Auto Parts From Fruit?

Lots of questions abound from this article. Edmunds' InsideLine.com reports that scientists are using topical fruits such as pineapples and bananas to make automotive plastics that are stronger, lighter and more eco-friendly than the petroleum-based plastics currently used in cars.

1) Will you be able to scratch-n-sniff?
2) Can it be used as survival food if you're stranded?
3) Does it turn into a smoothie in the rain?
4) Will it make it more difficult for car salespeople? Customers will be hunting for make, model, trim, color, and flavor?

Terrible humor aside, great technology in the research stage here.

Just the Facts:

• Scientists from Sao Paulo, Brazil, are using pineapples, bananas, coconuts and other tropical fruits to make a new generation of automotive plastics that are stronger, lighter and more eco-friendly than traditional petroleum-based plastics.
• The research, presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, notes that fruit-based plastic also is completely renewable.
• Scientists expect auto manufacturers to begin using fruit-based plastic within two years. 

Full article:
http://www.insideline.com:80/car-news/auto-parts-from-fruit.html

Do You Really Need A Prius To Save Money?

The question doesn't get asked often enough.  Do I really need a hybrid vehicle like a Prius to save money?  The short answer is probably "no" for most people. 

The reason so many people think that they do is the amazing gas mileage. There are some other distinct advantages to owning a Prius over time too. But boiled down to simple fuel cost and resale value, many prospective new Toyota buyers in Oregon and Southwest Washington might want to take another look at some other Toyota models.

After some mileage and gas price assumptions, it's clear that there are at least 4 new Toyota options that either give you more car--or save you a lot more money--over a 5-year ownership cycle than a new 2011 Toyota Prius II. 

More evidence WTS No Bull is the future: "Clock ticking for the F&I office even as dealers resist merging sales, finance - Automotive News"

On its Web site, Wilsonville Toyota boasts that it offers "One-person help from start to finish: No closers. No finance managers." A customer testimonial on the site enthuses that the store provided "the best and most open, honest auto buying experiencexperience," the customer ever had. Dave Jachter, general manager of the Wilsonville, Ore., dealership, introduced no-haggle pricing and eliminated the finance and insurance office when he took over the store four years ago. But he is quick to say that combining sales with F&I is not for everyone. "This is not easy," he says. "It involves constant training, constant updating. If you're not willing to strap it on and work at it for a couple years, it's not going to work." Jachter is part of a movement among some dealers -- particularly no-haggle stores -- to merge F&I with sales... Read more:
http://www.autonews.com/article/20110309/FINANCE_AND_INSURANCE/303099989/1400