Ford up there again, better than the best

It was only sometime ago when Ford had posted a humongous loss amounting to billions of dollars. The Blue oval was a sign of taxi cabs and low resale. I am not even counting low Fuel Efficiency and maintenance issues. Recalls were always above 100,000.

Things turned to worse when Toyota overtook ford for the no.2 position in such important market as North America. But as the saying goes 'better late than never.' Ford is back in the game and how???? The next quarter itself after posting a huge loss amounting to about 15billion dollars, Ford shook management, fired lazy designers, cleaned up manufacturing houses and the result was evident when Ford posted a 750 million dollars operating profit, a first in almost a decade.

Good news later followed when Ford beat all Toyota models in quality and interior design ratings. Some from as reputed companies as J.D. Power.

Now the good news continue to roll as Ford keep cutting fleet sales and concentrate on what the real buyer needs. Ford has recently showed Honda who the boss is.

The quality of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand vehicles soared to the top of the charts equaling that of Toyota and Honda, according to the first quarter 2008 U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study conducted by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

The company earned best-in-class honors in two important engineering functions: interiors, which includes such areas as trim, seats and instrument panel appearance; and electrical, which includes entertainment systems. Ford tied for best-in-class in two other functions, paint and vehicle engineering, which includes such areas as ride and handling and cabin quietness.
Additionally, Ford’s domestic brands pushed customer satisfaction up one point to 77 percent.
A total of 15 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury vehicles are ranked in the top three of their respective segments for either TGW performance, customer satisfaction or both.
The following models are segment leaders:
• Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 – TGW for sports car
• Ford Five Hundred – customer satisfaction for large car
• Ford Sport Trac – customer satisfaction for medium traditional utility
• Mercury Milan – TGW for mid size car
• Lincoln Navigator – TGW and customer satisfaction for large premium utility
The new 2008 Ford Taurus (called Five Hundred in the Middle East) and Mercury Sable (called Mercury Montego in the Middle East) both recorded quality levels that equate to less than one problem per vehicle, as did the Volvo S80 (947). The Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ were close, with 1,030 TGW and 1065 TGW, respectively.
The Five Hundred also led a string of impressive new vehicles launched in 2007. Five Hundred showed a 33 percent quality improvement compared with the product it replaced. The new Ford Escape improved 16 percent over the out-going model.
In fact, 36 of 40 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda nameplates improved this year versus 2007.
The 2008 first quarter U.S. GQRS study, which RDA Group conducts for Ford, asks customers of all major makes and models to comment on troubles and rate their overall satisfaction with their three-month-old vehicles. The survey includes vehicles registered from September 2007 through November 2007.

One may ask. What about India? Well Mr. Mathew (His surname ends with Mathew but he is to Ford India what Bill Ford is to Ford motors. :)) himself has promised the best service possible for ford cars. And with overdrive churning record Fuel efficiency numbers in the chaotic traffic conditions with the Ford Fiesta, Honda needs to make-up the city fast.

Honda maybe known for its engines, but Ford is known for its legendary status and that includes not just engines but the cars as a whole.


Good going ford.

Is it the end of the Iphone?

Since the dawn of computing Windows operating systems have ruled the roost. But various other operating systems have been on the horizons since. While most of the populace doesn't know the difference between a pc and a computer or nokia and mobile phones, there have been better alternatives in the market. The window UI named as Microsoft was better pioneered by Apple's Mac OS and the open source better known as linux has held its own.

With the Apple's mac based IPhone conquering the smartphone market long a windows forte and followed by the undesirable and same as always nokia's symbian, freedom followers started working on Linux to get something priced down to earth with most needed features.

Enter the Openmoko FreeRunner. Descended from Neo1973, this yet to release phone stores wonders within the small plastic box. A monstereous 500MHz processors, wireless b/g, motion sensors, hardware accelerated 2d/3d graphics rendering, generous 2.8" VGA screen, creative GNOME Desktop environment, hip LED lights all around and the ability to hack the open source makes this phone the most desirable gadget in the gsm industry for the geeks.

A great alternative with added extras if the ROKR E8's basic rich feature set is not enough for you.

The return of the Titan

Motorola is returning among the lookalikes of the mobile phone market again. But the Motorola we see this time around is a new player. Long evolved since stable handsets and innovative feature set ala Siemens (Siemens and Motorola were to join hands once to form a single company.) has brought Motorola to where it is today based on its strengths.

The phone which has lately caught my attention doesn't have a GPS. Nope! Neither does it have a wi-fi. It Isn't a touchscreen either. Surprised? That's the name of the game Motorola plays with most phones, their phones are mobile phones first. The marvel I am talking about is Motorola ROKR E8.
The E8 boasts of some excellent features not found in most common handsets. The phone's Keyboard changes with each application to give different modes which Motorola calls Modeshift. Some of the modes I am aware of are
1. Phone mode
2. Music mode
3. Camera mode.

Top that up with a 100 grams lightweight phone with a quad-band signal to cover the world. And then some salt and pepper. 2gb of onboard memory, A universal 3.5mm jack for using our Sennheiser, Grado, AKG, Bose or Beyerdynamic headphones just make this phone a must have.

For those who live by nokia, the author wont care at all about writing about a Maruti 800 on this blog. There are some limitations. But for those who swear by good things, the ROKR E8 is coming soon. :) Stay tuned for a detailed review.

Another Fast and the furious Sequel

Just when the adrenaline from The fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift is about to disappear, news of the new Sequel have surfaced. The Studios have fortunately retained the cast from the first movies. Yes! The old cast makes a comeback. It would have become obvious from the last scene in the Tokyo Drift where Vin Diesel gives us a peek as Han's friend.

Paul walker and Vin Diesel are joined in this sequel by Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster (I would have loved to see Eva Mendes join the gang too. ;)).

Not retained will be the script. The penning is rumoured, not to be a continuation of the first movie. Also not retained would be the snazzy custom wheels which is actually good news.

No screeners are out yet but keep a watch. It maybe out soon.

Nissan GTR too common for you? how about Nismo Z?

Fresh off the finished development of the GTR, Nissan's racing division, Nismo, is at it again -- this time with an ultra expensive, racing-only Z built to Japanese Super Taikyu Series standards.The engineers at Nismo can't seem to get enough of the track and went all-out on this latest Z variation named the Fairlady Z 380RS Competition Model.

Overtly distinguishing this track-dedicated Z is a modified bodykit that includes a carbon fiber hood and doors, front canards and handcrafted rear carbon diffuser. The massive Brembo brakes measure 15-inches and hide behind ultra lightweight, black, forged monoblock wheels and add to the sinister exterior look, as does the fully adjustable racing coilover suspension. Inside the cabin are only the bare essentials needed for attacking the track. After stripping any unnecessary materials and creature comforts, Nismo engineers installed a carbon Recaro racing seat, complete roll cage with fire extinguisher, digital gauges, lightweight steering wheel, and the always essential engine cut-off switch. Modification to the all ready stout V-6 VQ35HR series engine includes an increased displacement to 3.8-liters, giving the high revving engine upwards of 400 horsepower at 7,200 rpm. Engine management is controlled by a Motec ECM, while a six-speed close-ratio transmission and Nismo LSD help to keep the Rays Engineering wheels turning as intended.As expected, this racing spec Fairlady Z will only be available in its home market of Japan. Pretending to be a Super Taikyu racer doesn't come cheap though--- Nismo's built-to-order 380RS Competition Model starts at around $284,000.Source: Nismo Japan

MV and wallypower roar in the new Brutale

Italy has always mesmerised me. The pasta, pizza, girls, Opera, Cars, motorcycles, Clothes........ and I can go on for a few more minutes. They do everything with style and panache. It's no wonder then for people to be excited when an announcement is made by the Lamborghini of bikes- MV Agusta. MV who??? would be a common expression of many who are familiar with Yamaha, Honda, kawasaki and Suzuki rockets. But then you dont even know anything about the Lamborghini reventon. Well that just makes this article all the more interesting.

Italian Motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta is to add two new limited addition versions of its new Brutale 910 R naked bikes in conjunction with two of Southern Europe’s most stylish design companies. The already announced Hydrogen Brutale 910 R, in conjunction with clothing manufacturer Hydrogen, will be joined by a Wally Brutale 910 R, both with stunning visuals and a LOT of mid range. Wally is the Monaco-based designer of outrageous luxury boats.

Monaco-based Wally Yachts has become a maritime design and manufacture icon since it was founded in 1994 by wealthy Italian yachtsman Luca Bassani. The company achieved international prominence with its stylish, sleek, minimalist designs within the industry very quickly, but winning the Millennium Yacht Design Award really put the company on the map. The award was won by the company’s distinctive 118 WallyPower and the company now produces the most visually arresting high end sail and motor yachts, from the Nano 11-meter day sailor/racer through to boats such as the gorgeous Wally 50M, which is 50 meters in length.
Only 100 of each model will be produced worldwide, offering a degree of exclusivity and retained value to the machinery.