2016 Ram Rebel Deals: Rebates, Financing and Leasing

Climbing into the sky west of Edwards Air Force Base, gently throttling a throbbing 5.7-liter “Hemi” V8 engine with my right foot as the 33-inch Toyo Open Country all-terrain tires grapple with rocks and loose dirt, the 4-corner air suspension raised to its highest setting, I briefly look away from the trail ahead of the Ram Rebel and say to my driving instructor: “Off-roading scares the crap out of me.”

 

Fortunately, given a wide enough path to accommodate the truck’s substantial girth, the Ram Rebel has what it takes to go where few trucks dare tread. Safely off the mountain, switching out of 4-Lo, and grabbing a stretch of blacktop, I recall feeling newfound appreciation for Ram’s full-size light-duty pickup truck, and specifically the new Rebel off-roading model.

Now, for a limited time, the Ram Rebel is on sale, available for less than $40,000. But you’d better hurry. Some of these offers expire on January 18, 2016, while others are available through February 1.

Incentives and Rebates

Volkswagen sales fall 20% in the UK

In November, 12,958 new VWs were registered, down from 16,196 in November 2014, SMMT figures show.

 

Other VW Group marques were also hit, with Seat down 24%, Skoda down 11% and Audi down 4%. Only Bentley managed an increase, with sales up from 73 vehicles to 88.

Volkswagen got ordered to recall 2.4 million cars in Germany

German media reports suggest the KBA earlier rejected VW's proposals that car owners could voluntarily bring their cars in for repair.

VW

Meanwhile, Italian police have raided VW offices in Verona and Lamborghini offices in Bologna.

Reports suggest Italian prosecutors are investigating alleged commercial fraud.

Facebook’s mobile: 100% of Nigerians users soar

Facebook has shared new statistics revealing that 7.1 million Nigerians use Facebook daily and 15 million are active every month.

Almost all these people are coming to Facebook on a mobile device: 100 percent of Nigerian monthly users are active on mobile as are 95 percent of Kenya’s monthly users.

 

This follows the recent announcement that Facebook’s active user population in Africa has grown 20 percent to 120 million in June 2015 from 100 million in September 2014.

More than 80 percent of these people access Facebook from their mobile phones. Now, 60 percent of all Internet users in Africa are active on Facebook.

Google takes on Mobile Payment

The tap-to-pay system will compete with Apple Pay in the burgeoning mobile payments market.

The market is estimated to be worth $1tn (£650bn) in 2017.

Technology companies are trying to convince shoppers to use their handsets, rather than plastic cards, to pay for purchases. 

 

Android Pay can be used with smartphones that have near-field communication (NFC) capability and Google's KitKat 4.4+ operating system.

Intel Announced, 6th Gen Intel Core Processor

Intel Corporation has introduced the 6th Generation Intel Core processor family, the company’s best ever processor.  The 6th Generation Intel Core processor delivers enhanced performance and new immersive experiences at the lowest power levels ever and also supports the broadest range of device designs – from the ultra-mobile computer stick, to 2 in 1s and huge high-definition All-in-One desktops, to new mobile workstations, effectively marking a turning point in people’s relationship with computers.

 
Built on the new Skylake microarchitecture on Intel’s leading 14nm manufacturing process technology, 6th Gen Intel Core processors deliver up to two and a half times better performance, triple the battery life, and graphics that are 30 times better than the standard, delivering  seamless a gaming and video experiences. They can also be half the size and weight of older computers, have faster wake up time, and battery life that lasts virtually all day.

South African Car factory getting upgrade from Volkswagen with $343m

German Carmaker Volkswagen plans to spend 4.5 billion rand ($343 million) to upgrade its factory in South Africa and improve its supplier base, it said on Thursday.

 

Most of the money would be used to revamp its factory in Uitenhage in Eastern Cape province to produce new models, Thomas Schaefer, head of Volkswagen’s South African unit, said.

Be A BlackBerry GOD Passport with It’s Tips & Tricks

I recently filed my BlackBerry Passport review and gave the handset a resounding two-thumbs up (4.5 out of 5). Needless to say I was very impressed by this handset. BlackBerry really pushed the boat out this time around, introducing a plethora of high-end hardware and a raft of useful and hugely innovative features like BlackBerry Blend, a versatile QWERTY keyboard, built in support for Android applications and plenty more besides.

 

BlackBerry recently released the BlackBerry Classic, a more conservative ‘Berry, and theBlackBerry Leap, a $200 all-touch affair aimed at younger users that might not be able to afford a high-end BlackBerry device like the Classic or Passport. All these handsets run on BB10.3, BlackBerry’s latest build of BB10, and benefit from a raft of USPs you simply will not find on any other platform. 

Nigeria Auto Industry gets Boost as TATA Invests $8m

Nigeria’s automotive industry has got a fresh boost with TATA Motors investment of over $8 million (N1.5bn) as part of its preparations to roll out its first batch of Nigerian assembled cars for subsequent exportation to other parts of Africa.

 

Kshitij Verma, the company’s regional manager, made the disclosure during a meeting with the management of National Automotive Council (NAC) on Thursday in Abuja.

Honda recalls more Ccars with Takata Airbags

Japanese- At least eight deaths - all in Honda cars - have been linked to the airbag inflator, which can deploy with too much force spraying metal shrapnel.

Globally, tens of millions of cars with Takata airbags have been recalled since 2008, most of them in the US.

 

Other brands that have issued recalls include Nissan, General Motors and BMW.

But Honda, the number three carmaker in Japan, has been hardest hit with 24.5 million cars recalled - more than half of the global total.

A Honda spokesman in Tokyo told AFP news agency on Thursday that the carmaker had found some airbag inflators had "uneven gas density, which we worry could do some harm".

"It is a preventive measure and unlike other normal recalls we are not waiting for the full results of the research," he said.

Honda is recalling about 1.63 million cars in Japan alone. The carmaker told the Reuters news agency that North America was not included in the latest recall.

Nissan incident

Car maker 'Mahindra' in Indian eyes Nigeria, others in Africa’s expansion drive

India’s largest utility and tractor producer, Mahindra and Mahindra, has set up an Africa-focused business unit as it looks to maintain double-digit growth levels in the continent, the company said on Tuesday.

 

With an active presence in 20 African countries, Mahindra and Mahindra hopes the aggressive expansion will help spur a 10-fold increase in business over the next five to seven years.

Mobile phone access in Africa to double by 2020

Eighty percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s 800 million people should have access to mobile telephones by the end of the decade, double the current rate, although government help is needed to reach far-flung areas, industry body group GSMA said Wednesday.

No hands! Taking a ride in the self-driving truck of the future

Among our greatest pet peeves, when it comes to driving, is the phrase, “Look, ma: No hands!" As we see it, hands and eyes belong firmly on the steering wheel and road ahead, respectively.

Now, imagine if those words came from a tractor-trailer driver barreling down the road in your direction at 75 mph. What if the semi truck of the future could drive itself?