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Sebastian Saavedra has been invited to join the Andretti Autosport/AFS Racing squad for the upcoming IndyCar race to be run at Sears Point in August.

It won't be the first outing for the Indy Lights driver with the team as he drove an AFS/Andretti car at this year's Indianapolis 500, and, according to reports, this could be the first step towards a full-time deal in 2013.

The Colombian, who won the 2009 Indy Lights Rookie of the Year honours, returned to Lights this season with Andretti's team after racing in IndyCar last year with Conquest.

Sebastian Saavedra drove for Andretti Autosport/AFS at this year's Indy 500. (Photo: IndyCar)

The jazzy little 2012 Ford Fiesta clearly knows how to put up a good fight in the subcompact segment. With a dynamic gearbox and firm yet not too stiff suspension, this nimble athlete flies on an average of only 6.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.


From fiery to feisty
First things first: the festive Fiesta is a sight to behold. Driving a bright Race Red model which I nicknamed ''Clamato,'' I admittedly struggled to get used to the cascade of fiery red accents in the otherwise ultra-stylish interior.

The large A-pillars impede front three-quarter view, while the small rear window is partly obstructed by the three headrests. On the other hand, when properly adjusted, the wide-angle, convex side mirrors make up for the lack of visibility and also minimize blind spots.

The 2012 Ford Fiesta boasts a feisty 1.6L mill that generates 120 horsepower, in this case through a wonderful 6-speed automatic transmission. Engine response is superb, and should you find yourself in a hurry, just put more zest on the throttle and the shifts will be quicker.

Braking performance fails to impress. Even the top-of-the-line SES model makes do with rear drums. During our recent 2012 Subcompact Hatchback Comparison Test, the Fiesta's brake pedal didn't respond as quickly as the others.

Another letdown was interior room. In order to drop the rear seatbacks, you first have to move the front buckets forward. And after testing the larger Suzuki Kizashi and Nissan Rogue in the weeks before my road test of the 2012 Ford Fiesta Hatchback, I can tell you that I was pretty shocked to be able to reach the passenger's side door just by leaning slightly to my right.

The jazzy little 2012 Ford Fiesta clearly knows how to put up a good fight in the subcompact segment. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

Sophisticated equipment
In SES trim, the Fiesta carries basically the same amenities as its bigger siblings including heated seats, cruise control, Bluetooth and audio controls on the steering wheel as well as Ford's exclusive SYNC infotainment system. However, the optional power sunroof costs a lot more than that of the Kia Rio or Hyundai Accent.

In terms of safety, the automaker jam-packed the interior with seven standard airbags including a driver's knee blocker. Plus, in the event of a crash in which an airbag deploys, SYNC will use your paired phone to connect you directly with a 911 operator. Consider it ''OnStar Lite.''

The windshield wiper and turn signal stalks now handle more duties. You can depress them to browse through the various menus on the screen. Average speed, distance travelled, fuel consumption and real-time range are just some of the information you can access here.

In SES trim, the Fiesta carries basically the same amenities as its bigger siblings including heated seats, cruise control, Bluetooth and audio controls on the steering wheel as well as SYNC infotainment system. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

Pure vitamin C
This diminutive piece of Euro-flavoured automotive engineering isn't thirsty at all. Like I said earlier, my tester posted an average of 6.5L/100km, which had me laughing almost hysterically when I stopped by the gas station to fill up the 45.4L tank. What's more, you don't even have to worry about the cap thanks to Ford's EasyFuel filler system.

The Fiesta offers a choice of vibrant, energetic colours such as Red Candy, Blue Candy, Lime Squeeze, and Yellow Blaze. Not your cup of tea? Black, grey, silver, and white are also available.

This diminutive piece of Euro-flavoured automotive engineering isn't thirsty at all. My tester posted an average of 6.5L/100km. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

Let's talk price
The entry-level model starts at $12,999, either in 4-door or 5-door body style. That amount will get you a 5-speed manual gearbox, electric power steering, antilock brakes, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, CD player, and 15'' steel wheels.

A few extras and climate control will quickly boost the price, however. In the end, a fully loaded Ford Fiesta Hatchback SES, complete with leather seats, heated mirrors, lots of interior accents, ambient lighting, 16'' alloy wheels, and a premium 6-speaker sound system featuring SYNC, will relieve you of more than $22,000!

The German manufacturer announced that a rear-wheel-drive sedan will be added to the BMW 1-series model range in 2015. This new sedan will compete with German front-wheel-drive rivals, the Audi A3 launching in the 2014 model year, and the Mercedes-Benz CLA, on sale next year. However, BMW gave no details on the engine or performance.

Currently, the BMW 1-series comprises 4 models, including a coupe and a convertible, both currently sold in North America and scheduled to be redesigned in 2014. Plus, two hatchback models (3- and 5-door) are also available on both sides of the pond.

According to a BMW source, the 1-series will switch to front-wheel-drive with a redesign in 8 years time. The plan is for it to share a new platform being developed for the Mini as well as for a new generation of BMW compacts.

Source: Automotive News

The two companies have sealed a multi-year agreement to develop a joint collection of clothing, footwear and accessories for the sporty urban lifestyle.

Available worldwide in September, the MINI by PUMA collection will feature iconic British favourites like the Union Jack and the bulldog. While select MINI dealerships will sell some of these items, the entire collection will be available at PUMA stores.

MINI by PUMA will offer a range of travel and handbags (with a strap design inspired by the MINI's seatbelts), wallets, sneakers, T-shirts and parkas, amongst other items.

Photo: MINI

From Pirelli

Pirelli's latest specification of the P Zero Silver hard tyre was scheduled to make its debut in free practice at Silverstone - before the famous British weather decided otherwise.

Consequently, the new hard tire will now be brought to Germany for the drivers to try out in free practice on Friday.

They will have two sets of the new tire on top of their usual allocation of 11 sets, with the P Zero White medium compound and P Zero Yellow soft nominated for Germany.

Hockenheim - which alternates with the Nurburgring to host the German Grand Prix - is one of just three new circuits for Pirelli this year, together with Bahrain and the United States.

P Zero Silver hard tire. (Photo: Pirelli)

The Italian tire company does have some experience of racing there through the GP3 Series, which it has supplied since 2010, but no P Zero Formula One tire has ever yet turned a wheel at the track.

However, computer simulations of the circuit and mathematical modelling techniques mean that Pirelli's engineers are well prepared for what they will face over the weekend.

Hockenheim - formerly one of the fastest circuits in the world - is now characterised by some long straights combined with a much slower and more technically complex stadium section.

This requires a very versatile set-up, and the tires too have to cope with an extremely wide range of speeds and conditions. Getting good traction out of all the slow to medium speed corners is key to a quick lap, and the tires play a vital role in this. There are also a number of heavy braking areas, with the tires having to absorb up to 5g of deceleration forces.

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announced today that it will begin producing its compact crossover vehicle, the RVR called Outlander Sport in USA, as of today, in its Normal production facility, which is located in Illinois.

Up until now, this production facility was dedicated to producing models that were designed for the North-American market such as the Eclipse, Eclipse Spyder, Galant and Endeavor. As of now it will also produce the RVRs for the Canadian market, the Outlander Sport for the U.S. market as well as all versions of these two models that are destined for Russia, the Middle-East, and both North and South America.

The Normal plant has a production capacity of approximately 50,000 units, which Mitsubishi plans to expand to 70,000 in the near future. The RVR topped the Canadian Mitsubishi sales charts for June with sales of 821 units.

Photo: Mitsubishi

From GMM

Seven different winners have won the opening nine grands prix, and drivers including Michael Schumacher, the Lotus duo and Sauber's Sergio Perez are tipped to maybe be the eighth.

So a decade after Michael Schumacher's utter dominance, where he won 11 of the 17 races in 2002, and 12 of the opening 13 grands prix in 2004, F1's chief executive is happy.

Photo: WRi2

"Isn't this better than when you knew almost before it happened that Michael Schumacher was going to win?" Ecclestone is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

"How many different drivers can win the races now?" he added.

And Bernie Ecclestone said the actual racing in 2012 has been just as exciting as the unknown outcomes.

"How many changes have we seen in the last few laps?" he asked rhetorically.

After he secured his third season's victory at Brands Hatch, Gianmarco Raimondo, from St Catharines, Ontario, takes European Open F3 championship lead.

The F3 Open international championship is the former spanish F3 national serie, which grew up to an international calendar, now running on eight different countries in Europe. Last year, swiss driver Alex Fontana was crowned, before he moved to Formula 2 this season.

Beginning of the race at Brands-Hatch. (Photo: F3open.net)

After he ran the italian F3 championship in 2010, then the Euroseries F3 in 2011, 22 year old Raimondo moved to the Open F3 with team RP Motorsport. That was to be a successfull move. Raimondo claimed his maiden win at the Nürburgring, then won again at Spa. He took his third victory of the seasn at Brands Hatch, which allows him to take the championship lead.

Fiat is tapping into the American immigrant spirit with its new 500 commercial.

Lexus today announced pricing for the first-ever ES 300h hybrid sedan, as well as the 2013 ES 350 luxury sedan. The 2013 ES 300h hybrid will start at $39,745, including an $895 shipping charge, Lexus said in a statement today.

Also in this episode: An Austin-Healey stolen in 1970 finds its way home, Travis Pastrana grabs a Global RallyCross win in Loudon, N.H., and

The Nissan Versa hatchback will be redesigned, with styling similar to that of the new Note subcompact that the automaker revealed in Japan on Monday.

Toyota Motor Sales USA has tapped Bill Fay to lead the Toyota Division and has promoted division chief Bob Carter as part of a broad shuffling of its sales and marketing ranks, effective today.

Continuing with a recent run of in-car race footage, this video gem is sure to be a treat for vintage Cobra and racing fans.

2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE

Although the slab-sided styling isn't very appealing to us, we generally were impressed with the Nissan Quest.

Although the slab-sided styling isn't very appealing to me, I generally was impressed with the Nissan Quest. I get the impression the entire vehicle has been carefully designed to make it as practical and as sensible as possible. The extremely low step-in height and quick power sliding doors are very convenient. All the switches and instruments are incredibly easy to use. The third row of seats offers enough space for me to sit there comfortably, and it can effortlessly be folded flat.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

2012 Nissan Quest 3.5 LE | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

PSA's bond-insurance costs surged to a record, trading as if the French automaker has a 51 percent chance of defaulting as it cuts thousands of jobs and closes a plant in its home market.

What is it?

The 2013 Honda Fit carries a base sticker price of $16,115 including $790 destinationand#8212;the same as that of the 2012 modeland#8212;when it arrives in dealerships on Tuesday.

Ford Motor Co. is bringing its Auto-Start-Stop system to the United States, the first time it has offered the system in this country in a nonhybrid application.

Ford is recalling about 8,200 copies of the redesigned 2013