Yesterday Steve Ballmer  Microsoft’s Chief Executive Officer was talking about Ford and Microsoft’s  new Partnership to produce electric cars. Ballmer was also talking about  their Hohm Programme, that gives recommendations to decreases energy costs and also Automating and optimizing the process of charging your electric vehicle.

According to Troy Batterberry Ford  and Microsoft will work together to focus on electric cars. He was talking about Hohm. It’s  really very authentic service for productive information. He further said that there will be a connection between home, vehicle and the electric grid. Only  Cars are the  biggest consumer of electricity in the home.

Traffic moves smoothly on the electric gird. Energy ecosystem. When you plug in your electric company won’t go crazy.
Some other Microsoft dude says . How many more do they have back there? This guy is talking about the fleet of Ford Escape electrics that energy carriers tested. Hohm will be able to tell you if your car can charge your electric car. Ford electric vehicle owners can optimize your recharge plans.

Smartphone app to modify charging times remotely. Pay the least for your charging. MyFord driver connect technology. Info about their experience.

Car will remind you that you left your dryer on and then you can tell your car to turn it off.

Looking like some sort of alien craft, the R-class is Mercedes’ attempt at building a minivan-like people hauler. Slow sales killed the V-8 versions, but the V-6 and the fuel-sipping diesel remain. The R-class is a luxurious, if slightly weird, way to move seven people comfortably.

The Mercedes-Benz F800 Style concept car that will  debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month is highly-touted by Mercedes-benz’s press release scribes for its green-car tech, but what’s probably of greater interest to most of you is its styling, which is everyone’s first peek at what the next-generation CLS-Class sedan is going to look like. To that end, get ready for a nose section whose grille apes that of the SLS AMG, plus enough flame-surfaced bodywork to make one envision Chris Bangle, sporting a set of Groucho glasses to mask his true identity, clandestinely moonlighting at Benz. The rear doors are sliders, because it’s a concept, and you need to give the people a clear view into the swoopy, sci-fi passenger cabin. Props to Mercedes PR for gamely making it sound as if there’s an actual practical application for those doors, though.

Mercedes-Benz also touts the concept’s flexible powertrain platform. The realistic option is a plug-in hybrid system that’s basically an offshoot of the V6 light-hybrid setup found in the S400 sedan. Mercedes says this new plug-in gas-electric system, which is good for over 400 combined horsepower, gives the car an EV-only driving range of 18 miles. The automaker has announced that a new plug-in system is headed to the next-gen S-Class, so don’t dismiss the F800′s hybrid setup as trendy green pandering. Save that cynicism for the concept’s other powertrain option: a compact fuel cell/electric setup evolved from the one used in the current F-Cell cars. We have no doubt that the technology itself is genuinely impressive, and we’re sure news of its development will be a hit with all the jet-setters at the next snowbound global warming conference. From a mass-production, real-person’s-car standpoint, expect to see the fuel cell system in Benz showrooms right after Mercedes intros a 700-horsepower inline 3-cylinder that runs on unicorn milk. Alas, we digress.

The F800 concept also introduces two new technologies that will doubtless appear in upcoming models. Distronic Plus Traffic Jam Assistant is an enhanced version of Mercedes’ active cruise control system, which can now steer the car through curves as long as it’s traveling under 25 mph. Neat. Also new is the Pre-Safe 360-degree system, which expands the existing Pre-Safe collision detection/mitigation system to the rear of the car. Now, if Pre-Safe senses that a rear-end impact is imminent, it’ll apply the brakes in a bid to keep the car from getting into an additional chain-reaction accident involving other cars or pedestrians.

We’ll be in Geneva to see the sheet come off the Mercedes-Benz F800 Style in person, and will have plenty of firsthand observations and live photos then. For now, feast your eyes on the gallery below, and check out the Mercedes PR included after the jump.

A Pakistani auto repair shop employee working on a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle at a workshop in Rawalpindi. –

ISLAMABAD: In a country beset by militants and bombings, a cult website has fired Pakistani passion for classic cars and the freedom of the open road.

As Listed by Forbes as the fourth most dangerous country in the world, hitting the roads in the Pakistani outback is not a leisure activity that immediately springs to mind when talk switches to the nuclear-armed state of 167 million.

But in  a recent dinner in Islamabad, fans of the fast growing website devoted to all things auto swapped stories and laughed over jokes from their trips, speeding classic cars down deserted highways in bandit territory.

“Media images from Pakistan are always of suicide bombers everywhere and men carrying guns in cities and towns,” said Abdul Haseeb Awan an electrical engineer and businessman.

The outside world must also be shown images of people engaging in healthy interaction,” he said.

“It’s a question of mind over matter. We felt as safe as we do in Islamabad or any other city,” said Saqib Hafeez Mirza, freshly back from a six-day trip pounding 4,432 kilometres (2,770 miles) in a restored 1974 Toyota Corolla.

He drove from the cool hills of the capital Islamabad down south through the breadbasket of Pakistan, then through desert to Karachi, swinging southwest to the port city of Gwadar on the glittering Arabian Sea.

Mirza bubbles over about “unexplored pristine beaches” in Baluchistan on the border with Afghanistan and Iran, which is also notorious as an alleged bolthole for Afghan Taliban supremo Mullah Omar.

“It was my uncle’s car. He passed away in 1976 at 43. Restoring it was very touching and full of memories, especially for my father and I know what this car means to him,” Mirza told AFP.

His family comes from Dera Ismail Khan, a flashpoint of sectarian violence where picnic spots and mountain valleys once popular with tourists are now subject to Taliban violence and army control.

But digging out vintage cars from junk yards, restoring them to their former glory and hitting the tarmac is a growing passion for enthusiasts tapping into the chat rooms of Pakistan’s busiest websites.

Not bad as a fan base for a specialist website in a country where the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan estimates that five million people are online.

Despite traditional clubs in major cities, Internet forums increasingly facilitate interaction and allow car enthusiasts to swap experiences.

After a lifetime restoring Volkswagen Beetles, Khalid Mehmood, 49, says his business today thrives on online recommendations.

A complete restoration might take three to five months and costs vary from 65,000 rupees (755 dollars) to 350,000 rupees (4,000 dollars), Mehmood told AFP, puffing on a cigarette in his workshop.

“I’ve always been a fan of VWs and the simplicity of the Beetle. It’s a car everyone can relate to,” said businessman Sameer Saeed, restoring a 1974 1303 Superbeetle and a 1978 Volkswagen 182 Thing.

Driving a Mitsubishi Pajero, he joined Mirza and other friends on the 650-kilometre coastal road heading out of Karachi along the Arabian Sea and into Baluchistan.

“The roads are safe to travel even in Baluchistan. I never feel concerned about security,” he said.

The  Price of XLI Model 2010 was revised on 1st March 2010.The Latest Ex Factory Price is 1,289,000/-

]]> http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/toyota-corolla-xli-gli-model-2010-updated-prices-with-effect-from-01-03-2010.html/feed 1 http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/liana-vurv-updated-prices-with-effect-from-08-01-2010.html http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/liana-vurv-updated-prices-with-effect-from-08-01-2010.html#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:57:23 +0000 saleem http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/?p=267 Identification Price Liana 1.3L RXI MT Rs. 1,099,000/- Liana 1.3L RXI MT CNG Rs. 1,169,000/- Liana 1.3L LXI MT Rs. 1,165,000/- Liana 1.3L LXI MT CNG Rs. 1,229,000/- Liana 1.6L Eminent AT Rs. 1,230,000/- ]]> http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/liana-vurv-updated-prices-with-effect-from-08-01-2010.html/feed 0 http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/latest-imported-vehicles-prices-of-toyota-in-pakistan.html http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/latest-imported-vehicles-prices-of-toyota-in-pakistan.html#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:35:51 +0000 saleem http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/?p=238

MODEL

PRICE

Avanza Standard	1,799,000
Avanza Up spec	1,999,000
Terios 2WD	2,399,000
Terios 4WD	2,499,000
Fortuner 2.7L AT	7,299,000
Prado 2.7 MT Petrol	9,700,000
Prado 3.0 MT Diesel	9,700,000
Prado 3.0 AT Diesel	13,500,000
Prado 4.0 AT V6 Petrol	13,500,000
Camry 4 door Sedan Up-specs M/T	6,550,000
Camry 4 door Sedan Up-specs A/T	6,750,000
Land Cruiser Prado 4.0L – VX A/T (Gasoline)	13,500,000
Land Cruiser Prado 3.0L – VX A/T Turbo (Diesel)	13,500,000
Land Cruiser Prado 3.0L – TX M/T Turbo (Diesel)	9,700,000
Land Cruiser Prado 2.7L – TX M/T (Gasoline)	9,700,000
Land Cruiser Prado – GX EFI M/T 3.0L	8,200,000
Land Cruiser Prado – GX EFI A/T (Gasoline)	10,500,000
Land Cruiser Prado – VX EFI A/T (Gasoline)	11,200,000
Land Cruiser 200 Station Wagon GX M/T	14,500,000
Land Cruiser 200 Station Wagon VX A/T	16,000,000
Hiace Commuter Std.	2,660,000
Hiace Commuter Dual A/C	2,980,000
Hiace Commuter Highroof Dual A/C	3,500,000
Hiace Ambulance Dual A/C	4,500,000
Coaster High Roof, 26 Seater	6,300,000
Coaster High Roof, 30 Seater	6,400,000
Hilux 4×4 Single Cabin Std. (LAN-03)	2,850,000
Hilux 4×4 Single Cabin A/C (LAN-04)	3,000,000
Hilux 4×2 Double Cabin Std. (LAN-05)	2,750,000
Hilux 4×2 Double Cabin Up-specs (LAN-06)	3,100,000
Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin Std (LAN-07)	3,100,000
Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin A/C (LAN-08)	3,250,000
Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin Up-specs (LAN-09)	3,499,000
Hilux 4×4 Single Cabin Std. (KUN-01)	2,850,000
Hilux 4×4 Single Cabin A/C (KUN-02))	3,000,000
Hilux 4×2 Double Cabin Std. (KUN-04)	2,750,000
Hilux 4×2 Double Cabin A/C (KUN-05)	2,800,000
Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin Std (KUN-07)	3,100,000
Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin A/C (KUN-08)	3,250,000
Hilux 4×4 Double Cabin Up-specs (KUN-09)	3,499,000

]]> http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/latest-imported-vehicles-prices-of-toyota-in-pakistan.html/feed 0 http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/latest-prices-of-camry-in-pakistan.html http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/latest-prices-of-camry-in-pakistan.html#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:22:14 +0000 saleem http://carsclub.pk/carsblog/?p=234 Camry

Manual Transmission                      Rs. 6,099,000

Automatic Transmission               Rs.6,299,000