Archive for November, 2009
Volvo Continuing Their Tradition In Safety With The V70
Author: admin
Volvo Continuing Their Tradition In Safety With The V70
Volvo has always been known to produce cars that almost define safety and this is one of the main reasons why the high ratings achieved by their cars on safety tests come as no surprise. Their priority of safety in their mass produced cars has earned them a large buyer base.
They have employed a large number of safety systems in their cars that few carmakers can match if none at all. One of their cars stronger selling points is their safety and the company is still seeking ways to improve the safety of their customers who are driving their cars. This is very much evident in their soon to be unveiled Volvo V70 which will be competing in the estate car segment that the company has been dominating for years since they invented the segment back in the 1950s.
Their new Volvo V70 which represents the third generation of the model is set to be introduced to the public at the Geneva Motor Show. The model is the current leader in the segment and the company looks to cement itself in the top spot by improving the cars performance and most of all its safety features. In developing the allnew V70 we aimed to produce the safest car in the segment said Ingrid Skogsmo the Director of Volvo Cars Safety Center. The center just recently released a safety system that they have developed aimed to cut down the number of lowspeed collision in half.
The Volvo V70s long list of safety features includes the worlds first ever Improved Child Safety with Extended IC or Inflatable Curtain and Integrated Booster Cushions. The safety system is designed with the safety of a child during collisions in mind. The dedication of the Swedenbased company to produce a car that would effectively protect a child during crashes led to the birth of such safety feature. The system for protecting a child consists of an adjustable booster cushion which is integrated to the seat. This can be later on be adjusted into two different heights depending on the size of the child who will occupy the seat. These booster seats can be also installed on the Volvo V70s outer rear seats and comes with safety belts that have specially adjusted force limiters that limits the tensioning force to just the right level in cases of crashes.
To further decrease the risk of injury or death of a child on crashes the inflatable curtains have been extended by 2 1/3 inches. Aside from the inflatable curtain the Volvo V70 also comes with a complete lineup of airbags on all places where they would be needed in the event of crashes. These include the new side airbags which has two separate chambers one for the hip and the other for the chest section. The chamber for the hip section inflates with up to five times more pressure than the other chamber due to the fact that the hip area can withstand greater pressure than the chest. These airbags cushions the cars occupants in the event of crashes just like a Volvo coil spring cushions them from road irregularities.
The Volvo V70 also comes with other safety systems that are being employed by other Volvo cars like the Whiplash Protection System which has been improved to ensure that the occupants head remains in contact with the head restraint during rear end collision. The materials used on different areas of the car also help maintain the safety of the occupants in cases of collisions. This technology is developed by the companys newest design engine called VIVA or the Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture wherein different grades of strength of materials are used in different car areas.
About the writer: Glady Reign is a 32 year old is a consultant for an automotive firm based in Detroit Mi. she is a native of the motor city and grew up around cars hence her expertise in the automotive field.
Volkswagen History
Author: admin
Volkswagen History
Today VW is one of the biggest car manufacturers in Europe. However this was not like that from the beginning.
The word “volkswagen” literally means peoples car and this was the whole idea behind it. From the beginning VW tried to make a car that is simple enough so that the average people could afford it.
It was not exactly a new idea. Before 1930s there have been many attempts to create a simple car model. The problem however was that no matter how simple the car was made it still ended up costing more than the yearly wage of a normal worker.
History tells that while many affords was made from VW to create the perfect worker class car a new company was created. In 1930 Ferdinand Porsche made his company. Right after the creation Porsche patented a pretty complex suspension system. In this system the transversely mounted torsion bars are connected to two trailing arms on each side. That made the whole model very light. In fact it was lighter than every common suspension type.
In 1931 another company asked Porsche if they could make a model close to the last one for them. The 2 door sedan was made as a result of this project. It was very similar to Beetle and it had the suitability that was required.
The company who bought the model is called Zundapp and right after they bought the sedan model they wanted to put 1.2 liter radial engine from one of their own motorcycles. That didnt happen and this was the end of the line.
In 1933 NSU purchased a design from Porsche. It was known by the name Type 32. This new model was even closer to the upcoming KdF Wagen than its predecessor Type 12. It was pretty close to Tatra V570 too especially with some mechanically similarities.
After the World War II was over Tatra got some compensations from Volkswagen because they think that their model was pirated from KdF Wagen because of the similar technology. The KdF Wagen was made during that time and the similarities pointed that during the development major mechanical components were copied from it and used in the Tatra design model. Soon after that NSU dropped the Type 32 project.
In 1933 Porsche together with Hitler made possible for the citizen car project to continue. The Type 60 was soon created and its name soon changed to V1 experiment 1. After a proposition made by Hitler V2 was designed to met the new convertible version criteria that was introduced.
In 1936 these models together with VW3 were put to major testing. After enough data was collected the next version the VW30 was made. For the VW30 testing a new government company was responsible the DAF. This was because of the Hitlers regime.
Members of SS were told to drive the new VW30 model and to confirm that all the problems are fixed. Soon after that in 1938 in the KdF Wagen factory the manufacturing process began. In 1939 some VW38 and a few demonstrational cars of the model VW39 came to the world.
That was made just to point out that the factory is working and to show what the future cars would look like. These models came with a difference the front hinged doors. When V38s models were finally introduced Hitler abruptly changed the name to KdF Wagen. KdF stayed for “Kraft durch Freude” or Strength through Joy. That made Porsche pretty upset because he was not a member of the Nazi party and the use of propaganda of this kind was not his understanding of advertisement.
Special stamps were made by the government. They were sold to people and on theory if someone got 200 stamps they could immediately be changed with a KdF Wagen. That however was not meant to be and the model didnt proceed further. In fact it stayed only as a prototype.
Many people made it to court seeking some compensation because of the stamps they had which was not going to be redeemed with a car. During that time the Type 82 was on the way. It was a simple military vehicle. It practically used the parts from KdF Wagen and its flatsided body and increased ground clearance were some of the few differences.
During WWII Type 128 and Type 166 were created. The last was powered by a 25 hp engine. There were over 50 000 cars produced of the Type 82 and only less than 16 000 of the Schwimmwagen Type 166.
After the war the KdF Wagen factory was taken over by the British army. Under the leadership of Major Ivan Hirsts over 2000 cars were made. Most of these cars were made by spare parts left by the old manufacturing process.
After 1945 the company was named Volkswagen and the whole town took the name “Wolfsburg” which was the name of a castle nearby. The British were looking to whom to give the control over the factory. It was very difficult because Ford though it to be a waste of money and the French government refused. Soon after that Heinrich Nordhoff took the opportunity which came to be a good step in the Volkswagen development.
In 1949 the production rapidly increased. Soon after that in 1950 the VW transporter was born. Many vehicles were transported to Denmark Sweden Luxemburg Belgium and Switzerland. In South Africa the Beetles were produced during the same year.
In 1952 dealership opened doors in England which was the first there. In 1951 deluxe version of the Beetle was exported. In 1952 the American deluxe Beetles got hydraulic brakes.
Beetles made before and some during the 1953 looked a lot like the old KdF Wagen. In 1955 the Karmann Ghia was introduced. It was made by many of the Beetle parts to keep the production line cheaper. In 1977 the production of the Beetle sedan ended. Two years after that cabriolet production stopped too.
However it is pretty interesting that Beetles are used and produced in Mexico even today.
About the writer: More information on VW.
Used Car Market Booming In India
Author: admin
Used Car Market Booming In India
Used cars are selling like hotcakes in India. Thanks to their easy availability and lower interest rates the sale of used cars is only expected to further shoot up the sales ladder in the coming years. It is hard to find accurate data on the sale of used car in India where the unorganized sector plays a major role. However if we go through the car dealers and the countrys largest vehicle financier list more secondhand cars were bought and sold in 2007 than new ones. According to estimates provided by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. TrueValue used car division and Honda Siel Car India Ltd. Auto Terrace which sells preowned cars the used car market this fiscal year is about 10 percent more than that of new cars.
Car financers elsewhere have also pointed out this growing trend. They estimate that the used car segment is growing at 2530 percent compared to the 13 percent for the new car market. In 2007 which ended in March Indians bought 1.4 million new cars compared to about 1.3 million used ones in the same period. Since March Maruti sold 65000 used cars an increase of 45 percent compare to last year while Honda sold 2769 used cars in this period compared with 1765 cars a year ago.
About 80 percent of the transactions in the secondhand car segment still occurred in the unorganized sector facilitated by an estimated 2000. With advances in technology and a record number of new car models entering the Indian market every year customers today typically go for an upgrade or exchange within three years of their purchase compared to the aged ideology of sticking to the same car for 1015 years.
As many as 50 new and tweaked models have been introduced in India for the past couple of years. This trend is expected to continue and grow till the car makers pump in Rs 35000 Crore in Asias third largest automobile market. To think India had barely two marquees three decades ago the Fiat Premier and Hindustan Motors Ambassador. The 2530 percent growth in the previously owned car market in the last three years has happened because interest rates for used and new vehicles are more or less the same.
Organised players like Marutis TrueValue and Automartindia Ltd have entered this business and contributing to the trend. They offer buyers and sellers the assurance of proper ownership and accident documentation along with quality and addons such as warranty and free services previously available only for new car buyers. The general consensus among the industry is that the used car segment may become almost double of the new car market in another five years as twowheeler owners has been opting for fourwheelers.
In markets such as the US and France the used car segment is 2.5 times larger than the new car one. India may outshoot this record in the years to come. After all we do have the second largest population!
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Buy new cars sell used or preowned cars from Indias First Interactive Car Portal. Click Compare and Choose your car. Get free car price quotes.
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