Porsche wins “Best Performance Engine Award”

Stuttgart. Once again Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, has been successful in the International Engine of the Year Awards. With its 911 Turbo-Drive, the sports car manufacturer has underpinned its position in a field of high performance competitors, receiving the coveted “Best Performance Engine Award” for the first time. For ten years now, this prize has been awarded by the British specialist journal “Engine Technology International” for outstanding engine characteristics.

In 2007 Porsche was already successful in the three to four liter category. This year the 3.6 Liter 480 PS Boxer engine (530 PS in the GT2 version) even gained first place in the free capacity class, putting strong competitors like BMW, Ferrari, Nissan and Audi in the shade.

For the first time the 911 Turbo power unit features an exhaust gas turbocharger with variable turbine geometry (VTG) for efficient control of the exhaust gas flow throughout the entire range of engine speeds, guiding the flow of air in exactly the right direction and at the right angle to the turbine blades. This leads to a discernible improvement in flexibility and acceleration, particularly at low speeds.

In the Engine of the Year Awards, 65 renowned motoring journalists from more than 30 countries judge power engines in various different categories. As well as performance, fuel consumption, driving behavior and driving comfort, the use of future-oriented technologies is also taken into account.

New Chevy Cobalt XFE Delivers ‘Xtra’ Fuel Economy - Segment Best 36 MPG On The Highway

DETROIT - Consumers looking to squeeze the most mileage from every gallon of gas will find much to appreciate with the new Chevy Cobalt XFE. It delivers a segment-best 36 mpg in highway driving, outdistancing competitors like the Honda Civic, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla.

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Chrysler LLC Delivers Economic Stimulus; Protects Consumers from Rising Gas Prices for Three Years

* “Let’s Refuel America” available throughout the U.S. exclusively at Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge dealerships through June 2, 2008
* Three-year price protection from volatile gas prices available on compact, mid-size and full-size models, minivans, crossovers and pickup truck models
* Seventy-six percent of customers cite rising gas prices as “top concern”

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Land Rover G4 Challenge Nevada Passage Adventure Competition Gets Underway on May 6

Nevada hosts only U.S. qualifier – one of 18 national selection events worldwide

Editor’s Note:  During the competition, daily updates and high-resolution, digital photos are downloadable at www.nevadapassagephotos.com (User Name: PrintMedia; Password: usage2008), and b-roll footage available by going to www.thenewsmarket.com.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Twenty amateur adventure athletes will drive, run, bike, climb and kayak through the wide-open Nevada landscape as Land Rover North America and the Nevada Commission on Tourism kick off the Land Rover G4 Challenge Nevada Passage, May 6. The four-day multistage competition, which lasts through Friday, is the United States’ sole qualifying event for the prestigious international Land Rover G4 Challenge.

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FORD FIRST AUTOMAKER TO JOIN THE CLIMATE REGISTRY

Ford becomes Founding Reporter of the new voluntary North American facility CO2 reporting initiative.

* Ford is the first automaker to join The Climate Registry.
* Ford participates in other greenhouse gas emissions initiatives around the globe including the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), Mexican GHG Program, Philippine GHG Accounting and Reporting Program, Australian GHG Challenge Plus Program, EU Emissions Trading Scheme and Canadian GHG Challenge Registry.
* Ford recently was the first automaker to submit a voluntary GHG report in China for its Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. facility in Chongqing, China.

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Winners: Smart, Audi and Acura
Loosers: Land Rover, Saab and Volvo

Read the Desrosiers report

Photo Spyder Team

April 24, 2008, Spyder Announcements
SPYDER RYDERS WELCOMED HOME
After 10 years in the making, BRP has begun waving bittersweet goodbyes to their newborn Spyders as they roll off the assembly line. As proud parents, BRP would like to bring their roadsters back home and host Spyder Ryders (and the Spyders of course) to The Inaugural Valcourt Homecoming Owners Event in Valcourt, QC, Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7, 2008.

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This spring, transform your car into a MINI.
05/01/2008

Whtiby, Ontario. Get rid of your old car and get into MINI! MINI Canada launched its spring marketing campaign with an all-new, all Canadian initiative. The campaign invites consumers to get rid of their current car (by various means) in order to get a MINI.
Hitting the streets in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, this latest campaign leverages a wide variety of mediums to connect with the public. Out-of-home media such as billboards, transit shelters, underground parking lots and street level media is complemented with a strong online presence. Prospects who are excited by the advertising and venture online to learn more and engage with the brand are treated with a unique, interactive two-way communication module on the homepage of MINI.CA.

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LAND ROVER CANADA REALIGNS PRICES ACROSS MODEL RANGE

BRAMALEA, ON, May 1, 2008 — Land Rover Canada today announced price realignment on the MSRP on all 2008 Land Rover models offered in Canada.

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GM and Mascoma Enter into Biofuels Relationship
Automaker to Help Speed One-Step Cellulose-to-Fuels Process to Market
WASHINGTON, May 1 – General Motors Corp. and Mascoma Corp. today announced a strategic relationship to develop cellulosic ethanol focused on Mascoma’s single-step biochemical conversion of non-grain biomass into low-carbon alternative fuels to help address increasing energy demand.
The relationship, which includes an undisclosed equity investment by GM, complements an earlier investment in a cellulosic ethanol startup that uses a thermo-chemical process to make ethanol from non-grain sources.
“Taken together, these technologies represent what we see as the best in the cellulosic ethanol future and cover the spectrum in science and commercialization,” GM President Fritz Henderson said. “Demonstrating the viability of sustainable non-grain based ethanol is critical to developing the infrastructure to support the flex-fuel vehicle market.”

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