BERLIN — BMW AG plans to put 50 hydrogen-powered 760Li cars on U.S. roads next year. It hopes to build support for the technology by getting the vehicles into the hands of influential people.The Hydrogen 7 models have an internal-combustion engine that runs on liquid hydrogen or gasoline.

They will be driven by selected consumers for free starting in mid-2007. Most will be in Washington and Los Angeles, home of the only two permanent U.S. hydrogen refueling sites. At the push of a button, the Hydrogen 7’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine alternates between gasoline and liquid hydrogen. In hydrogen mode, the engine emits only water vapor and traces of nitrous oxides or carbon dioxide, says Frank Ochmann, BMW’s hydrogen-car project leader. “What comes out is cleaner than the air around you,” he says.
Timm Kehler, vice president of marketing innovations, says celebrities and “opinion leaders” will be selected to take the vehicles for periods ranging from four weeks to four months. Some cars will be put into other markets, where they can be fueled at BMW’s mobile hydrogen fueling stations.

The company plans to run trials of the car for several years, says Kehler.
BMW would not disclose the cost of the Hydrogen 7 cars or how much it spent to develop them. The cars were unveiled here this month.

Not yet practical

Before a hydrogen vehicle can be marketed, a fueling infrastructure is needed. That could take 20 to 30 years, BMW says. A lighter and smaller hydrogen tank and a direct-injection system for delivering hydrogen to the engine also are required.
The Hydrogen 7 looks like the standard 7 series except for three small “hydrogen” nameplates. A small opening on the hood allows hydrogen vapors to escape.
In hydrogen mode, the 260-hp engine runs louder. There is no perceptible lag when the engine switches from gasoline to hydrogen. The car has a range of 125 miles on hydrogen and an additional 310 miles on gasoline. A 1.2-inch-thick, 440-pound cryogenic fuel tank stores 45 gallons of liquid hydrogen at minus 487.4 degrees Fahrenheit. BMW says the insulation is equivalent to the thickness of 56 feet of Styrofoam.
The large tank uses half of the trunk space. Rear seats are moved up 4.5 inches to accommodate the tank.

BMW says the Hydrogen 7 has logged more than 600,000 miles in test drives, and its safety has been tested extensively. If the tank ruptures, the liquid hydrogen freezes and then vaporizes, BMW says.BMW has developed a coupling system that allows the car to be filled with liquid hydrogen at a conventional filling station with fuel stored in above-ground tanks. The tank can be filled in eight minutes.

Source:-[autoweek.com]

Press release from Honda int. affirmed that Premier Southern California Arena Is Now Honda Center.
 Name change made official at unveiling ceremony in Anaheim
  Amid screeching tires from an Indy Car driven by Danica Patrick, booming pyrotechnics and colorful confetti, Southern California’s premier entertainment and sports venue became Honda Center today.
 The name change was made official by executives from Anaheim Arena Management, LLC (AAM), the management company of Honda Center, and American Honda Motor Co., Inc. during a ceremony in the arena parking lot. Danica Patrick, 2005 IndyCar Rookie of the Year and driver of the #16 Rahal Letterman Dallara Honda, made a stunning entrance in her IRL race car. At the podium were Henry and Susan Samueli, owners of AAM and the Anaheim Ducks; arena President and CEO Tim Ryan; American Honda Senior Vice President, Auto Operations John Mendel and Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle.
“We are thrilled to welcome American Honda Motor Company into our family and to have their name on our first-class venue,” said Ryan. “As a long-time member of the Southern California community, Honda will be a tremendous partner. Honda is dedicated to supporting our community, our fans and our vision of hosting simply the best in sports and entertainment.”
 The arena naming-rights deal is the first such agreement for Honda and the first name change for the 13-year-old venue. The agreement, which has an initial term of 15 years with the opportunity for a 10-year extension, was originally announced on July 19 by AAM and Honda.
“This amazing venue is in Honda’s very own backyard, where our associates work, live and play, and it is an important sales market for us,” said Mendel. “The naming of Honda Center grants us the opportunity to increase Honda’s involvement with the community that has welcomed us with open arms for more than 40 years.”
Unveiled today during the fanfare was a Honda Center logo on the southeast corner of the arena, measuring approximately 74.5 feet wide by 20 feet tall. It is one of four corner signs that will be visible to passengers traveling in more than 95 million cars annually on Katella Avenue and the Orange Freeway (57). (Source: CalTrans and City of Anaheim) From the air, a Honda Center sign measuring approximately 157 feet wide and 24 feet tall will be visible on the roof of the arena. All signs will be illuminated at night.
 

The logo features the red corporate “Honda” logo and the word “Center” in gray.
In addition to the building signage, fans will notice Honda product displays at events, branding on the two arena marquees, in-arena graphics on the video boards and a new web site at www.hondacenter.com.
  Fans will also benefit from the new partnership with promotions at events and in the local marketplace.
“One lucky fan will win a 2007 Honda Element at the Anaheim Ducks season opener on October 6 when we face our crosstown rivals, the LA Kings,” said Ryan. “This is just the beginning of creative ideas that we are discussing with Honda.”
 Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, per company policy for both AAM and Honda.
This is the second big change for the arena this year, as the Mighty Ducks became the Anaheim Ducks on June 22 and unveiled a new logo and new colors.
 

Source:- Honda

TOKYO (Oct. 12, 2006) – In commemoration of its 25th anniversary, the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at Oxford University will be hosting a series of annual lectures by Nissan Motor Co.’s top executives on the company’s manufacturing and revolutionary management methodologies. This year’s lectures, which will be held on Oct. 12 and Oct. 13, will be given by Tadao Takahashi, executive vice president of manufacturing, and Colin Dodge, senior vice president of Nissan Europe.
As a successful global automotive company, Nissan’s corporate citizenship extends towards promoting education and community development. The Nissan lecture series is an opportunity to share some of the secrets of Nissan’s corporate success with faculty and students beyond the traditional boundaries of the institute’s Japanese studies, by providing examples and case studies encountered in the real-world competitive business environment.
Lecturing on the topic “The Nissan Production Way (NPW) in Japan and UK,” Takahashi will expand on how the NPW and the principle of “dokiseisan” - meaning synchronization with the customer – allow Nissan to maintain flexible and integrated manufacturing, and keep lead times short. The NPW incorporates integration at supplier, global and logistics levels, contributing to Nissan’s distinction as the most productive manufacturer in the world. In addition, Takahashi will highlight the application of Nissan’s unique Cross Functional Team (CFT) as an effective management tool.
Dodge will explain how the NPW has become the international standard for manufacturing in the world, and has been adopted in all of Nissan’s global manufacturing facilities worldwide. The Sunderland plant in the UK is a great success story for Nissan as it is well recognized as the most productive automotive plant in the Western world today.
As part of its ongoing collaboration, Nissan will continue to explore other exchange opportunities with the Institute particularly in the areas of social contribution, guest lecturers and visiting scholars.
 The Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies was established in 1981 at St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford following an endowment from Nissan and has since become one of the top European centers for the study of modern Japan. By 2008, Nissan’s total benefaction to the Institute is expected to reach £5.6 million.
The Institute’s core academic posts covers social anthropology, economics, politics and modern Japanese history, and it currently offer various degree programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels under the Social Science and Humanities studies.

Source:-[Nissan]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Oct. 3, 2006 — International Speedway Corporation (BULLETIN BOARD: ISCB) (”ISC”) today provided additional details on NASCAR’s domestic broadcast rights contracts for its NEXTEL Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series, as well as other related programming. In a press release dated December 7, 2005, NASCAR announced it had reached eight-year comprehensive agreements with a combination of networks that includes FOX, ABC, ESPN, TNT and PEED.
 The combined eight-year (2007 through 2014) agreements are expected to total approximately $4.48 billion for the industry. As a result, the average annual rights fee is expected to approximate $560 million per year, an estimated 40 percent increase over the current average.
 According to NASCAR Broadcasting, LLC, the total current industry estimate for domestic television revenue in the year 2007 is approximately $505 million, with increases, on average, of approximately three percent per year through the 2014 season. The annual increase is expected to vary between two and four percent per year. The series allocation of the 2007 industry revenue is estimated at $473 million for NEXTEL Cup events, $29 million for Busch races and $3 million for Craftsman Truck events.
International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 racing events annually as well as numerous other motorsports-related activities. The Company owns and/or operates 11 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway in Florida (home of the Daytona 500); Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama; Michigan International Speedway located outside Detroit; Richmond International Raceway in Virginia; California Speedway near Los Angeles; Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas; Phoenix International Raceway in Arizona; Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida; Martinsville Speedway in Virginia; Darlington Raceway in South Carolina; and Watkins Glen International in New York.
Other motorsports entertainment facility ownership includes an indirect 37.5 percent interest in Raceway Associates, LLC, which owns and operates Chicagoland Speedway and Route 66 Raceway near Chicago, Illinois. In addition, ISC is a limited partner with Group Motorise International in the organization and promotion of certain events at Circuit Gilles Villenueve in Montreal, Canada.

The Company also owns and operates MRN Radio, the nation’s largest independent sports radio network; DAYTONA USA, the “Ultimate Motorsports Attraction” in Daytona Beach, Florida, the official attraction of NASCAR; and subsidiaries which provide catering services, food and beverage concessions, and produce and market motorsports-related merchandise under the trade name “Americrown.” In addition, ISC has an indirect 50 percent interest in a business called Motorsports Authentics, which markets and distributes motorsports-related merchandise licensed by certain competitors in NASCAR racing. For more information, visit the Company’s Web site at www.iscmotorsports.com

Source:- [theautochannel]

SKOPJE, Macedonia, October 5 — Johnson Controls, a leader in automotive interior experience, lays the foundation stone of a new automotive electronics plant in Eastern Europe on 5 October. The ground breaking ceremony takes place in the presence of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, along with John Barth, Chairman and CEO, John Fiori, Executive Vice President and President Johnson Controls International and other representatives of Johnson Controls. The new plant is part of Johnson Controls’ strategy for Eastern Europe and production is due to start at the end of 2007. It is anticipated that by the end of 2008, around 150 new employees will have been hired to assemble printed circuit boards in a total workspace of around 6,000 square meters.
“This foundation stone signifies an important and exciting achievement for Skopje and Johnson Controls,” said company Chairman and CEO John Barth. “The Macedonian government has been extremely committed and I would like to thank its officials for their work in supporting this effort. I have no doubt that our partnership will yield excellent results for both Johnson Controls and the Skopje community.”
The new plant is part of Johnson Controls’ long-term strategic objective to position itself in the growth markets of Eastern Europe. Primarily Slovakia is to be supplied from here. The company is investing around USD$20 million in the new plant being built in Bunardzik, a free economic zone located a few kilometers from Skopje. Over the next few years, the capacity of the new plant will be successively adjusted to the order volume. The new location will enable some very good synergies to be leveraged with the development center of the company located only 200 kilometers away in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Social commitment as a corporate objective
“We are always conscious of our social responsibility and here in Macedonia we are making an investment in the future,” explained John Fiori. This investment by the company is not only in the construction of the plant but also in technology, people and the community. For instance, Johnson Controls has a scholarship program at the university in Skopje, where the company provides financial support to 35 students for a maximum of four years.
From these students 20 are already in their second year and 15 are new to the program. These scholarships are set up to ensure that the very high educational standard required by the automotive industry is maintained.
The Macedonia scholarship program is just one example of Johnson Controls’ global commitment to corporate citizenship. Another example is the company’s global sustainability initiative, which focuses on people and the environment - to the benefit of the communities where it does business. “We believe one of the reasons we have been very successful for the past 120 years is that we have strong corporate values,” said Barth. “These values - integrity, customer satisfaction, our employees, improvement and innovation, and safety and the environment - are the foundation of how we do business all over the world.”
Johnson Controls is a global leader in interior experience, building efficiency and power solutions with 136,000 employees in more than 1,000 locations serving customers in 125 countries. The company provides innovative automotive interiors that help make driving more comfortable, safe and enjoyable. For buildings, it offers products and services that optimize energy use and improve comfort and security. Johnson Controls’ automotive product portfolio also includes seating systems, instrument panels/cockpits, door and overhead systems, interior electronics and electrical energy management. The company provides batteries for automobiles and hybrid electric vehicles, along with systems engineering and service expertise. Founded in 1885, Johnson Controls is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The European headquarters is in Burscheid, Germany. Please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com for additional information.
Source:-[ theautochannel]

2008 Pontiac Trans Am: According to the rumors GTO will have 2009 model and in all probability will be come to dealers by 2008. If we see at the success stats for GTO in terms of sales then 15,728 units cars were sold in 2004 where as 11,069 in 2005. The planned sales for the car was near to 18,000 for these 2 years. The probable reason for the car not being so successful could be its price tag. According to Buick-Pontiac-GMC General Manager John Larson, “cancellation of the GTO is due to ‘07 airbag standards that cannot be met with the current car”.
Will the GTO built on Zeta-Lite platform that is being developed to bring down the prices by some design changes to Zeta. GTO will in all probability share launch with future Camaro. What will be the engine used in GTO and will it be similar to one used in Camaro. What about its power? These questions are vital to say anything about the car.

Source:- Link

2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R, 2008 Infiniti GT-R 

2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R is couple of years away of being driven by general people but spy shots have appeared on the net since long. The vehicle would come to US with a badge of 2008 Infiniti GT-R. The car in the picture looks quite different than the photos which were available earlier. The car is for sure longer overall length then its Japanese Nissan Skyline counterpart. The design and development of the car has taken close to 6 years. It is evident from the time taken for the development of the car and the tightlipped ness of Nissan officials this car is going to be one of the best and fastest car from Japanese auto maker.
The car is going to be fitted with Nissan latest hardware and all wheel drive. Twin turbo version of Nissan’s VQ V6 with 400 horsepower engine is expected in this future car. Nissan originally planned for V-8 engine, which was dropped due to the fact that the engine was too big and heavy which was a hindrance in the effective dynamic balance. The all-wheel-drive system will feature electronic ATTESA E-TS, torque sensing, matched to four-wheel steering. The car is planned to have a speed of 180 mph and would reach 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds
Source:- Link.

The Hyundai Coupe (otherwise known as the Tiburon in the U.S. and Asia) may have launched officially at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China earlier this year, but that didn’t stop Hyundai from putting it on its stand at the Paris Motor Show to show off Hyundai’s 2007 front-wheel drive sports coupe.

          John grabbed these pictures from the peanut gallery of Hyundai’s stand, and according to him, the Coupe wasn’t even out at the show until the second day of press preview. Earlier in the year as spy shots of the vehicle surfaced, this was initially thought to be the 2008 model, but Hyundai has since corrected us with publicity information indicating that it’s the 2007 model.
 Fans of earlier models will note that the body style hasn’t changed much, with the exception of harder angles on the hood and sides, new headlights, a fatter and flatter nose and cool vender vents. Under the body panels, the vehicle has changed even less — Hyundai is still offering the same 1.6 and 2.0 liter four-cylinders and 2.7L V6 under the hood, the first of which will likely not be available in the U.S.
 

Hyundai has freshened up the interior, however, with blue LED instrumentation, extendable sun visors and other goodies.
  Sourcr:- Link