Dakar Rally

Majed Khalil

In 1977, Thierry Sabine got lost in the Lybian desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally; he got saved and returned to France promising himself he would repeat the adventure. He came up with a route starting in Europe and finishing in Dakar, since then, the Dakar Rally exists.

Due to security threats in the usual route from Paris to Dakar, the rally has been running in South America since 2009 to the present. The 362 drivers run a maximum distance of 800 – 900 kilometers per day facing tough conditions.

There are three kinds of vehicles competing: motorcycles, cars and trucks. Many vehicles manufacturers test their cars during the rally to demonstrate the durability of their vehicles. This year the rally is a 15-day race from Argentina to Peru.

Majed Khalil recommends http://www.nytimes.com; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakar_Rally; http://www.dakar.com

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by on January 6, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on January 6, 2012

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Majed Khalil – Audi A1 Quattro 2012

Majed Khalil

The first official pictures of the Audi A1 Quattro that will be in the market in the second half of 2012 are out. Only 333 cars will be built, so it will be really exclusive and won´t be easy to see one.

The motor is a direct injection 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine and has six-speed transmission, with a turbocharger to produce 252bhp. The car will reach 62mph in just 5.7 seconds and top speed will be 152mph.

The Audi A1 Quattro has been design for high performance and low fuel consumption, (around 8.6 liters per 100 km). It will be available in only Glacier White metallic, with sporty black in the interior.

The sound system has 14 465watts-speakers. A Bluetooth online car phone will connect passengers to the Internet and deliver special web services as Google Earth and also they will connect their mobile devices to the integrated WLAN hotspot.

Majed Khalil recommends

http://www.seriouswheels.com/cars/2012/top-2012-Audi-A1-Quattro.htm; http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/Audi-A1-Quattro-2012-first-official-pictures/

 

 

 

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by on December 28, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on December 28, 2011

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Ferrari Enzo 2012

Majed Khalil

The Ferrari Enzo named after Enzo Ferrari, founder of the Ferrari company, is a 12 cylinder car built in 2002 using Formula One technology.

The car had carbon-fibre body, electrohydraulic shift transmission as a F1 car. The engine was semi-automatic and had 6 speeds. It accelerated to 97 km/h in 3.14 seconds and could reach 160 km/h in 6.6 seconds.

Today, Ferrari Enzo is listed in the Top 10 Most Expensive Cars in the World (price is expected to be around 1 million), it will be in the market in the spring of 2012 and limited to 399 units.

For 2012 version, the Enzo will weigh around 1200 pounds as a benefit from intense use of carbon fiber in its body; besides, the car will have a new developed V8 bi-turbo engine with 700 HP and seven speeds. The car will reach 97 km/h in three seconds and a top speed of 223 mph.

Majed Khalil recommends http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ferrari-f70/ke2367.html

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by on December 23, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on December 23, 2011

http://www.majedkhalil.biz/ferrari-enzo-2012/

Vehicles that never crash

Majed Khalil

The statistics indicate that more than 1 million people are killed and 50 million are injured in car accidents, knowing this, car makers are working on a vehicle that will never crash.

The car industry is always investigating on devices to prevent accidents; therefore, we have seat belts, airbags and anti-lock braking systems. The crash avoidance technology systems can alert drivers to danger and even take action to prevent accidents from happening.

Apparently the major cause of crashes is drivers’ lack of attention; this technology will give eyes to cars and will know when the drivers are failing. Systems that monitor blind spots, electronic stability control and adaptive headlights are already included in new vehicles and these features according to studies, have prevent or mitigate one out of every three fatal crashes.

The controversy is if it is good to remove decision-making responsibility from drivers in order to prevent accidents; in the meantime, the investigations will continue.

Majed Khalil recommends http://www.bbc.co.uk/news

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by on December 16, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on December 16, 2011

http://www.majedkhalil.biz/vehicles-that-never-crash/

Volkswagen in the US market

Majed Khalil

Volkswagen is trying to enter into the US market as a family car, competing with brands like Toyota which is very well positioned. The Passat has that mission; Volkswagen has raised its sales leaving behind companies like Kia and Hyundai.

The regular Passat is a 5-cylinder and V-6 gasoline car, the TDI version is a 2-liter, 140-horsepower turbodiesel that travels 795 miles on a single tank. The TDI technology uses a direct injection system and runs on ultra-low sulfur diesel, this helps to reduce emissions in 90% compared to other diesel engines.

The older Passat was very close to be an Audi, this TDI is more like a family sedan with more attractive price and scheduled maintenance free for three years or 36,000 miles.

The design has been developed thinking of American tastes. The designers have considered the legroom, leather seats, huge luggage space, making the look of the car more appealing.

Majed Khalil read this at http://www.volkswagen.com/

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by on December 11, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on December 11, 2011

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Chevrolet Volt, top scored

Majed Khalil

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric car that has been on sale in United States since December 2010. And now, has received the top score in the annual owner satisfaction survey by Consumer Reports, after asking 314.000 subscribers who owned vehicles from the models 2009-2012, if they would buy the same car again.

During the survey, owners of Chevrolet Volt were less than those who own Toyota Camry or other cars that have been in the market for more time, so, the survey gives percentages and not numbers, because in numbers the result would be different.

The car uses a 420-pound lithium-ion battery to power the car through 149-horsepower. The battery fully charged will run the car for nearly 75 kilometers. The motor is a hybrid, when the battery is dying is sensed by the electronic control system that links the battery, motor, clutches, transaxle, and starter/generator together, the sensor sends a signal to the 1.4-liter gasoline engine and converts the starter into a 55-kilowatt generator, which then, supplies electrical power to the battery and the motor. The car keeps moving until the tank runs out of fuel. The car runs 75 kilometers on the battery and almost 500 using gasoline to charge the battery.

Majed Khalil recommends http://www.nytimes.com/

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by on December 3, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on December 3, 2011

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Veteran Car Run

By Majed Khalil

At the beginning of the 18th century was illegal in England to drive over 6 kilometers per hour, and cars had to be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag. At the end of the century, the speed limit was raised to almost 23 kilometers per hour and nobody had to walk ahead of the cars.

This goal became a kind of freedom for those who drove cars and in order to celebrate this, they created an “Emancipation Run” from London to Sussex, a seaside town in England. Today, the “Emancipation Run” is the “Brighton Veteran Car Run”, which takes place annually from London to Brighton, only for pre-1905 cars.

The Run has taken place on the first Sunday of every November since 1927, with the exception of the war years. This year, over 500 cars have participated in the “world’s longest running and greatest motoring celebration event”. The day before of the event, spectators can see the cars and owners answer questions from the audience.

Famous celebrities including members of the Royal Family have attended to the Run, the almost 100 kilometer rout is lined with hundreds of thousands spectators.

The Brighton Veteran Car Run represents to owners of Veteran cars worldwide, an opportunity to take their extraordinary vehicles to a wider audience.

Majed Khalil invites you to visit  http://www.veterancarrun.com/

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by on November 25, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on November 25, 2011

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Phantom – Rolls-Royce Experimental Electric Sedan

 

 

By Majed Khalil

Definitely, green cars are better for the environment and have others advantages such as saving driver´s money at the pump. Therefore, drivers that can afford them have purchased hybrids like the Toyota Prius or a Chevy Volt.

Luxury cars have been inserted in this “green wave”, that is the case of Lexus and Porsche. In the super luxury range, Rolls-Royce has introduced the Phantom EE which has the V12 and six-speed automatic gearbox of the standard Phantom replaced with a pair of electric motors putting out 145 kilowatts each and a lithium-ion battery pack. This is sufficient to reach 60 miles per hour in less than eight seconds. The vehicle uses induction charging, which means the driver doesn´t need to plug in to charge.

Unfortunately, the vehicle is a test at this time and right now there are no plans for a production version. However, all these actions the automobile industry is taken in favor of the environment reveal its commitment and concern to preserve our planet.

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by on November 19, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on November 19, 2011

http://www.majedkhalil.biz/phantom-rolls-royce-experimental-electric-sedan/

Common system for charging any electric car across Europe

By Majed Khalil

In Europe are trying to find the way to standardize a system for charging electric cars in order to avoid the fragmentation of the market across the continent and abroad.

There are several issues to attend such as the public charging infrastructure and the car´s electricity inlet or how the car should communicate with the grid.

The standardization will provide predictability to investors and could reduce costs. The norms will meet the highest safety standards and will be easy to use in order to avoid confusing for consumers that have bought electric cars.

Now the challenge is on the table, definitely we all hope for the sake of the environment that the industry of electric cars continues growing and improving, this standardization is a good idea.

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by on November 12, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on November 12, 2011

http://www.majedkhalil.biz/common-system-for-charging-any-electric-car-across-europe/

In 3 to 5 years from now, all cars will be connected

By Majed Khalil

Cars will be connected to the Internet and this will change the way we drive. This technology allows for having real –time traffic reports, entertainment in the back seat and latest news, among others advantages.

This can be seen in General Motor’s Cadillac car platform called Cue, which will appear in car models in 2012. The cars will count with an 8-inch touch screen that will display maps, text messaging and other things. It will be possible to plug a smartphone in the car and have the messages read aloud.

AT&T has brought this idea and manufacturers as Ford, BMW and Nissan will have this technology in their vehicles. The way how the cars will be connected is as wide as the forms of consumers use mobile phones on the network.

This is going to be huge!

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by on November 5, 2011  •  Permalink
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Posted by Majed Khalil on November 5, 2011

http://www.majedkhalil.biz/in-3-to-5-years-from-now-all-cars-will-be-connected/

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