Talented Alex has designs on your next new car

A MERSEYSIDE dad has spoken of his pride this week after his son landed a dream job designing a Chinese car companys latest models.

Jeff OBrien, from Thornton, told Life On Cars that after impressing car industry executives with his design flair his son Alex has now jetted off to Shanghai to help design vehicles for Qoros, a joint Israeli-Chinese firm which will be launching its first cars in the UK next year.

Mr OBrien said yesterday: "Alexs designing and sketching skills are out of this world, and after completing the car design course at the University of Coventry he impressed a lot of design executives for different companies, who all saw what hed come up with and wanted to take a look. One of them was a manager at Qoros, who spoke to Alex and was absolutely delighted with him.

"Alex wanted to work with Qoros because its a new company, and theyre really keen to use some of his design skills in their models."

The model which former Manor High School pupil Alex created to conclude his design course, a sports car design aimed at supercar builders Bugatti (pictured above), attracted attention from car industry executives at an exhibition, used to showcase the UKs latest car design talent, held in Coventry last year. Father and son worked together on the car, with Jeff, a retired Craft, Design and Technology tutor, helping to fashion the wheels for the model of Alexs sports car design.

Although work commitments in Shanghai meant Alex was unavailable to speak to Life On Cars, a Qoros spokesperson said of its new range of cars: "Qoros is a fresh, new brand without legacy. It is driven by a passionate international team of expert designers, engineers and marketers who are united in their desire to develop sophisticated and highly individual products.

"The company is dedicated to meeting an ever-increasing demand for cars that are highly differentiated from other products within a crowded automotive marketplace. In addition to design that is both elegant and functional, Qoros products will be distinguished by a strong focus on state-of-the-art technology, with high levels of user-friendly in-car connectivity and vehicle safety standards which compare to the best in Europe."

The first Qoros car to be sold in the UK, an as-yet-unnamed four door saloon, will make its European debut at the Geneva Motorshow next March.

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New Leaf priced from under 52k as Nissan Oz prepares EV rollout

NISSAN Australia has announced a $51,500 starting price for its first all-electric model, the Leaf, which opens for public orders in February before first deliveries take place in June.

The sub-$52,000 pricetag (plus on-road costs) is $2700 more than that of Mitsubishi Australia’s pioneering electric vehicle, the much smaller i-MiEV city-hatch ($48,800 plus ORCs).

Like the i-MiEV, the five-door Leaf hatchback will be available as a single, highly specified model, with the one purchase price including its lithium-ion battery pack.

That is also likely to be the case for Holden’s upcoming Volt plug-in hybrid, pricing for which will be announced closer to its late-2012 release date.

Unlike the Fluence ZE, the Leaf’s battery is not compatible with the automated battery swap stations due to be rolled out by EV charging infrastructure company Better Place, which bills the zero-emissions Renault as the world’s first ‘unlimited-range’ EV.

Instead, Nissan said it will concentrate on fast-charge technology for the Leaf, which provides an industry-standard maximum driving range of at least 160km on a full battery charge.

The Leaf can be fully charged via a standard (240-volt, 10-amp) Australian household power outlet in about eight hours, or less with a 15-amp (‘Level 2’) charging outlet installed by an electrician.

Nissan Australia says it will make available Level 3 and 4 fast-charging systems for the Leaf, which will initially be available from 13 specialist Nissan dealers in major metropolitan centres, including Hobart and the Gold Coast.

The number of Leaf outlets will be expanded in stages until 2014, by which time Nissan expects to have sales and service centres in all major provincial centres.

Announcing the Leaf price today, Nissan Australia CEO Dan Thompson (left) said Nissan expected fleet buyers to comprise the lion’s share of Leaf customers in the first six months, as part of the EV ‘education process’.

However, the Leaf will be available for any customer to order from February and Mr Thompson said Nissan expects to sell “hundreds” of examples of the world’s first mass-market EV in the remaining half of next year, before annual sales volumes eventually grow to the thousands.

Nissan has sold more than 20,000 examples of the Leaf globally in its first year, making it “the highest-selling electric car in the history of the car industry”, according to the company.

“We’ve stated before that we expect to see meaningful sales volumes from Leaf as a contribution to Nissan Australia’s market growth expectations and zero-emission leadership aspirations,” he said.

“With a range of up to 170km on a single battery charge, the Leaf is expected to find favour early on in Australia’s fleets, as they seek sustainable transport solutions, and later with private customers who are interested in a zero tailpipe emission car ownership experience coupled with freedom from petrol service stations.

“Nissan dealers will be at the forefront of automotive generational change when Leaf arrives in their showrooms mid next year,” said Mr Thompson.

Production of Australia’s Leaf begins at Nissan’s Oppama plant in Japan next March.

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just an old trade in on a new truck sheesh

found on http://truquetructruk.tumblr.com

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Mazda 6 2012 New Model

The 2012 Mazda 6 is perfect. Even the base car with a 170-hp four-banger with a six-speed manual transmission is fun to drive. Mazda engineers know how to tune the suspension and dial in the type of response that driving enthusiasts enjoy. Quick turn-in response and steering feel kind that lets you know where the front wheel at all times is all part of the package.

This is a heck of a lot of car for the money. I have always been a fan of Mazda 6, and this is no exception. It has the engine-gearbox combination is good, handsome exterior and light-on-its-feet-up and handling.

The chassis is tight, and there is no creaking or vibrate. For a little less than $ 22,000, you do not get a lot of extras such as navigation, and seat fabric. Materials in could use a little upgrade.

I will give credit to 6 has excellent interior space, ironically, we rented one in Florida a few months ago and was able to stuff all the luggage in the trunk for a week at Disney with two children, plus the said children and booster seats Mazda fits in with room to spare.

This example does not suffer the same humiliation, but rear legroom was appreciated, and the car never felt crowded despite the cheap trim. But it was not fun to drive, dynamics, electrical, braking, steering - all normal, but nothing extraordinary. The Mazda 6 just feels like a cheap basic sedan.

If you need space, Mazda 6 Sport up against the perennial best-sellers such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the buyer would also do well to look at the Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion. But the real competition for something like this coming from the car step down in size. A well-equipped Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus or Chevrolet Cruze will be a much more attractive option in this price range.

Also, it was a joy to get a midsize car with a manual transmission. The 6 four-banger pumps out 170 hp and winds up revs eagerly. Six-speed shifter is fine, there is some play in there so you do not get the urge to try and film it through the gears quickly. But the smooth clutch takeup and predictable, which makes it easy to launch the car smoothly.

Travel shade leans toward the corporate side, just enough for you to get now discarded "zoom-zoom" Mazda stance without worrying about being hit by rough roads.

My one gripe: the sticker price is a touch too high for my liking as it rises to the base. I would bet that some negotiation and some incentives can you below the $ 20,000, where the package is starting to look pretty solid.

Mazda face some stiff competition in the base-sedan segment. My short list would also include the Nissan Altima (which is also on the verge of a redesign) and a basic version of the Ford Fusion.

2012 Mazda 6

Base Price: $21,035
As-Tested Price: $21,665
Drivetrain: 2.5-liter I4; FWD, six-speed manual
Output: 170 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 167 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,272 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 24/24.2 mpg
Options: Sirius satellite radio ($430); pearl paint ($200)

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Ford Europes new strategy with American cars

Few weeks before the Paris Motor Show, Honda Engine Co. has taken the wraps off of much of its new collection for Europe in an effort to coast up its initiatives for European traders. The webcast media meeting from Amsterdam finished with the official statement that the Dearborn, Michigan-based car manufacturer will formally make the mustang available for Autobahn operates and cobble stone street drifting.

"Well have more Informations on the mustang coming to Europe later this year," CEO Alan Mulally said, as he was standing before a audience of more than 2,500 traders, enthusiasts and media reporters. More people viewed him and other key Ford professionals promote the organizations faster plans to present more international automobiles to Europe.

The last Country has been problematic for last few years as its at stagnant economic system has cost car manufacturers enormous amounts. Ford lost $404 million in Europe in the second quarter of 2012 and desires Western countries to keep move down the organizations international success in the near future. But instead of going on the protecting, Ford has released its own path to success, Mulally said. The company cant like to try the same old formulas.

"Six decades ago, we developed our One Ford strategy," Mulally said, "Now, were providing that strategy to Western countries."

The unique Honda strategy involved a product blitzkrieg in The united states based on many Western designed automobiles such as the Ford Fiesta, Focus and Transit Connect. Now, to take advantage of many successful United states products, this indicates those are intended to Western countries, this time as the Ford Kuga, Edge and Mondeo (built off of the Escape, Edge and Fusion platforms platforms).

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