auto parts manufacturers,auto parts suppliers

DEARBORN, Mich., June 2, 2008 – Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] has today completed the sale of its Jaguar Land Rover operations to Tata Motors. 

The sale is the culmination of Ford’s decision last August to explore strategic options for the Jaguar Land Rover business, as the company accelerates its focus on its core Ford brand and “One Ford” global transformation.  It also allows Jaguar Land Rover to focus on delivering what is best for its business.   

As part of the overall sale agreement between Ford and Tata Motors, Ford will continue to supply Jaguar Land Rover with engines, stampings and technology, including a range of environmental technologies. 

Ford Motor Company wishes the Jaguar Land Rover management team, its employees and the new owners every success for the future.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents.  With about 230,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda.  The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. 

· Audi TDI Power remains unbeaten at Le Mans
· First Le Mans appearance with second-generation bio fuel
· Audi R10 TDI achieves new distance record
Ingolstadt/Le Mans – At one of the most exciting and fastest races in Le Mans history, AUDI AG clinched another triumph at what is arguably the world’s toughest motor race.

For Audi, this marked the eighth Le Mans triumph in just ten races. This puts Audi in third place – just one victory short of Ferrari – on the perpetual list of winners of the endurance classic which has been staged since 1923.

In its third running at Le Mans, the Audi R10 TDI again remained unbeaten. Audi continues to be the only manufacturer to have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel-powered vehicle.

Le Mans 2008 marked the Audi R10 TDI’s 29th race and the 16th victory of AUDI AG’s diesel-powered sportscar.

In 2008, the victorious Audi R10 TDI ran with second-generation bio fuel for the first time: In addition to the well-known GTL components, a small amount of BTL (Biomass-to-Liquids) was added to the Shell V-Power Diesel fuel.

5,192.649 kilometres (381 laps) were completed by Dindo Capello, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen in the victorious Audi R10 TDI (chassis number 204) in the race, setting a new record for the current circuit version.

With an average speed of 216.300 kph the 76th running of the 24 Hour of Le Mans was the fifth-quickest in the event’s history and the fastest since the Hunaudières straight was slowed by adding two chicanes in 1990.

The fastest race lap of the Audi R10 TDI was set by Alexandre Prémat on Saturday afternoon on lap 75 with a time of 3m 23.939s (average: 240.584 kph), which was 3.237 seconds less than Allan McNish’s fastest lap from last year.

The fastest lap an Audi R10 TDI has ever achieved at Le Mans so far was driven by Allan McNish in Saturday morning’s warm-up at 3m 23.319s (average: 241.317 kph).

Only for the fifth time in the Le Mans 24 Hours’ total history, and for the first time in 20 years, a vehicle marked as car #2 won the event.

During the race, four different cars were running at the front, with the lead changing 25 times altogether. The Audi R10 TDI that ultimately won the race led the field for 178 of the 381 laps – more than any other car.

Of the 55 vehicles that had started from the grid, 19 retired. Audi Sport Team Joest finished the race with all three Audi R10 TDI cars.

The victorious Audi R10 TDI spent just 31 minutes and 56 seconds in the pits. The vehicle pitted a total of 32 times – thanks to the fuel-efficient TDI engine, the number of pit stops was four lower than that of the second-placed Peugeot – and not a single one was an unscheduled stop. 20 times the tyres were changed. The winning car did not encounter a single technical problem.

One tank of Shell V-Power Diesel took the Audi drivers over a distance of twelve laps – one more than their rivals from the Peugeot camp. On average, the engine’s fuel consumption was just 45.56 litres per 100 kilometres.

There were only eight driver changes with the winning car. The longest stint was driven by Allan McNish: from 6:11 to 9:31 a.m., the Scotsman was at the wheel of the Audi R10 TDI for a solid 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Tom Kristensen celebrated his eighth victory at Le Mans, thus extending his previous record. For Allan McNish, this was the second Le Mans triumph after 1998 and the first with Audi. Dindo Capello won for the third time. For the trio, this marked the first joint success achieved in their third joint race.

On race day, the average age of the victorious drivers’ squad was 40.3 years. Dindo Capello celebrated his 44th birthday on the Tuesday following the Le Mans victory. Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen turns 41 on 7 July, Allan McNish 39 in December.

In summary, this was the 26th Le Mans appearance of a German car manufacturer, the 50th of an open cockpit sportscar and the 17th for Michelin, Audi’s tyre partner, who has not been beaten at Le Mans since 1998.

For the team around Reinhold Joest, this was the tenth triumph at Le Mans, for Audi Sport Team Joest, the sixth.

Audi Technology was victorious at Le Mans for the ninth consecutive time. Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich was responsible for all nine victories.

Ford Focus ECOnetic Smart Driving Challenge on this summer

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 18 June, 2008 – Drivers eager to limit the impact of rising fuel prices have flooded Ford with applications for its summer Smart Driving Challenge.

The strong response to the Ford Focus ECOnetic eco driving competition, launched in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, has led to the challenge being extended to run throughout the British International Motor Show in London from July 23.

Smart driving techniques deliver environmental, financial and safety benefits by reducing fuel consumption thanks to a smoother driving style aimed at eliminating wasteful acceleration and braking.

Eco driving will be taught at six venues, including the British International Motor Show, as part of Ford’s nationwide challenge to find the UK’s greenest motorist. On the first day of registration alone, over 50 people signed up.

Candidates will tackle a three-part test: the first to establish existing eco driving skills among the 200 participants, with fuel consumption/CO2 output recorded.

Next comes a session of eco driving instruction from the Energy Saving Trust before a second mpg/CO2 measure is produced –expressed as an annual fuel saving. Fuel consumption is typically reduced by 15 per cent and savings can be as much as 25 per cent.

The driver with the most improvement at each event will win the loan of a new Ford Focus ECOnetic and a £1,000 eco home makeover, which looks at the fuel efficiency of a property and its appliances to deliver lower utility bills. Britain’s top eco driver will win £10,000 worth of free advice and appliances for the home.
The Focus ECOnetic has a combined fuel consumption figure of almost 66mpg – resulting in a class-leading 114g CO2/km.

Andy Taylor, Ford’s sustainability director, said: “Designing and manufacturing fuel efficient cars such as the Ford ECOnetic range becomes even more meaningful when linked to other measures to reduce emissions. Smooth and smart driving plays a huge but often unrecognised part in motoring – both financial as well as environmental.”

Nigel Underdown, Energy Saving Trust head of transport advice, said: “The Energy Saving Trust believes that typical savings of 15 per cent – in litres, pounds and CO2 – are achievable and realistic by adopting smarter driving techniques. Drivers will welcome the savings as fuel prices reach record levels and will also help address climate change by reducing CO2 emissions.”

Ford Focus ECOnetic Smart Driving Challenge

Murrayfield Stadium
Scotland
5 July

Longleat Safari Park
Wiltshire
12 July

Blue Reef Aquarium
Tynemouth
19 July

Knowsley Safari Park
Merseyside
9 August

West Midlands Safari Park
Worcestershire
16 August

British International Motor Show
ExCel, London
23 July – 3 August

What is eco driving?

Change up through the gears at between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm
Ease your speed. Driving at 70mph uses around 15 per cent more fuel than at 50mph
Anticipate to avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking

Use auxiliary equipment selectively, eg air conditioning

Switch off the engine whenever safe to do so

Check and adjust tyre pressures regularly, according to load and speed driven

Remove unnecessary cargo from the car to reduce weight

Reduce aerodynamic drag whenever possible, eg close windows or remove roof racks
What are the benefits?

Reduced fuel consumption
Lower fuel bills
Less CO2 emissions
Lower accident rates as a result of improved anticipation

HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda will present an all-new show car at this year’s Moscow International Automobile Salon. The concept is a sporty, compact crossover SUV designed especially for the Russian market.

The Moscow show car is the latest concept to be developed using the new design direction called Nagare – following in the footsteps of Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai. Nagare, which means “flow” in Japanese, represents a new approach to expressing movement in car design, taking as inspiration the flow patterns of natural elements, such as the wind. The design theme of Mazda’s concept for the 2008 Moscow motor show is “crosswinds”.

Russia is one of Europe’s fastest-growing markets and is rapidly becoming the region’s largest automobile market. SUVs are particularly popular in Russia, with a segment share of about 20 percent. Mazda’s latest concept car is designed to appeal particularly to younger SUV owners who have a strong sense of style.

The Moscow show car, the name of which will be announced in due course, again showcases the depth of creativity within Mazda design. In February 2008, the Mazda Design team received the coveted Grand Prix du Design at the Festival Automobile International in Paris.

The Moscow International Automobile Salon media days are on August 26 and 27, whereas August 28 caters for industry and trade specialists. The show is open to the public from August 29 through September 7. The new show car will be unveiled at the Mazda press conference at 10:15 on August 26 at the Mazda stand.