THE WINNNER OF CONTEST #15 was TOROBUD. Congratulation on a year subscription to Automobile Magazine.

CONTEST #15 - HOW IS YOUR CHRYSLER KNOWLEDGE

Another week gone by and I think for those who are deserving MOPAR and especially automotive fanatics may enjoy one-year subscription to Automobile Magazine.

The first one to post the correct answer gets the prize. Once you find the answer, place it in this link: http://www.srtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159746&page=90


QUESTION: Which month, day, and year 'The Plymouth', named by Chrysler Sales Division Vice President Joseph W. Frazer, is introduced at Madison Square Garden in New York City ? Hint, the answer lies on this blogspot site.


DISCLAIMER - - This contest is not furnished by or monies given by either DaimlerChrysler or Blogspot Google staff. This contest is sponsored by Hemidakota and ran soley by HemiDakota. HemiDakota has the final discretion to terminate the contest or award the final prize to the most correct answer.

Jeep recalls target cooling-fan blades, seat heaters

Harry Stoffer Automotive News, WASHINGTON -- The Chrysler group is recalling nearly 150,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees because cooling-fan blades may break and hurt people near the vehicle if the hood is open.The recall involves some 2000 and 2002 Grand Cherokees equipped with 4.0-liter, 6-cylinder engines.

The recall follows an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The automaker and the agency collected nearly 200 complaints about fan blades breaking.Dealers are to replace the fan modules. Robert Bosch Corp. was the supplier of the original equipment, according to NHTSA documents.Chrysler also is recalling about 112,000 2003-04 Grand Cherokees so seat heaters can be replaced.

The company found that some front passenger seats overheated. At least 32 vehicle fires have been attributed to the problem.

Hot carIn a small but unusual recall, owners of 433 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLarens built for the 2005-06 model years are being asked to return them so changes can be made to combat engine-compartment's overheating.

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC told NHTSA that under "hard operating conditions," engine-compartment temperatures can exceed those for which the alternator was designed. Mercedes said a shutdown of electrical functions and fire can result.The rest of the listHere are other recalls that automakers reported to NHTSA:

Imperial Brand was part of the Chrysler Group

DETROIT FREE PRESS - - Information in Motor City Sunday in the Business & Money section about the 1960 Imperial Crown convertible at the Automotive Hall of Fame classic car show was incorrect. It should not have called it a Chrysler. Imperial became a separate brand within Chrysler Corp. in 1954 for the 1955 model year. It remained separate until 1970.

Photo Credit: http://www.fedrelandsvennen.no/amcar/street/iveland/bilder/14.jpg

INSIDE LINE EDMUNDS, LONDON — The 2007 Chrysler Sebring got its global launch at the British International Motor Show, as the automaker confirmed that the midsize sedan can be ordered with a diesel engine in Europe, a first for the Chrysler Group in the D segment.

The 2.0-liter I4 turbodiesel is estimated to produce 140 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque, the company said. It is coupled with a 6-speed manual transmission. The diesel is one of four engine options for the Sebring in Europe. The three gas engines include Chrysler's 2.0-liter 4-cylinder "World Engine," a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and a 2.7-liter V6 that will be available at a later date in Europe.

The Sebring will be available in two trim levels, the Sebring Touring and Sebring Limited and will arrive in the U.K. and other European dealerships in the first half of 2007.

Prices have not yet been announced.What this means to you: If the Europeans can get a diesel Sebring, don't rule it out for the U.S. at a later date.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter wins German Commercial Vehicle Prize

• Winner is the new Sprinter
• Tested by tradesmen
• Presentation of prize on September 22 at IAA in Hanover

AUTOCHANNEL STUTTGART - July 27, 2006: Twelve testers, all master tradesmen with fleets of their own, tested the vehicles entered for the competition during an entire weekend. And they came up with a winner: the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. The tradesmen, readers of Handwerkmagazin and Deutsche Handwerks Zeitung who applied to take part in the 2006/2007 Commercial Vehicle Prize organized by Holzmann Verlag publishing house, assessed a total of nine vehicles. These were vans with 3 or 3.5 tonnes permissible gross vehicle weight; like the Sprinter, several were launched in 2006. Others will follow before the end of the year.

So practically the entire current spectrum of vehicles on offer in this class was represented. As in the tests of earlier years, the first day began with the rating of the standing vehicles, assessing their cabs and load compartments. For instance, the aspects examined included the seating position, operating convenience and stowage facilities, as well as the payload, towing capacity and size of the cargo area.

The second day of testing focused on driving. Each tester drove each vehicle over a specified route and, immediately afterwards, rated its engine power, handling, safety aspects and ease of maintenance. The operating costs had been determined in advance by the independent testing organisation DEKRA and made available to the tester team. When the individual results were added up, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, entered as a 311 CDI panel van, came out on top.

The German Commercial Vehicle Prize is awarded every two years on the occasion of the Commercial Vehicle International Motor Show (IAA) by Holzmann Verlag under the patronage of the Federal Minister of Transport. The prize will be presented this year on September 22 at the IAA in Hanover by Prof. Bernd Gottschalk, President of the VDA (German Association of the Automotive Industry).

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

Region: TAIWAN REGION
Geographic coordinates: 24.141N, 122.546E
Magnitude: 6.1 Mb
Depth: 21 km
Universal Time (UTC): 28 Jul 2006 07:40:10
Time near the Epicenter: 28 Jul 2006 15:40:10
Local time in your area: 28 Jul 2006 08:40:10
Location with respect to nearby cities:
87 km (54 miles) SE (126 degrees) of Su-ao, Taiwan 100 km (62 miles) E (79 degrees) of Hua-lien, Taiwan
146 km (91 miles) SE (135 degrees) of T'AI-PEI, Taiwan
1072 km (666 miles) N (9 degrees) of MANILA, Philippines

ADDITIONAL EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
________________________________
event ID : US qsal
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist at NEIC For subsequent updates, maps, and technical information, see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usqsal.php
or

This Day in Auto History: 28 JULY

7.28.1897 Duesenberg enthusiast Jerry E. Gebby is born

7.28.1909 The Parry Automobile Company is organized in Indianapolis, IN by David M. Parry

7.28.1928 The Plymouth, named by Chrysler Sales Division Vice President Joseph W. Frazer, is introduced at Madison Square Garden in New York City

7.28.1941 The Richardson Pan-American Highway Expedition is completed when a modified 1941 Plymouth driven by Sullivan Richardson, Arnold Whitaker, and Kenneth C. Van Hee reaches Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile after an 8-month journey from Detroit, MI

7.28.1957 Jean Behra driving a BRM P25 wins the Grand Prix de Caen (France), the marque’s first major racing victory

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick

Chrysler may invest in Kenosha, 2 other plants

Company to spend $2 billion, trade publication reports

JS ONLINE, THOMAS CONTENT, KENOSHA - - An auto industry trade publication is reporting that DaimlerChrysler AG is preparing to invest $2 billion at three plants, including one in Kenosha, as it prepares to unveil a new V-6 engine.Quoting union sources, Automotive News said DaimlerChrysler will seek to build engines for both Mercedes and Chrysler vehicles in Kenosha; Trenton, Mich.; and Toledo, Ohio.

Gov. Jim Doyle met with Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Tom LaSorda in Detroit more than a month ago in a bid to show the state's willingness to pitch in to help secure an investment in Kenosha, Doyle spokesman Matt Canter said. Chrysler Group is the Detroit-based subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler.

Michele Tinson, a Chrysler Group spokeswoman, said the company has nothing yet to announce regarding the potential investment in the plants. A Mercedes plant in Germany also would make the engines, Automotive News said this week.

"We are reviewing the potential opportunities for each of those venues," she said of Kenosha, Trenton and Toledo. Tinson said a decision is likely to be announced before the end of the year.
In April, workers at the Kenosha plant agreed to work rule changes as a way to lure new DaimlerChrysler investment.

Last month, 214 workers in Kenosha were laid off indefinitely after the company decided to shift production of 4.0-liter engines for the Jeep Wrangler to the Trenton plant.

The Kenosha plant continues to employ about 1,050 workers, DaimlerChrysler said.
According to Automotive News, DaimlerChrysler is looking to invest about $500 million in Kenosha, $800 million at Trenton and $700 million at Toledo, with Kenosha projected as "probably" the first one to produce the new engines, which are expected to debut on 2010 model vehicles.

The new V-6 engine would replace four different types of V-6 engines now made by Chrysler plants, including those made in Kenosha, Automotive News reported.

Union officials in Kenosha couldn't be reached for comment Thursday, and they declined to comment earlier this year on specifics of the changes being sought by the company.
The Kenosha plant makes a 3.5-liter engine, used on the Chrysler Pacifica and 300, and the Dodge Magnum and Charger models, as well as a 2.7-liter engine used on the 300, Stratus, Charger, Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Magnum models.

The opening of the 3.5-liter engine line, in 2002, came after the company invested $624 million in a 450,000-square-foot expansion of the plant. The Kenosha plant was built in 1917 and was bought by Chrysler in August 1987 when it acquired American Motors. Vehicle production in Kenosha stopped in 1988.

Canter said Doyle met with LaSorda during a two-day trip to Detroit that also included a meeting with General Motors executives to discuss possible expansion opportunities for the Janesville assembly plant that makes full-size sport utility vehicles.

Chrysler expects third quarter losses

Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News - - Squeezed by bloated inventory, a high fleet mix and vehicle production cuts, Chrysler Group said this morning it expects to lose as much as $600 million during this year's third quarter.

The Auburn Hills-based automaker reported a 9 percent sales slump for its second quarter compared with the same quarter last year. The falling sales, along with other factors caused Chrysler's earnings to plummet to $65 million from $695 million in 2005.

Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda said he expects production cuts at plants and reduce vehicle shipments to push the automaker's inventory below 600,000 units from its current 648,612 units. The excess inventory has pushed Chryslers' supply to 91 days, nearly 30 percent higher than the industry average.

"This is a strategy we need to do," LaSorda said. "It's something that the dealers are looking for with interest rates up."

The automaker has cut its factory shipments of new vehicles to dealerships, increased incentives and sold 34 percent of its vehicles in the second quarter to fleets, all of which cut into the company's bottom line.

As Chrysler rolls out eight new cars and trucks through the end of the year, LaSorda said he expects the automaker's deepened incentive offerings to decrease on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler vehicles.

"We'll see them coming down based on these new launches," LaSorda said during a conference call this morning with analysts and the media.

LaSorda said the company's fleet penetration, which hovers at 34 percent, should fall as well by December.

Chrysler expects stronger earning results in the fourth quarter as a result of its new vehicle launches, which will total a record 10 for the year and includes the new Caliber hatchback available February.

Erich Merkle, an automotive analyst with Grand Rapids-based IRN Inc., projects Chrysler will see a modest lift in 2007 when it launches its new minivans.

"The minivan for Chrysler is like the F-series for Ford," he said.

Meanwhile, Chrysler's parent company, DaimlerChrysler AG reported an overall 11 percent earnings increase of $2.37 billion for the April-June period.

Last year, the German-based DaimlerChrysler earned $942 million for the quarter. Company officials attributed its surge to improved performance at its luxury division, The Mercedes Car Group, and eliminated German jobs.

Mercedes, which gave DaimlerChrysler an earnings boost, accounted for a 6 percent sales increase or 325,000 vehicles sold in the second quarter. The luxury division earned $1 billion versus $15 million the same quarter in 2005.

DaimlerChrysler's Truck Group and its Financial Services also improved operating profit, while the Smart unit sales were flat.

Separately, DaimlerChrysler Supervisory Board extended LaSorda's contract by years through April 30, 2012. His current contract expires next April.

LaSorda has been a member of the Board of Management since May 1, 2004.

LaSorda to Remain As Chrysler Boss

The Associated Press BERLIN — DaimlerChrysler AG said Thursday that it has extended the contract of the head of its Chrysler Group, Tom LaSorda, for an extra five years through 2012.

LaSorda, a 52-year-old Canadian, has been a member of DaimlerChrysler's management board since May 2004, and became CEO of Chrysler in September 2005. He joined Chrysler in 2000 after previously working for General Motors Co.DaimlerChrysler said its board of directors named LaSorda, who had a contract through April 30, 2007, as president and chief executive of its U.S. auto division for five more years.

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

Region: NIAS REGION, INDONESIA
Geographic coordinates: 1.758N, 97.167E
Magnitude: 6.0 Mw
Depth: 30 km
Universal Time (UTC): 27 Jul 2006 11:16:42
Time near the Epicenter: 27 Jul 2006 18:16:42
Local time in your area: 27 Jul 2006 12:16:42
Location with respect to nearby cities:
182 km (113 miles) W (272 degrees) of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia
261 km (162 miles) SW (219 degrees) of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
463 km (288 miles) SSE (154 degrees) of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
526 km (327 miles) WSW (253 degrees) of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia

ADDITIONAL EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
________________________________
event ID : US qrai
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist at NEIC For subsequent updates, maps, and technical information, see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usqrai.php

DCX boosts Q2 operating profit; Chrysler slips

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) -- DaimlerChrysler's second-quarter operating profit rose 11 percent to 1.857 billion euros ($2.37 billion), beating market expectations, as a rebound at flagship Mercedes Car Group offset slumping profit at U.S. arm Chrysler.The world's fifth-biggest carmaker reiterated on Thursday that group operating profit would exceed 6 billion euros in 2006, up from just under 5.2 billion in 2005.Chrysler, swept up in a U.S. price war and battling excess inventory, contributed 51 million euros ($65 million) in the second quarter compared with 544 million euros ($695 million) in the same quarter last year.The automaker said it still expected full-year deliveries at Chrysler to hold roughly at last year's level thanks to a second-half new model offensive.

Open-road tolling begins in Belvidere

Heath Hixson, ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR, BELVIDERE — Traffic at the Belvidere Toll Plaza on Interstate 90 was backed up about a mile Wednesday morning to the Belvidere Oasis as travelers waited to pay their tolls.

The sight was nothing new, although it should now become less common.That’s because at that moment, inside the oasis, Illinois State Toll Highway Authority officials were announcing the start of open-road tolling in the Rock River Valley.

They said drivers would soon have a new tollway experience and promised that the implementation of the system would result in faster drive times and less congestion at toll plazas.

“With open-road tolling, people can spend less time in traffic and spend more time on what they want,” Brian McPartlin, acting executive director of the tollway authority, said at a news conference with the slow-moving traffic as a backdrop.

Open-road tolling allows barrier-free travel for users of I-PASS. Motorists’ electronic accounts are charged as they pass beneath transponders at the toll plaza. Cash users are diverted into separate lanes to allow for the free flow of I-PASS traffic, which tollway officials say makes up 75 percent of the system’s users.

A half-hour later, media and other interested parties moved to the toll plaza parking lot and watched as McPartlin’s pronouncement materialized. About 10:30 a.m., the first two open-road tolling lanes opened.Among the first vehicles on the momentarily empty tollway was a Chrysler Sebring carrying Belvidere Mayor Fred Brereton and Carl Towns, a Rockford-based member of the tollway board of directors. Behind them were a newly manufactured Dodge Caliber and a Jeep Compass, provided by DaimlerChrysler’s Belvidere plant.

Once the ceremony was over, a mass of vehicles stuck in traffic that had been waiting to use the nearby older toll booths were let loose. The I-PASS users zoomed by at highway speeds. Cash users merged to the right to squeeze into two of three cash lanes that were opened.

Within 30 minutes, the traffic jam had dissipated. One could drive through the cash lanes unimpeded after the third lane opened.“(People) wanted to get where they wanted to go without long lines, and the only way to do that is with open-road tolling,” Towns said.

Aside from open-road tolling, the new lanes will end construction that has disrupted westbound traffic at the Belvidere plaza. The plaza’s older tollbooths will be removed by the end of the year and eastbound lanes will be shifted back from the shoulder.

The Belvidere plaza is the 13th of 20 mainline plazas in the authority’s interstate system to be converted to open-road tolling. The Marengo Toll Plaza will open Friday with open-road tolling.

The South Beloit Toll Plaza will be completed this fall, officials said.Reconstruction of the toll plazas are part of the tollway authority’s $5.3 billion plan to overhaul nearly all of its 274-mile interstate system in Northern Illinois. The plazas’ portion of the project is expected to cost $327.3 million and is on time and on budget, tollway officials said.Steve Nailor, chairman of the Rockford-Winnebago Better Roads Association, said the open-road tolling would help drivers “save time and money” and reduce bottlenecks in the system.

This Day in Auto History:

7.27.1904 The first Buick is sold to Dr. Herbert H. Hills of Flint, MI according to contemporary journalist Hugh Dolnar, although most later references cite August 13, 1904 as the actual date of sale

7.27.1928 The “last” 4-cylinder Dodge is produced, until the introduction of the sub-compact Omni in 1978

7.27.1947 Racer Jean Max is born in Marseille, France

7.27.1954 Racer Philippe Alliot is born in Voves, France 7.27.1969 Racer Moises Solana is killed at age 36 when his McLaren M6B crashes during the Valle de Bravo hillclimb in Mexico

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick

Mercedes-Benz USA names Ernst Lieb CEO

Diana T. Kurylko, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS STRUTTGART GERMANY - - Mercedes-Benz USA LLC will get a new CEO on Sept. 1. Ernst Lieb, 51, CEO of DaimlerChrysler Australia/Pacific will replace Paul Halata (pictured) in the top Mercedes U.S. post. Halata, CEO since September 1999, will retire, sources say. The German-born Lieb began his career with Mercedes-Benz in Canada in 1985 and became CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada in 1995, succeeding Halata.

He ran Mercedes-Benz Canada until 2003 and is credited with building sales momentum.In 2003, he took over as CEO of DaimlerChrysler Australia/Pacific in Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia. He not only ran Mercedes-Benz sales and distribution in the region but also sales of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands and DaimlerChrysler's trucks.Like Halata, Lieb will be responsible for the sales, marketing and service of Mercedes-Benz and Maybach vehicles in the United States, and also parts and accessories.

Halata, 55, renewed his contract with Mercedes-Benz a year ago and was to have stayed through 2009.The Czech-born executive began his career with Mercedes-Benz Canada in 1972. In 1989, he was promoted to the top Canadian job, which he held until 1995. In 1995, Halata was named senior vice president of sales and marketing for the commercial van division in Europe. In 1997 he was appointed president of Mercedes-Benz UK, a job he held for two years. Mercedes-Benz sales in the United States rose from 189,437 vehicles in 1999 to 224,269 vehicles in 2005. But in 2001, archrival BMW passed Mercedes in U.S. sales. BMW has remained the top-selling German brand.

Cummins in light-duty engine deal with automaker

By James B. Kelleher CHICAGO, July 26 (Reuters) - Cummins Inc. (CMI.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the U.S. engine maker, said on Wednesday that it signed a partnership with a major car maker to produce light-duty diesel engines for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The Columbus, Indiana-based company, which already makes the diesels that power some Dodge Ram pickups made by Daimler Chrysler (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research), declined to name the partner. It said that for "competitive reasons" the company wanted its name to remain "confidential."

Cummins only described it as "a major automotive manufacturer serving the North American market."

Cummins has existing relationships with a number of companies that fit that description, though none of them, except Chrysler, are to supply engines for passenger vehicles.

It supplies medium- and heavy-duty diesel truck engines to Ford Motor Co. (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Volvo (VOLVb.ST: Quote, Profile, Research) and Volkswagen (VOWG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research).

It has no similar partnerships with any Asian automaker -- though this agreement may change that. In a note to investors, Peter Nesvold, an analyst at Bear Stearns, speculated the unnamed partner might be Nissan Motor Co. (7201.T: Quote, NEWS, Research), Japan's second-largest car maker.

Nesvold said that he has heard "on multiple occasions" that Nisan wants to introduce a diesel version of its Titan pickup for model year 2009.

"Nissan ... concluded that it needed a diesel to more fully take on the F-series, Silverado, and Dodge Ram, but that it lacked technical capabilities to handle the U.S. emissions regulations," he wrote in the note.

Nesvold said that Navistar International Corp. (NAV.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the Warrenville, Illinois-based truck and engine-maker, had also been bidding on the Nissan project. If Cummins and Nissan had indeed agreed to partner, Nesvold said it was "a very minor longer-term negative" for Navistar.

Mark Land, a spokesman at Cummins, declined to comment on any speculation regarding the partner.
Land said that the engine was still in the prototype stage and that site selection for the plant that will make it had only been narrowed down to "a handful of states."

The first vehicles with the engine are expected to hit the market by the end of the decade, he said.

Wednesday's announcement was the latest win for Cummins. Last month, Paccar Inc. (PCAR.O: Quote, Profile, Research), one of the largest U.S. truck makers, said that starting next year it would power its medium-duty trucks exclusively with engines built by Cummins, eliminating Caterpillar Inc. from that lineup.

Starting with model year 2008, a Cummins engine will also be the standard offering for the Ford F650 and 750, replacing engines built by Navistar.

The Smart's Trip To Alabama

eMercedesBenz News - - Once upon a time, there was little car by the name of smart. smart was small - smaller than all the other cars, and as an unfortunate result, sometimes smart was teased.

"You're too little, smart," the other cars would say. "Nobody wants a car like you."

This criticism often made smart feel dejected. "Maybe they're right," smart would think, "maybe I'll never be able to leave these congested urban streets; maybe I'll never be able to experience the thrills of driving on an open country road."

Then, one day as smart was contemplating this very fact, another vehicle by the name of Mr. Hummer approached cute little smart. "Why the long face," Mr. Hummer asked."Oh, it's nothing" replied smart. "Sometimes I just wish I was bigger, that's all."

"Bigger?" asked Mr Hummer "Why bigger?"

"So the other cars don't tease me. So somebody other than these urban hippies will want me" replied smart.After a brief pause, Mr. Hummer responded with these solemn words of advice: "Son, it's not the size that matters - it's how big your heart is. You can be as big as you want, you just have to set your mind to it."

With a tearful, joyous eye, smart slowly looked up. "Mr. Hummer, you're right. I CAN be as big as I want to be. And I will be big... bigger than EVERYONE!!!"

And with that, smart was gone. Zipping down the road at his top speed of 70mph (or 65 mph when faced with a strong headwind), smart was off... off to become... bigger. Miles went by; then hundreds of miles; then thousands. Eventually, smart arrived at a small gas station, one that looked more like an abandoned shack than the gas stations he was accustomed to seeing. "What can I do ya for?" asked a one-toothed man, slowly ambling from the small shanty with the word "Gas" painted on the side."

I'm smart, and although I don't look like, soon I'll be big... bigger than everyone." The man looked at smart, slowly grinning. "Is that so?" the man responded. "Those are mighty proud words for such a little car."With a steel-tipped gaze, smart answered: "A friend once told me, it's not the size that matters - it's how big your heart is.

"The man paused, taking a moment to study young smart. "Son, I like your attitude" the man said. "I'm Alabama Jake, and I'm going to make you big.""Really?" smart asked "But how?"

"You'll see," said Jake, "You'll see."It turns out, Alabama Jake, or 'Bama as his friends called him, was Alabama's leading purveyor of monster trucks. It took time... weeks of reconstructive surgery, painful strength training, and extensive mental conditioning, but lo and behold, 'Bama delivered on his promise. Jake transformed smart into a true beast - a monster truck - capable of traversing even the most rugged terrain.

Eventually, smart went on to tour the world - smashing cars, being adored by rednecks across the country, and ultimately achieving global notoriety - but the one thing smart never forgot was the advice given to him by Mr. Hummer... advice he still gives to his fellow smart car brethren 'til this day: "It's not the size that matters - it's how big your heart is."

In closing, I ask you, my dear readers, only one thing: next time you see a smart, remember this story. While you may be tempted to judge the smart based on its size, remember also its heart - a heart unrivaled by any other vehicle. Then, ladies and gentlemen, you will see the smart for what it really is - a truly unique automobile.

For more info, head over to Autoblog.nl to view the now-famous smart, along with his new friend, Mr. Bigfoot.

DaimlerChrysler May Say Profit Rose After Job Cuts at Mercedes

July 26 (Bloomberg) -- DaimlerChrysler AG, the world's fifth-largest carmaker, may say second-quarter profit rose after Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche cut 8,500 jobs at Mercedes-Benz and sales of vehicles increased.

Net income probably climbed to 787 million euros ($994 million) from 737 million euros a year earlier, according to the median estimate of 13 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Sales likely rose 6.7 percent to 41 billion euros, the survey showed. The Stuttgart, Germany-based company reports results tomorrow.

Mercedes, which last year lost its position as the world's largest maker of luxury cars to Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, is eliminating positions and improving sales of M-Class sport- utility vehicles and S-Class sedans. The Chrysler unit, hampered by aging, gas-guzzling models such as Dakota trucks, has boosted incentives to $4,000 a vehicle as demand plunges.

``Mercedes is coming back, management is doing the work that needs to be done,'' said Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort who has a ``buy'' rating on the stock. Still, ``it's not unrealistic that Chrysler could report a loss this year. It wouldn't even take an earthquake.''
Shares of DaimlerChrysler have declined 10 percent this year, making them the fourth-worst performer on Germany's benchmark DAX index. Shares of BMW have gained 5 percent.

The spread on DaimlerChrysler's 4.375 percent euro- denominated bond due in March 2013 widened in the second quarter to 93 basis points from 76 basis points, according to RBC Capital, an indication that investors view the company's debt as riskier. The debt is rated BBB by Standard & Poor's, two steps above junk.

DaimlerChrysler spokesman Thomas Froehlich said the company doesn't comment on earnings before they are released.

Job Cuts
Zetsche, who remained head of Mercedes when he became chief of DaimlerChrysler in January, is spending 3 billion euros to cut a total of 15,000 jobs. He's also moving DaimlerChrysler's headquarters from an office building to a factory outside Stuttgart and rolling out new models.

BMW, based in Munich, has introduced models such as the X3 SUV and the 1-Series compact car. BMW is expected to report a 2.9 percent increase in second-quarter net income Aug. 2, according to the median estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Job cuts at Mercedes and the remaining cost to reorganize the Smart mini-car business may result in a charge of 196 million euros in the quarter, according to Georg Stuerzer, an analyst at HVB Group in Munich.

Mercedes Car Group probably will report earnings before interest and tax of 460.5 million euros from 12 million a year earlier, according to the analysts. Chrysler's profit fell to 113 million euros from 544 million euros, the survey showed.

Chrysler Models
Chrysler CEO Tom Lasorda is introducing 10 new models this year, including the Dodge Caliber compact car, as well as expanding Dodge internationally, demanding lower prices from suppliers and boosting productivity.

The company is suffering from a range of old vehicles and will recover again as soon as new models and engines, including more efficient four-cylinder versions, reach the market, said Dresdner Kleinwort's Ellinghorst.

All of the division's models except the PT Cruiser, Dodge Charger and the Sprinter commercial van declined in the first half. Chrysler's U.S. market share fell to 13.5 percent at the end of the first half from 16.1 percent in 1998. Chrysler is now the fourth-largest U.S. carmaker after losing the No. 3 spot to Toyota Motor Corp.

``Chrysler has become a problem child,'' said Juergen Pieper, an analyst at Metzler Investment which oversees the equivalent of $18 billion in assets, including DaimlerChrysler stock. ``It has become difficult for them in the U.S.''

More Discounts
Lasorda revived last summer's ``employee discount'' promotion for July and added cash incentives of up to $3,500 per vehicle. The company also is counting on a $100 million ad campaign featuring Zetsche as ``Dr. Z,'' who explains the features of various Chrysler products and the brand's German engineering, to promote the offer.

Chrysler has the highest incentives in the industry. General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., which offer rebates almost as high, are struggling through reorganizations as they lose market share to Toyota and Honda Motor Co. GM is in talks with Carlos Ghosn about a partnership that would involve both Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. buying a stake in the world's biggest carmaker.

``The situation of the U.S. business is quite difficult,'' said Philippe Barrier, an analyst at Societe Generale in Paris who has a ``neutral'' rating on the stock. ``Chrysler's situation will be watched carefully and the reaction will depend on the results level and the U.S. environment.''
Daimler Takeover

DaimlerChrysler was created by Daimler-Benz AG's $36 billion takeover of Chrysler Corp. in 1998. Chrysler then accounted for more than half of the company's profit, compared with 6.6 percent in the last quarter, the survey shows.

``This year's second-quarter results are highly significant because the earnings decline expected at Chrysler will probably lead to a revision of estimates,'' said HVB Group's Georg Stuerzer, who has a ``buy'' rating.

Profit at Chrysler has never surpassed a peak of 5.05 billion euros in 1999 a year after the takeover. The U.S. division reported losses in 2001 and 2003 as it reorganized and spent money on new models such as the 300 and Crossfire. Last year, profit reached 1.53 billion euros, the most since 1999.

Zetsche, is also trying to revamp the 8-year-old Smart brand, which has never posted a profit. A reorganization of Smart, which is part of the Mercedes Car Group, will cost 1 billion euros this year on top of 1.1 billion euros in 2005.

Zetsche's salary this year will be 1.5 million euros, with a bonus of as much as 2.25 million euros as long as targets are reached. The company plans to release pay details of individual management board members as of this year.

A trustworthy car salesman

Jim Mateja, CHICAGO TRIBUNE - - He doesn't wear a cowboy hat and mask like the Lone Ranger, an early Chrysler pitchman.

Nor does he wear a tuxedo and promote the rich Corinthian leather, as actor Ricardo Montalban did.

And forget the expensive imported Burberry raincoat that Lee Iacocca sported when imploring shoppers to "Buy American."

All he has is a bushy mustache, a pronounced accent and a wry sense of humor. And he uses those well as he runs a crossover vehicle into a crash barrier, expertly folds passenger seats into the floor of a minivan and bounces a soccer ball off his head.

That the results are funny and seemingly effective is a tribute to the Chrysler Group's latest spokesman: Dieter Zetsche. Yes, the man who runs corporate parent DaimlerChrysler AG.

Since July 1, Dr. Z, as he is now known, has joined such notables as former catcher and sportscaster Joe Garagiola, singers Tina Turner and Frank Sinatra and, of course, Montalban and Iacocca in espousing Chrysler products.

Zetsche, a German born in Istanbul, Turkey, who holds a doctorate in engineering, was first brought in to straighten out the Chrysler Group. Now he's back to call attention to his handiwork in the fact that Chrysler shares engineering and technology expertise as well as parts and components with Mercedes-Benz, its partner since DaimlerBenz and Chrysler merged in 1998.

It's the partnership that has spawned the Crossfire roadster and coupe that are 39 percent Mercedes, and the 300C, which at 20 percent Mercedes is credited with reviving the Chrysler brand.

Perhaps more important, the ads are meant to put distance between Chrysler and General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., automakers struggling to make a profit in North America.
Zetsche is put off by media reports about the ailing domestic automakers that include Chrysler by inference; he speaks the language of success in the auto industry. He's behind not only the 300C but also the Dodge Magnum and Charger, two other strong sellers. And he resurrected the "Hemi" engine, a favorite of the performance crowd.

The big question, however, is the timing of the ad campaign, which was unveiled when Chrysler introduced a new employee pricing and money-back guarantee program this month.

"We've seen more people in the store, but is it Dieter or the pricing incentive?" asked Ray Riley, of Knauz Chrysler in Lake Bluff, Ill.

"The message of Mercedes engineering in our products was long overdue, but that message dilutes our pricing message," said Dave Taylor, a Chrysler-Dodge dealer in Kankakee, Ill.

"There's not as much traffic as people thought there would be. People are missing the pricing message with the Dr. Z thing, which clouds the pricing."

Then there's the clouding effect of Zetsche's thick German accent. "I'm not sure everyone understands him," Taylor said.

And even if they do, Riley said, people want to know who he is and whether he's real. No matter. When Montalban promoted "rich Corinthian leather," no one could prove Corinthian leather even existed. But it did sell cars.

"When you call him [Zetsche] on his cell phone, his message is, 'Sorry, I'm not awailable,' but the accent is part of the charm and appeal and shows this guy isn't faking it," said Jason Vines, head of public relations for Chrysler Group.

Before doing the ads, Chrysler's ad agency, BBDO in Detroit, tested consumers to learn how Zetsche would be received. As well as he was by Chrysler, it turns out.

"Our research showed that Dieter scored through the roof with consumers across America. He came across as compelling, charming, trustworthy, and all with a sense of humor," said Joe Garcia, president of BBDO in Detroit. "He's not a wooden head."
Yet, he's no Lee Iacocca on the recognition scale.
"Very few [Americans] know who Zetsche is. We surveyed consumers when the ads started and most thought he was amusing and interesting, but that he was a character an ad agency made up. Many think of him as a stand-up comic," said Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research.
Iacocca appeared in memorable ads throughout the 1980s with the signature tag line, "If you can find a better car, buy it." Last summer, Chrysler brought back the octogenarian and father of the minivan for its ads, teaming him with rapper Snoop Dogg to help bridge the generation gap.
"Zetsche is not like Iacocca, who most people got to know for years before he started doing ads," Spinella said.
"Don't get me wrong. The ads have been received well, but have had the biggest impact where Chrysler is already strong, on the East Coast and in the Midwest, where there's the most reverence for German engineering," Spinella said. In the South, "the message about German engineering just reinforces the belief that Chrysler isn't an American company."

In the first two weeks of the ad campaign, there were 406,000 visits to the AskDrZ.com Web site created as a companion to the ads. And 2.2 million questions were asked of Zetsche, the bulk of them about when Chrysler will bring out the new high-performance Dodge Challenger and the high-mileage Smart (in 2008).

Chrysler CEO Tom LaSorda put the ad campaign into perspective. "We wanted to have some fun. People must have a positive attitude toward your product before they consider your product," he said

This day in Auto History: 26 JULY

7.26.1876 Sam Breadon, longtime Saint Louis, MO car dealer and owner of the St. Louis Cardinals major league baseball team, is born in New York City

7.26.1901 The Mack Brothers Company is incorporated in New York State

7.26.1921 Jimmy Murphy in a Duesenberg wins the French Grand Prix in Le Mans to become the first United States citizen driving a United States-built car to win a major foreign race

7.26.1928 Racer Don Beauman is born in Great Britain

7.26.1937 Racer Ernst von Delius dies at age 27 from injuries suffered the previous day when his Auto Union crashed during the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick

2006 Dodge Viper NOT SELLING TOO WELL

Chris Vander Doelen, Windsor StarPublished CONNOR AVENUE- - There is good news and bad news about the Dodge Viper, the bad boy sports car launched a decade ago to revive the working man's brand.

The bad news is, the 2006 Viper is not selling. Dealer inventory is so high, the Detroit plant that builds the high-powered sports car will be laid off for the rest of the year after their summer shutdown ends later this month.

A spokesman for DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. confirmed the the Detroit layoffs for me last week.

Connor Avenue Assembly in Detroit, where the cars are hand-built on an assembly line that is only 700 feet long (Windsor's minivan assembly line is over 10 km long) hand builds only 11 Vipers a day.

But inventories before the shutdown were said to be in the hundreds -- in the neighbourhood of 800 vehicles, according to some people who work in the plant, via a third party. The good news is, Dodge is working on a new Viper, and I have it on very good authority that the brand managers intend the new version of the car to make a forceful statement to re-establish its supremacy in the horsepower wars.

When the Viper came out 13 years ago, progenitor Bob Lutz decreed that it have 500 horsepower -- an almost unheard of quantity of power at the time. It was the most brutal package of violent acceleration available on the market.

But the competition has caught up during the intervening years.

A number of Mercedes-Benzes, Corvettes, BMWs and even a Ford Mustang now boasts 500 horses or more.

The new Viper will have at least 600 horsepower, my sources say. Through the miracle of variable valve timing, it may even have 650 horses -- and still be emissions compliant.

I had no accurate information about which model year the new car will be, but pilots are already being built.

Mercedes-AMG opens AMG Performance Studio

AUTO-INSIDER NEWS BLOG - - Last week, Mercedes-AMG announced it is opening a new performance studio to to serve the needs of people who not satisfied with the run-of-the-mill AMGs at their local Mercedes dealership. The AMG Performance Studio is set up to grant customers’ individual requests, from special paint jobs and cutting-edge audio to unique made-to-order models.

“We are receiving more and more requests from AMG fans and sports-car enthusiasts from around the world for even more dynamic vehicles, special equipment features and specific components,” said Volker Mornhinweg, CEO of Mercedes-AMG. “The new Performance Studio makes it possible for us to meet these requests.”

The Performance Studio will be able to make “very specific technical modifications including AMG sports chassis, AMG high-performance brakes, AMG wheel/tire combinations, limited-slip differentials, and customized interior features.”

The AMG Performance Studio will have three separate series of vehicles.

2006-07-25 12:39 (Mb 5.5) SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA -9.3 108.5

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

Region: SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
Geographic coordinates: 9.270S, 108.457E
Magnitude: 5.5 Mb
Depth: 10 km
Universal Time (UTC): 25 Jul 2006 12:39:24
Time near the Epicenter: 25 Jul 2006 19:39:24
Local time in your area: 25 Jul 2006 13:39:24
Location with respect to nearby cities:
216 km (134 miles) S (174 degrees) of Tasikmalaya, Java, Indonesia
269 km (167 miles) SW (232 degrees) of Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
276 km (172 miles) SSE (159 degrees) of Bandung, Java, Indonesia
396 km (246 miles) SSE (152 degrees) of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia

ADDITIONAL EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
________________________________
event ID : US qpas
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist at NEIC For subsequent updates, maps, and technical information, see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usqpas.php

New Composite Material with Kevlar for Automotive Applications

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - -DuPont is leveraging the strength and toughness of Kevlar to play a role in the automotive parts industry. DuPont, has developed a new composite material, combining Kevlar with a flexible plastic. DuPont sees the material as a longer-lasting competitor to traditional rubber. The company plans to sell it to auto parts makers as a material for tires, hoses, belts and gaskets. DuPont currently provides Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. with the Kevlar for its Fortera with SilentArmor Technology, Wrangler with SilentArmor Technology and Goodyear Eagle with ResponsEdge tires. Each tire has a layer of Kevlar between the tread and its steel belts which reduces vibration and road noise. Jim Davis, a Goodyear spokesman said the company has had great success with the tires. The article said the idea for the new product came from discussions with auto parts makers.

Mercedes-Benz crack rev barrier

Mercedes-Benz crack rev barrier, 25/07/2006 13:46 - -Mercedes-Benz has become the second engine maker in F1 to break the elusive 20 000r/min barrier.

Williams' current supplier, Cosworth, was the first to reach the milestone in qualifying trim, but at Magny Cours Mercedes' Norbert Haug reportedly took great delight in overseeing the achievement in the back of a silver McLaren racer.

"We've cracked 20 000," he was quoted as saying by Eurosport AutoMagazin.
Earlier this season, the results of an acoustic study showed that the third and fourth highest-revving V8 power plants in pitlane belonged to BMW and Ferrari.

Tech glitches bog Chrysler's Caliber plant

Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News - -

Hot seller dampened by problems at Illinois facility, where robots bump into
each other.

A highly automated Chrysler plant touted as a factory of the future is experiencing technical glitches that are slowing the production of the hot-selling Dodge Caliber hatchback.

Some of the 780 Swedish-made ABB Ltd. robots that weld and assemble cars at Chrysler Group's Belvidere, Ill. assembly plant are bumping into each other -- stopping work anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour, and at least once ending an entire shift.

The glitches are slowing production of the Caliber, which in turn slows shipments of the vehicle to dealers, who say they want as many cars as the company can ship.

The Belvidere plant's $419 million upgrade completed last year was reportedly inspired by a James Bond movie "Die Another Day," in which 007 battled killer robots. The factory, which recently started building the Jeep Compass compact SUV, is missing its daily production target of 1,050 units by 250 vehicles. Production of a third vehicle, the Jeep Patriot, will start later this year.

Chrysler officials said some production issues are to be expected, given the plant's recent upgrade to become flexible and automated enough to build several different vehicles on the same line.

Even so, "it's a concern that the body shop isn't operating at 100 percent and is causing the line to be halted," said Catherine Madden, a production analyst with Boston-based Global Insight Inc. "You don't want to break the momentum that the vehicle has set."

The Caliber has sold well since its February launch, providing a boost to the truck-heavy Dodge lineup. Dodge has taken a hit as consumers, pinched by high gas prices, move from trucks to cars.

Through June, Chrysler sold 43,694 Calibers and dealers say they could sell more. Many have expanding waiting lists with names of interested Caliber buyers. Dodge has 78,000 dealer orders for the Caliber, Chrysler reports.

"I have 15 people waiting for it right now," said Ken Zangara, owner of Zangara Dodge in Albuquerque, N.M. "It's not staying on the ground at all. I wish I had 100 of them to sell."

The dealership is receiving about eight Calibers weekly. Zangara said he could sell 20 Calibers per week if shipments increased.

Caliber owner Brennan Brown of Lansing said he waited nearly a month for the new car.

The dealership called Brown weekly, updating him on how long he would have to wait for the vehicle. The conversations with the dealership persuaded him to wait for the new batch of Calibers to be shipped rather than purchase a car elsewhere. "But then again, I wasn't a customer who was in urgent need of a car," Brown said.

Downtime hurts bottom line
Golling Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Bloomfield Hills receives between 20 to 25 Calibers a month, said Joe Ellsasser, general manager. "Our sales are exceeding supply, but that's great because that means people want (Calibers)," he said.

The Caliber sat on dealer lots an average of 11 days in June compared with the industry average of 59 days, said J.D. Power and Associates.

Global Insight estimates the Belvidere plant will build between 170,000 and 180,000 Calibers this year. But falling short of those numbers could hurt Chrysler's bottom line. Because the Caliber has a base price of $13,985, Chrysler must sell a large quantity of them to turn a profit.

Furthermore, production downtime translates to losses in capital investment, labor and equipment cost, Madden said.

On July 16, about 1,000 recently hired third-shift employees were sent home early because of robotic problems.

There is no time frame for fixing the programming problem, but Chrysler expects it won't take long.
Tom Littlejohn, president of United Auto Workers Local 1268 in Belvidere, said last week the third shift was expected to work. "We may not be able to deliver as many Calibers as we like, but the quality of the vehicles being produced are on par."

Plant's flexibility a boon
Chrysler says such manufacturing hiccups are not uncommon given the complexity of the launch and the retooled plant, which produces Calibers for the U.S. market and also diesel versions with right-hand drive for overseas.

In addition, all-wheel-drive vehicles and test models of the new Jeep Patriot SUV, which will be added to the mix later this year, are being assembled.

"Right now we're in the middle of bringing on a third shift. We're in the middle of launching eight different configurations of products," Frank Ewasyshyn, Chrysler's executive vice president of manufacturing, said in an interview. "The demand is unbelievable. We're pushing harder than ever before."

Similar upgrades are also being made to Chrysler's assembly plants in Sterling Heights and St. Louis as the automaker pushes to launch a record 10 new products this year.
"It's bad timing for sure," said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for Edmunds.com, a car buyer's research Web site.

"It's certainly not going to help, but I don't know if (the glitches) are going to really be detrimental to the long-term success of this vehicle."

You can reach Josee Valcourt at (313) 222-2300 or jmvalcourt@detnews.com.

This Day in Auto History: 25 JULY

7.25.1905 Racer Georges Grignard is born in Paris, France

7.25.1925 Automotive historian Jack Curtis Fox is born in Los Angeles, CA

7.25.1948 Earl D. “Ed” Sirrine, former Sales Engineer for the Autocar Company, dies in Marianna, FL at age 61

7.25.1983 William Balderston, a longtime executive of the Philco Corporation who was a leader in the automobile radio movement, dies at age 86

Source: Automobile History Day By Day, by Douglas A. Wick
Photo Credit: http://www.statsf1.com/cars/photo/93/13.jpg

Local car buffs excited about new Dodge Challenger

Jeff Stahl KESQ News Channel 3, Arburn Hills MI - - Dodge is rolling out a new muscle car paying homage to one of it's classics from the late 60's and early 70's. Execs are hoping it'll be the next Mustang or P.T. Cruiser, cars that they just can't keep on the lot. Area car lovers are excited about the return of the new retro Challenger.

It doesn't take much to see the love Glenn Forebush has for his classic 1974 Dodge Challenger with its pistol-gripped shifter and 440-four barrel engine. Turning a three-month repaint into a three-year renovation, he stripped this car down, repainted it to its original color, installed custom wheels and a number of other after market features.

"Aftermarket manifold, carburetor, air cleaner, chrome valve covers."

Now his classic ride is getting a new look from a new generation, it's so new dodge doesn't even have video of it yet. But the automaker is going back to its roots once again introducing a new Challenger, retro in design, a two-door, 425-horse power V-8 engine, drawing its heritage from those classic cars from the 70's.

"The cars look fast, just sitting still. Just sitting there they look powerful."

Featuring their huge engines and a number of custom modifications, many of the people who own these 1970's Challengers say they're planning on buying the new Challengers when they come out next year. Dodge is hoping other people will do the same. "If they build it like the concept car, I love it. I saw it up at the Mopars at the strip show in Vegas this year. I love it. There will be one in my garage."

"It's about time. They've done a good job in the photos I've seen and the articles I've read. If it comes out like that, it's going to be a real nice tribute to the old muscle car era."

Dan Campbell's all-original 1972 Challenger has 59,000 original miles, no more.

Milton Beauchamp owns a completely restored 1970 Challenger. He says his wife is even into the new model.

"She's saying this is what we want to do. We're going to trade in another car we have, buy that and park it right next to this one right in the garage if it goes well."

All this attention is just what Dodge wants to generate, a buzz that will bring in car buyers to their dealerships.

"As soon as the car was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, everybody seems to feel the car is readily available, and of course it isn't. We're getting 3 to 5 calls a day."

It is a 2008 and likely not coming out until late next year. Still, at classic auto shows like this one in Redlands, where chrome, polish, and American cars are still king, the new Challenger is offering some promise of bringing back a time when the big three auto-makers dominated the highways.

And classic owners are enjoying the ride.

If you're in the market for one of those new 2008 model Challengers, expect to pay between $19,000 and $26,000, depending on what engine you get and other options.

New Magnesium Alloys Developed Especially to Replace Steel in Automotive Applications

AZOM NEWS - - New Magnesium Alloys Developed Especially to Replace Steel in Automotive Applications

To find a featherweight metal is every carmaker’s dream. Magnesium comes pretty close to this ideal. It weighs only about a third less than aluminum and is even two thirds lighter than steel – the perfect material, in fact, for building energy-saving cars. “But you can’t simply replace steel with magnesium,” states Michael Kieninger of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt. “However light they may be, the parts must still be capable of withstanding shock, vibration and corrosion – the car ultimately needs to be robust.”

Magnesium itself is too soft for use in vehicle construction, but its properties can be changed by combining it with other elements.

Working with automobile manufacturers VW, Opel and Fiat in an EU project entitled “Mg-Chassis”, researchers from Germany, Sweden and Israel have developed and tested new magnesium alloys.

The Magnesium Research Institute in Israel has created lightweight yet extremely robust materials from magnesium fused with small quantities of aluminum, zinc and manganese. Engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research IFAM in Bremen cast components from these materials. Scientists at the LBF put these demonstrators through their paces: “For the first time ever, we were able to examine all the relevant factors affecting the structural durability of components: resistance to vibration under loads with constant and variable amplitudes and fracture behavior on impact,” says Christian Pohl of the LBF.

The researchers also examined the effect of lasting deformation on the life of the component, caused by factors such as the driver grazing the curb. “We found that many of the magnesium alloys possess excellent material properties and are suitable for safety-relevant components such as the chassis.”

A chassis made of magnesium alloys would be a real innovation: Until now, car manufacturers have used the lightweight metal almost exclusively for interior parts not important to the car’s safety, for instance as a dashboard support or instrument panel.

The results of the EU project will greatly expand the range of potential applications for the super-light material, Christian Pohl believes: “Using our reference data, designers will now be able to determine the load-bearing capacity of a component, compare it with the actual loads incurred and then select the most suitable alloy.”

Posted July 25th, 2006

German Precision Machining Company to Locate Facility in Auburn, Alabama

AUBURN, Ala. (July 24, 2006) — Aluminum Technology Schmid was recently selected as supplier to an Alabama-based company that supplies hydraulic pumps for Mercedes-Benz and future Chrysler car models manufactured in North America.
Aluminum Technology Schmid, Inc. has announced plans to locate its first North American manufacturing operation in Auburn, Ala.

Aluminum Technology Schmid is a German precision machining company specializing in high-end aluminum parts for hydraulic applications in the automotive industry employing about 200 people. Schmid was recently selected as supplier to an Alabama based company that supplies hydraulic pumps for Mercedes-Benz and future Chrysler car models manufactured in North America.

The company will occupy a 10,000 square foot building located at the Auburn Center of Developing Industries at 1500 Pumphrey Avenue. Production is scheduled to begin in October. Once in full operation in 2008, the company will have invested $5 million in capital investment and employ approximately 40 people.

“The fact that the City of Auburn offered us to start our operation in one of its incubator buildings allowed us to commit to a tight ramp-up production schedule as dictated by our customer,” said Christoph Dörr, president of Aluminum Technology Schmid. “In combination with the favorable business environment in Alabama it made our investment in Auburn a reality. Without the support from the City and its staff, an investment decision by a family owned midsize company like us could not be made.”

The company is starting immediately with the hiring process.

2006-07-23 20:50 (Mw 5.8) FIJI REGION -17.8 -178.7

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

Region: FIJI REGION
Geographic coordinates: 17.783S, 178.677W
Magnitude: 5.8 Mw
Depth: 588 km
Universal Time (UTC): 23 Jul 2006 20:50:52
Time near the Epicenter: 24 Jul 2006 08:50:52
Local time in your area: 23 Jul 2006 21:50:52
Location with respect to nearby cities:
520 km (323 miles) NW (315 degrees) of NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga
3081 km (1915 miles) W (265 degrees) of PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia

ADDITIONAL EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
________________________________
event ID : US qma8
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist at NEIC For subsequent updates, maps, and technical information, see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usqma8.php
or

2006-07-23 08:22 (Mw 6.1) SULAWESI, INDONESIA -0.4 123.2

== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==

Region: SULAWESI, INDONESIA
Geographic coordinates: 0.415S, 123.177E
Magnitude: 6.1 Mw
Depth: 86 km
Universal Time (UTC): 23 Jul 2006 08:22:10
Time near the Epicenter: 23 Jul 2006 16:22:10
Local time in your area: 23 Jul 2006 09:22:10
Location with respect to nearby cities:
108 km (67 miles) S (174 degrees) of Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia
281 km (175 miles) SW (221 degrees) of Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia
372 km (231 miles) E (82 degrees) of Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia
946 km (588 miles) NNW (344 degrees) of DILI, East Timor

ADDITIONAL EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
________________________________
event ID : US qmaf
This event has been reviewed by a seismologist at NEIC For subsequent updates, maps, and technical information, see:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/usqmaf.php

Is cheap land for pricey Mercs a fair deal?

[ Click on image for view]

DAWN NEWS, Khaleeq Kiani, ISLAMABAD - - The Punjab government, on the instructions of the centre, is all set to acquire by force about 1,200 acres of prime agricultural land in the Sheikhupura district at a much lower than the market price for a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant by a locally-registered but hitherto unknown firm under licence from the German manufacturer, Daimler-Chrysler.

Discussions with officials in the federal and Punjab governments and company officials tell interesting stories of vested interests beyond stated objectives, unfair handling and even contradictions at all levels that reveal more mysteries associated with the project than proving it a pure automobile investment.

The project that would necessarily result in the eviction of about 250 families — who were allotted this land in Kot Pindi Das in Sheikhupura against their lost property in India as a result of their migration in 1947 — is a classic example of overstretching of the Punjab Land Acquisition Act of 1894 in the name of ‘public interest’. The law allows the government to take over private land for public use against compensation at market rates but not for private business, lawyers said.Informed sources said the area under acquisition was beyond the needs of an automobile plant because it also involved 57 acres for a golf course, 50.5 acres for a five-star hotel, a 478-acre race track and 99 acres for expansion.

A legal document of the Sheikhupura revenue department did mention these facilities as objection raised by the landowners but did not address the issue beyond that. “There is no precedent of the government acquiring land for a luxury hotel, racing track or business venture on behalf of a private investor,” one of the landowners said.

The District Revenue Officer, Sheikhupura, notified in the Punjab gazette on February 7, 2006 that “the land is likely to be required to be taken by Coastal (Pvt) Limited … for the construction of assembly plant of commercial and military trucks and cars, it is hereby notified that land in the locality … is to be required for the above company and purpose.

”Subsequently, on June 19, the board of revenue (Punjab) approved land prices recommended by the District Price Assessment Committee for the 1,200 acres and fixed Rs125,000 for 64 acres, Rs300,000 for 430 acres, Rs350,000 for 657 acres and Rs425,000 for 47 acres. On June 24, the Deputy District Officer, Land Acquisition Collector, was directed to proceed further.

Before the project could take off, the residents of Kot Pindi Das – who are on the verge of being forced to hand over the land to Coastal Private Limited for Rs484 million at the rate of Rs400,000 per acre — organised themselves under a newly-formed ‘Anjuman Kissan Mutasrin-e-Mercedes-Benz’ to protest in Lahore and Islamabad, says Rana Ehsanul Haq who is one of over 1,500 affected persons.Kot Pindi Das is an agricultural mauza along the motorway in Skeikhupura, just 18km from Lahore Courts. About two kilometres from this area in Kalar, Chamkey and Dargahi Gil, the government of Punjab acquired a 305-acre piece of land for the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, at a much higher price of Rs800,000 to 1.2 million per acre under the same act and did not raise any objection considering its clear nature of ‘public interest’ for providing technical education. This was only nine months ago and the prices have not suffered a dramatic fall since then.

In brief, the government purchases 305 acres for Rs317.3 million for a public sector university at about an average rate of Rs1 million per acre and now compare it with 1,200 acres for just Rs484 million at an average rate of Rs400,000 per acre for a business concern in the same area.

The owners of the land in Kot Pindi Das say that the government cannot acquire land on behalf of a private venture and that, too, at less than half the price. Mr Haq told Dawn that the market rate of the land ranged between Rs3-4 million per acre because it is right by the motorway and would go up further when a proposed inter-change is built at a later stage. Documents suggest the prime minister’s secretariat has already directed the ministry of communications to “allow and provide exit from the motorway (M-2) for Daimler Chrysler by the National Highway Authority”.

“This is highhandedness. The government is not even providing alternative land to us,” says Mr Haq, adding that “we are ready to be killed instead of being evicted from where we have been living since Independence (in 1947).”“Why is the company not purchasing the land itself as a private transaction as the Honda Company did recently?” asks Mr Haq. The land being acquired by the government is much more than the requirement of an automobile plant. Honda Company purchased just six acres of land in Sheikhupura for its plant and the government had no role in that. The total cost of the piece of land purchased by Honda was Rs12 million at a rate of about Rs2 million per acre and that too a couple of years ago, he said.

Safdar Javed Syed, senior member revenue, Punjab, confirmed that the district price assessment committee had approved a price that has been challenged by some of the owners. The committee is led by the District Officer Revenue and detailed comments from the committee have been sought. He would not comment when asked if 1,200 acres were really required for an automobile plant.

A senior revenue official, however, said the requirement of 1,200 acres was sought by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on the request of the federal government and the relevant provincial authorities were required to determine the price and complete the acquisition process. The physical acquisition would start upon the receipt of Rs484 million from Coastal-Mercedes joint venture, he said.

Nobody in the board of investment (BOI) – a federal agency responsible for investment promotion – is ready to discuss or defend the project. Senior officials contacted by Dawn said the whole file on Daimler-Chrysler project was not available with the BOI. A senior officer said: “The file is in the personal custody of Minister of State Umar Ghumman,” who has been in the United States for more than a month where he has family business interests. Dawn was informed that Mr Ghumman would be back on July 15 but he is yet to return.On July 19, this correspondent once again contacted the BOI secretary, Jehangir Bashar, and asked about the whole size of the investment, its components including the hotel, golf course, etc and the land requirement. He promised to provide the relevant information and said one of his officers would get back with the information. An official did subsequently establish contact but only with the information that the minister of state was expected to return in three to four days and a meeting would be arranged then. He expressed his inability to be of greater help.

On June 15, Mr Ghumman had announced that Daimler-Chrysler and Coastal Group would invest $5.85 billion in Pakistan by starting production of Mercedes-Benz trucks, both commercial and military, buses and Mercedes cars of various types to create a vendor industry.

The group would set up its plant on 1,200 acres near Sheikhupura provided by the government. The investment would create 5,000 jobs directly and indirectly, said Mr Ghumman at a press conference.Hafiz Mohammad Taqi Rehman Lakhvi, a local representative of Coastal Limited, when contacted, said the company had been stopped from issuing any statement in the press about the Mercedes-Benz project. He, however, said President Musharraf was personally pushing the project and had informed the company officials during a meeting on May 10, 2006 that he would himself inaugurate the plant on completion perhaps in April-May next year.

However, a company official, who requested anonymity, said the total investment to be made over a period of five years would amount to $1 billion and “not $5.8 billion as announced by Minister of State Umar Ghumman” and this would include the Mercedes-Benz plant for the production of trucks, buses and cars in addition to the whole vendor industry. The units would be imported in CKD form under the prevalent automobile import policy and assembled locally without application of a deletion programme.He said 100 per cent investment, and all this is foreign investment, would be made by the Coastal Private Limited and Daimler-Chrysler had no direct investment. The German giant, he said, would provide engines and technical know-how of the plant and the costly Mercedes trucks, buses and E and C class cars would be marketed by Coastal under licence from the German firm.

He confirmed that Coastal and Mercedez firms have not yet signed any final agreement but have exchanged feasibility studies and initial MOU. He said the first truck would roll out from the plant latest by April next year and Pakistan army’s National Logistic Cell, Frontier Works Organisation and the army itself would be the major clients. “NLC alone has committed to purchase about 300-400 trucks every year for the next five to six years,” he said, adding the plant would produce 1,000 trucks on a yearly basis with a single shift that could be increased to 2,000 or more with double shifts.

He said the company would achieve 50 per cent localisation in two years and was expected to start production of cars after three years. He said a delegation of Daimler-Chrysler was expected to visit Pakistan later this month. He said Coastal Private was registered locally with majority shareholding of Sheikh Yousaf Mohammed Najibi of the UAE, whose Coastal Trading & Contracting Company LLC, Dubai, is a big company of the Gulf.He claimed that in addition to a number of real estate, stock market and other investments, Sheikh Najibi’s investments in multi-billion-dollar Dubai Sports City (DSC) were higher than Abdul Rahman Bukhatir’s. This, however, could not be verified through an examination of the DSC website. About the debt-equity ratio, he said the whole $1 billion would be foreign direct investment with no local financing and hence it did not matter whether the amount was raised through foreign banks in the form of loan or equity.

The source confirmed that Coastal had also heard about the golf course, housing and hotel facilities, but claimed that his company could not do so under any agreement with the provincial government or the German auto-firm. He said the process for acquisition of about 1,050 acres was about to begin but agreed that his company would not need more than 600 acres.

Official documents of the District Officer Revenue, Sheikhupura, claimed that acquisition of land was taking place under section 4 of the land acquisition act of 1894 that made wishes of the public irrelevant in terms of “compulsory land acquisition.”

Raja Shafqat Abbasi, a senior lawyer and member of the Punjab Assembly, said the government could not acquire land for private commercial projects or private housing societies under the land acquisition act. However, the Punjab government had adopted it as policy to forcibly take over 20 per cent land for housing societies provided such societies already possessed 80 per cent of land.

Photo Credit: http://www.estateman.com/maps/assets/images/islamabad-sm1.jpg

First look: 2007 Dodge Ram Chassis CabBigger Cummins!

By Mark Williams Photography by the Manufacturer Truck Trend, June 2006 - -If this keeps up, some may accuse Dodge of being bipolar, schizophrenic, or at least guilty of playing on both sides of the fence. First it presented the Rampage at the Chicago auto show (see the full story in this issue), which bore more than a small similarity to the Odyssey-minivan-based Honda Ridgeline, then it released a revised commercial-duty Ram 3500 Chassis Cab with a new 6.7-liter (408-cubic-inch) I-6 Cummins intercooled turbo-diesel, making 305 horsepower at 3000 rpm and 675 pound-feet of torque at 1600 rpm. Nice try, Dodge, but you didn't sneak that one by us.

This new Cummins is clearly a response in size and power to the ongoing diesel wars Ford, Chevy, and Dodge are having in the highly profitable 3/4- and one-ton full-size truck marketplace. It's no coincidence that this new turbo- diesel is now the largest of the three, albeit just 0.1-liter over the Duramax 6.6-liter V-8. Also playing into Dodge's favor, with the addition of a larger B-motor-based Cummins, is that this new engine was designed to run on the coming ultra-low-sulfur fuel, so emissions will be just a fraction of what they were.

Add an all-new heavy-duty six-speed automatic transmission option, a standard 52-gallon fuel tank (with an optional 22-gallon reserve tank), and a choice between regular and Quad Cab configurations, and it makes sense why Dodge should be promoting this "new" pickup platform with vigor. It's worth noting that, although this new Cummins motor puts out less horsepower and the same amount of torque as the current 5.9-liter I-6 turbodiesel, we're guessing there's plenty of room for squeaking more power out when the engine makes it into the next-generation Ram HD. No doubt Cummins knows it'll need some growing room when Isuzu (Duramax) and International (Power Stroke) respond to this upgrade.The truck itself was specifically designed for the commercial user who has to outfit his rig for specific jobs with the city, state, or private businesses.

The new chassis cab is offered in two- or four-wheel drive, with single or dual rear wheels. In fact, Dodge is boasting its SRW (single rear-wheel) configuration offers the highest GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) at 10,200 pounds, which should allow for payloads ranging between 4000 and 6500 pounds. Dual rear-wheel models will have a maximum GVWR of 12,500, with all Cummins-equipped Rams offering a GCWR of 23,000. We like those numbers. By making these modifications to an existing one-ton chassis, Dodge is hoping to attract more buyers with its bigger Quad Cab models, which include more comfortable interiors than many commercial-use drivers are used to.

GM has its TopKick and Kodiak, Ford has its F-450 and F-550, and now Dodge will enter the medium-duty market with a heavier-duty version of its Ram 3500. (Can a Ram 4500 and 5500 be far behind?) It wouldn't surprise us if many "personal-use" one-ton Ram buyers (those who like to tow their fifth-wheel around the country or to horse shows) would want to head down to their local Dodge dealer to ask about this special setup. Thus far, no word on whether the Mega Cab will make it into production on the commercial side (might need a longer-wheelbase version), and we'd expect some of these modifications to make it into the next-generation 2500 and 3500 Rams. If this new Cummins is as good as Dodge is saying, we hope those powertrain upgrades happen quickly. We'll have more to write about when we get some seat time.

Price range $40,000-$50,000 (est)
Layout Front engine, 4WD, 4-door, 6-pass
Engine 6.7L/305-hp, 675lbsd of Torque I-6 TD, OHV, 4 valves/cyl
Transmission 6-speed auto or manual
0-60 mph, sec N/A
On sale Fall 2006

Three plants in running to make Dodge Challenger

Brampton, Ont. factory a front-runner as it already builds stablemates
300 and Magnum

winnipeg news, Nicolas Van Praet, BRAMPTON CA - - DAIMLERCHRYSLER, which is resurrecting the Dodge Challenger for production in 2008, says three of its assembly plants are in the running to make the vehicle and that its Brampton, Ont., facility is not a shoo-in.

Company executives unveiled the Challenger at a flashy event in a mall parking lot in Daytona Beach, Fla., before the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race. Chrysler officials would not give projected sales figures for the vehicle but analysts say they expect a target of 30,000 vehicles a year.
DC's Brampton plant is the logical place to build the car because it will be based on the same LX platform as the Dodge Charger, Magnum and Chrysler 300 models, which are already built there. But that's no guarantee for the Ontario factory, Eric Ridenour, Chrysler's chief operating officer, said.

"We're looking at the competitiveness of our plants, who wants it bad enough," he said.
Chrysler says the Challenger will feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe-body style that distinguished the iconic Challengers of old. It will compete with Ford's Mustang.

General Motors has not yet formally announced whether it will revive the Camaro.
document -- CanWest News Service