World of motoring
Lada, the venerable AutoVAZ brand that was once a Soviet-era clearinghouse for ten-year-old Fiats, is on the move. And by "the move," we mean they're building brand new cars of 1990s vintage. And to show off its new direction, Lada showed up in Geneva with the Lada C, a prototype of a car it probably has no intention to build, but that looks like a rally hatch version of Mitsubishi's Concept X. Sure, it's probably just a fiberglass body dropped over a Fiat 124 chassis. But dammit, it shows they've got pluck, like the crew of the
Battleship Potemkin. Or those guys from "Weekend at Bernie's."
Dutch pranksters dumping Smart Cars in the riverDutch pranksters have dumped dozens of the tiny two-seater Smart Cars into Amsterdam's waterways and police fear the bizarre trend will spread to the UK and the rest of Europe. Eco-friendly Smart cars are small enough to be picked up by just a few people and dumped into the Dutch capital's canals, reports De Telegraaf newspaper. One victim, Casper de Jong, was woken by police after they found his Smart floating in the waterway outside his apartment.
Mr de Jong said: "Several weeks ago the same thing happened to my companion's Smart. Both 
cars were a complete write-off."
One Smart sales worker said: "We're not supposed to talk about this because the police don't want the craze to spread but we've had quite a few drowned cars returned to us."
As for the Picture above, atleast they are easy to park...
NZ: Are you hanging onto your wheels
My 1996 Honda Civic is approaching 200,000km and is still going strong. It may look like a dog's dinner on the outside and I haven't cleaned it in three years, but mechanically it's as sound as.
People are amazed it runs so well but there is no secret. I look after everything under the bonnet and change the oil and filters regularly.
In these times when money is a bit tight, people are keeping their cars longer so with the help of my mechanic and the Automotive Recyclers Association, here are some tips and suggestions for keeping the old girl running a bit longer. Treating the vehicle with a little tender loving care and following a few simple guidelines will ensure cars go further.
As I said before, make sure you change your oil and filters when recommended by either the mechanic or the manufacturer. Oil is the life blood of the engine and it needs clean filters.
Check the tyre pressures regularly to avoid flat tyres or bad wear. Also, correctly inflated tyres reduce excess strain on the rest of the car.
Find a mechanic who knows what he's doing - not your mate across the road who works out of his mum's garage. You need the right tools and knowledge to service a car correctly - not a handbook and a rough idea.
Listen to the car. Sure, an older car may make a few odd noises, but something loud and constant is a warning something's about to let go. Find out what the noise is and do something about it.
The same with liquid leaks, clouds of smoke from the exhaust or a funny smell when driving. The smell may not be last week's half-eaten burger but an early warning the car's overheating.
Check the driveway often to see if there's any pooling of either water, oil, clutch or brake fluid. Leaky brake cylinders will end in big tears. Check your fluids regularly. Simply lift the bonnet and scan the various reservoirs. Use the dipstick to check the oil level.
Use tune-ups to ensure the car's major components are running smoothly. Belts should be checked and replaced, brake lines inspected, spark plugs and air filter checked and replaced, and fuel injector checked.
Prepare the car for the seasons. In winter make sure the wiper blades work and don't scratch the windscreen. Fill the washer up. Make sure the tyres have tread to work efficiently in the rain. Check that all the bulbs work.
Remember: little checks often will help avoid big costly breakdowns - and the AA is not a bad friend to have.
Ford Australia has dumped plans to build the small/medium Focus across the ditch and will instead introduce a four-cylinder Falcon and diesel version of the Territory SUV.
The new product plans are part of an A$230 million ($287 million) programme to introduce more environmentally friendly engines to the Australian-built models.
Also included is a new, more technologically advanced version of its LPG engine.
Ford planned to build the Focus in Australia to boost its small/medium line-up there and in New Zealand. But it says global economic conditions meant it could not make a business case for the project.
It is believed the Focus will now be imported from Thailand.
The Falcon sedan will get a turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engine and the Territory will pick up a 2.7-litre V6 diesel sourced from Jaguar/Land Rover and Peugeot.
The company says the engine changes will be accompanied by other engineering developments such as lightweight components designed to cut fuel consumption.
Ford says the 2-litre Eco-boost engine will provide six-cylinder performance with about 20 per cent better fuel economy and 15 per cent fewer CO2 emissions.
The engine has been developed by its US parent and will arrive in Australia in 2011.
The carmaker expects it to deliver 8 litres/100km under the bonnet of the Falcon.
The diesel engine destined for the Territory uses 7.5 litres/100km in Jaguar's XF sedan and marginally less in the Peugeot 407 sedan. It has recorded around 8 litres/100km in the Land Rover Discovery 3.
The V6 will go into the Territory in 2011, where it will reduce CO2 by up to 25 per cent from six-cylinder petrol engines.
The new LPG engine will use the latest liquid-injection technology, which provides more power while delivering better fuel efficiency.
"We are ensuring our core Falcon and Territory vehicles will have the most advanced, high-tech and cleanest engines possible," says Ford Australia boss Marin Burela.
The Falcon will be the first rear-drive Ford to receive the 2-litre unit, the biggest environmental change in the car's 50-year history.
"Falcon customers will now have the choice of either the I6 [4-litre straight-six] engine, which will be Euro IV-compliant, or one of the first global applications of the Eco-boost engines," says Burela.
Australia's Federal Government will contribute A$42 million to the Ford programme through its Green Car Innovation Fund. The Victorian State Government will also contribute.
Burela says Ford could "not profitably manufacture" the Focus in Australia.
"The economic climate has changed. When we made the original decision it was the right one at the time."
He said there was "absolutely no way" for the company to build the Focus profitably and compete with cars built in low-cost plants overseas.
"We needed to bring the [Focus] in from low-cost economies but we needed to provide, absolutely, through our compliment of large cars, four-cylinder technology as well.
"Because Australians have said to us very clearly: 'We love the comfort, we love the driving performance of a large car. But what we also want is sustainability and fuel economy'.
"Our investments demonstrate not only our commitment to address climate change, but to bringing leading-edge technologies to the Australian and New Zealand markets."
World of motoring
