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Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back in his #88 Chevrolet for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup race according to his Hendrick Motorsports team.

The son of the late, seven-time, NASCAR champion suffered a concussion while testing the newly repaved track at Kansas City on August 29th.

At the time there was no medical restriction on racing so he continued to race. But, after a 25-car crash at Talladega when the symptoms of the concussion became more severe he went to see NASCAR's leading doctor, Jerry Punch.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car after the crash at Talladega. (Photo: NASCAR)

After seeing the doctor Earnhardt, diagnosed with a serious concussion, missed the following two races, at Charlotte and Kansas Speedway. Regan Smith substituted for him.

According to his team “Earnhardt has participated in a rehabilitation program directed by Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty. Throughout the process, Petty consulted with Dr. Micky Collins, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.”


“Dale Jr. has done everything asked of him,” Petty said. “He hasn't had a headache since Oct. 12, and we have not been able to provoke any symptoms since that time. I have informed NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports that he is medically cleared for all NASCAR-related activity.”


“Earnhardt was evaluated by Collins on Oct. 16 in Pittsburgh. On Monday, Earnhardt ran 123 laps in a Sprint Cup car during a test session monitored by Petty at the half-mile Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. Petty cleared the driver Tuesday morning following a final neuropsychological evaluation in Charlotte.”

On Monday Earnhardt's crew chief, Steve Letarte, tweeted "Back in Concord [N.C.] after a great day of testing with Dale Jr. Looks great and ran some awesome laps.''

Although the driver had made the Sprint Cup Chase; he was not in contention for the Championship by the end of Talledega.

We told you last week about Nissan's mysterious, genre-defining concept that was specifically designed for the Brazilian market. Today, the automaker released a couple of pictures along with a name -- Nissan Extrem.

With ultra-sporty looks and a unique Solar Cortex paint treatment, the Nissan Extrem aims to embody the vibrancy, colour and excitement of Brazil.

Available in FWD and AWD configurations, this 2+2 vehicle rides on 19'' six-spoke alloy wheels and exploits a 1.6L gasoline engine that shares its technology with the innovative Nissan DeltaWing Le Mans race car. Performance figures and other specifications remain unknown.

The Nissan Extrem will be officially introduced at the Sao Paulo Auto Show, which kicks off on Wednesday, October 24th.

Photo: Nissan

From GMM

Former Niki Lauda and Sauber sponsor Money Service Group's founder Michael Seidl has been sentenced to jail for nine years.

Last week, F1 legend Lauda testified against Seidl in a Liechtenstein court, after he lost EUR 500,000 in an investment, and was underpaid to the tune of EUR 800,000 after Money Service Group sponsored his famous cap in 2011.

Niki Lauda (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)

Seidl was tried for commercial fraud, and according to the major Volksblatt daily he was sentenced unconditionally to nine years in jail.

A court spokesman confirmed the verdict to the Austrian APA news agency, adding that Seidl has lodged an appeal.

As did Lauda, the Swiss team Sauber terminated its sponsorship deal with Money Service Group mid last year.

Toyota will put nine vehicles on display at next week's SEMA Show in Las Vegas including four custom builds for the Dream Build Challenge, three cars based on the all-new Avalon, a TRD FJ Cruiser, and the "Ultimate Fishing Tundra."

For the Dream Build Challenge, four Toyota Racing drivers each picked a team to create their "Dream Build" custom vehicle. Toyota will give a total of $100,000 to their designated charities, with the winner's charity receiving half.

You can vote for the best design on the Dream Build Facebook page until Monday, October 29th .

Photo: Toyota

From GMM

Former motor racing chief Andrew Craig has tipped F1's owners to "sit tight" rather than float the sport while Bernie Ecclestone is embroiled in the Gerhard Gribkowsky bribery scandal.

While German prosecutors are currently considering whether to charge F1's long-time chief executive with corruption, owner CVC has delayed the stock market floatation of its sport, ostensibly due to adverse market conditions.

But Craig, who was CEO of the now-defunct US open wheeler series CART throughout the category's premier success until 2000, has told leading F1 business journalist Christian Sylt that he sees a link between the stalled floatation and Ecclestone's legal troubles.

"CVC's best option," he told Sylt, "may be to sit tight until after the criminal case is resolved."

And that, according to widespread sources and even Ecclestone himself, could take a long time.

Bernie Ecclestone told Sylt and Eurosport: "I don't see how it (the case) can come to an end really."

Sylt quoted someone close to CVC as saying: "It's hard to know (if the prosecutors are going to press charges against Ecclestone). Bernie is pretty blase about it. It's hard to know to be honest."

It was reported in the German press earlier in October that one solution could be Mercedes recruiting other influential players in F1 to push for Ecclestone's removal as chief executive.

"We would not wait for a months-long process, but (we) would act," a Mercedes source told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

A recent trip to Europe landed me behind the wheel of three different diesel press vehicles. This was no accident. I know how much gas costs per litre and it hovers around the $2.00/L mark in Budapest, Hungary -- sometimes even more.

While diesel fuel is slightly higher in price (around $2.20/L), I know from experience that I can get almost double the mileage from one tank. And with all the driving I was doing, every last drop counted.

Round 1: The Mazda CX-5 Diesel

Photo: Alexandra Straub

The Mazda CX-5 is the Japanese automaker's latest crossover vehicle. It came to Canada earlier this year, but this was the first time I'd had the chance to take it for a spin. I'd heard positive comments and read rave reviews from other journalists on it and couldn't wait to try it.

Was I disappointed my first go with it? Absolutely not. In fact, it was a complete pleasure to drive. The interior is really nicely finished, it has a comfortable ride and seats five. And I needed all the space I could get since most of the time there were four passengers on board.

Making it even better was the inclusion of a 2.2L, 4-cylinder diesel engine linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission. I drove about 1,300 km, if not more, and only filled up one and a half times. Fabulous.

Round 2: The Nissan Qashqai Diesel

Photo: Alexandra Straub

Nissan's compact crossover, which is unfortunately not available in Canada, came with a 6-speed manual transmission. You don't see that very often. Although my frequent battle with city traffic made me wish I'd had an automatic transmission, I wasn't complaining.

A trait that carries over into most Nissan vehicles is its ease of use. It's not an uber fancy vehicle on the inside, but it gets the job done. This vehicle also seats five with room to spare in the trunk. It made a great companion for a weekday overnight outing with my mom and grandparents to Lake Balaton.

As for its looks? It's a cutie. And its bright red exterior really made it pop.

Round 3: The BMW X6 xDriver40d

Photo: Alexandra Straub

With this Beemer, I was livin' large -- literally. However, I didn't feel that largeness in the wallet, especially when I filled it up.

Backtracking to when we first met, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the digital range metre showed over 900 kilometres until empty. I thought I must be hallucinating. I wasn't. My lack of hallucinations were further solidified when I filled the tank up at the end of my test period and saw 976 kilometres until empty. Wow. And for a vehicle of its size, that is beyond impressive.

Why the Love?
I heart diesels because they're efficient. I heart them because they're not smelly and not loud. Yes, the older models used to have these traits, but not anymore. With emissions laws being as stringent as they are, there is no room for black clouds of smoke coming out these modern engines. I also heart them because they have range, baby. While you might pay a tad more to fill up a tank, you can get some crazy mileage out of it in the end.

We might not have the three specific diesel models I drove in Europe here in Canada, but we do have a few to choose from, and more are on the way. Woohoo!

Am I strange to get all excited every chance I get to drive a Sprinter? Could it be that I harbour a deep hidden desire to work for UPS or Purolator? Possibly, but I think it has more to do with the fact that it's so far off my radar of typical test cars that it's a vacation from the usual...

The Mercedes (which was Dodge in another time) Sprinter is, to put it into perspective, the German Chevrolet Express or Ford Econoline. You might expect this coming from me, but you only have to glance over at any delivery company's fleet to see that, the Sprinter is much more awesome than any American-built van.

Want further proof? Ford will shortly cut the Econoline -- after only 283 years on the road -- and replace it with the big Transit, one size up from the current Transit Connect. This European-designed van is the best selling commercial vehicle on the other side of the pond.


Mercedes knows vans
The 2012 Mercedes Sprinter is actually the largest passenger/commercial van offered by Mercedes. In other parts of the world, they have the Viano and Vito. There are others, but the Sprinter is the star of this show. All I'm trying to say is that Mercedes knows a thing, or 19, about vans.

My tester for the week was a 2012 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 High Roof with the 170” wheelbase. It was a cargo van and it was white. It was perfect. The first thing I did with a few office chums, including the Miranda, was do a few laps in the rear. Ok, pointless, but it was fun and I know you want to do the same...

Seriously, it's no small wonder why the Sprinter makes for an excellent conversion camper vehicle! The rear's square footage is superior to my basement! The possibilities are endless for all walks of professionals as well.

The Sprinter is actually the largest passenger/commercial van offered by Mercedes. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Diesel; there is no other way
All 2012 Mercedes Sprinters are powered by a BlueTEC turbo-diesel 3.0L V6 engine. This potent powerplant puts out a proper yet paltry 188 hp and prominent 325 lb-ft of torque. Between it and the rear-drive wheels is a 5-speed autobox that features a manual mode.

Let's move on to the drive: The 2012 Mercedes Sprinter looks like a bus and, well, drives like a bus if only because turning a corner requires not only a wider angle, but the steering needs to go around a few more times than a typical car.

Otherwise, the Sprinter really is simple to navigate. The brakes are immensely powerful and pedal feel is confidence-inspiring. The ride is a little jittery, but only because most of the time in the course of my week-long test, I was alone in the van. This Sprinter is designed to handle up to a total of 6,146 kg (13,550 lbs) and the suspension settles under the weight.

What blew my mind was my final fuel economy numbers at the end of the week. I rode the 2012 Mercedes Sprinter as I would have any other press car, and Miranda even managed to load it up with some renovation material. So, we did put it to work and it still managed a notable 13L per 100 km.

The turbo-diesel V6 is full of vim, and always willing to dish out the power. The 5-speed box is quick to participate, and altogether this big Sprinter can easily keep up with traffic. When loaded, the situation changes, obviously.

Despite its size and capabilities, the Sprinter still managed a notable 13L per 100 km. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Uh, really, really big
What looks like content that would fit in a woman's purse (well, Miranda's at least) is actually a dozen sheets of plywood, a few interior doors and a crap-load of 2x4s and 72 rubber floor tiles, four-square-feet each. The contents look small because the Sprinter's rear quarters are that ginormous. What surprised me was the total absence of rattles from the bare walls.

Up front in the 2012 Mercedes Sprinter, the seats are very firm and reasonably comfortable. There are tonnes of storage spaces and possibly the only complaint I could make relates to the cup-holders: they are not deep or plentiful enough.

The gauges and other controls are simple and straightforward. Oh, and the cruise control stalk is the same as in most of Mercedes' cars. Many don't like the way the stalk functions, but it's only a matter of habit.

The contents look small because the Sprinter's rear quarters are that ginormous. (Photo: Collin Styker)

Endless possibilities
The most basic cargo 2012 Mercedes Sprinter has a base price of $42,900. As tested, my 2500 High Roof with 170” wheelbase retails for $50,100. The most expensive base 3500 Super High Roof 170" with extended wheelbase has a sticker price of $55,500. Passenger versions vary from $48k to $54k. Mercedes also offers Cab-chassis and even minibuses.

I recall going to the launch of the then-Dodge Sprinter where it was explained that, given the large number of body styles, colors and configurations, it would be possible to line up 500 different Sprinters side by side and they'd be all unique.

Either way I look at it, and even if the 2012 Mercedes Sprinter is pricier than the average Econoline, Express or Savana, it's by far the better choice.

It would be possible to line up 500 different Sprinters side by side and they'd be all unique. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

From GMM

Prodrive boss David Richards has admitted he is interested in buying F1 engine supplier Cosworth.

It emerged last week that HRT and Marussia supplier Cosworth, currently owned by well-known US racing names Gerry Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, is for sale.

And former BAR and Benetton boss Richards, the majority owner of Prodrive, told the Daily Mail: "We've just started to take a look at Cosworth although I think they have rather over-priced themselves as I understand they don't own the brand and they will be out of the formula one business within 12 months.

"Nonetheless, worth a look," he added.

David Richards. (Photo: Prodrive)

Paddock rumours persist that Cosworth, having entered the aerospace and defense sectors after losing premier F1 customers Williams and Caterham, will bow out of F1 when the current V8 rules end next year.

Cosworth declined to comment on the Daily Mail report.

With a seventh 1-2-3 finish this current season, Chevrolet secured its third consecutive title in the WTCC Manufacturer's championship.

Stuart Cowie, Operations Manager said: "We are very pleased with the weekend. We mathematically made certain of the Manufacturers' championship, took another triple podium and collected six finishes in the points. We couldn't ask for more. I‘m happy the three cars finished the weekend unscathed, which is important ahead of the following events. This is made even more important when you are so far from home and when you have your three drivers fighting for the Drivers' title. They are managing this situation in the most professional way and I want to congratulate them for that."

Photo: FIA WTCC

Chevrolet will retire from the category at the end of the season but is already guaranteed that one of their three drivers will be crowned in 2012.

Yvan Muller, Rob Huff and Alain Menu will fight in the two final events. The first two are equal on points, while Alain Menu is 38 behind, when 110 points are still available.

Chevrolet drivers: Yvan Muller, Alain Menu and Rob Huff. Which one will be the 2012 Champion? (Photo: FIA WTCC)

The latest generation of the BMW 3 Series Sedan boasts excellent fuel economy, especially the 328i and Canada-exclusive 320i with their turbo 4-cylinder engines. However, the German brand isn't stopping there, and will introduce the 2013 ActiveHybrid 3 this fall.

Crowning the 3 Series Sedan lineup, the ActiveHybrid 3 will be the most powerful version of the bunch, and the thriftiest around town. Its combined fuel economy rating of 7.lL/100km matches that of the base, 181-hp 320i. It will also be the most expensive 3 Series Bimmer shy of an M3 with an MSRP of $58,300.


Turbo six meets electric motor
The 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 relies on the 335i's N55 engine, a single-turbo 3.0L inline-6 that punches out 300 hp. The electric motor produces 55 hp and 155 lb-ft of instant torque; together, they deliver a combined output of 335 hp and 330 lb-ft through the rear wheels. An 8-speed automatic transmission with wheel-mounted paddle shifters manages the whole shebang.

A lithium-ion battery pack is located in the trunk, reducing its capacity from 480 litres to 390. The battery allows the ActiveHybrid 3 to run on electric power alone at speeds up to 75 km/h, or up to four kilometres at a constant speed of 35 km/h.

The hybrid system adds about 225 lbs to the weight of the car, which offsets the increased output. As such, the ActiveHybrid 3 hits 100 km/h in a claimed 5.5 seconds, a tick slower than the rear-drive 335i automatic.

Fuel economy gain, if only around town
Since all 3 Series Sedan models get fuel-saving tricks such as automatic start/stop, brake energy regeneration and an ECO PRO drive mode, the 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 will have a hard time impressing the new-car shopper with its official fuel economy ratings.

Both the 335i and the ActiveHybrid 3 consume 5.9L/100km on the highway; however, the hybrid model is more efficient around town with an 8.0L/100km rating versus the automatic 335i's 9.1. As for the slower 320i, it's rated at 8.6/5.2 city/highway.

Same feature content as 335i
While hybrids usually offer more equipment to soften the blow of the higher price, the 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 gets the same feature content as the 335i. That includes, among others, a heated steering wheel, a 40/20/40 split folding rear seat, front sport seats, adaptive headlights, auto-adjusting high beams, a power sunroof, Dakota leather upholstery, heated front seats and a nine-speaker sound system with USB port and Bluetooth connectivity.

And just like the 328i and 335i, you can also choose between three trim lines: Modern, Luxury and Sport, which each boast their own colour and finish combinations. Premium and M Sport packages are also available, as well as plenty of standalone options.

Fast, efficient and probably rare, the 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 promises reduced fuel consumption around town. At more than $58K, however, that comes at a price.

Crowning the 3 Series Sedan lineup, the ActiveHybrid 3 will be the most powerful version of the bunch, and the thriftiest around town.(Photo: BMW)

SiriusXM, which has equipped 50 million cars and light trucks with satellite radio service, said CEO Mel Karmazin is stepping down on February 1.

Lower supplies of BMWs pinched average new-vehicle gross profits for Sonic Automotive during the third quarter, but inventory levels are returning to normal.

Asbury Automotive Group is ready to pursue major store acquisitions with the expectation annual U.S. auto sales will recover to 16 million vehicles in 2015.

The chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association today criticized manufacturers for "intrusion" into dealers' operations by requiring facility renovations and creating two tiers of pricing for retailers.

If youand#8217;ve ever wanted to get your hands on a World War II-era Daimler-Benz DB10 12-ton Prime mover, the Auctions America event on Dec. 8 may be your only chance.

Also in this episode: GM will roll out the new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra on Dec. 13, drag-racer Antron Bron

Hyundai and Kia plan to add more turbocharged gasoline engines and new transmissions to their powertrain lineups in the United States and elsewhere, Hyundai Motor Group said today.

Lotus is adding its Intelligent Precision Shift automatic transmission to the supercharged version of the Evora for the 2013 model year.

GM engineers and scientists believe they have made a big step toward the expanded use of magnesium in vehicles by heating the lightweight metal so it can be formed into precise, rigid shapes needed for auto parts.

More than half of consumers who use smartphones to research a vehicle before buying do so while at a dealership, J.D. Power's 2012 Automotive Mobile Site Study found.