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There is an element of lobbying you might think in Ford announcing draconian action other than in the results season.

Free electric vehicle (EV) charging points have been made available in London for residents and businesses participating in trials to understand the impact of EV use on the electricity network.

Robert Bosch is opening an randd center and factory in Changsha, southeastern China, to produce starter motors, generators, thermal systems and wipers.

Ford and Renault have joined Volkswagen's key stakeholder, Lower Saxony, in voicing concern about a French government rescue deal for PSA/Peugeot-Citroen.

Continental will begin production of an automatic-braking and pedestrian-detection system for Mercedes early next year.

Renault's product offensive in India has grown to five cars in the last 18 months as the automaker looks for ways to compensate for falling sales in Europe.

Despite slowing demand in China's automotive market, Jochem Heizmann, the new chief of Volkswagen China, expects industry sales to grow 7 to 8 percent annually.

Citroen is offering a new variation of car-sharing that it hopes will improve the brand's recognition among younger buyers and boost new-car sales. The French company's Multicity program enables Citroen owners to rent their vehicles to other people.

Mercedes expects demand for four-door luxury cars with coupe styling will grow in the coming years and the brand is aiming for a larger share of the niche with the introduction of the CLS Shooting Brake.

A 1986 BMW 635 CSi customized by pop art pioneer Robert Rauschenberg will be on display at Art Toronto 2012, which takes place from October 26th to 29th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Presented in Canada for the first time ever, this car is one of the 17 rolling sculptures that make up the BMW Art Car Collection.

Since 1975, artists from around the world have transformed BMW automobiles into artwork representing a moment in time. Rauschenberg was the first to incorporate other artists' imagination by projecting their artwork onto the 635 CSi.

Photo: BMW

Robin Frijns, who clinched the Formula Renault 3.5 series' title in controversial circumstances last weekend may reach a long-term agreement with the Sauber F1 Team.

Frijns collided with title rival Jules Bianchi during the last and decisive round of the FR3.5 series in Barcelona last Sunday. After the contact, Bianchi's car ended up in the gravel trap where he retired, giving Frijns the title.

The Dutchman is scheduled to drive the Ferrari-powered Sauber F1 car for one day at the Young Driver test in Abu Dhabi early next month.

Photo: RobinFrijns.com

British magazine Autosport understands that Frijns is set for a long-term role with Sauber, provided his run in the test proves a success.


Autosport adds that they have been impresed with his performance over the past three years during which the 21-year-old has won the Formula BMW Europe, Formula Renault Eurocup and Formula Renault 3.5 title.

Frijns apparently admitted that his performance in the Abu Dhabi test could be key to the future of his career.

But I'm not crazy about it. Our recently completed 2012 compact CUV comparo put many things into perspective. On its own, the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox has much going for it, however, when compared to a concise sampling of its nearest competitors, it's not as good as it should be.


The current generation Equinox first saw the light of day as a 2010 MY vehicle and the resulting slew of sales clearly demonstrated that GM knew exactly what the core of its buyers wanted.

With better engines, modern transmissions and a mature, more determined styling, the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox has much going for it on paper.

What's more, the Equinox is rated as one of the most fuel-efficient compact crossovers, which is reason enough for it to be on every CUV buyer's shopping list. But it all comes at a certain cost.

Not aging very well
It all begins with the fact that, in a few short years, it got old. When lined up with the 2013 Ford Escape or 2012 Kia Sportage, the Equinox looks like it was on the receiving end of a botched face-lift, leaving it bloated with miss-matched eyes and uneven ears. Current crossovers are svelte and tout like the Volkswagen Tiguan or the Mazda CX-5. The Equinox looks fat.

The cabin is thankfully better, in most regards, but the dive-away-from-the-driver dashboard is ill conceived. However, the centre stack's presentation is attractive. The 7" colour touchscreen display is the high point of the cabin with sharp graphics. On the other hand, the similarly shaped and coloured, as well as clustered, HVAC and audio controls take some time to navigate.

The seats in the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox, which were immediately appreciated, lost some of their lustre on longer trips. Their soft and cushy nature provided no real support, and the material proved rough on bare skin. Although this is a letdown, the cabin's quietness at highway speeds made for a generally comfortable environment.

As for the driver's spot, finding a proper command position was easy enough. The vehicle's front visibility is seriously hampered by hefty "A" pillars and the large well designed mirrors. Take note of this before driving off the lot.

The 2012 Chevrolet Equinox's trunk was one of the least capacious of the group, which is counter-intuitive given that it was one of the largest. The reasoning lies in how narrow the space is: We noted that an average-size stroller didn't fit width-wise. That's a #fail.

The cabin's quietness at highway speeds made for a generally comfortable environment. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

4 is more
The Chevy Equinox can be powered by one of two equally interesting powertrains. The optional 264 hp 3.0L V6 has got plenty of heart but is far more glutinous, downing roughly a third more black gold than the tester's 2.4L 4-pot.

At 182 hp and 172 torques, the base engine is plenty capable. The 6-speed autobox manages the power thanks to properly geared cogs and a willingness to play along. In most cases, one does not go with the other, but GM pulls a serious tour de force with the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox.

This specific Equinox was a FWD model which helped on a number of levels including fuel consumption, which averaged 8.5L/100 km over the course of the week.

Where the absence of AWD did not help was under hard acceleration when the front wheels would complain about losing traction. I'm not talking about full-on launches, therefore appropriate winter tires will be a necessity when the weather gets ugly. The full-time, intelligent AWD is an undeniable added bonus for only $1,650.

At 182 hp and 172 torques, the base engine is plenty capable. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Calm seas
On the road, the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox is supremely relaxed and this may be its other best attribute. The ride is cushy and smooth, and given the well isolated cabin the occupants will probably never feel more at ease in another compact crossover.

Laden or not, the Equinox rides with sufficient confidence thanks to minimal body-roll and a generally uneventful drive. The offset to the Zen ride is handling: it cannot be considered sporty, but by the same token won't make you sea-sick.

Like most GM products, the Equinox's brakes feel great. The left pedal remains firm under heavy effort and the pinchers never lose their composure. Steering is at all times precise, with a tad too much hydraulic assistance.

The Equinox
Chevy's compact CUV, the GMC Terrain's twin BTW, has a starting price of $26,445. As tested, my FWD 1LT with Convenience package retails for $30,850; remember that this is without AWD.

By comparison, a 2012 Kia Sportage EX sports a sticker price of $29,995 and features a number of nice-to-haves including dual-zone climate control and AWD... The only downside to the Kia is its marginally smaller trunk.

There are more expensive equivalent crossovers such as the Volkswagen, however, both of these vehicles are far more appealing visually. Our comparo test will shed more light on other members of this highly competitive segment.

In the end, it's all there but the way it comes together doesn't make it my pick in the category.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) held its annual TestFest at Niagara-on-the-Lake this week.

Ford leads the way with four of the best new vehicles for 2013, followed by Porsche and Hyundai with two apiece.

Here are the results:

• CITY CAR: Ford Focus EV
• BEST NEW SMALL CAR (under $21k): Mazda3 Skyactiv
• BEST NEW SMALL CAR (over $21k): Hyundai Elantra GT
• BEST NEW FAMILY CAR (under $30k): Honda Accord Sedan
• BEST NEW FAMILY CAR (over $30k): Ford Fusion Hybrid
• BEST NEW LUXURY CAR: Cadillac ATS
• BEST NEW PRESTIGE AND PERFORMANCE CAR (over $75k): Porsche 911 Carrera S
• BEST NEW SPORTS/PERFORMANCE CAR (under $50k): Ford Focus ST
• BEST NEW SPORTS/PERFORMANCE CAR (over $50k): Porsche Boxster
• BEST NEW SUV/CUV (under $35k): Ford Escape 1.6 L EcoBoost
• BEST NEW SUV/CUV ($35k-$60k): Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T

All these vehicles will compete for the 2013 Canadian Car of the Year and 2013 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year awards.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

This is not a joke: Britain's Air Fuel Synthesis has developed a fairly simple method to produce fuel. Using electrolysis and a sodium hydroxide solution, scientists are able to extract air from carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen gas (H2) molecules. Then, they combine the basic elements through a series of chemical operations to create the desired fuel.

So far, Air Fuel Synthesis has produced five litres of fuel that perfectly meets auto industry standards. However, according to the company, the technology will require at least 15 years to reach mass production.

Source: cnetfrance

Audi and Toyota dominated the first practice sessions ahead of the 6 Hours of Shanghai, 8th and final round of the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Alan McNish set the best time during the first session with a 1m52.219 in his Audi R18 e-tron that he shares with Tom Kristensen.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

In the second session, the best performance went to Alexander Wurz's Toyota TS030 Hybrid, with a lap in 1m50.573.

Toyota TS030 Hybrid. (Photo: Toyota Racing)

The fastest LMP2 car was the Lola-Lotus driven by Weeda, Rossiter and Charouz, while best GT car was the works Aston Martin driven by Stefan Mucke and Darren Turner.

Volkswagen China sold more vehicles (705,000) than General Motors (665,000) in the third quarter of 2012.

Leading Chinese sales for the past eight years, GM is still #1 so far in 2012. However, its German rival now trails by a mere 77,000 units.

Will GM hang on to the annual sales crown in China? The more interesting question is: How did Volkswagen get this close to the top?

For one thing, a territorial dispute between China and Japan has lead to a sharp decline in sales at Mazda, Honda and Toyota. By offering more new products than GM, Volkswagen has been better able to capitalize on the tensions.

Source: The Washington Post

First reported by Car & Driver magazine, and later confirmed by an Audi exec to Wired magazine, the Audi R8 e-tron's low demand and high battery cost, as well as the changing priorities of Audi's new head of R&D have doomed the project. As a result, the all-electric supercar won't enter production.

However, Audi will continue to test the R8 e-tron internally to help the development of future electrically driven vehicles.

Introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Audi R8 e-tron was supposed to be built within the next four years. It made fans drool by posting a lap time of 8:09 minutes on the Nürburgring circuit in Germany. Too bad we won't see it on the road.

Audi prefers to focus on plug-in hybrids and electric versions of the A1, A3, A4, A6 and Q7 that can charge through a household outlet.

Source: Wired

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

The various winter tires in this review are all designed for trucks that require heavy-duty tires with a high payload capacity, as well as maximum off-road traction when driving on construction sites, recreational areas, and in deep snow. With their aggressive tread design, they also provide exceptional grip in mud. However, they are not as effective on ice as most winter tires for passenger cars and SUVs.

These tires sport the mountain/snowflake logo, and some of them can even receive studs to increase traction on ice.

Check the table below to see how these commercial vehicle winter tires stack up against each other.

From GMM

Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton appear to be in the process of falling out of favour within their respective teams.

Lewis Hamilton is moving from McLaren to Mercedes for 2013, to be replaced at the famous British by Sauber's Perez.

Mexican Perez was sidelined in morning practice in India early on Friday, ostensibly due to a heavy cold. He was replaced by Esteban Gutierrez, who is tipped to move into Perez's race seat full-time next year.

Sergio Perez has told Argentine Fox television, however, that he was well enough to drive.

Esteban Gutierrez and Sergio Perez, Sauber. (Photo: WRi2)

"I am pleased that they are so worried about me," Perez said ironically. "It's obvious that I'm not 100 per cent, but I've driven in worse shape. There was no reason for me not to drive. I was ready."

Sergio Perez said his countryman Gutierrez "did a good job" in the practice session, but insisted: "I would prefer to have done the laps in the car. So we've lost a session. Now it's more difficult to set up the car for the race."

Briton Hamilton also looks to be out of favour at McLaren, with the team's sporting director Sam Michael openly telling reporters that the 2008 world champion's car was on Friday fitted with some experimental parts for 2013.

But when asked about the new parts after Friday's track action, Hamilton furrowed his brow and answered: "No, we don't have anything new."

Formula 1 teams will be able to sample the new year's generation of Pirelli tires during the weekend of the Grand Prix of Brazil, the last race of the 2012 season.

British motorsport magazine Autosport has learned that Pirelli is planning to introduce a new generation of tires, with a new stiffer construction set to offer teams a more predictable platform than they had this year.

Team will be given two sets of tires for each car in Friday's free practice session in Interlagos, November 23.

Mercedes AMG team boss Ross Brawn told Autosport that the numbers Pirelli provided them show that the tires will be quite different with a stiffer construction although the compounds will be quite similar.

Photo: Pirelli

Despite the fact that the actual shape of the tires will be identical to this year, the stiffer construction means that it will behave very differently under load - so it is vital teams get an early indicator of what impact that will have on car performance and aerodynamics.

Friday in India, McLaren sporting director Sam Michael said he tinks that the test will be 'critical' for teams in their planning for next year.

“The test is very important because that is the only opportunity before February [to test them]. If it changes something fundamentally on the car that you suddenly need to change designs for, then that is what is critical when they change tire casings,” Michael explained.