Road Tripper

Honda Accord has finally hits 3-0 this year in the UK. The Accord has been in the UK market for over four decades now and has sold more than 15,800,000 units worldwide making it as one of the most popular cars in the world.

It was in the year 1977 when the first Accord was sold in the UK but was first launched in the US and Japan. After seven generations of Accord it has evolved into an important corporate model equipped with the most advanced technology, remarkable driving dynamics, highly acclaimed diesel engine and a reputation for quality and reliability.

Honda the producer of quality Acura Integra flywheel has scheduled for the next generation Accord to go on sale in the UK in the summer of 2008 while the production versions of both the Saloon and Tourer will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The Accord was also part of the highly recommended list of What Car? Reliability survey and has even received the prestigious award for the most reliable model in Fleet News’ highly commended industry survey the FN50.

The years of Accord’s success is reflected in its fast growing status in the corporate sector with sales up by five percent year-on year. According to Harvey Hughes, Manager-Corporate Operations, Honda UK, “We have a growing customer base and the popularity of Accord has helped to drive this. The new Sport GT we launched in September embodies all that the Accord stands for – high spec and great value for money.”

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles for this winter season is offering two convenient and good value services—an Express Visual Check and a Warm-up package—offered at any dedicated Volkswagen Van Centers and authorized repair centers.

The Express Visual Check provided a quick and free 29-point check of major working parts of the van that includes all essential fluid levels such as brakes and coolant, tyre treads and lights. This special service from Volkswagen does not call for pre-booking.

The Warm-Up Package on the other hand is available from January until the end of April and offered for a fixed price of £39.99. And since it’s a package it would comprise of several services that include:

• Express Visual Check
• top up of oil and fluids
• Winter care kit (including de-icer and scraper)
• Battery condition check
• Wash and vac
• One litre Castrol oil and ‘check it kit’
• 10 per cent discount voucher against any service or parts purchase
• 10 per cent discount voucher against any accessory purchase
• Entry into a prize draw to win £1,500 to spend at their Volkswagen Van Centre

The Express Visual Check and Warm-up package simply shows Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ commitment in providing customers with high a level of service and care for their vehicles and for the owners as well, explained Stephen Bateson, Head of Aftersales and Customer Care. For more info on these two special services simply visit www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk.

BMW’s M3 coupe is voted to be the overall Drive car of the year for 2007 by Fairfax motoring writers, and Bayerische Motoren Werke thanks the new V8 power for leading the car to victory.

The verdict was granted by a conglomerate of publishers both online and papers including The Melbourne Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and the www.drive,com.au. Out of 44 cars in 13 categories, the BMW M3 coupe grabbed the bragging rights.

“The M3 won because it re-writes the rule book on luxury performance cars,” the judges decided.

“It’s the great leap forward that a Car of the Year should be. The last-generation M3 was a great car deservedly revered, yet BMW’s engineers found a way to make the new model more useable, more refined, more technologically advanced - and also faster.

“It has an awesome engine, unbelievable grip, four comfortable seats, an anticipated five-star safety rating, and a price tag some $40,000 cheaper than a comparable (rival).”

Aside from the Drive Car of the year award, the BMW M3 Coupe also won in its category as the ‘Best Performance Car Over $60,000’.

The M3 coupe houses BMW’s finest 309 KW 4.0-litre V8 engine roaring 400 Nm of torque with a limit of 8,400 rpm. Debuted in Australia last October 11, the vehicle speeds up from 0-100 km/h in a click of 4.8 seconds and halts from 100 km/h in 34 meters.

“The new M3 Coupé is a sensational car on the track and on the road, and we are delighted that some of Australia’s harshest critics have selected it as the winner against a top class of contenders,” BMW Group Australia Managing Director Guenther Seemann said.

“We have been overwhelmed by customer demand for the M3, with this year’s allocation of cars pre-sold even before the first cars arrived in showrooms. With the added momentum of this award, our allocation for 2008 is likely to be filled quickly,” Mr Seemann said.

If performance is to talk about, the BMW M3 coupe is another BMW performance car, and Acura CL performance chip is another performance part.

Based from an article in prnewswire.com, the following are the winners in the “Protecting the Land” Challenge:

High School Winners

• “Team Kramedawg” — Farmingdale High School, Farmingdale, NY: Worked with administration and student government to increase awareness of the importance of recycling and started a recycling program on the campus. They created a Web site to help promote their idea.
• “The Elementals” — Herricks High School, New Hyde Park, NY: Researched the recycling habits of the campus community and used that information to help increase participation in recycling.
• “Manatee Team” — Manatee High School, Bradenton, Fla.: Improved school’s recycling program increasing teacher participation by 300 percent and raising awareness around campus about the importance of recycling.
• “Bayou Bartholomew EAST” — McGehee High School, McGehee, Ark.: Helped to clean up pollution in the longest bayou in the United States, Bayou Bartholomew. The team created a Web site to track the efforts of the clean up.
• “Newberry Environmental Girls” — Newberry High School, Newberry, Fla.: Started a bottle recycling program on campus with the potential to recycle more than 170 plastic bottles per day.
• “Viva Verde” — North Mecklenburg High School, Huntersville, NC: Organized “Viva Verde Fashion Show,” which showcases clothes made from organic cotton or secondhand clothing. Also hosted “Swap ’til you Drop” clothing exchange program.
• “The Ones Who Care” — Sierra Vista High School, Baldwin Park, Calif.: Conducted an outreach program to educate the campus community about the danger of pesticides to human health, soil, vegetation and animals.
• “Westminster CCC” — The Westminster Schools, Atlanta, Ga.: Increased recycling on the campus by creating the “Adopt a Recycle Bin” program, holding educational assemblies and recruiting volunteers to help in the recycling effort.

Middle School Winners

• “Eggsteins” — Great Neck South Middle School, Great Neck, NY: Explored the effects of deforestation by identifying trees, creating leaf impressions, and by taking younger students on nature walks.
• “Chi-Town Team” — Madero Middle School, Chicago, Ill.: Conducted an aluminum can drive and cleaned up a community park, both helping to raise awareness in the community about recycling.
• “The Eco-Gangsters” — Nevada Middle School, Nevada, Mo.: Increased participation in campus paper recycling program with a goal of recycling 2,500 lbs. by the end of the year, four times more than in previous years.
• “OJH World Environmental Managers” — Olympus Junior High School, Holladay, Utah: Cleaned up a local park and helped educate the community about recycling and proper disposal of trash.
• “The Spachio Six” — Phillipsburg Christian Academy, Phillipsburg, NJ: Raised awareness of the importance of recycling by tracking and recording a week’s worth of trash at their school. Discovered that 30 percent of waste is recyclable.
• “St. Margaret Science Club” — St. Margaret Catholic School, Lake Charles, La.: In the absence of a curb-side recycling program in the community, students increased participation in recycling through the school’s parent-teacher organization, school newsletter and school Web site.

The deadline of entries for the Challenge #2, “Water Works”, was last 9th of November. For Challenge #3, “The Air Factor”, you can still submit your entries until December 10, 2007. And, for Challenge #4 (Climate), entries will be accepted until January 7, 2008. Grand prize winning teams will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2008.