Auto News 5

ContiTech, Continental's none-tyre rubber and plastic technology division, has acquired the automotive air conditioning business of the Tennessee-based Mobile Climate Systems division of Parker Hannifin for an undisclosed sum.

Record car shipments to China and a rebound in cargoes from Japanese automotive companies will mean the most profit ever for Wilh. Wilhelmsen, the world's largest vehicle transporter.

News 14 Aug, 2012

Well equipped editions of the Volvo S60, V60 and V70 aim to offer better value for business users

Tata Motors' luxury car unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is now running its Halewood plant around the clock to meet strong demand for the Range Rover Evoque.

Auto parts supplier Parker Hannifin said it agreed to sell its automotive air conditioning business to ContiTech AG, the rubber and plastics unit of Germany's Continental AG.

Continental has bought the automotive air-conditioning business of U.S.-based Parker Hannifin to expand its overseas automotive operations.

Pictures 14 Aug, 2012

News 14 Aug, 2012

All-new MINI rival will be available to order from September

Manganese Bronze, the maker of London's iconic cabs, said on Tuesday that it had found a 3.9 million pound ($6.1 million) black hole in its accounts, causing it to delay the release of its half-year results for more than a month.

With Volkmar Denner as its new chief executive, German supplier giant Robert Bosch appears determined to be a key player in the unpredictable realm of automotive infotainment. It won't be easy.

The day when self-driven cars dominate the road, a longtime science-fiction fantasy, may not be far off, a new report says.

Several 2012 upscale vehicles that meet all existing safety regulations have been dinged in a new crash safety test that mimics small overlap head-on collisions.

Here is a video of a slow but real lap around the 3.4-mile rosad course of Circuit of the Americas, home of this year's Formula 1 Grand Prix of the United States, November 16-18 in Austin, Texas.

The video was filmed by a race fan, XtremeGoD9. It is a slow lap because of the presence of heavy equipment on the tarmac, but the video provdes a very good idea of the layout of this new F1 circuit.

Very few things are free in life these days. But Octane Management Inc., promoter of the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge, confirms its 2012 ''Discovery Day'' this Thursday.

Additionally, ten Québec drivers to meet their fans during this "Discovery Day".

Motorsports fans and families wishing to enjoy a very special and different summer vacations day will be admitted free of charge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Gates will be opening at 9:00 am and all visitors will have until 6:00 pm to live freely the atmosphere of an auto racing weekend.

The fans will also have access to all areas of viewing around the circuit, including taking place in the grandstands to witness the action on track or choose to participate in some of the special activities of this "Discovery Day".

Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier. (Photo: Octane Management)

Between 1:00 and 2:00 pm, in a tent erected at the centre of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, autograph collectors are invited to meet ten Québec drivers engaged in the various classes of this weekend program.

The drivers who will be in attendance are:

Marc-André BERGERON
Driver of the Mazda # 47 in the CTCC (Canadian Touring Car Championship).
Patrice BRISEBOIS
Driver of the Dodge # 71 in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Patrick CARPENTIER
Driver of tyhe Toyota # 99 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Jean-François DUMOULIN
Driver of the Dodge # 04 in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Louis-Philippe DUMOULIN
Driver of the Ford # 08 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and
the Dodge # 47 in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Andrew RANGER
Driver of the Dodge # 27 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and
the Dodge # 27 of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Martin ROY
Driver of the Dodge # 90 of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Alexandre TAGLIANI
Driver of the Chevrolet # 30 of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Isabelle TREMBLAY
Driver of the Dodge # 07 of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.
Jacques VILLENEUVE
Driver of the Dodge # 22 of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Thirty minutes after the conclusion of the Québec drivers autograph session, at the same location, visitors are invited to meet the young, lovely and talented Québec singer and songwriter Marilou. The star singer knows for her radio hit single ''Wake Me Up on Friday'' will be meeting the fans until 3:00 pm. On Saturday, prior to the featured NASCAR Nationwide race Marilou will be singing the national anthems.

It is still possible to purchase NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge tickets to see the likes of Kyle Busch, Danica Patrick, Elliott Sadler and other stars of NASCAR sharing the track with Canadians Patrick Carpentier, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin, Ron Fellows, Andrew Ranger, Alex Tagliani and Jacques Villeneuve.

To order, one should dial 514-397-0007, visit the le www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca or go to the ticket office located at the exit of the Jean Drapeau subway station opening every day between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, starting August 15.

From GMM

With the longest ever grand prix career now behind him, and half a season into his new foray, Rubens Barrichello is still not willing to say he is done with formula one.

"I think there is still a way back," he said in an interview with Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Just shy of two consecutive decades on the grid, the 40-year-old Brazilian lost his Williams race drive and for 2012 had to cross the Atlantic to join his non-blood 'brother' Tony Kanaan in Indycar.

Rubens Barrichello, KV Racing. (Photo: LAT for IndyCar)

He still studies F1 from afar.

Asked if he still watches the races, Barrichello admitted: "Every single detail.

"From Friday onwards, every practice session. I study each sector time. At five o'clock in the morning I am getting from my friends the latest information about the tyres and the setups. My wife thinks I'm completely crazy," he laughed.

Rubens Barrichello would so dearly love to still be there.

Rubens Barrichello, Williams FW33 in 2011. (Photo: WRi2)

He described the loss of his race seat to Bruno Senna - ironically the nephew of his late mentor Ayrton - as "unexpected".

"The engineers and mechanics all assumed that I would be driving (in 2012)," he said. "Of course there were rumours that Williams needed money, but I had put together some money from my sponsor BMC. I have no idea what Bruno brought in the end. Probably Adam Parr didn't want me anymore. I lost my cockpit and it was too late for alternatives."

Bruno Senna, Williams FW34. (Photo: WRi2)

Barrichello insisted he is not bitter, especially about Senna taking his seat. Indeed, he thinks the young Brazilian could have learned so much from him.

"I was really happy for him with his seventh in Hungary. He did a great race," he said. "As I said, if I was his teammate, he could get more out of himself. He lacks experience and he could have got it from me. He still needs someone to solve all the little problems."

Barrichello is upset he never got to drive Williams' Barcelona-winning 2012 car, after struggling throughout his last F1 campaign with a sub-standard machine.

The Williams team celebrating Maldonado's victory in Spain. (Photo: WRi2)

Asked if he knew this year would be better for the famous British team, he answered: "Yes, because we understood the problems we had last year. And because the new people are right. The move to Renault has made a big difference -- the big plus of that engine is the driveability."

He described the 2012 season overall as "sensational".

"My heart bleeds that I cannot be there," said Barrichello. "It's so close. Don't get me wrong; I am happy that I can drive here, and I don't see myself as a victim. I think it's just a shame for Williams, because I think I would have had a really great season this year. Not just for me, for the team. Williams would benefit from me. I would have been a good teammate as a teacher for Senna, Bottas and Maldonado -- next to me that would have gone much better than they do now. Look at Maldonado -- he had fewer accidents last year than this one. Pastor is super fast but with me on his side he races in a more controlled way."

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has recently announced its first new frontal crash test since 1995. The new test consists of a small overlap frontal crash test.

This test simulates, at 40 mph (64 km/h), crashes that occur on a car's front outer edges which often fall outside of the required crush-zone structures. The transfer of energy from the crash is directly transmitted through to the front wheel, suspension and firewall.

The new test is a direct result of information pulled from a 2009 Institute study where nearly 25% of vehicles involved in frontal accidents, resulting in serious or fatal injury to front occupants, were of the small overlap type.

The big news here is that of the 11 midsize luxury cars evaluated, only three of them earned good or acceptable ratings. In an unusual twist, at least for Toyota, their Lexus IS and ES cars performed poorly. The best results were had by the Acura TL and Volvo S60.

In a recent interview given to British magazine Autosport, McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh declared that Formula 1 must decide on one engine format and stick to it for 2014.

Autosport understands that there's been talks amongst the teams to introduce some sort of equivalency formula between the normally aspirated V8s and the new turbo V6 engines since some teams may not be ready to make the switch in two years.

There are concerns that there may not be enough engines available for all the teams or that certain smaller teams may find using turbo engines too expensive. This format would allow some teams to continue using V8s as a back-up option.

Withmarsh, who is also the chairman of FOTA, the Formula One Teams Association said that some sort of an equivalency formula would be an 'unattractive' option for the sport.

"I think you'd have to arrange, if you did it, such that the new turbo engines have advantage over normally aspirated, so you're creating a two-tier championship, which is I think not an attractive thing to have," Withmarsh declared.

The makers of Ron Howard's new movie “Rush” have released four images of the film that will hit the screens in 2013.

Hollywood producer Ron Howard teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award nominee, writer Peter Morgan, on “Rush”, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula 1 drivers, Briton James Hunt and Austrian Niki Lauda.

Photo: rushmovie.com

Here's the story of the film, as described on the official web site.

The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth as the charismatic and easy going Englishman James Hunt and Daniel Brühl as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix circuits epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives.

Photo: rushmovie.com

Set against the sexy and glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing, “Rush” portrays the exhilarating true story of two of the greatest rivals the world has ever witnessed - handsome English playboy Hunt and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Lauda.

Photo: rushmovie.com

Taking us into their personal lives on and off the track, “Rush” follows the two drivers as they push themselves to the breaking point of physical and psychological endurance, where there is no shortcut to victory and no margin for error. If you make one mistake, you die.

Photo: rushmovie.com

Also starring Olivia Wilde and Alexandra Maria Lara, “Rush” is produced by Andrew Eaton, Howard, Academy Award winner Brian Grazer, Eric Fellner, Morgan and Brian Oliver and executive produced by Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media, Todd Hallowell and Tim Bevan. Universal Pictures will distribute the film in North America.

Rush was shot on location in the U.K., Germany and Austria.

Think you're cool enough to own and drive one of Steve McQueen's cars? Well, for the right price, now you can. At this month's collector car auction, RM Monterey, held in California during the famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance motoring week (Aug 17-18), a selection of star-status vehicles from Steve McQueen's collection will be up for sale.

Yes, you could have the chance to drive the multimillion dollar '58 Ford GT40 Gulf featured in McQueen's Le Mans film. Or perhaps McQueen's '56 Fiat Series 306 -- also featured in Le Mans and used by both Carroll Shelby and Land Reventlow's race teams -- is more your taste.



If you want to relive Steve McQueen's actual racing days, you'll want to get your hands on his '61 Cooper T-56 Mark II Formula Junior Racing Car, or perhaps his unrestored (and the car he owned at the time of his death in 1980) '53 Hudson Hornet Sedan.

To round out the collection at RM Monterey, the exceptionally rare 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 14-Louver 'Tour de France; (one of only nine ever built) will be up for auction, as well as the Hollywood star '65 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra that shared the limelight with Herbie the Love Bug in the '60s.

Time to get your wallet out and head to California.

'65 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra (Photo: RM Auctions)

Hybrid cars are certainly not part of a green trend that will disappear any time soon.

To prove that hybrids are reliable and easy to own as a regular car, Toyota has launched Canada's first Certified Used Hybrid Vehicle program. These hybrid vehicles will undergo the same scrutiny and rigorous multi-point inspections as a regular Toyota cars and trucks. Obviously, special attention will be given to the car's hybrid system and numerous related components.

Each of these cars will include a CarProof Vehicle History Report, a seven day/1,500 km exchange privilege, a free oil/filter change, membership in Club Toyota, a minimum of 12 months/20,000 km powertrain and roadside assistance coverage.

Since 2000, nearly 70,000 Toyota hybrid vehicles have been sold, demonstrating that there exists a strong demand for fuel-efficient, low-emissions, advanced technology vehicles.