Hybrid-Car Tinkerers Scoff at No-Plug-In Rule

DETROIT, April 1 - Ron Gremban and Felix Kramer have modified a Toyota Prius so it can be plugged into a wall outlet.

This does not make Toyota happy. The company has spent millions of dollars persuading people that hybrid electric cars like the Prius never need to be plugged in and work just like normal cars. So has Honda, which even ran a commercial that showed a guy wandering around his Civic hybrid fruitlessly searching for a plug.

But the idea of making hybrid cars that have the option of being plugged in is supported by a diverse group of interests, from neoconservatives who support greater fuel efficiency to utilities salivating at the chance to supplant oil with electricity. If you were able to plug a hybrid in overnight, you could potentially use a lot less gas by cruising for long stretches on battery power only. But unlike purely electric cars, which take hours to charge and need frequent recharging, you would not have to plug in if you did not want to.

Via NyTimes

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Automotive Advice And Life Lessons

From father to son: automotive advice and life lessons

(ARA) - Automobiles often become a special place for parents to bond with their children, whether it's tinkering under the hood, or seated behind the wheel for a test drive.

With Father’s Day approaching, WyoTech, one of the premier automotive training institutions in the country, asked its students for the best advice their fathers gave them about automotive care. Students shared their stories and the wisdom of their fathers. While some of this fatherly advice is simply about mechanics, much of it extends well beyond automotives to lessons for life.

Many fathers stressed the overall importance of learning. Reymundo Delago, an automotive technology student at the Fremont, Calif. campus, says that his father also encouraged him to learn as much as possible. "My father told me: You cannot possibly learn everything there is to know about cars, so every day becomes an opportunity to learn more," says Delago.

Via NewsCarJunky

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Navigon Pulls Out of U.S. GPS Market

Fare thee well, gentle friend. Those of us who cover GPS devices knew something was up: Navigon PR visited New York City on April 20th for three days of press demos, but unexpectedly flew back to Chicago that night, cancelling most appointments. The inside word was that something big was happening, but no one was saying what.

That question was answered this morning when Navigon announced it was leaving the PND (personal navigation device) market in North America. Speaking to GPS Business News, Navigon's chief executive Egon Minar said, "Due to the difficult economic environment and the aggressive pricing we have decided to withdraw from the PND business in North America for the time being. We are however not closing down our Chicago office which will continue to serve our automotive and mobile phone businesses in North America."

Via PCmag

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The BMW 5-series GT goes on sale in the United States in December. BMW adds liftback GT to 5-series array

BMW will bring the elevated seating and packaging of an SUV to its 5-series line with the addition of a liftback model called the Grand Turismo or, simply, GT.

The automaker is now revealing the production look for the vehicle, which will debut at this fall's Frankfurt motor show after having been previewed as a concept car at the Geneva show in March. It will go on sale in the United States in December, priced in the low-$70,000s range.

With a prominent kidney grille, the 5-series GT couldn't be mistaken for anything but a BMW. The lower half of the body incorporates a look similar to that of the new 7-series, but above the waistline are clear visual similarities with the X6. Overall, the vehicle is longer, wider and taller than a 5-series and rides on a 7.1-inch-longer wheelbase.

Via Autoweek

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Working at the Car Wash

It’s inevitable. With a yard full of oak trees waking from a long hibernation, randy and eager to do their springtime thing, every inch of the yard gets coated with a thick layer of yellow pollen. The whole neighborhood, in fact, takes on an amber tinge, even as the grass--ablaze in violent green--struggles to dominate the landscape’s color wheel. Thank goodness for Zyrtec.

Besides the respiratory issues, I don’t much mind the pollen downpours, though in a couple weeks’ time, when the pollen makes way for the treeworms that follow (actually oak flowers, shed in plaguelike proportions), the cleanup can be a bit taxing. Pollen can be wiped, dusted or swept away, or ignored completely (my preferred method of dealing). The worms, clogging the gutters and filling the flower beds and burying the sidewalks, require either a rake or more ignorance (ditto).

Via Autoweek

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