GM to Continue Restructuring

According to the Associated Press, an anonymous source leaked info that the top managers from General Motors are set to further the company's restructuring plan to answer the increasing demand of car buyers for more fuel efficient cars.

It is believed that more cost cutting measures will be taken including the all too familiar story of cutting production of trucks and SUVs. Workers will then be moved from truck factories to car plants to increase the company's output for smaller and more economical vehicles.

Times have changed and car companies are forced to adapt. The leaked report shows similarities with Ford Motor Co.'s own recent announcement of restructuring. As fuel prices push to exceed $4 per gallon, the need to produce more economical cars is a must for auto makers to remain competitive with a budget coscious market.

Like what GM Rick Fisher said as quoted by the Journal, "Obviously these times dictate more actions, and Rick (Wagoner) and the team are about doing that. Rick and the team are looking at what things can be done and will be done."

GM CEO Rick Wagoner did not comment about the reports of the anonymous source of the Associated Press. But with gas prices expected to rise further still and with rival Ford Motor Co. already taking aggressive measures to focus production with a smaller vehicle line up, it is very likely for the report to hold true.

Hyundai Unveils New Luxury Sedan

With Automakers scrambling to produce cars with better fuel economy to cope with rising oil prices and, of course, to appeal to tight-budgeted car buyers, Hyundai Motor America seems to be diverting some of its attention to a more upscale market.

The company recently unveiled its first ever luxury sedan: the Hyundai Genesis. The vehicle has a starting price of $33,000 that provides a 290hp 3.8 V-6 engine. The 4.6 V8 version will hit around $38,000. The V6 version has an EPA rating of 18 MPG city/ 27 MPG highway.

It is a car that is aimed to re-interpret the Hyundai brand by highlighting premium quality. The car's size rivals that of the BMW 7 series. Its performance is aimed to match the BMW 5 series. But you can get the Genesis for the value of the BMW 3 series. As it stands, Hyundai Motor America is trying to market the Genesis in the same category of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.

Of course, only time will tell if the Genesis can provide the same features and luxury that established premium brands offer despite the genesis being priced for less than $40,000.

But what is quite strange is that American auto makers are striving to become more Asian (focusing on smaller and more fuel efficient cars and crossovers) because of tough economic times. Hyundai, on the other hand, is striving to be more Western.

Nurburgring Nordschleife: New GT5P DL Content?

The most demanding race circuit ever built, the Nurburgring Nordschleife may be headed to GT5P. Of course, the Nurburgring being a downloadable content for GT5P is anything but certain. But the emergence of vids and pictures around the internet sure make these rumors seem promising.

Every GT fan is probably craving for the rumor to be true. After all, there is truly something about that track that just captivates everyone.

For one thing, it is an incredibly huge track with narrow roads, tight twisty sections, some sweeping areas and one ridiculously long (and fast) straight.

It is tough enough to memorize the track, but its layout is unforgiving due to the fact that run-off areas are lacking. One mistake could easily cost you the race.

It is the sheer challenge that this race track presents that make it the stuff of folklore. This is a track that brings terror to anyone who is serious in driving a car around it to the limit. Anyone's commitment is severely tested.

But to one who is disciplined enough to master the track, and is able to muster the inner strength to be fully committed, driving around the Nordschleife can undoubtedly be one of the most rewarding experience for any driver. Beating your personal best after an intense drive is surely satisfying as you can learn what you are truly made of.

It is no wonder why some Europeans buy high performance cars specifically to drive around the Nordschleife.

But for the rest of us who really don't have any access to that track, Gran Turismo is the closest we could ever get to it.

All the fans could do now is to plead to Polyphony Digital to make the rumors a reality.

Ford Anticipates Fuel Costs at $4.25 per gallon

Ford Motor Co. executives recently retreated from their profitability outlook for 2009. In addition, they announced their drastic plans of production cuts.

The reason for all the sudden moves would be the fact that Ford Executives expect fuel prices to rise as much as $4.25 per gallon.

The tipping point that prompted a huge demand shift from large vehicles to cars, according to Ford CEO Alan Mulally, was when fuel prices reached $3.50 per gallon. With fuel prices expected to climb further, the era of trucks and SUVs may just have passed. For a company that has made much of its profit from pickup trucks (the Ford F-Series Pickup had been the best selling car for years), the sudden shift in demand can truly be felt.

Ford is now changing its production to accomodate a market more concerned with practicality. The company, therefore, is set to produce lesser trucks and way more cars: something that mimics the line up of Asian car manufacturers.

In simple terms, Ford is trying to keep up with the times. The challenge for the company is to be able to change its concept as quickly as possible to appeal to more budget conscious car buyers.

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren Bounce Back

If ever McLaren had a chance of fighting back against Ferrari, the Monaco GP was going to be it. Ferrari has not won the tight street circuit since 2001 - Michael Schumacher's fifth and final Monaco GP victory of his career.

Ferrari however seemed to have broken the curse that has plagued them in the world's most glamorous principality by securing the front row of the grid: it looked to be like another Ferrari routine that we have become accustomed to this season. McLaren's chance seemed to be slipping away.

But then again, the Monaco GP was anything but routine. Light showers poured over the track making the roads very greasy and unpredictable. It was surely a recipe for disaster for some drivers.

Lewis Hamilton seemed to be one of the drivers to be caught off guard by the treacherous conditions. The McLaren driver, running in second, grazed the barrier and damaged his rear right tire forcing an early visit to the pits in lap seven.

Hamilton's error, as demoralizing as it was when it happened, turned out to be the best luck of the race. Hamilton was refueled heavily for a long drive. He then came out surprisingly in fourth place, carrying more fuel compared to his rivals. In addition, the safety car would be deployed allowing Hamilton to cut the deficit from the front runners.

In a sense, Hamilton actually gained so much time by pitting when he did compared to Massa and Kubica who was slugging it out for first and second position.

By the time Massa and Kubica made a pit stop, Hamilton was able to grab the lead in a relatively traffic free run. Massa and Kubica, on the other hand, came out behind a train of backmarkers. It allowed Hamilton to build a lead large enough to enter in and out of the pits for his second stop without relinquishing first place. At Hamilton's second stint, victory was practically secured.

Kubica was able to sieze second place from Massa after the second round of pit stops. The podium finishers ended Hamilton from Kubica from Massa.

What happened to Kimi?

Disaster! He had a poor start that dropped him from second to third as soon as the red lights went off. He was also given a drive through penalty because of a tire infringement made by his team. And then came two costly errors that resulted in two unscheduled pit stops. In the end Raikkonen could do no better than ninth place over all and zero championship points for the day.

Kimi Raikkonen relinquished the championship lead to Hamilton who now has 38 points. Raikkonen remains at 35 points, just one point clear from Massa with 34. BMW-Sauber's Robert Kubica is also in the mix with 32 points.

The 2008 season just got interesting. It looked as though it was going to be a Ferrari dominated season. But after just one race, a four way battle for the title is suddenly brewing.

Ford Makeover

In the light of current events such as rising gas and commodity prices, auto maker Ford Motor Co. is about to take drastic actions to combat these issues.

One of these drastic steps would be their recently announced production cuts. The company said that it was dropping their production in the second quarter by 15% compared to a year ago dropping its vehicle production to 690,000 units. The company also stated that it plans to produce 540,000 units in the third quarter before slightly increasing its production to around 590,000-630,000 units for the fourth quarter depending on consumer demand.

According to CEO Allan Mulally, "The challenge affecting the entire industry is the accelerating shift of consumer demand away from large trucks and SUVs to smaller cars and crossovers - combined with a steep rise in commodity prices along with a weak U.S. economy."

Ford's best selling car for decades was the F-Series pickup truck. The rapid decrease in demand for larger vehicles will no doubt have a huge impact on Ford's revenues.

Although Ford did record first quarter profits, the company is still backtracking on its 2009 profitability outlook. At the moment, Ford Motor Co. is still gathering data to assess exactly where U.S. market trends are heading. With rising gas prices pushing the demand shift to more economical cars, Alan Mulally said in a company statement "Unless there is a fairly rapid turnaround in U.S. business conditions, which we are not anticipating, it now looks like it will take longer than expected to achieve our North American automotive profitability goal."

The company's new light-vehicle sales forecast was trimmed from a sales range of around 15.0 Million to 15.3 Million just last April to a range of 14.7 Million to 15.1 Million.

The biggest hit however will still be Ford's lineup of pickup trucks and SUVs now that gas prices are bordering on $4.00 per gallon.

Decreased sales projection and production cuts, however, are also warning signs of even worse news: job cuts. The company will release specific details by July 2008.

Ford's production will also be altered. The company is going to favor the production of its of lighter vehicles such as its compact car and crossover line-up to cater to the growing demand for better fuel economy.

As it stands, Ford's current course of action may just be the start of the company's makeover. Known for its big, powerful and sporty trucks, the company is seemengly headed towards 'the small car, eco friendly' approach as it tries to compete for a market that now favors practicality more than anything else.

Honda Plans Fit Hybrid

Fuel economy is the best bait for car buyers during hard times. The less dependent a car is from regular carbon emitting fuels, the more appealing they become.

Honda is currently toying with the possibility of a Honda Fit Hybrid. The Fit, a sub-compact car with a 27 MPG city/ 34 MPG highway gas mileage, is already one of the most economical cars in the U.S. A hybrid version of the Fit can only mean even better fuel economy.

There is, however, a dilemma regarding hybrid vehicles. It is the fact that hybrids are more expensive to produce. This means that hybrid cars need to have a higher base price for the auto maker to have profit.

Despite the relative lack of interior space compared to standard sized sedans, sub compacts are successful because they have a low base price to go along with their fuel economy. The current Honda Fit has a price range of $13,950 - $16,070 depending on the trim.

Hybrids on the other hand have base prices over $22,000. If a sub-compact was priced as much as a regular hybrid, it will not sell at all. Car buyers wouldn't spend that much money for a car with limited interior space.

If the Fit Hybrid is to be successful, Honda President Takeo Fukui said that the base price should be at most $2000 more than the standard Fit. Any more than that and car buyers might shy away from the Fit Hybrid.

If everything goes according to plan, the Fit Hybrid should be ready by 2015, coinciding with the Honda Fit's makeover.

Toyota Set to Launch New Credit Card by this Fall

Rising gas prices play a role in decreasing car sales. Now, auto-makers have to be more creative to entice car tight cashed car buyers to purchase new cars.

Toyota's strategy involves launching a Toyota Credit Card similar to what they did with the Lexus Credit Cards released back in 2005. Basically, the Totyota Credit Card would allow consumers to collect points that can be used for future discounts for Toyota parts and maintenance services or for downpayments for buying a new Toyota vehicle.

There were around 50,000 Lexus credit cards issued by Toyota that resulted a total of 11 Million points for its users. 4.5 Millions of those points were redeemed by roughly 21,000 of the Lexus credit card users. 95% of the redeemed points were used for maintenance while 5% were used for buying a new Lexus.

According to Toyota Financial Services Vice President of Marketing, Product and Branding Mike Wells, Toyota expects to issue 140,000 credit cards starting October. In addtion, he stated that he expects more credit cards to be issued the following year due to the fact that Toyota user base is 10 times more than Lexus.

Wells also mentioned that Lexus vehicle owners with the Lexus credit car were more likely to buy a new Lexus than those who didn't have the credit card. The same trend is expected for Toyota vehicle owners.

Interested customers can apply for the credit card online or get an instant credit at a dealership. Toyota credit card balances will be carried through U.S. Bank.

"Z": a Nissan Trademark

In cinema, the letter 'Z' is associated with "the mark of Zorro". In the movie "The Mask of Zorro", when Antonio Banderas' character Alejandro Murieta carves the letter 'Z' on the wall, it was a mark that the legendary vigilante, who fought for the poor people's rights against an oppressive and corrupt Spanish Government, had finally resurrected after so many years of absence. The legacy had lived on

Movies no doubt tend romanticize everything for the sake of drama and entertainment.

But in the auto industry, the letter 'Z' has made a dramatic mark even distinguished screen-play writers would love to have thought of.

The 'Z', of course, represents Nissan's highly successful sportscar series that has been a symbol of both the company's reinvention during the 60's as well as its resurrection from the company's trying times during the mid-late 90's. How one letter can symbolize so much value for a company boils down to the history of the 'Z series': a history that is nothing short of epic.

During the 60's, Nissan cars, known as Datsun, were seen as the typical Japanese 'econobox': affordable, thrifty, economical but basic and unexciting. They were cars that were solely built from going from point A to point B.

That image changed however with the introduction of the 'Z car'. the Nissan USA President at that time, Yutaka Katayama, wanted a next generation of sports cars that were fast and stylish but still affordable.

Released in October 22, 1969, the introduction of the Datsun 240z in America was an instant hit. The 240z was a legitimate sports car that could compete with the likes of more expensive European brands like Jaguar and Porsche but for the price of a lot less. The success of the 240z on the racetrack only boosted the car's reputation.

The popularity of the 240 Z however was just the beginning. The 'Z' series was going to be an ongoing commercial success in America with the 260z, 280z, 280zx, Z31, and Z32.

But then, disaster struck. Nissan Motor Company faced severe financial issues during the mid-90's and the company was Billions in debt.

The production of the Z car became too expensive at the time when the company was struggling to keep itself afloat. The Z series fell out of the radar.

However, there were attempts to bring the 'Z' back into production around 1999 with the modernized version of the 240z called 240z concept. The new concept car however failed to appeal to car enthusiasts with its four cylinder engine considered as a downgrade from the original 240z's straight six engine.

Nissan seemed to be a doomed sinking ship, drowning the famous 'Z'-series along with it.

Then came the alliance of Nissan with Renault wherein Renault Chief Operating officer Carlos Ghosn was appointed as Nissan's Chief Operating Officer.

Ghosn constructed a "Nissan Revival Plan" to turn the fortunes of the then struggling company.

A major part of that revival plan was the reintroduction of the Z series.

"Like most people in North America," Ghosn said "my impression of Nissan was based almost solely on one car: the 'Z'."

And indeed, the Z series reinvented Nissan's image back in 1969. The new 'Z' was supposed to be no different. Carlos Ghosn proceeded by saying: "Our bold new 'Z' has the opportunity to become an icon for Nissan once again."

The result was the 350z that coincided with Nissan's dramatic turnaround.

The 'Z' became a symbol of the company's revival. And according to Ghosn, "it (350 Z) is a concrete illustration of the new Nissan."

With random news scattering around with the all new 370z, one can only imagine how far the revitalized Nissan can go.

Nissan Planning Mass Production of Lithium Ion Batteries

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn mentioned in an interview for BusinessWeek last April 2008 that he expected the sales of cars in the United States to drop this year and perhaps early next year before stabilizing. A reason for his estimates would be the economic recession currently plaguing the country and, of course, the ever increasing oil prices.

The best course of action for car companies would be to produce economical and cars since gas prices have now become a major factor for most car buyers when it comes to choosing what vehicle to purchase.

Car companies have various alternatives when it comes to producing economical cars. They can either produce smaller cars with smaller engines, produce hybrids, bio diesel or ethanol compatible cars.

Carlos Ghosn, even mentioned that rising oil prices creates a place for breakthrough technology for electric cars with zero carbon emission.

Of course, CEO's assess the market and make calculated predictions for the sole purpose of getting ahead of the competition. So when Ghosn talks mentions anything about "a place for a breakthrough technology for electric cars", he is subtly revealing his own plans for the future: a plan to get ahead for mass producing zero emission cars.

And true enough, a month after the interview, Nissan Motor Co. has unveiled its plans for mass producing Lithium Ion Battery to be used for the company's hybrid and electric cars. Nissan plans to have their low and zero emission cars available in Japan and America by 2010, Israel and Denmark by 2011, and worldwide by 2012. The batterties will be made by Automotive Energy Supply Corp., NEC Corp., and NEC Tokin Corp.

Among Japanese car manufacturers, Nissan has fallen behind Toyota and Honda in the race to produce 'green cars'. The production of Lithium Ion Batteries would be Nissan's trump card to catch up and, ideally for Nissan, eventually lead the competition .

Lithium ion batteries are lighter and more powerful than the nickel-metal composition of current batteries used in todays hybrids like the Toyota Prius.

According to Nissan's executive Vice President Carlos Tavares, the company is taking a zero-emission vehicle position and it is the company's goal to realize that vision as quickly as possible.

Toyota and GM also have plans of producing Lithium Ion Battery powered cars by 2010. However, it was Nissan that was the first to announce its production plans for the technology.

The race for the production of more affordable zero-emission cars is slowly heating up. Which company comes out on top would be anyone's guess. But having cars completely independent from gasoline may just be a reality that could happen sooner than what everyone expects.

90 Wins for Valentino Rossi

2007 was a bad season for Valentino Rossi when he finished just third in the championship standings: his worst ever finish in the overall riders' standings in any season in his career.

Of course, a lot of riders would still be quite happy with third at the very least. But when you're Valentino Rossi, hailed as arguably the best of all time in MotoGP (many say even better than Giacomo Agostini), no less than first place is expected.

Well, certain rule changes did affect the standings when Bridgestone tires had a great advantage over the Michelin tires. Rossi's Michelin shod Yamaha was therefore outclassed by Casey Stoner's Bridgestone shod Ducati. Stoner eventually ended up winning the World Title.

To make matters worse for Rossi, Dani Pedrosa riding the Repsol Honda was able to grab second position overall at the last minute dropping Rossi to third in the standings.

All that however seems like a distant past. Valentino Rossi, now riding a Bridgestone shod Yamaha M1 has raced to victory in Le Mans: his second consecutive win this season and his 90th victory over all. The result propelled the Italian back to the top of the standings once again.

There are still 13 races left in the season and making predictions now would be foolish. But one thing is clear though, Valentino Rossi is still riding at the top of his game. And his racing form in France cannot deny that.

Despite a slightly dissapointing start that dropped him from fourth to fifth, Valentino Rossi battled his way into first place, picking his spots carefully and ovewrtaking his rivals decisively. The moment Rossi siezed first position, he slowly pulled away from Pedrosa and Stoner who was battling for second and third position.

There was nothing much Pedrosa and Stoner could do. Valentino Rossi was clearly 'in the zone' setting consistent blistering lap times in succession.

Nature however stepped in to make the race more interesting when light showers poured thereby making the track slippery and unpredictable. The pit lane was opened in case the riders decided to switch to bikes equipped with wet racing tires. No one except Marco Melandri pitted. The race became a balancing act where the riders had to determine which parts of the circuit they could still go flat-out and where they ought to feaher the throttle to avoid crashing out. The situation was perfect for trailing riders since race leaders ususally take more caution during unpredictable conditions.

Unfortunately for Rossi's rivals, the rain only reinforced Rossi's position even more. The Italian had an uncanny feel for the track conditions and managed to still keep the fastest pace on slick tires despite the track's diminishing grip levels. Rossi opened up a gap of around ten seconds.

Pedrosa and Stoner, on the other hand, significantly dropped in pace and were overtaken by Jorge Lorenzo (Rossi's rookie teammate) and Colin Edwards (riding for Tech 3 Yamaha).

Reigning champion Stoner would face even more problems as his Ducati suffered mechanical problems that dropped him down further to 16th place. As for Pedrosa, he couldn't recover his pace and had to settle for fourth place.

The rain would stop and the lap times would pick up again. But any late charge was all too little too late. Rossi was in cruise control taking a comfortable four second victory. Lorenzo finishing in second and Colin Edwards finishing third made it a Yamaha 1-2-3 finish.

Nissan GTR

Billed as the supercar that doesn't have the limitations of a supercar, the Nissan GTR is a true masterpiece.

From an engineering standpoint, the GTR benefits from its Scientific design for better performance and handling. 0-60 mph in an astonishing 3.5 seconds, and a top speed of around 190 mph. The chassis is lightweight and it follows the principles of aerodynamics to produce downforce at higher speeds. It is truly built for racing.

However, it still drives like a normal car when you're not pushing it to its limits. It feels like an ordinary everyday vehicle you take going to the grocery or to work (up until you decide to floor the gas pedal). It is not overly big so you can drive the GTR during rush hour traffic without worrying whether or not you'd side swipe another car (or another car accidentally side swiping you). It is therefore a practical, driveable car meant to be driven any time.

This is not mentioning the fact that there is decent space in the cabin and the car's trunk is actually useful.

But all this practicality bit doesn't hide the fact that it is still a supercar. You only need to look at it's intuitive interface and you know you are dealing with a very distinct car: as distinct as a supercar can be. The interface, designed by Polyphony Digital, makes the car unsurprisingly feel like you're driving in a video game giving you various info presented in a hud any video gamer can easily interpret. And because of that 'video game' feel, there is some sense of playfulness that the car exudes. It is meant to be fun to drive the way supercars ought to be.

But supercars aren't common because, of course, they are way too expensive. But even the price issue has been resolved (at least if you're in Japan).

In Japan, the GTR costs roughly $58,443 dollars. You're talking about a 0-60 mph, 190 mph top speed car. The GTR can beat the likes of a Porsche 911 Turbo worth $123,695. Of course taxes will push the price higher than 58,000. However, it will still cost way lower than 123,000 bucks.

The GTR is still no doubt the more 'reachable' supercar without sacrificing its quality: truly a dream car within reach

Car Loans and Credit Scores

Many car buyers don't check their credit scores before they apply for a car loan. Heck, many people don't check their credit scores at all.

Every person has three credit scores based on three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. They use different models to determine your credit score but any variations will be slight. It would be good however to know exactly what your score is for each because you will never know which standard creditors use when reviewing your credit history.

In any case, what you need to know are the important numbers. Credit scores range from 300-850. A person with a credit score of 680 or more is considered to have good credit.

This means that that person is reliable when it comes to meeting loan obligations. Hence, that person pose less risk for lenders. The reward would be lower interest rates. If you have a perfect credit score, you could even qualify for loans with 0% interest rates.

Therefore, the lower your credit score, the higher the interest rates.

Ideally, you'd want to have good credit to benefit from low interest rates. Unfortunately, majority of Americans have bad credit.

If you ask me, I'd say that it is always better to always work out your finances to improve your credit score until you are considered to have good credit.

However, it doesn't mean that you can't get a reasonable car loan if you have bad credit.

Nowadays, because of an increasing subprime market, there are many 'bad credit car loan' offers available out there offered by willing lenders.

There are online services that provide useful infromation and access to the various car loan offers. People can easily compare the rates and determine which one is the most reasonable.

Of course, you have to know your credit score to make an honest assessment since it is only through your credit score that you can more or less determine which car loan rates you qualify for. Knowing the terms available to you gives you better chance to avoid getting deals that require you to pay an even higher interest than necessary.

But then again, if you really have bad credit (like scores below 500), it is really best for you not to get a car loan or any loan for that matter. A Really low credit score is a sign that you should start managing your finances and stop applying for new credit. If you don't, you will just dig yourself a deeper hole that you may not get out of because really low credit means really high interest rates that are non-negotiable. Chances are, you will really get more into debt.

The sacrifice you pay for not having a car is less stressing than being in debt all your life. It is just not worth it to force the issue just to have a car.

The bottomline is that you must know your credit score so that you know what course of action to take.

Monaco GP: Turning Point for McLaren?

After McLaren's seemingly dominant form in Australia, Ferrari have answered back by winning the next four races. Two of those races (Bahrain GP and Spanish GP) were 1-2 finishes by the famous Italian squad. At the moment, Ferrari is clearly the team to beat.

However, the past four races were held at circuits that suit the F2008's characteristics with fast sweeping bends. Last year, the F2007 also had success in such tracks (Ferrari did win the Bahrain GP, Spanish GP and Turkish GP last year). The 2007 campaign witnessed Ferrari dominate in Silverstone, Magny Cours, Spa-Francorchamps, Shanghai and Interlagos.

However, Ferrari did have a major weakness in last year's championship bid. That was the lack of competitive pace in slower, tighter circuits where McLaren had the edge. One only needs to watch review the Monaco and Hungarian GP to see how much Ferrari lagged behind McLaren in such circuits.

McLaren and Lewis Hamilton will have to hope that the same holds true for 2008. With the next race held in Monaco, a McLaren 1-2 (like what happened last year) should significantly close the gap to Ferrari and prevent the 'Prancing Horse' from running away in the standings.

However, Ferrari Team Principal Stefano Domenicali mentioned that the F2008 has already addressed last year's problems in tighter circuits. The solution was fitting the F2008 with a shorter wheelbase compared to that of the F2007. It is believed that the F2007's long wheelbase, good for improving handling and aerodynamics, was disadvantageous in tight, twisty tracks.

Only time will tell if the F2008 can perform as well in Monaco as it did in the last four GP's. If Ferrari still dominates, then this year's championship could easily be a one horse race. But if McLaren can still maintain it's edge it held last year, then Monaco might be a turning point in the battle for Formula 1 supremacy.

Hat-Trick For Felipe Massa

Felipe Massa showed why the Istanbul Park Racing Circuit is his favorite circuit by winning the event for the third consecutive year. The win brings the Brazilian back in contention to challenge for the world title as he is now second in the standings with 28 points (tied with Lewis Hamilton ).

Lewis Hamilton finished in second for the Turkish GP while reigning champion Kimi Raikkonen finished third. Raikkonen still holds a seven point advantage in the drivers' standings with 35 points.

Turkish GP Fun Facts:

- Felipe Massa remains undefeated in the Turkish GP since Ferrari signed the Brazilian back in 2006 (yep, Massa's Maiden win was right in this very track). In addition, Felipe Massa has never been lower than pole position in Istanbul Park Circuit while driving for Ferrari.

- Before Felipe Massa, the last driver to accomplish a hat-trick was seven times champion Michael Schumacher who accomplished the feat in two racing circuits (Spanish GP '01-'04, Canadian GP '02-'04 while also driving for Ferrari). Before Schumacher, Ayrton Senna also accomplished the feat by winning the Monaco GP five consecutiver times from 1989-1993 (Senna won the Monaco GP a total of 6 times).

-The only other winner of the Turkish GP was Kimi Raikkonen during the event's Formula 1 debut back in 2005 (Raikkonen was driving for McLaren-Mercedes-Benz at that time).

-Like Massa, Raikkonen too won from pole position. Istanbul Park racing circuit therefore holds a distinct characteristic in that only the pole-sitter has won the event ever since the circuit was introduced in the Formula 1 calendar.

Tesla Roadster: Electric Car Breakthrough?

Electric cars of the past had some stereotypes associated with them. They were thought of as slow and weird looking. In addition, trying to develop the habbit of charging your car every so often was quite of a hassle.

But it seems those stereotypes are just about to be thrown out the window now that the 2008 Tesla Roadster is now in production.

The tesla Roadster, despite being a 100% electric car, is considered by its makers as a sports car. And yes, the Roadster does have stunning looks that makes it look like a legitimate sports car.

But even better is the fact that it is a legitimate sports car. 0-60 mph in just 3.9 and the top speed of a little more than 130 mph. The car is also capable of delivering an amazing 13,000 rpm. All that without burning any fuel.

The car truly gives the best of both worlds. It gives the thrill of speed (its acceleration rate beats the Porsche 911 GT3) without the environmental and monetary side effects of a gas guzzling super car engine.

Other benefits include the fact that the Tesla Roadster can travel 220 miles before recharging. The elictrical cost to the owner would be roughly two cents per mile. That is like the equivalent of having a 135 MPG car that can still deliver the way performance oriented sports cars should deliver. It is one truly enticing car.

But before thinking about purchasing the tesla Roadster and applying for a car loan, the Tesla Roadster does cost $100,000: more than what the Dodge Viper SRT 10 costs. How many people own a Viper? Too little. If the average person can afford the cars like the Viper, then perhaps we can enjoy the emissionless benefits that the Tesla Roadster offers without sacrificing the fun in driving. But since such is not the case, a good performance oriented electric car is still out of reach.

The Tesla Roadster has proven that electric engines can deliver at the same level as the normal internal combustion engine. The problem lies with the fact that the technology behind the product is still too expensive. And for technology to be truly a breakthrough, it must be economically viable as well.

The tesla Roadster is not quite the breakthrough that can shift people to zero CO2 emission cars. However, it is no doubt a promising sign that being totally independent from oil is a possibility.

A Natural Racing Driver: Gilles Villeneuve

Peter Windsor once recalled (in one of his 2005 features in F1 Racing Magazine entitled "Super Villanova") riding with Gilles Villeneuve in a VW hire car. Gilles was flooring the throttle, power-shifting, pushing that rental car to its limit.

It was Gilles Villeneuve's trademark: the uncanny feel for the limit of any car, even normal cars available for the average person. And never once did anyone doubt that Gilles Villeneuve was always on the absolute limit inside his Formula 1 car.

Villeneuve was a true natural, in every sense of the word. His driving could be described in two words: flat-out. He wasn't the type to think about tallying points, settling for second or third place finishes, if the six or four points were enough to maintain the championship lead. If he was in a position to overtake, he'd go for it in a heartbeat. The only time that he didn't was when he willingly chose to support his teammate Jody Scheckter to win the 1979 Italian GP and consequently, that year's drivers' title.

But team orders aside, Gilles always raced in the fastest possible way he could in any given scenario. Once during a very drenched practice session in Watkins Glen back in 1979, he recorded a lap time 11 seconds quicker than the second fastest man, his teammate Jody Scheckter driving an identical Ferrari 312/T4. That was the type of commitment he had. Where other drivers lifted the throttle to avoid any risk of a shunt, Gilles would floor the pedal the moment he could sense that it was possible to do so. If the back end of the car suddenly felt loose, Gilles would simply flick the steering wheel in the opposite direction, with his foot still pressing hard on the gas, bringing his Formula 1 car in a slide fit for rallying.

Others have criticized him for being crazy. But in Gilles' own words, it's a racing driver's job to go as fast as he/she can. If a racing driver isn't because of the fear of a shunt, than he/she wasn't a racing driver but simply a person who drives racing cars.

Six wins, two pole positions and no titles may look like a lackluster record compared to the racing stats put up by Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Juan Manuel Fangio. But Gilles Villeneuve is still easily among the elite.

If one looks beyond the statistics, Gilles Villeneuve was always driving the lesser car. He drove at a time when Scuderia Ferrari was struggling when ground effect and turbo engines took over the world of Formula 1. But despite any technological disadvantage, Gilles still found a way to win. His last two wins in Monaco and Jarama in 1981 were thought to be impossible in a Ferrari 126CK with terrible throttle lag. But Gilles still found a way.

When he did have a turly competitive car underneath him, he was killed in qualifying: a tragic accident in Zolder, the 8th of May 1982. The title that should have been never was.

But despite the lack of the title, Gilles Villeneuve was considered undeniably as the fastest racing driver of his generation. And until this very day, 26 years later, he is still remembered as one of racing's true greats.

Salut Gilles!!!

Possitive Effects of Rising Gas Prices?

As a general rule of thumb, people hate any sort of price increase for any consumer item, especially necessities. Gasoline is one of them.


Unfortunately, gas prices have been steadily increasing reaching record highs heading into this summer. There is no telling when oil prices will go down since all signs point to the fact that oil prices will remain high for the years to come.


As a result, more and more American car buyers are purchasing smaller, cheaper and more fuel efficient cars. It is the only means by which people can ease the burden of rising fuel costs.


People now end up buying cars that can save them money, not necessarily buying what they want. Of course having to settle for something because of monetary constraints can be very frustrating.
At first glance, nothing good can be taken with this oil price hike.


However, rising oil prices may actually yield possitive benefits down the road.
For one, driving smaller more fuel efficient cars are actually better for the environment. Many environmentalists have urged people to cut CO2 emissions by purchasing smaller cars years ago. But now that gas prices are becoming too tight on the pocket, people have no other choice but to buy smaller cars.


Granted, the new trend doesn't bode well for American car manufacturers known for big sporty light trucks. But then again, this whole situation could be a wake up call for American auto makers to think forward into the future. The likes of GM and Ford have been in/ near the top for so long that the urge to innovate has somewhat stagnated. Now that Toyota is ready to overtake GM and Honda is also gaining more and more momentum as well as the other Asian auto makers in the U.S., perhaps American car makers can now go back to the drawing board and assess how they can move forward to win back the American market. To do so, American car makers have to be up-to-date. No longer can they simply rely on old formulas (like banking on SUVs and pickup trucks) because they are simply impractical for the times.


Hillary Clinton mentioned in one of her primaries that if Henry Ford were alive today, he would be shocked at how different the cars look nowadays. But he would also be surprised to see how little has changed with the combustion engine. For more than a century, majority of cars are still dependent on regular gasoline: and many American cars are very excessive when it comes to consuming gas. The message of the speech, is simply to motivate forward thinking ideas for more innovation to be less dependent or to be fully independent from oil.


In addition, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of both Nissan (NSANY) and Renault (RENA), expects that gas prices to normalize at a high rate. Producing fuel efficient cars is the way to go for the auto industry. He also mentioned that he expected a breakthrough in electric car technology.


What car manufacturer will come out with the breakthrough technology in electric cars? Who knows. But this new race could be a new opportunity for American car manufacturers. After all, the Tesla Roadster could be promising.


Perhaps, the hard times will force American auto makers to innovate for the future, to be independent from oil moving towards cleaner if not zero emission cars. Sometimes, pressure can be a good thing. It just depends on how people view the matter and how people handle the matter.

Demand for Small Cars May Hurt American Car Manufacturers

*This is a follow up post on 'Car Buyers Prefer Smaller Cars'

Soaring gas prices have forced many Americans to shift to smaller, more affordable and fuel efficient cars. If before, engine size, horsepower and torque were selling factors, the important numbers car buyers consider now would be the base price of the car and its MPG.

Of course, small cars equipped with smaller engines best fit the new demand for economy and practicality. It is no wonder why smaller cars have been increasing in popularity in recent years.

For this year however, the demand for small cars have spiked in record numbers. In April 2008, one of every five cars sold were small cars, either a compact or a subcompact vehicle. The reason for the spike is directly related to gas prices nearing $ 4.00 per gallon.

This new trend for smaller cars is benefitting Asian car manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan and Hyundai: all of which had compact car models that were part of the top 10 selling cars last month. Because Asian auto makers are abundant with various compact and subcompact car designs, they are best equipped in servicing the ever increasing demand for smaller cars.

That is not the case for American car makers. Although American compact cars, like the Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus and the compact wagon Dodge Caliber have fared well against their Asian counterparts, GM, Ford and Chrysler still don’t have enough compact car models to compete with the variety of smaller cars offered by Asian manufacturers.

In addition, the sudden increase in demand for smaller cars means that sales of SUVs and light pickup trucks have plunged significantly. SUVs and pickup trucks accommodate a large portion of profit for America’s big three. The Ford F-Series alone makes up half of Ford’s profits every year. A decline in sales for such products is obviously bad news for these companies.With oil prices expected to remain high for the coming years, it is highly unlikely for car buyers to revert back to purchasing larger cars. And if such is the case, America’s big three are the ones under most pressure to cope up with the new demand of car buyers looking for more fuel efficient means for transport.

Car Buyers Prefer Smaller Cars

Increasing oil prices has now taken its toll on the American market. More and more car buyers are now going for economy and practicality. Nowadays, people want the cheaper car with a better gas mileage. As a result, compact and subcompact cars are now the hot items in the auto industry.

This new trend is good news for Asian Car manufacturers.

Asian brands are abundant with compact and sub-compact car models. Car models like the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Hyundai Elantra have sold very well in just the past month. Chances are, the sales of such cars will only increase in the following months.

American car makers are also feeling the effects of the 'small car demand' trend. The Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cobalt and the compact wagon Dodge Caliber were the top selling American made cars with American SUVs and pickup trucks having below average sales.

Not too long ago, engine size, number of cylinders, horsepower and torque were numbers that easily enticed people to buy a car. Now, however, most car buyers would probably shy away from a car with a bigger engine and a higher HP output because they would only be reminded of the fuel costs that they'd have to shoulder. As it stands, cars with four cylinders have outsold models with six cylinders for the month of April.

Bizarre Sports Car: Ford GT

More and more of the newer supercars are being designed to be more practical. Yes they are still capable of going much faster than the speed limit and can go from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds. But despite being built for the race track, these supercars also have the comforts of normal cars that provides enough practicality for everyday use. The benefits, after all, of practicality makes a car more appealing for purchase.


The Ford GT is one of those supercars. Inspired by the GT40 that garnered incredible success during the 70's, the Ford GT looks the same. The difference could only be seen when the two cars are side by side. The Ford GT is 3 inches higher than the GT40. The difference may seem small but three inches allow more people to fit in the car that are not necessarily as fit as prime racing drivers.


The interior is spacious for a car of its kind. The seats are comfortable. Visibility is decent. Gear changing isn't punishing (unlike the Countach). And the engine, despite being a monstrous 5.4L 550hp V8 mounted just at the back of the passenger, isn't bothersome for the passengers because the cabin does enough to mute the engine noise to tolerable decibel levels.



The car handles preety good and the suspension and shock absorbers are calibrated to be comfortable enough unlike full racing specs.


So yes, the Ford GT is a supercar that has practicality integrated into its design so that it can be used on a regular basis.


There is a problem however with all that practicality bit. First of all, the Ford GT is quite tricky when it comes to gas mileage. Sure,the brochure states 12MPG city, 19MPG highway. But those figures can only be achieved through a very controlled drive. Get seduced by that raw power a little bit by accelerating quickly here and there without necessarily going over the maximum speed limit and your gas mileage could easily go down to 4MPG. With a 17.5 gallon fuel tank capacity, the car's range is quite limited.


Secondly, there is another problem with the design of the door. Part of the roof of the car is actually part of the door. Hence, if you park it inside a parking lot where other cars are parked side by side, chances are, you wouldn't be able to get in/out of the car because of that extended roof on the door. Well you could, if you're flexible enough to duck below the roof and squeeze your legs inside the slight gap so you could slip inside/outside of the car. Unfortunately, going through so much trouble just to get in/out looks quite embarrassing that is not fitting for an owner of a supercar. The only parking place where you can avoid such troublt is if you park the Ford GT parallel a sidewalk. Hence, the places where you can actually take the car is also limited.


In some ways, the small dilemmas the car presents negates the impressive practical aspects of the car. For all its user friendliness, you still can't use it on a day-to-day basis.