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Automakers just don’t make cars. They too save lives by launching remarkable programs.

Remember the Hope On Wheels organization? Yes, the one created by Hyundai and its dealers. The organization was created to help kids fight cancer at the same time to give back to the community.

Hyundai joined the fight in 1998 through the efforts of New England-area Hyundai dealers and their donations benefiting the Jimmy Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Recently, Hyundai Motor America and its dealers announced the launch of the Hyundai Scholars Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and presented a $150,000 check to the CHOC Cancer Institute.

The Hyundai Scholars Fellowship Program will fund research positions at top pediatric cancer centers across the country, helping doctors find cures for this devastating disease. The program’s goal is to raise more than $10 million for pediatric cancer research in the next five years, reports said.

“Hyundai and its dealers have been great allies in the fight against pediatric cancer with financial and emotional support to hospitals, patients and their families,” said Dr. Leonard Sender M.D., Director of the Cancer Institute at CHOC and Director of Clinical Oncology Services at CHAO Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UC Irvine. “The funds received from Hope On Wheels and the Hyundai Scholars Fellowship Program will be put to good use in our research department as we continue to look for new solutions and innovative tools in the pursuit of a cure.”

Since the inception of the cause-oriented organization in 2004, the automaker and its dealers have visited more than 100 hospitals nationwide and donated more than $10 million dollars. Hyundai’s Hope On Wheels program is a united effort of more than 750 Hyundai dealers to raise funds for pediatric cancer institutions across the nation, reported The Auto Channel. The tour highlights a white Hyundai Santa Fe covered with the colorful handprints of pediatric cancer patients countrywide, which are collected at “handprint” donation ceremonies.

“Hyundai’s involvement in pediatric cancer has grown both in total contribution and company-wide commitment since the beginning of the Hope on Wheels program,” Brooks said. “With the implementation of the Hyundai Scholars Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Program, Hyundai hopes to further develop awareness around pediatric cancer research funding and inspire others to support this important cause.”

It’s nice to hear heart-warming stories in real life. It lets me realize I am here for a good reason – and that is to help other people every chance I get.

We all know that vehicles produce pollution.  Burning petroleum fuel releases different types of harmful gases.  Let us take a look at what these gases are and how they can harm you and the environment.

According to this site, here are four emission gases we should be wary of:

Carbon Monoxide
Of the three main pollutants, carbon monoxide is the deadliest because you can’t see it or smell it. A concentration of only half a percent (0.5%) CO in the air can render a person unconscious — and kill within 10 to 15 minutes! Even concentrations as small as four hundredths of a percent (0.04%) can cause headaches and be life threatening after several hours exposure.

Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbon emissions are unburned gasoline and oil vapors. Though not directly harmful, they are a major contributor to smog and ozone pollution (which are toxic). Hydrocarbons in the atmosphere react with sunlight and break down to form other chemical compounds that irritate the eyes, nasal passages, throat and lungs.

Oxides Of Nitrogen
Nitrogen makes up about 78% of the air we breathe. Though normally inert and not directly involved in the combustion process, combustion temperatures above 2500 degrees F cause nitrogen and oxygen to combine and form various compounds called "oxides of nitrogen," which is abbreviated NOX. This mostly occurs when the engine is under load and the throttle is open wide.

Evaporative Emissions
The fuel vapors that evaporate from your fuel tank can be another source of smog and ozone pollution. So fuel systems for the past twenty years have been sealed to prevent the loss of vapors.

Dearborn automaker Ford announced recently that it is in the process of developing two new safety belt technologies.  The automaker is taking on this challenge to further reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on car accidents.

The first of the two is a four-point "belt and suspenders" design. Today, most safety belts are three-point designs.  The use of a four-point safety belt will ensure that the occupant of the vehicle will be safely strapped into the seat in the unfortunate event of a collision.  The second design that Ford is looking into is a seat belt which will have a built in air bag.

According to The Auto Channel:  "A strap of air bag material is hidden in the seat belt webbing. The strap inflates into a cylindrical shape when frontal air bags deploy. The concept of inflatable belts is to spread forces from a vehicle crash over a broader section of the body than traditional safety belts, further helping to reduce the pressure on the chest and helping to control the motion of the head and neck."

The automaker though needs to overcome some technical problems to have these belts made available for their new vehicles.

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.