The three-year agreements resist two-tier wages and provide productivity and quality bonuses, improved restructuring incentives, benefit improvements, cost of living increases in both the second and third years, and improved language on health and safety issues. The tentative settlements are subject to ratification by CAW members.

The union negotiated new product commitments for General Motors’ car plant in Oshawa, Ontario and St. Catharines, Ontario. It also negotiated a strong close-out agreement for members at the GM Windsor transmission plant in Ontario, which the company announced it would close in 2010.
The union also extended the operating life of the Chrysler casting plant in Toronto until at least 2011.

MADD also asks people who see an impaired driver on the road, trail or waterway to dial 911 and report the incident to the police.

“There is no excuse for driving impaired,” said Margaret Miller, MADD Canada national president. “We urge Canadians to make travel plans for the holiday parties, family get-togethers, and their cottage runs over this holiday long weekend. Please, always, drive sober.

“We also want to ensure Canadians know that they can do something important about traffic safety by calling 911 when they see an impaired driver. Report impaired drivers to police and help get them off the roads. Make that call and you may just be saving a life.”

By calling #TAXI (#8294) on a cell phone in Canada, you will be connected to a local taxi company to help get home safely. Starting the Victoria Day Weekend and throughout the summer months, MADD Canada volunteers will attempt to heighten impaired driving awareness in communities and in cottage country.

“Toyota Canada Inc. is pleased to be a part of this new relationship, which is another way to offer peace of mind to buyers,” said Tony Wearing, Managing Director at Toyota Canada. “This is an opportunity for TCUV to maintain the kind of unparalleled commitment customers have come to expect.”

The TCUV program includes a 127-point inspection, free tank of gas, roadside assistance and other benefits, along with the CarProof vehicle history.

Göteborg, Sweden – Volvo Cars’ new City Safety system, which will debut on the new XC60, has won the Technology category at the Fleet World Honours Awards 2008 in London, its first U.K. award.

At speeds of under 30 km/h, City Safety uses laser sensor technology to detect vehicles up to ten metres in front of the car’s front bumper, and reacts to vehicles in front that are either stopped or moving slowly. If the gap between the cars continues to close and the driver remains inactive, the car applies the brakes automatically.

Volvo Car UK is currently involved in a discussion with insurance companies on the possibility of lower insurance premiums for cars equipped with the feature.

“With surveys indicating that 75 per cent of all reported collisions take place at speeds of under 18 mph (29 km/h), and in 50 per cent of these cases the driver has not braked at all before the collision, it’s easy to see the potential City Safety has in reducing incidents of this kind,” said John Wallace, Volvo Car UK’s corporate sales and leasing manager. “As well as these safety benefits, it also offers significant operational improvements, which is good news for businesses, and I am delighted that the judges have recognized this.”

Toronto, Ontario – Mercedes-Benz has announced that its all-new C63 AMG will be arriving at dealerships across Canada in May, with a starting price of $63,500.

Based on the all-new 2008 C-Class, the C63 AMG uses an AMG 6.2-litre V8 engine that produces 451 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque, mated to an AMG Speedshift Plus seven-speed automatic transmission. The new unit features a declutching feature on downshifts to maintain vehicle balance during cornering, and shift times that are up to 50 per cent faster than in previous models. The C63 AMG’s top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h; it accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.

Exterior styling cues include a unique hood with power domes, widened front fenders, and a special front fascia and other components not shared with other C-Class models. Each engine, which shares no parts with other Mercedes-Benz V8 engines, is hand-assembled by a single technician at Mercedes-AMG in Affalterbach, Germany and is bench-tested to ensure maximum performance.

Nissan Motor Company has pledged 15 million yen to the Red Cross Society of China to aid emergency relief efforts in Sichuan; its joint venture in China, Dongfeng Motor Company, has donated ten crossover vehicles to support relief activities.

Daimler AG, together with its local companies Daimler North East Asia and Beijing Benz-DaimlerChrysler Automotive Limited, has pledged a total of €500,000 to local aid organizations, including China Charity Foundation and the Chinese Red Cross, and has provided trucks for use in disaster areas. The company’s employees in China also raised a total of €16,000. Daimler also provided €200,000 for Myanmar, on the condition that aid organizations are enabled to work professionally where help is needed, and that there is assurance that the support can actually be of benefit to the victims.

The new announcements follow previously-announced donations by Honda and Nissan to relief efforts in Myanmar.

Currently, the Prius, which was the world’s first mass-produced gasoline electric hybrid vehicle, is sold in more than 40 countries and regions, particularly in Japan and North America. It was launched in Japan in 1997 and began selling in Europe, North America and other markets in 2000. In 2005, Toyota began its first overseas production in Changchun, China; it is expected to go on sale in South Korea in the second half of 2009.

The second-generation Prius was introduced in 2003, equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System II that provided improved environmental performance and power. Toyota said it aims to sell one million or more hybrid vehicles each year in future, possibly as early as in the 2010s.

The engines are a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which will be used in vehicles worldwide starting in 2010, and a 1.6-litre compressed natural gas (CNG) turbocharged four-cylinder engine that will be introduced in the Opel Zafira in 2009. Both engines are new variants of existing engine families used globally.

“These new engines represent our ongoing approach to replace larger-displacement engines with more compact, highly-charged units for maximum performance and efficiency benefits,” said Dan Hancock, GM Powertrain Vice President, Global Engineering.

The 1.4-litre turbo engine is a new addition to a line-up that ranges from 1.0- to 1.4-litre displacement; it will produce an estimated 120 to 140 hp and deliver approximately eight per cent improvement in fuel consumption, when compared to a higher-displacement, naturally-aspirated engine with similar output. It will be manufactured at GM’s assembly facility in Aspern, Austria.

The 1.6-litre CNG turbo is a new variant in a 1.6-litre engine family that also includes a naturally-aspirated gasoline unit and a CNG unit. The new engine will produce an estimated 150 hp. It will be produced at the GM Powertrain assembly facility in Szentgotthard, Hungary. Italy and Germany are the two major markets for CNG within Europe.

1997-2003 Buick Regal GS
1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
Vehicles affected: 21,046
On certain vehicles equipped with a 3.8-litre supercharged engine, degradation of the front rocker cover gasket may result in eventual oil seepage. Under hard braking, drops of engine oil may be deposited on the exhaust manifold. If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and, in some instances, the fire may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond. Dealers will install an updated front rocker cover gasket.

2006-2008 Lamborghini Gallardo
2006-2007 Lamborghini Murciélago
Vehicles affected: 36
On certain vehicles, the engine can be started without the clutch pedal being depressed. Should this occur while the transmission is in gear, the vehicle can lurch forward or back. Dealers will install a clutch pedal switch assembly.

2003-2004 Toyota Corolla
2003-2004 Toyota Matrix
Vehicles affected: 50,067
On certain vehicles, the regulator bolts, which attach the front side window glass to the power window regulator, may become loose, causing a loud noise when the window is raised or lowered. If the window is continuously operated in this condition, the bolts may eventually separate, causing the glass to become misaligned or completely shatter. Dealers will replace the flange bolts.

2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe
Vehicles affected: 15,257
On certain vehicles, the regulator bolts, which attach the front side window glass to the power window regulator, may become loose, causing a loud noise when the window is raised or lowered. If the window is continuously operated in this condition, the bolts may eventually separate, causing the glass to become misaligned or completely shatter. Dealers will replace the flange bolts.

2008 Ford E350
Vehicles affected: 450
On certain vans, club wagons, cutaways and stripped chassis, the driveshaft may have been manufactured with a slip yoke that has cracks. Over time, these cracks may propagate, allowing the slip yoke to break while the vehicle is in motion, causing the driveshaft to detach from the vehicle. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driveshaft.

2003-2005 Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible
Vehicles affected: 2,670
On certain vehicles, a front crash sensor for the advanced dual-stage airbag system may fail. If this occurs, the airbag indicator light will illuminate, and the fallback algorithm will ensure that the frontal airbags deploy if needed. However, in low-severity frontal impacts, the airbags may deploy more forcefully than designed, increasing the risk of injury to out-of-position front-seat occupants. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the crash sensors.

2008 Nissan Armada
2008 Nissan Quest
2008 Nissan Titan
Vehicles affected: 24
Certain vehicles may have been assembled with faulty seat track assemblies, with undersized slots in two locations on the driver’s inboard and passenger’s outboard seat tracks. This may result in the manual seat pawl not fully engaging in those slots, increasing the risk of injury or death in a crash. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the entire seat assembly.

2003 Honda Accord
Vehicles affected: 29,462
On certain vehicles, if water enters the windshield wiper motor breather port, which is designed to allow the motor to vent warm air during normal operation, it can result in corrosion inside the motor housing. This could cause the wiper motor to become inoperative. Dealers will affect repairs.

2005-2007 Pirelli Scorpion ATR LT235/80R17
Vehicles affected: 659
Certain tires may experience partial tread separation and/or belt edge separation. Dealers will replace affected tires.

The Galant joins the Eclipse Spyder, Endeavor and Outlander in achieving the top scores.

“It is gratifying to learn that Galant has joined other Mitsubishi models in achieving the highest safety rating,” said Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “Even though we are best known for performance, handling and our overall athleticism, safety is an engineering mandate of the highest priority.”