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GM posts $7.6 billion profit for 2011

General Motors on Thursday posted a $7.6 billion profit for 2011, while recording its smallest quarterly profit of the year in the fourth quarter. Net income for the October-through-December period fell 7 percent from the year-earlier period to $472 million, as a $562 million loss in Europe--the steepest of the year there--weighed on the automaker's bottom line. North American earnings nearly doubled.

Audi at 100: A timeline of significant events

1885--Establishment of Wanderer, which ultimately will be a branch of Audi AG. 1888--NSU, a branch that will evolve into Audi AG, makes its first contribution to automobile development by supplying a chassis for the first Daimler four-wheeler. 1899--August Horch sets up his own company, A.

Vauxhall VXR8 & SMART for-two CDI take MPG Marathon honours

Vauxhall VXR8 & SMART for-two CDI take MPG Marathon honours On the face of it, it’s reasonable to expect a car as small as the SMART for-two CDI to be capable of astonishing economy if driven in a certain way. And the ALD Automotive / Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, run last week near Cirencester, proved exactly that, with a SMART driven by Mick Linford and co-driver Ella Flynn managing to use less than four gallons of diesel to cover the 370 mile route. That means the SMART fortwo CDI averaged 99.24mpg on the route on real roads, an improvement of 16 per cent on the official combined figure of 85.6.