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Detroit auto show: It’s hemp, not marijuana in your car
What do MacGyver, the A-Team and the professor on Gilligan’s Island have in common? Easy; those guys could recycle spare parts to make something useful. Well, automakers are taking a cue from those TV heroes as they increasingly use natural fibers from such materials as hemp, coconut, bamboo and kenaf in car interiors. The idea is to make the [...]

What do MacGyver, the A-Team and the professor on Gilligan’s Island have in common? Easy; those guys could recycle spare parts to make something useful.

Well, automakers are taking a cue from those TV heroes as they increasingly use natural fibers from such materials as hemp, coconut, bamboo and kenaf in car interiors. The idea is to make the cars feel less plastic.

“What is going to be key for cars is the way the interior feels, smells, sounds and looks like,” Philippe Aumont, a vice president at French car parts group Faurecia, told Reuters at the Detroit auto show.

Statistics in Europe show most people buy their cars without a test drive, so little things like the touch of a dashboard or feel of a steering wheel can make a difference, he said.

Kenaf, for instance, can be used in dashboards, and bamboo fibers can strengthen seats. Coconut is used in the ’shell’ of the car interior and hemp in the lining of doors.

Hemp is the common name for plants of the Cannabis family, although the term is typically used to refer only to kinds for industrial use. In other words, it is not marijuana and therefore legal.

Source: feeds.reuters.com

Detroit auto show: Chinese company suggests electric car for Bush ranch
Most U.S. auto industry officials when asked about the expected Chinese invasion of the American market in the next several years react with scorn or fear (or a mixture of both). One Chinese company, however, showed at the Detroit auto show that it can evoke laughs. Bei Jing Li Shi Guang Ming Automobile Design Co displayed three electric cars, sporting names [...]

Most U.S. auto industry officials when asked about the expected Chinese invasion of the American market in the next several years react with scorn or fear (or a mixture of both).

One Chinese company, however, showed at the Detroit auto show that it can evoke laughs.

Bei Jing Li Shi Guang Ming Automobile Design Co displayed three electric cars, sporting names like “The Book of Songs” and “A Piece of Cloud,” but it was the company’s suggestion for its “Detroit Fish” amphibious vehicle that raised eyebrows.

On the small information stand next to the bulbous, yellow 5-seater was a separate plaque that read: “Suggestion: Renowned environmentalist - President Bush, ordering this car for his Texas ranch.”

A spokeswoman at the Chinese company’s stand said it was a joke. Although to make sure everyone got the punch line, it was translated into Chinese characters.

The Bush administration has been criticized for not protecting the environment enough.

The “Fish” may lack the necessary toughness, however, as President Bush often uses a Ford F-Series pickup truck (pictured left) on his ranch, which has been lauded for being eco-friendly.