Friday, June 6, 2008

SCCA Board Rescinds National Club Racing Consolidation Plans

TOPEKA, Kan. – In a conference call Wednesday night, the Sports Car Club of America Board of Directors voted to rescind all planned consolidations that were announced following its May meeting. The Board cited considerable member input for its decision. The Board previously moved to direct its Club Racing Board to ... Continue reading

AGR - TEXAS PRACTICE NOTES

Danica Patrick, #7 Motorola Dallara/Honda/Firestone "The Motorola car was fast tonight when we were not in traffic. But the minute we were in traffic we got slow. Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to spend a great deal of time in traffic, so hopefully we will get a better feel tomorrow afternoon during the ... Continue reading

Kleinubing Leads Morning SPEED TC Practice at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Pierre Kleinubing, of Coconut Creek, Fla., was fastest in morning practice at Watkins Glen International Raceway for Round Six of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship. Teammate Peter Cunningham, of Milwaukee, Wis., was second quickest and Chip Herr, of Lititz, Pa. ... Continue reading

Driver progression leaves Bill Davis Racing with an Open Seat in its ARCA RE/MAX Series Program

HIGH POINT, N.C. (June 5, 2008) Building on a tradition of the success of a driver and brand development, Bill Davis Racing (BDR) has an Open Seat available in its race proven ARCA RE/MAX Series Toyota Camry. The team seeks a talented, funded/sponsored driver who would like an opportunity to win races in the ARCA RE/MA ... Continue reading

DIXON LEADS OPENING DAY AT WINDY TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

FORT WORTH, Texas, – Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Scott Dixon, driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, topped the speed chart in the first practice session – 90 minutes under the lights on the high-banked 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway oval – with a quick lap of 213.837 mph (24.4953 second ... Continue reading

Chrysler International Achieves Three Straight Years of Monthly Sales Growth

- May marked 36 consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases outside North America - Record May sales were highest in Chrysler International's history - up 5 percent over May 2007 - Year-to-date sales increased 7 percent vs. same period last year - Jeep(R) brand vehicles and new D-segment sedans stimulate growt ... Continue reading

Only Guangzhou Honda, FAW Toyota sales up in May

Only Guangzhou Honda, FAW Toyota sales up in May http://www.gasgoo.com/auto-news/6675/Only-Guangzhou-Honda-FAW-Toyota-sa les-u p-in-May.html Shanghai, June 6 (Gasgoo.com) Of the top 14 passenger car makers in China, only Guangzhou Honda and FAW Toyota saw their monthly sales increase in May from the previous month, ami ... Continue reading

Audi Q5 to be China built in 2009 for local market

Audi Q5 to be China built in 2009 for local market http://www.gasgoo.com/auto-news/6673/Audi-Q5-to-be-China-built-in-2009- for-l ocal-market.html Shanghai, June 6 (Gasgoo.com) Audi, the premium unit of Volkswagen, has decided to build the new smaller SUV, Q5, in China next year. The Audi Q5 made its global debut at the ... Continue reading

MANHEIM CONTINUES INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

PHOTOS ATTACHED: 1) Exterior of Manheim's Istanbul, Turkey facility 2) Manheim's senior vice president of international operations, Mike Langhorne, joins Agah Ugur, CEO of Borusan Holding A.S., at the Istanbul ribbon-cutting ceremony. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Lois Rossi June 6, 2008 Manheim Public Relations (678) ... Continue reading

GMAC Financial Services and Habitat for Humanity Collaborate to Develop Housing Opportunities

GMAC Financial Services Will Provide Funding and Volunteers to Build 15 New Homes DETROIT and ATLANTA, June 6 -- GMAC Financial Services (GMAC) affirms its partnership with Habitat for Humanity to create homeownership opportunities in collaboration with families in need of decent, affordable homes. GMAC, a global finan ... Continue reading

More Than 350 Can-Am Spyder Owners Attend Inaugural Homecoming Event In Valcourt, Quebec

VALCOURT, Quebec, June 6 -- BRP welcomes Spyder(TM) owners from throughout North America to the company's headquarters in Valcourt, Quebec, Canada for the Inaugural Spyder Homecoming Owner Event on June 6, 2008. More than 350 owners of the recently launched three-wheeled roadster will ride to Valcourt from various star ... Continue reading

Audi AG: On track for record sales of one million cars in 2008

Audi AG sold more than 426,200 vehicles worldwide from January to May, an increase of 1.5 percent. In the month of May, Audi increased sales to 88,200 vehicles, up an additional 0.8 percent versus the strong prior-year month. The strongest growth drivers were once again the Asia/Pacific and Eastern Europe regions. ... Continue reading

Audi celebrates 20 years in China

Audi celebrated the 20th anniversary of its partnership with First Automobile Works (FAW) in Changchun today and laid the cornerstone for a new assembly hall. The company also announced the local production of the Audi Q5 at the Changchun plant. ... Continue reading

Quattro GmbH Launches First Audi Golf Collection

Audi now also offers "Vorsprung durch Technik" in the world of golf. In future, quattro GmbH is to produce its own golf accessories line. The emphasis here will be above all on perfect functionality and outstanding material quality. The accessories have been designed by the Audi Konzept Design team in Munich. ... Continue reading

Audi triple winner in sport auto reader poll

The readers of the German car magazine sport auto have cast their votes: Audi has taken first place in three classes in the poll to find 'The Sportiest Cars of 2008' with the S3, the RS 6 Avant, and the R8. ... Continue reading

Young Creative Chevrolet 2008!

The national phase of the arts contest "Young Creative Chevrolet" has been completed whereby all photography works by arts students centred on the SUV Chevrolet Captiva where exhibited at the Chevrolet showroom in Nicosia on 3rd June, and the winners were announced. ... Continue reading

Change at the Top of Daimler Communications

The Board of Management of Daimler AG has taken the following personnel decisions: Hartmut Schick (46), since January 2002 Head of Global Communications of Daimler AG, will take over a new executive position within the operative business of the group. His new position will be announced shortly. ... Continue reading

Targeted upgrade for the G 55 AMG: Classic with Added Appeal

Following its most recent makeover, the G 55 AMG from Mercedes-AMG is now even more attractive. Boasting an upgraded performance of 373 kW/507 hp, this offroad classic has also been given a fresh look, incorporating a reworked radiator grille and new 19-inch AMG light-alloy wheels. Inside, the exclusive interior featur ... Continue reading

Mercedes-Benz previews latest product at Motorexpo (UK)

Following the recent announcement by Motorexpo organisers that a total of 19 vehicles will receive their UK show debut at the 2008 Canary Wharf London event; today Mercedes-Benz have confirmed that the CLC-Class, the latest edition to the Mercedes-Benz coupe family, will be seen for the first time in the UK at Motorexp ... Continue reading

Uruguay-built Chery vehicles to roll into Brazil

Uruguay-built Chery vehicles to roll into Brazil http://www.gasgoo.com/auto-news/6676/Uruguay-built-Chery-vehicles-to-ro ll-in to-Brazil.html Shanghai, June 6 (Gasgoo.com) Brazil and Uruguay will sign a new deal on auto trades, which will make it possible for Chinese carmaker Chery Auto's vehicles built or assembled in ... Continue reading

Chrysler International Achieves Three Straight Years of Monthly Sales Growth

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan, June 6 -- - May marked 36 consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases outside North America - Record May sales were highest in Chrysler International's history - up 5 percent over May 2007 - Year-to-date sales increased 7 percent vs. same period last year - Jeep(R) brand vehicles and ne ... Continue reading

Infiniti Announces Pricing on 2009 FX50 and FX35

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 6 -- Infiniti today announced pricing on the all-new 2009 Infiniti FX luxury crossover SUV, which goes on sale June 24 at Infiniti retailers in the United States and Canada. The all-new FX is a showcase of Infiniti's design and technology leadership, offering exceptional levels of power, refineme ... Continue reading

Uber-Stars Sign Themselves into History (AUS)

Paul Mercurio, Leanne Tander and Jason Bargwanna today marked the start of a very special weekend for Mini Challenge with the unveiling of the Uber-Star Car’s new livery at Sandown, the fourth round of the Series, which will see 19 cars front the starter – the biggest field in Australia yet. ... Continue reading

Hydrogen Powers Space Crew on Land Too

The astronauts, who normally head into space propelled by hydrogen, have adopted the role of earthbound passengers to experience the world's first hydrogen-powered saloon, the BMW Hydrogen 7. ... Continue reading

Volkswagen Awarded for Design Excellence and Innovation (AUS)

The annual Australian International Design Awards has recognised the Volkswagen Eos CSC (Coupe, Sliding & Convertible) Roof and 1.4 Dual Charged TSI Petrol Engine for their design excellence and innovation. ... Continue reading

Next generation Porsche 911 powers ahead with direct fuel injection and double-clutch gearbox

The Porsche 911 stirs emotions in sports car enthusiasts the world over. Timeless emotions that have been experienced by generations since the model series was first launched in 1963. This summer, Porsche is introducing the next generation of the 911: a car that exemplifies the core 911 principles of distinctive design ... Continue reading

Ford to cut white-collar expenses by 15 percent

DETROIT Jun 5, 2008; Soyoung Kim and David Bailey writing for Reuters reported that Ford Motor Co (F.N) said on Thursday it will cut expenses for its white-collar work force by 15 percent over the next two months through job cuts, attrition and other actions. The cuts, telegraphed by Ford in May, when it warned it woul ... Continue reading

Harbour Report Says Detroit 3 More Productive But Still Losing Money Per Vehicle

DETROIT June 5, 2008; Dee-Ann Durbin writng for the AP reported that Detroit automakers -- and Chrysler in particular -- nearly erased the North American productivity gap with their Asian rivals in 2007 thanks to worker buyouts, leaner plants and other improvements, but they still make less money per vehicle because of ... Continue reading