Dead man makes for juicy scandal in Brazil (Chicago Tribune

Dead man makes for juicy scandal in Brazil (Chicago Tribune via Yahoo! News)
The evidence linking Jonas de Pinho to the political corruption scandal riveting Brazil was solid. But then, so was the man's alibi.

ABOUT HYBRIDS (The State)
Generally, a hybrid vehicle is powered either by an electric motor or by the combustion engine, or the systems can be used simultaneously. Hybrid engines have been touted as a way to make automobiles more fuel efficient, but at a cost. Current hybrids tend to cost between $4,000 and $9,000 more than counterparts with regular engines under the hood, a premium that carmakers hope to reduce

Fuel cells get chemical boost (Instrumentation Systems and Automation Society)
Heat has always been a problem for fuel cells. There's usually either too much, as with ceramic fuel cells, for certain portable uses, such as automobiles or electronics, or too little as with polymer fuel cells, to be efficient.

Toyota invests $1 million at SRS (The State)
AIKEN In a boost to South Carolina s growing automotive industrial cluster, Toyota Motor Corp. has partnered with Savannah River National Laboratory to develop a lighter-weight and cost-effective hydrogen fuel storage system for future hydrogen-powered automobiles.Todd Wright, Savannah River National Laboratory s director, said the Toyota investment of about $1 million is a valuable endorsement

U.S. Economy: Non-Auto Sales, Manufacturing Rise (Update3) Listen (Bloomberg.com)
Sept. 14 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. consumers kept spending on goods other than automobiles, and factories kept humming last month, evidence the economy was able to withstand record fuel costs prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Cars took a terrible beating (The Biloxi Sun Herald)
JACKSON - Most of the damage-assessment focus after Katrina has been, understandably, on South Mississippi homes and businesses, but insurance officials reminded lawmakers this week that tens of thousands of automobiles were destroyed or damaged, and dealing with them could be a problem.

LiveDeal.com Shares Top 10 Tips for Selling Used Cars in Today's Buyer's Market (The Auto Channel)
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 16 -- Employee discount pricing by the Big Three automakers and new deeper dealer discounts being piled on this fall, have led to a glut of used cars on the market, creating one of the best buyer's markets for used car shoppers in years.