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Ferdinand Piech's recent retreat from the limelight might be seen as a sign the Volkswagen chairman might step back from leading the carmaker that aspires to be the world's biggest.

Ferdinand Piech's recent retreat from the limelight might be seen as a sign the Volkswagen chairman might step back from leading the carmaker that aspires to be the world's biggest.

More product-sharing ventures are cooking between Daimler and Nissan, beyond the entry-level Infiniti based on Mercedes-Benz front-wheel-drive architecture that Nissan is preparing to create.

Opel plans to move some production of its Astra compact car to Poland from one of its German plants, a newspaper report said.

Daimler has released details of its Mercedes-Benz Citan delivery van, ahead of its unveiling at the IAA commercial vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, in September. The van is the first vehicle to result from two years of cooperation with Renault.

The controversial Grand Prix of Bahrain, Round 4 of the 2012 Formula 1 World Championship, is sceduled for this weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit located near the capital, Nanama.

All times are local.

Thursday April 19
15:00: FIA press conference

Friday April 20
10:00 - 11:30: First free practice
14:00 - 15:30: Second free practice
18:30: FIA press conference

Saturday April 21
11:00 - 12:00: Third free practice
14:00 - 15:00: Qualifying
18h00: FIA post qualifying press conference

Sunday April 22
15:00 - 17:00: Bahrain GP
17:00: FIA post race press conference

Last podium in 2010. (Photo: WRi2)

A couple of weeks ago, I listed five good reasons to attend a Formula 1 Grand Prix. This exercise proved to be easy and many of you responded with positive comments, especially on social media (thanks, by the way!).

Now, I'm venturing onto some slippery terrain, I guess. I will try to explain you, diehard fans of Formula 1 and other road racing series, why you should also give NASCAR a chance.

Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.TV

''Watching cars go around in circles? Never!''

Oh, come on! There's way more to it than that. Without further ado, here are my five good reasons to attend a NASCAR race:

1. The cars
You may prefer the sophisticated wail of a Formula 1 engine, but the sound of 43 hell-bent V8 engines revving at 9,000+ rpm will shake you to your core - especially on a small, one-mile speedway surrounded by gigantic bleachers that together resemble a modern coliseum.

2. The show
The endless lines of cars trying to access the vast parking lots early in the morning are really a sight to behold. And then just about anyone can walk through the paddocks and the pit lane to watch the teams prepare for the race. When the moment of truth finally arrives, 100,000 rabid spectators can hear the famous ''Gentlemen, start your engines!'' before a group of F18 jets fly over the track at a low altitude. Intense!

3. The crowd
Sure, the average F1 fan looks and acts nothing like the average American stock car enthusiast. The latter usually has anti-US government stickers on his bumper, gorges himself on fast food, wears his favourite driver's apparel from head to toe, and speaks English with a strong southern accent. It's a wild jungle.

4. The admission
Tickets are much cheaper than F1's. They provide a lot more access, too. Unfortunately, nearby hotels seize the opportunity to increase their nightly rates (which is also the case during a Grand Prix), hence the popularity of RVs.

5. The suspense
NASCAR races are always decided on the very last lap. On any weekend, at least 20-25 drivers have a legitimate shot at winning the race. Sometimes, the last guy on the starting grid can come back and even fight for the finish line. While the races are fairly long, watching the last few laps from the stands, surrounded by real aficionados, is definitely worth it!

So, did I convince you?

From GMM

Mercedes' rivals must now count the German team as a serious contender, Nico Rosberg has said after winning his first grand prix in China last weekend.

Shanghai was also the scene of the 26-year-old's first pole and the first works Mercedes victory for over half a century, but Rosberg warned that the W03 is not likely to dominate from now on.

"It's a really interesting season so far," he told Bild newspaper.

First victory for Mercedes AMG and Nico Rosberg. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

"Until now nobody has really known who is in front, and suddenly we are on top! But we can't think that we will drive around everybody at the next race. We still have (tire) problems in the race, that's for sure, but the others also need to count on us now," said Rosberg.

"We are going to be fast in qualifying at all the races; that's our trump card. And now we know that if we execute the race properly, then we can do it (win) again."

Remember the Honda Accord Wagon from back in the day? The 2012 Honda Crosstour is sort of its modern-day reincarnation.

Nothing on four wheels was more level-headed than a Honda Accord Wagon. Good on fuel, reliable and ready for the "fam," it was one of the ultimate sensible haulers of all time.


Sensibility over style
Like the Accord Wagon before it, Crosstour isn't trying to win any styling awards. From the rear, it resembles an oversized Honda Insight with dual exhausts. Some folks say the side profile reminded them of the Porsche Panamera, which isn't a terrible thing. Others said the Crosstour's body looked awkwardly placed over its wheels, clumsy or even "pregnant."

Looks aside, Crosstour is a Honda Accord-based crossover slotted vaguely between a station wagon and SUV - but less towards the latter. It's big on flexibility and capability without being needlessly big, physically. And despite the expanded cargo space and increased ride height, it intends to feel and drive like a sedan.

From the rear, it resembles an oversized Honda Insight with dual exhausts. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com)

Ready for anything
It's a smack in the face to the SUV scene - and a machine that proves one needn't drive a clumsy, hulking 4x4 to experience family-ready utility and AWD confidence.

Camping? Renovating your house? Moving? Just doing a whole whack of shopping? Crosstour is ready for the job. Really, for flexible cargo hauling and versatility, this thing hits the nail on the head. For Honda fans after a high-utility wagon-like vehicle, the Crosstour has been attracting more attention than a laser dot in a cat shelter.

Though the cargo area is narrow in the middle (thank the shock towers), overall roominess is generous. You'll have no trouble loading in larger items after folding the rear seats down with a simple pull on a lever. There's even some extra storage under the cargo area floor to keep smaller items organized and out of sight.

And you'll smile, a bit, because with all of your gear and stuff and things on board, the Crosstour doesn't take up more than its fair share of space or fuel.

For flexible cargo hauling and versatility, this thing hits the nail on the head. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com)

No stimulation from the cabin
Incidentally, Crosstour is fairly well set up for cargo of the human variety, too. There's plenty of room for four or five adults on board when all seats are upright. Equipment included heated memory seats, Bluetooth, steering wheel audio controls, USB connectivity and a central command control knob for relatively easy access to numerous infotainment functions.

There's plenty of at-hand storage too - as is typical with most Hondas. You get the sense that engineers and designers worked to optimize virtually every shred of available interior volume.

But ultimately, if you're looking to be excited by your vehicle's interior styling, this isn't going to be the machine for you. It's all very utilitarian, albeit for some fake wood, beige leather and contrasting trim colors tossed in for good measure.

The infotainment system, which occupies prime real estate smack in the centre of the dashboard, lets the cabin atmosphere down a little too. It's terribly overdue for an update. My old Atari video game system had similar graphics about 20 years ago.

Ultimately, the Crosstour's cabin is a nice place to be, but not because of its looks.

It's all very utilitarian, albeit for some fake wood, beige leather and contrasting trim colors tossed in for good measure. (Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com)

The anti-SUV
Still, after a few thousand kilometres, I couldn't help but thinking the Crosstour would make a great mobile office, cottage hauler or weekend tourer. If your ventures take you out in the frigid depths of wintertime, Crosstour's fully automatic all-wheel drive system adds confidence and traction to any situation, too. With a set of winter tires and your careful driving, it'll move around confidently in any weather.

The ride and handling are big-car like and typically smooth and refined, though occasionally harsh over rougher surfaces. Crosstour is comfortable cruising at a good clip and reacts with adequate urgency to any driver input.

VTEC Power
Powering it all up is Honda's proven 3.5L V6 with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) to selectively deactivate cylinders when the full 271 horsepower output isn't needed. The promise is great on-demand, high-revving power alongside good mileage during gentle driving. Most will find performance to be more than adequate, and your writer achieved overall mileage of about 11L/100km in real-life, late-winter driving. This figure included a 200-km jaunt through the worst snowstorm of the season.

All Crosstour models come with a 5-speed automatic transmission, and a front-wheel drive version is available, too. A four-cylinder engine option will eventually make its way under Crosstour's hood, too.

Powering it all up is Honda's proven 3.5L V6 with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) to selectively deactivate cylinders when the full 271 horsepower output isn't needed. (Photo: Honda)

Utility first
I appreciated the $38,900 Crosstour EX-L 4WD NAVI's ready and willing attitude to tackle any job I threw its way, as well as the AWD traction and punchy, pleasant-sounding and liquid-smooth V6 engine. And the non-SUV driving feel.

Crosstour isn't trying to set the driving enthusiast's soul on fire or make any styling statements - but if you can treat your vehicle as a transportation-related appliance and prioritize space and functionality above all else, it should satisfy. Ultimately, it's a triumph of sensibility and flexibility over style and passion. Check Crosstour out alongside the Toyota Venza and Subaru Outback.

Dodge Journey R/T AWD

Toyota Venza V6 AWD

Mazda CX-7 GT AWD

2012 marks the 30th year since Formula One Ferrari legend Gilles Villeneuve's fatal crash during qualifying of the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Here is the latest piece of our special feature on this special hero, from the mouth of Richard Spénard.

After a successful 1973 season spent in F1600, the young Gilles Villeneuve decided it was time to pack his things and move on to the next level: Formula Atlantic.

Richard Spenard (left) in conversation with Gilles Villeneuve. (Photo: Richard Spenard's Archives)

At the time, Europeans knew very little about the North American series. Still, the single seaters, propelled by a 1.6-litre atmospheric engine, were doing well to attract the young and bright talents of Europe, maybe because of the wings and slick tires they featured. Keke Rosberg, Patrick Depailler, Jacques Laffite, James Hunt, Riccardo Patrese and Didier Pironi all had a go at it.

1974 - Villeneuve's first season in Atlantic - saw the Canadian break a leg at Mosport. He came back in 1975 and earned his first triumph, through the rain of Gimli, in Manitoba. Soon after that, driving the March 76B that now sits at the Berthierville Gilles-Villeneuve museum and then Écurie Canada's 77B, Villeneuve won the 1976 and 1977 championships.

Partnering him through these successful times was fellow up-and-coming Quebec native Richard Spénard - a future F2000, Porsche Cup and GM series champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans racer. Today, the 58-year-old is still active as a Ferrari Challenge coach and remembers very well his first meeting with Gilles Villeneuve.

"I met him for the first time in the spring of 1975, in a restaurant. I was coming up from Formula Ford, he already had a season of Atlantic under his belt. What stood out of that meeting was how, three weeks before the start of the season, Villeneuve had no deal at all. He was looking for a drive," Spénard remembers.

Gilles Villeneuve, Écurie Canada ( (Photo: René Fagnan's Archives)

"And for him to get a seat, he would have to do all the work associated with it. I mean all the work, from preparing to driving the car," he told Auto123.com.

"So I partnered him at Écurie Canada through 1977. There I saw how big the gap was between him and the rest of us."

"By that, I mean he was already top-notch, professional in his approach because of all his snowmobile years. Building, developing and testing new parts was nothing new for him. Those technical abilities he had were what set him apart from us, who knew little about running a race car.

"We sat in and drove. He worked non-stop with the engineers to improve whatever could be improved. Hands on he was, indeed. [...] He also did all those exercises away from the track to improve his field of vision and that sort of things. Being in the same team as him also meant that if he crashed his car, he was allowed to take mine."

Other memories of Spénard being Villeneuve's teammate include watching future F1 world champion Jacques grow, sitting duck in a Ford Mustang and off-roading in Berthierville.

"Gilles' family was very much with him at the track. I remember watching Jacques, growing up from breathing and living in the paddocks."

Gilles Villeneuve sitting in Richard Spenard's car (Spenard is seen on the left, sitting on the concrete wall). (Photo: Guy Bellerive)

"On the road, I was a very disciplined driver because, ironically, I wasn't much of a car guy, not a nutcase anyway - unlike Gilles who always had either a wrench or a wheel in his hands. If he was not souping up his cars, he was driving them. In his Mustang V8 for example, it was pedal to the metal... all the time. 'I just don't know how to slow down,' he told me once. Speed was in his blood."

"Once I also went off-roading with him in Berthierville. I had no experience in that field, and stayed stuck a couple of times. Good thing he was there to fish me out. The funny thing is, he didn't even remotely care about whether I damaged the engine or the differential of his pick-up. But I had to watch out for the body.

"He could change the motor in a flash, but didn't like doing bodywork. That's just the way he was."

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel's 2012 struggle looks set to continue for now.

It has emerged that, despite the reigning back-to-back champion preferring the launch version of the RB8, Red Bull has decided that Vettel will drive the latest specification of the car's exhaust layout in Bahrain this weekend.

In China, the team allowed Vettel to go back to the previous spec, while Mark Webber qualified better and finished higher with Adrian Newey's latest developments.

"He can't get the confidence he needs with the car," admitted Dr Helmut Marko on Austrian Servus TV, "and this makes him make uncharacteristic mistakes."

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB8. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

Nonetheless, Red Bull has decided that the 'Webber-specification' exhaust is the right way forward.

"We will go on with the Mark Webber car," Marko confirmed.

As for why the team's Australian driver feels more comfortable in the updated car, Marko surmised: "Mark is less sensitive to the (car's) behaviour. He just needs four wheels, but it's different for Vettel."

From GMM

It is wrong to say Sebastian Vettel has entered a period of "crisis" after winning two world championships on the trot.

That is the insistence of Christian Danner, a former grand prix driver who now commentates on German television RTL.

"It's a results crisis, not a Vettel crisis," he told the news agency DAPD.

He is referring not only to Red Bull's failure to win a race so far in 2012, but the fact former pole position-king Vettel was outqualified in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain by his teammate Mark Webber.

Webber, meanwhile, has out-scored Vettel at the last two races, and is eight points ahead in the drivers' standings.

Referring to 24-year-old Vettel, Danner insisted: "Great racing drivers, just like other great athletes, have always shown that they develop strongly even in defeat."

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB8. (Photo: WRi2)

The finer detail of Vettel's season so far is that he has struggled so much with the race version of the RB8 car's exhaust layout that the team rolled out the pre-season specification for the German driver in China.

Webber, meanwhile, ploughed on with Adrian Newey's latest specification and performed better in Shanghai.

"There are some characteristics about the upgraded car that weren't particularly suited to his (Vettel's) style of driving which is to carry a lot of speed into the corner," team boss Christian Horner is quoted by Reuters news agency.

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton has hinted again that he sees his future with McLaren.

Just prior to the new season, the 2008 world champion indicated he would like to renew his deal with the Woking based team in the early phase of this year.

Hamilton's current contract runs out at the end of 2012.

Asked by British publications if he is being persuaded by his boss Martin Whitmarsh to stay, the 27-year-old answered: "I don't need persuading. The team are doing fantastic. I could not be happier in the team."

Also asked if it would be hard for him to leave the team he has spent his entire career with, Hamilton admitted: "Yeah. I don't feel like walking away."

Lewis Hamilton aboard the MP4-27 in the McLaren garage. (Photo: WRi2)

The Briton had a tumultuous 2011 season, but so far in 2012 he has appeared happy as he raced onto the podium at the end of every grand prix.

"Everything is better this year," said Hamilton. "The team is better. The car is better. I am a lot better. I have got my dad here (in China) and that is not fake; we have a real, real good bond now. Things are great and that's reflected in my performances."

Jenson Button, who already has a deal in place for 2013 and beyond, indicated he would like Hamilton to remain his teammate.

"It's good to have competition, it drives the team forward," said the 2009 world champion.

As for when the new deal might be done, Hamilton said the timeframe for talks is open "so long as it is before next year".

Vicky Piria, Carmen Jorda and Alice Powell are three female drivers who will compete in the GP3 series this season.

Eighteen-year-old Italian Vicky Piria will contest the 2012 season with team Trident Racing. Piria started her racing career in 2009 in Formula 2000 Light Italia, before moving to Formula Abarth in her country in 2010 and 2011, where she was classified 18th overall.

Vicky Piria. (Photo: GP3 series)

Nearly 24-year-old Carmen Jorda from Spain will also make her GP3 debut this season. She started her career in Master Junior Formula in her country in 2005, and then ran the Spanish Formula 3 championship (F3 Open) in the « Cup » category from 2006 to 2009.

In 2010, she moved to the United States to compete in the Indy Lights series, where she was classified 16th at the end of the season. She will run the GP3 championship for team Ocean Racing Technology.

Carmen Jorda. (Photo: GP3 series)

Nineteen-year-old Alice Powell, from Oxford, England, ran in the Formula Renault UK series for three years, and also secured the Formula Renault BARC title in 2010. She struck a deal with Status Grand Prix for the 2012 GP3 season.

Alice Powell. (Photo: GP3 series)

The opening rounds of the GP3 championship will be held in Barcelona, May 12 and 13.

From GMM

Statistically, the Chinese grand prix raced straight into the history books as one of the most exciting formula one events of all time.

"For me, we are having some of the best races in formula one history," agreed Jenson Button after finishing Sunday's Shanghai race behind Nico Rosberg.

Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper reports that only three grands prix in the history of the sport played host to more individual overtaking moves.

The report said there were 72 passes in total on Sunday, not including the first corner of the race. Seven of the moves were on Kimi Raikkonen on one lap, after the Lotus driver's Pirelli tyres gave up the ghost.

Last year in Shanghai, there were 63 passes. So far in 2012, there were more overtaking moves in China, Malaysia and Australia compared to the same races last season.

First lap of the Chinese race. (Photo: Pirelli)

Canada 2011 still stands as the site of the most passes during a single grand prix, at 89.

In second place are the 1983 US grand prix and the 2011 Turkish grand prix (79 passes), followed by China last weekend.

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh is celebrating the spectacle of the 2012 season so far.

"Who's going to predict who will win?" he said, referring to this weekend's grand prix in Bahrain. "I won't. We've had three very different races and I think we are going to have potentially 20 very different races this year."

As they grapple with high rates of kidnapping, murder and robbery, Brazilians are starting to turn to an option formerly reserved for diplomats and rap stars — armoured cars.

DuPont in 2008 introduced its bulletproof Kevlar fibre and SentryGlas car kit, Armura, to middle-class Brazilians for installation on their Chevys, Hondas and Kias.

Now, the chemical company wants to bulletproof taxis that will shuttle visitors between events at the 2014 World Cup soccer championship and 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

The Brazil-only Armura protects against bullets up to .38 calibre; sales in Brazil were up 70% in the first quarter this year over last year. DuPont says its annual sales of Armura amount to “tens of millions” of dollars, but didn't offer more specifics.

Armura sells for about $12,000 and weighs about 90 kg. DuPont-approved technicians replace the car's windows with SentryGlas and put Kevlar panels behind the door panels. It's currently available on 11 models including the Toyota Corolla and Chevy Cruze.

The largest private guards' union in Brazil estimates that residents spend about $8 billion on private security each year.


_{Source: Reuters}

With sales plunging 41% in the region since 2007, Toyota is taking a three-pronged approach to get back into the European game: a leaner executive suite, new models, and a new partner in BMW.

“It's unacceptable for Toyota to be at this volume level in Europe,” said Didier Leroy, Toyota's European chief, in an interview with Bloomberg.com. Leroy said they had cut management layers to streamline decision-making over the past two years.

Photo: Toyota

Toyota will roll out a Yaris hybrid, Europe's first hybrid subcompact, and the GT86 sports coupe. Yaris production started in northern France earlier this week, following an investment of $33 million in the company's Valenciennes factory.

The GT86, geared to compete with VW's Scirocco and Peugeot Citroen's RCZ, gets up to 100 km/h in a hair over eight seconds. Toyota is targeting just 15,000 units of the sporty coupe; their overall goal for Europe, Russia, Turkey and Israel is a cool million next year, 20% higher than their 2012 target.

BMW starts delivering diesel engines to Toyota in 2014; diesels are less taxed than gasoline engines in many European countries.



_{Source: Bloomberg}

Ford will debut an all-new pony car its staffers are calling Mustang III in mid-2014, just in time for the nameplate's 50th anniversary. If artist Sean Smith has it right, the new generation will eschew retro styling for a look based largely on the Evos concept, minus the gullwing doors.

Ford Evos Concept (Photo: Ford)

With the model planned to go global, marketers are looking to broaden the car's nostalgic appeal with a slicker look, leaner weight, and underpinnings from an all-new platform.

Rumour has it this ‘Stang will at last make the switch to fully independent rear suspension, the better to compete with Chevy's hit Camaro.

Power will likely come from a variation of the brand's EcoBoost engines, with a V8 iteration a possibility.

The Mustang III will likely debut this time next year in New York.


_{Source: The Detroit Bureau}

The MINI Inspired by Goodwood special edition is on display in a front window at London's famous Harrods department store. Taking inspiration from the design team at Rolls Royce, the car is touted as MINI's “most ambitious and luxurious” special edition to date.

Photo: BMW

Brompton Road passers-by will see a quintessentially English manor house and gates as a backdrop to the MINI. Inside the store, display screens provide information and a selection of swatches and samples are available to show off interior trims. A MINI staffer from the brand's Park Lane flagship showroom is on hand in case shoppers get the itch to order.

The Goodwood features a dashboard, centre console, air vents, carpets, heated leather seats, roof lining, doors and interior cladding finished in Rolls-Royce's exclusive colour Cornsilk. The dashboard and door handle surfaces are Walnut Burr, a premium, custom Rolls trim.

The exterior is finished in Rolls Royce's Diamond Black metallic.

The phrase “1 of 1000” will be projected onto the pavement outside the store window, and the whole works on display until Sunday.

From GMM

Ferrari is looking ahead to Barcelona next month, as the famous Italian team plans to begin putting a difficult start to the 2012 season behind it.

Test driver Marc Gene, who is travelling to the grands prix this year, said the F2012 was "born well" but fell behind the other leading teams as the winter pre-season progressed.

"From here it will take time to improve it," he told the Spanish newspaper Diario Sport. "The next big developments will arrive in Barcelona, although at every race the team is making improvements and we know already that the main problem is aerodynamics. It's a car that also has its virtues, as it adapts well to the wet and also warms up the tyres well, but it is a car with a lot of 'drag'; we need better top speed and traction."

Photo: Pirelli

He said, however, that with at least an eight-tenth per lap dry circuit deficit to the ultimate pace, the F2012 is not likely to step to the front of the grid even with a big raft of developments for the Spanish grand prix.

"I have to admit that it (eliminating the entire gap) would be the most dramatic improvement I've seen in the 13 years I have been in formula one. (Improvement) throughout the season is much more feasible. I know that we are working on a very big package and even more positive is that we have the test at Mugello beforehand."

Marc Gene said the best car in the field at present is the McLaren.

"That is the car that works best if you take together all the different elements. Maybe not the fastest in qualifying, nor in the wet, but today it's the best car on the grid," he said.

Fernando Alonso said he is hoping the F2012 becomes "3 or 4 tenths" better at Barcelona.

"All the teams will bring updates," he is quoted by Finland's Turun Sanomat, "so if we could improve 5 or 6 tenths, while the others get only a couple of tenths, it will be better for us."

And Spain's Marca quotes Felipe Massa as saying: "I do expect a much better car in Spain; faster, better balanced and better traction."