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Yearning for the Cachet of a Classic but Coming Up Crass October 28, 2006

Neoclassics are cars with bodywork that evokes luxurious, timeless designs of the 1920s and 30s, but with chassis and powertrains lifted from more prosaic donors. IN the world of classic cars, authenticity is everything. When a serious collector endeavors to restore a car, every lug nut must be original, or at least correct. Every stitch of the upholstery must look as it did from the factory (or, more commonly, look better than it did from the factory). Not only that, but the car should possess a rich and glorious history, with a paper trail to prove it. For an …

Technology: G.P.S. on the Road and in Your Pocket

Could a portable satellite navigation system - a less costly alternative to onboard systems - steer you right when driving on unfamiliar roads- YOGI BERRA advised, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.” That pretty much sums up my approach to driving on unfamiliar roads. On trips, I usually bring a selection of maps and pages of printed directions from Yahoo, but ultimately, I follow my gut. On a drive to Vermont last month, however, my wife and I decided to entrust directional decisions to electronics, in the form of satellite navigation. It wasn’t easy - …

Mercedes E-Class Selling Well In All Markets October 22, 2006

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Successful Start of New Generation Mercedes Benz E-Class in All Markets

Stuttgart, Oct 19, 2006
The new generation of the Mercedes-Benz E Class has taken over the lead in the upper-range segment worldwide immediately following its market launch. In September, more than 21,000 vehicles were sold worldwide. In all triad markets the E-Class is again the best-selling automobile in its segment. “The outstanding sales development underscores the successful launch of the new generation E-Class,” says Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive …

Mercedes B-Class Awarded Five Stars In Euro NCAP Crash Test

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Top result in Euro NCAP crash test: Five stars for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class

Stuttgart, Oct 20, 2006
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class has passed crash tests performed in accordance with the European NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) rating system with flying colours, receiving the maximum number of five stars from the independent examiners. Thus, the sandwich safety concept developed and patented by Mercedes-Benz, which has already proven itself on countless occasions since its launch in 1997, has demonstrated its effectiveness once again.

Thanks to the sandwich concept, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class occupies an exceptional position among its segment. The arrangement of the engine and …

Volkswagen Backs Deal for Truck Maker October 21, 2006

Volkswagen threw its weight behind a hostile bid by the German truck maker MAN to acquire a Swedish rival, Scania. FRANKFURT, Oct. 15 ? Volkswagen threw its weight behind a hostile bid by the German truck maker MAN to acquire a Swedish rival, Scania, for 10.3 billion euros ($12.9 billion) in cash and stock. Volkswagen, which is the largest shareholder of both companies, said on Sunday that if MAN won enough support from other shareholders for the deal it would sell its 34 percent voting stake in Scania to MAN. “MAN welcomes Volkswagen’s continued support for its concept to combine …

Technology: Aluminum Is Striving for Mass Appeal, but With a Lot Less Mass

Just as automakers turn from steel to aluminum as a way to lower fuel consumption and improve performance, Big Steel is fighting back. ANY expectations that technology would only march forward were dinged, if not quite dashed, when Audi revealed details earlier this year of the 2008 TT, the second generation of its stylish sports model, which goes on sale next spring. A proponent of all-aluminum cars, Audi seemed to be stepping backward by building the framework in a blend that was nearly one-third steel. The move was not a retreat - after all, the outgoing TT had a steel …

Motoring: How to Get to Carnegie Hall? First, Find a Car That Fits the Harp

Harpists rarely stay with a small instrument; they inch their way up to what they really want ? a full-size concert harp. They also need a car to haul it. THE musical “42nd Street” changed the way I look at cars. In July 1984, my daughter, Jane, and I got last-minute front-row seats from which the dancing feet were not visible, but the orchestra was. She watched the violins playing away while a woman in the back of the orchestra crocheted. Every so often, the woman dropped her busywork, tilted back a harp and played a few glorious bars. …

Green Tech: A Love-Hate Relationship Bears a 50-State Diesel

Honda, the company whose clean-burning CVCC Civic model did the seemingly impossible in the 1970’s by meeting emissions standards, has not lost its knack for innovation. ASSIGNMENTS this juicy are rare in the career of an automotive engineer: the opportunity to develop a new generation of high-efficiency diesel engines that would lead a major company into a fuel-sipping low-emissions future. It was a challenge that Kenichi Nagahiro, whose portfolio as a Honda senior engineer included Formula One racing engines and the company’s VTEC variable valve timing technology, should have relished. Instead, he turned it down.Mr. Nagahiro eventually relented, agreeing to …

Wheelspin: Car 54, How Fast Are You? An Entrance Exam for Rookie Cruisers

At many law enforcement agencies around the country, a black-and-white cannot wear the uniform or set off in hot pursuit of lawbreakers unless it has first passed muster with the Michigan State Police. Chelsea, Mich. AT many law enforcement agencies around the country, a black-and-white cannot wear the uniform or set off in hot pursuit of lawbreakers unless it has first passed muster with the Michigan State Police. Though a rearview mirror full of red and blue flashing lights is something I dread whenever I drive, I volunteered to spend two days last month with the highway patrol of this …

At Crossroads of Sporty Car and S.U.V.

The Mazda CX-7 is a crossover with zoom-zoom styling and a down-to-earth price, while Acura’s RDX takes dead aim at the BMW X3. Killbuck, OhioAS enthusiasm for trucklike S.U.V.’s has cooled, the crossover has become the hottest thing in the auto business ? and these car-based utility vehicles are likely to be the rage for years to come.Yet the concept isn’t all that fresh ? long before the awkward crossover label was coined, vehicles like the Subaru Outback and Toyota RAV4 had crossed over the line dividing trucks from cars. No, what’s new are market analysts’ projections that within three …

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