First there were rumors of "tortilla riots" in Mexico. Then, as the price of corn-based feed skyrocketed, meat and egg prices rose. As hops farmers switched to corn, beer prices followed suit. And now MSNBC reports the booming corn-for-ethanol market is expanding the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. As farmers plant more corn and use more nitrogen-based fertilizer, they're increasing the amount of run-off that ends up in the Gulf via the Mississippi River. The nitrogen surge is leading to heavy algae growth, which depletes the water of oxygen (as it dies and decays), which suffocates shrimp, crabs, oysters and other sea life. Environmentalists say if something isn't done, the ethanol industry's knock-on effects threatents the Gulf's entire ecosystem and the livelihood of thousands of fishermen along the coast. Not to mention the escalating price of shrimp gumbo and oyster po'boys.

MSNBC »

Source: Ethanol Production is Killing the Gulf

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Simona Alina
Filed in: Citroen | minivans vans | Citroen Berlingo

With the Berlingo, Citroën created the leisure activity vehicle segment and launched a new concept in compact vans. Its innovative qualities appealed to private and professional customers alike, making it a huge commercial success. It has been the clear leader in the leisure activity vehicle segment in Europe (17 countries) since 2003. Worldwide, Citroën has sold more than 1,760,000 Berlingos (cars and LCVs) since launch in 1996.

The New Berlingo will go on sale in second-half 2008. It will be sold alongside the current Berlingo model, which will be available in some countries as an entry-level offering called “Berlingo First”. This strategy will enable the Marque to better meet the highly diverse needs of its customers.

New Citroën Berlingo car: The comfort of a saloon and the practicality of an MPV

Adapting to all situations, the Berlingo meets customers’ growing needs for freedom and versatility in use.

The New Berlingo retains the ultra-functional, family-friendly character of the original and strengthens its personality with dynamic, upmarket styling that also identifies it immediately as a Citroën. It boasts saloon-like levels of comfort – acoustics in particular – and MPV-style practicality (tailgate with opening window, three independent removable seats in row two, a redesigned Modutop® and an overhead storage rack). It is also a great car to drive, thanks to a longer wheelbase and C4 Picasso running gear.

And with its 110 bhp HDi diesel engine fitted with a particulate filter (DPFS), the New Berlingo carries the Airdream environmental signature that denotes the greenest models in Citroën’s range.

New Citroën Berlingo LCV: Practical and functional, yet strong on styling and comfort

The compact van version of the New Berlingo is big on load volume, payload and versatility, which are key features for professionals. It has a huge loading area (3.3 m3, up to 850 kg of payload and 1.8 m of useful length) that can take two Europallets width-wise, and is available with an Extenso® modular cabin, able to transport loads up to 3 metres long and increase useful load to 3.7 m3 or seat three people at the front.

The New Berlingo also offers passengers saloon-like levels of equipment for comfort and driving pleasure, including hill start assist, a height- and reach-adjustable steering wheel, C4 Picasso running gear and ESP. The New Berlingo is a modern working tool that confers prestige on its owners through its robust and dynamic styling.

The launch of the New Berlingo follows those of new Jumper, new Jumpy and Citroën’s latest compact van, Nemo. Citroën thus offers professionals the largest and most complete line-up of light commercial vehicles in its history, covering a wide range of needs, from 2.5 m3 to 17 m3 of load volume and up to two tonnes of payload.

Source: Citroen Berlingo

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Terry

Scandal Scandal!!  in Honolulu.  Well if your looking for a car deal here’s a posting for you:

Feds to auction seized jewelry, luxury cars, art

By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

PUBLIC AUCTION

The Marshals Service’s Web site lists items seized in the case, at usmarshals.gov

Among the 19 automobiles on the list are:

Exotic Italian sports cars, diamond and ruby jewelry, computers, artwork and electronic equipment are among the proceeds of an alleged Ponzi scheme that federal authorities plan to offer for sale to the public.

Catch the story at:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=
/20080102/NEWS01/801020395/1001/NEWS01

And if you don’t want the cost of owning One of these Italian super cars join a Car Club.  For an affordable membership rate that works with any budget join DFW Elite Car CLub. 

Source: Feds to auction

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Following several reports last month that India’s Tata Motors was Ford’s first choice in the combined sale of Land Rover and Jaguar, the American carmaker issued a statement today official confirming that the Indian Group is the company’s preferred bidder.

Here’s what to Lewis Booth, executive vice president – Ford of Europe and Premier Automotive Group (Chairman – Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Ford of Europe) said:

“Ford is committed to focused negotiations at a more detailed level with Tata Motors concerning the potential sale of the combined Jaguar Land Rover business.”

“There is still a considerable amount of work to do, and while no final decision has been made, we will proceed with further substantive discussions withTata Motors over the forthcoming weeks with a view to securing an agreement that is in the best interests of all parties concerned.”

Source: Ford Confirms That India’s Tata Motors Is the Preferred Bidder In Jaguar & Land Rover Sale!

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Noah Joseph
Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford

While Ford keeps on cranking out newer, faster versions of the Mustang for American customers, Ford of Europe is preparing new packages for the Fiesta ST and Focus ST hot-hatches to do the same thing.

The £950 package for the diminutive Fiesta ST pushes power up to 185 hp from its 2-liter four, which is expected to come from upgraded engine management, cylinder heads, a new camshaft and exhaust. All that adds an extra 37 hp to the standard Fiesta ST’s 148, dropping a sprint to 60 down half a second to eight flat.

Meanwhile, the larger, more powerful Focus ST gets treated to a similar upgrade, worth about £1,500. This package is tipped to include a new air filter, ECU and exhaust, amounting to a similar 38-horsepower increase in power for a total of 260 that drops the 0-60 blitz down to 5.5 seconds. Thank heavens Ford sells a version of the Focus here that’s just as fast. Oh, wait…

Get this: current ST owners in Europe can also get this package retrofitted to currently-owned cars, along with a full-factory warranty on the parts. Europeans, then, will just have to make do with these hot hatch packages a while longer before the 300+ horsepower Focus RS arrives in 2009, at which point Blue Oval fanboys from the U.S. will invade your countries with the intent to drive.

[Source: Auto Express]

Gallery: 2008 Ford Focus ST

Source: Ford Fiesta and Focus ST get more power

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As is customary with BMW products, the current generation MINIs (The R55, R56 and R57 included) will undergo a mild mid-model cycle facelift sometime during it production run. While we don’t have details on the exact new look, we can shed some light on the time frame of the change. But before we do that, first let’s take a look back. The R50/R53 had it’s own nip and tuck back in the summer of 2004 (for the 2005 model year) almost 3 years to the day after it’s UK introduction and a little over two years after it was introduced in most other parts of the world (including the US).

At the time it was seen as a relatively quick facelift meant to deal with a number of teething problems early MINI owners experienced. However if you look at the general timeframe, it really didn’t differ from the typical BMW approach of mildly refreshing a model line-up around three years after its introduction. And like the R50/R53, we expect the R55, R56, R57 facelift to happen exactly three years after the introduction of the first model of the current generation - in this case the R56 in late 2006. That means we should see the first refreshed cars in late 2009 as 2010 models.

According to sources, we expect the 2nd generation facelift to be a little less thorough than what we saw with the R50/R53 in 2004. As is typical for BMW, we should expect a mild refresh of the front and rear facia with a slight redesign of the headlights and taillights. However, where the R50/R53 saw seemingly countless component changes in and outside the car, we can expect BMW to not be quite as drastic with the current generation MINI. While we personally hope the center stack design and radio interface is re-evaluated, we wouldn’t be surprised if the changes to the interior are a bit more subtle and focus on upgrades in material quality rather than outright design changes.

And like MINI’s R0/R53 mid-model cycle upgrades, we also might see a slight performance upgrade. Although how that is accomplished is pure speculation at this point.

All told, it would seem that changes to the 2010 MINI range will be a little less dramatic than what we saw with the 2005 cars and it certainly shouldn’t stop anyone from considering an ‘08 or ‘09 MINI. Especially with the Clubman and factory JCW models coming on line for the 2008 model year and rumors or a 50th anniversary MINI for the 2009.

Written By: Gabe

Source: MF Exclusive: MINI’s Mid Life-Cycle Refresh

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General Motors has increased the production of its popular new Chevrolet Malibu by building it at a second assembly plant.

Malibu production has been expanded to GM’s Orion Township, Mich., plant, to meet the high demand for the car.

The Malibu is winning critical acclaim and is one of three finalists for the North American Car of the Year award to be announced next Sunday.

The midsize sedan previously was built at a single plant in Fairfax, Kan.

The Michigan plant also makes the Pontiac G6, which shares the same platform with the Malibu. Both the Michigan and Fairfax plants operate two shifts, building 60 vehicles an hour.

Source: GM Boosts Chevrolet Malibu Production

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Would a new car buyer opt for a Ford just to get a $350 voice recognition system for their iPod (or similar) and Bluetooth-enabled phone? When Ford launched the national ad campaign for their in-dash Microsoft gizmo– selling the "new" Ford Focus entirely on its SYNCopation– the automaker revealed their faith 'n SYNC's ability to move the metal. Cynical observers might say the strategy is a desperate eHail Mary (lousy cars? syncing sales?). But credit where credit's due: it's a welcome move away from selling Fords based on price. And guess what? It's working! At least according to Cars.com. "Ford insists the 12 SYNC-equipped Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles now offering it are moving off dealer lots twice as fast as those without it." Hang on. That assertion doesn't mean Ford sales are improving; it simply says Ford customers want a SNYC-equipped FoMoCo product rather than one without. Question: do Ford dealers have enough SNYC-equipped models? Are they having to discount non-SYNC models? Cars.com ignores these and any other interesting issues. But if it's hard numbers you want… "Ford says a survey of SYNC buyers found 80% say it was easy to learn and use and 90% would recommend it to others." That's not necessarily a good thing. Ford's got an 18-month exclusive on the system. After that, it's anybody's game. 

Cars.com »

Source: Ford’s SYNC Sells Cars. Allegedly.

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Simona Alina
Filed in: Rolls-Royce | luxury cars | future cars

Rolls Royce is currently sealing 2000 units a year; but in the next year they are expected to grow with 25%. The main reason is the strong demand for its Phantom Drophead Coupe which was launched this year. But in the next three years the company wants to double its sales. To do this they will launch a new smaller car towards the end of 2009. Dubbed the baby Rolls, the saloon will be priced at £160,000 to £180,000, which is £70,000 to £90,000 less than the Phantom and in the same price bracket as the Bentley Continental

The company says that it has yet to experience any impact from the credit squeeze. Ian Robertson, Rolls-Royce’s managing director, said that the danger is not so much in the spending power of its customers, who are generally very wealthy, but in sentiment. “In the Florida region, we didn’t sell a car for six or seven weeks after Hurricane Katrina. I think people didn’t feel it was right,” Mr Robertson said.

JD Power, the automotive analysis company, is tipping the top-end luxury market to be weaker next year because of the credit crunch, while 2009 is predicted to be flat and 2010 a year of modest growth. It adds, however, that the market is hugely swayed by new products, because there are relatively few models to buy, so the baby Rolls is expected to be very influential in shaping the market.

Source:Times Online

Source: Baby Rolls Royce will come to help sales

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Ralph Kalal
Filed in: | industry news

No doubt, you already know this.
 
Blogs and the internet are better than print car magazines.
 
But, you needn’t take it from us.
 
You can take it from AutoSavant. 
 
An entry today authored by Ian Grasso is not only fun to read, but has some very wise insights, as well.
 
Starting out with Automobile magazine’s predictable selection of the Audi R8 as it’s “Automobile of the Year, “ Grasso says that, “In a day when even GM has a blog, the major U.S. automotive magazines have been relegated to selling fantasies that no one can afford, testing in ways that no one drives, and giving awards that mean less and less.”
 
He goes on to chastise the print magazines for providing information that is guided more by its advertising needs than those of its readers. “A look through a recent issue of the Ann Arbor, MI-based Automobile Magazine is on par with browsing the Du Pont Registry - pages upon pages of halo vehicles described in tired puns, with minimum space devoted to cars that people actually drive… Case in point: directly after the write up of the Malibu as an “All Star” in Automobile, there was a two page pull out (read: expensive) advertisement for the car. Hmmm, what a coincidence…”
 
When it comes to “Automobile of the Year” types of awards, Grasso suggests it is all about money, in a negative way. As he says, were the Malibu to have been selected, it would have offended Toyota and others. Selecting a Toyota offends GM. But picking some esoteric car that no one but the superrich can buy, that offends no one that’s important to the magazine. That is, it doesn’t offend its advertisers.
 
But, Grasso’s crowning criticism of car magazines is that they’re irrelevant: “Furthermore, does any of the nonsense in these magazines even matter? No, because for the 99.99% of you in the market for a car other than the R8, you probably aren’t looking at the major auto magazines for information on your next car. You are going to Google and the dealership - finding out for yourself like a smart consumer. The major automotive monthlies have not only written themselves out of the legitimacy for car buyers, they have become fantasy magazines that do nothing more than catch your eye at the airport newsstand with brightly covered exotics on the cover.”
 
All worthy points.
 
But the article also has one other tidbit. Grasso points out that the writers in the car magazines tend to be tame in their criticisms of the cars they test and offers up an example, written by LA Times auto columnist Dan Neil, of something you’d never see in a car magazine. It’s Neil’s description of the Chrysler Sebring convertible and it’s just plain fun to read:
 
“Not just bad, but a veritable chalice of wretchedness, a rattling, thumping, lolling tragedy of a car, a summary indictment of Chrysler’s recent management and its self-eradicating product planning, all cast in plastic worthy of a Chinese water pistol. The Sebring drop top does something I thought impossible: It makes me long for the exquisite craftsmanship of the Pontiac flipping G6.”

Source:Autosavant

Source: Why the blog is better

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