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On my way home last night, I was about to head downhill on a busy boulevard that leads to my town. In oncoming traffic a Honda Odyssey is frantically flashing its headlights, and five cars behind it there's an old Chevy Blazer doing the same thing.

It can only mean one thing: There's a cop waiting for speeders at the bottom of the hill.


No worries; I don't drive over the speed limit on city streets, and in my neck of the woods I know exactly where the local men and women in blue hide, and what their unmarked police cars look like. A dark blue Chevy Impala with tinted windows can be quite stealthy when you're driving with your brain on autopilot.

Anyway, as I rolled past the police cruiser, smiling and waving, I started wondering if the two drivers who flashed their headlights were doing the right thing. Sure, they're just trying to be helpful and prevent someone from getting a speeding ticket.

On the other hand, why should we be so nice to speeders? I'm sure they'll learn their lesson quicker after paying a few tickets rather than having fellow motorists warn them about an upcoming speed trap.

I especially don't want anyone flashing a speeder on my street; a 30 km/h limit may seem slow, but not in a residential area with kids playing in their front yards. While driving 20 km/h over the limit on the highway may seem harmless, it can be deadly on neighbourhood streets.

So please stop flashing your headlights at me; if I'm driving over the speed limit and get nailed by the cops, I deserve to pay the price of the ticket.

On Sunday evening, Gary Paffett (Mercedes) expressed his disapointment after he has been beaten by Bruno Spengler (BMW) in the title chase.

The Brit led the championship for the whole season after he took win in the opening round in Hockenheim, but he missed the title despite his second position in the final round in Hockenheim behind Bruno Spengler (BMW) who finally clinched championship for four points.

Gary Paffett, Mercedes, in Hockenheim. (Photo: René Fagnan)

"My team has done brilliantly well this season in terms of performance and it is very unfortunate that we missed winning the championship title in the last race by four points, said Paffett after the race. So in the immediate aftermath of the race, disappointment sits deep, of course, because from my point of view we deserved to win the championship title just as much as Bruno Spengler and BMW."

"Congratulations to Bruno on his first DTM title!", he added. "We will go on the attack again next year to take the championship"

Volkswagen is set to unveil a new small SUV concept this week at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil.

Called Taigun, this three-door model stands 3.86 metres long, making it almost 60 centimetres shorter than the Tiguan. The horizontal lines, especially up front with the grille, are very reminiscent of Volkswagen's two existing SUVs.

The Taigun concept boasts a 1.0L three-cylinder TSI engine that produces 108 horsepower and sends the vehicle from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 186 km/h. Fuel consumption amounts to 4L/100km, according to Volkswagen.

Elsewhere, the two-piece tailgate (the upper section swings upward, while the lower section flips down) gives access to a 280-litre cargo area that expands to 987 litres when the rear seatbacks are folded flat.

Photo: Volkswagen

From GMM

Jean Todt has dismissed suggestions he is willing to loosen the FIA's grip on formula one in return for more money.

Ahead of a crucial meeting between the FIA president, Bernie Ecclestone and the teams in Paris on Tuesday, the Financial Times reported speculation Frenchman Todt will agree to trade some of the federation's rule-making power for a bigger share of the sport's financial pie.

"For me," Todt said, "the FIA must have a bigger impact, not erosion. It makes me smile when I read that we are going to lose control ... I will never allow things which are under our responsibility to be dealt with by anybody else."


It is rumoured that one way Todt will boost the FIA's coffers is by increasing the cost of the entry fees for F1 teams.

"We cannot be a federation without having any revenue. So where do we find our revenues?" he said.

At the same time, he said he has been "a bit disappointed" by the teams' efforts to reduce costs, insisting he will "expect more drastic proposals" to come.

Jean Todt said he has asked 2014 engine suppliers Renault, Ferrari and Mercedes to also "take that (reducing costs) into consideration".

Max Mosley, who backed Todt to succeed him when he stepped down as FIA president a few years ago, is slightly critical of the former Ferrari boss's approach.

"At the moment maybe he's a little bit too reluctant to confront," Mosley told Sky Sports. "He seeks consensus. It's good to have consensus but sometimes you've got to get them (the teams) to just do something."

From GMM

No longer facing arrest over bounced cheques, Sahara Force India chief Vijay Mallya could still endure a trying race weekend in his native India.

The Hindustan Times newspaper reports that unpaid and grounded staff of the billionaire's beleaguered Kingfisher airline intend to confront Mallya at the Buddh circuit this weekend.

"We have planned to stage a dharna (sit-in protest) when Mr Vijay Mallya comes at the grand prix," an unnamed Kingfisher engineer said. "A protest at the sporting event will highlight our plight to the entire world."

An air hostess added: "What is the option left before us but to protest? All of us are in deep financial crisis, but (Mallya) is unperturbed. (He is,) in fact, mocking at our misery with (his) lifestyle."

From GMM

Arab state Qatar is pushing to become F1's next new host.

The Losail circuit, built in 2004 and located just outside the capital Doha, already stages a night race for MotoGP.

Losail international circuit. (Photo: MotoGP)

And the president of Qatar's motor racing federation, Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, has revealed that Losail is bidding "to get the license which would allow us to host F1 teams for pre-season testing and other activities.

"F1 race director Charlie Whiting was here to inspect the Losail circuit," he said. "He was impressed with what he saw."

The AFP news agency quoted Al Attiyah as saying pre-season testing for the 2013 season, and 'eventually a grand prix', is Qatar's goal.

From GMM

Karun Chandhok insists he has no regrets despite having to look back on a short formula one career.

With F1 returning to his native India this weekend, thee 28-year-old insists he is not disappointed that his new foray is sports car racing.

Chandhok raced part of the season for HRT in 2010 until he switched to Caterham (then Lotus) as reserve driver, even standing in for Jarno Trulli in Germany mid last season.

He now races full-time in the FIA's endurance sports car championship.

Karun Chandhok. (Photo: JRM)

"I have no regrets because I did everything possible to make things happen in F1," Chandhok told the Times of India. "When you feel you wasted an opportunity, then you feel disappointed. (But) if you can't get the sponsorship, if you can't get the money you need ... that's life and you just need to get on with it."

After focusing on all-electric cars such as the LEAF, Nissan is now giving hybrid vehicles some much-needed attention. In fact, it plans to introduce about one hybrid model a year over the next several years.

The Japanese automaker's first front-wheel-drive hybrid system developed in-house is expected to debut next year in the Infiniti JX crossover.

A plug-in hybrid will reportedly follow in 2015. Meanwhile, some of the technologies associated with hybrid vehicles, including regenerative braking systems, will trickle down to mainstream Nissan products.

"Our aim is not how can we apply it to just a single vehicle, but extend it across the lineup as much as possible, as soon as possible," Mitsuhiko Yamashita, executive vice president for global R&D, told Automotive News.

Chevrolet's stand at the upcoming SEMA Show will pack more performance cars than ever, from the small new Spark to the iconic Corvette.

The list includes the Malibu Turbo Performance Concept (the fastest Malibu ever built), 2014 Impala Concept, Spark Z-Spec and Sinister, Sonic Z-Spec 1 and Z-Spec 2.5, and Cruze Upscale.

As for customized versions of the Camaro and Corvette, GM is letting fans wait until SEMA to find out.

''At Chevrolet, performance comes in many different forms that appeal to many different customers -- and that's exactly what we demonstrate at the SEMA Show,'' said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet marketing. ''We play close attention to the reaction our concepts receive, because the feedback helps determine the viability for producing new accessories and even special-edition production vehicles.''

Photo: General Motors

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel is reportedly following Fernando Alonso's lead, as the pair knuckle down for their four-race battle to the 2012 title.

We reported a week ago that Spaniard Alonso has imposed a 'media muzzle' on himself for the decisive flyaway trek through India, Abu Dhabi, the US and Brazil, and will even slash the time he spends with Ferrari's crucial sponsors.

Ahead of the Indian grand prix this weekend, the local Telegraph newspaper said championship leader Vettel is taking a similar approach as he aims for a third consecutive drivers' title.

Set to arrive in Delhi on Wednesday, the German has told Red Bull "to not schedule possible distractions like promotionals", the newspaper said.

"Four races remain and he's determined to stay focused ... he wants to make it three in a row ... he seems obsessed," a source told the Telegraph.

Indeed, Vettel will not attend Red Bull's media event - a game of cricket with Indian star Gautam Gambhir - on Wednesday, even though his teammate Mark Webber will be there.

Ferrari is also leaving no stone unturned as it seeks to close the gap on Red Bull's now-dominant 2012 car.

Italy's Autosprint said the Maranello team tested a newly-updated F2012 for Alonso at the Idiada facility in Spain last Thursday, with Davide Rigon at the wheel.

General Motors and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen are making headway with their alliance and will announce their joint purchasing agreement soon, GM CEO Dan Akerson said.

On Friday we talked about the small cars that Chevrolet is bringing to the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The company will also section off some its display for its do-it-yourself-inspired Shop Talk presentation.

Sales figures for the European car market released by JATO show that the VW Golf retained its position as the top selling model in the third quarter despite a 17% decline in sales versus last year.

Ford's world car strategy is the key to the One Ford global organization that Alan Mulally put in place after he was named CEO in 2007.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing lost out on the overall win at Petit Le Mans - Rebellion Racing came through to pick up the spoils -, but still went home with the drivers' and team P1 championships.

Lucas Luhr, aboard Muscle Milk' HPD ARX-03a was leading when he collided with a slower GT car. The team lost 65 minutes in the pits repairing the damages, meaning Luhr, Graf and Dumas, never had a chance thereafter to win.

Still, by coming in third - behind championship rivals Chris Dyson and Guy Smith's No. 16 Lola-Mazda - they picked up enough points to secure the big prize. Andrea Belicchi, Nicolas Prost and Neel Jani never looked back after being granted the lead from Luhr.

Their Lola-Toyota coupe crossed the line with a three-lap priority.

In GT, Extreme Speed Motorsports picked up the win after earning pole the day before, thanks to Toni Vilander, Johannes van Overbeek and Scott Sharp, who were driving the No. 01 Ferrari F458. The trio managed to fend off offensives from both Corvette and BMW.

Toni Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Jordan Taylor, in the No. 3 Corvette C6 ZR1, came in second, followed by Jörg Müller, Bill Auberlen and Jonathan Summerton in BMW Team RLL's No. 55 BMW M3.

Level 5 Motorsports' Scott Tucker, Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz topped off Bouchut and Tucker's drivers' crown with the win in P2.

CORE autosport took its eighth PC win of the season thanks to Alex Popow, Ryan Dalziel and Mark Wilkins, while, in GTC, the honours went to Henrique Cisneros, Mario Farnbacher and Jakub Giermaziak (No. 30 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup). Giermaziak made the most of late mistake by rival Leh Keen in the closing stages of the contest.

Many will also remember the DeltaWing's great performance. Racing as unclassified, Gunnar Jeannette and Lucas Ordonnez completed 388 laps, on their way to sixth position overall, after having started dead last.

It was the prototype's first North American competion.

As we ourselves are fans of compact crossover vehicles (and in some cases even own one), we had no choice but to expand on our top winter tire choices.

This list of top tire choices is all about trendy crossovers and small SUVs, as well as the less popular (but still pertinent) minivan segments.

For this exercise, I've selected the very common P235/65R17 size as the yardstick.

Once again, the ratings could not be simpler: They range from inexpensive to moderate to best, regardless of price. And, once more, I've consulted with my friends at Talon Tire: the store that eats tires for breakfast.
Here are the picks:

Best inexpensive tire: $150-$200
Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 or Goodyear Ultra Grip winter

Most tires in this price range are studdable, the exception being the Dunlops. They provide good snow and slush traction, and for maximum ice traction studs do help, at the expense of increased road noise.

Dunlop Grandtrek SJ6 or Goodyear Ultra Grip winter (Photo: Dunlop and Goodyear)

Best moderately priced tire: $200-$250
Toyo GSi-5 or Yokohama IG51v

These tires offer the ideal compromise for optimal performance whether the conditions feature ice, snow or other wintery situations. Their compound technology also works well in dry or wet circumstances.

Toyo GSi-5 or Yokohama IG51v (Photo: Toyo and Yokohama)

Best tire: $250 +
Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 or Nokian Hakkapeliitta R SUV

This pair of studless winter tires provide maximum grip in all conditions. The rubber compounds and tread patterns are engineered to remain flexible and work hard to tackle the worst winter has to offer.

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 or Nokian Hakkapeliitta R SUV (Photo: Bridgestone and Nokian)

Auto123.com Racing is providing motorsport fans with a live description of the last and decisive race of the 2012 DTM championship from the Hockenheimring in Germany.

Canadian Bruno Spengler of the BMW team will start from 3rd place behind pole sitter, BMW teammate Augusto Farfus and his main rival in the title chase, Gary Paffett of Mercedes.

TIMETABLE:
In Europe, the race will be held from 2 to 3 pm
In Montreal and the East Coast, the race will run from 8 to 9 am

For technical reasons, the commentaries are provided in both English and French.

Simply click on the box below to access the Live Coverage.

There are days when I envy rich people. They get to buy what they want, when they want. They get to feel what it's like to be financially powerful, to make things happen with a simple finger snap. The old proverb, “money can't buy happiness” was definitely created by a poor man.

Then again, being rich does have its issues, the biggest one being that you no longer have goals, challenges and dreams. And you can't be satisfied with anything less than a step above the best. Let's update that proverb: Money can buy short-term happiness.


Case in point: The 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S, a 550-hp, four-passenger, $200K missile. Oh, it can make you happy all right, and it made me really, really happy for a few days. Since I'm not rich, though, even an $88K base Panamera would do it for me.

The ultimate Porsche sedan
The excess begins with the marvel of a powerplant in the Turbo S. The twin-turbo 4.8L V8 develops 550 hp and up to 590 lb-ft of torque. A dual-clutch, 7-speed automated sequential gearbox, which Porsche dubs the PDK, smartly manages all that firepower.

Hang on tight and the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S will rocket to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. Press the Sport Plus button, mash the throttle, and the all-wheel drivetrain will take care of distributing the massive amount of torque to the wheels, making for clean, uneventful launches. Actually, it feels like being shot out of a cannon, making your three passengers search for barf bags.

On the long, sloping centre console you'll find a button that provides extra-throaty engine sounds, great for impressing your snobbish Country Club buddies. Why such a feature on a car? Because when you're rich, more is good. Want to amaze them even more? Tell them to look out back of the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S as you hit highway speeds (or use the console-mounted button), and they'll witness the rear spoiler in full glory, lifting from the car's rump and opening up like butterfly wings.

And before treehuggers start complaining about your 550-hp ride, know that our average of 13L/100km is quite impressive for such a supercar. Cruise at 90 km/h on the highway listening to Tchaikovsky's masterpieces, and you'll likely consume under 10L/100km. Around town, the car's automatic start/stop system will also help, although it doesn't turn on very often.

On the centre console you'll find a button that provides extra-throaty engine sounds to impress your snobbish Country Club buddies. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Split personality
The 2012 Porsche Pamamera Turbo S also handles well thanks to an adjustable suspension that hunkers down in Sport Plus mode, stiffening up the air shocks and reducing body roll to a faint trace. Punch the Comfort mode, and you'll enjoy a smooth and more relaxed ride. You really feel and appreciate the obvious difference between settings.

The car's split personality means you actually get two cars in one; a comfy, relaxing luxury cruiser and a vicious back-road brawler. Then again, if you're rich, you probably don't want just one car that can do it all. But the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S can.

Sumptuous cockpit
What a wonderful place to spend time. The multi-adjustable front seats in the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S feel fantastic, and even backseat occupants get their own bucket seats -- heated, no less. Ventilated seats are also available for everyone, but let's not get into detail about the car's endless options list. Let's just say that a $300K Turbo S is only a few checked option boxes away.

The endless array of buttons on the console may look complicated, but they're not; climate controls are on top, performance features are on the bottom left, and gadgets are on the bottom right.

Oh, and the Burmester audio system, a $4,790 option (bah, pocket change), which includes 16 speakers and over 1,000 watts of output, simply sounds phenomenal.

As a bonus, you even get a 432-litre trunk.

Even backseat occupants get their own bucket seats -- heated, no less. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

An attention grabber?
So the 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S starts at $200,300. No sweat.

The thing is, the Average Joe won't be able to distinguish the Turbo S from a base, 300-hp Panamera, which costs about $110,000 less. Trunk badge, 5-mm wider rear track, and some minor trim upgrades: those are the only real differences.

For over 200 big ones, an Aston Martin Rapide would be more exclusive, although it's “only” got 470 hp. A Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed boasts 600 hp, but lacks the dynamic driving characteristics of the Porsche. And the upcoming 520-hp, 2013 Audi S8 will be much less expensive -- not that money's a big concern at this point.

The 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo S is arguably the best performing and best handling luxury sedan your Swiss bank account interest will buy. That's probably all you need to know. But since you're filthy rich, how long will you be happy with it before wanting more?

The 2012 ARCA Racing Series season has come to an end at Kansas Speedway with Alex Bowman winning his second career start, Chris Buescher wrapping up the championship and Canadian Maryeve Dufault finishing an honorable 19th.

For Bowman, the win - the sixth of his career - tied him with Buescher at a series-high four each in 2012. By beating Brennan Poole he won the Team Messina Rookie Challenge.

Buescher became the 30th different champion in ARCA Racing Series history, and the second youngest at 19 years, 356 days.

Bowman won the Menards Pole Award with a qualifying lap of 29.259 seconds (184.559 mph), easily topping the 2008 track record set by Ken Butler III.

The new pavement not only increased the practice and qualifying speeds, but also made drivers slightly cautious going into the race.

As for Dufault, after qualifying a distant 31st with a car set-up for short ovals, she did a very fine job of gaining momentum all through the race to be able to climb to the 19th spot in the C2M No.4 Dodge Charger

Ricky Stenhouse fought back from a two-lap deficit to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway.

And, he had a little luck when the late race dominant driver, Kyle Busch ran out of fuel on the final lap of a race extended by six laps in a green-white-checkered finish. Austin Dillon finished second followed by Joey Logano.

"That's our year, man. Nothing else to it than that," said Busch, who finished sixth. "What a frustrating defeat."

Stenhouse's problems began early in the scheduled 300-miler. First there was overheating then a collision with polesitter, Logano.

"We had a lot of debris on the grill, and we were 300 (degrees) on water and oil, and I thought we would have to pit to come get that off before we blew up," Stenhouse said. "I was trying to get behind him to get the debris off and he checked up at the last second and I turned and just drove right into the side of him.

"There wasn't much he could do about it, and I thought it ruined our day, but we were able to bounce back from it."

"I just got put in the fence," said Logano.

"What are you going to do? That's a racing thing. It's just a little early in the race for fencing each other and I know he's behind me trying to clean his grill off, so I didn't know what he's trying to do and then he got underneath me and started running me up the race track and then we ran out of real estate and he just 'smushed' us in the fence.

"To come back and finish third after that -- I'm proud of my guys."

"I thought the race was over for us. I thought I had killed it for us," Stenhouse added. "I knew we would try to salvage as many points as we could. To be honest I was thinking top-15 and to try to get back one lap down and it was one thing at a time and we were able to do that."

It took Stenhouse 60 laps to return to the lead lap. Ironically, being out of sequence put him in a favourite fuel condition to take advantage of the extended race.

With points leader, Elliott Sadler, finishing fourth Stenhouse closed to within six points of the lead. Dillon remains third 26 points back.