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F1 teams in action at Silverstone

The F1 teams return to the testing arena today at Silverstone, where the majority will be in action for the three days.

However, Lewis Hamilton won't be as McLaren have given the rookie the week off in order to unwind before the start of the Goodwood Festival of Speed where he will be making an appearance.

Instead, McLaren will have test driver Pedro de la Rosa sharing the driving duties with Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari will join their rivals at the British track, where they'll be testing a new aero package in the hope of gaining back some lost ground to the Woking team.

Red Bull's Mark Webber will be handed the testing duties for the first two days with team-mate David Coulthard taking over on Thursday.



However, the man who put DC out of the US GP, Ralf Schumacher, won't be in action. Instead Toyota are planning on using tester Franck Montagny on Tuesday and Jarno Trulli for the remaining two days.

Robert Kubica is another race-driver who won't be testing as he remains sidelined following his Canadian GP accident. Nick Heidfeld and Timo Glock will test for BMW.

Williams will be using both their race drivers, however, only for one day a piece. Tester Kazuki Nakajima will be in action on Tuesday, Alex Wurz on Wednesday and Nico Rosberg on Thursday.

Honda, Renault and Spyker are the final three teams taking part in this week's Silverstone test.

VW unit to increase workers by 800 to raise capacity for Tiguan model production

FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Volkswagen AG's unit Auto 5000 GmbH will increase its workers by 800 to 4,600 this year and boost its manufacturing capacity in the run-up to the production of the Tiguan SUV, Auto 5000 head Thomas Ulbrich told the trade magazine 'auto, motor und sport'.

The overall capacity will also be raised by 40 pct to 280,000 units per year, he said.

The Tiguan, a smaller version of Touareg, will be launched in October this year.

Last year, Auto 5000 produced around 170,000 Touran and this year, including the Tiguan, around 30,000 more units would be made. Of the 30,000 units, half will be Tiguan.

He said the Tiguan will made in Wolfsburg, Germany, for the first two years but there are plans to explore the possibility of building them abroad, such as in Russia, India or Mexico.
Source : forbes.com

Volvo V70 and XC70 Prices Announced

The new Volvo V70 will cost from £26,495 when it arrives in the UK in September. Its jacked-up sister-car, the XC70, will start at £31,035. Both cars will be available in three trim levels, SE, SE Sport and SE Lux.

The trim levels are far too complicated to go into here – we recommend you ask your local Volvo dealer if you want more information.

What we can tell you is that all V70s and XC70s get 40/20/40 split folding rear seats, folding steel load protection grille, a cargo system, grocery bag holder, 12V power outlet in the boot and roof rails. Standard wheels are 17-inch alloys, and there's aluminium trim plus an eight-speaker hi-fi included.

The V70 comes with a choice of three petrol engines and two diesels. Manual transmission is standard except on the 3.2 and T6 AWD petrols, which are auto-only. The XC70 comes only as a D5 diesel (manual or auto) or 3.2 petrol (auto only).

Hero Honda, LG, Neo Sports pulled for showing misleading ads

New Delhi, June 18: Leading corporates Hero Honda, LG Electronics, Dabur India, Neo Sports and General Motors figure among the top firms which have been pulled up by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for violating code of conduct in the first three months of this year.

According to ASCI, its consumer complaints council heard as many as 32 complaints of false promises, double meaning, racism, unethical and bias in nature in advertisements of various companies.

Leading two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Honda was asked to modify its television commercial for its bike CBZ-xtreme, for "dangerous and hazardous stunt".

Sports broadcaster neo sports' advertisement, which allegedly showed people in West Indies being mistreated by Indians, had to be withdrawn as the council thought it was "racist" in nature.

Source : zeenews.com

ASCI also asked Korean consumer durables major LG electronics to withdraw its ad on 'Intello cool' refrigerator after the company failed to substantiate claims that it "re-energised food, retained nutrition and was capable of filtering bacteria and adding vitamins to the food".

Car major General Motors was asked to modify its commercial showing visuals of a celebrity endorser driving its sedan 'Chevrolet Aveo' in a wrong lane and wrong side of the road. GM India could re-telecast the ad after some modifications as directed by the council.

In the January-March period, out of total of 32 complaints filed at the ASCI, 19 advertisements were either withdrawn or modified while responses to 16 were awaited from advertisers and the rest were not upheld by the council.

Donk My Ride

The allure of aesthetics has been a fact of automobile design for many decades. But carmakers have never been able to match the inventiveness of some car owners, dating back at least to creators of tangerine-flake objets d’art that Tom Wolfe celebrated in the 1960s. To believe that auto expressionists will run out of gas at some point is to underestimate their ability to create previously unimaginable novelty. Picture, for instance, a 1976 Impala improbably perched on 26-inch wheels and painted in colors inspired by a variety of Hawaiian Punch. This is what’s called a donk.

The donk is a car-customization mash-up, forcing a reconciliation between seemingly contradictory trends. First: the well-established low-rider idea of modifying the suspension on, say, a carefully restored Impala, so that it rides as close to the ground as possible. The second trend is rim inflation, the more recent but evidently unflagging popularity of increasingly large wheels, especially on S.U.V.’s, associated with the blingiest manifestations of hip-hop style. It was apparently in Miami, about six years ago, that somebody decided to marry these notions and modify a classic low-rider car to accommodate oversize rims, according to Brian Scotto, who is the editor of a magazine called Donk, Box & Bubble.

Technically, Scotto explains, donks are Caprices or Impalas from the years 1971 to 1976. (One theory about the provenance of the name “donk” is the resemblance of the Impala logo to a donkey; another is that it derives from a slang term for a shapely posterior.) A similarly customized Caprice or Impala from model years 1977 to 1990 is a box, and ’91s through ’96s are bubbles, names that reference the cars’ silhouettes. Scotto’s magazine uses the term hi-risers to cover the entire category, but most any tricked-out boxy ’70s sedan is now routinely called a donk. The key is “really big wheels, wheels that obviously do not fit in the wheel well,” Scotto continues, adding that these days, you really need 24-inch wheels to qualify.

The most striking donks have “themes,” lifted from pop culture — or, surprisingly often, branding. The Hawaiian Punch Green Berry Rush donk, built by Mr. Scrape Customs in Sumter, S.C., is a good example: its owner brought along a bottle of the stuff to Mr. Scrape and announced, “I want it to look like this,” explains Robbie Casselman, the shop’s director of sales and marketing. So the car mimics the screaming green color and includes a custom interior console with Hawaiian Punch labels under plastic, as well as a big logo on the trunk. Mr. Scrape has also built cars with Lucky Charms and Spider-Man themes. In addition to donks with color schemes inspired by Garfield or Sonic the Hedgehog, other logo-themed examples online or in the pages of Donk, Box & Bubble include McDonald’s, Newport cigarettes and Aquafina. From what both Scotto and Casselman say, this began largely as a matter of aesthetics and took a quick road to conspicuousness. Borrowing an appealing color combination from striking packaging seems to have led to a way of making form match function in total outrageousness.

Mr. Scrape has some famous clients, like Thomas Davis, a linebacker for the Carolina Panthers, and has lately been hearing from rap stars and people in the traditional car-innovation breeding grounds of California. But mostly it has been a grass-roots phenomenon. After Florida, donks have been most popular in Georgia, the Carolinas and other Southern states. Outfitting a truly head-turning donk isn’t cheap: Casselman says a “complete build” costs at least $40,000 and can easily run three times that. But many donk owners don’t go that far, or they modify the car by degrees, which makes the car an affordable but still potentially flashy alternative to an Escalade or a Phantom. A huge logo on the door is one blunt way to stand out. (Although, Casselman notes, many donk owners themselves prefer to “stay discreet,” identified in magazines only by nicknames and nonexistent hometowns.) “That’s why I see this continuing to grow,” Scotto says. “You can buy a box Chevy for $1,000. And once you get that box Chevy, you belong.”

Similarly, the use of logos seems to have more to do with fitting into donk culture than with brand endorsement. That may change: Scotto’s magazine was recently commissioned by Coors Brewing Company to build a Coors Light-themed donk. But for now, the real effect of logo themes comes down to branding the donk itself. “It kind of gives the car a name,” Scott says — albeit a name borrowed from commercial culture. “All cars that have that kind of theme to them are better known.” Here, then, is what lies beyond the candy-colored, or even kandy-kolored, hot rod: the Skittles donk.

Sorce : nytimes.com

Firefighters tackle blaze at car firm

DOZENS of firefighters tackled a blaze in a village car repair firm after flames swept through the building and threatened to ignite gas canisters.

Crews from across west Suffolk and one from Cambridgeshire were drafted in to tackle the fire at LC Autos, based at Stone Bridge Farm, Kedington, and at its height more than 30 firefighters were involved in the operation.

Three people managed to escape the blaze, which is thought to have started during work to repair a vehicle's fuel pipe.

Although one of them needed treatment from an ambulance crew for the effects of breathing in smoke he is not thought to have been taken to hospital.

Fire chiefs threw a 100 metre exclusion zone around the business once the full seriousness of the incident at lunchtime on Saturday was assessed.

Bryan Wallace, 79, his wife Beryl, 78, live at the farm.

Mr Wallace said: “There was someone working on a car when a spark lit some petrol.

“When I went outside the guy who had been in the garage seemed pretty scared.

“The fire spread quickly through the roof but the fire engine arrived seven minutes later and calmed the situation down.”

Assistant Divisional Officer Carl Francis, second in command, said the original call was to a car fire but officers quickly realised it was far more serious and needed a massive response from permanent and retained crews from across the area to stop it sweeping out of control.

As it was the blaze destroyed 40% of the 30m by 30m repair building, said Mr Francis.

However, the fire chief said the damage could have been far worse.

“It was a substantial fire but the first officer on the scene realised there was the potential for the fire to spread to liquid petroleum cylinders and there was also a possibility far more dangerous acetylene cylinders were also stored at the garage.

“There weren't any but other cylinders were removed at an early stage.”

Mr Francis said the workmen in the garage at the time managed to get out: “Three people left the premises as a result of the fire and the most likely cause was work being undertaken on a fuel pipe of a vehicle within the workshop of the commercial garage.”

He said the crews - two from Haverhill, one from Wickhambrook, one from Clare, one from Bury St Edmunds, the Bury turntable ladder and an engine from Linton in Cambridgeshire - were faced with a well developed fire.

“It had burned through the roof of the building. It was a substantial fire but it was brought under control very rapidly. Crews worked hard at a very early stage to bring the fire under control.

“There were lots of retained firefighters involved and they came from all over the place and worked hard to put the fire out within 45 minutes of us getting here.”

A number of engines remained at the scene for several hours after the fire, which broke out at just after 1pm on Saturday, to ensure there were no pockets of flames in the debris of the building.

Fire chiefs also informed the Environment Agency of the incident but it was not thought any chemicals or oil had escaped into the environment.

Source : eadt.co.uk

Rockenfeller trying to repair car

Mike Rockenfeller is desperately trying to perform enough repairs to his Audi R10 in a bid to get the car back to the pits.

The German driver crashed his car coming out of Tertre Rouge, just one lap after he had set the fastest lap of the race for the No.3 car.

The car has sustained heavy rear end damage, but Rockenfeller needs to repair the car himself if he wants to return it to the pits.

Rockenfeller's teammate Alexandre Premat is yet to drive the car in the race, and he said that the German was trying to make repairs to the rear suspension on the car.

"If he can get the car back then the team can fix it, I'm sure," said the Frenchman. "He needs to make sure that the suspension is free of any other parts that could affect it.

"The good thing about our car is that while it looks very bad, they are designed so that these things can be fixed quickly."

The former GP2 racer added that he felt that the team were going to be strong enough to finish on the podium, as the Audis ran first, second, and third in the early stages.

"Mike was really fast when he got in the car, and Lucas (Luhr) had done a very good job too," Premat told autosport.com.

"I think we were looking good for the podium, but now I just hope he can get the car back so we don't have to go home."

"If we get back out, we will just have to push, and learn as much as we can for next year. It is early in the race, so you never know what we could do."

Sorce :autosport.com

Kitemark garages: do car makers care?

• Car makers aren't joining standards scheme
• More independents are signing up, but slowly
• Affiliated garages are benefiting from scheme

Vehicle manufacturers aren't supporting the British Standards Institute's kitemark scheme, which is designed to raise the quality of service in the UK's car workshops.

The BSI revealed that 90% of garages that have joined the scheme are independents - but only about 30 garages are franchised dealerships.

Source : www.whatcar.com

The BSI revealed that 130 garages in the UK are now licensed to carry the kitemark, and a further 180 will soon join them. So by end of this month, 310 garages will be able to carry the kitemark - still only 1% of the 30,000 workshops in the UK.

However, the BSI is concerned that car manufacturers' dealerships aren't joining up.

Why aren't more car makers joining?
Ian Harper, general manager for Kitemark Garage Services, said: 'It may be that they have their own codes of practice and feel they are able to audit themselves properly. Two manufacturers have said they want to get on board, but we are hoping we'll get more. However, I know that there are some vehicle manufacturers that will not meet the .'

The kitemark scheme for garage repair was introduced in 2005 and was seen as the last chance for workshops to get their house in order. If they can't, the National Consumer Council will push the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to formally license the industry, a threat the Government originally made in 2002.

However, progress has been slow. At the end of 2006, only 65 repair workshops in the UK had gained kitemarks.

Mr Harper added: 'A lot of it is about fear - fear that garages will not be able to conform to the standard. It may be that some are just waiting on the sidelines to see how the scheme progresses and then will get on board.

Harper hopes that by 2009, between 500 and 700 workshops will have signed up, but that is still less than 2% of garages.

Garages could benefit
It is hoped that as public awareness of the scheme grows, consumers will seek out garages that carry the kitemark. The BSI says garages that join the £1500-a-year scheme, will see a rise in trade.

Jack Kyriakos, who owns a garage in East London, says his gross revenues rose by 20% since he joined the BSI scheme.

'I spent a load of money in advertising, telling people that my garage meets the standard,' he said. 'It took a while, but then it started to take off. It was well worth it. Thing is, we've been tarred with the same brush as the cowboys and we need to get rid of the cowboys.'

Lowering teenage auto insurance

Undated -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says traffic crashes are the number one killer of teenagers.

With a risk so high teenagers are often more expensive to insure in auto insurance. There are some things parents can do to keep the cost down for the young drivers.

The Insurance Institute suggests teen drivers take multiple drivers education classes like from police and their school. The variety of lessons can over a spectrum of safe driving practices.

Parents also should not buy their teenager a powerful car with a fast engine. The faster a car can go, the more likely they will drive fast.

Also, some insurance companies take into account good school grades. Insurance companies believe that if a student has good grades they tend to be more responsible overall in most areas of life.

Every insurance company is different, so shop around. Some even offer special teen driver discounts, but require parents and young drivers to agree to follow strict guidelines.

Unitrin Direct Introduces Affordable Auto Insurance to Iowa

Unitrin Direct Introduces Affordable Auto Insurance to Iowa

Unitrin Direct Insurance Company, an auto insurer that offers a unique blend of customer-friendly service and affordable rates, has begun selling policies in Iowa, which is likely to mean significant savings for drivers statewide.

With a strong reputation for reliability and value in 23 U.S. states, Unitrin Direct uses an innovative direct business model to reduce overhead and pass savings on to consumers looking for affordable car insurance. Customers who switch to Unitrin Direct from another carrier save an average of $303.*

“We’re using the latest technology to streamline the insurance process in a way that benefits our customers,” said Scott Carter, Unitrin Direct president. “Not only do they save money, they also receive customer care that is faster and more efficient.”

Unitrin Direct’s most recent contribution to low rates and outstanding service earned it the prestigious 2007 IASA Technology Achievement Award, an honor given to companies in the insurance industry that use technological applications to solve business challenges. IASA cited Unitrin Direct’s newly enhanced communication system, which electronically links departments such as customer service, claims and underwriting.

By staying on the cutting edge of technology, Unitrin Direct is able to offer big savings, provide information at the online “Help Center,” process claims quickly, and deliver rate quotes to online car insurance shoppers in less than 10 minutes at http://www.unitrindirect.com/. Customers who prefer to compare rates or get policy information by phone can call Unitrin Direct at (800) 642-5254 and speak to a licensed agent.

“We recognize that investing in technology plays an important role in allowing us to provide customers with the answers they need and the savings they want,” said Bill Caldwell, vice president, product. “Unitrin Direct has a strong commitment to not only being a leading auto insurance provider but being a leader in the auto insurance industry.”

Iowans looking for discounts will have plenty of options through Unitrin Direct. An instant $50 can be saved by using Esignature, a convenient service that lets customers sign policy documents online. And up to 17% more can be saved by customers who pay their policy in full. **

“We’re excited to bring a new look to auto insurance in Iowa,” said Thomas Cruse, Iowa product manager. “This is a great opportunity for drivers to take advantage of our many discounts and our low rates and pay less for their coverage than they ever have before.”

About Unitrin Direct

Unitrin Direct is dedicated to providing its customers with outstanding service and quality coverage at competitive prices, making auto insurance simple by offering people the choices they want with the convenience they deserve. The Unitrin Direct insurance companies are subsidiaries of Unitrin, Inc. (NYSE: UTR) in Chicago, and part of the Unitrin family of companies that has over six million policyholders, $9 billion in assets and is rated “A” (excellent) by A.M. Best Company, a leading provider of financial information for the global insurance industry. The Unitrin Direct companies offer affordable automobile insurance in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. To get a free auto insurance quote, log on to http://www.unitrindirect.com/ or call (800) 642- 5254.
* Average savings based on new customers who reported a savings between
March and June 2006.

** Discounts not available in all states.

Insurance is underwritten by Unitrin Direct Property & Casualty Company and Unitrin Direct Insurance Company.

What o you recommend for protecting aluminum wheels?

Most original equipment aluminum wheels are clear coated for corrosion resistance. You can generally use any type of wax or sealer specially formulated for alloy wheels, or any product that is designed for a base coat, clear coat finish.

CAUTION: Do not use any wax or polish that contains abrasives on a clear coated wheel (chrome polish, rubbing compound, ordinary wax designed for ordinary painted finishes or that "restores faded paint." The abrasives in such products will scratch and dull the clear coat on the wheels.

If your wheels are not clear coated, or the original coating is worn away or damaged, you can clean the wheels with "mag wheel polish" or fine steel wool to remove surface oxide and dirt (and what’s left of the old finish) -- then repaint the wheels with a durable clear coat epoxy or paint designed for this purpose.

Unprotected aluminum wheels quickly corrode and pit when exposed to road salt and excessive moisture. If the corrosion continues unchecked for too long, the cosmetic damage may be too great to reverse. So if you don’t want to drive around with ugly, pitted alloy wheels, use some type of coating (wax, sealer and/or paint) to protect them from the elements.
Protect The Inside, Too

When an aluminum wheel is mounted against a steel brake drum or rotor, the different compositions of the two metals often lead to electrolytic corrosion. Aluminum is the more reactive of the two, so the wheel can corrode and "weld" itself to the rotor or drum making removal very difficult. To prevent this from happening, the face of the rotor or drum (or the back face of the alloy wheel) should be painted. Another alternative is to apply a light coat of lithium, silicone or synthetic brake grease to the back of the wheel where it butts up against the rotor or drum.

Another problem that sometimes plagues alloy wheels is porosity leaks. When an alloy wheel is cast, microscopic pores and voids may be left in the metal that allows air to slowly leak out of the tire. High pressure casting techniques have reduced, but not entirely eliminated, this problem. So some alloy wheels are painted or coated on the inside to help seal the metal. If you’ve experienced this kind of problem, and your wheels are not coated or painted inside, they might need it.

Ford Airstream Concept

Love those shiny aluminum Airstream trailers? Ford reckons that a motorized version might just make the coolest crossover since Dustin Hoffman played Tootsie.

To grab some Detroit Show headlines, Ford’s Advanced Design team out in sunny SoCal has come up with a funky, futuristic Airstream concept with seats for seven and a plug-in hydrogen hybrid fuel cell for power.

About the same size as Ford’s new Edge crossover, the concept takes the streamlined fuselage look of an Airstream and combines it with a touch of X-1 rocket plane from The Right Stuff and an interior that’s straight out of Kubrick’s cult classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Hal, are you listening?

Too bad they didn’t go for an authentic Airstream-style riveted aluminum body—it’s regular old steel. But Ford Advanced Design boss Freeman Thomas says they went one better by working with suppliers to come up with the first application of a unique reflective paint that looks exactly like aluminum.

“We did include 12 rivets in the body just to pay homage to Airstream’s iconic construction,” explains Thomas. A prize goes to the first show-goer to spot where they are.

If the neon-bright orange paint that frames the windows looks familiar, Thomas says it’s the same color as Chuck Yeager’s legendary Bell X-1 high-altitude rocket plane that’s on display in the Smithsonian.

“My memories of Airstreams have always been seeing the NASA astronauts arriving at the launch site and stepping out of their Airstream trailer,” he explains.

You climb aboard through a roof-hinged, power clamshell door that runs two-thirds the length of the body. Lipstick red fabric covers the lounge-like seating that wraps around the cabin. Up front, driver and passenger sit in retro, pod-shaped captain’s chairs that swivel to face rearwards. It’s Austin Powers shagadelic, baby.

The focal point of the cabin is this wild, cylindrical LED video screen that can project everything from DVDs to virtual ‘mood’ effects, like a log fire and lava lamp. Taiwan-based DynaScan Technology Inc. makes giant versions for malls and exhibitions, but this is the smallest unit they’ve ever created.

Powering the crossover of tomorrowland is a plug-in hydrogen hybrid fuel cell. But instead of it being used to drive the wheels, as in a typical fuel cell vehicle, its sole function is to recharge the lithium-ion battery pack. This, in turn, powers electric motors which turn the wheels.

It’s the same plug-in hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain that’s currently running around in a Ford Edge prototype that’s been developed at Ford’s research center.

We wonder what old Wally Byam, who back in 1931 started using aircraft-construction methods to create his first Airstream trailers, would think about this new Ford creation. Riveting, maybe?





Source :CAR and DRIVER.com

Is it better to use a "wax" or a "sealer" to protect my car's finish?

Both types of products will protect your paint against moisture, ozone and ultraviolet. Sealers, which are typically petroleum based and contain silicones, usually last much longer (up to a year or more) than ordinary wax. But the distinction between these two products is blurring because many waxes now contain silicone and other ingredients designed to extend protection.

A wax or sealer that is applied by rubbing it on your car’s finish will always give you better protection than a product that’s sprayed on at a car wash. Car wash waxes give a nice temporary shine, but don’t provide lasting protection.

When choosing a wax or sealer, choose one that’s "right" for your vehicle’s finish. Most newer cars and trucks have what’s called a "base coat, clear coat" finish. Over the base color coat of paint is a layer of clear paint to provide added shine and protection. Some car makes say it isn’t really necessary to wax or seal a base coat, clear coat paint job. But it certainly isn’t going to hurt anything -- provided you use a product that is designed for this type of finish.

CAUTION: Wax or sealer for a base coat, clear coat finish should contain no abrasives or polish. Abrasives are often added to wax to remove the oxidized layer from the surface of the paint. When the wax is applied, it has a polishing effect that helps shines up dull, faded paint. It works great on solid color finishes, but not clear coated finishes because it scratches and dulls the clear coat.

APPLYING WAX & SEALER
# Always follow the instructions that come with the product.
# Wash and dry your vehicle before you wax it.
# Don’t wax it in the direct sun during the heat of the day. Wax in in the shade, or early in the morning or late in the day when the sun isn’t so hot.
# Use a clean, soft, damp rag or sponge to apply the wax or sealer.
# Avoid getting wax or sealer on the glass or on matte black finished moldings or paint, or on a vinyl roof.
# Apply wax to a small area (a door, fender, half the hood, etc.), then let it dry before wiping and buffing. Then move on to the next area and repeat until the job is done. If you try to do the whole car or too large an area, the wax or sealer may have too much drying time and be difficult to wipe or buff off.
# Elbow grease works best. Power buffers are faster, but require skill to do a really nice job. CAUTION: If using a wax or polish that contains an abrasive, excessive force on a power buffer may buff right through the finish!
# You shouldn’t have to repeat the job until water no longer beads up on the finish when your vehicle is wet.