plus 4, Nine for 2010 - Yahoo Finance |
- Nine for 2010 - Yahoo Finance
- Fiat 500 to get electric variant - DailyTech
- Ford expects Volvo deal with Geely in Q1 - Fresno Bee
- Chase ends in crash, gunfire, blackout - Daily News - Galveston County
- LoJack Reveals 2009 Top Global Recoveries and Rescues - The Auto Chanel
| Posted: 23 Dec 2009 08:50 AM PST Halfway through 2009, I somewhat regretted publishing last year's "Nine Scenes We May See in 2009" column, because I realized just how difficult it was to make accurate calls one year in advance. A lot can happen over the course of a year -- peaks and valleys that many of us did not anticipate. But it's no fun if you don't put yourself out there once in a while. One difference from last year, however: Half of my calls will be more macro in nature, while the other half will be more actionable.
There you have it. Best wishes to RealMoney readers and contributors for a very healthy and prosperous new year. Please note that due to factors including low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float, we consider MDS, POPE and CWCO to be small-cap stocks. You should be aware that such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information, and that postings such as this one can have an effect on their stock prices. Independent market research, commentary, analysis and news. Learn more. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | ||||||||||||||||
| Fiat 500 to get electric variant - DailyTech Posted: 23 Dec 2009 11:06 AM PST
Fiat 500 to get electric variant
Following its bankruptcy filing earlier
this year, Chrysler has been doing its best to fight off naysayers
who say that the company should simply die. Recently, Arizona Senator
John McCain went
so far as to say, "anybody [who] believes that Chrysler is
going to survive, I'd like to meet them."
Chrysler, however, is doing its best to
fight off the naysayers and hopes to win the hearts of more than a
few people with some new models at the Detroit Auto Show next month.
Thanks to its new partnership with Fiat, Chrysler now has access to a
broad portfolio of European car platforms and powertrains -- both
gasoline and diesel. One such model to be displayed at the
show will be an electric
version of the Fiat 500. Not much is known about the upcoming
electric vehicle, but it's more than likely that it will feature a
lithium-ion battery pack which is becoming more popular with next
generation full-electric and gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The similarly-sized
MINI E uses a 5,088-cell lithium-ion battery pack to achieve a
range of 150 miles. According to the Detroit News,
the beleaguered Auburn Hills automaker will also show a U.S.-bound,
Chrysler-branded vehicle based on the Lancia Delta (Lancia is one of
Fiat's European brands). The Lancia Delta is a vehicle that is
roughly the size of a Chrysler PT Cruiser or a Dodge Caliber. It has already been stated that the
conventional, gasoline-powered Fiat 500 will arrive
in the U.S. within the next year. The Fiat 500 will be doing
battle with other tiny subcompacts like Ford's new Fiesta and
aforementioned MINI.
Electric vehicle is the future. it's efficient, and cheap to operate (even the sports electric vehicle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_roadster can manage 100 miles with only 21 kWh that means with electricity price at about 10 cent per kWh, it takes only 2.1 $ for tesla roadster to travel 100 miles, other electric car like the citroen C1 ev'ie or nissan leaf only use 15 kWh to travel 100 miles. electric vehicle also has fewer moving parts than ICE vehicle, making it cheaper to maintain aside from battery change).
battery electric vehicle on the other hand is a headache. it took too long to recharge and it's expensive to replace the battery.
Also keep in mind when electric cars become more common place you will be putting millions out of work. There will be no more need to mechanics since most electric cars will just run till they break, their is no maintenance needed.
So unless we bring back some for of manufacturing to this country we can be looking much larger problem then we have now with 20+ percent unemployment.
Yes because we all know powertrain is the only thing that goes wrong with cars, not to mention electric motors can burn out and batteries can die, just ask laptop owners. We need people to replace/repair them.
Nobody has problems with their car's alignment, steering, brakes, headlamps, wipers, sunroof, door locks, and other interior bits, right?
Personally I think Chryler have come up with some of the ugliest looking cars in recent times. The Fiat 500 looks a lot better "in the flesh" than in pics.
Cars like the Mini and the Fiat 500 appeal to something other than the bottom end market covered by utilitarian designs like the old GM Metro or the Chevy Aveo. Certainly in Europe, there is a demand for well made, cute looking small cars that aren't built with the cheapest and lowest quality components available. I believe there is a similar market segment here in the US, where the Mini seems to be selling well. Add to that the Mini and the Fiat 500 are fun to drive. I suspect there will be a lot of female buyers, just as there are for the VW Beetle.
As a person who loves innovation, I just find it so frustrating that only when there is the threat of loosing their jobs do people like the engineers of this company bother to try to improve what they do. Innovation and improvement is everyones responsibility!
Suddenly, when everyone is about to loose their jobs and homes, they need to have this "new" technology, although it is actually older than the petrol engine. Well, I hate to say it, but just the fact they needed to wait until the whole company was about to go down the drain pipe before they decided to try something new or improved is a sure sign they don't want to innovate. I mean, what is so difficult about quality control? Do they know who Edward Deming was? Well, my guess is it is too late. They thought Deming was stupid, now people buy TVs, iPods, computers, ... and cars, all made using his quality control advice. By the way, 5088 cells? How many volts is this thing going to use? At 3.6 v per cell that would be 15000 volts, so obviously most are going to be paralleled up. What is the mean time between failures for a lithium ion cell? What is the failure rate? What happens if one of them goes short circuit? BANG! FIRE! Why not just use a larger cell? I think this is bad design, but then what would I know. Oh, why bother. Dreams are sweet.
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| Ford expects Volvo deal with Geely in Q1 - Fresno Bee Posted: 23 Dec 2009 10:37 AM PST Work on financing and government approvals remains to be completed, Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford said in a statement, adding it expects to sign the deal in the first quarter of 2010 and close it in the second quarter. The announcement did not reveal the amount of Geely's offer. For 10 years Ford and Volvo have shared safety and other technology. For instance, Ford's Taurus sedan is based on Volvo underpinnings. Any agreement with Geely is expected to include details about sharing intellectual property rights and engineering. "The prospective sale would ensure Volvo has the resources, including the capital investment, necessary to further strengthen the business and build its global franchise, while enabling Ford to continue to focus on and implement its core ONE Ford strategy," the statement said. It said Ford expects to cooperate with Volvo Cars after the sale but doesn't intend to maintain a shareholding in Volvo. In a separate statement, Geely said its negotiations with Ford had deepened since October and that it had also held "constructive" talks with Volvo's management and Swedish union and government officials. "If a final purchase agreement is signed, as a world famous Swedish car brand, Volvo will continue to lead the trend of world auto technology in safety and environmental protection, and will quickly increase its unique competitive status in the Chinese market," Geely said. Volvo spokeswoman Maria Bohlin called the announcement "a step in the process," but noted that the deal "still isn't complete." Auto analyst Matts Carlson estimated the price tag for Volvo at between $2 billion-$2.3 billion and said a Geely takeover would be good for Volvo. "Volvo gets a new owner with a lot of money and which I expect will mostly leave it alone because it knows more about vehicle development, vehicle sales and vehicle distribution," said Carlson, of the Goteborg Management Institute. He added Volvo will also get a boost from access to China's fast-growing auto market. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. | ||||||||||||||||
| Chase ends in crash, gunfire, blackout - Daily News - Galveston County Posted: 23 Dec 2009 11:20 AM PST TEXAS CITY — A robbery suspect led police on a high-speed chase before crashing and knocking power out to an entire block on Palmer Highway. Shots were fired during the chase when the suspect tried to ram police but no one was injured, police said. A convenience store at 20th Street and Texas Avenue was robbed about 9 a.m. by a man brandishing a knife, police Sgt. Joe Stanton said. The store clerk told police that the knife wielding bandit demanded money from the cash register, but when the clerk could not get it to open, the robber took off with $3,000 from a lock box that was under the counter, police said. An officer responding to the call noticed a black Ford LTD matching the description of the getaway car, police said. A chase ensued near 32nd Street and Palmer Highway, Stanton said. The suspect met up with a police roadblock at 32nd Street and Magnolia when he then tried to ram into a patrol car, Stanton said. One of the officers fired on shot at the car that struck the vehicle's passenger side door. The suspect continued on before crashing into a utility pole in the 1300 block of 31st 1/2 street. The crash knocked out power to several businesses along Palmer Highway, including Texas First Bank and Etheredge Real Estate. Power was restored about an hour later. The suspect took off on foot and ran into a nearby auto repair business where police found him in the back of a Chevy Tahoe that was in the shop for service. No one was injured in the chase or gunfire. David Darvell Dixon, 28, of Texas City was charged with aggravated robbery and evading arrest in a motor vehicle. He was taken to the Texas City jail where he was waiting to be transferred to the Galveston County Jail and held on bonds totaling $310,000, Stanton said. Mainland Editor T.J. Aulds can be reached at 409-683-5334 or tjaulds(at)galvnews.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | ||||||||||||||||
| LoJack Reveals 2009 Top Global Recoveries and Rescues - The Auto Chanel Posted: 23 Dec 2009 10:23 AM PST Stories Reflect How Global Network Continues to Combat Vehicle Theft; LoJack SCI InTransit Solution Fights Cargo Theft; New Tracking System Helps Rescue People with Cognitive Conditions Who Wander WESTWOOD, Mass., Dec. 23 -- LoJack Corporation , the company that invented the stolen vehicle recovery market and now offers a diversified portfolio of solutions that recover a range of assets and rescue people with cognitive conditions who wander, today revealed its top 2009 worldwide recoveries and rescues. These global stories demonstrate the effectiveness of LoJack's solutions to recover stolen vehicles, construction equipment, motorcycles and cargo, as well as to help rescue people with cognitive conditions such as autism and Alzheimer's who wander. The recoveries of the stolen mobile assets reflect the strength of LoJack's direct integration with law enforcement and the effectiveness of its covert System and Radio Frequency technology, which operates even in a concrete garage, steel container or in dense foliage. They also highlight the important role the System plays in helping police apprehend dangerous criminals and crack organized theft rings. The rescues of people around the country who suffer from cognitive conditions demonstrate the peace of mind LoJack SafetyNet brings to caregivers and protection to those who tend of wander. "We are very proud of the many rescues and recoveries our solutions have helped make possible around the world," said Ronald V. Waters, President and Chief Executive Officer, LoJack Corporation. "Vehicle theft remains a serious global problem and our Stolen Vehicle Recovery System has helped recover thousands of assets globally and enabled law enforcement to put criminals behind bars. We are especially proud of the success of our newest offering, LoJack SafetyNet, which has helped to reunite so many caregivers with their loved ones who had wandered off." 2009 Highlights: RECOVERIES U.S.: LoJack System Helps Police Bust Massive Global Theft Ring A California-based Lexus dealer who had installed LoJack units on the cars in his lot notified police that a vehicle was fraudulently purchased from his dealership. Authorities activated the transponder in the vehicle and within three hours located the car inside a cargo container at the Port of Los Angeles. The detectives also recovered a second container with two more vehicles and determined that two additional containers had already left the country. The two containers at sea were recalled and four more high-end vehicles worth approximately $400,000 were recovered. After a lengthy investigation, authorities found eight vehicles, made five arrests and have several warrants pending. Most important, they managed to dismantle a theft ring that had been responsible for the theft of 67 high-end vehicles worth approximately $4.5 million as well as 300 other vehicles stolen from across the country over a three-year period. South Africa: LoJack and "Wolf" Solve Carjacking At a quiet intersection, four armed men opened fire on a woman driver and her male passenger in a Toyota Hilux, seriously injuring the driver and killing the passenger. The men pulled the occupants out of the vehicle and drove off. Within minutes of activation, authorities tracked the vehicle to a dark, secluded area where they found the car parked outside a house. Seeing the authorities arrive, the suspects in the vehicle fled on foot. The authorities blocked off the area and called in the dog unit where Wolf, a highly trained German shepherd, picked up a scent and quickly found one of the suspects hiding under a bush a few hundred yards away from the vehicle. The LoJack technology -- with some help from Wolf -- led to an arrest. Spain: LoJack System on Stolen Vehicle Helps Police Bust Major Theft Ring A Spanish rental car company installed a recovery system on its fleet. When a customer who had rented a vehicle for two months failed to return the car at the end of the agreement, the rental company called authorities to activate the system. Using LoJack's Pan-European network, authorities tracked the vehicle to a warehouse in Belgium where 12 other cars were discovered. The vehicles were all part of a massive theft operation involving more than 200 rental cars stolen from eastern Spain. Italy: LoJack Helps Police Crack Cross-Border Theft Case A BMW X5 was stolen in Spain, where wily thieves thought they would outwit police by removing the Spanish license plates and replacing them with Ukrainian tags. Unbeknownst to the thieves, the vehicle was equipped with LoJack, and although the vehicle was driven 1,500 kilometers from Spain to Italy, the vehicles was tracked and recovered - within only hours after the vehicle entered Italy. Canada: LoJack SCI Helps Recover $2 Million Load of Merchandise LoJack Supply Chain Integrity's tracking and monitoring solution helped Canada's Peel Regional Theft Task Force recover a stolen load of merchandise worth an estimated $2 million. Seven members of a known cargo theft gang - who hijacked the driver of the tractor-trailer and were responsible for several other cargo theft incidents in Ontario - were arrested in this case. Argentina: LoJack Recovers Stolen Vehicle and 18 ATVs in Less than Three HoursLoJack recovered a Mercedes-Benz vehicle and tractor-trailer in less than three hours. Thieves had stolen the vehicle and were on the run with the trailer, which was loaded with 18 Yamaha ATVs. Soon after, police found the vehicle and trailer with its contents perfectly intact. Mexico: Recovery Leads to Chop Shop Bust and Resolution of Carjacking Case A 2003 Ford-250 was stolen out of California and tracked to a repair shop in Tijuana, Mexico. There, authorities found seven other vehicles - six of which were stolen in the U.S. and then taken across the border - in various stages of being dissembled. One of the vehicles was a 1998 Dodge station wagon that had been used in a U.S. carjacking. The chop shop was dismantled and the shop owner was arrested. UK: Recovery System Helps Find Stolen Generator...Hidden Behind Metal Sheets A generator worth 4,500 pounds Sterling was stolen in London and tracked to a remote and isolated builder's yard across the River Thames. It was well hidden behind a building under heavy metal sheets, not visible to the eye. The Radio Frequency signal emanating from the generator was able to penetrate the metal, which enabled authorities to recover it. Canada: Stolen John Deere Leads to Recovery of $500k in Construction Equipment A John Deere tractor was stolen from a construction site in Quebec. Authorities followed the signal and located the tractor at a farm in a remote location 40 kilometers from the construction site. Along with the tractor, they recovered three other pieces of construction equipment including a Mack truck and two asphalt pavers valued at nearly $500,000. France: Trucks Parts, Chop Shop and International Metal Theft Ring A Mercedes truck was stolen and within three and a half hours police tracked the signal to a warehouse where they found the truck. Inside the warehouse, authorities found the parts of seven Mercedes trucks and a Nissan Patrol. The parts were carefully cut and sorted and placed in boxes for shipment to Africa. As a result of this recovery, police were able to dismantle a major international scrap metal ring. RESCUES U.S.: LoJack SafetyNet Helps Rescue Girl with Autism Who Wandered Off An eight year-old girl with autism wandered away from her home with her dog on a late October afternoon. As soon as her mother realized she was missing, the mother contacted specially trained officers at the county sheriff's department, who used their LoJack SafetyNet tracking equipment to locate the girl. Wearing her personalized, waterproof LoJack SafetyNet wristband, she had tramped through the woods and waded through a stream to get to a cornfield. Sheriff deputies found her in 49 minutes more than a mile and a half from her house. She suffered from minor scratches, but was returned safely to her very thankful family. U.S.: LoJack SafetyNet Helps Rescue Elderly Woman Locked Inside Vacant Home In Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, a 73-year-old woman with Alzheimer's went missing this past spring. Officers with a county sheriff's department arrived at the last known location of the woman, and within 5-8 minutes they picked up the LoJack SafetyNet signal emanating from the woman's wristband. The signal led them to a vacant home where the woman was identified lying on a couch. Access was gained to the house, and the woman was rescued within 17 minutes. About LoJack Corporation LoJack Corporation, the company that invented the stolen vehicle recovery market more than two decades ago, is the global leader in finding and recovering a wide range of mobile assets including cars, construction equipment and motorcycles--having recovered more than $5 billion USD in stolen assets worldwide. In today's rapidly changing world, LoJack's core competencies are more valuable and more relevant than ever as they are now being applied into new areas, such as the prevention, detection and recovery of stolen cargo and finding and rescuing people with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's and autism. LoJack has the proven processes, ultimate technology for recovery--Radio Frequency--and unique integration with law enforcement agencies, making its offerings the most effective solutions that not only deliver a wide range of recoveries, but also enhance the safety of the public on a global level. LoJack's Stolen Vehicle Recovery System operates in 27 states and the District of Columbia, and in more than 30 countries throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. For more information, visit www.lojack.com. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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