Tag: forces

Forces at play in Formula One enough to destroy wheels

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

red bull f1 racer experiences front wheel failure

All this Red Bull racer wants for Christmas is his two front wheels – Click above to watch video after the jump

It’s no secret that Formula One exerts high levels of force on both drivers and cars. Case in point: As seen in the video after the break, Red Bull driver Sebastien Buemi experienced catastrophic failure of his front wheels under hard braking. Buemi was setting up for a corner and slowing from around 185 miles per hour when both of his front wheels tore themselves away from his race car.

We shared this news last year, but this version of the clip has a few more angles from which to take in the carnage. Click past the jump for a terrific show of F1 force.

[Source: YouTube]

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Forces at play in Formula One enough to destroy wheels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Nissan Leaf demand forces dealers to give up demo cars

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

2011 Nissan Leaf

2011 Nissan Leaf – Click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan may have underestimated the demand for its all-electric 2011 Leaf. The company had originally planned to supply its dealers with two demo cars each, but with buyers essentially beating down doors to be among the first to hop behind the wheel, Nissan has decided to cut that number by half in order to free up supplies. That may mean as many as 1,000 additional Leaf EVs will be in stock when the car goes on sale in December. Nissan USA has only been given a total of 20,000 Leaf vehicles for sale on our shores in 2011, and the company hit that many reservations months ago.

Why so few? The real hang up is having enough batteries to go around. While Nissan is working closely with its supplier in Japan, the company is also building a new battery facility in Smyrna, Tennessee that should help crank out 200,000 battery packs per year when it goes online in 2012. At that point, Nissan says that it should be able to produce somewhere around 150,000 Leaf units per year.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Leaf: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: Nissan Leaf demand forces dealers to give up demo cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mahindra joining forces with Ssangyong

Filed under: SUV, China, Earnings/Financials, India, South Korea

India’s Mahindra & Mahindra may be joining forces with South Korea’s Ssangyong to share technology, costs and to create one of the biggest producers of SUVs in the world.

Ssangyong hasn’t exactly had the best track record when it comes to foreign ownership. While China’s SAIC Motor Group was at the helm, the South Korean automaker took a nose-dive that eventually led to bankruptcy, which is where the company is now. Earlier this month, Mahindra was picked as the preferred bidder for Ssangyong, though the principles involved in the transaction aren’t willing to say how much Mahindra & Mahindra has offered for the sinking Korean company.

Back in 2004, SAIC purchased 49-percent of Ssangyong for $500 million, but was largely criticized for failing to invest enough in the partnership. Analysts typically point to the lack of investment as the main reason behind the venture’s failure. Bloomberg reports that the Mahindra bid is somewhere in the $452 million range. Ssangyong has market value of $340 million.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Mahindra joining forces with Ssangyong originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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