Russian car manufacturer Lada is set for a revival after being backed by a partnership agreement between Avtovaz (its owner) and Renault. The deal will put the firm at number three on a global scale behind General Motors and Toyota. It is thought that the new production techniques and products that can be provided by Renault will prove a positive influence on the Russian manufacturer.

A total of 27 engineers and scientists from industry and academia have now been awarded the title of SAE Fellow. They will be presented with their awards during the Honours Convocation on Tuesday April 15th at the SAE 2008 World Congress. Included in the list is Timothy Johnson, Director of Emerging Regulations and Technologies at Corning. He is being honoured for his role in the development of diesel particulate filters.

GM continued the promotion of its zero emissions Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell by presenting the technology at Globe 2008's Auto Future Tech Summit. GM's Canadian engineering centre is currently building the fuel cells as part of the world's largest fuel cell vehicle fleet. Beth Lowery, Vice President of GM believes that fuel cell technology will "change the way the world drives".

Over half of the cars sold in Europe during 2007 had diesel engines according to figures from the car manufacturers ACEA. This represents about eight million vehicles. Rising fuel prices and improvements in the technology surrounding diesel engines were noted as the main reasons behind the popularity of diesel models.

Volkswagen announced that its annual profits reached $458 million in china last year, an increase of 172.22 per cent. A total of 920,489 vehicles were sold in the Chinese market in 2007. Martin Winterkorn, Chief Executive Officer of VW, said: "We will continue to expand our product line and launch more models that can meet varying demands from different markets."

Meanwhile, Volkswagen is considering a €2.4 billion investment in the development of new products in China. The firm hopes to increase production output in China by the end of 2010, according to reports from China Auto News. About 70 per cent of the investment will go to new products and about €500 million will be used to develop a power train system. Dr Winfried Vahland, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Group China announced the news at a media conference in Wolfsburg.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd