Autos News

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The Chrysler 300C was put up for sale on eBay. The eBay auction closed late Wednesday with no takers for the minimum asking price, which was $1 million dollars. There were bids for less than than the asking price though.

Obama leased the Chrysler 300C, Strengthed by a HEMI V8, while he was a state senator in Illinois. He drove the car from 2004-2007. Due to the political correctness of driving a big gas-guzzling sedan, he decided to get a Hybrid, specifically a Ford Escape Hybrid.

If you did find yourself buying the Presidential Chrysler 300C, you would get a form of authentication. A photograph of the original Illinois title with Obama’s name on it. (I guess some felt that did not constitute a $1 million dollar pricetag.)

Tim O’Boyle, who owns the President’s 300C, wants to put the car up for sale closer to the 2012 presidential election. He feels during that period selling the car might be a lot easier, due to increased interest in politics, therefore increased interest in Barack Obama. I imagine it will be listed at a lower price, since $1 million seems to be too high.

This is not the first time the eBay sale of Obama’s 300C has gone wrong. It was offered up for sale on eBay three years ago. The starting bid was $100,00 but the price was pushed up to a staggering $1 billion dollars (yes $1 billion!) by phony bidders.

“We’re trying to talk him into rerunning it now and making some changes to [the listing]. Lowering the price, and contacting Obama to find out if there’s a charity he’d like us to donate some of the profits to.” told Lisa Czibor, the eBay seller conducting the auction on O’Boyle’s behalf. “In the end, it’s [O'Boyle's] car. It’s up to him.” told O’Boyle.

It seems Mr. O’Boyle needs to find a different form of selling this presidential 300C. I don’t think eBay seems to be working out that well. Maybe he must be try Barrett-Jackson or Carlisle. He might have better luck!

Obama does not need to worry about driving anymore. He gets chauffeured around in a limo. However, I think he would be sad to hear that a car he used to drive could not find a buyer. I guess that is a sign of the economy.

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Bigger Is Better? In essence, the “L” in the 500L stands for ‘Large’, as you would have guessed. The brand new release addition to the 500 range is meant to diversify the choice of versions, after a mouth watering Abarth and the Uber cute Cabrio. FIAT is taking a cue from the successful Mini that keeps on getting bigger and bigger to the point some have dubbed the brand new releaseer 4 door 4WD the Maxi. But FIAT is also clearly doing everything it needs to have a successful US market penetration. By extending its offer with the introduction of various models, it will be in a position to satisfy the very different types of tastes potential customers have.

Differentiating the 500. The brand new release Fiat 500 L tries to defy conventional distinctions between the various segments, traditional B and C, with MPV passenger space and the need of a small SUV. By combining all those characteristics, it aims to create a distinctive alternative with restrained dimensions and the efficiency of a B segment car.

Test Driving A 500 Sport. I was capable to test drive a Sport and found it to be very enjoycapable. Surprisingly enough, the little 1.4L was zippy with enough oomph to get you in and out of trouble in most traffic conditions. While I feel carmakers must ben’t rebrand old classics with brand new releaseer platforms, such as BMW’s Mini or VW Beetle, the 500’s parentage stops at its aesthetics. The driving position is high, enough to make those wary of driving small cars feel they are perched high. The gearbox wasn’t the smoothest, but the stick shift was where we’ve come to expect it from the Italians, right where your right falls. The car handled very well all in all, and considering its price it’s packs a lot of bang for the bucks.

Technically Speaking. This 500 L is a real 5-seater based on an elongated platform of 13.5 feet long by 5.8 wide and 5.4 high, slightly more than the original, which will be enough to accommodate our market’s unique needs.

The 500L will be introduced in Europe last quarter of 2012. We can guestimate its introduction on US soil the following year. In the meantime, I am still waiting for the electric version which must be give good competition for the Mitsubishi I and the electric Smart. Ma que bella machina la Fiat 500L!

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For those that don’t know Top Gear is a wildly popular British Broadcasting Corporatism TV show. Top Gear revolves around three British men, Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. The show is comprised of car reviews, putting stars in a reasoncapable priced car or on a racetrack, and generally crazy antics in moving vehicles of some sort. It is estimated to have global audience of over 300 million viewers a week. There has been an Americanized version of Top Gear, which debut last year on the History channel.

Clarkson is a bit of a controversial TV host and columnist, because of his outlandish comments and statements. However, this is how he has become popular and earned his reputation.

Mr. Clarkson was rated as the worst person to share a journey in a 4×4 to drive across the Sahara Desert. Surprisingly Katie Price, a British glamor model came in second. (Google her and I think you would want to share driving adventure with her.) Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron, came in third.

Three quarters of drivers would not want to ride with a celebrity, with nearly half opting for a family member to join them, whilst the rest put friends in front of the famous.

The poll of 2,000 drivers by Continental Tires identified a good sense of humor as the top trait for a co-driver, ahead of good motoring knowledge and survival skills. Jeremy Clarkson would give great humor, but you would most likely never get to where you wanted to go.

The research was conducted as part of the launch of this year’s Continental Tires 4×4 Trophy, where people compete for a place on an epic off road challenge, driving a Hummer across the Sahara Desert.

“Driving thousands of miles through the Atlas Mountains and the fiery sands of the Sahara Desert makes your choice of co-driver incredibly essential. It’s a long, tough and often dangerous journey.” told Tim Bailey, spokesperson for Continental Tires. I definitely agree with Mr. Bailey here and there are lots of people that would not be on my list.

“Jeremy Clarkson might have motoring credentials but either his calamitous road trips on Top Gear his lack of practical skills or his outspoken views mean most people would leave him behind.” Tim Bailey added.

When men were asked which female celebrity they would most like to accompany them on a driving adventure through the Sahara, Kelly Brook (another British glamor model), was number one. Women chose Robert Pattinson, the star of the Twilight movies. I would prefer Kelly Brook!

Check out the list of British celebrities that few want to drive with. Do you agree?

Top ten worst British celebrities to go on driving adventure with:
1. Jeremy Clarkson
2.  Katie Price
3.  David Cameron
4.  Kate Moss
5.  Carol Vorderman
6.  Christine Bleakley
7.  Nick Clegg
8.  Madonna
9.  Simon Cowell
10.  Lewis Hamilton

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

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Ford is stepping up its Global Driving Skills for Life Program, which so far has trained 500,000 brand new release drivers to safely operate their vehicles. Done in partnership with the Governors Highway Safety Association, GHSA, the program kicks off its ninth year of saving teen and other drivers’ lives.

School Outreach. The company will visit 30 high schools in five states with a truck displaying specially equipped vehicles with professional instructors. Ford, where were you when we were in High School? The full day of driving activities designed to build young drivers’ skills that target four key areas: driver distraction, velocity/space management, vehicle handling and hazard recognition. Last year the company worked with 35,000 teen drivers on its high school tours. What this means is hopefully 35,000 less spatially challenged drivers who will not damage our cars.

Ethics. The numbers speak for themselves, with more than 3,000 teenagers killed on roads each year, it has become the number 1 traffic fatality, according to government statistics. By providing free professional driver instruction, a web-based curriculum, state grants and materials, Ford answers an ethical dilemma, that of carmakers giving multi-thousand pound potential lethal vehicles in the hands of untrained drivers.

Global Outreach. Tailored for each global markets to reflect the local driving environment and road conditions, the program is in its fifth year of training brand new releasely licensed drivers in Asia, specifically China, India, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia where first time drivers of any age can attend. So far, 50,000 have participated in the program across Asia with another 12,000 expected in 2012.

Why Is This essential? There are many ethical issues at work here. Carmakers have shown incredible short sightedness in the past when it came to selling cars quickly at any cost. Fighting local governments to ease environmental mandates, backing states in giving away drivers license cheaply and quickly might have been good for short and medium-term bottom line but its toll on human lives have taken a big hit over the decades. By offering such a program, Ford not only takes responsibility by training brand new release drivers to better handle their future ride, it also shows its brand new release face, that of being socially aware, on top of its environmental efforts. The automobile world is a complete state of flux as it strives to reinvent itself, it turns closer to the technology world, this time hopefully keeping in mind the human context and not just the bean counters. Ford is continuing track to completely dominate the domestic automobile industry.

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As the excitement and hype of the Super Bowl gets into full swing, one thing that may not be on people’s minds is buzzed driving. However, over 10,000 people were killed in 2010 in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes. A buzzed driving accident can happen to anyone, anywhere, no matter which team they are rooting for.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council are continuing their Buzzed Driving is DrunkDriving PSA campaign. So during this Super Bowl, amid all the hype and discussion about the Giants and Patriots, we hope that you can fit in a quick message to your readers, and remind them of these six easy tips to help prevent buzzed driving:

Use the brand new release Super Bowl infographic on your blog or Facebook page
Before drinking, designate a sober driver
If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely
Use your community’s sober ride program
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate, contact your local law enforcement

Remember, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. If you know people who are about to drive or ride with someone who is impaired, take the driver’s keys and help them make other arrangements to get their destination safely

Help spread this message before the Super Bowl, a traditionally big day for celebrations with good food, good friends, and yes, alcoholic beverages, by posting about the dangers of buzzed driving. Your readers can find more information, get the latest updates and ask questions on the Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving Twitter feed (@buzzeddriving) and on Facebook.

By Catherine Andrews

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