The Best Romantic Valentine's Gift from Bentley !
There is only two weeks left for Valentine’s Day! I am pretty sure that, many of you are saying there is no point to buy gift just for this day, it is made for increasing shopping and many more things. However, many people will be saying these similar sentences while they are shopping for Valentine’s Day gift :) And for some people buying is a big problem! Not anymore :)Bentley just announced its "ultimate" Valentine’s Day gift! No, that's a Bentley Continental GTC Speed; it is a ski! Yes, a car manufacturer is offering skis for valentine's gift. I have never seen more interesting gift from a car company which is aiming for an emotional day :) The most eye catching feature of these skis is its price tag, 6800€! Huge bargain! I hope that, price is for a pair not for each one :)
And here is the main reason why they charge this amount just for skis;
"Made to last a lifetime, zai for Bentley skis are designed to be durable, reliable and resistant to corrosion, with each pair featuring unique and patented technology and materials, which make them not only ‘one-of-a-kind’ but also a world first. 
Zaiìra®, the novel composite material used in the skis, was originally created for use in the latest generation of aircraft. It contains carbon fibres that are used on the skis’ top layer, in combination with natural rubber in the central part, as well as a carbon fabric in composition with chrome steel in the torsion part and long carbon fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites (LFRTP). This combination of technology and performance give maximum performance with minimum weight as well as the ability to lie firmly and reliably in the snow, whatever its condition."
Zaiìra®, the novel composite material used in the skis, was originally created for use in the latest generation of aircraft. It contains carbon fibres that are used on the skis’ top layer, in combination with natural rubber in the central part, as well as a carbon fabric in composition with chrome steel in the torsion part and long carbon fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites (LFRTP). This combination of technology and performance give maximum performance with minimum weight as well as the ability to lie firmly and reliably in the snow, whatever its condition."As I don't know how to ski, hopefully nobody will buy a pair of Zai for Bentley Skis :) At least they could have offered a more romantic colour !
Pictures are from;
Bentley
Future of driving: Radar
Last night I was watching a documentary about how the radar significantly changed the fate of Second World War. Actually this technology significantly changed world’s history. Now radars are used in everywhere; if you buy a Mercedes S Class with all technological gadgets, you will have parking radars, short range radars for scanning car in front you, long range radars to scan ongoing traffic. In Lexus, they also offer rear radar to move head rests to change their position before rear end crash.
What I am going to say will probably sound like talking about ultra thin flat screen in 1920s! Probably somewhere in Deutschland, some German companies are working on this. I am talking about radars to show the cars around us. As I know, cars are not flying and it is quite hard to scan the whole traffic in ground is quite hard but their assumption; cars will communicate with each other. With the help of GPS and mobile phone technology, they can tell other cars about their exact position and drivers can see what is coming next.Some people are saying all these technologies will create cars which could drive by their selves. Actually, we have it and it is called taxi (Reference, Top Gear James May). I want to give a very simple example; do the airplanes fly without pilots? I have never seen a plane without pilot taking off or landing. Yes, they have lots of supplementary systems for fly safety but still they need pilots. It is the same with cars, as we have more and more technology we will keep driving the cars. Because, all these systems are identifying world with 1 and 0 numbers. Actually this perspective to world is very limited and I would not totally rely my life on a machine which does not know the number next to 1 and I will keep driving with the help of ones and zeros.
Picture is from;
Mercedes
Audi A8 in The International
Audi A8 is a very nice elegant big saloon, made from aluminium and offering Quattro four wheel drive. It has a different character than its competitors. However, its sales performance is not performing as good as Quattro is performing on snow! A8 is one of the most famous cars on movies. Since Rodin, Audi A8 became took a part in many movies. In marketing terms, it is called product placement. Audi pays money to producer and they place the A8 on movie. Actually A8 is looking very cool on movies. Imagine Lexus LS 600h in International movie, bankers are driving hybrid Lexus which will competely dull ! Or BMW 7 Series; it would be very uncomfortable for bankers while they are thinking about what to invest. Mercedes S Class; we know it, it is appearing in Sex and the City. I was thinking about Maserati QuattroPorte; I really love this car. But it is an italian car, too much excitement for this movie! Also, bankers will not be willing drive a car which tends to break down and does not offer as much comfort as the competitors.
That’s enough with cars. I found a continuity mistake in International and I have placed those parts from the movie and Audi A8 was the star. In the first scene, we see the banker. He is talking and steering wheel is straight and after couple of minutes later the steering it headed to right. A8 did not move to anywhere and the banker did not touch the steering, but the A8 decided to go right. Very clever car ;)
Today, Tomorrow, Recall Toyota
Toyota has the reputation of problem free manufacturer for a long time. Despite its ridiculous design and plastic obsessed interior, Toyota cars do not tend to break down very easily and they never received a serious recall from service.
However there are some facts about manufacturing and manufacturing fault. Every production has a certain percentage of production failure and this is scientifically proofed. And small failures tend to occur in every car brand. And this has positive correlation with production size; as the production increases, failures tend to increase more. Companies like Toyota, Ford, Fiat, Mercedes, VW have high potential of failures; however in order to prevent these they have various quality checks. Toyota has one of the best quality control systems in automotive industry until it failed! Now Toyota recalls more than two millions of cars because throttle pedal problem. Yes, a very basic thing is very close to destroy Toyota's reputation!Unlike other brands, Toyota does not associate with sport, comfort or status vehicle. It is mainly associated with high quality, problem free, reasonable priced elements and when one of these elements started to erode, it tends to create a domino effect and the whole reputation collapses. If Toyota invested on status, nice design, superb handling or any other elements which can be found in European car brands, Toyota can survive with them also. But losing one of the most vital elements of automotive industry from your brand reputation is not something which can be recovered very easily.
Future of Toyota is not very brilliant after this sudden recall, I always recommended Toyota as it has very production quality despite its lack of good design and lack of character. Now, there is nothing left to promote for Toyota. It is neither fun to drive nor nice to look at it.
I have choosen Toyota Landcruise especially as a picture to show. Because, this shows how Toyota is very good at ruining a very well designed car!
Picture is from;
Toyota
Ferrari powered by battery !
Don't re-read the title, it is true! Ferrari will reveal the hybrid 599 at Geneva Motor Show. Hopefully it won't have a similar structure which can found in Prius :) Ferrari is transferring technology from Formula 1 to production cars. Ferrari's are offering many technologies those are directly transferred from F1. This time Ferrari is transferring the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and combines with hybrid technology. Of course, Ferrari's hybrid won't be offering a slower Ferrari for more price! This KERS technology is currently used by F1 cars, by pushing a button the energy stored while braking can be used for boosting the car. And you will have a faster 599, also Ferrari is saying hybrid 599 %35 is more economical. I don't think that, many Ferrari buyers will be influenced by this economy! Offering a hybrid means, while parking your 599, there won't any engine noise; just an electric engine!
If I could ever have money to buy a 599, will I buy a hybrid version !? I can consider it after I have a test drive with non-hybrid and hybrid models. May be this KERS technology can offer same feeling from F1.
Pictures are from;
Varta Website
My own picture
Symbolic Meanings of Cars
Most of us don't realize but every brand, every car, in some cases every engine option have a symbolic meaning constructed by us. People tend to attach meanings to brands firstly, Mercedes is a rich men car, Bentley is an ultimate rich men car, VW reasonable price with good quality and it goes like that. Car companies also knew this situation very well and they try to add new meanings to their products by introducing better models and upgrading the quality! VW did this by introducing Phaëton and Bugatti Veyron. Veyron presented what VW can do and their ability in technology! Phaëton also introduced very innovative technologies to market and also became a flagship for VW and tried to change VW brand image. And this happened, when it is compared with a decade ago, VW's brand image shifted up! Phaëton is also perceived as a luxury car but nobody tends to buy.
Mercedes, BMW and Audi is offering vehicles from small segment to luxury segment. They nearly have a vehicle in each segment and they love to create new ones. In addition to this, they are trying to increase more customers by offering a wide range of engine option from 1,6lt engines to 5lt engines in same car. As they offer many cars with many engines, they are differently priced. Extending product range is a good way to increase sales but also emerges different meanings to different products. There is a very good example for this; Mercedes C 180 Kompressor is offering 1,6lt engine as an entry level and C350 is the one model below the AMG model line. C180 K and C350 are offered in the same but their meanings are totally different. Firstly, they have a huge price difference. Someone who bought a C350 is perceived as a wealth person, because the car has bigger engine, consumes more fuel and more expensive. When all these notions came to together, it emerges a symbolic meaning for a very specific model. On the other hand, C180 K is perceived as reasonable priced Mercedes. Of course, it is quite hard to identify the wealth of the owner by looking at the engine size but this tends to happen most of the time.
Mercedes also offer high performance car line and named as AMG! They all have huge engines with enourmous amount of power. And there is an interesting diversification of two AMG models. 63 AMG and 65 AMG; S Class, SL Class and CL Class are offered by two huge engine options. 63 and 65! 63 is a 6,2lt eight cylinder engine which produces 525 horsepower and the car accelerate to 100km/h in 4,6 seconds. These figures are amazing and anyone who drives this car would be shocked! However Mercedes has something more shocking! 65 engine option, this is a six litre twelve cylinder engine with enormous amount of everything. It is producing 612 horsepower and 1000nm of torque which means it could rotate the world the opposite direction. This engine is also available with 63 AMG engine. Unfortunately, this 65 engine cannot transfer all its power to tarmac. The enormous amount of power cannot be controlled by the car and the performance difference between 63 is only 0,2 second faster. 65 engine could only provide that small amount of performance advantage, this situation is the same with while overtaking other cars. Too much power is uncontrollable and there is a very slight performance difference with the cheaper engine. 
The price difference between 63 and 65 is more than 70 000 € for S Class in Germany. And you get nothing very special. But, people are buying 65! Are they crazy? You can spot SL 65 AMG or S 65 AMG in London very easily. And in London, it is impossible to use its potential. Here comes the secret thing, the symbolic meanings of owning S 65 AMG. When you buy this car, you show that you can afford the most expensive Mercedes which does not have a significant difference from the cheaper one, you will have twelve cylinders and aggressive looking car. This car becomes a part of the personal identity and representer of its owner! I have more money, I don't care about anything else, I just bought it and I am in twelve cylinder club!Symbolic meanings of products cannot be controlled very easily, customers are willing to emerge new and different meanings to every product and attach with a different social status. Therefore, extending product range and offering more option might help to increase sales but also hinders the risk of misunderstood by customers. Like Bentley and Aston Martin, offering a limited range of cars will strength their position on market and construct a very clear brand image. However in Mercedes, BMW and Audi; wide range of vehicles construct very different meanings and they will influence the main brand image. Extending the product line and the consequences of new products play vital role for constructing a stable brand image.
Pictures are;
Mercedes C Class
Mercedes S63 AMG
Mercedes S65 AMG
Pictures are from;
Mercedes Website
Ford Europe is waking up!
Today I was reading a news release from Ford Europe. It was mentioning about the future Focus, Mondeo and future technologies. I was really excited about this news. Since last five years, Ford was not able to offer very competitive cars. Yes, the Mondeo and S-Max are very beautifully designed but the technological features were not that competitive, especially when you compare with Germans. New Mondeo did not receive a new petrol engine or a new diesel engine or a new small turbo engine. There were some gossips about these engines but they have never revealed. Of course, we cannot ignore the fact about Ford's financial problems which always badly affected the Ford Europe. (A small info; unlike Ford America, Ford Europe is making profits.) Also Ford stuck on old automatic transmissions which are only offering four-speed and there is also a CVT transmission and a dual clutch auto for only 2,0 lt engines. They look nice on paper but when you compare with VW, VW is a decade beyond the Ford. I am pretty sure that, Ford has the know-how to produce, every technology VW is offering but Ford was reluctant to offer them. But after this news release, I am pretty sure that Ford will become competitive like old days. Why? Let me tell you some facts about the near future of Ford vehicles;
Torque Vectoring Control (I don't know what this is)
Blind Spot
Electric Power Steering
Adaptive Cruise Control for Focus, Mondeo, and other big boys
Lane Assistance
Auto High Beam
Road Sign Recognition
Low Speed Collision Mitigation System
Active Grille Shutters to Improve Aerodynamic Drag (This is available in BMW X6)
Dual Clutch Gearbox
And many more things. Most of these technologies are available in premium segment cars with high price tags. Eventually, we can have these in a Ford Focus or Ford Mondeo. I think Ford should have done these earlier. Even though, these technologies are proof of Ford ambition to become a very strong competitor to Germans!
Park your car like James Bond
For some people parking their car is a big issue. Some of them want to keep them inside their garage, some of them park them far away from their house just to feel safe. And some of them do not wish to show their car to others! Lastly, if you have limited area in your house, car is consuming unnecessary place. Or some people want to park their car in a style. Parking a car in stylish way??!! It does sound weird but it is now possible by German company Wörth!Imagine you have just bought your Aston Martin DBS and would you park like a Honda Civic, leave it next to side walk, of course not, when you are driving the same with James Bond! If you could afford to buy DBS, it is quite clear that you would have a very nice house. So, the problem is how park your DBS like James Bond.
As you could see from the picture, there is no car. Actually, there are plenty of cars parked in this area but we cannot see them! No, they don't have any military style camouflage. The surface this area is the top of the parking place. The cars are parked under the surface of this place and there is no visible entrance. Actually the whole area is equipped with invisible garages.
When you arrive to your house or this house, you just get out from your car and push the button to raise the parking place. Then drive through the parking place and push the button to disappear the parking space. It is a basic elevator for parking your car. Very effective, smart design and does not ruin the view or you suffer to park your car ;)There is no stylish way to park your car :)
For more detail please click to this link. Invisible GaragePictures are from;
Aston Martin
Wörth
Perfect Combination for Bugatti Veyron
Matching shoes and handbags are vital for ladies. For every occasion they try their best to match two things together. This complicated and tiring process is a part of every ladies life!
If you are man, you don't need to care about these things very much, until now! In Holland, a Bugatti Veyron is on sale with a same colour transporter truck. There is one thing more cool than Bugatti Veyron is a Bugatti Veyron with transporter truck with the same colour!
This interesting matching is available JamesList website. However there is one thing interesting; Bugatti is produced by VW and the truck is Mercedes Atego. In my opinion to make a better match, the truck should have been a MAN, as the MAN is partly owned by VW.Anyway, if you have €895,000 to spend for a car, you have bargian here! Click Here
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