Mercedes Benz added a new feather to its cap with its latest BLUETEC Technology winning the “Gelber Engel” (Yellow Angel) Award for Innovation of the Year from ADAC (German Automobile Association). The Yellow Angel is already one of Germany’s most prestigious awards in the automotive industry.

Mercedes’ ground-breaking BLUETEC Technology substantally cuts down diesel emissions and makes Mercedes’ vehicles the world’s cleanest diesel vehicles in any category. The technology allows Mercedes’ diesel vehicles to meet even the world’s most stringent emission standards. The worldwide concern over air pollution caused by vehicle emmissions as well as the skyrocketing prices of fuel makes the award especially significant.

BLUETEC integrates a number of measures such as engine modifications that minimize untreated emissions and a multi-stage exhaust gas after treatment service. It also reduces fuel consumption by 20-40% compared to other diesel vehicles as well as improving pulling power, economy and range.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ night view assist system was also recognized as a runner-up in the Innovation of the Year contest. The night view system significantly extends a driver’s range of vision in the dark through the help of infrared beams and an infrared camera.

The Alfa Romeo Brera was awarded as the “Most Beautiful Car in the World” at the prestigious 21st annual International Automobile Festival held at the legendary Grand Palais in Paris. The Brera won over other cars on the final shortlist such as the Peugeot 407 coupe, the Chrysler 300 C touring, and the Lexus IS 250. The award recognized the Brera’s stunning design which has already garnered different awards and accolades ever since the car was introduced as a concept 4 years ago.

Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Italian designer of the Brera received the Grand Prize for Art. Other winners at the awarding ceremony were the Citroen C6 for best interior, the Bugatti EB 16.4 as the Supercar of the Year, and the Mazda Sendu as the Concept Car of the Year.

Toyota Motors continued its winning streak with new record production levels achieved in 2005. A total of 1,558,228 vehicles and 1,295,227 engines rolled out of Toyota’s North American Manufacturing facilities. Recently, Toyota reported that it has reached a new sales record of 2,260,296 vehicles. This is a 10.1 percent increase from 2004.

These announcements cap another successful year for the Japanese automaker who’ll be celebrating 50 years of presence in the American auto industry. Toyota is now the sales leader in the US and is poised to take the top spot from General Motors. In the R.L Polk & Co. Loyalty Excelerator Report, Toyota garnered the highest scores in brand loyalty to an automotive division enjoying a 54.6 loyalty rating.

This year, expect Toyota to maintain its outstanding sales achievements with the release of new versions of the highly-successful Toyota Camry, America’s bestselling car in the past four years. The new 2007 Toyota Camry was unveiled at the NAIAS to positive response and will go on sale in spring 2006. The 2007 Camry is redesigned to be a more stylish, athletic and modern car than previous Camry’s. A new hybrid Camry will also make its debut later this year.

New models such as the Yaris and the new Rav4 will also grace Toyota showrooms in spring. The Yaris has already enjoyed huge success in Europe and Toyota hopes to replicate that feat here. The popular Toyota FJ Cruiser, a cool new SUV will also go on sale. Toyota also dominates the hybrid car segment with 100.5 percent increase in sales in 2005. Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus hopes to retain its title as the top selling luxury vehicle brand in America for the 6th consecutive year with the new LS460 sedan.

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The 2006 Honda Civic was chosen as the North American Car of the Year while the 2006 Honda Ridgeline was picked as the North American Truck of the Year. The double victory for Honda marks the first time a single car brand won in both categories. It is also Honda’s first win in both categories. The recognition was announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The North American Car and Truck of the Year are chosen by 49 automotive journalists from all over the US and Canada. The winning vehicles are chosen according to several criteria including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction, and value for the dollar. A vehicle must be “all-new” or “substantially altered” to be eligible for the award. For 2006, judges cut down dozens of eligible models to 14 cars and 14 trucks on which they voted.

The 2006 Honda Civic is a reengineered and restyled eighth-generation version of the highly popular model. The new model sets new benchmarks in the small car segment with updated i-VTEC engine that is both powerful and fuel-efficient. Excellent safety features are one of the many characteristics of a Honda Civic and the 2006 continues this tradition with advanced standard safety equipment and Advanced Compatibility Engineering Body Structure.

The new Honda Civic is freshly redesigned with a new expressive exterior and modern interiors. It beat out Ford’s new Fusion and the popular Pontiac Solstice who were first and second runners up respectively. The new Civic has an SRP of $14,360. The Civic has been the top selling small car in America for many years, with 12 straight years of annual sales increases in the US.

Meanwhile, Honda’s debut into the truck segment was nothing short of spectacular with the Honda Ridgeline winning the North American Truck of the Year. The Ridgeline had a commanding lead over all the other finalists including previous winner Nissan Xterra and the Ford Explorer. Introduced in March 2005, the Ridgeline offered a number of innovations and new features exclusive to the Honda truck.

The 2006 Honda Ridgeline boasts of serious truck features such as steel-reinforced composite bed, flip-up rear seats and spacious stowage space. It even features an innovative “In-Bed Trunk”, a lockable, weather-tight, 8.5 cubic foot compartment under the bead floor and behind the rear axle. It has a 5,000-lb towing capacity and 1,550-lb total payload capacity with a powerful 247-hp, V-6 engine.

The 2006 Honda Civic and Honda Ridgeline are also Motor Trend’s Car and Truck of the Year. Jon Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda was ecstatic over the surprise double-victory. “We certainly hoped for one; we didn’t expect two”, he said. Last year, the Chrysler 300/300C was the North American Car of the Year while the Ford Escape Hybrid was the North American Truck of the Year.

The price of gasoline and other fuels have skyrocketed in the past year to record heights. Motorists all over America are definitely feeling the pinch. SUVs, Trucks and other gas-guzzlers are simply not practical anymore. The rise of hybrid cars and the plunging sales of low gas mileage vehicles emphasize the current mindset to save on gas. There are some ways motorists can save a significant amount of money from gas consomption. Here are some useful tips from Valvoline.com’s Car Care Articles:

* Keep tires properly inflated. Low tire pressure reduces gas mileage and causes increased tread wear. You can lose up to 6% of fuel efficiency for every pound per square inch (psi) below the manufacturer’s minimum recommendation.

* Turn off your engine if you are stopping for more than 30 seconds. Restarting your car takes less gasoline than idling.

* Remove unused luggage, bicycle or ski racks and other extra weight you may have in your car. Every 200 pounds of unnecessary weight reduces mileage by one mile per gallon. (Yet another reason to go on that diet!)

* Have your tires properly balanced and keep the vehicle “in alignment” to get the best gas mileage.

* Plan your trip before you leave. Getting lost or having to backtrack wastes fuel and frays tempers.

* Service your vehicle regularly. Keeping a vehicle well maintained keeps it operating efficiently and reduces fuel usage. Replace air filters and fuel filters regularly. A new air filter alone can improve gas mileage by as much as 10%.

* Turn off the air conditioner whenever you can. Running you’re A/C causes extra work for the engine, which lowers fuel efficiency by 5-10%.

Vehicle exhaust emissions are maligned as the main source of air pollution that is very hazardous to the environment and the health of millions of people all around the world. However a recent study shows that simply breathing the air and dust inside a car is potentially more dangerous.

Many people find the smell of a new car pleasant; a leather and plastic aroma that many people find seductive, even addictive. However this “fragrance” is actually a potent mix of chemicals and toxins that can endanger the health of anyone who breathes it in. These chemicals are known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and include PBDE and phthalate.

A study conducted by the Ecology Center found that the chemicals that are used to make seat cushions, armrests, floor coverings, wire insulation and other interior auto components break down under exposure to high temperatures, for instance when parking under the sun, and are released into the air inside the car.

Windshield film and dust were collected by the Center from 11 model cars from the leading automakers from 2000-20005. They found that these residuals contain hazardous amounts of PBDE’s and Phthalates that have been linked to various damaging effects such as cancer, liver toxicity, birth defects, impaired learning and other serious health problems.

There are much safer alternatives that innovative auto manufacturers are encouraged to use instead of these harmful chemicals. Fortunately, leading auto manufacturers are implementing a phase out of these chemicals. Volvo leads the industry in terms of indoor air quality. Honda and Ford have reported that they have eliminated PBDE’s and phthalate-containing PVC from their respective vehicles.

All over the world, legislation have also been passed to eliminate PBDE’s and other VOCs in various products, including automotive equipment. The Japanese Auto Manufacturers Association has initiated the move to improve air quality in cars with several members indicating their effort to reduce the use of VOCs and other dangerous chemicals.

The legend of the Chevrolet Camaro, one of the most popular sport coupes of all time was reborn in a stunning debut of its newest concept car at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. The 21st century Chevrolet Camaro was unveiled in a glitzy presentation complete with a high-school marching band and a parade of Camaros from the glory days of 60s and the 70. The debut was met very enthusiastic response at the General Motors Corp display.

There’s good reason for this excitement, the Camaro concept doesn’t disappoint, to say the least. GM’s press release on the concept summed it all:

“The Camaro Concept embodies the performance and passion that have made first-generation Camaros some of the most sought-after collector cars, updating the formula with a fuel-efficient powertrain, sophisticated chassis and contemporary design execution. The goal is to make the sport coupe relevant to younger enthusiasts while retaining its appeal to its current fans.”

The Camaro concept wowed the crowd with its lean, muscular lines and a youthful new look that also paid homage to the highly successful Camaros of the past. The design is undoubtedly of a serious performance car, with its long hood, short deck and wide stance. It is reminiscent of the early Camaros but is also instantly recognizable as an all-new car with a fresh, new, exciting stance.

This early, the concept car has already won accolades, including a concept implementation award from the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology. Inside, the performance is realized by the Corvette-inspired aluminum 400 hp small-block V-8 engine with 6-speed manual transmission and a sophisticated chassis with 4-wheel independent suspension.

Definitely, the Camaro concept is a car everybody is looking forward to. Thousands of enthusiasts are sure hoping that it will see production as soon as possible. You can read more about the Chevrolet Camaro Concept’s impressive design and performance at Chevrolet’s official website.

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Last December, Ford finally settled, after years of arguments, a class action lawsuit filed by Ford sedan owners who had problems with their intake manifolds. The settlement required the Dearborn, Michigan based automaker to pay each sedan owner who had to replace their car’s intake manifolds at least $735 for those without a receipt; those who have a paid receipt, meanwhile, will get a full refund.

Ford will reimburse owners of certain Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models who had to replace their intake manifold within seven years of ownership. The class action lawsuit covered more than 1.8 million vehicle models including the various model years of the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Cougar, Ford Thunderbird, Ford Mustang and Ford Explorer.

The intake manifold is a pipe that brings a mixture of air and fuel into the engine’s cylinders. Apparently, the intake manifolds of these models were prone to premature cracking which led to harmful coolant leaks and expensive engine damages. Ford vehicle owners who have had this kind of problem are asked to take their vehicles to a dealer by March 16, 2006 and obtain reimbursement whether or not they have a receipt. If you are one of those consumers affected by these defects, visit your nearest Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers now or call 1-888-826-3047 for more information.