Auto News 5

Volvo is testing a new system with C30 Electric cars that is reportedly six times faster than today's on-board devices.

This 22 kW fast-charger provides a full charge in only 90 minutes. Plugging into an ordinary household outlet gives a charging time of 8-10 hours, depending on the available current.

"We know that short recharging times and extensive operating range are a necessity for potential electric car consumers. The fast-charging unit helps cure what is known as range anxiety since the car can be more easily recharged during the day,'' says Lennart Stegland, Vice President, Electric Propulsion Systems, Volvo Car Corporation. ''And even if you don't have enough time for a 1.5-hour charge, plugging in for just 30 minutes will give you enough power for another 80 kilometres of driving."

Photo: Volvo

On November 24th, a convoy of MINI cars will leave BMW Group headquarters in Munich and drive all the way to Rovaniemi, located at the Arctic Circle, to bring Santa Claus Christmas letters written by children and adults from all over the world.

At the same time, MINI will try to set a Guinness record for the longest wishlist to Santa Claus.

The convoy will travel more than 3,000 kilometres and pass through a number of beautiful European cities such as Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Upon arriving in Rovaniemi, they will join the new MINI Paceman, the latest addition to the MINI family, as well as Rauno Aaltonen, the winner of the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally.

Looks like the magic of Christmas is working again...

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Unable to maintain profitability due to the currency exchange rate and low sales volumes, among other things, American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) announced that it will stop distributing automobiles in the U.S.

ASMC has sold only 26,000 cars in 2011.

Mind you, the company will keep selling Suzuki motorcycles, ATVs and marine products.

Current Suzuki car dealers will smoothly transition into a network of authorized service and parts dealers to allow ASMC to fully honour all warranties.

The fate of the automaker's Canadian operations has yet to be determined, but don't expect showrooms to close anytime soon.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

Sebastian Montoya, the 7-year-old son of NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya and wife Connie has started his motorsport career racing karts in Florida.

Young Sebastian started karting at the tender age of 4, away from the media to avoid putting any excessive pressure on his small shoulders.

This year, Sebastian entered some real races, competing in the Rotax Micro Max Challenge held at the Homestead-Miami circuit near Miami, Florida.

In the Fall Championship, Sebastian scored 354 points to rank 8th. The youngster drove a Birel chassis powered by a spec Rotax 125cc engine fitted with the famous No. 42 his father sports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.

Sebastian Montoya. (Photo: Twitter Juan Pablo Montoya)

The motorsport bug runs in the familty: Juan Pablo's father, Pablo, was a racer himself. Juan Pablo's younger brother, Federico, also raced karts and competed in the 2004 ADAC Formula BMW series, without too much success. Oh, Federico was also a teammate of a certain Sebastian Vettel at Mücke Motorsport that same year...

Tony Fernandes, the Malaysian businessman and owner of AirAsia airlines, will soon leave his position of team principal of the Caterham Formula 1 Team.

Fernandes, who created his F1 team for the 2010 World Championship (under the Team Lotus name) told British motorsport publication Autosport that he will step down at the end of this season to concentrate on the road car business.

Last year, Fernandes purchased Caterham, a small British sports car manufacturer, and has recently signed an agreement with the Renault group to produce the new Alpine road cars.

Fernandes has always said that his days as F1 team boss were numbered, as he wanted to more experienced people than him to run the team.

“On the racing side we have come to the conclusion that it is better if someone else takes over the team principal role to move forward,” Fernandes said in a joint interview with Autosport's sister publication Autocar.

The Malaysian did not say who his successor will be, but he indicated it would be someone already involved in F1.

On Tuesday, Kevin Magnussen, son of former Formula 1 driver Jan Magnussen, set the best time of Day 1 at the final three-day young driver test at Abu Dhabi.

Kevin Magnussen spent the morning's session acclimatising to his first run in a McLaren F1 car.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-27. (Photo: WRi2)

That meant a focus on a host of gradual set-up changes, firstly to introduce him to the behaviour of a grand prix car under different mechanical influences, but also to fine-tune the car's set-up to his personal preference. The team declared they were impressed with the Dane's progress and aptitude.

Red Bull Junior driver, António Félix da Costa, was at the wheel of the Red Bull RB8 and emerged second quickest.

Antonio Felix da Costa, Red Bull RB8. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

The Red Bull team split the allotted time between mechanical work in the morning and aero-mapping during the afternoon.

Gary Paffett undertook the afternoon's running at McLaren, undertaking a program primarily focused on evaluating a wide number of aerodynamic and suspension developments. He ranked third.

The team revealed that Paffett's workload also required a consistent baseline, meaning he drove without the benefit of DRS and quite below the limit in order to eliminate unwanted variables.

Fourth overall was Robin Frinjs, the newly crowned 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 World Series champion.

Robin Frijns, Sauber C31. (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

Frinjs started the day with hard tires and did some aero work in the morning before actually working on his lap time. Towards the end of the day, the Sauber team gave his a taste of different tire compounds and went with a set of medium and a set of soft.

Nicolas Prost was fifth in the Lotus-Renault. The son of Alain Prost completed a full engineering and aerodynamic programme. Pressure logging and aerodynamic testing were performed in the morning, while evaluation of rear drum configuration and further aerodynamic testing were done in the afternoon.

Nicolas Prost, Lotus E20. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

Luiz Razia was at the wheel of the Toro Rosso STR7, chassis No. 3, last raced in the Italian Grand Prix, back in September. He was sixth quickest, followed by Giedo van der Garde in the Caterham-Renault.

Young driver test, Yas Marina circuit, Abu Dhabi, Day 1:

Pos Driver Constructor Best time* Laps
1 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1m42.651s 40
2 Antonio Felix da Costa Red Bull Racing 1m42.717s 79
3 Gary Paffett McLaren 1m43.407s 44
4 Robin Frijns Sauber 1m43.775s 78
5 Nicolas Prost Lotus-Renault 1m44.194s 55
6 Luiz Razia Scuderia Toro Rosso 1m44.691s 67
7 Giedo van der Garde Caterham 1m45.936s 57
*Unofficial timing

Looks familiar? Nicolas Prost in the Lotus E20. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

American Suzuki Motor Corp., beset by low sales, cutthroat competition and unfavorable foreign exchange rates, said it will pull out of the U.S.

American Suzuki Motor's automotive run in the United States began in 1985 with its Samurai subcompact SUV. And although the Samurai was a smash hit out of the gate, subsequent bad press and legal snarls derailed the brand permanently.

American Suzuki, rocked by a plunge in volume while the industry continues to climb back from a deep recession, is ending U.S. auto sales after nearly 30 years.

American Suzuki, rocked by a plunge in volume while the industry continues to climb back from a deep recession, is ending U.S. auto sales after nearly 30 years.

American Suzuki, rocked by a plunge in volume while the industry continues to climb back from a deep recession, is ending U.S. auto sales after nearly 30 years.

Hyundai and Kia face a federal lawsuit seeking class-action status and unspecified damages for consumers who bought vehicles with overstated fuel-economy labels.

Merrilee Patterson Crain -- secretary and board member of Crain Communications Inc., publisher of Autoweek -- died Friday. She was 69.

Fuel economy for new vehicles sold in the United States rose to an all-time high in October, University of Michigan researchers said in a monthly report.

Nissan revealed the next iteration of the Japanese-spec GT-R supercar last week.

The $64,000 Question

High-strung BMW, high-tech Audi, or high-drama Mercedes-Benz? Or maybe we could interest you in a Porsche.

Three 400-plus-hp coupes jostle to occupy the same space and win the same buyers. They exist in an automotive sweet spot, delivering luxury, performance, style, and excitement at an attainable price. Spend more money, and you'll face diminishing returns. Spend less, and you'll have less of a car.

Photo Gallery: The $64,000 Question

Photo Gallery: The $64,000 Question

The $64,000 Question | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

October 2012 Auto Sales

Slowed by Sandy

As anyone in the vast area affected by Hurricane Sandy could have guessed, the sprawling super-storm had a major dampening effect on new-vehicle sales. Consumers had other things on their mind, and flooding and power outages also kept buyers out of showrooms. As a result, the new-vehicle sales rate, which had been steaming along in the high end of the 14-million-unit range, dropped down to 14.3 million units. Industry totals for the month still managed a 7% increase over 2011 -- not bad, but not as good as September's 13% increase. Some industry watchers, however, see a silver lining for auto sales in the Sandy-related destruction: All those cars and trucks ruined by flood waters or crushed by falling trees will have to be replaced, which could mean that what Sandy taketh away in October, she could giveth in November.

---

Photo Gallery: October 2012 Auto Sales - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: October 2012 Auto Sales - Automobile Magazine

October 2012 Auto Sales | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Domino's Pizza recently put out a call to its fans to design the ultimate pizza-delivery vehicle. Those fans answered the call, and the winner was Anej Kostrevic of Slovenia.

Wanting a larger chunk of

News 5 Nov, 2012

Volkswagen has refreshed the Amarok, with new options, improved economy and a power boost