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Newsletter  Franks Automobile Shipping & Transport
April 17 2009
Dear Customer: 
We want to take the time to thank you for your business in the past. In an effort to continue ongoing communication with our clients , we have provided you with our bi-weekly news letter.
We strive to grow in the years to come and ask that we may add you to our growing family of dedicated customers.

Sincerely,
 
 
IN THIS ISSUE
2009 Shanghai Auto Show
Paul Walker Confirms Fast and Furious 5 in Brazil
Ford Mustang 45th Anniversary
Multiple Bidders Are Interested in Saturn
50 Percent Chance of Coming to Agreement With Chrysler
2010 Chevrolet Camaro
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2009 Shanghai Auto Show: Chery Riich G5
 Sharp-2009 Shanghai Auto Show: Chery Riich G5 eyed fans of the brand will observe that the new G5 is, in fact, an update of last year's Chery A6 sedan. The automaker felt compelled to create a new sub-brand in order to better position specific models against Audi, including the new Riich G6 sedan.
The G5 is one of six Riich models that Chery expects to introduce over the next several years. It is powered by a Chery-developed 2.0-liter turbo engine that makes 168 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque and can be equipped with either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox.
Among its high-tech features are satellite navigation, in-car video, Bluetooth phone and a smart key.
Chery plans to begin selling the Riich G5 in late 2009.
Paul Walker Confirms Fast and Furious 5 in Brazil
 Although the oil-truck hijacking and Mexican border-hopping action in the last movie was supposed to be it for the F&F team, the success of the movie was enough to bring everyone back one more time.
"With the way tfastfurioushings opened up, Vin and I will be coming back. We're making a fifth one, and we're going to Brazil, that's it," Paul Walker said on an L.A. morning radio show.
Thanks to the return of Walker, Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster in Fast & Furious, the movie shattered industry records and became the biggest April debut in history. Stay tuned for more details and information on the 10-second cars getting ready to head down to South America.


Ford Mustang 45th Anniversary Celebration Kicks Off
  Ford said several original owners of the 1964.5 Mustang will be at the event.
"Since April 17, 1964, [the Mustang] has been a symbol of American freedom and fun," said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president of marketing and communications, in a statement.
Mustang has enjoyed a band of devoted followers, with many celebrity owners, including actor Kevin Costner, baseball great Reggie Jackson and U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Mustang's official launch occurred on April 17, 1964, at the New York World's Fair, although Americans were given a preview the night before, when Ford bought the 9:30 p.m. time slot on all three television networks. An estimated 27 million Americans watched the broadcast debut of the Mustang, "setting off one of the greatest consumer stampedes for an automobile," accordiMustangng to the book Car Crazy: The Official Motor City High-Octane, Turbocharged, Chrome-Plated, Back Road Book of Car Culture. By March of 1966, the millionth Mustang had been sold.
Ford said in a statement that it plans several events here to mark the Mustang's milestone. World champion drifter Vaughn Gittin, Jr. will be on hand to give demonstrations and rides. Speed TV personality Tommy Kendall will provide hot laps for select attendees in Mustang FR500S racing cars.
Ford has kicked off a Mustang contest, too. Through August 15, consumers can submit "their own Mustang dream experience" in 250 words or less via Ford's "The Unleashed" Web site. "Winning submissions will be selected every few weeks, and winners will be able to turn their Mustang experience into reality," said the automaker.

General Motors Confirms Multiple Bidders Are Interested in Saturn
GM
"Over approximately the past 60 days, a subcommittee of Saturn retailers has been studying the feasibility of the sale or spin-off options and has identified some parties that are potentially interested in a purchase or spin-off of Saturn," GM said in a statement. "We are advised that one of the interested parties is Black Oak Partners. We are not at liberty to discuss any other interested party."
GM added: "With respect to what the eventual outcome concerning Saturn might be with Black Oak or any other interested party, it is simply premature at this time to speculate on what any eventual outcome may be."
Black Oak does not provide financial data or have a Web site. It has teamed with some Saturn dealers on the bid for the GM brand, according to a statement.
GM will seek U.S. Treasury approval for the sale of Saturn
Fiat Boss: Only 50 Percent Chance of Coming to Agreement With Chrysler
 President Obama's administration has given Chrysler and Fiat until the end of April to negotiate partnership terms. If the alliance is not completed, Chrysler faces a cutoff of funds from the U.S. government that could lead to its liquidation. Fiat has proposed taking a 20 percent stake in Chrysler.
Marchionne told The Globe and Mail that Fiat will abandon the talks linking his company to Chrysler if unions do not agree on substantial job cuts. He said there is only a 50/50 chance the partnership will happen.
"We are absolutely ready to let the deal drop," Marchionne said.
If the deal is completed, the U.S. and Canadian governments would support Chrysler with approximately $7 billion in loans to keep operating while Fiat overhauls the company and brings in Fiat-based models.
There was no response to Marchionne's remarks as of Tuesday morning on the Web sites of the United Auto Workers or the Canadian Auto Workers.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro: From Concept to Production
  2010 Camaro camaro 2Icamaro 3If there's ever been a Camaro that says "bad ass" like the first Camaro did, this is it, hands down. The Chevrolet Camaro Concept looks like the car you drive if your name is "Butch" and you strike matches on your stubble. The styling elements recapture that crucial aspect of the original design philosophy; a rebellious one that fell through the cracks as the decades poured on after 1969.
The designer of the Camaro Concept Coupe and the Camaro Convertible Concept, Sangyup Lee, had no idea the Chevrolet Camaro was so iconic. "I was kind of glad I didn't know how strong of an icon the Camaro was when I was first working on the project," he admits. Working without pressure allowed him to come up with the vicious concept everyone's talking about. Gills in front of the rear wheel arches evoke the original car while radical angles are said to be inspired by planes like the YF-22 fighter jet. 

We've driven the silver Camaro Concept, which debuted at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. It was built on a heavily modified Cadillac STS platform, and bits from many rear-wheel-drive General Motors vehicles were used to make the concept drivable. But the result was a taut and virtually rattle-free ride. We had expected the concept to be a veritable rattletrap, being hand-assembled and all. And we love being wrong about things like this.
Performing as it always has, the 400-horsepower LS-2 6.0-liter V8 provided far more power than we ventured to tap, fearing instant ejection from the GM proving grounds. Monster 14-inch front rotors easily burned off the modest speeds we achieved. The huge 21- and 22-inch Goodyears did their jobs without protest.
GM gave the Chevrolet Camaro Concept a green light for production in August 2006. According to GM Chairman Rick Wagoner, the 2010 Chevy Camaro will be "virtually identical" to Lee's concept. That's a good thing. The Ford Mustang concept in 2003 was a far cry from the car that came to showrooms in 2005. Hopefully the road-going Camaro will come with the bulging rear fenders and sinister chop-top roof that make the concept look so evil.
Despite still being two full years away, America has already been exposed to the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro in three forms; coupe, convertible and er...Transformer. Chevy's upcoming muscle car has a lead role as "Bumblebee" in this summer's blockbuster, The Transformers. And while driving the $2-million Camaro Convertible Concept was an experience, we had the opportunity to rip burnouts in the bright orange Bumblebee movie car while the Paramount guys weren't looking. And no, it doesn't actually turn into a giant robot.
By the time the Camaro makes showroom floors, it'll need to be ready for stoplight battles with the Dodge Challenger and the existing Ford Mustang, both of which will already be roaming the streets. Strapped with a familiar LS2 V8, impromptu drag races shouldn't pose a problem whether you're using the standard six-speed automatic transmission or rowing through the six-speed manual. And it might not even be so bad to commute with, either.
The production car will be built off a derivative of GM's new Zeta platform, developed by GM's Australian wing, Holden, and shared with that company's new Commodore. That means MacPherson struts up front and a fully independent rear suspension. If GM can stick to the game plan, the 2010 Chevy Camaro might be more than enough to fight off the Challenger, the Mustang and the evil forces of the Decepticons. So dust off your leather jacket and start growing that facial hair.



A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.

David Brinkley



Sincerely,
 
Frank Kimbrough
Franks Automobile Shipping & Transport
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