Daimler Posts €1,4 million Loss in First Quarter of 2009, Sales Down 34%

Only hours after announcing that it had agreed to unload its remaining 19.9 percent stake in Chrysler LLC, Daimler published its quarterly results which saw the company that owns Mercedes-Benz posting a €1,426 million loss before interest and tax for the first quarter of 2009 versus a €1,976 million profit in the same period last year. The Group also recorded a net loss for the first quarter of the year of €1,286 million compared to a net profit of €1,332 million a year ago.

O.CT Tuning Spiffs Up the Audi A4. 2.0 TDI and A3 1.8TFSI Convertible

Yet another tuner is taking a swing at the new Audi A4 and A3 Convertible models. This time its O.CT Tuning that has released new performance kits for the A4 2.0 TDI with 120HP and 143HP as well as for the A3 Convertible 1.8 TFSI. For the diesel powered A4s, a reprogrammed ECU boosts output of both variants of the 2.0 TDI to 168HP and 375Nm or 277 lb-ft of peak torque. According to O.CT, the 168HP A42.0 TDI accelerates from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 8,0 seconds versus the 143HP stock model's 9,4 sec.

Furthermore, the Austrian tuning house claims that while the standard A4 2.0 TDI needs a distance of 1,600 meters (about a mile) to reach a speed of 180 km/h or 112mph, O.CTs version hits the mark after 1,100 meters or 0,7 miles.

Similary for the A3 Convertible, , O.CT Tuning's upgraded ECU adds an extra 45HP to the 1.8 TFSI 160HP engine for a total output of 205HP that helps the car accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in 7,3 seconds, or around 1 second faster than the standard model.

Even though O.CT Tuning concentrated on the A4 and A3 Convertible models, apparently the software upgrades apply on any models with the same engines.

Swiss Nightmare: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 999 Red Gold Dream

This is so wrong, in so many ways that we don't even know where to begin from. The monstrous eyesore you're looking at is called Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 999 Red Gold Dream and it's the work of Swiss designer (???) Ueli Anliker who claims to have spent more than 30,000 man hours and about 5 million SF, which comes to around $4,35 million US or €3,3 million, to complete the 24k gold festooned SLR. Both numbers sound absurd, but hey, we didn't expect to hear something rational from someone who obliterates a McLaren SLR in such an 'uber' kitschy kind of way

The 'Fast and Furious' SLR comes with more gold than a wing at Fort Knox as even the exterior paint job is speckled with the precious metal. Talking about wings, take Ueli Anliker dressed Merc's supercar in a full bodykit that makes ASMA's tuning proposals look like a work of art. And let's not talk about the interior...

The SLR McLaren 999 Red Gold Dream made its debut at this week's the Swiss tuning show, Auto Emotionen (April 24 to 26) in the city of Berne.

2010 Ferrari F450 Rendered - Set to be Unveiled at Frankfurt Show this Fall

As Ferrari is in the final development phase of the F430's successor, French car magazine Auto Plus decided to prepare an artist's impression of the new Prancing Horse supercar compiled from various spy shots of the prototype model. The rendering suggests a more modern design language with heavily concaved surfaces on the side panels. Up front, the styling looks less exciting, but let's not forget that this is an unofficial design proposal, nothing more, nothing less.

Poor Economy Linked to Increased Insurance Frauds -Suspicious Car Fires up 27%!

The ongoing economic downturn has been linked to a raise in the number of possible cases of insurance fraud in the U.S, according to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). An analysis of "questionable claims" that were classified as possibly fraudulent and were submitted by the more than 1,000 NICB member insurance companies in the first quarter of 2009, show a significant increase in these type of claims over the first quarter of 2008.

MY FIRST MOTORBIKE

People use emotion to buy a bike and logic to rationalize it. So nothing I say will change anything...but here's my opinion. For your first bike, get one you can handle easily.he can also cheap and popular !!
Realize that you are probably going to scratch it. You're almost certainly not going to keep it. And your tastes will likely change with experience. Also, it's easier to get test rides on used bikes.so expensive my first bike!
Once you've got your bike, go out and practice every day. If you buy an expensive first bike you'll be reluctant to practice which will limit your riding skills for the rest of your life. After all that, you can buy whatever you want with a good chance of life-long success. It will depend on you, not the bike. The operator is the dominant safety device for a motorcycle.
As for size of bike, I think the main point is to get one you can handle well. Most people become fixated on one or two bikes and don't test ride enough different types. Bikes vary quite a bit. Some are top heavy, others not. Some are high while others are low to the ground. Some are touchy with the clutch and throttle and others aren't. Some are close to the handlebars and others feel further away. Some a great around town and awful on the highway. Some feel heavy, others feel light. Some kill your wrists, others kill your back. And still others kill your bum!!! Don't be timid, try them all out. It's *your* money. You'll only buy a first bike once so have some fun with the experience!

SUPER MOTOR BIKE

Super motor bikes .Fast, light, sleek motorcycles designed to give maximum performance for racing or spirited road riding while conforming to FIM rules. They are distinguishable by their racing style fairings and the rider's tipped-forward seating position. They are also called "race replicas" because of their connection to the racing category for production motorcycles known as SUPER BIKES and earlier similar race series (the term arose in the 1980s). The power to weight ratio of the 900 cc+ models typically matches or exceeds one bhp of power for every one kg of mass.
Racing bikes: Motorcycles designed for circuit or road racing, including mass-production motorcycles modified for MOTOR RACING
Street customs: Highly customised motorcycles with wild paint jobs also built for show, but constructed from a sport bike frame instead of a cruiser-style frame.