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Renault said it plans to cut 300 jobs at its Flins plant near Paris over the next two years.

BMW and Toyota today said they will develop a sports car together and cooperate in fuel cell technology, powertrain electrification and lightweight technologies.

Michael Andretti might be seeking to join his IndyCar rivals, Chip Ganassi and Roger Penske in NASCAR.

According to an article on SI.com Andretti has been in talks with Dodge and likely other manufacturers.

"We were looking at NASCAR real close last year, too, but it fell apart," Andretti said. "We were looking at it just as hard last year as this year and the year before."

While NASCAR remains the pre-eminent racing series in the United States Andretti is obviously interested in the commercial opportunities. But a deal to start a team with Dodge as a manufacturer would be an uphill climb.

At the moment Dodge is basically a two-car team fielded by Penske Racing which has decades of experience in the sport. Brad Keselowski has two wins, in 16 races and stands 10th in the points. But teammate, AJ Allmendinger, an IndyCar (ChampCar) émigré himself is 23rd with only one top five finish.

When you consider both the Ganassi and Penske organizations, which dominate the IndyCar series, neither has one a Sprint Cup championship. The biggest claim to fame is that each have one Daytona 500 victory.

When Toyota was a start-up manufacturer at the Sprint Cup level it took years before its first success and even now only Michael Waltrip Racing of the startups is still in business. It was only the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota by Joe Gibbs Racing which brought regular success with name drivers like Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin.

NASCAR, the sanctioning body, would probably love to have another team in a series where a team is almost guaranteed a starting spot week-in week out. Usually 45 teams show up for 43 spots with the 35 in owner points guaranteed to start.

Personnel won't be too big a problem as many teams have shut their doors due to the financial crises and other factors.

On the other hand teams like Roush Fenway Racing have struggled with sponsorship to the extent that Matt Kenseth (who recently announced leaving RFR) was sponsored by Roush himself.

As for free agent drivers there's the volatile Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman who is in a contract year with Stewart Haas Racing. Coincidentally, they were teammates at Penske Racing until Newman left to drive for Stewart.

While it's likely that Andretti has some pretty good backing a move to Dodge would represent a huge challenge. That still leaves the door open to Chevrolet, Ford or Toyota.

car2go Canada, a division of Daimler North America Corporation, will officially launch a new carsharing service in Toronto on Saturday, June 30th. Some 250 car2go edition smart fortwo vehicles will become available for people to use and share collaboratively.

"car2go will redefine personal transportation in the City of Toronto with a service that is unmatched in innovation and flexibility," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go Canada. "Anytime, anywhere, car2go members in Toronto will have unlimited access to a car through our state-of-the-art carsharing technology.''

Subscribers will receive a membership card that will give them access to any of the available car2go vehicles in Toronto without having to commit to a return time or location.

Members pay only for the minutes they use the car, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. They can find the nearest available vehicle through a free smartphone app, with no reservation necessary. Parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance are all included at no additional cost, and there are no annual or monthly fees beyond the one-time $35 membership fee.

Toronto hopes to use the car2go carsharing model alongside existing public transportation, rideshare and bikeshare alternatives to further enhance its status as one of the world's most livable cities.

Photo: smart

Lotus F1 Team technical director James Allison thinks the team's E20 should perform well on the fast circuit of Silverstone during the British Grand Prix.

The Lotus E20 proved that it was competitive when it was hot. “Tires have a certain window in which they work; get them too cold and they don't grip, get them too hot and they don't grip,” said Allison.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 2012 Grand Prix of Canada (Photo: LAT/Lotus)

“There's a reasonably wide band in the middle where they work well. It seems like the E20 generates a little less heat in the tires than some of our opponents' cars, meaning we can live with on a hotter track when some of our competitors are starting to move out of the tire window,” Allison explained.

However, Silverstone is known for its unpredictable weather... and rain. It could be rather cool on race day, so that could be an issue. “The track itself will put plenty of energy through the tires thanks to its layout of high speed corners and the abrasion of its surface,” Allison continued.

“While we would be delighted if the UK managed one of its occasional heat waves, there's certainly potential for the surface temperature to be cooler than Valencia. Low track temperatures would only cause us grief in qualifying, and if we can manage that ourselves rather than needing the track to heat up our tires then it will be okay,” the engineer said.

Will Silverstone suit the Lotus E20? “It's the first track for a while with challenging high speed corners. Things went reasonably well for us in Mugello, Barcelona, Sepang and Melbourne, so we're quite hopeful that the E20 will prosper,” Allison concluded.

The fifth round of the DTM championship will be presented this week end at the Norisring, in the streets of the city of Nuremberg.

Leading by 36 points ahead of his closest rival, Gary Paffett (Mercedes) was dominant in the beginning of the season, by setting four podium finishes out of four races, including two wins. The Brit knows that his advance may disappear on a single race. Last year, he was forced to retire at the Norisring after he hit the concrete wall in race. Mattias Ekström (Audi), Jamie Green (Mercedes) and Bruno Spengler (BMW) remains a threat for the Mercedes driver.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3. (Photo: DTM)

Spengler is the man to beat at the Norisring, where the canadian driver always had good results. In 2005, as he made his DTM debuts, Spengler set the third best performance in qualifying with his old spec C Class Mercedes. In 2006, he clinched his maiden DTM win and took victory again the following year. He classified second both in 2008 and 2009, and concluded the race in third position in 2010. Last year, he took another win on this circuit, after a race that was shortened due to bad weather conditions, after he started, again, from pole position.

Will Spengler be able to continue his winning streak at the Norisring, this time with BMW?

From GMM

Dr Helmut Marko insists life in the F1 paddock for Red Bull has become "really difficult" in recent times.

The energy drink owned team has dominated the sport recent and is the reigning double champion, and according to owner Dietrich Mateschitz's right-hand man, that is the source of the negative rumblings.

There have been suggestions of cost-agreement cheating, regular technical infringements, and at Valencia recently both Marko and Sebastian Vettel suggested that the safety car was deployed chiefly to spoil Vettel's big lead.

Red Bull RB8. (Photo: WRi2)

Marko even intimated a double-standard had been applied when comparing Vettel's drive-through penalty for using DRS in Barcelona to Michael Schumacher's stewards escape last weekend.

"When you think about the course of a race weekend, it all sounds so nice and so simple, but it's very different in reality," said the Austrian.

"There is so much politics involved," Marko told motorline.cc. "If Martin Whitmarsh wishes me a pleasant day, I get really nervous and wonder what is up."

He insisted that Red Bull's place in the F1 paddock is a difficult one.

"The first reason is that we are not a car maker or a traditional racing car constructor. What hurts even more is that along with Ferrari we have reached a super deal with Bernie Ecclestone, and not just in the budget but also in the prestige. That's why our life is really difficult at the moment," said Marko.

From GMM

The prospect of radical cost-cutting in formula one is hanging in the balance, as Jean Todt's end-of-June deadline looms and formula one teams dither.

That is the claim of Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, reporting the risk that June 30 could come and go without significant reforms being put to the World Motor Sport Council.

After Saturday, the 2013 rules can only be influenced by the teams in the unlikely event that they can completely agree.

There were heated discussions - even involving FIA president Todt and F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone - at Valencia recently, but large areas of common ground are yet to be trodden.

"At least seven of the 12 teams are on a fine line if for example they lose a sponsor," journalist Michael Schmidt said. "In this environment, it's a mystery why the teams are still arguing about the introduction of cost control in the FIA sporting regulations."

Photo: Lotus F1 Team

Toto Wolff, a shareholder who is gaining increasing influence at Williams, urged the need to police breaches of the cost rules, citing rumours some teams are simply ignoring the current resource restriction agreement.

"We need clear penalties as deterrents," said the Austrian.

But his boss Sir Frank Williams said in an interview this week that he is "against any kind of interference".

"I don't want any third-party interference with one's business, to have people sneaking around wanting to check this and that," he said. "It's just like waiting for the taxman every day."

That interview has now disappeared from F1's official website.

And Auto Motor und Sport reports that Lotus and Force India - teams that arguably should welcome cost cutting - are opposed to the further culling of allowed wind tunnel testing time.

It seems the middle-ranking teams are most worried about the cost of buying a V6 engine and KERS package.

"I will ensure that it remains affordable," Todt is quoted as saying, but the prices being quoted behind closed doors by F1's engine suppliers tell a different story.

Workers at Porsche's Leipzig plant took a mere decade to produce 500,000 vehicles. The milestone model was a white V8-powered Porsche Cayenne that was converted into a command vehicle for the city's fire department. Fittingly, the very first vehicle to roll off the assembly line in 2002 was also a Cayenne.

Photo: Porsche

''Half a million vehicles in only ten years is a remarkable result for a luxury car manufacturer like Porsche. Behind the success is a strong workforce now numbering 1,005 employees at our production facility in Saxony. I am impressed by the high degree of technical expertise of our Leipzig colleagues. They send forth into the world the seal of quality ‘Made in Germany' and with it a piece of Leipzig,'' said Matthias Müller, President and CEO of Porsche AG.

Leipzig will also be home to the Porsche Macan, whose production will start at the end of 2013. The German automaker will make significant upgrades to the assembly plant in order to build this new model, representing an investment of more than €500 million and the creation of approximately 1,000 jobs in the medium term.

Mattias Ekstrom (Audi) set the best lap time during the first free practice session on Friday at the Norisring.

The Swede's Audi A5 ranked first ahead of the Mercedes C-Coupe driven by Ralf Schumacher and Bruno Spengler's BMW M3.

Mattias Ekström, Audi A5. (Photo: DTM)

Spengler, who is one of the men to beat at the Norisring, is already amongst the quickest drivers. A three-time race winner on this circuit, he never missed a podium finish since 2006.

Several incidents occurred during this first free practice session, including Miguel Molina's accident, who hit the concrete wall in his Audi at the exit of the chicane, which forced the session to be red flagged for several minutes.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3. (Photo: DTM)

Edoardo Mortara (Audi) who won the last round held at Spielberg, Austria was also in trouble. First, he damaged his car at the exit of the first corner. After his car got repaired during the red flag period following Molina's accident, Mortara damaged it a second time.

The story of AMG reads like a good fiction book. Two guys, a dream, a high point, trials and tribulations, and everybody lives happily ever after.

AMG, which stands for Aufrecht, Melcher and Großaspach, was founded in 1967 but the story really began a few years prior. Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, both Mercedes engineers, met in 1964 just before Daimler-Benz decided to pull out of Motorsports. Both these men shared a passion for fast cars and this is what brought them together.

Over the subsequent years, they built and serviced numerous Mercedes 300 SEs owned by individuals in Aufrecht's home garage in Großaspach. In no time, they had forged a reputation as the guys to see if you and your Mercedes wanted to win races and be competitive. In 1967, both individuals left the relative safety of working for Benz, rented a garage, famously referred to as the “Old Mill” and began modifying production Mercedes-Benz cars.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Although much admired in their milieu, it was only in 1971 that AMG became famous. Fielding a modified 300 SEL in the 24 Hours in Spa Francochamps, the first AMG branded car, known as 300 SEL 6.8 AMG (aka the Red Pig), took home a class victory and a second place overall. It was such big news at the time that the event's results had made the evening news.

In the following ten years, their prominence grew, and so a move to bigger digs in Affalterbach, where they are currently located, was necessary. In the 80s, business really took off. The AMG 190E 2.3 was a star in the DTM series. In 1984, AMG became an engine manufacturer and developed a 340-hp 5.0L V8 through cutting-edge 4-valve per cylinder technology.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

In 1986, the second of the most famed AMG cars was born: the Hammer. This was an E-Class sedan (coupe also as of 1987) that featured the supercar-killing 5.0L V8. In these cars, it put out an unfathomable 360 hp and 376 lb-ft of torque. This car could reach 303 km/h. This car became a legend.

By 1990, after much DTM success and a string of impossibly hot AMG-tuned Mercedes', the manufacturer from Stuttgart formed an alliance with the band from Affalterbach. In 1993, the firstborn from this marriage was the C 36. Subsequent cars were in such demand that it only made sense for the then DaimlerChrysler to stake a 51% claim in AMG. As both brands continued to flourish, in 2005, Mercedes became the sole and complete owner of AMG.

The marriage opened an enormous door for AMG as they then had access to Mercedes-Benz's massive engineering and production assets. As well, this allowed for the creation of a multitude of new models and further reinforced AMG's position as a real leader in all-out performance and the all-important desirability factor.

In the early 21st century, AMG collaborated in creating Mercedes' first modern supercar, the SLR McLaren. Six short years later, AMG would create their first car from the ground up, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The SLS quickly took off as Mercedes' and AMG's flagship while further demonstrating the evolution of AMG. This car clearly made AMG the performance brand within the Mercedes-Benz Cars Group.

Forty-five years ago, they began as a small corner-garage tuner and have grown to become a manufacturer.

Their plant in Affalterbach has matured to now include numerous buildings that include engine assembly lines and droves of engineers which are hard at work on the future of the brand. Currently, the facility employs nearly 1,100 people of whom the vast majority toils in research and development.

The next chapters in AMG's book cover the years leading up to their 50th birthday bash and what will come afterwards. I've got more AMG coming your way in a short while.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

The small Spanish Formula 1 team HRT hopes that the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next week will prove that the recent improvements to the Cosworth-powered F112 will allow their drivers to perofmr well on the fast British circuit.

Spanish driver Dani Clos will step into the F112 for the second time this season to take part in the first practice session on Friday.

Clos will take over Narain Karthikeyan's car and accompany Pedro de la Rosa for the first 90 minutes of practice at the British Grand Prix. Pirelli have elected their soft and hard tires for this race.

Dani Clos, HRT. (Photo: daniclos.com)

"I'm very happy to step into the F112 once again in Silverstone, a place where I've got good memories since I've made the podium every time I've been in GP2,” Clos said in a press release of the team.

“After Barcelona I've really been looking forward to this new opportunity. The work we're carrying out with the team is positive and I think that I can make a good contribution. I will be able to run in better conditions than in Barcelona because the car was new back then and I had to carry out various aero tests. Now I've got a new opportunity, not to prove anything but to work with the team and evolve as much as we can,” he added.

During a press conference at BMW's Munich headquarters, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer and Toyota President Akio Toyoda announced an initial agreement to expand their long-term strategic collaboration.

The two automakers will jointly develop a new fuel cell system as well as an architecture and components for a future sports vehicle. They will also team up on powertrain electrification along with research and development on lightweight technologies.

Furthermore, Reithofer and Toyoda confirmed that BMW will supply 1.6L and 2.0L diesel engines to Toyota Motor Europe starting in 2014.

As for a possible collaboration with General Motors, a BMW spokesman told the media that the early talks have been suspended indefinitely.

Source: Challenges

Mobility is quickly becoming the new “it” word in the world of wheels. I touch on it in my review of the 2013 smart fortwo electric drive. Getting around has never been more about smart efficiency than it is now in the 21st century.

smart is all about smart transportation, and so it is now positioning itself as the urban mobility provider par excellence.

For some, even the fortwo is a bit much. For them, smart introduces the ebike.

The ebike is a stylish bicycle designed with two-wheel performance and comfort in mind. Other than its uniquely sculpted frame, what makes the ebike stand out is its 423 Wh lithium-ion battery.

Photo: smart

I'm trying hard to avoid Lance Armstrong analogy but I now know what it's like to have Olympian-like leg power. The ebike gives you a boost up to 25 km/h. Essentially, after only a moment of pedaling, the rear-wheel hub motor from BionX switches on for an extra kick.

The ebike is really a hybrid where action on behalf of the rider is required to get things moving. There are four power-level modes for the rider to choose from. As well, the rear hub has three integrated gears. Depending on the selected settings, the battery can provide up to 100 km of assistance.

Below 25 km/h, the ebike's battery is ready and willing to give you a push. It takes a few take-offs to get used to how quickly (especially in the highest power setting) the hub motor begins its assistance. If you're in a crowd at a traffic light or stop, best lower the amount to avoid possibly rear-ending someone. Above 25 km/h, the rider is on his own to power the otherwise heavier than average two-wheeler.

Beyond these details, the ebike rides like a normal bicycle. The hydraulic disc brakes provide immediate bite and when being used, transform the hub motor into a generator, much like a typical hybrid car.

As bikes go, the ebike is definitely cool. I'm especially enamored by the Brabus version as it is made with carbon fibre and will have a more powerful battery. As Brabus things go though, it'll be more expensive.

The base bike will cost $3,240 and will arrive in smart dealerships sometime in July. The Brabus will likely cost twice as much given the exotic nature of the materials. No news as to when it will be available.

For this price, the bicycle also comes with a USB port which enables various accessories to be powered by electricity. A smartphone holder is obtainable and with the help of an iPhone app, the ebike becomes fully connected.

The battery itself is portable for easy recharging or storage. As I've mentioned, the smart ebike is heavier than a regular cycle, and so carrying it up to a third-floor apartment may not be ideal. Best find safe storage on the ground floor.

The smart ebike is loads of fun as it allows the rider to get some exercise while limiting the amount of sweat produced. For those looking for two-wheeled mobility without pedaling, smart will soon be releasing the escooter.

La batterie portative facilite la recharge et le rangement. Par contre, la lourdeur du vélo le rend moins attrayant si l'on doit monter plusieurs paliers d'escaliers. Un endroit sécuritaire pour le remiser au niveau de la rue est donc conseillé.

Drôlement amusant, le smart ebike permet de faire de l'exercice sans trop suer. Si vous préférez quelque chose d'un peu plus rapide qui ne demande aucun pédalage, smart lancera prochainement le « escooter ».

Ford said its pretax operating profit will be 'substantially lower' in the second quarter because of increasing losses in Europe, South America and Asia.

Ford said its pretax operating profit will be 'substantially lower' in the second quarter because of increasing losses in Europe, South America and Asia.

General Motors is worried that Europe's economic weakness will affect the second half of 2012, the company's top executive said. 'You can see softness in Europe,' CEO Dan Akerson told an audience at the Executives' Club of Chicago.

General Motors is worried that Europe's economic weakness will affect the second half of 2012, the company's top executive said. 'You can see softness in Europe,' CEO Dan Akerson told an audience at the Executives' Club of Chicago.

If ever there was a car built for 16-year-olds, the 2013 Chevy Spark is it.

Don Stephenson, director of Audi of America Inc.'s Southern region, has been named Volkswagen of America's director of VW brand aftersales effective Sunday July 1, the automaker said today.