Porsche Model Kit
Jun/100
Ford Tops J.d. Power and Associates' Survey, Unseats Toyota
Ford Motor Co. has unseated Toyota from the top spot in J.D. Power and Associates' annual initial quality rankings released Wednesday last week, grabbing more individual awards than any other automaker for the first time since 1998, when it tied for the top spot.
Ford ranked highest in five of 19 segments in this year's survey. The last time a U.S. automaker was on top was in 1998, when Ford tied with Toyota and Honda. The Dearborn automaker earned segment awards for the Ford Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan and Mazda MX-5 Miata. Mazda, maker of top of the line Mazda timing belt kit, is 33.4 percent owned by Ford.
Ford's Lincoln brand, which jumped from 12th to third in overall vehicle quality, averaged 100 problems per 100 vehicles -- just behind Porsche and Toyota's Lexus luxury brand, which averaged 94 problems per 100 vehicles.
In the overall ranking of brands, Porsche again dominated -- averaging 91 problems per 100 vehicles, as it had last year. That compared with a 2007 industry average of 125 problems per 100 vehicles. Last year it was 124.
Meanwhile world’s current number one automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., captured only four this year -- the 4Runner, Sequoia, Tacoma and Lexus RX350/RX400h. The Japanese automaker grabbed the top spot in 11 segments last year.
Toyota had seen its list of quality leaders drop in a quality study released Monday by Strategic Vision Inc., a San Diego-based market research company and consultant to automakers. Despite improving its overall quality, Toyota led in one category in that study - down from four in 2006. South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. led in five categories, outperforming its Japanese, European and U.S. competitors. Last year, it had no winners.
According to Joe Ivers, J.D. Power's executive director of quality and customer satisfaction, there's no clear answer for Toyota's drop. Several vehicles however, brought its quality performance down this year, including the Corolla, Prius and Lexus models.
Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said the company was pleased with its results, adding that Toyota was the second-ranked non-luxury brand and stayed in the top 10 overall. Lexus also maintained its second-place ranking overall.
The LS460 was for the first time not the top-ranked in its segment, coming in a close second to the Audi A8 and Mercedes Benz S-Class, which tied for first. Toyota appears nonplussed with that showing, since it was a redesigned model and had just been shipped to dealers before the survey-taking began.
In the J.D. Power survey, Hyundai fell from third overall to 12th. Oddes said relaunched vehicles such as the Santa Fe did not do as well as the automaker had hoped. The redesigned Elantra however, performed well in its segment.
Lincoln was followed by Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Toyota. Honda, with the fewest problems per 100 vehicles among non-luxury brands, improved in the ranking to fourth from sixth in 2006.
The most improved nameplates in the study are Land Rover, Saab and Mercedes-Benz.
J.D. Power also gave the Platinum Plant Quality Award for producing vehicles producing the fewest defects to Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant, which stopped making cars last May 31. The Detroit-area plant produced the Lincoln Town Car, which averages 35 problems per 100 vehicles. It was the first North American assembly plant to receive the honor since 1999.
For the study, Westlake Village, Calif.-based J.D. Power collected responses from more than 97,000 buyers and lessees of new 2007 model year vehicles after 90 days of ownership.
This year's survey included 228 questions and asked for information specifically about design and production, such as defects and malfunctions.
About the Author
Kraig Johanssen is a native of Connecticut and holds a degree in Software Engineering. He now works at a software development firm in Alabama. His love for writing and great interest on cars makes him a proficient contributing author to various automotive magazines.
Powerful electric conversion kit for a medium to large car?
I've been looking at the various electric car conversions online and the common models seem to be small (geo metro, porsche 914, honda hatchbacks etc.), but I'm not. I know why they use smaller cars, the lighter the car the further it will travel on the same electrical components. However, that doesn't do me any good to get a car I won't be comfortable in. So I'm looking for something the size of a Ford Focus or larger. Highway travel is a must; I travel from Tucson to Phoenix about once a month to see family, so I need a top speed of at least 75 mph and a range of over 100 miles. Range is actually negotiable as that is more a matter of how many batteries and where to put them.
If there isn't a kit, then I would be open to a suggestion of components/tools and where to get them. I have about $30k, a degree in electrical engineering and a lot of free time.
Please no DC or lead acid options!
The short answer is no, there are no kits for anything but small cars, trucks or vans. The weight of a medium or large car generally detours builders from trying as the ratio of batteries to original vehicle weight is a big deal.
As for getting components yourself, many electric cars use a DC motor and lead acid batteries. So there isn't the wealth of information on AC motors and lithium batteries. The reason for this is it is very expensive. A $30k budget, assuming you already have a car you want to convert, would give you about $11k for motor, inverter and DC/DC converter, leaving you with $19k for mating the motor to the transmission, not cheap or easy if it hasn't been done before, and your battery system. Figure about 2-3,000 for the battery management system, you definitely need one for lithium, another couple hundred for a charger and then the rest can be spent on batteries. So at most I figure you can get $14k worth of batteries, which won't go 100 miles in anything but a small car.
Here is an example of a medium sized car that meets your specs (other than no DC and budget): http://www.evalbum.com/2256
Unfortunately this car isn't even close to your budget.
If you really want to make an electric car you need to really plan it out before hand and I mean everything. That way you have a budget, a parts list, a means of fabrication and hopefully a good idea of how to get from what you have to what you want.
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Maisto 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 1:18 Scale Die-Cast $27.99 This Highly Detailed 1:18 scale die-cast model features opening doors and hood, working steering, and rolling wheels. This kit includes a pre-painted metal body, screwdriver, easy assembly of parts. Not suitable for children under 3.Dimensions: 9"x4"x2.5"... |
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1/18 PORSCHE CAYMAN S SE MAI31122 $23.07 Brand New Item In Box Never Opened.This Car Has The Following Features Open Doods,Hood,Trunk Hard Top. Has Steerable Wheels.Workable Steering Wheel.Rubber Tires.Made of Diecast With Some Plastic Parts... |
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3D Puzzle UmBum Automobile PORSCHE 911GT3 Replica 1/24 (Cardboard model kit 3D puzzle) Material: body - thick modeling paper, wheels - rubber/plastic. Packaging: Clear plastic bag with soft inlays. Difficulty level description: 5 year old and above, requires parents help. Assembly technique: all parts are precut and ready. No glue or scissors needed; all parts click together with patented locks and fittings. All the curves are pre-molded which guaranties the high assembly quality wi... |
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3D Puzzle UmBum Automobile PORSCHE 911GT3 Replica 1/24 (Cardboard model kit) Material: body - thick modeling paper, wheels - rubber/plastic. Packaging: Clear plastic bag with soft inlays. Difficulty level description: 5 year old and above, requires parents help. Assembly technique: all parts are precut and ready. No glue or scissors needed; all parts click together with patented locks and fittings. All the curves are pre-molded which guaranties the high assembly quality wi... |
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OES Genuine Strut Mount for select Porsche 911 models $207.75 OES Genuine Strut Mount; 1999-2001 Porsche 911 Carrera 4; 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo; 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera 4; 2002 Porsche 911, H6 3.6L; 2003 Porsche 911 Carrera 4; 2003 Porsche 911, H6 3.6L; 2004 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S; 2004 Porsche 911 GT2; 2004 Porsche... |
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OES Genuine Sway Bar Link for select Porsche 911 models $178.84 OES Genuine Sway Bar Link; 1995-1996 Porsche 911 Carrera; 1996 Porsche 911 Targa; 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera; 1997 Porsche 911 Targa; 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera S; 1998 Porsche 911 Carrera; 1998 Porsche 911 Targa... |
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OES Genuine Oil Line for select Porsche 911 models $42.25 OES Genuine Oil Line - Oil Filler Tube; 1999-2000 Porsche 911; 2001 Porsche 911, H6 3.4L; 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera 4; 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera; 2003-2004 Porsche 911, H6 3.6L; 2005 Porsche 911, H6 3.6L, Ch:996... |
Porsche 914 Electric Car
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