Main page | August 29, 2007 »

thecarconneciton.com's trivia quiz

Here is thecarconnection.com's latest car trivia quiz plus answers:

1. In the early 1970s, which Big Three company's dealers sold the DeTomaso Pantera sports car?

2. On what platform was the 1991-1996 Ford Escort based?

3. What road joins Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Fairbanks, Alaska?

4. What did Lara Croft drive in the 2001 movie Tomb Raider ?

5. What brand were the cop cars on the 1960s Andy Griffith Show ?

6. Who sang Paradise by the Dashboard Light ?

7. In 1980, this U.S.-built model introduced full-time, all-wheel-drive to the passenger-car market.

8. Which Chrysler car line was named for a 16th century Spaniard who explored the Mississippi?

9. Which U.S. carmaker advertised its Lifeguard safety design in 1956?

10. This 1969 model had an Eliminator performance-package option.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:57 AM to Fun | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford Stays the Course, Wherever It May Lead

DEARBORN — What has changed in the year since Alan R. Mulally left Boeing to be chief executive at Ford?

In a sense, everything and nothing, according to the New York Times' Micheline Maynard.
Since his appointment last September made him the first outsider in recent memory named to run a Detroit auto company, Mr. Mulally has brought discipline to a company known for rivalries and infighting.

An admirer of the development team that created the Taurus sedan, he revived the nameplate, most recently relegated to a rental car. He mortgaged virtually all of Ford’s assets to amass the billions of dollars the company needs for its restructuring, and he has put up for sale Ford’s British luxury nameplates: Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.

Despite that, Mr. Mulally, who turned 62 this month, has not dispelled concerns about the future of Ford, which Toyota passed this year for second place in the American market.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:48 AM to Ford , commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

GM engine may save fuel

General Motors is showing off a new engine technology that could cut fuel consumption by up to 15%, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The savings are the product of an engine-transmission system known as homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI, that marries the high fuel economy of a diesel engine with the relatively low emissions of gasoline engines.

With the potential to deliver better fuel efficiency than even some of its gas-electric hybrids, GM calls HCCI "the most awaited advanced combustion technology of the past 30 years." Mercedes-Benz soon will show its own version of the technology, though neither automaker has said when it will make them in production vehicles.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:44 AM to Fuel economy , GM , Technology | Permalink | Comments 1

Same parts, different auto brands

There's a little bit of Toyota inside the Chevrolet HHR, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The HHR's seat frame was designed by the General Motors Corp. rival and produced by one of Toyota Motor Corp.'s suppliers.

This kind of sharing takes to a new level a trend the auto industry has been moving toward for decades. More recently, the Detroit automakers have been picking up speed with it.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:41 AM to Auto industry , GM , Technology , Toyota | Permalink | Comments 0

Verve points to future for Ford

Ford gave the first hint of its future small-car design vision in the new Ford Verve concept, photos of which were released Thursday, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The bullet-shape concept is bold, sporty and in a design style that Ford calls kinetic, for the visual effect that makes the vehicle look like it's in motion even when standing still.

The Verve, which will debut next month at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, is the first of three subcompact concept vehicles that will debut in the key regions of Europe, Asia and North America.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:37 AM to Ford , Fuel economy | Permalink | Comments 0

Soybean price jump fueled by biodiesel

The alternative-fuel revolution is driving prices of another energy-producing crop to near-record levels, according to USA Today.

Soybean prices are expected to hit their second-highest average mark ever this year — and highest since 1983, says the Agriculture Department. Soybeans are used to make biodiesel fuel.

Production of biodiesel, a renewable alternative to diesel fuel, has increased more than 1,200% in the past three years, showing how the nation's truckers are being drawn into the alternative-fuels frenzy along with the auto industry.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:30 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil drifts below $70, US slowdown fears weigh

LONDON - Oil hovered below $70 a barrel on Friday, overshadowed by worries about a possible U.S. slowdown and after Mexico's Gulf oil rigs suffered only minor damage from Hurricane Dean, according to Reuters News Agency.

U.S. light crude for October delivery was 9 cents lower at $69.74 a barrel by 0901 EDT. U.S. crude had gained 57 cents on Thursday, ending a three-day losing streak that had knocked prices to their lowest since late June.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:27 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0