BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW...

The nation of Iran plans to invest up to $40,000,000 into a venture for Iranian Samand cars to be built in Belarus.  This from one of the most hilariously titled websites I've ever seen - here.

Mohammad Junaid Yunus Shaikh, a 21-year old Indian man, was arrested for stealing at least fifteen cars in the last year alone.  A tip led police to Yunus Shaikh outside a mall in Malad where he had in his possession a set of master keys and a Toyota Corolla.  He has been arrested for this sort of activity before and spends most of his profits at bars.  

Reports by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and National Resources Defense Council say that the advent of plug-in hybrids (like the Chevrolet Volt that General Motors says is electric with a 'range extender') could increase deadly air pollution even as fuel consumption goes down.  The MCPA: "Use of PHEVs could result in more sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions -- a component of corrosive acid rain - at levels more than double those of gasoline engines and about 3 or 4 times greater than hybrid."  The study also mentions that cars like the Volt and obvious Toyota competitors that "lower tailpipe emissions may be offset by smokestack emissions from the utility generating plants supplying electricity to recharge the big batteries that allow plug-ins to run up to 40 miles without kicking on their gasoline engines."

The median age for a car in the USA is 9.2 years.  41.3% are over 11 years old.  Trucks? Median age of 7.1 years with 29.5% over 11 years old.

Suzuki will sell cars in South Africa soon.  They've been absent from that market for four years.

Automotive production in Slovakia nearly doubled in 2007 to 572,000 vehicles built, up from 295,000 in '06. Volkswagen, Kia, and Peugeot-Citroen are the main players, and the latter two will likely contribute most of the increase in '08 that should take the total to 675,000.

The Seaside Five will likely be fired.  They're five constables based out of the Blackwood police station who challenged each other to an odd form of truth or dare.  Who can escape to the most distant location without being caught?  Apparently they got as far as Porthcrawl and Barry Island (30 miles from their post) and then decided to attempt trips into England as well.  Finally, one of their cars broke down on the wrong side of the Welsh border.  Lesson: you can drive very far from home, indeed.... but you'll get caught.