Auto News 5

Honda Motor Co. President Takanobu Ito is prepping his company for growth. He wants to boost North American sales 18 percent to 2 million vehicles in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017.

Alan Mulally, 67, will stay on as Ford CEO for at least two more years, while Mark Fields, 51, currently president of the Americas, will become COO on Dec. 1. Ford appears to be cruising along smoothly, but some problems persist.

For Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne, these are the best of times and the worst of times. While Fiat is being hammered by the economic turmoil in Europe, Chrysler continues to pile up profits and rack up market share gains in the United States.

Suzuki dealers face a decision: Give up their franchises in exchange for cash or fight the factory in bankruptcy court. The question for dealers: Are the offers comparable to what they would have received under state franchise laws?

With President Obama's auto agenda likely to be unchanged in his second term -- electric cars and stricter fuel economy rules -- industry leaders have turned their attention to a more immediate concern inside the Washington beltway.

Neil De Koker, 69, president of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, is stepping down at the end of 2013.

Ford Motor Co. is battling problems with new technologies, as shown by consumer complaints about the MyFord Touch controls system. But CEO Alan Mulally is adamant that Ford will continue to be a technology leader.

After Hyundai and Kia admitted this month to selling 900,000 2011-13 vehicles with overstated mileage ratings, the South Korean companies have a big problem: a credibility gap with customers that could turn into long-term damage to the brands.

The 2012 BMW 328i Sedan is powered by a turbocharged 2.0L engine, good for 241 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. Equipped with the optional 8-speed automatic, the 328i delivered an average of just 6.8L/100km over the course of the test.

The 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S punches out a glorious 550 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque from its twin-turbo 4.8L V8. It can reach 100 km/h under 4 seconds thanks, in part, to the traction provided by its all-wheel drive system. I averaged 13L/100km, which is pretty good for such a supercar.

Photo: Sébatien D'Amour

Almost as remarkable was the 14L/100km fuel consumption average obtained in the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG, which boasts a twin-turbo 5.5L V8 that generates 518 hp and 516 lb-ft.

Last year, I drove a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E 350 BlueTEC, which is equipped with a 3.0L turbodiesel V6 that developed 210 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. In my hands, it averaged just 7.9L/100km.

During a recent test of the 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI, I averaged 7.2L/100km compliments of its 2.0L turbodiesel four that churns out 140 hp and 236 lb-ft.

Matt's test of the 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid, a 380-hp sedan motivated by a supercharged 3.0L V6 and an electric motor, was highlighted by his impressive result of 8.5L/100km.

Even in our recent review of the 2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, which is powered by a 3.0L turbodiesel V6 good for 188 hp and 325 lb-ft, we reported an average of 13L/100km, a non-negligible result for companies and fleets.

Without an abusive amount of eco-driving or cruising on the highway at only 60 km/h, these German vehicles delivered great fuel economy. With the help of start/stop systems, alternator decoupling and many other energy-saving techniques, in addition to good old low-rpm torque, it is possible to match or come close to NRCan's published fuel economy ratings.

Yet none of these vehicles sacrifice a great deal of performance or require a change in driving habits to achieve these numbers. That is what's most impressive.

Our 4th annual Awards party is only a few days away.

Last week, we tabulated the votes entered by our panel of 10 journalists from across Canada and came up with the following list of finalists detailed in alphabetical order.

On Wednesday, at noon, the winners will be unveiled. Can you guess who will win?


SUBCOMPACT CAR
Ford Fiesta Hatchback / Sedan
Hyundai Accent Hatchback / Sedan
Kia Rio / Rio 5-door

COMPACT CAR
Chevrolet Cruze
Ford Focus Hatchback / Sedan / Electric
Hyundai Elantra Sedan / GT / Coupe

MIDSIZE CAR
Ford Fusion
Honda Accord Coupe / Sedan
Kia Optima

FULL-SIZE CAR
Chrysler 300
Dodge Charger
Hyundai Genesis Sedan

WAGON
Subaru Outback
Toyota Venza
Volkswagen Golf Wagon

CONVERTIBLE
BMW M3 Cabriolet
Mazda MX-5
Porsche Boxster

COMPACT UTILITY
Ford Escape
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
Subaru XV Crosstrek

MIDSIZE UTILITY
Jeep Grand Cherokee / SRT8
Kia Sorento
Volkswagen Touareg

FULL-SIZE UTILITY
Ford Flex
Nissan Armada
Toyota Sequoia

VAN
Chrysler Town & Country
Dodge Grand Caravan
Honda Odyssey

PICKUP
Ford F-150
Honda Ridgeline
Ram 1500

SPORTS CAR
Ford Shelby GT500
Scion FR-S
Subaru BRZ

LUXURY COMPACT CAR
BMW 3 Series Sedan
Cadillac ATS
Volvo S60

LUXURY MIDSIZE CAR
BMW 5 Series
Lexus GS
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe / Sedan / Wagon

LUXURY LARGE CAR
Audi A8
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Porsche Panamera

LUXURY COMPACT UTILITY
Acura RDX
Range Rover Evoque
Volvo XC60

LUXURY MIDSIZE UTILITY
Acura MDX
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Porsche Cayenne

LUXURY LARGE UTILITY
Audi Q7
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
Cadillac Escalade

PRESTIGE
Audi R8 Coupe / Spyder
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG / Roadster
Porsche 911 Carrera

GREEN VEHICLE
Ford Focus Electric
Nissan LEAF
Volkswagen Jetta TDI

The new 2013 Honda Civic sedan sports a fresh, more youthful look that's bound to attract more fans than the outgoing model. It will officially debut on November 29th at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Horizontal chrome strips on the front and rear fascias, a sportier-looking front grille, newly designed taillights, new integrated fog lights on upper trims, as well as improvements to comfort, safety and interior design make the 2013 Honda Civic a heavy hitter -- and an exciting evolution of the No. 1 nameplate in Canada.

Look for it in showrooms starting this December 10th. Pricing has yet to be revealed.

Photo: Honda

Photo: Honda

From GMM

Paul Hembery has named a trio of potential candidates to be F1 tyre supplier Pirelli's test driver in 2013.

The Briton, who is the head of the Italian marque's F1 programme, confirmed that Brazilian Lucas di Grassi's testing contract runs to the end of next year.

"Lucas does a great job for us. After next year his continuation depends on our decision to stay or not in 2013," Hembery told Brazil's Totalrace.

Jaime Alguersuari was the other Pirelli tester in 2012, but the former Toro Rosso racer is hoping to return to a race seat next season.

"In addition to Lucas, we are evaluating other names in the market like (Adrian) Sutil and Alguersuari."

German Sutil, however, clearly has plans to race next year. After a season on the bench in 2012, the former Force India driver has updated his official website with the words "Next destination: Australia".

Lucas di Grassi aboard the Renault R30 Pirelli. (Photo: Pirelli)

What about Kamui Kobayashi? According to strong rumours, the Japanese could be replaced at Sauber by the Telmex-backed Esteban Gutierrez, or the impressive rookie Dutchman Robin Frijns.

"It's a possibility," said Hembery. "We'll see what happens with him (Kobayashi). I imagine he's still trying to get a (race) seat, so we'll wait."

Paul Hembery had even recently mentioned Michael Schumacher's name as a possible Pirelli tester.

"I tried in Japan to convince him," he smiled, "but it didn't work. I think he wants to go skydiving or something!"

From GMM

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve says he does not think Mercedes has made the right choice in pairing Lewis Hamilton with Nico Rosberg next year.

The 1997 world champion does not, however, question the German marque's decision to poach Hamilton from McLaren.

Instead, Villeneuve wonders about his former title nemesis Michael Schumacher's exit.

"Why is he stopping?" the 41-year-old told Switzerland's Motorsport Aktuell.

"I don't understand. Hamilton-Schumacher would be much better than what they do have for next year," the outspoken Villeneuve insisted.

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

But German Rosberg insists he is "very happy" with how he has compared against the great Schumacher since 2010, even though the pairing have been more closely matched this season.

"It's true that Michael has had bad luck, but so have I," Rosberg told Germany's Auto Bild.

And in their qualifying head-to-head in 2012, Schumacher and Rosberg have been very evenly matched.

"As far as qualifying is concerned, there is nothing special to say about it," Rosberg insisted.

"For three years I have had the upper hand, which is more than I had expected at the beginning. I am very happy with it," he added.

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has turned his newly-famous grand prix-winning catchphrase into a t-shirt for the entire staff of the Lotus team.

The inimitable 'iceman' thrilled his fans with his radio banter - broadcast live on television - en route to the first win of his F1 comeback recently in Abu Dhabi.

And, to mark the Enstone based team's first win since its works Renault days, Raikkonen memorialised his most famous Abu Dhabi uttering - 'Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing' - on the front of t-shirts for the entire Lotus staff.

Photo: Twitter

The 500 t-shirts arrived at Enstone last Friday, according to the BBC.

The 2007 world champion said this week: "I think you can probably find other messages from me in the car if you search Youtube; even from my short time in Nascar."

Lotus team boss Eric Boullier added: "'Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing' has already become a formula one classic!"

From GMM

Scuderia Ferrari is still pushing hard to give Fernando Alonso a title-winning Ferrari for the final back-to-back head-to-head with Sebastian Vettel.

With Red Bull and Vettel's qualifying problems allowing Alonso to claw back 3 points in Abu Dhabi, the Spaniard is still 10 points adrift with just Austin and Brazil to go.

And with the red F2012 still not a match for the Adrian Newey-penned RB8, Alonso said after finishing second in Abu Dhabi: "We need to keep working and in Maranello they work day and night to bring new parts."

Indeed, the Spanish sports daily Marca reports that, following two similar straightline aerodynamic outings recently, Ferrari has been back in action at the Idiada facility in Spain.

At the wheel of the car was Frenchman Jules Bianchi, who as well as being Force India's test driver is also in Ferrari's development 'academy'.

The two Ferrari in Korea. (Photo: WRi2)

Marca said Bianchi was testing a new rear wing and diffuser, while other Spanish reports said the F2012 featured even more new parts than that.

"With Fernando, you don't have to give him the best car," Marc Gene, another Ferrari test driver, told El Confidencial.

"You just have to give him one with which he can fight the best car, and he will do the rest.

"The team is working hard to give him the best car possible."

While Kevin Harvick was ending a 44-race winless drought, and Brad Keselowski was taking the Sprint Cup points lead, there was chaos all around them at Phoenix International Raceway.

The race was taking a measured pace with Kyle Busch, who ended up third behind teammate, Denny Hamlin, in control until lap 235 when Jimmie Johnson's car, then running seventh, slid up into the wall in turn four causing serious damage to his Chevrolet. Goodyear says a melted bead from brake heat caused Johnson's right front to go down and send him into the wall.

Jimmie Johnson's car. (Photo: NASCAR)

Unlike the miracle of Kansas; Johnson's car had to be taken to the garage for repairs. Johnson rejoined the race on lap 274, 38 laps down. Crew chief Chad Knaus said, "I don't know that we're going to get anything out of it, but what the hell."

That was only the beginning. With only a few laps to go a simmering feud between Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer boiled over after a minor brush.

Gordon car lost a tire and he blamed Bowyer. The four-time champion waited for Bowyer to come around and retaliated but crashed both and Joey Logano was caught up in it. But that wasn't the end.

Joey Logano caught in the fight between Jeff Gordon (24) and Clint Bowyer (15). (Caption: NASCAR)

The pit crews erupted like a bench clearing wrestling match in hockey followed by Bowyer running towards Gordon's hauler but was stopped by NASCAR officials.

Bowyer got out of his damaged car and ran over to Gordon's hauler also, but, never was personally involved in the tussle.



But he said "it's pretty embarrassing for a four-time champion and what I consider one of the best the sport has ever seen to act like that is just completely ridiculous."

Gordon said "Things just got escalated over the year, and I'd just had it. Clint has run into me numerous times, wrecked me, and he got into me on the back straightaway and pretty much ruined our day.  I've had it, fed up with it and I got him back."

NASCAR officials have said that there will be no immediate response but they will review tapes of the incident.

The race went yellow on lap 312 and was red-flagged for 15 minutes setting up a green-white checkered finish.

Harvick had taken the lead but there was a question of could he finish the race in overtime with limited fuel?

"I just wanted to get a good restart and be able to get into Turn 1 and not have any mistakes and knew if we could get through there without any mistakes that we could at least have a fighting chance of taking control of the bottom of the racetrack in Turn 3 and 4," Harvick said.

On the final restart Danica Patrick, having the best race of her ten-race foray into Sprint Cup, was clipped by Jeff Burton causing an even bigger wreck, including being struck by Paul Menard causing her to go airborne but no yellow was thrown. She wasn't injured.

"We survived," a relieved Keselowski said after finished sixth in a damaged car. "No guarantees but glad to have the points lead."

Brad Keselowski sixth alongside Ryan Newman who passed the finish line in reverse. (Photo: NASCAR)

After the race Jimmie Johnson handled the bad luck well when he said "it's way, way out of our control right now. Anything can happen. Hate for it to happen this way he said. As I was coming off turn four it went down, where it went down I had a direct line into the wall."

Harvick complained of NASCAR "they were really quick to throw the caution then they let us race through the oil. There was more oil on the track than asphalt."

Denny Hamlin said the track was "treacherous" due to hard tires. Then speaking about the condition of the track at the end, "There was a lot of stuff on the track; Ray Charles could have seen that."

NASCAR public relations tweeted "we didn't see any fluid or anything, she (Patrick) rode around on the apron, and when she pulled up on the track, there was smoke, it looked like tire smoke. It's easy to look back on it obviously and wish that you did something different, but at the time it didn't appear like there was any fluid that was coming out of the car."

All Keselowski needs to do to clinch his first Sprint Cup title and Roger Penske's Sprint Cup is to finish 15th or better at the finale at Homestead next week.

2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid First Impressions

2013 Infiniti JX35 Review

2014 Audi R8 First Impressions

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McLaren Formula 1 team and ART Grand Prix boss Frederic Vasseur have decided to join forces to compete in the new FIA Formula E electric car championship due to begin in 2014.

Formula E will be an FIA-sanctioned championship, with the commercial rights licensed to a Hong Kong-based consortium, which aims to hold races for electric single seaters in the heart of at least 10 cities around the world.

McLaren will provide the electric engine, the transmission and the electronic components of the new car.

Formulec EF01 (Photo: Formulec)

The new company is called Spark Racing Technology and will be responsible to producing the car itself.

"I'm a passionate believer in the role that motorsport can play in showcasing and spearheading the development of future technologies, and regard the Formula E concept as an exciting innovation for global motorsport,"said Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren F1 boss in a press release.

"McLaren has worked with Frederic Vasseur for many years, and our association has been very successful," added the Briton.

Vasseur was the director of the ASM Formula 3 team when McLaren F1 champion Lewis Hamilton raced in the F3 Euroseries.

McLaren Electronic Systems -- a company of the McLaren Group -- is the world leader in rugged, high-performance control and data systems for motorsport. From 2012, it will provide control electronics to Formula 1, NASCAR and IZOD IndyCar race series.

From HRT

The current owners of HRT Formula 1 Team, Thesan Capital II S.a.r.l., would like to confirm that they are currently in talks with a number of groups interested in buying the team.

HRT Formula 1 Team's current management hopes to conclude the sale in the upcoming weeks and, with it, enable the team to continue progressing and become a reference in modern-day Formula 1 after the important achievements already accomplished in this 2012 season.

HRT Formula 1 Team hopes to communicate the name of its new owner in the upcoming weeks.

Photo: HRT F1 Team

According to the HRT Formula 1 Team management, "we believe the moment to let new investors come through for HRT Formula 1 Team has arrived. We're very proud of the work done by the entire team and of the excellent sporting evolution achieved but the time has come for the team to continue growing with new financial backing. We're convinced that the sporting potential of the team is huge and that the presence of new investors can give it a big boost”.

HRT was originally created for the 2010 season by ex-Formula 1 driver Adrian Campos to enter as Campos Meta. But it changed owners before the start of the season and became Hispania Racing Team, and it was sold again to be renamed HRT.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - The fifth type of engine available for the popular-selling VW Jetta is no disappointment.

The Jetta sedan to VW is like sauerkraut to Germans: It's a staple and it's a hit with the masses.

Since the four-door sedan's renaissance in 2010 (for the 2011 model year), these cars have been selling faster than beer at Oktoberfest. Furthermore, it remains the core vehicle in the manufacturer's lineup in North America, with the Passat coming in at a close second.


So where does VW go from here? After all, they already offer four already great engine variants including the base 2.0L engine, the 2.5L, the GLI, with a 2.0L TSI turbocharged, and the diesel TDI. Well, the 2013 model year welcomes the Jetta Hybrid, making it the fifth member of the fabulous family.

Why a hybrid?
Those familiar with diesel vehicles know that VW is one of the go-to brands for this type of engine this side of the Atlantic. Not only do you get an exorbitant range from a tank, but they also burn cleaner than they have in years past. So, if you can get almost -- or sometimes even more than -- 1,000 km from a tank, why opt for a hybrid? Well, not everyone is on the diesel bandwagon, or at least they're not ready to take the plunge.

To answer a need for amazing fuel economy with the option of zero-emission driving, the 2013 Jetta Hybrid was born.

Power, and then some
With the ability to reach 100km/h from a standstill in 8.6 seconds, there is definitely some pep to this fuel-sipping 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. Creating that pep is a 1.4L, turbocharged (TSI), 4-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor. The two of them work together to create 150 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. And that torque is accessible as low as 1,600 rpm.

Some fun facts about the powertrain featured in the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: This is VW's first product with a 7-speed DSG transmission in Canada, and the world's first hybrid to use a 7-speed DSG. If you were crossing your fingers for a CVT transmission, sorry to disappoint!

It's a great transmission to work with, whether you let the car shift the gears for you, shift them manually, or pop it into sport mode. It's a win/win/win whichever way you swing.

While fuel results have yet to be released, they are expected to be pretty darn good.

Creating that pep is a 1.4L, turbocharged (TSI), 4-cylinder engine combined with an electric motor.(Photo: Alexandra Straub)

Don't mind if I blue
Aside from the powertrain, the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid has some distinguishing exterior features to let you know that it's a green -- or in this case, a blue vehicle. The hybrid badging on both the front grille and bumper indicate its fuel-sipping nature. Furthermore, the VW emblem on both the front and rear have blue accents.

The wheel deal
Driving the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid can be likened to playing a video game: the goal being to save fuel and remain in all-electric mode for as long as you can. After all, you can drive it without tapping into the gasoline engine at speeds up to 70 km/h from start up for a distance of 2 kilometres. However, unlike a video game the fuel savings are real.

How do you know how well you're doing in the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid? Simply change the multifunction touchscreen to monitor your driving. One chart option displays what percentage of zero-emissions driving you've done over the course of 30 minutes. Another shows what systems are working to drive the vehicle. The other is a calculation of your average fuel economy. At one point, my driving partner and I -- even after accelerating promptly, on purpose -- were averaging 42.5 MPG. That's a rough translation of 5.5L/100km.

You should also take into consideration that we were at an altitude of around 7,000 ft., so we weren't doing too badly.

Driving the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid can be likened to playing a video game. (Photo: Alexandra Straub)

Managing your power
In order to gauge how efficiently you're driving, there are specially designed gauges housed in the instrument cluster to show you. The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid's “Power Meter” replaces the traditional tachometer, and through this you can see if you're recharging the battery, using the EV mode or getting a little boost.

Drive time
With a quiet cabin, comfortable ride quality and room for five, the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid covers the basics and then some. Furthermore, with a cargo capacity of 320 litres, there's still a decent amount of trunk space despite the lithium ion battery packs in the back.

With a quiet cabin, comfortable ride quality and room for five, the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid covers the basics and then some. (Photo: Alexandra Straub)

Price tag
There are three trims offered for the 2013 Jetta Hybrid. First, there's the base Trendline, priced at $27,875. After that comes the Comfortline at $30,175. Lastly, the Highline has an MSRP of $34,025.

The 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid is scheduled to arrive in Canadian showrooms in January of 2013.