Tom Magliozzi, A single Half of “Click and Clack” from NPR’s Auto Speak, Dies at 77

Tom Magliozzi, left, and his brother Ray share a moment in the break area in 2004.

Tom Magliozzi, 1 of the “Click and Clack” brothers who founded the most common plan on National Public Radio and forever turned auto repair into a laughing matter, died nowadays following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 77.

Magliozzi, born in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, didn’t have an inkling of what lie ahead when WBUR, Boston University’s NPR affiliate, invited him and 3 other mechanics into the studio in 1977. 4 years earlier, the MIT graduate and part-time college lecturer had opened a do-it-your self garage in Cambridge with his brother, Ray, wherein consumers paid to perform on their own cars. Magliozzi was the only mechanic to show up, “gave out numerous incorrect answers and misled several callers,” according to the brothers’ personal account, and was invited back only to find a note that stated “You’re on your own, have a good time, and try to watch your language.” This was the start off of Automobile Speak.

In 1987, Auto Speak went national when the brothers had been invited to be weekly guests on the NPR news show Sunday Weekend Edition. Nine months later, they had their personal show and “stations turned to us in droves—much in the very same way that lemmings flock to the sea.”

Tom and Ray went on to amass one of the biggest audiences in the automotive world—some 3 to 4 million listeners each week, higher than NPR’s own news programs—at the same college studio on Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue. Typically, gearhead-focused radio and television programming fails to discover widespread good results. But not the Magliozzi brothers. By means of inescapable sarcasm, self-deprecation, and seriously excellent gags (such as fooling longtime producer Doug Berman into believing that Tom was really a CIA agent), Vehicle Speak was about folks 1st and automobiles a distant third or 4th.

Jokes, each on-air and off, fueled the show’s rampant success. At one point, according to Auto Talk’s “technical, spiritual, and menu advisor” John Lawlor, they soaked the studio with weekly squirt-gun fights and blasted Berman with a 3-gallon pump produced for watering plants. Other instances, Tom would stuff Ray’s pipe with erasers to encourage him to quit smoking. During a radio convention in Texas, Lawlor and Tom donned sombreros to disguise themselves from Berman, who was convinced they took the wrong plane to Florida.

That Tom helped tens of thousands of genuine folks with auto (and life) troubles with his radio show and syndicated columns in hundreds of newspapers was the cherry on prime of having entertaining with his brother and acquiring paid to do it. Much greater, according to Ray, than his previous job “putting on a suit and functioning in the 9-to-5 world.”

The pair’s official headquarters in Cambridge, measures from where Tom rejected an undergraduate provide to Harvard because the scholarship was $ 200 significantly less than MIT’s (he earned a degree in chemical engineering), has a window marked Dewey, Cheetham, and Howe. Despite their last live radio show having occurred in October 2012, due in portion to Tom’s declining overall health, Automobile Speak reruns are nevertheless aired on a lot more than 600 stations across the nation.

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Ray sums up Tom’s life best thusly: “We can be happy he lived the life he wanted to live goofing off a lot, speaking to you guys each and every week, and mostly, laughing his ass off. In lieu of flowers, or rotten fish, we ask that folks make a donation to their preferred public radio station in his memory, or to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

Tom Magliozzi, A single Half of “Click and Clack” from NPR’s Auto Speak, Dies at 77

Tom Magliozzi, 1 Half of “Click and Clack” from NPR’s Vehicle Talk, Dies at 77

Ray Magliozzi, left, and his brother Tom share a moment in the radio station’s break area in 2004.

Tom Magliozzi, one particular of the “Click and Clack” brothers who founded the most well-liked system on National Public Radio and forever turned automobile repair into a laughing matter, died today soon after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 77.

Magliozzi, born in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, didn’t have an inkling of what lie ahead when WBUR, Boston University’s NPR affiliate, invited him and 3 other mechanics into the studio in 1977. 4 years earlier, the MIT graduate and element-time college lecturer had opened a do-it-your self garage in Cambridge with his brother, Ray, wherein customers paid to function on their own cars. Magliozzi was the only mechanic to show up, “gave out numerous incorrect answers and misled several callers,” according to the brothers’ personal account, and was invited back only to uncover a note that stated “You’re on your own, have a good time, and try to watch your language.” This was the start off of Automobile Speak.

In 1987, Auto Talk went national when the brothers have been invited to be weekly guests on the NPR news show Sunday Weekend Edition. Nine months later, they had their personal show and “stations turned to us in droves—much in the same way that lemmings flock to the sea.”

Tom and Ray went on to amass one of the biggest audiences in the automotive world—some 3 to 4 million listeners every single week, higher than NPR’s personal news programs—at the very same college studio on Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue. Normally, gearhead-focused radio and television programming fails to locate widespread accomplishment. But not the Magliozzi brothers. By means of inescapable sarcasm, self-deprecation, and seriously good gags (such as fooling longtime producer Doug Berman into believing that Tom was actually a CIA agent), Auto Talk was about individuals first and vehicles a distant third or 4th.

Jokes, each on-air and off, fueled the show’s rampant success. At one particular point, according to Automobile Talk’s “Technical, Spiritual, and Menu advisor” John Lawlor, they soaked the studio with weekly squirt gun fights and blasted Berman with a 3-gallon pump produced for watering plants. Other instances, Tom would stuff Ray’s pipe with erasers to encourage him to quit smoking. During a radio convention in Texas, Lawlor and Tom donned sombreros to disguise themselves from Berman, who was convinced they took the wrong plane to Florida.

That Tom helped tens of thousands of real individuals with vehicle (and life) troubles with his radio show and syndicated columns in hundreds of newspapers was the cherry on leading of having fun with his brother and obtaining paid to do it. A lot greater, according to Ray, than his previous job “putting on a suit and functioning in the 9-to-5 world.”

The pair’s official headquarters in Cambridge, methods from exactly where Tom rejected an undergraduate offer you to Harvard due to the fact the scholarship was $ 200 significantly less than MIT (he earned a degree in chemical engineering), has a window marked Dewey, Cheetham, and Howe. Despite their final reside radio show possessing occurred in October 2012, due in component to Tom’s declining overall health, Automobile Speak reruns are still aired on far more than 600 stations across the country.

---

---

Ray sums up Tom’s life ideal thusly: “We can be happy he lived the life he wanted to reside goofing off a lot, talking to you guys each and every week, and mainly, laughing his ass off. In lieu of flowers, or rotten fish, we ask that folks make a donation to their favourite public radio station in his memory, or to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

Tom Magliozzi, 1 Half of “Click and Clack” from NPR’s Vehicle Talk, Dies at 77

PEUGEOT reports strong global sales in first half of 2014

• PEUGEOT sales worldwide up by 5.7% to 853,000 units


• Sustained growth for PEUGEOT in Europe  and China:
  
  • Europe : + 13.5% to 522 000 units
  
  
  • China: + 32.4% to185,000 units, a new sales record
  
  


• Profitable growth in the retail sales channel: + 1% point market share in Europe


• A young – 3 years old on average – and coherent range, contributing to the sales performance:
  
  • Success of the PEUGEOT 308 and 308 SW, 2014 European Car of the Year
  
  
  • Success of the PEUGEOT 2008 and 3008 crossovers
  
  
  • Promising launch of the PEUGEOT 108
  
  


• Performance of the LCV range:
  
  • Launch of the new PEUGEOT Boxer
  
  
  • Strong growth (+7.6%) in the sales of PEUGEOT Partner, Expert and Boxer
  
  

Overview

With a sales performance in Europe well ahead of the growth in the market and a confirmed sales offensive in China, the biggest automobile market in the world, PEUGEOT saw its sales worldwide improve by 5.7% during the first half of 2014, to 853,000 units (+ 45,000 units).

Compared to the first half of 2013, a significant change can be seen in the Brand’s 10 most important markets, reflecting a return to form in certain countries, such as the UK, Spain and Italy.

In overseas markets, PEUGEOT confirms the sustained progress in its sales in China, where its growth in the first half of 2014 is nearly 3 times that of the market.

European region: PEUGEOT resumes growth

The European Car + LCV market (30 countries), with price competitiveness still strong, was marked by the start of a recovery (+ 6.6%) during the first half of 2014:  among the major markets, Spain (+19.8%) and the UK (+ 11.3%) stand out compared to the progress made in Germany (+ 2.7%), France (+ 2.7%) and Italy (+ 4 %).

In this context, PEUGEOT benefitted from the success of its renewed car and LCV range and achieved 508,300 registrations (422,400 cars and 86.000 LCVs), up by 7.6%, equal to a market share of  6.6 % (+ 0.1 point).

The Brand is making progress in volume in the great majority of western European markets, and particularly in southern Europe, Spain (+ 14.3%), Italy (+16.3%) and Portugal (+38.5%), as well as in the 6 main markets in central and eastern Europe. It recorded a growing market share for cars + Vans (LCV) in several countries in the region, particularly in France andItaly, but also in Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Norway.

In France PEUGEOT grew twice as fast as the market during the first half in 2014, with a market share of 16.8% for cars and LCVs. In the car market alone, which grew by 2.9%, PEUGEOT achieved 7.5%, with a market share of 17%. The PEUGEOT 308 confirmed its position as leader in the C hatchback segment with 3% market share.

At the end of June 2014, the PEUGEOT 3008 and 508 remained at the top of their respective segments and the PEUGEOT 108, launched on 12 June, recorded more than 1,500 orders in the first month.

Finally, this growth is profitable as the Brand has made significant progress in retail sales to private individuals, with a market share up by 1% point compared to the first half of 2013, at 66%.

In the European LCV market, PEUGEOT maintained its strong position (10.6 %).

The second half will see an entirely renewed car range with the new PEUGEOT 508 from September and the expected increase in the sales performance of the PEUGEOT 108. The PEUGEOT range will then be the youngest in its history, with an average age of 3 years.

This range will benefit of best in class technologies: Blue HDi Euro6 diesel engines, with its remarkable 82 g.CO2 version on the PEUGEOT 308; the PureTech petrol engines fitted on 108, 208 and 308; the new automatic gearbox EAT6 which will equip 12 models.

Asian region: rapid acceleration in the growth of sales in China

In China, with 185,000 sales during the first half of 2014, PEUGEOT delivered growth of 32.4% in a car market up by 12.8% to 8,120,000 vehicles.

The PEUGEOT 308, 408, 508 and 301 hatchbacks and sedans achieved a very good performance, with a total of 123,600 sales in the first half, including 36,700 units for the PEUGEOT 301 alone.

The PEUGEOT 2008 and 3008 Crossover range bring a new dynamic, meeting well the expectations of Chinese customers. Accordingly, the PEUGEOT 3008 is up by 37% to 33,700 units after 18 months on sale. The PEUGEOT 2008 recorded 11,000 sales after just 3 months on sale.

The monthly market share for June reached 2.35%, up by 0.7 points compared to June 2013. The market share for the first half of 2014 reached 2.3%.

The Dealer ne2rk now covers the territory with 436 dealers (350 in June 2013) and by doing that, promote the development of the brand in areas of strong economic development and urban growth far of the historical main centres of the coast line.

The second half should remain very dynamic. The sales launch of the new PEUGEOT 408 will take place at the Chengdu Motor Show during August and for the new PEUGEOT 508 at the Canton Motor Show at the end of November, before its launch in January 2015.

Other regions: PEUGEOT favours profitable sales

In the other big markets in the world, the downward trend is more or less marked. PEUGEOT has suffered from the general devaluation of the currencies in emerging markets, the weakness of the US dollar against the Euro, as well as resulting inflation, leading to a major drop in buying power and in the level of the market. In this context, PEUGEOT has chosen a commercial policy driven by profitability, working on the channels of distribution and pricing power. In markets that are strongly down, this adopted policy leads to losses in volumes, sometimes compensated by gains in market share.

Accordingly, in Latin America PEUGEOT was able to win market share in Argentina, 10,9% (+ 0.3 points)  equal to 40,000 units (- 21.4 %) in a market down by 23.8%, a consequence of new taxes on cars, the restriction on imports from the start of 2014 and the continued devaluation of the Argentine Peso against the dollar. Very favourable credit rates for purchasers of vehicles produced in Argentina should revive the market.

In Brazil, weak growth has particularly affected the automobile sector, which has had to cope with restricted access to credit and high taxes. The overall sales of cars dropped by 7.3% to 1.58 million units and those of PEUGEOT by 18.7% to 22,600 units. PEUGEOT anticipated a drop in volumes related to the end of life of the PEUGEOT 207 and Hoggar models, while waiting for the arrival in early 2015 of the PEUGEOT 2008, which should contribute to a renewed momentum.

In Russia, the market reached 1,230,000 units during the first half of 2014, down by 7.9% (1,333,000 units in the first half of 2013). PEUGEOT registrations were 12,200 units, down by 30.7% compared to 2013 (17,557 units), for a penetration of 1%. 2 main factors had a negative impact

on performance: the overall drop in the market and the deterioration in price positioning resulting from renewed aggressive marketing in the automobile sector.

Sales of the PEUGEOT 408, built at the Kaluga plant, are better than the imported range, thanks to the local production. The Moscow Motor Show at the end of August, with the first presentation of

The PEUGEOT 508 and the first showing in Russia of the PEUGEOT 308, should allow the Brand to return to a path of growth.

In Ukraine, in a market that collapsed by 43%, the Brand has been able limit its drop to 3% and won 1.7 points in market share to 3.8%.

In Algeria, PEUGEOT took second place in the market with 19, 800 sales (10.7%), in a sharply declining market (-27.9%) compared 2013.

In Turkey, the market dropped by 26% during the first half, a consequence of the increase in credit interest rates and the increase in prices to compensate for the devaluation of the Turkish Lira. In this context, the brand sold 9,600 vehicles and improved its market share by 0.8 points in the B segment. The PEUGEOT 301 was the the leader in its segment in June and 3rd for the half-year as a whole.

The launch of the new PEUGEOT 508 and the offer of automatic transmission on the 308 should help development in the second half.

Successful launches for the PEUGEOT 308, 308SW, 2008 and 3008 Crossovers and the LCV range

The PEUGEOT 308 voted European Car of the Year 2014 had a very dynamic launch.

The PEUGEOT 308, launched in September 2013, passed the 100,000 order mark in June 2014. The PEUGEOT 308 SW has already accumulated 21,000 orders. The PEUGEOT 308 is contributing towards the Brand’s move ‘up-market’ with 42% of its sales for trim levels 3 and 4. This success has had a positive effect on the Sochaux plant. A night shift has been operating since June, bringing the total production of the PEUGEOT 308 up to 900 per day (+160 vehicles per day).

The PEUGEOT 2008 and 3008 continue to experience huge success. Sales worldwide of the PEUGEOT 2008 reached 95,400 units during the first half of the year. For the month of May, it took first place in its segment with a market share of 23.3% in the Europe 30 market and a product mix of 65% for trim levels 3 and 3+. This success has had a positive effect on the Mulhouse plant, where production has leapt from 310 units per day at launch to 860 units per day at the start of April 2014.

The PEUGEOT 3008, which benefits from its improving performance in China and its recent restyling in Europe, saw its sales worldwide increase by 13% to 83, 000 units.

For its part, the PEUGEOT 301 continues its success, following its launch in China, with sales up by 55% to 58,100 units.

The PEUGEOT range of commercial vehicles all performed well around the PEUGEOT Partner with sales up by 7% to 66 100 units, the PEUGEOT Expert with 15,600 units (+ 23%) and the PEUGEOT Boxer, 27,800 units (+ 2%).

A global positioning, with visibility supported by major sporting programmes

The brand’s renewed ambition can also be seen in sporting activities and in sponsoring.

Early in 2015 PEUGEOT will make a great return to Dakar with the 2008 DKR. This return to a motorsport programme with international scope is also being made with a car with a worldwide ambition, given that the PEUGEOT 2008, already crowned with success in Europe, has recently been launched in China and will also be launched in Latin America early in 2015.

Furthermore, in January 2014 PEUGEOT agreed a partnership with tennis superstar Novak Djokovic. This collaboration, aimed at improving the Brand’s visibility in the main countries of the world covered by the ATP tournaments, has started in exemplary fashion. Novak Djokovic, the winner of the Wimbledon championship and a finalist at the French International at Roland-Garros, has just become world N°1 in the ATP classification. Novak Djokovic is associated with successful advertising, in Europe with the campaign on TV for the PEUGEOT 208 and in China, for the PEUGEOT 2008.

Also view:

Vehicle Finance, Car Insurance and Road Safety

Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer

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PEUGEOT reports strong global sales in first half of 2014

Successful first half of 2014 for vehicle sales by Audi

Audi has achieved the best first half-year result in company history with 869,350 cars delivered to customers resulting in a year-on-year sales growth of 11.4 percent versus the same time last year. In June 2014, the company delivered 155,450 cars worldwide, exceeding the figure in the same month last year by 10.8 percent.

Sales in regions such as Europe, North America and China continued to increase in the month of June allowing the brand to exceed the previous year’;s figure in every month of this year. Sales of the new Audi A3 family increased by 49.4 percent to 144,750 units since January. Deliveries of the Audi Q3 (+37.0 percent), Audi Q5 (+5.5 percent) and Audi Q7 (+20.8 percent) SUV models also rose substantially over this period. Sales in the C and D-segments with the Audi A6, A7 and A8 models also performed equally positively, with combined sales increasing by 10.1 percent to 219,450 units.

Audi South Africa has also enjoyed a successful 6 months of the year despite challenging market conditions, having delivered 9,684 units between January and June. Audi secured a year-to-date premium market share of 23.4 percent, an increase of 1 percent versus the same period in 2013 and a record premium market share for the Audi brand in South Africa.

A total of 1,526 units were delivered in the month of June, and despite the tough market conditions, Audi is on its way to achieving yet another record year in 2014. The introduction of key products, such as the new Audi A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet, has allowed Audi to grow its share of these segments with both models performing well in the market. The Audi A4 remains Audi’;s number one selling vehicle range, with 2,811 units delivered to customers in the first 6 months of the year. The Audi A4 range, consisting of the Sedan, Avant and allroad, continues to provide excellent customer value in the B-segment of the premium market.

“The first 6 months of the year have yielded good results for the brand which Audi plans to continue for the remainder of the year,” said Ryan Searle, Head of Audi South Africa. “Audi South Africa and our partners in the Audi Dealer ne2rk remain committed to maintaining the positive momentum despite challenging market conditions. We plan to further strengthen our position in the local premium market taking into account that Audi South Africa is the 14th biggest Audi market in the world as at the end of June 2014. We aim to end the year with a premium market share that exceeds last year’;s record share.” concluded Searle

Also view:

Vehicle Finance, Car Insurance and Road Safety

Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer

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Successful first half of 2014 for vehicle sales by Audi

Stolen goods worth half a million rand confiscated and truck hijacking suspect arrested

On Tuesday, 8 July 2014, Mr Jemal Mohammed, a 33 year old male appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate court, after he was arrested for the Possession of Stolen Property.

Mr Mohammed was arrested at a warehouse in Mayfair after police followed up information on a truck robbery that happened in Meyerton in May 2014. Information led the detectives, attached to the Gauteng Provincial War Room, to warehouses in Mayfair and Bramley. Stolen goods worth more than R500 000- were recovered during the search and seizure operations. The goods included groceries, baby nappies, fridges and stoves.

Investigations are underway as to establish whether the suspect can be linked to other truck hijackings in and around the province. The case was postponed and the suspect was remanded in custody until Tuesday, 15 July 2014. Further charges of Truck Hijacking might be added as investigations into the matter continues.

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Crime as a Threat to Road Safety

Stolen goods worth half a million rand confiscated and truck hijacking suspect arrested