Road rage

All the news about the e-tolling saga…

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The five guys and four girls – all between 18 and 24 – did all the work themselves.

It’s not so much a car as a statement of intent in black and red.

This one-of-a-kind Volkswagen Black Dynamic GTI, complete with a 265kW TSI engine and lowered sport suspension, was built by nine VW apprentices from four disciplines in only seven months.

Special features include hand-cut GTI badging in the doors and hatch, and a nine-speaker, 1800 watt sound system under a specially made plexiglass cover in the boot.

ALL THEIR OWN WORK

The five guys and four girls – all between 18 and 24 – did all the work themselves, from the sport seats upholstered in black-and-red Alcantara and leather, the interior door trim with decorative red seams and the metallic black exterior finish combined with flat grey film trim to the engine, which tuned are tuned to produce an extra 110kW, and the oversized exhaust system and the eight-piston brake system.

They designed the modifications, selected parts from the VW model range were they could, negotiated with suppliers where they couldn’t, and assembled the car themselves.

“Where else do you get an opportunity like that?”

Apprentice automotive mechatronics technician Martin Schmidt, 22, was responsible for stamping the GTI lettering in a deep-drawing process.

He said: “We have learned so much, developing our own ideas and implementing them in ‘our’ car.”

Professor Heiko Gintz, head of vocational training at Wolfsburg, said: “We are proud of the creativity of our apprentices – that’s why we give our best trainees the opportunity to extend their knowledge with projects such as the GTI Black Dynamic.”

The Golf GTI Black Dynamic will be seen in public for the first time this weekend at the 31st GTI Festival at Reifnitz on the Wörthersee in Austria, attended by about 150 000 Volkswagen and custom-car fans.

ROLL OF HONOUR – the Black Dynamic team

Charleen Pohle (19), Interior constructor

Sarah Unverzagt (20), Paint technician

Laura Krätz (18), Paint technician

Christian Wolter (23) Paint technician

Lisa Batke (19), Automotive mechatronics technician

Roman Huck (24), Automotive mechatronics technician

Richard Neubert (18), Automotive mechatronics technician

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General Motors Co will build the next generation of its Astra compact in Britain after workers at its factory in Ellesmere Port, northwest England, overwhelmingly agreed to a new labour deal, leaving its plant in Bochum, Germany in danger of closure.

The U.S. carmaker said it would invest 125 million pounds ($199 million) in the Ellesmere Port plant, where assembly of the new vehicle will start in 2015.

Britain’s Unite union said 94 percent of those balloted voted in favour of changes to working conditions and that some 700 jobs would be created at the plant, securing its future until 2020.

“It’s almost certain that one of GM’s German plants will now be closed, probably the plant in Bochum,” a source close to the negotiations said.

GM, which sells under the Vauxhall brand in Britain, is expected to halt production of the Astra, its most important model, at its main plant in Russelsheim, Germany, making the car only at Ellesmere Port and at Poland’s Gliwice plant from 2015.

The source added that some production of GM’s Chevrolet marque could be shifted from Asia to Europe, with Russelsheim the likely beneficiary. This would leave the Opel factory at Bochum as the most likely site to be closed.

The decision is one of the most dramatic so far as Europe’s carmakers look to restructure or consolidate in response to more than four years of falling demand and profits.

Many factories are running at partial capacity – analysts estimate automakers have cut some 3 million cars, or 20 percent, from their production lines – and still producers struggle to sell their wares.

Opel made a loss of $750 million last year.

The UK deal means an extra third production shift will be added at the Vauxhall factory to ensure 24-hour a day running, as well as the introduction of weekend working to guarantee the factory works at full capacity.

FOUR-YEAR DEAL

The source added that production at the plant, whose sole product is the Astra, would initially rise from 140,000 cars a year to 160,000, with the potential to hit around 220,000.

Workers agreed a four-year pay deal including a pay freeze for two years, followed by rises of around 3 percent for the next two years, the source added.

“We have been able to develop a responsible labour agreement that secures the plant’s future,” Vauxhall Chairman Duncan Aldred said in a statement.

“This is assisted by the government’s industrial strategy, increasing its focus on the manufacturing sector and creating ideal ground for companies to build up long-term investments.”

There had been speculation earlier this year that the plant could miss out on investment by GM because it sources most of its parts from Europe and

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Phoenix, AZ, May 17, 2012 –(PR.com)– Sanderson Ford in Phoenix is excited to announce the grand opening of their Custom Shop, which will provide all accessories, including lifts, bed lines, tires and wheels, tints, and more at the Ford dealership. To celebrate the opening, Sanderson Ford is hosting a Custom Shop Cruise-In custom car show for all makes and models.

The cruise-in will take place on Friday May 18, 2012 from 5pm until 8pm on the Sanderson Ford parking lot off Maryland Avenue. All makes and models are welcome at the show. The cars will not be judged, but dash plaques will be awarded.

Sanderson Ford will also be giving away several prizes throughout the evening, including a Bullet bed liner, window tint, Viper alarm system, and Lucas Off-Road Race tickets. 98KUPD Radio Remote will be onsite from 4pm until 6pm and attendees will have the opportunity to meet Freestyle Motocross rider Brian Deegan and Greg Adler from 7pm to 8pm. During the cruise-in car show, the Starliner Diner will open, serving their car show menu of hamburgers and hot dogs.

For more information about the Custom Shop Cruise-In car show, visit Sanderson Ford online at http://sandersonford.com or cruise in to 5101 W. Maryland Avenue in Glendale on May 18. Also, for the latest dealership news, information, and events, follow Sanderson Ford on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SandersonFordAZ.

About Sanderson Ford:
Sanderson Ford, located in Glendale, AZ, sells new and used Ford vehicles. In addition to a full line of Ford cars, trucks, and SUVs, Sanderson Ford also provides a large service department that is prepared to assist with any repairs or routine maintenance, as well as a knowledgeable parts department that offers one-stop shopping on all Ford parts and accessories. Sanderson Ford strives for 100 percent customer satisfaction with each visit. Visit Sanderson Ford online at http://sandersonford.com.

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Miami, FL, May 17, 2012 –(PR.com)– Road America was named a Finalist in the Information Technology Department of the Year category in The 2012 American Business Awards, and will ultimately be a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award winner in the program.

The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

More than 3,000 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Management Team of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year, and Executive of the Year, among others. Road America is nominated in the IT Department of the Year category for 2012.

The past year has proved to be an especially busy one for the Road America IT Department providing numerous innovative and challenging endeavors. In January of 2011, the Road America IT Department, in collaboration with ATT, launched a pilot test of LocateMe™, which uses ATT’s Phone Locator Service to pinpoint the addresses where calls originate. Applicable on both land and wireless lines across all major U.S. carriers, including ATT, Verizon, Sprint, and Metro PCS, and now fully operational, LocateMe™ can locate over 90% of the Road America customer base. In the summer of 2011, ATT published a case study to highlight the shared success of this project.

“Being a finalist for this award is a wonderful compliment. Our staff has worked tirelessly this past year and this nomination is a testament to their unmatched innovation and dedication.”
- Enrique Santos | Director of Information Technologies at Road America

In 2011, following the success of LocateMe, the Road America IT Department started developing a wireless roadside assistance application for simultaneous launch across all major smart phone platforms using the same source code. Their IT Department knew an effective app would allow customers to directly request service without contacting call-center agents. Research and development took three months and a very talented team of programmers using a RHODES framework and RUBY programming language, both of which were new to the programming team. Using Rapid Application Development (RAD) techniques the team developed Drive On™ and, by the fall of 2011, the app became available in web stores for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry.

“I couldn’t be more proud of what our IT Department has accomplished in the past year. Being nominated as a finalist for an ABA Award exemplifies our dedication to extending unparalleled care to each and every one of

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Waukesha, WI, May 17, 2012 –(PR.com)– Waukesha based DUECO, Inc., the largest privately owned provider of Terex Hi-Ranger bucket trucks and Terex Telelect digger derricks in the country, can extend the life of equipment by marrying up a new or gently used chassis with a new or gently used attachment. Such transfers, performed by DUECO expert service teams across the country, can provide savings of 35-40% over buying new and are ideal when:

· A tower has relatively low hours of utilization on a high mileage chassis that has become expensive to maintain or is past its useful life.

· A chassis is in good shape, but the tower has become expensive to maintain.

With today’s tight budgets and pressure to maximize the utilization of every piece of equipment, transferring or retrofitting equipment from one vehicle to another is more viable than ever. DUECO can help prolong digger derrick or bucket truck life cycle while also upgrading to newer technology at a fraction of the cost compared to purchasing a new unit.

DUECO can transfer a used or new tower to a used or new chassis. It can also source an aerial, derrick or chassis, and add new features like LED lighting to improve equipment productivity and operator safety. DUECO’s experienced, factory trained and Fluid Power Certified technicians perform all transfers using OEM parts.

DUECO Inc. President, Judie Taylor commented, “Our team has a passion for taking care of customers to Make A Difference in their operations. A ‘Transfer’ can truly make an immediate difference for a customer, bringing greater productivity to the fleet and extending the usefulness of the equipment investment, while reducing maintenance costs associated with older, worn equipment.”

For more information on the specifics of Transfers, please see http://dueco.com/service-and-training/service/transfers.html or contact your DUECO representative today.

About DUECO, Inc.
DUECO is the largest provider of Terex bucket trucks, digger derricks, and cranes for the utility market in the nation. DUECO also manufactures hybrid utility trucks and custom utility truck bodies and distributes mini derricks, aerial lifts, stringing equipment and trailers. Family owned and operated since 1955, DUECO’s philosophy of teamwork, integrity, and open communication with customers and employees ensures high quality equipment at the best value. With headquarters in the Metro Milwaukee area, DUECO services customers 24/7 in fifteen states. To learn more about DUECO and what the company can offer, please call us at 800-558-4004 or visit us on the web at dueco.com.

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CHICAGO – Honda Motor on Thursday announced that it is recalling 52,615 Acura TL sedans from model years 2007 and 2008 in the United States on concern of a problem with the power steering hose.

The Japanese automaker said the hose may deteriorate and leak over time. Leaking fluid could lead to a loss of power steering assistance or could cause smoke and fire.

However, no crashes, injuries or fires have been reported related to the issue, said Honda.

The company said owners will be notified of the recall by mail, beginning in mid-June.

Honda recalled 273,000 TLs in 2008 for a similar problem. (Xinhua)

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New Civic is 20mm lower and 10mm wider than the outgoing version.

Honda’s all-new Civic five-door hatch, released on the South African market this week, was developed specifically to meet the requirements of the competitive European market.

The development concept, said Honda SA managing director Yoshiaki Nakamura, revolved around a theme of ‘Clean-Dynamic’, and the resulting shape is 20mm lower and 10mm wider than the outgoing version.

It’s all about aerodynamic efficiency: the horizontal brake light also works as a spoiler to manage airflow over the top of the car, while the tail light clusters protrude in just the right place to cut off body-side airflow and reduce turbulence.

A full-length undertray, and larger covers over the rear suspension, help smooth airflow under the car.

MOTORVATION

The new Civic five-door is available with a tweaked version of Honda’s 1.8-litre, 16-valve SOHC i-VTEC, now good for a claimed 104kW at 6500rpm and 174Nm at 4300, driving the front wheels through either a six-speed manual gearbox or a new five-speed automatic with paddle shift.

Horizontal brake light also functions as a spoiler to manage airflow over the top of the car.

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The range-topping new 2.2-litre i-DTEC turbodiesel engine, however, is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox. Quoted outputs are 110kW at 4000rpm and 350N at 2000.

All Civic five-doors now come with Eco Assist, a sort of video game that coaches drivers on the most fuel-efficient driving style. The system also incorporates a green ‘ECON’ button that defaults to the most economical settings for the car.

SPRINGS ‘N THINGS

The Civic’s MacPherson-type front suspension and electric power steering system have been revised, says Honda, to improve handling, comfort and stability.

And while the basic torsion beam axle layout for the rear suspension has been retained for maximum interior space, it now has more rigid trailing arms and fluid-filled bushes, which are intended to improve stability and handling without sacrificing ride comfort.

The new Civic has already scored a full-house Euro NCAP safety rating, thanks to front, side and curtain airbags as standard kit. Active safety systems include vehicle stability assist, antilock braking with electronic brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist, and a tyre deflation

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Former Jaguar chief development engineer Norman Dewis, now 91 years old, and Sir Stirling Moss, now 82, are re-united with the Jaguar C-Type they drove in the 1952 Mille Miglia.

Jaguar Heritage Racing – the company’s newly-established historic division – is running a six-car team in the 2012 Mille Miglia, starting today on its classic thousand-mile (1600km) route from Brescia in northern Italy to Rome and back.

This year Jaguar is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first car with disc brakes to enter the Mille Miglia – the experimental 1952 C-Type, chassis number XKC 005, driven by Stirling Moss, with Norman Dewis, then Jaguar’s chief development engineer, as navigator.

Later in 1952, Moss drove the car to victory in a sports-car race at Riems in France – the first time that a disc-braked car had won a race anywhere in the world.

That same car, with now Sir Stirling and Dewis – now 82 and 91 years of age respectively – aboard, will lead the works contingent away from the start this evening.

SEVEN DAYS AND SEVEN NIGHTS

They’ll be followed by two more C-types (XKC 018, first owned by Juan Manuel Fangio, and XKC 045), a Mk VII sedan, and two XK120′s, an open two-seater and the famous fixed-head coupé LWK707.

In 1952 this Jaguar XK120 lapped the banked Montlhery circuit near Paris continuously for a week at an average of more than 160km/h without stopping except for fuel and driver changes.

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This is the almost-standard XK120, in which Moss, Jack Fairman, Leslie Johnson and Bert Hadley lapped the banked Montlhery track near Paris continuously for seven days and seven nights, also in 1952, without stopping except for fuel and driver changes, at an average speed of more than 160km/h, covering almost 27 000km in a week!

There are also another 26 private Jaguar entries – a record for the Mille Miglia, which is open to sports cars made between 1927 and 1957.

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