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Pictures 9 Oct, 2012

DTC Dutch Thermoplastic Components, Kok & Van Engelen, NLR National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands, TenCate Advanced Composites and VIRO have say they will collaborate in the European Thermoplastic Automotive Composites consortium (eTAC).

News 9 Oct, 2012

Britain's employers back road pricing to help revamp roads

New vehicle sales in Vietnam fell by 29.5% to 7,201 units in September, from 10,216 units a year earlier, according to data released by the Vietnam Automotive Manufacturers Association.

PSA's restructuring is an "internal matter," the French automaker's CEO told reporters during a factory visit by industry minister Arnaud Montebourg.

Sergio Marchionne, who heads Fiat and Chrysler Group, will revise two-year growth plans for both automakers later this month to reflect the slump in European auto sales.

Electro-hydraulic braking, a technology developed to meet the needs of hybrid-powered vehicles, is poised for wider use in conventional cars and trucks.

From GMM

Niki Lauda has confirmed that Michael Schumacher turned to Sauber and even Ferrari once he knew he would lose his Mercedes seat.

Austrian legend Lauda, who has joined Mercedes as non-executive chairman, insists seven time world champion Schumacher lost his seat only because his decision-making period about the future beyond 2012 was so prolonged.

He says Mercedes had to look around for alternatives, and closed a deal with Lewis Hamilton.

"We have seen how fast-moving and ruthless formula one is, with Mercedes responding extremely quickly once Hamilton was available," former F1 driver Alex Wurz told the Austrian broadcaster ORF.

Michael Schumacher. (Photo: Mercedes AMG)

Lauda revealed to the German broadcaster RTL that, once Schumacher realised Mercedes' future was with Hamilton, the 43-year-old German "talked to Sauber and telephoned Ferrari".

But he ultimately decided, on the Tuesday before the Japanese grand prix, to retire.

However, if both the Hamilton signing and Schumacher's decision happened at around the same time, why didn't Mercedes delay the Hamilton announcement so that Schumacher could avoid the perception that he was pushed out?

Team boss Ross Brawn explains: "Once we knew Lewis was coming to the team, we had to respond quickly, because Lewis wanted McLaren to know about the new situation.

"He has been with them (McLaren) for a long time and wanted to deal with them fairly. So once it was clear, we made it public."

It's good to be alive; after all, the alternative sucks. Not that I would know, but I do know that if I were dead I would not have spent a wonderful week at the wheel of a 2012 Mazda MX-5.


What can I say about the MX-5 that hasn't already been said 7 bazillion times? How about: It's fat, ugly, huge, bloated, boring, uninspiring, and makes me want to throw my driving license away for good.

There you have it: A reverse review. I'm done. I'm off to drive the 2012 Mazda MX-5...

In all seriousness, the Mazda MX-5 (or Miata) is one of the greatest drives a mortal will ever experience. However, I'm becoming impatient with Mazda.

The “new” SV
Their latest iteration of the MX-5 is called the SV which is nothing more than a special edition add-on package that brings little or nothing to the car itself.

The 2012 Mazda MX-5 SV is a base $29,145 GX that's been given heated leather seating, alloy pedals, 17” gun-metal wheels, auto A/C and a Brilliant Black power retractable hard-top (PRHT). At $33,995, it's not a bad deal but if you ask me, the money is spent on the wrong stuff.

The SV is a “show car” version of the MX-5, but it maintains all of the important ingredients that make the Miata great. The SV still sports the same nimble and agile chassis, responsive and quick steering, and peppy little engine.

Their latest iteration of the MX-5 is called the SV which is nothing more than a special edition add-on package that brings little or nothing to the car itself. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

It was enough power
The normally aspirated 2.0L 4-cylinder generates 167 hp and 140 lb-ft. On paper, these numbers are far from impressive and while they do the job, I want more. I want a MAZDASPEED MX-5! I want the 2013 “special edition” MX-5 to have a turbocharged SKYACTIV 2.0L that pumps out no less than 225 hp!

Back to the here and now: The combination of the 2.0L and the fabulously excellent 6-speed manual gearbox propel the 2012 Mazda MX-5 SV to 100 km/h in roughly 7.5 seconds. See!? That's way too slow for such a great car! I need a new Miata that'll cover the tonne in 5.8 seconds! Not one-tenth more!

Sorry.

The normally aspirated 2.0L 4-cylinder generates 167 hp and 140 lb-ft. (Sébastien D'Amour)

Nimble be thy name
Power is nothing without control (thank you, Pirelli). This is where the MX-5 could school most other so-called sports cars. The light-weight and rigid structure of the car is never overwhelmed by the power which is what makes the 2012 Mazda MX-5 so tractable.

The 4-wheel disc brakes, although modest in size, are never strained. Pedal feel is good and easy to modulate. Steering, as I've noted, is direct and provides turn-in that was second to none in its price range (see 2013 Scion FR-S). The way all of the car's mechanicals come together make the driver's job impossibly rewarding.

The 2012 Mazda MX-5's ride is good -- well, was good. The SV's basic suspension setup is too soft for any type of real performance driving. I found out firsthand during our recently completed compact performance car comparo 2.0 that the car handles with finesse, however, it's that level of on-the-road comfort that makes for a car that “suffers” from exaggerated weight transfers and body roll on the track. Let's be clear: exaggerated for an MX-5, not for a 2001 Buick Century.

The 4-wheel disc brakes, although modest in size, are never strained. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

MAZDASPEED?
But, it's no longer enough. The $35,940 2012 Mazda MX-5 GS is, IMO, the most pertinent version of the present MX-5. It makes due without leather and replaces it with real goodies such as a Sport suspension with Bilstein shocks, a limited-slip differential and a strut tower bar.

If Mazda's reading this, I'd strongly suggest dropping the PRHT, replacing it with the GX's manual Z-Type vinyl drop-top, work on getting my SKYACTIV turbo engine under the bonnet, and keep the price at no more than $40k. Thanks for that.

Enough rambling...

The reality here is that the 2012 Mazda MX-5 is a fantastic runabout that guarantees kilometer upon kilometer of pure, unadulterated pleasure. I may have said this in the past, but the MX-5 could be considered a form of therapy to help depression.

The SV is a “show car” version of the MX-5, but it maintains all of the important ingredients that make the Miata great. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

MAZDASPEED... once more... I won't stop... Mazda might as well bring it!
The other reality is that the current 3rd generation of the best selling drop-top in history is getting on in age, having been introduced in 2006. As with the 2nd gen, Mazda ended it off with a bang by introducing both a 2004 and 2005 MAZDASPEED edition which was, to this day, the absolute pinnacle of the Miata/MX-5 lines. It's at, or near, the top of my “Wanted at all cost” list of cars to buy one day.

The 2012 Mazda MX-5 SV is fun and a breath of fresh air with the top down, but I'm waiting and expecting more from Mazda.

We're here and we're hungry! 2013 MAZDASPEED MX-5 anyone? I thought so.

The Bridgestone Ecopia tire has been on the receiving end of a fair amount of press over the last few years seeing as how it was the tire of choice for the Nissan LEAF EV, but given what I experienced during my brief visit to the company's Aiken, SC PSR plant, I think it deserves a little more.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

The thing with tires is, in a nutshell, they need to provide a car and its driver performance which translates into grip on wet or dry, and all other forms of handling. In order to achieve this, a tire must adhere to a given surface. Adherence is attained through rubber compounds sticking to these surfaces. By the same token, this phenomenon creates rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is one of the biggest issues that effects fuel economy.

How's that for a conundrum?

Bridgestone is tackling this head-on with their line of Ecopia tires that not only addresses energy-consuming rolling resistance, but also integrates a large number of environmentally sustainable and sound measures. One such example is that each Ecopia tire is made with 5% post consumer rubber in the tread rubber.

What's interesting about the Ecopia tire is what it manages to do.

Perhaps the most interesting element is the fuel-saver sidewall which returns energy to the tire. This helps lower rolling resistance. Picture it like this: Take a rubber bouncy ball; when thrown against a surface, it bounces back. That's energy returning to the ball. The Ecopia's sidewalls, as they deform against the road, somewhat “bounce back” into shape and push the tire forward.

Other key innovations on the Ecopia tire include the use of silica in the compound which improves wet traction by increasing the tread's flexibility. You may have heard of this, as it's used in winter tires for the exact reasons described here.

The key point is the introduction of NanoPro-Tech technology which, as the name suggests, improves rolling resistance and fuel efficiency on a molecular level. This is not science fiction, and it all works.

To demonstrate how the Ecopia tire can go farther with the same amount of energy, the Bridgestone crew set us up with trikes shod with Ecopia tires on some and regular Insignia tires on others. The point behind the exercise was to demonstrate the higher rolling efficiency of the Ecopia with equal amounts of energy.

The demonstration worked big time. I managed a record-setting (for the day) 70-foot distance on the Ecopias while I could do no better than 46 feet on the Insignias. This difference does translate into considerable savings in the real world.

Available for both cars and minivans/crossovers, the use of Ecopia EP422 (car) tires can result in an approximate 5% better fuel economy when compared to a conventional Bridgestone tire. The Dueler H/L 422 does one better by potentially improving gas mileage by up to 6%. Over a period of four years, the savings in fuel costs nearly cover the price of the average set of Ecopia tires.

Bridgestone is working on spreading Ecopia technology throughout its entire line of tires, and in time could find its way into winter tires. Given the climate in which we Canadians live, and the continuously rising cost of energy, this is good news!

Bridgestone Ecopia tires are currently available in nearly 50 different sizes, and are covered by a 65,000 mile (104,000 km) warranty.

Photo: Bridgestone

Leaders of the Rallye de France Alsace since the beginning of the event, Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena claimed their eighth win of the season in Strasbourg, the 75th victory of their
remarkable career and their ninth consecutive World Rally Championship title.

The Citroën Total World Rally Team has also claimed its eighth world title.

Photo: Citroën Racing

Managing their lead until the final stop control on Haguenau 2, Loeb and Elena finally relaxed in the last moments of the rally and let go of the tension that had built up during the week.

“This is what we came to do, experience the feelings we enjoyed in 2010 again by winning the world title ‘at home' This year the feeling is even more special, because it is undoubtedly the last one. I drove carefully this morning, but it wasn't very easy due to the weather conditions. Even when it stopped raining, the roads were still extremely muddy. There were two rallies left where I could have won the title, but I'm really very happy to do it here for the fans in Alsace,” Loeb declared.

Marussia F1 test driver Maria de Villota will stage a press conference this Thursday in Madrid.

De Villota suffered serious head injuries and lost an eye in a freak accident that happen when she tested the Marussia F1 car for the first time at the Duxford aerodome early July.

She will meet the press at the Sports Council at noon in presence of Carlos Gracia, the president of the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation.

She will probably explained what happened when the Marussia F1 car she was driving suddenly accelerated foward as she was rolling to a stop. The car slammed into one of the transporters and the front of her helmet hit the loading ramp.

Weeks after the accident, the Marussia F1 team revealed avec investigations that the crash was not the cause of a car-related issue.

From GMM

Eric Boullier was vague when asked if Romain Grosjean's constant first-lap crashes have endangered his future in formula one.

"Not for now," said the Lotus team boss, who doubles as the head of the Gravity company that manages the beleaguered Frenchman's career.

After his Monza race ban, Grosjean was back in trouble at Suzuka when he incurred the furious Mark Webber's wrath for yet another first-corner crash.

"Maybe we need two separate starts -- one for him, one for us," the Australian, having earlier slammed Grosjean as a "nutcase", told the BBC.

Pundits up and down the paddock have called on the FIA to get race bans at the ready once again for Grosjean, who was close to tears when he spoke to reporters in Japan.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus, in Japan. (Photo: WRi2)

The French-language RMC wondered if Grosjean's entire career could be in peril.

For now, Boullier is defending his driver.

"Even Schumacher had a lot of crashes at the start of his career. But everyone in the team is frustrated, me included" he said.

The RMC Sport report said Grosjean should be able to hang on to his seat for 2013, given that Lotus' most important sponsor, Total, also staunchly backs the 2011 GP2 champion.

The report also said Lotus' contract 'option' to retain Grosjean in 2013 expires the day after Sunday's Korean grand prix.

"Before Japan, there was no doubt that this clause would be effected," the report read.

Now, the priority is simply to get Grosjean back on track.

"You can change anything you want in the environment around him, but in the end it is he who must learn to control the pressure," said Boullier.

And that pressure has ramped up to fever-pitch in the mere days before Grosjean must make yet another race-start.

"He has a lot of talent and could achieve great things," French former F1 driver Olivier Panis said. "But it's not going to pay off in the long term if he keeps behaving like that."

British Sky television commentator Martin Brundle added: "His judgement is clearly wrong in close combat and I don't know what he can do about it. You can't consciously start making decisions (at the start of a race). And then when you start getting tense about that, it's all the more likely to happen."

Auto123.com spent some time with top Canadian Rally Championship competitor Crazy Leo Urlichich and the Can-Jam Motorsports crew during the Rally Defi Ste. Agathe.

Performance rally features real cars competing on real roads. Crazy Leo's Subaru Impreza WRX STI is pushed to the limits on tough roads. At Rally Defi Ste. Agathe, it was on fast gravel covered country roads.



Team work is crucial because when something breaks, the crew members can only do repairs to the car in designated service areas and during specified periods of time.

Let's see how it's done!

During a press meeting held last Friday, Francois Dumontier, President and CEO of Octane Management explained why he took the controversial decision not to organise the Edmonton Indy in 2013.

“First of all, I'd like to explain that the company that organised the Edmonton race was Octane Motorsports Events, a distinct compagny from Groupe de Course Octane that runs the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Canada,” said Dumontier.

“After having lost a great deal of money on the Edmonton race, I had no choice but to file a notice of intention to file a proposal to the creditors,” Dumontier added.

Start of the 2012 race at Edmonton. (Photo: IndyCar)

“Our contract with IndyCar had one year left, but unfortunately the event is not profitable. Every promoter of this event has lost money in the past, including us. Some of them lost several millions of dollars. We tried hard to make it work, but we were losing too much money. I was left with no other choice than to cancel the race. Physically, we also faced a major problem. The grounds of the airport where the race is currently staged will not longer be available from the end of 2013. We had to find another location, which is not easy for something like a racing event,” Dumontier continued.

The loss of the Edmonton IndyCar race is a major blow to Canadian motorsport. But an IndyCar race may be staged elsewhere in a not-so-distant future. We know that officials of the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly known as... Mosport) are keen to stage a NASCAR Camping World truck race or an IndyCar race.

From Formula Two Series

This year's FIA Formula 2 champion Luciano Bacheta will be given a Williams Formula 1 drive at Silverstone October 18.

The 22-year-old won the F2 championship at Monza, Italy last month, earning the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of previous champions Andy Soucek, Dean Stoneman and Mirko Bortolotti, all of whom impressed at the wheel of Williams machinery.

"All year while I was leading the championship I was thinking that I could be driving a Grand Prix car so I've been training with F1 in mind," Bacheta said.

"I've received a measurement chart for the race suit and we'll ramp up the preparation now. I'm so excited and I'm really motivated for it and even before I won the championship I thought I would be ready for it."

Bacheta will drive the 2011 Williams F1 car at Silverstone, scene of his first of five wins in his 2012 F2 championship campaign, and the start of a record-breaking run of four victories in a row.

You work hard for your money. You've built a career, you have a nice house; a family. You enjoy your weekends, especially in the country, so you decide you want to buy a vehicle that can handle your rough country roads any time of the year. But you also want a bit of sophistication and luxury along with it. What to do?

Well, you purchase a luxury SUV of course. And I don't mean one of those posh, I'm-better-than-you vehicles you see parading down the freeway “pretending” to be off-roaders. I mean a high-end, highly capable AWD vehicle that will swaddle you in leather and wood trim as it tackles the deepest ravines and almost vertical inclines.

Take for example, the 2013 Mercedes G 550 off-roader. Not designed to everyone's taste, I used to think it was a bit of a brute and not attractive in any way. That was until I got behind the wheel of one and was up to the bumpers in slippery, traction-less mud. Then it suddenly became the most glorious, most attractive SUV I'd ever come across.

Photo:Miranda Lightstone

Oh, yes, I got it dirty. I even took it across boulders, fallen trees, down sandy embankments and across grassy, bumpy fields.

And, yes, it cost more than $100,000.

Here's the thing: Luxury SUVs can get just as dirty as the next low-cost off-roader. The question is: Will you want to?

While off-roading with Mercedes-Benz in their brand new 2013 lineup of G Class vehicles, we were taken on some pretty rough trails and terrain. Throughout the entire adventure, we were guided along via CB radio in order to maintain the right speed, gear and trajectory. We were also warned (on more than one occasion) to watch out for “scratchy branches” or obstacles that could potentially rub up against the side of the $100k+ vehicles.

And that got me thinking: Sure, these SUVs are meant to handle anything and everything, but when you spend that much money on one of them, will you really want to risk it in those conditions? The cost of repairs if you do might not be worth the fun you'd have behind the wheel.

I was duly impressed with the capabilities of the Mercedes-Benz G 550, and subsequently the rest of the G-Class lineup as well, but I wasn't sure they'd ever really be used the way the manufacturer hoped they would be. Proving to us that their cars can handle deep ruts, grip-less sand and 70-degree grades is all fine and dandy, but telling a consumer to go out and tackle said obstacles in their brand new luxury SUV is another thing entirely.

Mercedes-Benz currently does not offer an off-road driving instruction program, and I really think they should. From understanding the differential locks on the G 550 (slightly confusing, trust me) to simply being able to raise the ride height on the GL 550 4MATIC, a few tips and tricks on how to keep your Merc roof-side up and in one piece would be helpful to the average consumer.

I learned that off-roading is about more than guts and a set of steel balls, it's about precision and understanding your limits and the limits of your vehicle (however capable it claims to be) -- much like race track driving.

Photo: Miranda Lightstone

Several dealer associations in the U.S. claim that Tesla's factory outlets (most in shopping malls) violate state franchise laws that prohibit factory ownership of dealerships, allowing the electric car manufacturer to sell vehicles at a lower price.

Protesters also say that they present unfair competition for rival dealerships and, if left unchallenged, ultimately threaten the franchise system.

"If a manufacturer sees that Tesla is successful with this kind of business model, who's to say they don't break out their own EV product lines and create a separate system that bypasses dealers?" said Bob O'Koniewski, executive vice president of the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association. "It's extremely problematic."

Factory stores are illegal in some states while others are tolerated under a grandfathering provision.

In Illinois, the Secretary of State told CEO Elon Musk that he's breaking the law by listing himself as the owner of the suburban Chicago store. Tesla officials have asked for 30 days to respond.

Let's see how this affects Tesla's business model in Canada...

Source: Automotive News

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

The IZOD IndyCar Series has decided to go ahead with its plans to reduce the amount of testing that will be allowed for the 2013 season.

As we had already reported, since most of the extensive testing on the Dallara DW12 has already been done, private testing will be reduced from six days to two while engine manufacturers will have a total of two complete days each before the beginning of the season.

Outside private and manufacturer tests, team will be allowed to run at five open tests organised by the series - one pre-season and four once the championship is underway. New entrants or teams running rookies get two additional test days.

Photo: IndyCar

During the Rallye de France Alsace held last weekend, Dani Sordo was rumoured to be the favorite to replace Sebastien Loeb at the Citroen World Rally team next year.

With Loeb only contesting selected events in 2013, Mikko Hirvonen will be elevated as number one driven at Citroen Racing. The Finn, who will be joined by Loeb at selected rounds next year (Monte Carlo, then probably Sweden, Finland and France), will have as objecive to clinch the world title.

Dani Sordo with Citroen (Photo: Citroen Racing)

As a teammate to Hirvonen, Citroen is looking to hire an experimented driver who is able to score points on a regular basis, as explained by Citroën Racing head Yves Matton. Therefore, Dani Sordo seems in good position to be back at Citroen.

Sordo ran under Citroen's colors during four seasons, from 2007 to 2010. The Spaniard never managed to clinch a WRC win, but he maintained a good relationship with the French squad, and he would be more than welcomed.

Dani Sordo, who joined MINI Prodrive in 2011 looked to be a bit upset about the car's performance at Rallye de France Alsace, as its development was almost stopped due a lack of money from Prodrive.

There is no doubt that Sordo would be pleased to be back at Citroen , despite the fact that he would have to give his car to Loeb at selected events. But then, Sordo would have a full program in 2014 when Loeb will completely stop rallying for good to focus on road racing.

Young Thierry Neuville, who was expected to move to the works Citroen team next year, would finally spend two additional seasons as part of the Junior Team.