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For the third year in a row, Avanzar Interior Technologies earned a top spot in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Seat Supplier Quality Rankings.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was granted an option to buy 5.27 million shares in the maker of luxury electric cars as part of a long-term compensation plan to keep him at the company.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country's biggest carmaker by volume, will reopen a factory more than a month after a deadly riot forced the company to halt production of its two best-selling models.

GM CEO Dan Akerson plans to auction off his 1958 Chevrolet Corvette to raise money for charity. Akerson plans to donate proceeds of the auction to Habitat for Humanity Detroit.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country's biggest carmaker by volume, will reopen a factory more than a month after a deadly riot forced the company to halt production of its two best-selling models.

The XJ performance luxury sedan will get even more competitive for the 2013 model year, as Jaguar is introducing several powertrain improvements.

All-wheel drive will be offered on the XJ for the first time ever, a rear-wheel biased system that will send torque to the front wheels for added traction when needed.

The XJ will also benefit from a new engine. A supercharged 3.0L V6 will develop 340 horsepower, not a bad thing since the competition offer similar smaller-displacement lumps, such as the Audi A8. The Intuitive All Wheel Drive system will be paired to the new V6.

Also new is an 8-speed automatic transmission, which will be fitted to each and every XJ. In addition, a start/stop system will be offered on some models.

With all these new features, the 2013 Jaguar XJ should provide considerably better fuel economy as well as all-weather traction.

Photo: Jaguar

Photo: Jaguar

The two first free practice sessions of the NAPA Auto Parts NASCAR Nationwide race were held Friday morning on the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal.

Michael McDowell clinched the fastest time in the first practice session, setting a time of 1m41.122 in the No. 18 Toyota.

McDowell beat former Formula 1 World Champion, Canadian Jacques Villeneuve and his Penske Racing teammate, Sam Hornish Jr.

The session was halted by several red flags.

Australian Owen Kelly, driving the No. 54 Toyota of Kyle Busch (also racing in the Sprint Cup in Michigan this weekend) finished fourth overall ahead of former race winner, Canadian Ron Fellows, IndyCar regular Alex Tagliani and Billy Johnson who drives the No. 60 Ford of Carl Edwards.

GoDaddy girl Danica Patrick ranked eighth. Two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire series' champion Andrew Ranger, in the No. 27 Dodge finished in 10th place while Patrick Carpentier, in the No. 99 RAB Racing Toyota, was 12th.

After a short break, the Nationwide cars returned to the track. This time, Villeneuve set the fastest time in 1m40.653. His fellow countryman Alex Tagliani took second place, just 0.272 seconds behind.

Billy Johnson was third ahead of Danica Patrick, at ease on this road course. Michael McDowell ranked fifth, bating Ron Fellows, Sam Horish Jr., Patrick Carpentier and Brendan Gaughan. The top 6 drivers qualified within a second.

From GMM

The German weekly Sport Bild is reporting that Volkswagen, the carmaker giant, is making plans to enter formula one in 2015.

Sauber team boss Peter Sauber confirmed recently that he met at the Geneva motor show with VW's chairman Martin Winterkorn.

The Swiss team's chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn denied there is any more to the story.

But Sport Bild said Volkswagen is planning to enter F1 with Sauber, the Hinwil based team who won a grand prix with BMW during the 2006-2009 collaboration.

The report said the FIA has been informed of the VW-Sauber plans, with Wolfsburg based VW reportedly keen to strengthen its presence in the key premier car markets in China, the US, Russia and Brazil.

Sport Bild also said Sauber might be just a "stepping stone" into F1 for VW, with the marque also keen to get involved in F1 chassis design at its state of the art Porsche Motorsport Centre in Weissach, Germany.

J.R. Fitzpatrick emerged quickest of the field during the qualifying session of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for the NAPA Autopro 100 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

In Thursday practice session, Andrew Ranger topped the charts with a time of 1m44.571 for an average speed of 93.261mph. That pace was better than his track record of 93.003 mph set last season.

Andrew Ranger (Photo: Sebastien D'Amour)

J.R. Fitzpatrick had the second-fastest car on the track at 1:45.211 (92.694 mph) followed by defending series champion Scott Steckly at 1:45.903 (92.008 mph). Points leader D.J. Kennington was fourth at 1:46.037 (91.972 mph) while Robin Buck was fifth at 1:46.213 (91.819 mph).

The qualifying session was held Saturday afternoon under dark skies. Andrew Ranger held the best time until he was beaten by J.R. Fitzpatrick in the second half of the session.

D.J. Kennington (Photo: Sebastien D'Amour)

Fitzpatrick will start the race in first place with a time of 1m44.681. Ranger will start alongside him on the front row with a time of 1m44.789. Louis-Philippe Dumoulin also had a strong run with a time of 1m45.544. He was third but was beaten in the last moments of the session by D.J. Kennington (1m45.371).

Scott Steckly qualified fifth (1m45.575) in front of the vastly experienced Robin Buck (1m45.884) and Kerry Micks (1m46.196).

The 23-lap race is scheduled for 9:30 am tomorrow morning.

From GMM

More publications and sources are reporting rumours Mercedes could be looking to reshape its commitment to formula one.

The latest edition of the French weekly Auto Hebdo reported that, still yet to agree a new Concorde Agreement deal, the Stuttgart carmaker could field only a 'semi-official' team from 2014.

The report said the move, with Mercedes remaining an engine supplier but taking a more engineering rather than managerial focus, could see the Brackley based team rebadged as 'AMG', which is the German marque's high performance arm.

Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team

A similar story, reportedly due to "increasingly insistent rumours", is now being told by Italy's Autosprint.

That report said the 'AMG'-solution is a "compromise" in light of the Mercedes board of directors pushing hard for a full formula one withdrawal.

Autosprint said the directors are unsatisfied that, three seasons after the Brawn GP rebranding and the reunion of Ross Brawn and Michael Schumacher, all Mercedes has to boast is Nico Rosberg's single win.

The report said the "greatest advocate" of the Mercedes GP project has been Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, who will reportedly step down within a few months.

Also reporting that a "radical change" in Mercedes' F1 commitment is shaping up is French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet, who in his Auto Plus column cited a source who is "known for the veracity of his information".

That source said the matter will be finalised at Mercedes' next board meeting.

The first free practice session presented on Friday at the Nürburgring, 6th round of the DTM championship, was dominated by Filipe Albuquerque's Audi A5 ahead of his team mates Mattias Ekström and Mike Rockenfeller.

The Portuguese driver, who ran 38 laps in the afternoon session set his best lap in 1m25.007. Ekström was four tenths of a second slower, while Rockenfeller was half a second behind.

Jamie Green, who stands in second position in provisional standings, was fourth fastest and best Mercedes driver with a time of 1m25.607. Green finished in front of two other Audis driven by Miguel Molina and Adrien Tambay. Championship leader Gary Paffett (Mercedes) was 7th quickest at the end of the session.

BMW never ran on the Nürburgring track, and had quite a tough session, with his best car standing in 9th place with Dirk Werner, 0,9 seconds slower than Albuquerque.

Both Canadians in the field also had a difficult start to the weekend. Bruno Spengler (BMW) was 12th quickest (1m25.950) and Robert Wickens (Mercedes) was back in 18th position (1m26.314).

The second free practice session will be presented on Saturday morning, before the qualifying session in the afternoon.

From GMM

Pastor Maldonado has revealed he wants to stay at Williams for "at least" another year.

As reigning GP2 champion, and with substantial backing from his native Venezuela, the now 27-year-old made his debut for the famous British team last year.

He then defied his 'pay driver'-labelling critics by winning in Barcelona earlier this season, but has also faced criticism for making too many mistakes.

Maldonado is quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE as saying he would like to stay at Williams in 2013.

"I would, without doubt, stay there for a while -- a year at least," he said.

"Before leaving Williams I would like to win the championship with them," Maldonado reportedly said in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Pastor Maldonado, Williams. (Photo: WRi2)

But he admitted the first step is a new deal for 2013.

"In F1 you never know what is going to happen," Maldonado admitted.

Asked if he has any alternative plans, he said "there are enough teams on the grid" to give him a good chance of continuing to race.

But he called Williams a "legendary" and "historical" team, admitting it is too early to know for sure where he will be in 2013.

Williams, said Maldonado, is priority one.

"I would love the opportunity of winning a world championship with this great team who gave me the opportunity to come into F1," he insisted.

A total of 9,150 SUVs (GMC Envoy and Envoy XL, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trailblazer XL, Buick Rainier, Saab 9-7X) from the 2006-2007 model years are being recalled by General Motors.

On certain vehicles originally sold or currently operated in areas of heavy road salt usage during winter months (Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada), the driver's door module could short circuit and fail. An electrical short could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage and/or personal injury.

Owners will be informed by GM when the appropriate correction has been determined.

Source: Transports Canada

2007 Buick Rainier (Photo: Buick)

2007 GMC Envoy (Photo: GMC)

2006 SAAB 9-7X (Photo: SAAB)

2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer (Photo: Chevrolet)

Auto123.com Racing provides live coverage of the qualifying session of the 2012 NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide series from the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal.

René Fagnan, our motorsport editor is in paddock of the road circuit.

He will provide live comments and analysis of the action while it happens out on the race track.

For technical reasons, the commentaries are provided in both English and French.

Simply click on the box below to access the Live Coverage.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin awarded brand new Audi cars to all the athletes who won a medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The 24 gold medallists received an Audi A8 sedan, while the 26 silver medallists took home an A7 hatchback. As for those who won a bronze, they were given a smaller A6 sedan.

''On behalf of all Russian supporters, I want to thank you for your performance and our country's success in these Olympics,'' Putin said to the athletes.

Team Russia finished fourth with 82 medals. Just imagine how much all these Audis cost the president...

Source: liberation.fr

From GMM

Fernando Alonso has singled out Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel as probably his toughest challengers for the 2012 title.

With half of this year's grands prix now in the past, Spaniard Alonso has won more than any other rival and has a 40-point lead in the drivers' chase over Mark Webber.

But close behind Australian Webber is his Red Bull teammate and reigning back to back world champion Sebastian Vettel, followed by another 2012 race winner and former title winner, Lewis Hamilton.

Alonso is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace: "Hamilton and Vettel are the drivers we have focused on since the beginning. They are the biggest challengers, but all of the teams are close."

"Hopefully, they will fight among themselves and not one of them will dominate," he added.

With nine races still to run in 2012, Alonso is taking nothing for granted.

"I think the distance between the top five, top six is not impossible to recover," he said. "You just need one good race or two good races and you are up there."

Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) leading Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) at Montreal. (Photo: WRi2)

Pundits have lauded Alonso's extreme consistency so far in 2012, the Ferrari driver finishing all eleven races inside the points.

"Sometimes we know we can be on the podium, other times maybe it's only seventh, but we cannot afford to make any mistakes or do anything that we will regret," said the 31-year-old.

F1 veteran Rubens Barrichello said to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport: "Alonso is in the form of his life. He does not have the fastest car but he is the one getting the best out of what he has. And his rivals are taking points off one another. In the end I see this (championship) as a duel between Alonso and Vettel."

Spaniard Formula 1 team HRT has gone through a restructuring process in which it has settled at a new base, practically renewed the staff entirely and new drivers have arrived, including Narain Karthikeyan.

The Indian faces his second season as an official driver of the Spanish team and his experience has been vital in consolidating and evolving the F112. Having arrived at the midway point of the season, Karthikeyan assesses this start to the season alongside the Spanish team in an interview posted on the team's web site.

Question: This is your second season with HRT Formula 1 Team and you know better than anyone how much the team has changed. It won't have been easy but what has this change been like?
Karthikeyan: The change has been a big one but also a progressive one. Now the entire team is under the same roof and the facilities are really fantastic; anyone who visits them will see the intentions of a very serious Formula 1 team. I give full marks to the management who put this together and I feel very fortunate to form a part of this team which is growing. We've still got a lot to do but we're making steady progress.

Photo: HRT F1 Team

Q: We've completed just over half of the races, how would you assess this first part of the season?
Karthikeyan: I think that my race performance has been very strong, with my 15th place in Monaco standing out, but in qualifying I've been a bit weaker. Right now I'm about three tenths behind Pedro and that's something I have to improve in this second half, no doubt about it. The tyres have been quite difficult to get used to and Pedro has a lot of experience with Pirelli and McLaren. He's a very good driver who hardly makes mistakes and I must learn from him to improve.

Q: Both the team and the car are new, what has surprised you most about each one?
Karthikeyan: We knew the car would be pretty basic but I've been surprised by its reliability and I think it has potential to improve. And the team has surprised me even more because renewing almost 85% of the staff isn't easy and I think that we have a very good combination of people with a lot of experience in F1 and young people with a lot of hunger. But everyone is very professional and it's a real pleasure working with them.

Q: Your performance at your home Grand Prix in India was fantastic. Having enjoyed more continuity and confidence, what are your expectations for this year?
Karthikeyan: The car will have evolved a bit more come the Indian Grand Prix so I think I will put in a better performance than last year. It's obviously my favourite race and we will try to do our best there. My expectations are always high and we will aim to improve on last year's 17th position.

Hyundai Canada announced today that its all-new 2013 Santa Fe will offer lots of additional features for the same price as the outgoing model.

Slated to arrive in dealerships this October, the five-passenger 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe will come in three trim levels including 2.4 Sport ($26,499), 2.4 Premium ($28,299) and 2.4 Luxury ($33,899).

A pair of four-cylinder engines will be available: a 2.4L GDI rated at 190 horsepower (9.5L/100km in the city and 6.0L/100km on the highway) and a 2.0L turbocharged GDI that produces 264 horsepower (fuel consumption TBD).

Standard safety features include seven airbags, an electric power steering and electronic stability control with rollover protection, just to name a few.

Large families will be delighted by the return of a seven-passenger Santa Fe in early 2013.

Photo: Hyundai

The digital readout in the Acura ILX I drove today validated my sense that it was exceptionally hot outside with its reading of 29C. That may not be considered oppressively hot in other regions of this vast land, but in Vancouver it certainly was.

As the air conditioner in the ILX blew strong, keeping the cabin cool and refreshed, it got me thinking about the days when air conditioning in a car was a rarity, not the norm that it is today. Given that I owned many cars in my younger days without air-con (or power windows!), I have vivid memories of coping with commutes and long road trips without the benefits of AC.

Rolling down all four windows on a hot day was standard operating procedure that required a lot of twisting and contorting to accomplish from the driver's seat. Opening the front vent windows and strategically aiming them to direct air up sleeves to cool perspiring pores was the closest to air conditioning one could get, and it only worked when on the move. Red lights and slow traffic meant the loss of airflow vital to survival.

Then there were accoutrements. Bus drivers, taxi drivers and anyone else relegated to sticky vinyl used a variety of seat liners to create a buffer between flesh and faux leather. Beaded liners and coiled metal liners allowed some degree of air to permeate between body and bench, but again motion was integral to the effectiveness of these no-tech applications.

Back then, the thought that modern automobiles would be equipped with multizone climate control and ventilated seats was more fantasy than fact.

Fortunately, some “cool” fantasies really do (and did) come true.

In order to reduce costs, the IZOD IndyCar Series is looking at ways to attain this objective and it is finalizing a testing plan for 2013 with a reduce number of testing days.

Series' officials now believe that after having had an impressive number of testing days in 2012 in order to develop and learn more about the new DW12 and its different engines, it is now time to reduce the number of testing days, each day costing more than $50,000 to a medium size team.

In addition to reducing the number of test days permitted for each entry, which could be in the range of 50% less, the series is also looking at ways to save money by deciding the best time to hold those testing sessions.

Photo: LAT for IndyCar

IndyCar is considering using the same formulae as the American Le Mans Series or, even MotoGP, where testing is held at the same venue the day before or after the race week-end.

Under the new testing framework, teams would eliminate three of those four cross country treks in 2013, saving a significant amount of travel- and car-related costs as a result of rolling a one-day test into the race weekend.

For the time being, only road courses are considered to be part of the new scheme but the scenario of using a racetrack that has both type of circuit road/oval and used both in the span of two or three days is also a possibility.

If allowed, teams could do a road course testing and, then, the next day, test on its oval without having to go anywhere else.