Man, 85, tried to sell fake luxury handbags in West Boca, deputies say

At 85, Anthony Jenerosa Corbo was still working —peddling more than $200,000 in knockoff handbags and accessories from his car, Palm Beach County deputies say. Corbo bought counterfeit versions of high-end purses, watches and other accessories in New York's Chinatown, then tried to sell them as the real thing at a strip mall parking lot in West Boca, according to a Sheriff's Office arrest report.

 With brands like Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton, among others stuffed into his 2012 Toyota Scion, Corbo opened for business at 6 p.m. on April 24 on West Palmetto Park Road west of Powerline Road, deputies said. an hour later when an anonymous tipster approached a sheriff's deputy on a bike patrol in the area. The tipster said something seemed suspicious about the elderly man trying to sell merchandise from his car.

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Tom Dixon’s new watches under the Eclectic Collection

I think that the world is divided into two different groups – one that purchases watches as a practical device to tell the current time, while the other group would be one that picks up watches as a form of investment. You know for sure that one loves to invest in watches if you come across someone who truly believes in Patek Philippe’s marketing slant that one does not merely own a Patek Philippe, but rather, looks after it for the next generation.

Well, if you do not have the kind of fat bank account to purchase luxury watches for keepsake and hopefully sell them off at a far higher price sometime down the road, then you would do well to check out the new range of watches from Tom Dixon under the Eclectic Collection, and the name of the collection itself is epitomized by the kind of timepieces which were rolled out.

 The trio of new watches that were designed by Tom Dixon is extremely unique, due to the fact that each item has been crafted from honest, resilient and heavyweight materials including copper, marble, cast iron, and wood among others. Clearly inspired by British heritage, Tom Dixon has a penchant for choosing his products very carefully, and the Block Watches this time around intend to add an air of excitement to the collection – in addition to value, of course.

 The Square Case itself has been stamped from a block of pure stainless steel, using the most minimal of components and yet having a great impact with the assuredness that heads will turn your way whenever you wear one of his timepieces. After all, the square case is a surefire method of attracting attention thanks to its unusual look, with Swiss movement within to make it as reliable as possible.

All numerals on the dial have been deep etched, and they remain clearly visible to boot, while the dial itself is encased within a crystal face for clear visibility and protection simultaneously. If you are on the lookout for a truly unique timepiece, then you will not go too wrong with Tom Dixon’s offerings.

BMW plans $900 million expansion with 300 more jobs

BMW Group said it will add 300 jobs this year as part of a $900 million expansion at its plant near Greer to build another model in its X series, the X4.

BMW said the expansion would allow it to make 350,000 vehicles a year at the plant, which already makes the X3, X5 and X6 models. That’s a 27 percent increase over the 276,065 vehicles produced last year.

Company officials said total employment at the BMW complex along Interstate 85 -- including contract workers and vendor employees -- would reach 8,000 in 2014 from about 7,000 now.
That doesn’t include additional off-site hiring by the plant’s numerous Upstate suppliers, which are bound to boost employment as a result of the expansion, said Jim Morton, a Greenville resident who used to be vice chairman of Nissan North America.

“It’s going to impact the Upstate and the whole state, the first- and second-tier suppliers, the port and everything else,” Morton said.

The plant has 40 suppliers in South Carolina and 170 in North America, said BMW spokesman Steve Wilson.

Doug Woodward, an economist at the University of South Carolina who has studied BMW’s operations in the state, said he figures the expansion will create an additional three to four indirect and induced jobs for every direct job created at the plant.

“It’ll definitely filter through the supplier base and create a significant number of new jobs,” Woodward said.

Manfred Kasprzok, an executive with Draxlmaier Group, which makes parts for the X3 in Duncan, said the 27 percent production boost over the next three or four years should translate into an equivalent increase in production employment at Upstate suppliers.

Kasprzok said he doesn’t expect more suppliers to build factories in the area, but existing suppliers will have more work. He said Draxlmaier doesn’t know if it will get any of the X4 work because BMW hasn’t announced the suppliers that will build parts for the new model.

Frank-Peter Arndt, a member of BMW’s management board, said the company is responding to rising global demand for its X models. He joined Gov. Nikki Haley for a news conference to announce the expansion and celebrate the production of two million cars at the local plant since its launch in 1994.

Toyota's NS4 concept projects the hybrid car three years hence

Toyota's NS4 advanced plug-in hybrid concept that was unveiled this week at the 2012 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit is the brainchild of Toyota engineers who were given the task of designing a new mid-size concept for potential launch in markets worldwide by 2015. While the NS4 concept is a dedicated plug-in toyota electric vehicle (PHEV), Toyota says it isn't part of its Prius family, with a next-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive plug-in system that is not only smaller and lighter, but is also more fuel efficient, boasts better acceleration and a longer all-electric range than the current system.

Claiming that connected vehicles are the third fastest growing technological device behind smartphones and tablets, Toyota has developed the NS4 concept with a heavy focus on connectivity. Its Human-Machine Interface (HMI) is built around a multi-touch screen that takes its lead in the look and usability departments from a smartphone and acts as a hub for displaying information and controlling the car's multimedia, air conditioning, battery-charge and navigation functions. Toyota says the HMI system is also able to learn driver preferences and habits and anticipate driver responses in certain situations.The NS4 concept also sees the introduction of a number of new safety features. A next-generation Pre-Collision System (PCS) is designed to predict collisions before they occur and help avoid them. It uses millimeter-wave radar and front-mounted stereo cameras to detect and react to lane departure, pedestrians and other vehicles, with near-infrared beams to enhance performance at night. When the system detects an imminent collision, the brake assist system is placed in standby mode and the driver is warned by a buzzer and warning light. If the system determines that the collision is unavoidable, it will apply the brakes and automatically tighten the front seatbelts.

For those times when a pedestrian collision can't be avoided, the car features a pop-up hood structure that automatically raises the rear of the hood within certain speed ranges to increase the space underneath and reduce the chance of the pedestrian sustaining head injuries. Toyota says it has tested this system using both conventional crash-test dummies and virtual models.

Growing Pains for Electric Vehicle Manufacturers

One estimate says more than 600,000 EVs could be on U.S. roads by 2014, but that’s a speck in the rear-view mirror compared to the 140 million passenger cars Americans already drive. And, high vehicle costs combined with range anxiety makes many consumers leery to get off gasoline. So is the EV industry accelerating or running out of juice?
energyNOW! correspondent Lee Patrick Sullivan looked at the independent carmakers and big auto companies trying to charge up the transition to EVs and convince American drivers that going electric is really worth it.

Electric vehicles hold great promise for reducing both emissions and our dependence on foreign oil. Almost 30 percent of America’s energy use is for transportation, and almost all of that comes from oil, costing $300 billion per year. When compared to an Electric Power Research Institute estimate that running an EV costs 20 percent filling up a car with gasoline, and EPA’s estimate that EVs are half as carbon-intensive as gas-powered vehicles, the benefits of electric are clear.
But many potential EV owners are concerned about the higher up-front price of electric cars (despite them being cost-competitive or cheaper in the long term) and their limited range compared to gasoline-fueled models. Buying an EV can cost anywhere from $32,000 to $120,000, a tab somewhat mitigated by the $7,500 federal tax credit. And, most EVs get about 100 miles on a single battery charge, compared to 400 miles per tank for internal combustion engines. A recent study from Deloitte found that only 20 percent of U.S. drivers say they would buy an EV with a 100-mile range.
Perhaps no company embodies the EV industry better than Tesla Motors. Despite a successful launch of its Roadster model, the company was running on fumes until a Department of Energy low-interest loan enabled it to raise $600 million in private capital, build a massive factory, and launch its second vehicle, the Model S. “This is the first car that will have over 300 miles of electric range,” said JB Straubel, CTO and co-founder of Tesla Motors.
Several other notable EV manufacturers weren’t as fortunate as Tesla over the past year, however. Fisker Automotive had several delays in launching its extended-range EV, and both Modec and Think Automotive declared bankruptcy. Major automakers like Nissan and Chevrolet debuted their EV models this year, but have only sold half as many Volts and Leafs as expected.
These difficulties aren’t a surprise to Straubel. “It’s an extremely hard activity,” he said. “The tooling required, the investment, the years of engineering and validation, it’s all very, very difficult.”

BMW 3 series: More for less

BMW has aimed higher with its new 3 Series sedan, adding the luxury kitbag of its more expensive 5 Series while building on the appeal of the outgoing model.

The intention is to offer more for comparatively less, along with a sleek look, upmarket interior, a range of fuel-efficient, all-turbo engines - and, for the first time, optional XDrive all-wheel-drive.

Other firsts in class are the choice of a full hybrid model, a new personalisation programme and a full-colour head-up display, projecting information on to the windscreen in front of the driver.

The German carmaker has released details of the new car ahead of its public debut at the Detroit motor show in January.

It says the 3 Series has more space and comfort than before and is better to drive than its main rivals, the Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

It will go on sale here next year. It is unclear if XDrive will be available in right-hand-drive.

The 3 Series is BMW's most important model, both in terms of numbers sold and as a flag carrier for the company's reputation for quality, reliability and desirability.
BMW says it will have eight versions of the 3 Series on sale in different markets by March that emit less than 120g per kilometre of CO2.

Towards the end of 2012, BMW launches XDrive four-wheel-drive versions and the ActiveHybrid 3 which is essentially a 335i with a 40kW electric motor.

Many of the new features introduced in the new 5 Series and 1 Series have made their way into the 3 Series, including eight-speed automatic transmission, stop-start, electric-assisted steering, four selectable driving modes and a multi-function screen driven by the iDrive console knob.

The new 3 Series has been under development for longer than almost any other BMW. It was first spied testing early in 2009.

Weight has been reduced by a claimed 50kg compared to the previous model and the drag coefficient is down to 0.26 thanks to improvements in the aerodynamics.

These tweaks include a streamlined underside, covers which create a diffuser effect at the rear and channels in the front bumper which reduce the turbulence created by the front wheels.

The new 3 Series also features a much stiffer body and an all-new chassis with a longer wheelbase (up 50mm to 2810mm), with wider tracks (up 37mm at the front and 47mm at the rear) to improve handling.

Overall length has increased by 93mm and there's more space inside.

The exterior design has been inspired by the 5 Series. The new car's lights, flusher radiator grille and L-shaped LED taillights represent the biggest changes.

Under the skin, the chassis gets an updated version of the company's five-link suspension at the rear and more aluminium in the front set-up for lower unsprung weight.

BMW says the new suspension improves on the car's handling by making it even more agile and stable but with better ride comfort.

All models get new electric-assisted power steering to cut weight and improve fuel efficiency. BMW claims it is just as accurate and has as much feedback as a conventional hydraulic system. However, its Variable Sport steering will be available as an option, as will Adaptive M Sport suspension with electronically variable dampers.

Glendale to monitor impact of electric cars

The first 100 people to buy an electric vehicle will get a $200 rebate from the city of Glendale in exchange for installing a special socket that will help measure the potential impact of more cars tapping into the power grid.

As plug-in electric vehicles become more popular, officials want to be prepared for the influx of energy use, so it’s requiring all BMW electric-vehicle owners to install a special socket that will measure the effect on the power supply, said Ned Bassin, assistant general manager of customer and support services at Glendale Water & Power.

“We expect in the future there will be a lot of electric vehicles,” Bassin said.
That could take a toll on the city’s energy system without proper planning, officials say.

“It’s like adding a whole home to our distribution system,” Bassin said.

Electric-car buyers that want to charge their car faster must hire an electrician to install a 240-volt socket, for which the city will be installing special meters to measure the energy use. But the meters need a special connection that the electrician will be required to install — typically at a cost of $200 — hence the rebate offer.