And then there were none. The last Wexford Starlite Cruise of 2012

Each week in the bustling village of Wexford Pennsylvania, an incredible sight falls across the Northway Christian Community campus. Thousands of cars converge on what can only be described as the largest weekly car cruise on the East Coast. And when we say thousands, we mean it. Each and every Friday (weather permitting of course) over 2000 cruisers pack the parking lots, fields, lawn, of Northway. The Wexford Starlite Car Cruise has a little bit of something for everyone. Vintage cars, new cars, hot rods, imports, exotics, military vehicles, rat rods, million dollar 1 of 1 classics, motorcycles. It's all here. Family entertainment, check. Food vendors, yep they're here in force. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, and you haven't heard of this phenomenon You must check it out in 2013. There were rumors that the cruise wasn't going to happen in 2013. But Pastor Jay Passavant has assured the masses that the cruise will be held in 2013. This is a fantastic event that the whole family can enjoy. You can all pile in the car, have dinner at the cruise and enjoy the classics and the oldies music from the DJ and be a family.  So, be there or be square man!

Automotive Lift Basic Safety Rules

Automotive lifts save time when you need to do repair jobs, by making the lower part of the car accessible. They are an essential item of garage equipment supply. When draining oil, you can easily remove the drain plug, which is located on the bottom of the vehicle. Without a car lift, you would need to use a hydraulic jack to raise the front end of the car and place two jack stands under it. These would need to be in place before you could drain the oil. Before you use a car lift, you should know the basic safety rules. That way you'll avoid accidents. Failure to follow safety rules can lead to injury and even death.

Below are some "dos and don'ts" for to keep in mind when using automotive lifts.

Automotive Lift Do's:

• Be sure to have proper training on the basic operations of the lift. Improper use can result in someone getting hurt.

• Make a thorough inspection of the car lift before using it every day.

Each component must be in working order and properly lubricated.

• The locking devices must engage tightly. If one is loose, fix it.

• Always wear safety goggles when working under the car. This will prevent dirt from getting in your eyes.

• The vehicle should be balanced on the auto lift before you raise it up. You don't want it to topple over.

• If you're using a drive-on car lift, make sure that you place the safety wedge behind the tire. Without it, the car might slide off.

• Before lifting, check to see if you have enough ceiling clearance. This is especially important for tall vehicles like RV's and trucks.

• Stop lifting at knee height and gently check the stability of the car on the lift.

That way, you can adjust the position of the car before raising it higher.

• Before you lower the car, clear the area below of tools and people.

Vehicle Lift Don'ts:

• The vehicle must be empty before raising it up. Never lift it if it still has occupants.

• Each car lift model has a specified maximum weight capacity. You must not exceed the limit at any time.

• Some situations require the use of support stands, such as when you remove the transmission or engine of a car. Don't lower the vehicle onto the support stand, but rather raise the support to the vehicle's level.

• Don't repair a car lift by yourself when you encounter a problem with. Get in touch with the manufacturer.

How The Economic Downturn has Affected The Auto Salvage Industry

There is absolutely no doubt that the economic downturn has significantly affected the automotive industry in a negative way, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler were the three hardest hit resulting in two of these companies receiving bailouts from the government. Decline in auto sales can be blamed on many factors but the two most culpable are the massive increase in oil prices and the sudden credit crunch that affected nearly every American. Because these companies deal in new vehicles that are significantly more expensive than old or salvage vehicles they lost much of their market to these industries.

Salvage vs. hybrids

Even though new car sales declined significantly during the heights of the downturn in 2008-2009, there still existed the need of the consumer to purchase vehicles. Consumers opted for the smart buys and choose hybrid vehicles instead of those pesky and expensive gas guzzlers. Hybrid vehicles, though cheaper than traditional, new vehicles were still expensive to those hardest hit and thus they turned to salvage vehicles. While there are no exact figures it is estimated that the salvage industry during this time boomed as it left one of the only alternatives to purchasing expensive new autos.

The gift of cash for clunkers?

In an effort to boost new car sales as well as significantly reduce the operation of gas guzzlers on our roads, the government implemented the cash for clunkers program. This significantly helped the auto salvage industry in the short term because it was greatly involved in the pricing and collection and sales of these vehicles. The fact that most of these vehicles were sold to be shredded or crushed meant that this industry was given an expiration date of sorts; and while in the short term a lot of money was made, this program was essentially bad for business in the long term.

Having had to compete with hybrid cars that use less fuel and cash for clunkers the auto salvage industry has still managed to not just stay afloat in the economic downturn but it has also managed to become fairly successful during these times. It is true that hybrid cars and clunkers provide big competition but it is also true that salvage vehicles have always been directed to a niche market and that market never disappoints. The auto salvage industry is not expected to go out of commission any time soon.

Automotive Brands Making Clever Use Of Mobile

Automotive brands making clever use of mobile





According to a study done by ChannelNet there are more than 440 000 mobile sites and 500 000 mobile apps available worldwide with the automotive industry leading the pack and the category for auto parts coming in a close second.





Mobile device usage has seen rapid growth over the last few years, especially in the automotive industry. Mobile devices have made the buying and selling of cars easier than ever and this is proven by the statistics - 38% of all vehicle searches are done via mobile phones.





Having a mobile-optimised website can increase your business visibility and generate leads. Many consumers are looking for information on the go and having an easy-to-use mobile site for your business can increase your competitive advantage.





According to MobileMarketer.com 90% of shoppers end up at a car dealership after doing online research. This emphasizes the importance of focusing your web resources to attract clients for sales. Your websites usability plays an important role in converting leads to clients. Remember, your website in many cases is clients first point of contact with your brand. Easy access to information regarding your business is critical, especially on your mobile website.





According to Quattro Wireless mobile has the reach and the ability to take someone from consideration to purchase. It sure comes as no surprise that various automotive companies are taking advantage of what mobile has to offer, with great success as a result:





Harley-Davidson extends brand loyalty through mobile, using text messaging to inform customers about sales and promotions.


Volkswagen AG (AdMob Case Study) uses mobile marketing aggressively and smartly.


Land Rover used Admob which drove 73% of the traffic to their mobile site. On the mobile website, Land Rover had over 45,000 video views, 7,400 custom wallpaper downloads, 128,000 gallery views, 5,000 dealer lookups, 800 brochure requests, and 1100 and click-to-calls.


Toyotas motion sensitive iPhone App for Hybrid models: The less water you spill out of the glass, the more economical you are driving


Peugeot 3008 global mobile site: Enhanced touchscreen functionality


BMW Mobile Video Companion Ad (Rhythm NewMedia) achieves branding success.


Mobile case study: Jaguar XF Pre-launch (Yahoo!)


Steering Mazda customers (iCrossing)





Read more about these case studies on MMAGlobal.com.

A Closer Look Automotive Design Aspects

The cars you see on every road and parking lot are the product of over 100,000 patents since the invention of motor some 240 years ago. Of course, you can't imagine the cars during that time to look even like the least of today's models. Car design will continuously evolve as long as people are still fans of road travel.

Car or automotive design is the development of the appearance, performance, and ergonomics of road vehicles. Although at some extent the scope of this profession may cover the motor of off-road or non-road vehicles, its main focus is cars. Automotive design companies may also design other types of vehicles including trucks, buses, and motorcycles. An automotive designer normally has a background in transportation and/or industrial design.

The goal of a car designer is to combine form and function in the design.

Meaning, the aesthetic value of the car must correspond with its functionality and ergonomics. The three main aspects of car design are exterior design, interior design, and color and trim design, although graphic design is now incorporated in the application of more modern techniques.

When designing the exterior of the car, the designer will create a series of digital or manual drawings to be approved for modeling using industrial plasticine, a wax-based modeling material often used for crafting car exterior. His main responsibility is to develop the shape, proportion, and surface of the vehicle and to deal with aerodynamic factors. A full-sized mock-up of the final design, known in the industry as body in white (BIW), will be created.

In the BIW creation stage, the body's sheet metal components are assembled.

The interior design following or coinciding with the exterior design covers the surfaces for the instrument, seats, doors, panels, etc. Design companies like Khan make sure to maximize the space to fit the interior components to the maximum comfort of the driver and passenger. Kahn Design therefore applies excellent ergonomics on the design.

Choosing the appropriate color and coloring material for the Kahn car comes next in the design process. The designer often works closely with other designers to know what they have in mind, inspiring the color and shade from other disciplines like architecture, fashion, and home furnishing.

More information about car design, like styling and patterns introduced by Kahn Design, can be found in reliable websites like CarBodyDesing.com. These websites provide a wide selection of modern vehicles and show the contrast in designs among them. They also provide car design software that you can use in starting a similar business.

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Expert: Automotive Electronics Market And Semiconductor Technology Innovation Trends - Car

2009, China Car Automobile production and sales volume of over 1,300 million, the summit the world's largest auto market. Huge market demand to the local automobile Electronic Design team is no longer satisfied with a lower threshold field of technology, and expect to enter the high technology content Infotaiment, and even security, Telematics and other fields. I held in 3.15 days IC -China Shanghai Station, automotive electronics expert forum attracted a large number of professional audiences, from iSuppli, Altium, Infineon and Freescale's guests on China's auto electronics market and Semiconductor Technological innovation and the audience in-depth discussion and analysis.

Speaker: iSuppli's Issac Wang
IssacWang said that with the TM, cars to the countryside and the consumption tax / road maintenance / purchase of tax incentives to promote, in 2009 China's auto market has grown substantially. In the automotive electronics field, China's design team has been to mimic the main, but with the market expansion, current design thinking is constantly adjusted, more innovative development being imported. Automotive electronics market demand for semiconductor devices with analog, logic and the main MCU. Automotive applications of income growth, IssacWang 2006-2012 forecast compound annual growth rate CAGR of the market reached 13.2%, higher than the industrial electronic / 10.5%, data processing / 9.2%, wireless Communicate / 8.4%, consumer electronics / growth rate of 6.6% and so on.

Speaker: Altium's Maxi Fei
With the increasing number of design projects, the complexity increase, more and more stringent cost control, TTM pressure more and more development time, greater use of electronic development engineers face more challenges. The success of development projects are increasingly dependent on the team's internal resource sharing and Cooperation Even among the other teams with. Altium's Maxi Fei said, in automotive electronics, design needs a larger number of semiconductor devices and multi-board assembly, and as Nanoboard3000 software development tools such as Altium is to simplify and manage the increasing design complexity. Maxi Fei claimed that rely AltiumDesigner, the world's leading automotive electronics design engineers, design team feedback on the time they generate BOM table shortened from a week to 30 minutes or less, and optimized Components Number has dropped to 50% of the past.

Speaker: Infineon Chen Yihao Vehicle control systems rely on accurate sensing front end. Infineon Chenyi Hao said that in automotive electronic systems which use a variety of vehicles Sensor . Such as car accelerator, brake position sensors measured the required altitude / atmospheric pressure sensors intelligent regulatory functions carried out, the cam position sensor have to be required for a variety of intelligent sensors. For hybrid cars, battery management, sensing resistor sexy if you use the traditional way will add to the equipment should be fever, which overall system reliability has reduced the General Assembly. And advanced battery management and use of current-type magnetic induction, the battery management for hybrid current sensor for a current range 1A/200A/1500A, signal update frequency

Speaker: Freescale's Xuan Xiaoming
Freescale Xuan Xiaoming stressed automotive innovation, 90% dependent on the automotive electronics. He said the cost of automotive electronics in 2010 will rise to 35% of vehicle cost. As for future trends in automotive electronics, he thought from then aspect, namely: green cars, security, connection / infotainment, and more low prices and vehicle demand. For example, BRIC BRIC car sales in 2009 reached 3,000 million. Freescale's PowerPC rely on the reliability of applications in the automotive field a long time, its MPC5xxx series of Telematics, security and other areas at the international level, auto parts suppliers have a wide range of applications, such as OnStar. In Infotainment area, Freescale will have systems based on ARM core i.MX processors, such as the famous Ford's SYNC system is sampling Freescale i.MXAP.

Automotive electronics expert forum attracted a large number of audience, standing room only.

For when Zombies attack! Get back with a 6x6 F250

This is just the thing for a zombie apocalypse. What's better than a diesel powered, 6x6 driven, quad headlight, Ford F250 crew cab for you and your family to cruise in? I spotted this behemoth on the back of a flat bed trailer parked on the side of the road outside of Zelienople Pennsylvania. No one was available at the shop it was outside of to get details as to what exactly this truck was built for. A few friends on facebook have said they've seen it at mud bogs and tractor pulls in the area, but no one has ever seen it run. Here's what we can tell though. Whoever built it, really took their time to create something that doesn't really look home built. The bed has been professionally finished to look like a factory piece. Same with the grille and second set of headlights which instantly make you think of a pickup from the fictitious "Wagon Queen" brand from the National Lampoon movies. Even to the point of adding the fender and hood edges from the donor truck to make a finished front fascia. They were likely added for height limitations for lights so the truck can be driven on the road.

The body appears to be resting on a military style 6x6 chassis and and powered by likely the same diesel engine from the view I had through the fender well. And of course there's the air horn trumpets and the twin giant fuel tanks mounted in between the axles and the the twin big rig exhaust stacks in the bed. The truck also appears to have an air suspension added to raise and lower the truck. When I initially spotted this truck I first thought it was an old monster truck, and then an F150 mounted to a big rig frame, but closer inspection revealed the 6x6 chassis.  I'm trying to dig up some more details on this truck as it's just too cool to look away from.