| All in a Name: No end to the free advice for Ford, no need to ...
In the news, at the water cooler, and in your favorite auto magagine, there is no shortage of advice for Ford Motor Company. Advice for new engines, better marketing, and rear drive architectures come flowing in at all angles. Most of the advice seems to center around the need to balance design, safety, horsepower, and business realities to make vehicles that you and I will want to buy. But vehicle names? A recent Detroit Free Press article is one of many that seems to think name recognition is perhaps more vital than it really is. As we reported today, it looks like Ford is listening to the calls for the recasting of the Taurus name, after all. In the end, do we really care what the vehicle is called? We probably care a lot more about what the vehicle can do and how it looks. When Allan Mulally took over at Ford, he found himself wondering why the company would spend hundreds of millions of dollars over 20 years to build the Taurus name only to drop it because it didn't start with an F.
Driver dies in collision
John Pratt, 87, of Barnoldswick, was involved in a collision on the roundabout at the junction of the A59 and Broughton Road, on the outskirts of Skipton on Tuesday afternoon. He had to be cut from his Renault Clio after a collision with a Mercedes Sprinter van and died later from his injuries in Airedale Hospital, Steeton.
South Africa: Trendy And Comfortable LCVs
THE light commercial vehicle (LCV) market continues to grow and according to industry leaders will be one of the biggest growing markets in SA as investments continue to pour in before 2010. Worldwide there has also been an increase in demand for light commercial vehicles, with more small businesses and the requirement for models which can more easily cope with congested highways and ever decreasing loading bays in cramped cities. Where the styling of the LCV has always been snubbed by designers in favour of practicality, this year will see a host of new models arrive which have an appearance which, dare I say it, is more trendy. The first will be the new Mercedes Sprinter that arrives in SA next week and is likely to once more set the benchmark in the medium panel van segment. We will see the traditional number of derivatives, from the shot wheelbase model to the long wheelbase mini bus, but all will stand out for reasons other than space and practicality.
Transforming a Carrier Van into a Powerful Luxury Van
Transforming a carrier van into a powerful luxury van: That is the guideline for BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone + 49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax + 49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, Internet www.brabus.com ) for refining the new Mercedes Sprinter. The extensive program comprises powerful engine tuning, an exclusive appearance upgrade, custom-tailored light- alloy wheels and interior options that include fully customized business and multimedia packages. For the diesel models BRABUS also offers engine tuning backed by the one-of-a-kind BRABUS Tuning warranty
Legally, a vehicle manufacturer cannot void the warranty on a vehicle due to an aftermarket part unless they can prove that the aftermarket part caused or contributed to the failure in the vehicle (per the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C.
The Brabus turbodeisel Sprinter - brutal torque and frugality
January 29, 2007 Much effort is currently being made using the inherent advantages of next generation turbodiesel engine technology to create economical yet very powerful luxury cars in a variety of body shapes, from sports to SUV to Grand Tourers, but little effort has been made in the area of commercial vehicles. Now German automotive design house Brabus has produced a performance package that turns a Mercedes- Benz Sprinter carrier van into a flexible base vehicle that could be the basis for either a powerful luxury van or an economical delivery vehicle. Possessed with bullish 480 Nm torque from 1,600 to 2,600 rpm, the van offers relaxed driving without the constant gearbox-pedaling often required of vehicles of this form factor, particularly when they are fully loaded. Despite the massive power increases, the engine tuning kit comes with a100,000 kilometre warranty and can be installed by any Mercedes- Benz dealer in about 30 minutes, turning the common-rail turbodiesel engine into a high- torque power pack.
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