the Karter Division race (and also placed second in the All Star race).
• Friday night, Dec. 7th, 8,000 people were present for the 3rd Annual MOPAR-PRI Sprint & Midget Classic Presented by DHL at Orlando Speedworld to see tight, exciting racing in four feature races – Sprint Cars, Midgets, Focus and Legends. Bobby East won the Sprint feature race, while young Dakoda Armstrong took the Midget feature. NASCAR legend David Pearson served as Grand Marshall.
• The AETC motorsports engineering conference preceded the PRI Trade Show and was well attended by racing engine builders, motorsports engineers and auto racing industry entrepreneurs.
• Legendary motorsports journalist Chris Economaki announced Two-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz as this year’s Economaki Champion of Champions presented by Rockett Brand Racing Fuel
• Mazda North American Operations showcased the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder and announced that Playboy would become the new title sponsor for the 2008 MX-6 Cup

I surely envy those who have been able to attend the said event.

A new hub? Yes, Suzuki is intending to have a new hub.

Suzuki Motor Corp. plans to make its Indian unit a major production hub and pursue an aggressive strategy to retain its dominant market share in India, the unit's new managing director said on Thursday.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, in which Suzuki owns 54.2%, said that it would make 150,000 units of the new A-Star hatchback in its Manesar plant in northern India from October 2008 and export them to Europe first. The automaker, which is expanding its capacity to hit 1 million units by 2010, will launch other models that will upgrade consumers from its popular small cars such as the Alto and Zen Estillo, Shinzo Nakanishi said in an email.

"We have an aggressive plan for new model launches," said Nakanishi, who has previously worked in China, Indonesia, Hungary, Pakistan and the Middle East. "Suzuki is expanding its image from a maker of minicars and small cars to a company that offers the full range of models – with the launch of models like Swift and SX4," he said, referring to the hatchback and the recently launched sedan.

Besides the Splash and A-Star, there were more in the pipeline, Nakanishi added, pointing out the company had launched 5 new models in the last couple of years alone.

For the first time, Maruti sold more cars in India than its parent in Japan during the first half of the fiscal year. It is investing $1.75 billion in research and development and a similar amount in upgrading its plants and beefing up its vehicle line-up and dealer network in India to retain its market share of about 50%, Reuters reported.

"Maruti Suzuki is ready to play a much bigger role in Suzuki's global operations," he said. "Its manufacturing capability has reached a level where we want to make small cars exclusively in India for export to Europe."

Of the 3 million cars that the Japanese automaker intends to sell globally by fiscal 2010, Maruti Suzuki will account for a third.

There’s no denying it, competition is getting fiercer each day. With third-ranked Tata Motors Ltd, and global competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., and Volkswagen AG all hoping to increase sales, the best company will shine.

The automaker will also face a greater threat at the lower end from a $2,500 car that Tata Motors is set to introduce next year, and a $3,000 car that Renault aims to build in partnership with Bajaj Auto Ltd.

"Maruti Suzuki has also set ambitious targets for productivity, quality, safety and cost, in line with the 1 million target," said Nakanishi. "Maruti Suzuki's R&D has shown tremendous potential through its contribution to the Swift and Concept A-Star (and) will strengthen in the next three to five years, both in terms of infrastructure and capability."

We all know that vintage vehicles have their own appeal.  That's why there are a lot of people out there who are interested in buying a classic car more than they are interested in buying a new vehicle.

If you also have the classic car syndrome, then I suggest you read on.  Here are some tips from Wikihow on how to buy a classic car.

• Determine what you'll be using the classic car for. If it'll be used as a daily driver there is no need to find a "show condition" vehicle. If you plan on entering classic car competitions you'll have to find something all original and spend slightly more. If you know the model you are interested in, narrow it down to 2 or 3 years (e.g., Corvette 1963-1965). This will help with your search. If you don't know, research what changes were made each year and what suits your needs/wants best.
• Know the classic you are interested in, and research what "problem areas" the vehicle may have and check if the problem has been resolved (e.g., many European classics have electrical problems so check that the components are in working order).
• Check with local classic car clubs for any people who own, or have owned the type of classic you are interested in. They may be able to help you determine what to buy and what to avoid.
• Have a vehicle appraiser look at the car. They may be able to tell if its been in an accident, or if the engine, transmission and other vital components are not original. This will alter the value of the vehicle.
• Do a used vehicle history report on the car to make sure it has not been stolen and to check how many people owned the car previously. This can be completed online.  

So there you are, I hope these can help you find that vintage car you are looking for.

If you are having trouble with your because it keeps on stalling on you like a drunk horse, you know you have a problem. But what to do?  Maybe this post could help.  According to Wikihow you can sole this problem but I think it will work only on old car models as new models are loaded with electronics that only certified technicians can adjust any system.

Anyway, here's a quick first aid to a car that has been stalling:

• The stall is likely caused by either a problem in the electrical system or in the fuel system. Your engine stops running because it is not igniting gas in the cylinders, this occurs either because there isn't gas to ignite, or because it lacks the electrical charge to ignite it.
• Drive the car up and down steep hills. Does this change the performance of the engine, or cause it to stall? This might indicate a clogged fuel filter. Replacing the fuel filter is relatively cheap and easy once you find out where it's located.
• Does the car idle roughly and stall when at idle? If your car has a distributor, you may need to adjust the timing. With the right tools and know how, this is an easy and free task. If your vehicle has fuel injection, you can check the injector by using a screw driver or mechanics scope. The injectors will make a clicking/snapping sound if working. No sound would indicate a bad injector available at most DIY auto parts stores. Also check the ICM, idle control motor that controls the air mixture.
• If your car has a distributor, you might consider changing the cap, rotor, wires and plugs. This is effectively a tune up. This can usually be done even by a relative novice to car repair, and take a couple of hours with the right tools. It seems counterintuitive, but even the wires and distributor decay over time, and transmit less electricity. This tune up may solve your stalling problem — even if not, your car should run better and get better mileage.
• If your car diesels when you turn off the ignition, it often signals the need to replace the spark plugs. Dieseling describes the situation where you turn off the key, yet the car continues to run for a few seconds or longer, eventually sputtering to a stop.
• In rare cases, your car may stall due to what is commonly called a "vapor lock". It is actually a vacuum in the fuel line that causes fuel to eventually stop reaching the engine. Try opening your gas cap. If you hear a "whooshing" sound, like when you open a can of coffee, it's vapor lock. Now try starting the car. It should work after a couple tries. This is usually found only in older cars. If you have it, this will probably happen again, so your fuel line should be checked for blockage. A cheap fix is to drill a small hole in your gas cap to allow air in and prevent the vacuum from forming, but it should not be left this way.

According to Reuters, General Motors Corporation announced that they are adding as much as $1,500 for its 2008 model year vehicles in the United States. The increase on the prices is because they want to recover from the loss they had incurred and also because of the increase in prices. The increase in most of the car prices has begun this December 19.

"While most cars and trucks in our portfolio will go up between $100 to $500, in hotly contested segments, many vehicles such as the Saturn Aura four-cylinder and the all-new Malibu LS will have no increase," said the GM North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing Mark LaNeve.

GM uses steel – metals and other precious metal like aluminum were all noted to have increased their price. If GM will not add a little to the price of their cars, their profits will be affected.

The Detroit based auto maker is trying to stick to the strategy to lower the incentives and clearer pricing, and by doing this, they can regain profits.

GM also announced that there is only 1.5% increase – just like what has happened with the price of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu sedan. 

The automaker also released that the increase on the price will not affect dealer inventories. Their commodities and cars will always be available to customers until the end of the year not until the GM Red Tag incentives program is over.

The program Red Tag offers no-interest loans for up to five years on some 2007 models and cash incentives of about $1,000 on some 2008 models. GM last raised the prices of its vehicles in Nov. 2006, GM spokesman John McDonald said.

With winter already at hand, it is imperative that your windshield should be free of snow for good visibility.  Von Stach Products has created a revolutionary windshield wiper which can effectively wipe snow away, thanks to its advanced design.  Dubbed the HeatFlexx, this revolutionary system uses a heating element.

According to the makers of the HeatFlexx, this product "is a revolutionary heated windshield wiper blade system that will fit and work on almost any vehicle!  This reflex wiper ("beam blade") has no superstructure like standard wiper blades. The wiper frame contains a heating element that runs the entire length of the blade. This heating element gets to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit and passively heats the custom formulated rubber squeegee in order to prevent ice and snow accumulation."

"The frameless design provides constant even pressure across the entire windshield for a smoother, more consistent wipe.  Traditional wiper blades have only 6 or 8 pressure points, while this blade's infinite number of points provides continuous even pressure across the length of the blade."

John Von Stach, the inventor of the HeatFlexx wiper, said:  "Ice and snow have been a problem for drivers since the inception of the automobile. With our product, drivers will no longer struggle with poor visibility due to poorly functioning wiper blades. We are thrilled to have our wipers installed on the Natalia SLS 2 and to be a technology partner with DiMora Motorcar."

The Auto Channel reported that the said wiper will be standard equipment for the Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan, the most expensive production automobile today.  DiMora Motorcar Founder and CEO Alfred J. DiMora had this to say:  "The HeatFlexx windshield wiper is a unique and outstanding product. We are pleased to be the first OEM to include HeatFlexx as standard equipment, with its controls integrated into our dashboard/steering wheel operation."  DiMora is the manufacturer of the Natalia.

Ford will deliver 300 units of Transits extended-frame dropside vans to Speedy Hire plc. According to a Ford press release , Merseyside-based Speedy Hire, the UK's largest tool and equipment hire Company, leads the Hewden Tools division of Hewden Stuart in August next year.

“We acquired 800 mainly Ford vehicles including 540 Transit 350 MWB dropsides, 60 Transit vans, Connects and Rangers and 200 cars. The Transits were smaller than those we specify normally and the age of the fleet made it appropriate to change them all,” says Speedy Hire fleet director Ian Leonard.

“We’re replacing 300 Transits now and are likely to take on around 130 more during the next 12 months,” said Ian. The company is also looking to replace the other Hewden Tools vans and cars with new Ford vehicles.

Speedy Hire Transits are usually 350 EF dropsides, power-driven by 2.4-litre Ford Dagenham-built diesel engines.

What carries the presidentiables? 

Noawadays, luxury cars and sport utility vehicles carry presidential candidates in their spontaneous travels. Far from the old days indeed.

Associated Press asked candidates to name their first cars. Here are their answers, and a look at some of their personal vehicles now:

DEMOCRATS:

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: A 1963 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a battery she kept in her law-school dorm on cold nights so the car would start when she needed it. (Now: A Ford hybrid, and Secret Service vehicles as former first lady)

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards: Plymouth Duster. (Now: Ford Escape hybrid, 2004 Chrysler Pacifica midsize SUV, 1994 GMC truck.)

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama: Grandfather's Ford Granada was the first car he used extensively. (Now: Chrysler 300C, a full-size sport-luxury sedan.)

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson: Secondhand Ford Mustang. (Now: Official state vehicles and "Jeep Wrangler, although my security doesn't like me to drive."

REPUBLICANS:

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani: A used Dodge. (Now: "I don't drive, I navigate.")

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee: Mercury Montego. (Now: 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and 1995 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck)

Arizona Sen. John McCain: 1958 Corvette. (Now: Cadillac CTS, a midsize luxury sedan)

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: A used 1963 Rambler Classic, which he got in 1965 when he went to college. (His father, then Michigan governor, had helped develop the Rambler as American Motors chief) (Now: 2005 Ford Mustang convertible and 1962 Rambler American.)

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson: Red pickup. Now: Unknown.

Alright! Christian Miller returns to the KONI Challenge Series in 2008 after a successful run in 2007. This season, he's driving for Compass360 in the team's No. 75 Acura TSX. Isn’t it great!

"I'm thrilled that Christian's joining our team," said Compass360's Karl Thomson. "We took note of him last year. He did a great job in an i-Moto TSX, getting a podium finish at Laguna Seca, and finishing fifth at Iowa." In fact, Miller had four top-10 finishes in 10 race starts in 2007.

Miller, who competed in the 2005 SPEED World Challenge series for 034 Motorsports in his VW Jetta, will be sharing No. 75 Acura TSX with Kevin York. Miller started racing in 2001 and competed in SCCA Pro Spec Miata for 3 seasons, with numerous race wins, finishing fourth in 2003 and 2004 championship. What’s more, he's also a regular Time Attack competitor, most recently taking the 034 Motorsports Audi to a class win at the 2007 Redline event at Laguna Seca.

"I'm really excited to be back in a TSX," enthused Miller. "Last season, I watched the Compass360 crew all year long and know the kind of preparation and commitment they bring to every race. They won four times and their cars were always at the top of the charts. I know we've got a strong package, and I'm looking forward to good results!"

The signing of Miller rounds out the second Acura of Compass360's 3-car effort. Miller and York will share the No. 75 car, while Thomson and Travis Walker drive No. 76. Currently, the team is finalizing the driver lineup for its No. 74 car.

"We're working to put together really strong driver line-ups in each car," said Thomson. "Our goal is to have three cars that are capable of winning a championship, piloted by drivers that can win in endurance racing. I know Christian's one of those kind of guys and he's a great addition to our driver roster."

034 Motorsports is a popular aftermarket performance tuner based in northern California. Miller heads their technical support group, and specializes in harness development. He's also lead test driver.

Compass360 Racing is the motorsports division of Compass360 Design + Advertising, a company that delivers branding expertise in diverse industries across North America. For more information visit http://www.compass360.com/racing or email racing@compass360.com.

via: Grand-Am.com