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Lexus UX crossover revealed with aggressive design and new infotainmenthttps://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-show/lexus-ux-crossover-revealed-aggressive-design-and-new Lexus has claimed that its upcoming UX crossover, which has just been revealed with new images, will be as agile as a hatchback thanks to an all-new platform with a low centre of gravity. Images of the car's exterior and interior have been released ahead of its public debut at the Geneva motor show, showing that it will also be one of the brand's most aggressive-looking models. Inside, there's a new widescreen infotainment system that appears related to the one used in the Lexus LS. The small SUV, which brings the fight to the Jaguar E-Pace andMercedes-Benz GLA, stems from the UX concept, which was revealed at the Paris motor show in 2016. The UX will be powered by a mix of internal combustion engine and traditional hybrid powertrains, as proven by Lexus’s trademarking of UX200, UX250 and UX250h monikers following the concept’s reveal. This suggests the car will share engines with lower-end NX SUV models and the ageing CT hatchback. It is thought that the UX will eventually replace the CT. Features of the production car will be toned down from those of the concept; the large, intricate wheels and door cameras in place of mirrors are the first to go. Rivals range in length from 4400mm to 4450mm, so it’s likely that the UX will sit somewhere in the middle. Prices have yet to be confirmed, but its closest competitors are priced £29,000-£35,000. The NX occupies the lower end of the segment’s price range, so it’s likely that the UX will do the same, with a price tag of less than £30,000 expected. The Lexus RX L, a seven-seat version of its large SUV featuring three rows of seats, will make its European debut at the show, alongisde the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept, first revealed at the Detroit motor show in early January.
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<Elon Musk Frantically Warns Employees of Potential SpaceX Bankruptcy Musk advised employees to work over the weekend after reading Raptor engine production issues were far worse than previously thought. Image: Win McNamee (Getty Images) SpaceX employees received a nightmare email over the holiday weekend from CEO Elon Musk, warning them of a brewing crisis with its Raptor engine production that, if unsolved, could result in the company’s bankruptcy. The email, obtained by SpaceExplored, CNBC, and The Verge, urged employees to work over the weekend in a desperate attempt to increase production of the engine meant to power its next-generation Starship launch vehicle. “Unfortunately, the Raptor production crisis is much worse than it seemed a few weeks ago,” Musk reportedly wrote. “As we have dug into the issues following exiting prior senior management, they have unfortunately turned out to be far more severe than was reported. There is no way to sugarcoat this.” SpaceX did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment but Musk did Tweet about the report Tuesday afternoon. “The magnitude of the Starship program is not widely appreciated” Musk tweeted. “It is designed to extend life to Mars (and the moon), which requires ~1000 times more payload to orbit than all current Earth rockets combined.” Though Musk did not confirm or deny the email’s veracity he spoke to its content saying that, while he did not believe bankruptcy was likely, it wasn’t impossible either. The CEO went on to apparently quote Intel founder and former CEO Andrew Grove, writing “only the paranoid survive.” In his email, Musk advised workers to cut their holiday weekend short and called for an “all hands on deck to recover from what is, quite frankly, a disaster.” Summing up the problem, Musk warned the company could face bankruptcy if it could not get Starship flights running once every two weeks in 2022. If all of this sounds familiar, that’s because Musk has previously spoken publicly about times where both SpaceX and Tesla were on the verge of bankruptcy in their early years. More recently Musk claimed Tesla came within “single digits” of bankruptcy as recent as 2018. Raptor’s engine is a critical component of Starship, which SpaceX hopes will one-day transport cargo and people to the moon and Mars. Starship’s ability to meet these ambitious goals is critical to SpaceX’s long-term success which is built upon Elon Musk’s promise of multi-planetary human exploration. According to Musk’s email, Starship will also play a critical role in launching Starlink’s next-generation satellites into orbit. Musk’s stressed-out email follows a tweet earlier this month where the CEO admitted the Raptor 2 would need a “complete design overhaul” to make multi-planetary life possible. Not long after that, two SpaceX vice presidents abruptly left the company according to CNBC. One of those executives, Will Heltsley, who had been at the company since 2009, was working on the Raptor project but was taken off due to a lack of progress. The alarming news comes near the close of what’s been an otherwise stellar year for SpaceX. In 11 months SpaceX managed to launch 25 successful Falcon 9 missions, sent a dozen astronauts to space and drew a roadmap to mass commercialization with its Starlink satellite internet service. You can read the full email over at The Verge.>
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Another war going on in the cyber world and this is no joking matters, especially if it hit those critical service providers in health care, energy, transport, telecommunications sector for example. Auto giant's supplier hit by ransomware; factories due to restart Wednesday NAGOYA -- Toyota Motor on Tuesday halted operations at all of its plants in Japan after a major supplier was hit by a cyberattack, disrupting the automaker's parts supply management system. The company is suspending 28 lines at 14 plants. Subsidiaries Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor will also halt operations at some plants in Japan on Tuesday. The announcement that operations would be halted came on Monday, confirming an earlier Nikkei report. Toyota later announced that operations across Japan will resume on Wednesday. "We apologize to our relevant suppliers and customers for any inconvenience this may cause," Toyota said. The cyberattack hit Kojima Industries, which supplies plastic parts to Toyota. Kojima announced on Tuesday morning that it has received a message demanding ransom and that it has confirmed the existence of a virus. On Monday, an official close to Kojima Industries told Nikkei: "It is true that we have been hit by some kind of cyberattack. We are still confirming the damage and we are hurrying to respond, with the top priority of resuming Toyota's production system as soon as possible." The company said on Monday it was still investigating the origin of the cyberattack, the specific malware involved and the damage caused. "Toyota representatives and cybersecurity experts are at Kojima Industries to determine the cause and how to restore" the system, a source familiar with the situation said. Many of the roughly 400 tier 1 suppliers that Toyota deals with directly are connected to the automaker's kanban just-in-time production control system, which allowed the problems at Kojima Industries to spill over to Toyota. The automaker halted production to prevent longer-term damage, and prioritized inspection and recovery of the system. Hino will suspend all operations at its Koga facility, which manufactures large and midsize trucks for export and domestic sale, and its Hamura plant, which makes small trucks and handles production for Toyota. The automaker has yet to determine whether work will resume Wednesday. The Toyota shutdown includes a Daihatsu plant in Kyoto Prefecture. The halt is expected to reduce output by a few hundred vehicles. "We are aware of media reports" on the incident, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters Monday night. "The government is working to confirm the situation." Law enforcement is also looking into the matter.- 26 replies
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MINI's range-topping John Cooper Works GP has been spotted at the Nurburgring near production form. It is rumored to get 300bhp. The limited edition hot hatch will be the company's fastest and most powerful model till date, thanks to a turbocharged 2.0-litre four cylinder engine. As reported by Carscoops, production will be limited to just 3000 units. Likely to be the swansong for the current model generation, the car looks like it will feature a pretty wild body kit with plenty of aero. Other than the very aggressive fender flares and rear roof spoiler, it looks like the JCW GP will also get a new front bumper with a different grill and exhaust tips that are larger than standard. Elsewhere, the car might have also lost its rear seats to reduce weight while getting bigger brakes, stickier tyres and a retuned suspension. The car is expected to be revealed before the year ends.
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Smoke but still be healthy? Smoke-free cigarettes such as e-cigarettes? Aren’t e-cigarettes as harmful too? https://www.msn.com/en-sg/money/topstories/marlboro-maker-wants-to-end-cigarette-production/ar-BBS5ISe?ocid=ob-fb-ensg-425
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This year japan's car industries so happening. 1st is Kobe steel scandal, now Nissan also face trouble by allowing their unqualified staffs to QC their cars on final inspection stage before rolling off the assembly line. Its across the whole range of their vehicles, not just 1 or 2 models involved. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nissan-recall/nissan-to-suspend-domestic-production-of-cars-for-japan-market-idUSKBN1CO1FW Recall list: http://www.nissan.co.jp/RECALL/DATA/report4126.html?rstid=20140314rst000001001
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By JONATHAN CHENG and EUN-YOUNG JEONG in Seoul and TRISHA THADANI in San Francisco Updated Oct. 10, 2016 3:33 a.m. ET10 COMMENTS Samsung Electronics Co. has temporarily halted production of its troubled Galaxy Note 7, according to a person familiar with the matter, the latest setback for the South Korean technology giant as it struggles to manage a recall of 2.5 million smartphones. The move comes after a spate of fresh reports of overheating and fires with phones that have been distributed to replace the original devices, which also had a risk of catching fire. In a statement Monday in Seoul, Samsung said that it was “temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note 7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters,” without elaborating. The production halt underscores the growing seriousness with which Samsung is dealing with its largest product recall to date. Last month, Samsung officials shrugged off reports of overheated batteries, calling the incidents “isolated cases” related to issues of mass production. In a separate statement a few days later, the company said in response to reports about abnormal battery charging levels in its replacement phones that “the issue does not pose a safety concern.” While Samsung hasn’t confirmed the latest reports of problems with its replacement phones, it said in a statement Sunday that it was working with authorities including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate the new incidents. http://www.wsj.com/articles/samsung-to-halt-galaxy-note-7-production-temporarily-1476064520
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Is this VW's answer to Merc AMG A45? http://www.worldcarfans.com/114042173778/volkswagen-golf-r-400-concept-going-into-production---report Volkswagen's head of research and development has reportedly confirmed plans to build a production version of the Golf R 400 concept. There's no word on when the car will be launched but Car & Driver says the news comes directly from Heinz-Jakob Neusser. As refresher, the Golf R 400 has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that has been tuned to produce 400 PS (294 kW) and 450 Nm(332 lb-ft) of torque - an increase of 100 PS (73 kW) and 70 Nm (51 lb-ft). It is connected to a six-speed DSG transmission and a 4MOTION all-wheel drive which enables the 1,420 kg (3,130 lb) hatchback to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, before hitting an electronically-limited top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h).
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Metamorphosis Production Established since July 2000, our mission has been to conceptualize, create & deliver quality visual productions of global standards for our clients. Each in alignment with unique communications needs. Being a Singaporean firm equipped with know-how & equipment of international competency, we have been providing clients with real visuals bearing local flavour & international appeal. Believing strongly in the uniqueness of each client & each assignment’s objectives, we have been investing substantial time for each assignment understanding needs, & proposing concepts for approval before embarkation of creative production work. With a team of qualified professionals – from creative conceptualization & production to client liaison, we have been delivering services effecting high levels of client satisfaction to many Multinational Organizations & local start-ups alike. Chief Creative & Photographer – Mr Brian Law Bryan Law has been in commercial Still & Motion visual production for over 15 years. After graduating in Lasalle SIA with Diploma in Graphic Design, he pursued & attained his Advanced Diploma in Photography in Aberdeen College of Arts (UK). He furthered attained in Bachelor & Masters degree in Photography, Film & TV in Napier University in UK. He worked as an associate photographer for a major PR photography film in Singapore & another renowned commercial photography firm upon his graduation & return. He also worked as an associate in Sinchow Press. After being sought-after for many assignments by various businesses, he founded Metamorphosis Production to further serve these long-term clients & new clients, from a centralized business nucleus. 161 Kallang Way #06-08/09, Singapore 349247 Phone: 6844 4735 / 9671 7616 Website: www.meta-pro.com Email : [email protected] , [email protected]
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Hi all, Taken from Yahoo today: KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - -
The radical Jaguar C-X75 unfortunately did not make it to production due to the ongoing global economic crisis. However, a few working prototypes were built. Up to three of these will be auctioned off, while one will go into a future Jaguar museum and the other will be kept by Jaguar for running demonstrations. Autocar U.K. was fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of one of these and did a review of the supercar that suffered from stillborn. The review was very positive and the reviewer commented that it is a shame that nobody will really get a chance to own one. The hybrid drivetrain consists of a turbocharged/supercharged 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors mounted at either end of the car, driving transaxles and powered by a liquid/air-cooled battery pack. The hybrid drivetrain is rated at 888bhp with a combined torque of 800Nm. The C-X75 could travel from 0 to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds. The C-X75's carbon fibre chassis was developed with the Williams F1 team.
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GM making contingency plans due to tension in the Korean Peninsula
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
As a result of the rising tension in the Korean Peninsula, GM is making contingency plans to move workers and shift production out of the country. Speaking in an interview on CNBC's Squawk Box, GM CEO Dan Akerson said, "We are making contingency plans for the safety of our employees to the extent that we can." GM is the third largest carmaker in South Korea employing 17,000 people with an annual output of 1.4 million vehicles. About 1.3 million units are exported to Europe and the U.S. One of these models exported is the Chevrolet Spark subcompact (above). Akerson added that it is difficult to shift production out of South Korea but may have to do so if the region continues to destabilise as part of long term planning. However, according to a report on Wall Street Journal, Akerson has already decided to move production to other plants. Should a war take place, Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fourth largest auto maker after General Motors, Volkswagen Group, and Toyota, is definitely going to be affected as well. This could result in wide ranging impact on the global automotive industry. At the time of writing this article, North Korea has moved a second mid range missile to its east coast and loaded both on mobile launchers, fueling fears of an imminent firing. Let there be peace on Earth. -
The 2013 model year Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster was announced for production in November 2012 and barely three months later, the order books are full until mid-2014. This means a waiting time of more than a year if someone were to place an order now. He can still get his open-top supercar earlier if he is prepared to cough out extra dough. The Aventador Roadster shares the same 6.5-litre V12 engine with the hard top version. This means that roadster develops 700bhp with a tremendous 690Nm of torque, enabling the car to go from 0 to 100km/h in 3 seconds before reaching terminal velocity of 350 km/h. The Aventador Roadster boasts a unique engine cover design and an attachable wind deflector to improve cabin airflow at high speed.
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Hyundai plant in Beijing suspends production due to pollution issue
SYF77 posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
According to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese authorities have suspended production of many factories and chemical plants in Beijing to curb the air pollution in the city, which has reached harmful level. Unfortunately for Hyundai, Hyundai Motor Beijing is one of those 41 factories that are forced to cut back on production. China's capital is enduring its worst air pollution in recent memory, illustrating the persistent challenge the nation's new leaders face in addressing environmental woes. The harmful PM2.5 particle rate is hovering between 200 and 400 micrograms per cubic meter. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency regulations, PM2.5 concentration at any location should not be higher than 65 micrograms per cubic meter. Children hospitals in Beijing are receiving up to 10,000 patients per day with respiratory problem. Established in 2002 and based in Shunyi District, a satellite city of Beijing, Hyundai Motor Beijing is a 50:50 joint-venture between Beijing Automotive Group and Hyundai Motor Company. -
A report from The Financial Times predicts that China will build more passenger cars and light commercial vehicles than Europe for the first time ever in 2013. This should not come as a surprise as European car makers such as Opel, Ford of Europe and PSA Peugeot Citroen have announced plans to cut production this year. Analysts expect China to produce a total of 19.6 million cars this year versus 18.3 million units in Europe. In 2012, China and Europe rolled out 17.8 million and 18.9 million cars respectively. However, all is not lost for Europe as its sluggish economy is showing signs of recovery. The PMI index for the 17-member Eurozone hit a nine-month high in December 2012 although the reading of 47.2 reflected an 11th month of contraction. But, if The Financial Times' estimates were accurate, about 23.8% of vehicles sold this year will be produced in China which is almost ten times higher than in year 2000. Taking into account Europe
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Volvo will cut production volumes at its Torslanda (Sweden) and Ghent (Belgium) plants due to continued weak demand as the European debt crisis and sluggish global growth take its toll on the car industry. Other automakers such as Ford and Opel have already reduced their output. At the Torslanda plant, production will stop for three days before the Christmas holidays. In Ghent, there will be two production-free days come December. In addition, three individual work shifts -- one in Ghent and two in Torslanda -- will be removed from the December production schedule. Going into 2013, Volvo is not positive as well. The company said it will cut production rate at its Torslanda plant to 45 cars per hour come week four of 2013 from 57 cars an hour. Volvo commented that the production slowdown will affect the number of agency workers employed at the Torslanda plant. "We have indicated before that we will need to be flexible in light of today's market situation, and that we will use the flexibility we have in our system when needed," said Lars Wrebo, Senior Vice President Manufacturing, Volvo Cars. "While sales volumes have shown a very positive trend in recent years, we have seen a continuous decline in customer demand in 2012 which so far has not picked up. Therefore a further adjustment to our production output is required," he added. The Chinese-owned auto maker announced recently that its US sales in October slumped 14.4% to 4196 cars compared to a year ago. Sales in China for the same month were down 11.7% from a year earlier to 3389 vehicles.
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Lexus has stopped production of European-spec IS models due to new crash safety legislations that goes into effect at the end of the year. The issue concerns the shape of the front-end, which does not meet the new pedestrian safety requirements. Lexus has chosen not to make the necessary modifications to the current model as the all-new model is due early next year. The current IS will continue to be available at European dealerships until the existing inventory runs out. The second-generation IS was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2005 as a pre-production model, with the production version debuting shortly after. Lexus sales in Europe have suffered in recent years - with the brand selling 15,000 cars in 2007 before declining rapidly to 10,000 in 2008 and just 6,200 cars in 2010. The arrival of the all new IS saloon will give the firm the impetus it needs in the junior executive sector. The third-generation IS is previewed by the striking LF-CC concept, featuring the latest version of the brand
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The Mercedes S-Class' sales in Europe has fallen victim to the on-going economic crisis in the continent. Its sales have fallen by 27% over the past eight months to just 5,227 units. In addition, the age of the model does not help either. As a result, the factory that produces the S-Class in Sindelfingen, Germany, will cut down to one shift from the current two shifts until the next generation model enters production in 2013. "Workers manufacturing the S class will be reassigned to the C-class assembly line during this period," the company said in a statement. The W221 S-Class was introduced in the autumn of 2005 at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, with export to other markets beginning in 2006. Since then, BMW and Audi have both introduced all-new versions of their flagship sedan, the 7-Series and the A8 respectively. The S-Class contributes the highest profit margin per car sold for the Stuttgart automaker and hence the pressure is on the 2013 model to continue to do so. The new Mercedes S-Class is expected to be unveiled in production form at the 2013 Detroit motor show in January, before it goes on sale next spring. The new luxury saloon was recently previewed by a new sculpture called Aesthetic S at the 2012 Paris motor show. Aesthetic S
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[extract] The C30 is a three-door, four-seater hatchback produced by Volvo that was officially unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. The exterior design of the C30 is based on the 2001 SCC concept car, which was inspired by the 1800ES, the estate version of the P1800 Coupe. Six years on, the Swedish automaker has announced that the production of the brand
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[extract] Cadillac
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[extract] Lamborghini has opened a new design center aimed specifically at the development of prototypes and concepts in a multi-storey building in the Sant
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[extract] The Nikkei reports that Honda Motor Co. plans to assemble the hybrid version of its Fit (or Jazz) subcompact in Thailand starting this summer. This is the company
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[extract] Very soon, we may not get Infiniti models that are manufactured in Japan. This is a pity but inevitable in order for the luxury car manufacturer to survive as the cost to build cars in Japan has risen due to the high Japanese Yen. The new Infiniti manufacturing base has not been selected yet but Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn, was quoted saying that both North America and China are under consideration. For the readers
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[extract] The UK
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The Copen is a two-seater convertible for the man with a small budget. However, time is running out for this affordable little car as Daihatsu is ending its production in August after a 10 year run, due to poor sales in recent years. The beginning of the end for the Copen could have started in January 2011 when Daihatsu announced that it would withdraw the Copen from the European market due to the ongoing strength of the Japanese Yen. The Copen was launched in June 2002 and enjoyed its highest sales in 2003, moving 11,000 units in that year. However, sales declined to around 2000 cars in 2011. I feel that Daihatsu already made plans to withdraw the sales of the Copen a few years ago as no automaker would leave a model unchanged for a decade. The model was unveiled in 1999 at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Daihatsu Copen concept. It was originally designed with a 660 cc turbocharged engine in order to meet Japanese kei car regulations, but it also came with a more powerful 1.3 L engine for the other countries to meet the environmental emissions standards. According to SgCarMart, Jack Cars Enterprise is still offering the 660cc turbo Copen for sale. If you wish to get a unit, do act fast.
