(February 7, 2011) LONDON — One hundred Rolls-Royce cars took to the streets of London on Sunday to celebrate a very special anniversary. The date marked the centenary of the world’s most famous hood mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy, which was first fitted to Rolls-Royce models in 1911.

“The Spirit of Ecstasy is a genuine icon, a graceful goddess who has adorned the prow of Rolls-Royce cars past and present,” said Rolls-Royce Motor Cars CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.

(February 7, 2011) SAN FRANCISCO — IntelliChoice has announced the winners of the 2011 Best Overall Value of the Year (BOVY) awards at the 2011 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention in San Francisco.

(February 7, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Production begins this week on Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks with upgraded towing capacity. The beefed-up frame and hitch return the industry's best-selling heavy-duty truck to the head of the pack in conventional trailer towing.

Ford F-350 and F-450 Super Duty trucks with the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel engine and dual rear wheels now can tow an industry-best 17,500 pounds.

(February 6, 2011) ATLANTA — Following on the heels of the recently announced 911 Black Edition, Porsche introduces a new, luxurious and limited edition Boxster S this spring. The 2012 Boxster S Black Edition features a 10-horsepower boost and a long list of standard equipment at an attractive price.

(February 6, 2011) Following an historic year in 2010 that included important milestones such as the company's best-ever full-year sales, a 16th consecutive year of market share growth, and the launch of the company's first U.S.-built vehicle, Kia Motors posted record January sales of 27,789 units.

(February 5, 2011) Audi on Tuesday reported January U.S. sales of 7,812 Audi cars and SUVs, which accounted for a 20 percent overall increase from January 2010. The previous January sales record for Audi in the U.S. was the 6,510 vehicles sold in 2010.

(February 5, 2011) Mitsubishi announced Friday it will invest $100 million to build the Outlander Sport crossover at its Normal, Ill., plant starting in mid 2012.

Mitsubishi expects annual output of 50,000 units, with half dedicated to North America and the rest for export to Russia, Latin America and the Middle East.

(February 5, 2011) IRVINE, Calif.  — The world’s best-selling two-seat roadster, the iconic Mazda MX-5 Miata, continues to set the bar even higher for the competition today, reaching a new milestone of 900,000 units produced.  Nearly 45 percent — more than 388,000 units — of those were sold in the United States since the car launched in 1989.

(February 5, 2011) DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford is taking its groundbreaking interactive road rally — Focus Rally: America, launching today in Miami — to one of the biggest stages in the world Sunday on the “Focus Rally: America Pre-Kick” at 6 p.m. EST on FOX, immediately preceding Super Bowl XLV.
 
 “Raising consumer awareness about the new 2012 Focus via Focus Rally: America is our top priority right now,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director of U.S. Marketing Communications.

(February 4, 2011) Led by the QX56 full-sized SUV and the newest version of the G, the G25, Infiniti reported January sales of 7,405 units, an increase of 10.3 percent versus 6,711 units a year earlier.

Highlights of Infiniti’s sales performance: