RoamingWheels: Recent Articles

History was made with the first father-daughter duo in NASCAR racing

theRoamer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The start was historic with the first father-daughter duo, of Chrissy Wallace and Mike Wallace in the field. The series saw the return of Steve Park to top-tier NASCAR racing, and Austin Dillon’s spot was relinquished to Jennifer Jo Cobb in the No. 50 truck after the No. 3 trucks set up was found in violation.

Unfortunately, Cobb’s motor let go on lap two, after Colin Braun brought the field to the start/finish line. The first caution followed when TJ Bell had a tire go down. Most of the field came into pit, but both Wallaces remained on the track, being shown in one-two with Mike Wallace on the point.

Only a handful of laps later the No. 71 truck blew up leaving both Chad McCumbee and Dennis Setzer in a cloud of smoke. On restart the top five were Braun, Almirola, Todd Bodine, Ron Hornaday, and Davis Starr.

Matt Crafton, second in the championship points, nearly went into the wall due to a right rear going down on lap 27 and went a lap down after getting two fresh tires....examiner.com

BMW Electric Car Rides on only Three Wheels.

theRoamer — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:43:46 GMT

The three-wheeled Simple concept from 2008, and recently revealed for the first time, isn’t a guide on design, according to the car’s project manager, Sebastian Schelper. “Simple is about the concept and engineering, not styling,” he told Autocar. But lessons learned on the 3.5m-long Simple and its sister three-wheeler, Clever, will be incorporated into Project i cars. At 2.5m long, Clever was built to explore how to engineer a tiny car to be as safe as possible.

If BMW can hit its premium-positioning targets for the Project i cars, it will shake up the emerging EV segment when the first models are delivered around 2014/15. EVs today are usually developments of existing volume-brand cars or are limited-run, low-cost models like the G-Wiz.

A key consideration for the styling will be the brand positioning of BMW’s EV models, an important detail yet to be finalised.

“Whether Project i cars fit below Mini, between Mini and BMW or above BMW is one of the important things we’re still deciding,” said Marc Gerard, boss of BMW interiors...autocar.co.uk

Porsche now has four doors ... Well at least its not a Mini Van

theRoamer — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Panamera is the first Porsche sports car with four doors, but it is a four-seater faithful to the company's standard for performance. It is nothing like the luxury sedans from Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi.

Built from a unique platform, Panamera uses some distinct 911 Carrera design elements and shares upgraded V-8 engines from the Cayenne sport-utility vehicle. The new model goes on sale today in three trim levels, with two V-8s and rear, all-wheel drive. In time, a V-6 model will be added.

Pricing begins at $90,775, which includes the $975 freight charge from Leipzig, Germany; there is no gas-guzzler tax. The 4S starts at $94,775 and the heartthrob Turbo at $133,575. A well-optioned Turbo can run to $152,000, but there are many features to further personalize the car and raise the price.

Porsche is expecting 20,000 sales worldwide, with 20 percent of that for the United States. There are 5,000 preorders to date, with 20 percent for the Turbo and a split between the S and 4S for the remainder. The cars will be ordered by the customer and delivery will take two to three months.

This is a big Porsche. It weighs nearly 4,000 pounds but rides just four inches off the road. The arc of the roofline and a low seat position are key to providing good interior headroom and trunk space...signonSanDiego.com get your Porsche

"Hot deals on Saturns" Going out of Business Sale!!!!

theRoamer — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

October will be different. The government tap has been shut off, as the last of the Cash for Clunkers payments reached dealerships in late September. Shipments of new cars to sell are arriving daily as factories catch up with orders. And, best of all for buyers, salespeople who barely saw a customer in September are heading into October hungry to make a sale.

The automakers are helping them out, offering cash-back rebates and interest-free financing offers to start negotiations. But buyers this month should keep in mind that the offers detailed below are just a starting point -- in many cases, dealerships have not made many sales in weeks and are willing to negotiate on prices in order to win your business.

If you don't see the car you want on the local lot, don't be scared off. It may be coming shortly. Most manufacturers tell us that they have heavy shipments of new cars on the way to dealers early this month. And if the car you want isn't already headed to your town, your local dealer can order what you want from the factory, even if they don't currently have it in stock.

The dealer may even be anxious to take your trade-in -- having spent weeks disabling most of the cars they took in, their used car lots are bare of decent offerings now....usnews.com Saturn

Get yer 2010 Nascar Schedule

theRoamer — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Those of us hoping for a major overhaul of the Cup calendar will have to wait yet another year, and even then I'm not very hopeful much will change.

• 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule

To be fair, changing around the Sprint Cup schedule would be a mammoth project that would have to take in consideration everything from holidays to geographic separation and climate. It's not a simple exercise by any means, but many believe one that is long overdue.

The problems with the schedule are magnified during the Chase when the 10-race stretch that decides the series championship is in the spotlight.

When the concept debuted in 2004, all NASCAR did was break off the final 10 races of the existing calendar and turn them into the postseason. There wasn't any philosophy or criteria as to why those 10 tracks formed the Chase portion of the season. It was simply a matter of math: making the first 26 races the regular season and turning the final 10 into the playoffs.

Although we did get a few adjustments this year (moving Atlanta out of the Chase and sliding Fontana in) as well as swapping dates with a couple existing tracks, by and large the Chase of 2009 is pretty similar to what we saw in year one.

Maybe the most glaring issue of the Chase schedule is the way it begins. There's nothing wrong with New Hampshire Motor Speedway or the rabid race fans in New England. But sticking the first race of the championship run in the middle of a Sunday afternoon against the mighty NFL is not a good way to set the NASCAR title fight apart from the rest of the sports world...cbssports.com

Chinese Cars Sales Explosion

theRoamer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

China's auto industry continued to post strong growth, with sales of passenger vehicles rising 90% in August. Some industry watchers see growth slowing dramatically next year, however.

Passenger-vehicle sales in China rose to 858,300 units in August, up 90% from a year earlier, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement Tuesday. China's overall auto sales rose 82% in August to 1.14 million units, CAAM said. It didn't provide the year-earlier figures.

China looks likely to hold on to its position as the world's largest auto market this year, helped by a recovering economy and a push to encourage small-car purchases. Overall auto sales in the U.S. totaled 1,261,97 in August, topping China's, but they were boosted by the federal government's "cash for clunkers" program.

Many expect a drop-off in China. China's sales have been boosted by a halving of the purchase tax on smaller cars, to 5%. Analysts say this pulls forward future demand and sales may collapse when the full tax is reinstated at the end of 2009. online.wsj.com

Harley Davidson dealers offer great buys during a tough economy

theRoamer — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The tough economy has dealers making deals both on new bikes and on tons of nearly-new rides.

We checked out Rick Seder's new 2009 touring bike. It's a shiny beauty, all black and chrome. And the way he got it, makes him beam like his bike.

"It was the shock of my life," he told us.

He had looked at his dream bike back in May on the showroom floor at Hal's in New Berlin, but the Mukwonago man just couldn't afford it.

But then, the dealer called Seder with an offer he couldn't turn down.

"Late July they called me up and said they were ready to deal on the 2009's," he said.

When he got to the dealership, he got the surprise of his life.

"I walked into the showroom and the salesman took us back to the service department and they had the bike I've been dreaming about sitting there with balloons on it with my name on it."

Rick's bike is brand new... But we discovered lots of deals on slightly used Harleys as well...todaystmj4.com

GM goes online with Ebay

theRoamer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Online auction giant eBay has teamed up with General Motors to try to help boost business and perhaps, change the way consumers shop for new cars. The majority of California's GM dealers are taking part in the trial program which kicked off Tuesday. GM officials say the experimental program is aimed at making it easier for consumers to buy a new car.

For consumers who don't like the sales pressure on the showroom floor, General Motors and eBay say there's another way.

Ebay motors vice president Rob Chesney says with a computer, potential car buyers can let their fingers do all the work. "For the first time, they will be able to see a virtual showroom of California dealers of GM inventory. They will be able to shop across models, across dealerships," he said.

Chesney says the co-branded GM-eBay site will allow users to browse different models - pick a color, choose accessories and negotiate price and financing options - all without coming face to face with a commissioned salesman. "They'll be able to do it from the convenience of their own home," Chesney adds...voanews.com