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ZAP zips Smart car sales up to a record month

March 30, 2006

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Hatchbacks, Earnings/Financials
On Tuesday, ZAP, makers of the micro Smart Cars (not to be confused with the smart cars by
DaimlerChrysler) posted sales totaling $2.3 million since inception according to the company. Said Steve Schneider, ZAP
CEO, “The purpose of this announcement is to let the world know that we are executing on our business plan.”
The 2005 Smart Car can be found in the U.S. states of Arizona, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada,
Pennsylvania, and Washington. Other news on ZAP, such as its Obvio! (pictured) and Xebra micro vehicles, can be found
here and here on Autoblog.
[Source: PR Newswire via Automotive.com]
ZAP zips Smart car sales up to a record month originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Mar 2006 10:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda breaks ground on Acura Design Studio

March 30, 2006

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Acura
Honda broke ground on its new Acura Design Studio earlier this week, with the company’s execs sliding
the first shovels into the ground where the $15 million facility will sit by mid-2007. Located right next to Honda’s
existing R&D center in Los Angeles, the studio will be the center of the design universe as far as Acura’s future
product lineup in North America is concerned. 
The groundbreaking coincided with Acura’s 20th
Anniversary, making it a celebration of Japan’s first luxury brand to hit the States as well.
[Source: Acura via PRNewswire]
Honda breaks ground on Acura Design Studio originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Mar 2006 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New U.S. CAFE rules hit trucks— kinda/sorta

March 30, 2006

Filed under: SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Government/Legal
The U.S. federal government made it official Wednesday - the NHTSA/EPA Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE,
program is getting tougher on light trucks. Automakers will have to increase average fuel economy ratings for light
trucks to about 24 mpg by the 2011 model year, a more than 10-percent increase from today’s standard. The standard for
cars remains unchanged at 27.5 mpg.
The automakers get a break, though. For the first time, the CAFE rules
include standards that vary by vehicle size, meaning that the standards for bigger trucks will be lower than for
smaller trucks. This helps out Ford, GM and Chrysler, where big trucks mean big profits.
Full details are
available at the NHTSA website, here.[Source: NHTSA]
New U.S. CAFE rules hit trucks— kinda/sorta originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Mar 2006 08:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UAW rejects latest Delphi offer

March 30, 2006

Filed under: GM, Earnings/Financials
The
Detroit News reported Wednesday
that the UAW has rejected Delphi Corp.’s latest offer, saying that it would have a “devastating impact” on
the parts supplier’s workers. However, in an effort to stave off Delphi’s threat to begin voiding its labor contracts
by Friday if a labor agreement hasn’t been reached, the UAW offered an olive branch to the company, saying it was
willing to keep working on the issue with Delphi if the company withdraws its Friday deadline.
Should Delphi
follow through on its threat to ask the court to void its labor contracts, UAW leaders indicated that a strike is
likely. The tough talk led investors to hammer
GM’s stock price, which fell more than 4 percent in Wednesday morning trading. A strike would be devastating to
General Motors, Delphi’s biggest customer.
[Sources: Detroit News, Reuters]
UAW rejects latest Delphi offer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Mar 2006 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms [...]

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Drive-in massage parlor open for stressed drivers

March 29, 2006

Filed under: Gadgets, Trends, Etc.
Yesterday the Malaysian government opened a
drive-in massage parlor on the country’s main highway, the North-South Highway. The facility offers massage chairs for
patrons similar to those found in some malls in the U.S. Costs, if any, to use the chairs were not specified in the
article.
The government approved and funded the parlor in the hopes of reducing traffic accidents by
relaxing stressed-out drivers. There are plans to open a second parlor later this year.
[Source: Associated
Press via ABC News]
Drive-in massage parlor open for stressed drivers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Mar 2006 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM to tap South Africa for H3 export base

March 29, 2006

Filed under: SUVs, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, HUMMER

South Africa may be the location of a new General Motors export base from whence will come diesel and right-hand
drive HUMMER H3s for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. That would up General Motors South Africa’s output
by $3 billion through 2012. The effort is part of GM’s overall plan to “ get away from
producing everything everywhere,” according to GM vice chairman of product development Bob Lutz. After spending
$100 million in upgrades to the Port Elizabeth plant, H3s should start rolling off the lines
in late ‘06.
[Source: Automotive News via Reuters]
GM to tap South Africa for H3 export base originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Mar 2006 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Great Robot Race adds dimension to DARPA Challenge

March 29, 2006

Filed under: Gadgets, Tech, Videos

We all know the basic facts
about the DARPA Grand Challenge that pitted over 20 autonomous vehicles against each other and the elements out in the
Mojave Desert last October. After watching the NOVA special The Great
Robot Race on PBS last night the entire enterprise has taken on a whole new dynamic thanks to the excellent
backstory provided by the program that reaches all the way back to the first DARPA Grand Challenge in 2004. While The Great Robot Race features background on many contenders, including a “nobody” darkhorse team
from New Orleans that finished fourth overall just weeks after Katrina blew through its hometown, the main push of the
program centers around the two teams from Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. Sebastian Thrun heads the Stanford team, which
is actually comprised of Carnegie Mellon defectors including Thrun himself, and they enter Stanley, a Touareg donated
by Volkswagen, in the contest. Red Whittaker, an [...]

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