Bosch’s Dynamic Future

The German company which has given the world the Electronic Stability Control is at it again. Bosch, a leading company manufacturing automotive parts and systems recently announced that they will be showcasing newly developed features that can be used on future automobiles to make them even more stable and safer. The new technologies will be showcased at the North American Vehicle Dynamics Expo which will be staged for the first time in the United States.

Said event will run from October 24 until the 26th, and every day of the event, a representative from the auto parts manufacturer will be giving presentations. Here’s the list of presentations according to The Auto Channel:

• Dr. Kay Stepper, marketing manager, Chassis Systems Controls Division, Robert Bosch, LLC, will speak on Oct. 24 at 10:15 a.m. on VDM and drivetrain, suspension and steering technology advancements that improve chassis characteristics.
• Scott Dahl, director of marketing and product planning, Chassis Systems Controls Division, Robert Bosch, LLC, on Oct. 25 at 9:30 a.m. will discuss how ESC is an enabler of value-added functions and technologies that, when networked together, create unique vehicle dynamics functionality.
• Joseph Miller, engineering manager, Chassis Systems Controls Division, Robert Bosch, LLC, will address the event on Oct. 26 at 11:35 a.m. on the unique possibilities and special consideration for stability systems for SUVs and light trucks, particularly in off-road driving situations.

The German corporation has been known as the manufacturer of the ESC. Today, they have developed new technologies which can be used to complement the ESC. Apart from that, Bosch will also showcase these features for automotive application:

• Predictive safety systems, which utilize the sensors and the electronic control unit from adaptive cruise control (ACC) to recognize emergency braking situations.
• Lane departure warning, which relies on a front-end camera to identify road boundaries and ensure the driver stays within the lane. If the vehicle unintentionally strays from the lane, the system alerts the driver.
• Roll mitigation function (RMF) utilizes existing ESC sensors to reduce a vehicle’s rollover risk by determining when a vehicle is experiencing extreme lateral tire force, and activating to reduce those forces when necessary through a series of events, beginning with braking of the outer front wheel.
• Trailer sway mitigation (TSM), similar to RMF, also relies on existing ESC sensors, using a special algorithm to detect trailer sway during a towing situation. To eliminate the motion, the vehicle’s brakes are precisely applied through active brake pressure control, helping the driver maintain control even in critical situations.

The 2008 Foose F-150 Handles The 3dCarbon

Who is not excited about the new car from Ford? *No one raises hands.* Almost everybody is looking forward to owning one of the 2008 Foose F-150 units which will be available in the market early in 2008. But before that happens, the new vehicle will be seen flaunting gorgeousness at the soon to come SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The new car is the product of the team up that happened between the Ford Motor Company and world-renowned hot-rod customizer Chip Foose. Now you should not wonder why the F-150 is given ‘Foose’ as part of its name. The new car will also offer the rare 3dCarbon to boost the greener movement. It also has  an 8-piece body kit for those who want to have a slightly revamped image of the new car.

Here are the features of the 2008 Foose F-150:

Base Vehicle:
2008 Ford F-150 FX2 Sport Pickup
Powertrain 5.4-liter Triton V-8, intercooled and supercharged
Four-speed automatic transmission
Iron block, aluminum cylinder heads

Powertrain:
Ford Racing exhaust system

Chassis:
Front tuning - Eibach coil springs, Sachs dampers, jounce bumper
Rear tuning –Eibach leaf springs, Sachs dampers, jounce bumper
Wheels & Tires:
22-inch forged, polished Foose wheels
P275/45R22 Pirelli Tires

Exterior:
3dCarbon 8 Piece Body Kit
Front Air Dam
3 Pc. Side Skirts- R/L
Rear Lower Skirt
Foose-designed stripe package
Foose-designed upper and lower grilles
Unique front fender badges
Sundial Window Tinting

Interior:
Black leather interior
Embroidered headrests with Chip Foose autograph
“Foose” embroidered floormats
Leather-wrapped center console with personalized build sequence badge

Lexus Canada may be one of the best parts of Lexus cars but the 3dCarbon 2008 Foose F-150 is given more quality features to hit that ride you just need for a pickup truck. Now if you wish to see more information about this new vehicle, visit World Car Fans now.

Lexus: Unbridle The Horses!

Lexus, with the intention of competing closely with its auto rivals, let the horses loose. This spring, brace yourself for a powerful new Lexus – the IS-F. Be among the first to witness, how this high-performance sportscar take on German rivals.

The upscale luxury division of Toyota Motor Corp., with its lavish lineup, has inked a reputation for dependable family cars. But the luxury automaker aims to elevate the reputation to another level by launching the supercharged 2008 Lexus IS F sports car taking on European rivals from BMW, Porsche and Audi as well as American muscle cars like the Chevrolet Corvette.

“Lexus doesn’t have a ‘halo’ vehicle, and in the luxury automotive world that’s important,” said Michael Robinet, an automotive analyst at consultancy CSM Worldwide. “[The IS F] is a vehicle that won’t necessarily drive up Lexus’ bottom line, but it will drive traffic to showrooms and bolster the company’s image. Lexus is looking for younger buyers right now, and so they want to make a big splash with this vehicle.”

The new IS F is the fastest production car the automaker has ever manufactured. Matter of fact, the car was designed to take on the BMW 3 Series, Audi RS4 and Porsche 911, among others.

The performance-tuned sports sedan measures up against the German imports when it comes to performance, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in under 4.9 seconds. According to Toyota, its five-liter, V8 engine is capable of delivering more than 400 horsepower, offering about 20 miles per gallon in Japanese test-driving conditions.

The LS 430 luxury sedan helped Lexus establish its reputation. Now Lexus wants to take the brand a step further and inject some emotion into it, said Toyota’s Executive Vice President Akio Toyoda.

The IS F got a burst of publicity last week when it was featured as one of the costliest items offered in the annual Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, The Christmas Book, divulged MSNBC. For a mere $68,000, well-heeled shoppers can be among the first to own the new car, complete with a black leather interior, hand polished wheels and a sequentially numbered Special Build badge.

“Lexus has long been renowned as a luxury, high-quality brand,” he said at the car’s unveiling last week at Fuji Speedway. “But to be recognized as a true global premium brand, we knew we needed more emotional vehicles.”

The automaker’s initial sales target for the IS F is around 7,000 models for 2008. With its strong position in the American market for premium cars, that objective seems viable for the automaker according to Paul Newton, an analyst at consultancy Global Insight.

“There appears no reason why the brand will not reach its targets based on the styling and early reports of its performance,” said Newton, adding that the model’s prospects in Europe and Japan are less clear. “A sporting halo model cannot harm its somewhat staid image in Europe,” he said, but “the brand needs time to gain traction in Japan, where it has only been present for the last three years.”

“Now is key time for luxury Asian brands because of the strength of the euro, which is making it hard for the luxury European manufacturers,” concluded Robinet. “Any time the value of the dollar falls, import prices rise, and the import manufacturer has to take a haircut on the sales margin to keep the price of the vehicle the same.”

Honda Civic Tops 2006’s Most Stolen Vehicles In The US

The 2006 most stolen vehicles in the US as released by theautochnanel.com:

1. 1995 Honda Civic
2. 1991 Honda Accord
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup
5. 2005 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup
7. 1994 Nissan Sentra
8. 1994 Dodge Caravan
9. 1994 Saturn SL
10. 1990 Acura Integra

The top ten cars on the list includes the 1990 Acura Integra at the 10th spot and it was followed by the 1994 Saturn SL on the ninth. Then the 1994 Dodge Caravan took the eighth spot with the 1994 Nissan Sentra on the seventh. The 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup was seen on the sixth spot and the 2005 Dodge Ram Pickup on the fifth spot. It was followed by the 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup on the forth notch. The top three most stolen cars includes the ever famous 1989 Toyota Camry on the third and the second spot covered by the 1991 Honda Accord. But the 1995 Honda Civic had the top score which made it the car with largest amount of stolen units in 2006.

This list was from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) which has identified these models and the year when they were stolen. The National Insurance Crime Bureau was able to use the particular data and translate it into a comprehensive list.

NICB’s President and Chief Executive Officer Robert M. Bryant said in a statement, “The decrease in vehicle thefts is certainly welcome news to law enforcement, the insurance industry and vehicle owners nationwide. At NICB, we have been providing the latest technology in auto theft detection and recovery equipment to law enforcement agencies from California to Florida.”

He also said, “Through the support of our member insurance companies, NICB acquires and deploys License Plate Recognition systems and bait vehicles in an effort to reduce vehicle theft.”

Who Rocks The Volkswagen Show

The Who will definitely rock the show for Volkswagen. The Who is one among the most successful rock bands in the music industry and they will be performing at the international event of Volkswagen which would be in celebration of their 60 years of being in the van business. The event will be happening on the Hanover Exhibition Centre this weekend. During the event, VW will be reviving the 1960s and 70s vans to produce five new generations of Volkswagen Transporter vans and buses. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend take the center stage.

“We look forward to being part of a real cult event that is right up our alley, and we intend to rock Hanover. I own a Volkswagen Bus together with my partner Rachel Fuller. And we used Volkswagen Buses as transport in our very early days as a band. It was the cool thing to do,” the artist reminisced. “It was a mobile hippy home, cult on wheels, and today, still, the Multivan is a great automobile,” the band’s creative mastermind Pete Townshend says.

“Rock legend, The Who, is tailor-made for the Volkswagen van and the special relationship between the two legends has been mirrored in several of their songs. We are thrilled that Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles can be associated with this rock-group,” Harald Schomburg, a member of the board of management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles comments.

All Volkswagen van and bus owners will be attending the event and are excited about what the event will give to them. The Who will be singing their hit songs like ‘My Generation’, ‘Magic Bus’, ‘Who are you’, ‘Can’t explain’ and ‘Going Mobile’.

If you wish to know more about the news, you can log on to the official website of Volkswagen at http://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/. Like you, I am also excited to see the band and the event. So I’ll see you there guys.