Paid Blogging

Do you want to make your blog to be paid ? If you do – you’re not alone. More and more bloggers are finding that blogging is a profitable medium. Whether it be to earn a few extra dollars a week to feed their coffee habit, or making enough money to stop them having to get a part time job to get through college, or whether they’ve got it to a point where they are able to make a full time living from their blogging – there are tens of thousands of bloggers who make money blogging.

1. AdSense

Despite not using it here at ProBlogger any more (here’s why) I continue to use AdSense with amazing effect on my other blogs. I have them all set to show image and text based ads and find that 250×300 pixel ads work best (usually with a blended design). I don’t have much luck with their ‘referrals’ program but their normal ads work a treat and continue to be the biggest earner for me.

2. Affiliate Programs

I run a variety of affiliate programs on my blogs – most of which bring in smaller amounts of money that don’t really justify a category of their own (but which certainly add up).
These include recommending quality products like these here on ProBlogger: Thesis WordPress theme, Yaro’s Blog Mastermind Coaching Program and How to Launch the F*** out of your E-Book (and others) as well as some great products on my photography blog including 123 of Digital Imaging, David DuChemin’s amazing Photography E-Books and Mitchell Kanashkevich’s great ebooks.
The great thing about many of these programs is that they are of such high quality that they sell themselves and I am being emailed from readers who sign up to them thanking me for the recommendation!

3. E-Book Sales

Last time I did a wrap up of how I make money blogging this category did not exist for me – I didn’t really have any of my own products to sell at all. However in the last year or so I’ve released 3 E-books – 31 Days to Build a Better Blog,The Essential Guide to Portrait Photography and Photo Nuts and Bolts: Know Your Camera and Take Better Photos. While these products all only sell for under $20 they certainly add up and some months this has been my biggest category of income. The reason they were only ranking at #3 in the last month was that I didn’t do a product launch (I wrote about one launch which brought in $72,000 in a week here). This is an income stream I see growing as I add more E-books to my range (expect 3 in the coming few months).

4. Continuity Programs

This is another newer category for me but one that continues to grow.
A continuity program is a site where you earn a recurring income from people who subscribe to a service you offer.
For me this includes two sites – ProBlogger.com and Third Tribe Marketing. Both programs are membership sites and generate monthly income from the thousands of members that they have as a part of them.

5. Private Ad Sales/Sponsorships

Private ad sales directly to advertisers have fallen for me in the last year (they previously ranked #3 on this list). This is partly due to a change in my own focus but also partly due to the economy as it is. I should note that this area does vary a little from month to month depending upon the campaigns we’re asked to run – we’ve had a couple of months where it actually ranked #2 in the last year.
This includes ad sales of the 125 x 125 ads here at ProBlogger as well as a campaign or two atDigital Photography School.

6. Chitika

Chitka continues to be a great performer for me on my blogs. They traditionally have worked best on product related blogs although theirPremium ad units now convert well on a larger range of blogs.
While I’ve focused a little less on Chitika in the last 6 months (mainly as I’ve released my own products and moved a little away from advertising) they do continue to perform well where I use them and over the time I’ve been using Chitika they’ve now earned me over a quarter of a million dollars – as a result I can’t recommend them enough!

7. Amazon Associates

Amazon’s affiliate program has been one of my big movers in the last 12 months. I used to make a few odd dollars from it – however in recent times it has become a significant earner for me (in fact it’s now earned me over $100,000 since I started using it). Christmas time (and the lead up to it) is a particularly good time for Amazon – last December it would have ranked #2 on this list.

8. ProBlogger Job Boards

The job boards here at ProBlogger continue to grow each month in the number of advertisements that are being bought. This enabled me to invest most of the money that they’d earned a while back into getting a new back end for the boards and to redesign them. These job boards now bring in over $1000 a month in revenue which is pretty nice considering that they are so low maintenance to run. They also offer a service to readers and add value to the overall blog.
The only problem that I face with the job boards is that there are so many bloggers looking for work that the demand for jobs far exceeds the supply. On the good side of things is that advertisers are reporting getting amazing quality of applications.

9. Speaking Fees

I get asked to do a lot of speaking and increasingly they are paid opportunities. I’m not able to do as many as I would like (mainly because I live in Australia and most of what I’m asked to do is overseas and I only travel 2-3 times a year) – however in April I did a couple of events and the income was enough to include in this list.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

 INSTITUDE OF ELECTRICAL AND

ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE, read I-Triple-E) is aprofessional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. It has more than 400,000 members in more than 160 countries, about 51.4% of whom reside in the United States.

The IEEE is incorporated under the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law of the state of New York in the United States.It was formed in 1963 by the merger of the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE, founded 1912) and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE, founded 1884).

The major interests of the AIEE were wire communications (telegraphy and telephony) and light and power systems. The IRE concerned mostly radio engineering, and was formed from two smaller organizations, the Society of Wireless and Telegraph Engineers and the Wireless Institute. With the rise of electronics in the 1930s, electronics engineers usually became members of the IRE, but the applications of electron tube technology became so extensive that the technical boundaries differentiating the IRE and the AIEE became difficult to distinguish. After World War II, the two organizations became increasingly competitive, and in 1961, the leadership of both the IRE and the AIEE resolved to consolidate the two organizations. The two organizations formally merged as the IEEE on January 1, 1963.

Notable Presidents of IEEE and its founding organizations include Elihu Thomson (AIEE, 1889–1890), Alexander Graham Bell (AIEE, 1891–1892), Charles Proteus Steinmetz (AIEE, 1901–1902), Lee De Forest (IRE, 1930), Frederick E. Terman (IRE, 1941), William R. Hewlett (IRE, 1954), Ernst Weber (IRE, 1959; IEEE, 1963), and Ivan Getting (IEEE, 1978).

IEEE's Constitution defines the purposes of the organization as "scientific and educational, directed toward the advancement of the theory and practice of Electrical, Electronics,Communications and Computer Engineering, as well as Computer Science, the allied branches of engineering and the related arts and sciences.In pursuing these goals, the IEEE serves as a major publisher of scientific journals and organizer of conferences, workshops, and symposia (many of which have associated published proceedings). It is also a leading standards development organization for the development of industrial standards (having developed over 900 active industry technical standards) in a broad range of disciplines, including electric power and energy, biomedical technology and healthcare, information technology, information assurance, telecommunications, consumer electronics, transportation, aerospace, and nanotechnology. IEEE develops and participates in educational activities such as accreditation of electrical engineering programs in institutes of higher learning. The IEEE logo is a diamond-shaped design which illustrates the right hand grip rule embedded in Benjamin Franklin's kite, and it was created at the time of the 1963 merger. 

IEEE has a dual complementary regional and technical structure – with organizational units based on geography  and technical focus (e.g., the IEEE Computer Society). It manages a separate organizational unit (IEEE-USA) which recommends policies and implements programs specifically intended to benefit the members, the profession and the public in the United States.

The IEEE includes 38 technical Societies, organized around specialized technical fields, with more than 300 local organizations that hold regular meetings.

The IEEE Standards Association is in charge of the standardization activities of the IEEE. 
 

TOEFL Preparation Lesson-------3

Painting and Sculpture

Target Words

1. abstract                                                             6. intrinsic
2. context                                                              7. perspective
3. depict                                                                8. portrayal
4. dimension                                                          9. realism
5. esthetically                                                        10. spectrum

Definitions and Samples

1. abstract adj. Not concrete and realistic; not obviously related to everyday
experience
Abstract painting became popular partly because early photography
was very realistic.

2. context n. A larger environment that something fits into
In the context of Soviet Russia, public art had to be about the triumph
of communism and its leaders.
Usage tips The preposition in often comes before context, and an of
phrase often comes after it.

3. depict v. To show in pictures
Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depicts
nine scenes from the Bible.

4. dimension n. A direction or surface along which something can be
measured; an aspect
The three dimensions of physical objects are length, width, and
depth.
One dimension of the problem is their long history of competition.


5. esthetically adv. In a way that relates to beauty or appearance
The outside of the office building is esthetically pleasing, but the inside
is dark and unpleasant.
Usage tips Esthetically is often spelled with an “a” at the beginning:
aesthetically.

6. intrinsic adj. Being part of the basic nature of something
Frequent elections are intrinsic to a democratic system.

7. perspective n. A way of seeing from a particular location; a way of thinking about something
From my perspective, the entire town can be seen through a set of large windows.
They held different perspectives on how to care for their aging parents.

8. portrayal n. A description or drawing that reflects a certain point
of view.Most portrayals of Abraham Lincoln emphasize his sense of humor and his honesty.
Usage tips Portrayal is often followed by an of phrase to indicate what is being described.

9. realism n. A technique that tries to picture something as it really looks.Realism was popular among seventeenth-century Flemish painters like Rembrandt van Rijn.

10. spectrum n. A range of different things, usually colors
Bart’s colorful designs include every color of the spectrum, from
deep blue to vibrant red.
Usage tips The phrase the spectrum frequently means “the colors
that the human eye can see.”

TOEFL Prep I 

Find the word or phrase that is closest in meaning
to each word in the left-hand column. Write the letter in the blank.
1. abstract                                          (a) to show
2. depict                                             (b) depiction
3. esthetically                                      (c) presenting an idea, not a realistic picture
4. perspective                                     (d) in a way that relates to beauty
5. portrayal                                         (e) way of seeing things from a certain place

TOEFL Prep II

Circle the word that best completes each sentence.

1. The materials that go into a work of art usually have little (abstract /intrinsic) value.
2. In the 1970s, artists known as “the Boston School” revived (realism /context) by rejecting abstract techniques and trying to capture the actual appearance of their subjects.
3. The colors of light that we can see are known as the visible (spectrum /perspective).
4. Medieval artists did not try to use (context / perspective) to give a sense of depth to their paintings.
5. The small, separate strokes of impressionist paintings give the works a dreamlike (portrayal / dimension).

TOEFL SUCCESS

 Read the passage to review the vocabulary you
have learned. Answer the questions that follow.

Whether something is “art”is largely a matter of opinion. Art that most

people consider to have no intrinsic value can contain a great treasure

of ideas and invention to someone who sees something special in it.

Styles in all the arts range over a wide spectrum. Some good art is

esthetically unchallenging and easy to understand. Other

works are strange forms, totally out of context to everyone

but the artist. One artist’s portrayal of an everyday object,

such as a bouquet of flowers, may be grounded in realism

and easily recognizable. Another painter’s depiction of the

same bouquet may be very abstract, resembling flowers only in the

artist’s mind. Regardless of the artist’s approach, the best art reveals

new dimensions of experience and looks at the world from a fresh

perspective.

1. Which sentence best expresses the essential information of this
passage?
a. Styles of art have changed throughout history.
b. Realistic art has more meaning than abstract art.
c. Esthetically pleasing art is too simple to contain much meaning.
d. Works of art can mean different things, depending on one’s perspective.

2. According to this reading,what is one big difference between abstract
art and realistic art?
a. Abstract art is harder to sell.
b. Abstract art is harder to understand.
c. Abstract art is harder to produce.
d. Abstract art is harder to look at.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOLUTIONS

TOEFL Prep I                            1. c       2. a      3. d       4. e     5. b
TOEFL Prep II                           1. intrinsic   2. realism   3. spectrum   4. perspective   5. dimension
TOEFL Success                         1. d       2. b

TOEFL Preparation Lesson -----2

Social Rebels

Target Words

                  1. adolescent                                                   6. hedonistic
                  2. cause                                                          7. hypocritically
                  3. conflict                                                        8. manipulation
                  4. delinquency                                                 9. rebel
                  5. fringe                                                          10. status quo

Definitions and Samples

1. Adolescent adj. Characteristic of a teenager; not fully grown up
In policy meetings, George refuses to reason with anyone and just
scowls in an adolescent way.
Parts of speech adolescent n, adolescence n

2. cause n. A political or social goal that one believes is right and works
to achieve
Our river cleanup effort would be more effective if someone famous
spoke out for the cause.

3. conflict v. To fit so poorly together that the differences cause a problem
A teenager’s need for security can conflict with his desire for independence
from his family.

4. delinquency n. Serious misbehavior; not doing what one should do
Because of his laziness and delinquency, Lefty was an unreliable
friend.
Usage tips A common combination is juvenile delinquency, meaning
“criminal behavior by a teenager.”
Parts of speech delinquent n, delinquent adj

5. fringe n. Edge; in social contexts, parts of society that look or act very
different from most people
Punk music got its start at the fringe of London’s rock music culture.
Usage tips Fringe implies an edge that is uneven and not very solid.
Parts of speech fringy adj

6. hedonistic adj. Excessively interested in seeking pleasure
Suddenly wealthy, Allen fell into a hedonistic life of parties, expensive
dinners, and heavy drinking.
Usage tips Hedonistic usually implies that the pleasures are wrong.
Parts of speech hedonist n, hedonism n, hedonistically adv

7. hypocritically adv. In a way that accuses other people of weaknesses
that the speaker also possesses
Henry spent $2,500 on a new suit and then hypocritically accused
me of spending too much on clothes.
Parts of speech hypocrite n, hypocrisy n, hypocritical adj

8. manipulation n. Quietly moving or influencing people or things in
order to get what you want
Bob’s manipulation of the boss’s feelings led to his promotion.
Parts of speech manipulate v, manipulator n, manipulative adj

9. rebel v. To go against an established system or authority
The people of Ghurdia rebelled against the dictator and set up a
new government.
Usage tips Rebel works well in political contexts and in contexts of
personal relationships.

10. status quo n. The systems and conditions that exist now
Let’s just maintain the status quo until we can think of a better way.

TOEFL Prep I 

Find the word or phrase that is closest in meaning
to each word in the left-hand column. Write the letter in the blank.

1. adolescent                             (a) not doing what you’re  supposed to
2. conflict                                  (b) clash; not fit together
3. delinquency                           (c) edge
4. fringe                                    (d) like a teenager
5. status quo                             (e) current conditions

TOEFL Prep II 

Complete each sentence by filling in the blank
with the best word from the list. Change the form of the word if necessary.
Use each word only once.

cause hedonistic hypocritically manipulation rebel
1. Senator Bond,who often lied to Congress, __________ called the president a liar.
2. Some monks criticized the well-fed, art-loving people of fifteenth century Florence for being __________.
3. During the 1970s, college students fought for one __________ after another, from saving the whales to changing the government.
4. Even though it’s illegal, __________ of lawmakers by rich companies is common.
5. It’s natural for young people to __________ against society, but not with violence.

TOEFL Success

                                                    Read the passage to review the vocabulary you

have learned. Answer the questions that follow.

Many adolescents and young adults go through a period when they rebel

against what they perceive as an insincere world. Teens may take up

causes such as radical environmentalism, protesting against the status

quo.They may choose clothes that annoy their parents and associate with

people from the fringes of society.This is a delicate period in a person’s life,

full of chances to make bad decisions that could lead to

juvenile delinquency and even jail. Conversely, it can be a

time of personal discovery that strengthens teens in a moral

rejection of hedonistic lifestyles.At this age they may fearlessly

speak up against hypocritically self-righteous authorities and

against manipulation by the news media.These adolescent protests can

lead to conflicts within families and communities, but stirring things up

can also lead to serious reflection and positive change.

1. Which sentence best expresses the essential information of this
passage?
a. Teens are hedonistic and self-serving.
b. Many teenagers are radical environmentalists.
c. Adolescents often create conflicts in their communities.
d. Teenage rebellion can cause problems, but it can be positive too.

2. According to the reading, what is one possible positive effect of teen
rebellion?
a. Adults might try to make positive changes.
b. Teens may get in trouble with the police.
c. Teens may become responsible adults later in life.
d. Adults might imitate teens and also rebel.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOLUTIONS

TOEFL Prep I                                        1. d       2. b       3. a       4. c       5. e
TOEFL Prep II                                       1. hypocritically  2. hedonistic  3. cause  4. manipulation  5. rebel
TOEFL Success                                     1. d      2. a 

Audi

 

AUDI AG  and its subsidiaries design, engineer, manufacture and distribute automobiles and motorcycles under the Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini brands. Audi oversees worldwide operations from its headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. Audi-branded vehicles are produced in seven production facilities worldwide; Ducati and Lamborghini each have one production facility located in Italy.

AUDI AG has been a majority owned (99.55%) subsidiary of Volkswagen AG since 1966, following a phased purchase of AUDI AG's predecessor, Auto Union, from Daimler-Benz.Volkswagen relaunched the Audi brand with the 1965 introduction of the Audi F103 series.

The company name is based on the surname of the founder, August Horch. "Horch", meaning "listen", becomes "Audi" when translated into Latin. The four rings of the Audi logo each represent one of four car companies that banded together to create the company. Audi's slogan is Vorsprung durch Technik, meaning "Advancement through Technology". Recently in the United States, Audi has updated the slogan to "Truth in Engineering".

The largest shareholder of Audi AG is Volkswagen AG, which holds approximately 99.5 % of the share capital.Volkswagen AG includes the consolidated accounts of Audi AG in its own financial statements.

From 2002 up to 2007, Audi headed the Audi Brand Group, a subdivision of the Volkswagen Group's Automotive Division consisting of Audi, Lamborghini and SEAT, that was focused on sporty values, with the marques' product vehicles and performance being under the higher responsibility of the Audi brand. 

Originally, in 1885, automobile company Wanderer was established, later becoming a branch of Audi AG. Another company, NSU, which also later merged into Audi, was founded during this time, and later supplied the chassis for Gottlieb Daimler's four-wheeler.

On 14 November 1899, August Horch (1868–1951) established the company A. Horch & Cie. in the Ehrenfeld district of Cologne, but because of a dispute between him and the supervisory board, he had to leave the company. In 1909, he established a second company, Horch Automobil-Werke GmbH. The first Audi automobile, the Audi Type A 10/22 hp (16 kW) Sport-Phaeton, was produced in 1910 in Zwickau.

In 1909, Horch was forced out of the company he had founded.He then started a new company in Zwickau and continued using the Horch brand. His former partners sued him for trademark infringement, and the German Supreme Court (Reichsgericht in Berlin),finally determined that the Horch brand belonged to his former company.

Since August Horch was banned from using "Horch" as a trade name in his new car business, he called a meeting with close business friends, Paul and Franz Fikentscher from Zwickau, Germany. At the apartment of Franz Fikentscher, they discussed how to come up with a new name for the company. During this meeting, Franz's son was quietly studying Latin in a corner of the room. Several times he looked like he was on the verge of saying something but would just swallow his words and continue working, until he finally blurted out, "Father – audiatur et altera pars... wouldn't it be a good idea to call it audi instead ofhorch?""Horch!" in German means "Hark!" or "hear", which is "Audi" in the singular imperative form of "audire" – "to listen" – in Latin. The idea was enthusiastically accepted by everyone attending the meeting.The first Audi car, the Type B, 10/28PS was delivered early in 1910.

Audi started with a 2,612 cc inline-four engine model followed by a 3,564 cc model, as well as 4,680 cc and 5,720 cc models. These cars were successful even in sporting events. The first six-cylindermodel, 4,655 cc appeared in 1924.

August Horch left the Audi company in 1920 for a high position at the ministry of transport, but he was still involved with Audi as a member of the board of trustees. In September 1921, Audi became the first German car manufacturer to present a production car, the Audi Type K, with left-handed drive.Left-hand drive spread and established dominance during the 1920s because it provided a better view of oncoming traffic, making overtaking safer.

Audi's sales grew strongly in the 2000s, with deliveries to customers increasing from 653,000 in 2000 to 1,003,000 in 2008. The largest sales increases came from Eastern Europe (+19.3%), Africa (+17.2%) and the Middle East (+58.5%). China in particular has become a key market, representing 108,000 out of 705,000 cars delivered in the first three quarters of 2009. One factor for its popularity in China is that Audis have become the car of choice for purchase by the Chinese government for officials, and purchases by the government are responsible for 20% of its sales in China.As of late 2009, Audi's operating profit of €1.17-billion ($1.85-billion) made it the biggest contributor to parent Volkswagen Group's nine-month operating profit of €1.5-billion, while the other marques in Group such as Bentley and Seat had suffered considerable losses.May 2011 saw record sales for Audi of America with the new Audi A7 and Audi A3 TDI Clean Diesel.In May 2012, Audi reported a 10% increase in its sales at 480 units which was 408 a year ago.

Audi has 7 manufacturing plants around the world,although many sub-assemblies such as engines and transmissions are manufactured within other Volkswagen Group plants around the world. 

 

 

 

Lamborghini

 

 

 

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini, designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes luxury sports cars. Lamborghini's production facility and headquarters are located in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy. In 2011, Lamborghini's 831 employees produced 1,711 vehicles.

Manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini founded Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1963 with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with offerings from established marques such as Ferrari. The company's first models were released in the mid-1960s and were noted for their refinement, power and comfort. Lamborghini gained wide acclaim in 1966 for the Miura sports coupé, which establishedrear mid-engine, rear wheel drive as the standard layout for high-performance cars of the era.

Lamborhini grew rapidly during its first decade, but hard times befell the company when sales plunged in the wake of the 1973 worldwide financial downturn and the 1973 oil crisis. Lamborghini's ownership changed three times after 1973, including a bankruptcy in 1978, before Chrysler Corporation took control of Lamborghini in 1987. Unable to operate Lamborghini profitably, Chrylser sold Lamborghini to Malaysian investment group Mycom Setdco and Indonesian group V'Power Corporation in 1994. Lamborghini's lack of success continued through the 1990s, until Mycom Setdco and V'Power sold Lamborghini to the AUDI AG subsidiary of Volkswagen Aktienge sells chaft on July 27, 1998. Audi's ownership marked the beginning of a period of stability and increased productivity for Lamborghini. Sales increased nearly tenfold over the course of the 2000s, peaking with record sales in 2007 and 2008. The world financial crisis in the late 2000s negatively affected all luxury car makers worldwide, and caused Lamborghini's sales to drop nearly 50 percent.

Lamborghini's Sant'Agata Bolognese production facility produces V12 engines and finished automobiles. Lamborghini's current production vehicles are the V10-powered Gallardo and the V12-powered Aventador. Both production models are available in a variety of regular and limited-edition specifications.

Ferruccio Lamborghini, the man who would found Automobili Ferruccio Lamborghini S.p.A. in 1963, was the child of viticulturists living in Renazzo di Cento, Province of Ferrara, in the Northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region.After serving as a mechanic in the Italian Royal Air Force during World War II, Lamborghini went into business building tractors based on surplus WWII military hardware. By the mid-1950s, Lamborghini's tractor company, Lamborghini Trattori S.p.A., had become one of the largest agricultural equipment manufacturers in the country.He was also the owner of a successful gas heater and air conditioning manufacturer.

Lamborghini's wealth allowed him to cultivate a childhood interest in cars, owning a number of luxury automobiles including Alfa Romeos, Lancias, Maseratis, and a Mercedes Benz.He purchased his first Ferrari, a 250GT, in 1958, and went on to own several more. Lamborghini was fond of the Ferraris, but considered them too noisy and rough to be proper road cars, likening them to repurposed track cars.When Lamborghini discovered that the clutch on his Ferrari was broken, and actually was the same clutch that he used on his tractors, Lamborghini went to Ferrari and asked for a better replacement. Ferrari responded, saying that he was just a tractor maker, and could not know anything about sports cars.Lamborghini decided to pursue an automobile manufacturing venture with the goal of bringing to life his vision of a perfect grand tourer. 

Towards the end of the 2000s, Lamborghini produced a number of revisions of the Murciélago and Gallardo. Lamborghini released the Reventón, a limited-edition derivative of the Murciélago featuring a newly designed body with more angular styling, and a roadster the following year. The final update to the Murciélago came in 2009 with the release of the LP 670–4 SV ("SuperVeloce").

After ten years of Murciélago series production, Lamborghini produced the 4,000th example, an LP 670-4 SV destined for China, in February 2010.Lamborghini produced the last Murciélago, number 4,099, on May 11, 2010, but did not officially mark the end of production until six months later on November 5, 2010.

Lamborghini achieved its highest ever yearly sales figure in 2008, selling 2,430 vehicles.During this decade the Asia-Pacific market became more important to the company's sales performance, growing to represent 25 percent of Lamborghini's overall worldwide sales.Despite the strength of the the Asia-Pacifc market, the effects of the world financial crisis that began in 2007 caused Lamborghini's sales to drop almost 50% below their 2008 peak, selling 1,515 vehicles in 2009 and 1,302 vehicles in 2010.CEO Stephan Winkelmann predicted in 2009 that poor sales figures for supercars would continue through 2011;history would prove him right. 

Ferrari

 

Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as FerrariS.p.A. in 1947. Throughout its history, the company has been noted for its continued participation in racing, especially in Formula One, where it has had great success. Ferrari road cars are generally seen as a symbol of luxury and wealth.

Enzo Ferrari wasn't initially interested in the idea of producing road cars when he formed Scuderia Ferrari (literally "Ferrari Stable", and usually used to mean "Team Ferrari", it is correctly pronounced in 1928 as a sponsor for amateur drivers headquartered in Modena. Ferrari prepared, and successfully raced, various drivers in Alfa Romeo cars until 1938, when he was hired by Alfa Romeo to head their motor racing department.

In 1941, Alfa Romeo was confiscated by the fascist government of Benito Mussolini as part of the Axis Powers' war effort. Enzo Ferrari's division was small enough to be unaffected by this. Because he was prohibited by contract from racing for four years, the Scuderia briefly became Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari, which ostensibly produced machine tools and aircraft accessories. Also known as SEFAC (Scuderia Enzo Ferrari Auto Corse), Ferrari did in fact produce one race car, the Tipo 815, in the non-competition period. It was the first actual Ferrari car (it debuted at the 1940 Mille Miglia), but due to World War II it saw little competition. In 1943 the Ferrari factory moved to Maranello, where it has remained ever since. The factory was bombed by the Allies in 1944 and rebuilt in 1946, after the war ended, and included a works for road car production. 

The first Ferrari road car was the 1947 125 S, powered by a 1.5 L V12 engine; Enzo Ferrari reluctantly built and sold his automobiles to fund Scuderia Ferrari.

In 1988, Enzo Ferrari oversaw the launch of the Ferrari F40, the last new Ferrari to be launched before his death later that year, and arguably one of the most famous supercars ever made. From 2002 to 2004, Ferrari introduced the Enzo. The Enzo was Ferrari's fastest model at the time, and was introduced and named in honor of the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari (Although it was to be called the F60, continuing on from the F40 and F50, but Ferrari was so pleased with it, they called it the Enzo instead). It was initially offered to loyal and reoccurring customers, each of the 399 made (minus the 400th which was donated to the Vatican for charity) had a price tag of $650,000 apiece.The first Ferrari road car was the 1947 125 S, powered by a 1.5 L V12 engine; Enzo Ferrari reluctantly built and sold his automobiles to fund Scuderia Ferrari.
In 1988, Enzo Ferrari oversaw the launch of the Ferrari F40, the last new Ferrari to be launched before his death later that year, and arguably one of the most famous supercars ever made. From 2002 to 2004, Ferrari introduced the Enzo. The Enzo was Ferrari's fastest model at the time, and was introduced and named in honor of the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari (Although it was to be called the F60, continuing on from the F40 and F50, but Ferrari was so pleased with it, they called it the Enzo instead). It was initially offered to loyal and reoccurring customers, each of the 399 made (minus the 400th which was donated to the Vatican for charity) had a price tag of $650,000 apiece. 

The famous symbol of the Ferrari race team is the Cavallino Rampante ("prancing horse") black prancing stallion on a yellow shield, usually with the letters S F (for Scuderia Ferrari), with three stripes of green, white and red (the Italian national colors) at the top. The road cars have a rectangular badge on the hood (see picture at top of page), and, optionally, the shield-shaped race logo on the sides of both front wings, close to the door.

On 17 June 1923, Enzo Ferrari won a race at the Savio track in Ravenna where he met the Countess Paolina, mother of Count Francesco Baracca, an ace of the Italian air force and national hero of World War I, who used to paint a horse on the side of his planes. The Countess asked Enzo to use this horse on his cars, suggesting that it would bring him good luck. The original "prancing horse" on Baracca's airplane was painted in red on a white cloud-like shape, but Ferrari chose to have the horse in black (as it had been painted as a sign of grief on Baracca's squadron planes after the pilot was killed in action) and he added a canary yellow background as this is the color of the city of Modena, his birthplace. The Ferrari horse was, from the very beginning, markedly different from the Baracca horse in most details, the most noticeable being the tail that in the original Baracca version was pointing downward.

Ferrari has used the cavallino rampante on official company stationery since 1929. Since the Spa 24 Hours of 9 July 1932, thecavallino rampante has been used on Alfa Romeos raced by Scuderia Ferrari.

The motif of a prancing horse is old, it can be found on ancient coins. A similar black horse on a yellow shield is the Coat of Arms of the German city of Stuttgart, home of Mercedes-Benz and the design bureau of Porsche, both being main competitors of Alfa and Ferrari in the 1930s. The city's name derives from Stutengarten, an ancient form of the German word Gestüt, which translates into English as stud farm and into Italian as scuderia. Porsche also includes the Stuttgart sign in its corporate logo, centred in the emblem of the state of Württemberg. Stuttgart's Rössle has both rear legs firmly planted on the soil, like Baracca's horse, but unlike Ferrari'scavallino.

Fabio Taglioni used the cavallino rampante on his Ducati motorbikes, as Taglioni was born at Lugo di Romagna like Baracca, and his father too was a military pilot during WWI (although not part of Baracca's squadron, as is sometimes mistakenly reported). As Ferrari's fame grew, Ducati abandoned the horse- perhaps the result of a private agreement between the two companies. 

Since the 1920s, Italian race cars of Alfa Romeo, Maserati and later Ferrari and Abarth were (and often still are) painted in "race red" (Rosso Corsa). This was the customary national racing color of Italy, as recommended between the World Wars by the organizations that later would become the FIA. It refers to the nationality of the competing team, not that of the car manufacturer or driver. In that scheme, French-entered cars like Bugatti were blue, German like Benz and Mercedes white (since 1934 also bare sheet metal silver), and British green such as the mid-1960s Lotus and BRM, for instance.

Curiously, Ferrari won the 1964 World championship with John Surtees by competing the last two races in North America with cars painted in the US-American race colors white and blue, as these were not entered by the Italian factory themselves, but by the U.S.-based North American Racing Team (NART) team. This was done as a protest concerning arguments between Ferrari and the Italian Racing Authorities regarding the homologation of a new mid-engined Ferrari race car. 
 
 

Hyundai

 

Hyundai was a multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Seoul and one of the largest South Korean chaebol. It was founded by Chung Ju-yung in 1947 as a construction firm and Chung was directly in control of the company until his death in 2001.

Hyundai underwent a major restructuring and break-up following the 1997 East Asian financial crisis and Chung's death, following which the rump Hyundai Group's business was reduced to container shipping services, the manufacturing of elevators and tourism. Today most companies bearing the name Hyundai are not legally connected to Hyundai Group, including Hyundai Motor Group, Hyundai Department Store Group, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group and Hyundai Development Company.

Most of the former subsidiaries of the Hyundai chaebol continue to be run by Chung's sons or their heirs. If these companies are considered as forming a broad family business, then it remains the single largest company in South Korea, with enormous economic and political power in the country.

Hyundai was founded as a small construction firm by Chung Ju-yung in 1947.Hyundai Construction began operating outside of South Korea in 1965, initially entering the markets of Guam, Thailand and Vietnam.

Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967.Hyundai Heavy Industries was founded in 1973, and completed the construction of its first ships in June 1974.

In 1983 Hyundai entered the semiconductor industry through the establishment of Hyundai Electronics (renamed Hynix in 2001).

Hyundai announced a major management restructuring in December 1995, affecting 404 executives.

In April 1999 Hyundai announced a major corporate restructuring, involving a two-thirds reduction of the number of business units and a plan to break up the group into five independent business groups by 2003. 

By the mid-1990s Hyundai comprised over 60 subsidiary companies and was active in a diverse range of activities including automobile manufacturing, construction, chemicals, electronics, financial services, heavy industry and shipbuilding.In the same period it had total annual revenues of around US$90 billion and over 200,000 employees. 

Hyundai branded vehicles are manufactured by Hyundai Motor Company, which along with Kia comprises the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai operates the world's largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. The company employs about 75,000 persons around the world. Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000 dealerships and showrooms worldwide. In 2010, Hyundai sold over 1.7 million vehicles worldwide. Popular models include the Sonata midsize sedan and Elantra compact.