plus 4, BMW announces plans to launch the new 5 Series - Zawya.com |
- BMW announces plans to launch the new 5 Series - Zawya.com
- Thai October Vehicle Output, Exports Highest Since December '08 - NASDAQ
- Team Illuminati driven to win $5M car competition - State Journal-Register
- Automotive Industries caught up with Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President ... - Automotive Industries Online
- Scion xBs for SEMA - Auto Shows - CAR AND DRIVER
| BMW announces plans to launch the new 5 Series - Zawya.com Posted: 24 Nov 2009 01:53 AM PST 24 November 2009 Perfect symbiosis of aesthetic design, dynamic performance and the highest standard of efficiency in its class
Dubai- The world's most successful premium automotive manufacturer has announced plans to debut the new BMW 5 Series sedan in the Middle East in March 2010. The launch of the sixth generation of this immensely successful model marks the epitome of aesthetic design and supreme driving pleasure in the midrange premium segment. With its sporting and elegant design, excellent comfort and the highest standard in efficiency in its class, BMWBMW The new model's design is imaginative, creative and effective, with BMWBMW The new BMW 5 Series is a class leader in emissions reduction. It has been designed around BMWBMW Some of the wide range of sophisticated driving and comfort features offered in the new BMW 5 Series include Dynamic Drive Control with three modes: comfort, normal, sport and sport +; Comfort Start; Head-Up Display; Multi-Channel Audio System, Rear Seat Entertainment; Four-Zone Automatic Air Conditioning, BMW iDrive control and Parking Assistant. The interior of the new BMW 5 Series has a stylish and modern design with exciting lines that create a generous and harmonious ambience. High quality materials and superior craftsmanship underline the premium interior ambience. Commenting on the launch of the new model, Phil Horton, Managing Director of BMW Group Middle EastBMW Group Middle East The new BMW 5 Series Sedan clearly stands out from the crowd, convincingly demonstrating its ability to offer the Sheer Driving Pleasure typical of the BMWBMW -Ends- About The BMWBMW The BMWBMW The success of the BMWBMW For the further information and photos please visit the media website http://www.press.bmwgroup.com or contact: Laura Fanning,
© Press Release 2009 This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Thai October Vehicle Output, Exports Highest Since December '08 - NASDAQ Posted: 24 Nov 2009 01:25 AM PST BANGKOK -(Dow Jones)- Thailand's vehicle production and exports rose in October to their highest levels since December last year although they continued to contract from a year earlier, the Federation of Thai Industries said Tuesday. Vehicle output fell 7.7% from a year earlier to 115,043 while exports slipped 11.9% to 59,502 units, the federation said in a statement. In September, 103,390 vehicles were produced, while exports totaled 49,542 units. The federation said production and exports in October were the highest since December 2008, but didn't provide comparative figures. During the first 10 months of the year, production suffered a 35.8% drop to 766,671 units while exports slipped 36.5% to 423,298 units, the statement said. From January to October, the value of car, truck and bus exports, including detached engines and automotive parts, totaled THB300.91 billion ($9.06 billion) , down 32.7%. If motorcycles and motorcycle parts were included, the total export value would have been THB326.32 billion, down 32.8%. -By Bangkok Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 66 2 2660744; djnews.bangkok@ dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires 11-24-090426ET Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Team Illuminati driven to win $5M car competition - State Journal-Register Posted: 23 Nov 2009 09:35 PM PST DIVERNON — There's nothing unusual about five guys getting together in somebody's garage on a Saturday just to tinker around. But at Kevin Smith's garage near Divernon, the tinkering could be worth $5 million. Smith and four other men have spent hundreds of man-hours, nearly abandoning wives and children in the process, building a car from the ground up to compete for the Progressive Automotive X Prize. A total of $10 million will be awarded in September 2010 to the team that builds a 100-mpg-equivalent, viable vehicle that is consumer marketable. Illuminati Motor Works' car, dubbed Seven, is one of 27 left in the mainstream class after passing the competition's first hurdle in October. It is the only "garage team" remaining in the contest, which began with 111 teams. This past Saturday, Thomas Pasko and Jason Spradlin worked inside the steel-pipe frame, while Nate Knappenburger and George Kennedy manned computers, working on technical aspects of the car. Smith, a chemical engineer and veteran of car-of-the-future competitions, answered questions. Drawings of what a completed Seven will look like line the walls of the large addition the men have built onto Smith's shed to house their work. It is stylish and has a look suitable for a comic-book hero. Its aerodynamics are straight from the 1930s. "If it looks like a clown car, only clowns will buy it," Smith said. Eventually the same tests that are performed on production cars will be done on Seven. It must meet federal emissions and safety standards as well as the contest's range and mileage requirements. Much of Seven is home-built, and the team uses some not-so-high-tech methods, too. Steel pipes, for example, are heated in the garage's wood stove, then bent around a hand-cut wooden mold clamped to a steel table to make a front fender. Not everything is from the ground up. The transmission is out of a Geo Metro. The suspension is from a Dodge Neon and the steering out of a Honda. The headlights are from a 1939 Ford. A bulletin board tells the team there are fewer than 25 days until the next contest deadline on Dec. 15. There used to be writing on the wall that said "The devil's in the details." But when people took pictures, the only words visible were "The devil's." So that is now covered with the Illuminati Motorworks logo. On another wall, someone scrawled "Redrum," in reference to a scene in Stephen King's "The Shining." "Somebody's mom complained, so we put the air conditioner in the wall over there," Smith said. Now it just reads "um." "And that describes our state of mind most days," Knappenburger said. Three team members went to a Progressive X Car summit earlier this month and got to meet some of the other teams — which include comparative giants Tata Motors, India's largest auto company, and Tesla Motors — and see some of the other cars. Team Illuminati wasn't intimidated. "The three of us came away smiling," Smith said. A rumor got around that one competition car had averaged 17 mph in order to get 100 mpg on a test run. "I'd buy one for my kid," Smith said. "They already have that. They call it Tyco," Kennedy joked. The contest The Progressive Automobile X Prize is a $10 million contest to build a fuel-efficient vehicle for the future. Sponsored by the not-for-profit X Prize Foundation and Progressive Insurance, is patterned after the Ansari X Prize competition to build and fly a private spacecraft. Team Illuminati is one of 42 teams left competing for $5 million. Some teams have more than one vehicle, and Seven is one of 27 left in the mainstream category. Cars must seat four, have four wheels and a minimum range of 200 miles between fueling. They also have to get the equivalent of 100 miles to the gallon and be feasible as a consumer product. If a minimum 10,000 units of Seven were produced, they'd price at right around $42,000, Smith said. The two alternative classes are for motorcycle-type vehicles — fewer than four wheels and seating only two passengers. Separate classes for in-line wheels and side-by-side wheels will split the remaining $5 million prize. Twenty-five vehicles remain in the alternative class. All vehicles must meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance as well as meet the 100-mpg-equivalent requirement. Team Illuminati *** Kevin Smith, 38, chemical engineer who works for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and is a veteran of car design/build competitions since his undergraduate days at the University of Illinois-Chicago. The team spokesman, Smith first participated in a hybrid vehicle competition and helped build a solar car in 1990, then helped with a hybrid mini-Baja car. In 1995, he helped convert a Dodge Neon to a hybrid electric vehicle, and the following year was part of a team that converted a Ford Taurus for the Future Car Challenge, for which the team won an award for innovative design. "Josh (team member Josh Spradlin) and I have rebuilt motorcycles out here," Smith said. "We were just playing in the garage up until this." *** George Kennedy, 65, mechanical engineer for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The team's jack-of-all trades for engineering, including CAD work and doing the business plan. "He's worked for a list of firms and on a huge amount of projects," said Kevin Smith. "We sit kitty-corner from each other. He told me more people should support projects like this, and he put $20 on my desk. Then another day, he put $50. Then he says that his wife tells him he needs a hobby, and here he is." *** Thomas Pasko, 47, owner/operator of Thomas Automotive Precision in Springfield. Pasko is a certified master technician and a certified master mechanic. "He's been a friend for 13 years, since when I did projects back in the '90s," Smith said. ""He owns a business, and his time is limited. He's out here way more than I'd ever expect." Pasko supplies knowledge of "what's on modern vehicles and older vehicles," Smith said. *** Nathan Knappenburger, 34, electronics technician with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. A former weapons systems technician in the military, he works on the car's sophisticated electronics system. Knappenburger "makes the magic happen" for the shows at the ALPM. The other team members tease by saying he just "pushes the play button on the VCR." "I saw an article about this car and said, I want to work on this," he said. "I have an affinity for electronics and competitions, and it's like life has prepared me for this job." *** Josh Spradlin, 32, microfilm operator for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. He's been coming out to Smith's garage for four or five years, working on various projects. "He's a parts hound," Smith said. "He's better than the rest of us at finding parts on the Internet." Spradlin also does a lot of the cutting and grinding necessary to build the car, "and he's doing the aesthetic stuff," Smith said. Spradlin also set himself on fire twice in the same day. But that's a story for another day. What's next? A Dec. 15 deadline is up next for Team Illuminati. By that date, the group must submit to the X Prize Foundation documentary proof that the car will run under its own power, as well as a bunch more paperwork. After passing the competition's design judging phase in October, which included a 20-megabyte report, the team moved to performance and safety testing. There will be two more hurdles before shakedown events begin. "They'll lose teams and cars at every point," Smith said. It all ends with a limited-distance race among the remaining cars in late summer. A winner is to be announced in September. Smith says details of the race, which will be run with a speed limit, haven't been announced, but he's confident Seven will be in it. "How are we going to win that race?" he says. "We're going to go at like it's a race." He explains that in high-mileage vehicle races, drivers use "hyper-miler tricks," like accelerating to 45 mph, then turning the engine off and coasting until about 20 mph before starting up again. "We will use none of those tricks," he said. "We'll put the pedal to the metal." Competition costs Team Illuminati filed a letter of intent to participate in the Progressive Automobile X Prize competition in September 2007. Its original budget was $10,000, but that now has grown to $40,000 and will go slightly beyond that when the competition ends in September 2010, Smith said. Hyundai is a major sponsor after contributing $10,000 that Team Illuminati earned by "ecomodding" several Hyundai models to make them more fuel-efficient, then showing the do-it-yourself ideas at Maker Faire in Texas. EV Components is another sponsor and gives Team Illuminati parts at cost. The five team members are financing the rest of the project themselves. PayPal contributions also are accepted through the team's Web site, www.illuminatimotorworks.org. Why do they do this? Explaining how the name Illuminati Motor Works was chosen for the team perhaps explains where five guys in a garage got the inspiration to undertake what seems like a nearly impossible project. "The Illuminati is supposed to be this grand government conspiratorial organization, and people are always talking about a 100-mpg carburetor that the government has hidden away in the desert somewhere," said Kevin Smith. " And we just liked it." The team's logo, painted on the wall of the garage where Seven is being built, incorporates the all-seeing eye, or Eye of Providence, which is sometimes associated with Freemasonry. Beneath the eye is the Latin phrase "Audere Est Facere," or "To Dare Is To Do." The name of their car, Seven, is a tip of the cap to secret organizations. "Seven is a mythical number to the Masons, it's lucky number seven," Smith said. "We thought about changing it to several things, including 221." There's a scene in the movie "Mr. Mom" where the Michael Keaton character puts on a macho act by telling his wife's boss, played by Martin Mull, that he's rewiring the house. Mull's character asks if he's making it all 220. "Yeah, 220, 221. Whatever it takes," replies Keaton's Mr. Mom. "We quote from movies way too much out here," Smith said. Smith said he's wanted to build a car "since I was a little kid." "But it was expensive and time-consuming, and I wanted to eat," he said. "I love competition, and this project took away the excuses of time and money." Spradlin takes a stubborn approach. "Everyone tells us you can't do it," he said. "The phrase 'man can't fly' ceased to be the truth when the Wright Brothers took off at Kitty Hawk." "You can't get 100 mpg with a car? Watch us," he said. "And everything we've done so far is out there." "How did we build this country?" Smith asks. "We took what was there and made it better." So why hasn't somebody come up with a marketable, 100-mpg-equivalent car before now? "The biggest thing that helps us out is that today's batteries are not your grandpa's batteries," Knappenburger said. "People need to realize things are different with electric cars today. It's the electrical storage system, and nothing else, that has been keeping us from electric cars. "There is nothing buried in the desert." About the car Seven, Illuminati Motorworks' entry in the Progressive Automobile X Prize competition, has gull-wing doors, a liquid-cooled electric motor made in Denmark, two rear-facing back passenger seats and a sleek, aerodynamic 1930s look. Other numbers that apply to Seven:
Chris Dettro can be reached at 788-1510. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Posted: 23 Nov 2009 07:27 PM PST Issue: Jan 2008Automotive Industries caught up with Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President of the Ecocat Group.by Lenny Case Looking for answers to rising emissions across the globe is something the Finnish firm Ecocat Oy does all the time. Recently, the company developed a special mixer type catalyst that will further cut emissions from different types of diesels. In fact, Ecocat has gone on record that it is concentrating on developing better catalysts for diesels. "Ecocat has developed a special mixer type catalyst for urea hydrolysis in SCR, and a partial filtration unit POC for LD and HD diesels," said Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President of the Ecocat Group in an earlier interview to AI. Added Keijo Torkkell, general manager of the Ecocat Group: "Ecocat is focusing very much on the diesel exhaust after treatment. There are many global concerns regarding greenhouse effects. In this line, we are looking for opportunities which these concerns can provide for the catalyst business." The company offers various solutions for diesel-powered vehicles. This includes EcoCat® substrates for gasoline-powered vehicles in three standard cell densities - 200, 350 and 500 cells per square inch. Prior to the EcoCat® products, the company used conventional laminar flow substrates. Today, EcoCat® products are used for EURO 4 solutions. Apart from EcoCat® substrates, the company has EcoXcell®, mixer type of substrate, and POC®, Particle Oxidation Catalyst, offers various alternatives to provide customers with substrates and catalysts to meet demanding requirements. The company says that these products have a more favorable relationship between pressure drop and mass transfer rate compared to conventional straight channel substrates. Only with metallic substrates has it been possible to utilize inter channel communication in order to equalize flow and heat distributions within the matrix. Ecocat Oy can also supply its customers with silicon carbide based particulate filters; EcoFilt™. Says Niinivaara: "Our market share in metallic substrate business is sufficient. We will increase this market share by choosing selected core businesses with demanding technologies that Ecocat already today have and can provide. As we have done and will be doing we'll provide the best logistical infrastructure to our clientele with latest know-how in emission technology." Ecocat Oy took part last year in the 58th International Conference of Science and Technology held in Moscow, Russia. Issues discussed at the conference that was organized by the Association of Automotive Engineers of Russia (AAE) together with Research Centre for Automotive Vehicle Testing and Refinement, included ecology in European transport policy, measures of authoritative influence on factors of environmental safety and fuel economy of automotive vehicles during their development and operation. Other issues included how cooperation between ministries and departments while regulating ecological, energetic and hygienic properties of automotive vehicles works. Discussions were held as to whether future motor vehicles will be able to reach zero emission norms. And the future of alternative fuels and standardization of ecological properties (emission of harmful substances and noise) of automotive vehicles. Automotive Industries caught up with Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President of the Ecocat Group. AI: During the 58th International Conference of Science and Technology, issues were raised about zero emission vehicles and alternate fuels - how close do you think we are to these? Hydrogen industry takes decades. It is easier to influence to the quality of the air and greenhouse emissions by increasing the use of natural gas in the transportation and industry. The only obstacle for extensive exploitation is limited chain of distribution. AI: Please tell us a little about the innovations Ecocat Oy has made in the production of catalytic converters for passenger cars, heavy duty vehicles, motorcycles, small engines and industrial equipment, Open foil coating technology, which is very similar to spray painting, was devolepod in our company and and is very unique way of making catalyst substrates. That enabled us to introduce the high cell density substrates as the first company to the market. The first zone coated or gradient coated elements were also produced by that technology. It is also posibble to produce high diameter subsrates for industrial applications the largest ones which we have produced having diameter over 3 meters. The other products include for example the hydrolyzing mixers for SCR and efficient oxidation catalysts for diesel having swirling gas flow i.e. our Ecocat substrates. AI: Is Ecocat Oy helping in the ongoing search for alternative fuel sources? If so, how? Our focus today has been in natarul gas catalysts efficient enough for also methane conversion with reasonable precious metal loadings and also different alcohol-gasoline blends. In addition, we are working with various types of biobased diesel fuels, biogas and alternative lubricants for ensuring the compatibility and durability of our products also in the presence of these new materials. AI: What are some of the new products we can expect from your company this year? Among other items we are today putting our efforts to reduce the CO2 emissions by developing new type of substrate structure for improved fuel economy by reducing the product back pressure. For diesel, we are developing efficient and durable vanadia-free SCR product.
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| Scion xBs for SEMA - Auto Shows - CAR AND DRIVER Posted: 23 Nov 2009 07:34 PM PST Recall that when Scion launched in 2002, it was aimed at young people who wanted to pimp their rides, preferably with accessories straight from Toyota dealerships. That mission statement hasn't changed and is why the company continues to have a strong showing at tuner-heavy aftermarket events like SEMA in Las Vegas, where these heavily modified versions of the Scion xB are debuting this year. Bowls
The official word is that this incredible vehicle draws inspiration from the Japan-only 1970 Toyota Crown pickup, as well as '70s Southern California culture. We'll call it the Scion-amino, because the xB has been chopped by Advanced Design Fabrications to yield a two-seater cab with a truck bed behind. Hauling stuff takes power, so the xB's 2.4-liter four-cylinder gets new Crower camshafts and valvetrain components, while the five-speed manual transaxle scores a limited-slip differential and upgraded clutch from Toyota Racing Development. An air-ride suspension, front strut tower brace, rear anti-roll bar, and smooth 20-inch wheels wearing Toyo tires aim to improve handling. Bowls also added a roll cage, a Pioneer stereo system, custom grilles, and Japanese-style wing mirrors affixed to the front fenders. The whole thing is covered in a very '70s pea green and off-white paint job. The whole thing is also undeniably awesome, going way above and beyond the typical SEMA routine of slapping wheels and fancy paint on anything and everything. Mummbles Marketing
Mummbles has been integral in building several custom Scions as well as other sport compacts, and focused on working over this xB for the 2009 SEMA event. As with the Bowls truck, mods include an air-suspension package and a roll cage. And there's some real performance, too, thanks to a turbocharger, TRD exhaust system, and the copious use of lightweight carbon fiber. The weight savings, however, might be offset by the addition of a fancy entertainment system and a wide-body kit. Paint is "Teal Blue Pearl" by BASF, and the doors, interior, and engine bay have been shaved to remove aesthetic clutter, such as door locks, handles, and wiring harnesses. Other flair comes from NRG interior components, including new seats, racing harnesses, steering wheel, and shift knob. Eneri Abillar
According to his bio, tuner Eneri Abillar is a classically trained artist who loves modifying motorcycles, cars, and bicycles when not working for an industrial design firm in California. His take on the xB starts by adding go courtesy of a GReddy turbo kit, Design Craft Fabrication turbo plumbing, custom brake calipers, and a TRD strut-tower brace. A funky orange paint job covers a custom BRS body kit, while the interior gets illuminated door sills, wood floors, and a wooden back seat. A Pioneer sound system with iPod connectivity ensures the xB is heard as well as seen. We dig the orange paint—a definite trend at SEMA this year—and the clean design. DJxB by Five Axis
To this xB, Five Axis adds deep-dish 18-inch wheels with Yokohama tires, a custom body kit with three-inch fender flares (check out the exposed bolts), a new dual-exhaust system, and "Mixed Molten Lava Red" paint. And that's where the typical automotive tweaks end. As its name suggests, this is a Scion for DJing. The requisite sound equipment includes two Pioneer professional multi-players, a DJM 800 digital mixer, and a 2000-watt speaker system. While the result makes roving raves more feasible than we'd ever imagine, we also foresee racking up cracked windshields and noise-ordinance violations cruising in the DJxB. Still, the look is good, and the history of impractical show cars is a long and illustrious one. And we certainly support any effort to spice up the dowdy second-gen xB. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
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