Obama Passes Up Tesla Motors - for Now

Tesla Motors had a brush with greatness on Thursday, but it apparently hasn't paid off just yet.

The electric-car startup sent Inside Line an image said to be of President Barack Obama's motorcade driving past the Tesla Motors dealership on Santa Monica Boulevard. The president was in town for an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — a history-making event, since it marked the first time an acting president appeared on a late-night talk show.

"Obama's motorcade passed by the Tesla showroom on West Santa Monica Boulevard near the 405 this morning!" wrote Tesla spokesperson Rachel Konrad in an e-mail message to Inside Line.

However, Washington insiders know that often there are two presidential motorcades, including one with the president's doppelganger, a double meant to fool would-be troublemakers. It's impossible to verify if this was the real deal, in other words. In any case, the motorcade did not stop, and no deposit was made on a Tesla Roadster or the upcoming Model S.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Secret Service proved to be a stumbling block to Tesla Motors with an ex-president. Bill Clinton expressed interest in test-driving the Tesla Roadster on a recent California visit, but he was whisked away by his security detail before he could slip behind the wheel.

In other Tesla news, the automaker said earlier this week that its upcoming Model S will have "an anticipated base price of $57,400."

"After a federal tax credit of $7,500, the effective price will be $49,900," said Tesla chairman, CEO and product architect Elon Musk in the company newsletter. "Because of tax incentives and relatively inexpensive maintenance and refueling, the lifetime ownership cost will be closer to cars with far lower sticker prices."

Tesla will unveil the Model S prototype sedan on March 26 at the Tesla design studio inside the SpaceX rocket factory in Hawthorne, California.
One way or another, Tesla always seems to be at the vortex of the action.

Taking care of your car’s transmission

In order to maintain you car in a good shape, to offer you the safety as well the performances it was designed for in the first place, taking care of your vehicle’s transmission is a vital thing you should take care of. Modern cars have very complex drive trains, and the transmission being one of the most important elements of it, repairing it because of the in-proper use can be very costly. The most serious operations on a car’s drive train can only be executed in specialized shops, but the casual maintenance operations you can make them yourself.The biggest enemy of the vehicle’s transmission is heat. There are many causes for the heating of the transmission’s elements, and many are related to operating your car under difficult conditions. Racing with your vehicle, towing a load, or repeatedly putting it in drive and reverse for exiting heavy snow or mud can contribute to the overheating of its ensembles.

If you often are forced to operate your car under these circumstances, you can benefit greatly from adding additional cooling to your transmission. Such a cooler will be mounted on the radiator and it will cool the transmission fluid. Because many SUV owners use them to tow heavy vehicles, they came equipped from the factory with such auxiliary transmission coolers.

In the following paragraph you will find a series of tips about properly maintaining your car’s transmission.The most important aspect is to have your transmission fluid checked on a regular basis. Also check for its color. It should be red. If it had turned brown or it has a burnt smell should be changed at once.Before buying transmission fluid, check with your car’s owner’s manual to se the exact type the manufacturer recommends. Never mix two different types of fluid of fluids coming from different manufacturers.The recommended period to replace it is every 2 years or every 24,000 miles, which ever condition occurs first.When you want to put your car in reverse, come to a complete stop first. Changing from drive to reverse while the vehicle is still moving will harm your transmission.

In order to protect vital transmission elements, put the cark into park after you have pressed the brake pedal and pull the emergency brake. By doing this, less stress is applied to the drive train.Always change gears from park to drive only when your engine is at idle.
When towing a very heavy load or when you are climbing abrupt terrain, be sure to disengage the overdrive feature, if your car is equipped with such a option, as it will prevent the car from repeatedly changing gears from and to overdrive. Overdrive is the highest gear in the transmission and it used to allow that vehicle to run at highway cruising speeds with a reduced revs, in order to mainly save fuel and reduce noise. If the automatic gear in your car has a 4-speed transmission with overdrive, the overdrive refers to the 4th gear. The same is with cars with 5-gear automated transmission with overdrive. There is the possibility to have a smaller car, with a 4 or 5 way automated transmission, but without the overdrive function.
Write By : Dennis James
Dennis runs Car Dealer Check which has reviews on Iowa Car Dealers including Des Moines Dealers.

Chery Stalls With Another Foreign Partner

Chery Automobile said it has delayed a planned joint venture with Fiat because of the global downturn in car sales.

Chery CEO Yin Tongyao told reporters, "We have slowed down the JV project with Fiat and production will not start this year as previously planned, but we have not shelved the project."
Late last year, Chery and Chrysler officially parted ways on a proposed deal under which Chery was to supply affordable small cars to Chrysler in North America and other markets.
Now, Chrysler has proposed an alliance with Fiat, in which the Italian automaker will take an initial stake of 35 percent and will supply Chrysler with small cars and engines.
Fiat reportedly has pulled out of the Shanghai auto show, too.

Write By : Hu Lei

Dongfeng Fengshen

Dongfeng continues to expand and promote its own brand, with the introduction of the new Fengshen sedan, jointly developed with Giugiaro Italdesign. The Fengshen, which revives a name used previously by Dongfeng, will be formally unveiled in April at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show.

The compact sedan is built on a modified version of the old Citroën ZX platform. Under the hood is a 105-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine.
The Fengshen will compete in China with the Buick Excelle and the Hyundai Elantra. It will go on sale in May.

Look for additional models, including a coupe and a hatchback, under the Dongfeng brand.

2009 Chery Riich G6

Chery Automobile unveiled two new high-end sub-brands in the run-up to the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show, part of the carmaker's plan to boost profitability and expand into overseas markets.
One of China's larger automakers, Chery added the Riich and Rely brands to its portfolio. The Riich badge will be used on more luxurious models, including the new G6 sedan. Chery said at least five models are planned under the Riich brand, including a sporty coupe and three compacts.

The Rely name will be used mainly on sport-utility vehicles and multipurpose vehicles.
Introducing the high-end models represents Chery's efforts to enter the higher market segments. It also paves the way for the automaker to drive into overseas markets as competition in the domestic market stiffens.

Chery aims to boost its total sales by 17 percent to 419,000 units this year, including 263,000 sold in China and 156,000 for export.

The first model, the Riich G6, rolled off the assembly line at a plant in Wuhu on Wednesday. Equipped with a 192-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 or a turbocharged 168-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, Chery said the car would be on par with the Audi A6L, the most popular business sedan in China.

"The (G6) will play a major role in expanding into the mid-to-high-class segment and compete with premier cars made by foreign rivals," Chery said in a statement.
The self-developed Riich G6 will sell between $26,000 and $32,000. It features double-wishbone suspension with adjustable shocks, bi-xenon headlamps, LED taillamps, a rearview back-up camera, power seats and more.
Chery said the Riich G-series will be followed by M-, X- and Z-series models.