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The demise of the storied Crown Victoria sedan has forced police agencies throughout North America to rethink their automotive needs. And for the Vancouver Police Department it comes down to two contestants battling for the coveted badge: Ford's Police Interceptor sedan and Dodge's Charger Pursuit sedan.

Two new Interceptors have hit the streets of Vancouver. The pair of Fords has made it through the Outfitting shop and are now equipped for active duty, keeping officers and citizens safe. Getting these units ready for patrol work has not been without its challenges.

The Police Interceptors are completely different from the Crown Victoria units, and presented numerous hurdles in sorting out wiring and equipment installations, including positioning laptops in such a manner as to not impede the driver while angled toward the passenger. Small matters on the surface, but when there are airbag zones to respect and space limitations things get dicey.

Photo: Rob Rothwell

The Fords are first out of the gate while the Department awaits the arrival of two Dodge Charger Pursuit sedans for a side-by-side evaluation against the Interceptors. This is still anyone's competition to win. The officers will complete detailed evaluation surveys online after driving each vehicle.

The Dodges are rear-wheel drive (RWD) units while the Fords are all-wheel drive (AWD). It will be interesting to see if this becomes a defining factor one way or the other. I suspect another criterion that may be influential is that of interior room and comfort.

After jamming a laptop and a chunky centre console between two large officers, space for the humans becomes scarce; especially when those humans are wearing heavily laden duty belts and winter clothing.

Time will tell which police car earns its stripes. I look forward to keeping our readers apprised of the action on the mean streets.

From press release

New role for Toto Wolff with immediate effect, stepping up from a Non-Executive Director to an Executive Director of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC.

As a shareholder in and Executive Director of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC, Toto will work closely with Sir Frank Williams, each being a long term and committed shareholder of the business.

Sir Frank Williams, said: “Toto's new role, working closely alongside myself, is about Williams looking forward and managing the successful running of the company. I am looking forward to our new working relationship and I have every belief that this partnership will help take Williams F1 from strength to strength.”

Toto Wolff, said: “It's a great honour for me to be assisting and supporting Sir Frank in his role as Team Principal at Williams. I have been a shareholder in the business since 2009 and I am really looking forward to being able to take my responsibilities to a new level. I know that together we will work tirelessly to make the Group and team as successful as it can be.”

The manufacturer has announced that close to three-quarters of its model lineup will be redesigned or refreshed before the end of 2013. Chevrolet will launch the proceedings with the redesigned Impala sedan starting early next year. The emphasis will then be placed on the manufacturer's more profitable models, meaning light trucks.

According to this plan, the Silverado 1500 will be the first to hit the market near spring's end, followed by the next generation of full-size SUVs: Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade.

As far as Cadillac is concerned, they are only offering three current model lines, the CTS sedan, the Escalade SUV along with the SRX crossover. The ATS compact sedan will join the lineup in the next few weeks, along with a redesigned CTS, expected early 2013.

Source: Automotive News

Chevrolet Impala (Photo: Chevrolet)

The C-MAX Energy, Ford's first-ever plug-in hybrid, will be making the connection with US markets this fall. The hybrid will be one of five EVs that Ford plans to roll out this year, including the Focus Electric (already on the market), the C-MAX Hybrid, the Fusion Hybrid and the Fusion plug-in Hybrid. Combining a gas engine and a battery-driven electric motor, the car's horsepower will be 188. It will also be equipped with a 4.2-inch LCD screen to help drivers more closely monitor their fuel consumption.

Photo: Ford

According to Ford, the C-MAX Energy will be capable of reaching a 32-km range entirely in electric mode, which is double that of the Toyota Pries. Ford also says it will deliver an overall range of 885 km, the equivalent of about 5.3L/100 km.

The C-MAX Energy will be available in Canada next year.

Also:
Drowsy Driving: A Canada-wide menace (Part 1 of 2)

Forget about downing coffee, blasting music, or even winding down the window as you speed along in minus 30° weather - these quick fixes for drowsy driving won't save your life. Neither will the latest drowsy driving detection systems, though their warnings might urge you (very strongly!) to stop and take a break.

Now standard on some car models, several automakers have developed alert systems to detect driver fatigue based on different driving parameters, which are programmed to recognize such factors as irregular steering or wandering out of lanes, to name a few.

Mercedes-Benz has developed an ATTENTION ASSIST system that analyses no less than 75 driving parameters. When it detects any sign of drowsy driving, it displays a coffee cup icon on the dashboard and sounds a warning to remind the driver that it may be time to pull over and rest. However, the system only works when you're driving over 80 km/h.

Lincoln also offers a similar system, as does Volvo. In fact, Volvo's Driver Alert Control system both detects erratic lane changing and monitors steering. If your steering is irregular, the system sounds a warning and also displays a coffee cup icon. Even Bosch has jumped on the bandwagon, and has perfected a system of its own. As it happens, most automakers now offer drive-assist systems - they, too, can sense when vehicles change lanes or veer off-course.



Nevertheless, a study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that such detection systems may actually increase the risk of accidents by 10%. How so? Without speculating too much about the root causes behind these figures, the researchers claim that some drivers find these alarms annoying and switch them off. Others simply choose to ignore them.

Automakers, however, are sceptical about these results, and maintain that there are not enough vehicles equipped with this technology on the road today. Indeed, given the small sample size of the study, its results can not be said to establish reliable statistics.

But, it's important to remember that, above all, these systems are not fail-proof - it's really up to drivers to heed the warnings and to pull over and take the break they need.

Enjoy your trip and safe driving!

According to a study led by consulting firm J.D. Power, a typical Canadian family's personal debt reaches 152% of their disposable income. Why? Long-term car loans, for one.

In 2007, 6.4% of buyers took out loans longer than 6 years. Today, 40% are paying off loans of 6 years or more. Although this kind of loan might be attractive to buyers already in debt, it can wreak havoc on the family budget.

Plus, many buyers trade in their vehicle before paying it off. This further increases their debt load since they are carrying the remaining amount over to their new car. Meanwhile, automakers are happy to offer longer amortization periods, because they reap significant profits by getting vehicles back before loan terms are up.

Source: argent.canoe.ca

From GMM

Fernando Alonso is F1's highest paid driver, and he's worth every penny.

That is the view of Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio, who said after Hockenheim that the Spaniard's estimated EUR 25 million salary is "a bargain" for Ferrari.

Another observer told the Times newspaper: "Whatever Ferrari are paying him, it is not enough."

Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari told El Mundo: "If you're a team manager, you want a driver who is fast consistently, adding many points and committing few errors. That is exactly what Ferrari has in Alonso."

Fernando Alonso, the only driver with three wins to his name in 2012, is now so far ahead of the field that even if he stayed at home instead of racing in Hungary this weekend, he would return even after the long August break with a healthy lead.

Fernando Alonso close to the Ferrari pitwall in Germany, for his third victory in 2012. (Photo: WRi2)

Niki Lauda, who interviewed the 30-year-old on the podium at Hockenheim, said he thinks Alonso's latest win was "a provisional decision" in the 2012 world championship.

"He is doing a flawless job so far and he's not going to forget how he's done it in the second half of the season," the triple world champion told Die Welt newspaper.

F1 legend Lauda insists it will be a "difficult task" for any of Alonso's pursuers - chiefly the Red Bull and McLaren drivers - to beat him now.

"We are talking about an absolutely extraordinary driver," former Ferrari driver Patrick Tambay told France's RMC Sport.

"He was opportunistic with a less efficient car at the beginning of the season, and always getting the points or even the win when he could. He is exceptional at motivating the team, and being consistent in always scoring points at every race, even when it's just a few points, he still collects them," he added.

Jenson Button, buoyed by McLaren's return to form in Germany, acknowledged that he needs to start stringing race wins together in order to get back in the title hunt.

He also warned Alonso that things could "easily turn around for him but he is doing a great job and he deserves to be where he is".

But Alex Wurz, a former driver and now commentator for Austrian ORF television, agrees with Lauda that Hockenheim was a "preliminary decision" for the 2012 outcome.

"Ferrari have caught up with the car, so that on the bad days they are losing far fewer points than they were, and they have Alonso who at the moment is in perfect form and putting the team in a good mood," he said.

"In this respect," added Wurz, "the points lead that Alonso has now is definitely worth a lot."

Italy's sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport insisted: "Ferrari is now in a position to dominate the world championship."

"Alonso has never been so strong," agreed Tuttosport.

The first-ever vehicle produced by Toyota was a truck, the G1, way back in 1935. Toyota can now boast that it has reached the incredible 200 million mark, of which 40 million are Corollas, the most popular vehicle ever sold.

''I would like to thank Toyota customers around the world for helping us reach this important milestone, ''stated Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda. '' I have the greatest respect, and would like to express my deepest gratitude, to all those involved in the development, assembly, and marketing of Toyota and Lexus products throughout the years. We are committed to building even better vehicles, in order to continue to offer the best possible products to consumers. This common goal is shared by our 300,000 employees across the globe.''

Source: AutoGuide

Photo: Toyota

As the NASCAR season enters the long stretch into the summer two Sprint Cup teams announced changes in their crew line ups.

Bobby Hutchens, late of Stewart Haas Racing will join JTG Daugherty as General Manager for the #47 Toyota driven by Bobby Labonte.

“Bobby Hutchens is very knowledgeable and experienced,” Labonte said. “He has a want and desire to do this, which will really help our small team become more structured so that we can keep moving forward. This is going to be a great advantage for us.” 


David Hyder has been named interim crew chief to replace Todd Berrier who will become the crew chief for the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet driven by Regan Smith.

Photo: NASCAR

“Todd Berrier did a great job and we wish him the best in his new opportunity,” Brad Daugherty co-owner of the team said. “We have great people throughout the organization and with the leadership of a champion like Bobby Hutchens we will stay focused on being the number one single-car team competing on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.”

Over at Furniture Row team general manager Joe Garone said, "Todd will be a great fit with our operation. The skill sets he has acquired during a successful crew chief career will be valuable assets as we move forward with a high level of energy and anticipation.”

Berrier worked as a Sprint Cup crew chief for 11 years at Richard Childress Racing (RCR) before joining JTG Daugherty Racing and driver Bobby Labonte at the start of the 2012 season.

While at RCR, Berrier was crew chief for eight victories, including two of NASCAR's biggest events, the Daytona 500 (2007 with Kevin Harvick) and the Brickyard 400 (2003 also with Harvick).

"Furniture Row Racing has a reputation in the Sprint Cup garage for its commitment and potential," said the 42-year-old Berrier. "I welcome this opportunity and can't wait to begin my new position at Indianapolis this weekend."

Lexus announced today that it will invest more than 100 million dollars in its Cambridge Ontario production facility in order to raise production capacity of the Lexus RX to 104,000 units by 2014. 15,000 of these vehicles will be RX 450h's, the hybrid/electric version of the RX. This investment comes on the heels of the 80 million-dollar investment in the Woodstock facility announced in March, which will create an extra 400 jobs.

These investments will bring the overall Canadian Toyota annual production capacity to 500,000 vehicles. ''For the past nine years, Canada has been the only country besides Japan to produce Lexus vehicles,'' explains Toyota Canada Chairman Ray Tanguay. '' The implementation of new technologies along with the newly created jobs is great news for Canada.''

From WRC

Sebastien Ogier wants to be in a position to fight for a podium on Rallye Monte-Carlo next January with his Volkswagen Polo R WRC.

The Frenchman completed the latest asphalt test with the car in Germany recently and pronounced himself happy with the progress the Volkswagen Motorsport team is making with its first ever World Rally Car. He added, however, that there was more work to come for the Polo.

Volkswagen has completed the reliability running with its new challenger and the emphasis has now switched to making the car as fast as possible.

Photo: Volkswagen Motorsport

Ogier said: “The car is going in the right direction. We have done a lot of jobs from the start of the year, but as a driver we are always asking for more and we have to work like that to improve the car. Today, we are not at the level we want to be at, but we still have six months to go. We have a bit of work to do everywhere: engine, gearbox and suspension. I can't say something is perfect, there is always more to do, but I am happy with where we are at the moment.”

Volkswagen ran in both vineyards and military areas in Germany, basing its test close to Trier where ADAC Rallye Deutschland will be based from 23-26 August. The team has now moved on to rough gravel testing in France.

Sebastien Ogier will swap again his Polo R for his Super 2000-specification Skoda Fabia for Neste Oil Rally Finland from 1-4 August.

From GMM

Dr Helmut Marko has accused the FIA of sometimes using a "double standard" when it comes to dishing out penalties.

Sebastian Vettel on Sunday was demoted from second at the flag to fifth in the classification after passing Jenson Button whilst off the circuit at Hockenheim.

Marko, Red Bull's motor racing consultant, insists his driver did nothing wrong.

"The whole situation was triggered by Button, who left Sebastian no room and pushed him out," the Austrian told Servus TV. "Sebastian had to move out to avoid a collision."

Many pundits likened Vettel's move to Nico Rosberg's overtaking antics in Bahrain, for which the German escaped penalty.

Marko pointed out that "the defendant" is often given "the benefit of the doubt".

"That wasn't the case now (for Vettel)," he said. "There is a bad aftertaste. There is a double standard."

Sebastian Vettel overtaking Jenson Button at Hockenheim. (Caption: F1)

Unfortunately for Marko, most paddock residents do not agree with him, including Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg who said Vettel's move was "not right".

"The rules are very specific," ORF commentator Alex Wurz agreed. "You can leave the track with all four wheels as long as you have no advantage."

Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari added: "I think Vettel's overtaking was totally illegal. He was clearly outside the boundaries of the track."

Rémy Audette (Acura RSX No. 12) earned his first career CTCC win this past weekend at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport.

Audette took advantage of the two provisional leaders Sasha Anis (Hyundai Genesis No. 14) and Luc Lesage (BMW 330i No. 22) going off some oil left by the car of Roger Ledoux to place himself atop. But to prove his performance was no fluke, he took the time to post a new lap record with a 1min29.364s on his way to the checkered flag of Saturday.

Bob Attrell (Hyundai Genesis No. 88) placed second, and Philip Fayer (Pontiac Solstice No. 3) third. Anis, the championship leader, managed to drag his battered car back to the pits and eventually rejoin the action to collect valuable points.

In the Touring class, Alain Lauzière (MINI Cooper No. 45) gave MINI its first turbo-powered win, and he too had a chance to set a new class record, posting a 1min34.225s. Damon Sharpe (Honda Civic Si No. 84) and Jonathan Young (Honda Civic Si No. 99) completed the podium.

Inside Track's Russ Bond was the guest driver in the Mazda2 B-Spec media race car and gave a good show, leading the race for a while. Nevertheless, in the end, Nick Wittmer (Honda Fit No. 91) came trough to save his perfect record. His brother Karl (Mazda2 No. 26) followed in his trails to earn second place from Bond.

Sunday showed no mercy to Audette, as the recent winner was forced to a DNF by electrical issues. Anis, on a charge from the back, clawed his way up to first - further lowering Audette's new lap record to 1min29.164s in the process.
His teammate Attrell earned another second place, followed by Scott Nicol (Honda Civic Si No. 41) in third.

In Touring and B-Spec classes, spectators witnessed a repeat of Saturday with Lauzière followed again by Sharpe and Young to the flag, and Nick Wittmer once more showing the way to his brother Karl and journalist Bond in B-Spec.

Ford Motor, which recalled about 11,500 Escape sport utility vehicles last week because of a fire risk, is pointing to a manufacturing flaw in fuel lines supplied by part maker TI Automotive for the problem.

A University of Michigan study released today found that only six in 10 Americans ages 17-19 have drivers' licenses. Thirty years ago, that number was eight in 10.

Chrysler Group says it is considering investing nearly $200 million into its Mack I Engine Plant in Detroit to boost production of the V-6 Pentastar engine.

BMW released the details of the 2013

Henniges Automotive Holdings today named former TRW and Lear executive Douglas DelGrosso as its CEO. DelGrosso, 50, will assume the role at the sealing and anti-vibration supplier on Aug. 1.

Ford is going after the Toyota Prius with its new

First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS

ATS could be seen as just another arrow launched in the direction of the industry's most oft-sited target -- the 3-series -- but that underestimates the comprehensive nature of this effort.

Cadillac has been obsessed with the German luxury carmakers at least since the Bob Lutz era (with the first CTS and the last STS), if not before (with the Catera). And by German luxury carmakers, we really mean BMW. The new ATS could be seen as just another arrow launched in the direction of the industry's most oft-sited target -- the 3-series -- but that underestimates the comprehensive nature of this effort.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS - Automobile Magazine

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