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by Michelle Crimson
All-new Jaguar S-Type introduced at the Bologna Motor Show carries a brand new name and a stunning appeal. The car promises better look and performance with more value for money.
The latest S-Type is now named Jaguar XF. New Jaguar S-type parts entertained various specification enhancements to create fascinating design, advanced performance, and a more comfortable ergonomics. A number of XF models will also be delivered to customers with a reduced price, thanks to the new pricing from the automaker.
S-Type, a midsize luxury car for the model year 2000, was introduced in the auto industry as a revival of its predecessor which was introduced in 1964. In 2003, a supercharged S-Type R joined the lineup of Jaguar. It boasts Jaguar engine parts that are capable of producing 390 horsepower and can run from 0 to 60 mph in 5.3 s (0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 s).
Jaguar S-Type is famed for its individuality, iconic design and sporting performance. Moreover, there is a host of reasons why aficionados make purchases. One of which is the range of 3 engines – from twin-turbo V6 to the 4.2-litre supercharged V8.
For 2008, all S-Types will be incorporating R bumper and mesh grille as part of its striking Jaguar auto body parts. The new S-Type is also engineered to exude poised appearance. It is given upgraded versions of alloy wheels. The interior of the car is also upgraded to complement its new-found charm and power. It offers multi-function seats with non-perforated leather. For the entry-level cars, they are given six-speed automatic transmission, leather seats and a leather-trimmed steering wheel as standard. Also, the Satin Mahogany veneer is made an option across the range.
“From the quiet, refined 2.7 diesel engine to the hard-charging ‘R', the S-TYPE range has always been an attractive proposition. These specification enhancements offer our customers a real value-for-money proposition - to my mind, there has never been a better time to re-appraise the S-TYPE range. Whether petrol or diesel, the S-TYPE delivers a combination of bold, athletic styling and unrivalled emotional appeal underpinned by outstanding driving dynamics,” said Geoff Cousins, UK managing director.
Michelle Crimson is an expert car-enthusiast. She is currently working as an editor in New Orleans, Louisiana. This 32 year old mother of two is truly a hobbyist.Michelle Crimson may be contacted at http://www.jaggparts.com or michelle@jaggparts.com
by SmokinVette Admin SmokinVette Admin
After upgrading much of the engine performance, and body components on our 2005 C6 Corvette. It was time for this Vette to get some upgrades in the audio department. Not that the existing stock system was all that bad, it just needed a little nudge forward. (For photos of this project visit www.smokinvette.com and view the Corvette forum or gallery)
What we started out with was stock head unit with navigation and XM radio, 8" Bose subs mounted in the doors with tweeters and 6 1/2" Bose in the rear. The stock system sounded fine when running from the CD player or radio... however during when operating the XM radio or music with respectable levels of bass the sound quality was a "5" out of 10.
The first component to be removed was the door speakers. After the stock Bose’s was removed we installed Boston Pro 60's. I had used Boston's in the past and enjoyed the quality of sound they offered. So this fine tuned Corvette I wanted the same level of quality. The Pro 60's are 6 1/2" Mids with 1" alloy dome tweeters. For the rear speaker replacements we used Boston SL 65, another 6 1/2" 2 way speaker.
In this Corvette we are running the B&B Bullet X-Pipe and Axle back exhaust system. So as you can imagine it’s a bit loud in the cab when you are getting on it. With this in mind... we needed some serious bass! There were challenges that we faced when deciding on how and where, were we going to build a custom box to house the subs. One of the main issues was to keep it as low profile as possible yet give the subs room to breath. Not to mentioned still needed to have room to place the top of the car in the trunk when needed! We decided to build the box positioned directly behind the driver and passenger seat. At the end of the day the box was only 9" tall spanning nearly 42", sloped on the back side that not only allowed 2 10" JL Audio subs to mount properly, but also gave enough room to place the top of the car in the trunk for storage.
Next... Amps and where were we going to place these in our 2005 Corvette coupe. We decided to go with the Alpine PDX series amp. Being Alpine's new style of Amps that could operate while being stacked on top of one another in close quarters made sense. Matter of fact both the 600 Watt amp which was used to power the front speakers and the 1000 Watt amp that was used to power the two subs fit nicely in the passenger side rear trunk compartment!
With the battery back in place it was time to fire this up and see about sound tests. After some minor adjustments to the amp settings we were up and running. Perfect choice of sound components... actually the clarity of these speakers in the cab of this 2005 Corvette with the bass directly behind you was incredible. For those of you who like the more bass while zipping around town... the two JL Audio's sounded great...
For more information and photos from this 2005 Corvette audio upgrade visit www.smokinvette.com Corvette Forum. If you have any questions on this article or questions on your Corvette, post them in our forum!
SmokinVette was designed to be a resource center for Corvette enthusiast of all kinds. Sharing our experience with Corvette modifications, as well as questions and answers.SmokinVette Admin SmokinVette Admin may be contacted at http://www.smokinvette.com
by Anthony Fontanelle
There is no secret formula but the Ford Motor Co. intends to
rekindle the old flame of its Ford Taurus by reviving its name
in the Five Hundred sedan. The announcement was made by the automaker
to analysts, journalists and executives alike at the Chicago Auto
Show.
Naming vehicles is a big deal. It could either make or break the
vehicle hence doing it is considered a major undertaking. Each
automaker spends a hefty sum to create and nurture a particular
moniker. So far, the brand equity of the Taurus, the Honda Camry
and the Civic has gone beyond the value of pricey promotion blitz.
The American auto market is crowded with a wide variety of choices.
Some automakers entertained change of name but picking the right
name is harder and more crucial than other decisions to take.
"Naming is a big, big deal," said George Peterson, the
president of consulting firm AutoPacific Inc., a Tustin, Calif.
"You can always argue with the names they use. But you can't
beat a good name."
Detroit's Big Three automakers have been criticized for their
habit of trying to introduce new names to revive tainted brands
rather than sticking with the old ones and improving the vehicles.
"Even if the car has kind of run its course and started to
wane, you're better off investing in marketing the current product
than coming up with a brand new name," said Karl Brauer,
editor in chief of Edmunds.com, an online auto shopping site.
Analysts say resurrecting the Taurus is a clever decision, but
the name alone likely will not prompt a sales revival. "The
bottom line is the product," said Michelle Krebs, an editor
for Edmunds AutoObserver, an online auto industry magazine. Analysts
added that brand name has a great value. Some believe that the
impact of the name on the sales of the vehicles is dependent on
how people remember the brand.
"Taurus once stood for trend-setting design," Krebs
added. "But that name is tainted. It really depends on do
you have a good memory of the first Taurus or do you remember
the later versions?" Reviving the Ford Taurus name is a compromise
of sorts. It could offer a number of advantages over creating
a new moniker. In addition, it could certainly abrogate the need
to spend a fortune to create brand awareness.
Ford is not the only automaker to revive a model’s name.
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group dragged its old Avenger name
this year for the replacement of the Dodge Stratus sedan. General
Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet resurrected the Malibu name in the late
1990s and Impala in 2000. The Chevy Camaro and Dodge Charger vanished,
but the Camaro is coming and the Charger is back in the arena.
Old names keep on coming and no sophisticated Active Brakes Direct could stop
them from pouring in. Part of the phenomenon is triggered when
automakers discovered that alpha-numeric titles used by luxury
brands would not work. Nonetheless, other attempts were terrible.
Honda Motor Co.'s Acura lost an estimated $1.5 billion in sales
by renaming its Legend sedan the RL, Peterson said. "The
joke was that RL stood for ruined legend.”
Brauer added, "You can bring back names from the past, but
unless the product is good, it's going to be a short-lived run."
More than 80 percent of consumers recognize the Taurus as a Ford
product compared to about 9 percent for those who know the Five
Hundred. This is according to research by Art Spinella of CNW
Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore. "Ford did the right thing
reviving the Taurus and Sable nameplates," he wrote in a
note about his study.
Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew
up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive
magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.Anthony
Fontanelle may be contacted at http://www.activebrakesdirect.com/ or anthony_fontanelle@yahoo.com
by http://www.vehicleride.com
Concept cars are vehicles that dealerships create to showcase what their future vehicles will look like, what options they will have, and what features they will have. There are shows all around the world for various concept cars, and most of the time, these concept cars never make it into production for consumer purchase.
When an inventor creates a new product, he or she must create a prototype of the new product to show investors what his or her product will do, what it might look like, what features it will have, and the options of the product itself. The same thing is done with concept cars. A concept car is basically a prototype of a proposed vehicle. At car shows, these concept cars are shown to the public so that the appropriate people can see what the consumer reaction is and whether or not it might have a chance if the concept car is put into production for sales in dealerships across the country.
With the imaginations, creativity and innovation of concept cars, we should wonder where the automobile industry would be without concept cars. Concept cars bring forth new rules of the road, so to speak, when it comes to releasing new automobiles the consumers will want and need. However, there is one that never made it to production that did make it big anyway. There was one vehicle concept car that never made it to production that was known as the Lincoln Futura that was created in 1954. The Lincoln Futura spent most of its time in the North Hollywood, California shop owned by George Barris. Ford General Motors created this concept car. In 1966, the Lincoln Futura was first debuted on ABC's television network in the Batman series as the "Batmobile"!
History of Concept Cars –
A lot of concept cars get melted down into scrap metal if not proven to be worthy of putting into production. This act of creating a new car is to showcase its safety features, its style, look, performance, and its purpose. Without this test of sorts to bring in new creativity to the cars of tomorrow, there would be little improvement in today's vehicles and what we need and want. This gives engineers and designers a chance to showcase their talents and abilities, and gives the proper judges a chance to see which ones will sell and which will meet its demise at the scrap heap.
The First Invention of the Concept Car –
Harley J. Earl, a designer for General Motors, created the very first concept car in 1938. Earl created the Buick Y. His designs were so unique and essential that his designs and concept cars were shown all over the United States in the Motorama, which were America's first automobile shows. At that time, his designed vehicles and concept cars were just that. They were not put into production; only shown at the Motorama. It wasn't until Earl created the Buick Le Sabre that the manufacturers decided that this car needed to be brought into production. Harley J. Earl also presented America to the first crash test dummy called Oscar. Earl had a huge role in the concept car history. In fact, it was his designs that started the spinning wheel of the concept car history as we know it. Not only that, but he even created the first crash test dummy that has helped to test vehicles and even save the lives of those driving the cars!
Concept Cars of Today –
Concept cars of today are truly unique. It is much more of a show than anything else. They are televised, broadcast over the radio, printed in newspapers, magazines, websites, and seen everywhere in the media. Concept cars are much the same as they were when Harley J. Earl first started all of this commotion. The only difference is that today, the concept cars are given a lot of media all over the map, and there are a variety of talented engineers and designers much less afraid to show off what their idea of the next best American vehicle will be, even if it has a chance of being sent to the scrapper. After Earl's designs went public and people all over the world were able to see that a person could come up with their own idea of what a good vehicle should be, the engineers, designers and manufacturers saw a chance to let the public play a role in the creation of new cars. The makers of the products always want to know if it will sell well, and what better way to do that than to ask the potential buyers?
VehicleRide.com continues to provide wonderful informations
about cars, concept
cars, sports
cars, future cars, and everything about cars.
http://www.vehicleride.com may be contacted at or webmaster@vehicleride.com
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as generally not as good as OEM parts. Furthermore, questions on the credibility of the CAPA certification, despite its supposedly strict standards, still exist.
More often than not, aftermarket auto parts are compared in unfavorable ways to OEM parts. Negative comments/rumors include that these parts never fit, result in increased cycle time due to the extra effort it takes to make them fit, and other quality issues. But the benefits of aftermarket auto parts actually abound. First off, crash tests performed over the years by the critics of aftermarket auto parts have shown that these parts perform no differently than OEM parts. On the issue of hazardousness, it has been found that crash parts, whether aftermarket or OEM, do not affect the safety of a vehicle. Thus, there are no federal safety standards for crash/collision parts, except headlamps and the hinges on the hoods to prevent the hood from going through the windshield in the event of a crash.
When it comes to savings, the consumer wins when it comes to aftermarket auto parts, as such are categorically less expensive than OEM parts. This benefits not only the consumer but the insurance company (which pays for car repairs) and the collision/aftermarket shop owner as well, who is provided with more opportunities to repair when the lower cost of parts keep vehicles from totaling. But the savings work better for older cars. Some aftermarket auto parts can be non-usable for newer car models but are often very useful to older cars. Low cost repairs for older cars with the use of aftermarket parts can be crucial in keeping the vehicle from being totaled. These parts also cause less diminished value concerns for older vehicles. Fears of warranty mishaps when it comes to aftermarket auto parts can also be thrown in the bin. Warranties on aftermarket auto parts are as good as OEM warranties. When a crash part has to be replaced, any original warranty on that part lapses but the warranty on the rest of the vehicle is unaffected. After a replacement part is installed, a new warranty takes over. Federal law prohibits manufacturer from basing warranties upon the exclusive use of OEM parts.
While both the OEM and aftermarket parts industries continue to develop and smooth out their negativities to gain the favor of the consumers, the competition can only benefit both the purchasers and the industry. As critics have remarked, when there is no competition, the OEM part seller price a part as it would like. But when a product competes with an aftermarket part, it would be priced cheaper than it originally would. It’s a two-way process though. If OEM parts were becoming more cost-competitive with aftermarket auto parts, aftermarket parts would have to strive harder to become more quality-competitive with OEM parts. If that believed distance of quality between the two is actually being bridged at present, aftermarket auto parts should still work on gaining the full trust of the public in the fact that they are indeed as good or even better than the original parts.
Robert Wilkins is a lawyer from New Orleans, Lousiana. A family man, he has three daughters and two sons. He enjoys cruising with his family in his Ford Truck.Robert Wilkins may be contacted at or robewilkins@gmail.com
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