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Luxury Car Giant BMW Orders Recall Of 360,000 Cars Over Safety Risk

01. September 2011

To protect its clients around the world luxury car giant BMW has decided to recall some 360,000 cars reported to have some defects on its system. (Photo: dieselstation.com)

Luxury car giant BMW has made the tough decision to recall 360,000 luxury cars it manufactured after recent tests on these vehicles revealed some safety defects that can harm those persons who will drive it.

According to reports, BMW ordered the recall of some 120,000 units of diesel-engined cars in Europe after it was discovered that its fuel filter on the 1-series and 5-series could continue to operate even after the motor had stopped. It was learned that 35,000 of these units can be found in Germany.

BMW said these safety defect could lead to fires if the driver of these cars will not be careful while using it. The company also decided to recall some 240,000 3-series vehicles sold in the United States and Canada, produced between 2002 and 2005.

The company explained they decided to recall these cars since it had some defects on its brake lights. BMW said although there is no injuries reported on regarding these defects it would be best that these cars be recalled to ensure it cannot harm drivers and passengers in the future.

The widely popularly car manufacturing company is based in Germany and founded in 1916. BMW also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. Moreover, BMW also produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands.It was learned that in 2010, the BMW group produced 1,481,253 automobiles and 112,271 motorcycles across all its brands.

(rockefellernews/rb)

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Once Popular Chevy Volt Now Losing Its Charm Among Car Buyers

18. August 2011

The once popular Chevrolet Volt is now starting to lose its charm among car buyers around the world.

When it hit the market last December, the Chevrolet Volt is considered as one of the most sought after cars due to its great features and relatively good price.

According to reports, since the car was released in December it already sold 3,200 units in the United States. A recent survey however revealed that the once popular Chevrolet Volt is now losing its charm among car buyers in the US and around the world in general.

In March, 21% of potential car buyers said they will “very likely” consider buying a Volt, while 38.1% said they were “likely” to do the same. That slipped to 14.6% saying “very likely” in July, and 31.1% “likely.”

Car experts said the number of those likely or very likely to consider Volt fell from a combined 71% to 51% during the same four-month period. The experts said car buyers are losing interest on Chevy Volt due to its price tag which currently stands at $41,000.

It is said that its price will likely drop to $39,995 in 2012. Chevy officials however defended the price tag, pointing to the complexity of the dual gas-electric hybrid drive-train. They said their car is capable of clocking more than 35 miles on battery power alone.

They defended that while that’s less than half of the range of the Nissan electric vehicle, the Chevy can shift to gas power and keep driving once its batteries run down. The company hoped the interest for Chevy Volt will further rise in the remaining months this year and for years to come to benefit the company and its employees around the world.

(rockefellernews/rb)

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Luxury Cars Adventure Seeking Souls Needs To Own In 2011

12. August 2011

The magnificent Jaguar XKR-S.

To adventure seeking souls who have the money and finances one of the best luxury in life is to buy the latest and coolest cars in the market. What is best is the fact that many of the world’s best cars are manufactured regularly to cater to the needs of car loving persons in this planet. Recently car experts released some of the coolest cars that are available in the market today for 2011. Here are some glimpse of some of the coolest and beautiful cars that would hit the luxury market this year.

The car to die for Aston-Zagato.

Audi A7

The hand-assembled 6.0-litre V12 is combined with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle-shifters with 490 horsepower and 420 pound-feet oftorque from a mid-mounted engine situated far enough back in the chassis to give an advantage in both ride and handling. Zero to 50 mph in the Volante is 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 186 mph. Price: More than $210,000, which is what the coupe version costs.

Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid

Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid combines a 500 horsepower V8 engine with two electric motors that add the equivalent of 218 horsepower. The engine is based on the Porsche RS Spyder racing engine, with a rear-wheel-drive, seven-speed Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK) double-clutch gearbox.Porsche says the car will go zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, with a top speed of 199 mph. Top speed on electric power alone will be 94 mph–within limited distances, of course.

Jaguar XKR-S

But is there any objective factor in determining what makes a car like the Jaguar XKR-S so attractive? Yes, and a lot of it has to do with proportion.Jae Min, a chief designer for Volkswagen Group, says the correct balance between height, length and width plays a significant role in just how beautiful–or unbeautiful–a car appears.“There is a fundamental value in good proportion even if you look at buildings or even people,” Min says. “That is something that we all share in terms of what is beautiful–we start by using those references.”The real challenge to making a beautiful car, he says, is to create a design that has relevance without cliché, and then balance it with timelessness and functionality.

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Google’s Self-Driving Car Faced An Accident

06. August 2011

Google’s self-driving car recently got involved in an accident. (Photo: jalopnik.com)

The search engine giant Google has brought a new era to the automobile technology when the company launched their self driving cars by the end of 2010, which protect people the risk of driving. The cars have video cameras, GPSS units, laser range finder to understand the traffic conditions, radar sensors, and a detailed map. But alas! One of Google’s self driving cars faced an accident earlier this week.

The accident happened near the Google’s Mountain View headquarters, California. The auto blog site Jalopnik received a photo from its tipster that shows an accident involving two Prius. One of the Prius was Google’s self-driving car.

According to Jalopnik, “The Prius — recognizable as a Google self-driving prototype from the roof equipment that’s smaller than a typical Google Street view image collector — appears to have rear-ended another Prius.”

But, the company said when the accident occurred there was a driver inside the car and he was driving the car in manual mode. A spokesperson of Google said in a statement to Business insider, “Safety is our top priority. One of our goals is to prevent fender-benders like this one, which occurred while a person was manually driving the car.” Besides, the cars were designed which should prefer to sacrifice its passengers in order to save others in the street if the car have to face a bad accident.

Google’s self-driving cars have been on the streets of California since 2010. But, just one month ago, Google acquired the legality of the driver-less cars from the governor of Nevada.

There is no recorded incident of Google’s self driving cars causing any accident, since it was launched. The recent accident is the first accident by the driver-less car. So, how you will judge Google’s automotive cars, it is up to you.

(rockefellernews/rd)

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Written by Rajib Dey

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Virtual Gallery Of BMW Art Cars On The Internet!

11. July 2011

A BMW Art Car. (Photo: studio5555.de)

For the first time, the images and the videos of the BMW Art Cars can be seen on one page within a virtual video tour on internet. With the BMW Group’s 40th anniversary of the International Cultural Commitment, the company has started the great facility for the viewers.

French racing driver and auctioneer Herve Poulain has brought the idea of art cars. Alexander Calder, a renowned artist and friend of Poulain, painted the BMW 3.0 CSL, which was the first BMW art car in 1975. Poulain participated in the race Le Mans endurance with the painted BMW 3.0 CSL. The car was looking so gorgeous due to art on the wheels. After that, the BMW Group started the Art Car Collection. Since 1975, many renowned artists all over the world like Stella, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Koons have been contributing to create such fashionable and unique art cars.

The art cars of BMW were not for exhibition only rather some cars had been used for races. Poulain used the BMW 3.0 CSL, painted by Alexander Calder, for the first time in 1975. Recently, the M3 GT2 was used in 2010 painted by Jeff Koons.

Till now the BMW Group has created 17 BMW Art Cars and the cars are in different galleries and museums of BMW around the world. In the 40th anniversary of BMW’s art car program, the company introduced the total collection of the 17 BMW art cars on internet. The photographs of the cars, historic racing footages as well as video on the BMW Art Cars from 1975 to 2010 can be seen online. The comments of the renowned artists of the world are to be viewed on internet.

The head of the BMW Group Corporate Strategy and Communications, Bill McAndrews, said in a statement that “After four decades and a total of 17 BMW Art Cars, they can now all be admired by everyone. The interactive website pays homage to the collection, unique in the history of the automobile and the arts. Whilst the originals are often exhibited individually at the BMW Museum in Munich or at significant cultural institutions throughout the world, people are now able to discover for the BMW Art Cars in their entirety. A comprehensive online tour is now available anywhere and anytime.”

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Written by Rajib Dey

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Rockefeller Beauty People Lifestyle Magazine – July 2011 Edition

10. July 2011

For everybody who expects just a little bit more of life: Rockefeller Magazine reports about the most precious watches, fantastic destinations for your holidays which includes exclusive hotels you should book yourself. We will also inform you about the hippest designer fashion, the most classy pieces of jewellery and accessories, selected wines, the most luxurious cars. Not only that, we also present you interesting coverages about what’s going on in the financial world. It is always our mission to provide our readers with the hottest hints and suggestions on the leading motivational speakers in the land; we also grill out political heavy-weights and ask successful managers about the secrets of their success to inspire our readers.

In short, there is something for everybody in Rockefeller Magazine. Our editorial staff does the very best to present all these stories as entertaining as possible yet as serious as required. So what are you waiting for? Visit our website now!

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Written by Marcello

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Lexus No Longer Top Selling Luxury Car In US

10. July 2011

Lexus is no longer the top selling luxury car in the United States for 2011.(Photo: zcars.com.au)

After 11 years on top of the luxury car market in the United States, Lexus is no longer that popular among car buyers for 2011.

According to reports, Toyota Motor Corp’s 7203.T brand Lexus is not anymore the top selling luxury car in the US due to lost sales in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Mark Templin, Lexus Division general manager revealed Lexus U.S. sales will fall about 17 percent to around 190,000 vehicles in 2011.

The US is considered the biggest market for Lexus. Templin explained they lose huge sales since they were not able to produce cars wanted by buyers since their primary plant in Japan was not able to manufacture sufficient cars, due to the recent tsunami that hit the top Asian country.

All Lexus models, except the RX 350 crossover sport utility vehicle, are made in Japan. He said Lexus U.S. sales fell 38 percent in June as dealers ran out of key products.” June was the bottom of the trough, and we’ve turned the corner,” Templin said.

Due to their low production, Lexus sales tumbled 18 percent in the first half of 2011 to 88,010, and German rivals BMW and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz sprinted by. BMW’s sales rose 13 percent to 113,705, and Mercedes-Benz climbed 7 percent to 110,926. If 2011 full year results end as expected, it would be thefirst time that BMW has outsold Lexus in the U.S. since 1997.

Despite their decline, Templin said the company is very confident they could bounce back in 2012. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan’s largest-selling make of premium cars.

Lexus vehicles are officially marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide.The Lexus marque has ranked among the ten largest Japanese global brands in market value,and the brand is a major participant in the premium automotive sector. The division’s world headquarters are located in Toyota City (Japan), with major operational centers in Brussels (Belgium) and Torrance, California (United States).

Lexus originated from a clandestine flagship sedan project that began in 1983. This effort developed into the original Lexus LS, which was the first vehicle to wear the Lexus marque upon its launch in 1989. In following years, Lexus added sedan, coupé, convertible, and SUV models.

In 2005, a hybrid version of the RX crossover debuted, and additional hybrid models were subsequently introduced to the Lexus lineup. In 2007, Lexus launched its F marque performance division with the debut of the IS F sport sedan, followed by the LFA supercar in 2009.

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Ford uses Hollywood style animation for improving workforce

25. May 2011

Manikin technology (Photo: detnews.com)

The most popular form of cinema on the global scale is Hollywood. Besides being popular in the USA, Hollywood has a global audience that probably numbers in billions of people. This is why it is a matter of debate whether Hollywood is inspired by real life or real life is inspired by Hollywood. Even though hollywood makes a lot of films based on real life, there are some astounding real life eras and cliches that did not exist before Hollywood had made a film based on them. But it seems that eras and cliches are not the only things inspired from Hollywood as the eminent car maker, Ford Motor company, has made it public that they want to improve the quality of their labor, Hollywood style.

According to the media reports, Ford is using a Hollywood style animation technique that will allow them to create a digital avatar of a female human. The avatar will be called Manikin and will be around 5 feet six inches in height albeit with large hands. The leading developer Ford feel that this Manikin avatar can help Ford workers that are scattered all across the globe. Even though this may seem to be very complicated, it has a very simple design concept behind it.

The research team of Ford basically built a robot that was assembled from six parts of the assembly lines. The workers from the lab would be fitted with all the control panels on their body parts with 15 cameras installed next to them. All the worker had to do was make the work related hand movement while the cameras and control panels recoded that information in a data stream. Then using the same technology used in animations, they transferred that data to the Manikin robot which would do the exact hand or leg movements that had been recorded by the worker, thus making its workforce seem like a science fiction Hollywood movie.

This impressive technology surpasses all the previous digital imaging technology the company has had before. The workers of Ford need not worry about any work place accidents or overworking anymore because they have this technology to do their bidding. But the best part about this is the fact that workers of all shapes and sizes can show equal amount of work output.

(rockefellernews/yk)

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Written by Yash Karnad

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Toyota to partner up with Salesforce

23. May 2011

A Toyota Lexus (Photo: thefire.com)

In the hostile grow or die environment of the business world, it is very important for all business entities to constantly innovate their product and services in order to keep up with their competitors. This rule specially applies to the large public corporations because if they do not catch up, their failure will not only affect the employees, but also the economy. This is why Toyota motors has comprehended the importance of innovation and made it public knowledge about their partnership with Salesforce.com, in order to gain a foothold in the social networking and media market.

According to a spokesperson for Toyota, this partnership is going to give Toyota its own private social network group where it will be able to facilitate its transaction to the consumers in a much more efficient way. This social network will by used by Toyota to give customers the ability to check and compare prices for different Toyota cars from different Toyota dealerships all over the world. Besides using the network to market products, Toyota customers can now get alerts for low battery along with car finances and maintenance with the help of interactive services like Salesforce chatter. Toyota is putting an estimated 440 million yen in this project and Salesforce will be putting a generous sum of 223 million yen. A mobile app version will also be available in the coming months

This partnership is really a prudent decision taken by Toyota as the number of people who use social networking services keep increasing by the day. This partnership was also done at the right time as Toyota is planning to launch it Toyota friend sometime next year in Japan. For the time being, this network is only reserved for electric powered and other eco-friendly versions of the Toyota brand, so it is not known whether the traditional gasoline powered cars will be sold. Toyota and Salesforce are not the only one in this deal as Microsoft has invested close to $3 million in this partnership for promotional reasons.

(rockefellernews/yk)

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Written by Yash Karnad

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