Fiat - Arrivederci, Italia?


DUTY, history, and responsibility are what keep Fiat, Italy’s biggest private-sector employer, based at home. Running counter to such fine notions, said the carmaker’s boss, Sergio Marchionne, earlier this year, is Fiat’s need to make decisions “rationally”. It has lost money in Italy for years. It expects things to get worse as sales slump at home. Small wonder that the country regularly goes into hysteria over whether Fiat will stay.

Its takeover of Chrysler, an American carmaker, is one reason to worry. Fiat (whose chairman, John Elkann, is a director of The Economist’s parent company) has not decided whether the combined group’s headquarters will be in Turin or Detroit. That may involve little more than a plaque on the wall, as the company argues. But Fiat’s manufacturing presence in Italy is under threat too. Despite earning two-thirds of its revenues abroad, it still has almost half its employees and 40% of its plants in Italy. Mr Marchionne has repeatedly threatened to shutter Italian capacity if he cannot make it productive.

economist.com

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Who are the biggest electric car liars - the BBC, or Tesla Motors?


In a world-gone-topsy-turvy moment, the BBC has been accused of virulent anti-green bias by advocates of electric motoring, including Kryten from Red Dwarf and - of course - famous battery-car manufacturer Tesla, maker of the iconic Roadster.

The Beeb coverage which has Robert Llewellyn (the actor who played Kryten, also well-known for revealing his intimate personal details on Twitter) and Tesla so wound up is this effort last week from BBC business journo Brian Milligan. Milligan decided to drive from London to Edinburgh in a battery-powered car, to see how long it took and how easy it was to do.

theregister.co.uk

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Tesla Motors Pays Fine For Lacking Emissions Certificate Of Conformity... Even Though It Lacks Emissions


Sometimes, technology moves faster than rules and regulations. For instance, in some parts of Kansas, shops must provide water troughs for horses. A more recently inanity is the requirement that electric vehicles receive an emissions "Certificate of Conformity" from the EPA to comply with the "Clean Air Act." And, while Kansan storekeepers have long been excused from abiding by the obviously obsolete ordinance, such is not the case for America's best known electric car maker, Tesla Motors.

autoblog.com

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Koala survives highway ride wedged in car


The vehicle struck the fully grown male koala near Narrawong after leaving the town of Portland, about 360km west of Melbourne, in late March.

The driver, who was travelling at about 80km/h, hit the brakes before collecting the animal with his Ford Falcon on the Princes Highway.

Koala survives highway ride wedged in car

ninemsn.com.au

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Volkswagen Polo blowjob ad


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Rare 1936 Bugatti Atlantic sets record in automobile auction


While many consider the 1936 Bugatti Atlantic as one of the most bizarre yet expensive cars ever made, for the Bugatti enthusiasts this first ever supercar is the masterpiece with exceptional originality. This is the reason why it came as least surprise, when a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic traded hands for $30- $40 million, thereby setting the record for the highest sum ever paid for a single automobile.

bornrich.org

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Hacker shut down 100 cars remotely


More than 100 Austin car buyers had their vehicles disabled or triggered to continuously honk after police said a former employee hacked into the company’s account.

Police said the terminated Texas Auto Center employee accessed the computer system to disable the online account that allows the company to deactivate the starters and activate the horns and GPS of many of the vehicles.

kxan.com

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Trucks collide near tunnel entrance


A pretty crazy photo from a traffic accident that took place in Yamaguchi prefecture.

Trucks collide near tunnel entrance

japanprobe.com

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Video shows moment of impact in violent light rail crash


New video shows the moment of impact in a violent Phoenix light rail crash on Wednesday.

Surveillance video onboard the train shows a white van drive onto the tracks, causing the crash.

abc15.com

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Toyota's ultimate boy's toys gaming truck


The cleverly done Toyota Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer at the 2009 SEMA Auto Show is for the well-rounded individual who likes to rock climb and ski by day and then veg out with video games by night. A mini-fridge energy drink dispenser, Cannondale bikes, and an Xbox gaming system are among the key amenities.

Toyota's ultimate boy's toys gaming truck

insideline.com via

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Flüsterleise Elektroautos bekommen Krachgenerator


Hochfrequenz-Singen, Turbinen-Sirren, Vollgas-Surren - die neue Elektroautowelt wird anders klingen als das gewohnte Brumm-Brüll-Röhr klassischer Verbrennungsmotoren. Bei langsamer Fahrt sind Elektro-Pkw fast gar nicht mehr zu hören. Dürfen Autos so leise sein?

spiegel.de

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Super-Rich Idiot Moron Drives $2 Million Bugatti Veyron Into Marsh


The man, who refused to give his name, was looking at real estate in Galveston.

About 3 p.m. a low-flying pelican distracted him as he traveled north on Interstate 45 just south of the hurricane levee near Omega Bay.

The man jerked the wheel, dropped his cell phone, and the car's front tire left the frontage road and entered a muddy patch, which foiled his attempt to maneuver away from the lagoon.

The Veyron's powerful engine gurgled like an outboard motor for about 15 minutes before it died.

geekologie.com Man drives million-dollar Bugatti into pond Bugatti owner: 'Pelican made me crash' arbroath.blogspot.com

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