Maker of top of the line GMC cargo liner, General Motors once again made good decision in announcing the Opel Corsa GSi and the Vauxhall Corsa Sri.

The new Opel Corsa GSi offers more substance more than its physical appearance. It offers fine sportiness instead of firm high-performance. It is currently exhibited at the Barcelona Motor Show (June 7 - 17, 2007). It comes with a powerful 1.6 ECOTEC turbo engine that produces 110 kW/150 hp at 5000 rpm. As a result, this power potions the new GSi model between the Corsa Sport 1.7 CDTI (125 hp) and the high-performance Corsa OPC (192 hp).

Alain Visser, the Executive Director of the European Marketing Opel, said that they were honored to launch another model, with the legendary GSi heritage. He explained that Opel enthusiasts know just what the three letters GSi stand for - plenty of fun, good value for money and assured no compromises in everyday use or driving conditions. He added that the Corsa GSi blends the modesty of its compact dimensions with applause worthy performance as compared to the entire rpm range, which actually puts the model in the next higher car class position.

The range to five gasoline and three diesel variants with a performance spectrum of 60 to 192 hp was expanded with the addition of the GSi to the Corsa model line. And since the fourth-generation’s launch in October 2006, more than 320.000 new Corsas have been sold across Europe.

The option between a three or five-door variant is now available for Corsa GSi buyers. The new Corsa possesses the maximum speed of 210 km/h and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds. Powered by the 1.6-liter turbo gasoline engine, the car has an Electric Power Steering (EPS) that features variable progressive feedback curve and lowered sport chassis (front: 18 mm, rear: 15 mm) with ESP as standard ensure agile handling.

With exterior modifications such as a front spoiler lip, rear apron lip and spoiler, color-keyed side sills, chrome sport tailpipe and 17-inch alloy wheels, the Corsa GSi’s styling is also fairly sporty. Its interior’s dynamic status is emphasized by the cozy, charcoal/red upholstered sport seats which feature high side support, a leather steering wheel with red inserts, red safety belts as well as aluminum-style pedals.

The Vauxhall Corsa SRi has showed that its legendary SRi badge will be returning on another performance version of the new Corsa.

The Corsa SRi is built with the goal of appealing to customers who do not need all the performance of the VXR yet the style and sharp driving dynamics are still well appreciated.

The new detuned 150PS version of the turbocharged engine found in Corsa VXR powers the petrol versions of the SRi. As a result, the SRi takes from 0-60mph in just 7.6 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 130mph.

An especially developed sports chassis keeps the power closely monitored. This chassis is lowered at the front by 18 mm and at the rear by 15mm. Moreover, it also features an ESP as standard equipment. Variable progressive feedback is also featured by the power steering. This therefore implies that the weight of the steering electronically adjusts in order to keep the driver well informed at all times.

Do you want to achieve fuel economy? Yes, the SRi offers that. Using the diesel that is 1.7-litre CDTi with 125PS, those customers wanting more economy can now achieve their desired fuel less consumption. Like any other car with the SRi badge, the Vauxhall Corsa SRi possesses stunning performance, accelerates from 0-60mph in 9.3 seconds, and goes on to a maximum speed of 121 mph. But it is still able to achieve an average of 58.9 mpg.

The front spoiler, deep body-colored side sills, 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome sports exhaust pipe, and subtle tailgate spoiler all yield purposeful looks outside. The interior includes red-detailed sports seats, a leather-trimmed steering wheel with red inserts, alloy pedals and red seatbelts, which all further give better performance setting.

The Corsa SRi will be available to order from June 23 and is set to enter showrooms in September as either a three-door or a five-door. Prices will be announced later this month.

Ford Motor Co. rolled off its production line in the United Kingdom. As a fact, the first Rover Freelander 2 is now being manufactured at Jaguar’s Halewood Factory on Merseyside. Said move from the carmaker is seen as a crucial step to bolster the economy of the region.

Ford purchased Land Rover in 2000. Since then, the carmaker has been banking on said brand to augment its dropping sales. This is because Ford’s mighty competitors are attacking the market from all sides to yield a bigger slice in the automotive market. Moreover, Ford UK brands also experiences the fatal threat that shakes its US parent.

To pave way for a tighter competition, Ford is making swift moves to recover. It is actively involve in different movements. It is also introducing power lineup. And now, it is spreading its wings to different territories. The carmaker also ensures the quality of Land Rover Freelander auto parts to generate the quality that is distinctively Ford’s.

Some analysts are wondering whether Ford has enough finances to hang onto Jaguar and Land Rover. In an interview professor David Bailey of Birmingham Business School stated that Ford UK was “hanging in the balance.” Bailey also noted, “”Unless they improve dramatically they (Ford) can’t guarantee that they can hang onto the UK brands. Behind all of this is Ford’s enormous restructuring problems - sales are down enormously in the North American market, they are looking to cut costs massively over they next two years.

Nonetheless, the production of Freelander at Halewood is expected to make massive turnaround. According to Eddie O’Hara, Labour MP for Knowlsley South, the area was confident that the new Freelander was a winner. He anticipates that the production of said vehicle can go for at least 9 years.

Roger Maddison of union Amicus said that the production marked a great day for Halewood and for the UK car making industry which needs some good news. He added, “The Freelander has been designed and will now be built in the UK and so is extremely important for the UK’s car manufacturing capability as well as the future of Land Rover in the UK.”

£1 billion is such a huge amount but not much for the Ford Motor Company. This gargantuan amount would be actually invested by the auto manufacturer so as to be able to develop high technologies that could greatly help out the environment. Of course, they would be using these technologies for its UK line of vehicle brands like Ford, Land Rover, Volvo, and Jaguar.

According to the company, they would be investing such a huge amount of money so as to be able to develop and build technologies that would enable them to bring out vehicles and cars that are friendly to the environment. And when these developments and engineering innovations prove to be working well and successfully, most customers would sure be able to find them in all Ford cars and trucks as well as in Ford parts like Ford Fairmont auto parts. Also, the Ford of Europe’s and the Premiere Automotive Group’s throng of vehicles has been foreseen to be able to save much on fuel and at the same time reduce emissions with the technologies that are about to be developed.

Lewis Booth further states, “Climate change is one of the greatest single challenges facing the auto industry and society today. A broad business strategy that serves all our brands is the only way we can achieve the level of improvement in emissions and fuel economy required. We are not going to introduce just one or two high profile green cars that sell in relatively low numbers and leave it at that. By pooling our engineering investment, our brands will develop a broader range of technologies.” Lewis Booth is the chairman and chief executive officer of Ford of Europe and of the Premiere Automotive Group.

All of the Ford Motor Company’s car brands would be actually focusing on a couple of areas so as to bring such a vision to reality. They would be trying to create lightweight and aluminum vehicles so as to save on weight. They would also be focusing on direct injection gasoline engines as well as new transmissions that could work out best with their goals.

Starting this summer, British car enthusiasts will have the chance to ride new vehicles from DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group division. Straight from the company’s headquarters in Michigan, Chrysler Group will bring the new Dodge Nitro SUV and Dodge Avenger sedan to roll out in dealer showrooms all over the United Kingdom. Chrysler Group also released the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the two vehicles.

According to Peter Lambert, Managing Director of Chrysler Group UK:

“People want to drive a car that helps them to stand out from the crowd and still manages to offer great value for money. Our new Dodge vehicles deliver bold and aggressive styling together with masses of standard kit that make them both incredibly good value.”

First off is the all-new 4-door Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicle (SUV). The vehicle retains its boxy and aggressive body styling with 20-inch and chrome-clad aluminum wheels and performance tires. Compared to the VW Touareg mid size SUV with trapezoidal VW grille, the new Nitro features Dodge’s signature crosshair grille on its front fascia that marks its identity.

“In a world of mostly bland competitors, the Dodge Nitro has the design, engineering and performance to inspire drivers and shake up the mid-size SUV market”, says Peter Lambert. “The Nitro boasts excellent overall performance and competitive fuel economy, as well as a comprehensive range of safety, security and convenience features including the new ‘Load ‘N Go’ rear floor cargo system.” he added

Available in three model trims, UK customers will have a choice of two power plants for the new Dodge Nitro: an all-new 2.8-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine and a 3.7-litre petrol engine.

The all-new 2.8-litre common-rail turbo diesel engine delivers 174 hp and produces 339 lb.-ft or peak torque, mated to either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic gearbox. Meanwhile, the more powerful 3.7-litre SOHC V6 petrol engine pumps out 203 hp and produces 232 lb.-ft. amount of pulling force torque output. The engine is combined with a standard automatic transmission powering the vehicle’s 4×4 drivetrain configuration.

The new Dodge Nitro will roll out in the UK market with the following MSRP: 2.8 CRD SE (MT) - £18,990 ($37,368 USD); 2.8 CRD SXT (MT) - £22,490 ($44,255 USD); 2.8 CRD SXT (AT) £23,490 ($46,223 USD); 3.7 SXT (AT) - £23,490 ($46,223 USD).

Meanwhile, the Dodge Avenger sedan comes in two model trim levels – Avenger SE and Avenger SXT. Both models are available with either a petrol or a turbo diesel engine with 2.0 liter of displacement. The 2.0-liter petrol engine is capable of delivering 154 hp and produces 140 lb.-ft. amount of torque, coupled with a 5-speed automatic gearbox. Base MSRP for Dodge Avenger SE with 2.0-liter petrol engine is at 14,995 British pounds ($29,500 USD).

For fuel efficient customers, the 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine is available with power output of 38 hp and 229 lb.-ft. amount of torque, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. MSRP for the Dodge Avenger SE with this type of engine starts at 15,995 ($31,475).

If you own a powerful car and you drive enthusiastically, you’re probably not going to be blessed with marvellous fuel economy. However, there are various steps you can make to lower the amount of gas you use on any journey without driving like a miser. This article only majors on the most effective methods of reducing fuel consumption, if you need more tips please do a search on Google – there is a plethora of information out there…

Keep your car well maintained

Following the correct service intervals will keep your car running efficiently. New air filters will allow the free flow of air necessary for efficient fuel combustion, clean fuel filters provide a steady stream of petrol to the cylinders, and shiny new spark plugs will provide the spark needed to set the whole thing off. A thing of beauty! They key here is the efficient burn of the fuel air mix, which will allow more power to be extracted from a set volume of fuel. A new air filter alone could increase fuel consumption up to 10%.

Tyres

Underinflated tyres need more energy to roll. Keeping the pressures at the correct level can increase economy by up to 3.5%. Specialist fuel saving tyres are also available, although these may not perform so well on the track! Properly inflated tyres are also key to providing optimum levels of grip, so it’s worth checking periodically.

Gears

Using higher gears won’t give you lightning acceleration but will save fuel. Keeping your revs low (but not so low that your engine starts to struggle) is a good habit to get into when cruising. If you have a “Sport Mode” on your auto transmission, turn this off, as this will hang onto low gears for longer and may even prevent changing to the highest cog.

Accelerate hard to save fuel?!

A British automotive engineering consultancy claims to have unearthed proof that putting your foot down hard on the accelerator can actually be more fuel efficient than driving more conservatively.

“It sounds totally counter-intuitive — and it is,” admits Cousins. The key to saving fuel, he says, is to accelerate hard until the engine reaches 2000 rpm, move up a gear, then put your foot down until you reach 2000rpm again. It’s all to do with internal friction. “Put simply, with your right foot down on the accelerator, the engine is working at its most efficient,” says Cousins. Above 2000rpm the benefits diminish and you start using more fuel, not less.

Here’s the really interesting thing: in tests carried out in a Citroën C1, one of the most fuel-efficient cars, Cousins’s driving technique proved 8.5% more efficient than the “eco-safe driving” style promoted by the Department for Transport (http://www.dsa.gov.uk — search for eco-safe). The government’s official driving method — taught to all UK learner drivers and now included in the driving test — encourages drivers to save fuel by using the accelerator pedal only lightly.

Source: http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/

Dr Steve Cousins should know what he’s talking about – he was project leader for the Axon Automotive Caterham 2R which achieved 131 miles per gallon in UK Shell Eco-marathon, and is one of the world’s top researchers into fuel economy.

Accelerate gently to save fuel

Although there may be evidence that accelerating hard to 2000rpm could save you fuel, accelerating to the red line in every gear will certainly not. In general, try to keep a constant speed where possible by judging potential reasons to slow down in the road ahead and react to them, avoiding rapid changes in momentum. If you’re slowing down and accelerating the whole time, fuel bills will go through the roof.

Speed

The faster you go, the harder it is to propel your vehicle through the air. This means that a small decrease in cruising speed could provide fuel economy benefits. The UK’s Department of Environment claims that every 5 mph you drive over 65 mph will provide a 7% decrease in fuel economy.

Incidentally if you believe these figures, at 130 mph on the autobahns of Germany, you’ll be using 91% more fuel than at 65mph. At 150, you’ll actually be getting negative miles per gallon, and you’ll arrive at your destination younger than when you started!

For more driving tips, please visit DrivingFast.net

The skyrocketing price of gasoline and the increasing awareness of the threat of global warming have increased the demand for fuel efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. Automakers like Toyota and Ford, in response, developed hybrid vehicles; these are automobiles equipped with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The said motor helps the relatively small internal combustion engine power the vehicle.

It is common knowledge that hybrids are popular among consumers in the United States. In Europe, automakers are developing clean diesel engines as their response to the call for clean cars. But Frost & Sullivan’s new study pointes out that the United Kingdom is one of the largest hybrid vehicle markets in the world. This is a clear indication that developed countries are increasingly taking steps towards protecting the environment. Unfortunately, developing countries are still unable to bring hybrid vehicles into their roads.

While the popularity of hybrid automobiles made analysts predict that a large number of these green cars will be sold all over the world, their expectations were still short. Frost & Sullivan’s study revealed that the growth in hybrid automobile sales all over the world has surpassed expectations. From the year 2000, sales of hybrid have been increasing although there is a slight decrease in growth rate. Last year, the study reported that 23 percent more gas-electric hybrid vehicles were sold in developed countries like Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Suba Swaminathan, Frost & Sullivan’s Team Leader Power Systems Group, pointed out the advantage of hybrid vehicles saying: “The advantage that a HEV offers with regard to construction and design aspects is that the engine designed in a HEV is small, which makes these vehicles more efficient.”

“Although hybrids are available in the automobile market for the past 10 years and are not as popular as conventional vehicles, the advantages of using hybrids are more with regard to economical and environmental aspects,” added Swaminathan. “One of the advantages of using HEVs is: improved fuel economy. Hybrids require much lesser fuel than conventional vehicles, offering greater savings on fuel costs. Another advantage is improved efficiency. In fact, they offer more mileage compared with conventional vehicles, which makes HEVs require minimal gas. They are environment friendly; hybrids have much lesser greenhouse gas emissions, and are therefore capable of reducing the smog-forming pollutants in the atmosphere; tax credits and incentives. Finally, many governments across different countries promote HEVs by offering tax credits and incentives that make HEVs affordable.”

Just as sure as the demand for auto parts like the Mazda thermostat is increasing, more and more hybrids will be sold by consumers from developed countries.

In the old days it used to be that you just drove your Nissan Sentra and perhaps its brand new Nissan Sentra parts over to McDonalds to get some of those yummy French fries and Mcburgers.

Now can you imagine getting your car fueled in McDonalds? How about a fuel pump sticking out the drive thru window to gas up your car?

No? Maybe literally these scenarios are far-fetched, but, to get fuel to power your car from the world-famous food chain’s kitchen isn’t as remote a possibility as you think.

In the UK just recently, McDonalds has announced that it will be converting all of its UK delivery vans to run on cooking oil-based biodiesel. This means that aside from getting to enjoy that delicious smell of double cheeseburger ‘n’ fries as a delivery truck drives by our British friends can do so rest assured that the truck may be carrying sinful food but it isn’t at least, making the dreadful environmental transgression we call pollution.

So how does it work?

According to a report by Topgear, once the oil has been used to make your Freedom Fries turn into a tasty state of crispiness, it’ll be combined with rapeseed oil to power McDonald’s 155 Lorries, saving some 1,650 tonnes of carbon each year. Which is something, if you think about all the folks calling for delivery everyday, right?

Here in our shores, we are also not lacking in environmentally-sound burger-delivering companies. In 2006 it was reported that Burgerville, a Vancouver, WA-based “fast casual” restaurant chain, has begun converting its used cooking oil into biodiesel. Through an agreement with Portland company MRP Services, the used oil is picked up and transported to a processing plant where it is converted to biodiesel.

Before the two companies arranged to do good for Mother Nature, the oil was shipped to Asia and typically used in the creation of cosmetics and soap.

This isn’t the first foray into sustainable business practices for Burgerville though. Last August, the company announced it would pay for its electricity by purchasing wind power, a move that saved a staggering 17.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide from being released to the region annually.

About Biodiesel

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

Biodiesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources such as soybeans, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil and contributes to our own economy. (source: http://www.biodiesel.org/)