Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Briton Sir Ben Ainslie and his Oracle Team USA are one win away from one of the great sporting comebacks as the America's Cup goes into a winner-takes-all final race on Wednesday.
Having been docked two points before the regatta began, Oracle were 8-1 down but on Tuesday sealed their sixth and seventh straight wins to level at 8-8.

The event goes to a decider for only the third time in its 162-year history.

"You have to approach it like every other race," said Ainslie.

The four-time Olympic champion, 36,, took over the key tactician role from veteran John Kostecki with the score 4-1, but Oracle Team USA has since won nine times in 13 races, which are being held in San Francisco.

Oracle have won 10 races in all but were penalised two points before the regatta began for illegal modifications to their smaller 45ft catamaran in the warm-up series.

The Briton added: "You really have to go out and go through the same preparations with the boat, the maintenance, in the morning meetings, and with the pre-start warm-up. And of course, like every other race, the guys will give it everything all the way to the finish."

Team Oracle USA captain Jimmy Spithill said: "I think we are the underdog and I'm going to keep running with that and use that energy.

"The exciting thing for me is seeing how this team has gelled together. Sometimes you need to face that barrel of the gun to come together. You can get wobbly in the knees or you can look into the barrel. Every day we've managed to step it up more."

Team New Zealand, who last won the America's Cup in 2000, have been within one race of victory in the first-to-nine competition since Wednesday, but have been thwarted by the defending champions' resurgence and a series of races postponed by unfavourable wind conditions.

They should have sealed Cup victory in race 13 on Friday, but uncharacteristic light winds meant the 40-minute time limit for a race elapsed with the team two minutes from glory.

"We do believe we can win, we've known we can win this thing for a long time," said Team New Zealand captain Dean Barker.

As defending champions, Team USA chose the venue for the America's Cup. Three teams competed in the Louis Vuitton Cup for the right to challenge them - Artemis Racing of Sweden, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge of Italy. Team New Zealand defeated Luna Rossa in the best-of-13 final of that competition.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

To reach potential patrons of its all-electric RAV4, Toyota Motor firm. (7203) is victimisation Associate in Nursing advertising strategy as experimental because the powered crossover automobile it seeks to sell.
The maker is functioning with DirecTV to zero in on would-be customers known as tech-savvy early adopters in la, urban center and San Diego, wherever the $50,000 vehicle is sold-out. They’re employing a new tool that combs satellite-TV subscriber information to assist marketers like Toyota reach slender slices of customers, cutting wasted greenbacks and up the effectiveness of ads.


“A mass campaign doesn’t add up,” Dionne Colvin, Toyota’s national media selling manager, same during a phone interview. “But we tend to do wish to induce the message out.”

FULL COVERAGE: Pay TV stressed

The new technology is understood as dynamic advertising, and it reflects a push by U.S. TV networks, cable and satellite carriers and suppliers of Web-based TV services to assist marketers like Toyota connect a lot of directly with audiences. The changes threaten to upend a decades-old system of delivering commercials over TV airwaves to giant slices of the population, several of whom have very little interest within the product.

DirecTV (DTV) hires marketing-data corporations that compile client info from credit cards and alternative sources to spot, for example, Spanish speakers, folks attempting to reduce or, within the case of the Toyota campaign, United Nations agency ar wish to obtain new gadgets. DirecTV will transmit the ads solely to subscribers United Nations agency meet the factors and sleep in the targeted cities.

Cosmic Clash

At stake for DirecTV, the biggest U.S. satellite service, along side broadcasters like CBS firm. (CBS) and cable operator Comcast firm. (CMCSA), is a component of the $73 billion a year marketers pay on U.S. TV advertising. They’re conjointly defensive their share of the just about $100 billion a year customers pay for packages of channels at a time once technology corporations like Intel (INTC) firm. ar developing pay-TV services that may use the online to gather ever-more granular information on viewers.

Competition for users and advertisers alike is formed all the a lot of intense by the emergence of a generation of customers United Nations agency opt for to not obtain pay TV altogether. These budget-conscious young adults, called cord-nevers, ar bypassing pay-TV subscriptions, obtaining by on Hulu, YouTube and Netflix streaming. This year is that the initial ever that total U.S. pay-TV subscriptions can decline, in step with scientist IHS.

Advertising Bump

Advertisers too ar leading extra money toward digital budgets, and tv networks ar swing shows on-line to accommodate them. Intel, Google Inc. (GOOG), Apple Inc. and Sony firm. (6758) ar all athletics to introduce pay-TV services that might deliver programming over the net, gather an upscale treasure of information on viewers and accelerate the push toward targeted ads.

Those ads on U.S. cable channels and video-on-demand can generate regarding $150 million in revenue this year, Seth Haberman, chief officer of the New York-based ad firm Visible World, same in Associate in Nursing interview.

The amount can double annually for following 3 years, olympian $1 billion in 2016, he said. Even therewith growth, the add could be a fraction of the $73 billion that SNL Kagan estimates are spent on U.S. TV advertising this year.

For DirecTV, higher targeting could be a tool to draw in advertisers and keep them within the fold, whereas maximising revenue from a shrinking pool of viewers. the corporate, primarily based in El Segundo, California, doesn’t have phone or web businesses to cushion any revenue loss.

Concurrent Commercials

DirecTV controls 2 minutes of airtime per hour on forty six cable networks, together with ESPN and USA, in step with Paul Guyardo, government vp and chief revenue officer. That compares with regarding fourteen minutes for the networks. The satellite company sends targeted ads to the twelve million of its twenty million subscribers United Nations agency have high-definition video recorders.

“We will run many totally different commercials at the same time,” Guyardo same in Associate in Nursing interview. “You’re taking twelve million households and virtually slicing those up by a bunch of various criteria.”

The new services have the potential to disrupt a system in situ since the Nineteen Forties. Networks like CBS or MTV historically show ads to broad swaths of TV audiences. Marketers opt for shows and pay supported the amount of individuals reached at intervals a targeted demographic cluster -- say, ladies ages eighteen to forty nine.

In the new world, discoverer may show a shaving ad to a male viewer, although he’s observance Oprah rather than ESPN. Neighbors could be observance a similar program at a similar time, over a similar pay-TV service, and see totally different ads as a result of one could be a girl buying a automobile and also the alternative could be a male United Nations agency doesn’t obtain cosmetics.

Higher Rates

Pay-TV services are testing the technology that permits for a lot of tailored commercials for many years, same Amanda Richman, president of investment and activation at advertising firm Starcom USA.

“Companies ar willing to pay a lot of to succeed in that qualified viewer,” Richman same.

DirecTV isn’t alone. Fox Networks cluster, a part of prince Murdoch’s twenty first Century Fox Iraqi National Congress., can begin showing targeted ads to subscribers of Comcast, the biggest U.S. cable television, in January, Toby Byrne, the division’s ad sales chief, same at a might presentation to advertisers.
The ads can run in programs accessed through Comcast’s video-on-demand service, moving toward the precise targeting advertisers will realize on the online.

‘Catching Up’

“Technology is fortunately catching up,” Byrne same in Associate in Nursing interview. “We would have liked  to try to to this earlier however it wasn’t attainable.”

Intel, the world’s biggest chipmaker, aims to start out a TV service this year. Its set-top box and servers can take targeting more, holding advertisers bid in real time for individual spots and gain feedback on demographics, behavior and placement, in step with an individual accustomed to the plans.

Advertisers would have the flexibility to focus on individual customers as they sit ahead of their screens, employing a profile supported viewing habits, services purchased and charge info like nothing Codes.
Intel and alternative technology corporations deliberation a TV service would spherical out the portrait with information from third-party selling corporations like Experian, in step with Haberman, the advertising government. DirecTV is already appending its viewer information with info from third parties.

‘Creepy Factor’

Even tv manufacturers like LG natural philosophy Iraqi National Congress. (066570) and Sony ar developing the flexibility to insert commercials supported who’s observance. Sony’s Gracenote unit is functioning with makers and broadcasters on a system that may permit them to put ads for viewers in real time.

LG TVs that created their debut this month at IFA, Europe’s largest client natural philosophy show, embody digital detection technology that tracks what viewers ar observance, info which will be passed on to broadcasters and advertisers.

If they prove well-liked, the sets may siphon some advertisers from cable and satellite corporations, Associate in Nursingd deliver an in progress cut of revenue to TV manufacturers.

They risk raising the “creepy issue,” same Warren Schlichting, senior vp of media sales and analytics at Dish Network firm. (DISH), the second-largest satellite-TV service. corporations confronting the matter from Associate in Nursing engineering background lack the relevant expertise with customers and should push the boundaries of privacy, he said.
Executives at Sony’s Gracenote and at psychological feature Networks Iraqi National Congress., that is functioning with LG, same their technology is analogous to computer code that tracks websites customers visit from iPads. Users choose in before the system is enabled, Gracenote President Sir Leslie Stephen White same.

Special K

“It’s vital to be direct with customers regarding however you’re attending to use their information,” White same.

Advertisers ar proud of the eye. Toyota’s Colvin is at work on a campaign to succeed in viewers United Nations agency speak each English and Spanish reception.

Kellogg Co. (K) worked with DirecTV on a campaign for its ketamine breakfast cereal, targeting weight-conscious ladies, same Aaron Fetters, director of Kellogg’s insights and analytics solutions center in town, Michigan. a brand new spherical of commercials can begin airing within the next few months, on DirecTV and alternative pay-TV systems, Fetters same.

For DirecTV, its airtime becomes a lot of valuable, holding the corporate sell a lot of to Toyota and fewer to tiny businesses whose sandy, low-priced commercials are an indicator of native selling on TV.

“This is that the main driver of our ad sales going forward,” DirecTV’s Guyardo same. “It takes the worth of our inventory and improves it by a multiple of four or five times.”

Sunday, September 22, 2013

I'm lay outside of a preferred West Hollywood restaurant, sitting inside the sole Volkswagen Scirocco R in America. It's 6:43 a.m. on a Sat morning. Having simply taken a number of sunrise photos with this VW enthusiast's delight, i am currently at the same time sipping java and scrolling my Instagram feed once I see him, frantically approaching the automobile, indicating he needs American state to place the window down. Normally, i would advise against obliging him, however these days I do, as a result of I might simply be this guy. "Is it coming back? square measure they finally aiming to do it? Is it coming to America?" this is often a learned man. A priest-doctor of European cars, maybe. For the final public here, "Scirocco" may sound just like the name of a race horse, or an organization specializing in small-batch biscotti, or perhaps a replacement worrisome form of malware. And to be truthful, this hot hatch is fast, pretty sweet, and to a small degree ugly. except for enthusiasts and people within the grasp, it is a 265-hp front-wheel drive three-door hatchback, appearance badass, and is extremely a lot of temptation for Americans.


But the question I hear plenty is: Why? Why does not Volkswagen bring it to America? The short answer from VW product planners is that it does not create monetary sense. however why not? Is there truly a business case for transferral the Scirocco R to America? we tend to break it down.

Why Volkswagen ought to Bring the Scirocco R to America

Currently, if you would like associate degree enthusiast hatch with a Vee-Dub badge on that within the U.S., it's going to are available one in every of 2 flavors: there is the classic Volkswagen GTI, power-driven by a a pair of.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that pushes two hundred power unit to the front wheels, or the Volkswagen Golf R, that ups power to 256 power unit--European versions of every have ten hp a lot of, respectively--and employs a really smart all-wheel drive system. each square measure jazzy, sound nice, and square measure simple to measure with throughout the week, as well. however the Scirocco turns the styling dial up a number of notches toward "aggressive." The facet skirts widen, and therefore the wide buttocks appearance particularly putting from a fractional angle. together friend aforesaid, i might obtain one supported the appearance alone. within the setup is acquainted, however with deeper bucket seats, and a a lot of pronounced exhaust note. If sold  here, this might clearly be the sport-hatch halo, with its aggressive appearance border out the Golf R's AWD advantage.

Why It does not be

Volkswagen USA product planners have long aforesaid it might be too expensive  to bring the Scirocco to America, stating that it might price "millions" to form the engine compliant for U.S. emissions. Considering it might be priced most equally to the Golf R--a automobile that has sold  five,500 units within the past year and a half--you might see why VW would be disturbed regarding recouping that cost; thought models just like the Jetta and Passat sell that several units in regarding a pair of weeks. Take into thought too that each automobile has got to be crash tested, which means a number of putting to death lambs can meet the yard early. It presently becomes apparent that whereas the Scirocco might excite the hardcore enthusiasts, it might be a expensive, unprofitable venture. Another friend asked regarding putting associate degree existing, already certified and on sale engine into the Scirocco body. an excellent question, once you admit it. The Golf R and Scirocco create constant power in Europe, and that we have already got a U.S.-spec Golf R here in America. cannot you place that a pair of.0-liter turbo in to the Scirocco, and tune it for a front-wheel drive car? and that we continuously hear however the GTI engine is capable of {much a lot of|far more|rather more|way more} power; could not it simply get retuned for more H.P., serving to to differentiate the 2 models? whereas in theory that may appear sensible, all engines need to be certified for every model, though they are already in associate degree existing automobile. therefore whereas taking the VW GTI or Golf R engine and fitting it into the Scirocco engine bay looks like wisdom, there is still the certification prices. 


Not to be forgotten is that the concern of cannibalization. Volkswagen conceded that there was a concern that the Scirocco would bite into three-door GTI sales if sold  here within the U.S. In Europe, Volkswagen is that the largest auto manufacturer, and enjoys a healthy twelve.7 % market share. That interprets to plenty of sales, and therefore the ability to sell a lot of models. In the U.S. in contrast, VW presently holds a a pair of.7 % market share. whereas growing, it still has got to proceed with caution, and not jeopardize sales of fortunate models like the GTI. Lastly, the Volkswagen Scirocco R is made on this Golf design. however Volkswagen has already discharged its next-gen Volkswagen MK-VII model in Europe, one supported associate degree all-new design dubbed MQB. The advantage is that over time, up to forty cars at intervals the VW Group--for brands like Volkswagen, Audi, and even those not sold  within the U.S. like Seat and Skoda--will be victimisation several of constant components and technology. it'll offer associate degree economy of scale that in theory ought to create the auto manufacturer a lot of competitive. and therefore the next Volkswagen Golf, GTI, and Golf R can all be inward within the U.S. beginning during a matter of months, engineered on the new MQB. therefore for the Scirocco to arrive subsequently, and on previous design, would not be.

Will we tend to Ever See the Scirocco within the U.S.?

It's doable, however not for consequent many years. consequent Scirocco, engineered on the MQB design, will not arrive in Europe for a minimum of another number of years. attach another 2-3 years till we tend to might within theory see it in the U.S., and you get the concept. however Volkswagen enthusiasts have masses to be excited regarding. The new GTI is lighter, and can increase power to 210 power unit for base models, and can for the primary time feature a performance version that bumps that figure to 220 power unit. there is a chance we tend to might see the diesel power-driven GTI--the Volkswagen GTD--in America moreover. we tend to got an opportunity to check that automobile earlier this summer, and located it offered a jazzy, higher-mileage different to the GTI. and at last, consequent Golf R can arrive in 2015 if all goes in step with set up. once it will arrive, it'll be packing 285 power unit, a twenty power unit advantage on this Scirocco, to not mention the all-wheel-drive issue. therefore whereas it does not be for VW to sell the Scirocco R in America, enthusiasts have plenty to seem forward to. and there is still hope that Volkswagen might bring the next-gen Scirocco to those shores, with a doable surprise debut in 2018 (give or take a year). And if that looks like too long, it should be time to dirt off that passport.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Airbag units that have deployed inadvertently have prompted a massive recall of over 400,000 Honda motor vehicles, according to NBC News.

The recall will affect roughly 318,000 Honda Odyssey mini-vans manufactured between 2003 and 2004 as well as approximately 56,000 Acura MDX SUVs manufactured in 2003.


The reason for the recall was to "address potential malfunctions of the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbag system in these vehicles due to electrical interference. To prevent malfunction, an electrical noise filter will be installed adjacent to the SRS control unit, free of charge," according to a press release from Honda.

Cars from four countries will need to be recalled; the United States, Australia, Japan and Canada, according to Reuters.

"Honda has received a small but increasing number of complaints in recent months of inadvertent airbag deployment in these vehicles, which are equipped with SRS control units that contain computer chips similar to those used in airbag system control units installed in other manufacturers' vehicles that were recalled in the last year," Honda said in a press release. "No crashes have been reported to Honda related to this issue."

Honda has had to issue recalls in the past for similar issues related to airbags. This particular issue, faulty computer chips triggering the airbags when there is no collision, is fairly common and other auto manufacturers have had to issue recalls for the same reason, according to NBC News.

Earlier in the year Honda had to recall over 750,000 vehicles, including some Odyssey minivans, for an issue over missing rivets that could lead to the driver's side airbags deploying incorrectly in an accident. In 2012 Honda recalled the second most vehicles in the industry; the fifth year in row that they found themselves first or second on that list, according to NBC News.

For more information involving the recall and to determine if your vehicle qualifies go to www.recalls.honda.com or www.recalls.acura.com
For the better part of the last decade, the focus on diesel powertrains in pickup-truck applications was primarily on ever-increasing capability. That has culminated today in HD trucks with 850 lb-ft of torque from the factory with a 30,000-lb towing capacity. Clearly, for all but the most dedicated heavy haulers, it was far more capability than most customers needed or wanted. Ram is looking to redefine how customers see diesels in pickups with the introduction of the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.

But just because the brand is introducing a lighter-duty diesel in its truck line does not mean it's abandoning its commitment to the heavy-duty market. As mentioned in the introduction, Ram currently leads the HD class in maximum torque and towing capacity, and is committed to continuing to serve those loyal, function-focused customers, says Mike Cairns, Ram's chief engineer. He was present for a multi-day Ram event showcasing some of the brand's new models for media.

But Cairns said the overwhelming feedback the company received from light-duty customers was for greater fuel efficiency in a half-ton truck. Many in these groups mentioned the desire for a diesel engine option.

Cairns said he believes the appeal of the Ram EcoDiesel covers a broad range of potential customers, including those with boats, travel trailers, watercraft or other recreational items. Those customers want enough power to tow, but want good commuting fuel economy Monday through Friday.
Why Not Higher?

Why Not Higher?

Eagle-eyed readers may note the maximum towing capacity of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is 9200 lb. On-paper, that's one ton less than the maximum rating for a Ford F-150 equipped with an EcoBoost V-6. Some buyers may see the capability gap as a weakness or shortcoming of the light-duty diesel drivetrain compared to the Ford. Cairns disagrees, saying that the line between light-duty and HD trucks has been blurred within the last few years. He blames that on competitors' marketing departments. "We do a lot of customer surveys and clinics. The light-duty (1500) customers are not asking for more payload or more towing. They consider all of the Detroit Three's half-tons essentially the same in terms of capability. The EcoDiesel will tow what a half-ton customer needs to tow. I've said consistently for years, if you have a 10,000-lb or bigger trailer, you should be getting an HD truck, it's a tool made for the job. I think the target customer will recognize what a half-ton truck is made for, which is a towing range of 5000-7000 lb."

Cairns says he sees potentially broad appeal for the new EcoDiesel. "I think there are two camps of customers we're going to draw to this new truck. I think we'll attract the traditional diesel guys, the guys that love the durability, capability and image that comes with a diesel, and have moved up to 2500 trucks, but might be better-served with a lighter-duty truck. We'll get those customers that want a diesel at a little lower price point than the HDs. I think we'll also draw customers that once owned a truck, and loved the utility of a truck, but moved away from the segment for fuel economy reasons. But they've never stopped wanting a full-size pickup truck. We'll get them back with a product that offers around the same fuel economy of what they went to, with all the utility of a truck. I think we'll get a lot of people back into the truck market," he said.



Behind The Wheel

With the context set for the marketing and targeting of the Ram EcoDiesel, what's the behind-the-wheel experience? For one, it's completely unique in the half-ton, or even the entire full-size truck market, for that matter. In the Ram 1500 line, the EcoDiesel has the lowest horsepower, but the highest torque output, at 420 lb-ft, of any of the engine options. Ram is estimating a 0-60 time of less than nine seconds, but did not get more specific. The power delivery of the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V-6 paired with the TorqueFlite 8 eight-speed automatic transmission is unlike that of either a gasoline turbo V-6, or a naturally-aspirated gasoline V-8. There is just a whiff of turbo lag off idle, but the engine quickly climbs to its torque peak, and we had no problem laying a few patches of rubber off-the-line with the EcoDiesel.

With a modest (by today's standards) 240 peak horsepower, the EcoDiesel doesn't exactly plant you into the seat with scenery-blurring acceleration. The sensation is more that of consistent, linear, solid torque and acceleration. Loaded or unloaded, the EcoDiesel gets up to speed without drama, but frankly, without a lot of excitement, either.

Thanks to the inherent drivetrain isolation characteristics of a body-on-frame design, the EcoDiesel installed in the Ram is even quieter and more refined than its installation in the unibody Jeep Grand Cherokee. The engine is exceptionally quiet at idle, with just the faintest hint of the characteristic diesel clatter from inside the cabin. Under acceleration, the engine is a little more audible, but the predominant sound characteristic is more that of a six-cylinder engine than specifically that of a diesel. Getting on and off the throttle does occasionally elicit some whooshing and gasping sounds from the turbo, but nothing objectionable and untoward.



Cairns believes -- and we concur -- that the major selling point of the EcoDiesel will be fuel economy. On a hilly, winding driving route with plenty of elevation changes and tight turns, our test truck showed an indicated 20 mpg average, with two journalists driving in a not-particularly-frugal manner. We heard stories of other drivers getting as high as 24 or 26 mpg on the same route with a more deliberate emphasis on economy. Towing an approximately 4000-lb boat and trailer in a suburban setting with some significant inclines, we averaged an indicated 13.4 mpg.

Ram has not yet officially released fuel economy figures for the EcoDiesel, but we are confidently predicting 18/27 for the 4WD model and 19/28 for the 2WD model. Stay tuned to our 2014 Truck of the Year testing, where a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is among the contenders.



BMW will recall about 134,000 5 Series models from 2008-10 because the tail lights may not work, the automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a report posted Friday on the agency’s Web site.

BMW to Recall 134,000 Vehicles

The automaker says a problem with an electrical connection could lead to failure of the brake lights, backup lights, turn signals and tail lights. However, the high-mounted brake light would continue to work. The automaker said it was not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the problem. BMW also told N.H.T.S.A. that it “does not believe that an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety exists” but that it was recalling the vehicles based on a precedent set by a recall BMW conducted in 2011.

The 2011 recall affected about 241,000 3 Series vehicles from the 2002-5 model years, also for a problem with the tail lights. That recall was prompted by a commercial airline pilot from Texas who filed a defect petition with N.H.T.S.A. in 2009 asking it to investigate repeated rear light failures. The agency investigated, and while BMW resisted, N.H.T.S.A. pushed the case until BMW agreed in 2011 to a recall.

In its new report to N.H.T.S.A., BMW detailed how a flurry of warranty claims prompted wiring changes, which the automaker described as a “quality enhancement.” Late in 2012, BMW concluded that “a further quality improvement might be prudent,” introducing a new design available as a replacement part early in the year. The company then decided a recall was the best course of action.

BMW described the recall as voluntary, but once an automaker is aware of a safety problem it is required to inform the safety agency – within five business days – of its plan for a recall.

Your sedans from the 2008 to help 2010 design years can offer any taillight difficulty

The ultimate Operating Device has been recalled.

BMW recalls 134, 100 5 Series sedans

BMW is remembering any 134, 100 5 string sedans for the reason that taillights can certainly embark on the fritz. Your remember consists of just the 2008 to help 2010 design years of the common high end performance sedan.

The situation consists of "increased resistance" in electrical get in touch with factors within the taillight housings that will result in the taillights to go away, according to the detect on the Nation's Road Traffic Administtration web site. In the event the opposition gets to be a difficulty, people can lose the ability to turn on tailights, braking mechanism lights, change signals or even assisting lights.

The actual versions required include the 528i, 535i, 550i, along with M5.