Ford is developing a new family of petrol fueled twin-turbo engines with four-cylinder, V6 and V8 powerplants all in the pipeline. The move is a key element of the Blue Oval’s plans to improve fuel economy and bring its engines in line with the competition from Europe’s carmakers.

Known as “twin-force”, the technology will debut in the upcoming Lincoln MKS flagship sedan due in 2008 and will eventually filter across most of Ford’s lineup. Derrick Kuzak, group vice president for global product development at Ford explained that twin-force will offer diesel-like fuel economy, reports Automotive News. Diesel motors currently offer 25 to 30% better fuel economy than their petrol counterparts.

In addition to the turbos, Ford will also be adding direct injection tech, which will increase output and improve fuel-economy further.

Kuzak revealed that there’s even more developments in the works. Ford will also be introducing V8 engines with cylinder deactivation, similar to GM’s displacement on demand and Chrysler’s upcoming Phoenix technology. Finally, they claim to be working on a new ‘power shift transmission’ that will be a six-speeder with the benefits of both a manual and auto gearbox, but considering the best automotive companies in the world haven’t yet managed to achieve this feat, we’re not holding much hope for Ford. Here’s hoping their dual-clutch transmissions are not too far from production.

BMW was the first carmaker to integrate the Apple iPod music player with its car stereo systems, and now it’s first again to offer full support for the new iPhone mobile phone. Motorists will be able to play music stored on the iPhone or talk hands-free with the inbuilt Bluetooth, but it’s only available on 3 and 5-series cars with 03/07 production, the X5 SUV with 04/07 production and the 6 Series with 09/07 production dates and only in North America.

Fans of the 7-series will have to wait until the updated model is release later next year and there’s no word if the 1-series family and X3 will feature iPhone compatibility.

Owners of iPods will still be able to integrate their music players with their cars if it’s equipped with BMW’s iPod/USB interface. The feature is available on 3 and 5-series models with 03/07 production, the X5 with 04/07 production and the 6 series with 09/07 production dates.

The Cadillac BLS wagon is due to make its world premiere at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show with a range of new engines on offer including a bio-ethanol option and a two-stage turbodiesel. The new wagon will officially go on sale in November with the bio-fueled model appearing in showrooms early next year.

The FWD BLS wagon is offered with the same range of power units as the BLS sedan, giving the choice of a turbodiesel and three turbocharged petrol engines. In addition, a powerful 1.9L four-cylinder two stage turbodiesel engine with common-rail direct-injection delivers 180hp (132 kW) and 400Nm of torque is also available.

The range of gasoline engines includes two 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged units developing 175hp 129 kW and 210hp (154kW). A 2.8L V6 developing 255hp (188kW) also is available, featuring a twin-scroll turbocharger and variable phasing of the intake camshafts.

Audi’s new A3, due to hit the market in the second half of next year, has been confirmed for production at the carmaker’s Gyor facility in western Hungary. Audi established the Gyor plant back in 1998 for production of its first TT sports coupe and this year it will see 50,000 second-generation TTs roll off the line, up from 23,675 last year according to Reuters.

“The market launch of the A3 Cabriolet is scheduled for next year, just in time for the start of the convertible season,” Audi AG Chairman Rupert Stadler during a press event.

Stadler wasn’t willing to give an estimate for production numbers for the new A3 but did mention that the new Gyor site will aid Audi in reaching its goal of building 1.5 million cars a year by 2015.

The new A3 will be available in both three and five door configurations, but a new coupe and cabriolet model will follow soon after the release of the hatch. Expect most of the current engine options to carry over, including the sporty S3 model complete with a 265bhp (195kW) version of the 3.2L V6. Click here to see a rendering of the new car and more info.

The maker of some of our favorite performance wheels, BBS, has been sold to Belgian holding company Punch International. Though full details of the acquisition are yet to be finalized, some employees will be losing their jobs in an effort to turnaround the rim manufacturer’s poor financial results.

Back in February, BBS voluntarily entered an insolvency request following a loss of €3.8 million last year because of a sharp rise in the price of aluminum. This latest deal is regarded as a success by most of BBS’ 1,200 odd staff, who were notified today of the latest development.

Under the new deal with Punch, BBS subsidiaries in Italy and the US will remain independent, while a proposed project in China is still under negotiation. Either way, it’s good to see that there’ll be a continued supply of our favorite wheels. The trademark mesh pattern with deep dish lip in particular will always be on our wishlist.

PSA Peugeot-Citroën and Chinese carmaker Hafei today signed a memorandum of understanding to start a feasibility study of a 50-50 joint venture creation. The new venture will manufacture a range of small people movers for the Chinese market with the cars constructed at Hafei’s plant in Shenzhen.

PSA Peugeot-Citroën currently operates in China through another joint-venture with Dongfeng Motors, the third largest carmaker in China. Pictured above is the C-Triomphe, a sedan version of the Citroën C4 that’s already produced in China by Dongfeng. Last year the group sold 201,300 vehicles in the rapidly expanding market and for the first five months of this year it has moved 87,100 units.

There are no plans to export any of the vehicles outside of China but the establishment of such ties lays the groundwork for future projects that could one day see Chinese built cars sold in Europe wearing Peugeot or Citroën badges.

The Audi TT is a favorite at Abt Sportsline, so it’s not surprising that engineers have left no model in the TT family untouched. The tuner is also heavily involved with the German Touring Car Championship and it has used the knowledge gained from racing to develop its latest line of performance upgrades.

Following from its TT-Sport and TT-R performance packs, Abt has now released a new package for the TT Roadster. The kit includes a complete bodykit consisting of new bumpers, side skirts and a rear wing that give the car a distinctive look but also aid performance by improving downforce.

Powering the car is a supercharged version of the 3.2L V6 that develops 355hp (262kW) and is good for a 0 to 100km/h time of just five seconds. Abt also mods the 2.0L TFSI version, lifting power from 240hp (177kW) to a very healthy 300hp (221kW), and backs it up with a host of suspension mods and a premium brake package with 380mm discs.

Honda has topped this year’s J.D. Power and Associates’ APEAL study, taking out the most best-in-segment awards of any carmaker. The yearly Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study rates consumer opinion on car design, content, layout and performance and ranks cars based on a 1,000-point scale.

Honda took top honors in four segments, with its Fit, CR-V, Ridgeline and Odyssey all taking top spots. Other cars to win a best-in-segment award include Ford’s Mustang and Edge crossover, Nissan’s Altima sedan and Armada, VW’s Jetta and GTI cars. The luxury segments were dominated by BMW and Mercedes-Benz, with the 3-Series, 6-Series and X5, and E-Class, S-Class and GL-Class all winning their respective segments.

Porsche held on to its ranking as the number one automotive brand, its third consecutive year at the top. It scored 849 points out of 1,000, beating BMW by just two points.

The results are based on opinions of 91,000 new car buyers in the US, who purchased vehicles between February and May. Two brands we’re surprised didn’t make the list were Lexus and Toyota, who usually dominate the J.D. Power surveys.

European Council members met yesterday at a meeting in Luxembourg and have voted unanimously in favor of cutting fleet average carbon-dioxide emission levels for cars sold in Europe to 120g/km by 2012.

“This sends a clear message to the car industry that current efforts to reduce emissions must continue and must be intensified and accelerated.” said EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas. Under new proposals, a reduction in CO2 emissions will be brought about by technology improvements and the higher use of biofuels.

A major problem that has arisen, however, is the fact that the rulings are unfair to most of Germany’s carmakers, which build larger and more powerful vehicles as opposed to the carmakers from France and Italy, which produce smaller and much more fuel-efficient cars.

No agreement was reached as to how to deal with this problem but the council isn’t expected to finalize the new standards until the end of the year. It will also put forward it’s own suggestions for dealing with this discrepancy between the manufacturers of large and small vehicles.

Holden’s hot-rod Efijy concept car has taken top honors at the 2007 North American Concept Car of the Year awards held in Michigan’s Automotive Hall of Fame last week. The car was picked from a field of the 34 of the world’s top concept cars by a panel experts, with most cars entered estimated to cost several millions.

The Efijy, on the other hand, was built by a small team of enthusiasts at a cost of $200,000 with most of the parts, labor and expertise donated. Under the pretty sheet-metal lies a supercharged LS2 V8 engine displacing 6.0L and developing 645bhp (480kW) and 775Nm (560lb-ft.) of torque.

Despite numerous bids from wealthy car nuts across the globe, the Efijy is not up for sale and will end up on display at a museum in Holden’s head office in Australia. Before returning home, the car will make an appearance at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan this August where it will star amongst 40,000 other hot-rods.

Audi’s four interlinked rings, a symbol of the merger of Germany’s Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer carmakers on the 29th June 1932, is now celebrating its 75th anniversary. Back then, the group was known as the Auto Union AG and the four-ring badge was worn by one out of every four cars sold in Germany at the time.

To ensure no one treaded on each others toes, each of the four brands were assigned a specific market segment. Motorcycles and small cars were produced by DKW, midsize cars for Wanderer, cars in the deluxe midsize segment for Audi, and luxury cars at the top end of the market for Horch. In 1969, the Auto Union partnered with NSU, one of the pioneers of the Wankel Rotary engine, and finally became Audi AG in 1985.

To celebrate the anniversary, Audi will be running several events including classic car meets and rallies such as the Concours d’Elegance de Bergerac, the Mille Miglia and the Premio Nuvolari using various classic models of the four brands Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer.

Honda is currently prepping a new performance version of the Civic sedan that’s set for release in the Japan this September. Based on the already sporty Type R, the new Honda Civic Mugen RR was transformed after undergoing a power upgrade and weight reduction program in collaboration with the help of its Mugen racing division.

Power is up 15hp over the standard Type R, producing 240hp at 8,000rpm and 160lb-ft at 7,000 revs. The jump comes from modifications to the intake system and new cams as well as high-flow exhaust. Weight has been cut back with the replacement of some panels with carbon-fiber and aluminum, down 10kg once again over the standard Type R.

Other enhancements include Bridgestone Potenza tires designed specifically for the Mugen RR, a new sports suspension and uprated brakes. Inside, the car gets Recaro bucket seats with unique Mugen RR labeling. Only 300 cars will be produced, and all will be limited to Honda’s Milan Red finish.

Continental has been officially recognized as the maker of the world’s fastest standard production road tire and has been entered into the Guinness Book of Records with a top speed of rating of 242mph (388km/h). The result was achieved using a 9ff modified Porsche owned by German Jan Fatthauer, who runs his own Porsche customizing company and the owner of the record breaking Porsche. The car also holds the record for the world’s fastest street-legal car.

The particular tire is the ContiSportContact Vmax that was designed specifically to withstand the stresses of high speed driving, braking, accelerating and cornering. The major priority during its development was efficient tire cooling, whilst maintaining excellent handling and good grip in the wet.

Jan Fatthauer also set the record for the world’s fastest convertible, again in a tuned Porsche fitted with ContiSportContact Vmax tires. The record was made back in October 2006, when he reached a speed of 237.8mph (380.5km/h).

Of course, everyone knows that the Bugatti Veyron can reach 253mph but it’s not yet an official record according to the rules set out for such attempts. Porsche may even dethrone the Veyron in the unofficial stakes too, because 9ff is developing a new GT9 supercar that its makers claim capable of reaching 254mph (409km/h), 2km/h better than the Bugatti.

Motorsport’s governing body, the FIA, has unveiled a list of proposed changes to Formula One’s technical regulations that it would like to see implemented by 2011. The changes are part of a push by the FIA to make F1 more road-relevant, eco-friendly and cost-effective.

The FIA published a framework document yesterday, which has since been forwarded to teams and manufacturers in preparation for a final proposal due in September. Most of the changes are designed to affect both the chassis and powertrain designs and include such measures as introducing movable or active aerodynamic devices, and the adoption of four-cylinders displacing between 1.3 and 1.5L.

To keep things competitive, there would be no RPM or boost limits and drag would be lower than today’s racecars. Engines could feature turbocharging and energy recovery technology, however, the total amount of fuel consumed and the levels of carbon-dioxide emitted would be restricted.

The final major impact is the plan for lower costs by standardizing components such as wheels and brakes across all teams, homologation of components and assemblies and restrictions on crew numbers at races. This is definitely not the direction we want to see F1 heading to, so let’s hope any changes introduced are nowhere near as extreme as these.

At a recent presentation Alfa Romeo CEO Antonio Baravalle revealed details about two new hatchback models that are in development, an entry-level three-door and a C-segment five-door. The first car will be the replacement for the 147 hatch, which will be dropping the numeric naming pattern and picking up the ‘Junior’ title. The car won’t be revealed until the end of the year but in the meantime this rendering gives a good indication as to what the final version will look like.

The new Junior is expected be built at Fiat’s Turinese plant in Mirafiori alongside the Fiat Grande Punto with which it shares the same platform, reports AFX News. A base model will feature the Fiat Group’s new 1.4L turbo engine developing around 95hp, while a high-performance model will adopt a 1.8L JTB direct injection turbo four-cylinder producing 230hp. With the large power gap between these models, we expect there to be a mid-power engine in the lineup as well.

The second model will be another compact hatchback due for release in 2009. It will be a C-segment five-door based on the same platform used by the Fiat Bravo. Priced around the €28,000 mark, the car will feature several different powerplants with outputs ranging from 120 to 260hp.

Also due in 2009 will be the 169 Alfa flagship. The 169 will be a four-door saloon with a V8 powerplant utilizing technology lifted from the Maserati Quattroporte. Alfa is keen to revamp its entire lineup in preparation for its return to the US market in 2009 but the key will be to ensure that its cars are built to the standard of quality the world’s largest car market demands.