Smith confirmed that the plane belonged [...]]]> DETRIOT NEWS: NASCAR team owner Jack Roush was in serious but stable condition after walking away from a plane crash in Wisconsin on Tuesday night.

  The German premium brand revealed July 26 that it has already electrified three of its Boxster sports cars and is currently testing them in Stuttgart.

 The research cars are being used to test batteries and [...]]]> FROM THE INDEPENDENT:  Porsche has announced that it plans to take on Tesla by developing its own high performance electric sports cars.

  The German premium brand revealed July 26 that it has already electrified three of its Boxster sports cars and is currently testing them in Stuttgart.

 The research cars are being used to test batteries and the new electric drive components developed by Porsche, as well as the infrastructure needed to make EV sports cars a reality.

 ”We will definitely be offering electric sports cars in the future,” said Michael Macht, the President and CEO of Porsche AG.  MORE»

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi announced on Monday that the park will open in 100 days featuring a record-breaking [...]]]> FROM AFP:  A year after its first Formula One race, Abu Dhabi hopes to lure even more tourists with “Ferrari World” — a grandiose theme park that is the first of its kind for the iconic Italian carmaker.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi announced on Monday that the park will open in 100 days featuring a record-breaking roller coaster ride meant to emulate the feeling of being in a Ferrari F1 car.

Sitting next to the futuristic Yas Marina circuit that hosted Abu Dhabi’s inaugural Grand Prix race in November 2009, the sprawling complex will be the world’s largest indoor theme park.

Due to open on October 28, little more than two weeks before this year’s Abu Dhabi GP, it will be housed under a massive triangular red roof on the 40-billion-dollar Yas Island development. MORE»

 FROM FORBES:  Toyota Motor, the leader in hybrid vehicles, has settled a patent-infringement dispute that had threatened to block the sale of the best-selling Prius and other Toyota hybrids.

The agreement with Paice LLC, a tiny Florida firm founded by [...]]]>

Deal with Russian-born inventor allows imports of Prius and other hybrids to continue in U.S. -FORBES

 FROM FORBES:  Toyota Motor, the leader in hybrid vehicles, has settled a patent-infringement dispute that had threatened to block the sale of the best-selling Prius and other Toyota hybrids.

The agreement with Paice LLC, a tiny Florida firm founded by Alex Severinsky, a 65-year-old Soviet refugee, came Monday just as a hearing was to begin on Paice’s claim against Toyota ( TM – news – people ) before the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington.

Severinsky claimed Toyota had infringed his 1994 patent for a high-voltage, low-current hybrid system, which he said provided the ideal balance between performance and cost. MORE»

The Argentine driver was announced by the team after co-founder Peter Windsor met the country’s president in January. Days later it became apparent that the project was in trouble.

“At the time I felt terrible,” Lopez told SPEED.com on [...]]]> FROM SPEED:  Jose Maria Lopez says he was embarrassed to be involved with the failed US F1 project.

The Argentine driver was announced by the team after co-founder Peter Windsor met the country’s president in January. Days later it became apparent that the project was in trouble.

“At the time I felt terrible,” Lopez told SPEED.com on a visit to the British GP. “I was lucky to have the opportunity, but the way that everything went put me and the people working with me in an embarrassing situation. They met the president, they promised us everything. All the time we were asking if they will make it. All the time they would say, ‘No problem. We’re going to make it.’  MORE»

At a conference in Bilbao, Spain, last month, Ford Europe Chairman and CEO John Fleming said overcapacity had reached [...]]]>

The No 2 Japanese carmaker, which is now focusing on low-priced cars for India and other emerging markets, will stop [...]]]> FROM REUTERS:  Honda Motor Co would stop selling two of its longstanding brands and phase out the gas-powered Civic in its domestic market, to focus on green vehicles and low-priced cars, the Nikkei business daily reported.

The No 2 Japanese carmaker, which is now focusing on low-priced cars for India and other emerging markets, will stop the Legend and the Elysion models, and sell only the hybrid version of the Civic in Japan, the daily said.

The carmaker will roll out an all-new Civic worldwide around 2011 fall, the paper said.  MORE»

WITH downsizing becoming de rigeur these days, Fiat reckons it has found a solution to emissions and fuel economy, without sacrificing power. And that is by taking away some cylinders. We have [...]]]> FROM THE IRISH TIMES:  Fiat have wrapped an impressive amount of power into its new 2-cylinder petrol engine but it comes at a price

WITH downsizing becoming de rigeur these days, Fiat reckons it has found a solution to emissions and fuel economy, without sacrificing power. And that is by taking away some cylinders. We have had the four-cylinder 500 model. Now we have the two-cylinder version.

Having a two-cylinder engine isn’t new, the original Fiat 500 was powered by such an engine, but it is certainly a novelty today. Fiat reckons that an upcoming set of regulations, the future European Emissions Standard (Euro 6) which comes into effect in 2014 will be much tougher on diesel engines and there will be a need for cleaner and more fuel-efficient petrol engines. That’s where its new two-cylinder might just be the answer. MORE»

Audi said on Thursday deliveries to customers rose 8.7 percent to 99,250 vehicles in June thanks to another surge in demand in China, which overtook Germany [...]]]> FROM REUTERS:  Volkswagen’s  luxury brand Audi reaffirmed its forecast to post record vehicle sales in 2010, only one year after the biggest crisis the auto industry has seen in decades.

Audi said on Thursday deliveries to customers rose 8.7 percent to 99,250 vehicles in June thanks to another surge in demand in China, which overtook Germany this year as the company’s single largest market.

In the first half, sales volume rose 19.1 percent to 554,950 vehicles as above-average demand in the U.S. and British markets also helped to drive results and compensate for a 5.1 percent decrease in Germany.  MORE»