CITRON The Citroen logo looks like something you might see on an American cartoon soldier - two inverted Vs. Andre Citroen - imagine one of those old black and white photographs with an ancient man in a white beard - started in the motor trade by building gear wheels before branching out into the motorcar, and the twin chevrons << are meant to represent gear teeth in honour of the old engineer's early fettlings

The company's famous "double chevron" logo derives from André Citroën's early business in gear-cutting the company pioneered mass production of double helically-cut gear teeth, which mesh together in a chevron.

BMW
BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Company. The company was established in 1913 and based in Munich, Germany. It started out as an aero engine manufacturer, hence the company logo. The logo comprised of four quadrants of alternating white and blue color. It is a stylized representation of an airplane propeller spinning against the clear blue sky. The logo represents a white propeller blade against a blue sky. It reflects the origins of BMW as a maker of military aircraft engines during WWI. Also, white and blue are the traditional colors of Bavaria.
Audi
The Audi badge the 'Four Rings' is the emblem of one of the oldest car manufacturers in Germany. It symbolises the 1932 merger of the four independent motor-vehicle manufacturers: Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer. Together with the NSU brand, which joined in 1969, these companies are the roots of the present-day AUDI AG. After the war the Audi name - which is Latin for "Hear!" - disappeared, but was revived in 1965, using the four rings as a logo. Also, the name is sort of a pun on 'hoerch', German for 'hear', name of one of the founders. The company itself is more than a century old.

The four rings in the logo have nothing to do with the Olympic rings.

Top 20 Music

P3s

[01] Timbaland Feat. Onerepublic - Apologize

[02] Alicia Keys - No One

[03] Rihanna - Dont Stop The Music

[04] Flo Rida Feat. T-pain - Low

[05] Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love

[06] Colbie Caillat - Bubbly

[07] Fergie - Clumsy

[08] Britney Spears - Piece Of Me

[09] Linkin Park - Shadow Of The Day

[10] Rihanna Feat. Ne-yo - Hate That I Love Me

[11] Chris Brown Feat. T-pain - Kiss Kiss

[12] Chris Brown - With You

[13] Sean Kingston - Take You There

[14] Plain White Ts - Hey There Delilah

[15] Santana Feat. Chad Kroeger - Into The Night

[16] Maroon 5 - Wont Go Home Without You

[17] Soulja Boy - Crank That (soulja Boy)

[18] Timbaland Feat. Keri Hilson - The Way I Are

[19] Fergie - Big Girls Dont Cry

[20] Finger Eleven - Paralyzer

Car of the month:Tata Nano

The Tata Nano is a city car launched by India's Tata Motors at the 9th annual Auto Expo on January 10, 2008 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, India. Tagged as the people’s car in Tata's promotional material, it is projected to be the least expensive production car in the world.The standard version of the Nano (without air conditioning, radio or power steering) is projected to cost Rs 100,000 (not including levies such as VAT/LT/FCIT, transport and delivery charges) ($2500 USD, £1277 GBP, €1700 EUR), The choice of price has led to the Nano beincalled the "one lakh car" (after the Indian numbering term, meaning '100,000').

The project to create a 1 lakh rupee car began in 2003, under the Chairman of Tata Motors, Ratan Tata. The strategy behind the project was the awareness of the number of Indian families who had two wheeled transport, but couldn't afford a four wheel car and was based on the company's success in producing the low cost 4 wheeled Ace truck in May 2005.

Industry convention was that a reliable car couldn't be made at such a low price, so initial media speculation was that the car would be a simple four-wheeled auto rickshaw. However, The Times of India reports that the vehicle is "a properly designed and built car". The Chairman is reported to have said, "It is not a car with plastic curtains or no roof -- it's a real car."

During development the company reinvented and minimized the manufacturing process, brought in innovative product design, and asked component manufacturers to look at current work and design approaches in a different perspective to produce logical and simple solutions.
The car was designed at Italy's Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering, with Ratan Tata ordering certain changes during the process, such as reducing the number of windscreen wipers from two to one.
Interiors and exteriors
The Nano has 21% more interior space and an 8% smaller exterior, when compared with its closest rival, the Maruti 800. The car will come in different versions, including one standard and two deluxe variants. The deluxe version will have air conditioning, but no power steering. The car is expected to be produced in the Singur plant in West Bengal, which is under construction. The initial production target set by Tata Motors is 250,000 units per year.

Rear mounted engine

The use of a rear mounted engine to help maximise interior space makes the Nano similar to the original Fiat 500, another technically innovative 'people's car'. A concept vehicle similar in styling to the Nano, also with rear engined layout was proposed by the UK Rover Group in the 1990s to succeed the original Mini but was not put into production . The now-defunct Rover Group later based their City Rover on the Tata Indica while the eventual 'new Mini' was the much larger, technically conservative Mini (BMW).

Technical specifications

According to Tata Group's Chairman Ratan Tata, the Nano is a 33 PS (33 hp/24 kW) car with a 623 cc rear engine and rear wheel drive, and has a fuel economy of 4.55 L/100 km (21.97 km/L, 51.7 mpg (US), 62 mpg (UK)) under city road conditions, and 3.85 L/100 km on highways (25.97 km/L, 61.1 mpg (US), 73.3 mpg (UK)). It is the first time a two-cylinder non-opposed petrol engine will be used in a car with a single balancer shaft. Tata Motors has reportedly filed multiple patents related to the innovations in the design of Nano, with powertrain design alone having 34 patents.The head of Tata Motors' Engineering Research Centre, Girish Wagh has been credited with being one of the brains behind Nano's design

According to Tata, the Nano complies with Bharat Stage-III and Euro-IV emission standards.
Powertrain

* Engine:
o 2 cylinder petrol with Bosch multi-point fuel injection (single injector) all aluminium 623 cc (38 cu in)
o 2 valves per cylinder overhead camshaft
o Compression ratio - 9.5:1
o bore × stroke 73.5 × 73.5 mm
o Power: 33 PS (33 hp/24 kW) @ 5500 rpm[16]
o Torque: 48 N·m (35 ft·lbf) @ 2500 rpm

* Rear wheel drive, 4-speed manual transmission

* Steering – mechanical rack and pinion

Performance (Manufacturer Claims)

* Acceleration: 0-70 km/h (43 mph): 14 seconds

* Maximum speed: 105 km/h (65 mph)[1]

* Fuel economy (combined City + Highway): 20 kilometres per liter (5 L/100 km, 47 US mpg, 56 UK mpg)[2]
Body and dimensions

Used Car Market Affects

The Nano is alleged to have severely affected the used car market in India, as many Indians opt to wait for the Nano's release rather than buying a secondhand car of the Nano's nearest competitor, the Maruti 800 (a rebadged Suzuki Alto). Sales of new 800's have dropped 20%, and 30% for used models. As one automotive journalist surmizes: “People are asking themselves – and us - why they should pay, say, 250,000 rupees for a new Maruti Alto, when they can wait and get a brand new Nano for less in a few months’ time, a car that is actually bigger”.

Song of the month:Backstreet boys Inconsolable

Inconsolable lyrics

[Nick]
I close the door
Like so many times, so many times before
Filmed like a scene on the cutting room floor
I wanna let you walk away tonight without a word

[Brian]
I try to sleep, yeah
But the clock is stuck on thoughts of you and me
A thousand more regrets unraveling
OOoh, if you were here right now,
I swear I'd tell you this

[Chorus:]
Baby I don't wanna waste another day
Keepin it inside, it's killing me
Cause all I ever wanted comes right down to you (to you)
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable

[AJ]
I climb the walls, yeah
I can see the edge,
But I can't take the fall, no
I've memorized the number
So why can't I make the call
Maybe cause I know you'll always be with me
In the possibility (whoooaa)

[chorus]
Baby I don't wanna waste another day


Keepin it inside, it's killing me
Cause all I ever wanted comes right down to you (to you)
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable

[Chorus]
No, no, no

I don't wanna be like this
I just wanna let you know
That everything I hold in
Is everything I can't let go (oooh, can't let go yea)

Cause BABAYYYYY
I don't wanna waste another day
Keepin it inside, it's killing me
Cause all I ever wanted comes right down to you (to you)
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable (oooh)

[Chorus]
Don't you know it baby
I don't wanna waste another day
I wish that I could find the words to say
Baby I would tell you, every time you leave
I'm inconsolable

Yeah, yeah, yeah
Oooh, I'm inconsolable
Whoaa yeah
I'm inconsolable yeah yeah

Band of the month:Five

Five (originally spelled 5ive) are a British boy band that was put together in early 1997 by the same team who formed the Spice Girls. They enjoyed fair success worldwide, but particularly in the UK, parts of Europe, Russia, parts of Asia, Brazil, Israel and Australia. They disbanded on September 27, 2001, after selling close to 20 million records, and having 11 top ten singles and 4 top ten albums in the UK. The five members were Scott Robinson, Ritchie Neville, Jason 'J' Brown, Richard 'Abs' Breen and Sean Conlon. Four of the five original members briefly reformed the group on September 27, 2006, but only 7 months after announcing a comeback, Five made an announcement via their official website they would again disband.
Biography 5ive: the debut

In 1997, an advertisement was placed in the UK performing arts newspaper The Stage, asking for young male singers/dancers to audition for a boy band-style group with "attitude and edge". Bob and Chris Herbert, the two men who had earlier created the Spice Girls, thought the time was right for a male group. Three thousand hopefuls auditioned and they were finally narrowed down to only fourteen, five of whom had arranged themselves into a group while waiting for their audition and subsequently were signed with BMG/RCA for a six-album deal.

In November of 1997, the band released their first single in the UK, "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)", which debuted at #10. The song was also released in the US in 1998 but had little chart success, although it was chosen as the new theme song by the NBA. In 1998 Five earned their first major international hit, "When The Lights Go Out", which cracked the US top 10 and earned Gold status there soon after. Five then went on an eight-day tour to promote their upcoming album, appearing in a concert special for the Disney Channel with Irish girl group B*Witched, in Times Square in New York City, and on MTV's TRL. The debut album peaked at #27 in the US, and topped the charts in other countries worldwide, including the UK. "It's The Things You Do" was released in late 1998 in the US, only to receive a lukewarm reception. The group embarked upon a US tour with boy band *NSYNC, but soon after pulled out due to exhaustion, flying back to England to rest and start work on a new album. Still mining the first record, "Got The Feelin'", "Everybody Get Up", and "Until The Time Is Through" were all released as singles throughout 1998. Reaching the top 5 in different countries around the world, the latter two singles each rose to the number two spot in the UK, and Five had well and truly made their mark in the world of boy band mania.

Invincible: the new millennium

In August 1999, the first single of their second album, the catchy dance tune "If Ya Gettin' Down", was released and became a major hit worldwide but yet again failed top go to #1 in their home country, kept out of the top spot by Ricky Martin. Finally in October 1999, after three consecutive number-two peaks, "Keep On Movin'" became their first UK #1, as well as their biggest selling single to date. The second album hit the top five shortly thereafter. "Don't Wanna Let You Go" was released in early March 2000, peaking at #9. On March 3, 2000, Five opened at the BRIT Awards with rock legends Queen, performing an updated version of that band's hit, "We Will Rock You". That night Five won their first BRIT Award, as "Best Pop Act", and their cover of the Queen song went on to become their second #1 in the UK in July 2000. The first half of 2000 found Five on a successful world tour, performing concerts in the UK, Europe, Russia, Australasia and—as a foursome—South America, after band member Ritchie contracted Chicken Pox and had to be flown back to England.

Life after Five/Future

In November 2001, Five member Abs went to Australia for the major pop festival Rumba! and performed on stage with boy band Blue. About a year after the breakup, he enjoyed a brief but fairly successful solo career, releasing the album Abstract Theory in 2003, which produced three top 10 singles in the UK.

Ritchie Neville and Sean Conlon also initially attempted solo musical careers which seemed to stop almost before they began, although Ritchie has made occasional appearances as a TV guest star, presenter, actor and reality show celebrity contestant. Scott Robinson joined a local Essex radio station, EssexFM, in 2002 for a few months as a radio DJ. He starred in the UK regional theatre musical Boogie Nights 2 from late 2004 through most of 2005. Scott also became a father for a second time, with the birth of his second son on September 13, 2006. J Brown had all but disappeared from public view for nearly 4 years but has recently resurfaced as a writer and producer. Sean Conlon ultimately became the second group member to sign a solo recording deal, with Sony, and began work toward a new album.

On September 17, 2006, an announcement was made via Five's official MySpace page that a press conference was to be held at The Scala in central London, England, on September 27, 2006, at around 11am GMT. After a venue change due to a shooting at The Scala, the conference was moved to the Bar Academy Islington. It was rumoured that four of the five members would be reuniting (Sean now being committed to his Sony deal), and this was confirmed at the press conference. Five recorded new material for what was to be their fourth studio album, working with Guy Chambers, Swedish producer/songwriter Anders Bagge, and French DJs Trak Invaders, and also planned to tour in 2007. As of January 2007, Five had completed half of their album and were looking to sign up to a record company. The album was expected to be released within the next few months. On March 8, 2007, at midnight, Five premiered one-minute clips of two brand new songs that were to have been on the new album. The songs, titled "70 Days" and "Settle Down," can be heard on the band's official webpage and also on their MySpace page.

Only 7 months after reforming, having failed attempts at securing a record deal, Five announced on May 20, 2007, via their official website that the group will no longer be pursuing a comeback.

Band of the month:Green day

Green Day is an American rock band formed in 1987.[1] The band consists of three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass) and Tré Cool (drums).

Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Its early releases for independent label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label. Nevertheless, its major label debut Dookie became a breakout success in 1994 and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone. As a result, Green Day was widely credited, along with fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States.Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum and gold status respectively. Its 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling 5 million copies in the U.S.

The band has sold over 60 million records worldwide, including 22 million in the United States alone. They also have three Grammy Awards, Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

They are currently working on their new studio album estimated to be released in 2008.
Music style and influences

Green Day's sound is often compared to first wave punk bands such as the Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, and the Buzzcocks. The majority of their song catalog is composed of distorted guitar, fast, manic drums, and low, heavy bass. Most of their songs are fast-paced and under the average song length of four minutes (4:00). Billie Joe Armstrong has mentioned that some of his biggest influences are seminal alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü and The Replacements, and that their influence is particularly noted in the band's chord changes in songs. In fact, Green Day has covered Hüsker Dü's "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" as a b-side for the "Warning" single, and the character "Mr. Whirly" in their song "Misery" is a reference to the Replacements song of the same name. Armstrong's lyrics commonly describe alienation, ("Jesus of Suburbia", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"), hysteria ("Basket Case", "Panic Song"), girls ("She", "80"), and the effects of doing drugs ("Geek Stink Breath", "Green Day"). The Ramones had similar lyrical themes, like hysteria ("Anxiety", "Psycho Therapy"), alienation ("Outsider", "Something To Believe In"), girls ("I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"), and drugs ("Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", "Chinese Rocks"). Green Day has covered Ramones songs several times, including recording "Outsider" for the tribute album We're a Happy Family, and performing "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Teenage Lobotomy" when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

On their myspace page, the band cites the Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Clash, Van Halen, The Replacements, Husker Du, NOFX, Operation Ivy, and Rancid in their influences section.

Criticism and controversy

Beginning with the release of Dookie, and the subsequent explosion of MTV Airplay it received, Green Day has received considerable criticism from those who see the punk genre as a social movement independent of corporate sponsorship. With the release of American Idiot and the subsequent draw of many new fans, much of this criticism has been revived.

One of the more contentious issues is genre labeling. In reaction to both the style of music and the background of the band, many fans and musicians have taken heavy objection to the usage of the term "punk" when applied to Green Day. This is evidenced by the following comments issued by John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), former front man of both the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols and the 1980s post-punk, Public Image Ltd.:
“ So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do. ”

Steve Diggle of the Buzzcocks commented on the band after meeting them: "I didn't have a clue who they were. And they're not punks."

Brandon Flowers of The Killers has recently gone on record claiming that Green Day's politically driven concept album American Idiot displays "calculated Anti-Americanism." He explained that he has problems with the album content itself and also the fact that the band's recent live DVD, Bullet in a Bible, was filmed in England. The taping of the concert, featured on Bullet in a Bible, shows thousands of Europeans singing along to "American Idiot." Stating that he felt Green Day's DVD is a bit of a stunt, he said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he (Billie Joe Armstrong) knew it."

More recently, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has accused the band of ripping off his song "Wonderwall" for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" .

Related projects

Main article: Green Day related projects

Ever since 1991, some members of the band have branched out past Green Day and have started other projects with other musicians. Notable related projects of Green Day include Billie Joe Armstrong's Pinhead Gunpowder (which also features Green Day's live backup guitarist Jason White), The Frustators in which Mike Dirnt plays bass, and The Network which has been speculated as having has all three members of Green Day under stage names. Recently a new Green Day side project has been discovered, named Foxboro Hot Tubs. They have an album called titled Stop, Drop and Roll. All 6 songs can be downloaded at the Foxboro Hot Tubs website.

Charity projects that the band have been involved with include the collaboration with U2 ("The Saints Are Coming") to help raise money for musical instruments lost in Hurricane Katrina, and teaming with the Natural Resources Defense Council for the "Move America Beyond Oil" campaign and other environmental concerns.

Green Day has also foamed a partnership with the NRDC, an American environmental organization that is heavily promoted on the band's website.[citation needed] They have made YouTube videos voicing support for protection of the environment and 'ending America's addiction to oil'.

Background information
Origin East Bay, California, USA
Genre(s) Punk rock
Pop punk
Alternative rock
Years active 1987- Present
Label(s) Lookout! (1988-1993)
Reprise (1993-present)
Associated
acts Pinhead Gunpowder
The Frustrators
The Network
Foxboro Hot Tubs
Website greenday.com
Members
Billie Joe Armstrong
Mike Dirnt
Tré Cool
Former members
John Kiffmeyer

Car of the month:Mazda RX8

The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. It first appeared in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7 and like its predecessors in the RX range it is powered by a Renesis rotary engine. The RX-8 began North American sales as 2004 model year car.

The RX-8 was designed as a front mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive 2+2 coupé. The car has a near 50:50 weight distribution, achieved by mounting the engine behind the front axle and the gas tank ahead of the rear axle. Weight is trimmed through the use of materials such as aluminium (hood & rear doors), and a carbon fiber composite driveshaft on the manual gearbox car; designed to reduce rotational mass connected to the engine. The rest of the body is steel, save for the plastic front and rear bumpers.

The car features a pair of rear-hinged "freestyle" doors (similar to suicide doors) in order to provide easier access to the rear seats. The RX-8 has no B-pillar between the front and rear doors, with the leading edge of the rear door acting as a "virtual pillar" to maintain structural rigidity. Because of the overlapping design, the rear doors can only be opened when the front doors are open.

Models

The RX-8 is available in various models in different markets around the world. Standard models include:

* 6-speed manual "High Power" with an output of between 170 kW (231 hp) and 177 kW (237 hp) and a 9,000 rpm redline. Japanese models produce 184 kW (255 hp).
* 5-speed manual "Standard Power" tuned to 141 kW (192 hp) with the redline reduced to 7,500 rpm.
* 4-speed automatic tuned to 141 kW (189 hp) in some markets, while the U.S. automatic is stated to deliver 197 SAE net hp (158 kW).
* 6-speed automatic (available in the U.S. market as of 2006) developing 212 hp (170 kW) with a redline at 7,500 rpm.

Shinka / Evolve / Sports Prestige Limited / Mazdaspeed M'z Tune

Mazda introduced a special Shinka edition to the U.S. market in 2005, and to the UK market in 2006 where it was branded as the Evolve. Unique features include Shinka badges on the B-pillars, re-styled mirrors, alcantara-trimmed leather seats on the 2006 MY, stiffer chassis and suspension tuning, and polished wheels. For the 2005 MY, the Shinka was only available in Black Cherry Mica, and in 2006, it was available in Copper Red as well as some of the standard model colors. Power output remains unchanged from the standard models. This model is also offered in Japan as the Sports Prestige Limited RX-8. The Shinka option is not available for 2007. Mazda Japan is working on a Mazdaspeed version of the RX-8 dubbed the Mazdaspeed M'z Tune and will be released as a 2007 model.

PZ

In May 2006 Mazda released the RX-8 PZ for the UK market. The car was jointly developed with motorsports company Prodrive. Only available in six-speed manual, it featured custom 10-spoke alloy wheels supplied by Italian F1 team supplier OZ Racing in "Dark Silver" finish, mirrors developed to reduce drag, front and rear black mesh grilles, and a rear spoiler to provide more stability at higher speeds. Both the alloys and rear wing are badged in carbon fibre with "Prodrive". Significant revisions were also made to the suspension to improve the handling: dampers from Bilstein and coil springs from Eibach are used in addition to reducing the ride height by 15 mm and an increase in spring rate of 60%. Finally the car is supplied with a unique upgraded twin exhaust system, with exhaust tailpipes branded "Prodrive". Only 800 were made at an MSRP of £25,995 ($51,990). It was available in two colours, Galaxy Grey (320) and Brilliant Black (480).

Hydrogen RE

At the 2004 North American International Auto Show, Mazda unveiled the RX-8 Hydrogen RE concept car, designed to run on either hydrogen or gasoline. In February 2006, Mazda revealed that it would start leasing a dual fuel RX-8 to commercial customers in Japan, and in March 2006 announced its first two customers, claiming the first fleet deliveries of a dual hydrogen/gasoline production car.

Future revisions

* Mazda had initially planned to release a two-seat coupé version of the RX-8, but the development costs were deemed too expensive and the model was canceled. A second generation Renesis engine is currently under development, with a planned release by 2010.
* 2007 / 2008 Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed M'z Tune

MAZDA RX8
Manufacturer Mazda
Production 2003–present
Assembly Hiroshima, Japan
Predecessor Mazda RX-7
Mazda Cosmo
Class Sports car
Body style(s) 2+2 coupé
Layout FMR layout
Engine(s) 1.3L Renesis NL
Transmission(s) 4- or 6-speed automatic and 6-speed manual
Wheelbase 2703 mm (106.4 in)
Length 4425 mm (174.2 in)
Width 1770 mm (69.7 in)
Height 1340 mm (52.8 in)
Curb weight Manual: 1309–1373 kg (2888–3029 lb)
Auto: 1384 kg (3053 lb)
Fuel capacity 60 L (15.9 U.S. gal)