2008 New York International Auto Show Steve and Thom Wrap-Up

Four major US auto shows with international importance keep us busy all winter. Los Angeles begins the season in November where the Asian influence is felt and where automobile enthusiasm is most pervasive in the general populace. Detroit is next in January drawing by far the most international media attention and therefore the most new product introductions. But space is seriously limited. Chicago in early February is a wide open show mostly in terms of having the most space, but we always find great new stuff there as well. Now, here we are in New York in March where we see most of the fresh new products from the other three shows plus a few treats the manufacturers have saved for this final blast into the model year.

We, your intrepid Detroit Bureau team of Thom and Steve, drove the 11-hour, I-80 trek so we wouldn't have to suffer the ongoing indignities of airline travel.


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Nat'l Car Care Month right time to spring clean auto

The heat is coming. Your car is going to suffer, and your wallet may, too, if you don't prepare. Planning ahead and preparing your car may prevent it from needing an "unexpected" trip to the repair shop.

April is National Car Care Month -- the perfect time to visit your local repair shop and have a preventative maintenance inspection and checkup. For those who love their cars, it means the chance to scrub off winter's grit and grime and administer some well-deserved TLC.

Follow these 10 important tips on how to spring clean your machine:

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Tuner Creates $28,000 Body Kit for Lamborghini Murcielago

PARAMOUNT, California — A Japanese tuner has come up with a way to make your Italian supercar even more exclusive by adding a limited-edition body kit that costs as much as a new car. The aero kit from Premier4509 for the Lamborghini Murciélago consists of a front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper made of carbon fiber and fiberglass. An adjustable rear spoiler is optional. Only 300 packages will be sold worldwide, with each kit featuring a numbered serial plate. Adding the kit to the Murciélago — which sells for more than $330,000 — will cost buyers $28,000. Premier4509 is a brand of Japanese tuner Veilside and produces parts for luxury cars. In addition to body kits, the company will eventually sell limited-edition wheels and luxury accessories. Later this year, the Premier4509 line will grow to include more products for Lamborghini, Bentley, Aston Martin and Maserati vehicles.



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Tuner Special: Loder1899 Ford Focus

ODELZHAUSEN, Germany — Bavarian car conceptualist Loder1899 has been tuning cars since the turn of the 19th century, and lately has specialized in the Ford lineup. This includes cars in the extended family, including the modest Loder1899 version of the Land Rover Freelander 2 and the menacing Aston Martin V8 Vantage. Loder's latest styling kit includes a sporty ground effects package for the recently redesigned 165-horsepower Ford Focus. It is available on all of the three- and five-door versions except the ST and gives the ride a meaner stance with the addition of a front spoiler, rear diffuser, rear hatch spoiler and side skirts as well as a lowering kit. Five-spoke wheels complete the look and are offered in 17-20-inch variants. An upgraded chip and sport exhaust system are available for the 2.0 diesel version, which ups the output of this compact machine by 30 hp.


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http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=16036

Portable Global Positioning Systems are among the fastest selling car accessories today. They also happen to make you a target. GPS theft continues to rise.

Because these often-expensive portable devices are impossible to trace, they've become popular among thieves, who can easily sell them on the street. GPS devices have been stolen from ambulances and FBI cars, so don't think for a minute yours is safe.

Here are a few tips that can help keep your GPS in your possession,

Hide the goods Most reported thefts are from people who left their GPS mount and system in plain sight, so it's important to hide both pieces in your trunk or glove compartment when you get out of the car. You might also want to keep other gadgets, like iPods, out of sight to keep thieves at bay.



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'Green' Cars Boost Thai Auto Industry

April 2, 2008 -- Incentives from the Thai government to encourage automakers to produce fuel-efficient "eco-cars" have yielded a raft of major investments and started to change how Thais drive, experts say. Tax breaks for automakers and car buyers were unveiled last year, as the government worried that Thailand's position as the world's biggest maker of light pickups might not be enough to guarantee the future of its auto industry. The kingdom churns out 900,000 one-ton trucks every year -- about three-fourths of global output.

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Car firms suffer double-digit falls in US sales

Workers in the US car industry are facing a summer of factory shutdowns, overtime restrictions and additional lay-offs as the worsening economy sends vehicle sales into a sharp decline.

Figures from all the major car makers yesterday showed sales in March were down in double-digit percentages compared with a year ago, and industry executives said 2008 is on course to be the US's worst year for sales in 15 years.

"I'd like to be able to tell you the worst is behind us but I can't really say that," Ford's marketing chief, Jim Farley, told investors, as the company revealed a 14 per cent slide in sales of cars and light trucks. General Motors said its monthly sales had collapsed by 19 per cent, while Toyota revealed a 10 per cent decline.

Worse for the industry, the most expensive – and therefore the most profitable – vehicles, such as SUVs, are being deserted by customers in favour of cheaper, more fuel-efficient models.


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