Archive for March 2010
Today is my last Post here
Today (march 19th 2010) is my last day in posting new posts on youngmanmaster.wordpress.com and all the new posts starting from today will be posted on a new self hosted site www.youngmanblog.com also all old posts are on www.youngmanblog.com . Youngmanmaster.wordpress.com will be closed after few days or weeks and thanks to all blog viewers.
CANADA POST SELECTS FORD TRANSIT CONNECT TO REPLACE AGING NATIONAL FLEET OF LIGHT VEHICLES
Through an open and competitive RFP process, Canada Post has selected the Ford Transit Connect to begin replacing its aging national fleet of vehicles and modernize its business. In total this year, 1,175 Ford Transit Connect vans will be purchased.
* Purpose-built for business owners, the Ford Transit Connect is a versatile compact van that offers a fuel-efficient alternative to full-size commercial vans.
* With its standard 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission, Transit Connect delivers best-in-class fuel economy of 30 mpg city, 36 mpg highway.
* Environmental impact, employee health and safety requirements, performance, capacity and total lifecycle costs (purchase, fuel consumption and maintenance) were among the key requirements for Canada Post.
OAKVILLE, Ont., March 18, 2010 – Through an open and competitive RFP process, Canada Post has selected Ford Transit Connect to begin replacing its aging national fleet of light vehicles and modernize its business, Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, announced today. In total this year, 1,175 Ford Transit Connect vans will be purchased. This is the largest fleet sale of Ford Transit Connect vehicles in Canada to date.
Criteria such as environmental impact, employee health and safety requirements, performance, capacity and total lifecycle costs (purchase, fuel consumption and maintenance) were essential in order to find a vehicle that best met Canada Post’s needs. The Ford Transit Connect is used by a number of Post Offices around the world and is well-suited for Canadian roads and winters.
It was named the 2010 North American Truck of the Year at the North American International Auto Show and has won numerous international awards.
“At Ford we are dedicated to delivering quality, safe and fuel efficient vehicles to Canadian businesses – and the Ford Transit Connect delivers on all fronts,” said David Mondragon, president and CEO, Ford of Canada. “The versatility of the vehicle will allow employees to work more efficiently, and the fuel economy delivered by the Transit Connect will help bring Canada Post one step closer to achieving important environmental goals.”
“We are pleased with the outcome and look forward to the delivery of our first vehicles as we begin to replace many of our aging light vehicles, with vehicles that are much more efficient and environmentally-friendly,” says Bill Michalopulos, General Manager, Sourcing, at Canada Post. “It will also help our efforts to modernize our operations as we introduce motorization to our delivery routes.”
A Maserati GranCabrio for Fernando Alonso
The two-times Formula One World Champion Fernando Alonso, driver of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, has “unveiled” in Fiorano the Maserati GranCabrio that he has selected.
The Spanish driver has chosen for the GranCabrio elegant fixtures, preferring a darker shade for the exterior in combination with two-tone upholstery for the interior. Grigio Granito is the colour of the body, while the interior has a combination of Pearl Beige and Bordeaux leather, matching a soft top of the same shade.
The GranCabrio represents the synthesis of Maseratis in terms of top down models. It is a Maserati in the purest sense of the term: from the unmistakable style of Pininfarina to the craftsmanship of every detail, from the pleasure of driving to top performance – assured by a V8 engine of 4.7 liters and 440 hp with a 6-speed automatic transmission. Fernando Alonso was particularly impressed by the space offered by the GranCabrio, perfect for four adult passengers. The GranCabrio is in fact the first four-seat convertible in the history of Maserati.
To emphasize the link with the Maserati tradition, the roof of the GranCabrio is strictly canvas. Available in six colours, perfectly integrated into the design of the car, it folds up in only 20 seconds (28 seconds including the movement of the four independent windows).
The Maserati GranCabrio is being marketed throughout Europe starting in this month of March.
CITROËN DS3 DRESSED IN YVES SAINT LAURENT
An essential fashion accessory, the Citroën DS3 slipped into its finest outfit to welcome guests to the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective.
By linking the first model in the DS line to the designer who revolutionised the way women dress, Citroën is reasserting its Créative Technologie universe. A high-fashion version of the DS3, decked out in the colours of the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective, transported fashion and film stars to the show at the Petit Palais in Paris on Wednesday 10 March.
Organised by the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, the exhibition includes more than 300 pieces. Presented in their historical and cultural context, they create a panoramic vision of the illustrious fashion designer’s body of work, from his Dior debut in 1958 to retirement in 2002. The public also gets its first look at the entire series of legendary photographs of Yves Saint Laurent taken by Jean-Loup Sieff in 1971.
The Citroën DS3, a sensual and muscular compact hatch, is thus taking its first steps in the fashion world, blending its unique atmosphere of luxury and distinction with the elegance and anti-conformist aesthetic of Yves Saint Laurent.
NISSAN TO BUILD LEAF ELECTRIC VEHICLE IN SUNDERLAND – UK to become third global manufacturing location for Nissan electric vehicles
- Production to begin in early 2013
- Initial annual production capacity in Sunderland of about 50,000 units
- Together with Sunderland battery plant production, represents more than a 420 million GBP (468.2 million euro) investment in zero emission mobility
SUNDERLAND, UK (March 18, 2010) -Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., further underlined its commitment to zero emission leadership today by announcing that the Nissan LEAF will be manufactured at its plant in Sunderland, UK.
Nissan LEAF – the first in a range of forthcoming Nissan electric vehicles (EVs) – is the world’s first affordable, mass produced zero emission car and embodies Nissan’s vision for an environmentally sustainable future for road transport.
Nissan also said that construction of its advanced lithium-ion battery plant, announced last year, will begin this April. The facility, which will be located at Sunderland, will have a production capacity of 60,000 units a year and will start manufacturing batteries in 2012 for both Nissan and its Alliance partner Renault.
J.D. Power and Associates Reports:Despite Overall Industry Improvement in Long-Term Dependability, Some Vehicle Brands Don’t Receive the Credit They’re Due – Japanese Models Capture Nine Segment Awards, While Domestic Models Garner Seven and European Models Earn Three
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 18 March 2010 – Twenty-five of 36 vehicle brands have improved in long-term dependability in 2010 compared with their performance in 2009, continuing a steady trend of industry-wide improvement. However, for some of these brands, consumer perceptions have not kept pace with their actual performance, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) released today.
The study, which measures problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2007 model year) vehicles, includes 198 different problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle. Overall dependability is determined by the level of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.
The Vehicle Dependability Study is used extensively by vehicle manufacturers worldwide to help design and build better vehicles-which typically translates to higher resale values-and by consumers to help them make more-informed choices for both new- and used- vehicle purchases. According to J.D. Power and Associates, among new-vehicle shoppers, perception of quality and dependability is the most influential factor in their decision to purchase a specific vehicle model.
The study finds that several brands that perform well in long-term dependability in 2010 are avoided at relatively high rates due to consumer concerns about dependability. Among brands included in VDS, Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln and Mercury have the greatest lags between dependability performance and consumer perception.
Inside McLaren Automotive: The Launch of a New Car Company
McLaren’s unique ambition
To build a brand new car is a challenge; to build a brand new sports car that is ground-breaking, efficient, high-quality, lightweight, practical, dynamic, safe, comfortable, and visually arresting is a greater challenge still.
McLaren Automotive will take the challenge to a rare, and possibly unique, level. Starting with the MP4-12C, the new company will design and develop a range of premium high-performance sports cars with such attributes from components that are bespoke, innovative and unique. It will then produce them in a new manufacturing facility with the intention of selling and servicing through a dedicated global retail network. Finally the aim is to service customers and cars to a higher level of quality than any premium sports car business has ever offered.
What credentials does McLaren offer to take such bold and courageous steps?
FORD FIESTA, TOP 12 ‘AMERICAN IDOLS’ GET PERSONAL
- Ford is adding an exciting new element to its sponsorship of “American Idol” by giving each of the top 12 contestants a unique opportunity to work with Ford designers and create their own customized 2011 Ford Fiesta graphics
- This new element will be featured in a video segment in tonight’s episode of “American Idol,” which airs at 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed on FOX; fans will be able to see the Idols’ customized Fiesta designs at http://www.americanidol.com
- With the help of four up-and-coming Ford designers, the Top 12 Idols created their own personalized Fiesta theme, using color, custom body graphics, wheel treatments and other accessories to make the vehicle an expression of each contestant’s personality
- More than 100,000 people have already expressed an interest in the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta due to the success of the Fiesta Movement social media initiative
DEARBORN, Mich., March 17, 2010 – Ford Motor Company is adding an exciting new element to its sponsorship of the hit television series “American Idol,” giving the top 12 Idols a unique opportunity to work with Ford designers and create their own personalized 2011 Ford Fiesta.
Tonight’s episode of “American Idol,” which airs at 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed on FOX, will feature this new element in a video segment.
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