G2 Vision Bluechart Norfolk-charleston For Garmin 2015 on 2040-parts.com

German car makers are dropping big engines

[ad#ad-1] It’s the trend at the moment, and one that won’t go down very well with our American cousins, who are fond of saying that ‘There ain’t no substitute for cubic inches’, as the three big luxury German Car Companies – Audi BMW and Mercedes – are planning to move away from their big ‘V’ engines. BMW V10 - on the way out The news started last week, when Audi let it be known that their new S5 will not use the V8, but will instead use a supercharged V6. Earlier this week, news came from BMW that its next generation of ‘M’ cars will forsake the V10s so beloved of M owners, and will instead go for turbo versions of the V8.

Sources: GM in talks with two potential buyers of Hummer

General Motors is in talks with two potential buyers of its Hummer brand as the automaker continues to sell assets to raise cash, said two sources familiar with the matter. The negotiations are with a private-equity firm and a Chinese company, said the sources, who declined to be named. The sources declined to name the potential buyers because the effort is private.

Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.