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Posts Tagged ‘Honda’

The brand Infiniti was introduced in 1989 by the Japanese firm, Nissan Motor Co Ltd. in the US as a luxury car. Today the company has expanded its operations in more than 15 countries worldwide. Due to poor marketing, the car could not compete well with its competitors Toyota’s Lexus and Honda’s Acura during initial years after it was launched. However, gradually with better advertising and launch of some award-winning models,the brand became a strong contender in the luxury car segment, with consistently growing sales.

During late 1990s and early 2000s, the Infiniti brand started losing much of its charm, but thanks to its rededicated effort to develop the powerful and dynamic line-up of sporty luxury cars,the brand almost saw a revival in the early part of 2000s. Its model, G35 almost turned the sale around for the company as it was voted the “Motor Trend Car of the Year” in 2003. A number of variants of G35 have been launched in subsequent years, and thecompany has redefined the brand Infiniti as “Japanese BMW”.

All variations of the Infiniti, namely coupes, sedans as well as crossovers today are based on the Nissan FM platform, in which the center of the car engine is located behind the front axle centerline. This positioning of engine shifts the weight of the car more towards the center that makes the front suspension less burdened. The wight of the car is thus distributed equally on all four wheels that improves acceleration, braking and handling. This design was first included in the 2001 version of V35 Nissan Skyline, and was later incorporated in all the variants of Infiniti, though it has been slighly modified in some of the M35 series as enhanced FM platform.

Infiniti car is equipped with powerful engine that gives excellent performance and very high speed. Once you are on the driving seat you can feel its high power. The icing on the cake is thatInfiniti car with such powerful engine is not a high maintenance car, a problem that you generally face with most other powerful luxury cars. Whenever you are looking for a dream car for yourself, the least that you expect is a perfect exterior with modern and stylish features.Infiniti car with its sleek body will captivate your attention at the very first glance. All its models are beautifully designed and are perfect blend of style and comfort. Once you become the proud owner ofInfiniti car, be assured that it will give you company for a long time.

A luxury car is a great add-on to a person’s status and class, and it is not looked upon as a mere utility vehicle but also as a status symbol. Today, with most of the people striving to own a luxurious and elegant car,Infiniti car is an ideal choice with high tech engineering and excellent performance. Infused with its luxury content and spirited performance, Infiniti has achieved a premium status in the market today.

With the big three already deep in the doo doo, is the Chevy Volt the answer to General Motors problems or will it prove to be the final nail in the manufacturers coffin.

Much has been made of the Chevy Volt, a plug-in electric hybrid. GM sees this idea as the saviour of its company. The only problem may be that the technology is already out of date by the time it is launched. Battery power may indeed prove to be a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine in the short term, but with limited mileage on a full charge and hours needed to recharge, the hydrogen fuel cell looks, on the face of it, a much better long term solution.

Enter the Honda FCX Clarity. Powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, the Clarity has been hailed as the most important car launched this century. Creating electricity by combining hydrogen that is stored in a fuel tank on board the vehicle, with oxygen from the air, the only bi products produced are heat and water. Giving us the first truly eco friendly car, that is, if you ignore how the hydrogen is produced (currently from electricity generated from fossil fuels).

With a top speed of one hundred miles per hour and a claimed range of 280 miles, the Honda Clarity does not need to be recharged and does not need a conventionalinternal combustion engine to top up its charge, it is simply filled with gaseous hydrogen at suitable filling stations. These stations may be limited at the moment, but as demand grows for these vehicles more stations will no doubt follow.

Currently available on a six hundred dollar a month three year lease, the Clarity will no doubt already have a host of celebrities lining up to confirm their green credentials and as it is only available in southern California (probably the most environmentally aware location in the States) the allocation has already been filled. This area has been chosen for the trials purely and simply because it has at least got a few of the hydrogen filling stations needed to refill the Clarity.

So, with General Motors announcing that it will delay the completion of the factory that will produce the engines for the Volt, even though it has been held up as the symbol of their future. It is looking more and more as if the hydrogen car may overtake the electric / hybrid plug in before it even makes it into the showrooms. GM hope to launch the Volt in 2010, but Honda will have no doubt ironed out any glitches with the Clarity by then, giving them a clear advantage over others, just as Toyota did with the Prius.

With technology moving towards cars that produce zero emissions General Motors may be pinning their hopes on a car that has a very limited shelf life. Historically, it has been very late in realising that its customers needs have changed. In its haste to catch up, has it once again misjudged the direction in which the market is moving? If it has, then theChevy Volt could very well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for General Motors.