Ford May Sell Its 33.4-percent of Mazda

DaimlerChrysler is the poster child for this rule. Reaction to Saturday's news that General Motors is looking for a hook-up with Cerberus' Chrysler has been overwhelmingly negative, so far. The Wall Street Journal reports Monday that GM's board is "cool" to the idea of buying Chrysler, and rightly so. The likely scenario is that Cerberus, which has owned Chrysler for little more than a year, would sell its 81.1% interest (Cerberus recently told Daimler that it wants to buy the German automaker's remaining 18.9%) in the automaker to GM in exchange for GM's 49.9%t of GMAC. Cerberus owns 50.1 percent of GMAC.

I'm at a loss to explain why anyone would want to buy more interest in a mortgage/loan company right now.Who'd want to buy a car company, for that matter, at a time when liquidity for car loans has almost completely dried up? The Journal reports elsewhere that Ford Motor Company -- which earlier this year rejected GM's advances -- may try to sell its 33.4% controlling interest in Mazda. Selling Mazda would seem to be easier than, say, GM's attempts to unload Hummer. Mazda builds mostly fuel-efficient small and medium-size cars with EPA numbers in the 20s and 30s, like the Mazda3, Mazda6, and MX-5 Miata. And that controlling interest in Mazda is one of the few assets that FoMoCo didn't take to the pawnshop in its $24 billion fundraiser of 2006.

Downside is that Ford and Mazda do a lot of platform-sharing, including Fiesta/Mazda2, Edge/CX-7 and Fusion/Mazda6. And Ford/Mazda's joint venture Flat Rock, Michigan, factory is flexible enough to build front-drive Mazda6s alongside rear-drive Mustangs.Selling Mazda would raise much-needed cash for Ford. Similarly, if GM can find a buyer for its minority share of GMAC, it would provide a bit more operating capital. Analysts say, though, that its share of GMAC is worth about $6- to $7-billion, which would maybe buy it an extra fiscal quarter. And in light of how bad the financial crisis got last week, it's hard to think of anyone GM or Ford could find who is willing or able to buy up such assets these days.

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What is hatchback

A hatchback is a type of car or an auto design that has a back opening door, much like in a station wagon. The door usually opens from the bottom up, and the hatch space is used for storage. This is in contrast to automobiles with trunks, where the trunk is inaccessible to drivers or passengers from the front of the car, and most station wagons, which may even feature a third seat with a large door opening through which people can enter the car. The hatchback is often seen as an efficient use of space, since the back seats of a vehicle may nearly touch the top edge of the hatch. The storage space often juts out in an angled or curved fashion from the car’s hatch.

The earliest hatchback models were made in Europe in the 1930s and 40s, and there are a number of car companies that claim they pioneered the design. Early contenders include the Citroën Traction Avant Commerciale, the Austrian Holden 48/215, and the Kaiser-Frazer Vagabond and Traveler. Of these the Citroën was made earliest in 1938. The style of car became more popular in the early 1950s, with the Aston Martin DB2/4 and several other models.

As we know it now, you can see hatchbacks have undergone a number of changes, and most have a standard top hinge. In the 1960s, many European cars featured the hatchback design, and a few such cars were exported to the US. The style didn’t catch on in America until the late 1960s, with introductions of vehicles like the Pontiac Sunfire. Soon the hatchback became a fairly standard car option, and there were both 3-door and 5-door models. The uneven number of doors can be attributed to the back opening being counted as a door.

Many popular car models came in both sedan and hatchback styles so drivers could choose the model that most fit their space requirements. Efforts in the 1980s toward making cars more aerodynamic produced round hatchback models, which differed from their predecessors because the top hinge door did not jut out at a straight angle. This rounder style still remains popular.

There are a few cautions when driving a hatchback. When you place things like groceries in a trunk, you don’t need to be concerned if you have to make a sudden stop. Generally, provided your trunk is secure, unsecured items in the trunk will roll around but can’t enter the driving and passenger space of the vehicle. With hatchbacks, unsecured things can become projectiles and fly into the driver and passenger space if you make a sudden stop or are involved in accident.

For this reason, many hatchbacks now have a small shelf that fits over items you’d store in the hatch. It can be attached to the door, so that it automatically opens as you open the hatch door. This is a great safety device, but if you’re looking at used hatchbacks, you may find this item missing. If the car is still relatively recent in make, it’s very likely that the automobile manufacturer can allow you to purchase this protective shelf, which will keep you from being injured by loose items becoming projectiles. Additionally, because any passerby can see into the rear storage area, it is smart to keep any valuables hidden to avoid a break-in

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Peugeot HYmotion3 compressor

Occupying a half-way house between the world of the scooter and the car, the Peugeot HYmotion3 compressor is a highly original proposal designed to facilitate urban mobility. Attractive thanks to its dynamic, streamlined and futuristic style ; it is an interesting concept combining numerous benefits (size, safety and comfort) with "HYmotion" hybrid/petrol technology. This new generation technology creates a three wheel drive vehicle, benefiting safety and driveability and combining economy with an environmentally-friendly specification (CO2 emissions of only 47 g/kph in the combined cycle, zero in electric only mode).
Its design is based on three wheels for maximum stability, safety and driveability. Its width of 82 cm enables it to thread a path through urban traffic with all the efficiency of a two-wheeler. The front windscreen extends to the rear of the vehicle to form a highly effective shield against bad weather for the rider and passenger. In addition, regulations in France allow the vehicle to be driven with a B licence only, giving it a wide range of potential customers.
This configuration develops a maximum power of 21 kW (29 bhp) for a particularly low fuel consumption of 2.0 litres/100 kph and CO2 emissions of 47 g/kph in the combined cycle, or 0 in electric only mode. The design of the Peugeot HYmotion3 compressor, with its three wheel drive, provides positive benefits for both safety and driveability.
STYLE
On the basis of a frame designed by Peugeot Motorcycles, Peugeot car stylists unveiled a resolutely sporty and avant-garde design which also captures the spirit of their latest creations, for example the Peugeot 308 RC Z concept car.

The vehicle's petrol engine has a power output of 15 kW (20 bhp). It is the supercharged 125 cc engine featured in the Peugeot Satelis scooter, this modern engine is widely acclaimed for its performance in its market segment.

In addition to this method of propulsion, the vehicle also has another mode of traction.

Two electric motors, one in each wheel, are present at the front of the vehicle. With a power of 2 x 3 kW, they are powered by "lithium-ion" batteries and recharged by an energy recovery system which operates during deceleration and braking.

The end result is a three-wheel drive vehicle offering reduced fuel consumption in the combined cycle of 2.0 litres/100 kph and CO2 emissions of 47 g/kph!

Performance doesn't suffer either, since with a maximum power of 21 kW (29 bhp), its acceleration and in-gear acceleration is equivalent to what would have been possible with a single cylinder 400 cc engine.

PERFORMANCE (driver only)

• 0 to 400 m: 17.6 s
• 0 to 1,000 m: 34.9 s
• 0 to 50 kph: 2.8 s
• 0 to 100 kph: 11.2 s
• In-gear acceleration
  • 100 m to 20 kph: 6.2 s
  • 200 m to 50 kph: 8.95 s
• Maximum speed: 110 km/h

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