Day: May 22, 2007

Car Insurance

Insurance Policy covers risk of any unusual damage or loss in respect of the goods insured. All expensive capital goods should be insured. Your car is one such item. When insured, the Insurance Company takes on certain liabilities and will compensate you monetarily, in respect of unusual damage arising from an accident, theft, fire etc., to your car, during a specified time period, in return for a certain charge, known as the insurance premium.

The Insurance Policy does not cover damages on account of usual wear and tear in the vehicle. There are generally two schemes available for insurance of your car, the comprehensive and the third party insurance.

In order to register your car and apply for license plates, you must provide proof of insurance. This guarantees that your vehicle is covered in the event of an accident. You can select from many levels of auto insurance to suit your personal requirements, from basic coverage that only covers the other vehicle in an accident, up to full coverage, covering any vehicle involved and even providing medical benefits when necessary. Always discuss your coverage in depth with your agent.

Be careful not to over insure your vehicle. If you drive an older vehicle that has lost most of its resale value, opting for basic coverage, that only covers the other vehicle in an accident, can save you hundreds of dollars each year. Under insuring can be just as expensive. Be aware of the “blue book” value of your vehicle when your shopping for insurance.

Categories:Insurance

Volkswagen forum

While searching out some information about all the new models I found this Volkswagen Forum which had plenty of information on the current models and some of the older ones.

My search for the ultimate car involves the quest for Formula One handling and the budget of a low end, second hand karting unit. So the Audi and BMers went out the window pretty fast. Didn’t even visit the dealer lots.

So it was time to look at the germans. For information about the Volkswagen Passat the article on the Volkswagen forum helped me find out about the new 2007 wagon. While the car seems to fit the bill its that price tag that is still killing my purchase plan. No matter what financing deal they throw my way it does not work out. I might as well have been looking for my Paris Dakar ready for action Touareg model. Its was working out to the same price but I was trying to get a lower price just because the Touareg is so ugly. Plus you can barely pronounce the name.

It does not matter whats under the hood in all situations, sometimes you have to look at the outside when you’re buying a car and the Volkswagen Touareg really needs some more work in that department. But than again I’m not some german Volks/Porsche car designer living the good life in the Black Forest. Yes I think its time to find an old Volks Fox wagen, that might fit in the budget. 

Categories:Volkswagen

PRIMER 2007 – Hosted by Yarrowsport

What a difference a year makes. Last year we baked in nearly record temperatures at Yarrowsport in Providence, RI while attending the PRIMER. This year it was cold, overcast and windy. Fortunately, the less than optimal weather conditions …

Categories:Audi

Will Skoda Influence Future VW Offerings?

The automotive world is seeing some dramatic changes thanks to the opening up of markets in China and India and the development of plants producing models that can retail for much less than ten thousand dollars in North America. The lower end of the auto market is booming and cheaper priced cars will be soon heading to America to swell the ranks of vehicles selling for bottom dollar. Volkswagen will be doing its part to compete against all that the world has to offer, but not with models currently being built by the German automaker. However, Skoda, a car company owned by the Volkswagen Group is likely to start selling some of their cars in the U.S. once competition heats up. Read on and we’ll take a look at how Skoda may transform the basic Volkswagen offering for the lucrative, but competitive American market.

Ask the average American consumer if they ever heard of Skoda and more than ninety percent are likely to give you a “no” answer. Conversely, if you asked these same consumers if they ever heard of Volkswagen, the name recognition would be virtually one hundred percent. Such is the popularity of the car company that brought the Beetle and Rabbit to the American market.

Skoda is much less known globally, although they have been producing vehicles for more than one century. Indeed, the once Czech government run car company had a small following, mostly in the communist states of eastern Europe. During the early 1990s, the Czech government decided to sell its interest in Skoda and Volkswagen became the happy owner. Today, Skoda cars are made in five countries and sold in 21. New plants in Russia and China are being developed to join plants already operating in eastern Europe and India.

So, why would VW turn to Skoda in order to remain competitive in North America? For two reasons:

Even if VW sends their lowest price car to the American market, the Polo, it will still be priced at around $12,000 which will be several thousand dollars more expensive than the cars to be imported from Chinese automakers.

Already the Skoda is one of the best priced brands in the world. Instead of pouring millions of dollars into a new VW model and tapping a factory that produces more expensive vehicles, a base Skoda model will likely anchor the Volkswagen line up within the next five years. Perhaps the Roomster, Skoda’s tiny four passenger automobile will be the car that helps VW stay strong in the US. Powered by a tiny 3 cylinder 1.2L engine, the Roomster is uniquely designed and easier to tell apart from other cars in its class and the Roomster is likely to be popular in China once production begins late next year.

And what is the biggest advantage of the Skoda Roomster? It will retail for less than ten thousand dollars once imported versions of this car arrive from Chinese factories to American soil. Now for the remaining dilemma: will the car be rebadged as a VW or will America finally learn what Skoda is all about? Stay tuned!

Categories:Skoda

Volkswagen Rabbit 2007

volkswagen rabbit 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit 2007
Which VW is the best selling model of all time? Well, if you answered the Beetle you can’t be faulted as it was the company’s top selling model for several decades. Recently, however, the Golf supplanted the Beetle as more than 25 million Golf models have been sold since the car was introduced during the mid 1970s. Today, the Golf is still produced but its old name – the Rabbit – is once again in use for the North American market – New 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit. This curious change in strategy has some people scratching their heads, but it may yet prove to be a marketing coup for the German automaker.
Original post Pulling A Volkswagen Rabbit Out of the Hat

Categories:Volkswagen

Porsche 911 Turbo 2007

 

The new Porsche 911 Turbo features a revolutionary 480-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter boxer engine with the world’s first gasoline-engine application of variable turbine geometry (VTG), a redesigned all-wheel-drive system, and evolutionary styling.

The new 911 Turbo’s engine produces 480 hp at 6,000 rpm, 60 bhp more than its predecessor, raising specific output of the 3.6-liter boxer-Six to an all-time high of 133 bhp per liter. More notable is the engine’s torque curve, which has been bolstered and broadened by the variable turbine geometry system. Peak torque rises to 457 lb-ft (previously 415 lb-ft), but that peak now spans an extended rpm range from 1,950 to 5,000 rpm, compared to 2,700–4,600 rpm in the previous 911 Turbo. Additionally, a function in the optional Sport Chrono Package allows a 10-second, mid-rpm-range ‘overboost’, temporarily increasing turbo boost under full throttle by 2.9 psi, and swelling peak torque to 502 lb-ft.

A 911 Turbo equipped with the optional 5-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission requires only 3.4 seconds to sprint from 0 to 60 mph. Equipped with the standard six-speed manual transmission, the new 911 Turbo reaches the same 60 mph mark in 3.7 seconds. With either gearbox, the top track speed of the new 911 Turbo is 193 mph.

Much of the 911 Turbo’s improved performance can be attributed to the variable turbine geometry system, the first such system available on a turbocharged gasoline engine. The heart of the technology is adjustable guide blades, which can vary in angle to most effectively guide engine exhaust flow onto the turbocharger’s impeller wheel. The result is a system that provides the advantages of both a small and large turbocharger, improving flexibility and acceleration, particularly at low engine speeds.

To transfer this power to the road, the new 911 Turbo features a redesigned all-wheel-drive system, with an electronically controlled multi-disc clutch replacing the previous model’s viscous clutch. Porsche Traction Management (PTM) allows variable power distribution fore and aft, and depending on conditions, the system’s electronics constantly determine optimal torque distribution to ensure ideal traction. In use, PTM provides exceptional agility on winding roads, outstanding traction in inclement conditions, and impressive active safety even at higher speeds. Though powerful, the 911 Turbo’s PTM setup is one of the lightest all-wheel-drive systems on the market.

The new 911 Turbo’s accelerative performance is duly tempered by its brake system, which is comprised of six-piston monobloc calipers up front, and four-piston monobloc calipers at the rear. Brake disc diameter at all four corners has been increased 20 mm, to 350 mm (13.78 in.). Optional is Porsche’s Ceramic Composite Brake system (PCCB). In addition to the exotic pad and rotor material, the PCCB option provides an increased front disc diameter (380 mm /14.96 in.), absolute corrosion resistance, improved fade stability, and a 37-pound unsprung-weight savings versus the standard brake system.

Styling changes made to the new 911 Turbo are evolutionary. The modified front end features tautly drawn cooling air inlets, widely spaced and deep-set fog lights, and new LED indicators situated in the lateral air inlets. From the rear, the Turbo takes on a more powerful stance thanks to a tail 22 mm (0.9-in.) wider than that of the previous model. The redesigned wing spoiler has been aligned to the wider profile, and slopes downward slightly at each end to nestle the rear fender’s contours. The lateral air inlets behind the doors have also been redrawn, and together with the new air ducts, afford a more efficient supply of cooling air to the intercoolers.

The 2007 911 Turbo goes on sale this summer in North America.

Tag: porsche, porsche los angeles, porsche 911, carrera gt, porsche dealer, boxster, part, 944, 356, 914, 928, carrera, turbo, 911 by design perfection porsche, racing, wheels

Categories:Porsche

Full Schedule: Audi tv Goes on the Air

Brand TV channel brings traditional TV and internet together 24 hour schedule with own programming Culture, sport, lifestyle and technology topics at www.audi.com/tv Audi has started its own internet TV channel. With immediate effect, Audi …

Categories:Audi

Bugatti from Bentley Continental GT?

Big Bang Bentley Continental GTLEW Design of Germany will build the next best thing – out of a Bentley Continental GT. The LEW “Big Bang” (silly name, that) gains a front design with the famous Bugatti grille, Touareg-esque headlights, and large 21” Aero-X style rims. Changes to some of the body panels were also made to lighten the car, with carbon fibre being used extensively. 

Headlights
Headlight

8C rear light’s
 Rear light

 21 inch Rims
21 inch rims

Categories:Bentley