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From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has hit back at reports he is out of favour at Lotus.

The 2007 world champion's return to formula one this year initially went smoothly, but he has struggled more recently while newcomer teammate Romain Grosjean almost won the recent Canadian grand prix.

Not only that, there are reports his Enstone based employer is losing patience with the 32-year-old Finn's attitude, especially regarding his demands for a better steering system and a rumoured rift over a rallying ban.

"I don't know where you heard that," Raikkonen told reporters at Valencia. "Go and ask the team and you will get the truth."

Asked if he is still happy at Lotus, he insisted: "Why wouldn't I be?"

Everything's OK between Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

Raikkonen did admit, however, that there has been some disappointment that the promise of the E20 car has not translated into a race win yet.

"We've been so close to certain results, so certain races have been a bit disappointing, and you are disappointed when you don't win," he said.

I recently attended the launch of the 2013 Lexus ES 350 and ES 300h in Newberg, Oregon USA. Rather than fly, as journalists so often do, I drove to the event, which was a 1,200 km round trip. The vehicle that carried me to and fro is the subject of this review.


Convertible hardtop - best of both worlds
The Lexus IS is a compact four-door sports sedan. When a 'C' is added to the badging, it becomes a two-door convertible coupe that seats four occupants. The 'C' could just as easily represent "competent."

While its cabin is less spacious than the sedan, the hardtop convertible lid is so well executed that it's difficult to discern from within that the roof fully retracts into the trunk. Even from the outside, the car conceals its roofless alter, preferring to appear simply as a sleek coupe when the roof is in place.

When adding the "C" to the crest of the IS, it therefore refers to the four-seat convertible coupe. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

IS 250 C milder than 350 C
The 2012 Lexus IS 250 C rides upon a rear-wheel-drive platform and relies upon a smaller V6 engine for propulsion than its IS 350 C sibling. That's okay, because it still has plenty of oomph when needed while returning better fuel economy.

The polished mill displaces 2.5 litres, generating 204 hp @ 6,400 rpm and 185 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm. It's fastened to a 6-speed automatic transmission featuring shift paddles. Fuel economy with the autobox is pegged at 9.8L/100km and 6.7L/100km, city and highway driving respectively.

The 306-hp IS 350 C is rated at a thirstier 11.5L/100km and 7.9L/100km city/highway. This is a powerful vehicle, and with a base MSRP of $57,000, it's also significantly more expensive than its calmer brother, the IS 250 C, which is listed at $49,100.

Unless big power is a big need, I'd recommend forgoing the IS 350 C in favour of the more sensible brother. The congenial, soothing performance of its smaller powerplant delivers plenty of pleasure and contentment.

The standout attribute of this engine isn't its power but its refinement. I was delighted by its quiet, ultra-smooth operation and performance. It really reinforces the notion that the IS 250 C is, at its core, a luxury vehicle. But don't let that orientation delude into thinking that it's not directionally capable as well.

The 2012 Lexus IS 250 C rides upon a rear-wheel-drive platform and relies upon a smaller V6 engine for propulsion than its IS 350 C sibling. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Sweet-spot between handling and ride quality
My run to Newberg and back provided an extended opportunity to evaluate the ride comfort versus handling equation of my tester, and I'm happy to report that it was ideal in all situations.

The car delivers an absorbent, composed ride that's not mushy by any means. In fact, it's more on the sporty side than the revised ES series launched at the Newberg program; that vehicle emphasized comfort over handling, whereas the IS strikes a slightly more aggressive balance.

I purposely sought out secondary roads in the US, avoiding the freeway much of the time. It was on these twisty traffic-free stretches of tarmac that the responsive, direct steering of the IS 250 C was appreciated.

The car settles nicely into a curve, holding its line with precision and predictability as its 18" rear wheels push it off the apex and through to the next bend. Nice indeed.

The car delivers an absorbent, composed ride that's not mushy by any means. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

Special Edition leather and more
The IS Series is a generously equipped luxury car with few available option packages. My tester was the Special Edition version of the IS 250 C, which added $3,400 to its MSRP.

In return, Special Edition packaging includes the 18" alloy wheels, a backup camera in the navigation display, clearance and backup sensors, voice-activated HDD navigation (most helpful on my trip) and red leather upholstery.

The automatic transmission with paddle-shift added another $1,600 to the bottom line, which saw my tester's price tag climb to $54,100 before taxes and delivery charges, which is a few thousand less than the Volvo C70 T5, the closest competitor to the IS 250 C.

However, both the Volvo and Lexus are considerably more expensive than the Chrysler 200 hardtop convertible, which starts at just $30,095 and works its way up to the $40K mark.

My tester was the Special Edition version of the IS 250 C, which added $3,400 to its MSRP. (Photo: Rob Rothwell)

The final word
The Lexus IS 250 C is a tremendously rewarding vehicle to drive, roof up or roof down. It's ultra smooth and refined, and its cabin is beautifully constructed, offering adequate room for four adult occupants. Luggage room is on the tight side though, with little usable trunk space remaining when the roof is retracted.

While it's not the least expensive four-seat hardtop convertible (Chrysler owns that title), it's on the lower end of the price range for an upscale hardtop droptop, especially one that's as competent across the board.

BMW 3 Series Cabriolet

Infiniti G25

Cadillac ATS

From wrc.com

Frenchman Sebastien Loeb, driving a Citroen DS3 WRC leads his teammate Mikko Hirvonen by 4 seconds after the first full day of action at Rally New Zealand, round seven of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship.

Ford World Rally Team's Jari-Matti Latvala was lying third until the Finnish driver collided with a fence on stage 7 and lost over four minutes trying to get his Ford Fiesta RS WRC back on the road. The incident saw Latvala drop back to ninth.

“I'm really, really disappointed. I can't remember being this disappointed for a long time,” explained a disheartened Latvala.

"It was a combination left-right corner, but everyone had been cutting there so I went for the cut as well and the cars in front must have made a hole on the inside and the front-right wheel touched the hole and spun the car into a wire fence. The wire went into the front wheel and we couldn't move anywhere. We had to wait until the farmer came with some side cutters but by that time I had lost four minutes," added the 27-year-old.

Sebastien Loeb, Citroen DS3. (Photo: WRC)

Teammate Petter Solberg had an equally troubled day after the Norwegian lost over a minute this morning after opting for hard compound Michelin tires. He finishes the day fourth overall.

After a trouble-free day in an M-Sport run Ford Fiesta RS WRC, Russia's Evgeny Novikov is third. Teammate Ott Tanak is fifth in a similar car, 7.7s adrift of Solberg in fourth.

Competing in New Zealand for the first time, Thierry Neuville is sixth for the Citroen Junior World Rally Team. The Belgian driver reported problems with his pacenotes led to a spin during stage 3 but a drama-free afternoon saw Neuville finish the day 31s behind Estonia's Tanak.

Rally New Zealand - Classification after day 1:
1. Loeb-Elena (Citroen DS3 Wrc) in 2.07'35”0
2. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 4”0
3. Novikov-Giraudet (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'31”0
4. P. Solberg-Patterson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'39”3
5. Tanak-Sikk (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 1'47”0
6. Neuville-Gilsoul (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 2'18”0
7. Sordo-Del Barrio (Mini Cooper Wrc) + 2'34”3
8. Araujo-Ramalho (Mini Cooper Wrc) + 4'36”9
9. Latvala-Anttila (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 4'56”1
10. Stohl-Minor (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 6'55"5
etc.

The BMW team saw one of its M3 DTM cars totally destroyed by fire during a test session at the Lauzitzring circuit.

It was the young Marco Wittmann, the test driver of the team, who was at the wheel of the car usually driven by Joey Hand who stayed in California this week.

The German driver, who was there for the three days of testing at the Lausitzring, first noticed some smoke in the cockpit before the car burned totally. Marco Wittmann escaped unhurt from the flames, but was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

For now, the cause of the fire is not yet been determined by BMW's team members, who now have to build a brand new car for Joey Hand before the first practice session of the next round of the DTM championship, June 29 at the Norisring.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3. (Photo: DTM)

GM's top luxury brand is struggling to find some elbow room. Accounting for only 2.9% of the General's total sales in Canada, it's about time some fresh products hit the showroom floor.

Cadillac brand sales in 2012 (January through May): 2,715
Cadillac brand sales during same period in 2011: 3,348
Difference: -19%

The ATS and XTS should save the day for Cadillac, as they'll be covering the low and high ends of their car line-up, which are currently vacant. The CTS, presently accounting for 41% of the brand's sales, has been around in its present form since 2008, the Escalade is unchanged since 2007, and the SRX is hanging on to its modest sales numbers.

The recent demise of the DTS sedan is the main reason why Caddy's sales are down, so the full-size 2013 Cadillac XTS should do good, with its 304-hp 3.6L V6 engine, a choice of front- or all-wheel drivetrains and a host of new electronic gadgetry. The XTS will emphasize ride comfort, interior space and a well-appointed cabin, and will start at about $50,000.

2013 Cadillac XTS (Photo: Kevin Corrigan)

The 2013 Cadillac ATS is slightly smaller than the CTS and will offer a choice of three engines: a 202-hp, 2.5L four, a 270-hp, 2.0L turbo four and a 320-hp 3.6L V6. The ATS will be rear-wheel drive, and thanks to a bunch of weight-saving techniques, is said to be one of the lightest cars in the compact sports-luxury sedan segment - occupied by the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Audi A4. That's tough competition.

The arrival of the ATS, which should start at around $35,000, means that the next-generation CTS is likely to grow in size; figure half-way between Cadillac's two new models.

We'll see in a few months if Cadillac will have succeeded in turning things around.

From GMM

If Thailand joins the F1 calendar in 2014, the southeast Asian country's grand prix could be staged under lights, it has emerged.

Thailand made its intentions clear recently by successfully bidding to host this December's end-of-season Race of Champions, and talks have also taken place about bringing formula one to the country.

"Our discussions with Bernie Ecclestone have gone smoothly. We expect to get rights to host a grand prix from 2014 onwards," Kanokphand Chulakasem, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, said recently.

Asiancorrespondent.com now quotes Chulaksem as also saying: "The race might be held at night to accommodate viewers in Europe and help earn more in sponsorship."

F1's only artificially-lit races are in Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

There is speculation Thailand's grand prix could be held on the streets of the capital Bangkok, on an upgraded Bira circuit 165km from Bangkok, or at a new purpose-built F1 facility.

Maybe you already own a GPS or you're planning to buy one in the near future. Here's a thought: are you allowed to mount it on your car's windshield?

Well, it depends on where you live.

Kicking Tires reported data from POI-Factory.com that shows the different US states and Canadian provinces where it is legal to mount a GPS on the windshield and others where current laws forbid you.

The map below should come in handy if you decide to embark on a cross-country trip:



Source: POI-Factory.com

Porsche decided to offer its performance-addicted customers a new power enhancement kit developed for the 911 Carrera S.

Through Porsche Exclusive, owners can boost the output of the 3.8L boxer engine from 400 to 430 horsepower, which increases top speed to 306 km/h with the PDK transmission and 308 km/h with a seven-speed manual gearbox. Accelerations from 0 to 100 km/h are completed in 4.0 seconds.

Modifications and adaptations to the electronic engine management system contributed to the 7% power gain without affecting fuel economy.

The list of customization options includes a front apron, an Aerokit Cup with an additional fixed rear wing over the rear spoiler, tinted privacy glass for the side and rear windows, and interior decorative trim ranging from brushed aluminium to carbon.

Photo: Porsche

AMG has been wholly owned by Mercedes since 2005, but the real romance between the two brands began 45 years ago. The adventure culminated in the creation of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in 2009. That was only the beginning of the rest of the story.


The SLS AMG was the first car entirely designed by AMG, as opposed to “tuning” an existing Mercedes. When AMG built this car, they knew that the sky was the limit as far as versions, power numbers and racing was concerned.

Enter the new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT, the first street-legal baby step in exploring the seemingly unlimited potential of this car.

The SLS AMG was the first car entirely designed by AMG, as opposed to “tuning” an existing Mercedes. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

The first element that makes this SLS a GT is its engine. The 6.2L (6,208 cc) V8 now develops 591 hp, up from 563. Torque remains identical at 479 lb-ft. The 0-100 km/h drops one-tenth of a second to 3.7 seconds. The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7‑speed transmission, mounted on the rear axle, is unchanged physically.

What has been improved upon are the car's electronic controls. Throttle is now even more responsive as are transmission shift reaction times. When in "M" manual mode, the DCT's newly developed gear change functions and optimized transmission controls have made it possible to reduce upshift and downshift times. As well, each downshift comes with even more aural feedback.

The most important and novel feature of the new SLS AMG GT is its AMG RIDE CONTROL Performance suspension. This adjustable sport suspension forgoes the Comfort mode available in the regular SLS for a Sport Plus setting that is specifically designed for smooth tracks.

The suspension itself revolves around twin aluminum wishbones at every corner, electronically controlled dampers and stiffer springs. From Normal, Sport caters to those that love to push their SLS AMGs hard on country roads. This setting provides increased suspension travel for less-than-perfect roads, thus limiting pitch and roll, but all the while maintaining ideal controlled contact with the surface.

As one would expect, only the best is offered when it comes to crafting the SLS GT's interior. New top-end AMG designo Exclusive STYLE leather is an option but all cars are swathed in the finest hides and high-quality woods.

As one would expect, only the best is offered when it comes to crafting the SLS GT's interior. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

What physically distinguishes the GT from the basic car are smoked headlights and taillights. Other stunning details include AMG forged, matte black 10-spoke wheels (19” front, 20” rear) which partially hide red brake callipers. Also, the hood, fenders and front grille fins along with side-view mirrors all have a glossy finish. The all-important AMG logo now features “GT” letters.

The 2013 Mercedes SLS AMG GT will launch in October of 2012. Canadian pricing has not yet been set; however, expect the base Coupe GT to retail for 10 to 15% more than the regular $206,900 Coupe.

From GMM

The reinvigorated F1 bribery affair has raised questions not only about the viability of the sport's planned floatation, but about whether Bernie Ecclestone will lose his job or even face jail in Germany.

"Will Ecclestone go to Hockenheim?" the Die Welt newspaper, obviously musing a potential arrest now that former F1 banker Gerhard Gribkowsky has confirmed the F1 chief executive's payments to him were indeed bribes, wondered.

Gribkowsky faces years in jail, and so the question now is whether the Munich prosecutors will also go after 81-year-old Ecclestone.

"I'll wait and see how things develop," the Briton told Welt. "Now I'm getting on with my job."

Prosecutor spokesman Thomas Steinkraus-Koch told Bild newspaper: "Since 2011 an investigation of Bernie Ecclestone has been underway. For now we are now awaiting the court's verdict in the trial of Gerhard Gribkowsky."

That judgement is expected within days.

German lawyer Sewarion Kirkitadze told Bild that Ecclestone ultimately face a prison sentence of "up to ten years". "He should also expect the prosecutor to prepare an international arrest warrant and an extradition request."

For all the trouble, which Ecclestone said is based on Gribkowsky's new lies to "save himself", the diminutive Briton is threatening to sue.

"We will see if I take action against Gribkowsky. It's early days, let's have a look," Ecclestone is quoted as saying by the F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.

The F1 supremo, who insisted he is "not at all" worried the affair threatens his job or the F1 floatation, told Bloomberg news agency: "I don't know what they (the prosecutors) would charge me for."

From GMM and McLaren

Great Britain could be set to secure a second grand prix, after the newspaper Daily Telegraph reported on Friday that plans are afoot to host a race in and around London's Olympic stadium.

The story said the plan is among three other bids that have been accepted by the London Legacy Development Corporation.

But the plan was met with immediate scepticism, one authoritative source confirming that records show the company responsible for the bid was actually disolved as long ago as 2010.

The source described Friday's news as "very strange".

Bernie Ecclestone, however, confirmed he has been approached.

"They came up with a scheme whereby formula one would race around the stadium, inside it, outside it. They wanted to make sure I would be interested," said the F1 chief executive.

Asked if he is interested, Ecclestone answered: "Yeah."


Strangely, this rumour started at the same time when McLaren sponsor Santander unvieled its project of a short film showing a “virtual”' F1 race on the streets of London.

This vision - based on forensic and detailed research - is realised through cinema-standard high-fidelity CGI technology, brought alive in a four minute film featuring Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

However, Bernie Ecclestone confirmed the Olympic stadium idea has "nothing to do" with the McLaren Santander event.

From GMM

Felipe Massa has not ruled out returning to Sauber next year if he is forced to leave Ferrari.

Brazilian Massa, now 31, made his debut with the Swiss team in 2002 and then returned for the 2004-5 seasons following an interlude as Ferrari's official test driver.

He moved to the famous Maranello based team to be Michael Schumacher's teammate in 2006, but high speculation this year suggests he could be replaced at the end of the season by Ferrari's top development driver Sergio Perez.

Mexican Perez's promotion would create a key vacancy at Sauber, the Swiss team with historically political links to Ferrari and a customer of the fabled Italian squad's engine, gearbox and KERS.

Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez, will they exchange their race seats? (Photo: Sauber Motorsport AG)

Fernando Alonso on Thursday revealed he will have a say on whether or not Massa is retained in 2013.

"Fernando is very respected within Ferrari because of his results so it's natural that he participates in the decision about the drivers," Massa is quoted by Brazil's O Estado de S.Paulo on Thursday.

"We have a good relationship, I know he supports me, but what really matters is my results," he insisted. "That is what will make Ferrari either keep me or whether I will have to go to another team."

Massa refused to say if he has been in contact with McLaren, whose Lewis Hamilton is yet to renew his deal for 2013.

"My best option now is to get results," he answered.

Massa said recently he would rather "do something else" rather than sign with a "small" team in 2013.

Is Sauber 'small'? Massa answered in Valencia: "Medium."

Journalist Livio Oricchio commented: "It (Sauber) could be an option, but I don't think so. I have great relationships with the team, we travel together on Swissair -- from what I hear, it would be surprising to see Massa there."

What is it?

U.S. auto sales will rise 16 percent this month compared with a year ago, and the annual sales pace will rise slightly from May to around 13.9 million, a key forecasting group said. Vehicle sales in June will reach nearly 1.3 million, according to J.

The 2013 Ford Mustang configurator is back online with new features. Now, normally, this wouldn't warrant a mention.

Also in this episode: J.D. Power rankings have been released, National Insurance Crime Bureau car-theft stats are out and we have video of an SCCA car

Usually, Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter is the guy answering the questions.

Thomas Russell, former chairman and CEO of Federal-Mogul, who led the company throughout the 1970s and 1980s, died on Wednesday in Detroit. He was 88.

GM may have dialed back its ad spending on Facebook, but other automotive brands remain committed to aggressive social media plans with the online platform.

Summer is the perfect season for cross-country