Auto News 5

At ratification meetings this past weekend, CAW members at Chrysler voted 90% in favour of the new collective agreement.

The contract follows the pattern deal set with Ford on September 17th, and mirrored in the agreement with General Motors reached on September 20th.

It includes a $3,000 ratification bonus for workers as well as cost of living lump sum payments of $2,000 in each of 2013, 2014 and 2015. Current pension benefits for existing workers will be protected, while new jobs will be created at all Chrysler facilities.

Now that a deal has been ratified with the Big Three, CAW president Ken Lewenza said that the union will shift attention toward winning a long-overdue national auto policy for Canada. ''Without a comprehensive sector development strategy, the future of auto manufacturing in Canada remains uncertain, at best," he argued.

Such policies currently exist in Germany, Brazil and other countries.

Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock (Lamborghini Gallardo) captured the GT1 championship after an accident that forced into retirement title rivals Yelmer Buurman and Michael Bartels in their BMW Z4.

Makowiecki and Dusseldorp (McLaren) took victory in he qualifying race, but that was not enough for them to stay in the title hunt sinceBasseng and Winkelhock, while Bartels finished 5th, and Buurman took 9th place.

The winning McLaren MP4/12C of Makowiecki and Dusseldorp. (Photo: FIA GT1)

Only three points separated both championship contenders before the championship race, final round of the season.

The first laps were disrupted by a big crash from Nikolaus Mayr-Melhnof (BMW) and Laurent Groppi's Ford GT, which hit the tire wall very heavily. As a result, the race was red flagged.

At the restart, another incident involved both championship rivals, as Buurman tried to overtake Winkelhock's car. But the German driver closed the door on his rival, and Buurman went off the road, hitting the tire wall heavily, as Winkelhock was also forced to retirement.



That gave Winkelhock and Basseng the 2012 title, although they were excluded from this week end's results.

Buurman was taken to hospital, with no serious injury though. The race was finally stopped by another red flag few laps later, giving a second victory to Makowiecki and Dusseldorp.

Next year, the GT1 championship will disapear, but will continue under a new format made of sprint races of the Blancpain Endurance Series.

Donington - Championship race:
1 - Makowiecki/Dusseldorp (McLaren MP4/12C) - Hexis
2 - Rosina/Kox (Lamborghini Gallardo) - Reiter - 1"091
3 - Demoustier/Parente (McLaren MP4/12C) - Hexis - 1"682
4 - Carroll-Ortelli (Audi R8) - WRT - 2"185
5 - Ide/Castellacci (Ferrari 458) - AF Corse - 3"172
Etc.

Championship:
1. Basseng-Winkelhock 145 points; 3. Dusseldorp-Makowiecki & Bartels-Buurman 144, 7. Vanthoor 122, etc.

Greece has approved plans to build a multi-million Formula 1 racing circuit, south of Patras in the Peloponnese.

Greek web site ekathimerini.com confirmed Monday that the government has approved the construction of a 94.6 million euro investment (the circuit will cost $40 milions), including buildings 'of an international standard' said the Regional, Development and Competitiveness Ministry in a statement.

Private company Racetrack Patras SA will oversee the project.

Layout of the new circuit.

The project is expected to be completed in 36 months and needs to be approved by Parliament, the ministry added, helping provide a boost to tourism.

“After the completion of the investment, 497 new job positions are expected to be created and a significant boost to tourism the in the region,” the statement said.

The project will be located 20 kilometres southeast of Patras, in the Halandritsa area.

From IndyCar

Nineteen races over 16 event weekends highlight the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule announced Sunday.

The expanded schedule includes the return of Indy car racing to Pocono Raceway and the streets of Houston.

With a 400-mile race at Pocono Raceway joining the 500-mile events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway on the schedule, the IZOD IndyCar Series will institute a Triple Crown award, which will pay a $1 million bonus to a driver that wins on all three ovals. A driver that wins two of the three races will be awarded a $250,000 bonus.

Illustration: IndyCar

Also new for 2013 are Saturday-Sunday doubleheaders scheduled for the street courses at Detroit's Belle Isle Park, Toronto and Houston and the implementation of standing starts at those three venues. Details regarding qualifications procedures for the doubleheader races will be announced at a later date.

The 97th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 26. Pole Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 18.

2013 IZOD IndyCar Schedule

March 24 St. Petersburg
April 7 Barber Motorsports Park
April 21 Beach
May 5 Sao Paulo
May 26 Indianapolis
June 1 Belle Isle Detroit
June 2 Belle Isle Detroit
June 8 Texas Motor Speedway*
June 15 Milwaukee Mile
June 22 Iowa Speedway
July 7 Pocono
July 13 Toronto
July 14 Toronto
August 4 Mid-Ohio
August 25 Sonoma
September 1 Baltimore
October 5 Houston
October 6 Houston
October 19 Fontana*

* Denotes night race

Schedule subject to change

Missed our complete coverage of the 2012 Paris Motor Show? This top 10 showcasing the finest vehicles unveiled in Paris will surely give you an eyeful.

10. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive

Photo: Mercedes-Benz

Continue reading Top 10 Paris Motor Show Unveils

From GP3 Series

GP3 Series organisers Monday announced the names of the nine teams that have been selected to compete in the 2013-2015 seasons.

Eight of the historical GP3 teams will continue in the Series whilst Koiranen Motorsport will join. The Finnish outfit have proven pedigree amongst others as 2011 Team Champions in Formula Renault 2.0.

The entry is valid for three consecutive seasons 2013-14-15. GP3 Series organisers agreed that nine teams was the right number to run with for the upcoming campaign with the new car. Each team will be allowed to line up a maximum of three cars.

The second generation car has had successful development tests which have shown that the new GP3/13 car is expected to be at least three seconds faster than the GP3/10.

Photo: GP3 Series

It has a naturally-aspirated 400hp engine compared to the current 280hp and also enjoys a new aerodynamic package including new nose, sidepods and engine cover. The step to progress up between GP3 and GP2 is closer, and with this upgrade kit, the GP3/13 car will be the perfect tool to help the drivers who graduate from GP3 to GP2 to be immediately competitive.

The teams will receive the kit for the GP3/13 car at the end of this year.

The current GP3/10 car has just two more outings remaining at the winter testing with the current teams: Jerez 24-25th October and Estoril 6th-7th October.

The following teams have entered the 2013 GP3 Series*

Atech Grand Prix
Carlin
Jenzer Motorsport
Koiranen Motorsport
Lotus GP
Marussia Manor Racing
MW Arden
Status Grand Prix
Trident Racing

*in alphabetical order

The crisis in Europe is turning into a nightmare for French automakers. Casting dark clouds over the Paris Auto Show, the Comité des constructeurs français d'automobiles (CCFA) slashed its 2012 outlook to predict a 12% decline.

All sectors are affected, particularly industrial vehicles (-20.1% forecast), and while foreign companies reported sales drops in September, none fared worse than Renault AG (-33.4%). PSA Peugeot Citroën (-5%) is also down.

Due to the struggling economy and rising fuel prices, French families are postponing major purchases, according to a study by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies.

Source: Les Echos.fr

Michel Bergeron is a well-known public figure, especially if you're a fan of the NHL. These days, Mr. Bergeron is busy talking about the lockout, and he confessed that it's a very unfortunate situation that he's talked on quite a bit lately.

Given that he was at our offices for a brief video shoot, we thought we'd change things up and talk cars with him -- something we'll never tire of discussing.

Mr. Bergeron is a spokesperson for a local Hyundai dealer, so we put together a short video to get his thoughts on the Korean brand and their product.

Note: The video is solely in French.

General Motors jumps on the small SUV bandwagon with the introduction of the new Chevrolet Trax, which just celebrated its world premiere at the 2012 Paris Auto Show.

"Trax will be a popular choice with Canadians looking for the styling, functionality and cargo space expected of a much larger vehicle, but in a smaller sporty package,'' said Marc Comeau, vice-president of sales, service and marketing for Chevrolet in Canada.

The Chevrolet Trax boasts a 1.4L turbocharged engine that produces 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed manual transmission on the LS model. LT and LTZ models receive a six-speed autobox and available all-wheel drive.

Cargo capacity increases to 1,370 litres with the rear seats down. The front passenger seat folds flat, too, offering additional flexibility for longer items. More storage solutions can be found under the cargo floor.

Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system with 7'' touchscreen display comes standard on 2LT and LTZ models, while the Bringo navigation app (offered through online app stores) provides real-time traffic information as well as driving efficiency records.

The Canadian pricing and release date for the Chevrolet Trax will be announced later.

Photo: Chevrolet

Sometimes having the fastest car is not the way to winner's circle. Brad Keselowski's Dodge won the fuel mileage battle at Dover, Delaware known as the Monster Mile.

It was Keselowski's second win, in three races, and fifth of the year. This puts him back in the Sprint Cup Chase lead by five points over Jimmie Johnson and 16 points over Denny Hamlin.

Second "Chase" win this season for Brad Keselowski. (Photo: NASCAR)

The dominant driver of the day, Kyle Busch, had to pit on lap 389 of the 400-lap race and was followed down pit road by teammate, Denny Hamlin one lap later.

"We ran up front all day and hung around the top five and just kept creeping around and creeping around, and when you do that, you put yourself in position for good things to happen," Keselowski said. "That's what this team has been doing the past few months."

Paul Wolfe, Keselowski's crew added "we're capable of putting our car in the top five any weekend.” And he added I don't think that there is a race this year where we've given up power for fuel mileage.”

Jeff Gordon finished second and ageless 53-year old Mark Martin was third followed by Jimmie Johnson who was also fuel conservation mode. The five-time champion said “we're not very good fuel-mileage racers," Johnson said of #48 team.. "When I heard that (I needed to save fuel), I said, 'Man, we are in big trouble'."

Photo: NASCAR

Jeff Gordon explained “I was just hoping that they were going to have to save fuel. And everybody did but the No. 2 (Keselowski). We knew coming into the Chase that the fuel mileage would be a factor and we've known that we've been behind on that. The No. 2 car, they've got something figured out on fuel mileage. Credit to them. They've done their homework and it's gotten them some wins and it got them one today.”

Kyle Busch couldn't be reached for comment, but, he expressed displeasure with the Joe Gibbs Racing's fuel economy.

Hamlin, who started from the pole said "It was a good day running the way we did, but frustrating at the end," Hamlin said. "You look at the (scoreboard) at the end and wonder how in the world all these slow cars beat us. ... We've got to work on our fuel mileage. We've got the speed to win."

Is he the favorite to win his first Cup Championship Keselowski said that “this is only round three and there's seven more rounds.”

2013 Chevrolet Trax First Impressions

2013 Ford Fusion First Impressions

2013 Dodge Dart Rallye Review

Other very interesting topics:

• Bridgestone: off-road tires and the environment
• Blog: Does a new car really have to be new?
• Honda prepares Fit-based SUV
• 2012 Ford F-150 FX4 Crew Cab Review
• The most stolen cars of 2011

From GMM

2013 McLaren driver Sergio Perez is being managed by former Indycar driver and fellow Mexican Adrian Fernandez.

McLaren, who have signed current Sauber driver Perez to replace Lewis Hamilton, confirmed the 22-year-old's professional link to Fernandez, 47.

Fernandez - an owner of racing teams as well - has also been backed through his career by Perez's sponsor Telmex, but Fernandez denied Perez is still a "pay driver".

"He is not bringing money to the (McLaren) team," he insisted.

Sergio Perez honored by Niki Lauda for his second place at Monza. (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

Switzerland's Blick newspaper estimated Perez's new three-year contract to be worth EUR 10 million.

"I have been a successful driver and a successful team owner and now, with this, I hope I can be a successful manager and do a fantastic job for Sergio," added Adrian Fernandez.

From GMM

Nico Rosberg insists he is not worried about playing second fiddle to Lewis Hamilton.

The pair, who have known each other and even raced as teammates since their boyhood karting days, will each be driving one of Mercedes' F1 cars in 2013.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, team mates in karting. (Photo: Sébastien Blin/Sportimage)

German Rosberg has managed to dominate Michael Schumacher since the seven time world champion's 2010 comeback, but the 27-year-old might be forgiven for feeling more nervous about the similarly-aged Hamilton's arrival.

But when asked if he is worried he will be Hamilton's 'number 2', Rosberg insisted: "Absolutely not. I know the situation. Although Lewis will be a challenge and I gladly accept it."

"He is one of the best drivers of the moment, but I do believe that I can measure up," the 2012 shanghai winner told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

Since the Hamilton announcement, Mercedes chiefs Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug have insisted that the high-profile 2008 world champion will not be Mercedes' 'number 1'.

"Yes, that's good. And it's in my contract that I always have the same opportunities as my teammate, no matter who it is," Rosberg answered.

But at McLaren in 2007, Hamilton clashed spectacularly with his short-term teammate Fernando Alonso. Is Rosberg worried that might happen again, this time at Mercedes?

"I think we're both smart enough to avoid that," he smiled.

Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Michael Schumacher at Shanghai. (Photo: WRi2)

Finally, Rosberg said he does not 'feel sorry' for Michael Schumacher, who has been pushed out.

"No," the German laughed. "He was not sure whether he wanted to continue or not, but Mercedes had to make a choice -- and anyway Michael has said himself that he is not unhappy."

Every Monday evening when I pick my kids up at school I've got a different car in the parking lot. I'm always anxious to hear what their first impression will be when I show them which one it is. Sometimes, in a row of 10 cars, they'll guess themselves.

So, as the kids and I step out the main entrance of the school this past Monday night and head to my new press vehicle, my daughter instantly shouts: “Oh, that car's really ugly!”

The vehicle in question was a 2012 Acura ZDX. You know, the thingamabob that looks like something, everything and nothing all at once.

2012 Acura ZDX (Photo: Honda)

What fascinates me about kid's opinions about cars and trucks is their honest, unbiased point of view.

My kids like the Jeep Wrangler, the Shelby GT500, the Nissan Juke and, for some reason, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. They also like pickups. Actually, they love pickups. Every one of them. Pickups rule.

When my son was 3-and-a-half years old, I picked him up at daycare, and when he gazed upon my ride of the week (a smart fortwo cabriolet) he said, “Was your car in an accident?”

My daughter has a preference for convertibles. She liked the BMW M6 Cabriolet and the MINI Cooper Roadster. She doesn't like cars with electric childproof door locks, a cool safety feature found in many GM products, as well as in several luxury brands like Volvo.

Toyota Corolla? Yaw.
Nissan Rogue? Meh.
Chevrolet Orlando? Yeah, whatever.
Volkswagen Passat? Bo-ring.

Kids like cars that have character, cars that stick out from the crowd. They like cars with wild paint colours, but ironically (or not) didn't like the slime green paint of the Mustang GT tester I had.

Obviously, there are features that please them more then others, such as a panoramic sunroof, rear-seat climate controls, a third-row seat and -- of course -- a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Yet I'm proud of my kids when they ask questions about how an electric car works, and when they say everyone should be driving EVs to save the planet.

So, whenever you're unsure about a car's looks, ask your kids. You won't get a straighter answer.

Unionized workers at the Canadian operations of Chrysler Group have voted in favor of a four-year labor agreement with the company, the Canadian Auto Workers said on Sunday.

The rate of industrial espionage activities in the auto industry and the United States as a whole is on the rise, according to government data -- with Toyota, Ford and General Motors all on the receiving end of the trend in recent years.

Auto sales will likely rise 8 percent or more in September as dealers offered generous cash incentives on pickup trucks that amounted to as much as $10,000 a vehicle in some areas of the United States, analysts said.

Eurosceptic auto parts magnate Frank Stronach launched his Austrian election campaign, presenting himself as an honest man of the people to a public tired of corrupt politicians and hungry for change.

European automakers hope green supercars such as the Mercedes SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive will help attract austerity hit consumers into showrooms.

Four-time Formula One world champion Alain Prost tested a modern F1 car during a World Series by Renault meeting at the Paul Ricard circuit on Saturday September 29.

Frenchman Prost, who is an ambassador for Renault, took the wheel of the Red Bull Racing RB6 single seater to complete a series of laps behind Romain Grosjean in a Renault R30.

The 57-year-old last experienced contemporary F1 cars in 1996 as part of a test for McLaren.

"Recently I thought maybe it would not be too bad to know what modern Formula 1 is like," Prost told Autosport.

"It's not too different, it's just using the tools differently. The car is very stiff, and you just need to get used to it."