Beijing Motor Show 2010
July 2nd, 2010. Published under Beijing Motor Show 2010. 62 Comments.
The most successful event China has organized this year was the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2010 held from April 23 to May 2. Many names from the automobile industry as well as many car lovers had the privilege to feel the indispensable atmosphere of this grand event. There are many of you who have crossed miles and miles to feel the atmosphere at the event China is the most proud of.
Starting small, 11 years ago, the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition has had its debut among the great number of car-exhibition events from around the world. Many people did not know of this event in the beginning, however thanks to their hard work and China’s great achievements in the automotive industry, after a decade of hard work it had certainly earned the no.1 among all international automotive events on a global level. People cross miles and miles and spend days in travelling just to get to see another time what is new and extravagant in the car industry of China and the rest of the world.
The first biggest success of this event was in 2008 where there was a presentation of 890 vehicles and 55 concept vehicles, over 150 vehicles had had their first debut in China at this very event, disposed on exhibition area of amazing 180 thousand square meters. The number of visitors who attended this event was over 680.000 people. It was also famous for the participation of over 2000 automakers from more than 18 countries. The Beijing Automotive Exhibition in 2008 also had the attention of over 10.000 journalists from around the world. And the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2010 was an even greater success, unfortunately many US journalists missed it. Well, they missed much.
The 11th Beijing Automotive Exhibition was different than anything we had the chance to see from this event. It was the same quality of the sharp Chinese sense of organization and the biggest number so far of Chinese achievements in the automotive industry.
The numbers recorded from this event also show how it was even more successful than that of 2008. At this event were participating more than 2100 automakers and car companies from 22 countries, there was an amazing number of 990 exhibits, 65 concept automobiles, 95 vehicles using alternative energy and 88 other cars that used the Beijing Automotive Exhibition 2010 as their grand debut scene.
The loyal visitors of this event from Europe, Japan and the States are looking forward to learn as much about the home car brands of China as possible. This event has made the Chinese products from the automotive industry much more sold than before. In the first quarter of 2010, 1.7 million Chinese car brands were sold which is 49% of the total sale of passenger vehicles and all that thanks to this wonderful, impeccably organized and highly professional event for promoting what is new in the automotive industry and provide a great car exhibition experience to all the visitors, which number is growing more and more every year. Those who visited this exhibition had the chance to find out more about what is new with the famous home brands like Dongfeng Motor, Saic Group, FAW and many more.
We know that every year there is a new exhibition theme on the Beijing Automotive Exhibition. This year the theme of the Beijing Automotive Exhibition was “Imagining The Green Future”. This means that this year’s exhibition put an emphasis on vehicles that use alternative energy which is both cheaper and safer for the environment. Many domestic and foreign brands had shown for the first time their all-electric or hybrid conceptions. The Europe magnate in the automotive industry Volkswagen had introduced some nice ideas and concepts for the new hybrid or electric cars that would be in the Chinese open car market in 2013. The Japanese leader in the car industry, Nissan, had presented for the first time their newest and best in favor of the nature – the newest model LEAF. The plan of the Japanese is first to sell this new product to the European car market, then to the United States and by the end of 2012 to be sold worldwide. This new miracle in the car industry can pass amazing 160 km on a full charge. The charging can be done through a home outlet of 200 volts and the charging usually takes 8 hours.
Another luxurious member from the Nissan’s family, Infiniti had also presented for the first time their models which use alternative energy as contributors to a better environment and to decrease fuel consumption for the good of all of us. Infiniti has had 19 dealerships in some Chinese cities so far and there are 11 more to be expected until the end of 2011. The director of Spyker Cars (a famous car brand from the Netherlands who also had introduced a program on alternative-energy vehicles at this exhibition) said that China slowly but surely had become the most developed car market on a global level.
The Beijing International Automotive Exhibition 2010 has attracted the attention of all giants from the car industry throughout the world. The car agents sought every possible opportunity to promote their product.
However the Chinese do not just sit back and do nothing. They also do their best to enjoy their hard earned delicious piece of the car market cake. The vehicles from one of their biggest brands, Geely occupied 3.000 square meters exhibition scene. What was really extravagant and new experience at this grand exhibition was the invention of First Automobile Works which occupied amazing two thirds of their exhibition scene; power trains that are good for the environment. This very independently developed product has caught the eye of the many visitors stunned by the great miracles the automotive industry can do. As for Saic Motors, they introduced to us the Roewe and MG cars.
According to different surveys 2010 was a year of an enormous growth in the automotive industry. One would ask why and how. It actually is possible thanks to their flexibility and patience when trade comes to question. Doing grand marketing campaigns and putting an emphasis on advertising products affordable for every budget made this possible for China because the automotive industry in China is constantly growing for the past decade thanks to their advertising and selling of their minis and low-cost cars. When trade in China comes to question and by that we mean every kind of trade and is specially applied to the car trade, they have a very successful policy: they are working discretely until they are done with their product and after it is done in a very extravagant way and accompanied by strong marketing campaigns is introduced to the public and sold at prices lower than expected.
What also had made Beijing International Automotive Exhibition special was the hope it gave to all names (bigger or smaller irrespectively) from the automotive industry that there is a way out from the crisis it preceded and at that exhibition the grand names from the automotive industry saw what a great thing they had done in the car industry, each in their own way, and gave them strength to move on doing what they know doing best – making goods for the automotive industry and to the grand lovers of cars.
Every single name in the automotive industry had the chance to prove to themselves that they made a great leap from the economic crisis and it is all adjoined with a small beam of hope that from now on things would only be better. They all saw themselves rising from the great depressing fall and had proven to the public that they are worth all the respect, dedication and confidence from their customers the number of which grows every day.
6 Basic Car Detailing Techniques Car Owners Should Know
September 23rd, 2011. Published under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Would you like to keep your car clean and shiny at all times? Do you want your car to look new even after five years? If yes is the answer to these two questions, these 6 powerful car detailing techniques are very important to you. After learning different techniques from the expert and some trials and errors, I realize that these six techniques could make a huge difference to every car owner:
Technique 1: Regular Car Wash
Regular car wash is something most car owners do every week. The main goal of regular car wash is to remove contaminants that are able to bond with your car surface. These contaminants include bird poop, tree saps, road tars and others. Once these contaminants start to bond with your car surface, it is very hard to remove. Even if you have successfully removed them, you will damage your car surface.
There are 3 secret weapons in this technique: wash mitt, car wash shampoo and microfiber cloth. Never ever use dish washing liquid and table cloth to wash your car because they remove a thin layer of your car surface and make your car look older very quickly. Wash mitt is gentle to cars and it is able to trap dirts much effectively. Car wash shampoo is formulated to remove dirt yet harmless to car surface.
After washing your car, dry your car immediately. Fail to do so will cause ugly water spots which are very hard to remove later. Microfiber cloth is less harmful to the car surface and normally use as a great tool to dry the car. With this technique, your car is always clean and looks new.
Technique 2: Professional Car Cleaning
Professional car cleaning should be done every time before you wax your car. It is not recommended that you do weekly because it is unnecessary and costly. Professional car cleaning is very different from regular car wash because it removes contaminants that are stubborn and harmful to your car surface. These contaminants could not be removed with regular car wash.
One of the tasks is to remove oil-based contaminants such as diesel stains with liquid cleaning wax. These stains are normally black in color and will look ugly especially on light color cars. The next task is to remove contaminants that are not visible to the eyes. Although they are not obvious, they could form ugly rusty spots if you do not remove them. You can feel them by running your hand across your car surface. Although you have washed your car, you will realize that the car is not smooth. Use clay bar and clay lubricant to remove them gently.
Technique 3: Car Waxing
Contradict to what most people think about waxing, waxing is not about making your car shiny. Car wax is a form of protection to your car surface. After you have cleaned your car, you need a protection layer so that your car surface will not be damaged easily by contaminants again.
Since car waxing is aimed to protect your car, the key of a good wax is durability and not shine. Personally, I find that sealant is a better car wax. A good sealant can last more than three months and it is very glossy. When it comes to waxing, I highly recommend hand waxing techniques. Although applying car wax with polisher looks better and shinier, it is also slightly damaging to your car surface.
To wax your car, get some sealant on the foam applicator pad. Draw quick and tiny circles on your car. Buff the residue off after some time. You can get the instructions from the manufacturer. Sealant normally requires around 24 hours to cure itself. When you are shopping for sealant, go for good brands because lousy sealants might not even last for 1 month.
Technique 4: Glass Care
Other than helping you to look clearer while it is raining, it helps your glass to look new. Glass care is very easy. Make sure you wash your glass during regular car wash. Use rain repellent products such as Rain-X. You could apply rain repellent by applying some on a cotton cloth and draw tiny circles on the glass. Make sure the rain repellent does not touch the car body because it could damage your car surface.
Technique 5: Trim Care
This is much easier than glass care. Although we have discussed about cleaning and waxing the car body, have you ever thought of protecting the exterior trim as well. Plastic trims would look ugly and their color fades over time. If you have a shiny car body with ugly trims, the car will still looks old. Use trim care products especially those with UV protectant to protect your trims. If you have ignored them for some time, use compound that is able to remove a thin layer of trim to restore your original color.
Technique 6: Interior Detailing
Should we ever ignore the car interior? If you have been reading all the previous techniques, you probably have realized that there is lots of work to do. Interior detailing is something many car owners fail to do. The result is passengers are not impressed and it looks old inside. For car interior detailing, you could get professionals to do it for you. If you would like to do it yourself, make sure you vacuum your car, clean upholstery and protect them with dressing.
These 6 techniques are some of the most basic car detailing techniques. If you use all this techniques on your car, your car will look new even after five years. Wash your car weekly and wax your car every 3 months is the basic car detailing schedule you should have. While you are washing your car, clean your car interior the same time. Do professional cleaning, trim care, glass care when you are going to wax your car.
About The Author:
Alex Liu is a car detailing enthusiasts and the editor of the Auto Detailing House team who provides guides on auto detailing including car paint repair. He and his team also constantly publish car detailing articles on useful topics such as best car wax and auto detailing supplies.
Car Performance Modifications
September 15th, 2011. Published under Uncategorized. No Comments.
There are many ways of improving the performance of your car. This can lead to an increase in the power output and/or improve fuel efficiency. The following are the more popular ones.
Pep up your compression ratio
One of the most effective car performance modifications is to increase the car’s compression ratio and improve the gas flow into and out of the combustion chambers. This is achieved by changing the pistons for high compression pistons mechanically machining the cylinder head to make it thinner and at the same time reshaping the air-flow channels. This work must be carried out by a specialist and can be quite expensive.
Breathe your engine
Re-breathing an engine can be a cost effective way of improving the cars power and torque. This simple DIY tune-up involves replacing the air filter with a more efficient unit and replacing the exhaust and silencer arrangement with a larger bore unit and sports straight through silencer. Improvements to performance are manly at the high end of the rev range and the downside (or for some the upside) is that you car will make far more noise.
Retime your valves
The amount of time the inlet and exhaust valves in your engine remain open is determined by the camshaft. This considerably affects the engine characteristics including power output and fuel consumption and manufacturers usually create a balance between the two. This means that if you are willing to sacrifice a little economy, then considerable gains in power are possible.
Change your ECU map
The way your engine works is controlled by the ECU which in turn controls the engine depending on pre-programmed data installed in a memory chip. The original data created by the manufacturer is not optimised for performance due to a number of compromises that must be made, some of them legal. The map can be changed for a high performance version that can increase power output by as much as 30%.
There are two ways of achieving this. These are re-chipping, where the chip is replaced with another that has been programmed accordingly; and the other is remapping which involves changing the data in the existing chip.
If you are looking for a car to modify www.motors.co.uk/ will have the perfect car, they have the best second hand cars with large engines to which you can add anything to.
Shop around for car insurance
August 12th, 2011. Published under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Now and again it may be useful to have the ability to add another person to your car insurance policy. Many drivers are unaware that they can take out additional cover on a temporary basis, allowing someone else to drive their car who would otherwise not be covered.
Shop around online for the best deal on temp car insurance because you don’t have to go with the same provider just because you already have a 12-month policy with them. Your temporary policy is completely separate and you might choose to buy a policy to insure you for a friend or family member’s car.
You might find yourself in need of additional car insurance when moving house. If you’re doing the removal yourself, then you will probably be hiring a van. Check with your current insurance policy to see if you are covered for the move and if not you can always take out a short-term policy over the phone or buy online and get cover straight away.
Occasionally you may find a situation arises where you need to take out temporary car insurance. There are quite a few reasons why you may find that your insurance policy does not cover you for another person to drive your car. If you do not have named drivers on your fully comprehensive policy and require someone else to drive your car in an emergency, then taking out a short-term policy could be the ideal way to deal with the situation.
Older children who are able to drive but live away from home may not need to be on your insurance policy on a full time basis, but if they come home from college for the holidays, you may wish to take out a young driver insurance policy allowing them to drive your car during their stay.
A temporary policy lasts for up to 28 days and is a great idea if you don’t own a car but hire a vehicle to go on holiday. You can drive for a couple of weeks without the expense of annual cover with a temp car insurance policy. It works just the same as a longer-term policy, in that you benefit from being fully covered in an accident whether it’s your fault or not.
Temp car insurance does not have to be expensive if you shop around for a good deal. The market is extremely competitive and insurance providers all want your business so there are some great offers if you look around.
2012 Mazda 5 Minivan: Stylish and Sporty at a Bargain Price
August 5th, 2011. Published under Uncategorized. No Comments.
Minivans are great for carting the family and all of the family’s “stuff” to baseball practice, the beach, or grandma’s house. However, they are also large and suck up lots of gas at close to $4 per gallon. Some families have minivans that are under-utilized; maybe the kids are now grown and dad drives it to work. These same families do not want to give up all of that space a minivan ffers– for lots of cargo or for the occasional trip with family or friends. Manufacturers are adapting by offering minivans that get better fuel economy and are less expensive while also keeping all of that coveted space.
What’s Good?
The 2012 Mazda 5 received a total makeover, and it now offers a more sporty look and feel, along with the best fuel economy among minivans. It comes equipped with a 2.3 liter 4 cylinder engine that is 153 horsepower, and gets 22 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway with a manual transmission. The automatic transmission only shaves off one mile per gallon.
2012 Mazda 5:
This van has three rows of seats, but only enough room for six passengers. (Many minivans offer eight passenger seating.) It has second row captain’s chairs which slide and recline for long trips, and both the second row seats and third row bench seats fold flat for more storage space. Even though the base price is just a touch over $19,000, standard equipment features automatic air conditioning, antilock brakes, CD player, side-curtain and side-impact air bags.
It is a touch smaller than traditional minivans, but perfect for smaller (or empty nest) families. Those who only have a full load of grandkids or slightly larger passengers every once in a while will love it. It handles like a dream; parking and zipping through traffic is easy and fun. It has a similar feel to Mazda’s sporty sedans, like the Mazda 3, and corners with ease and its maneuverability feels like a much more expensive vehicle. Its handling combined with its more compact size makes it the ideal vehicle for running errands around town and finding a spot in crowded parking lots.
Standard safety features in the Mazda 5 include stability and traction control, front and side curtain airbags, and four wheel ABS. The interior of the Mazda 5 offers lots of versatility with the flexible seating options and a convertible center table between the second row seats. Sliding rear doors are great in parking lots, and access to the third row seat is good. Controls for the 5 are located conveniently and add to the car-like feel from the driver’s seat.
The Wish List
First on the list of things that could be improved on the Mazda 5 is the front seat legroom; taller people will not be able to stretch out, which could make for uncomfortable long trips. A pet peeve of this quite tall writer, many manufacturers seem not to take height into consideration when building a vehicle. It is most important in minivans, since they are often used for traveling. Cargo space is also a little more limited than other minivans.
Though the 5 is great on gas, the flip side of that is a lack of great power in hilly areas or when the van is loaded up. Obviously, the 4-cylinder engine will not climb hills like other van’s V6 power plants.
There are also features common to minivans that the Mazda 5 does not come with standard; power sliding doors, navigation systems, sunshades, or a factory-installed entertainment system. Dealers can install many extras, such as Garmin navigation, iPod interface, DVD system, and remote start; of course there will be extra charges for these features.
Overall, the Mazda 5 has a great look and feel, plenty of passenger space and cargo room for small families and all of their “stuff.” It really is a hybrid of a wagon and a minivan, and its size, styling, and costs of ownership make it a good alternative for many people. No deposit car insurance is also available for the Mazda 5, so you can buy one with less money out of pocket.
Find Most Affordable Auto Insurance Coverage
June 12th, 2011. Published under Uncategorized. 96 Comments.
While some form of auto insurance is essential in every state in the US, you won’t want to be stuck with a huge insurance bill. There are a few things you can do to find affordable auto insurance coverage. However, in the quest for cheaper insurance there is always the danger of remaining underinsured so make sure you opt for the maximum coverage you require at the best possible price. The most basic form of auto insurance is liability coverage mandatory as per law. It covers the cost of damage to the other party’s vehicle in an accident that you cause. However, this doesn’t cover the cost of your car. It is prudent to opt for this type of coverage only if you have an older car that has depreciated more than its market value. For a newer vehicle, you ought to consider comprehensive coverage so that you are sure of getting back your car’s worth.
The first place to search for affordable auto insurance is online. There are comparison websites that allow you to compare prices and coverage amongst the top insurance providers in your area. Many providers offer discounts for maintain a good driving record with fewer tickets and fines. Take an additional driving course, and you may end up on the good side of your auto insurance company. Install safety equipment and your insurance provider will lower premiums since your vehicle will be considered low risk especially if you live in a high risk area where the incidences of theft and arson are higher.
Protect your kit car
December 8th, 2010. Published under Uncategorized. 96 Comments.
If you own either a high performance car or a kit car, you should invest in a policy that includes build up cover. Such a cover protects various kit car models from both mishaps and thefts when the vehicle is not on the road. Goods in transit cover will provide insurance for when you are collecting or moving the car or its parts; and multi-vehicle cover is also available to those that own and drive a second vehicle.
On top of offering alternative cover options, specialist insurers such as Hastings Direct car insurance also offer an assortment of other attractive incentives, which will in turn work to keep your premiums affordable. Incentives such as advanced driving courses are available and many insurers will offer a discount on insurance premiums if you complete a driving course like this. Courses include the Pass Plus or IAM and are available with many local authorities, all offering assistance with the costs of the Pass Plus course.
Another bonus of signing up to a specialist cover is the limited mileage discounts, this is great for those that don’t run up many miles on the road and some insurers will provide drivers with a discount for agreeing to a mileage cap, so this too is an option.
Owners’ or manufacturers’ discounts are also available and various specialist providers offer discounts if you join an owners’ or manufacturers’ club.
There are of course other options available for young drivers to save money on car insurance, regardless of the make and model of car they own. Tips available on bringing premiums down include driving carefully, if you prove yourself to be a safe and competent driver by avoiding accidents and racking up a no-claims discount, your insurance premiums will come down in price.
Several insurers in fact offer quick bonus schemes to new and young drivers, which could in fact entitle them to earn a full year’s discount in less than 12 months.