Four Iconic Car Brands

Among automobile manufacturers, several stand out from the rest. Automobiles become known for different qualities. Some automakers have a long history, while others are known for the vehicles they make today. Here are four iconic car brands, listed in reverse order.

Ford

Although Ford is not known for building the most reliable vehicles today, it deserves to be mentioned among the iconic car brands. Henry Ford was among the first to use assembly lines in his factories, and the Model T was the most popular car in the Americas. In its early years, Ford influenced the automobile manufacturing industry. Today, all brands make their cars and lorries on assembly lines.

BMW

Germany is known for building high-performance and luxury cars. Auto enthusiasts can debate whether BMW or Mercedes builds a finer vehicle, but BMWs logo is more widely recognized. It is a circle, divided into four sections. The sections alternate blue and white. This logo reveals BMWs history. The company started as an airplane manufacturer, the emblem represents an airplanes propellers against a blue sky. After WWII, BMW had to stop making airplanes. They switched to manufacturing automobiles.

Toyota

Toyota became an iconic auto manufacturer when it revealed the Prius. This was one of the first hybrid cars. Today, almost every automobile manufacturer builds at least one hybrid vehicle, and many of them outperform the Prius. However, Toyotas model was one of the pioneers in hybrid technology.

Honda

Honda is the most iconic car brand in the UK and around the world. People are drawn to Hondas history, because it is the story of an honest man working hard. Soichiro learned to work as a mechanic, without attending school as a child. One day, he thought of attaching a small motor to a bicycle. The motorcycle was born, along with Honda Motor Company. Honda continued to grow through Soichiros commitment to quality and determination.

Today, people purchase Hondas, because they are built to last for years. Honda still has a strong commitment to quality. In addition to this, the company also values safety and style. These three aspects of Hondas philosophy of automobile manufacturing have made their cars the most popular in the UK.

Ford, BMW and Toyota have all become iconic brands, but for different reasons. Ford has a strong history. BMW has a well-known logo, and Toyota created the Prius. However, Honda has a strong history, stylish vehicles and continues to research alternative technologies. Honda is the most iconic car brand.

Electric Car Batteries Benefits And Drawbacks

So youre thinking of getting an electric car? Well, one of the first things you need to do before getting one is to learn a few basic things about these vehicles especially with regards to how they run and where they get their power. And like all things electric, an electric car relies on an independent power source the battery.

A normal car (powered by an internal combustion engine) only needs the battery to start the engine as well as run the air conditioning system and the car stereo. That isnt the case with electric cars. In fact, the battery used in electric cars runs about everything. When electric cars were first introduced, the primary concern was (and still is) the quality and reliability of the electric car battery, i.e. how long can the battery last before it needs to be recharged. Fortunately, the last few decades has produced significant improvements on how electric car batteries are made. Now we already have nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lead-acid and lithium-ion (Li-ion) types that are rechargeable and readily available in the market.

Compared to normal car batteries, how do electric car batteries fare? Heres a look at the benefits:

Cost-effectiveness. For five bucks worth of electricity, your electric car can run for more than 300 kilometers. Now if you do the math and compare that with your current gas costs and equivalent mileage, youll see that going electric can be quite economic in the long run.

Cleaner & Greener. Although you still need to burn fossil fuels in order to generate the electricity needed to recharge electric car batteries, the pollution produced is very minimal compared to the pollution caused by internal combustion engines. Plus, with better power generation sources like nuclear plants, the level of carbon emissions in the process of recharging becomes even lesser.

Re-usability. Electric car batteries can be reused and recycled. So you dont need to worry about how you can dispose of your battery pack.

However, like any new technology, electric car batteries are not perfect. Here are the drawbacks:

Theyre heavy. Because electric car batteries are designed to provide more power, they need to be connected to battery packs to ensure heavy duty performance. And these battery packs are not light. A battery pack can weigh as much as half a metric ton. But dont worry, theres hope manufacturers are designing electric cars with lighter body frames to offset the batterys weight.

Recharging time. Unfortunately, theres no technology available yet for quicker and easier recharging. You still need several hours of downtime before your electric car can run again.

Maintenance. Electric car batteries are still uncommon, which means the number of service stations which can do repairs is still fairly limited, too. And since theyre quite fewer, maintenance costs might be a bit higher, too.

No doubt, electric car batteries are still a work in progress. It has its own set of limitations but theres still plenty of room for improvement. But in a few years, the new generation of batteries will be lighter, more economical and most importantly, more powerful. Thats certainly a comforting thought.

Savings Through The Jane Racing Car Seat And Graco Junior Mini

Rear and forward facing car seats are one of a type and offer the kind of flexibility and longevity that parents would love to have. Least of all the added savings that come for parents looking at a baby car seat that will last for upto four years of your childs age. It goes without saying that there can be no better news than having a baby. Linked with it are also the spiralling costs that parents have to cope with. Some costs can be avoided while some can be balanced on the long run. Combination car seats are one such option. By buying a combination car seat your investment runs upto four years!

Rear and forward facing car seats or combination car seats are suitable from birth. After birth the baby can be put in the car seat in a rear facing position. Later the car seat can be converted to a forward facing car seat when the child grows old enough to be placed in this position. Rear and forward facing car seats can be used in both directions. This type of rear and forward facing car seats can be used as a baby car seat for babies up to 13kgs/29lb (birth to 15 months approximate). The seat can then be used in a forward facing position when your child is over 9kg/20lb and can sit unsupported. This type of car seat can approximately support the child up to 4 years old (or equivalence of 18kgs/40lbs).

When you shopping for this type of convertible car seat look out for a tall seat, the higher the seat and the harness straps indicate higher weight limits. This will only allow the baby to use the seat for a little longer. It is also recommended that babies should not be left in Group 0 or Group 0+ infant car seats for prolonged periods of time. It is also considered a hazard to use a baby car seat on a passenger seat fitted with an airbag.

Combination car seats come with a 5 point integral harness. This ensures your baby is secured by the harness to the car seat. Most of the child car seats come well-padded to provide additional comfort for the baby. Some also come with seat covers that can be removed. This helps to wash away the covers that are bound to get stained after regular use.

The jane racing car seat is good car accessory for your baby to have. The Jane Racing car seat has received one of the Best Eurotest score in the Group 0-1 category in the European Consumer Associations car seat tests 2005. It has also got the anti-swaying system.

The graco junior mini is a combination group 0 to 1 car seat. The graco junior mini car seat is suitable from birth upto four years. It features five different reclining positions with newborn insert and padded harness covers.

The nania cosmo car seat Sp Luxe is a combination carseat with a wide and firm base. It comes with a luxury fabric. It has got deep sideways head and body support with dense foam padding.

If you wish to compare and know more about the best combination car seats or if you are simply thinking to find more information on making a choice then you will be pleased to find it My Car Seats. You may also consider a pushchair and car seat combination to choose from. At My Car Seats you will find the best of brands from the leading retailers in child safety. Hope you find the perfect safety seat for your loved one.

Futuristic Car Accessories We Should Have By Now

Everyone talks about how advanced cars have become and how consumers can now do practically everything from their car. Sure, being able to surf the Internet, watch TV and text your best friend all while driving down the highway at 80 MPH is great, but TV and movies have promised us so much more. To that end, here are seven futuristic car enhancements that could make your current ride look like the car from The Flintstones.

7. Hover Pads

If there’s one car accessory we’ve been promised for years, only to be disappointed again and again, it’s the hover pad. From Back to the Future to The Jetsons, we’ve been shown that in the future streets are totally lame and that flying your car around town is the way to go. You wouldn’t even need to buy a new car; just slap some hover pads under your current auto and you’re good to go. Yet some mysterious force keeps this technology just out of grasp. The government? The Illuminati? Bigfoot? We’ll likely never know.

6. Drink Dispensers

Why stop off at the local fast food joint for a soda when you could grab a fountain drink right from dashboard? The built-in soda and coffee dispenser seems like a natural advancement for the car of the future, but for some reason no one has stepped up to the plate to deliver such a miraculous invention. Sure, it would probably lead to a few stains, burns and possible fires, but isn’t that a small price to pay to not have to wait in line for a drink?

5. Ejector Seat

If you ask me, it’s insulting that car buyers don’t have the option to install ejector seats in their cars. I don’t know about you, but if I’m about to hit a semi going 70 MPH, I’d rather just fly out of there than trust my life to a cheap bag of air. Plus, you’ll look like a secret agent as you gently float to the ground via parachute. How many accessories can make you look cool AND keep you safe?

4. Sound Proof Bubble

In The Simpsons, Homer’s car of the future ended up being a huge flop. But the one accessory he was dead right about was the sound proof bubble. I don’t want to hear kids or belligerently drunk friends of mine blather on in the back seat; I wanna jam quietly to the smooth sounds of Enya. And imagine how many accidents could be avoided if the driver’s seat was completely separated from the annoying sounds of children screaming, wives nagging and coworkers awkwardly singing along to One Direction.

3. TV Screen Windshield

People complained that LCD screens being installed in the steering wheel would lead to deadly accidents. My only complaint is that they aren’t big enough! Imagine having you whole windshield turn into a massive TV screen at the flip of a button. Watch Maury tell someone they aren’t the father, and then switch to taking out bad guys in the latest FPS game. And it would obviously be safer than the LCD screens they install in your dash. At least this way, your eyes are still technically on the road. Just don’t play any racing games on it. That would probably get confusing.

2. Autopilot

It’s a crazy world we live in where almost everyone is allowed to drive a car, but only pilots with special training are allowed to fly a plane. I mean, planes have autopilot; a feature that cars have been lacking for years. While those lazy jerks can just hit a button and relax while the plane flies itself, we poor folks on the ground have to steer our cars like idiots. We already have cruise control to take care of hitting the gas for us; how much harder can it be to invent something to navigate the roads for us too?

1. Sentience

The sad truth is that some people in the world are lonely. And while the lucky among us may have a special someone to keep us company on long road trips, the loners out their will inevitably end up talking to their car. So wouldn’t it be nice if it could talk back? A completely sentient automobile like KITT or Bumblebee that can respond to your every command. Of course, this would probably eventually lead to automobiles taking over the earth and making the human race into their slaves, so perhaps sentience is a function best left unimplemented.

Custom Car Seat Covers

What you ever thought about custom car seat covers? Different abuses and hazards can cause damage to your original car seats. Pets and children are some of those who cause damage to car seats but the original upholstery of your car may also be damaged through repeated abrasion and friction. Spills of beverages and water and food remains may make car seats to be unpleasant and dirty. To be able to protect the original upholstery of your car, it is necessary to protect car seat covers, and the best choice for most people is through car seat covers.

Custom car seat covers are the ones which are personalized to suit your specific taste. It is possible to make them for your car, and there are different types of materials and designs which can be used for truck and car seat covers. You can also find the custom seat covers in different colors from in many parts of the world. Some of the popular car seat covers are Ballistic seat covers, Neoprene seat covers, Velour seat covers, BMW seat covers, Suede seat covers, Tweed seat covers, Ford seat covers, Leatherette seat covers, Honda seat covers, Saddle Blanket seat covers, and so on. There are many of them; and you can even make custom ones based on your personal beliefs and interests.

In order to make good custom seat covers, you should first of all consider what is already available for the type and model of your car because it is possible that custom covers are already installed for your car. In creating the design, you can make the ones which make a fashion statement to those which are just basic black seat covers.

Custom car seat covers are good for seats like 70/30 seats, 40/20/40 seats, 60/40 seats, and the difficult-to-fit seats found in trucks, jeeps, SUVs and tractors. In installing the seat covers, the upholstery company first measures your car seats and then have an estimate built up. In most cases, this is a free service while you only pay for the customization. It is possible to make the cover to be designed aesthetically, while you may choose from the different types of fasteners like zippers, buttons, Velcro or strings, in order to improve the durability and look of the cover.

There are many types of materials which are used, and you can choose from vinyl, cotton, neoprene, denim, sheepskin, tweed cloth, velour cloth and many other materials. You can also choose specific patterns and colors, in addition to being able to consider climactic factors and the level of wear and tear which the car seats are likely to be subjected to.