A link between chicken feathers and vehicle-body production is not an obvious one, but it successfully has been made by the U.S. Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a federal government agency. ARS has developed a technology to process chicken feathers into a light plastic substance similar to fiberglass that is durable enough to replace existing heavier materials in the production of automobiles and trucks. According to ARS scientist Justin Barone, the project’s success is attracting the auto industry, particularly in the European Union due to emissions regulations and other pressure on manufacturers to build lighter vehicles that are heavy on environmentally friendly options.

Recreational vehicle and commercial truck companies are showing an interest in using a composite of bio-based polymer and fiber from poultry feathers for interior paneling that would be entirely biodegradable, as it contains no petroleum. Additionally, the feather fiber could be used to make the air-laid automobile headliner, the thermal and sound insulation between the inside and outside of the car, Barone says. Furthermore, automakers could use the fiber as a substitute for calcium carbonate, resulting in weight savings that translates into better fuel economy.

ARS says there currently is interest in using its process to convert poultry feathers to weave seat covers for cars. The advantage being it is a non-petroleum-based fiber that, unlike cotton or wool, is unlimited in fiber length and diameter.

Music lovers will find it easier to take their favorite tunes on the road thanks to a new family of radios that will debut on the Chevy HHR and other GM vehicles starting later this year. The new radios include an auxiliary channel and front mounted auxiliary input jack, so that an iPod or other audio source can be easily plugged in and played through the vehicle audio system. "The Chevy HHR will help launch a new family of radios that will bring iPod connectivity to a broad range of GM vehicles," said Paul Nadeau, director, infotainment displays and controls, for GM Engineering. "We think the ability to easily connect an iPod or other audio source directly into the vehicle audio system will be a big hit with customers."

Radios featuring the new auxiliary input jack will debut starting in late spring. They will be standard equipment on 2006 models of the Chevy HHR, Impala and Monte Carlo; Saturn VUE and ION; Pontiac Solstice; Buick Lucerne; and Cadillac DTS. The radios will be fitted to other new GM models over the next several years. Auxiliary audio inputs in the console of GM vehicles equipped with DVD players also allow an iPod or other source to be played through the vehicle sound system using a simple adapter cord. "General Motors has a long tradition of leading with technology that provides real benefits to our customers," said Mark LaNeve, GM North America vice president, sales, service and marketing. "We are excited to be part of the iPod revolution by offering our customers an easy way to play their favorite music in their GM cars and trucks."

VerticalScope Inc., publisher of Modified Mag and Modified Luxury & Exotics, is launching a new automotive magazine, Modified Mustangs. The new title will launch in September, with a premier issue on-sale date of August 30, 2005.

Modified Mustangs will focus on client relationships and reader research and will be printed on stock similar to Modified Mag’s paper and the four-color process throughout.

Privately owned magazine publisher Buckaroo Communications announced plans to relocate a portion of its operations to Dayton, TN.

The move is expected to begin this month and be completed by early June, according to owner John Dianna.

Buckaroo Communications publishes 13 special-interest magazines, including Street Rod, On the Road, Family and Performance Boating, 4x4 Builder, Chevy Rumble and Truck Builder magazines. Dianna expects to increase the number of magazine titles from 13 to 24 in the next few years.

Working with members of the Maryland Legislature, SEMA is supporting a bill to provide for a registration class for antique motor vehicles and reduce registration fees for these cars. The measure was passed by the Maryland Senate and now moves to the House Environmental Matters Committee. The bill would create a new class for antique motor vehicles to include passenger vehicles, motorcycles or trucks manufactured before 1946 that have not been substantially altered from the manufacturer’s original design.

S.B. 13 would also exempt antique vehicles from annual registration fees and require a one-time-only registration fee of $50 and provide for a special antique motor vehicle registration plate. Under the bill, the historic vehicle registration class would be amended to include cars of the post-1946 era and up to 20 years old.

In 2003, working with the Maine Custom Auto Association, SEMA helped amend Maine legislation that originally threatened to prohibit the operation of vehicles equipped with nitrous oxide or other “power booster systems” (e.g. superchargers) on public roads. Under the amendment, the bill permits vehicles equipped with nitrous-oxide systems if all canisters of nitrous have been removed or if the vehicle is en route to or from a racetrack.

New SEMA-supported legislation (H.B. 67) in Maine that would further expand permissible highway use of vehicles equipped with nitrous-oxide systems to also include those en route to a car show, off-highway competition or fill station was approved by the Transportation Committee. The bill will next be considered by the full Maine House of Representatives.

SEMA is working with member company Hagerty Insurance to support legislation that would amend Michigan’s current law defining historic vehicles. The bill would allow these vehicles to take advantage of “other occasional use." Under current Michigan law, use of historic vehicles is strictly limited to club activities, exhibitions, tours and parades. Many Michigan vehicle owners whose cars qualify for the historic-registration class have chosen to register as “daily drivers” to avoid the limited-use restrictions and are, by consequence, paying the higher fees required of cars that are registered under this class. Similar legislation is also currently pending in Iowa.

SEMA defeated Iowa legislation that would have prohibited motor vehicles equipped with spinner hubcaps. The bill ignored the fact that spinner hubcaps have no proven detrimental effect on motor vehicle safety and are not prohibited by Federal law. Earlier this year, SEMA defeated similar legislation in Virginia that would have prohibited motor vehicles equipped with spinner wheels, wheel covers and hubcaps.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus Division chose the Geneva Auto Show for the world debut of its all-new Lexus IS for one very good reason—it doubles as the introduction of the firstever Lexus diesel engine. The ’06 IS compact sports sedan goes on sale at the end of this year. It will be powered by a new, all-aluminum, 2.2L common-rail diesel engine. At 172 hp, Lexus claims it is the most powerful engine in its displacement category. It also provides the most torque, developing 295 lb.-ft. between 2,000 and 2,400 rpm. It is mated to a six-speed manual transmission. A new 2.5L direct-injection gasoline V6 also is available and can be mated to the six-speed manual or a new six-speed automatic transmission featuring sequential paddle-shift control.

Porsche will be expanding its range of vehicles with the introduction of a new sports car based on the Boxster series in the 2006 model year. Positioned and priced between the 911 Carrera and the Boxster S, the new two-seat sports car, named the Cayman S, is aggressively styled to reflect its enhanced handling and more powerful engine. At the same time, highly efficient space utilization makes it one of the most practical sports cars in its class.

The Cayman S joins the Carrera, Boxster, and Cayenne, model designations that are already rich in tradition. It derives its name from the smallest of crocodiles, the caiman, which is known to be swift and nimble. With its more powerful 295 bhp, 3.4-liter, six-cylinder boxer engine mounted in the middle of its chassis, the new fixed-roof model reflects the strength and agility of its namesake perfectly and is capable of providing driving pleasure in its purest form.

Audi AG unveiled in Germany a new-generation version of its landmark quattro all-wheeldrive system engineered to impart Audi’s AWD vehicles with handling that more closely replicates that of rear-wheel-drive vehicles. The new quattro system—launching with the high-performance RS4 sport sedan in Europe—under normal driving conditions “biases” 60% of drive torque to the rear axle and 40% to the front. Since quattro’s inception in 1980, Audi maintained a balanced 50/50 front/rear default torque distribution that it said imparted a high level of security and dynamic stability. But the traditional 50/50 torque split also imparts quattro-equipped Audis with an inherent and safe understeering handling character that long has been judged dynamically inferior to vehicles—primarily luxury sport sedans—whose rear wheels do 100% of the driving.

Nissan is accepting project-vehicle proposals from companies interested in building Nissanbased project vehicles for SEMA Show 2005. All proposals should be submitted to Nissan in writing. The deadline to submit proposals is Sunday, May 1. Information on Nissan’s proposal requirements are available online at www.sema.org/oem.

Snap-on Inc. announced the launch of Tech, a new lifestyle publication geared specifically to technicians. The 52-page glossy magazine will be distributed four times a year to 1 million technicians nationwide. The inaugural issue of Tech will include:

- A journal from an off-road motorcycling adventure that several technicians took in the deep woods of British Columbia.
- Nationally known fishing and hunting pro Joe Bucher's tips on catching spring bass. - A close-up look at the Snap-on Chopper, built on the Discovery Channel's hit show "American Chopper®."
- A VIP tour of the RCR racing shops detailing how Richard Childress builds his winning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup cars.
- A feature on Lee Getzelman, who converted a 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe into the ultimate street rod, only to be involved in an accident. Getzelman, seriously injured in the crash, struggled to rebuild the car - and his own life.
The magazine also features the latest information on gadgets, toys and other products on technicians' wish lists.

Pickup trucks accounted for nearly 20% of all the vehicles sold in the United States in 2004, according to the J.D. Power and Associates December 2004 Sales Report. Pickups have undergone a transition over the years and are no longer just for hauling and towing. In many families across the country, the pickup has replaced the family car.

SEMA succeeded in negotiating a compromise to legislation that originally threatened to prohibit public road use of all passenger cars or motorcycles equipped to supply the engine with nitrous oxide. The SEMA amendment modified the bill to protect manufacturers and hobbyists from a blanket ban. As amended, the mere presence of nitrous systems on passenger cars does not constitute a violation—nitrous systems must simply be disconnected when a vehicle is being driven on a public road or the nitrous-oxide containers must be removed. The amendment was approved by the Arkansas Senate Public Transportation Committee. The bill has already passed in the Arkansas House.

Working with State Representative and former SEMA Board Member Calvin Hill, SEMA amended legislation in Georgia to permit the use of blue-dot taillights on antique, hobby and special interest vehicles. The bill was introduced to ban flashing, blinking, revolving or stationary blue lights on all but vehicles owned or leased by law enforcement agencies. Under the SEMA amendment, these specified vehicles would be permitted to display a blue light or lights of up to one inch in diameter as part of a vehicle’s rear stop lamps, rear turning-indicator lamps, rear hazard lamps and rear reflectors.