Car Ad for Uzbek-Made Daewoo/GM Nexia

68 Ways to Get Yourself Executed In China

Yesterday, Briton Akmal Shaikh was executed in Urumqi for smuggling four kilos of heroin into China. His family claimed that he was mentally ill. The British government sternly condemned the sentence.

Now, I'm no fan of the death penalty. But you have to appreciate the irony of the British government, which intentionally set out to make opium addicts out of thousands, if not millions, of Chinese citizens in the 18th and 19th century (and humiliated the Chinese in a series of wars), lecturing China on the proper treatment of one Briton who was caught red handed smuggling heroin INTO China.

Apparently, there are 68 capital punishment-eligible offenses in China. Click here and go to page four for the full list. Most are obvious: treason, murder, spying. But some are kinda out there. They include breaching a dike and digging fossils of ancient vertebrate animals. Finally, I note that despite the severity of the punishment for graft and bribe-taking, capital punishment has had no preventative effect on these crimes in China.

I'll end this post with a bit of trivia. The last European to be executed in China was Shanghai-born, Italian World War I ace Antonio Riva. He was executed in 1951 for a plot to kill Mao Zedong.

Carspotting (25): RHD Mitsubishi Delica In America!

I almost did a spit take when I saw this Delica pull up into the parking lot. That can't be. Can it?

I ran out to the parking lot and there it was, a right hand drive Mitsubishi Delica Turbo Diesel 4WD Star Wagon. I'm still amazed that I saw it. It's way better than spotting a Veyron or any other overpriced supercar.

Carspotting (24): Rare Alfa Romeo Giulia Wagon/Estate/Break Promiscua/Giardinetta

I spotted this yesterday up in Calistoga. It has to be the rarest car I have ever seen parked on the street. I know nothing about Giulia wagons. Some research on the internet after the photo shoot did not help much. The only things I've learned are that it is probably called a Promiscua, it was probably built by the coachbuilder Colli, and it was probably once used by the Italian police.

While I was admiring this beaut and taking pictures of it, at least four other car guys stopped to look at it and debate its pedigree.

Wait until you see an arguably rarer vehicle that I saw a few hours after this Alfa....

Rear-hatch hinge.

That's a Mille Miglia sticker and a 1979 sticker celebrating 125 GP wins by Cosworth.

The three-slot air vent is supposedly a Colli signature.

2010 VW Golf TDI

Volkswagen is ever expanding their TDI offerings for 2010 to include redesigned Golf. Yes, we are losing the Rabbit nameplate once again, but the new Golf will be more than welcome with its fresher look and new list of features.

The big news for diesel fans is the addition of the 2.0 liter clean diesel engine that debuted last year in the 2009 Jetta. The 140 turbo-diesel four will be available with both a 6-speed manual as well as a 6-speed DSG transmission. Both gearboxes will provide a 0-60 acceleration time 8.6 seconds. That is not at all slow, and with the choice of transmissions promises to be fun too. Best of all, like the Jetta the Golf TDI will be also 50 state legal.

Standard features to the TDI model will include a premium touch-screen stereo system with 6 CD in-dash changer, satelite radio, and a handsome three-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel. Other interior goodies abound like leather shift knob and E-brake handle, essentially giving you many of the interior upgrades found in the sporty GTI model.

2010 Volkswagen New Beetle Final Edition

The Volkswagen New Beetle entered production in 1998, and like it predecessors it was a very successful model. But Volkswagen is preparing to end the current generation of the iconic models; and to mark this even today at the Los Angeles Auto Show they have revealed the New Beetle Final Edition, for both coupe and convertible models. The company will build 1,500 units each, and prices will start at $20,240 for the coupe and $27,170 for the convertible model.

The Final Edition beetle features a special Aquarius Blue paint with a painted black roof on the coupe, and a two-tone Aquarius Blue and Campanella White paint scheme with a white top on the convertible. Both the coupe and the convertible have a full sport suspension and special 17-inch alloy wheels that provide a more fun-to-drive stance, and make getting from point A to point B even more exciting.

Delhi Auto Expo 2010 – Volkswagen

Volkswagen AG is fast becoming the world leader in the automotive industry. It has already become the largest producer surpassing Toyota. The company is now planning its aggressive marketing strategy in the Indian automobile market. It first push will come at the Delhi Auto Expo in January 2010. Volkswagen India is planning to introduce its small car model VW Polo. It will be the first family car from the company in its Indian product portfolio. VW currently sells its premium sedan models Jetta and Passat. It also introduced its luxury small car model Beetle in India which has been received well by the Indian customers. VW will display these models along with its SUV model VW Touareg in India.

The new VW Polo will be positioned in the A2 segment of small cars and will compete with models like Maruti Swift and Fiat Punto. The car will finally hit the Indian roads by March 2010. VW has booked a 1500 sq. mt pavilion at the Delhi Auto Expo to exhibit its existing product range along with its upcoming models in India.
Volkswagen is also planning to launch yet another small car model ‘Up!’ in India. It is expected that the model will be showcased at the Auto Expo. Up! will be placed below VW Polo but it is still not clear when the car will finally hit the Indian roads. VW may also showcase its sedan model VW Golf that is positioned above Polo in the international markets. Golf may not be introduced in the Indian market soon and may be present only for display purpose.

2010 Camaro’s designer headed for Volkswagen

The 2010 Chevy Camaro is one of the most polarizing and aggressively styled vehicles to hit the road in 2009, but now its designer is set to leave GM after 10 years of service. Designer Sangyup Lee is reportedly going to be taking post in VW’s California-based design studio in 2010.

Lee was born and raised in Korea, and as a result experienced virtually no American car culture – with his first experience with a Camaro being at the age of 20. Lee got his start in American car culture when he moved to the U.S. in 1995 and began his education at the Art Center in Pasadena studying transportation design.

After finishing his education, Lee moved to Europe where he spent time with both Porsche and Pininfarina, before moving back to the U.S. to begin his 10-year stay with GM. During his tenure with GM, Lee worked on the Buick Velite concept, Stingray concept and most famously, the new Chevy Camaro.

Christmas Gavle Goat of Sweden Burned Down, Again (Video)

Nordic people have been making straw Christmas goats for centuries. The town of Gavle in Sweden has erected a huge Yule Goat each year for decades. And inevitably, someone burns it down. Since 1966, only ten goats escaped the fate of fire. It was burned down again this year.

To protect the goat this year, two livestreaming webcams were set up so that everyone can keep an eye on it. Someone hacked into the system and the webcams went offline long enough for vandals to burn the goat to the ground. Merry Christmas.

China-India Border Dispute, Part 1: Arunachal Pradesh/South Tibet

In 1914, Great Britain and Tibet signed a treaty and set forth the McMahon Line as the border between Tibet and the British colony of India. The area south of the line ultimately became the frontier Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. China never acknowledged Tibet as an independent and sovereign nation and as such rejected Tibet's ability to sign a treaty with Britain. China is of the belief that the area that is the state of Arunachal Pradesh is actually Chinese territory, and refers to it as South Tibet. China can never recognize the McMahon Line or the state of AP because to do so is to recognize that Tibet was an independent nation.

The one million or so inhabitants of AP are mostly Tibeto-Burman. They are, for the most part, neglected by the Indian bureaucracy. The Indian news outlets, on the other hand, constantly talk of the small state being devoured by the land-hungry, villainous, Chinese dragon. Seeing as how the Chinese military is presently making incursions into AP just as it is making incursions into Bhutan, the media may have a point.

And oh yeah, the Dalai Lama's visit of Tawang last month did not help Sino-Indian/Indo-Chinese relations either.

You'll note that I've been posting news clips only from Indian sources. If CCTV English starts discussing the issue from the Chinese perspective, I'd be more than happy to post that too.

Straight Pimpin': Tomica Cadillac Seville And Lincoln Continental Mark IV

Tomica Jaguar XJS Plus Bonus Videos

Here is Tom Walkinshaw driving the snot out of a V12 XJS in Bathurst.

Part 1 of Wheeler Dealers: Jaguar XJS

Carspotting (23): Opel GT

I'm not a particularly huge fan of the Opel GT, but I had to take pictures of this example at the local mega mall. The lighting was perfect, there were no cars blocking the view, and the orange and black paintwork looked amazing. I've never seen one with its pop up lights up. It reminds me of a Lancia Stratos. Scroll below to see how the manual pop up lights work.