plus 4, GM's mini concept is rock solid - The Province |
- GM's mini concept is rock solid - The Province
- Updates, advisories and surprises - Marketwatch
- MotorcycleAds.com to Get Full Throttle Promotion at NYC IMS Show - YAHOO!
- Are Biofuels the future for the automotive industry? Part one ... - PRLog (free press release)
- January temperatures trade snow shovels for golf clubs - The Spokesman-Review
| GM's mini concept is rock solid - The Province Posted: 22 Jan 2010 06:41 AM PST -The launch of the Ford Focus took the early headlines here at the North American International Auto Show here in Motor City, but I found myself returning daily to my show favourite -- the GMC Granite. It may be listed as a concept, but it will surely hit the showrooms in the next year or so, and if not I'm bound to ask why? General Motors has dubbed it an Urban Utility Vehicle, which in truth is how most SUVs serve their overwhelmingly city-based owners. If it makes it to market, it would be the smallest GMC ever, some 60 centimetres shorter than the popular Terrain compact crossover -that's almost two feet for the metrically challenged. Nevertheless, the muscular, brutish four-door features a spacious interior with excellent cargo space and versatile flip-and-fold seats. GM says you can load a mountain bike through the side doors rather than have to lift the tailgate. Power comes from a 1.4L turbocharged engine, one of a new family of small-displacement, highly efficient four-cylinder engines, matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. It's clearly aimed at young urbanites, with its industrial finish interior and hi-tech instrumentation and media-playing capabilities. Love this comment from Dave Lyon, executive director of North American interior and global cross-brand design: "We think of the Granite as the automotive equivalent of an urban loft apartment. The exterior has an unmistakable industrial look, but the interior is warm and personalized." - One of GM's small car success stories has been the Korean-made Aveo. The bright Boracay blue, three-door hatch Aveo RS show car looks as though it was lifted from a European manufacturer's lineup. Like the Granite, GM execs say it is "just a show car" but admit it is the sporty shape of Aveos to come: Motorcycle-inspired exposed head-lamps and tail lights, low roofline, fender flares, large wheels and tires, and dual-cockpit interior hints at the next-generation Aveo. The RS features the same small-displacement 1.4L Ecotec turbocharged engine that will be available in the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which was also on the Chevy stand along with the all-new Spark five-door mini car, set for 2012 launch. The mid-size Cruze sedan should hit showrooms here later this year. - The final production version of the eagerly awaited Chevy Volt plug-in electric hybrid drew a crowd. I look forward to driving a test version in Vancouver next month and reporting my impressions here. "Our new small cars and the Volt electric vehicle with extended-range capabilities represent cornerstones in Chevrolet's gas-friendly to gasfree approach," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet general manager. "We expect the trio of Spark, Aveo and Cruze to be fuel-economy leaders, while the Volt can operate gasfree before switching to extended-range capability when the battery runs low." - Quick mentions: The 2011 Acadia Denali adds luxury to an already popular eight-passenger model. The Buick Regal GS is a 255-horsepower show car -there's that descriptor again-based on the Opel Insignia, which will likely become reality within the next 18 months. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Updates, advisories and surprises - Marketwatch Posted: 22 Jan 2010 05:58 AM PST
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By MarketWatch Exelon Corp. net income falls 18% (8:46 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Exelon Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!exc/quotes/nls/exc (EXC 46.99, -1.06, -2.21%) said Friday its fourth-quarter net income fell 18% to $581 million, or 88 cents a share, from $707 million, or $1.07 a share in the year-ago period. Adjusted net income fell to 92 cents a share from $1.07 a share. Revenue fell to $4.12 billion from $4.49 billion. Operating expenses fell to $3.04 billion from $3.16 billion. Wall Street analysts expected earnings of 85 cents a share, according to a survey by FactSet Research. The Chicago-based power generator said it continues to expect 2010 operating earnings of $3.60 to $4 a share. Spectra Energy sets 2010 ongoing earnings target (8:44 AM ET) BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Spectra Energy Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!se/quotes/nls/se (SE 22.15, -0.46, -2.03%) said Friday that it is targeting 2010 ongoing earnings of $1.42 a share and expects an 8% to 10% compound annual earnings-per-share growth rate for 2010 to 2012. The natural gas infrastructure firm also said it aims to maintain an annual dividend of at least $1 a share. On average, analysts polled by FactSet Research expected Spectra to earn $1.50 a share in the year ending December 2010. El Paso Pipeline Partners lifts cash pays by 13% (8:04 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- El Paso Pipeline Partners, L.P. /quotes/comstock/13*!epb/quotes/nls/epb (EPB 24.67, -0.01, -0.04%) on Friday said it's lifting its quarterly cash distribution to 36 cents per unit from 32 cents per unit. The distribution will be paid Feb. 12 on all outstanding common and subordinated units to holders of record as of the close of business on Feb. 1. Harley-Davidson swings to fourth-quarter loss (7:52 AM ET) BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Harley-Davidson Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!hog/quotes/nls/hog (HOG 23.72, -1.86, -7.27%) said Friday that it swung to a fourth-quarter loss of $218.7 million, or 94 cents a share, from a year-earlier profit of $77.8 million, or 34 cents a share. The Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer lost 63 cents a share from continuing operations in the latest quarter. On average, analysts polled by FactSet Research expected the company to lose 27 cents a share. For 2010, Harley-Davidson expects to ship 201,000 to 212,000 motorcycles worldwide, 5% to 10% below the 2009 level. "We believe 2010 will continue to be a challenging year," said Keith Wandell, chief executive officer. Kimberly-Clark earnings per share up 16% (7:48 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Kimberly-Clark Corp. /quotes/comstock/13*!kmb/quotes/nls/kmb (KMB 60.97, -0.14, -0.23%) said Friday that fourth-quarter earnings were $492 million, or $1.17 a share, compared to $419 million, or $1.10 a share, a year ago in the quarter. Sales rose 8% to $5.0 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet Research estimated, on average, earnings per share of $1.26. The Dallas, Texas, household products company said it expects adjusted 2010 earnings per share to be in a range of $4.80 to $5.00, up 6% to 11% above 2009 results. Huntington Bancshares eyes profitability in 2010 (7:29 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Huntington Bancshares Inc., /quotes/comstock/15*!hban/quotes/nls/hban (HBAN 4.43, -0.10, -2.25%) the Columbus, Ohio, banking firm, reported a narrowed fourth-quarter net loss in the face of "the most challenging economic environment in decades." Huntington said that if "the economy stabilizes at or near its current level," it expected to return to profitability in 2010. The net loss narrowed to $369.7 million from $417.3 million. The loss attributable to common shares was $399 million, or 56 cents a share, compared with $440.4 million, or $1.20, in the year-earlier period. Shares outstanding nearly doubled to 715.3 million. The provision for possible losses on bad loans in the quarter was $894 million, double the level of loans that the bank charged off. At Dec. 31, assets not earning interest fell 12% from Sept. 30. Johnson Controls swings to a profit, lifts view (7:10 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Johnson Controls Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!jci/quotes/nls/jci (JCI 30.19, +1.34, +4.64%) said Friday it swung to a first-quarter profit of $350 million, or 52 cents a share, from a loss of $608 million, or $1.02 a share in the year-ago period. Johnson Controls said its operating earnings rose to 43 cents a share from an operating loss of 13 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 15% to $8.4 billion. Johnson Controls was expected to earn 29 cents a share on revenue of $7.4 billion, according to a survey of analysts by FactSet Research. The Milwaukee industrial firm raised its 2010 profit outlook to $1.70 to $1.75 a share, from its earlier view of $1.35 to $1.45 a share. "We believe there will be meaningful improvements in our markets by the end of the fiscal year," the maker of automotive equipment said. General Electric net drops 19% (6:40 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Industrial bellwether General Electric /quotes/comstock/13*!ge/quotes/nls/ge (GE 16.60, +0.58, +3.62%) said its fourth-quarter profit fell 19% to $2.94 billion, or 28 cents a share, as revenue fell 10% to $41.4 billion. Restructuring and other charges of 9 cents per share were partially offset by other benefits in the quarter, including a penny per share in after-tax transaction gains and a 5 cents per share tax benefit from a lower industrial tax rate. Segment profit declined 16%, as 9% growth at Energy Infrastructure and 278% growth at Consumer & Industrial were more than offset by declines of 67% at Capital Finance, 30% at NBC Universal and 16% at Technology Infrastructure. Its total backlog increased to record $175 billion at year-end. Analysts polled by FactSet expected earnings of 26 cents a share on revenue of $39.99 billion. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| MotorcycleAds.com to Get Full Throttle Promotion at NYC IMS Show - YAHOO! Posted: 21 Jan 2010 12:44 AM PST MotorcycleAds.com, the online motorcycle classifieds powered by RacingJunk.com, will get full-throttle promotion at the International Motorcycle Show in New York City on January 22-24. North Adams, MA (PRWEB) January 21, 2010 -- MotorcycleAds.com, the online motorcycle classifieds powered by RacingJunk.com (http://www.racingjunk.com), will get full-throttle promotion at the upcoming International Motorcycle Show in New York City on January 22-24. Exhibiting at booth 1660 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the Raceway Media team will introduce the MotorcycleAds.com website to the masses of bike culture enthusiasts expected to attend the show. Show visitors will learn how they can use MotorcycleAds.com to buy and sell motorcycles and powersports equipment. Members of the site can post ads free, with no transaction fees and no waiting for auctions to end. The site includes ad categories for cruisers, street bikes, customs, choppers and more. MotorcycleAds.com is powered by RacingJunk.com, the largest and fastest growing online classifieds site for motorsports. The RacingJunk.com network receives over 2.8 million site visits and 70 million page views per month, and boasts over 425,000 registered members. Show attendees who stop by the MotorcycleAds.com booth (#1660) can enter the daily prize drawing to win a Snap-on Tool Prize Package valued at over $125. About Raceway Media, LLC The company's holdings include RacingJunk.com, MotorcycleAds.com, RJRaceSpace.com, CollectorCarNation.com, BoatAds.com and MuscleCarJunk.com. # # # Raceway Media Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Are Biofuels the future for the automotive industry? Part one ... - PRLog (free press release) Posted: 21 Jan 2010 09:27 AM PST PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 21, 2010 – There are many ways we can cut down on the amount of fuel our cars use these days. As simple a thing as changing your heavy steel wheels for alloy wheels, upgrading you tyres to energy efficient tyres and keeping your vehicle well maintained with regular servicing can dramatically decrease your annual fuel costs however, can we cut down even further and in doing so even help cut down on our carbon footprint? Well, the answer is yes! And it's not nearly as difficult as you would think.
With rapidly increasing fuel costs across the UK and throughout the world most of us really are starting to feel the pinch when it comes to filling our cars up these days. This coupled with increasing pressure from the government and environmental agencies to combat Co2 emissions, could biofuels be the future for the automotive industry? Let's take a quick peek at the advantages, disadvantages and cost of some of the alternative fuels available to us today. And hopefully answer a few burning questions about the viability of alternative fuels on a practical level as we head into the most green focussed decade in nearly 3 century's of the modern auto mobile. Biodiesel and Vegetable Oil, what's the difference? The main difference between true biodiesel and vegetable oil is that nearly all Diesel Engines can be run on biodiesel without any conversion whatsoever, however, if you plan on using straight vegetable oil some minor modification is usually necessary (with the exception of most, if not all Mercedes and Volvo vehicles).
Compatibility As most of us are probably aware, not all engines are compatible with bio fuel therefore prior to filling your tank haphazardly with any form of bio fuel, whether it be biodiesel or vegetable oil its first essential to check it is compatible. Putting the wrong type of fuel in an engine can cause serious problems and mistakes such as this are often incredibly difficult to rectify. At best, your car won't run and will require draining and flushing, at worst, the damage could be severe and permanent requiring you to fork out for a new one, so be sure to do your homework. Biodiesel Apart from the obvious cost and environmental advantages biodiesel has over mineral diesel a surprising plus would be that as biodiesel is naturally a significantly stronger solvent than mineral diesel it is capable of keeping your engine running cleaner and smoother by dissolving accumulated fuel deposits in the tank and pipes into new, clean fuel. Less accumulation of fuel deposits in your fuel system means a cleaner running and more efficient engine. Initially, as the mineral diesel deposits are broken down those particles may accumulate in the fuel filter thus requiring an interim replacement however, this usually only lasts one service cycle and after that the pipes and tank are clean and fuel filters will only need replacing at standard service intervals and what you will have is a much cleaner car.
Vegetable Oil Vegetable oil is thicker in consistency than both mineral and bio diesel particularly in cold temperatures therefore it is necessary to make some modification to the way fuel is handled in a diesel engine using this type of fuel to compensate for this and prevent difficulties starting your car. Here are the available options as of writing this article. Dual Fuel System Probably the most commonly implemented conversion type since the popularity of vegetable oil fuelled cars, this system simply uses 2 tanks of fuel, one for Vegetable Oil, and the other for diesel/biodiesel. The premise being that you start the car on the tank of fuel containing diesel/biodiesel and manually switch to the tank containing vegetable oil when everything's warmed up, thus preventing the more viscous vegetable oil from clogging jets, lines and filters.
Mixed Fuel By far the simplest way is to mix vegetable oil with diesel or biodiesel in the main tank at different ratios depending on the weather conditions. On warm days a higher percentage of vegetable oil can be used and on cold days, vice versa. Full Conversion A full conversion to vegetable oil fuel negates the need for diesel all together by using heat to take the viscosity out of the fuel, thus allowing it to flow freely regardless of weather conditions. A typical full vegetable oil conversion uses a fuel pre-heater in the tank, a heat exchanger to warm the fuel, and/or a heated fuel filter. Waste Vegetable Oil If its maximum economy you're looking for, then there's no denying waste vegetable oil is the way forward being by far the cheapest solution in the long run. The only downside being that it needs to be processed before you can use it in your car, therefore requires the most work on the part of the car owner. Other things to consider Although an engine will generally run more smoothly on vegetable oil, and be better lubricated than with mineral diesel, it is essential that you continue to maintain your engine properly, as you would have done prior to any conversion with regular servicing and check-ups. You should always keep a spare fuel filter handy in case you suffer from a blockage. In very cold weather it will be necessary to add some mineral diesel to your fuel as a preventative measure, to prevent problems with freezing. Biodiesel and UK Law Unfortunately, here in the UK you can't even look at a new thing with ought the government slapping a tax on it (remember Poll Tax, the Tax on breathing?). So yes, you've guessed it! Although it would be great for the environment and the consumer, as of 2002 Tax must be paid on any oil of any origin which is used to power a road vehicle. At the time of publishing, biodiesel and yes, you've guessed it, vegetable oil have an excise duty rate of 20 pence per litre less than the mineral diesel rates. But you shouldn't let this put you off, running your car on biodiesel or vegetable oil is still considerably cheaper than mineral diesel, and far better for the environment. For more information on this and other articles from Verooom please visit our website For more information, please visit the firm's website: http://www.verooom.com Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| January temperatures trade snow shovels for golf clubs - The Spokesman-Review Posted: 21 Jan 2010 09:27 AM PST
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A year after the region saw record-breaking snowfall, folks might be wondering where winter went. Highs in the 40s and lower 50s in the past 10 days have seemed more like March than January. The above-normal temperatures have led to below-normal sales for snow tires, snowblowers, shovels and plowing. "This has been one of the more unique winters. I can attest to that," said Randy Spies, who has operated a snowplowing business for the past 17 years. A year ago, Spokane had already seen 80 inches of snow by Jan. 20, but this year, the city has barely had a foot of new snow – only 40 percent of normal. The National Weather Service said the milder weather is being brought north by moderate to strong El Niño warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which is expected to continue. January is running 8 degrees above normal so far, making 2010 one of the five mildest Januarys on record. "For the next 10 days, we don't see any colder-than-normal temperatures," said Ron Miller, forecaster for the weather service in Spokane. This year's mild January follows back-to-back hard winters: 92.6 inches of snow in 2007-'08 and a record 97.7 inches of snow in 2008-'09. Cold and snow often fluctuate from year to year and even from month to month, Miller said. December was 2.8 degrees colder than normal as the result of a strong arctic front that lasted for more than a week and froze the upper layer of soil. "To have two bad winters around here in a row is probably more unusual than to have winters flip-flop," Miller said. Spies said he took in $16,000 plowing and sanding in December 2008, compared with $3,400 so far this year. "It's a night and day difference," he said. Scott Banick, manager at River Ridge Hardware, 2803 W. Garland Ave., said that a year ago he would get a delivery of 300 snow shovels and sell them in two hours. De-icer was going out the door at a rate of two pallets a day. This year, the store has barely sold two pallets all season, he said. Mike Federico, owner of Mechanics Pride Tire and Automotive Inc., 1002 W. Third Ave., said sales of winter tires has fallen off after the initial burst of winter-related business two months ago. At Westside Motor Sports at exit 276 on Interstate 90, owner Scott Schmidtman said sales are way down this month of ATVs equipped with snowplows, as well as snow throwers. On the flip side, he's seeing a few customers drive up on motorcycles. Ski areas have been operating throughout the season, and while the snowpack is below normal this year, there has been enough snow to keep winter recreation going on the upper slopes. There is little if any snowpack on lower slopes, however, which has been a problem for snowmobilers. Sleigh rides have been suspended at Western Pleasure Guest Ranch, located at 2,700 feet in elevation about 16 miles northwest of Sandpoint. Janice Schoonover, who runs the ranch, said rainfall in recent weeks has created treacherous patches of ice over compacted snow. Frozen ground has prevented rainwater from being absorbed into the soil, creating flooding in low-lying areas, but the frozen soil in lower elevations has been thawing with the sunshine in recent days, Miller said. Ground conditions have improved so much that the Fairways Golf Course southwest of Spokane has been open since Friday with 20 to 50 golfers showing up each day, said general manager Kris Kallem. The golf course has been open in January as recently as 2006, he said, but "you want to wear your waterproof shoes." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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