Good oil: Cranks wind down

Hand-cranked car windows have almost disappeared in favour of power windows, and this year Honda became the first of the large car companies to move entirely to power windows as standard. "It's not even a luxury touch any more. It's an expectation," said a spokesman. Utes and some 4WDs are the last bastions of crank windows but even they are succumbing. The next Jeep Wrangler will be available for the first time with optional power windows, as they are on the Land Rover Defender.

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Fuel costs are cutting into US workers' leisure activities. Three quarters of the respondents in a survey by Manpower Inc indicated that rising prices had disrupted their work/life balance. Sixty-five per cent said they had less to spend on entertainment and hobbies, while 64 per cent were dining out less and 55 per cent planned to reduce their travel this northern summer. And 29 per cent planned to cancel their summer travel plans. Petrol prices are in the $1.30 a litre range.

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Two London taxis are navigating French roads with the Tour de France, which ends on Sunday, to help publicise the event's visit to the city next year for the Grand Depart. The two cabs were chosen because of their immediate connection with London for anyone who sees them. They're part of a cavalcade that goes ahead of the cyclists.

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Women influence 85 per cent of retail purchases, so the British International Show, which runs till July 30 at London's Docklands, wants to reflect the statistic. "The days of motor shows being dominated by blokes in bad anoraks has long gone," said Lesley Jones whose company is helping to guide women through the maze of new cars. "The opinions of female car fans are now crucial to the motor trade. We are offering female buyers advice without the patronising twaddle lots of so called experts love to use when explaining what makes a car a great buy."

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An American engineer is building a hybrid concept car said to be capable of 140 kilometres per litre. The three-wheeled Aptera prototype, developed by New Mexico engineer Steve Fambro, combines a clean 9kW diesel engine and a 19kW electric motor with a regenerative braking system to capture energy. At 4390mm long, it weighs 380kg. It's claimed to be capable of 0-100km/h in 11 seconds and a top speed of 150km/h. Fambro has joined aircraft engineers in San Diego to form a company called Accelerated Composites. He hopes to bring the car to market for less than US$20,000 each.

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Mercedes-Benz is touting what it calls "the world's safest touring coach", based on its new Travego bus. The demonstration vehicle features include a lane assistant that warns the driver if there is a danger of the vehicle veering from its lane. Proximity control maintains a safe distance between the bus or coach and the vehicle in front. Other aids include mirror systems with a "reversing pilot", a reversing camera, electronic stability program, a continuous braking limiter and an electronically controlled braking system.