Toyota's Japan production will near normal in June

toyota's car used old new modern future

TOKYO – Toyota production in Japan will recover to 90 percent of pre-disaster levels in June, faster than the world's biggest automaker had projected and highlighting its power to bounce back from the supply disruptions caused by the March earthquake and tsunami.

The disasters in northeastern Japan had damaged the plants of key parts suppliers, disrupting production at all Japanese automakers. Even with production increasing, some vehicle models could be in short supply for months.
Toyota Motor Corp. gave its good news to suppliers in a meeting Tuesday, company spokesman Keisuke Kirimoto said. It previously said global production would be at about 70 percent in coming months and was not expected to return to normal until late this year.
By the end of May, the crisis had cost the company production of 550,000 vehicles in Japan, and another 350,000 overseas. Production had been back recently at about 50 percent.
Toyota was initially missing 150 kinds of parts because of the supplier problems, and that was reduced to 30 parts earlier this month.
Other automakers are also suffering. Nissan Motor Co. expects worldwide production to be back at pre-disaster levels by October, and Honda has said normal production levels weren't expected until late this year.
Auto production in Japan plunged 60.1 percent in April from the previous year, according to Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association data released Tuesday. The 292,001 vehicles was a dramatic drop from 731,829 vehicles the same month a year earlier and marked the seventh straight month of on-year declines.
Toyota already said it will return to a faster-than-expected 70 percent of normal production in June in North America. It had cut North American production to about 30 percent of normal in May by idling factories for days or reducing workers' hours.
Some buyers of the new spacious "Prius a," or "Prius alpha," a revamp of the hit gasoline-electric hybrid, will have to wait until next year for deliveries.
That's because a key part, the lithium-ion battery, whose production was expected to be limited even before the disaster, will be even harder to keep making because of shortages, according to Toyota.
Japanese automakers are also facing another possible production problem in Japan — power shortages.
The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant was heavily damaged by the disasters and is being decommissioned. A second nuclear power plant, Hamaoka in central Japan, is being shut down while its tsunami defenses are strengthened. Many of Toyota's plants are in the region Hamaoka powers.
It is still unclear how serious the power shortage might be for Toyota because electricity will be transferred from other areas.
Japanese automakers are planning to make Thursday and Friday off-days and have employees work over the weekend, when power demands are lower, to avoid a power crunch and blackout rollouts during the peak use months of July, August and September.

source:  Yahoo

BMW car "old- new- modern- future"

BMW 328 car

What a wonderful time which we live where we all want modern and advanced technology in all areas and I am thinking specifically here car market where car all want entertainment and wonderful accessories and here list with you part of the history of BMW cars with out of date and even the newest models from BMW and that is the subject of our conversation today

BMW used Villa d'Este as the backdrop to unveil the 328 Homage, a tribute to the historic 1930s Touring Coupe and highly successful road car that celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

Based on the Vision Connected Drive, the 328 Homage sports many ‘details derived from motor racing’ and is built using CFRP construction to keep overall weight down. Juxtaposing this are sumptuous leather and polished aluminum details. The Connected Drive’s DRG has been reworked to embrace an appearance that harks back to the original 328, adopting a dominant matte silver, double kidney grille and large single pod headlights. The leather bonnet straps, exposed to hook and ‘crossed’ headlight glass are all further explicit references to the original's racing pedigree.

“With the BMW 328 Homage, we wish to pay homage to the passion and inventiveness of the fathers of the BMW 328”, explains Karl Bäumer, CEO of BMW Group Classic. “They created an icon, which is considered a milestone in the history of the automobile.”

car history "old-new-modern car"

It is important for all interested in cars that know about this date if simple industry or at least companies operating in this area to be aware of any problem that can bypass the face while driving, I am thinking here, for example failure in his cars, it is important for you to read this article to the end and get started now

oldest car



modern car



To know who invented the first car you must first define what car is. Some said steam-powered coaches are cars and people like Daimler-Benz (who started Mercedes Benz) say that cars are light carriages for personal transport with three or four wheels, powered by a liquid-fueled internal combustion engine. As you see the definition of a car can be different, and therefore the automobile could have been invented by any number of people at different times in history.

The first written record of a self-propelled vehicle was Leonardo da Vincis. He toyed with the idea in the 15th century. He even designed and drew several different so called car models in his notes.. The steam engine was considered to be invented by James Watt in 1765 and was perfected by both English and French scientists over the next century.

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, William Murdoch and Richard Trevithick all came up with steam-powered beasts that were so huge and heavy that they need a fully flat surface to move on. In fact, iron rails were installed on roads in Paris and London for the next 120 years so these cars could move on them. They were basically smaller versions of trains.

During the Steam Era you could find all sorts of funny car inventions. In the United States, Oliver Evans invented an amphibious vehicle that can travel on wheels and on water with the help of a paddle wheel. Ivan Kulibin of Russia designed a car with modern day features such as flywheels, brakes and a gear box. Oddly enough, it was it was human-pedaled. Etienne Lenoir invented something he called a hippo mobile that proved to the masses that automobiles can handle long trips. He drove all the way from Paris to Joinville Le-Pont.

One of the first to mass-produce cars was Karl Benz. His cars appealed to many due to being able to move at 45 km/h (28.2 mph). In France, Panhard et Levassan was the first ever company to be formed exclusively for the sole purpose of making cars. The Duryea brothers (Frank and Charles) were the first automobile manufacturers in the United States, and they were swiftly followed by Ford and Winton.

A special mention goes of course to Henry Ford. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't actually built cars. Well, his company did, but what he personally invented and perfected was the manufacturing line in car building. He used one worker for one task and had an ingenious system of dropping the car's body on its wheels. He also added modern features such as the car radio after getting the idea from private jets.

There were different eras to the automobile's history. And each brought different improvements to the car. In the Vintage Era, internal combustion engines and the overhead cam engines were modified.
A prime example of this is the Austin 7. During the Pre-War Era, fully-closed models were produced for the first time and trunks were added. The Post War Era gave birth to cars which have more resemblance to modern automobiles. Arty and sleek cars, like the Mini Cooper, have left a memorable imprint on automobile history.
Whether you're driving a luxury car, a sedan or a piece of junk that can hardly be called a car, it's a nice feeling to know how far the car has evolved from being steam-powered coaches to modern practical vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster in the market

New pictures of the 2012 SLS AMG roadster.

Off come the SLS gull wing doors, away goes the roof structure and on goes a set of conventionally hinged doors to match the convertible soft-top. It's a power-operated three-layer cloth roof with heated glass rear window, capable of transitioning from 'English summer... ‘Closed to 'it's stopped raining!' open in 11 seconds. The roof folds in a z-shape to rest behind the seats and above the boot space, which at 173 liters only loses 3 liters to the SLS coupe, and performs its quick-change act at speeds up to 31mph. You can have your SLS AMG Roadster soft-top in either black, red or beige depending on which of the nine standards exterior and eight interior colors you choose.

Inside it's largely the same interior from the SLS, with lower sills and new armrest and door card design to match the conventional doors. Air scarf headrest climate control is optional, but fixed roll hoops, eight airbags and a slot-in Plexiglas air deflector are standard with the SLS AMG Roadster. Also on the interior options list are Bang and Olufsen BeoSound AMG hi-fi, and AMG Performance Media: a timing and telemetry system which includes mobile internet access.

Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster

Chassis and dynamics

Removing the roof from the SLS coupe has required additional strengthening of the aluminum space frame structure. Extra bracing has been installed behind the dashboard, in the side sills and behind the cabin, along with strengthened A-pillars. The end result is that the Roadster tips the scales at 1660kg, 40kgs more than the coupe. Comparing the SLS Roadster with other front-engine V8 two-seaters, an aluminum-bodied Aston Martin V8 Vantage S Roadster has a 1690kg kerbed weight, whilst the composite-bodied Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport convertible is a relatively svelte 1492kg.

The SLS AMG Roadster comes standard with fixed-rate damping, but AMG Ride Control three-stage adaptive damping is on the options list. New with the roadster, it offers Comfort, Sport and Sport + suspension settings, and will be offered on the SLS coupe after the Roadster is launched.

Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster

 Power and performance

The SLS AMG Roadster retains the 6.3-litre AMG engine of the coupe, matched with the seven-speed AMG Speed shift transmission, which retains the transaxle location and carbon fiber torque tube for 47:53 front: rear weight distribution. The V8 puts out 563bhp at 6800rpm, and 479 lb/ft of torque at 4750rpm. Mercedes quotes a 3.8sec 0-62mph time, and a 197mph top speed for the SLS AMG Roadster. 

With those kinds of stats you can guess the fuel economy isn't going to silence the Hollywood Pries contingent - 21.4mpg combined, and 308g/km of CO2, with a dynamic energy recovery system to reduce alternator load on the engine but no automatic stop-start or cylinder-deactivation function. Best practice the whole-life energy consumption and questionable cleanliness of hybrid tech mantras, or buy some carbon offset credits to salve your conscience.

When can I buy the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster?

If you've been tempted by AMG's brawny two-seater but didn't like the gull wing doors, then salvation arrives on Mercedes dealer forecourts in November 2011. Pricing for the UK market has yet to be announced, but an SLS coupe currently starts at £168,395 and the European list price for the Roadster will be €195,160 (£169,208) including VAT. Expect a premium for the soft-top SLS when it arrives in the UK, just in time for winter. 

US safety regulators probe Nissan, Jeep problems

Jeep Wrangler
DETROIT – Auto safety regulators are investigating brake problems with the Nissan Altima and complaints of air bag troubles with the Jeep Wrangler.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its website Friday that brake fluid can leak on the Altima midsize car, causing a loss of stopping power.

The investigation, which began on Monday, covers about 440,000 Altimas from the 2007 and 2008 model years. The agency said the brake master cylinder can leak internally, causing a warning light to illuminate. If the light is ignored, the cars could eventually lose braking power.

NHTSA said it has received 20 complaints, none of which resulted in crashes or injuries.
The agency noted that in 2008 and 2009, Nissan recalled about 180,000 Sentra small cars from the 2007 and 2008 model years to fix a defect that caused leaks in the brake master cylinders.

Nissan said in a statement that it is committed to safety and will work with NHTSA in the investigation.

On the Jeep Wrangler, made by Chrysler Group LLC, NHTSA said that the front driver's air bag can fail to deploy because of a broken electrical circuit. The investigation, also opened Monday, covers about 222,000 vehicles from the 2007 and 2008 model years. The agency has received 29 complaints, but no injuries have been reported.

NHTSA said it contacted 14 of the 29 owners, and six of them had right-hand-drive models typically used by postal carriers.
Chrysler also said it is working with NHTSA on the investigation.
Investigations can end with recalls or findings that there are no defects.
Last week, NHTSA announced that a probe into steering problems with Toyota Corollas found they were not caused by parts failures and no recall was ordered.
source: yahoo news