Infiniti's flagship Q45 Whats New For 2005

April 6, 2004 The 2005 Infiniti Q45 premium luxury sedan, which made its debut at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, has been refined for the new model year with a more distinctive, more aggressive exterior appearance, a more indulgent interior and a number of key performance enhancements.

The long list of exterior changes include new front and rear fascias, restyled hood and grille, new headlights and integrated fog lamps, restyled trunk decklid and finisher, LED taillights and new fine-line chrome trim. Inside, the 2005 Q45 adds to its highly luxurious appointments with new sport contour, double-stitched seats, new pure white meter cluster and soft touch control cluster finish, an all-new metal-trimmed shifter bezel and rich genuine dark maple wood and chrome accents.

Infiniti's flagship Q45 premium luxury sedan receives a more distinctive, more aggressive exterior appearance for the 2005 model year.

In addition, the Q45's advanced 5-speed automatic transmission has been recalibrated for improved downshift response and smoother acceleration. The Q45's performance-tuned active dampening suspension, previously available only on the Premium Package, is now standard on all 2005 Q45s. A new 17-inch wheel design with a titanium-colored finish is offered on Luxury models.

2005 Corvette

Visteon Corporation will provide bright "eyes" in the form of High Intensity Discharge (HID) Projector headlamps as part of a full front and rear lighting system on the all new 2005 Chevrolet Corvette.

Visteon's HID Projector headlamps provide power and precision advantages that are certain to impress drivers of this classic performance vehicle. As its name implies, HID provides a high intensity light produced from an electric arc inside a capsule filled with xenon gas. The arc produces significantly more light than a glowing filament found in halogen lighting. With more light on the road ahead, Corvette drivers and passengers will enjoy the improved visibility offered by Visteon's powerful and precise HID Projector system.

Power is an important feature in a sports car and Visteon's HID Projector headlamps deliver approximately double the light output of the average halogen headlamp, while utilizing a power-saving 42 watts for the low beam versus a halogen's 55 watts. The lighting system's efficient use of power means less energy drain on the vehicle's battery and the potential for enhanced performance in the car's other systems.

Precision also is important to owners of the new Corvette, and its new lighting system is a perfect addition to the car's already excellent engineering. The HID Projector system produces less glare than HID reflector systems thanks to a mechanical shield that provides a sharp cut-off of light above the horizon. Oncoming drivers will admire the car's unique sleek and narrow headlamp design without experiencing the glare common to some lighting systems. The system's high beam system also uses the low beam to shine more light on the road.

Visteon brings a unique level of vehicle knowledge and electronics expertise that is an important factor in the success of its lighting systems. The HID lighting system featured on the 2005 Corvette is one of many core lighting products offered by Visteon. For the redesigned sports car, Visteon supplies more than 60 unique end items to General Motors, including:

First Race - First Place! Taco Bell and Driver Martin Truex, Jr. Earn First Busch Series Victory Together

March 30, 2004 NASCAR fans tuned in on Saturday to see Busch Series driver Martin Truex, Jr. dominate the competition at Bristol Motor Speedway en route to Victory Lane. And sponsor Taco Bell(R) was on board as he led the way. It was Truex, Jr.'s second race at the action-packed half-mile oval and the Chance 2 Motorsports team debuted the new Taco Bell No. 8 race car.

" I'm excited that I could share my first Busch win with a great sponsor like Taco Bell," said Martin Truex, Jr. about Saturday's race. "We're hungry for more victories and hope to go all the way to the championship."

Driver Martin Truex, Jr. celebrates with sponsor Taco Bell after Busch Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. Taco Bell is a first-time sponsor of the Chance 2 Motorsports team and its drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Martin Truex, Jr.

Truex, Jr. is in his first NASCAR Busch Series season and the Bristol event was only his 20th race. The victory gave Taco Bell and Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Teresa Earnhardt, their first Busch victory by a driver other than Earnhardt, Jr.

"Martin is an outstanding driver who has proven he can 'Think Outside the Bun' in order to get inside the Winner's Circle," said Greg Creed, chief marketing officer, Taco Bell Corp. "We promised Taco Bell customers an exciting racing season, and we're off to a great start."

This marked the company's first-ever sponsorship of the Chance 2 team. Taco Bell joined KFC and Long John Silver's earlier this year to sponsor Chance 2 Motorsports and its drivers Earnhardt, Jr. and Truex, Jr. in the Busch Series.

Both drivers will share behind-the-wheel duties for the Taco Bell-themed Chevrolet Monte Carlos during six races. Truex, Jr. will drive the No. 8 Taco Bell car while Earnhardt, Jr. will race No. 81.

Volvo Names America's Three Top Hometown Heroes

March 29, 2004 Top Winners Announced in Second Annual Volvo for Life Awards; Celebrity Judges to Present Winners at April 7 Volvo for LifeAwards Ceremony in Times Square; One Hero Will Receive a Volvo Car for Life

LeaseCompare.com Used Car Lease Customers Protected with $50,000 Insurance Against Hidden DMV Title Defects

March 23, 2004--Automobile Consumer Services, Inc. (ACS), the leader in online, direct-to-consumer auto leasing, has chosen to insure all of its www.LeaseCompare.com customers against hidden DMV title defects for up to $50,000 per vehicle with TitleGuard Vehicle Title Insurance. ACS is the first leasing company to offer its customers this level of protection.

Vehicle Stability Enhancement Systems Now Offered in Large Passenger Vans

March 2004 Twelve and 15 passenger vans have become increasingly popular with churches and social organizations that need to transport large groups of people. But government agencies and consumer groups have recently questioned the safety and stability of these vans. As a result, car companies are now offering stability enhancement systems in their large passenger vans.