plus 4, Auto Cos report robust sales Challenging time ahead - MyIris |
- Auto Cos report robust sales Challenging time ahead - MyIris
- Some crimes linger in community's memory - Spartanburg Herald-Journal
- Granite Digital Battery System Adds Life to DiMora's $2 Million Sport ... - PR.com
- In Cuba's Time Capsule, an Automotive Legacy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Auto cos end 2009 with superlative growth - MoneyControl.com
| Auto Cos report robust sales Challenging time ahead - MyIris Posted: 02 Jan 2010 01:57 AM PST Riding on the back of the stimulus package provided by the government and lower interest rate regime, Indian auto industry has managed to report double digit growth in sales in the month of December 2009. India`s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki (India) reported a growth of 50% in its December sales. The car maker clocked the sales of 84,804 units as against 56,293 units in December 2008. Ashok Jainani, VP- Research and Market Strategy, Khandwala Securities commented, ``Monthly volumes by Maruti are surprising considering people`s tendency to defer purchases in December month in order to get new year model and thereby higher re-sale value. The Year-on-Year growth appears spectacular on a very low base, lower than last year`s average monthly sales. Even at the current rate, the company may be able to report 22% annual volumes growth in FY`10. It may have to increase exports sales, which increased contribution to 15% in December `09 from 7% year ago period. ``. Sales in December 2009 for Hero Honda, which controls over 55% of the domestic motorcycle market, grew by an unexpected 74 % with the company selling 375,838 units of two-wheelers last month. Challenging Quarter Ahead: Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Some crimes linger in community's memory - Spartanburg Herald-Journal Posted: 02 Jan 2010 12:10 AM PST The following list is not a ranking, nor is it meant to diminish the significance of crimes not included. Gaffney serial killerThe chaos started near a historic battlefield, shaking Cherokee County and regions of the Carolinas. It became a national story and ended with fatal shots in North Carolina when Gaston County police shot and killed Patrick Tracy Burris this past July. The task force that had been assembled announced that night that Burris, a burly man wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon insignia when shot, was responsible for killing five innocent people with a .25-caliber pistol. The victims were Cline Cash, a 63-year-old farmer found in his home on June 27; retired teacher Hazel Linder, 83, and her daughter Gena Linder Parker, a 50-year-old teacher, who were found dead in Linder's home a short distance from Cash's house on July 1; Stephen Hyland Tyler, 48, and his 15-year-old daughter, Abby, were shot at their family business the following day. Stephen Tyler died at the scene, and Abby died in the hospital July 4. Early on July 6, Michael and Terry Valentine called to report suspicious activity at a house across from theirs on Dallas-Spencer Mountain Road in rural North Carolina. Authorities questioned Burris, and the man and woman he was with. Burris gave them a fictitious name. Authorities left but soon returned. Burris fired, shooting an officer in the leg, and authorities fired back, fatally wounding Burris in the head and heart. The Valentines received a $30,000 reward for their tip that led authorities to Burris, and Cherokee County, able to breathe again, began a long healing process. Quote of note: "We wanted to keep him from killing for one day. Just give us one more day. We got that day. And then the next day. That was all we asked for and prayed for." -- Cherokee County Sheriff Bill Blanton, during a July 6 news conference in which authorities announced Burris had been shot and identified as the serial killer. Superbike MotorsportsMore than six years have passed since four people were gunned down in a motorbike shop on Parris Bridge Road near Chesnee. No arrests have been made. Superbike Motorsports became the grisly murder scene where owner Scott Ponder, 30, his 52-year-old mother and part-time employee Beverly Elaine Guy, and employees Brian Lucas, 29, and Chris Sherbert, 26, were killed on Nov. 6, 2003. A friend and customer found the victims at 3:15 p.m. Six weeks into the investigation, former Spartanburg County Sheriff Bill Coffey announced that deputies had chased hundreds of leads to no avail. Coffey released fliers with computer-generated images of possible vehicles and an artist's rendering of a possible suspect who, witnesses said, was in the shop the day of the killings to inquire about a motorcycle. The drawing is a white male who was believed to be between 25 and 35 years old, about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. The suspect drawn had dark hair and was last seen wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans. Coffey also announced in December 2003 that the reward for tips leading to an arrest had increased from $2,000 to $25,000 because of contributions from the victims' family members. The reward is still being offered for information that leads to a conviction. Sheriff Chuck Wright added a page of unsolved homicides on the Web site for the sheriff's office (www.spartanburgso.org) in 2008. An updated flier is on display at the sheriff's office. It has computer-generated images of a light blue extended cap truck, a dark blue full-size truck and a small red car. Quote of note: "It's a senseless tragedy. We have no idea why, who or what would have snuffed out four people's lives like that." -- Scott Ponder's uncle, Jack Henry, during a Nov. 6, 2003 interview with the Herald-Journal hours after the quadruple homicide. Blue Ridge SavingsA space the size of a single-wide trailer serving as a Blue Ridge Savings Bank branch in Greer became the site of a triple homicide in May 2003. Sylvia Holtzclaw -- the only bank employee on duty -- and married customers James "Eb" Barnes, 61, and Margaret Barnes, 58, were fatally shot on May 16, 2003. Authorities believe James Barnes, who worked at the University of South Carolina Upstate; Margaret Barnes, an employee of the National Beta Club headquarters in Spartanburg; and Holtzclaw were left in the bank by two suspects who took "very little" cash and hurriedly left the area in a bright red, two-door car. After reviewing video surveillance systems from nearby businesses, the Disney Corp. and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement helped enhance the grainy images, automotive experts identified the car as an Oldsmobile Alero produced between 1999 and 2003. Investigators have conducted hundreds of interviews to no avail. Greer Police Lt. Jimmy Holcombe said authorities have received "a couple of new leads" this year. Holcombe said that a reward of $100,000 is still being offered for information that leads to a conviction. Quote of note: "These kinds of profiles get the community looking at their neighbors. It's probably not your neighbor, it's probably not my neighbor -- but it's somebody's neighbor. ... We know it works sometimes, we just don't know how often." -- Will Pelfrey, who was a faculty member at the University of South Carolina's College of Criminal Justice in June 2003, to the Herald-Journal about a criminal profile. Deputy Kevin CarperA traffic stop, no matter how routine, will never be the same for at least a generation of law enforcement officers in the Upstate because of Feb. 27, 2007. Spartanburg County Sheriff's Deputy Kevin Carper, a 39-year-old father of three, chased Terry Lee Brooks, a 48-year-old with a long criminal history, near Wellford and neither survived that night. Carper stopped the car Brooks was driving at 9:57 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 129 and I-85. Brooks didn't appear to have a driver's license, and after Carper went to his patrol car to check out information on Brooks, the suspect sped down Highway 129, turning into Midway Trailer Park. Carper followed, with deputy Billy Hopkins behind him in a second car. Brooks jumped out of the car and ran into the woods. Carper realized Brooks had a gun, and a scuffle ensued. Brooks shot Carper with a .38-caliber pistol in the chest under his right arm, an area his bulletproof vest did not cover. He also was shot in the kidney area, but the vest stopped that bullet. Both deputies returned fire with standard-issue 40-caliber Glocks, striking Brooks at least three times. Carper was the first on-duty officer to die in Spartanburg County since June 9, 1967, when Chesnee Police Chief Cletus J. Wall was shot while making an arrest. Quote of note: "I always told him to be careful. Of course, they know all that, but you still have to tell them." -- Carper's father, Donald D. Carper, to the Anderson (Ind.) Herald-Bulletin on March 1, 2007. Heather Brooke CenterResponding authorities called the scene "tragic" and the crime "heinous." Some, nearly half a year later, would add unforgettable to that list. Heather Brooke Center, 8, planned to spend this past July 8 swimming at an acquaintance's house on Ridings Road near Chesnee, just two days after the Cherokee County serial killer saga ended. Deputies responded to the house and found Brooke face down in the driveway. Witnesses pointed to a house next door, where they found an armed man identified as Ricky Lee Blackwell behind the home. When they confronted Blackwell, authorities said he shot himself in the stomach. From witness testimony, deputies said Blackwell put Brooke in a headlock and shot her in the head. Deputies said Brooke's father was dating Blackwell's estranged wife. Blackwell was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. Seventh Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy served notice he would seek the death penalty while Blackwell was still in the hospital. Blackwell was taken to the Spartanburg County jail July 15, and charged with murder and kidnapping. Hundreds of bikers participated in Brooke's funeral July 12, an homage to the motorcycle rides she enjoyed with her father. Quote of note: "He didn't just kill my baby. He hurt all her friends. Every one of them. They came up to me and handed me blankets and cards, and … it's devastating to them. They're only 8, 9 years old. How do you explain that to a child?" -- Brooke's mother Kelly Center, in an article published in the Herald-Journal July 19. Union cheerleaderVivacious, popular and talented, a Union County 16-year-old cheerleader was targeted by a college football player and his wife in January 2008. A judge sentenced Pernell Thompson, 22, and his wife, Yolanda Thompson, 21, to life without parole for their roles in the brutal killing of Marisha Jeter. Pernell Thompson was a junior on football scholarship at Wingate University when he and his wife lured Marisha Jeter from a McDonald's to a YMCA parking lot in Union on Jan. 3, 2008. Yolanda Thompson admitted she held down Marisha, in whom Pernell had a romantic interest, while demanding Pernell "prove his love" to his wife. The Thompsons stabbed Marisha 33 times, dumped her body in the Broad River in Chester County and set her car ablaze. An art student taking pictures near the river found Marisha's body two days later, and authorities found the charred car and charged the Thompsons a day after that. Yolanda Thompson pleaded guilty in March 2009 and agreed to testify against her husband. Pernell Thompson pleaded guilty in September 2009 to avoid the death penalty. Quote of note: "There will never be any closure from this. My family has been sentenced for life. This is something we have to deal with every day. (Marisha) was just a baby that had such a promising future of life." -- Marisha's father, Manning Jeter, on the day Yolanda Thompson was sentenced. Tamika HustonTamika Huston's family wondered where their spunky and thoughtful loved one went. After 15 months of worrying, they learned she hadn't left Spartanburg County but would not be coming back. Spartanburg Public Safety investigators believe Huston died May 27, 2004. Christopher Hampton, an acquaintance made by Huston a short time before her disappearance, eventually confessed in August 2005 to killing Huston with a hot iron. Hampton led authorities to a spot where Huston's remains were located, then he pleaded guilty to murder in 2006. A judge sentenced him to life without parole. Hampton, who was in jail on a minor traffic charge when Huston's disappearance became nationally publicized in June 2004, told the Herald-Journal shortly after his arrest that the couple had an argument about money and he threw the iron at her, striking her in the head. Hampton also said he left the apartment, and when Huston was motionless upon his return, he took her body to a wooded area near Duncan and buried it. Hampton said he dug up Huston's body and thought about turning it and himself in, but did not. Huston's aunt Rebkah Howard and family are committed to preventing future cases like hers. They launched www.tamikahuston.org, the Web site for the Tamika Huston Foundation for the Missing on May 27, the fifth anniversary of her death. Quote of note: "It took too long to come clean with it. I should have told a long time ago." -- Christopher Hampton, in a jailhouse interview with the Herald-Journal shortly after he was arrested for killing Tamika Huston. Double murderFriends and family said Rhonda Ward Goodwin would do anything she could to help someone else. Goodwin's help didn't stop with her death in February 2003. The 32-year-old former cigarette store manager was raped, murdered and left in an apple orchard, but evidence left by her killer helped Spartanburg Public Safety investigators identify a suspect in the September 2002 rape and murder of librarian Damaris Huff, 55, near her Duncan Park home. Fredrick Antonio Evins, 41, has been on death row since November 2004, when he was convicted of raping and murdering Goodwin. DNA tests of evidence left at Goodwin's murder scene produced a 100 percent match with evidence left at Huff's murder in March 2003, allowing investigators to clear the Huff case. Prosecutors opted to try Evins in the Goodwin case first because of the progression of evidence. Huff's case was not tried, but the charges remain pending and would be brought if Evins' death sentence in the Goodwin case is ever reversed. Quote of note: "I feel that every parent should remember every day to tell their children how much they love them. That's the most important thing a parent can do. I miss my daughter very much. She always had a smile on her face." -- Cathy Tessier, Rhonda Goodwin's mother, to the Herald-Journal in April 2003. Drayton coupleProsecutors secured a death penalty conviction against Andres Anotonio "Tony" Torres in October 2008 after jurors found him guilty of beating a well-respected Drayton husband and wife with a hammer as they slept in May 2007. Torres, now 29, had 42 criminal convictions in the seven years that preceded the murders. Jurors also found him guilty of two counts of armed robbery and one count each of first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and attempt to burn. Torres, who knew the Emerys through their adopted son, entered the home with a hammer and struck Ray Emery on the back of the head, then he killed Ann Emery, raping her at some point during the encounter. Torres then stepped over the bodies to take jewelry and possessions from the residence, doused the Emerys with gasoline and turned the stove burners and oven on high, trying to set the residence on fire. He stole their van and crashed it in Union County. Deputies found the Emerys in their bedroom about an hour after Torres crashed the stolen van. In court, 7th Circuit Solicitor Trey Gowdy told jurors Torres chose the "most intimate, personal way to kill a human being" and displayed "conscious disregard for human life." Torres is in the appeals process granted to all sentenced to death in South Carolina. Quote of note: "I'd like for him to be killed today. It's about killed us all." -- Mary Lawson, Ann Emery's sister, to the Herald-Journal in June 2007 when prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty against Torres. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Granite Digital Battery System Adds Life to DiMora's $2 Million Sport ... - PR.com Posted: 02 Jan 2010 12:02 AM PST Union City, CA, January 02, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Granite Digital is the latest world-class innovator to become a Technology Partner in DiMora Motorcar's program to create the Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan. Its Save A Battery system will be standard on-board equipment, providing real-time battery monitoring on the road and continuous testing, conditioning, and charging in the garage. This is the first time that a complete battery maintenance system has become an integral part of a production automobile. According to Frank Gabrielli, President of Granite Digital/Save A Battery, "We are very excited to be a part of such a revolutionary automotive design and we take this job very seriously. Using our advanced charger technology to keep the Natalia SLS 2 ready whenever it is called upon means that our system will have to not only be the best but also keep the battery fresh, alive, and maintained to perfection. Our added monitoring features will also protect the charging and electrical systems by alerting the driver of problems before damage can occur." Data from the customized Save A Battery 1702 Charging System will be integrated into the Natalia's dashboard information systems, allowing the driver to check the status of the battery and electrical system at any time. For an advanced electrical system like the Natalia, this means that the driver can be assured of the vehicle's reliability before setting out on a journey. DiMora Motorcar Founder Alfred DiMora noted the importance of Save A Battery systems for the car collector. "When you have classic cars and custom motorcycles that you need to keep in showroom condition all the time, batteries rarely get enough activity to keep them healthy. Trickle chargers keep the voltage up but do nothing to overcome crystallization of lead sulfate, which ages a battery prematurely. I solved that problem by using Save A Battery systems, which perform desulfation as part of their automatic battery conditioning and maintenance." DiMora went on to say, "Each Natalia will have a retractable 110 or 220 volt AC cord that the owner will extend to any power outlet when the automobile is parked. This is a unique feature, only to be found on the Natalia SLS 2." About Granite Digital and Save A Battery About DiMora Motorcar and DiMora Custom Bikes The founder, CEO, and driving force behind both companies is Alfred J. DiMora, who produced two of America's finest luxury automobiles, the Clenet (as owner) and the Sceptre (as co-founder). When President Reagan declared 1986 the Centennial Year of the Gasoline-Powered Automobile, Mr. DiMora's Clenet was selected as the Official Centennial Car. As a result, he and the Clenet were honored at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Michigan. For more information, please visit www.dimoramotorcar.com. ### Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| In Cuba's Time Capsule, an Automotive Legacy - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Posted: 01 Jan 2010 11:12 PM PST Havana EXCEPT for the security guards toting machine guns, this could have been any Caribbean island airport. Until we walked outside, that is. Then it was apparent that we had either entered a time machine or landed in Cuba. Actually, it was both. As we left the terminal, the taxi lane was crowded with vehicles I hadn't seen since childhood. Brightly colored American cars, all built before 1960, crowded the passenger pick-up area. It's a time warp created by the suspension of trade between Cuba and the United States after Fidel Castro's revolutionaries took control in 1959, cutting off the flow of new American cars. That was no drawback to a group of five automotive historians, including me, who had been invited here to research the Cuban Grand Prix sports car races of 50 years ago. In particular, we hoped to learn more about the 1960 race for a 50th anniversary celebration to be held in March at the Amelia Island Concours d'Élégance in Florida. The race was won by Stirling Moss in a Maserati Tipo 61, known as a Birdcage; both Moss and the winning Maserati will attend the March 14 concours. (Full disclosure: I am co-chairman of the event.) Our host for the research mission was Eduardo Mesejo Maestre, curator of the Depósito del Automóvil, the country's official antique car museum. Our group had received Treasury Department permission to travel directly to Havana from Miami on cultural exchange visas. Call it spark plug diplomacy. From the airport we went straight to the Depósito, housed in a open-air warehouse in the heart of Havana's historic district. We had hoped to see Castro's personal cars on display in this former navy facility, but that was not the case. Castro's cars, it turns out, are stored in a warehouse at Communist Party Central Headquarters, Mr. Mesejo told us; the museum's collection comprises about 40 cars, trucks and motorcycles that represent the last 100 years of Cuba's automotive history. Just past the admission desk -- admission is one CUC, or Cuban Convertible Peso, or about $1.08 -- visitors are greeted by a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I with coachwork by Letourneur & Marchand of France. We were told this car was found abandoned after the 1959 revolution and kept safe by the government until the museum opened in 1980. The Rolls, like all of the cars on display, is not the sort of pristine example seen in most modern museums. The vehicles are well used and unrestored, but clean. Mr. Mesejo told us the cars were given a daily sponge bath to remove the potentially caustic dust that blows in from nearby building renovations. The Depósito is arranged in two large rooms. The first room allows visitors to get close to the cars. In the second room, velvet ropes keep visitors at a distance. All informational placards are written in Spanish, so a translation guide is needed when the only English-speaking person on the staff, Mr. Mesejo, is not available. While some auto museums apply faux finishes to give floors and walls a patina of period correctness, the Depósito's concrete, stucco and painted surfaces are authentic. The rough-hewn building reeks of character. Most of the cars in the collection are American, including a Chevy touring car and Model T and Model A Fords. Against the back wall are two 1959 Oldsmobiles, one originally owned by Camilo Cienfuegos, a revolutionary leader considered a hero by his countrymen. The few European cars include a 1953 MG TD, a 1920s Fiat (discovered hidden behind a secret wall in a mansion) and a bright red Alfa Romeo roadster. "I know that car from when I was a child," Mr. Mesejo said of the Alfa. "My father would not let me stand any closer than one meter from it, which is very hard for a little boy. When it came here to the museum, I sat in it for an hour." Some of the newer cars -- a 1970s Daimler and a 1980s Chevy -- were left to the museum as gifts by departing foreign diplomats. The museum's most important car is a 1905 Cadillac, which was in continuous use until the 1980s. The Cadillac is now being restored, the first such project for the museum. Much of the technical information needed for its restoration came from collectors in Philadelphia. Fords and Oldsmobiles were assembled on the island in the 1940s and '50s, Mr. Mesejo said. "After the Revolution the car companies left, and Cuba, as an auto assembly country, was paralyzed." We were told of the country's dire economy, where street sweepers and doctors make the same wages. So auto repair for the island's vintage cars becomes a creative endeavor: shampoo is used for brake fluid; iron pipes are cut up for piston rings; Coca-Cola is used to loosen rusty bolts; and cars are painted with sponges, then buffed with toothpaste. "We call it the Cuban way," Abel Contreras de la Guardia, our translator and tour guide, said. "We do anything to keep our cars running." Besides hoping to one day display the personal cars of Fidel and Raul Castro, as well as the Chevrolet Impala of Che Guevara, Mr. Mesejo said he would like to secure what is perhaps Cuba's most important car. "I have seen Ernest Hemingway's 1955 Chrysler New Yorker convertible," he said. "It is hidden, but it is still in the country and still restorable." Front and center in the museum's second room is a replica of the 1960 Maserati raced by Juan Manuel Fangio, the five-time world champion. If this bright blue sports car were real, it would be worth millions of dollars, but this one was cobbled together from Citroën parts for a movie about Fangio. It was donated to the museum after filming was completed. Parked next to the fiberglass Maserati is a car that holds special meaning for Mr. Mesejo: a plain-looking dark brown 1953 Dodge sedan. "That was my father's," he said of the car he inherited. "With this I learned to drive and work on cars. "This car never let our family down." • Depósito del Automóvil is at Oficios No. 13, Habana Vieja, C.P. 10100, La Habana, Cuba. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Auto cos end 2009 with superlative growth - MoneyControl.com Posted: 01 Jan 2010 11:12 PM PST
Four-wheelers grow The country's largest four-wheeler manufacturer Maruti Suzuki sold 71,000 units in India, a 36.5% increase over previous year's December. Counted with exports, Maruti's sales grew at 50.6%.
Hyundai Motor India, the number two player in India, too registered an impressive 42.6% domestic growth year-on-year. In December, Hyundai sold 47,217 units compared to 38,502 units in December 2008. Exports for the company grew by 9% taking the cumulative growth tally to 22.6%. Expectedly, Hyundai's A2 segment cars like Santro, Getz, i10 and i20 cornered the bulk of its sales. "With the overall economic scenario improving the Indian automotive market seems to have stabilized but we must thank the Indian government for the timely intervention last year. The stimulus package certainly helped the automotive industry and we hope the government will continue with this at least for some more time," said Arvind Saxena, Director – Marketing and Sales, HMIL. "For Hyundai, introduction of new products like the i20 helped as in the last few months it has become an important contributor to our sales," Saxena said. Sales for Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), a major player in the utility vehicles (UV) space with vehicles such as the Scorpio, Bolero and Xylo, grew at 122%. It sold 22,754 units last month compared to 10,253 units in December 2008. Two-wheeler tally Among motorcycle, leader Hero Honda said it sold 3.75 lakh units versus 2.15 lakh units year-on-year, a 74% growth. Hero Honda said it would launch new models across various segments by March. The number two player in the segment, Bajaj Auto, has not yet released its December sales tally. TVS Motor Company registered a domestic growth of 42% in December over the same month last year, selling 1,02,479 units compared to 72,355 units. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
Auto sales in December continued to grow at an unprecedented rate, mirroring the health and resilience of the Indian economy. Most companies registered high double-digit growth in the month.| You are subscribed to email updates from Add Images to any RSS Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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