Billionaire investor Lynn Tilton, who bought supplier Dura Automotive Systems Inc. early this year, recounted her first meeting with Ford purchasing chief Tony Brown.

Tilton said Brown demanded to know if her Patriarch Partners was just another private-equity company intent on “stripping and flipping” Dura by taking cash out of the company before selling it.

“Tony, you must have the story mistaken,” she recalled saying. She assured him she held on to companies. “It’s only men that I strip and flip.”

HEY, THAT’S BACKWARD — Tim Dunne, head of global auto operations at J.D. Power and Associates, began his talk on China by citing emerging countries to which China is linked: Brazil, Russia and India. “I don’t know who picked the acronym BRICs for them,” he said. “I like to call them CRIBs.” Continue reading TC buzz: She’s not like those other investors

Cars running on hydrogen have been in the news for many years now. Environmentalists favor the use of an HHO car as it not only has a low running cost but is also good for the environment. However despite the advantages, there are some issues with using hydrogen as a fuel. One basic problem is that hydrogen is not an independent fuel in itself. The power needed to run the vehicles is actually extracted from fossil fuels.

Another problem with hydrogen is that it needs to be stored in a liquid form and for that to happen; a constant temperature of 253 degree Celsius needs to be maintained. Insulated tanks and venting systems are required to keep it in liquid form else it will turn into gaseous form. There is a shortage of hydrogen stations all over the world. This problem needs to be sorted out if hydrogen is to become popular as a fuel. A HHO car costs you a lot today, however things are expected to change in the future with availability of cheaper and affordable hydrogen powered vehicles.

Popular automobile manufacturing companies like Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Honda etc. are trying to come up with their own HHO cars, which would be priced at par with the normal cars. We can only hope that these cars will eventually turn into a reality in the times to come. If you really wish to use hydrogen fuel, it is best to get your car converted. Dual tanks give you the option to refill with gasoline in case hydrogen is not available. Hydrogen, the future fuel is definitely here to stay! Continue reading HHO Car – The Car of the Future?

Ford Motors is not only creating the most modern hybrid vehicles but they are also working on the best in safety features for those vehicles. There is a new array of “active” crash-avoidance technologies that will be introduced into this year by driving prototypes into large, car-shaped balloons to help customers avoid real accidents. Engineers at the Dearborn Development Center use these balloons to test the company’s new adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support technology. The consumer is demanding that some technology be created that can help avoid sudden unexpected hazards due to cruise control failure or brake support failures. This is just a couple of the many new safety features that are being checked and corrected for the consumers. Continue reading The New Ford Technology