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| » March 01, 2007 |
Mercedes-Benz to build new armoured S 600 Guard
Pullman State Limousine
Stuttgart, Germany - Mercedes-Benz engineers are currently
developing a new luxury limousine with integrated protection
for governments, businesses, monarchs and heads of state.
The armoured Pullman Limousine is based on the long version
of the S 600 with a substantially extended wheelbase length.
The Mercedes-Benz State Limousine therefore provides a high
level of roominess and a fully equipped mobile office. The
Mercedes-Benz S 600 Guard Pullman also offers the highest
possible degree of protection against terrorist attacks.
The Highest Protection specified for this car is equivalent
to resistance level B6/B7, as tested and certified by state-approved
organizations. Plus it meets further requirements that are
not stipulated by any standard: its armour resists military-standard
small-arms projectiles and provides protection against fragments
from hand grenades and other explosive devices. Additional
safety features include run-flat tires, a self-sealing fuel
tank and a fire-extinguishing system. The first editions
of the new Mercedes-Benz State Limousine are due to be delivered
in late 2008.
Tuner to show 630-hp Porsche Turbo at Geneva Motor
Show
Geneva, Switzerland - German-based TechArt Automobildesign
will unveil its newest concept, the TechArt GTstreet, at
the Geneva Motor Show in March. The 630-hp street-legal car
is based on the Porsche 911 Turbo. The GTstreet uses a 3.6-litre
twin-turbocharged engine modified by TechArt to produce 630
hp at 6800 rpm, up from the vehicle's standard 480 hp, with
peak torque increased to 605 lb-ft from 457 lb-ft. The car
accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, from 100
to 200 km/h in 10.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 345 km/h.
The car's body kit was created in a wind tunnel and offers
optimal aerodynamic downforce and minimized drag.
Chrysler workers get $100K to go
Early retirement, buyout packages are part of plan to cut
11,000 jobs; some say it's not enough money. DaimlerChrysler
AG's Chrysler Group said Tuesday it will offer union workers
up to $100,000 to leave the company as it moves to cut 9,000
hourly jobs in the United States. Some workers, however,
said they were disappointed the offers weren't more generous
and didn't include a voucher for the purchase of a new vehicle.
Chrysler announced a deep restructuring two weeks ago and
has already detailed buyout and early retirement offers designed
to cut 2,000 hourly positions in Canada and 2,000 U.S. salaried
jobs. Chrysler will offer one of two packages to United Auto
Workers at U.S. factories and other facilities where jobs
are being cut. They include a $70,000 early retirement package
for those who meet eligibility requirements and a $100,000
cash buyout for those not eligible to retire, according to
a document distributed to union officials and later confirmed
by the automaker. The offers were first reported Tuesday
on The Detroit News' Web site, detnews.com. If Chrysler doesn't
reach its goal of cutting 9,000 U.S. hourly jobs, it could
extend the offers to all of its 50,000 U.S. hourly workers.
Some UAW workers questioned why car vouchers were not part
of the offers but were included in some packages offered
to salaried employees and Chrysler hourly employees represented
by the Canadian Auto Workers union. "I'm not happy with
it," said Ron Toerper, a 49-year-old skilled trade worker
at Chrysler's Warren Stamping plant, who's been with the
automaker for 30 years. "I'm just asking our union representative
why we can't get the same deal. Where's the parity?" Terry
Ammons, a worker at the automaker's Mack 1 engine plant in
Detroit, where 4.7-liter V-8 engines are built, also was
counting on a car voucher. But Ammons, who will have worked
for Chrysler for 34 years in April, said he will still consider
taking the offer. The automotive industry has changed and
so has the work environment, he said. "You have to ask
yourself do you want to be in that kind of environment or
do you feel comfortable with an incentive to go out with?" Ammons
said.
Believe it or Not, Car dealer accused of “bugging” customers
A lawyer for the dealer says the hidden microphones
were intended to help sales managers. Forty people
have sued Jim Ray Nissan in Arkansas, saying that electronically
monitoring conversations between customers and others
defrauds and deceives customers, reports KHTV in Little
Rock on Todaysthv.com. One allegation claims the dealership
used hidden devices to eavesdrop on conversations between
customers and their friends or family members. Douglas
Carson, a lawyer for the dealership, acknowledged the
dealer monitors conversations, but says it’s
done only to keep tabs on salespeople. Mr. Carson says
some conversations are monitored, but that nothing
is done in secret. He says signs in the showroom tell
customers about the microphones. Mr. Carson wouldn’t
say whether the dealership listened to conversations
in which an employee was not present. The dealership
wants the case moved to federal court.
Jaguar salesman thwarts theft at dealership
A would-be car thief picked the wrong target. The car salesman
has been studying martial arts for years. When a man claiming
to have a gun went into the Jaguar dealership in Livermore,
California, and demanded keys to a new $85,000 convertible,
he was wrestled to the ground by a salesman and then tied with
extension cords until police arrived, reports the Contra Costa
Times. Employees say the man arrived about 12:30 p.m., got
out of an SUV and walked up to a dark blue 2007 XK convertible
parked outside the showroom. With what appeared to be a gun
inside a purse, the man demanded the keys from the four employees
inside. With no back door to the sales office, the employees
were "stuck like rats," salesman John Salazar said.
But what the robber did not know was that Mr. Salazar has studied
martial arts for more than 20 years. Mr. Salazar told the robber
he would go get the keys. The man continued to point his "gun" at
Mr. Salazar until the salesman walked past. The robber then
swung the gun back to the three employees inside the office.
Mr. Salazar grabbed the robber from behind and pulled him to
the ground. The other employees helped restrain the man and
tied his hands and feet with power cords. After being restrained
by employees, the man shouted: "I am the king."
Luckily there were no customers in the showroom at the time
and no one was hurt.
Mr. Salazar said he carefully sized up the situation before
taking down the man. "I didn't want to be a victim," he
said.
Car salesman suspected of using arson as business building
technique
Check out the “rotisserie special.” A Houston-area
car salesman may have torched as many as 30 vehicles over the
last two months. DealersEdge has heard that the move toward
new-vehicle “value” pricing may make things more
difficult for customers who are “upside-down” in
a trade-in. According to a report on Houston’s KHOU-TV,
however, the problem inspired car salesman Tobias Green to
come up with a novel approach to help his customers: he sets
fire to their old vehicles as long as they agree to buy a new
one from him. Arson investigators haven’t been able to
find Mr. Green just yet. They suspect that fellow employees
at Robbins Chevrolet may have tipped him off to the investigation.
This is the second time in six weeks that Mr. Green has been
sought on arson charges. Investigators say he would offer customers
who wanted a new car but had credit problems or owed more than
their trade-in was worth, what they say he called the “rotisserie
special”. Mr. Green, a former police officer, has worked
at Robbins Chevy for about 10 years. “At this point we
suspect anywhere from 20 to 30 other vehicles that he’s
individually responsible for setting on fire, destroying or
damaging. The total loss is right now anywhere from $200,000
to $300,000,” the chief investigator in the case says. |
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