Friday, June 13, 2008

McNISH: YOU HAVE TO BEAT LE MANS

Allan McNish is seeking his elusive second overall victory at Le Mans. Photo: Andrew Hall Allan McNish has raced to Le Mans enough to know that the greatest challenger to overall victory never ends. It's not another car, another driver or another team. It's Le Mans itself...the track, the endurance, the weather, the hi ... Continue reading

Chrysler Raises '08 Prices 2 Percent

DETROIT -- According to Automotive News, Chrysler LLC told dealers today that it will raise prices 2 percent for most remaining 2008 models. The increase will carry over to the 2009 model year. The price rise, which will be reflected in invoices starting June 16, was announced in a Webcast to dealers by Jim Press, Chry ... Continue reading

Toyota To Display Plug-In Prius at Congressional TVA Caucus Field Hearing in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 13 -- Toyota will display a prototype plug-in Prius hybrid at Legislative Plaza on Monday, June 16, during a field hearing on electric drive vehicles called for by the Congressional TVA Caucus. The prototype Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) enhances the high fuel economy and ultra-low emiss ... Continue reading

Teen Drivers Often Ignore Bans on Using Cellphones and Texting

ARLINGTON, Va., June 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teenage drivers' cellphone use edged higher in North Carolina after the state enacted a cellphone ban for young drivers, a new Institute study finds. This is the case even though young drivers and their parents said they strongly support the restrictions. Parents and t ... Continue reading

Wilkins and Frisselle take the heat Exciting battle to the end gains championship positions for team

Woodbridge, Ontario (June 10, 2008): There would be a lot more than the heat to consider for the Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, but with the Exchange Traded Gold No. 61 Ford Riley starting from the front row for the third time this season, everyone on the AIM Autosport team ignored the heat and focused on the task at ... Continue reading

MAGNUSSEN GIVES CORVETTE FIRST LE MANS POLE

Corvette Racing's Jan Magnussen is on pole position for the first time in his career at Le Mans. Photo: Regis Lefebure Corvette Racing's record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001 is as impressive as any with five GT1 victories. Jan Magnussen gave America's premier sports car team its first pole position in the world ... Continue reading

Toyota Announces Prices for 2009 Tacoma Pickup

TORRANCE, Calif., June 13 -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., announced manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) today for 2009 Tacoma pickup trucks, which range from $15,170 to $27,075. Tacoma greatly enhances its overall value with the addition of several new features. All Tacoma models will now feature V ... Continue reading

Pricier Gasoline Makes Hybrids Payback a "Better Deal"

Washington DC June 13, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that the Toyota Prius, the country's top-selling hybrid car, sells for an average $22,939, compared to $19,231 charged for its gas-powered cousin, the Camry. But the Prius also drinks less gasoline – which now tops the $4-a-gallon mark. So which is the bet ... Continue reading

KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY SELLS OUT NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

SPARTA, Ky. - More than 66,000 grandstand tickets for the June 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series “Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo” at Kentucky Speedway sold out this evening. The NASCAR Nationwide Series will race in front of its eighth straight capacity crowd at the track at 8:30 p.m., Saturday. The seven-year attend ... Continue reading

Formula One Grands Prix Generate More Revenue Per Event Than Any Sport in the World

Figures from Deloitte Sports Business Group show the NFL ($6.5 billion in 2006) and Major League Baseball (MLB, $5.1 billion in 2006) earn more overall revenue than F1's total $3.9 billion with a substantially higher number of annual events. The Premier League soccer clubs’ combined revenue was $3 billion in the 2 ... Continue reading

Blue and Yellow Wasn't As Intimidating As Black But Earnhardt's 2 Was A Winner All The Same

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Before he became “The Intimidator”, before the black #3 struck fear in the hearts of competitors, Dale Earnhardt drove to his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a blue and yellow 1980 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Visitors to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame can find this car on ... Continue reading

Gallup Reports Majority of Americans Support Price Controls on Gas

USA Business and Economy Energy Americas Northern America by Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist PRINCETON, NJ -- When Americans are asked what steps should be taken to reduce gas prices, no consensus appears, but somewhat surprisingly, a majority favor imposing price controls, by a 53% to 45% margin. Americans also support ... Continue reading

A1GP 'Powered by Ferrari' Car continues test programme in Imola

London, Great Britain - The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport car for the 2008/09 season continued its intensive testing programme this week with two days at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. Following on from successful tests at Fiorano, the Ferrari test track in Italy, Andrea Bertolini has been back behind the w ... Continue reading

Belron US Names New CEO to Lead Safelite AutoGlass, Affiliated Operations

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 13 -- Belron US on Wednesday named a 20-year veteran of its Safelite AutoGlass business, Thomas M. Feeney, the new president and chief executive officer. He will lead the nation's largest vehicle glass replacement and repair company, along with Safelite Solutions, the claims management operation an ... Continue reading

China Automotive Systems to Present at the CapStone Investments' Second Annual Small-Cap Investor Conference

WUHAN, Hubei, China, June 13 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- China Automotive Systems, Inc. , a leading power steering components and systems supplier in China, today announced it will make a presentation at the CapStone Investments' Second Annual Small-Cap Investor Conference at 9:30 AM in Room 102C on Tuesday, June 17. The co ... Continue reading

GMAC Financial Services Names Chief Credit Risk Officer

Risk officer of global automotive consumer credit also named NEW YORK, June 13 -- GMAC Financial Services has named Rajinder (Raj) Singh to the newly created role of chief credit risk officer. In this position, Singh is responsible for global credit risk management across the enterprise, including credit quality of app ... Continue reading

STMicroelectronics Announces 32-bit MCUs, Extending Platform-Design Advantages in Vehicle Electronics Applications

Four application-optimized MCU families provide a common system-development platform, cutting development time and costs for advanced powertrain, car body, safety, and cluster solutions GENEVA, June 13 -- STMicroelectronics , a leader in ICs for automotive electronics, has announced its first four microcontrollers in f ... Continue reading

MADD Joins Representative Staskunas in Support of Lifesaving Alcohol Ignition Interlock Legislation

Groundbreaking Legislation Will Strengthen Wisconsin's Drunk Driving Laws MADISON, Wis., June 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) joined state Rep. Tony Staskunas (D-West Allis) Thursday to announce a critical piece of anti-drunk driving legislation. Sponsored by Rep. Staskunas, the bill ... Continue reading

U.S. Energy Department Grants $30M to Detroit Automakers For Plug in Research

Washington DC June 13, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that the U.S. Energy Department on Thursday announced $30 million in funding over three years for a trio of plug-in vehicle projects – a fraction of the financial support automakers have sought, but a step they praised nonetheless. Detroit's automakers wil ... Continue reading

Toyota Develops New Fuel Cell Hybrid

TOKYO June 12, 2008; Yuri Kageyama writing for the AP reported that Toyota has developed a new fuel cell hybrid, a green car powered by hydrogen and electricity, that can travel more than twice the distance of its predecessor model without filling up, the automaker said Friday. The improved model's maximum cruising ran ... Continue reading

Toyota Exec Tempers Expectations for Plug-Ins

Washington DC June 13, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that a top Toyota technology expert this week urged people to temper expectations for what plug-in hybrid vehicles can accomplish. Bill Reinert, national manager of the advanced technology group for Toyota, said that the demands of real-world driving, such as r ... Continue reading

Renault's Worldwide Sales Results May 2008

In May 2008, the Renault group sold 219,801 vehicles (PC+LCVs) worldwide under its three brands. Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors, up 1.1% compared with 2007. Renault reported a 4.7% increase in worldwide sales, while Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors posted a fall in sales of 21.6% and 9.7% respectively. In Eu ... Continue reading

'Aygo Crazy' concept car to make world premiere at London Motor Show

Aygo Crazy is the perfect antidote to all those wild concept cars that look great on the show stand but never turn a wheel. It is a unique machine that has been developed from the start to deliver no-holds-barred maximum driving pleasure, an unforgettable, fun experience. ... Continue reading

Jackie Ickx takes to the road in a Volkswagen California

The former Formula One driver and racing legend Jackie Ickx has taken delivery of a Volkswagen California camper and is planning to travel extensively around Europe and internationally in it to attend and compete in a variety of motor rallies and cross-country events. ... Continue reading

China-made SUVs CEO, UFO go on sale in Germany

German importer China Automobile Deutschland has officially started to sell China-made sport utility vehicles (SUV) CEO and UFO in Germany recently, reported Automobilwoche. And a further five models are due to be added to the line-up by the end of this year. The CEO SUV, produced by Shuanghuan Automobile in China, has ... Continue reading

Audi jumps 16 places in J.D. Power rankings

The results of the recently published “J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Initial Quality Survey” are clear: Audi is the most improved carmaker in terms of initial product quality, climbing 16 places to number 10. ... Continue reading

The New CLC Sports Coupe - A dream come true

Not every star is light-years away: from mid-June onward, selected airports in Europewill become places where automobile dreams can come true. A large bed, positioned between the check-in counter and the rows of seats for waiting passengers, will invite potential customers to take a test drive in the new Mercedes-Benz ... Continue reading

Efficient BlueTec diesel technology for Daimler commercial vehicles

Daimler has been offering its highly-efficient BlueTec diesel technology for commercial vehicles since early 2005 - and with great success. Since then, around 160,000 BlueTec commercial vehicles have taken to the streets of Europe, including Mercedes-Benz heavy trucks and Vario vans, as well as Mercedes-Benz and Setra ... Continue reading

Mercedes-Benz "Road to the Future" - From BlueTEC Diesel to Electric Vehicles

Fuel-efficient and environmentally-sustainable premium automobiles from Mercedes-Benz, without the need to forego the characteristic brand features - safety, comfort and refined driving pleasure. This is the strategy of the Stuttgart based vehicle manufacturer. One emphasis within the development strategy is on modular ... Continue reading

Nissan International SA opens its new European headquarters in Rolle, Vaud

Nissan International SA, the Swiss affiliated company of Nissan Motors Co. Ltd, the Japanese car manufacturer, today held the inauguration ceremony of its new European headquarters in Rolle in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. ... Continue reading

Even lower emissions for latest Audi A4 Petrol and TDI models

<p>A4 benefits from new TDI engine with 134g/km CO2 output and all-new ultra-efficient, high-torque 2.0 TFSI </p> <li>A4 range efficiency drive boosted further by 2.0 TDI 120PS and 2.0 TFSI 211PS versions available in both Saloon and Avant body styles <li>A4 2.0 TDI 120PS offered in conjunction with Standard, SE and S ... Continue reading

The Renault Technocentre is 10 years old

2008 marks the tenth anniversary of the Renault Technocentre. This large-scale technological and architectural project was developed to provide Renault with benchmark status in automotive design and development. It offers its 11,500 resident employees cutting-edge resources for effectively carrying out their projects i ... Continue reading

London Taxi Connects businesses to London (UK)

Think London, the foreign direct investment agency for London, has chosen the latest model of the London style taxi to promote the world's most exciting city to international businesses. ... Continue reading

Peugeot 207 CC ELLE Struts its stuff for summer 2008 (UK)

Britain's best selling convertible car, the Peugeot 207 CC is a trend-setting icon with bags of style and driving prowess to boot, and this summer it's just got even 'hotter', thanks to the readers of ELLE magazine. ... Continue reading

Saab Automobile promotes creative design-Principal sponsor of Design S, Swedish Design Award.

Saab Automobile is the principal sponsor of Sweden's most prestigious design prize, Design S - the Swedish Design Award - together with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. This sponsorship is an expression of Saab's commitment to Scandinavian design principles and interest in promoting a holistic view on design i ... Continue reading

Green Car of the Year 2008 Announced - 1300 Cars Named and Shamed

LONDON, June 13 -- - With Photos The Toyota Yaris has been named Green Car of the Year 2008 by the Environmental Transport Association. The least green car is the Dodge SRT-10 sports car. The announcements come ahead of the start of Green Transport Week (14th - 22nd June) The Environmental Transport Association has loo ... Continue reading