HISTORY OF CAR

SUZUKI

2009-09-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

In 1909, Michio Suzuki founded the Suzuki Loom Company in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built weaving looms for Japan's giant silk industry.[3] In 1929, Michio Suzuki invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights.[citation needed] The company's first 30 years focused on the development and production of these exceptionally complex machines.[citation needed]

Despite the success of his looms, Suzuki realized his company had to diversify and he began to look at other products. Based on consumer demand, he decided that building a small car would be the most practical new venture. The project began in 1937, and within two years Suzuki had completed several compact prototype cars. These first Suzuki motor vehicles were powered by a then-innovative, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. It featured a cast aluminum crankcase and gearbox and generated 13 horsepower (9.7 kW) from a displacement of less than 800cc.

With the onset of World War II, production plans for Suzuki's new vehicles were halted when the government declared civilian passenger cars a "non-essential commodity." At the conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to producing looms. Loom production was given a boost when the U.S. government approved the shipping of cotton to Japan. Suzuki's fortunes brightened as orders began to increase from domestic textile manufacturers. But the joy was short-lived as the cotton market collapsed in 1951.

Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki's thoughts went back to motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms began offering "clip-on" gas-powered engines that could be attached to the typical bicycle. Suzuki's first two-wheel ingenuity came in the form of a motorized bicycle called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free featured a 36 cc, one horsepower, two-stroke engine.[4] An unprecedented feature was the double-sprocket gear system, enabling the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power alone. The system was so ingenious that the patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering, and so was born Suzuki Motor Corporation.

In 1953, Suzuki scored the first of many racing victories when the tiny 60 cc "Diamond Free" won its class in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.[4]
1955 Suzulight

By 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Following the success of its first motorcycles, Suzuki created an even more successful automobile: the 1955 Suzuki Suzulight. Suzuki showcased its penchant for innovation from the beginning. The Suzulight included front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering—features common on cars half a century later.

PORSCHE

2009-05-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

Porsche SE or Porsche (pronounced /ˈpɔrʃə/) is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, which is majority-owned by the Porsche and Piëch families. Porsche SE holds two chief assets, the first of which is Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG (which stands for Doktor Ingenieur honoris causa Ferdinand Porsche Aktiengesellschaft), often shortened to Porsche AG, manufacturer of the Porsche automobile line. The second asset is a majority stake in Volkswagen AG, the largest car manufacturer in Europe. The company is headquartered in Zuffenhausen, a city district of Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg.

Chevrolet

2009-03-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Chevrolet (IPA: /ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ/ - French origin) (also known as Chevy) is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors. It is the top selling GM marque, with "Chevrolet" or "Chevy" being at times synonymous with GM. Chevrolet offers 18 vehicles and many different enhanced versions in its home market. The vehicles range from subcompact cars to medium duty commercial trucks. Its number one seller in the United States is the Silverado pickup. Chevrolet continues to be the performance, price, fuel economy, and value leader for General Motors North America.
Source from: www.wikipedia.org

Aston Martin DB Mark III

2009-03-10T01:19:00.000-07:00

The DB Mark III (normally simply called Mark III, even at the time of its introduction) is a sports car sold by Aston Martin from 1957 through 1959. It was an evolution of the DB2/4 Mark II model it replaced, using an evolution of that car's W.O. Bentley-designed Lagonda 2.9 L (2922 cc/178 in³) straight-6 engine.

Overview

Changes included a grille like that on the DB3S, a new instrument panel, and available Girling disc brakes. A hydraulic clutch was new as well, and optional Laycock-de Normanville overdrive or automatic transmission were available. Worm-and-sector steering and a live axle rear end were carry overs. At the rear, the DB2/4 Mark II's tailfins were altered to use the rear lights from the Humber Hawk.

The standard DBA engine model with twin SU carburettors produced 162 hp (121 kW), though an optional dual-exhaust system raised this to 178 hp (133 kW). Thus equipped, the car could reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in 9.3 seconds and hit 120 mph (193 km/h). An optional high-output DBB engine with twin three-choke Weber carburettors, special camshafts, and the dual-exhaust system boasted 195 hp (145 kW), though this was rarer than a mid-level DBD option with triple SU carbs and 180 hp (134 kW).
The DB Mark III featured a hatchback body first seen on the DB2-4.

The useful hatch's struts and springs are visible from inside

Girling disc brakes were fitted as standard to the front wheels of all MkIII Astons, after the first 100 had been made. Many cars were upgraded later. Only five automatic cars were made from a total of 551.

A 1959 review by Road & Track magazine praised the car for everything but its $7,450 price. "A car for connaisseurs," they called it. "The Aston has many virtues and few faults." Among the faults was too-heavy steering effort, high door sills, and a stiff ride. Interestingly, R&T failed to comment at all on the car's innovative hatchback body style, complete with fold-down rear seats, although this had been first introduced in the 2/4 MkI in 1953.

[edit] Coupés

Two Coupe variants of the Mark III were also produced. A Drophead Coupé convertible, while not common, still outnumbered the Fixed Head Coupé — 84 of the former were produced, while just five of the latter were built. All five Fixed Head Coupés feature the high-spec DBB engine, however. Both featured conventional hinged boot lids rather than the innovative hatch back.

[edit] James Bond

James Bond drives an Aston Martin DB Mark III in the novel version of Goldfinger, though it is referred to as a "DB III" in the book – indeed, the chapter in which he drives to his famous golf-course encounter with the villain is entitled 'Thoughts in a DB III'. It is the only Bond car in the Ian Fleming novels to have gadgets installed. For the film adaptation, which came out a half-decade later, the car was updated to the newer Aston Martin DB5 model and the array of gadgetry was much expanded. It was to became one of the most iconic of classic cars as a result.

[edit] The Hardy Boys

The Hardy Boys drive a red one borrowed from their friend, Warren Avis (named after the writer) in the new Casefile novel, Murder In Paradise. It is blown up in a car bomb, suppositely killing Andrea.
source from: www.wikipedia.org

Aston Martin DBS V12

2009-02-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

This article is about the new Aston Martin DBS V12. For the classic, 1967 to 1972 GT car, see Aston Martin DBS.

The modern Aston Martin DBS is a high performance sports car from the UK manufacturer Aston Martin. Aston has used the DBS name once before on their 1967-72 grand tourer coupe. The modern car replaces the Vanquish S as the flagship of the marque.
The DBS V12 and James Bond

The DBS was first seen in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale. It was officially unveiled at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance sporting a brand new exterior colour, a graphite grey with a blue tint which has been dubbed 'Casino Ice'. The two seater coupé (as opposed to the 2+2 DB9 which the car is based on) has a bonded aluminium chassis and is made of lightweight magnesium alloy, carbon fibre composite and aluminium. It is the first production Aston Martin to make extensive use of carbon-fibre body panels.

Although Ford sold over 90% of Aston Martin Lagonda Limited in 2007, the DBS returns for the pre-credits car chase around Lake Garda in the 2008 Bond film Quantum of Solace.[1]

[edit] Performance

Power comes from the heavily revised handmade 6.0 litre V12 engine from the DBR9 racing car, tuned to deliver 510 bhp (380 kW; 517 PS) at 6500 rpm and 420 lb·ft (569 N·m) of torque at 5750 rpm. The V12 power plant features a new by-pass air intake port that opens above 5500 rpm to boost engine breathing as well as re-profiled air inlet ports that further improve airflow into the combustion chamber. A curb weight of 3737 pounds (1690 kg), combined with the 510 bhp (380 kW; 517 PS) V12 help the DBS accelerate 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds and reach a top speed of around 191 mph (307 km/h).[2]

The DBS is fitted with new vented carbon ceramic brakes discs – a first for a road-going Aston Martin, it reduces unsprung weight by 12.5 kg (28 lb). The front wheels are fitted with 398 mm (15.7 in) diameter carbon ceramic brakes with six-piston calipers. The rear wheels have 360 mm (14.2 in) diameter brakes with four-piston calipers. The double wishbone alloy [suspension] features an adaptive damper controlled suspension which uses two separate valves to set the dampers to five different positions, allowing instant adjustment of the car’s ride and handling characteristics.

Also included is a new hand finished interior with black lacquer, brushed alloy, semi-aniline leather and Alcantara as some of the materials. The Aston Martin DBS also features an optional Bang & Olufsen sound system with 13 active loudspeakers including 2 tweeters with ALT (Acoustic Lens Technology)[3]. The car comes with a six speed manual transmission standard and retails for approximately $265,000 USD for the base model. [4]

On 22 January 2008, spy photos of a convertible DBS otherwise known as the DBS Volante appeared on the internet.[5]
source from: www.wikipedia.org

ASTON MARTIN DBR9

2009-01-30T00:08:00.000-08:00

The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car by Aston Martin Racing, first built in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.

Development

Based on the Aston Martin DB9 road car, the DBR9 retains the chassis, and the cylinder block and heads of the road car's V12 engine. The rest of the car is re-engineered for high performance competition use. The DBR9's bodywork is a blend of optimum aerodynamic performance and the styling of the DB9 road car. All the body panels are constructed from carbon fibre composite (except the roof) to minimize the weight of the car. To complete the aerodynamic body, the bottom of the car is flat all the way from the front to the rear diffuser. To optimise rear downforce a carbon fibre wing has been added. The car goes from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds.

For the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans, Prodrive made modifications to the DBR9 design in order to not only improve performance, but also to increase driver comfort in the cockpit. Due to new regulations put into place by Le Mans organizers, the DBR9 required the installation of an air conditioning unit in order to prevent overstressing drivers. Prodrive went further by putting a heat-resistant white roof on all new cars to assist in keeping cockpit temperatures down. Performance modifications included the removal of two cooling vents from the bonnet of the car due to no longer being necessary.

[edit] Racing history
A DBR9 running in the 2005 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
The 2008 Le Mans GT1 class winner at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The DBR9 won the Sebring 12 Hours for its LMGT1 category in 2005, but came third in Le Mans 24 Hour behind arch-rivals Corvette Racing due to fuel problems. In 2006, the DBR9 was unable to repeat its success at Sebring, finishing second behind a Corvette. A similar situation occurred at Le Mans as well. Despite not winning Sebring and Le Mans, Aston Martin Racing regularly challenged Corvette Racing for victory in the rest of the American Le Mans Series schedule, with victories at Lime Rock Park, Miller Motorsports Park, Mosport, Petit Le Mans, and Laguna Seca. Aston Martin capped their 2006 ALMS season by finishing second in the GT1 Manufacturer's Championship, earning the factory team an automatic entry to the 2007 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In the Le Mans Endurance Series, the Larbre Compétition took the Team's Championship, with victories at the 1000 Kilometres of Istanbul and 1000 Kilometres of the Nurburgring, a second place finish at the 1000 Kilometres of Jarama, and a fifth place finish at the 1000 Kilometres of Donington.

The DBR9 came into the 2006 FIA GT Championship being title contender favourites, but the season was somewhat lacklustre with only two victories at Mugello and Dubai. The Phoenix Racing Aston Martin DBR9 narrowly missed out on victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. BMS Scuderia Italia cited a problem with finding the right tyre compound with their Pirellis as the factor for their lack of success.

For 2007, Aston Martin was finally able to overcome their woes at Le Mans, securing the GT1 class victory for the #009 Aston Martin Racing DBR9. Larbre's DBR9 would also manage third place in class. The teams running DBR9s managed to finish every car entered.

Later in 2007, Aston Martin launched the limited edition (300 units expected) DBS road car which has many styling cues taken from the DBR9 in conjunction with the James Bond film Casino Royale. Aston Martin Racing's DBR9s raced 2006 and 2007 under the numbers 007 and 009, in honor of James Bond.

In 2008, while Larbre and Scuderia Italia moved on from Aston Martin, Prodrive continued to field a two-car factory team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #009 numbered car, with the new Gulf Oil sponsored paint scheme, driven by Darren Turner, Antonio Garcia and David Brabham, won its class.

ASTON MARTIN DB5

2009-01-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. The DB series was named after David Brown (the head of Aston Martin from 1947–1972).

The DB5 is famous for being the first and most recognised James Bond car. It has been featured in several films, most notably Goldfinger, Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and Casino Royale.

The principal differences between the DB4 and DB5 are:

1. The engine was enlarged from 3.7 L to 4.0 L,
2. A new five-speed transmission
3. Three SU carburettors, producing 282 bhp (210 kW), propelling the car to 141 mph (227 km/h).

Standard equipment on the DB5 included reclining seats, pile carpets, electric windows and a fire extinguisher. All models had 4 seats and 2 doors. The UK recommended list price of the sports saloon (coupe) in December 1963 was £4,248 including Purchase Tax, the convertible was £4,562.
Specifications

Standard coupe:[1]

* Engine: 3,995 cc (243.8 cu in) Inline-6
* Power: 282 bhp (210 kW) at 5500 rpm
* Torque: 288 lb·ft (390 N·m) at 3850 rpm
* Weight: 1,502 kg (3,310 lb)
* Top Speed: 141 mph (227 km/h)
* 0–60 mph (97 km/h) Acceleration: 8.1 s

[edit] Variants

[edit] DB5 Vantage

The high-performance DB5 Vantage was introduced in 1964 and featured three Weber carburettors. This engine produced 314 bhp (234 kW). Only 65 DB5 Vantage coupes were built.

[edit] DB5 convertible
1965 DB5 Vantage convertible

Just 123 convertible DB5s were produced, though they never used the typical "Volante" name. The convertible was offered from 1963 through to 1965. Only 19 of the 123 DB5 Convertibles made were left-hand drive.

[edit] DB5 shooting brake

A very unusual DB5 was the shooting brake estate car. The prototype was custom produced by the factory for David Brown, and twelve more coupes were custom modified for Aston Martin by independent coachbuilder, Harold Radford.[2] A design flaw with the station wagon was that there was no change to the rear suspension. Drivers of the shooting brake would find this out when the load in the rear shifted at high speed in a corner with a resultant loss of control.

[edit] James Bond's DB5

The Aston Martin DB5 is the most famous Aston Martin car due to its use by James Bond in Goldfinger (1964). Although Ian Fleming had placed Bond in a DB Mark III in the novel, the DB5 was the company's newest model when the film was being made. The car used in the film was the original DB5 prototype, with another standard car used for stunts. Two more modified cars were built for publicity tours after the film's release. In January 2006, one of those cars was auctioned in Arizona for US $2,090,000. The same car was originally bought in 1970 for £5,000 from the owner, Sir Anthony Bamford, by a Tennessee museum owner. [3] The other car is located in the Netherlands in the Louwman Collection Museum, and this car was mainly used for promoting the movie.

Within the universe of James Bond, the same car was used again in the following film, Thunderball (registration BMT 216A). A different Aston Martin DB5 (registration BMT 214A) was used in the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye in which three different DB5s were used for filming. The BMT 214A also returned in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and was set to make a cameo at Castle Thane in The World Is Not Enough (1999), but the scene was cut. Yet another DB5 appeared in Casino Royale (2006), this one with the steering wheel on the left side versus the previous British versions.

The first DB5 prototype used in Goldfinger with the chassis number DP/216/1 was later stripped of its weaponry and gadgetry by Aston Martin and then resold. It was then retrofitted by subsequent owners with nonoriginal weaponry. The Chassis DP/216/1 DB5 was stolen in 1997 from its last owner in Florida and is currently still missing.[4]

A highly detailed 1:24 scale die-cast model with many working features was produced as a limited edition by the Danbury Mint.[5]

ASTON MARTIN

2009-01-15T18:52:00.000-08:00

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire[2]

From 1994 until 2007 Aston Martin was part of the Ford Motor Company, becoming part of the company's Premier Automotive Group in 2000. On 12 March 2007, it was purchased for £479 million (US$848 million) by a joint venture company, co-owned by Investment Dar and Adeem Investment of Kuwait and English businessman John Sinders.[3] Ford retained a US$77 million stake in Aston Martin, valuing the company at US$925 million.
History

[edit] Foundation

Aston Martin was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. The two had joined forces as Bamford & Martin the previous year to sell cars made by Singer from premises in Callow Street, London where they also serviced GWK and Calthorpe vehicles. Martin raced specials at Aston Hill near Aston Clinton, and the pair decided to make their own vehicles. The first car to be named Aston Martin was created by Martin by fitting a four-cylinder Coventry-Simplex engine to the chassis of a 1908 Isotta-Fraschini.[5] They acquired premises at Henniker Place in Kensington and produced their first car in March 1915. Production could not start because of the outbreak of World War I, and Martin joined the Admiralty and Bamford the Royal Army Service Corps. All machinery was sold to the Sopwith Aviation Company.
Aston Martin Mk II 1935
Aston Martin 2-Litre 2/4-Seater Sports 1937

[edit] Inter war years

After the war the company was refunded at Abingdon Road, Kensington and a new car designed to carry the Aston-Martin name. Bamford left in 1920 and the company was revitalised with funding from Count Louis Zborowski. In 1922, Bamford & Martin produced cars to compete in the French Grand Prix, and the cars set world speed and endurance records at Brooklands. Three works Team Cars with 16 valve twin cam engines were built for racing and record breaking: chassis number 1914, later developed as the Green Pea; chassis number 1915, the Razor Blade record car; and chassis number 1916, later developed as the Halford Special. Approximately 55 cars were built for sale in two configurations, long chassis and short chassis. The company went bankrupt in 1924 and was bought by Lady Charnwood, who put her son John Benson on the board. The company failed again in 1925 and the factory closed in 1926, with Lionel Martin leaving.

Later that year, Bill Renwick, Augustus (Bert) Bertelli and a number of rich investors, including Lady Charnwood, took control of the company and renamed it Aston Martin Motors, and moved it to the former Whitehead Aircraft Limited works in Feltham. Renwick and Bertelli had been in partnership some years and had developed an overhead cam 4 cylinder engine, using Renwick's patented combustion chamber design, and had tested it in an Enfield Allday chassis. It was the only 'Renwick and Bertelli' motor car made. It was known as 'Buzzbox' and survives to this day.

They had planned to sell this engine to motor manufacturers, but having heard that the Aston Martin car was no longer in production they realised that they could capitalise on the reputation of the Aston Martin name (what we would now call the brand) to give themselves a head start in the production of a completely new car.

Between the years 1926 and 1937 Bertelli was the technical director of Aston Martin, and the designer of all subsequent Aston Martin cars during this period, these being known as the 'Bertelli cars'. They included the 1 1/2 litre 'T-type', the 'International, the 'Le Mans, the 'MKII' its racing derivative the 'Ulster, and the 2 litre 15/98 and its racing derivative the 'Speed Model'.

Mostly open two seater sports cars and mostly bodied by Bert Bertelli's brother Enrico (Harry)a small number of long chassis four seater tourers, dropheads and saloons were also produced.

Bertelli was very keen to race his cars and he was a very competent driver. One of the very few motor manufacturers to actually sit in and race the cars he designed and built, the competition no doubt 'improved the breed' and the 'LM' team cars were very successful in national and international motor racing including at Le Mans and the Mille Miglia.

Financial problems reappeared in 1932 and the company was rescued by L. Prideaux Brune who funded it for the following year before passing the company on to Sir Arthur Sutherland. In 1936, the company decided to concentrate on road cars. Car production had always been on a small scale and until the advent of World War II halted work only about 700 had been made. During the war years aircraft components were made.
Source from: wikipedia.org

VOLKSWAGEN

2009-01-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

Volkswagen Passenger Cars is a German manufacturer of automobiles, based in Wolfsburg, Germany. It forms the major component (in volume of sales) of the much larger Volkswagen Group, which as of July 30, 2007 is the world's third largest car producer after Toyota and General Motors respectively.[6]

Volkswagen means "people's car" in German (or, more literally, folk wagon), in which it is pronounced [ˈfɔlksˌvaːgən]. Its current tagline or slogan is Das Auto (in English The Car). Its previous German tagline was Aus Liebe zum Automobil, which translates to: Out of Love for the Car, or, For Love of the Automobile, as translated by VW in other languages.

History

For vehicle timeline tables, see: Volkswagen (timeline)

[edit] Origins in 1930s Germany
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)
Model of Porsche Type 12, Museum Industrial Culture Nuremberg

Adolf Hitler had a keen interest in cars even though he did not like to drive. In 1933, shortly after taking over as leader of Germany, he asked Ferdinand Porsche to make changes to his original 1931 design to make it more suited for the working man. Hans Ledwinka discussed his ideas with Ferdinand Porsche, who used many Tatra design features in the 1938 "KdF-Wagen", later known as the VW Käfer—or Volkswagen Beetle. On 22 June 1934, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche agreed to create the "People's Car" for Hitler.

Changes included better fuel efficiency, reliability, ease-of-use, and economically efficient repairs and parts. The intention was that ordinary Germans would buy the car by means of a savings scheme ("Fünf Mark die Woche musst Du sparen, willst Du im eigenen Wagen fahren" — "Save five Marks a week, if you want to drive your own car"), which around 336,000 people eventually paid into. Volkswagen honoured its savings agreements in West Germany (but not in East Germany) after World War II[citation needed]. Prototypes of the car called the "KdF-Wagen" (German: Kraft durch Freude — "strength through joy"), appeared from 1936 onwards (the first cars had been produced in Stuttgart). The car already had its distinctive round shape and air-cooled, flat-four, rear-mounted engine. The VW car was just one of many KdF programmes which included things such as tours and outings. The prefix "Volks" ("People's") was not just applied to cars, but also to other products in Nazi Germany; the "Volksempfänger" radio receiver for instance. On 28 May 1937, the Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH was established by the Deutsche Arbeitsfront. It was later renamed "Volkswagenwerk GmbH" on 16 September 1938. [7]
VW Type 83

Erwin Komenda, the longstanding Auto Union chief designer, developed the car body of the prototype, which was recognizably the Beetle we know today. It was one of the first to be evolved with the aid of a wind tunnel; unlike the Chrysler Airflow, it would be a success.

The building of the new factory started 26 May 1938 in the new town of KdF-Stadt, now called Wolfsburg, which had been purposely built for the factory workers. This factory only produced a handful of cars by the time war started in 1939. None was actually delivered to any holder of the completed saving stamp books, though one Type 1 Cabriolet was presented to Hitler on 20 April 1938 (his 49th birthday).

War meant production changed to military vehicles, the Type 81 Kübelwagen ("Bucket car") utility vehicle (VW's most common wartime model), and the amphibious Schwimmwagen which were used to equip the German forces.

soure from: www.wikipedia.org

MEREDES BENZ

2008-12-27T04:28:00.000-08:00

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG), after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz's creation of the first automobile in January 1886,[1] and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a carriage by the addition of a petrol engine the same year. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company.[1] Mercedes-Benz has, over the years, introduced many technological and safety innovations that have become common in modern vehicles.
Purchasing

Mercedes-Benz automobiles are available at dealerships in more than 130 countries and their work fleet (trucks and commercial) vehicles are available from a group of dealers worldwide as well as direct from the factory. As with several other European automobile brands, Mercedes offer a European delivery option for international customers who purchase a Mercedes-Benz automobile.

[edit] Mercedes-Benz range today

Mercedes-Benz has a full range of passenger, light commercial and heavy commercial equipment. Production is on a Global basis. The Smart brand of city cars has also been part of the Mercedes-Benz Group since 1994.

[edit] Quality

Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had a reputation for quality and durability. Objective measures looking at passenger vehicles such as J.D. Power surveys demonstrated a downturn in reputation in this area in the late 1990s and early 2000s. (This was possibly related to the then board of directors being distracted from maintaining the marque's traditional quality whilst buying up or into many second-rate manufacturers such as Chrysler; once Chrysler was dumped from the company portfolio, quality and reliability of Mercedes-Benz vehicles began to return to their traditional levels.) By 2005, Mercedes temporarily returned to the industry average for initial quality, according to J.D. Power.[2] In J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for the first quarter of 2007, Mercedes showed dramatic improvement by climbing to 4th place, surpassing quality leader Toyota and earning several awards for its models. [3] For 2008, Mercedes quality improved by yet another mark, now in third place. On top of this accolade, it also received the Platinum Plant Quality Award for its Mercedes’ Sindelfingen, Germany assembly plant.[4] As of 2009, Consumer Reports of the United States has changed their reliability ratings for Mercedes-Benz vehicles to "average," recommending the E Class and the SL Class .[citation needed]

[edit] Motorsport
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

Main Article Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.

A DMG Mercedes Simplex 1906 in the Deutsches Museum
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Cabriolet
1959 Mercedes-Benz W120 Model 180

The two companies which were merged to form the Mercedes-Benz brand in 1926 had both already enjoyed success in the new sport of motor racing throughout their separate histories- both had entries in the very first automobile race Paris to Rouen 1894. This has continued, and throughout its long history, the company has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sports car racing and rallying. On several occasions Mercedes-Benz has withdrawn completely from motorsport for a significant period, notably in the late 1930s and after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, where a Mercedes-Benz 300SLR collided with another car and killed more than eighty spectators. Although there was some activity in the intervening years, it was not until 1987 that Mercedes-Benz returned to front line competition, returning to Le Mans, DTM, and F-1 sports car racing with Sauber.

The 1990s saw Mercedes-Benz purchase engine builder Ilmor (now Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines), and campaign cars at the famed Indy 500 race under the USAC/CART rules, eventually winning that race with Al Unser, Jr. at the wheel. The 90's also saw the return of Mercedes-Benz to GT racing, and the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, both of which took the company to new heights by dominating the FIA's GT1 class.

Mercedes-Benz is currently active in three forms of motorsport, Formula Three, DTM and Formula One. In Formula One, the company part owns Team McLaren and has supplied the team with engines since 1995. This partnership has brought success, including Drivers Championships for Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999 and for Lewis Hamilton in 2008, as well as a Constructors Championship in 1998. The collaboration with McLaren has been extended into the production of roadgoing cars such as the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

[edit] Business alliances (Studebaker-Packard Corporation)
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

In 1958 Mercedes-Benz entered into a distribution agreement with the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (USA), makers of Studebaker and Packard brand automobiles. Under the deal, Studebaker would allow Mercedes-Benz access to their U.S. dealer network, handle shipments of vehicles to those dealers, and in return receive compensation for each car sold. Studebaker also was permitted to use the German automaker’s name in its advertisements, which stressed Studebaker's quality over quantity.

When Studebaker entered into informal discussions with Franco-American automaker Facel Vega about offering their Facel Vega Excellence model in the United States, Mercedes-Benz objected to the proposal. Studebaker, which needed Mercedes-Benz distribution payments to help stem heavy losses, dropped further action on the plan.

Mercedes-Benz maintained an office within the Studebaker works in South Bend from 1958 to 1963 when Studebaker's U.S. operations ceased. Many U.S Studebaker dealers converted to Mercedes-Benz dealerships at that time. When Studebaker closed its Canadian operation and left the automobile business in 1966, remaining Studebaker dealers had the option to convert their dealerships to Mercedes-Benz dealership agreements.
Source From: www.wikipedia.org

HYUNDAI

2008-12-18T17:51:00.001-08:00

Hyundai refers to a group of companies and related organizations founded by Chung Ju-yung in South Korea. The first Hyundai company was founded in 1947 as a construction company, and the Hyundai Group eventually became South Korea's largest conglomerate company (chaebol).

The best well-known Hyundai organization is the Hyundai Motor Company, the world's 5th largest automaker selling mid sized sedans, coupes and SUVs like the Sonata, Genesis Coupe and the Santa Fe. Hyundai Heavy Industries is the world's largest shipbuilder, and Hynix is a top semiconductor producer. Other companies currently or formerly controlled by members of Chung's extended family may be loosely referred to as a part of the Hyundai chaebol.

The Hyundai Group underwent massive restructuring following the 1997 East Asian financial crisis and the founder's death in 2001. Today, many companies bearing the Hyundai name are legally unrelated, with each company having a different chairman. Former components include Hyundai Group, Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, Hyundai Department Store Group, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, and Hyundai Development Group. After the separation, Hyundai Group focuses on elevators, container services, and tourism to Mount Kumgang.

The word 現代 hyeondae (a traditional Chinese word) means "modernity" in Korean(and the same meaning in Chinese and the other Chinese originated languages such as Japanese), and is pronounced [çʌndɛ]. It is often pronounced /ˈhʌndeɪ/ in North America, as /haɪˈʌndaɪ/ in the United Kingdom, as /hiːˈʌndaɪ/ in Australia, and as [çjɯndai] in Japan. Early American advertising for the Hyundai Excel car informed readers that the name "rhymes with Sunday", which is similar to the correct Korean pronunciation.

source from: www.wikipedia.org

2008-12-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

Name
Toyota headquarters in Toyota City, Japan

Vehicles were originally sold under the name "Toyoda" (トヨダ), from the family name of the company's founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. In September 1936 the company ran a public competition to design a new logo. Out of 27,000 entries the winning entry was the three Japanese katakana letters for (Toyoda) in a circle. But Risaburo Toyoda, who had married into the family and was not born with that name, preferred "Toyota" (トヨタ) because it took eight brush strokes (a fortuitous number) to write in Japanese, was visually simpler (leaving off two ticks at the end) and with a voiceless consonant instead of a voiced one (voiced consonant is considered "murky" or "muddy" sound compared to the voiceless consonant, which is "clear"). Since "Toyoda" literally means fertile rice paddies, changing the name also helped to distance the company from associations with old fashioned farming. The newly formed word was trademarked and the company was registered in August 1937 as the "Toyota Motor Company".[8][9][10]

In predominantly Chinese speaking countries, Toyota is known as "豊田".[11] These are the same characters as the founding family's name "Toyoda" in Japanese, which translate to "fertile rice paddies" in the Chinese language as well.

From September 1947, Toyota's small-sized vehicles were sold under the name "Toyopet" (トヨペット).[12] The first vehicle sold under this name was the Toyopet SA[13] but it also included vehicles such as the Toyopet SB light truck, Toyopet Stout light truck,[14] Toyopet Crown and the Toyopet Corona. However, when Toyota eventually entered the American market in 1957 with the Crown, the name was not well received due to connotations of Toys and pets.[15] The name was soon dropped for the American market but continued in other markets until the mid 1960's.

[edit] History
Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda
Toyota automatic loom (Type G)
Replica of the Toyota Model AA, the first production model of Toyota in 1936

In 1933, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works created a new division devoted to the production of automobiles under the direction of the founder's son, Kiichiro Toyoda. Kiichiro Toyoda had traveled to Europe and the United States in 1929 to investigate automobile production and had begun researching gasoline-powered engines in 1930.[16] Toyoda Automatic Loom Works was encouraged to develop automobile production by the Japanese government, which needed domestic vehicle production partly due to the worldwide money shortage and partly due to the war with China.[17] In 1934, the division produced its first Type A Engine, which was used in the first Model A1 passenger car in May 1935 and the G1 truck in August 1935. Production of the Model AA passenger car started in 1936. Early vehicles bear a striking resemblance to the Dodge Power Wagon and Chevrolet, with some parts actually interchanging with their American originals.[17]

Although the Toyota Group is best known today for its cars, it is still in the textile business and still makes automatic looms, which are now computerized, and electric sewing machines which are available worldwide.

Toyota Motor Co. was established as an independent and separate company in 1937. Although the founding family's name is Toyoda (豊田), the company name was changed in order to signify the separation of the founders' work life from home life, to simplify the pronunciation, and to give the company a happy beginning. Toyota (トヨタ) is considered luckier than Toyoda (豊田) in Japan, where eight is regarded as a lucky number, and eight is the number of strokes it takes to write Toyota in katakana.[18] In Chinese, the company and its vehicles are still referred to by the equivalent characters (traditional Chinese: 豐田; simplified Chinese: 丰田; pinyin: fēng tián), with Chinese reading.

During the Pacific War (World War II) the company was dedicated to truck production for the Imperial Japanese Army. Because of severe shortages in Japan, military trucks were kept as simple as possible. For example, the trucks had only one headlight on the center of the hood. The war ended shortly before a scheduled Allied bombing run on the Toyota factories in Aichi.
1947 Toyopet Model SA
1957 Toyopet Crown

After the war, commercial passenger car production started in 1947 with the model SA. In 1950, a separate sales company, Toyota Motor Sales Co., was established (which lasted until July 1982). In April 1956, the Toyopet dealer chain was established. The following year, the Crown became the first Japanese car to be exported to the United States and Toyota's American and Brazilian divisions, Toyota Motor Sales Inc. and Toyota do Brasil S.A., were also established.

Toyota began to expand in the 1960s with a new research and development facility, a presence in Thailand was established, the 10 millionth model was produced, a Deming Prize and partnerships with Hino Motors and Daihatsu were also established. The first Toyota built outside Japan was in April 1963, at Port Melbourne in Australia.[19] By the end of the decade, Toyota had established a worldwide presence, as the company had exported its one-millionth unit.

With high gas prices and a weak US economy in the summer of 2008, Toyota reported a double-digit decline in sales for the month of June, similar to figures reported by the Detroit Big Three. For Toyota, these were attributed mainly to slow sales of its Tundra pickup, as well as shortages of its fuel-efficient vehicles such as the Prius, Corolla and Yaris. In response, the company has announced plans to idle its truck plants, while shifting production at other facilities to manufacture in-demand vehicles.[20][21][22][23]

[edit] Company overview
Concept i-unit
Concept PM

The Toyota Motor Company was awarded its first Japanese Quality Control Award at the start 1980s and began participating in a wide variety of Motorsports. Due to the 1973 oil crisis consumers in the lucrative U.S. market began turning to small cars with better fuel economy. American car manufacturers had considered small economy cars to be an "entry level" product, and their small vehicles were made to a low level of quality in order to keep the price low. Japanese customers, however, had a long-standing tradition of demanding small fuel-efficient cars that were manufactured to a high level of quality.[citation needed] Because of this, companies like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan established a growing presence in North America in the 1970s.[citation needed]

In 1982, the Toyota Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales merged into one company, the Toyota Motor Corporation. Two years later, Toyota entered into a joint venture with GM called NUMMI, the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc, operating an automobile manufacturing plant in Fremont, California. The factory was an old General Motors plant that had been closed for several years. Toyota then started to establish new brands at the end of the 1980s, with the launch of their luxury division Lexus in 1989.

In the 1990s Toyota began to branch out from producing mostly compact cars by adding many larger and more luxurious vehicles to its lineup, including a full sized pickup, the T100 (and later the Tundra), several lines of SUVs, a sport version of the Camry, known as the Camry Solara, and the Scion brand, a group of several affordable, yet sporty, automobiles targeted specifically to young adults. Toyota also began production of the world's best selling hybrid car, the Prius, in 1997.

With a major presence with Europe, due to the success of Toyota Team Europe, the corporation decided to set up TMME, Toyota Motor Europe Marketing & Engineering, to help market vehicles in the continent. Two years later, Toyota set up a base in the United Kingdom, TMUK, as the company's cars had become very popular among British drivers. Bases in Indiana, Virginia and Tianjin were also set up. In 1999, the company decided to list itself on the New York and London Stock Exchange.
With over 30 million sold, the Corolla is one of the best selling cars in the world.

In 2001, Toyota's Toyo Trust and Banking merged to form the UFJ, United Financials of Japan, which was accused of corruption by the Japan's government for making bad loans to alleged Yakuza crime syndicates with executives accused of blocking Financial Service Agency inspections.[24] The UFJ was listed among Fortune Magazine's largest money-losing corporations in the world, with Toyota's chairman serving as a director.[25] At the time, the UFJ was one of the largest shareholders of Toyota. As a result of Japan's banking crisis, the UFJ was merged again to become Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

In 2002, Toyota managed to enter a Formula One works team and establish joint ventures with French motoring companies Citroën and Peugeot, a year after Toyota started producing cars in France.

Toyota ranked eight on Forbes 2000 list of worlds leading companies for the year 2005.[26] The company was number one in global automobile sales for the first quarter of 2008.[27]

On December 7, 2004, a U.S. press release was issued stating that Toyota would be offering Sirius Satellite Radios. However, as late as Jan. 27, 2007, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite radio kits were not available for Toyota factory radios.[citation needed] While the press release enumerated nine models, only limited availability existed at the dealer level in the U.S. As of 2008, all Toyota and Scion models have either standard or available XM radio kits. Major Lexus dealerships have been offering satellite radio kits for Lexus vehicles since 2005, in addition to factory-equipped satellite radio models.

In 2007, Toyota released an update of its full size truck, the Tundra, produced in two American factories, one in Texas and one in Indiana. "Motor Trend" named the Tundra "Truck of the Year," and the 2007 Toyota Camry "Car of the Year" for 2007. It also began the construction of two new factories, one to build the RAV4 in Woodstock, Ontario and the other to build the Toyota Highlander in Blue Springs, Mississippi. The company has also found recent success with its smaller models - the Corolla and Yaris - as gas prices have risen rapidly in the last few years.
source from: www.wikipedia.org

2008-11-30T01:29:00.001-08:00

2008-11-30T00:59:00.000-08:00

HISTORY OF FORD MOTOR

Early Developments
Ford was launched in a converted factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John and Horace Dodge, who would later found the Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicle Company. Henry Ford was 40 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company, which would go on to become one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world, as well as being one of the few to survive the Great Depression. The largest family-controlled company in the world, the Ford Motor Company has been in continuous family control for over 100 years.
During its early years, the company produced a range of vehicles designated, chronologically, from the Ford Model A (1903) to the Model K and Model S (Ford's last right-hand steering model)[1] of 1907.[2] The K, Ford's first six-cylinder model, was knows as "the gentleman's roadster" and "the silent cyclone", and sold for US$2800;[3] by contrast, around that time, the Enger 40 was priced at US$2000,[4] the Colt Runabout US$1500,[5] the high-volume Oldsmobile Runabout [6] US$650, Western's Gale Model A US$500,[7] and the Success hit the amazingly low US$250.[8]
The next year, Henry Ford introduced the Model T. Earlier models were produced at a rate of only a few a day at a rented factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, with groups of two or three men working on each car from components made to order by other companies (what would come to be called an "assembled car"). The first Model Ts were built at the Piquette Road Manufacturing Plant, the first company-owned factory. In its first full year of production, 1909, about 18,000 Model Ts were built. As demand for the car grew, the company moved production to the much larger Highland Park Plant, and in 1911, the first year of operation there, 69,762[9] Model Ts were produced, with 170,211 in 1912.[10] By 1913, the company had developed all of the basic techniques of the assembly line and mass production. Ford introduced the world's first moving assembly line that year, which reduced chassis assembly time from 12½ hours in October to 2 hours 40 minutes (and ultimately 1 hour, 33 minutes),[11] and boosted annual output to 202,667 units that year[12] After a Ford ad promised profit-sharing if sales hit 300,000 between August 1914 and August 1915,[13] sales in 1914 hit 308,162, and 501,462 in 1915;[14] by 1920, production would exceed one million a year.
These innovations were hard on employees, and turnover of workers was very high, while increased productivity actually reduced labor demand.[15] Turnover meant delays and extra costs of training, and use of slow workers. In January 1914, Ford solved the employee turnover problem by doubling pay to $5 a day, cutting shifts from nine hours to an eight hour day for a 5 day work week (which also increased sales; a line worker could buy a T with under four months' pay),[16] and instituting hiring practices that identified the best workers, including disabled people considered unemployable by other firms.[17] Employee turnover plunged, productivity soared, and with it, the cost per vehicle plummeted. Ford cut prices again and again and invented the system of franchised dealers who were loyal to his brand name. Wall Street had criticized Ford's generous labor practices when he began paying workers enough to buy the products they made.[18]

Ford assembly line (1913)
While Ford attained international status in 1904 with the founding of Ford of Canada, it was in 1911 the company began to rapidly expand overseas, with the opening of assembly plants in England and France, followed by Denmark (1923), Germany (1925), Austria (1925),[19] and Argentina (1925),[20] and also in South Africa (1924)[21] and Australia (1925) as subsidiaries of Ford of Canada due to preferential tariff rules for Commonwealth countries. By the end of 1919, Ford was producing 50 percent of all cars in the United States, and 40% of all British ones;[22] by 1920, half of all cars in the U.S. were Model Ts. (The low price also killed the cyclecar in the U.S.)[23] The assembly line transformed the industry; soon, companies without it risked bankruptcy. Of 200 U.S. car makers in 1920, only 17 were left in 1940.[24]
It also transformed technology. Henry Ford is reported to have said, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black." Before the assembly line, Ts had been available in a variety of colors, including red, blue, and green, but ironically, not black. Now, paint had become a production bottleneck; only Japan Black dried quickly enough, and not until Duco lacquer appeared in 1926 would other colors reappear on the T.[25]
In 1915, Henry Ford went on a peace mission to Europe aboard a ship, joining other pacifists in efforts to stop World War I. This led to an increase in his personal popularity. Ford would subsequently go on to support the war effort with the Model T becoming the underpinnings for Allied military vehicles.

[edit] History of the Blue Oval
The Ford oval trademark was first introduced in 1907. The 1928 Model A was the first vehicle to sport an early version of the Ford script in the oval badge. The dark blue background of the oval is known to designers as Pantone 294C. The Ford script is credited to Childe Harold Wills, Ford's first chief engineer and designer. He created a script in 1903 based on the one he used for his business cards. Today, the oval has evolved into a perfect oval with a width-to-height ratio of 8:3. The current Centennial Oval was introduced on June 17, 2003 as part of the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor Company.[26]

[edit] Post World War I Developments
In 1919, Edsel Ford succeeded his father as president of the company, although Henry still kept a hand in management. Although prices were kept low through highly efficient engineering, the company used an old-fashioned personalized management system, and neglected consumer demand for improved vehicles. So, while four wheel brakes were invented by Arrol-Johnson (and were used on the 1909 Argyll),[27] they did not appear on a Ford until 1927. (To be fair, Chevrolet waited until 1928.)[28] Ford steadily lost market share to GM and Chrysler, as these and other domestic and foreign competitors began offering fresher automobiles with more innovative features and luxury options. GM had a range of models from relatively cheap to luxury, tapping all price points in the spectrum, while less wealthy people purchased used Model Ts. The competitors also opened up new markets by extending credit for purchases, so consumers could buy these expensive automobiles with monthly payments. Ford initially resisted this approach, insisting such debts would ultimately hurt the consumer and the general economy. Ford eventually relented and started offering the same terms in December 1927, when Ford unveiled the redesigned Model A, and retired the Model T after producing 15 million units.

[edit] Lincoln Motor Company
On February 4, 1922 Ford expanded its reach into the luxury auto market through its acquisition of the Lincoln Motor Company, named for Abraham Lincoln whom Henry Ford admired, and the Mercury division was established in 1938 to serve the mid-price auto market.[29] Ford Motor Company built the largest museum of American History in 1928, The Henry Ford.
Henry Ford would go on to acquire Abraham Lincoln's chair, which he was assassinated in, from the owners of the Ford Theatre. Abraham Lincoln's chair would be displayed along with John F. Kennedy's Lincoln limousine in the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village in Dearborn, known today as The Henry Ford. Kennedy's limousine was leased to the White House by Ford.

[edit] Soviet Fords and the Gorki
In May 1929 the Soviet Union signed an agreement with the Ford Motor Company. Under its terms, the Soviets agreed to purchase $13 million worth of automobiles and parts, while Ford agreed to give technical assistance until 1938 to construct an integrated automobile-manufacturing plant at Nizhny Novgorod. Many American engineers and skilled auto workers moved to the Soviet Union to work on the plant and its production lines, which was named Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (GAZ), or Gorki Automotive Plant in 1932. A few American workers stayed on after the plant's completion, and eventually became victims of Stalin's Great Terror, either shot[30] or exiled to Soviet gulags.[31] In 1933, the Soviets completed construction on a production line for the Ford Model-A passenger car, called the GAZ-A, and a light truck, the GAZ-AA. Both these Ford models were immediately adopted for military use. By the late 1930s production at Gorki was 80,000-90,000 "Russian Ford" vehicles per year. With its original Ford-designed vehicles supplemented by imports and domestic copies of imported equipment, the Gorki operations eventually produced a range of automobiles, trucks, and military vehicles.

[edit] World War II
President Franklin Roosevelt referred to Detroit as the "Arsenal of Democracy." The Ford Motor Company played a pivotal role in the allied victory during World War I and World War II. As a pacifist, Henry Ford had said war was a waste of time, and did not want to profit from it. He was concerned the Nazis during the 1930s might nationalize his factories in Germany. During the Great Depression Ford's wages may have seemed great to his employees but many of the rules of the factories were very harsh and strict. Those were tense times for American companies doing business in Europe. In the spring of 1939, the Nazis assumed day to day control of Ford factories in Germany.
With Europe under siege, Henry Ford's genius would be turned to mass production for the war effort. After Bantam invented the Jeep, the War Department handed production over to Ford. When Consolidated Aircraft could at most build one B-24 Liberator a day, Ford would show the world how to produce one an hour, at a peak of 600 per month in 24 hour shifts. The specially-designed Willow Run plant broke ground in April 1941. At the time, it was the largest assembly line in the world, with over 3,500,000 square feet (330,000 m2) under one roof. Edsel Ford, under severe stress, died in the Spring of 1943 of stomach cancer, prompting his grieving father to resume day-to-day control of Ford. Mass production of the B-24 began by August 1943. Many pilots slept on cots waiting for takeoff as B-24s rolled off the line.[32]

[edit] Post World War II Developments
At the behest of Edsel Ford's widow Eleanor and Henry's wife Clara, Henry Ford would make his oldest grandson, Henry Ford II, President of Ford Motor Company.

A Ford Taurus, one of Ford's best-selling models. In its 21 year lifespan, it sold 7,000,000 units. It is the 4th best selling car in Ford's history, behind only the F-150, the Model T, and the Mustang.
Henry Ford II served as President from 1945–1960, and as Chairman and CEO from 1960–1980. "Hank the Deuce" led Ford to become a publicly traded corporation in 1956. However, the Ford family maintains about 40 percent controlling interest in the company, through a series of Special Class B preferred stocks.
In 1947, Henry Ford died. According to A&E Biography, an estimated 7 million people mourned his death.
Ernest Breech was hired in 1946 and became the Executive Vice President. Then later became Board Chairman in 1955.
In 1946, Robert McNamara joined Ford Motor Company as manager of planning and financial analysis. He advanced rapidly through a series of top-level management positions to the presidency of Ford on 9 November 1960, one day after John F. Kennedy's election. The first company head selected outside the Ford family, McNamara had gained the favor of Henry Ford II, and had aided in Ford's expansion and success in the postwar period. Less than five weeks after becoming president at Ford, he accepted Kennedy's invitation to join his cabinet, as Secretary of Defense.
In the 1950s, Ford introduced the iconic Thunderbird in 1955 and the Edsel brand automobile line in 1958. Edsel was cancelled after less than 27 months in the marketplace in November 1960. The corporation bounced back from the failure of the Edsel by introducing its compact Ford Falcon in 1960 and the Mustang in 1964. By 1967, Ford of Europe was established.
Lee Iacocca was involved with the design of several successful Ford automobiles, most notably the Ford Mustang. He was also the "moving force," as one court put it, behind the notorious Ford Pinto. He promoted other ideas which did not reach the marketplace as Ford products. Eventually, he became the president of the Ford Motor Company, but he clashed with Henry Ford II and ultimately, on July 13, 1978, he was famously fired by Henry II, despite Ford posting a $2.2 billion dollar profit for the year. In 1979 Phil Caldwell became Chairman, succeeded in 1985 by Don Petersen.
Harold Poling served as Chairman and CEO from 1990-1993. Alex Trotman was Chairman and CEO from 1993-1998, and Jacques Nasser served at the helm from 1999-2001. Henry Ford's great-grandson, William Clay Ford Jr., is the company's current Chairman of the Board and was CEO until September 5, 2006, when he named Alan Mulally from Boeing as his successor. As of 2006, the Ford family owns about 5 percent of Ford's shares and controls about 40 percent of the voting power through a separate class of stock.[33]
In December 2006, Ford announced that it would mortgage all assets, including factories and equipment, office property, intellectual property (patents and trademark), and its stakes in subsidiaries, to raise $23.4 billion in cash. The secured credit line is expected to finance product development during the restructuring through 2009, as the company expects to burn through $17 billion in cash before turning a profit. The action was unprecedented in the company's 103 year history.[34]

[edit] General Corporate Timeline

Henry Ford and the Quadricycle

1896 Quadricycle at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI

1903 Ford Model A

Ford Model T ad - ca 1908

1930 Ford Model A Fordor

The Ford Australia plant under construction in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 1926

Mustang Serial #1 - The First Mustang

Ford provides Econoline framework chasses for ambulances
1896: Henry Ford builds his first vehicle – the Quadracycle – on a buggy frame with 4 bicycle wheels.
1898: Henry Ford creates the Detroit Automobile Company; two and a half years later it is dissolved.
1901: Henry Ford wins high-profile car race in Grosse Pointe, Mi
1901: The Henry Ford Company is incorporated but discontinued the following year only to be reinvigorated by Henry Leland as the Cadillac Motor Company
1903: Ford Motor Company incorporated with 11 original investors. The original Model A "Fordmobile" is introduced - 1,708 cars are produced.
1904: Ford Motor Company of Canada incorporated in Walkerville, Ontario
1904: Henry Ford teams up with Harvey Firestone of Firestone Tires
1906: Ford becomes the top selling brand in the US, with 8,729 cars produced.
1908: Model T is introduced. 15 million are produced through 1927.
1909: Ford Motor Company (England) established, otherwise referred to as Ford of Britain
1911: Ford opens first factory outside North America – in Manchester, England.
1913: The moving assembly line is introduced at Highland Park assembly plant, making Model T production 8 times faster.
1913: Ford opens second world branch in Argentina as Ford Motor Argentina
1914: Ford introduces $5 workday minimum wage – double the existing rate.
1918: Construction of the Rouge assembly complex begins.
1919: Edsel Ford succeeds Henry as Company President.
1921: Ford production exceeds 1 million cars per year, nearly 10 times more than Chevrolet - the next biggest selling brand.
1922: Ford purchases Lincoln Motor Company for US $8 million.
1925: Ford introduces Ford Tri-Motor airplane for airline services
1926: Ford Australia is founded in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
1927: Model T production ends, Ford introduces the next generation Model A, from the Rouge complex.
1929: Ford regains production crown, with production peaking at 1.5 million cars
1931: Ford and Chevy brands begin to alternate as US production leaders, in battle for automobile sales during the Great Depression.
1932: Ford introduces the one-piece cast V8 block.
1936: Lincoln-Zephyr is introduced.
1938: The German consul at Cleveland gave Henry Ford the award of the Grand Cross of the German Eagle, the highest medal that Nazi Germany could bestow on a foreigner
1939: Mercury division is formed to fill the gap between economical Fords and luxury Lincolns. Operated as a division at Ford until 1945
1941: The Lincoln Continental is introduced. Ford begins building general purpose "jeep" for the military. First labor agreement with UAW-CIO covers North American employees.
1942: Production of civilian vehicles halted, diverting factory capacity to producing B-24 Liberator bombers, tanks, and other products for the war effort.
1943: Edsel Ford dies of cancer at the age of 49, Henry Ford resumes presidency.
1945: Henry Ford II becomes president.
1945: Lincoln and Mercury are combined into a single division.
1946: The Whiz Kids, former US Army Air Force officers, are hired to revitalize the company. Automobile production resumes.
1947: Henry Ford dies of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 83; Henry Ford II becomes new chairman.
1948: F-1 Truck introduced. Lincoln Continental is introduced.
1949: The '49 Ford introduces all-new post-war era cars. The "Woody" station wagon is introduced.
1954: Thunderbird introduced as a personal luxury car with a V8. Ford begins crash testing, and opens Arizona Proving Grounds.
1956: $10,000 Lincoln Continental Mark II introduced. Ford goes public with common stock shares.
1957: Ford launches the Edsel brand of automobiles in the fall of 1957 as 1958 models. Ford is top selling brand, with 1.68 million automobiles produced.
1959: Ford Credit Corporation formed to provide automotive financing.
1959: Ford withdraws the 1960 model Edsels from the market in November 1959.
1960: Ford Galaxie and compact Ford Falcon introduced.
1960: Robert Mcnamara is appointed President of Ford by Chairman Henry Ford II.
1960: Ford President Robert McNamara appointed Secretary of Defense by President elect John F. Kennedy.
1964: Ford Mustang creates pony car segment, Ford GT40 challenges Ferrari and Porsche at LeMans.
1965: Ford brand US sales exceed 2 million units.
1965: Ford Galaxie 500 LTD debuts, advertised as quieter than a Rolls Royce
1966: Ford Bronco sport utility vehicle introduced.
1967: Ford of Europe is established.
1968: Lincoln Mark Series is introduced as the company's first personal luxury car to compete with the Cadillac Eldorado
1970: Ford establishes Asia Pacific operations.
1973: Ford US brand sales reaches an all time high of 2.35 million vehicles produced.
1974: Ford Mustang II debuts as a smaller more economical pony car.
1975: Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch introduced, Maverick continues
1972: Retractable seat belts introduced.
1979: Ford acquires 25% stake in Mazda.
1981: The Lincoln Town Car and Ford Escort are introduced.
1984: Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz are introduced.
1985: Merkur name launched based on several successful European vehicles.
1985: Ford Taurus introduced with dramatic "aero design" styling, along with Ford Aerostar minivan.
1987: Ford acquires Aston Martin Lagonda and Hertz Rent-a-Car.
1988: Ford Festiva, built in Korea by Kia is introduced.
1989: Ford acquires Jaguar. Mazda MX-5 Miata is unveiled.
1990: Ford Aerostar is Motor Trend's Truck Of The Year, while Lincoln Town Car is Motor Trend's Car Of The Year.
1990: Merkur brand of automobiles production discontinued.
1991: Ford Explorer is introduced, turning the traditionally rural and recreational SUV into a popular family vehicle.
1992: Ford Taurus becomes America's top selling car, displacing the Honda Accord.
1994: Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz are discontinued - replaced by Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.
1994: Ford Aspire replaces Festiva, becoming the first car in its class to offer standard dual air bags and optional 4-wheel ABS.
1995: Ford's first front wheel drive V8 sedan is introduced, the 4.6L V8-powered Lincoln Continental.
1995: New front wheel drive Ford Windstar minivan is introduced. Aerostar remains in production. Redesigned Ford Explorer released, now with standard safety features such as dual air bags, 4-wheel ABS as standard equipment.
1996: Ford certifies all plants in 26 countries to ISO 9000 quality and ISO 14001 environmental standards. The V12-powered Jaguar XJS is discontinued.
1996: Controversially redesigned "Ovoid" Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable are introduced. Exit of Chevrolet Caprice leaves full size fleet market to Ford Crown Victoria.
1996: Ford increases investment stake in a troubled Mazda Corporation to a controlling interest of 33.4%.
1997: Full size 4-door SUV Ford Expedition introduced replace the Ford Bronco.Mercury Mountaineer introduced. Redesigned Ford Escort and Mercury Tracer also introduced.
1997: Ford Aerostar production ends, along with Ford Probe, Ford Thunderbird, Mercury Cougar, Mazda MX-6, and Ford Aspire, without immediate replacement.
1997: Sculpted redesign of Ford's top-selling F-150 pickup, overcomes controversy to set sales records.
1998: Lincoln Navigator creates domestic luxury SUV class. Mark VIII is in its final year, introduces HID-headlamps.
1999: Ford acquires Volvo car division from Volvo. Bill Ford becomes Chairman of the Board, replacing Jacques Nasser.
1999: A smaller sporty Mercury Cougar is reintroduced with front wheel drive.
1999: Jaguar Racing Formula One team is formed, with Jackie Stewart at the helm.
1999: Ford splits its full-sized pick-ups into two distinct models (the first to do so) with the introduction of the Ford F-Series Super Duty (F-250 - F-550). Ford Excursion (based on Super Duty) is introduced, and has the distinction of being the largest SUV sold anywhere.
2000: Ford purchases Land Rover brand from BMW. Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type are introduced, along with a refreshed Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. The Lincoln LS becomes the 2000 Motor Trend Car of the Year.
2001: Retro-styled Ford Thunderbird is introduced, based on the Lincoln LS/Jaguar S-Type DEW98 platform, and is also named Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2002.
2002: Lincoln Continental is discontinued after a roughly fifty year run. Jaguar X-Type is introduced (first AWD Jaguar).
2003: Ford Motor Company's 100th Anniversary. The Ford GT is released, along with limited Centennial editions of some Ford vehicles.
2004: Jaguar Racing team sold to Red Bull GmbH. Ranger sales decline, losing the title as top-selling compact pickup. The similar Mazda B-series pickup is withdrawn from the US market. The Ford Escape Hybrid, the first gasoline-electric hybrid SUV, is introduced. Major redesign of the Ford F-150 and introduction of the Lincoln Mark LT. Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans are introduced, replacing the Ford Windstar and Mercury Villager.
2005: Ford Mustang redesigned with retro styling reminiscent of the 1960s models. The Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego, and Ford Freestyle are introduced. Mercury Sable production ends, and Ford Taurus production is limited to rental car, taxi, and other fleet sales.
2006: Ford Taurus ends production after a 20-year run. Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr introduced. Ford announces major restructuring program The Way Forward, which includes plans to shut unprofitable factories. Bill Ford steps down as CEO, remains as Executive Chairman. Alan Mulally elected President and CEO. Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans are discontinued without replacement. Ford mortgages all assets to raise $23.4 billion cash in secured credit lines, in order to finance product development during restructuring through 2009.[34] According to J. D. Power and Associates quality surveys, the Ford Fusion is rated higher in quality than its chief rivals, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
2007: Ford reports losses of $12.7 billion for 2006. Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX introduced. The Lincoln Zephyr is replaced with the Lincoln MKZ. A redesigned Ford Expedition (including the longer wheelbase "EL" version) and Lincoln Navigator are introduced. Ford unveils the Ford Interceptor and Lincoln MKR concept cars, and a pre-production Lincoln MKS is introduced. The Ford Five Hundred, Ford Freestyle and Mercury Montego nameplates are dropped and replaced with the previously retired Ford Taurus, Ford Taurus X, and Mercury Sable nameplates.[35]
2007: Ford sells Aston Martin to a British consortium led by Prodrive chairman David Richards,[36] and announces plans to sell Jaguar and Land Rover.
2008: Ford Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors. Ford announces plans to sell Volvo.
Sources:
General Timeline (through 2002): Ford Motor Company 2002 Annual Report
Production figures: U.S. Automobile Production Figures

source from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ford

2008-11-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

History

[edit] The origins of Datsun

Further information: Nissan

Before the Datsun brand name came into being, an automobile named the DAT car was built in 1914, by the Kwaishinsha Motorcar Works (快進自動車工場, Kaishin Jidōsha Kōjō), in the Azabu-Hiroo District in Tokyo. The new car's name was an acronym of the company's partners' surnames:

Kenjiro Den (田健次郎, Den Kenjirō)
Rokuro Aoyama (青山禄朗, Aoyama Rokurō)
Meitaro Takeuchi (竹内明太郎, Takeuchi Meitarō).

The firm was renamed Kwaishinsha Motorcar Co. in 1918, seven years after their establishment and again, in 1925, to DAT Motorcar Co. DAT Motors constructed trucks in addition to the DAT passenger cars. In fact, their output focused on trucks since there was almost no consumer market for passenger cars at the time. Beginning in 1918, the first DAT trucks were assembled for the military market. The low demand from the military market during the 1920s forced DAT to consider merging with other automotive industries. In 1926 the Tokyo-based DAT Motors merged with the Osaka-based Jitsuyo Jidosha Co., Ltd. (実用自動車製造株式会社, Jitsuyō Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha) also known as Jitsuyo Motors (established 1919, as a Kubota subsidiary) to become DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (ダット自動車製造株式会社, Datto Jidōsha Seizō Kabushiki-Gaisha) in Osaka until 1932.

In 1930, Japan created a ministerial ordinance that allowed cars with engines up to 500 cc to be driven without a licence. (TOGO, pg. 11). In 1931 DAT Automobile Manufacturing began production of 495 cc cars to sell in this market segment. They had been selling full size cars to Japanese consumers under the DAT name since 1914 (Madely, pg. 19), so the new small cars were called "Datson" - meaning "Son of DAT". The name was changed to "Datsun" two years later in 1933.(Madely, pg. 20)

The first prototype Datson was completed in the summer of 1931.(Nissan). The production vehicle was called the Datson Type 10, and "approximately ten" of these cars were sold in 1931. (JSAE). They sold around 150 cars in 1932, now calling the model the Datson Type 11(JSAE). In 1933 the government rules were revised to permit 750 cc engines, and Nissan increased the size of their microcar engine to the maximum size allowed (JSAE). These larger displacement cars were called the Datsun Type 12.(Nissan Heritage)

[edit] Datsun in the American market

The use of the Datsun name in the American market derives from the name Nissan used for its production cars. In fact, the cars produced by Nissan already used the Datsun brand name, a successful brand in Japan since 1932, long before World War II. In fact before the entry into the American market in 1958, Nissan did not produce cars under the Nissan brand name, but only trucks. Their in-house designed cars were always branded as Datsuns. Hence, for Nissan executives it would be only natural to use such a successful name when exporting models to the United States. Only in the 1960s did Nissan begin to brand some automobile models as Nissans, and these were limited to their high-end models, for example the Cedric luxury sedan. In America, the Nissan branch was named "Nissan Motor Corporation in U.S.A.", and chartered on September 28, 1960, in California. Nissan may have had no problems with using the name Nissan in America, but the small cars the firm exported to America were still named Datsun.

Corporate choice favoured “Datsun”, so as to distance the parent factory Nissan’s association by Americans with Japanese military manufacture. In fact Nissan's involvement in Japan's military industries was substantial. The company's car production at the Yokohama plant shifted towards military needs just a few years after the first passenger cars rolled off the assembly line, on April 11, 1935. By 1939 Nissan's operations had moved to Manchuria, then under Japanese occupation, where its founder and President, Yoshisuke Ayukawa, established the Manchurian Motor Company to manufacture military trucks.

Ayukawa, a well connected and aggressive risk taker, also made himself a principal partner of the Japanese Colonial Government of Manchukuo.^[2] Ultimately, Nissan Heavy Industries emerged near the end of the war as an important player in Japan’s war machinery. After the war ended, Soviet Union seized all of Nissan’s Manchuria assets, while the Occupation Forces made use of over half of the Yokohama plant. General MacArthur had Ayukawa imprisoned for twenty-one months as a war criminal. After release he was forbidden from returning to any corporate or public office until 1951. He was never allowed back into Nissan, which returned to passenger car manufacture in 1947 and to its original name of Nissan Motor Company Ltd. in 1949.

Datsun Fairlady

American service personnel in their teens or early twenties during the Second World War would be in prime car-buying age by 1960, if only to find an economical, small second car for their growing family needs. Yutaka Katayama, (Mr. "K") former president of Nissan's American operations, would have had his personal second world war experiences in mind supporting the name Datsun. Katayama's visit to Nissan’s Manchuria truck factory in 1939, made him realise the appalling conditions of the assembly lines, leading him to abandon the firm.^[3] In 1945, near the end of the war, Katayama was ordered to return to the Manchurian plant, however he rebuffed these calls and refused to return.

Datsun 240Z (USDM) or Fairlady Z (JDM)

Katayama desired to build and sell passenger cars to people, not to the military; for him it was the name "Datsun" that survived the war with its purity intact, not "Nissan". This obviously led Katayama to have problems with the corporate management. The discouragement felt by Katayama as regards his prospects at Nissan, led to his going on the verge of resigning, when Datsun’s 1958 Australian Mobilgas victories vaunted him, as leader of the winning Datsun teams, to national prominence in a Japan bent on regaining international status.

Katayama was made Vice President of the Nissan North American company in 1960, and as long as he was involved in decision making, both as North American Vice President from 1960 to 1965, and then President of Nissan Motor Company – USA from 1965 to 1975, the cars were sold as Datsuns. “What we need to do is improve our car’s efficiency gradually and creep up slowly before others notice. Then, before Detroit realizes it, we will have become an excellent car maker, and the customers will think so too. If we work hard to sell our own cars, we won’t be bothered by whatever the other manufacturers do. If all we do is worry about the other cars in the race, we will definitely lose.”^[4]

[edit] Rebranding

Datsun 720

In Japan, there appears to have been what probably constituted a long held 'official' company bias against use of the name “Datsun”.^[5] At the time, Kawamata was a veteran of Nissan, in the last year of his presidency, a powerful figure whose experience in the firm exceeded two decades. His rise to its leadership position occurred in 1957 in part because of his handling of the critical Nissan worker’s strike that began May 25, 1953, and ran for 100 days. During his tenure as Nissan President, Kawamata stated that he "regretted that his company did not imprint its corporate name on cars, the way Toyota does. ‘Looking back, we wish we had started using Nissan on all of our cars,’ he says. ‘But Datsun was a pet name for the cars when we started exporting.’ ”^[6]

Ultimately, the decision was made to stop using the brand name Datsun worldwide, in order to strengthen the company name Nissan.

“The decision to change the name Datsun to Nissan in the U.S. was announced in the fall of 1981. The rationale was that the name change would help the pursuit of a global strategy. A single name worldwide would increase the possibility that advertising campaigns, brochures, and promotional materials could be used across countries and simplify product design and manufacturing. Further, potential buyers would be exposed to the name and product when traveling to other countries. Industry observers, however, speculated that the most important motivation was that a name change would help Nissan market stocks and bonds in the U.S. They also presumed substantial ego involvement, since the absence of the Nissan name in the U.S. surely rankled Nissan executives who had seen Toyota and Honda become household words.”^[7]

Ultimately, the name change campaign lasted for a three year period from 1982 to 1984, and cost Nissan a figure in the region of US$500 million. Operational costs included the changing of signs at 1,100 Datsun dealerships, and amounted to US$30 million. Another US$200 million were spent during the 1982 to 1986 advertising campaigns, where the “Datsun, We Are Driven!” campaign yielded to “The Name is Nissan” campaign. (“The Name is Nissan” campaign was used for some years beyond 1985). Another US$50 million was lost in Datsun advertisements that were paid for but stopped or never used. A final large yet indefinite cost is assumed to have occurred from “brand confusion” as some North American buyers simply avoided the Datsun, Datsun by Nissan, or Nissan automobile altogether during this time period. If Nissan lost 0.3% (three tenths of one percent) of sales due to the confusion during the transitional period, the lost revenue would still amount to several hundred million dollars. Five years after the name change program was over, Datsun still remained more familiar than Nissan.^[8]

source from: www.wikipedia.org

2008-11-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

History

[edit] The F1 project

The first LS 400 flagship sedan debuted in 1989, introducing Lexus to the world.

In 1983, Toyota Chairman Eiji Toyoda summoned a secret meeting of company executives, to whom he posed the question, “Can we create a luxury vehicle to challenge the world's best?”^[12]^[3] This question prompted Toyota to embark on a top-secret project, codenamed F1 (“Flagship” and “No. 1 vehicle”).^[13] The F1 project, which eventually became known as the Lexus LS 400, aimed to develop a luxury car that would expand Toyota’s product line, giving it a foothold in the premium segment and offering both longtime and new customers an upmarket product.^[14] The F1 project followed the success of the Toyota Supra sports car and the luxury Toyota Cressida models.^[15] Both the Supra and Cressida were rear-wheel drive cars with a powerful 7M-GE/7M-GTE engine. The U.S. launch of the Acura marque by Honda three years prior also influenced Toyota in its plans for a luxury division.^[16] Around this same time, Nissan would unveil plans to create its own luxury division, Infiniti, while Mazda also considered developing a luxury division, to be called Amati.^[17]

Toyota researchers visited the U.S. in May 1985 to conduct focus groups and market research on luxury consumers.^[18] That summer, several F1 designers rented a home in Laguna Beach, California, to observe the lifestyles and tastes of American upper-class consumers.^[18] Toyota’s market research concluded that a separate brand and sales channel was needed to present its new luxury flagship, and plans were made to develop a new network of dealerships in the U.S. market.^[19]

[edit] Brand development

The grille of a Lexus IS featuring the Lexus emblem.

In 1986, Toyota’s longtime advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi formed a specialized unit, Team One, to handle marketing for the new luxury brand.^[20] Image consulting firm Lippincott & Margulies was hired to develop a list of 219 prospective names; Vectre, Verone, Chaparel, Calibre and Alexis were chosen as top candidates.^[21] While Alexis quickly became the front runner (also associated with the Alexis Carrington character on the popular 1980s primetime drama Dynasty) and later morphed to Lexus,^[21] the name has been attributed to the combination of the words "luxury" and "elegance."^[22] According to Team One interviews, the name has no specific meaning and simply denotes a luxurious and technological image,^[21] although Lexus in Australia claim the original name is short for Luxury Export to United States. (LExUS).

Just prior to the release of the first vehicles, database service LexisNexis obtained a temporary injunction forbidding the name Lexus from being used as they stated it might cause confusion.^[23] Upon reflection, the court lifted the injunction, deciding that there was a low likelihood of confusion between the two products.^[23]

The original Lexus slogan, developed after Team One representatives visited Lexus designers in Japan and noted their obsessive attention to detail, became "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection."^[24]

The Lexus logo was developed by Molly Designs and Hunter Communications.^[25]^[26] The final design for the Lexus logo featured a stylized “L” within an oval, and according to Toyota was rendered using a precise mathematical formula.^[21] The first teaser ads featuring the Lexus name and logo, designed by Team One, appeared at the Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York auto shows in 1988.^[27]

[edit] Launch

In 1989, Lexus showcased the smoothness of its V8 engines by placing champagne glasses on the hood of an accelerating LS 400.

In 1989, after an extended development process involving 60 designers, 24 engineering teams, 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians, 220 support workers, around 450 prototypes, and over $1 billion in costs, the F1 project was completed.^[28] The resulting flagship, the Lexus LS 400, had a unique design, sharing no major elements with previous Toyota vehicles, with a new 4.0 L V8 gasoline engine and rear-wheel drive.^[29]^[30] Testing locations for the LS 400 included the German autobahn.^[31]

The LS 400 debuted in January 1989 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.^[17] The following September, Lexus vehicles officially went on sale at a network of 81 new Lexus dealerships across the U.S.^[32] The LS 400 was sold along with a smaller sibling, the Toyota Camry-based ES 250.^[31] The launch of Lexus was heralded by a multi-million dollar advertising campaign in both television and print media.^[33] Lexus subsequently began sales in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia starting in 1990.^[31]^[34]

The LS 400 was widely praised for its silence, well-appointed and ergonomic interior, engine performance, build quality, aerodynamics, fuel economy, and value,^[31]^[35] though it was criticized by some automobile columnists for anonymous styling and a suspension regarded as too compromising of handling for ride comfort.^[17]^[31] The LS 400 debuted at $38,000 in the U.S. (in some markets, it was priced against mid-sized six cylinder Mercedes-Benz and BMW models),^[36] and was rated by Car and Driver magazine as better than both the $63,000 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL and the $55,000 BMW 735i in terms of ride, handling and performance.^[37] It was generally regarded as a major shock to the European marques; BMW and Mercedes-Benz's U.S. sales figures dropped 29% and 19%, respectively, with the then-BMW chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim accusing Lexus of dumping in that market.^[37] The LS 400 also won several major motoring awards when released.^[38]^[39]

In 1990, during its first full-year of sales, Lexus sold 63,594 LS 400 and ES 250 sedans in the U.S.,^[40] the vast majority being of the LS model.^[40] By 1991, sales had increased to 71,206 cars in the U.S. market,^[40] making Lexus the top-selling luxury import in the U.S.^[41] That same year, Lexus earned first place in J.D. Power’s studies on initial vehicle quality, customer satisfaction, and sales satisfaction.^[42]

^{source from: www.wikipedia.org}

FORD

2008-10-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

History

Main article: History of Ford Motor Company

Ford was launched in a converted factory in 1903 with $28,000 in cash from twelve investors, most notably John and Horace Dodge (who would later found their own car company). During its early years, the company produced just a few cars a day at its factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Groups of two or three men worked on each car from components made to order by other companies. Henry Ford was 40 years old when he founded the Ford Motor Company, which would go on to become one of the world's largest and most profitable companies, as well as being one to survive the Great Depression. As one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world, the Ford Motor Company has been in continuous family control for over 100 years.

In 2005, Ford Motor Company was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to the second inauguration of President George W. Bush.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Corporate governance

Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, known as the Glass House.

Members of the board as of early 2007 are: Chief Sir John Bond, Richard Manoogian, Stephen Butler, Ellen Marram, Kimberly Casiano, Alan Mulally (President and CEO), Edsel Ford II, Homer Neal, William Clay Ford Jr., Jorma Ollila, Irvine Hockaday Jr., John L. Thornton and William Clay Ford (Director Emeritus).^[9]

The main corporate officers are: Lewis Booth (Executive Vice President, Chairman (PAG) and Ford of Europe), Mark Fields (Executive Vice President, President of The Americas), Donat Leclair (Executive Vice President and CFO), Mark A. Schulz (Executive Vice President, President of International Operations) and Michael E. Bannister (Group Vice President; Chairman & CEO Ford Motor Credit).^[9] Paul Mascarenas (Vice President of Engineering, The Americas Product Development)

Recent company developments

During the mid to late 1990s, Ford sold large numbers of vehicles, in a booming American economy with soaring stock market and low fuel prices. With the dawn of the new century, legacy healthcare costs, higher fuel prices, and a faltering economy led to falling market shares, declining sales, and sliding profit margins. Most of the corporate profits came from financing consumer automobile loans through Ford Motor Credit Company.^[10]

By 2005, corporate bond rating agencies had downgraded the bonds of both Ford and GM to junk status,^[11] citing high U.S. health care costs for an aging workforce, soaring gasoline prices, eroding market share, and dependence on declining SUV sales for revenues. Profit margins decreased on large vehicles due to increased "incentives" (in the form of rebates or low interest financing) to offset declining demand.^[12]

In the face of demand for higher fuel efficiency and falling sales of minivans, Ford moved to introduce a range of new vehicles, including "Crossover SUVs" built on unibody car platforms, rather than more body-on-frame chassis. In developing the hybrid electric powertrain technologies for the Ford Escape Hybrid SUV, Ford licensed similar Toyota hybrid technologies^[13] to avoid patent infringements.^[14] Ford announced that it will team up with electricity supply company Southern California Edison (SCE) to examine the future of plug-in hybrids in terms of how home and vehicle energy systems will work with the electrical grid. Under the multi-million-dollar, multi-year project, Ford will convert a demonstration fleet of Ford Escape Hybrids into plug-in hybrids, and SCE will evaluate how the vehicles might interact with the home and the utility's electrical grid. Some of the vehicles will be evaluated "in typical customer settings," according to Ford. ^[15]^[16]

In December 2006, the company raised its borrowing capacity to about $25 billion, placing substantially all corporate assets as collateral to secure the line of credit.^[17] Chairman Bill Ford has stated that "bankruptcy is not an option".^[18] In order to control its skyrocketing labor costs (the most expensive in the world), the company and the United Auto Workers, representing approximately 46,000 hourly workers in North America, agreed to a historic contract settlement in November of 2007 giving the company a substantial break in terms of its ongoing retiree health care costs and other economic issues. The agreement includes the establishment of a company-funded, independently-run Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (more commonly known as a VEBA) trust to shift the burden of retiree health care from the company's books, thereby improving its balance sheet. However, this arrangement will not begin to take effect until January 1, 2010. The agreement also gives hourly workers the job security they were seeking by having the company commit to substantial investments in most of its factories.

The automaker reported the largest annual loss in company history in 2006 of $12.7 billion,^[19] and estimated that it would not return to profitability until 2009.^[20] However, Ford surprised Wall Street in the second quarter of 2007 by posting a $750 million profit. Despite the gains, the company finished the year with a $2.7 billion loss, largely attributed to finance restructuring at Volvo.^[21]

In March 2008, Ford announced that it has reached agreement to sell its Jaguar and Land Rover operations to Tata Motors for $2.3 billion. The sale is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2008.^[22] It is understood that Ford Motor Company Ltd. will not retain any shareholding in either the Jaguar or Land-Rover companies, unlike Aston Martin where on its sale a small shareholding was retained; when the total sum to be paid in cash by Tata Motors of approximately US$2.3 billion, Ford will then contribute up to US $600 million to the Jaguar Land Rover pension plans.

In January 2008, Ford launched a website listing the 10 Built Ford Tough Rules as well as a series of webisodes that parodies the show COPS (TV Series).

source from: www.wikipedia.org

2008-10-13T01:04:00.000-07:00

History of Lamborghini

[edit] Origin

Founded by Ferruccio Lamborghini, Lamborghini started out as a tractor building company in the Italian village of Sant'Agata Bolognese. However, Ferruccio Lamborghini's priorities changed when he went to meet Enzo Ferrari at the Ferrari factory to complain about the quality of the clutch in his Ferrari 250.^[2]

[edit] Under Ferruccio Lamborghini

Lamborghini 400GT

The 350GT was followed by the 400GT. Profits from the 400GT and its predecessor gave the company ample capital to design its first sports car, the Lamborghini Miura. The chassis of the new Miura was introduced by Ferruccio himself at the November 1965 Turin Auto Show. The car's engine was transversely mounted. The styling was executed by Marcello Gandini in less than a year. The completed car was displayed at the March 1966 Geneva Auto Show. The car's name was taken from the famed fighting-bull trainer, Don Eduardo Miura. One hundred and eleven Miuras were sold in 1967. Seven hundred and sixty-one were made in total. The Miura propelled the company into the small world of exotic car manufacturers.

The Espada, a four-seat car based on the Marzal concept car, was developed alongside of the Miura. The name Espada means sword in Spanish, and referred to the sword used by the matador in bullfighting. Using the 4-litre V12 in a conventional front engine layout, the low-slung touring car could attain a top speed of approximately 150 mph (240 km/h). An interesting feature of the Espada was a glass taillight panel that used the same taillights as the contemporary Fiat 124 Coupé. The Espada received minor improvements over its production, resulting in three distinct series.

Lamborghini tractor

In 1971, Lamborghini produced the LP500 Countach prototype. The Countach was named after an Italian dialect term uttered in surprise by Nuccio Bertone upon seeing the car for the first time. The production LP400 Countach was introduced three years later. The prototype was the first car to sport Lamborghini's now-traditional scissor doors, along with vertically mounted rear air intakes. The Countach's V12 engine initially had the same 4-litre capacity as the Miura, but this was enlarged to five litres upon the introduction of the LP500S Countach in 1982. The Countach was one of the first cars to use the Pirelli "P-Zero" tires. Lamborghini's test driver would often demonstrate the Countach's abilities to journalists. A detail noted by journalists was the manner in which a Countach was reversed; the driver would raise the door and sit on the door sill.

The company suffered a major setback in 1972 when a massive tractor order from a South American nation was canceled. In preparation of the order, Lamborghini had made upgrades to its factories to accommodate the increase in demand. Financial complications forced Ferruccio to sell part of his share of the tractor factory to Fiat. The tractor business was eventually acquired by SAME (now Same Deutz-Fahr). Lamborghini tractors are still sold today, as part of the SAME Deutz-Fahr Group.

Eventually, the automobile division became self-sufficient and profitable. Lamborghini, however, sold all his remaining stock in the company to a Swiss investor and left the automotive industry.

source from: www.wikipedia.org

2008-10-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Concept
The Accord was originally planned to be a V8-powered car with a long hood and sporty pretensions. Honda chose the name Accord, reflecting "Honda's desire for accord and harmony between people, society and the automobile."[3] The initial design was changed to a fuel efficient, low emission vehicle since it was introduced during the fuel crises of the 1970s. In the U.S. and Japan, a version was produced using Honda's CVCC technology, meeting emission standards of the 1970s and early 1980s without a catalytic converter.
Like the smaller Honda Civic, the Accord used front-wheel drive and a transverse engine layout.

[edit] First generation (1976–1981)
First generation

Production
1976–1981
Assembly
Sayama, Japan
Class
Compact
Body style(s)
3-door hatchback4-door sedan
Engine(s)
1.6 L EL1 I41.8 L EK1 I4
Transmission(s)
2-speed automatic3-speed automatic5-speed manual
Wheelbase
93.7 in (2380 mm)
Length
162.0 in (4115 mm)
Curb weight
2000 lb (907 kg)

1979-1981 Honda Accord hatchback (North America)
The first generation Honda Accord was launched in 1976 as a three-door hatchback with 68 hp (51 kW), a 93.7-inch (2,380.0 mm) wheelbase, and a weight of about 2,000 pounds. It was larger than the tiny Civic at 162 inches (4,115 mm) long. The Accord sold well, due to its moderate size and great fuel economy. It was the first Japanese small car with features like cloth seats, a tachometer, intermittent wipers, and an AM/FM radio as standard equipment. In 1978 an LX version of the coupe was added which came with air conditioning, digital clock, and power steering. In 1979 a four-door sedan was added to the lineup, and power went to 72 hp (54 kW) with the introduction of the 1751 cc EK-1 engine. In 1980 the optional two-speed automatic of previous years became a three-speed automatic. Slightly redesigned bumper trim, new grilles and taillamps, and remote mirrors on the 4-door (chrome) and the LX (black plastic) models. The CVCC badges were deleted. In 1981 an SE model was added for the first time, with novio-leather seats and power windows. Base model hatchbacks received the same smaller black plastic remote mirror that the 4-door, LX, and SE 4-door received at the same time. Instrument cluster revised with mostly pictograms, instead of the worded warning lights and gauge markings. Nivorno Beige (code #Y-39) replaced with Oslo Beige (#YR-43). Dark brown was discontinued, as was the bronze metallic. Shifter redesigned to have a stronger spring to prevent unintentional engagement of reverse, instead of the spring-loaded shift knob of the 1976 through 1980 model cars.
The Accord competed with Japanese competitors Toyota Corona, Nissan Bluebird, Mazda Capella, and the Mitsubishi Galant.
The first few generations of Hondas suffered from rustproofing issues in areas where salt is used to melt road ice. Under these conditions, it was not uncommon for the strut towers to rust out and fail, turning the car into a parts car.

[edit] Second generation (1981–1985)
Second generation

Also called
Honda Vigor(Japan)
Production
1981-1985
Assembly
Marysville, Ohio, USA Sayama, Saitama, Japan
Class
Compact
Body style(s)
3-door hatchback4-door sedan
Engine(s)
1.6 L EL1 I4 (CAN)1.8 L EK1 I4 ('82,'83 US)1.8 L ES2 I4 ('84,'85 US)1.8 L ES3 I4 ('85 US)
Transmission(s)
4-speed automatic5-speed manual

JDM Second Generation, Second Series Four door sedan. Second generation Japanese and European Accords had molded headlights instead of the U.S. DOT required glass units used in the U.S.

Second Generation, Second Series European 'Three door' Honda Accord coupé.
Debuting in 1981 in Japan and Europe, and as a 1982 model in North America, in addition to being produced in Japan, this generation of the Accord became the first to be built in the USA, at Honda's plant in Marysville, Ohio. Since its first year in the American market, it also became the best-selling Japanese nameplate in the US, holding that position for about 15 years. In Japan, a sister model called Honda Vigor was launched simultaneously with the new Accord.
Modernizing both the interior and exterior, the second generation Accord was mechanically very similar to the original, using the same 75 hp (56 kW), 1751 cc EK1 CVCC engine. Fuel economy increased by nearly 15%. Vastly improved quality control, however, made this one of the most reliable cars on the US market, a position it still holds today. This automobile included popular features of the time such as shag carpet, velour cabin trim and chrome accents. An optional extra on the 1981 Accord was an Electro Gyrocator, the world's first automatic in-car navigation system.[4] Models were available in Silver, Sky Blue, and Beige. The LX hatchback offered a digital clock and slightly higher fuel economy (due to its lighter weight.)
The U.S. Department of Transportation had stringent lighting requirements which prevented Honda from including the aerodynamic molded headlight units which were used on Australian, European and Japanese Accords. The U.S. D.O.T. required the use of rectangular sealed beam glass units to prevent fogging and allow for easy and readily available replacement of units damaged by rocks or other road hazards. U.S. Accords were also required to have a side marker light installed on the side of the rear fenders. German Accords included additional reflectors which were embedded into the rear bumper as well as washer sprayers for front and rear lamps. The Japanese Accords were unique from all other markets in that they included adjustable ride height control and were unique in that their side view mirrors were installed on the mid forward fenders.
In 1983, Honda upgraded the automatic transmission to a four speed, a major improvement over the three speed Hondamatic. The manual, five speed transmission remained unchanged. A 120 mph (193 km/h) speedometer replaced the earlier 85 mph (137 km/h) unit. The Special Edition (SE) featured, novio-leather seating, power windows, power sunroof and locks. Columbus Slate Grey was added as a color option.
By 1984, Accords sold in the eastern U.S. were produced at the new Marysville plant, with quality considered equal to those produced in Japan. The body was restyled with a slightly downward beveled nose; and, the slightly more powerful ES2 1829 cc CVCC powerplant was used, bringing 86 hp (64 kW). The redesign in 1984 is often called the second series of the second generation. Honda integrated side marker lights into the side of the tail light units which satisfied the D.O.T.'s side marker requirements and ended the difference between cross market tail light configurations. European Accords, however, now included signal lights on the forward fenders, just behind the wheel well. The U.S. Accord still lacked the molded head light units which were used everywhere else.
The LX offered velour upholstery, auto-reverse cassette stereo, air conditioning, cruise control, power brakes, power steering, power windows & power locks (sedan only), a digital clock, and roof pillar antenna, along with thick black belt moldings and integrated bumpers. Flush plastic mock-alloy wheels covers instead of caps on steel wheels that resembled the trend-setting Audi 5000. Supplies were tight, as in the Eastern states, the wait was months for a Graphite Gray sedan, a then-popular color. The LX hatchback was the only 1984 version of the Accord to include dual outside mirrors.
The 1984 sedan (regular and LX) was available in four exterior colors, Greek White and three metallic options: Graphite Gray, Regency Red (burgundy), and Stratos Blue (steel). The regular hatchback was available in Greek White, Dominican Red, and the metallic Stratos Blue. The '84 LX hatchback came in three metallic colors only: Graphite Gray, Regency Red, and Copper Brown. These models were on U.S. roads well past the turn of the century.
In 1985, the Special Edition returned as the SE-i, capitalizing on the final year of the second generation's production. A fuel-injected, 110 hp (82 kW) non-cvcc ES3 engine was exclusive to this model. The moniker, SE-i, was adapted from the SE trim, but included the "-i" to signify the higher trim level's fuel-injected engine. This 12-valve, 1829 cc engine was the first non-CVCC engine used in an Accord, and was the same basic engine design used by Honda until 1989. Like the previous SE trim in 1983, the SE-i featured novio-leather seating, power moonroof, bronze tinted glass, a premium sound system with cassette, and 13" alloy wheels.
Overseas versions of the Accord were slightly different from the North American Versions of the car, and had some features not offered in that market.In 1981, the Accord offered an Air suspension in the Japanese market. From 1983 in Japan and 1984 in Europe, the Second Generation Accord was available with Anti-Lock Brakes (Called A.L.B) as an option. This system also had 4 wheel disc brakes. Fuel Injection was made available in 1984 in Japanese market, it took a year to arrive in the NA and European Market. There was also an upmarket trim line called the Vigor.

source from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Accord

2008-09-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

History
In 1909, Michio Suzuki founded the Suzuki Loom Company in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built weaving looms for Japan's giant silk industry. Suzuki's only desire was to build better, more user-friendly looms. In 1929, Michio Suzuki invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights. The company's first 30 years focused on the development and production of these exceptionally complex machines.
Despite the success of his looms, Suzuki realized his company had to diversify and he began to look at other products. Based on consumer demand, he decided that building a small car would be the most practical new venture. The project began in 1937, and within two years Suzuki had completed several compact prototype cars. These first Suzuki motor vehicles were powered by a then-innovative, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. It featured a cast aluminum crankcase and gearbox and generated 13 horsepower (9.7 kW) from a displacement of less than 800cc.
With the onset of World War II, production plans for Suzuki's new vehicles were halted when the government declared civilian passenger cars a "non-essential commodity." At the conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to producing looms. Loom production was given a boost when the U.S. government approved the shipping of cotton to Japan. Suzuki's fortunes brightened as orders began to increase from domestic textile manufacturers. But the joy was short-lived as the cotton market collapsed in 1951.
Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki's thoughts went back to motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms began offering "clip-on" gas-powered engines that could be attached to the typical bicycle. Suzuki's first two-wheel ingenuity came in the form of a motorized bicycle called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free featured a 36 cc two-stroke engine. An unprecedented feature was the double-sprocket gear system, enabling the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power alone. The system was so ingenious that the patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering, and so was born Suzuki Motor Corporation.
In 1953, Suzuki scored the first of many racing victories when the tiny 60 cc "Diamond Free" won its class in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.

Suzulight
By 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Following the success of its first motorcycles, Suzuki created an even more successful automobile: the 1955 Suzulight. Suzuki showcased its penchant for innovation from the beginning. The Suzulight included front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering -- features common on cars half a century later.

[edit] Historical timeline
1905 - Founder of Suzuki is Mr Michio Suzuki
1909 - Suzuki Loom Works founded in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, by Michio Suzuki.
1920 - Reorganized, incorporated, and capitalized at 500,000 yen as Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. with Michio Suzuki as president.
1952 - 'Power Free' motorized bicycle marketed.
1954 - Company name changed to Suzuki Motor Co.,Ltd.
1955 - Lightweight car 'Suzulight' (360cc, 2-stroke) marketed helping to usher in Japan's light-weight car age.
1961 - Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. established by separating the loom machine division from the motor works and lightweight truck 'Suzulight Carry' marketed.
1962 - Suzuki won the 50 cc class championship at the Isle of Man TT
1963 - U.S. Suzuki Motor Corp., a direct sales subsidiary, opened in Los Angeles.
1965 - 'D55' (5.5 hp, 2-stroke) outboard motor marketed and makes early inroads and Fronte 800 marketed.
1967 - Thai Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. established as a local assembly plant.
1968 - Carry full-cab van marketed.
1970 - LJ-Series 4X4 marketed.
1971 - GT750 motorcycle marketed.
1973 - Suzuki Canada Ltd., opened in Ontario, Canada.
1974 - P.T. Suzuki Indonesia Manufacturing established in Jakarta, Indonesia, entry into medical equipment field by marketing the Suzuki Motor Chair Z600 motorized wheelchair, expansion into the housing field initiated with Suzuki Home marketing two models of prefab 'Mini-House' and three types of storage sheds.
1975 - Antonio Suzuki Corp., a joint venture for knockdown production and sales, established in Manila, the Philippines.
1976 - GS-Series motorcycles marketed.
1977 - LJ80 4x4 vehicle marketed and exports of GS1000H motorcycle began.
1979 - Alto marketed.
1979 - SC100 marketed in the UK.
1980 - Suzuki Australia Pty. Ltd. established in Sydney, Australia and entry into general purpose engine field by marketing three electric power generator models.
1981 - Business ties with General Motors (U.S.) and Isuzu Motors, Ltd.(Japan) signed.
1982 - 4X4 production began at PAK Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. in Karachi, Pakistan and won maker championship for 7th consecutive year at the World Road Race Grand Prix 500.
1982 - SC100 Discontinued in favour of Alto.
1983 - Enters into a partnership with Maruti Udyog Ltd. to produce cars in India.
1983 - Cultus/Swift 1.0-liter passenger car marketed and 4X4 production started at Maruti Udyog Ltd. in New Delhi, India.
1984 - Suzuki New Zealand Ltd. established in Wanganui, New Zealand and began export of Chevrolet Sprint to the United States. Car production technical assistance contract signed with China National Aerotechnology Import & Export Beijing Corporation. Operation of Suzuki Motor GmbH Deutschland began in Heppenheim,Germany.
1985 - SUZUKI of AMERICA AUTOMOTIVE CORP. established with the introduction of the Samurai, and the sensational GSX-R750 motorcycle with an oil-cooled engine marketed and scooter production started at Avello S.A. of Spain. Agreement with Santana Motors to produce Suzuki cars in their Linares factory in Andalusia, Spain.
1986 - American Suzuki Motor Corp. is formed merging U.S. Suzuki Motor Corp and Suzuki of America Automotive Corp.
1987 - Cultus/Swift production began in Colombia and total aggregate car exports reached 2 million units.
1988 - Escudo/Vitara 4x4 marketed and total aggregate car production reached 10 million units..
1989 - CAMI Automotive Inc. established and began operation in Ontario, Canada. Swift GT/GLX and Sidekick sales begin in the United States.
1990 - Corporate name changed to Suzuki Motor Corporation.
1991 - Car production started in Korea through technical ties with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery Ltd and Cappuccino 2-seater marketed.

The Suzuki plant in Esztergom, Hungary has over 6000 employees. (As of 2007)
1993 - Passenger car production/sales began at Suzuki Egypt S.A.E., opening ceremony for new car production plant held at Magyar Suzuki Corp. in Esztergom, Hungary and Wagon R passenger car marketed.
1994 - Maruti Udyog Ltd. of India total aggregate car production reached 1 million units.
1995 - Total aggregate motorcycle export reached 20 million units
1996 - Start of production in Vietnam (Motorcycles and automobiles)
1997 - Achieved 10 million cumulative automobile sales for overseas market and 4-stroke outboard motors win the Innovation Award at The International Marine Trade Exhibit and Conference (IMTEC) in Chicago.
1998 - Suzuki and General Motors form strategic alliance and Chongqing Chang'an Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd. received official approval from the Chinese government for production of passenger cars.
1999 - Aggregate motorcycle production reaches 40 million units and Jiangxi Changhe Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd. receives official approval from the Chinese government for production of commercial vehicles.
2000 - The company commemorates the 80th anniversary, aggregate car production at Kosai Plant reaches 10 million units and Suzuki production starts at General Motors de Argentina S.A.
2001 - Aggregate worldwide sales of SJ-Series reaches 2 million units, production of Alto reaches 4 million units and Suzuki achieves "Zero-Level" target of landfill waste
2002 - Achieved 30 million cumulative automobile sales for worldwide market and America's #1 warranty: 100,000/7-year powertrain limited warranty.
2003 - Suzuki is #1 in Keicar sales for the 30th consecutive year and Twin, the first hybrid Keicar in Japan, marketed.
2004 - Aggregate domestic automobile sales reach 15 million units
2005 - Swift was awarded the 2006 RJC Car of the Year.
2006 - New XL7 is marketed particularly to the North American market and GM divested, selling 92.36 million shares and reducing their stake to 3%.
2008 - Suzuki introduces its first production fuel-injected motocross bike.

source from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki

2008-09-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

History

Origins in 1930s Germany

Ferdinand Porsche's Type 12 from 1931

Adolf Hitler had a keen interest in cars even though he did not drive. In 1933, shortly after taking over as leader of Germany, he asked Ferdinand Porsche to make changes to his original 1931 design to make it more suited for the working man. Hans Ledwinka discussed his ideas with Ferdinand Porsche, who used many Tatra design features in the 1938 "KdF-Wagen", later known as the VW Käfer - or Volkswagen Beetle. On 22 June 1934, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche agreed to create the "People's Car" for Hitler.

Changes included better fuel efficiency, reliability, ease-of-use, and economically efficient repairs and parts. The intention was that ordinary Germans would buy the car by means of a savings scheme ("Fünf Mark die Woche musst Du sparen, willst Du im eigenen Wagen fahren" — "Save five Marks a week, if you want to drive your own car"), which around 336,000 people eventually paid into. Volkswagen honoured its savings agreements in West Germany (but not in East Germany) after World War II^{[citation needed]}. Prototypes of the car called the "KdF-Wagen" (German: Kraft durch Freude -- "strength through joy"), appeared from 1936 onwards (the first cars had been produced in Stuttgart). The car already had its distinctive round shape and air-cooled, flat-four, rear-mounted engine. The VW car was just one of many KdF programmes which included things such as tours and outings. The prefix "Volks" ("People's") was not just applied to cars, but also to other products in Nazi Germany; the "Volksempfänger" radio receiver for instance. On 1937-05-30, Volkswagen mbH was established.

VW Type 83

Erwin Komenda, the longstanding Auto Union chief designer, developed the car body of the prototype, which was recognizably the Beetle we know today. It was one of the first to be evolved with the aid of a wind tunnel; unlike the Chrysler Airflow, it would be a success.

The building of the new factory started 26 May 1938 in the new town of KdF-Stadt. Now called Wolfsburg, purpose-built for the factory workers, only produced a handful of cars by the time war started in 1939. None were actually delivered to holders of the completed saving stamp books, though one Type 1 Cabriolet was presented to Hitler on 20 April 1938 (his 49th birthday).

War meant production changed to military vehicles, the Type 81 Kübelwagen ("Bucket car") utility vehicle (VW's most common wartime model), and the amphibious Schwimmwagen which were used to equip the German forces.

source from: www.wikipedia.org

AUDI V8

2008-09-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

History

Although the vehicle was based on VW/Audi's existing C3 platform (namely the 100/200 sedan), the V8 model featured standard quattro permanent four-wheel drive, and a 32 valve, DOHC V8 engine, with either a five-speed manual, six-speed manual, or four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission, giving it the power and road-holding ability to match the V8 powered offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. The V8 closely resembled the 100 and 200 models, although a unique grille design and bumpers, extended wheelbase, pronounced wheel arches, all red rear lights and larger 16" or 17" wheels helped distinguish it. Much attention was lavished on the vehicle's new engine, although the V8 was also significant in that it was the first production Audi to combine the quattro system with an automatic transmission.

The 3.6 L (3562 cc) powerplant was essentially two four-cylinder engines which had been mated at the crankshaft to form a V8. In this case it was the acclaimed Volkswagen Golf GTI's 1.8 L, twin cam, 16-valve inline 4-cylinder that provided the inputs. Power output was very respectable for the day, with 250 PS (184 kW/247 hp) and 340 N·m (251 ft·lbf) of torque available over a fairly wide powerband. The top speed was 250 km/h and 0-100 took 7.6 secs with the automatic.

Audi introduced a long wheelbase version in 1990 and in 1992 a 4.2 L (4172 cc) powerplant with 280 PS (206 kW/276 hp) and 400 N·m (295 ft·lbf) was introduced. Like the 3.6L model, quattro four-wheel drive came as standard. A six-speed manual gearbox replaced the 5-speed manual of the 3.6 model. The top speed was 250 km/h and 0-100 now took only 7.2 with the automatic and 6.7 with the manual transmission.

The V8 was never a huge sales success despite the obvious qualities of the car. The Audi V8 came out at about the same time as the Lexus LS400, and in many respects, the V8 was a superior product both to the Lexus, and competitors such as the S-class Mercedes, the 7-series BMW, and the Jaguar XJ-series. However, despite being a technological marvel as the only car in its class to offer four-wheel drive and a galvanised body, with its clean but understated design, most consumers thought the car resembled the lesser Audi models too much to warrant the price. Also, the V8 did not offer a particularly good ride compared to the competition.

If nothing else, the place of the V8 in the history of Audi was to make life easier for the successor, the Audi A8 in that customers were now viewing Audi as a proper manufacturer of prestigious luxury cars providing a credible alternative to the established competitors. Today, the V8 has a cult following in many countries, and many examples are in the hands of enthusiasts who appreciate the quality and performance offered by what has turned out to be a durable well-built car.

The car's base price in 1994, its final year of production, was US$58,700. Today, the V8 trades for values between $2000 - $10,000 dependent on condition of the car.

source from: www.wikipdia.org

PORSCHE

2008-09-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

History

Professor Ferdinand Porsche initially started the company called "Dr. ing. h. c. F. Porsche GmbH" in 1931, with main offices at Königstrasse in the center of Stuttgart. The company offered motor vehicle development work and consulting, and did not initially build any cars under its own name. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people, a "Volkswagen" in German. This resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle, one of the most successful car designs of all time. The first Porsche, the Porsche 64, was developed in 1939 using many components from the Beetle.
During World War II Volkswagen production turned to the military version of the Volkswagen Beetle, the Kübelwagen, 52,000 produced, and Schwimmwagen, 14,000 produced. During a contract bid for a new tank Porsche lost to Henschel & Son who subsequently produced the Tiger I. Porsche assisted in the designing of the Tiger tank series and the Elefant tank.
In 1945 the Volkswagen factory fell to the British. Ferdinand lost his position as Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen and a British major, Ivan Hirst was put in charge of the factory. On December 15 of that year, Ferdinand was arrested for war crimes, but not tried. During his 20 month imprisonment, Ferdinand Porsche's son, Ferry Porsche, decided to build his own car because he could not find an existing one that he wanted to buy. The first models of what was to become the 356 were built in a small sawmill in Gmünd, Austria. The prototype car was shown to German auto dealers, and when pre-orders reached a set threshold, production was begun. Many regard the 356 as the first Porsche simply because it was the first model sold by the fledgling company. Porsche commissioned Zuffenhausen-based company Reutter Carosseri, which had previously collaborated with Porsche on Volkswagen Beetle prototypes, to produce the 356's steel body. Porsche constructed an assembly plant across the street from Reutter Carosseri; that assembly plant is now known as Porschestrasse. The 356 was road certified in 1948.
Not long afterwards, on January 30, 1951, Ferdinand Porsche died from complications following a stroke.
In post-war Germany parts were generally in short supply, so the 356 automobile used components from the Volkswagen Beetle including its engine, gearbox, and suspension. The 356, however, had several evolutionary stages, A, B, and C, while in production and many VW parts were replaced by Porsche-made parts. The last 356s were powered by entirely Porsche-designed engines. The sleek bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda who also had designed the body of the Beetle. Porsche's signature designs have, from the beginning, featured air-cooled rear-engine configurations (like the Beetle), rare for other car manufacturers, but producing automobiles that are very well balanced.
In 1964, after some success in motor-racing, namely with the Porsche 550 Spyder, the company launched the Porsche 911 another air-cooled, rear-engined sports car, this time with a 6-cylinder "boxer" engine. The team to lay out the body shell design was led by Ferry Porsche's eldest son, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (F. A.). The design phase for the 911 caused internal problems with Erwin Komenda who led the body design department until then. F. A. Porsche complained Komenda made changes to the design not being approved by him. Company leader Ferry Porsche took his son's drawings to neighbouring body shell manufacturer Reuter bringing the design to the 1963 state. Reuter's workshop was later acquired by Porsche (so-called Werk II). Afterward Reuter became a seat manufacturer, today known as Keiper-Recaro.
The design group gave sequential numbers to every project (356, 550, etc.) but the designated 901 nomenclature contravened Peugeot's trademarks on all 'x0x' names, so it was adjusted to 911. Racing models adhered to the "correct" numbering sequence: 904, 906, 908. The 911 has become Porsche's most well-known model, successful on the race-track, in rallies, and in terms of sales. Far more than any other model, the Porsche brand is defined by the 911. It remains in production; however, after several generations of revision, current-model 911s share only the basic mechanical concept of a rear-engined, six-cylinder coupe, and basic styling cues with the original car. A cost-reduced model with the same body, but 356-derived running gear (including its four-cylinder engine), was sold as the 912.

The Porsche 912, a Porsche of the 1960s
In 1972 the company's legal form was changed from limited partnership to public limited company (AG in German), because Ferry Porsche and his sister, Louise Piëch, felt their generation members did not team up well. This led to the foundation of an executive board whose members came from outside the Porsche family, and a supervisory board consisting mostly of family members. With this change, no family members were in operational charge of the company. F. A. Porsche founded his own design company, Porsche Design, which is renowned for exclusive sunglasses, watches, furniture, and many other luxury articles. Ferdinand Piëch, who was responsible for mechanical development of Porsche's serial and racing cars, formed his own engineering bureau and developed a 5-cylinder-inline diesel engine for Mercedes-Benz. A short time later he moved to Audi and pursued his career through the entire company, up to and including, the Volkswagen Group boards.
The first CEO of Porsche AG was Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann who had been working in the company's engine development. Fuhrmann was responsible for the so-called Fuhrmann-engine used in the 356 Carrera models, as well as the 550 Spyder, having four over-head camshafts instead of a central camshaft as in the Volkswagen-derived serial engines. He planned to cease the 911 during the 70s and replace it with the V8-front engined grand sportswagon 928. As we know today the 911 outlived the 928 by far. Fuhrmann was replaced in the early 80s by Peter W. Schutz, an American manager and self-proclaimed 911 aficionado. He was replaced in 1988 by the former manager of German computer company Nixdorf Computer AG, Arno Bohn, who made some costly miscalculations that led to his dismissal soon after, along with that of the development director, Dr. Ulrich Bez, who was formerly responsible for BMW's Z1 model and today is CEO of Aston Martin.
In 1990, Porsche drew up a memorandum of understanding with Toyota to learn and benefit from Japanese production methods. Currently Toyota is assisting[citation needed] Porsche with hybrid technology, rumored to be making its way into a Hybrid Cayenne SUV, as well as the upcoming four-door coupe, the Panamera.
Following the dismissal of Bohn, an interim CEO was appointed, longtime Porsche employee, Heinz Branitzki, who served in that position until Dr. Wendelin Wiedeking became CEO in 1993. Wiedeking took over the chairmanship of the board at a time when Porsche appeared vulnerable to a takeover by a larger company. During his long tenure, Wiedeking has transformed Porsche into a very efficient and profitable company.
Ferdinand Porsche's grandson, Ferdinand Piëch, was chairman and CEO of the Volkswagen Group from 1993 to 2002. Today he is chairman of the supervisory board. With 12.8 per cent of the Porsche voting shares, he also remains the second largest individual shareholder of Porsche AG after his cousin, F. A. Porsche, (13.6 per cent).
Porsche's 2002 introduction of the Cayenne also marked the unveiling of a new production facility in Leipzig, Saxony, which once accounted for nearly half of Porsche's annual output. The Cayenne Turbo S has the second most powerful production engine in Porsche's history, with the most powerful belonging to the Carrera GT.
In 2004, production of the 605 horsepower (451 kW) Carrera GT commenced in Leipzig, and at EUR 450,000 ($440,000 in the United States) it was the most expensive production model Porsche ever built.
As of 2005, the extended Porsche and Piech families controlled all of Porsche AG's voting shares. In early October 2005 the company announced acquisition of an 18.53% stake in Volkswagen AG and disclosed intentions to acquire additional VW shares in the future. As of June 2006, the Porsche AG stake in Volkswagen had risen to 25.1%, giving Porsche a blocking minority, whereby Porsche can veto large corporate decisions undertaken by VW.
In mid-2006, after years of the Boxster (and later the Cayenne) as the dominant Porsche in North America, the 911 regained its position as Porsche's backbone in the region. The Cayenne and 911 have cycled as the top-selling model since. In Germany the 911 clearly outsells the Boxster/Cayman and Cayenne. [5]

souerce from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche

2008-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

MASERATI

History

See Maserati Brothers

The Maserati brothers, Alfieri Maserati, Bindo Maserati, Carlo Maserati, Ettore Maserati, Ernesto Maserati and Mario Maserati, were all involved with automobiles from the beginning of the 20th century. Alfieri, Bindo and Ernesto built 2-litre Grand Prix cars for Diatto. In 1926, Diatto suspended the production of race cars, leading to the creation of the first Maserati and the founding of the Maserati marque. One of the first Maseratis, driven by Alfieri, won the 1926 Targa Florio. Maserati began making race cars with 4, 6, 8 and 16 cylinders (actually two straight eights mounted parallel to one another). Mario, an artist, is believed to have devised the company's trident emblem, based on one the Fontana del Nettuno, Bologna. Alfieri Maserati died in 1932 but three other brothers, Bindo, Ernesto and Ettore, kept the firm going, building cars that won races.
Orsi ownershipIn 1937, the remaining Maserati brothers sold their shares in the company to the Adolfo Orsi family, who in 1940 relocated the company headquarters to their hometown of Modena,[2] where it remains to this day. The brothers continued in engineering roles with the company, however. Racing successes continued, even against the giants of German racing, Auto Union and Mercedes. In 1939, a Maserati 8CTF won the Indianapolis 500, a feat repeated the following year.The war then intervened, Maserati abandoning cars to produce components for the Italian war effort. During this time, Maserati worked in fierce competition to construct a V16 towncar for Benito Mussolini before Ferry Porsche of Volkswagen built one for Adolf Hitler. They failed in this endeavour and the plans were scrapped. Once peace was restored, Maserati returned to making cars, the Maserati A6 series, doing well in the post-war racing scene.Key people will join the Maserati team, Alberto Massimino, an old Fiat engineer, with both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari experiences. He will be in charge of overseeing the design of all racing models for the next ten years. With him will join "ingeniore" Giulio Alfieri (1924–2002),Vittorio Bellentani and Gioacchino Colombo (1903–1987), the designer of the V12 Ferrari. The focus was to come with the best engines and the best chassis to succeed in car racing. All these new projects will receive the last contribution of the Maserati brothers, who after the 10-year contract with Orsi, went on to form the O.S.C.A. car builder. This team worked on several projects (Maserati 4CLT, Maserati A6 series, Maserati 8CLT), including one that will be pivotal for the future success of the company: the Maserati A6GCM The famous Argentinian driver Juan-Manuel Fangio raced for Maserati for a number of years in the 1950s, producing a number of stunning victories including winning the world championship in 1957 in the Maserati 250F alongside with Toulo de Graffenried, Louis Chiron, Prince Bira, Enrico Platé and with a few others. Other racing projects in the 50s were the Maserati 200S, Maserati 300S (with several famous pilots, among these, Benoit Musy), Maserati 350S, Maserati 450S, followed in 1961 by the famous Maserati Birdcage.Maserati had retired from factory racing participation due to the Guidizzolo accident (1957), though it built racing cars to be raced by others after that date. After 1957, Maserati became more and more focussed on road cars, and chief engineer Giulio Alfieri built the 6-cylinder Maserati 3500 2+2 coupe featuring an aluminum body over Carrozzeria Touring's superleggera structure, a design also used for the small-volume V8-powered Maserati 5000. Next came the Maserati Sebring bodied by Vignale and launched in 1962, the Maserati Mistral Coupé (1963) and the Spider (1964), both designed by Pietro Frua, and their first four-door, the Maserati Quattroporte (1963), also designed by Pietro Frua. The two-seater Maserati Ghibli coupe was launched in 1967, followed by a convertible in 1969.Citroën ownership A 1957 Maserati 200SI at the Scarsdale Concours Maserati "Birdcage"1959 Maserati 5000 GT Coupe Maserati Sebring Maserati Quattroporte grille In 1968, came a great change—purchase by Citroën. Adolfo Orsi remained the nominal president, but Maserati changed a great deal. New models were launched, and built in much greater numbers than before. Citroën borrowed Maserati expertise and engines for the Citroën SM and other vehicles, and Maseratis also incorporated Citroën technology, particularly in hydraulics.New models included the Maserati Bora, the first mass-produced mid-engined Maserati, in 1971, and the Maserati Merak and Maserati Khamsin soon afterwards; the Maserati Quattroporte II, which shared some parts with Citroën SM, never came into production. The 1973 oil crisis, however, put the brakes on this ambitious expansion—suddenly, the demand for fuel-thirsty sports cars shrank. Citroën went bankrupt in 1974 and on May 23, 1975, the new controlling group PSA Peugeot Citroën declared that Maserati also was in liquidation.[3] Propped up by Italian government funds (GEPI), the company stayed alive, if barely.The Maserati engine and its associated gearbox have been used in other vehicles such as Special Rally prepared Citroën DS, as used by Bob Neyret in Bandama Rally or in the Ligier JS 2.De Tomaso1975 saw the company back on its feet with Alessandro de Tomaso,[3] an Argentinian former racing driver, the new managing director. De Tomaso had arranged for the Benelli motorcycle company, which he controlled, to buy Maserati from Citroën and install him as its head. New models were introduced in 1976, including the Maserati Kyalami and the Maserati Quattroporte III.The 1980s saw the company largely abandoning the mid-engined sports car in favour of squarish, front-engined, rear-drive coupes, cheaper than before but with aggressive performance, like the Maserati Biturbo.The Maserati Biturbo has been declined in a large number of models, all sharing key components among which a short two door coupe Maserati Karif and a cabriolet, the Spyder, designed by Zagato. The last version of the Maserati Biturbo was called Maserati Racing. It has been a transitional model in which several features to be found on the Ghibli II and the Shamal were tested. Two new coupes, the Maserati Shamal and Maserati Ghibli II, were released in 1990 and 1992, respectively.The company also worked loosely with Chrysler, now headed by de Tomaso's friend Lee Iacocca. Chrysler purchased part of Maserati and the two jointly produced a car, the Chrysler TC by Maserati that took much too long to introduce on the US market.There was also two further very challenging projects:the Chubasco a V8 mid-engine supercar, unfortunately due to lack of funding remained a dream.the Maserati Barchetta a small open top mid engine sports car, unfortunately very few cars were produced.

Fiat ownership1993 saw the company acquired by Fiat.[3] Substantial investments were made in Maserati, and it has since undergone something of a renaissance.In 1999, a new chapter began in Maserati's history when the company launched the 3200 GT, the only "Fiat Maserati". This two-door coupé is powered by a 3.2 L twin-turbocharged V8 which produces 370 hp (276 kW); the car does 0–60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Its top speed is 285 km/h (177 mph). With the addition of a Ferrari-designed and -built V-8 and automated manual transmission for the 2002 model year, this car continues to be produced today as the Coupé (hardtop) and Spyder (convertible model).Ferrari In 1997, Fiat sold a 50% share in the company to Maserati's long-time arch-rival Ferrari (though this was, and is, itself controlled by Fiat).[2] In 1999 Ferrari took full control, making Maserati its luxury division. A new factory was built, replacing the existing 1940s-vintage facility. Ferrari is credited for bringing Maserati back into business, after many lackluster years of Maserati teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.More recently, Maserati discussed an agreement with Volkswagen for the German company to share its Audi division's Quattro all-wheel-drive technology (originally meant for the still-born Maserati Kubang sport utility vehicle concept) for Maserati's current Quattroporte platform. This idea has since been abandoned because Volkswagen owns two of Ferrari's direct rivals, Lamborghini and Bugatti.Meanwhile two new models have been shown to the public: the MC12 road supersports and successful GT racer with an Enzo Ferrari–derived chassis and engine. And the Quattroporte, a high luxury saloon with the 4.2l V8 engine. Maserati is nowadays back in the business, very successfully selling on a global basis. In 2001 Ferrari decided to throw away all the old instruments and installed high-tech devices in the Modena factory, making it one of the most advanced in the world.Today In 2005, as a consequence of the termination of the agreement between Fiat and General Motors under which GM may have been obliged to buy Fiat's car division, Maserati was separated from Ferrari and brought back under Fiat's full control. Fiat plans to create a sports and luxury division from Maserati and another of its marques, Alfa Romeo. GM had to pay Fiat around two billion dollars. Maserati sold 2,006 cars in the United States in 2005, 2,108 in 2006, and 2,540 in 2007. In the second quarter of 2007 Maserati made profit for the first time in the 17 years under the Fiat Group ownership.[4]
source from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maserati

B M W

Early historyOtto-Flugzeugwerke A series of double-hulled aircraft for Russia at the Otto factoriesGustav Otto was the son of the wealthy Nikolaus August Otto, the inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine. Gustav was an aviator and one of the first flight pioneers in Bavaria. Along with a few others, Gustav flew machines made of wood, wire, canvas and powered by an engine. Through their passion for these flying machines, they helped transform aviation from a do-it-yourself hobby to a genuine industry vital to the military, especially after the breakout of World War I.a Gustav Flugmachinfabrik biplane in 1910Gustav, in 1910, received the German aviation license no. 34, and, in the same year, set up a training school and a factory that came to be called Otto-Flugzeugwerke in 1913. The factory was located on Lerchenauer Strasse, east of the Oberwiesenfeld troop maneuver area in the Milbertshofen district of Munich (this area later became Munich's first airport). He concentrated on building Farman inspired pushers (he had got his own license on an Aviatik-Farman), and soon became the main supplier for the Bayerische Fliegertruppen (Royal Bavarian Flying Corps). Both the Otto-Werke and his AGO Werke companies, which from 1914 developed different aircraft, were not successful in getting any orders from the Prussian military due to unexplained quality issues. The military urged Otto to revise his production line, but the issues were never resolved. Suffering financially, the Otto company was purchased by a consortium, which included MAN AG as well as some banks, in February 1916. One month later, on this company’s premises the investors established a new business, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG. AGO closed down in 1918, the facilities being taken over by AEG.[edit] Rapp MotorenwerkeIn 1913 Karl Rapp established Rapp Motorenwerke in a few wooden buildings of a former bicycle factory near the Oberwiesenfeld. This new company specialized in airplane engines.After the outbreak of World War I, Rapp started to supply aeroengines to the Austrian army. However, the engines suffered severe vibration problems, causing the military to decline purchasing the poorly performing engines. Rapp would quickly have gone out of business if his main customer, Austrian military forces, had not had Austro-Daimler V12 aircraft engines built here during war under a license. Austro-Daimler at the time was unable to meet its own demands to build V12 Aero engines. The officer supervising aero-engine building at Austro-Daimler on behalf of the Austrian navy was Franz Josef Popp. When it was decided to produce Austro-Daimler engines at Rapp Motorenwerke, it was Popp who was delegated to Munich from Vienna to supervise engine quality.However, Popp did not restrict himself to the role of observer, but became actively involved in the overall management of the company. Popp was also the person who convinced Karl Rapp to accept the application of Max Friz, a young aircraft engine designer and engineer at Daimler. At first Rapp was going to turn down Friz’s request; however, Popp successfully intervened on Friz’s behalf, because he recognized that Rapp Motorenwerke lacked an able designer. In the space of a few weeks he designed a new aero-engine, which, with an innovative carburettor and a variety of other technical details, was superior to any other German aero-engine. Later, this engine would gain world renown under the designation “BMW IIIa”.The recognition that Max Friz gained with his engine made it clear to all the senior managers that up to now Karl Rapp and his inadequate engine designs had held the company back from success. In Friz they now had an excellent chief designer on hand and were no longer dependent on Rapp. On 25 July 1917 the partners in the company therefore terminated Karl Rapp’s contract. The end of this collaboration had been coming for a long time. When Rapp’s departure was finally a certainty, another important decision had to be made. If the man who had lent his name to the company was now leaving it, a new name was naturally required. So, on 21 July 1917, Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH was renamed Bayerische Motorenwerke GmbH.

The R32-a legend is made Main article: History of BMW motorcycles R32: the first BMW motorcycleAt the German Motor Show in Berlin (September 28 – October 7, 1923) BMW exhibited the R32 to the public for the first time. The first motorcycle from BMW convinced the experts immediately, and was an instantly popular product with consumers. A comment in the magazine DER MOTORWAGEN read: "And finally, the culmination of the exhibition, the new BMW motorcycle (494 cc) with the cylinders arranged transversely. Despite its youth it is a remarkably fast and successful motorcycle."In 1924 BMW built its first model motorcycle, the R32. This had a 500 cc air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine, a feature that would resonate among their various models for decades to come, albeit with displacement increases and newer technology. The major innovation was the use of a driveshaft instead of a chain to drive the rear wheel. To this day the driveshaft and boxer engine are still used on BMW motorcycles.Automobiles BMW's first automobile, the BMW DixiBMW’s automobile history had begun much earlier than 1924, if only in the form of proposals and prototypes. Correspondence dating back to 1918 shows the first use of the term “automobile” in BMW history. But no details, let alone images have come down to us regarding this fourwheeled primogenitor. Subsequently, BMW manufactured various built-in motors with four and two cylinders that powered a wide variety of agricultural vehicles in the early 1920s. The spectrum of machinery driven across the land by BMW units ranged from single-track cars to huge farm tractors. Around 1925 two specially hired BMW designers, Max Friz and Gotthilf Dürrwächter, both former employees of Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart, were commissioned by BMW’s Managing Director Franz Josef Popp to design a BMW production car. From this first, demonstrably operational BMW car – though as yet lacking any bodywork, BMW laid the groundwork for one of the world's most respected manufacturer of automobiles.Success for BMW in this industry came from an already proven source-the Seven. In 1927 the tiny Dixi, an Austin Seven produced under license, began production in Eisenach. BMW bought the Dixi Company the following year, and this became the company's first car, the BMW 3/15. By 1933 BMW was producing cars that could be called truly theirs, offering steadily more advanced I6 sports and saloons (sedans). The pre-war cars culminated in the 327 coupé and convertible, the 328 roadster, fast 2.0 L cars, both very advanced for their time, as well as the upscale 335 luxury sedan.World War IIThe German invasion of Poland and the associated commencement of hostilities meant that the government ordered production in parts of the German economy to be converted to the manufacture of armaments. Josef Popp was skeptical against shifting the focus of production to aeroengine production. Popp's thinking that this would provide a one sided orientation for the group by focusing its activities on armament in preparation for war. Although this area was financially lucrative, it would mean that the group was heavily dependent on decisions made by the National Socialist regime. In June 1940, he wrote to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Emil Georg von Stauss, explaining that the situation could “threaten the very existence of BMW AG if there were any setback to aeroengine production”.[7] The strategically important position of BMW for air armament would lead to a rise in the volume of specifications and more interference from political and military agencies, which would in turn increasingly restrict the scope for entrepreneurial maneuvers. This would weaken the position of the group’s management. It would also erode the position of Franz Josef Popp, who up until then had directed the company largely autonomously and autocratically.BMW primarily had to concentrate on the development and production of air-cooled aeroengines. These activities were bundled within BMW Flugmotorenbau GmbH. Motorcycle production located at BMW AG in Munich had to abandon civilian production by 1940. The company was eventually only producing the R12 and from 1941 the R75, which was supplied to the Wehrmacht. At the beginning of 1942, a government order demanded that all motorcycle production should be transferred to Eisenach, so that the main plant in Munich could be used for engine construction. A short time later in 1942, BMW was forced to abandon motorcycle production altogether.A wide range of aeroengines were produced for the Luftwaffe, including one of the most powerful available- the BMW 801. Over 30,000 different aeroengines were manufactured up to 1945. BMW also researched jet engines, producing the BMW 003, and rocket-based weapons.BMW AG had already had to give up its automobile manufacturing operations with effect from 1940, because the company was not producing any cars for the army. As a result, only repairs were carried out in this area, some engines were manufactured and a development department was maintained.The executive body statutes were introduced on October 1, 1940, under which all subsidiaries had to transfer all their profits and losses in full to their relevant parent company and ultimately to BMW AG. Expansion of business in the aeroengine sector and the legal framework conditions required several injections of capital. The majority of these funds were transferred immediately to Flugmotorenbau GmbH. The total capital of BMW AG increased in stages to RM 100 million by 1944. From January 1, 1944, further restructuring was carried out within the Group: 1) All sales were now effected through BMW AG, the GmbHs only acted as property companies. 2) Production was organized into 4 works groups operating independently of the legal structure of the Group (Munich, Allach, Eisenach and Berlin).Foreigners were also employed from mid-1941, in order to make up for the lack of workers and to maintain production. Foreigners were used at all sites and by 1944, they generally made up between 40% and 50% of the workforce at BMW, which numbered over 50,000 at that time. The legal status of foreign workers ranged from prisoners of war to forced labor.BMW used forced slave labor primarily from concentration camps between 1941 and 1945.At the end of the war, the plants of BMW AG were confiscated by Allied troops. The production of armaments at the company was of course brought to an end.Second crisis for BMW AG – WWII aftermath 1954 BMW 502 V8 Super The acclaimed 1956 BMW 507BMW AG was heavily bombed towards the end of the war, reducing most of the companies production facilities to rubble. In fact, by the end of the war, the Munich plant was completely destroyed.[8] Of its sites, those in eastern Germany (Eisenach-Dürrerhof, Wandlitz-Basdorf and Zühlsdorf) were seized by the Soviets. After the war the Munich factory took some time to restart production in any volume. BMW was banned from manufacturing for three years by the Allies and did not produce a motorcycle, the R24, until 1948, and a car model until 1952. During the three year ban BMW used scraps and what resources they had available to manufacture bicycles and kitchen supplies. [9]In the east, the company's factory at Eisenach was taken over by the Soviet Awtowelo group which formed finally the Eisenacher Motor-Werke. That company offered "BMWs" for sale until 1951, when the Bavarian company prevented use of the trademarks: the name, the logo and the "double-kidney" radiator grille.The cars and motorcycles were then branded EMW (Eisenacher Motoren-Werke), production continuing until 1955.BMW Isetta- sales of this car saved the company in post WWII Germany In the west, the BAC, Bristol Aeroplane Company, inspected the factory, and returned to Britain with plans for the 326, 327 and 328 models. These plans, which became official war reparations, along with BMW engineer Fritz Fiedler allowed the newly formed Bristol Cars to produce a new, high-quality sports saloon (sedan), the 400 by 1947, a car so similar to the BMW 327 that it even kept the famous BMW grille.In 1948 BMW produced its first postwar motorcycle and in 1952 it produced its first passenger car since the war. However, its car models were not commercially successful; models such as the acclaimed BMW 507 and 503 were too expensive to build profitably and were low volume.By the late 1950s, it was also making bubble-cars such as the Isetta.

source from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bmw