Cars

The issue could have ended calmly on March 1, 2001 when an arbitration panel unanimously concurred that the Toyota Motor Corp. was liable for the damage of Jeff Meckstroth's two-year-old Lexus RX300 sport utility engine. However, the dispute worsened when two representatives of the automaker packed up their papers and referred casually to other identical cases they were handling.

"Then we had our suspicions up that this isn't an unusual case, that Lexus knows about the problem, and has formed a response - just deny, deny, deny," said Meckstroth, a 47-year-old New Orleans stockbroker. "We decided to sue." His case sprouted into a class suit to include prior and current owners of about four million Toyota and Lexus vehicles complaining about engine sludge.

Engine sludge is caused by the accumulation of gelling or solidifying oil. It usually occurs at temperatures lower than 100 degrees Celsius. Sludge is a cause of major engine problems. It deprives the engine of the required lubrication. In addition, sludge could necessitate an opportune engine replacement.

Toyota has agreed to settle the case last fall however it maintains that its engines were not defective. The automaker said the settlement terms mirror a program to reimburse customers for sludge-related engine damage or repairs that it put in place in 2002. The said settlement is expected to be approved by a Louisiana state court.

With a single engine replacement costing approximately $10,000, the gross amount could run into the billions. However, the tainted reputation of the automaker is worth more than that. Toyota is not the only automaker that has been confronted by engine sludge problems. But the high-profile case is the latest in a series of recalls. This situation is suggestive that Toyota?s controls are not foolproof.

"It would be accurate to say that there have been enough issues with Toyota in the past couple of years that they don't have the spotless image they had a couple of years ago," said Karl Brauer, the editor in chief of , an automotive research Web site. But he adds that problems at Toyota attract a disproportionate amount of attention because of the automaker's sterling reputation for quality. "Most companies wouldn't get noticed for these problems."

DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and Volkswagen AG are among the automakers that have confronted complaints about sludge in their vehicles. "There are reasons to believe that the engine design could be contributing to it, but there are also reasons to think that lack of maintenance or proper customer care is contributing," Brauer said. "Everything I've read indicates something kind of in between."

Gary Gambel, an attorney at Murphy, Rogers, Sloss & Gambel in New Orleans, argued that Toyota's engines had a defect giving them a propensity to develop sludge. "The terms of the settlement and the settlement itself have no finding of defect in the product," Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis said however. "They're not saying these engines are predisposed to sludge."

Toyota remains among the quality leaders in vehicle manufacture. But if complaints about auto parts not only the engine but EBC brake pads, brakes, suspension and more, keep coming, the reputation linking to quality will be compromised.

"The sludge issue was a significant blow," said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research Inc. in Bandon, Ore. "Toyota's in the position that GM was in back in the 1970s. A lot of people were buying GM products in the '70s because they were GM products, but they had fractures at the edges. It took 15 years before GM started to suffer from that long-term negative word-of-mouth." At Toyota, he said, "It's going to hurt them if they don't turn it around."

The ongoing Chicago Auto Show has seen great cars being unveiled one after the other. Most of the cars being shown at the said event are concept vehicles that will in the near future be available for the public. One such concept car that will have a long line of people waiting for its release is the Kia Rondo SX concept vehicle.

The concept car is based on the Kia Rondo unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November last year. The new concept vehicle is the realization of Kia of their ?Exciting and Enabling? brand direction.

?We have positioned the all-new 2007 Rondo as a vehicle of function and versatility,? Len Hunt said. Hunt is the executive vice president and COO of Kia Motors America. ?The Rondo SX Concept is proof that smart, spacious vehicles don?t need to be boring, and that consumers can still be passionate about a daily driver,? Hunt added further.

The concept car uses design elements that are employed by the current Kia SX models. The aggressive looking front and rear fascias are just some of the design characteristics that are being used by Kia models like the Rio and the Spectra. Aside from that, the concept crossover vehicle also employs sportier grill inserts. The addition of such design increases the aesthetic value of the vehicle.

To make the SX concept of the Rondo more aerodynamic, the roof rails present on other trim package of the Rondo were nowhere to be seen on the concept vehicle. The absence of the roof rails decreased dramatically the coefficient of drag of the vehicle. The door handles and side moldings are finished in contrasting colors which gives the car a soft and fashionable overall finish. The Kia Rondo SX Concept also comes with an accessory body kit which is also available on the other trim packages of the Rondo.

The interior of the concept vehicle exudes a sports car luxurious feel, thanks to the materials used and the finishes utilized. The black leather that wraps the steering wheel which is common on SX trim packages of other Kia models is also present in the Kia Rondo SX Concept. The seats, meanwhile, are upholstered in grey leather with red leather trimmings around the grey Alcantara inserts. Stainless steel sports pedals are employed by the SX concept and this departs from the black theme that the current Rondo models use on their brake pedals. The center stack, shifter surround, and the door switch trims are characterized by an accented platinum look.

The concept car is equipped with a 2.7 liter double overhead cam V6 engine. The powerplant is optimized via a cold-air intake and a cat-back exhaust system which reduces back pressure from the exiting exhaust gas. The use of the cat-back system allows a boost of 10 horsepower to the 192 horsepower output of the engine. The exhaust system allows the powerplant to perform at its optimum level, akin to what a Volvo muffler does for the exhaust system that employs it. The height of the Kia Rondo SX Concept is lower than that of the current models by three inches. The lowered ride height of the car increases the cornering capability of the car. The power from the engine is transferred to the vehicle?s five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels. And to effectively stop the vehicle, cross-drilled and slotted brake rotors are employed at the front and the rear brake system.

Aside from being a platform for the unveiling of the Kia Rondo SX Concept, the Chicago Auto Show also saw the Sedona, another Kia vehicle, receiving the distinction of being the best minivan according to MotorWeek.

General Motors Corp. is unleashing a new taxi fleet service to transport persons with mobility-restricting disabilities or spinal cord injuries. The introduction will coincide with the celebration of 100 years of taxi cabs in New York City. The first wheelchair-accessible cab approved for taxi use will make its public debut at the 2007 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS).

?General Motors is dedicated to making automotive transportation easier and more accessible for the millions of persons with disabilities,? said John Gaydash, the director of marketing for GM Fleet and Commercial Operations. ?With the debut of our new lowered-floor van for taxicabs, we are giving New Yorkers with disabilities a key element in maintaining independence ? mobility.?

The Chevrolet Uplander TC was upgraded by El Dorado National, GM?s approved upfitter, to make pass the taxi cab standard. The cab features a stainless steel floor that is 12 inches lower than the conventional. It also offers a full 58 inches of interior height without a raised roof.

?By lowering the floor instead of raising the roof we increase accessibility and keep the center of gravity low, which improves the safety of the vehicle,? said Gaydash. ?This creates nearly five feet of height in the rear passenger compartment, allowing both able and less able passengers to enter and exit with ease.?

The Uplander TC is made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lowered-floor of the cab is engineered to be used by airport shuttle services, private livery companies, rehabilitation and extended care facilities to further mobility concerns. The vehicle meets or exceeds all applicable safety standards in the United States and in Canada.

The modified Chevrolet Uplander TC is equipped with GM?s StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, optional fold-down, middle-row seat, an improved rear-seat capacity for superb passenger load, an easy-to-use sturdy manual fold-out ramp, a swing-out gate for quick access for all passengers, safe, commercial-grade non-slip flooring made of high-quality vinyl, high-strength tie-down belt system made by Q?Straint, the industry benchmark for safety, ensures that a wheelchair or motorized chair is snugly secured.

The Chevrolet Uplander TC (Taxi Cab) standard equipment includes the 12-inch lowered floor, stainless steel with undercoating, ADA-compliant, a 56-inch ramp entry door height, a 54-inch by 30-inch fold-out, a swing-away ramp, rear axle automatic air suspension system, stainless steel entry threshold or safety yellow, auxiliary fuse block for taxi equipment, interior flat-mounted compact spare tire, commercial-grade Altro vinyl flooring, transmission or door interlock system that complements Chevy door handle, ADA safety lighting, manual driver seat or removable footrest, rear heat and A/C conversion, third-row seat modification with LATCH, backup alarm, and an emergency exit rear hatch release.

It can be recalled that the largest automaker has launched its Mobility Program in 1991 to aid transportation options to individuals with disabilities. Earlier, the Springboard Consulting and Work Life Matters magazine in New York honored GM for its dedication to the special needs community.

The automaker has been the automotive industry?s sales leader for 76 years. In the previous year, it sold about 9.1 million cars and trucks under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall brands.

The 2007 Shelby Mustang is here. It delivers over 450 horsepower, and as much as 475 horsepower. The ultimate goal was to produce an undisputed reincarnation of the classic and most sought after Shelby Mustangs from the Sixties. It is ready to take rightful place in the lineage of classic and legendary American muscle cars. As a result, the best way to buy it at rock bottom prices turns out to be on the World Wide Web. Some even offer it at an invoice price range of $37,008 - 41,302 depending on options. Performance testing has gleaned a 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.0 seconds according to the site.

Every one of them had some feature on their home page directly tied to the 2007 Shelby Mustang. Similar tests by the magazine Road and Track reported a 13.1 seconds quarter mile. And ran a 12.9 second quarter-mile and the Corvette obtained a 12.8. And features very large wheels 19 by 9 ? inch machined aluminum, which accommodate massive racing performance tires. And it cranks out over 450 horsepower, some, including Shelby, say as high as 475 horsepower.

The stalemate was broken when Shelby agreed to serve as the senior advisor on the specialized team that developed the 550 horsepower Ford, and now the newest dominator of the streets. For an in depth look at what consumer publications and opinions are saying about the 2007 Shelby Mustang Cobra, we searched the Internet high and low. And are still reasonably affordable, though prices for mint or rare examples can be up to ten times as high as the original US selling price. When production ceased in 1970 with a total volume of 14,559 units.

Shelby Mustang have already achieved some impressive highlights showcasing an enthusiast demand that is unmatched in the business. And have been designed and created for V8 Muscle for cruising. The name had not been used since the produced in 1970. It was proved to be fast, brutal and successful in competition. These cars had started off the Muscle Car era, and compact cars fitted with huge engines which accelerated like rockets and were the dream of every American teenage boy.

Unfortunately the Shelby Mustang became a victim of it own success, the enormous amount of accidents with Ford cars, the subsequently high insurance rates and the cheaper less refined competition meant the end. The remaining 1969 Shelby Mustangs were renumbered and slightly retouched and sold as 1970 models. Shelby American Automobile Club has been around for 33 years, which has the important task of verifying the authenticity of every car. Carroll Shelby gives a brief rundown that got started and how the King of the Road name was almost lost to the Corvette. The 2005 Mustang design team drew inspiration from classic Shelby Mustangs, the models that transformed the mild-mannered pony car into a muscle car with attitude.

The Ford Shelby Mustang car is not just another souped up Mustang, and it is the most powerful Mustang to ever roll off a factory production line. It is a car that follows a distinctly American approach to high performance -- give it lots of horsepower and then get out of the way. And it was reduced to just a custom styling job carried out on stock fastbacks and convertibles at Ford Michigan, plant. It was the tamest yet, just regular Mustangs with a specific big mouth fiberglass front, scoops and scallops all over, and more wide tail amps.