Transport for London — the organization responsible for the Underground, bus and river bus network in London — has announced that it will begin taking bids from firms to supply the body with an Intelligent Speed Adaption system for use in 10 of its vehicles. The 10 ISA-equipped cars will use the new technology to determine whether the driver is exceeding the posted speed limit.
The ISA will use a digital map of London — complete with posted speed limits — that will be downloaded to the car's sat-nav system. Once the information is downloaded, the car's GPS system will be able to tell when a driver is speeding. According to Auto Express, the system can slow speeding drivers by taking control of the accelerator pedal and vibrating the throttle or by sounding an audible alarm.
Transport for London emphasized that the program is only a trial slated to last two years. However, the organization also said the system must work in cars, vans, buses and taxis with little modification, indicating what could be in store for the future.
Source: GPS to help slow speeders
Now that we're in the post-Christmas pre-New Year interregnum, the media is, as usual, attempting to fill the void with retrospectives. The New York Times Dealbook looks back at the wheelers and dealers that filled their column inches in '07. And you just knew Cerberus' takeover of Chrysler Corp. was going to be in there somewhere. Somewhat surprisingly, scribe Andrew Ross Sorkin decided to upbraid the private equity firm for its lack of PR skills, rather than its decision to invest billions in a sinking ship. Perhaps that's because Cerberus is only slightly more media-friendly than Leonid Brezhnev's Kremlin. Well, not exactly. While we were expecting criticism of Cerberus' decision to dump combative Chrysler Spinmeister Jason Vines, and the resulting circling of Chrysler's PR wagons, Sorkin seems to think Cerberus' management style makes them unlikeable. "To lead Chrysler, Cerberus chose Robert Nardelli, the former chief of Home Depot, whose high-handed style helped get him ousted from his previous job. Layoffs grew, but so did losses. Then Cerberus dented its deal-making reputation by walking away from two previously agreed-to deals — for H&R Block’s mortgage arm and for United Rentals. So far, this charm offensive is light on the charm and heavy on the offensive." Don't look for Cerberus to answer Sorkin's emails anytime soon. 
If you're looking for a reason to be hopeful for strong sales of Pontiac's forthcoming G8– an imported Australian Holden by any other name– News.com.au's got a story for you. The news agency reports that sales of Holden's V8-engined cars down under are up 183 percent year-on-year. Of course, we're talking about absolute numbers so small they wouldn't even twitch the sales needle for GM. "We look like we'll sell between 11,000 and 12,000 V8 Commodores and Caprices," John Lindsay revealed. Still, "People seem to be adjusting to higher fuel prices. It's also important to remember that modern V8s are more economical than those of the past." The article points out that all may not be as it seems; sales of Ford's V8-powered cars are flat (the last of the great V8 Interceptors?) and overall Ozzie sales were up for the period. Still, it's true that V8s haven't reached a commercial or technological dead end. And the idea that consumers prefer rorty V8s is a nice thought for Motown denizens who [still] share GM's Lutzian perspective on the average consumer's desire for maximum horsepower. 
It’s a story you’ve heard many times; someone buys a car, he likes it general but there’s something about its appearance that doesn’t click. Mr “Mad Mod” in particular didn’t like his Pontiac’s front end so he decided to give it a nose-job by adding a Ferrari F430 inspired bumper.
