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19 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 19, 2009 Domestic trucks remain cornerstone of strength: Study Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine towing/hauling capacity, driving performance and driving comfort ranking among the top. While still a primary consideration at 55 per cent, fuel efficienKelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, has released a study cy has decreased in importance among new-truck shoppers. that found in the past year domestic truck consideration in the U.S. has increased or held steady while import truck consideration has decreased. Currently, Ford is the most-considered truck brand at 58 per cent, Chevrolet is second with 51 per cent consideration, Dodge ranks third at 37 per cent and GMC is fourth at 33 per cent. Ford consideration is up significantly in the current results, increasing 12 points from the previous year and overtaking Chevrolet as the most-considered truck brand. Chevrolet and GMC consideration has remained constant in the second-quarter of 2009 when compared to the previous year. In contrast to the strength demonstrated by Ford, GM brands and Dodge, Toyota truck consideration fell from 34 per cent to 31 per cent, Nissan truck consideration fell from 17 per cent to 13 per cent, and Honda truck consideration fell from seven per cent to four per cent in second quarter 2009 compared to the previous year. Toyota was the third-most-considered brand in second-quarter 2008, and now is the fifth-most considered brand in second-quarter 2009. Additionally, new-truck shoppers indicate an increased importance in more 'traditional' truck factors in the last year, with durability/reliability, ruggedness/toughness, The decrease is in-part due to more stable gas prices compared to the spike of 2008, when survey respondents citing fuel efficiency as an important factor in truck purchase decisions was a full 10 points higher at 65 per cent. Made in Germany Formula 1 helmet: pure high-tech Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine German helmet manufacturer Schuberth proved once again the importance of using sophisticated, hightech materials and fabrics in crash helmets The T 1000 carbon fibre protected Brazilian Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa from serious injury during his accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Schuberth specialists spend about 3,000 hours working on the development of a Formula 1 helmet. Millions of tiny fibres, woven into between 80 and 120 layers, form a layer that serves as the basic structure of the helmet shell. Massa's helmet featured 18 of these carbon fibre layers, whereas a normal motorcycle helmet has only three. In terms of impact protection, the performance of these carbon fibres remains unsurpassed. Additionally, a special coating ensures that a Formula 1 helmet can withstand the heat of a welding flame (approx. 900 degrees C) positioned 5 centimetres away for 45 seconds. The helmet not only protects the driver in accidents, it also prevents them. To this end, the helmets have a special acoustic collar which maintains stress-inducing noise at the lowest possible level. Only muffled motor sounds of less than 100 decibels reach the driver's ear, while just an arm-length behind his back, an eight-cylinder [motor] roars at 19,000 revolutions.