Author: Serkadis

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Audi

There are good problems and there are bad problems. Audi dealers across the U.S. are having trouble selling vehicles, but not because of uncompetitive product or industry-wide sales woes. Automotive News reports the reason for Audi’s sales troubles have everything to do with a supply shortage that stems from strong first quarter sales. Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen reportedly told AN that U.S. dealers are “short of everything,” with Q5 and Q7 supplies running especially low.

Last year, Audi cut U.S. deliveries by 6,000 units due to weak sales here in the States, but the German luxury automaker saw brisk sales in December followed by a first quarter that bested the first three months of 2009 by 35 percent. Audi now has a 29 day supply of product for U.S. dealers; about half the typical 60 day reserve and a third of the 88 day supply of March, 2009. De Nysschen says Audi has allotted an additional 3,000 vehicles to the U.S. for 2010, which should help dealers a bit. That said, we’re thinking Audi isn’t looking to beef up inventories too much considering the fact that the Four-Ringed automaker managed to keep incentives in check at a time when other automakers are dumping truckloads of cash on the hood to boost their sales.

Photos by Dan Roth / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Audi U.S. sales suffering due to supply shortage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi announced today that no other luxury automaker sells as many vehicles with all-wheel drive throughout the world as it does. In 2009 alone, Audi built 316,824 cars with quattro drive, which means around a third of all the cars leaving the factory in 2009 were equipped with the all-wheel-drive technology.

Top seller among the all-wheel-drive models last year was the Audi Q5, with 109,117 produced.

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Audi Q5.

In Germany, Audi’s quattro drive outperformed its competitors, delivering 72,049 all-wheel-drive vehicles to customers in 2009.

“Back then it was a truly pioneering act to venture along a new engineering path and launch the original quattro,” says Michael-Julius Renz, Head of Sales Germany at AUDI AG. “But the true secret of the success achieved by quattro is that we have regularly reinvented it. For example, we recently introduced the crown-gear center differential on the RS 5. The quattro drive may be thirty years old – but it’s still very much a future oriented technology.”

Click here to read our review on the 2010 Audi Q5.

– By: Omar Rana

Acaban de ser publicadas nuevas imágenes del nuevo Ford Focus que verá la luz en Enero del año 2011. En total, podrá ser adquirido en 122 países. En cuanto al diseño, los cambios son notables y todos ellos a mejor.

En el lateral del modelo se encuentran las mayor parte de las novedades estéticas asi como en el habitáculo interior que resalta por un nuevo tono gris/plateado no usado hasta la fecha en el Focus.

En lo que respecta a la motorización, saldrá a la venta junto a dos motores de gasolina Ecoboost, uno de 1,6 litros y otro de 2,0 litros. Ambos contarán con inyección directa y un turbocompresor. A continuación os dejo con las imágenes publicadas:

Related posts:

1. Fotos del Ford Focus RS
2. Ford Focus X-Road ya a la venta en España
3. Ford C-Max 2010, imágenes oficiales

Cities are the last place to recover from a recession.

Unlike national governments, town halls have a slim margin for debt. Most cities are required to pass a balanced budget for FY2011, which begins in October. A few cities must close a deficit for the current year.

The only option is total war on the budget.

City hall must take on the unions and special interests, while the mayor cuts into his own budget and eliminates hundreds of jobs.

Budget bloodshed is flowing across the country. From frightening to terrifying, here’s…

America’s Most Bankrupt Cities >

Mayor Jerry Sanders — San Diego

Deficit through FY2011: $30,000,000

per capita: $20

A $30 million deficit wouldn’t look so bad if San Diego had not just filled a $179 million hole. 

Three months ago, the mayor dipped into reserves, cut services, and axed 200 jobs to cancel the last deficit. Now he will pursue options like renegotiating contracts with private vendors and reducing the budget for replacing city-owned vehicles, according to Union Tribune.

Mayor Paul Fraim — Norfolk

Deficit through FY2011: $26,000,000

per capita: $110

City Manager Regina Williams has whittled down a deficit of up to $46 million (including $10 million in current-year shortfall) in a few months. But the rest of the way is an uphill fight. City departments have dismissed her request for 20% budget reductions. Schools are asking for a $6 million budget increase. Someone’s getting disappointed in the April 20 proposal.

Mayor Chuck Reed — San Jose

Deficit through FY2011: $116,000,000

per capita: $120

San Jose’s city managers released a draconian budget proposal, which eliminates almost 900 jobs and cuts back heavily on services. Seven out of nine city pools are getting the axe this summer.

But for the budget to pass, the mayor must get unions to accept a 10% wage and benefit cut. “We’ve got 11 unions we have to bargain with and so far we have no proposals for concessions,” Reed said.

Mayor Oscar Goodman — Las Vegas

Deficit through FY2011: $79,700,000

per capita: $140

The mayor plans to take $53 million from a rainy day fund, which will leave fund at ten percent full. The depleted reserves would give the city about five weeks of cash flow in case of an emergency, said city manager Betsy Fretwell.

Goodman’s proposal includes 8% salary cuts across the board and a $30 million renegotiation with the unions. But the latter won’t be easy: The unions are offering only ten.

Mayor Phil Gordon — Phoenix

Deficit through FY2011: $241,000,000

per capita: $150

Gordon PASSED a balanced FY2011 budget, but the locals are not happy. Thousands are signing a petition to protest a 2% tax on groceries — even though the tax will keep hundreds of police and firefighter jobs from being eliminated.

The city is still cutting 520 jobs, forcing 3.2% pay cuts on union members, and cutting $64 million out of services. Police jobs getting the axe include special forces — the Violent Criminal Syndicate Crime Suppression Unit and the Career Criminals Squad — that police say are battling Arizona gangs, neo-Nazi, and career criminals.

Mayor Bob Cashell — Reno

Deficit through FY2011: $35,200,000 (INCLUDING $5.2 million current-year deficit)

per capita: $160

Another deficit that keeps getting worse. Reno’s $15 million deficit surged to $35 million due to below-estimate tax receipts.

The mayor was prepared to cut all 150 jobs and all department budgets at 7-12%. Facing the new deficit, he may have to increase budget cuts, fire 300, and “restructure management,” according to RGJ.

As for the current year deficit, city council meets today to authorize dozens of layoffs.

Mayor Richard Daley — Chicago

Deficit through FY2011: $520,000,000

per capita: $180

Chicago’s deficit would be MUCH higher if not for a one-time fix. The mayor pocketed $1.15 billion last year for privatizing parking meters, and will use up most of the windfall payment in several years.

Daley hasn’t proposed a budget yet, but he has ordered a general hiring and spending freeze. Expect another dose of heavy furloughs. This year, the mayor is already going 29 days without pay.

Public schools — which most cities fund separately — are another story, and have deficits approaching $1 billion.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake — Baltimore

Deficit through FY2011: $121,000,000

per capita: $190

Rawlings-Blake has admitted her latest proposal is unacceptable: “Let me be clear: some of the cuts we would be forced to make are unacceptable and simply go too far, especially cuts to Police, Fire, Recreation, and infrastructure.” She promised to release another proposal this month that will include revenue increases.

In the latest proposal, Baltimore will eliminate marine, helicopter, and mounted units from the police force; knock out 900 city jobs; close 29 recreation centers; decrease hours at 311 call centers; and end the Fourth of July firework display.

Mayor Phil Amicone — Yonkers

Deficit through FY2011: $61,500,000

per capita: $300

Amicone revealed a FY2011 budget proposal more as a threat than an actual suggestion, counting on the state government to cough up the lion’s share.

Said the Mayor: “There are only three ways we can close this gap. One is to make cuts to the budget through layoffs that would be so severe, we would have to literally shut down parts of city government and the school system. The second is to raise taxes an astronomical amount, which our taxpayers cannot afford. Both of those are unacceptable. The only way to avoid these scenarios is for New York State to restore their funding cuts for the city, and to finally provide our school district with the recurring equitable funding our children and taxpayers deserve.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann — Honolulu

Deficit through FY2011: $140,000,000

per capita: $370

Hannemann is sticking it to the Honolulu residents who don’t vote: renters. The Mayor’s proposal for 2011 includes a controversial rental tax hike and tax hikes and frugality across the board, with two-day-a-month furloughs for government workers.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg — New York City

Deficit through FY2011: $4,900,000,000

per capita: $590

At least Bloomberg is proactive. The mayor began drastic agency cuts in 2009, pocketing a nice $2.9 billion surplus, to prepare for the incredible deficit in 2011.

Next step is another $1.6 billion cuts from city agencies. That means eliminating four swimming pools, a homeless center, fire alarm boxes (to stop hoax calls), according to the Economist. He’s also cutting 4,286 jobs.

Mayor Gavin Newsom — San Francisco

Deficit through FY2011: $483,000,000

per capita: $600

San Francisco is extremely liberal. That’s the only explanation for how the city can run a deficit every year in the past decade and not set off widespread panic. As for the mayor, he would rather please all his constituents and then get out of dodge, next year, when he runs for lieutenant governor

 But with a deficit soaring to $787 million by 2012, the young mayor may finally confront the budget. “We’ve go to make the tough choices this year,” Newsom told the Chronicle. “It’s so easy to kick the can down the road … but for every delayed decision, we will pay the price year after year.” Newsome’s budget plan includes seizing half of a $25 million reserve fund — the maximum allowed — and save $100 million through extensive furloughs. Job cuts are likely and pension cuts will be on a June ballot.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — Los Angeles

UPDATE: Fridays March tax revenues came in $30 million higher than expected, making the gap slightly smaller.

Deficit through FY2011: $697,000,000 (INCLUDES $212 million current-year deficit)

per capita: $180

Facing a $212 million deficit for this year, Villaraigosa threatened closing city departments that don’t make money for two days a week for the rest of the year. The mayor backed down within days and admitted he doesn’t have the power to close anything without city council’s approval. Therefore he’s back at the hell’s bargaining table, with a council that won’t allow an electricity rate hike and a power utility that won’t hand over $73 million until the rates go up. If neither side gives in, LA faces the threat of insolvency.

As for next year’s $485 million gap, Villaraigosa wants to cut 4,000 city jobs, but there’s another paradox here. City councilmen worry whether the city could function after such a cut, “even if we were to do a 24-7 operation with three shifts and pull every person in.” But others worry that 4,000 won’t be enough to balance the budget, according to myFOXla.

Mayor Dave Bing — Detroit

Deficit through FY2011: 710,000,000 (INCLUDES $450 million current-year deficit)

per capita: $780

Bing drops his budget proposal next week. To keep Detroit out of bankruptcy or state receivership, the Mayor plans to bulldoze vast neighborhoods of derelict homes, which will cut down the cost of services. Other solutions for the disasters include eviscerating city pensions, letting the private sector compete for trash and other services, and merging services with the county government — all suggested by The Detroit News.

Mayor Linda Thompson — Harrisburg, PA

Deficit through FY2011: $70,300,000 (INCLUDES $68.7 million current-year deficit)

per capita: $1,500

Blame it on a horrible FY2010 budget. Harrisburg missed an April 1 loan payment to the operator of a local trash incinerator. Bankruptcy is possible, though the city is close to reaching a 90-day reprieve with Covanta Holding Corp. Next step may be the sale of city assets.

Don’t miss…

20 Cities That Have Completely Missed The Recovery >

Join the conversation about this story »

Fermented foods are not yet accepted into mainstream America. However, fermented foods are a rich source of antioxidants and micronutrients with the potential to help manage chronic Hepatitis C infection.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

After living for just a short period of time with any kind of chronic disease, it quickly becomes clear that the foods we eat can have a dramatic impact on our health. Advocates of a healthy diet as a means to deter the advancement of chronic disease typically promote the consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables and lean sources of protein. However, many people fail to appreciate that fermented foods also can play a major role in health maintenance.

As the organ that must cleanse the blood of impurities and perform a substantial portion of necessary life functions, the liver is especially sensitive to what we ingest. Thus, those with chronic liver disease from Hepatitis C are becoming increasingly aware that their food choices can either help or hinder their liver’s health.

Many in the U.S. rarely consider fermented foods to be health food fare. Despite this distinctly American oversight, other cultures have prized fermented foods for their impact on digestion and liver health since ancient times. Upon recognizing some of the properties fermented foods share, it appears that people with Hepatitis C could benefit from this distinctively pungent and sour genre of food.

Initially used as a means to safely store food, humans have been fermenting foods to aid the digestive process for centuries:

· Stored in goat bags and dropped over the back of camels in the North Africa’s hot deserts, camel milk yielded some of the first yogurts.

· In ancient Egypt, the Greeks and Romans consumed pickles to promote liver and gallbladder health.

Fermentation is a controlled process of food decomposition. With the addition of a specific culture in the absence of oxygen, food is broken down. Fermentation creates new nutrients and beneficial digestive bacteria that help us digest and assimilate food. Since it doesn’t involve heat, fermentation retains enzymes, vitamins and other nutrients that are usually destroyed by food processing. Some of the more well-known fermented foods, include:

· Kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage)
· Sauerkraut (unpasteurized: made with bacteria, not vinegar)
· Natto (a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans)
· Brewed soy sauce
· Kefir (a fermented milk drink)
· Umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums)
· Yogurt (containing live cultures)
· Kombucha (fermented tea)
· Miso (a fermented paste made from either rice, soybeans, barley or chickpeas)
· Pickles (made with bacteria, not vinegar)
· Poi (fermented, mashed tarot root)

Besides the recognition that eating fermented foods helps with the digestion and assimilation process, several studies have shown even more benefit to those with chronic liver disease.

· A well-known substance used by virtually every cell of the body to neutralize toxins, glutathione can protect the liver from being damaged by Hepatitis C. Unfortunately, clinical studies have demonstrated that the level of glutathione is significantly depressed in many people with Hepatitis C. In a 2007 edition of the journal BioFactors, Japanese researchers investigated the antioxidant activity of a fermented grain. They found that fermented grain resulted in a significant increase in cellular glutathione levels, an obvious benefit to those with Hepatitis C.

· As published in the April 2006 edition of Oncology Reports, investigators studied the effects of fermented brown rice on the development of hereditary hepatitis in rats. They found that the fermented food helped prevent the development of hepatitis. In addition, they concluded that fermented brown rice played a role in protecting the rat’s liver from free radicals, an event that could potentially delay the progression of Hepatitis C in humans.

· In the May 2009 edition of the journal Nutrition, German researchers studied the effects of a fermented food concentrate (Regulat) in healthy volunteers. They found that the intake of this fermented food significantly strengthened immune function by enhancing intracellular glutathione content.

Up to this point, no large-scale clinical trials on fermented foods and Hepatitis C have been conducted. However, the general digestive benefits and reported properties of fermented foods make it a culinary delicacy worth investigating further. We know that food can have a dramatic impact on the liver’s health. Thus, consuming a fermented food that is known to boost glutathione levels is a logical choice for those who are managing chronic Hepatitis C.

References:

http://iospress.metapress.com/content/d7043727n3175631/, Assessment of antioxidative activity of extract from fermented grain food mixture using chemical and cellular systems, Yoko Ogawa, et al, BioFactors, 2007.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fermented-foods-essential-digestive-aids.html, Fermented Foods: Essential Digestive Aids, Delia Quigley, Retrieved December 17, 2009, Care2.com, Inc., 2009.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16525673?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=4, Inhibitory effects of fermented brown rice and rice bran on the development of acute hepatitis in Long-Evans Cinnamon rats, Shibata T, et al, Retrieved December 18, 2009, Oncology Reports, April 2006.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19061947?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1, Niuchangchih (Antrodia camphorata) and its potential in treating liver diseases, Ao ZH, et al, Retrieved December 18, 2009, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, January 2009.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19121921, Regulatory effects of a fermented food concentrate on immune function parameters in healthy volunteers, Schoen C, et al, Retrieved December 18, 2009, Nutrition, May 2009.

http://www.regulat.net/, Regulat ®, Retrieved December 18, 2009, eCommerce Engine, 2009.

http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/Fermentation.html, The Importance of Fermentation, Eric Armstrong, Retrieved December 19, 2009, treelight.com, 2009.

Ever since its debut in 2004, the BMW 1-Series has accounted for one million units sold, BMW announced today.

The 1 millionth model was a three-door BMW 118d built at BMW Plant Leipzig. It was delivered to its owner by Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the Board of BMW AG for Production, and Stanislaw Tillich, the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, to a customer from Leipzig at the 2010 Leipzig Motor Show.

Don’t worry, we already dug the press release for any mentions of a M1 or “M version of the 1-Series” details – there’s nothing there.

Click through for the press release.

Press Release:

The BMW 1 Series Success Story: First Million Units Built. Efficiency and Driving Pleasure Made in Leipzig and Regensburg. Anniversary Model of the BMW 1 Series Handed Over at the Leipzig Motor Show on 12 April 2010.

Munich. Five years of production, four body variants and one million times Sheer Driving Pleasure in the compact class. The BMW 1 Series has already reached a seven-digit production volume in its first model generation, clearly confirming its status as a genuine best seller in the international car market.

Accounting for one million units sold since its debut in 2004, the BMW 1 Series is also one of the driving forces for the outstanding success of the world’s leading manufacturer of premium cars.

The anniversary model was delivered to its proud owner on Monday, 12 April, on the occasion of the Leipzig Motor Show, the Auto Mobil International (AMI). The car, a three-door BMW 118d built at BMW Plant Leipzig, was handed over jointly by Frank-Peter Arndt, Member of the Board of BMW AG for Production, and Stanislaw Tillich, the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, to a customer from Leipzig.

The BMW 1 Series offers an incomparable combination of sporting driving pleasure and outstanding efficiency. Now available as a three-door Sedan, a five-door Sedan, a Coupé and Convertible, the BMW 1 Series stands out clearly as the only car in the compact segment with rear-wheel drive. High-tech suspension technology unparalleled in this class to this very day also serves to guarantee characteristic driving pleasure in the BMW 1 Series.

As yet a further essential feature, the BMW 1 Series is available with Active Steering varying not only steering assistance, but also the steering angle as a function of speed.

Germany’s leading premium manufacturer also proves the unique position of the BMW 1 Series versus its competitors through new concepts and philosophies in communication. Young, fresh, unconventional – this is how BMW’s highly successful compact model has been presented from the start. Highlights unforgotten to this day are the launch campaign starring Kermit, the frog from the Muppets Show, sitting at the wheel, or the highly dynamic launch campaign introducing the BMW 1 Series in the USA, where at an imaginary place in Bavaria the BMW 1 Series is to be “shot” straight to the USA on a gigantic ramp.

And last but certainly not least in this context, the launch campaign for the BMW 1 Series Coupé was lauded as the best advertising by Auto Trophy, the German car magazine, under the title “Condensed Intensity”.

BMW 1 Series as the pacemaker in reducing both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

From the start, the BMW 1 Series played a significant role in giving BMW EfficientDynamics a broad impact in the market. The wide range of BMW EfficientDynamics technologies including Auto Start Stop, a Gearshift Point Indicator, Brake Energy Regeneration, Electric Power Steering as well as other ancillary units activated and operated on-demand – naturally all this featured as standard – highlights the four-cylinder models in the BMW 1 Series introduced in the 2007 model year for the first time.

Ever since, the ongoing popularity of the BMW 1 Series has helped to consistently reduce both fleet consumption and average CO2 emissions. In 2009, for example, the average CO2 emissions of all BMW Group cars registered in Europe was 150 grams per kilometre, equal to fuel consumption of just 5.9 litres/100 km (47.9 mpg imp). This once again makes BMW far superior to the most important competitors in the premium segment in terms of CO2 management and emission control.

Boasting a model range larger than ever before, the BMW 1 Series once again emphasises its unique position in 2010 as the pacemaker for efficient mobility combined with supreme driving pleasure in the compact class. In all, the four body versions of BMW 1 Series now come with a choice of six petrol and, respectively, four diesel engines. The power range extends from 85 kW/ 115 hp in the entry-level BMW 116d all the way to 225 kW / 306 hp in the two top athletes in the segment, the BMW 135i Coupé and the BMW 135i Convertible.

Currently no less than five models in the BMW 1 Series already come with a CO2 emission rating of less than 120 grams per kilometre. The absolute leader in terms of fuel efficiency and emission management in the series is the BMW 116d, its 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel delivering maximum output of 85 kW / 115 hp, peak torque of 260 Newton-metres/192 lb-ft, and, in combination with various BMW EfficientDynamics technologies also featured as standard on this model, average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of just 4.4 litres/100 kilometres – equal to 64.2 mpg imp – and a CO2 rating of 118 grams per kilometre.

The unusually good balance of driving pleasure and fuel economy makes the BMW 116d particularly attractive also for the operator and owner of company and commercial car fleets. Immediately after its launch into the market, BMW’s entry-level diesel scored a class victory in the campaign for the “Company Car of the Year 2009″. In this contest organised jointly by the German motor journal “Firmenauto” and the DEKRA Technical Inspection Company, the BMW 116d came first in the category of compact cars.

This award proves once again that fleet managers appreciate efficient driving pleasure in two respects as a feature helping to motivate a company’s employees and at the same time keep the company’s budget as low and economical as possible.

Internationally, the BMW 1 Series has likewise gained an outstanding reputation through its supreme efficiency: As early as in 2008, the three-door BMW 118d was chosen as the “World Green Car of the Year”. This special award presented by an international jury of motor journalists honours vehicles and technologies making a specific contribution to the reduction of emissions and in this way symbolising the outstanding environmental awareness of the respective manufacturer.

The BMW 118d powered likewise by a 2.0-litre 105 kW / 143 hp diesel is now available in all body variants of the BMW 1 Series.

Premium quality and innovative model features for even greater driving pleasure in the compact class.
The BMW 1 Series is made even more appealing by its uncompromising premium quality and a wide range of model features quite unique in the compact segment. One example is the latest generation of BMW’s trendsetting iDrive control system also available in the BMW 1 Series. Originally conceived and developed for the luxury class, BMW iDrive ensures particularly easy and intuitive management of entertainment, communication, navigation, and comfort functions.

Another highlight again unique in the compact segment is the extremely wide range of driver assistance systems and mobility services offered by BMW ConnectedDrive. Hence, the BMW 1 Series may be fitted with features either not available at all from the competition or only in their top class and luxury models. These include a High-Beam Assistant, Adaptive Headlights or the Park Assistant, as well as unrestricted use of the internet in the car.

The services offered through BMW Assist and BMW Online may be used throughout Europe in the language of the car’s respective owner. Additional safety and comfort is ensured by the Enhanced Emergency Call function informing rescuers in the event of an accident of the type of damage and the likelihood of injury and thus ensuring appropriate medical services from the start, the Driver’s Profile function for convenient application of personal settings, or the Mobile Office / Online Office enabling the driver to use various office functions in his mobile phone, for example presenting and processing mails received in the car’s display.

Further highlights are the enhanced integration of Smartphones and external entertainment devices.
When going on a journey, the owner of a BMW 1 Series may download his route planned in advance through BMW Online into the car’s navigation system, putting together destinations and sights on the way or going to special destinations directly through Google Local Search.

The latest weather information, to present yet another example, may be shown in the navigation map and the Enquiry Service is able to provide data on automatic cash machines, local pharmacies as well as cultural events, flights, restaurants or hotels, specialists at the BMW Call Center making bookings or reservations on request for the driver and his passengers.

Particularly attractive, sophisticated and carefully matched features are available in the 2010 model year in both the Lifestyle and Sport Edition models of the three-door and five-door BMW 1 Series.

Production of the BMW 1 Series at BMW’s ultra-modern Leipzig Plant stands for maximum efficiency, flexibility, and quality. The outstanding level of quality is also borne out by the lasting value of the car and its superior reliability confirmed time and again in non-partisan tests. Currently, for example, the BMW 130i holds the top position in the ranking of endurance car tests carried out by the German car magazine “Auto Bild”: Covering a distance of 100,000 kilometres or 62,000 miles, this sporting version of BMW’s most compact model scored the best result of all cars tested in 2009. Giving the BMW 130i a 1+ mark, the journal’s professional testers lauded it clearly as the “Best Auto Bild Endurance Test Car of All Times”.

BMW Plant Leipzig plays an important role in the current and future plans of Germany’s leading premium car maker. Currently both the BMW 1 Series and the BMW X1 are built in Leipzig. At the same time, however, BMW Plant Leipzig is being prepared for production of an all-electric production model currently being developed by the BMW Group. The plan is to establish an integrated production network with two sites in Bavaria, important components being built in Wackersdorf and Landshut and the car itself, the Megacity Vehicle planned as part of BMW project i, coming off the production line in Leipzig.
BMW Plant Leipzig was built in the north-east of the city at an investment of more than Euro 1 billion and is conceived as a production plant with an integrated Delivery Centre for external suppliers. Some 5,000 employees work throughout the entire premises on the production of premium cars for the BMW brand, making BMW the biggest employer in Leipzig.

Applying flexible working time concepts and shift systems, BMW Plant Leipzig currently builds up to 700 cars a day and more, depending on demand in the market.

Ever since the Plant started production in 2005, no less than 662,000 cars have come off the line here. In Germany alone, sales of the BMW 1 Series amount to 336.017 units since the introduction of this model.

– By: Kap Shah

Filed under: Coupe, SUV, Etc., Crossover, Chevrolet, Hyundai

For now, at least, car sales seem to be on an upward trajectory in the States, and according to AutoTrader, Chevrolet and Hyundai seem likely to be beneficiaries of the newfound consumer interest. In March, the most viewed new car on AutoTrader remained the Chevrolet Camaro, outpacing the Ford F150 and Mustang. Now that Ford is releasing all new powertrains for the 2011 Mustangs it will be interesting to see if the Camaro can retain its momentum.

Speaking of momentum, Hyundai continues to pick up velocity with its new Sonata. While the Sonata was only ranked 10th overall, it was #1 among mid-sized sedans for the first time ever, beating the standard-bearing Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Ford Fusion. The Sonata jumped from 22nd place in March 2009, while the Accord dropped from seventh to 12th. Another big winner was the new Chevy Equinox, with a 186 percent increase in pageviews, taking it from 12th to eighth place overall.

[Source: AutoTrader]

Continue reading Chevy Camaro, Equinox and Hyundai Sonata top AutoTrader research in March

Chevy Camaro, Equinox and Hyundai Sonata top AutoTrader research in March originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Parece que a BMW está com uma dor de cabeça maior do que se pode imaginar. Sua apresentação dos novos modelos no Salão do Automóvel de Nova Iorque pode estar comprometida. Segundo o New York Post, seus carros da BMW, incluindo o modelo 550i Sophisto, a única unidade que estava nos EUA. Os veículos foram roubados enquanto estavam sendo transportados no porto de Nova Jersey.

Não existem muitas informações a respeito da 550i Sophisto, mas pode ser um modelo exclusivo da série 5, com uma pintura cinza especial (Sophisto Gray). Junto com a 550i Sophisto, desapareceram também os modelos 535i xDrive, 650i e uma 750Li xDrive. Todos os carros seriam apresentados no Salão do Automóvel de Nova York, o que é um problema sério para a montadora alemã.

Nenhuma declaração oficial da BMW foi feita a respeito por enquanto, porém a única coisa dita a respeito foi que “o assunto já foi encaminhado para as autoridades”. Vamos ver o que vai acontecer agora.

Via | Top Speed

When General Motors came out of a government-scripted Chapter 11 bankruptcy it had decided to go from eight brands to four and many raised an eyebrow for one of those brands being the elderly buyers dream car – Buick.

Well, Buick has gone through a rebirth in the United States and has successfully drawn in younger, more affluent buyers thanks to new product offerings with more style and quality.

The main reason Buick was saved was because GM’s then Chief Executive Fritz Henderson convinced Obama’s auto task force that Buick was worth saving, particularly due to the booming Chinese market.

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Buick LaCrosse.

Buick has proven itself worthy of not getting the ax with sales last month rising 76 percent in the United States. Most of that came from the new Buick LaCrosse, whose market share was up almost 17 percent in the large-car segment. Also, the average age of a Buick buyer has gone down from 72 several years ago to 65 and that figure is falling further. New offerings like the Buick Regal are only expected to help.

“The perception is changing — I don’t want to say it’s done yet because perception takes a period of time and consistency,” said auto analyst Erich Merkle of Autoconomy.com in Grand Rapids. “I’m seeing consistency out of Buick, but it’s going to take more time.”

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Detroit News

The InterOil (IOC) controversy continues…

Most people agree that InterOil has found something of value at its Antelope drilling site in Papua New Guinea.  Whether the gas reservoir InterOil has found matches the company’s euphoric description of it, however, is still a subject of fierce debate.

For example, InterOil has described the “flow” (pressure) of natural gas at the site as a “world record.” 

The video below is ostensibly of a flare test at InterOil’s Antelope 2 site — which purports to show this world-record flow.

The video appears to have been uploaded to YouTube by InterOil’s CFO, Collin Visaggio, although the uploader could presumably just be someone pretending to be him (we’re checking). The video is labeled as follows:

InterOil Antelope 2 World Record Gas Flow 705 mscf/day

A company skeptic says this video doesn’t show a flow anywhere near as big as the company describes.  We therefore invite all natural gas experts to weigh in on it. 

It’s possible that the flow from the well is intentionally constricted and that, unconstricted, it would flow at 40 gps.  But if that’s the case, the video certainly isn’t showing a world-record flow (and, therefore, might be misleadingly labeled).

Here’s the skeptic’s take on the flare video:

The flare – whilst large – is nothing more than you might get if you blew the top out of a couple of LNG cylinders – the flare is claimed to be the biggest flare ever – about 80 thousand barrels of oil per day or about 40 gallons of gas per second.  This is NOT a 40 gallon of gas per second flare.  Not close.

Now I assume the issue with it is that the flow is choked [intentionally constricted for the purposes of the test].  But there is just no way this flare is doing 40 gallons of gas per second.  Must be choked or the flow is false.  I assume there is a narrow choke on the well…

If not – then we are neck deep in lies.

 

Now go watch the video >

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See Also:

• Here’s More Proof That InterOil (IOC) Lied To Investors, Says Skeptic
• InterOil (IOC): "Major Momentum" Or Just A Castle In The Air? (A New Investigation)
• What’s The Story Of Shia LaBeouf Pumping InterOil?

Who is Grok?

Or, more accurately – what does Grok represent?

He’s no messiah. He’s not a real historical figure. He doesn’t sit on my shoulder at night, whispering post topics into my ear as I sleep.

Grok is simply a starting point for the discussion of human health. His dietary habits, his physical behaviors, his proclivities, his sleep patterns are not technically “his,” because there is no literal him. Grok is just an artifact of our big brains’ propensity to arrange data. We process information by compartmentalizing it, by sticking bits of data together with other bits of data for efficiency’s sake. Mental file cabinets. This makes thinking easier, and it allows higher levels of thought and innovation. The Grok concept is an easy reference point – a figurehead. Everything we know about the course of human evolution, all the fossil records and anthropological literature, is effectively represented by the Grok name. A four letter name that just happens to be easy to remember and easy to type. And you have to admit, it’s a cool visual.

It necessarily follows that the activities we ascribe to Grok (and to our ancestors) are also just starting points for our exploration of optimum modern health and fitness. They form a basic framework of acceptable evolutionary precedents that are innocent until proven guilty by modern science. Our job, as Primal enthusiasts, is to examine evolutionary biology and apply rigorous standards to those precedents to determine whether they are indeed optimal and useful. This is Grok logic – taking “what would Grok do” and looking sideways at it to ensure it passes muster.

We refer to Grok logic for two reasons, here at MDA:

First, it’s a helpful analogy, especially for beginners, to whom I try to attract and cater. If I want to give the quick and dirty blessing to a particular food, exercise, or other helpful concept, I use the analogy. People intuitively get the “what would Grok do” line of thought – the evolutionary angle is the thing that grabs a newbie’s attention right away and provides the light bulb moment where a person goes, “Huh, you know, I never thought about grains like that, but it makes total sense!” The light bulb moment is powerful, and, though the ancestral rhetoric doesn’t trump science where the two conflict, utilizing that power to effect change in people’s health right away is worth it. I may inadvertently create one or two roadkill-eating, neighbor’s cat-hunting, honey-gorging newbies convinced that anything Paleolithic is beneficial, but that’s why I’m writing this post, and why I’ve written others in the past. It’s far simpler to turn a neat phrase that’s generally accurate and clarify afterwards.

Second, it’s useful, and usually quite accurate. Grok logic is just a starting point, as I’ve pointed out, but it’s a damn good one that gets things right most of the time, especially with regards to diet and exercise. It makes intuitive sense that things we’ve been eating for the longest time are also foods to which we are highly adapted. It makes intuitive sense that movements we’ve been performing for the longest time are also movements which our bodies perform best and which elicit the most favorable hormonal responses or gene expression. It makes intuitive sense that our bodies have come to expect a certain amount of sleep, a certain amount of light exposure, based on multiple millennia of certain environmental pressures.

The Primal Blueprint might sound like the classically flawed appeal to nature, at least upon first glance. All this talk of Grok, the Paleolithic, hunting, nature, gathering, unprocessed wild foods, and the limitations and failures of agriculture and modern nutrition often gets the eyes rolling. Throw in a few references to raw meat, bug eating, and loin cloths, and you’ve a recipe for summary dismissal of the whole shebang, especially among skeptics and others with an immense personal stake (career, education, physician relative) in upholding Conventional Wisdom.

But the PB (and other content in the paleosphere) does not commit the naturalistic fallacy, which states that all that is natural is good, and all that is unnatural is bad. That’s far too simplistic, far too dogmatic. Life is made of gray, not stark black and white dualities. Context is everything. We may start with the “natural,” but we discard anything that isn’t also buttressed by science. It’s actually the most rational way to go about things, and the most opportunistic. Humans are classic capitalists (small “c”) – we literally capitalize on opportunities and seize control of a situation where it benefits us – and the Primal Blueprint is all about cherry picking the good stuff from Grok logic and discarding the bad stuff. That which proves beneficial under the glare of science wins out in the end, even if it’s a product of agriculture-enabled civilization. If there’s a proven shortcut to health or fitness here (or a convenience or a hedonistic treat with little downside), I’m taking it.

Take dairy fat, for example. Is butter paleo? Was heavy cream available fifty thousand years ago? Does it matter?

I often discuss the importance of considering the totality of a food, rather than its constituent parts (walnuts aren’t just bags of linoleic acid, etc), but it’s also helpful to understand what makes certain foods acceptable. Why do we prefer tallow, leaf lard, and coconut oil as cooking fats? Is it because they’re paleo? No. Because Grok ate them? Sort of, but not exactly. We prefer highly saturated animal and vegetable fats because saturated fat is what the human animal has been eating for hundreds of thousands of years, making it the fuel source to which we’re best adapted; because our own body preferentially stores excess energy as saturated body fat to be used later for self-sustenance; and (most importantly) because modern science has shown (despite the lipophobes’ best attempts) it to be a supremely healthful source of food energy. Butter (and ghee, and other dairy fats), being basically pure animal fat, a majority of which is saturated, is simply a fantastic way to introduce large amounts of delicious, healthy energy into the diet. Plus, you don’t have to hunt and kill a fat-backed, ornery caribou to get it.

Modern convenience is undoubtedly a good thing, too, even though it isn’t paleo. Buying a stick of Kerrygold butter down at Trader Joe’s takes, what, fifteen minutes and a couple bucks? Compare that to the energy it’d require for Grok to obtain a half pound of pure animal fat.

You might argue that the getting is what made us who we are, that the hunting, the gathering, and the physical labor required for living in the wild was what made humans such remarkable, adaptive creatures. I won’t argue with that. In fact, I’ll readily accept that. I’ll gladly reap the benefits of Grok’s intensely physical existence by choosing a few of the specific movements that science proves generate the most benefit with the least time, pain, suffering or sacrifice. A few hundred thousand years of hard-scrabble living has resulted in a hardy, capable species of hominid, and I’m happy to enjoy the resultant genetics. In the end, that’s what the Primal Blueprint is all about: navigating the modern world with these ancient corporeal vessels, using modern science to chart our progress. It’s important that we all note the genetic realities of our evolutionary heritage, but we can’t stop there. It’s not good enough. If we truly want to live well and live long (longer and better than Grok and your average modern health nut), we have to optimize the application of our anthropological knowledge to the realities, opportunities, and advantages of civilization.

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Related posts:

1. What Does it Mean to “Grok On”?
2. Did Grok Really Eat That Much Meat?
3. Dear Mark: Did Grok Eat Grains?

Last month we were told that Infiniti is working on its own version of the Nissan Leaf that will stay true to the brand’s promise of “Inspired Performance” – and well, that had us hoping that it would look less like a Nissan Leaf and sportier and more luxurious like an Infiniti.

Well, U.S. officials of Infiniti were hanging out at Nissan’s San Diego styling studio earlier this year and complained that the car looked like another version of the Leaf but now things have apparently changed. Ben Poore, vice president of the North American Infiniti Business Unit, says more recent designs have corrected the problem.

Click here for more news on the Nissan Leaf.

“I was in Japan last week and saw the final three or four designs for the car,” Poore says. “And I can tell you without a doubt that we’re going to have a uniquely Infiniti product.”

Larry Dominique, North American vice president for Nissan and Infiniti product planning, says the Leaf and the Infiniti version will share a platform and a lot of the driving components “but we think it needs to be very unique, not only in exterior design but in interior materials and in terms of its driving performance,” he said.

“It has to accelerate like an Infiniti. It has to be an Infiniti from the standpoint of dynamic performance.”

– By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoWeek

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Diesel, Racing

Despite winning in its debut at the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring, last year was not a stellar year for Audi’s Le Mans Prototype program. After a thorough reboot, Audi is trying again this year with the R15+ TDI. The heavily revised R15+ has been testing for two months and this weekend it is competing for the first time at Le Castellet in France for the first round of the Le Mans Series. In qualifying the Audi managed to get onto the front row alongside the first privately run Peugeot 908 fielded by Team Oreca. Follow the jump to find out what happened in the eight-hour race.

[Sources: Audi, Le Mans Series]

Continue reading Spoiler Alert: Audi’s new R15+ racer comes out storming

Spoiler Alert: Audi’s new R15+ racer comes out storming originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The redevelopment of the waterfront in West Palm Beach Florida, a 12.5-acre project featuring a new park, water gardens, boat piers, and new paths, also includes a new ”living” dock that doubles as a water-filtration system, writes GreenSource magazine. The dock is designed to support natural systems — mangroves, grasses, and oysters that create habitat and provide water-filtration services.  

According to GreenSource, the living dock system is multi-layered and includes geotextiles: “Measuring approximately three times wider than a normal dock, the living dock is made of concrete over a foam core and its public surface is clad in sustainably harvested Ipe planks. A series of indentations of varying sizes runs down the center of the 400-foot-long living dock; each is surrounded by an aluminum safety railing as well as seating for visitors. For the floating mangroves and spartina, a special soil mix is sandwiched between layers of geotextiles.”

The geotextiles help create a growing substrate for the oysters. Embedded within these geotextile layers are oyster shells from restaurants, which were brought it to help spur natural oyster growth. ”The volume containing the oysters is more perforated to boost water flow. Oyster shells discarded from restaurants fill the bottom, since those shells are ideal for prompting subsequent oyster colonization.”

Each oyster can filter 40 gallons of water per day. From the photos, it also looks like the oyster water-filtration area is clearly visible to users of the floating dock. The green infrastructure component is open, adding an educational component to the project.

However, GreenSource notes there are some limitations to the geotextile substrate – they are almost impermeable, meaning they may limit the erosion-control capabilities of the mangroves. ”Because the geotextiles cradling the spartina and mangroves are almost impermeable (and these root balls are becoming more sealed as barnacles accrete to their planting substrates), they aren’t necessarily controlling erosion as they would in a natural setting.”

Even more ambitious plans are in development. More than $2 million has been raised to rehabilitate another portion of the area’s Intracoastal Waterway. “When completed, this undertaking will feature entire oyster reefs and, one-upping even the innovative living dock, it will include stepped tidal gardens whose mangroves and spartina will filter stormwater, build underwater habitat, and provide safe haven for birds.”

The waterfront’s park includes Lake Pavilion, a LEED certified municipal building featuring a 17-KW photovoltaic roof system. The waterfront’s development was led by Michael Singer Studio, and the landscape architecture was designed by Carolyn Pendleton Parker, ASLA, at Sanchez & Maddux and Connie Roy-Fisher, ASLA, Roy-Fisher Associates.

Read the article and see a slideshow.

Image credit: Michael Singer Studio / GreenSource

Gartman is done dithering on this market.

He has thrown in the towel on what ounce of equity bearishness was left in him and will no longer attempt to fight the market.

Despite his thoughts that those blindly following the general trend of the market are “stupid,” they are the ones making money right now.

He sounds frustrated at the amount of both mental and real capital that has been expended trying to time the end of the bull run.

Gartman gives a very Jesse Livermore-esque quote, saying: “In other words, don’t fight the tape and don’t ever fight the trend.” He goes on to say that the trend will end when it ends and not a moment beforehand.

Gartman’s only hope left for bearish salvation is April 15th – Tax Day. Gartman is of the belief that stocks tend to dip lower before the 15th as investors and taxpayers sell shares to raise cash for payments to the IRS. It certainly makes sense – we shall see if Mr. Gartman’s thesis ultimately is proven correct.

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The design community has seen a huge expansion in recent years with thousands of blogs or community sites trying to copy or imitate the success of more successful ventures like CSS Globe, Smashing Magazine, Wired, MIX Online, Tuts+, Designer Depot or Noupe.

Recent blog posts and articles show a trend in the web-design community, starte… (read more)

O CEO da McLaren, Ron Dennis, gosta de ser bem direto e sincero a respeito dos carros das concorrentes, e não mede palavras para expressar o seu gosto pelos supercarros de outras montadoras, como é o caso do Bugatti Veyron. Dennis diz em um tom direto a respeito do rival:

“É feio como um porco, o Veyron não significa nada para mim. Eu estive vendo ele por anos, e eu não vejo uma coisa nele que me faça sentir bem”.

Bom, gosto é gosto não é? Não devemos nos esquecer do fato que Dennis está em uma época em que deveria divulgar o lançamento de sua McLaren MP4-12C, então chamar o Veyron de “feio como um porco”, é somente uma opinião pessoal? Quem sabe…

Via | Top Speed

Willton writes “Daniel Solove highlights a paper written by Chris Hoofnagle about how one of the reasons identity theft happens is because companies have made the economic decision to let it happen.

In the post, Solove compares the identity theft situation to the famous case involving an accident due to a defect in a Ford Pinto, in which it came to light that Ford knew about the design defect in the car but ignored it because it calculated that paying damages in lawsuits would be less than fixing the design flaw.”

Of course, in the case of the Pinto, the scandalous cost-benefit analysis in question led to 27 deaths, whereas identity theft, at least, hasn’t resulted in anyone’s death (hopefully). However, there is a significant cost to the victim in time, mental anguish, and inconvenience, none of which ever really hits the bottom line of the company involved. That said, since the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act was passed in 2007, it is now possible to sue scammers for the time and effort spent to repair one’s life after identity theft. If there is gross negligence on the part of a company that contributes to identity theft, perhaps a future class action lawsuit over this issue is not too far off.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, BMW, Racing

Richard Göransson of Schubert Motorsport took the BMW Z4 GT3 around the ‘Ring, and while the thing has a glorious sound the word that kept coming to mind during the 11-minute stint was “handful.” That could have been because Göransson was trying to extract everything he could get from the car in the wet, but our suspicion is that whoever pilots this little racer is going to need steady nerves and quick hands. And don’t get us wrong about that – we’d love the chance to try it our ourselves. Follow the jump for the action.

[Source: Auto Tuning]

Continue reading Video: BMW Z4 GT3 does a hot, wet lap of the ‘Ring

Video: BMW Z4 GT3 does a hot, wet lap of the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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