Car theft prevention is every car owner’s concern. More often than not, car theft is a result of the negligence of the car owner. That is the reason why safety precautions are very important in safeguarding the welfare not only of our cars, but also of our family.

Here are some smart tips to help prevent car theft:

1. Never leave your keys inside the car. Take you keys wherever you go to ensure that they won’t get the attention of thieves.
2. Always lock your car. Even if you’re in a hurry or are driving with someone, it is always a smart move to secure your car.
3. Park at well-lighted and well-guarded areas. Well-lighted and well-guarded are less prone to car theft. The most desirable places to thieves are dark alleyways and parking lots where there is slim chance that people would notice them.

Image Source: http://media.keyt.com

Just when you thought most car companies are insensitive and works only to increase their profit margins, here comes Bentley Motors Limited joining the green trend to save the environment. WorldCarFans.com reports that the British brand plans to go green by 2012.

Known for its superchargers, Bentley is targeting a 90 percent cut in emissions with its vehicles. This means it will work on producing 120 g/km of CO2 for every model in the range.

In a nutshell, this move by Bentley is a positive response to the call to reduce the effects of global warming. Business-wise, I think it has already embraced the realization that the market and demand for hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars is increasing and they should not miss out on the development, otherwise they will be left behind by competitors.

Bugatti, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, reached the headlines again. No, not due to their mother company’s leading market shares or something similar to that, but because the Bugatti Veyron is currently the most expensive car to own. A whopping $1.4 million tag price, sure indeed Volkswagen took the risk since this car can only be bought by “the few” (not for the whole market!). It entered the Forbes list of most expensive cars in the world and the gap of the Bugatti Veyron (first placer) and Maybach 62S (second placer) is around half a million. Yes, that much.

There is a downside though, “Where on earth can you go 407 kms/hr”. Well, maybe it’s the thought that counts…..

Photo taken from http://www.whatonemillionbuys.com

Volkswagen topped car sales in Europe in 2007. With over 3 million cars sold worldwide, they brushed aside Peugeot in the rankings table, the latter being able to sell only about 2 million cars (reaching a million in car sales is already big). They conquered the car industry by having 19.7% market shares (20.2% in 2006).

In general, three out of the five top car sellers in Europe are European-based. Volkswagen of Germany came first, Peugeot of France came second and Renault of France (again) came fifth. The third and fourth spot belong to Ford and GM, respectively, both of which are American-based car companies.

Photo taken from http://www.1aauto.com

Fiat Group is one among the many European car makers that have heeded the green call. In fact, it has committed itself to producing environmentally-friendly cars.

Recently, it has utilized the power of the new Bravo 1.6 Multijet for its Bravo range. The new engine is made up of four cylinders, 16 valves and a displacement of 1598 cc.

This latest development on the part of Fiat Group forms a huge part of its efforts to achieve its goal of reaching the lowest weighted average CO2 levels by 2012.

Here’s a more in-depth report from Car-News.co.uk.

Truly, the Internet makes life more enjoyable and knowledge more accessible. Just when you thought you had it all, here comes the latest development. The Internet will now be more accessible for BMW owners with the ConnectedDrive technology. This new concept on in-car internet service is set to be launched at the Geneva Auto Show next month.

The ConnectedDrive service is powered by EDGE technology (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution). It is the same technology that Apple uses to connect its iPhone to the internet. Transfer speeds are reported to be slower than 3G but what the heck, it is the speed of most wireless cards anyway.

The good news is that, this add-in feature designed to benefit BMW owners will initially be available to Europe and may be coming to America in the years ahead.

While the U.S. auto industry found itself struggling in terms of car sales and profits during the last quarter of 2007, its European counterparts were positioned on top. Take for example the case of the German automobile manufacturer Audi AG.

IHT.com reports that the luxury car maker registered a profit rise of 26 percent last year with earnings amounting to nearly 1.7 billion euros. During a news conference, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler announced that all of the company’s key financial figures soared to new record levels. As for sales, Audi fared well in most of its key markets, particularly Western Europe and China.

This development only proves that the European auto industry is doing quite well. I guess it’s about time for the U.S. car makers to reflect on how to revitalize the weakening U.S. auto industry. Or they run the risk of getting left behind by their regional counterparts.

The Frankfurt Motor Show is an international car show held in Frankfurt, Germany, wherein major manufacturers could showcase their car makes. In the last motor show (last year), the committee set-up a theme and they decided to showcase cars that have “sustainable mobility”. A lot of major European car manufacturers came up with car hybrids. Mercedes-Benz alone came up with 7 hybrid cars like their lavish F 700. Citroen too, a subsidiary of Peugeot came up with an unconventionally designed car called C-Cactus. These vehicles can cut down the usage of amounts of gasoline (i.e. 44.4 miles per gallon only for the Mercedes-Benz F 700) and emit lesser carbon dioxide compared to more common vehicles present.

Photo taken from http://www.treehugger.com

I have always liked Pininfarina car designs, from its Ferrari wonders to Volvo delights. They have excellent taste and a futuristic attitude. Fans got excited when Pininfarina shared information on the web last month about its latest concept car, the Sintesi.

So, what does the new concept car look like? Well, it has revolutionary styling which I believe is a trend from which many car makers will base their future cars. Aside from the fact that it is hydrogen-powered, it has scissor doors, engine in each wheel that guarantees high driving performance, spacious interior and other people-oriented features.

Pininfarina Sintesi will be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show next week. You better watch out for that. As for me, I can’t wait to see Sintesi hit production lines.

Race car fanatics out there will be beaming with joy as the first �08 Ferrari 430 GT2 takes centerstage next month.

In fact, Italiaspeed.com reports that the first �08 Ferrari was handed to racing team CR Escuderia this week. The lucky recipients went to Fiorano in Italy to test the brand-new race car. Team driver Andrew Kirkaldy was tasked for the shakedown and announced that the car �felt incredibly good� and �runs faultlessly even at freezing conditions.�

The Ferrari is scheduled to travel to the UK where it will be displayed to a big audience at Autosport International in January.

For the complete link to the article, click here.