New BMW Sauber driver Kamui Kobayashi has said that he does not plan to change his very aggressive driving style.
The Japanese driver impressed last year, even though he only drove in 2 races, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. His extreme driving style won him many instant fans, including myself. To put it this way, in only his second race, he got past the newly crowned world champion, Jenson Button.
Because he needed to perform well to get a seat for 2010, many people feared that he would become less aggressive. However, Kamui disagrees, saying:
“I don’t think it is something special for me, it’s just my style. I will keep like this, of course without crashing. It is my style and I won’t change.”
He also feels that he is better prepared this season:
“We come in to this season having enough time to prepare for it,” Kobayashi said. “The last two races [last year] I had no testing, so it was really difficult, but now I have so many tests and we can work with the car from the beginning of the season.”
Kobayashi said that he was unwilling to make predictions for 2010 before testing, but said:
“I will try to be the first Japanese driver to win, this is my ultimate goal. But at the moment it is too far away to think about that and I am just focused on my tests now.”
My analysis of his driving style staying is short and sweet: Yay!
Some people and some towns are more thoughtful than others…
The coastal town of Lincoln City, Oregon, has a lot to lose if nothing is done about climate change.
The town sits 11 feet above sea level, and unchecked climate change could erode its beaches or flood the town.
Residents are taking matters into their own hands. “We could ignore it, let the federal government deal with it,” Mayor Lori Hollingsworth says. “We’re not willing to do that.” Last year Lincoln City committed to becoming carbon neutral through renewable energy, energy efficiency, and offsets.
Communities like Lincoln City have long been ahead of Congress and the White House on climate commitments. Cities first began committing to Kyoto goals in 2005 through the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Now more than 1,000 cities have signed on. But the community climate movement goes beyond local government initiatives. It’s a cultural shift involving people at all levels of the community, from tiny rural towns in red states to major metropolitan areas.
The Heart Land is all for action now: Climate Action means a transition to a low Carbon Infrastructure and changing the base load of Energy
The college town of Berea, Kentucky, one of the fastest growing communities in the state, is seeing its subdivisions expand and its farmland disappear. But one group of residents is making plans to help the community end its reliance on fossil fuels.
“We want to increase the resilience of our community in the face of all the threats—peak oil, climate change, economic contraction, ecosystem decline, population growth—the whole list,” says Richard Olson, head of the Berea College Sustainability and Environmental Studies Program.
Berea locals have a goal they’re calling “50 x 25.” By 2025, they aim to have the town using 50 percent less energy, deriving 50 percent of the energy it does use from local sources, getting 50 percent of its food from farms and processors within 100 miles of town, and generating 50 percent of its gross domestic product from locally owned, independent businesses.
Berea is one of more than 40 U.S. communities that have become Transition Towns, a movement that started when British communities began looking for ways to move to low-carbon economies. Transition Towns have formed a diffuse, grassroots network led by the individuals who are working to transform their own communities.
“What’s important, and I think different about the transition movement is that it pays attention to the inner transition as well as the outer,” says Carolyn Stayton, executive director of Transition U.S. and a member of Transition Sebastopol in Northern California. Many Transition Towns have formed “Heart and Soul” working groups to “keep the community sensitive to the difficulty of making change,” says Stayton.
The Transition Town Berea group holds monthly “reskilling” workshops to help locals acquire the know-how to grow their own food, weatherize their houses, and install solar panels. Their projects help neighbors replant lawns with edibles and build raised vegetable beds. They’ve also auctioned rain barrels hand-painted by local artists and organized a “100 Mile Potluck” to celebrate local food and farmers.
The Transition Towns movement… in the United States is less than two years old, but it came from the seeds of earlier relocalization efforts and other community climate groups and nonprofits. The Towns have become successful by sharing training resources and experiences with existing groups and other communities, and reaching out to local government.
Yours,
Pano
PS:
Changing is easy.
Transitioning is far easier
Especially when the cost is profit and new jobs for a bright future
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers
FSB reports circulating in the Kremlin today are stating that the Swiss Police Commander heading security at the World Economic Forum inSwitzerland, Markus Reinhardt, was “suicided” after his discovering that the Davos summit was planning for the “final collapse” of the Global Banking system in preparation for Total War.
Markus Reinhardt, 61, had headed the police force in the Swiss canton of Graubünden and protected the Davos summit since 1984 before his death on Tuesday.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Geneva-based non-profit foundation founded in 1971 by the German economist Dr. Klaus M. Schwab [photo top left] who is best known for establishing the annual meeting in Davos which brings together top business leaders, International political leaders, selected intellectuals and journalists to discuss the most pressing issues facing the World including health and the environment.
Important to know about Dr. Schwab is that according to his FSB (current Russian) and KGB (former Soviet) files (which have codenamed him “The Czar Maker”) he is one of the most powerful men in the Western World who has been “primed” for Global leadership since his birth in 1938 in the strategic German city of Ravensburg, which was one of the first of the Holy Roman Empires Free Imperial Cities.
In Dr. Schwab’s “training” for Global leadership he has obtained a Doctorate in Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Fribourg, a Doctorate in Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, a Master of Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, has been the recipient of seven honorary doctorates, is an honorary professor of the Ben-Gurion University of Israel and the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing.
Important to note about Ravensburg, Germany is its central role in being the model upon which the other “modern” Free Imperial Cities of Amsterdam, London, New York and Hong Kong have been built to control human society through the use and manipulation of what are called fiat currencies andfinancial markets which today are being used to plunge our World towards the abyss of Total War.
Also important to note about Ravensburg is that during World War II the Allied Powers were under “strict orders” not to bomb or attack this most important of cities which enabled it to survive with no destruction whatsoever as it had been the “main conduit” for Western money from which the Nazi Leaders of Germany were able to rebuild their Nation from the catastrophic hyperinflation imposed on them after their surrender to the Allies at the ending of World War I.
Note: There can no be no understanding whatsoever of any World event without you knowing what war is, and, perhaps, best articulated by the United States Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler who saved President Franklin D. Roosevelt from being overthrown in the 1933 Business Plot Coup (intended to “unite” the right wing American forces with those of Nazi Germany) and in his book “War Is A Racket” stated:
“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small ‘inside’ group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.”
For the reason(s) behind the suiciding of Reinhardt, these reports continue, was his deployment of what is called a “passive acoustical defense system”to protect those attending Davos by monitoring sounds that may be associated with pending, or actual, attacks (gun shots, ticking bombs, footsteps in unauthorized areas, etc.) but which (mistakenly?) recorded “highly sensitive” conversations of “Global policy makers” planning the total collapse of the World’s banking system.
Upon Reinhardt’s retrieval of the “sensitive conversations” picked up his new listening system, and his presumed listening to them, he was then“suicided” by two bullets to the back of his head and all of the recordings he had made were “disappeared”.
To the coming collapse of the Global Banking system it appears to be in acceleration as the giant ratings agency Standard & Poor’s “warned Tuesday that it might downgrade its credit rating for Japan’s sovereign debt, saying efforts to put the public finances in order were slowing under the new government.” And not for Japan’s sovereign debt alone are the Americans alarmed at Japan, but also for their new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, continued threats to throw out US Military forces from his Nation entirely as being the “will of the people”.
Even worse for the Global Banking System are new reports showing that the United States, being unable to unload its surging debt on the World, has during this past year bought over 80% of it themselves through its Federal Reserve, a situation warned to get much worse after President Obama defied the Americans largest holder of debt, China, yesterday by announcing new arms sales to Taiwan.
And in, perhaps, the most cynical move against any peoples by their leaders, President Obama, and in his knowing of the coming collapse of the Global Banking System, this past week slammed his own American Banking System which (coincidentally?) caused the already obscene bonuses paid to Goldman Sachs employees to rise even further.
Important to note is that Goldman Sachs has been accused of engineering “every major market manipulation since the Great Depression”, were President Obama’s top contributor for his election and have paid Obama’s top aides hundreds of thousands of dollars for speeches and “consulting” services, not to mention that nearly all of Obama’s top economic advisors, including US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, are all former Goldman Sachs executives.
Equally important to note about Goldman Sachs is that it stands to be a major financial gainer, along with former President Bush’s Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff, by Obama’s ordering into American airports of body scanners, who are made (coincidentally?) by a company called the Chertoff Group owned by “8 members including 3 former senior executives from Homeland Security, 2 from the CIA, 3 from the NSA, 1 from FEMA, and 1 from Goldman Sachs.”
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, once warned his people by saying: “Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.”
Dr. Klaus Schwab is one of these “powers” Wilson warned about and whose words should always be listened to with the utmost attention, including those he wrote this past week for London’s Guardian News Service, and as we can read:
“There is a real danger that the financial and economic crisis will develop into a social crisis. Difficult times lie ahead. If we want to keep society together, a sense of community and solidarity are more important now than ever before. This communitarian spirit is the basis of the stakeholder principle. We need to embrace that stakeholder principle, not just within the narrow confines of companies, but at a national and global level as well.”
It goes without saying, of course and as always, that the American people will continue to ignore warnings such as these, but then again who can blame them as their own propaganda media won’t even let them know anything…such as one of their top Generals admitting this week that their war in Afghanistan was all but lost, and as we can read as reported by the BBC News Service:
“US Gen Stanley McChrystal told the UK’s Financial Times newspaper that there had been “enough fighting”. He said a political solution in all conflicts was “inevitable”. His remarks came as the top UN envoy in Kabul said it was time to talk to the militants.”
Sadly for General McChrystal, and the American people too, the fighting has just begun….they just don’t realize it yet.
This is a recurring issue… the MBTA employees that work at the east entrance to the Alewife station consistently park outside the entrance door. These plazas have been verified as open only to pedestrians/bicyclists. T employees are not allowed to park on the plazas. This employee today (as many others before her) was too lazy to park in the parking garage and walk (inside) to her post.
Her car (and the path she drove to get there) is regularly used by pedestrians accessing the offices nearby. These pedestrians are supposed to be able to walk on these pathways/plazas without concern of an approaching automobile.
The MBTA van in the background was used to make legitimate repairs at this entrance. Materials were hauled in the van to do work at the location.
I think the happiest people in the world to see all the media hype over the iPad launch yesterday was not Mac. It was Toyota, because for a day the spotlight was not shining on the clusterfuck that is their massive recall and legally implemented sales halt. I feel bad for them, really I do. If you haven’t been following the story, Toyota calls it “pedal entrapment problems caused by floormats”. This means the pedal was slightly too long, and floormat cut slightly too generously. If you have one of the 4.2 million cars affected by this problem, you should immeditately do the following complex process to ensure the safety of you and your family:
1. Pull back on the floormat a little bit.
But then there is that other recall, the one where the accelerator pedals actually are sticking due to worn components. This is a bit of a problem for the 1.7 million owners of recent models, and to the dealers who have them on the lot. Luckily, Scion and Lexus models are not affected. But, it does include the Pontiac Vibe, which is basically a Matrix with the General’s badge.
But this is also a bigger blow to Toyota – it’s not like the company can rely on its edgy styling, sporty performance or individualistic appeal. Toyota’s sell well because they are solid, reliable transportation, and this is no doubt going to tarnish the image in the mind of many consumers.
But, if you find yourself in the horrifying situation where your accelerator sticks, remember the following advanced driving techniques that could save your life:
1. Hit the brakes, idiot. If that doesn’t work, shift into neutral.
Heres a link to the press release with some FAQ’s:
In addition to recalling millions of vehicles for floor mat / gas pedal interference and sticky throttles, Toyota announced today that it has halted sales of 8 members of its lineup. Dealerships have been ordered to stop selling the following models:
Toyota has not developed a final solution for the problems, and has decided not to sell recalled vehicles. Additionally, Toyota will suspend production of additional vehicles with the same problem, until they reach a decision on how to solve this. A total of 2.3 million Toyotas have been recalled for sticky accelerators, and another 3.8 million have been recalled for interference between the floor mat and gas pedal. Car and Driver notes that about 1.7 million vehicles fall into both categories.
I’m not sure how this can be anything but devastating for Toyota. Their image of quality and reliability is forever tainted. The fact that they have stopped sales of 8 different vehicles is going to scare lots of people away for a long time. General Motors is already trying to attract such people to the showrooms of their own dealerships. It seems that many of the auto makers infamous for bad quality have made great improvements in the last decade or so, but this is a huge step backwards for Toyota.
Even though the Prius makes up less than 5% of Toyota’s worldwide sales, it is the flagship car in their national advertising campaign, creating a halo effect for a larger brand message about technology with an eye toward the future. A cleaner, brighter future at that.
What’s more, they’ve maintained a consistent look and feel for this campaign across multiple touchpoints, from television to print to online, creating an unmistakable signature that consumers will notice.
Furthermore, it’s a “3rd generation” Prius. A car with a lineage, with heritage, with superior breeding. Like King Louis XIV. It’s not the X class or the C-Series. None of those cold, scientific-sounding names. It’s third generation. It’s like a person. It has a family tree.
It also recycles sunshine. Or at least that’s what the magazine ad tells us. In the ad on the right, it says. “An optional Solar Roof helps ventilate the Prius interior when you’re not there. The 50 mpg-rated 3rd generation Prius. Download the Prius Experience App to learn more.” Even though the solar roof doesn’t come standard, the ad talks about it, giving another nod to consumers about Toyota’s technological superiority.
Finally, the tagline speaks to the larger aspirations of their consumers. Toyota isn’t talking about making cars – unfeeling machines that are separate from nature. According to the tagline, Toyota is all about “Harmony between man, nature and machine.”
This past week, Toyota had to recall millions of cars because of an issue with their floormats getting stuck on accelerators. Here’s the story from the New York Times. Toyota Issues a Second Recall
Even so, the halo effect from this Toyota Prius campaign and the image that they’ve carefully created will probably make those “other” messages fall on deaf ears.
Toyota has issued a voluntary recall, yet again involving the possibility of accelerators jamming. This time, less cars are affected, and the cause is different as well.
The previous recall involved an issue with the floor mats jamming the accelerator. This time however, it’s the mechanics of the accelerator itself which could jam. Here’s the list of affected vehicles:
2009-2010 Toyota RAV4
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Matrix
2005-2010 Avalon
2007-2010 Camry
2010 Highlander
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Sequoia
An estimated 2.3 million cars are affected in total. No Lexus or Scion division cars have been affected, according to Toyota, and certain Camry models aren’t affected as well, including Camry hybrids. Toyota hasn’t yet announced how they will be fixing this, nor when the recall will begin. The only way to fix it, as of now, is to simply replace the mechanism.
Interestingly though, there’s a car from GM which will be affected by this recall as well, although GM will probably be making their own recall notice once they sort out some details. This is the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe, which, underneath the Pontiac skin, is just a 2009-2010 Toyota Matrix, one of the affected cars.
Despite this recall though, reports say that Toyota dealers are continuing to sell affected cars without a fix. Toyota states this is because the issue only begins after extended wear, and since they haven’t figured out a fix yet, they may as well sell the cars for now and call them in once a fix has been sorted out.
If you own one of the affected cars, contact your Toyota dealer to find out what to do. If you have fairly high mileage, I wouldn’t recommend driving the car until Toyota replaces or fixes the accelerator.
Here’s Toyota’s recall notice:
Toyota Files Voluntary Safety Recall on Select Toyota Division Vehicles for Sticking Accelerator Pedal
• Lexus and Scion Models Not Affected
• Filing Addresses Isolated Customer Complaints
• Separate From On-Going Recall Involving Floor Mat Pedal Entrapment Issue
TORRANCE, Calif., January 21, 2010 — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc, today announced it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models. This action is separate from the on-going recall of approximately 4.2 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or out of place accessory floor mats. Approximately 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles are subject to both separate recall actions.
“In recent months, Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats,” said TMS Group Vice President Irv Miller. “Our investigation indicates that there is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. Consistent with our commitment to the safety of our cars and our customers, we have initiated this voluntary recall action.”
Toyota’s accelerator pedal recall is confined to the following Toyota Division vehicles:
• 2009-2010 RAV4,
• 2009-2010 Corolla,
• 2009-2010 Matrix,
• 2005-2010 Avalon,
• 2007-2010 Camry,
• 2010 Highlander,
• 2007-2010 Tundra,
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by this recall action. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids.
The condition is rare, but can occur when the pedal mechanism becomes worn and, in certain conditions, the accelerator pedal may become harder to depress, slower to return or, in the worst case, stuck in a partially depressed position. Toyota is working quickly to prepare the correction remedy.
In the event that a driver experiences an accelerator pedal that sticks in a partial open throttle position or returns slowly to idle position, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes. The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure. The vehicle should be driven to the nearest safe location, the engine shut off and a Toyota dealer contacted for assistance.
Toyota will continue to investigate incidents of unwanted acceleration and take appropriate measures to address any trends that are identified.
Toyota owners who have questions or concerns should contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
Source: Toyota, Kicking Tires via Autoblog and Automotive News via Autoblog
This is a video of a musically-inclined Partner Robot that can play violin. Behind is Toyota the auto giant.
17 joints in its arms controlled by computer and very agile fingers allow the robot to both hold the violin and correctly psuh down the strings against the fingerboard, while gently drawing the bow across the strings. In this clip you will see it at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo. The robot is the 152-centimeter (5-ft) tall and it entertained with “Pomp and Circumstance.”
Toyota has an ensemble of musical androids like this, which can also play trumpet, tuba, trombone, French horn and percussion.
Toyota Motor Sales announced today that more than 100 Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles will be placed in a nationwide demonstration program over the next three years in universities, private companies and government agencies in California and New York.
A little piece of history
In December 2002, Toyota began limited testing of fuel cell vehicles in the U.S. and Japan. A total of 20 first generation fuel cell hybrid vehicles (FCHV) are in service in California with universities, corporations and government agencies. Toyota enlisted the University of California, Irvine, University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Davis to test different aspects of consumer acceptance and market dynamics of fuel cell vehicles. FCHV also are placed with the California Fuel Cell Partnership, a public-private partnership organization to promote the adoption of hydrogen vehicles in California.
Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell technology has advanced at an impressive pace since the FCHV introduction in 2002. Toyota engineers have consistently improved vehicle range, durability and efficiency through improvements in the fuel cell stack and the high-pressure hydrogen storage system, while achieving significant cost reductions in materials and manufacturing. When the FCHV-adv was introduced in 2008, it boasted an estimated range increase of more than 150% over the first generation FCHV.
In late 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy, Savannah River National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, approached Toyota to participate in a collaborative evaluation of the real-world driving range of the FCHV-adv. When the range evaluation was completed in 2009, the FCHV-adv averaged the equivalent of 68 mpg and achieved an estimated range of 431 miles on a single fill of hydrogen compressed gas. To compare, that’s more than double the range of the Highlander Hybrid with zero emissions.
In late 2007, the technology improvements implemented in the FCHV-adv were road tested in extreme conditions on a 2,300 mile trek from Fairbanks, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia along the Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) highway. The seven day trip confirmed substantial progress in reliability and durability, cold-weather operation and extended range capability of the hybrid fuel cell system.
I think that we need this kind of programs !!! They are so necessary , is the next step to educate and prepare customers for the arrival of sustainable mobility
Do you live in California or New York???
For additional information on Toyota’s fuel cell vehicle program, visit www.sustainablemobility.com
2010 Toyota 4Runner Limited Discount Toyota Prices Low 4Runner Limited Lease Payments All Color Options Available Worldwide Delivery Toyota 4Runner Limited Dealer Inventory Build Your 2010 Toyota 4Runner Limited 2010 Toyota 4Runner Limited Featured Inventory 2010 Toyota 4Runner Limited Lease Specials View Pre-Owned Toyota 4Runner Limited Inventory Search Toyota 4Runner Limited CarFinder Click To Sell Your Toyota 4Runner Limited 2010 Toyota 4Runner Review Toyota has revealed thenew, fifth generation, of their popular mid-sized truck-based SUVToyota 4Runner. In 2010 it has a new design with more aggressive look,better fuel-economy and more power. Walkaround The 2010 Toyota 4Runner is taller, wider and longer than itspredecessor. It has optional third row of seats and should be availablein three trims: the top Limited model, the mid-level model SR5 and theTrail version for those who wants best off-road capabilities. It willbe available in a rear wheel 42, part-time 44 and full-time multi-mode44 configurations. All 2010 Toyota 4Runner 44 models are equipped witha 4 liter 270-hp V6 engine and a 5-speed ECT-i automatic transmission.The 42 models are equipped with a 2.7 liter 157 HP 4-cylinder enginemated to a 4-speed ECT automatic or the 4.0 liter V6 with the 5-speedECT-i automatic. Summary Toyotas CrawlControl (CRAWL) is one of features available in the Trail trim. That isan adjustable electro-mechanical system that can be tuned to match theterrain by selecting any of five speed levels. This trim also featuresa Multi-Terrain Select system which allows the 44 operator to dial inwheel slip control to match the terrain. Acura | Audi | BMW | Buick | Cadillac | Chevrolet | Chrysler | Dodge | Ford | GMC | Honda | Hummer Hyundai | Infiniti | Jaguar | Jeep | Kia Land Rover | Lexus | Lincoln | Mazda | Mercedes-Benz | Mercury Mini | Nissan | Pontiac | Porsche | Saab | Saturn | Scion | Smart | Subaru Suzuki | Toyota | Volvo Volkswagen | Aston Martin | Bentley | Rolls Royce | Lamborghini | Maybach | Maserati
“Everybody in an organization has to believe their livelihood is based on the quality of the product they deliver”
– Lee Iacocca
From 1999 to 2005, I was a college professor at a local university called, Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología (ULACIT). That was shortly after graduating from Business Administration at the same college. It was my first and only job as a college professor I’ve had. It gave me great joy working there, specially teaching a course called Total Quality Management. I loved this course because it made me a better person, and I hope it also helped my students become better citizens. I believed and still do, every word I said during those courses. I honestly believe in Kaizen or constant improvement in everything you do.
Total Quality Management (TQM), also known as Total Quality Control (TQC), is a management tool for improving total performance. It was invented by Quality Guru William Edward Deming. Deming is widely credited with improving production in the United States during the Cold War, although he is perhaps best known for his work in Japan.
Deming contributed significantly to Japan’s later reputation for creative high-quality products and its economic power. He’s regarded as having had more impact upon Japanese manufacturing and business than any other person not of Japanese heritage. Despite being considered something of a hero in Japan, he was only just beginning to win widespread recognition in the U.S. at the time of his death.
The champion of Quality in Japan was Kaoru Ishikawa. He’s considered the Father of TQM in Japan, and responsible of widespreading the teachings of Demings in Japan. I used his book in my classes because of its inspiring content. Ishikawa best known for the Ishikawa or cause and effect diagram (also known as fishbone diagram) used in the analysis of industrial process.
After World War II Japan looked to transform its industrial sector, which in North America was then still perceived as a producer of cheap wind-up toys and poor quality cameras. It was Ishikawa’s skill at mobilizing large groups of people towards a specific common goal that was largely responsible for Japan’s quality-improvement initiatives. He translated, integrated and expanded the management concepts of W. Edwards Deming and Joseph M. Juran into the Japanese system.
Quality control in Japan deals with quality of people. It is the fundamental concept of the Kaizen-style TQM. Building quality into its people brings a company a half-way towards producing quality products. Good employees produce quality products, but before being a good employee, you must be a good person. That’s the core teachings of Ishikawa.
Toyota is a Japanese company that is passionate about quality and exceeding customer’s satisfaction. It has introduced Kaizen in every process of its operations worldwide. That’s why Toyota products are widely accepted. Toyota is synonymous with quality. Ford, Chrysler, and GM are not anywhere near. That explains their poor performance and almost disappearance during the turmoil of the last global recession. I’m sure their honchos are re-reading Deming’s documents.
I own a Toyota automatic Corolla 2006 sedan. I purchased it last April for $10,500 from a guy who was in a hurry to travel to China where he planned to build his new nest. Buying Toyota is a safe bet, so I’m very satisfied with its performance. Yesterday, while taking a break at our front porch, I noticed how well designed, the headlamps were. Not only were they designed for good illumination on a dark night, but how well it looked. Functionality if good, but you can’t forget good looks. Customers want products that have a nice look, as well as products that work. Apple Inc. has mastered this art and is laughing all the way to the bank.
Let’s take a look as the aesthetic looks of headlamps designed by Toyota. It’s difficult to define TQM, but it’s easy to recognize it when you see it.
The lifestyle of TQM was my main and only purpose while I was teaching this course as ULACIT. If Panama want’s to jump to the category a First World country it has to change the living philosophy of its citizens. Only high quality and kaizen will take us to this economic stage. Nothing else will. Good Day.
Most people know of Esprit for their insane Honda NSX, but they do other cars too. Their JZA80 Supra has long been one of my favorites.
Esprit has a thing about white on white cars, I like it.
This is one of the nicer wide body kits I’ve seen for the JZA80. It’s pretty simple by Supra standards and it looks current even in 2010. I really like the bubble fenders integrated into the lines of the side skirts and front bumper.
Big opening for an enormous intercooler core. The only thing I could do without on this car are the headlight covers. I see less and less Supras these days. They were never that common on the roads in the US but even in Japan it seems fewer shops are working on them. I think they’re still a great looking car with unlimited potential.
The Celica was once a raw, rear drive beast. As it grew up it became a turbocharged, all wheel drive animal, capable of tearing up the streets, the track and the rally course. Unfortunately, Toyota grabbed a big pair of scissors and neutered the Celica, leaving us with an anemic, front wheel drive people mover before axing the car completely.
Times are certainly looking better for the Big T with the arrival of the LF-A and the newcoming lightweight, the FT-86. For some however, the original Celica will always be the greatest.
I don’t know why but I’ve really been diggin’ these Celicas as of late. This spotless blue Celica is the perfect example of a killer street car.
A decent sized intercooler playing hide-and-seek behind the front end. I wonder what’s in the engine bay?
I usually hate molded flares, but the combination of the slammage and the mesh wheels really help this Celica out.
The infamous Boso Celica from Australia. He actually has two oil coolers… One inside of the bumper to run daily and the external one here for shows.
Can’t argue with that stance!
The other end of the spectrum… Function over form. The God’s of JDM tuning, Top Secret, unleashed this fastback on the world a few years ago. Surprisingly, it wasn’t sporting a crazy motorswap. A period correct, twin cam 18RG resides in the bay with individual throttle bodies.
Toyota has delivered a shock for visitors to this week’s Tokyo Auto Salon, revealing the Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept. The car is set to appear alongside its unmodified sibling in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 video game.
Based on the FT-86 concept unveiled at October’s Tokyo Motor Show, this modified, turbo-charged example was developed to help promote Toyota’s new G Sports styling kits, exclusive to the Japanese market.
Externally, the FT-86 G Sports concept features a wide-body kit to accommodate a wider track, along with a lower, more open front bumper and intake arrangement.
A vented, unpainted carbon fibre bonnet instantly connects the G Sports concept with its popular AE86 predecessor, and huge 19-inch wheels prop up each corner.
The aggressive, race-look body kit aside, the major addition to this FT-86 is a turbo-charger to the 2.0 litre Subaru-sourced boxer engine.
Toyota and racing partner Gazoo have yet to offer any specific technical details for the FT-86 G Sports concept, so performance and engine output remains unknown at this early stage.
A short trailer of the FT-86 G Sports concept driving in Gran Turismo 5 shows how the concept will look when it appears in the popular PlayStation 3 title (if, that is, the game ever arrives).
Although Toyota offers a wide range of options for purchasers of new vehicles, there is always the possibility to further customize your new car, truck or SUV. These changes should be made only with Toyota Genuine Accessories, you are assured of high quality pieces coordinate perfectly with your current vehicle.
Each vehicle is equipped with various accessories Toyota Toyota that may be incorporated in the vehicle or replace existing components. To order,It 'important to know the year and model of vehicle, because all parts are interchangeable between models or years. In general, there are three categories of Toyota accessories for every year of the vehicle and electrical components and accessories for both indoor and outdoor car covers.
Electronic Parts, Toyota Accessories are also a good way to upgrade your vehicle. Some optional accessories may also helpYour life much easier, no matter where you live. Starter These functions can be remote for your car, if you start your vehicle and even the internal temperature more comfortable throughout the home or office. And 'perfect for warm climates where air conditioning to cool so you can set before you arrive by car, but it is also a great feature for heating in winter, when he can go home, vehicle warm. Some departures remoteyou can change the radio station outside the vehicle to ensure that you are at home, if you're in the car.
Other electronic accessories are iPod interface Toyota, the vehicle can be added to provide support for your iPod and music devices. Of course, for the serious music lover, Sirius Satellite Radio Fit Kit a great gift and a valuable addition to the vehicle.
Exterior Accessories Toyota also vary depending on the model andYear of the vehicle. However, there are usually different types of wheels, bumpers, rear spoiler, side moldings and all customers will be added to most vehicles. These additives not only improve the look of the vehicle, but can also help protect from the outside, as in the case of wings, or may contribute to the actual performance of vehicles. These accessories are easy road with a few simple tools, ideal for lovers of DIY "Add VehicleOwner.
Internal accessories are designed to improve comfort and appearance of your Toyota vehicle. Accessories Cargo offer options for extending the useful component of your vehicle. Totes Cargo nets, and the shelves expand storage space already large and help keep your car organized. Floor mats and cargo mats protect the carpet inside the vehicle and coordinate with the colors of the interior of the standard manufacturer.
OtherToyota Interior Accessories Shift knobs are dedicated to providing an extra touch of class and door thresholds that better protect and preserve the interior padding and carpet wear. Sports pedals are ideally with the thoroughbred track, to make your Toyota look and feel of a sports car with flowing lines and make driving more fun.
Toyota Interior Accessories may also be practical. Emergency kits that contain everythingprovide basic support for your vehicle are strongly recommended. The kit contains jumper cables and flashlights and batteries, gloves, and the basic tools necessary to be able to perform emergency repairs. Yes, you have everything you need, when you need you or anyone else in need of assistance.
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Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.
You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas.
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.
Use Cruise Control
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
Use Overdrive Gears
When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.
Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $2.67/gallon.
Data Sources
Estimates for fuel savings from sensible driving are based on Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., Owner Related Fuel Economy Improvements, Arlington, Virginia, 2001.
Estimates for the effect of speed on MPG are based on a study by West, B.H., R.N. McGill, J.W. Hodgson, S.S. Sluder, and D.E. Smith, Development and Verification of Light-Duty Modal Emissions and Fuel Consumption Values for Traffic Models, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, March 1999.
Toyota has unveiled the Etios sedan at the Auto Expo 2010 and also unveiled the Etios hatchback concept in India. Etios will be offered with two engine options – 1.2-liter and 1.5-liter DOHC 16-valve petrol engines. Hatchback powers by 1.2lt petrol engine and sedan 1.5lt petrol engine.
India’s emergence as a significant player as both a customer and manufacturer in the world’s autos industry has been confirmed this week at Delhi’s 10th Auto Expo, where over 2,000 companies from 30 countries are displaying their wares. They include moist of the world’s car manufacturers, several of which have launched new models in the past couple of days with all the hoopla of such events.
Ratan Tata this week
The Expo also marks the emergence – albeit somewhat precariously – of Tata Motors as India’s broadest-based and most interesting auto manufacturer, with products that range from buses and trucks through smaller commercial vehicles and conventional saloon cars to stylish models from Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR), and the tiny Nano that was first displayed at the last motor show two years ago.
India’s market leader for cars is Maruti Suzuki, which was founded 26 years ago as a joint venture between Maruti, then Indian government owned, and Suzuki of Japan. That link-up made Maruti Suzuki the catalyst for the development of the Indian auto industry that is on show this week.
But, when I toured the show two days ago, it was clear that it is Tata Motors that is gearing up to mark out the future.
Maruti has a large stand near the entrance and all its cars were on display, backed up when I was there with a lonely-looking but entertaining jazz band on a stage overlooking jazzed up versions of its models. Walking through the exhibition grounds, international motor manufacturers such as Chrysler, BMW, Toyota, and Volkswagen were launching new models and concept cars.
A Nano-style taxi
But it was Tata that dominated with an amazing array of products that included a new Jaguar’s JX , launched elsewhere last year. There was also a Nano-like mini-taxi called Magic Iris, due to launch within the next year, with a passenger door on only one side and flap-down passenger windows.
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This is impressive for a long-established truck company (now the world’s fourth largest) that was mocked by other Indian auto manufacturers when it first started making cars in the 1990s, was criticised for the poor quality and unreliability of its small Indica saloon in 1998, was harried by setbacks on the Nano, was reported to have mishandled its relations last year with the UK government over aid for JLR, has been pilloried in recent weeks for its low-slung buses that keep catching fire on Delhi roads, and has only a 13.6% share of India’s car market compared with Maruti’s 50% and Hyundai’s 16%.
Ratan Tata, head of the Tata group, and chairman of Tata Motors, acknowledged the reputation for poor quality when he was asked at a press conference on Tuesday about a products needing “heavy maintenance”. He suggested the reputation came partly from “vested interests” (competitors) and “people who use (the cars) less”, explaining that taxi drivers plying the Indica and Indigo models do 100kms or more a year and seem content.
He also said that Japanese manufacturers were similarly criticised when they started making cars – rather an unfortunate comparison, given the appalling reputation that Japanese cars had a few decades ago.
“We are a fairly new company trying to establish ourselves in as many (segments) as possible,” said Tata, who is more personally involved with Tata Motors than any other group company. He could have added that, despite geerating $14bn revenues (2008-09), the company has a heavily bureaucratic and hierarchical management that still does not always recognise the need for quality, despite the efforts of Ravi Kant, the vice chairman who has run the business for Ratan Tata for several years, and other top executives.
Ratan Tata now has three main challenges – to build a popular car brand with the cachet of Hyundai and the customer loyalty of Maruti, to turn round JLR, and to make a success of the delayed Nano.
Arguably, he should never have bought loss-making JLR from Ford in 2008 because the once-iconic brands had defied would-be rescuers for years. Apparently, he did not have many supporters within his company for such a risky buy but, seeing them at the show this week, it began to make sense.
There seemed to be a constructive synergy between him and JLR management, with both talking about what Tata called the once iconic models “making their own destinies…..rekindling their roots”. Tata also seemed willing to ride out losses because “in this part of the world you buy (a company) to live with it and develop it into something”. JLR had been bought not just as a short-term ploy, nor just “to add to turnover or egos”, but also for its potential and what could be gained in terms of “enormous skill and capabilities”.
I wasn’t a Nano fan when it was launched in March last year, and I still am not. I’ve only see one on the cluttered roads of the Delhi and it looked not only tiny but also desperately vulnerable – which it is measured when against US safety standards. Only about 20,000 have been delivered to dealers, and production has yet to start at the main factory in Gujarat that has been built since local opposition led Tata to abandon its plant in West Bengal.
Ratan Tata, who is 72 and due to retire in a couple of years, also has to name a successor. The current favourite is Noel Tata, a shy and little-seen cousin who runs Tata’s retail stores. The choice is important of course for the entire group, but it is vital for Tata Motors where Ratan Tata personally binds the business together and has been the inspiration for its growth – especially buying JLR and developing the Nano that have yet to prove themselves. And on that depends the future role of Tata Motors as the leader of India’s auto industry.
Allt känns mycket bättre efter en rejäl portion stekt lamm med pommes och vitlökssmör
Särskilt som jag nu har en kopp chai-te framför mig och kakor, en chokladboll och lite lösgodis att ta av om jag skulle vilja. Enda problemet är att jag tog fel på tiden för So You Think You Can Dance med en timme.. Top Gear fungerar dock precis lika bra särskilt som de kör en Audi R8
FOR PRICING & SPECS ON THIS CAR VISIT: www.kbb.com Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Toyota Camry Hybrid offers the same roomy interior and sterling reputation as the rest of the Camry line, but in a greener, more eco-friendly package. With fuel economy figures in the mid 30s, the Camry Hybrid is certainly easy on the gas, and can actually operate solely on electric power in stop and go traffic and low-speed around-town jaunts. Bigger than Toyotas other hybrid car, the Prius, the Camry Hybrid not …
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.
While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
Use Cruise Control
