My Dummy Car

Archive for the ‘Modern Car’ Category

Managing a carwash is not as easy as it might look. There’s a lot of preparation that is needed before opening the carwash in the morning; especially if the carwash has an automated system or an extended Tunnel wash that uses electronic eyes to sense where the cars are.

A dummy car or a practice car must be sent through first to make sure all the sensors and electronic eyes are finding the car and allowing the rollover system to do its job properly without scratching the car. If anything is wrong that car will be damaged, but it’s better to screw up a dummy car than a customer’s car that is in a line of cars to be washed.

Damage to customer’s car will cause the customer to have a fit on the property in front of everyone else. Plus, even if you don’t report it to your insurance company and pay the customer cash to fix their car you have quite a scene on your hands.

Of course, in managing a carwash the biggest issue is labor. And therefore you must know the weather reports prior to opening the carwash and you may need to tell some employees to stay home if it looks cloudy or if it’s going to rain.

All the towels, and work uniforms must also be cleaned and ready to go when the carwash opens. Typically a carwash manager will show up at the carwash 30 minutes to an hour prior to opening.

Also the carwash manager will have to clean up the facility and could spend as much as an hour and a half pressure washing everything clean or having their employees do it. Running a carwash is a big deal and there is no time to do any of the extra things in the middle of the production.

In the world of collecting one of the most important factors in the valuation of an item is originality. Just because a ventriloquist dummy has a head, body, hands and legs does not always mean you are buying a complete figure. As with any other collectible if parts have been changed or replaced with parts from something else devaluation occurs. If you have a Frank Marshall dummy and then the head is placed into a Finis Robinson body automatically you have a devaluation which occurs. Yes it is a complete ventriloquist dummy but not correct.

If you purchase a Jaguar automobile but replace the Jaguar engine with a Chevrolet engine, yes the car may run much better, but it will never be worth what it was prior to the engine swap. Now in the automotive world when a car gets reupholstered, new paint, new chrome, and engine rebuild etc., you certainly bring back the value and sometime, more often than not, the vehicle will become more valuable than the actual value of the antique car. With ventriloquist dummies just the opposite occurs. When you take an original dummy’s paint and redo it you will lose value automatically. Originality is the key to greatest value. A ventriloquist dummy with original paint, wig, body, hands even clothing will command the highest prices in return.

The Indian automobile market has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the last decade. From being a barely noticed and niche market it has evolved into a potentially huge market, where all the global players are battling each other to gain supremacy. Over the last couple of years almost every car manufacturing giant has come and set up shop in India. Car makers like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Renault and now Nissan are all trying their best to grab a fair amount of the market share in India. Maruti Suzuki doesn’t have it as easy as it did a decade ago and hence is finding it an uphill task to maintain a fair amount of the market share. Even high end luxury car brands like Porche, Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Audi and Aston Martin have all opened showrooms in the metropolitan cities across the country. Even Mini famous for the Mini Cooper is opening up in India early this year. This really screams out how rapidly the Indian automobile market is developing.

In this article we shall speak about the upcoming cars in India. There were several cars launched in 2011 and its going to be no different this year, in fact there will be more cars launched this year. There are numerous cars lined up to be launched across all segments. The hatchback segment will see the launch of the Renault Pulse which is priced between 4.5 to 6.5 lakhs. This car will be very similar to the Nissan Micra as Renault and Nissan share the same manufacturing plant in Chennai. Another awaited hatchback is the Volkswagen Up, this is Volkswagens attempt to conquer the budget hatchback segment as it’s priced between 3 to 4 lakhs. The sedan segment will see the re launch of many cars like the Hyundai sonata, Maruti Swift Dzire, the Fiat Linea and the Honda Civic. All these models will be re launched with newer features and improved looks. In the MUV(multi utility vehicle) segment there will be the addition of the new and improved Toyota Innova which will be priced between 7 to 11 lakhs. Also Maruti will be stepping out of their comfort zone again like they did with the Maruti Kizashi and launching the Maruti Ertiga which will be priced between 5 to 7 lakhs and will be ready to give the Toyota Innova a run for its money.

Consumer auto shows are great places for car shoppers to go to gauge what products are available or will soon hit the market. These shows, held in metropolitan areas across the country, also feature numerous concept vehicles from various manufacturers. Concept vehicles often don’t come to the market as shown, but its styling cues, engineering features and technological enhancements oftentimes do.
Concept  PHEV

At major auto shows across the country, Swedish automaker Volvo is making its presence known. This company, known for its innovative safety measures and forward-thinking engineering, is currently displaying the Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept, an all-wheel-drive crossover SUV that may change the way you look at hybrids and plug-in vehicles. Read on for details about this progressive product.

Volvo is touting the XC60 PHEV concept as three cars in one. That claim seems plausible as this CUV is designed to operate in three driving modes via buttons for Pure, Hybrid or Power located on the instrument panel. Each mode offers distinct advantages and can be selected to sync with your driving conditions.

Drive Modes

When operated in “Pure” mode the XC60 is powered chiefly by its electric motor as much as it is possible. As such, the CUV’s electric-only operational range is for up to 35 miles with absolutely no tailpipe emissions in urban driving.

The default “Hybrid” mode automatically kicks in whenever the CUV is started. Both the gasoline engine and electric motor are at work, providing the best mix of gas and electric driving. EPA numbers are not yet available, but according to the European certification driving cycle this vehicle gets the fuel economy equivalent of over 100 mpg. Look for closer to 50 mpg when this vehicle is taken on a long trip — its total cruising range is thus extended to 600 miles.

The third choice is the CUV’s “Power” mode, which provides unbridled power when needed. Under this arrangement, the gas engine shoulders the brunt of the work and this capable powerplant has the goods to show for it, delivering 280 horsepower and 280 foot-pounds of torque. The electric motor is no slouch too as it makes 70 hp and 148 foot-pounds of torque. Need to get on the highway fast? This CUV does it in style, accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds.

Turbocharged Four

What may surprise Volvo enthusiasts the most is that the gas engine found underneath this concept’s hood is a turbocharged four cylinder engine. No V-6 power is needed — this engine has been optimized to deliver the most power from the fewest number of cylinders.

The Volvo XC60 PHEV has been designed to plug-in to a standard household outlet for recharging. With a standard 110-volt outlet, recharging should be accomplished in 7.5 hours. For faster recharges, a 220-volt outlet cuts that down to just 3.5 hours.

Market Plans

Will the XC60 PHEV come to market? It is expected to and should arrive in American showrooms by 2014. When it does hit the market, crossover fans may find this CUV too hard to resist — a five-passenger model that is fuel efficient and minimizes its emissions output.