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I found this interesting article in the International Herald Tribune business section about the unprecedented growth of electric bikes particularly in China. It got me recall my visits there when I worked in that factory.I attended several meetings where some quite incredible figures were presented about the growth potential in this market. I even had one memorable visit to an electric bicycle and scooter specific store in downtown Shanghai. Memorable because it involved a white knuckle ride into town in an overcrowded Chinese micro-bus, driven at speed and in the complete absence of any formal ’rules of the road’ (Chinese driving habits have to be experienced to be believed!). The store was enormous, spread across three floors and sold every conceivable type. Everything from the cheapest,and I do not exaggerate. Apparently to qualify as electric bicycles the scooters had to have cranks and pedals but they were not required to be functional. And of course this plethora of products were decked out in the most migraine-inducing colors. Every possible combination of glitter, holographic Mylar, chromed plastic and blinking LED’s was used to its fullest. When it comes to color the china are nothing if not bold. Alongside all this visual and formal hoopla the products offered by Giant seemed. To be sure, at the time, it seemed to me that I had entered the industrial designers equivalent of the ninth circle of hell but on reflection I see now, in microcosm, an expression of Chinese confidence. I have no doubt we have entered the Chinese Century. Consider these factoids I gleaned the other day: 30% of people with the highest IQ’s are Chinese. What I saw that afternoon as I wandered in a daze through the store was a brashness, confidence and willingness to take risks that has largely evaporated in the west. Sure there was a lot of junk and poor craftsmanship but there was also a lot of inspired pragmatism and balls. When I think back to those interminable meetings where the PD team. We are more fearful of failure than emboldened by opportunity. Self doubt is not a Chinese characteristic.

So what have all those to do with bikes? In the next decade the smartest, lightest, most energy efficient and environmentally benign electric bicycles (and scooters, car & trucks) will emerge not out of MIT or Silicon Valley but China. I guarantee

You can find many claims over the internet of government repossessed cars being sold at 90% off its original price. You maybe wondering if all these claims are true or not, and whether there is a catch that these advertisements are not disclosing to unsuspecting consumers like you.

Well the truth is, government repossessed cars are truly being sold at a greatly reduced price. However, you must understand that all these cars are second hand or used cars and their value has depreciated since the day it left the showroom, thus the low pricing.

Another reason why the prices are low at these government seized auto auctions is that it cost money to maintain and store these cars. And there are always many cars seized and repossessed by the government. To make room for more, cars have to be attractively priced and thus often sold at 90% off the current market value.

Many government agencies regularly conduct auctions, and most are general. Meaning, the auction is not only about cars, but everything else that the government has in surplus, as well as all seized and unclaimed properties.

Most government auctions have a 2 day viewing, allowing you to inspect the car of your choice in detail. The catch is that you don´t get to test drive any unit, but you can start the engine and base your judgment on the sound of the engine running.

Most vehicles will start at low price, but some bidders may tend to drive the price too high because of aggressive competition. If this happens to anyone of your interest, it´s best to drop it.

You must always keep in mind that these units are second hand, and the price should be reasonably cheaper. After winning, you can have the option of paying in cash or installment, although cash buyers receive additional discount.

If you are on a budget, then buying second hand cars at government seized auctions is certainly a good choice.

If you are looking to buy cheap seized cars from government auto auctions, check out gov auctions. Check out my Gov Auctions review and learn how to buy seized cars at 90% off retail prices.

Originally, it started as an engineering concept at the start of the 21st century. Gas-Electric “hybrid” cars were the dream of the modern society and they were displayed at auto shows to gauge public reaction and market potential. Yet within a few years alone ( a small wink in the vehicle industry), hybrids have evolved into one of today’s most important automotive trends. Electronic components have really developed over the last ten years and are now more geared than ever to accommodate for the ‘greener solutions of our time. Every bit of a car from basic fuses to solenoids have been updated and modified to be friendlier for the environment. Numerous other components have come into play in the advancement of this technology, but one element in particular, copper, has been indispensable in helping to propel the growth of hybrid vehicles.
According to GM (General Motors) Chief Engineer, Time Grew, “Copper has two important roles in hybrids: It runs the electricity, so you have large amounts of copper in the motor and battery, and, more importantly, the copper technology is making hybrids viable commercially”. Fortunately enough, hybrids have come into the market in a big way. People are more than keen to get their first hybrid vehicle and contribute to saving the world’s energy resources.
These days there are not many cars that are not hybrids. Car companies have a responsibility to now be far more conscious about polluting the planet. It is interesting to try and comprehend where technology will be this time in a couple of years. Will our cars be designed to be even more energy efficient? Only time will tell but I am sure that automotive technology will have a lot of surprises for us. It simply depends on what is going to be viable from a marketing point of view.

In the beginning teams of engineers and mechanics didn’t specially design NASCAR cars.  Stock car racing began as the name would lead you to believe.    The cars raced were street models, purchased and raced unaltered.  The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was born in 1947 with the goal of setting standard rules and maintaining a running measure of race performance based on a point system that would crown a champion each year. Get your free orlando auto insurance Quote Today.

In the early days tracks were crude dirt roads upon which conditions quickly deteriorated during a race.  NASCAR changed rules to allow modifications so that NASCAR cars could more easily survive on these rotten conditions.  Over time the changes became more extreme, sometimes for safety concerns and sometimes simply to make the races faster and more fun for the fans to watch.  Legal changes are detailed in the NASCAR rules. Receive competing chicago auto insurance Quotes Today.

Today’s NASCAR cars are very different from the cars most people drive.  Rather than produced on an assembly line, NASCAR cars are carefully constructed by hand.  Their frames are made of steel tubing, their bodies of sheet metal, and the engines built from scratch.

The tubes for the frame vary in thickness, and are shaped as both square and round.  Because the roll cage is the frame around the driver, set to keep its shape so the driver isn’t hurt in a crash, it is the thickest part of the frame.

The front and back section of the frame are made of thinner tubes so they can crumble to absorb energy in the case of a crash with another car or with a wall.  Another clever feature of the front clip section is that in a crash it will force the engine through the bottom of the hood compartment rather tan into the driver’s area when an accident happens. Compare san diego auto insurance Quotes for Free.

The bodies of NASCAR cars are not easy to make, and it’s not fast – often requiring a full 10 days including installation.

NASCAR rules define the body shape for NASCAR cars.  To make it easy to follow the rules NASCAR provides 30 templates for the different areas of the car.  A big template checks the center of the car while smaller templates are used for other sections like the rear bumper.

Not all cars follow the same set of rules.  For example endurance cars have different regulations than cars designed for the speedways.

To learn about these differences as well as about the engines in NASCAR cars, try a Google search.

The French government have announced a €6.5bn loan for the country’s struggling car industry. It is the latest in an long line of similar measures taken around the world to protect jobs and the economy through the recession. A huge worldwide slump in car sales has left even the most established car manufacturers struggling, and millions of workers in danger of losing their jobs.

In the UK there have already been a number of job losses despite the government lending large amounts of money to help keep business afloat. A number of factories have had to close temporarily and the Japanese carmaker Nissan has become the latest to announce that it will be cutting almost 10% of its global workforce, including 1200 positions in the UK.

In these difficult times of recession, it’s hard to see how the car industry can recover. With things as they are, most people are feeling the strain and need to keep a close eye on their finances. It’s safe to say that buying a car is the last thing on most people’s minds, and until the economy starts to improve the motoring industry can’t do much more than bide its time.

But direct sales are not necessarily the only option for car dealers. If the problem is that people don’t have enough money to buy cars upfront, the answer could be to offer more car contract hire deals where customers lease their car on a monthly basis until the cost has been paid off. The availability of these deals means that buyers have more choice when it comes to cars – they can choose a car that may normally be out of their price range, which means more money for the car manufacturers in the long run.

Contract hire is a great deal for the consumer too, not only does it mean you get a wider choice of more desirable cars but the payment is in manageable instalments and there are often loads of other benefits thrown in. The contract will often include extras like servicing costs and road tax in the monthly price, so there’s less to worry about. It really is a win win situation!

The first time NASCAR officially connected races with an overall championship was 1949 with the birth of the Strictly Stock Series which would later become the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.  A WW2 aviator translated his piloting skills to the front seat of a car as he took the honor of becoming the first Champion.Get your free auto insurance san diego Quote Today.

Like the ancient world as the time for gods, heroes and myths, many NASCAR heroes of mythic proportions emerged from the 1950’s, NASCAR’s ancient history.  Top stars of the time had their own share of accomplishments just as today’s drivers, such as Jeff Gordon, are making their own legacy in NASCAR. Receive competing chicago auto insurance Quotes Today.

NASCAR matured in the 1960’s as a whole new crop of champions emerged, taking the torch from the older drivers.  Richard Petty started in the 60’s, winning two of his seven championships in the decade on his way to the NASCAR history book, and David Pearson started his record breaking career on the way to becoming the second most winning driver in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history – at the time it was called NASCAR Grand National.

NASCAR enjoyed a historic ten years in the decade of the 70’s.  Cale Yarborough won not one, or two, but three straight Winston Cup Championships.  But even that achievement paled in comparison to Richard Petty’s five titles, including winning by an amazing 722 points in 1975.  He didn’t win three in a row, but he did win two years in a row twice in the 70’s.

The 80’s marked the birth of yet more NASCAR legends.  Dale Earnhardt and Darrel Waltrip dominated the decade with three championships each.  Thanks to their spectacular performances the sport gained many new fans and a reputation for mass appeal it had never before enjoyed.  Bobby Allison, who had been second for the championship many times, finally won his first title in 1983.

NASCAR saw itself vault into the major sport status in the 90’s.  NASCAR enjoyed stratospheric attendance and television ratings in this decade of closely contended races and series championships.

In the new millennium NASCAR entered a new era, and crowned a new NASCAR Winston Cup champion.  Bobby Lebonte did something no champion had ever before accomplished.  For the first time a NASCAR driver won championships in two premiere series – Winston Cup and Busch.  And he joined his brother, Terry, as the only siblings to win NASCAR championships. Compare san diego auto insurance Quotes for Free.

Hopefully now you have an idea of the legacy of NASCAR.

Selling your car is now the preferred method for individuals as opposed to trading your car in to a dealership.  When you take your car to a dealer to sell or trade in you just do not get the kind of money you want or expect out of the deal.  Many times you can find discounts that are equal to the trade-in  value for your car.  That means you can sell your car and keep the money for your own use instead of the dealer subtracting the value from a new car sticker price.  However, you have to do a little homework on the car you want to sell and get it in selling condition.  A trip to the car ads is also necessary to see what the market looks like for cars and specifically the market for the car you want to sell.

Most people turn to the car classifieds to sell their car.  You can get good visibility from the classified ads and of course the market for buyers is already there.  There are potential buyers all the time for a good car that is being sold by a good owner.  There are actually some places where you can advertise your car without any cost and without paying any commissions.  If you can find a deal like that it’s hard to beat.  That is going to save you the cost of advertising and the potential of paying a commission if you sell your car from that site.

The Internet is a great place to use car classifieds if you’re looking to sell car online.  There is an unlimited market of buyers surfing the net for a good buy.  You may have hundreds of thousands of people who could be looking directly at your car with the purpose of buying it at that time.  Most of the sites on line also do a great job in organizing your advertisement.  They will offer ways for people to search for cars by location, model, year, and features.  This makes it very easy for the shopper to find exactly what they want.  All you have to do is write up the advertisement and add a photograph or two.  Photographs always help to sell your vehicle. These sites usually have help for you to write up an ad that will help to sell your car.

The use of online vehicle classified ads has become common practice these days especially with the Internet.  Many of these listings are free and you will not have to pay a commission if you do sell your vehicle.  Take advantage of this great way to sell your car quickly.  It is the best way to find a car and the best way to sell my car.

Considering the high gas prices these days, it wouldn´t be a bad idea to earn some money from your car to help offset the rising gas bill.

One option can be the get paid to drive programs that advertisers use to replace high-cost advertising on immobile medium like billboards. A car would solve both mobility and cost because it covers more mileage than a billboard on a highway. More people would be able to see the advertisement if the car covers a large amount of mileage in a month.

The cost of placing an ad on a car is less than maybe buying a commercial spot or even maintaining an up to date website.

But not everyone can qualify for the get paid to drive programs. Companies would choose you based on their needs as well as how many mileage you say you can cover in a month. They would terminate a contract if you do not meet the demands of the contract. They tract the mileage and the places you frequent using GPS so there is really no way around it.

Most advertisers require cars that are in metropolitan areas although there are get paid to drive schemes in smaller towns as well. Just that, you don´t get paid as well as in large urban areas.

But if you are lucky enough, you might be chosen and even be asked to drive a car that is provided by the company. If you are chosen, you can expect to earn anywhere from $500 to $1500 per month by simply driving your car around.

Some of the advertisements would require your entire car body to be decaled but don´t worry as it is easy to remove.

There are many such get paid to drive programs online, however not all are legitimate, some are get paid to drive scams and you should be careful which site to join.

If you do get chosen, then it is a great way to earn some money by simply driving around.

Wondering if get paid to drive programs are scam or real? Click here to discover more about get paid to drive programs and where to find them.

Over the last couple of weeks the UK has been hit with some of the most extreme weather we’ve had in ages. The first week of February brought the heaviest snowfall we’ve seen for 18 years, leaving hundreds of schools closed and 6 million people stranded unable to get to work. Most public transport was disrupted or cancelled completely, and many roads were deemed unsafe and closed off due to the icy conditions.

The continuing bad weather is a real worry for drivers everywhere, with all sorts of problems caused by the extreme conditions as well as the increased risk of accidents on the icy roads. There have been a number of incidents of sudden heavy snowfall trapping drivers in their cars, while in other parts of the country the melting snow has been replaced with heavy rains and severe flood warnings have been issued on the roads.

All this is bad news for car owners, not only because of the heightened personal risk of driving on the roads, but also because a damaged car can be a costly business. With the recession, most people really wouldn’t be able to afford to splash out on a new car if something happened to theirs. And that’s the real problem with owning a car. It’s brilliant until something goes wrong, but then it can become really expensive. You might think it won’t happen to you, that you’re a careful, safe driver who won’t get into that sort of situation. But as the last few weeks have proved, you can’t predict what will happen on the roads, and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it.

The problem is that once you have paid for a car it then becomes entirely your responsibility. Then the car is more likely to go wrong the older it gets, especially in extreme weather conditions, and the more it will cost you when it does. And even when you get it fixed, a car only ever decreases in value over time so it still won’t be worth half what you paid for it.

The people who manage to avoid these worries are those who opt for a car contract hire deal instead of buying a car outright. It doesn’t mean the car’s not yours, it just means you pay for it in regular monthly instalments and often you get extra benefits thrown in like road tax and servicing costs. So if something did happen, you wouldn’t have to pay the whole bill yourself. And the best thing is that when the contract hire expires after a couple of years you can trade the car in for a new one, meaning you’ve always got the latest updated model. And as you’ll always be driving a new car, it won’t have had time to wear out, and is less likely to break down in the first place!

So you want a new car but just can’t seem to make your finances stretch far enough? Or maybe you’ve already found the car of your dreams, but know there’s no way you’ll ever be able to afford it. You’re not alone – the car industry has been hit hardest of all by the credit crunch and sales have reached an all time low. It seems no one can afford to think about getting a new car right now.

But don’t let that discourage you – there is another option. There is a way you could still get the car you want, and you wouldn’t even have to pay upfront for it. Car contract hire or leasing agreements are a great way to choose the exact car you want and you only have to pay one manageable monthly fee.  

I know what you’re probably thinking, there has to be a catch, right? Well, actually, no there really isn’t. Yes you have to sign a contract but you get to choose from any car on the market, even those that would normally be out of your price range. In fact, the more popular and desirable the car, the better deals you can get. It’s not like buying a new car where the value decreases with time, most contract hire agreements are based on your projected usage so they take wear and tear into account and when the contract ends you can trade it in for a newer model.

Choosing contract hire will usually also help with the running cost of having a car – often the road tax and servicing costs are thrown in to the monthly instalments so you won’t find yourself suddenly landed with huge repair bills. And being able to trade the car in every few years means you’ll always have the latest model so it’s less likely to break down.

Basically, it’s a really beneficial and financially viable way of getting a new car without any of the worries of buying outright – it really makes sense, especially now when times are hard. And who knows, you might end up with your dream car after all!