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From GMM

Organisers of the New York street race have hit back at Bernie Ecclestone's claim the inaugural 2013 date might be delayed a year.

The F1 chief executive had announced a race on the streets of New Jersey for 2013, and recent photos showed that work on the main pit building is well underway.

But Ecclestone told the BBC this week: "Maybe the New York race will be 2013. It's a (question of) when. 2013 or 2014."

Some sensed that the surprise news might be a diversionary tactic by Ecclestone, who is under intense pressure to cancel this weekend's highly controversial Bahrain grand prix.

Indeed, a spokesman for the 2013 New York street race has reacted to the 81-year-old's news with surprise.

"There's nothing to it. The race is on, as scheduled, for 2013," the spokesman, Stephen Sigmund, is quoted by NJBiz.

The race site is predominantly in the Port Imperial development, owned by Roseland Property Co.

That company's managing partner Carl Goldberg said: "As the primary land owner for the race site, we continue to plan and prepare for a June 2013 race."

AKRON, Ohio. Tires are a big deal. Ever stop and think about all the active safety features on your car? Ever delve into what they all have in common other than a computer? Tires. They rely wholly on your tires.

Tire manufacturers are well aware of the importance of the product they make but very few actually care to the point of investing not only in R&D but also in people, communities and the future.

Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSAM), the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, is one company that knows that a happy, healthy and well cared for staff, although expensive, will in return give the company 110% day-in and day-out.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com

I was at the grand opening of its gorgeous new state-of-the-art Americas Technical Center in Akron, Ohio. From an aesthetics standpoint alone, I was sold on the idea of moving into a cubicle on any floor, in any wing, in any department, if only to scribble on the walls (an encouraged way of brainstorming!).

The new $100-million facility houses nearly every aspect of the Research and Development process, from concept (including tires for concept cars), design, compound, reinforcement and various levels of in-house testing (heat, deformation, wear, fuel economy, etc.). From there, the tires are extensively tested at Bridgestone's outdoor test facilities in Fort Stockton, Texas, and Acuna, Mexico.

The building is located in Summit County in — where else? — Firestone Park, between South Main Street and East Firestone Boulevard. The complex has 450 employees, called teammates, who work at developing innovative and advanced tire technologies for the company, for consumers and for a better future.

The facility consists of four floors totaling 260,000 square feet, and is one of five such technical centres Bridgestone Corporation runs worldwide. The other four are located in Rome, Italy; Wuxi, China, and Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan.

Gary Garfield, CEO and President of BSAM, was on hand at the inauguration ceremony along with many other dignitaries who all had glowing things to say about the company that essentially saved the surrounding community. It certainly brought a human element to a multinational company that employs more than 145,000 people worldwide.

The whole experience impressed on me a very positive feeling about the largest tire company in the world. All this leads to the fact that Bridgestone is working extremely hard to make the absolute best tires in the world and not only be the volume leader.

Gary Garfield, CEO and President of BSAM (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com)

Continue reading Bridgestone Americas' New Technical Center

From GMM

Sauber's "teaser" has done the trick, triggering paddock speculation about its forthcoming major backer.

Last weekend in China, off the back of Sergio Perez's recent push for victory at Sepang, the small Swiss team ran mysterious "Out of the blue" signage on the C31's engine cover.

Photo: WRi2

The Blick newspaper said it was a "teaser" for a "big sponsor" that will be "announced in a few weeks".

So who is it?

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport relayed paddock rumours hinting that the deal could be with AT-T, the American multinational who last year pulled its title sponsorship of the then-struggling Williams team.

Another paddock whisper is that Sauber's new deal could be with the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, to promote his English premier league club Chelsea.

As an auto journo, and a good one I might add (no false modesty here...), I'm expected to know quite a lot about cars. I do (continued modesty). In fact, I'm a trained automotive technician.

Because of this, I enjoy manufacturer technical presentations as I more often than not grasp the basics, and more. Quite the build-up, eh? So given all of this, I'm the car guy in the family. I look after tires, oil changes, DOT stuff, insurance and garage references, the lot.

My wife and I own three cars. Actually, she has her 2004 Volvo XC70 and I've got Big Bird and my 1992 Volkswagen Jetta. Obviously, I'm in charge of maintenance and all of the above.

Recently, the Volvo was in need of some love. The wife noticed some unusual suspension noise (her training is progressing; I still can't figure out how to work the washing machine) and brought it to my attention. In no time flat, I had figured it out: sway-bar end link. As well, we had both noticed that the brake pedal was getting jumpy and low.

2004 Volvo XC70 (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com)

Because of the fear of killing my spouse due to massive brake failure (I'll risk it on my turd-boxes), I made an appointment with my Volvo specialist. It's always good to have one of those...

Once there, I shared my diagnosis with the service manager and asked to be contacted with an estimate before any work be done. The call came in only to find out I was wrong on another issue and the brake situation was far worse than I expected. Estimate: $650. I agreed and the work was carried out.

At the end of the day, I set off to recover the car. The final bill tallied $750. When I enquired about the price difference, I was told that taxes were not included in the estimate nor was a bulb replacement.

My initial reflex was to protest, however I decided to accept the situation and pay the bill. When I got into the XC70, my old link or what I'm expected to believe is my replaced part, was on the passenger floor.

The moral of this story? However good and vigilant you think you are, the peeps at the garage are better. Same thing with stealerships, I might add.

Next time you get a quote on a repair, insist on the price with taxes included. If extra work is required after the estimate, insist once again that you be contacted unless it's a $10 part or a sub $50 job.

And should a part be replaced, tell them to keep it because, if you don't see them remove it, you can never be sure that it was yours to begin with so it turns into trash once you get home.

From wrc.com

Dani Sordo has described a feeling of excitement after sampling a Ford Fiesta RS WRC for the first time during a test in the United Kingdom Wednesday.

Dani Sordo. (Photo: BP Ford Team)

Sordo has been drafted in to replace Jari-Matti Latvala on Rally Argentina next week.

Latvala sustained a broken collarbone when he fell while cross-country skiing and is unable to contest round five of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Sordo and co-driver Carlos del Barrio conducted considerable running during the test at Greystoke Forest in Cumbria, north-west England.

Photo: BP Ford Team

M-Sport, the company responsible for operating the Ford World Rally Team in the WRC, owns the venue, which it uses for regular development testing.

The Spaniards will spend today, Thursday, with engineers from the Ford team as they continue to adapt to their new surroundings following their temporary release by the rival Prodrive WRC Team.

GM has reached a deal with China partner Shanghai Automotive Industry that will give GM equal control of key decisions in their Chinese joint venture. The deal allows both automakers to expand their partnership, even outside China.

The Ferrari 599 is on its way out; we saw its striking replacement, the

An employee injured in a battery explosion last week at the General Motors Technical Center in suburban Detroit remained hospitalized today, GM confirmed. GM declined to disclose the worker's name or details of his injury.

Automakers and suppliers are unlikely to find immediate alternatives to a shortage of resin used to make brake- and fuel-system components because of their pre-production vetting processes, according to researchers at IHS Automotive.

More than half of automotive aftermarket and repair purchases in the United States last year were for vehicles eight or more years old, and demand for products and services to keep aging vehicles running is expected to remain strong, industry...

With Volkswagen AG's decision today to build an Audi assembly plant there, the country has cemented its role as a major North American hub for light vehicle production. Audi is joining Mazda Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Co.

Volkswagen AG's Audi will buy Italian motorcycle maker Ducati Motor Holding SpA to add luxury two-wheelers ridden by celebrities such as Brad Pitt to the German automaker's expanding brand portfolio.

Volkswagen Group has settled on Mexico as the location for a factory for Audi.

Also in this episode: Formula One might delay the New Jersey race, and we take a closer look at the

and#8220;Celebrity provenanceand#8221; is car-auction-catalog speak for and#8220;may have some tenuous connection to someone who is or was famous.and#8221; It can mean a car was owned by

Dyer Consequences: Hot Plates

Vanity license plates are more popular than ever.

According to a rigorous scientific study entitled "Anecdotal Report of Things I've Noticed Lately," vanity license plates are more popular than ever. In recent days, I've spotted a Land Rover wearing "LUVMYLR4," a Jaguar XJ proclaiming it's "PURRFECT," and a Porsche 911 Targa that apparently figured in an ugly divorce -- or so I imagine, based on the plate: "SHEH8SME." I also noticed a white Ford Bronco adorned with "OJ 32," a vanity tag in such good taste that I've no doubt the gentleman was on his way to the opera.

Photo Gallery: Dyer Consequences: Hot Plates - Automobile Magazine

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Volkswagen Group has settled on Mexico to build a new North American factory for its premium Audi brand. The Audi supervisory board decided in favor of Mexico over a site next to VW Group's existing U.S. factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Volkswagen Group picked Mexico to build a new North American factory for its premium Audi brand -- a move designed to drive exports and relieve supply constraints that executives say have limited the automaker's U.S. sales growth.

Audi's purchase of Italian motorcycle maker Ducati Motor Holding was approved by the Volkswagen Group and Audi boards on Wednesday.

By Design: BMW 3-Series

Not as simple as it first seems.

Here's a new version of the world's quintessential sport sedan and perpetual All-Star, the BMW 3-series -- the designated target for car manufacturers everywhere. There'll be sleek convertibles, sporty wagons and coupes, and clumsy-looking SUV variants of this design from BMW in the coming months, but the whole of this iteration's character is embodied in the first-out four-door, the volume seller. At first glance, the 3-series sedan seems softer, more consensual, and less idiosyncratic than the last couple of Bangle-body 3s, but there is a lot more to this car than jumps to the untrained eye. I can confidently predict two things: that it will be another best-seller, and that it will evolve considerably during its production period. The first because it looks very good, the second because it has been cleverly designed to be easily and inexpensively changed visually.

Photo Gallery: By Design: BMW 3-Series - Automobile Magazine

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