Volkswagen has bagged another award, this time for its car engine technology. This time, the award is their first of a series of awards that the company has garnered. The award is the 2009 International Engine of the Year award for its 1.4l TSI Twincharge Engine.

The famed engine is available on a wide array of cars under the Volkswagen brand. Among the cars includehe Golf, Scirocco and Eos, and is used to good effect by Seat in the Ibiza Cupra.

The award is a milestone for Volkswagen, having beaten out familiar names like Toyota and Honda for their new electric hybrid power plants. With so much going for the Volkswagen brand thus far, expect their cars to rebound in performance this year since they have been copping awards one after another, making them one of the cars to watch this year.

(Source) Asia One

Tags: car engine, Cars, engine technology, Eos, Honda, hybrid power, milestone, power plants, Scirocco, Toyota, volkswagen

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Now here’s a big milestone — Chevrolet Product Marketing Director, Karen Rafferty, took the stage this month at the meeting of the Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association to let everyone know that the 1,500,000th Corvette has officially been produced.

Rafferty was quoted to say the folowing:

The 1.5 millionth Corvette is a great example of how Chevy is America’s Brand. For nearly 60 years we have built America’s Sports Car and this milestone is a solid proof point.

If you wanted to know, the lucky vehicle was apparantly a white convertible 3LT complete with red interior and black top which Muscle Car Blog reports is the same as the 1st, 500,000th and 1,000,000th vehicles produced in 1953, 1977 and 1992.

Tags: 1500000th, Corevette, greater atlanta automotive media association, milestone, Production

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The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported May sales of 22,993 vehicles which is a decrease of 27.7 percent from the 31,781 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. However, this month, the Midwest and Northest indicated signs of buyers’ interest and that’s good news for the entire premium market. “As we have been seeing all year, customers remain cautious, and when they shop for premium products they are buying brands that have a history of value, dependability and enduring quality. This has helped sales in our core 3 Series, 5 Series and X5 range,” said Jim O’Donnell, President of BMW of North America, LLC.

The company’s Ultimate Service including the four-year no cost maintenance program in combination with one of the highest residual values in the industry contributes to BMW being a secure purchase in this environment. In May, the BMW 3 Series attained an important milestone in the U.S. with over two million units sold since the launch of the first 3 Series (320i) back in November 1976. The BMW 3 Series has remained the unmatched benchmark in the premium segment for over 30 years.

Tags: 3 Series, BMW Group U.S., milestone, Sales

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The 500th Tesla Roadster was awarded to a New Jersey based Philanthropist, a milestone that the electric vehicle manufacturer is sure to take note of. The 500th customer is Martin Tuchman, chairman of The Tuchman Foundation who plans to charge his Roadster partly with solar energy thanks to photovoltaic panels he helped install throughout his hometown of Kingston, NJ.

“My Roadster drives like a dream — it’s amazing,” said Tuchman, a former automotive engineer and owner of a 1967 Mercedes 250 and a 1993 Jaguar convertible. Tuchman converted his 1937 Chris-Craft into an electric boat so he could take it on nearby Lake Carnegie, which prohibits gas-powered boats. He plans to use his Roadster as his primary commuter car.

This news comes in the midst of the planned opening of their New York Store. Tesla will also soon be opening stores in Chicago, London, Seattle, Miami, Washington, Monaco and Munich. Tesla will begin deliveries in Europe this summer.

(Source) Press

Tags: chris craft, commuter car, deliveries, electric boat, electric vehicle manufacturer, gas powered boats, jaguar, jaguar convertible, kingston, martin tuchman, milestone, munich, philanthropist, solar energy, tesla roadster

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Adura Systems Inc. continues to improve on its electric range of medium and large vehicles by adding the Freescale Semiconductor’s FlexRay automotive microcontroller for high-speed in-vehicle networking. This development is seen as a great move towards the direction of bringing down the growing problems of carbon emissions while providing more power.

FlexRay technology is unique among vehicle communication systems in its determinism and high speed. This technology, combined with DEFT-net, allows Adura to shift traditional mechanical and electronic complexity into software which increases efficiency and lowers overall systems costs.

“Adura’s selection of Freescale’s S12XF MCU is another milestone for FlexRay technology as the communications standard is now being deployed in both conventional and ‘green’ vehicles,” said Ray Cornyn, director of automotive microcontrollers at Freescale. “By leveraging the exceptional performance of FlexRay technology, Adura is setting compelling new standards for electric and hybrid vehicles that are designed to significantly reduce global emissions.”

(Source) Press

Tags: adura, carbon emissions, communication systems, efficiency, freescale semiconductor, global emissions, High-Speed, hybrid vehicles, microcontrollers, milestone, vehicle communication

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With the impending era of electric car vehicles practically a done deal, Better Place today achieved a milestone in accelerating the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles by demonstrating the world’s first battery switch technology along with electric car charging spots. This simple range extension technology delivers a cleaner, more convenient experience for drivers.

Better Place was the only foreign company invited by the Japanese Ministry of Environment to demonstrate its switch technology, which provides a viable solution to make electric vehicles a reality by offering drivers virtually unlimited range.

Better Place showcased its battery switch platform today using a modified NISSAN electric crossover SUV to demonstrate how to switch a depleted battery for a fully charged one. The company also demonstrated its commitment to open network standards by charging a fixed battery electric car, via one of four Better Place charge spots installed at the demonstration site. Recharging of the vehicle batteries is made possible by Sharp Corp. photovoltaic solar panels, creating a truly zero emission solution.

The switch technology featured in the Yokohama exhibit will be further developed into production for the commercial switch stations, which will be deployed in Better Place markets around the world.

(Source) Press

Tags: battery switch, car vehicles, Crossover, electric car, electric vehicles, extension technology, market adoption, mass market, milestone, photovoltaic solar panels, sharp corp, switch stations, switch technology, vehicle batteries, viable solution, world source, yokohama, zero emission

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Being able to sell cars online and reaching it at the $100 million plateau is a feat that many are sure to envy. iBidMotors was able to do it and chances are the trend is bound to increase. The milestone vehicle was purchased by John O’Rourke and was sold by J&S AutoHaus of Ewing N.J.

“We were one of iBidMotors first clients and it has proven to be very profitable for us. Over the last few months we sold over $200,000 in retail sales as a result of the iBidMotors site,” said Peter Marich, president of J&S AutoHaus.

“iBidMotors provides car dealers a tremendous amount of value. During these recessionary times pre-owned cars are the life-line to dealerships across the country,” said Schiff.

iBidMotors continually strives to improve the Internet sales channel for car dealers by also providing enhanced dealer analytics, unlimited picture capabilities, vehicle videos and improved search capabilities. Site functionality also provides a great user experience during the online shopping process.

(Source) Press

Tags: 100 million, autohaus, car dealers, functionality, ibidmotors, milestone, online shopping, plateau, pre owned cars, retail sales, search capabilities

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