Word: auto
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...variety of offerings, and this is the ultimate in high-tech self-serve. Manufactured by Sanyo Electric, this fully automated mini-convenience store is part of a new generation of vending machines popping up in a country that's long been obsessed with coin-slot culture. Sanyo's Auto Shop Vendor isn't just bigger than the Coke-and-coffee machines of the past; advanced mechanical engineering allows it to handle what was until recently an unthinkable variety of necessities and impulse purchases. "This is four vending machines in one," exults Sanyo deputy general manager Misao Awane. "It holds...
...models were easy on the eyes, thanks to their crisp, bright displays. In fact, I found no significant difference in screen quality among the five models I tested. One-button auto-setup features on the Philips, Viewsonic VE150M and Samsung saved me the effort of manually tweaking the brightness, contrast and levels of red, green and blue onscreen...
With the collapse of crony capitalist regimes like the one in Indonesia, and as oligarchic nations like Mexico elect more democratic presidents, De Soto's timing is propitious. His Third World clients hope that property-title reform will especially benefit industries like clothing, auto parts and agriculture--where the foreign-trade potential for extralegal businesses is enormous. Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide wants to slice through medieval red tape and legalize his nation's extralegal assets, which amount to $5.2 billion--four times its legal assets. "We would," he says, "finally put our people in partnership with the system...
CARJACKED In a recent survey, 46% of Americans said they never shop around for auto insurance, and a study by Progressive shows such laziness can cost you a bundle. Using data from some 90,000 of last year's potential buyers, the company compared the rates it quoted with those from up to three other leading auto insurers. The cost of identical insurance policies varied widely, with the range in premiums averaging $515 for every six-month period. --By Julie Rawe...
Enter the Toyota Prius, a revolutionary gas-electric hybrid car, which is causing a flurry of excitement in California. The bubble-shaped auto is a favorite among Silicon Valley execs who hanker after the newest technology, retirees who value its great gas mileage and green-minded folks who champion its super-low emissions. Since last August, San Francisco Toyota has received orders for 200 of the $21,000 vehicles, and dozens of customers are on a three-month waiting list...