Monthly Archives: May 2012

Owner sues Honda over fuel economy – and loses

May 16, 2012   Ian

An American owner of a Civic hybrid has lost her case against the manufacturer after claiming compensation for the fact that her Honda Civic did not achieve its claimed fuel economy.  Heather Peters initially won $10,000 in a small claims court, but Superior court Judge Dudley Gray ruled against her at the appeal hearing, saying Honda’s ads were “not specific promises of anything”.
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Your next car – designed by rally drivers?

May 16, 2012   Ian

British rally specialists Prodrive (the people that made Subaru rally cars and currently make the Mini WRC car) say that they are increasingly being asked by car manufacturers to develop mainstream cars for major manufacturers. Speaking to industry website just-auto, Prodrive’s Managing Director Tony Butcher, said that car companies are so busy at present that they are outsourcing major parts of a new car’s development to Prodrive.

Apparently, prototypes are being delivered to them in a very raw form and Prodrive then develops the way the steering feels and how the suspension is tuned – or even replacing the suspension design altogether.

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New engines for Vauxhalls

May 15, 2012   Ian

Vauxhall has announced that it will be introducing three new engine families in the next year to boost both power and economy. First to arrive will be a 1.6 turbo petrol with up to 197 bhp – that is one in the eye for Ford, whose 1.6 petrol currently goes up to 177 bhp.
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MINI United 2012 in pictures

May 15, 2012   Ian

For MINI owners from all over the world, all roads led to France today, or more specifically Le Castellet and the Paul Ricard circuit for MINI United 2012.A festival for the iconic brand, Mini’s and MINI’s made the pilgrimage from as far afield as RussiaOn top of the amazing selection of Issigonis’s and BMW’s finest, there was also live music from bands such as Gossip, Iggy And The Stooges and Martin Solveig.
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Council diverts drivers 47 miles…for half a mile of road repairs

May 15, 2012   Ian

A road repair job due to start today has flabbergasted local residents. Flabbergasted, we tells ya!Why?  Because in order to repair a stretch of road less than half a mile long, a 47-mile diversion has been put in place.

It’s the work of Somerset Council, which has commissioned repairs on a stretch of Church Street that would ordinarily take less than a minute to drive through. However, the diversion will cost about two hours, according to an MSN story.

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