Tci Outlaw Auto Transmission Shifter Gm/ford/mopar 3-speed P/n 616331 on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Mar 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Ben Pulman and Tim Pollard Motor Industry 31 March 2009 13:48 Tuesday 31 March 2009• Porsche said that its earnings before tax rose to €7.3 billion in the six months to the end of January – including a €6.8bn windfall from its VW share options (Financial Times)• Fritz Henderson, GM's president and chief operating officer, will step up to replace Rick Wagoner, who was ousted on Sunday as CEO of General Motors (Financial Times)• President Obama is essentially CEO-in-chief of GM – despite not owning a single cent of stock, says Detroit News commentator (Detroit News)• German chancellor Angela Merkel gives assurances that any would-be investors in GM's European arm will be given state support. Opel is asking for €3.3 billion in aid – and up to 25,000 jobs in Germany depend on it, with up to 300,000 jobs across Europe including Saab and Vauxhall (BBC News)Monday 30 March 2009• General Motors' chief executive Rick Wagoner has been ordered to resign by US president Barack Obama with immediate effect. It's part of Obama's administration's critique of GM and Chrysler's turnaround plans – he's understood to be unhappy with the plans submitted (BBC News)• New GM non-executive chairman Kent Kresa has admitted that at the company's next general meeting it will have 'a majority of new directors' (General Motors)• Chrysler will receive US government aid for the next 30 days, but the Obama administration has said that if the company cannot secure a tie-up with the Fiat Group within that time period it will not receive any more money from the taxpayers and could go into liquidation.

MINI Countryman Cooper S Diesel spied

The MINI Countryman Cooper S Diesel The prospect of a more powerful diesel for MINI has been around for a while. In fact it’s almost exactly a year since we brought you a spy photo of the MINI Cooper S Diesel which we reckoned would sport somewhere around 140bhp and a useful wodge of torque. Fast forward to August this year and we heard that MINI were taking the MINI Cooper S Diesel to the Paris Motor Show.

Olympic Amy aims for rallying gold

OLYMPIC GOLD medallist Amy Williams OBE is taking on new challenge when she takes part in the Wales Rally GB that starts on 14 November. Williams will be driving a rally-prepared Mitsubishi Evo and will be co-driven by veteran expert and Sky Sports News Formula One pundit Tony Jardine. Although she had never competed in a rally until recently, Williams has had an intensive 10 weeks of training, including tuition from professional rally driver Elfyn Evans.