SUVs Declare War on Americans

Out-of-control SUV kills 16-year-old St. Paul girl

Just about every school day, Rachel Moore said, she would see the teenage girl sitting in a grassy area, waiting to catch a bus after attending summer classes at Harding High School on St. Paul's East Side.  On Thursday, she and other neighbors heard a crash as a driver lost control of his maroon SUV, hit a fire hydrant and a sign, and then drove down an incline, running over and killing the teen near that city bus stop.

Clarisse Grime, 16, of St. Paul, died at the scene.

Police were questioning a 50-year-old man who was driving the vehicle when it crashed about 1 p.m. at E. 3rd and Hazelwood Streets, in front of Harding, just after summer classes let out for the day.

Witnesses told police that the driver of the maroon SUV was speeding east on 3rd when he tried to turn left onto Hazelwood to head north, said Howie Padilla, a St. Paul police spokesman.

"That red truck came zooming east on Third," said Anthony Williams, 16, a Harding student who said he witnessed the accident. He said he was friends with "Clary" Grime, who was waiting with her boyfriend, as they did every day after school. Her boyfriend, Eduardo Vazquez-Torres, 17, was injured and taken to Regions Hospital, where he was treated for noncritical injuries.

The SUV ran over the hydrant, which rolled into the intersection, he said. The vehicle crossed Hazelwood and drove onto the sidewalk on the north side of 3rd Street, where the driver got out -- but the SUV kept going, Williams said.

"He bails his car, and it went down the hill and squashed the girl," Williams said.

The driver went to his SUV and began checking the front of it for damage, Williams said. "He didn't realize he had hit her."

Once the driver realized that he had hit someone, Williams said, "he stood by his car and was holding his head in shock."

What this article, and many others fail to mention is that the driver of the vehicle in an unlicensed, illegal alien name Carlos Viveros-Colorado was driving the SUV.  

Viveros-Colorado is undocumented and in the United States illegally, Miera said, and state records show he has never had a Minnesota driver's license.

So instead, they have to make it sound like the evil SUV did it.  As Patterico says:

But when an illegal immigrant enters this country, and then does something wrong — like, say, killing somebody — the argument from illegal immigration supporters is always the same. They will ask: “Are illegal immigrants more likely than citizens to kill people?”

Here’s my answer.

I don’t care.

They’re not supposed to be here in the first place.

Could It Possibly Make the Beltway Any Worse?

Nevada issues Google first license for self-driving car

Nevadans will soon see driverless cars being tested on streets and highways.

Google received the first license Monday from the state Department of Motor Vehicles to test the autonomous vehicles. It is believed to be the first such license issued in the country.

The 2011 Legislature passed the first law in the nation to permit testing of driverless cars. But state regulations require a person behind the wheel and one in the passenger’s seat during tests.

“It’s still a work in progress,” said Tom Jacobs, a DMV spokesman. “The system regulates the brakes, accelerator and steering.”

Having one working brain directing the car would be an improvement over many of the cars I see in the morning commuting to Washington DC.

And because it's barely relevant:

Looking For a Low Mileage Used Prius?

Hundreds of 5-year-old municipal vehicles found in Miami that were never used

Have you ever bought a brand new cars only to forget where you put it? How about 300 of them? Probably not – unless you're Miami-Dade County, which was recently reunited with 298 vehicles it bought brand new between 2006 and 2007.

No, but I lost a $20 bill in a jacket pocket once, and found it a year later!  Boy, was I ever excited!

The county "discovered" this fleet of no-mileage vehicles after reading about them in a Spanish-language newspaper there (see the source for more images). Most of the misplaced motorcade is made up of Toyota Prius hybrids whose warranties either expired with very few miles on the odo or will very soon.

I wonder how the batteries on the Priuses (Prii? - what the hell is the plural of Prius anyway?) tolerate not being charged for 5-6 years.  I know my Mom's went dead sitting in an airport for a week (only the 12 V starting battery. It's a big deal when a Prius nickel metal hydride main batteries go dead.

... The county, as you probably guessed, is looking into how it lost so many cars. The leading theory is that they might be part of Carlos Alvarez's time as mayor. He was the mayor during the period the Toyotas were purchased, but a 2011 recall election successfully removed him from office. Apparently the voters "felt, among other reasons, that he had been behind multiple acts of misappropriation of funds."

As Glen Reynolds (The Instapundit) says:

But remember — if you complain about government or taxes, it’s because you hate teh children.

You can't necessarily assume that all governments are as screwed up as Miami-Dade (apologies to Horatio Cane), but you may safely assume they are not likely to spend your money as carefully as you will.

6 Steps To Sell Your Car Quickly

A Model with Car

In practical terms, a car is a source of transportation, but when it comes to buying a car, most people go above and beyond these practical needs.

Many people end up paying a lot of money to get these additional automobile luxuries: DVD players, navigation systems, automatic everything, more power than they need, etc. All of this is fine, as long as you can afford it.

SEE: The True Cost Of Owning A Car

Experts say that you should be paying no more than 15 to 18% of your income for this "debt on wheels."

This figure includes car payments, maintenance and car insurance. Anything above this means that you can't afford the car and it's wise tosettle for something within your means.

Since many people look at buying a car from the perspective of monthly commitments, the golden rule is to buy a car that you can payoff within 36 months. If you cannot afford the monthly payments that will allow you to pay it off in 36 months, it means you can't afford it.

But what if you've already bought too much car and you now can't afford it? A layoff, demotion, divorce or any drastic downturn in your financial situation could mean you are stuck with a fancy car and are staring at repossession or a bad credit report.

Just what should you do?

To start, you need to confront the situation.

It may be very hard to confront the fact that you're short of money and can't afford your dream car. The earlier you make the decision to do something about the problem, the better. This way you will avoid compounding the problem.

Once you are ready to solve the problem, there are several options you can try to fix your car problem.

Go Back to Your Car Dealer
The first option is to go back to your dealer and discuss the option of trading in your car for a less expensive one. Most dealers want you to stay with the brand and will have options to help you out. For example, Hyundai has a very friendly return policy.

However, this may not always work because the value of a new car depreciates really fast. This means that after a few months of owning the car, you may owe more than the current value. Imagine your car value has depreciated to $20,000 but you still owe $25,000 on it.

Even if your dealer agrees to trade your car for a less expensive one, you will have to pay the difference of $5,000.

SEE: Buying A Car: The Worst Investment?

Refinance Car Loan
The second option is to look at refinancing your car loan. You may try to extend the car loan, or look for refinancing at a lower rate. Some finance companies may even offer a higher interest rate, but they will extend the loan period substantially.

This could bring down your monthly payments.

Sell Your Car
Another good option is to sell your car and pay off the loan. If the car value is less than what you owe, you can consider taking a personal loan to cover the difference. Financing the difference with your credit card is a bad idea.

Once you are free from the loan, you can make a wiser choice – buy a used car, use public transportation or get a bike.

Find Someone to Assume Your Payments
You also have the option to find someone who will be ready to take the car and the loan from you. You can advertise in market places such as Craigslist and eBay Motors to find potential buyers.

In Case of a Lease
If you've leased the car, then it is a very different situation because you don't own the car and can't sell it. You can return the vehicle back to the dealer, but you will still have to pay the remaining balance of the lease. You also lose the upfront money paid for the car and pay an additional recapture fee.

A better option is to find someone who will be willing to take over the balance payments for your car. This is called a lease transfer and most leasing companies allow you to do that.

The Bottom Line
Like all deep in debt positions, it is important to take a hard look at your lack of financial well-being and seek help to get back on track.

All stakeholders in a car purchase – the dealer, the financier and you - can minimize damage if you diagnose the condition quickly and act on it swiftly. 

News by Businessinsider


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Tesla takes wraps off "falcon-winged" Model X SUV

Falcon-Winged" Model X SUV

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc on Thursday showed off a prototype of its Model X, a battery-powered SUV that represents the company's bet that consumers will buy a range of electric vehicles spun from a common platform.

The Model X, which features what the company calls "falcon-wing" doors and faster acceleration than a Porsche 911 -- it goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds -- will start production late 2013 and begin delivery in 2014.

Tesla begins taking reservations at noon on Friday for the characteristically sleek vehicle resembling a taller version of its Model S sedan, but with a folding door hinged on the roof.

CEO Elon Musk touted his latest electric vehicle as cramming in more space than a typical sport utility vehicle. It seats seven, with ample storage.

"Minivans and SUV have been trying for years to overcome these problem," the entrepreneur told a rowdy crowd. Musk didn't lose his cool even when the front trunk -- or "frunk" -- stubbornly refused to open in the middle of his demonstration.

Tesla -- which has never made a profit -- hopes to create a buzz with Thursday night's event, which featured a smattering of lesser-known celebrities, a buffet spread and an open bar, with hundreds of guests milling across a hangar-sized space at the company's California design engineering offices.

The well-heeled guests were offered a chance to be first in line for the Model X, sales of which will follow a reservations-and-delivery template much like the preceding sedan.

While flashy car debuts are a staple of the auto industry, nine-year-old Tesla tracks and reports the number of reservations for upcoming models as a benchmark for investors.

The company went public in June 2010. Its private backers range from venture-capital firms Draper Fisher Jurvetson and VantagePoint Capital Partners to Silicon Valley heavyweights such as Sergey Brin and Larry Page, founders of Google Inc. It also won a $465 million loan guarantee in 2009 from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Its shares were trading on Nasdaq on Thursday at $32.58, well above their June 2010 IPO price of $17.

MORE MODELS

The Model X is important for the company because it is the second model to be based on a platform purpose-built by Tesla for electric drive vehicles. The first was the Model S, a sedan scheduled to go on sale in the middle of this year.

Musk has bet that development costs for the Model S and the Model X can be recouped as more models are introduced on the same platform. Two more Tesla models are in the works, the company has said.

Tesla has said between 10,000 and 15,000 of the Model X vehicles will roll off its Fremont, California assembly lines in 2014, priced close to the $60,000-plus Model S.

The Model X -- whose falcon-wing doors recall a design made famous by the DeLorean sports car in 1985's "Back to the Future" -- will compete with Toyota Motor Corp's electric RAV4, a crossover SUV that will sport Tesla's electric-drive technology.

Musk did not detail pricing or specifications for the Model X, which will have dual-motor all-wheel drive -- a motor in front, and another in the rear, which he says vastly improves grip, handling and turn radius.

For now, Tesla is scrambling to meet a July deadline for delivering the first Model S cars. Musk hopes to have delivered 20,000 of the cars by 2013, yielding a gross margin of 20 percent or more.

The Model S, which goes for a base $57,000, is Tesla's entree into the mass consumer luxury market, going downscale from the $100,000-plus Roadsters that it made its name on.

While the base version of the Model S will sell for $57,000, few cars are expected to be sold for that little. The average price for a car sold in the U.S. market in 2011 was around $30,000.

Tesla autos have captured the public imagination and helped spur Detroit to work on its own electric vehicles. General Motors Co in 2010 started selling its plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt.

California governor Jerry Brown was on hand on Thursday to join Musk in touting the Model X. The wealthiest U.S. state approved aggressive new rules in January to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring automakers to put many more electric and hybrid vehicles on the roads by 2025.

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The Ferrari which holds EIGHT people and plenty of Christmas presents

Long Ferrari

With Christmas days away and presents still to buy for all your family and friends, sometimes a regular estate is just not big enough for all the bags.

Which may explain why these last-minute shoppers arrived at Harrods driving something a little more spacious than the usual.

Shoppers in upmarket Knightsbridge, London, looked on in disbelief yesterday afternoon when two men pulled up at Harrods in this outrageous stretched Ferrari.

With no bay in the area suitable for a vehicle of such length, the car simply stopped on double yellow lines at the front of the store.

The limousine is a one-off, made by a developer in the UK by cutting a regular Ferrari 360 Modena in half and adding some seats in the middle.

It is the fastest limousine in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 166mph and is estimated to cost as much as £250,000.

It is likely the car was not owned by the male driver but hired specially for the occasion from an elite hire company.

The limo was designed by Dan Cawley, a Manchester-based businessman who owns hire company Style Limousines.

Mr Cawley, who has sold the car to another rental company, told the Mail: 'Every boy wants to get into a Ferrari, this was a way for people to be able to do that with seven mates. It's the biggest and craziest vehicle you can get. We made it because we wanted to create the ultimate Ferrari experience.'

He added: 'There's room for eight people – so you can get plenty of shopping bags in there.'

News by Dailymail


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