Official: BMW M goes diesel, introduces M550d, X5 M50d, X6 M50d

Filed under: Sedan , Performance , Wagon , Geneva Motor Show , Europe , Crossover , BMW , Diesel Rumors of BMW M launching a diesel model have been circulating for over a year, and confirmation has finally arrived in the form of not one, not two, but four M-fettled oil-burners, each sporting all-wheel drive and the oft-rumored tri-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six. And before you get excited, none of them are slated for sale in the U.S. – this is a Euro-only affair. So with that unfortunate fact out of the way, let’s get to the details.

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Official: BMW M goes diesel, introduces M550d, X5 M50d, X6 M50d

Petition started to change gray market exemption from 25 to 15 years

Filed under: Classics , Etc. , Government/Legal A group of enthusiasts have started a We The People petition urging the Executive Branch in Washington to stop using what it says are Homeland Security funds to police gray-market vehicles. The petition also seeks to have the federal gray market exemption age reduced from 25 years old to 15 years old. As of right now, any vehicle imported into the U.S.

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Petition started to change gray market exemption from 25 to 15 years

Report: Land Rover Defender to soldier on until 2017

Filed under: SUV , Land Rover , UK , Rumormill , Diesel , Off-Road Autocar reports that the Land Rover Defender will be around a good bit longer than we thought. The vehicle may stay on dealer lots until at least 2017 thanks in part to a new 2.2-liter diesel engine that can meet more stringent EU6 emissions standards. Originally, a successor to the long-running Defender was expected to show up as soon as 2015.

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Report: Land Rover Defender to soldier on until 2017

Official: Alfa Romeo announces new 1.8-liter turbo with up to 300 horsepower

Filed under: Technology , Alfa Romeo If you were to design your own engine for today’s automotive market, what features would it include? Aluminum construction? Direct injection? Turbocharging

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Official: Alfa Romeo announces new 1.8-liter turbo with up to 300 horsepower

Official: First-ever heavy-duty truck efficiency standards announced, will save a month’s worth of oil

Filed under: Truck , Government/Legal If you’re not sure why today’s announcement from the Obama Administration about the first-ever fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses is important, read this . Okay, now that we’re all on the same page, let’s take a look at the new standards. These aren’t specific MPG targets like passenger vehicles have.

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Official: First-ever heavy-duty truck efficiency standards announced, will save a month’s worth of oil

Report: Growing international demand for Jeep Wrangler straining Toledo plant?

Filed under: SUV , Europe , Plants/Manufacturing , Jeep , Off-Road 2011 Jeep Wrangler Mojave – Click above for high-res image gallery Fiat is working to sell more and more Chrysler models abroad, and the effort may already be pushing some of the automaker’s manufacturing facilities to capacity. That appears to be true in the case of the Jeep Wrangler . According to The Toledo Blade , global demand for the off-road heathen is growing at a substantial pace, especially in Europe. As a result, total demand for the venerable SUV may easily overtake the capacity of its manufacturing complex in Toledo, Ohio

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Report: Growing international demand for Jeep Wrangler straining Toledo plant?