Ford Edge Goes Sporty At Chicago Auto Show

Submitted by AnthonyF

Ford Motor Co. intends to put personalization a topmost priority. As such, it will be giving customers a say in what they want on their vehicles. At the Chicago Auto Show, the Dearborn-based automaker launched its very first factory-customized model – the Edge Sport.

The launch of the Edge Sport aims to appeal to the escalating personalization trend in the auto industry. The vehicle enhances the already outstanding sales record in the automaker’s crossover sport utility segment in the previous year.

Aside from keeping up with customers’ personalization needs, the new trim is also aimed at industry shows such as the Specialty Equipment Market Association Show in Las Vegas.

The turbocharged Sport trim features 22-inch polished aluminum wheels, the first size on a crossover, or 20-inch premium painted wheels with Sport-branded black center hubs. To complete the rugged and aggressive appearance of the vehicle, engineers at Ford give it low-profile tires.

What’s more, the vehicle’s design and features like VistaRoof™ and SYNC helped make Ford Edge the best-selling crossover in the nation.

According to the automaker, the eight-piece Edge Sport body kit includes a unique front air dam, side skirts, lower door caps and a rear skirt, all finished in body color, instead of the dark lower on other Edge models. Additionally, the front air dam features and integrated fog lamps.

The Dearborn automaker also offered perky details such as the custom Sport badging, "foundry gray", smoked headlamp and tail lamp lenses, and polished dual exhaust tips emerging from openings in the rear skirt.

"While custom-made to appeal to customers, Edge Sport is smart business," said Mark Fields, president for The Americas. "The aftermarket industry has grown to a $40 billion annual business, and crossovers are the fastest-growing vehicle segment in the U.S. We want customers who crave something special to know that Ford can 'customize' their Edge - right at the factory."

The Sport trim, which joins the SE, SEL and Limited models in the Edge range, makes it the very first vehicle in the crossover segment to offer customization.

Edge Sport will be available in Sport Blue, Brilliant Silver, Ebony and Redfire. Inside, dark gray leather seats feature unique suede-feel patterned inserts in a combination of light and dark gray, with contrasting stitching for premium appeal. The vehicle is scheduled to roll out into dealerships this fall.

Furthermore, Ford Canada was earlier quoted as saying that a hybrid version of the Edge will be introduced for the model year 2010. The said version will feature a new hybrid system mated to a V6 engine.

Truly, the Edge Sport is a solid proof that the automaker’s vehicles are evolving with time; they are far from the likes of Ford Bronco and other previous models.

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Chrysler's Engine Plant Receives Excellence Award

Submitted by AnthonyF

Chrysler's engine assembly facility in Dundee, Michigan has recently been given the Shingo Silver Medallion for operational excellence. The Auto Channel reported that the said prestigious award was given to the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance engine facility.

The said award was started in 1988. It was established to recognize excellence in manufacturing operations. This award is given to deserving companies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

During the announcement of the winners for the Shingo Prize, the committee said: "We congratulate this year's recipients in expanding their lean focus to all their business processes."

"This year's recipients have demonstrated various best practices in world- class processes and have achieved outstanding results delivering high quality, competitive cost and high customer satisfaction."

The Shingo Awards has been considered by many as the Nobel Prize of manufacturing. Naturally, Chrysler should be enthusiastic that their engine assembly facility was given the said award.

Richard Chow-Wah, Vice President for manufacturing at Chrysler LLC and a member of the GEMA Board of Directors, said: "We are pleased to have been recognized by the Shingo Award organization for our GEMA plant. At GEMA, our mission is clear - to set the pace in engine manufacturing with cutting-edge people, processes, systems and technologies. This award is further confirmation that we are accomplishing that mission."

Chrysler should really be proud of the engine facility receiving the said award as it is the only automotive facility to receive a Shingo. For the automaker's part, Bruce Coventry, the president for Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance, said: "Our success starts with great people, and the Shingo Silver Medallion is a tribute to the commitment and hard work of our GEMA team members who make our Michigan facility one of the finest manufacturing operations in the world."

"At the same time, in the spirit of continuous improvement we recognize there are many opportunities in our processes. We understand that manufacturing excellence is a never-ending journey, not a final destination," continued Coventry.

The engines that the aforementioned engine assembly facility manufactures are being used on the Dodge Caliber, Avenger, and Journey, the Jeep Compass and patriot, as well as the Chrysler Sebring sedan and the convertible variant. These vehicles equipped with the fuel efficient engines manufactured at the Chrysler engine facility produces less greenhouse gases than Acura vehicles equipped with Acura exhaust parts.

Bruce Baumbach, plant manager at GEMA, concluded: "We stay focused on the core business - to manufacture and assemble best-in-class engines, with high quality and great affordability. That means we rely on our service providers to give us the expertise we need to accomplish that task. The knowledge and experience of each of our team members is critical to our success."

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Car Hire Nice - Top 4 Drives

Author: Fiona Hiliard

Top Four Drives Nice

Eze-y Does It

The pretty medieval village of Eze can be reached within 11km of the city of Nice and offers a range of interesting cultural and historical attractions. The village has a dramatic location, perched high above the Mediterranean on a rocky hilltop. A walking tour of the village gives visitors the chance to absorb remarkable feats of engineering and architecture. First stop should be the town's 12th century castle which sits on a narrow craggy peak.

The castle was torn down during a turbulent era in the 17th century, but its attractive grounds survive to this day. Jardin Exotique is to be found in the grounds presently and offers visitors panoramic views of the coast from 429m high. The view doesn't come cheap however and a generous donation is expected.

Visitors are encouraged to sample the fragrant enterprise of the region at either Parfumerie Galimard or Parfumerie Fragonard perfumeries, both of which are situated in Eze village. The factories offer guided tours, with special discount rates available to groups.
Picturesque Peillon

Heading 20km outside of Nice, you'll reach the fortified medieval village of Peillon, which is regarded by many to be the most beautiful village on the Cote d'Azur. The hill's clinging grey and white structures offer fantastic opportunities for photographs and it's well worth bringing your camera along for the journey.

The village is pedestrian-only, meaning you'll have to park your hire car at the plaza at the base of the village and make your way to the centre under your own steam. The stroll allows you to take advantage of stunning views of the village's stepped terraces and narrow winding streets.

As Peillon has not been subject to the usual tacky commercialisation, it's possible to purchase an authentic memento of your trip from the village's only gift shop 'La Maiouneta'. The shop is situated close to the fountain and sells local produce, as well as paintings and ceramic creations by local artists.

Gorge-ous Loup Gorges

The spectacular Gorges Du Loup is well worth a journey. This area of fragile natural beauty can be accessed 40km from Nice via the D2210 road, which runs along the Châteauneuf-Pré Du Lac close to nearby Grasse.
Follow the D6 at the bottom of the valley at Pont-du-Loup, where, if you look upwards through the ultra narrow gorge, you'll see the town of Gourdon perched on the cliffs high above, as well as the shattered, bomb-scarred pillars of the railway viaduct which sweeps cleanly around the valley.Driving another 4km on this route, allows you to catch a glimpse of the Cascade de Courmes waterfall, spraying craggy moss-dappled boulders and leafy undergrowth in its path. The waterfall then makes a deafening 40m plunge, well worth inspecting in person. Parking places are limited so it's best to leave the car at the exit of the first tunnel.
Magic Mougins

The beautiful town of Mougins is just a 25-minute drive from Nice. The journey to Mougins also takes you through fragrant Grasse, regarded as the international perfume capital.

Mougins' pretty medieval charms have long attracted artists and dignitaries to the town. Spanish artist Pablo Picasso spent the last few years of his life in Mougins and visitors to Mougins will find many local exhibitions dedicated to the artist. . It's easy to while away a few hours browsing the village's studios and galleries. The Museum of Photography in Mougins is definitely worth a look. Here you'll find a fascinating permanent collection of Picasso portraits.

Mougins is renowned for its excellent cuisine and hungry day-trippers are guaranteed to find something to silence rumbling tummies; whether you opt for fine dining at the famous Michelin starred Moulin de Mougins restaurant or simple cheap local eats from a quaint atmospheric café or patisserie.

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Top 5 Cool Cars For 2008

Author: Gabriel Adams

Every year car enthusiasts and those in need of purchasing a new car look to Popular Mechanics for their take on the hot new models and safety factors. Today's shoppers want sleek designs that are fuel efficient and loaded with options. With gas prices over $3 a gallon, fuel economy is on the top of many minds while others want a trip back into their past.

The Chevy Corvette ZR1 is going to be the dream car of many this fall! The 620-horsepower engine will deliver an incredible punch, while the vehicle is crafted from carbon fiber to keep the weight down. This is not a budget car, it will be priced at a hefty $100,000, but to many collectors it is well worth every penny.

For the second year running, the Chevy Malibu has won the "North American Car of the Year" award. The Malibu is a mid-sized sedan designed and engineered by women. The asking price of $20,000 is reasonable to many and the sleek design and well-designed dashboard is going to make this a crowd pleaser. Acoustic glass blocks out road noise so that the stereo system doesn't have to be cranked up to absurd levels or passengers have to yell to be heard. The instrument panel covers the necessities including low oil, tire pressure, outside temperature, and more. Finally, electronic stability assists the braking system.

In recent years, Hyundai has built a solid reputation for affordable, reliable vehicles. Their new Genesis takes the roominess of an SUV and puts it in the body of a luxury car. At under $30,000, the Genesis comes with a V6 or V8 engine. Also coming out in the fall, the Genesis is going to be heavy competition for the Lexus. With a ten-year, 100,000 miles power train warranty, it's destined to be a success.

The Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid promises the power of a V6 engine while getting an impressive 30 miles to the gallon. In the city where speed limits are lower, drivers will be able to switch the vehicles engines to electric power to conserve fuel. On highways, the engine uses gasoline at a reduced rate of consumption. Drivers are going to love that they can have a fuel-efficient SUV with plenty of room. Priced at $25,000 to start, the Saturn Vue Green Line is a great way to save money on both gas and on the price of a new car.

In late 2008, Toyota releases their new car, the Venza. This five passenger car will only be available in the United States and come with a choice of four or six-cylinder engine. Toyota is rumored to be putting a rearview camera in the Venza eliminating any potential dangers in backing up. There will also be automatic high beams, keyless start, and Bluetooth technology. The aerodynamic design is going to impress because the sunroof covers most of the roof, so both front and rear passengers can look up at the stars. Meanwhile, massive amounts of storage space are going to make this car a dream come true for many.

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3 Lorry Stories - Spot The Fake One

Author: Luke Humble

Over the years, the truck driver has made for a great series of stories. Amidst the standard tales of traffic jams, incredible journeys and more incredible bad driving, when involved with a freight exchange, you hear the type of outlandish tales more commonly associated with fishermen. In researching this article, I found too that lorries and lorry drivers are commonly associated with horror stories, and tales (and images) too gruesome to write about here. Suffice it to say, there's an awful lot of truths and non truths spread in the anecdotes about truckers.

Here, I've taken three lorry tales- and discovered two of them to be verifiable truthful. The remaining one is equally exposed as fake. I'm going to list them all, allowing readers to guess which is untrue - I shall then provide the specifics of each one.

A) Elvis Presley was once told to "Stick to driving a truck, because you'll never make it as a singer."

B) A man was run over by a truck within hours of winning a lottery

C) The Allman Brothers album "Eat a Peach" is a hidden reference to Duane Allman's death at the wheels of a lorry carrying peaches.

Has everyone made their guesses? Okay - here's the answer. C is an urban legend, while A and B are verifiably correct.

Here's some background information to each lorry story:

Elvis Presley was once told to "Stick to driving a truck, because you'll never make it as a singer"

While auditioning for a lead-singer position in a Memphis band, Eddie Bond, 21, informed the 19 year old truck driver, Elvis Presley that he should "stick to driving a truck, because you'll never make it as a singer." This is the account of a mutual friend, while Bond himself claims the club's owners forced him to make the decision. Either way, Elvis was rejected and left looking for his big break.

It would come in just a few short months. "That's All Right (Mama)" was a big hit in Memphis, and Eddie Bond issued an invitation for Elvis to join them after all. Understandably, Elvis decided to turn him down - but not to "stick to driving a truck."

A man was run over by a truck within hours of winning a lottery

When I first heard this one, I immediately thought of the Alanis Morissette song, "Ironic", which begins with the lines "An old man turned ninety-eight, he won the lottery and died the next day." While the subjects of the song are well documented as not being ironic in the slightest, I did assume that the various incarnations of this story I've heard must be the same kind of embellishment as Ms Morissette recorded.

Not true, as it turns out. In January 2004, an Indiana man won $73,450 on an Indiana lottery, and was run over by a truck within hours of winning it big. Wearing dark clothing the winner of a 'Hoosier Millionaire competition', Carl Atwood, 73, was walking round a corner on a poorly lit intersection when he was struck by the truck, later dying in hospital. On the show, which was televised, Atwood had expressed his surprise at winning and stated his plans to "purchase a very nice car."

The Allman Brothers album "Eat a Peach" is a hidden reference to Duane Allman's death at the wheels of a lorry carrying peaches.

While it's true that Duane Allman died in a collision with a lorry in Georgia (a state associated with peaches) months before the release of the "Eat a Peach", and it's also true that the album art does show a truck with a giant peach on board labelled "Allman Brothers", the album is not a direct reference to the death of the talented young guitarist.

The truth is the lorry that Duane Allman collided with was a flatbed truck with a lumber crane. Suffering no externally visible injuries, Duane held onto life immediately following the crash before dying in surgery with massive internal injuries three hours later.

The album's title is less interestingly a reference to a comment Duane once made in a magazine interview. When asked how he was helping the revolution, Allman replied that "...every time I'm in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace."

Fans of the band have also suggested that the album's reverse cover art - an image of a vehicle carrying a giant watermelon - was a reference to fellow band member Berry Oakley's similar motorcycle accident at the wheels of fruit lorry is also revealed as falsehood, first by the fact that he collided with a bus, and secondly that his death was 9 months after the release of the album. Any hidden message would therefore be an inaccurate feat of clairvoyance.

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