Asia Automobile

Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV)

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +0000

In Malaysia, the use of compressed natural gas was originally introduced for taxicabs and airport limousines during the late-1990s, when new taxis were launched with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engines while taxicab operators were encouraged to send in existing taxis for full engine conversions, reducing their costs of operation. Any vehicle converted to use CNG is labelled with white rhombus "NGV" (Natural Gas Vehicle) tags, lending to the common use of "NGV" when referring to road vehicles with CNG engine. The practice of using CNG remained largely confined to taxicabs predominantly in the Klang Valley and Penang due to a lack of interest. No incentives were offered for those besides taxicab owners to use CNG engines, while government subsidies on petrol and diesel made conventional road vehicles cheaper to use in the eyes of the consumers. Petronas, Malaysia's state-owned oil company, also monopolises the provision of CNG to road users. As of July 2008, Petronas only operates about 150 CNG refueling stations, most of which are concentrated in the Klang Valley. At the same time, another 50 was expected by the end of 2008.

As fuel subsidies were gradually removed in Malaysia starting June 5, 2008, the subsequent 41% price hike on petrol and diesel led to a 500% increase in the number of new CNG tanks installed.National car maker Proton considered fitting its Waja, Saga and Persona models with CNG kits from Prins Autogassystemen by the end of 2008, while a local distributor of locally assembled Hyundai cars offers new models with CNG kits. Conversion centres, which also benefited from the rush for lower running costs, also perform partial conversions to existing road vehicles, allowing them to run on both petrol or diesel and CNG with a cost varying between RM3,500 to RM5,000 for passenger cars.

There were about 400 CNG-fueled vehicles in Singapore in mid-2007, of which about 110 are taxis operated by Smart Automobile. By February 2008, the number has risen 520 CNG vehicles, of which about half are taxies. All vehicles had to refuel at the sole CNG station operated by Sembcorp Gas and located on Jurong Island until the opening of the first publicly accessible CNG station at Mandai in 2008, operated by Smart Automobile. The company plans to build another four stations by 2011, by which time the company projects to operated 3,000 to 4,000 CNG taxies, and with 10,000 CNG public and commercial vehicles of other types on Singapore's roads. Sembcorp Gas opened its second CNG station a week after the Mandai station at Jalan Buroh.

Thailand has for over a decade run natural gas taxi cabs in Bangkok. However, conversion in earnest has begun since oil prices have risen, and now thousands of private automobiles and public buses have converted. Natural gas vehicles in Thailand have reached 98,000 in 2008

Nissan Motor

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. shortened to Nissan, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Japan. It was formerly a core member of the Nissan Group, but has become more independent after its restructuring under Carlos Ghosn (CEO).

It formerly marketed vehicles under the "Datsun" brand name and is one of the largest car manufacturers. As of August 2009, the company's global headquarters are located in Nishi-ku, Yokohama. In 1999, Nissan entered an alliance with Renault S.A. of France, which owns 44.4% of Nissan as of 2008. Nissan is among the top three Asian (also known as the Japanese Big 3 Automakers) rivals of the "Big Three" in the U.S. Currently it is the third largest Japanese car manufacturer. It also manufactures the Infiniti luxury brand.

The Nissan VQ engines, of V6 configuration, have featured among Ward's 10 Best Engines for 14 straight years, since the award's inception.

Nissan has produced an extensive range of mainstream cars and trucks, initially for domestic consumption but exported around the world since the 1950s. There was a major strike in 1953.

It also produced several memorable sports cars, including the Datsun Fairlady 1500, 1600 and 2000 Roadsters, the Z-car, an affordable sports car originally introduced in 1969; and the GT-R, a powerful all-wheel-drive sports coupe.

In 1985, Nissan created a tuning division, NISMO, for competition and performance development of such cars.Nismo's latest model is the 370z NISMO.

They recently launched mid-sized Nissan Navara truck, which has 175 bhp (130 kW). Until 1982, Nissan automobiles in most export markets were sold under the Datsun brand. Since 1989, Nissan has sold its luxury models in North America under the Infiniti brand.

Nissan also sells a small range of kei cars, mainly as a joint venture with other Japanese manufacturers like Suzuki or Mitsubishi. Nissan does not develop these cars. Nissan also has shared model development of Japanese domestic cars with other manufacturers, particularly Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Isuzu.

In China, Nissan produces cars in association with the Dongfeng Motor Group including the 2006 Nissan Livina Geniss. This is the first in the range of a new worldwide family of medium sized cars and is to make its world debut at the Guangzhou International Motor Show.

Nissan launches Qashqai SUV in South Africa, along with their new motorsport Qashqai Car Games.

Nissan Motors uses a straightforward method of naming their automobile engines. The first few letters identify the engine family. The next digits are the displacement in deciliters. The following letters identify features added.

Letter = Feature
D = DOHC, Variable Valve Timing, Direct Injection, or Diesel
E = Electronic Fuel Injection
HR = High Response and High Revolution
i = Throttle Body Fuel Injection
N = Natural gas fueled
P = LPG fueled
R = Supercharged
S = Carburetor
T = Turbocharged - this can also stand for Twin Carburetor
Ti = Turbocharged and intercooled
TT = Twin-Turbocharged
V = Variable Valve Timing with Lift

Current vehicles

DC-3 • 100NX • 1200 • 210 • 310 • 180SX • 200SX • B10 • B110 • B-210 • 240SX • 240Z • 280ZX • 300C • 300ZX • 350Z • 370Z • 510 • 810 • Advan • Almera • Almera Tino • Altima • Altra(EV) • Aprio • Armada • Atlas • Avenir • Auster • Bassara • Be-1 • Bluebird • Cabstar • Caravan • Cedric • Cefiro • Cherry • Cima • Civilian • Clipper • Crew • Cube • Datsun Truck • Dualis • Echo • Elgrand • Expert • Fairlady • Figaro • Frontier • Fuga • Gazelle • Gloria • GT-R • Hardbody Truck • Hypermini • Homy • Laurel • Leopard • Lafesta • Liberty • Livina Geniss • Maxima • March • Mistral • Multi • Murano • Moco • Navara • Note • NV200 • NX • Otti • Paladin • Pao • Pathfinder • Patrol • Pintara • Pino • Platina • Prairie • Presage • Presea • Primera • President • Pulsar • Pulsar GTI-R • Qashqai • Quest • R390 GT1 • R'nessa • Rasheen • Roadster-Road Star • Rogue • S-Cargo • Safari • Saurus • Saurus Jr • Sentra • Serena • Silvia • Skyline • Skyline GT-R • Stanza • Stagea • Sunny • Teana • Terrano • Terrano II • Tiida • Titan • Urvan • Vanette • Versa • Violet • Wingroad • X-Trail • Xterra

Toyota Motor

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Toyota Motor Corporation has produced a wide variety of automobile engines. The company follows a simple naming system for their modern engines:

1. The first numeric characters specify the engine block's generation
2. The next one or two letters specify the engine family
3. The suffix (separated by a dash) specifies the features of the engine:

Suffix Feature
A Valvematic variable lift intake head
B Twin SU-style side-draft carburetors
C Carburated / California Emissions Controlled
D Twin Downdraft carburetors
E Electronic Fuel injection
F Economy narrow-angle valve DOHC
G Performance wide-angle valve DOHC
H High compression like 9.8:1 (example: 5E-FHE) High pressure charged (example: 2L-THE)
I Single-point fuel injection
J Autochoke (Early models) or unknown pollution control
L Transverse
M Philippines' market (meaning unknown)
N CNG fuel
P LPG fuel
R Low Compression (For 87 and below octane fuel)
S Swirl intake (1980s)
SE Direct injection (1990s)
T Turbocharged
U With Catalytic converter Japan-spec emissions
V Common Rail Diesel Injection (D-4D)
X Atkinson cycle (typically also indicates a Hybrid engine, as Toyota only uses the Atkinson cycle with hybrids)
Z Supercharged

Note: Other manufacturers may modify the engine after it has left the Toyota factory but the engine still keeps the original Toyota designation. For example, Lotus added a supercharger to the 2ZZ-GE in some versions of the Lotus Elise and Exige but it is still labelled 2ZZ-GE, not 2ZZ-GZE.

For Example

* 4A-GE

4 - 4th generation engine in the A engine family
A - The Engine Family it is in
G - Wide-angle dual camshaft
E - Electronically Fuel Injected

* 22R-TEC

22 - 22nd Generation Engine In The R Engine Family
R - The Engine Family it is in
T - Turbocharged
E - Electronically Fuel Injected
C - California Emission Controlled

* Note: Toyota, in 1987, began assigning dual letter engine codes to some of the "engine family" categories in some engine lines, particularly six cylinder models. This can create potential confusion. Eg. 1UZ-FE - This is not a supercharged, narrow angle, fuel injected U-series engine, but a narrow angle, fuel injected UZ-series engine. Confusion is easiest to avoid when using the dash to separate between the engine series and its own characteristics: for instance, 1UZ-FE rather than 1U-ZFE

Current vehicles
4Runner • Allion • Alphard • Auris • Aurion • Avalon • Avanza • Avensis • Aygo • bB • Belta/Vios • Blade • Camry • Camry Hybrid • Camry Solara • Century • Coaster • Corolla • Corolla Axio • Corolla Fielder • Corolla Rumion • Corolla Verso • Crown Athlete • Crown Comfort • Crown Hybrid • Crown Majesta • Crown Royal • Dyna • Estima/Previa • Estima Hybrid • FJ Cruiser • Fortuner • Harrier • Harrier Hybrid • Hiace • Highlander • Highlander Hybrid • Hilux • Hilux Surf/4Runner • Hilux VIGO • Innova • Ipsum • iQ • Isis • ist • Kijang • Kluger • Kluger Hybrid • Land Cruiser • Land Cruiser Prado • Liteace • Mark X/Riez • Mark X ZiO • Matrix • Noah • Passo • Passo Sette • Porte • Premio • Prius • Probox • Quick Delivery • Ractis • Raum • RAV4 • Regius Ace • Rush • Semibon • Sequoia • Sienna • Sienta • Soluna Vios • Succeed • Tacoma • TownAce • ToyoAce • Tundra • Urban Cruiser • Vanguard • Vellfire • Venza • Verso • Vitz/Yaris • Voxy • WISH

Honda Motor

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Honda Motor Company, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Honda is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume. Honda surpassed Nissan in 2001 to become the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer.

Honda was the first Japanese automobile manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura in 1986. Aside from their core automobile and motorcycle businesses, Honda also manufactures garden equipment, marine engines, personal watercraft and power generators, amongst others. Since 1986, Honda has been involved with artificial intelligence/robotics research and released their ASIMO robot in 2000. They have also ventured into aerospace with the establishment of GE Honda Aero Engines in 2004 and the Honda HA-420 HondaJet, scheduled to be released in 2011.

Honda's global lineup consists of the Fit, Civic, Accord, Insight, CR-V and S2000. An early proponent of developing vehicles to cater to different needs and markets worldwide, Honda's lineup varies by country and may feature vehicles exclusive to that region. A few examples are the latest Acura TL luxury sedan and the Ridgeline, Honda's first light-duty pickup truck. Both were engineered primarily in North America and are exclusively produced and sold there.

The Honda Civic is a line of compact cars developed and manufactured by Honda. In North America, the Civic is the second-longest continuously-running nameplate from a Japanese manufacturer; only the Toyota Corolla, introduced in 1968, has been in production longer. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded. Having gone through several generational changes, the Civic has become larger and more upmarket, and it currently slots between the Fit and Accord.

Honda Automobiles is one of the Big Asian Four (with Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai).

The 2006 Ridgeline was a reintroduction of the concept of a Uni-Body truck. Earlier examples of this concept are the Subaru Brat and Baja, Volkswagen Rabbit pick-up, and Dodge Rampage /Plymouth Scamp.

Honda increased global production in September 2008 to meet demand for small cars in the U.S. and emerging markets. The company is shuffling U.S. production to keep factories busy and boost car output, while building fewer minivans and sport utility vehicles as light truck sales fall.

Honda produces the Insight, an affordable hybrid electric vehicle that competes with Toyota Prius.

Its first entrance into the pickup segment, the lightduty Ridgeline, won Truck of the Year from Motor Trend magazine in 2006 (also in 2006, the redesigned Civic won Car of the Year from the magazine, giving Honda a rare double win of Motor Trend honors).

Honda engines

Inline 3-cylinder
The Honda Insight hybrid contains a 1.0L 3-cylinder engine.
Inline 4-cylinder
The number in the engine code gives the approximate displacement of the engine. e.g. B18A would have an approximate displacement of 1.8L, H22A1 would have an approximate displacement of 2.2L.

Some engines below were available in more than one market.

Inline 5-cylinder
V6

Current Cars
1300 • Accord • Accord Hybrid • Acty • Airwave/Partner • Ascot • Avancier • Ballade • Beat • Capa • City • City Turbo • Civic • Civic GX • Civic Hybrid • Civic Si • Civic Type R • CR-X • CR-X del Sol • Concerto • Crossroad • CR-V • Domani • Element • Elysion • EV Plus • FCX Clarity • Fit • FR-V • Freed • HR-V • Insight • Inspire • Integra • Jazz • Legend • Life • Life Dunk • Logo • Mobilio • Mobilio Spike • N360 • N600 • NSX • Odyssey • Orthia/Partner • Passport • Pilot/MR-V • Prelude • Quint • Rafaga • Ridgeline • Saber • Stepwgn • Stream • S500 • S600 • S800 • S2000 • That's • Today • Torneo • Vamos • Z • Zest

Tips to Caring for Windshield Cracks and Dings

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:59:00 +0000

Checking your windshield is important because a ding that occurs in spring or summer can cause a break in the winter. Most people drive more in warm weather and more driving means more vibration, which can cause a ding to expand into a cracked windshield.

Warmer weather also means running the air conditioning. "The shock of quickly going from hot to cold stresses a windshield and causing that ding to suddenly become a cracked windshield."

Here are some tips if you have a ding or star on your windshield:

Inspect the ding. If it has a cone shape, a circle deep in the glass or looks like a small star with points spreading out, have the ding repaired promptly. These are serious dings that can grow into a cracked windshield.
Don't touch a ding or attempt to repair it yourself. Without special equipment and training, you will only contaminate the damaged area, making repairs hard to complete.
As a temporary measure, put a piece of clear tape, like packing tape, over the ding. This won't keep the ding from spreading, but will help prevent contamination.
Don't wash the vehicle-especially through the car wash. Soap and water can contaminate the spot and a high-pressure wash can cause the ding to expand.
Driving a vehicle with a windshield ding causes vibration and exposure to the elements cause the ding to spread.
Avoid slamming the car doors and don't close the doors with the windows rolled all the way up. The vibration or build up of air pressure inside the car can cause the ding to spread.
Don't run the defroster, heater or air conditioning on high settings. Don't park the vehicle in the sun. Rapid changes in interior temperature or prolonged exposure to sunlight can stress and weaken the windshield.

Car Battery Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:03:00 +0000

It's not difficult to keep your battery in top shape during its lifetime.

First, if your battery is more than four years old, it's time to replace it.

Your mechanic can load-test your battery to see if it is capable of sufficient charge on below-freezing days. Replace it if it does not pass the test.

If the battery terminals have a crust on them, they should be cleaned. A mixture of baking soda and water applied with a wire brush should take care of it. The corrosion and deposits can interfere with current flow.

Check the water level. A conventional battery has a plastic cover that can be removed. Ensure the water inside reaches the filler necks. If it doesn't, add distilled water. If it is a maintenance free battery, it probably has a light that goes black when it needs service. Don't service it yourself; take it to a mechanic.

Be sure the ends of the battery cable are tight. They should not be able to move at all. If they are not tight, your car might not start.

Make sure the battery is secure in the tray. If it can move around it could tip over causing under the hood damage. Excessive vibration will wear on the battery as well.

If you live in climate that is excessively cold, think about obtaining a battery or engine heater. The heater will help the battery start the car by reducing the power necessary.

Things to Keep in Mind:

A dead battery may be able to be brought by to life with a battery charger. BUT recharging it improperly can fry not only the battery itself, but also electrical components in the car.

There are combustible chemicals inside the battery. Do not allow open flames to be near it.

If you need to add distilled water to your battery, be very careful that the battery acid does not get on you or your clothes. It is highly corrosive.

Tyre Care And Maintenance

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:04:00 +0000

Proper tyre care and maintenance are vital. Did you know that your car’s whole load is carried only by four contact areas, each about the size of your palm? And, did you know that incorrectly inflated tyres are dangerous?

For a safer and more comfortable ride, less premature tyre wear as well as lower fuel consumption, it is necessary that you take care of those tyres and have them maintained regularly.

Tyre Pressure
Incorrect tyre inflation can cause significant loss of steering precision, making the vehicle unstable especially when cornering. This not only compromises the comfort of the drive and ride, it actually endangers the lives of the driver and passengers.

Under-inflated tyres may cause the tyre to unseat from the rim, resulting in a dramatic loss of control of the vehicle. The main risk of an under-inflated tyre is that it may burst on the road, resulting in your losing control of your vehicle!

Over-inflation of tyres is also unsafe as it reduces the tyre’s contact with the road surface, resulting in lesser grip and thus threatening your safety. Also, the tyre is more easily damaged when travelling over potholes or debris on the road.

Look at your tyres every time you get into the car, do pay special attention to the passenger-side rear tyre because this tyre tends to be forgotten in our day-to-day use of the car.

You see the ones on the driver side every time you get into the car, you “feel” the front tyres via the steering wheel, whereas you will only see the passenger-side rear tyres if you go looking for them.

If they are under-inflated, the tyre is worn on both shoulders; this is also called “domed” wear.

If they are over-inflated tyre, the tyre is worn in the centre, therefore called “centre” wear.

For a more accurate measure, check the tyre pressure at the petrol station at least once a month. Do so at the beginning of the day, when the tyres have not yet heated up through driving.

The correct inflation pressures based on the original tyre size (including the spare) are listed on a vehicle placard. Some manufacturers also list the original tyre pressure in the vehicle owner's manual.

The placard can be found at:

·Driver-side door or doorjamb;

·Glove box or counsel door;

·Fuel filler door; or

·Engine compartment.

And did you know that tyre inflation is perhaps the most important factor for economical motoring? Incorrect inflation can increase fuel consumption by up to 5%! And, the tyres will wear out unevenly thus shortening the tyre’s life span. Tyre tread life alone can be reduced by as much as 25%!

Cleaning and inspection
Cleaning tyres removes foreign substances from the tyre surface that can degrade them. Just use soap and water.

Check your tyres at least once a month for uneven wear and foreign objects wedged in the tread. Always look for bulges, cracks, cuts, penetrations and abnormal tyre wear, particularly on the edges of the tread.

A tyre that needs more air all the time should be taken off the vehicle and checked thoroughly.

Repairs
It’s a professional’s job! To fully assess what type of repairs are required, tyres MUST be completely removed from the wheel rim, regardless of the apparent damage (or lack of) from the outside. Certain damage is only visible inside the tyre.

Plug-only repairs done on the wheel are considered improper and therefore, not recommended. Such repairs are unreliable and can cause further damage to the tyre.

However, before you decide to repair your tyre, consider how worn it is. This is because it may actually be more cost effective to replace it.

Changing tyres
1.6mm is the minimum legal tread depth that indicates that the tyre needs to be changed. Tread Wear Indicators are set at this depth and moulded into the base of the tread grooves.

Michelin tyres have Bib (Michelin’s mascot) tread wear indicators on the shoulder, other manufacturers use the letters “TWI.”

Using worn tyres increases the likelihood of tyre failure. In wet conditions, it can cause the tyre to loose traction completely. Clearly, worn tyres are a huge risk to your life.

New or the least worn tyres should be fitted to the rear. This will ensure that vehicle stability is maintained when braking and cornering, especially on wet or slippery roads. It will also provide additional protection against the effects of a sudden deflation.

Don’t forget the valve! This should be changed every time a new tyre is fitted, or if the tyre is removed for repair of examination and the valve has been in place for a considerable period.

Valves play a very important role in keeping the tyre airtight, its long service life and also vehicle safety.

Rotation
Tyres last longer when tyre wear is uniform. Think of the soles of your shoes, if one side of the sole is more worn out than the others, chances are you’ll have to replace them sooner.

For tyres, there is a way around this: by rotating them regularly. This is especially important in tropical countries and for urban use. If no rotation period is specified, the tyres should be rotated every 7,000km.

Wheel balancing and alignment

Wheel balancing is necessary for eliminating vibrations. Unbalanced tyres can cause the vehicle to shake from side to side or hop up and down. It also leads to premature wearing of the suspension and steering components, rotating parts and tyres.

Incorrect alignment can cause rapid, irregular tyre wear and can affect the handling and safety of the vehicle. The problem is you will probably not notice this while driving, only careful and regular examination of the tyres will reveal incorrect alignment.

Remember, your tyres are the only link between your car and the road, take good care of them and they will take good care of you in return.

News : Toyota Deals Blow to Formula One

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Toyota, the world's biggest car maker by sales, is expected on Thursday to report a net loss for the quarter ended Sept. 30. It has said it expects a pretax loss for the full fiscal year through March of about 700 billion yen ($7.75 billion). The company recently announced plans to shutter an unprofitable California assembly plant it owned jointly with the former General Motors Corp., as part of a push by Mr. Toyoda and his management team to reduce excess capacity in North America.

Toyota's departure adds to a heap of woes facing Formula One recently. Last year, Honda Motor Co. said it was dropping out of F1 because of the global economic slowdown. Then, in July, BMW AG followed suit, citing falling sales, poor racing results and the mismatch between F1's gas-guzzling extravagance and BMW's quest for a greener image. In September, the sport's reputation was damaged when Renault SA's team was penalized for intentionally crashing one of its cars to help another Renault car win a race. And this past Monday, Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone Corp. said it wouldn't renew its exclusive deal to supply tires for F1 when its contract expires in 2010.

Although a marginal sport in the U.S., F1 has established itself as the pinnacle of international motor racing and attracts huge television audiences in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. That has made the sport a big business, with sponsorship and television deals totaling billions of dollars.

Toyota was one of a handful of companies that both sponsored its own team and provided engines for other teams. With its departure, Renault, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit and Ferrari are the only three top-tier auto makers still in the sport. The loss of sponsors and team owners is "a sign that the cost of participation is too high during a downturn," said Caroline Reid, author of "Formula Money," a book about the business of Formula One.

While the defections of giants such as Toyota drain F1 of huge amounts of money and other support, there could be a silver lining, said James Roberts, news editor at London-based F1 Racing magazine. Mr. Roberts said the departures could help democratize the sport, leading it away from dominance by big car makers and back toward its roots as a competition for small specialist teams.

Toyota's absence "would make it easier for more independent teams with smaller budgets to come into the race and compete more closely with others," he said. "It would make F1 more exciting."

The media office of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, which governs Formula One, didn't respond to requests for commentabout Toyota's withdrawal.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:47:00 +0000

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) combines a conventional internal combustion engine propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle, or better performance. A variety of types of HEV exist, and the degree to which they function as EVs varies as well. The most common form of HEV is the hybrid electric car, although hybrid electric trucks (pickups and tractors) also exist.

Modern HEVs make use of efficiency-improving technologies such as regenerative braking, which converts the vehicle's kinetic energy into battery-replenishing electric energy, rather than wasting it as heat energy as conventional brakes do. Some varieties of HEVs use their internal combustion engine to generate electricity by spinning an electrical generator (this combination is known as a motor-generator), to either recharge their batteries or to directly power the electric drive motors. Many HEVs reduce idle emissions by shutting down the ICE at idle and restarting it when needed; this is known as a start-stop system. A hybrid-electric produces less emissions from its ICE than a comparably-sized gasoline car, as an HEV's gasoline engine is usually smaller than a pure fossil-fuel vehicle, and if not used to directly drive the car, can be geared to run at maximum efficiency, further improving fuel economy.

The hybrid-electric vehicle did not become widely available until the release of the Toyota Prius in Japan in 1997, followed by the Honda Insight in 1999. While initially perceived as unnecessary due to the low cost of gasoline, worldwide increases in the price of petroleum caused many automakers to release hybrids in the late 2000s; they are now perceived as a core segment of the automotive market of the future. Worldwide sales of hybrid vehicles produced by Toyota reached 1.0 million vehicles by May 31, 2007, and the 2.0 million mark was reached by August 31, 2009, with hybrids sold in 50 countries. Worldwide sales are led by the Prius, with cumulative sales of 1.43 million by Augut 2009. The second-generation Honda Insight was the top-selling vehicle in Japan in April 2009, marking the first occasion that an HEV has received the distinction. American automakers have made development of hybrid cars a top priority.

Turbocharger

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:50:00 +0000

A turbocharger, or turbo, is a gas compressor that is used for forced-induction of an internal combustion engine. A form of supercharger, the purpose of a turbocharger is to increase the density of air entering the engine to create more power. However, a turbocharger has the compressor powered by a turbine, driven by the engine's own exhaust gases, rather than direct mechanical drive as with many other superchargers.

A turbocharger is a small radial fan pump driven by the energy of the exhaust gases of an engine. A turbocharger consists of a turbine and a compressor on a shared shaft. The turbine converts exhaust to rotational force, which is in turn used to drive the compressor. The compressor draws in ambient air and pumps it in to the intake manifold at increased pressure, resulting in a greater mass of air entering the cylinders on each intake stroke.

The objective of a turbocharger is the same as a supercharger; to improve the engine's volumetric efficiency by solving one of its cardinal limitations. A naturally aspirated automobile engine uses only the downward stroke of a piston to create an area of low pressure in order to draw air into the cylinder through the intake valves. Because the pressure in the atmosphere is no more than 1 atm (approximately 14.7 psi), there ultimately will be a limit to the pressure difference across the intake valves and thus the amount of airflow entering the combustion chamber. Because the turbocharger increases the pressure at the point where air is entering the cylinder, a greater mass of air (oxygen) will be forced in as the inlet manifold pressure increases. The additional air flow makes it possible to maintain the combustion chamber pressure and fuel/air load even at high engine revolution speeds, increasing the power and torque output of the engine.

Because the pressure in the cylinder must not go too high to avoid detonation and physical damage, the intake pressure must be controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the turbocharger. The control function is performed by a wastegate, which routes some of the exhaust flow away from the exhaust turbine. This controls shaft speed and regulates air pressure in the intake manifold.

News : India surpasses China as Asia's biggest automobile exporter

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:31:00 +0000

India is a world winner when it comes to outsourcing services, but the country has not been recognized as a manufacturing hub.

Now for the first time, India has surpassed China as Asia's biggest automobile exporter, and the country is fast emerging as a global hub for the manufacturing of small cars.

South Korea's Hyundai Motors already exports close to half of its Indian output. The Hyundai i10 – a mini car made in the city of Chennai - sold more than 100,000 units in 2008.

The country's leading carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, has also more than doubled its sales this year with the export of its hatchback "A-star". The company is now spending around US$300 million on building a small-car research and development centre in the country.

Many companies, including Nissan and Ford, are also setting up operations in India, as they are trying to cut costs and move to making compact and fuel-efficient vehicles.

"Firstly, there is a good strong vendor base, which is very, very quality oriented. Secondly, the low cost of manufacturing and thirdly, the government subsidies that have been provided for many cars - all these three factors are strong pillars for making India a hub for exporting cars," said Ankush Arora, vice president, Marketing and Sales, Chevrolet India.

The incentives given by the government have boosted domestic sales and have helped in reviving India's auto industry.

In the month of September alone, total car sales grew 21 per cent and small cars made up nearly 80 per cent of the sales. Luxury carmakers Mercedes Benz and Mahindra Renault were the only two companies which had negative growth.

"People don't just put a plant for 99 per cent export. You are still looking for a lot of domestic growth as well. It is very clear that India is expected to go from two million to four million (annual car sales) within three years. Nobody in the world sees that kind of growth," said Karl Slym, president and managing director, General Motors India.

With this growing demand for small cars, many new launches have been lined up. General Motors has started the production of the "Chevrolet Beat", which will be launched early next year.

German auto giant Volkswagon has all its engineers at its Pune plant working exclusively for its Polo, which will also come out in 2010. The competition fuelled by Tata's dream small car - the 2,000-dollar Nano - is becoming intense.

India's domestic car market is less than one-fifth the size of the Chinese car market, but with growing competition, automakers see India as a much more profitable center to develop cars for global consumption.

Producing More Engine Power

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Using all of this information, you can begin to see that there are lots of different ways to make an engine perform better. Car manufacturers are constantly playing with all of the following variables to make an engine more powerful and/or more fuel efficient.

Increase displacement - More displacement means more power because you can burn more gas during each revolution of the engine. You can increase displacement by making the cylinders bigger or by adding more cylinders. Twelve cylinders seems to be the practical limit.

Increase the compression ratio - Higher compression ratios produce more power, up to a point. The more you compress the air/fuel mixture, however, the more likely it is to spontaneously burst into flame (before the spark plug ignites it). Higher-octane gasolines prevent this sort of early combustion. That is why high-performance cars generally need high-octane gasoline -- their engines are using higher compression ratios to get more power.

Stuff more into each cylinder - If you can cram more air (and therefore fuel) into a cylinder of a given size, you can get more power from the cylinder (in the same way that you would by increasing the size of the cylinder). Turbochargers and superchargers pressurize the incoming air to effectively cram more air into a cylinder.

Cool the incoming air - Compressing air raises its temperature. However, you would like to have the coolest air possible in the cylinder because the hotter the air is, the less it will expand when combustion takes place. Therefore, many turbocharged and supercharged cars have an intercooler. An intercooler is a special radiator through which the compressed air passes to cool it off before it enters the cylinder.

Let air come in more easily - As a piston moves down in the intake stroke, air resistance can rob power from the engine. Air resistance can be lessened dramatically by putting two intake valves in each cylinder. Some newer cars are also using polished intake manifolds to eliminate air resistance there. Bigger air filters can also improve air flow.

Let exhaust exit more easily - If air resistance makes it hard for exhaust to exit a cylinder, it robs the engine of power. Air resistance can be lessened by adding a second exhaust valve to each cylinder (a car with two intake and two exhaust valves has four valves per cylinder, which improves performance -- when you hear a car ad tell you the car has four cylinders and 16 valves, what the ad is saying is that the engine has four valves per cylinder). If the exhaust pipe is too small or the muffler has a lot of air resistance, this can cause back-pressure, which has the same effect. High-performance exhaust systems use headers, big tail pipes and free-flowing mufflers to eliminate back-pressure in the exhaust system. When you hear that a car has "dual exhaust," the goal is to improve the flow of exhaust by having two exhaust pipes instead of one.

Make everything lighter - Lightweight parts help the engine perform better. Each time a piston changes direction, it uses up energy to stop the travel in one direction and start it in another. The lighter the piston, the less energy it takes.

Inject the fuel - Fuel injection allows very precise metering of fuel to each cylinder. This improves performance and fuel economy. See How Fuel Injection Systems Work for details.

Internal Combustion

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:11:00 +0000

The principle behind any reciprocating internal combustion engine: If you put a tiny amount of high-energy fuel (like gasoline) in a small, enclosed space and ignite it, an incredible amount of energy is released in the form of expanding gas. You can use that energy to propel a potato 500 feet. In this case, the energy is translated into potato motion. You can also use it for more interesting purposes. For example, if you can create a cycle that allows you to set off explosions like this hundreds of times per minute, and if you can harness that energy in a useful way, what you have is the core of a car engine.

Almost all cars currently use what is called a four-stroke combustion cycle to convert gasoline into motion. The four-stroke approach is also known as the Otto cycle, in honor of Nikolaus Otto, who invented it in 1867. They are:

* Intake stroke
* Compression stroke
* Combustion stroke
* Exhaust stroke

A device called a piston replaces the potato in the potato cannon. The piston is connected to the crankshaft by a connecting rod. As the crankshaft revolves, it has the effect of "resetting the cannon." Here's what happens as the engine goes through its cycle:

1. The piston starts at the top, the intake valve opens, and the piston moves down to let the engine take in a cylinder-full of air and gasoline. This is the intake stroke. Only the tiniest drop of gasoline needs to be mixed into the air for this to work.
2. Then the piston moves back up to compress this fuel/air mixture. Compression makes the explosion more powerful.
3. When the piston reaches the top of its stroke, the spark plug emits a spark to ignite the gasoline. The gasoline charge in the cylinder explodes, driving the piston down.
4. Once the piston hits the bottom of its stroke, the exhaust valve opens and the exhaust leaves the cylinder to go out the tailpipe.

Now the engine is ready for the next cycle, so it intakes another charge of air and gas.

Notice that the motion that comes out of an internal combustion engine is rotational, while the motion produced by a potato cannon is linear (straight line). In an engine the linear motion of the pistons is converted into rotational motion by the crankshaft. The rotational motion is nice because we plan to turn (rotate) the car's wheels with it anyway.

The Difference Between RON

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:25:00 +0000

The difference between RON92, RON95, RON97 and RON99. Many said that RON92 oil is the older oil, only suitable for older cars or for cars that uses carburetor only. There are also some that said that RON92 oil will make the engine dirty and also said that RON92 oil is less powerful compared to RON97 and RON99.

Before you make any false assumptions, let us see what the real meaning of RON is. RON stands for Research Octane Number. Octane number or octane rating refers to the gasoline ability to withstand auto ignition (knocking) inside the engine. Higher octane number refers to higher ability of the oil to fight auto ignition. In other words, it means that RON95 is harder to ignite compared to RON92.

Different vehicles are designed to be use with different octane number of oil. Higher octane number oil is basically designed for high performance vehicles such as sport vehicle and racing vehicle. Why is that so? This is to avoid premature ignition of oil inside the engine because of auto ignition, which happens before the spark plug ignite the fuel. This phenomenon is known as knocking.

Knocking is not wanted because it reduces the performance of vehicle. The right usage of octane number based on design and adjustment of engine will maximize the performance and effectiveness of the vehicle. Modern vehicles are equipped with knock sensor which enables it to adjust its combustion timing automatically according to the oil octane number to avoid knocking or premature ignition of oil.

Not all vehicles require high octane number petrol. You can check your vehicle fuel requirement inside the guide book of your vehicle or you can simply check the minimum Octane Rating at the back of the fuel lid cover of your vehicle. Most cars can still use RON92. Higher RON number does not means that it is more powerful. It means that it is harder to ignite. It is also cost you more.

World's Least Green Automobile Maker

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Asian manufacturers came out best in the survey, headed by researchers from Queen's University Management School in Belfast.

The survey looked at factors such as the volume of greenhouse gas emissions from production facilities and the number of work accidents recorded by a company between 1999 and 2007.

It also looked at how efficiently automobile manufacturers used key natural resources. It caclulated the ratio of sustainable value to sales so that different companies could be compared directly, irrespective of their size.

Asian manufacturers including Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda, and Suzuki all outperformed their North American competitors. In stark contrast to the Asian manufacturers, both Ford and General Motors (GM) fell well inside negative territory, with GM the worst offender.

There was a mixed picture among European manufacturers. While BMW topped the ranking of all 17 manufacturers in most of the years assessed, other European carmakers PSA (Peugeot, Citroën), Renault, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler/Daimler AG only occasionally kept pace. FIAT Auto was well behind throughout the entire review period.

Ralf Barkemeyer from Queen's University Management School explained: "GM's value contributions from carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sodium oxide emissions as well as waste generation are very negative during the period 1999 to 2007. Its sodium oxide value contributions show the worst level of resource efficiency in the entire study."

Professor Frank Figge from Queen's University Management School added: "The bottom line is that this study reveals big differences in sustainability performance in automobile manufacturing. This shows that the production process itself bears considerable room for improvement in terms of sustainability performance. We hope car manufacturers and governments worldwide will take note of this important study."

History About Automobile

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:51:00 +0000

Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in China, built the first steam-powered vehicle around 1672 which was of small scale and designed as a toy for the Chinese Emperor, that was unable to carry a driver or a passenger, but quite possibly, was the first working steam-powered vehicle ('auto-mobile').

Although Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769, by adapting an existing horse-drawn vehicle, this claim is disputed by some[citation needed], who doubt Cugnot's three-wheeler ever ran or was stable. What is not in doubt is that Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive in 1801, believed by many to be the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle, although it was unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods, and would have been of little practical use.

In Russia, in the 1780s, Ivan Kulibin developed a human-pedalled, three-wheeled carriage with modern features such as a flywheel, brake, gear box, and bearings; however, it was not developed further.

François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss inventor, designed the first internal combustion engine, in 1806, which was fueled by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and used it to develop the world's first vehicle, albeit rudimentary, to be powered by such an engine. The design was not very successful, as was the case with others, such as Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, and Etienne Lenoir with his hippomobile, who each produced vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) powered by clumsy internal combustion engines.

In November 1881, French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled automobile that was powered by electricity. This was at the International Exhibition of Electricity in Paris.

Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile.

An automobile powered by his own four-stroke cycle gasoline engine was built in Mannheim, Germany by Karl Benz in 1885, and granted a patent in January of the following year under the auspices of his major company, Benz & Cie., which was founded in 1883. It was an integral design, without the adaptation of other existing components, and included several new technological elements to create a new concept. This is what made it worthy of a patent. He began to sell his production vehicles in 1888.

In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle.

His first Motorwagen was built in 1885, and he was awarded the patent for its invention as of his application on January 29, 1886. Benz began promotion of the vehicle on July 3, 1886, and about 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with a model intended for affordability. They also were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz automobile to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early automobiles, initially more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany.

In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal-combustion flat engine, called a boxermotor in German. During the last years of the nineteenth century, Benz was the largest automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and, because of its size, Benz & Cie., became a joint-stock company.

Daimler and Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company, DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890, and under the brand name, Daimler, sold their first automobile in 1892, which was a horse-drawn stagecoach built by another manufacturer, that they retrofitted with an engine of their design. By 1895 about 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after disputes with their backers. Benz and the Maybach and the Daimler team seem to have been unaware of each other's early work. They never worked together because, by the time of the merger of the two companies, Daimler and Maybach were no longer part of DMG.

Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed an engine named Daimler-Mercedes, that was placed in a specially-ordered model built to specifications set by Emil Jellinek. This was a production of a small number of vehicles for Jellinek to race and market in his country. Two years later, in 1902, a new model DMG automobile was produced and the model was named Mercedes after the Maybach engine which generated 35 hp. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the Daimler brand name were sold to other manufacturers.

Karl Benz proposed co-operation between DMG and Benz & Cie. when economic conditions began to deteriorate in Germany following the First World War, but the directors of DMG refused to consider it initially. Negotiations between the two companies resumed several years later when these conditions worsened and, in 1924 they signed an Agreement of Mutual Interest, valid until the year 2000. Both enterprises standardized design, production, purchasing, and sales and they advertised or marketed their automobile models jointly, although keeping their respective brands.

On June 28, 1926, Benz & Cie. and DMG finally merged as the Daimler-Benz company, baptizing all of its automobiles Mercedes Benz, as a brand honoring the most important model of the DMG automobiles, the Maybach design later referred to as the 1902 Mercedes-35 hp, along with the Benz name. Karl Benz remained a member of the board of directors of Daimler-Benz until his death in 1929, and at times, his two sons participated in the management of the company as well.

In 1890, Emile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the automobile industry in France.

The first design for an American automobile with a gasoline internal combustion engine was drawn in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent for an automobile in 1879, but the patent application expired because the vehicle was never built. After a delay of sixteen years and a series of attachments to his application, on November 5, 1895, Selden was granted a United States patent (U.S. Patent 549,160) for a two-stroke automobile engine, which hindered, more than encouraged, development of automobiles in the United States. His patent was challenged by Henry Ford and others, and overturned in 1911.

In Britain, there had been several attempts to build steam cars with varying degrees of success, with Thomas Rickett even attempting a production run in 1860. Santler from Malvern is recognized by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as having made the first petrol-powered car in the country in 1894 followed by Frederick William Lanchester in 1895, but these were both one-offs. The first production vehicles in Great Britain came from the Daimler Motor Company, a company founded by Harry J. Lawson in 1896, after purchasing the right to use the name of the engines. Lawson's company made its first automobiles in 1897, and they bore the name Daimler.

In 1892, German engineer Rudolf Diesel was granted a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897, he built the first Diesel Engine. Steam-, electric-, and gasoline-powered vehicles competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s.

Although various pistonless rotary engine designs have attempted to compete with the conventional piston and crankshaft design, only Mazda's version of the Wankel engine has had more than very limited success.

What Do You Know About Automobile

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:10:00 +0000

An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. However, the term automobile is far from precise, because there are many types of vehicles that do similar tasks.

As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car per eleven people). Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007; they burn over 260 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China and India.

The word automobile comes, via the French automobile, from the Ancient Greek word αὐτός (autos, "self") and the Latin mobilis ("movable"); meaning a vehicle that moves itself, rather than being pulled or pushed by a separate animal or another vehicle. The alternative name car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum ("wheeled vehicle"), or the Middle English word carre ("cart") (from Old North French), or karros (a Gallic wagon).