The Jaguar Land Rover Auto Trade Company Ltd. in China has recalled over 214 Discovery 3 cars due to defective brakes and engines. About 1,069 Discovery 3 cars have been reportedly sold in the mainland between June 2007 and May 2008 where the issue was traced to a problem in the diesel engine that may catch fire at the worst possible scenario.
For their part, Jaguar Land Rover has announced that they will be replacing the defective parts of all issued models free of charge. Car owners who have purchased this model should immediately bring their car to the nearest maintenance center for check-up and possible replacement if necessary.
Unhappy with the current state of affairs with diesel engine supplier Navistar, Ford has instead taken matters into their own hands producing a diesel V8 codenamed ‘Scorpion”.
This turbocharged 6.7 liter diesel burning V8 engine has been meticulously deigned in-house by Ford to include just about every modern feature you can think of. Hell, they even put it through tests equivalent of being driven 250,000 miles. We’ll apparently be seeing this appear in Ford’s 2011 Super Duty vehicles.
Ford released a lot of information regarding this new engine, way too much for me to list here, but I’ve included the official press release after the break so you can read all about it.
It seems that a mechanic working for the F1 subsidiary GP2 has been put into an a coma late Saturday night while in the pit. According to WCF, 57 year old Vasco Rossi took a blow to the head from a wheel gun after a car got caught on a cable while driving through the pit.
Officials quickly hurried to get Mr. Rossi airlifted to the nearest hospital where he will stay in a coma for at least 3 days. Luckily, the condition is not life-threatening but this still goes to show you the dangers associated with working in the pits of such a big event.
Everyone here at Car Buyer’s Notebook hopes for a speedy recovery for Vasco Rossi and express our deepest sympathy to anyone close to him.
We’ve heard of Zipcar several times now and know what its all about, you sign up for the service, request a car and then pick it up at a nearby location. This effectively eliminates the need to actually have your own car, but just how big is the market for such a service?
Well, according to Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith, massive. So massive in fact that he sees his company being worth $1 billion dollars at some point in the future. Of course, they still have a ways to go with 300,000 members and 6,500 vehicles currently in service but it’s certainly a start and it’s the ambitious nature of this executive that counts.
For motorists and practical consumers, the turn towards efficient vehicles does not only cover the fuel consumption that is being discussed widely by car enthusiasts today. As we know, a lot of talk has been targeted towards the compact space that most cars (especially the electric vehicles) provide today. But don’t tell that to Toyota as they have their own share of ideal solutions such as this 2010 Toyota Sienna XLE AWD. It exemplifies the traditional vehicles for accommodating families in their transport needs.
The Toyota Sienna comes packed with the traditional Toyota concept along with great features as well. For room, there is no question that space has been thoroughly considered. This includes luggage compartment space along with foldable seats and adjustable center consoles for more passenger room. It is powered by a 3.5 liter V6 engine with a 5 speed automatic transmission. The 2010 Toyota Sienna is definitely a car worth considering, particularly for families who want a sensible vehicle to use.
Just yesterday we were givenour first glimpse of BMW’s Vision EfficientDyanamics Concept and were wowed by the futuristic look showcased in the pictures. Today, BMW has gone ahead and released a video showcasing the same car along with some of their employees breaking it down.
The unfortunate thing about this car is that if/when it does hit the streets it will most likely look nothing like this.
With the death of the Pontiac Vibe and the departure of other vehicles, the usefulness of the NUMMI factory headquarted in Fremont, CA has dropped drastically for Toyota. However, due to the fact that the products pumped out by the factory are still some what in demand, Toyota will transfer the production of said products to a factory in Cambridge, Ontario.
Exactly what are these products, you say? The Toyota Corolla, of course.
This of course is an expansion on the report we brought to you a few days ago of the same Fretmont, CA factory getting the axe.
Currently the most prominent source of biofuel is corn but due to the high cost of materials associated with the production the alternative fuel has yet to take off. Luckily, researchers from the US Department of Agriculture have recently discovred that it is possible to use watermelon juice to produce ethanol/biofuel.
Over 360,000 tons of watermelons are wasted every year, says Discovery News, as farmers leave 20-40% of their crop due to them not being aesthetically pleasing. So, why not use these as a form of alternative energy?
I’m sure we will be hearing more about watermelon juice as biofuel in the near future.
The Jaguar Land Rover Auto Trade Company Ltd. in China has recalled over 214 Discovery 3 cars due to defective brakes and engines. About 1,069 Discovery 3 cars have been reportedly sold in the mainland between June 2007 and May 2008 where the issue was traced to a problem in the diesel engine that may catch fire at the worst possible scenario. 
