Diesel powered Cayenne on the way...

Porsche is being put under enormous stress in order to produce lower CO2 emissions from their cars. The London congestion charge will affect sales of all Porsches in London.

A 3.2 litre V6 diesel twin-turbocharger producing over 300bhp will be used and Audi will be developing it but during this time, Porsche will be producing their second Cayenne due for the 2010 model year. Other more powerful engines (V8, V10, and V12) were also considered, but eventually called off due to their heaviness.

2 Hyundai coupes arrive in 2009 (UK)

Hyundai will launch two new coupes by 2009. The first will be front wheel drive and will replace the current Coupé SIII. This is be based off the i30 and will look alot like the Veloster. Expect the same radical design, including the shooting brake-style rear end and squat, wide body, although the glass roof may be lost for safety reasons. Engine options will include the 1.6 and 2.0-litre engines also used in the i30, with a diesel model still being considered.

As part of Hyundai’s new brand restructuring, the next Coupé will remain in the same price range as the current model (which starts at £15,700) without compromising the level of quality which has been set by the new ‘i’ cars; it hasn’t yet been decided if that nomenclature will appear on the coupé.

Hyundai is confident that the new, more premium coupé’s price won’t rise because it will not come with a V6 engine option — as the current model does.

The second coupe is likely to be the Genesis Coupé. The plan is to introduce an entirely different, more performance-focused coupé based on the rear-wheel-drive, 350bhp V6 Genesis coupé concept that was unveiled at the 2007 Los Angeles show. This would be Hyundai’s answer to the Nissan 350Z, and would be available with the concept’s V6; the V8 from the Genesis saloon concept is also being considered.

The Genesis coupé has not yet been confirmed for the UK, but Tony Whitehorn, MD of Hyundai UK, maintains that Hyundai “must have a sports car as its halo model”.

Odd-looking Mazda6 spied (U.S)

Meet your new Mazda6, provding you are in the U.S. This pre-production car was spied in the snowy state of Detroit.

The vulgar headlamps are part of the car right down to the Jaguar XF looking exhausts. A 3.5 litre V6 is likely to be used but the 3.7 litre V6 used in the CX-9 is unlikely.

Look for the official debut of the Mazda6 in the next few months with sales beginning sometime this year.

Related link:

Spied: 2009 Mazda6 sedan

How to Avoid a Car Accident

Car accidents are responsible for one death every 13 minutes in this country. National statistics show that in 2005, the U.S. reported over 6,420,000 automobile accidents. Those are staggering numbers for auto collisions. If that number could be reduced by 1/3 or even 1/10, many lives could be spared and grief avoided. With a few common sense tips and practical advice, anyone can take precautions to avoid a car accident.

Step 1 : Plot your driving before you set out to go anywhere. Determine the best route to get to your destination. This will avoid the possibility of having to rush and drive too fast.

Step 2 : Leave your home or office in ample time to allow for driving safely. Usually when you wait too late to leave somewhere, you feel pressured to make up for that time by driving too fast or taking too many chances in your driving.

Step 3 : Stay alert while you are on the road driving. Limit or eliminate the use of cell phones, perhaps to be used only in cases of emergencies. If you must use your cell phone to make a call, pull over to the side of the road or off the road to do so. Complete your call before you resume your driving. Also eliminate any extra activities like makeup application, reading the newspaper or even drinking beverages.

Step 4 : Listen to the radio to get updates on where accidents have occurred on the road. Take this information into account when planning and adjusting your driving course.

Step 5 : Keep your hands on the wheel at all times. Many accidents occur when a person reaches down to get something, or reaches behind them to get something. This is very dangerous. Letting go of the wheel for any reason can cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

Step 6 : Observe the speed limit. The speed limit doesn't exist for people to actually go up to it. It serves as a reminder of what to not go over. As with anything, limits must be avoided, so it is with driving. By contrast, just as you should not go over the speed limit, be cautious to not go too slow. Either one of these 2 extremes is a potential situation for collisions.

Step 7 : Rotate the tires on your vehicle as frequently as your car's manual suggests. This allows even wear and tear on the tires so as to reduce the possibility of a tire blow-out.
It is extremely dangerous to chat on your cell phone while driving. Accidents can happen quickly, often not allowing you sufficient response time.

How to Escape From a Burning Car

A burning car is a death trap. Smoke accumulates quickly within the sealed doors and windows and rising heat and the fire itself make a time bomb out of the gas tank. Escape from a burning car is a difficult but doable challenge that requires fast thinking and even faster acting. Follows these steps to understand how to escape from a car on fire.

Step 1 : Stay as calm as you can. The worst possible thing that you can do is panic. Panic will cause you to waste precious seconds and make mistakes that could end up being tragic. It's important for you to focus on one thing, and one thing alone: getting out.

Step 2 : Unlock the doors and windows. Do whatever you can to accomplish this critical step. Even if you cannot open the door yourself, unlocking the doors will give bystanders or rescuers a good shot of getting you out of the burning vehicle quickly.

Step 3 : Get your seat belt off. This must be done quickly so the heat of the fire does not fuse the metal of the buckle to its anchor. If the metal is too hot to touch, use a piece of cloth to cover your hand so that you can release the buckle. If the buckle won't release, push the shoulder strap over your head and try lifting your legs out from underneath the waist strap.

Step 4 : Kick out a window. If you cannot get the door open, the next best thing is to kick out a window. Getting a window open will allow smoke to exit the car and will also give you an escape route. Use both feet against a side window, if possible, to shatter and then pop the window out of the frame.

Subaru Forester pricing announced (U.S)

Last month, Subaru debuted the Forester SUV and this month, they have revealed the pricing for the new compact SUV.

Priing will start at $19,995 which which undercuts its predessor by $1200 but thats without the $665 destination charge. The PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions) model will start from $20,195 and the XT Limited will be priced from $28,195 excluding destionation charge.

The crossover is what Subaru calls a "more SUV-like" look, in part due to its 3.6-inch-longer wheelbase, now up to 103.0 inches.

Power will come from a 2.5 litre petrol normally aspirated and turbocharged engines. The turbo models will be mated with an automatic transmission. VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and traction control will be standard across the range. It will go on sale in April.

Related links:

New Car: 2009 Subaru Forester

Subaru Forester uncloaked

2009 Subaru Forester

Contesting a Speeding Ticket

Nothing makes a day go from bad to worse or even from great to bad than getting a speeding ticket. You could be having the best day ever. Get pulled over and get a speeding ticket and your day is ruined. You could be having the worst day of your life. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, you get speeding tickets. Tickets suck. That’s the long and the short of it. Well, what do you do know with that ticket? Were you even speeding? Can you contest the ticket?

Of course, the easiest thing to do is to suck it up and pay the fine. If you follow the directions on the back of the ticket, swallow your pride by writing the check and mailing it in then you are done with it and you never have to think about it again. However, every driver who is issued a ticket has the right to contest that ticket in court if they truly believe it was issued to them wrongly.

The laws are different in every state regarding how speeding tickets are handled. In some states you do have the right to have your ticket reviewed by a judge; this is called "bench trial" and a judge determines your guilt or innocence. In these cases, your decision is dependant upon the judge and what kind of mood he is in. Some judges hate to reduce or dismiss speeding tickets because it is good revenue. In other states, you have the right to a "jury trial" which is when a jury hears the merits behind you receiving the ticket and determines whether or not you have to pay the fine. Few states have developed a traffic division, and you would go directly to that division to contest the speeding ticket.

Most people do not know that you also have the right to inquire about the equipment used in the issuance of your speeding ticket. You can ask when was the last time the radar gun used was reset. Speeding tickets have been dismissed because of the length of time since the guns last reset. It calls into question the accuracy with which the gun determined your own speed.

Regardless of whichever way you choose to contest the ticket, bench trial, jury trial or traffic court, you have the right to appeal your ticket if you believe that you didn’t deserve to receive the ticket or if you believe you should not have to pay it. You would appeal your conviction through the court of appeals. The action you choose to go with is completely up to you.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/contesting-a-speeding-ticket-337443.html