If you're a Porsche fan, I'm sure you may have a curiosity about how these revered automobiles are made. I'm in the same boat as you, and I found this neat little video that puts you right on the production line and watch these fine German assembly workers work their magic in putting together the much-talked about 2010 Panamera - Porsche's very first sedan model.
Unfortunately there's no real audio or narration to help guide us through this process, but I have been able to discern a few details about what you see going on in this video. Porsche has done everything possible to make the Panamera as light as possible but still maintain the sports car power that it is known for. Instrumental to that notion and the sports car handling of this car is due to its unique make of advanced steel, aluminum and magnesium as well as the centrally placed V8 engine that sits as low and far back under the hood as possible. Also throughout this video we get to see everything from the installation of the bi-xenon headlights, the doors, the leather upholstery, the bucket seats and more. It's neat - check it out.
KAMIGAMOU, Japan--Nissan is beefing up quality control at its flagship Infiniti factory, partly by adding more female inspectors to improve the fit and finish of the redesigned M sedan, which arrives next spring in the United States.
According to Nissan, women show better attention to detail. But there are other quality stopgaps, including new laser measuring devices and better instructions for line workers.
"We have been making drastic changes in terms of quality assurance," said Mikio Aoki, general manager of quality at Nissan's Tochigi plant, which builds several Infiniti models including the M. "We are trying to build more robustness into the manufacturing process."
Aoki said some quality checkpoints that used to have human inspectors now use machines that can pinpoint problems more consistently. One additional process entails a new jig that holds the chassis so lasers can measure whether the gaps between the door and body are up to specifications.
Previous checks measured only the seal on the outside; the new one checks the interior seal, too.
"It costs us, so we really had to look at the cost-benefit point," Aoki said during a press tour of the factory this month. "But this is a new idea we applied to the Fuga."
The Fuga, known as the Infiniti M in the United States, goes on sale in Japan this month. A hybrid version of the Infiniti M is due stateside in spring 2011. Nissan is introducing the new quality measures for the luxury sedan's redesign.
A more advanced paint-check system has been brought online to assess the body's color consistency when viewed from different angles. This was introduced to ensure the perception of even color, especially on the M's more curvy body panels and fenders.
This year, Nissan added more women to the final inspection. It's partly to relieve them from more strenuous assembly work, but there are other reasons.
"Women tend to be sensitive and can better check quality elements," the Tochigi production control manager, Yasuhiko Obata, told reporters as he guided them past female inspectors poring over the final finish of cars coming off the line.
"We want to encourage women to work in the processes where they can best exhibit their high level of skill."
Nissan's Tochigi plant, just north of Tokyo, also makes the Infiniti G sedan, EX and FX crossovers and other high-end models, including the Nissan GT-R sports car and 370Z. About 83 percent of the factory's output is exported.
(Source: Automotive News)
This promo video looks more like a video game as professional skateboarders Pat Duffy and Jake Brown take on a 2010 Mustang. The car (with the help of professional drivers and CGI) lands ollies, 360s, and kickflips.
(Credit:
Google)
One of the highlights of Android 2.0 has been the Google Maps Navigation app that delivers voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation on your phone for free. Until now, only Motorola Droid owners could take advantage of this sweet perk, but times they are a-changing.
On Monday, Google announced that its navigation app is now available for devices running Android 1.6 and higher, including the T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile MyTouch 3G. While still in beta, the app provides voice-guided directions between two points, traffic information, and business searches.
This release also includes a new Layers feature that lets you overlay more information on the map, such as transit lines and Wikipedia articles about places, but it does not support the "Navigate to" voice command feature found on Android 2.0, so you'll have to input all your destinations using your phone's keyboard.
Google Maps Navigation for Android 1.6 is now available for download from the Android Market. Unlike other navigation apps or location-based services from the likes of TomTom, Garmin, and TeleNav, you don't have to pay a one-time fee or monthly subscription to use Google Maps Navigation. All you need is a data connection and you're good to go.
BMW is considering selling a 1-series diesel, like this European spec 123d, in the U.S.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J.--BMW will offer four-cylinder diesel engines in North America as it seeks to improve fuel efficiency and match the performance of its current six-cylinder gasoline engines.
BMW is considering diesels in a range of models, including its 1 series, 3 series and 5 series sedans and possibly the X3 crossover and Z4 roadster, said Tom Baloga, vice president of engineering for BMW of North America.
"You're going to see it in the 3 series, and the 5 series is a good possibility," Baloga said. "If the performance is sufficient in the X3, U.S. customers would likely accept it in the X5 as well."
Baloga did not disclose timing but said BMW will be ready to comply with emissions rules. Federal rules will regulate the amount of carbon dioxide per mile, based on an automaker's fleet average. The rules call for an average of 250 grams of C02 per mile by 2016, which equates to 35.5 mpg.
Baloga said BMW will seek diesel performance comparable to that of its current six-cylinder engines by using a turbocharged 2.0-liter model tuned for performance. In Europe BMW sells a 320d with a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel.
"Our four-cylinder diesel will be so good that people will readily accept it as a replacement for six cylinders," Baloga said. "With the weight reduction, performance could be similar to the turbocharged six-cylinder [gasoline engine] if we pushed very hard."
Baloga said BMW will aim for a substantial increase in its diesel sales mix in North America.
"If we hit 10 to 20 percent, we would be happy," he said.
In Europe, 70 percent of BMW's sales are diesels.
With exhaust treatment, BMW's diesels will meet California emission standards as well as federal tailpipe emission rules. Baloga didn't disclose what technology would be used--a diesel particulate filter or a selective catalytic reduction treatment with a refillable on-board urea tank as in the BMW 335d.
"The strategy for aftertreatment is to make it less expensive and less trouble," he said.
Unlike archrival Mercedes-Benz, which began selling diesels here in 1960, BMW waited until this year to introduce an ultraclean 50-state diesel engine. BMW's only prior U.S. diesel was the 524td, sold as a 1985 model.
BMW discontinued the model after selling 3,644 units in the United States. Demand fell off, and the reputation of diesels became tainted in the United States because of problems associated with diesels offered by General Motors in the 1980s.
Sales of the X5 xDrive35d and 335d, which are powered by a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, six-cylinder in-line diesel, got off to a slow start. Diesels now represent 13 percent of total X5 sales but only 1.3 percent of 3-series sedan sales.
BMW launched a marketing campaign and offered a $4,500 rebate on both diesels during last summer's cash-for-clunkers program. The incentive continues through December. Through October, BMW sold 1,002 335d sedans and 2,706 X5 xDrive35d crossovers.
The 335d has an EPA rating of 23 mpg city/36 mpg highway--35 percent higher than the gasoline-engine model. The X5 xDrive35d is rated at 19 mpg city/26 mpg highway. BMW says the vehicle's performance is comparable to that of a gasoline V-8 engine but fuel economy is 37.5 percent better.
(Source: Automotive News)
I was doing research for last week's blog about the gas guzzlin' class of 2010 automobiles, and along the way I had read some not-so-positive notes about the 2010 Porsche Cayenne GTS and its rather low gas to mileage ratio. That's too bad; it looks nice on the outside.
Also along the way I began picking up some articles about the 2010 Porsche Panamera, which reportedly marks the German auto maker's first stab at designing and manufacturing a sedan. But if you're thinking that Porsche has traded in horsepower for childproof locks and wood panels, you couldn't be farther away from the truth.
What Porsche has done with the Panamera is put together a sedan with a faux-hatchback rear that still maintains Porsche's signature body style and plenty of kick under the hood. The basic Panamera's V8 revs up in the neighborhood of 400 or so horses, but the twin turbo is said to clock in at more than 500 horsepower--try that in your station wagon! And don't forget about the Panamera's 28 luxury options all at your fingertips. Price tag? I'll let you speculate on that; all I know is I can't afford it.
This exceptional Web video comes from the car geeks at Edmunds.com as they have fun-fun-fun on the Autobahn along the beautiful Bavarian mountains. The driving environment is almost as breathtaking as seeing the Panamera hugging the curves and blasting through the fog. You can tell by the headlights that it's a Porsche, but only once it passes would you say to yourself, "Whoa, was that a Porsche with four doors? Is the world off its axis or what?" Stranger things have happened my friend, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.
A road map for electrifying our streets, and a plan to charge by the mile to drive them. We'll check out an Audi that drives itself and look at the A5 Cabriolet--as it lost its top, did it lose its beauty as well? Plus: Is a Tesla IPO on the way?
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EPISODE 145
SHOW NOTES• Autonomous Audi TTS drives itself
• Dutch drivers to pay by the mile (well, kilometer)
• A grand plan to electrify the nation's driving
The midsize sedan segment is far from exciting, but Nissan attempts to add some thrills to its Altima by giving it a coupe treatment. In coupe form, it gains a more striking profile, while losing rear doors and a little headroom. We had the least sporty of the Altima Coupe variants, with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). It's a good thing that Nissan makes the best CVT in the business, offering a manual-transmission feel and excellent fuel economy.
A U.S. version of the tiny Mazda2 goes into showrooms in 2010.
(Credit: Mazda)
A burgeoning small car market in the U.S. convinced Mazda to finally sell its tiny Mazda2 here. The car, available around the world since 2007, will be shown in U.S. spec at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show. It joins the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Scion xD, and Kia Soul in a subcompact market that has seen increasing sales.
The U.S. spec Mazda2 will get a 1.6-liter four cylinder engine mated to a five speed automatic transmission. Cabin tech offerings will be minimal, although a Bluetooth phone system should be present, along with audio controls on the steering wheel.
The 1.6-liter engine is the biggest offered in its world-wide marketing, with smaller powerplants also available starting at a 1.3-liter engine. Diesel engines are also in the mix, along with manual and continuously variable transmissions. In Japan, the car can also be optioned up with navigation, something that won't be available here.
Check out our upcoming coverage of the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show for full details on the U.S. Mazda2.
U.S. electric-car maker Tesla Motors plans to go public soon, two sources familiar with the matter said, amid growing interest in green technology and battery-powered vehicles.
An IPO filing from the 6-year-old start-up, best known for its $109,000 all-electric Roadster, is expected any day, said one of the sources. The person did not give a specific time frame, although IPOs typically take several months.
Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes declined to comment on what he called "rumor or speculation."
Tesla Model S
(Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET)Tesla would mark the first public offering from a U.S. automaker since Henry Ford's Ford Motor debuted its shares in 1956. The IPO represents a landmark in the resurgence of electric-car technology that most carmakers had dismissed as impractical until recently.
The company's chairman Elon Musk said early last year that an IPO was a possibility in either late 2008 or 2009.
But the financial market turmoil following the collapse of Lehman Bros. in the latter half of 2008 virtually shut down the IPO market. The appetite for IPOs has picked up since mid-September this year with a robust pace of new filings.
Tesla's IPO would follow the successful debut of lithium ion battery maker A123 Systems, whose shares rallied 50 percent on their first day of trading on September 25.
Analysts have said that the success of A123, the first green-technology IPO this year, would encourage more venture capital-backed green companies to go public.
Tesla will compete with established automakers like Ford, General Motors, and Nissan Motor, all of which are racing to launch electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. Tesla, by contrast, is a small player with a high-end market and limited production.
A combination of factors has driven the recent interest in developing electric, or partially electric vehicles, including the Obama administration's push to have 1 million rechargeable vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015 and low-cost Department of Energy loans for manufacturers.
Venture funds back green cars
The carmaker is developing a second, lower-cost model, an electric sedan known as the Model S, which will have a base price of $49,900.
Tesla said in September it delivered 700 Roadsters since February 2008. The Roadster, which is built on a Lotus frame, can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in less than four seconds, making it faster than a Porsche 911 or a Ferrari Spider.
The electric-car start-up was offered $465 million in low-cost loans by the U.S. Department of Energy to help build the new Model S. Tesla said it will build the new car in California.
Tesla's investors include Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
Other investors include Daimler; Abu Dhabi-based Aabar Investments, which owns a stake in Daimler; and venture capital funds Valor Equity Partners, Technology Partners, The Westly Group, and Compass Venture Partners.
Tesla said it had achieved overall corporate profitability in July with about $1 million of earnings on revenue of $20 million.
But like established automakers, survival in the hyper-competitive U.S. automotive market has not been easy for Tesla. The company had to face cost overruns and production delays for the Roadster.
Story Copyright (c) 2009 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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