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BMW wins engine of year

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 09 May 2007 05:51 BMW’s twin turbo 3.0-litre engine – the mighty 306bhp straight six from the 335i - has taken top honours at the 2007 International Engine of the Year Awards, the engineering equivalent of the Oscars. This is an unprecedented third year in a row that BMW has clinched the title of International Engine of the Year Award – in 2006 it was the M6’s V10 that took the title, and the M5’s V10 claimed gold in 2005. Other winners, judged by the panel of 62 motoring journalists from 30 countries across the globe, included Porsche for its biturbo 3.6-litre flat six (unbelievably, the first time Zuffenhausen has won an IEYA award), Toyota for the Prius’ 1.5-litre hybrid unit, and Volkswagen’s TSI twincharger 1.4-litre unit.

Audi R8 Spyder raises £620k for Elton John AIDS Foundation

Elton, David and the man from Audi with the chromed R8 Spyder The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) needs no big introduction from us, especially to regular readers. Quite simply, it’s an astonishingly generous charitable foundation founded by, and driven ever on, by Elton John, and it’s raised getting on for £50 million since Elton founded it in 1993, thanks in no small part to Elton’s generosity with his royalties (always making sure he has enough left over for flowers, of course). And as it’s Elton who’s the heart and soul of the EJAF, fund raisers tend to be a little more interesting than a bring and buy stall on the local village green.

BMW confirms X4 production

BMW has confirmed plans for an X4 SUV, a spokesman told Autoweek. As the name implies, the ute would slot in between the X3 and the X5 and likely get an M variant. BMW would distinguish the X4 from the other models with a bolder face and perhaps a curvier body--much in the manner in which the X6 stands out from the rest of the SUV line.