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The sky's no longer the limit for Land Rover North America as an LR3 (Discovery 3 in Australia) has accomplished something no vehicle has ever done before. In the second instalment of the 'Designed for the Extraordinary' marketing campaign which kicked off earlier this year, a 2006 LR3 (Discovery 3) is filmed boarding a C-130 Hercules cargo plane. Once airborne the Hercules crew used the LR3's navigation system to direct the plane from Nice, France to the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. At a height of 2,743 metres (9,000 feet), the navigation system equipped in the LR3 was able to accurately direct the plane to its destination.

The mid-engined coupe from Porsche, which was introduced to the market last November, was nominated “World Performance Car” of 2006 at last month's New York Motor Show. With this accolade, the Cayman S left an impressive line-up of 29 competitors standing. In the eyes of the jury, which comprised 46 international trade journalists, the Cayman S impressed with its “perfect combination of outstanding handling, looks and performance.” With the Cayman S, Porsche has very successfully filled the gap between the Boxster and the 911 Carrera. “The 295-bhp coupe combines the balance of the mid-engined Boxster with the rigidity of the 911 coupe, while the sonorous flat-six engine delivers the uninterrupted power of a middle-weight,” said the jury in its verdict. This enthusiasm for the Cayman S, the manual version of which accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds and can reach a top speed of 275 km/h, can also be seen among customers. In the first four months since its market launch, almost 6,000 vehicles were delivered worldwide.

Chrysler is looking into using Chery Automobile to assemble a small car for the international non-US market. The car will be sold under the Dodge or Chrysler brand. This would allow Chrysler and Dodge to enter third-world markets like South East Asia, which are not big fans of Chrysler’s big cars with huge fuel-guzzling engines. Daimler Chrysler already has an existing partnership with a Chinese company, Beijing Automotive Industry Corp. The joint venture assembles SUVs for Daimler Chrysler and recently the Mercedes Benz E-Class. But the JV company lacks experience and skills to manufacture small cars, which Chery has. Chrysler could be seeking to produce the Dodge Hornet concept, a small B-segment vehicle smaller than Dodge’s smallest car, the Dodge Neon. The Dodge Hornet Concept was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006.

The Volvo C70 design team, headed by Fredde Talsma, first developed the C70 as a sporty coupe before removing the roof to develop a convertible with the end goal being an attractive car - top up or top down.Volvo Car's first-generation C70 convertible was launched in 1997. Its enduring design carried it successfully through an eight-year production cycle. First-generation C70 convertible production ceased in March 2005 with total production reaching nearly 50,000 cars. Interestingly, the C70 convertible's last full year of production was also its best sales year with 8,000 units. During those eight years, Volvo did learn a critical lesson - be patient. Time was needed to establish the C70 in the convertible market.

Aston Martin has unveiled the new DBS. Details of the new DBS remain top secret, although Aston Martin Design Director, Marek Reichman, said: “This car encapsulates a link between our elegant DB9 road car and the powerful DBR9 race car.  It signals an evolutionary development of Aston Martin’s world renowned style and elegance."

The most powerful factory-built Mustang ever just got even more potent. Final certification testing of the Shelby GT500’s 5.4-litre supercharged V-8 shows it will produce 500 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque – 25 more horsepower than preliminary estimates. The Ford Shelby GT500's supercharged 5.4-litre, 32-valve V-8 is a result of Ford's experience in developing the modular V-8 and V-10 engine series. The engine is force-fed air via a "Roots-type" supercharger providing 9 pounds per square inch of boost. It borrows the four-valve cylinder heads, piston rings and bearings, from the Ford GT engine.