2010 Ferrari Enzo MIG-U1 by Gemballa

I am a big fan of the Ferrari Enzo until I saw this recent news about it today!


Gemballa is producing a limited edition conversion of the Ferrari Enzo to be called the MIG-U1. Warp drive is optional. It's being made for the Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group of Dubai, for being the new Distributor for the Middle East. More details will be available after the "invitation only" launch in Dubai.

Here's some more pics of the 2010 Ferrari Enzo MIG-U1 by Gemballa:







Check Out More Pictures Here

Source: [Gemballa]
Leonberg, Germany

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Toyota Looks to Build Prius in Mississippi

Toyota is once again looking at opening the plant in Mississippi to build the Prius here in the US.  That would free up the production in Japan to focus on supplying the Japanese market.

But, Toyota is waiting for 'US economic recovery hits full stride.'  That makes it unclear when they will go ahead and finish the plant they idled back at then end of 2008.

Toyota is predicting a 10% rise in sales in the US this year.  It's boosting production in anticipation here in the US because of the relative weakness of the dollar.

Sources: freep,  reuters.

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Hybrid Car Buyers are Loyal Buyers

Once again, Prius buyers have shown themselves to be loyal buyers.  Toyota beat out GM for the first time, winning the award for Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer, propelled by some of their more popular and loyal buyers.  Toyota took first place in the Mid/Full-Size Car and Mid/Full- Size SUV categories for the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX, respectively.

Prius buyers (and other hybrid car owners) have been shown time and time again to be loyal customers, coming back and buying another Prius (or hybrid).  But you have to wonder if that's because of the make, or because of the lack of choices.

If there was a car from Ford or GM that was priced similarly to the Prius, and got similar fuel efficiency numbers, would car buyers switch?  Ford has said that many of those who are buying the Fusion Hybrid are trading in Toyota or Honda vehicles.  That seems to show that at least part of the loyalty, so far, has been to the fuel efficient hybrid technology.

Categories	Winners	Loyalty %
Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer	Toyota	58.60%
Overall Loyalty to Make	Honda	54.86%
Most Improved Loyalty to Make	Audi	+ 4.9 percentage points
Hispanic Market Loyalty to Make	Honda	54.97%
Asian Market Loyalty to Make	Toyota	52.03%
African American Market Loyalty to Make	Honda	56.58%
Vehicle Segment Awards
Compact Car	Mini Cooper	28.88%
Mid/Full-Size Car	Toyota Prius	35.85%
Luxury Car	BMW 3 Series	32.28%
Sports Car	Ford Mustang	16.30%
Luxury Sports Car	Porsche 911	24.97%
Minivan	Chrysler Town & Country	31.70%
Mid/Full-Size Pickup	Ford F-Series	35.81%
Compact SUV	Subaru Forester	35.44%
Mid/Full-Size SUV	Lexus RX	37.29%
Luxury SUV	Land Rover Range Rover	30.42%

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Audi A8 Hybrid on the Way to Geneva

Audi, who will not, I repeat, not build mild hybrids, is going to reveal a full hybrid A8 at the Geneva Auto Show in March. This according to board chairman Rupert Stadler who was speaking to reporters at the Detroit Auto Show.

Stadler revealed the A8 Hybrid will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack developed by Sanyo. He expects the fuel efficiency to increase by 15 percent over the current A8.

Audi does not want to focus on hybrids, but is instead hoping to use them as stepping stones to building electric vehicles. That's why the emphasis on skipping over mild hybrid technology and going right for full hybrids.

Full hybrids can be propelled by either the electric motor or the gas engine. Mild hybrids use the electric motor to 'assist' the gas engine which is responsible for actually moving the car.

Audi will have a Hybrid Q5 Crossover late this year or early next year, with the A8 Hybrid (now that it's out there) expected sometime after.

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Top Gear is Back for Season 13

Top Gear is back for Season 13 on January 25 and to celebrate, they are hosting a week long DVD giveaway at BBCAmerica.com/TopGear. If you want to catch up on Season 12 for free, this may be your best chance. Otherwise, you can look to buy starting Season 12 (or prior seasons) starting today at the BBC store.

For full disclosure: as part of the new season launch, I was asked if I would talk about the new season, plus the Season 12 sale. I agreed (because I like the show even though they really don't talk all that much about hybrid cars) and may be receiving a screener of Season 13.



If you're interested in where Season 13 is kicking off, here's the synopsis.

The world's biggest car show is back for a 13th series. Hot on the heels of their epic challenge in Vietnam, which saw Jeremy, Richard and James travel the entire length of the country in just eight days, the boys are no less ambitious.. Richard goes to Abu Dhabi to test the new Lambo Murcielago LP640-4 SV; the boys buy three £1,500 rear-drive sports cars and somehow find themselves entered in a terrifying French ice race; film star Sienna Miller, King of Twitter Stephen Fry and chat show host Jay Leno are among the stars taking part in 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' and in a television-first, the mysterious Stig takes off his helmet to reveal just who he really is...

If you're a big fan, and miss any of the episodes, full episodes will be posted to iTunes every Tuesday.

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Toyota Will Install a Brake Override System on ALL Vehicles

Toyota has announced they will go ahead and install a brake override system on all Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles to help stop unintended acceleration in their vehicles.

If the system detects the driver is attempting to apply the brakes without success, the override software system will shift the engine into idle.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Perhaps all vehicles should come standard with this sort of system?

Toyota is acting in response to several reports of cars accelerating. The NHTSA has investigated and Toyota has said the problem lies with the accelerator getting stuck in the floor mates. Toyota has had several massive recalls recently, including an effort to shorten the gas pedal. The NHTSA has said the floor mats were not necessarily the only cause. And recent newspaper reports have highlighted the safety concerns.

Toyota expects to roll out the override software on all vehicles, but will start with the Camry and Lexus ES 350. But expect it to be standard by the end of the year.

Source: Toyota will install brake override systems to prevent runaway vehicles: AutoNews

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Ford Plans to Electrify Michigan

Ford will be building hybrid and electric vehicles in Michigan according to Bill Ford Jr., Ford's executive chairma. In a follow-up to yesterday's teaser, Bill Ford Jr, along with Gov. Jennifer Granholm, announced Ford will be investing $450 million in the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.

"This investment underscores how serious we are about delivering a range of electrified vehicles to customers -- including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles," said Bill Ford Jr., Ford's executive chairman. "Our industry is at the intersection of three critical global issues -- the economy, energy and the environment. The winning companies will be those that address these issues with vehicles that are also exciting and fun to drive, without compromises."

Michigan granted Ford $188 million in tax incentives to insure Ford's investment in the state. the Michigan Economic Growth Authority board approved Phase II incremental job retention credits valued at $110 million and battery pack tax credits valued at $78 million, for a total incentive package valued at $188 million, to help win Ford’s investment over competing states, China, Europe and Mexico.

“Ford continues to demonstrate its commitment to Michigan by bringing together world-class products, advanced technology applications and our talented workforce to build the next generation of vehicles that will help reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil,” Granholm said.

Ford expects production to begin in 2012, and the hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles will be built on the global C-car platform (same as the Ford Focus).

Ford is also planning on moving battery pack production and development to Michigan, and out of Mexico. The pack manufacturing will include design and in-house assembly, which is currently done in Mexico. The investment will impact several Michigan Ford facilities, including Michigan Assembly, Wayne Stamping, Van Dyke Transmission in Sterling Heights and the Product Development Center in Dearborn, among others.

Sources: govmonitor, reuters, and Detroit free press.

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