Opel is in talks with the IG Metall union and worker representatives to shorten working hours at its main German plant in Ruesselsheim, near Frankfurt, the automaker says.
We would like to invite you to see the sixth issue of the Automotive News Europe Global Monthly. This month's cover story focuses on Volkswagen Group's seemingly unstoppable growth, especially in Europe.
Daimler ended production of its Maybach superluxury brand in June. The automaker had said previously it would stop output of the poor-selling brand in 2013 when the new Mercedes S class arrived.
Extremely popular in some European countries, and gaining plenty of steam in North America, track time is by far the best way to stretch your car's legs. By the same token you, as the driver, get to burn through some of that pent-up angry energy from negotiating traffic-laden roads day in day out.
The most important element to guarantee a good time on the track is a well prepared car. This is the limiting factor for the vast majority of those who have ever thought about tracking their car. A number of manufacturers have offered cars designed for performance driving, but they were too often compromised products, destined for only one use.
The recent past has been generous with the likes of the Subaru STI and Mitsubishi Lancer EVO, but for many, forking $45k+ for a car can be a difficult sell, never mind reaching deeper down in the pocket for a Porsche Cayman or Lotus Exige. Save possibly for the Lotus, all of these cars are more than tolerable on a daily basis, hence the attraction.
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec
2012 Mazda MX-5 SV
2013 Scion FR-S
2013 Subaru BRZ Sport-Tech
2012 VW Golf GTI 5-door
Base Price*
$28,799
$33,995
$25,990
$29,295
$30,375
Price as tested*
$28,799
$33,995
$26,505
$29,295
$37,585
*prices exclude sales taxes, A/C tax as well as freight and delivery charges.
The coming of new players, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, has infused hope and smiles onto the faces of driving enthusiasts on a sub-$30k budget for a new car.
At one point, not so long ago, we feared that the end was near for the affordable compact performance sports car. Our worries have since been abated, and so with little delay following the arrival of the Subayota twins on the press fleets, we put them and a few of their like-minded competitors to the test.
Along with the 2013 Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, we brought a 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec, 2012 Mazda MX-5 SV and a 2012 Volkswagen GTI for a day of track tests and lapping fun at Autodrôme St-Eustache (ASE).
Our findings demonstrate the levels of performance achieved by these cars. We checked and rechecked our results as unanimity was impossible to achieve. Some cars were easy to position, however, the majority required debate after debate.
The 2013 Subaru BRZ: the Subaru no one ever saw coming. Unless you recall the SVX, or worse the XT, a 2-door Subaru sporty coupe is somewhat of a foreign concept for most, especially when only the rear wheels are driven.
Be that as it may, we could not say enough good things about the BRZ throughout Comparo 2.0, our compact sports coupe comparison test, on the road or on the track -- really, the entire week we had it.
The 2013 Subaru BRZ is the Subaru no one ever saw coming. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)
The car's been gone for a short while now, but we still talk about it as if we'd just met a star (Ryan Reynolds for the girls and Kate Beckinsale for the guys). You know how it is; we reminisce about the good times, the funny jokes, the sights, the smells, and the sounds...
Each of us fell hard for the 2013 Subaru BRZ, the legitimate love child of track and road. The perfectly measured balance between the sight, sounds and performance drew us all in equally.
Sure, the 2013 Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec was more powerful, the 2012 Volkswagen GTI was roomier, the 2013 Scion FR-S was sharper on the track and the 2012 Mazda MX-5 SV made us smile, but the BRZ's aura and all-around abilities kept us coming back for more.
Like the FR-S, the BRZ feels as though it's made from scratch, just like grandma's apple pie; nothing is better than a pie made from scratch.
The attraction of the car demonstrates where engineering now takes chassis, design, performance, and reasonable user-friendliness to a point where they can all nearly stand on equal footing. The term "compromise" is being phased out of the automotive vocabulary, and the BRZ may be the best affordable example of overall driving perfection.
What is so attractive about the 2013 Subaru BRZ? It has a single-minded split personality. Without changing into a track suit and slipping on Nike Air Max shoes, it'll run with the best of 'em on the track. From there, no need for a leisure suit to go out and party, the BRZ may need only a quick wash before gettin' down.
The BRZ may be the best affordable example of overall driving perfection. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)
Driving the BRZ involves working the sweet-shifting, stiff stick shifter through a tight gate along with the help of one of the best-judged clutch-disc friction points we've ever encountered. Rowing through the gears is a necessity in order to get the most out of the 200 hp BOXER engine, but we'd do it until the cows come home.
No one will ever tire of driving the BRZ as its suspension calibration takes the unpleasant edge off of rough surfaces, but still manages to deliver unfiltered information to the driver at all times. Turn-in is sharp, the brakes are as well. Nothing needs upgrading here for the average Joe or Jane.
Rowing through the gears is a necessity in order to get the most out of the 200 hp BOXER engine, but we'd do it until the cows come home. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)
Above all, the BRZ, and to a slightly lesser extent the FR-S, represents what the car world was sorely lacking: a true, dye-in-the-wool driver's car fit for track days that can easily double as a daily driver that will swallow a fair amount of stuff, and a few friends, all the while not braking the bank up front or at every fill-up. The BRZ simply does it all with more brio and in a nicer dress.
The 2013 Subaru BRZ may not be the perfect car, but it's damn close.
For the second summer in succession the Red Bull Running Showcar, during the Formula 1 factory shutdown, took the chance to visit the U.S.
Photo: Red Bull Racing
Driven by former F1 driver David Coulthard, the Red Bull-Renault RB7 championship-winning car visited New York and drove through Liberty State Park, the Lincoln Tunnel and the streets of the race course, which winds through both Weehawken and West New York.
Photo: Red Bull Racing
The F1 car also toured Liberty State Park, showcasing the spectacular views of the New York City skyline as well as the Statue of Liberty. Feeling ever so patriotic, the car 'sang' the Star Spangled Banner as the sun was setting.
Moving on to a link between New York and New Jersey, the car made an overnight drive in the Lincoln Tunnel. Reaching a staggering 190 miles per hour, it no doubt set the record for fastest commute from NYC to New Jersey.
Wrapping up the car's American vacation, it became the first Formula 1 car to lay rubber on the Grand Prix of America streets, bringing residents out of their homes to catch the historic sight.
Accoring to certain rumours, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano would currently be in talks with Penske Racing about getting a full-time drive next season.
Penske Racing fired AJ Allmendinger after he tested positive at the random drug test. Since the moment Allmendinger was banned from racing by NASCAR, Penske put Sam Hornish Jr behind the wheel of the No. 22 Dodge Sprint Cup car.
However, Penske is looking for a new driver for next season.
Comes Logano into the portrait.
Born in Connecticut in 1990, the young Logano looks for a new home as he has lost his drive to Matt Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite a lack of results, Logano is still highly considered. For that reason, he now would be in talks with Roger Penske.
“We must be a pretty good-looking girl, we're getting a lot of people calling for dates,” Penske said Sunday. “At this point, we haven't made any decisions.”
Ryan Newman and Brian Vickers also have been mentioned as possible candidates.
The DTM championship resumes this weekend with the presentation of the 6th round of the season at the Nürburgring - aA track where Canadian driver Bruno Spengler has been successfull in the past.
After the summer break (the last race was presented July 1st at the Norisring), the DTM drivers are back in cation for the great classic Nürburgring race.
After a first half of the season dominated by the Mercedes drivers, Gary Paffett (two wins) holds quite comfortably in first position in provisional classification, ahead of team mate and fellow countryman Jamie Green (one win).
Third in the standings, Bruno Spengler has three podiums finishes (including his win in the second round at the Lausitzring) out of five races, but he lost several points with his retirements at Hockenheim and Spielberg.
Bruno Spengler, BMW M3. (Photo: DTM)
At the Nürburgring, Spengler aims to score a good result again, even if his team BMW has a lack of marks in the Eifel moutains.
"It is true that we never ran the BMW M3 on the Nurburgring," Spengler told Auto123.com.
"That's why the first practice session of Friday will be very important to collect as much information as possible on the car, in order to prepare ourselves for the qualifying session and the race the best we can. Though, the weather conditions are always an issue in this region of Germany, and if it rains on Friday, it will be tough for us to prepare the car."
BMW may however rely on the experience of his drivers, especially Martin Tomczyk and Bruno Spengler, the latter being victorious twice on this circuit : under heavy rain in 2006, and in dry conditions in 2010.
"Personally, the Nürburgring is one of my favorite tracks," Spengler added.
"I have already won twice, and I really like this track. It's very technical and varied, with quick corners, others slower, requiring a car perfectly set-up. Again, Friday practice sessions will be very important for that..."
The IZOD IndyCar Series officials have decided to give to both drivers and teams some extra practice time during the Sonoma event schedule so that everyone gets the chance to try out the new track layout.
Usually, the first 30 minutes of the opening practice session are restricted to cars outside the top 10 in the points but this time the series will allowed exceptionally everyone to run the entire session regardless of their position in the standings.
Teams will be given a ninth set of tires that can be used during the initial 75-minute session.
The Californian road circuit has been modified in three places ahead of the race, with a completely re-profiled Turn 7, a widened Turn 9 and an extended braking area into Turn 11.
Australian Chris ‘Atko' Atkinson will contest the remaining five rounds of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship as the number one driver for MINI.
Atkinson will compete for the factory-supported WRC Team MINI Portugal and jet set straight from his Gold Coast base to Europe today with the WRC heading to Germany for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland next weekend.
Photo: BAM Media
“MINI has provided me with an awesome opportunity to return to the World Championship and I'm stoked to be back as a lead driver for a great manufacturer and for the remainder of the 2012 season,” commented an enthusiastic Atkinson.
“I love the tarmac so it's great to know that three of the remaining five events are on the sealed surface and I hope to take full advantage of my past experiences of the remaining rallies this year.”
Atkinson becomes the team's number one driver, replacing Armindo Araujo who departs the team for sporting reasons.
According to reports, the DeltaWing Group has proposed its unusual car concept as the future Indy Light Series' spec race car as the IndyCar is in the process of selecting a new chassis/engine package for the 2014 racing season.
A proposal that would make the DeltaWing the official chassis of the Indy Lights Series was submitted to the IndyCar Series' officials.
However, the DeltaWing is just one of several proposals being considered.
We heard from Asia that Swift Engineering has also proposed a spec car for the Indy Lights series.
The Indy Lights Series is the developmental series to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and follows the Star Mazda Champiosnhip.
The DeltaWing at Le Mans 2012. (Photo: Highcroft Racing)
Sebastien Ogier will swap codes when he contests the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Germany this weekend. And he'll be in good company with FIA World Rally Championship legends Markku Alen, Juha Kankkunen and Carlos Sainz all in action.
Photo: VW Motorsport
Ogier, who will front Volkswagen Motorsport's bid for WRC glory from 2013, will be making his debut in the series at the Nurburgring one week prior to the world championship resuming on ADAC Rallye Deutschland, where he will be competing in a Volkswagen-run Skoda Fabia Super 2000. He is entered as one of the Legends in the one-make series.
He said: “It's a nice change. I drove the car before, at my Race of Champions victory, and it's almost as much fun as my rally car. With a front-wheel-drive car you can't drift really well, though, but that's not important here. Competing with legends like Kankkunen, Sainz or Alen is a great thing - I'm sure they haven't lost any of their former skills.”
Track testing is a rare treat. It is only ever really relevant when the cars being evaluated were destined for some form of performance driving. With this lot, we got to do just that. We took all the members of this contingent and wrung them out at l'Autodrôme St-Eustache (ASE).
Although we'd all have liked to spend the entire week wreaking havoc on the cars' brakes, tires and other mechanicals, we had to hit the road at some point. The tiniest spark went off in my mind (it happens) and it dawned on me: We must do two tests with these cars.
As the title states, even if many of these cars were bred for the track at the hands of typical owners they will still spend the vast majority of their useful life on the highways and byways, and bottlenecked and congested roads of our cities.
We therefore did the extra work -- yes, this is work -- and spent a day crisscrossing city streets, country roads and local freeways. This day told a story to which we had already more or less guessed the outcome; those that excelled on the track would suffer most on uneven, poorly maintained roads.
The classic compromise has always been between track and road use. A good track car will forgo creature comforts in exchange for handling and other forms of raw performance. The majority of us testers have actually meddled in modifying our personal cars (some of us still do) and so have followed the evolution of tuning and track-ready sporty cars with much interest.
This crop of cars represents the finest of the $30k track-ready production cars currently available, and we could not have been more pleased by how they performed at ASE.
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec
2012 Mazda MX-5 SV
2013 Scion FR-S
2013 Subaru BRZ Sport-Tech
2012 VW Golf GTI 5-door
Base Price*
$28,799
$33,995
$25,990
$29,295
$30,375
Price as tested*
$28,799
$33,995
$26,505
$29,295
$37,585
*prices exclude sales taxes, A/C tax as well as freight and delivery charges.
This time around, picking out favorites from the road test was actually quite easy. Not one of the positions were debated nor was there any questioning the reasons as to why each car landed where they did.
The Autopro 100, Round 9 of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire series will be held this weekend on the Gilles Villeneuve road course in Montreal.
For the Canadian stock cars series, this will be the last race of the season held on a road course. The last three rounds of 2012 - Barrie, Riverside and Kawartha - will all be presented on ovals.
Please note that admission to the race track is FREE today, Thursday.
Here is the preliminary entry list, subject to changes.
NASCAR Canadian Tire, Autopro100, Montreal
Number Name Residence Team Make
02 Kerry Micks Mt. Albert, ON Leland/BDI/PartSource Ford
03 Elie Arseneau Bedford, QC * Prime Racing/Circuit ICAR Dodge
3 Jason Hathaway Dutton, ON Snap-on Tools/Vortex/Rockstar Dodge Ed
04 Jean-François Dumoulin Trois-Rivières, QC Bernier Crepeau/Bellmare Dodge
5 Noel Dowler Sherwood Park, AB EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge
07 Isabelle Tremblay Saint-Hippolyte, QC Frank Lyman Design Dodge
09 Ryley Seibert Williams Lake, CB/BC * Lake Excavating Dodge
11 Mike Scholz Sault Sainte-Marie, ON * Jiffy Car Wash/Watchfinder.ca Chevrolet
17 D.J. Kennington St. Thomas, ON Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge
21 Jason White Sun Peaks, CB/BC A&W/Bower&Wilkins Dodge
22 Scott Steckly Milverton, ON Canadian Tire Dodge
23 Jeff Lapcevich Grimsby, ON Tim Hortons Dodge
27 Andrew Ranger Roxton Pond, QC Dodge/GC Motorsports Dodge
29 Ray Courtemanche Jr Montréal, QC * Construction Danam Bonzai Dodge
36 Alex Labbé Saint-Albert, QC * VR Victoriaville Dodge
42 Peter Klutt Halton Hills, ON Legendary Motorcar Chevrolet
44 Jarrad Whissell Calgary, AB SMS Equipment/Komatsu Ford
47 Louis-Philippe DumoulinTrois-Rivières, QC WeatherTech /Bellemare Dodge
50 Joey McColm Ajax, ON Espar Dodge
55 Dexter Stacey Kahnawake, QC WJS Motorsports Dodge
56 Howie Scannell Jr Milton, ON Trailers by Jim Bray Dodge
60 Ron Beauchamp, Jr Windsor, ON Mopar/Exide/Mobil 1 Dodge
66 Robin Buck Campbellville, ON Quaker State Dodge
67 David Thorndyke Oshawa, ON Thorsons EVT Chevrolet
69 Trevor Seibert Williams Lake, CB/BC Lake Excavating/EMCO Dodge
71 Patrice Brisebois Montréal, QC L'Equipeur Dodge
73 Benoît Theetge Boischatel, QC * Camasino Chevrolet
81 Larry Jackson Oakville, ON * B&B Decals/Speedy Auto Service Dodge
82 Dave Connelly Arnprior, ON Schneider's/Metro Dodge
84 J.R. Fitzpatrick Ayr, ON Equipment Express Chevrolet
85 Michel Pilon Blainville, QC Pallia-Vie/Aquacoupe Tech. Chevrolet
90 Martin Roy Napierville, QC * Veloce/Gamache Truck Center Dodge
94 Dave Coursol Saint-Jérôme, QC * Carquest Canada Dodge
97 Hugo Vannini Repentigny, QC VTI Motorsports Ford
99 Derek White Kahnawake, QC BFB Chevrolet
* Rookie of the Year contender
We're hours away from the NASCAR Nationwide NAPA 200 in Montreal, and rumours of the Sprint Cup coming to Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve are flying high again.
For those who don't know, Nationwide is the Sprint Cup's farm system, a lower-tier series for the stars of tomorrow. You won't see all the big guns like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Yet, Montreal has recently been voted as the ''best Nationwide race,'' a distinction that François Dumontier (the event's promoter) is quite happy to brag about.
Photo: Sébastien D'Amour
You see, the other races in the Nationwide series are often held on Saturday afternoons in front of (partially) empty bleachers, whereas more than 60,000 fans attend the Montreal show.
And that's certainly what it is: a show. These 3,500-lb machines pack quite a punch with their thundering V8 engines that crank out 650+ horsepower. Of course, they're more like elephants in a jewelry store than cheetahs in the savanna, but the fact that many local drivers are competing makes the race compelling from start to finish.
Given the huge success of Nationwide in Montreal, why don't NASCAR executives make it a stop on the Sprint Cup calendar ? Dumontier would obviously be ecstatic, but unfortunately he doesn't have any sway in the decision.
NASCAR remains an American affair, and while a Sprint Cup race in Montreal would attract just as many fans if not more, the sponsors who pay millions of dollars to have their names and colours on the cars will quickly tell you that Canada's second-largest - and North America's fifteenth-largest city - is not the market they're after.
It doesn't help that Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is a road course. NASCAR drivers, American fans and stock car purists by far prefer oval speedways. And since there are already three Sprint Cup races on road courses, they don't want a fourth.
Lastly, Sprint Cup cars don't use rain tires. Should Mother Nature be in a bad mood, as is often the case, there would be no action at all. Teams would just wait in the pits while the sun returns and dries the track.
Bottom line: Some people will have to change their stance and attitude in a big way if we hope to see the very best NASCAR drivers - not just Formula One's - in Montreal.
In an effort to make its vehicle fleet more environmentally friendly, the City of Vancouver purchased 13 Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric cars. They will replace gasoline-powered models at the end of their useful life.
With this addition, Vancouver can now brag about having the greenest municipal fleet in the country.
Deliveries have already begun, and all 13 units will arrive by the end of 2012. An extra order of 17 cars could follow next year.
''Vancouver just got a whole lot greener,'' said Shin Fujioka, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. ''The i-MiEV will support Vancouver's ambition of becoming the world's greenest city by 2020.''
The City plans to install a number of 240-volt charging stations capable of providing a full battery charge in less than seven hours. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV will be used to transport people, materials and equipment to meetings and construction sites.
Leading names from the world of Formula One racing have put their photography skills to the test thanks to Zoom, an innovative new project in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSHCC).
Drivers and team principals were all asked to take a photograph of whatever subject they wanted.
Lewis Hamilton. (Photo: WRi2)
The images will then be auctioned to raise money for the London hospital. Highlights of the collection include Lewis Hamilton's ‘driver's eye' view from the cockpit of his car at the pits at Spa-Francorchamps, Sebastian Vettel's favourite Alpine scene and Bruno Senna's beach paradise.
Sebastian Vettel. (Photo: WRi2)
Every photograph has been signed by the contributor and will be auctioned off by renowned motorsport auction specialists, Coys. Proceeds will go to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSHCC).
The event will culminate on Friday September 14 2012 at a VIP reception and live auction, attended by some of the Formula One contributors themselves. The auction will take place in the ballroom of London's Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour.
Fisker Automotive, the maker of the $100,000-plus Karma hybrid sports car, aims to raise about $150 million in additional funds to tide the company over until it can launch production of its second model, a key investor said on Wednesday.
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