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July 28th, 2011
Automover News: Honda Canada has at large details and a photo of a meaner and more sculpted CR-V Concept that previews what the next-generation CR-V will look like when it arrives in showrooms early next year. The company also confirmed that the new CR-V, as will the Honda Civic, which shares the CR-V’s platform. It will also be built at the East Liberty plant in Ohio where the current CR-V is assembled, with Canadian production of CR-Vs coming online early in 2012.
Honda’s recent history of concept versions of production cars were little more than the real thing with larger wheels and tires, and darker tinted glass and headlights. If this concept CR-V follows that pattern, then the next CR-V certainly takes a more aggressive step forward in the styling department, with a radically upward-angled lower front clip that visually displaces the front bumper. This suggests a more adventurous approach angle to obstacles, though it is likely more a styling nod than a real improvement in off-road capability. Honda claims it’s a more Aerodynamic front face as well, the fuel economy and noise reduction benefits are more likely to place higher on the engineering (and consumer) priority list.
The next CR-V will also feature an all-new interior, says Honda, with a more accommodating and spacious design. The company did not confirm or deny spy shot suggestions that there may be a small third-row available on the CR-V for the first time. Rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 and Dodge Journey have dabbled with third-row options, but most vehicles in the compact crossover class are strictly five-seaters.
No engine or fuel economy details were forthcoming, but Honda Canada also confirmed that a new Canada-only touring model will be introduced for 2012. The CR-V seems destined to remain a Four-cylinder-only vehicle that emphasizes fuel economy over power, so don’t expect a swift turbo or V-6 version to add extra oomph to what has long been a slow mover but quick seller. With a record sales year in Canada last year, the CR-V is still proving popular in 2011 – it was the ninth best-selling truck in the market through the first half of this year.
Tags: Automover News, East Liberty plan, Four-cylinder-only vehicle, Honda canada CR-V, Honda Civic, larger wheels and tires in CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Dodge
Posted in Auto transport, Car shipping, Cars, Road transport | No Comments »
July 21st, 2011
Automover News: Europe’s proposal to force shipping fleets to cut emissions of sulphur-dioxide gas will only add painful costs to an industry already in tight straights. But tough rules on sulphur, it seems, really indicates Europe is keen to get its shipping on readily available natural gas, which is forecast to remain plentiful until 2500. When he took the Royal Navy off of coal and got its warships running on bunker fuel. Burning oil proved decisive in both world wars, as it brought superior ship speed. Britain’s enemies had little of the stuff.
The trouble is natural gas engines can emit 90 per cent pure, unburned methane, a greenhouse gas 11 times more potent than carbon-dioxide. Switching to natural gas will dramatically cut carbon-dioxide but increase methane. There are already signs the industry itself realizes methane, and not sulphur, is the pollutant to target. An earlier costly initiative switching to natural gas engines in some ships proved it cut sulphur and carbon dioxide but released pure methane into the atmosphere.
Under the new rules, the maximum sulphur content of fuels will drop 90 per cent to 0.1 per cent from 1.5 per cent in populous areas like the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel (and down from 4.5 per cent to 0.5 per cent in 2020 for all other areas). The industry had anticipated the fuel standard for sulphur, and had partly embarked on using natural gas as a fuel ahead of 2015, the start of enforcement. Europe’s involvement, however, appears to signal a strategic switch to safe supplies of gas, with cutting sulphur as the chief sales and enforcement point.
Judging by Europe’s mercantile history and the wording of treaties dating back 200 years, the shipping industry is gambling that if gas is a standard for cleanliness set at the highest levels, then low-cost competitors not burning gas aboard ship might one day be excluded from plying key sea routes. Liquefied natural gas propulsion now powers offshore service ships. Some 40 vessels, plus as many LNG carriers, are now driven by natural gas. A new generation of LNG engines in which methane emissions are greatly reduced. Rolls-Royce, too, boasts cleaner LNG engines in the works.
Tags: Automover News, Baltic Sea, burning gas aboard ship, emissions of sulphur-dioxide gas, Liquefied natural gas propulsion, methane and sulphur, natural gas engines, pure methane, Rolls-Royce cars
Posted in Auto Movers, Car moving company, Shipping | No Comments »
July 13th, 2011
AutoMover News: It’s the first GPS with Wi-Fi for cars is now shipping for $299. The company also announced a new backup camera meant for use with its RoadMate nav units. The RoadMate 5175T-LM GPS features a 5-inch WVGA touchscreen that can display in landscape or portrait mode by rotating the device. The built-in Internet browser enables destination or point-of-interest (POI) searching, and software updates can be downloaded when in Wi-Fi hot spots.
The included TourDirector app provides location information and average travel time. Other features include lifetime maps of the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico; more than 6 million POIs; built-in AAA TourBook content; subscription-free lifetime traffic alerts, highway lane assist and spoken street names; and the OneTouch menu for favorite places and searches.
The second new device, a wireless backup camera ($149 suggested retail), is designed to attach to a vehicle’s rear license plate and transmit images to the 7-inch screen of a RoadMate 1700 or RoadMate 9055 GPS device. When the vehicle is put into reverse, the GPS navigator will switch from map to rear-view mode, enabling drivers to view what is below the rear window.
It’s reportedly dustproof and waterproof to IP67 standard. Features include a wide-angle viewing lens that provides a 120-degree viewing area behind the vehicle, a water-resistant transmitter, a 45-foot range and a 45-degree camera vertical adjustment. The kit comes with the camera and transmitter, along with a wireless receiver, vehicle power adapter, installation hardware and instructions.
Tags: first GPS with Wi-Fi, OneTouch menu GPS, RoadMate nav units, TourDirector app, Wi-Fi hot spots, wide-angle viewing lens, wireless backup camera
Posted in Auto shipping, Car shipping, Road transport, Shipping | No Comments »
July 7th, 2011
Automover News: Converse about a way to hit traffic, the new Terrafugia’s flying car, but at least you’ll be able to drive it on roads to the nearest airport. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently granted special exemptions for the Transition road able aircraft. The exemptions clear the way for shipping to begin from Terrafugia’s Massachusetts plant following testing. The flying car is slated to enter production this year, with shipping in 2012.
The NHTSA stipulations involve the type of tires and windscreen the Transition will use as a land vehicle. The tires are rated for highway speeds and the windshield will be made of polycarbonate materials instead of automotive safety glass to save weight and prevent shattering in a bird strike. Terrafugia says the Transition, which notched its maiden flight in 2009, is the first (light airplane) to incorporate automotive safety features such as a purpose-built energy absorbing crumple zone, a rigid carbon fiber occupant safety cage, and automotive-style driver and passenger airbags.
The wings on the 19-foot-long two-seater take less than a minute to fold. In flying mode, it has a wingspan of 26 feet, and a width of 90 inches in driving mode. It has a range of nearly 500 miles. It’s not the futuristic flying car some of us dream of, but the Transition could be useful for pilots who’d rather drive and fly with the same vehicle. They can also avoid bad weather en route by continuing their journey on land.
Tags: 19-foot-long two-seater, automotive-style driver and passenger airbags, futuristic flying car, NHTSA, polycarbonate materials, rigid carbon fiber, Terrafugia's flying car, Terrafugia's Massachusetts plant
Posted in Air Transport, Auto shipping, Car shipping, Cars | No Comments »
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