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According to The Wall Street Journal, President Obama has taken a pass on granting auto parts suppliers’ request for $10 billion in aid, leaving the financially-strapped companies to seek succor from Congress instead.

While the president’s administration says it will keep a wary eye on the state of the industry, no more federal aid appears to be in the cards. As quoted in the WSJ, Neil De Koker, president and CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association says that he thinks the government won’t financially intervene further “unless we see chaos or a disorderly situation arising where have assembly-line shutdown due to lack of ability to get parts or stuff like that, then we would relook at this situation…”

While the industry’s highest-profile bankruptcy have undoubtedly been that of General Motors and Chrysler, major suppliers like Karmann, Visteon and Metaldyne have also filed in recent months, and industry watchdogs see the potential for many more red ink stained white flags to be erected before the industry’s economy recovers.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal | Image: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty]

Listen up, all you people in New York, Dallas, Detroit and Atlanta. Settle down. You, too, Minneapolis. There’s no excuse for the kinds of things you’re doing out there on the road. That’s right, we saw you. Well, not us, but your fellow drivers who tattled on a new AutoVantage survey about road rage. Those were the five worst cities for road rage incidents this year, with respondents citing hot-tempered drivers and aggressive speeding and horn honking.

But wait – there are two sides to the road named rage. Something must have set off those finger-waving commuters. And that would have been all the other drivers out there who are talking on their phones, tailgating, eating, emailing and checking Autoblog on their netbooks and iPhones. Those people, the survey says, are the ones getting on the nerves of the short-fused.

So where can a mild-mannered driver go and cruise the roads in peace? AutoVantage’s survey lists Portland, Oregon as the most courteous city with Cleveland, Baltimore, Sacramento and Pittsburgh following. While we’re at it, we’d like to spotlight Baltimore as a shining example of how a city can make a road-rage u-turn. That city moved up from No. 4 on last year’s least courteous list. Now why can’t the rest of you behave as well?

Here’s a few more interesting numbers the survey offers. St. Louis drivers, 92% of them, reported seeing someone talking on a mobile phone every day. It’s also a city where you’re more likely to see drivers eating in their cars. A majority of Minneapolis drivers surveyed said they witness tailgating every day, and that city’s drivers also reported more incidences of red light running. In Miami, you’re less likely to see drivers signaling lane changes but much more likely to get a text message from a fellow driver. Maybe they’re just texting their intent to come into your lane. “Can U belev I jst got cutof??? Had 2 run light 2 catch up 2 him at 90mph!!!”

Ironically, 7% of the drivers surveyed said they reacted to displays of bad driving by calling the cops… on their mobile phones, we assume.

Check out the press release after the jump. But you might want to wait until you finish your drive home. It’s kinda long.

What qualities are required for an engine to be considered the best-of-the-best in today’s world? Naturally, any given engine needs to make enough power for its intended application, but fuel efficiency is just as important in modern society. This being the case, it’s not terribly surprising that Volkswagen’s innovative 1.4-liter Twincharger engine has taken home top honors as the 2009 International Engine of the Year, beating out BMW’s powerful 3.0-liter direct-injected twin-turbo six-cylinder powerplant by just four points.

The Engie of the Year award is handed out based on the voting results of 65 motor scribes polled from all around the globe. Some 32 countries are represented in the jury, including the U.S., Germany, Japan, China, the U.K., and Korea.

To go along with its Engine of the Year award, VW’s supercharged and turbocharged mill also won the Green Engine of the Year trophy – beating out Honda’s 1.3-liter IMA hybrid powertrain in the process – and also took the nod in its 1.0-1.4-liter size class. Here’s a list of the rest of the award winners:

* Best New Engine - Porsche’s 3.8-liter 385bhp flat-six
* Best Performance Engine - Mercedes-AMG 6.2-liter V8
* Sub 1-liter - Toyota 1-liter three-cylinder
* 1.8-2.0L - Audi 2-liter TFSI
* 2.0L-2.5L - Mercedes-Benz Diesel 2.1-litre BlueEfficiency
* 2.5L-3.9L - BMW 3-liter DI Twin Turbo
* 3.0L-4.0L - BMW 4-liter V8
* Above 4.0L - Mercedes-AMG 6.2-liter V8

[Source: International Engine of the Year Awards]

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Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on
this page is 100% correct.

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on
this page is 100% correct.

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on
this page is 100% correct.