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General Motors Europe's Opel /Vauxhall unit on Thursday (17 May) assured the future of its Ellesmere Port plant in northwest England with the announcement that it would be the lead plant of only two in Europe building the next generation Astra (internally coded T3600).

Flagship roadster has been spotted testing, sporting four tailpipes and a 5.0-litre V8 engine

Google's driverless prototype has been given the go-ahead, but BMW boss says autonomous driving technology already exists

Google's driverless prototype has been given the go-ahead, but BMW boss says autonomous driving technology already exists

Figures show that the average number of miles driven per year are falling, yet car ownership is up

The redesigned Audi A3 will offer buyers greater choice than either of the previous two versions, including a four-door sedan for the first time.

We've got the best shots yet of Aston's £200,000, 550bhp DBS replacement

We've got the best pictures yet of Aston's new £200,000, 550bhp DBS replacement

Next-generation Vauxhall Astra will be built at Ellesmere Port, General Motors has confirmed

Germany's Continental plans to hire 5,000 more people in China by year end, boosting its work force in the country to 21,000. The new hires will be mainly in engineering and manufacturing, the supplier said in a statement.

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, the new alliance partner of General Motors, faces tough times, but the automaker can achieve a turnaround as early as this year.

Despite his immense popularity in the paddock with fans, Frenchman Jean Alesi is having a tough time out on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The former Formula 1 driver has decided to contest the prestigious Indy 500 this year, having accepted the offer his good friends Claudio Berro and Gino Rosato (formerly with Ferrari and now at Lotus) made him last Fall.

It took a long time to find a team that was capable of running Alesi. Initial contacts were made with Newman-Haas Racing and then with HVM. Both fell through. A deal was finally made with the new Fan Force United team.

Jean Alesi, Fan Force United Team. (Photo: IMS)

The main problem is that the Dallara DW12 is powered by a Lotus Judd engine, which is well known to be down-on-power. In every practice session, Alesi's name appears constantly at the bottom of the time sheets.

To go along with the media attention that Alesi, Lotus, and Fan Force United team has generated, some controversy has been stirred by Alesi's reaction to the events.

Wednesday, Alesi declared: “Right now, I feel very unsafe, being quite slow in the middle of the track. So I am quite concerned for my fellow drivers, if we are not able to get the speed that we need. I am flat out and I have reached 205 as the maximum that I can see. So it is not a comfortable position right now.”

The poor Alesi confirmed his concern for his fellow competitors, saying that he believes the situation as it stands to be one that is unsafe, simply due to the speed differential.

Jean Alesi. (Photo: IMS)

In a press release, the Frenchman said that he is not necessarily saying that he fears for himself, or that he feels a lack of safety in the car.

“Jean has made it quite clear that he is very comfortable in the car, and is simply desirous of going faster. All of this makes sense, as he is a determined racer that wants to be competitive. Jean remains fully confident in his team, and continues, along with the Fan Force team, to work hard to do all he can to find improvement in every possible area,” the press release said.

The only way Alesi can make his under-powered car to run faster is to trim it down (by reducing the amount of downforce). However, as this will make the car go faster in the straightaways, it will also make the car very delicate to drive in the four corners, is not impossible.

British race car constructor Lola Cars has announced that it is going into financial administration as it continues to search for possible investors.

Lola Cars International Ltd was formed in 1958.

Photo: Lolacars.com

Here is the content of the press release:

“In recent years, significant investment has been made in technology and capability in the motorsports business as well as diversifying and creating Lola Composites Limited, serving the defence, aerospace, communications, renewable energy, automotive and motorsports markets.

The latest economic downturn and the decision of HMRC not to pay ongoing R&D tax credits has caused a serious cashflow problem for the businesses. It is with enormous regret that a decision has been taken to issue Notices of intention to appoint an Administrator to Lola Cars International Limited and Lola Composites Limited. This step allows the board to continue its discussions with possible investors and prospective purchasers with a view to securing the best outcome for the staff, creditors and customers of both businesses.

The Lola board have declined to make further comment until Monday May 21.”

When Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag at Darlington last Saturday, team owner Rick Hendrick was elated.

More than just any other victory it was Hendrick Motorsports 200th win on NASCAR's Sprint Cup circuit.

Much emotion for Rick Hendrick on Saturday, after Jimmie Johnson's victory. (Photo: NASCAR)

That 200th victory reminded Hendrick of his first victory as a car owner in Martinsville, VA., by driver Geoff Bodine in April, 1984.

At the time the team was a start up called All-Star racing. And it was on the brink of closing for finance until Bodine's win

You could say that the HMS NASCAR dynasty started in Martinsville.

Ironically, Martinsville is also the site of the 2004 plane crash which claimed ten Hendrick family members and employees.

As if to ease some of the pain of remembering that tragic date Hendrick was hoping that the teams 200th win would come there, but, it didn't happy in story book fashion. It was a bitter pill when none of his four teams finally closed the deal.

“I would say that the race in Martinsville will have to go down as the one that's going to take a long time for me to get over.

When you're running one, two, three and you've got three laps to go, or two laps to go, and you've got a straight way on everybody and you just kind of are cruising and then somebody stops on the track and then you've got to restart and you have a big wreck that takes out everybody.

I think that one crushed me more than any one ever has, because I wanted to win at Martinsville, and that would have been a great place for the 200th win, where the accident happened. I have a lot of family there and had relatives on the plane. That one crushed me, and I don't think I'll ever get over that one,” Hendrick said.

After the Saturday night's race Johnson present Hendrick with a helmet signed by all the living drivers or family member of the drivers who won races for HMS.

Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus (crew chief) offering Rick Hendrick a precious present. (Photo: NASCAR)

Hendrick, a humble man who doesn't show big emotion, was thrilled.

“That was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen, because all of the drivers who had won races had signed it. And even Tim Richmond's sister signed for him. That's a treasure; to have a piece like that with the pictures and their signatures on it, because, you know, I look back, till the day I die at how fortunate we were and I am to be a part of this deal and part of NASCAR and to win this many races,” said Hendrick.

He added “the coolest thing about it all is being able to meet guys like Tim Richmond and Geoff Bodine and Darrell (Waltrip) and Terry (Labonte) and Kyle (Busch) and all of the guys that have been there that won races. Still see them in the garage, a lot of them. Some of them don't race anymore. But it's really an honor to have those guys be excited about the 200 and the relationship I have with all of them, so the helmet has all of that.”

From GMM

F1's next winner could be at the wheel of a black and gold car.

"I think Kimi (Raikkonen) will be the sixth different winner in the sixth race," said Finnish commentator and former driver Mika Salo, to the MTV3 broadcaster.

Although the results in 2012 have proved impossible to predict so far, many paddock pundits expected Lotus' E20 to be the car to beat last weekend in Barcelona.

"The big surprise was when Kimi didn't win," admitted former Ferrari driver Salo, referring to Pastor Maldonado's victory for Williams.

Also confident about Lotus' potential is Raikkonen's teammate, Romain Grosjean, who finished behind the 2007 world champion last weekend.

"It's good to be a little disappointed with third and fourth," he told the French language RMC Sport. "It shows that as a team we are convinced we can win."

Romain Grosjean, Lotus E20. (Photo: WRi2)

According to the reigning world champion team Red Bull's drivers, however, there is a downside to this year's impossible-to-predict F1 landscape.

"Maybe we will see an HRT or a Marussia on pole in Monaco," world champion Sebastian Vettel said, unenthusiastically and half-seriously.

Mark Webber insists that what has been described as the Pirelli 'lottery' might not be a good thing for the sport.

"I don't know if they (the fans) will get sick of seeing so many different winners," the Australian told Fox Sports. "It's nice to have different winners but also we want rivals."

So far in 2012, we've witnessed a 22% rise in sales within the subcompact and minicar categories. Several models were redesigned in the last year, and consumers seem to be digging them.

The Chevrolet Sonic is off to a good start, outselling the outgoing Aveo by 54%. The new Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio are also doing well, outscoring the previous-generation model's performance from last year. Even the Toyota Yaris with its freshly facelifted hatchback is doing better with a 35% increase, while Honda is moving out more units of the Fit.

2012 Hyundai Accent GLS Hatchback (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Fairly new, the Fiat 500 is at last gaining some momentum. Hell, even the Scion iQ minicar isn't doing too bad, given the car's size and versatility.

But the Koreans are still way ahead of the pack; the Hyundai Accent outsells the third-place Kia Rio by almost two to one. The Nissan Versa, with an 11% hike in sales, rounds out the podium in second spot.

Who's losing ground? The Ford Fiesta and the Mazda2, although still selling well, boast lower sales numbers this year, while the smart fortwo is still stuck in a downward spiral.

	2012 (first 4 months)	2011 (first 4 months)
Chevrolet Aveo	95	1,708
Chevrolet Sonic	2,629	-
Chevrolet Spark	-	-
Fiat 500	3,272	1,315
Ford Fiesta	3,402	3,987
Honda Fit	1,332	1,013
Hyundai Accent	7,298	6,781
Kia Rio	3,875	2,301
Mazda2	2,454	3,055
MINI Cooper	1,232	913
Mitsubishi i-MiEV	68	-
Nissan LEAF	94	-
Nissan Versa	4,174	3,750
Scion iQ	353	-
Scion xD	341	325
smart fortwo	393	542
Suzuki Swift+	-	1
Toyota Yaris	3,229	2,390
TOTAL	34,241	28,081

Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing's Josef Newgarden was, for the third time this week, on top of the time sheets at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Newgarden clocked his fastest run at 222.785 mph, putting him just ahead of Andretti Autosport trio Marco Andretti (222.108 mph), Ryan Hunter-Reay (221.763 mph), and James Hinchcliffe (221.638 mph).

Graham Rahal, Chip Ganassi Racing. (Photo: IMS)

But not everything went as planned for Newgarden as he lost control of his Dallara just 16 minutes before the end of the six hour session and spun through 720 degrees before glancing against the barriers.

Josef Newgarden, Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. (Photo: IMS)

Meanwhile, neither the Simona de Silvestro (HVM Racing) and Jean Alesi (Fan Force United) were able to lap any faster than 205mph on the fifth day of practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Lotus-powered cars are currently 10mph behind the next slowest car, and more than 17 mph off the pace being set by the frontrunners.

IndyCar officials have denied that they have allowed Lotus to use a new boost setting in order to increase the power on their engines.

Tony Kanaan (KV Racing) and Alex Tagliani (Bryan Herta Autosport). (Photo: IMS)

Also, rumours abound that Dragon Racing with its drivers Sebastian Bourdais and Katherine Legge could be on track today behind the wheel of their Chevrolet-powered Dallara DW12.

Indianapolis 500 Practice Day-5

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Josef Newgarden Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing 40.3977s

2. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport 40.5208s +0.1231

3. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport 40.5839s +0.1862

4. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport 40.6067s +0.2090

5. Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing 40.6095s +0.2118

6. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing 40.6468s +0.2491

7. Bryan Clauson Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing 40.7182s +0.3205

8. Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing 40.7404s +0.3427
9. Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 40.7506s +0.3529
10. Sebastian Saavedra AFS Racing/Andretti Autosport 40.7605s +0.3628
11. JR Hildebrand Panther Racing 40.7761s +0.3784

12. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 40.7948s +0.3971
13. Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology 40.8525s +0.4548
14. Graham Rahal Chip Ganassi Racing 40.8648s +0.4671
15. Alex Tagliani Bryan Herta Autosport 40.8980s +0.5003

16. Wade Cunningham A.J. Foyt Enterprises 40.9192s +0.5215

17. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt/Hamilton Motorsports 40.9459s +0.5482
18. Ana Beatriz Andretti Autosport 40.9536s +0.5559
19. Townsend Bell Sam Schmidt Motorsports 40.9605s +0.5628

20. Michel Jourdain Jr. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing 41.0434s +0.6457
21. Oriol Servia Panther Dreyer & Reinbold Racing 41.0919s +0.6942
22. Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing 41.1108s +0.7131
23. Helio Castroneves Team Penske 41.3404s +0.9427

24. Will Power Team Penske 41.3596s +0.9619

25. Mike Conway A.J. Foyt Enterprises 41.4304s +1.0327
26. Rubens Barrichello KV Racing Technology 41.5243s +1.1266
27. Ryan Briscoe Team Penske 41.6175s +1.2198
28. E.J. Viso KV Racing Technology 41.7611s +1.3634
29. Jean Alesi Fan Force United 43.8193s +3.4216

30. Simona de Silvestro HVM Racing 43.9005s +3.5028

General Motors today announced the return of a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive performance sedan to America after a 17-year absence. Named SS, it will become Chevrolet's next NASCAR Sprint Cup contender and debut in its race configuration at the 2013 Daytona 500.

Photo: General Motors

The limited production version of the Chevrolet SS is expected to arrive in dealer showrooms in late 2013 as a 2014 model. It will share its RWD architecture with the Camaro and Holden's upcoming VF Commodore from Australia.

Chevrolet sold the most sports cars in the United States last year, with the Camaro and Corvette leading the way. GM believes the addition of the SS will strengthen Chevrolet's position as a leading performance brand.

From Penske Racing

Former Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will join Penske Racing for two upcoming road course races on the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

The 1995 Indy 500 winner will compete behind the wheel of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger in the NNS races at Road America (June 23) and Montreal (August 18).

The Canadian will return to the Dodge at these venues for the second-consecutive season. Villeneuve will round out a talent-rich lineup for the No. 22 Dodge that will also include 2010 NNS champion Brad Keselowski and Parker Kligerman throughout the 2012 season.

Photo: Penske Racing

“I appreciate Penske Racing giving me the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of the No. 22 Dodge this season,” said Jacques Villeneuve.

“Road America and Montreal are two of my favorite racetracks. I feel, after winning the pole last year at Montreal, that we can have a lot of success. A NASCAR victory is something I want.”

Based on spy shots and CGI renderings, we can tell that the new Porsche Macan will look like a smaller Cayenne.

Photo: PS-Garage

The headlights appear similar yet slimmer and a bit more stretched, while the vent-integrated LED fog lights are not unlike those of older 911 GT models.

This Porsche Macan's curvier tail and more swooping roofline probably aim to give the vehicle a more urban look than the Cayenne.


_{Source: PS-Garage}