Inside The Mind Of An Automotive Geek

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford's Alan Mulally has expressed the automaker's goal towards protecting the environment via green vehicles. The automaker has developed new generation of engines which produces power equal to the output of larger engines. And more recently, the automaker has joined the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment.

"The Suppliers Partnership for the Environment is very pleased to announce that Ford Motor Company has joined SP," said Randy Leslie, Vice President & General Manager, Johnson Controls, Inc. and SP's Chair according to The Auto Channel. "SP continues to grow by providing economic and environmental value to all levels of the automobile supply chain."

Leon Richardson, President, Chemico Systems, Inc who is the chairman of SP's membership committee has this to say: "One of the exciting things about this announcement for SP is that Ford Motor Company now joins Chrysler and General Motors in providing their leadership to SP. SP's mission is to reduce our member companies' environmental footprint and do so in a way that will provide economic opportunity for the automobile supply chain. We welcome Ford Motor Company participation in SP and are we will continue to work to encourage other leadership companies to join the organization."

Meanwhile, Andrew Hobs, director for Environmental Quality Office at Ford said: "Ford Motor Company is pleased to be part of the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment. We believe that our membership in SP is another indication of Ford Motor Companies continued leadership in global environmental and sustainability activities that improve the environment while providing increased economic opportunities for the automobile supply chain. We look forward to working with SP and helping the organization expand its reach within the automobile supply chain while addressing important environmental and sustainability issues within the automobile industry."

What does Angelina Jolie have in common with Eminem and Joseph Stalin as well as 2 out of every 5 Americans between the ages of 26 and 40?

They all have tattoos.

Once used a weapon of rebellion, tattoos have eventually achieved a mainstream status. Matter of fact, tattoos is now used in ad campaigns of both auto and tire manufacturers. But as I see it, the phenomenon carries a noteworthy disadvantage. The more they become accepted in ad campaigns, the more they lose their edginess as an advertising lure.

"There is always an element of rebellion or rite of passage with these things," said David Crockett, assistant professor of marketing at the University of South Carolina. "What makes them interesting is how the marketplace appropriates that rebelliousness and serves that back to you in the form of an energy drink."

As the attention of young consumers gets spread between TV, blogs, online video and other distractions, marketers have resorted to alternative methods to get their interest, said The Canadian Press.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center reflects that 36% of 18-to 25-year-olds have at least one tattoo, while an even higher 40 per cent of 26-to 40-year-olds have at least one.

Marketers use tattoos both as a cultural icon and as the method to deliver the message, said Kevin Lane Keller, a marketing professor at the Tuck business school at Dartmouth College. "It's an attempt to do something different in a fresh way," he said.

Companies such as Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to Volvo Cars are using tattoos in advertising and promotion. This is to captivate the choice of the young.

For 3 years, Goodyear's Dunlop tire unit has offered a set of free tires to anyone who will get the company's flying-D logo tattooed somewhere on their body, and 98 people have taken up the offer, said the report. Some of them are brand loyalists who already own Dunlop tires, while others were tattoo fans who wanted to add to their body art, Dunlop brand marketing manager Janice Consolacion said. One returned for his third Dunlop tattoo this year.

Volvo, a Swedish automaker, recently utilized tattoos in another way. The automaker created a fictional character whose tattoos spelled out the co-ordinates of an undersea location of $50,000 in gold coins and the keys to a new car. Linda Gangeri, national advertising manager of Volvo Cars of North America, said the tattoo man was a way to get people to think differently about the Volvo brand.

Tattoos are becoming so persistent. Some watchers see this as a downside. They said tattoos are less effective in marketing to trendsetters.

Nathan Lin, a tattoo artist and organizer of the annual Boston Tattoo Convention, said the event's sponsors reflect the shifting demographics of tattoo culture in the U.S. This year, it was Toyota Motor Corp.'s Scion brand and Anheuser Busch Cos.' Budweiser. Next year's convention has received sponsorship interest from Internet service provider NetZero among other corporate names, he added.

Once corporations use tattoos, it's clear they have lost some of their edginess, Crockett said. "You've got this constant game of cat and mouse, of youth culture and these companies. That lifecycle just gets shorter and shorter and shorter," he said.

"I would certainly say it has lost most of its social stigma," noted Vince Hemingson, a writer and documentary filmmaker who runs the Vanishing Tattoo website.

In terms of a vehicle’s lifetime, the advanced diesel technology shows higher savings from hundreds to a few thousands depending on the type of car being used. However, diesel fuel costs higher than conventional gas but is found to be more efficient compared to fuel economy of present hybrid technology. The existence of this particular fact will definitely decrease the value of these hybrid cars.

The conducted study also shows a slight support to diesel engines over hybrids with regards to the societal point of view. After several studies done on the cost of hybrid technology as well as the performance of diesel fuel, RAND found out that these diesel propelled cars are more ecological advantageous. Although diesel engines are noted to have more black carbon emissions, this does not connect them being next to carbon dioxide emissions which is the number one cause of climate change.

Diesel engines have a miniscule chunk on the US car market which makes a higher popularity of hybrid cars against them in the near future. However, this does not mean diesel cars will be completely out of the road. There are still many car makers who are wiling to make more diesel engines just like the Mercedes E320 BlueTec and the Jeep Liberty CRD. Volkswagen is still working on its Jetta car model which handles clean diesel. However, the new car will be released in 2008.

Super cars with super performance – they are the world’s most powerful cars. And do you know the top 10 most powerful cars? Really? Your guess may not be as good as it was.

You cannot see stunning and powerful cars on the roads on a daily basis. So when you have the rare chance, seize the moment. Their awesome technical specifications and gorgeous styling would make a true-blooded performance car aficionado slobber.

India Times gives the top 10 powerful cars around the globe. Here they come…

SSC Ultimate Aero TT
The Ultimate Aero TT is the new monarch in this rarefied field of most powerful cars. Built by the Washington based Shelby Super Cars, the Ultimate Aero TT first made its appearance in 2004 under the name Aero AC/8T and the latest version of the Aero has been built just to prevent the Bugatti Veyron from running away with the title of the most powerful car on earth. And SSC has succeeded in its endeavour to a very large extent.

Bristol Fighter T
The Bristol Fighter T is the second most powerful car in the world that ply the roads. Based on the Fighter Coupe, the Fighter T develops an awesome power output of 1012 bhp at 5600 rpm and generates a torque of 1346 Nm @ 4500 rpm. This fantastic car is powered by an 8-litre, V10 engine that propels it from a standstill to 100 kmph in just 3.5 seconds. The hand built Bristol Fighter T has a top speed of 362 kmph and is all set to hit the market in early 2008.

Bugatti Veyron
In the not too distant past, the Buggati Veyron was the most powerful, fastest and most expensive car on earth. But not anymore. It now stands third on the list of 10 most powerful cars. With a maximum power output of 1001 bhp, this car held the laurels of the most powerful street-legal production car in the world between October 2005 to September 2007 before being edged out first by the Fighter T and then by the Ultimate Aero TT.

Koenigsegg CCX
Koenigsegg CCX ranks as the fourth most powerful car on the planet. The CCX, manufactured by Swedish car maker Koenigsegg, was built after Buggati came up with the world’s, the then fastest car, Veyron, in 2005. The car was meant to counter Bugatti Veyron as the world’s most powerful car but it fell short of the mark by some distance. With a 4.7-litre, V8 engine, the CCX develops 806 bhp and 915 Nm of torque, enough to accelerate the car from a standstill to 100 kmph in just 3.2 seconds.

Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
In 2002, the Saleen S7 was the fastest American car and it could be driven legally on American freeways even though it produced more than 500 bhp of power and 800 Nm of torque. However, the company didn’t sit on its commendable laurels and introduced the reworked Saleen S7 in 2005. This car features the extremely powerful 7-litre V8 engine with a twin turbocharger.

Gumpert Apollo
This super sexy German car was built with a vision. The vision was to develop a super sports car with outstanding road performance, combining style and functionality. This swanky car, with gull wing doors, is built upon a chrome chassis with an integrated carbon monocoque safety cell. The Apollo is driven by a 4.2-litre V8 engine that produces a power of 650 bhp. The Gumpert Apollo reaches the 100 kmph mark from a standstill in 3 seconds flat. This mid engined, rear wheel driven German power car has a top speed of 360 kmph.

Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR 722
The 722’s supercharged V8 engine gives out a power of 641 bhp and 968 Nm of torque. The SLR sports a 5.4-litre supercharged, all-aluminium, V8 engine where the cylinders are angled at 90 degrees with three valves per cylinder. The engine generates a maximum power of 641 bhp at 6500 rpm and a maximum torque of 780 Nm at 3250 rpm. The Mercedes Benz McLaren SLR722 is classified as a supercar and is compared to cars like the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo.

Pagani Zonda F CS
The Pagani Zonda F CS is an out and out stunner. With a 7.3-litre AMG V12 engine producing 641 bhp of power and 780 Nm of torque, the Zonda FCS is not only among the top most powerful and expensive cars in the world. The car has a top speed of 342 kmph and can touch a speed of 100 kmph from a standstill in just 3.6 seconds.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
The ninth most powerful car in the world is the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. It features a 6.5-litre V12 engine and is capable of churning out 640 bhp of power at 8000 rpm. The 12 cylinder engine reaches a maximum torque of 657 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm. system to produce the newer version and the unit was then renamed as the LP640.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is Ferrari's 2-seat Gran Turismo flagship model which replaced the 575 M in 2006 as a 2007 model. The 599 features a 6-litre, V12 engine which produces a maximum power of 620 bhp, making it the most-powerful series production Ferrari road car. The car has a torque of 608 Nm and touches a speed of 100 kmph from a standstill in just 3.7 seconds.

Let the performance of these cars do the talking!