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The 51st Salão Internacional do Automóvel in the city of São Paulo opened on 22 October 2012. There were world premieres from Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Renault and Volkswagen.

The 51st Salão Internacional do Automóvel in the city of São Paulo opened on 22 October 2012. There were world premieres from Chery, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen.

The 51st Salão Internacional do Automóvel in the city of São Paulo opened on 22 October 2012. There were world premieres from Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Renault and Volkswagen.

VW Group Chairman Ferdinand Piech said the company's sales in China will grow at least 9 percent in 2013 after expanding a projected 10 percent or more this year, as more consumers buy their first cars.

For GM's Vice Chairman Steve Girsky, it's time to prove himself at Opel/Vauxhall.

For General Motors Vice Chairman Steve Girsky, it's sink-or-swim time. As a GM director, he opposed the sale of the Opel unit in 2009.

Patrick Pelata, the longtime associate of Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn who stepped down as Renault's COO in 2011 after a botched corporate espionage investigation, has accepted a new job in the United States.

Audi cut BMW's lead in 2012 luxury-car sales to just 2,110 vehicles in August, threatening BMW's seven-year hold on the top position in premium auto deliveries.

Opel/Vauxhall will enter its third new segment in less than a year when it launches the mid-size Cascada convertible in early 2013.

Toyota, roaring back after three years of recession, recalls and natural disasters, will struggle to regain its former dominance as it grapples with improved competition worldwide.

Now that David Dauch has succeeded his father as CEO of American Axle and Manufacturing, he must reduce his dependence on GM, the customer that saved his company from bankruptcy three years ago. Dauch says he has a plan to do just that.

The auto industry's weight watchers should have a field day with the redesigned Range Rover to be displayed this month at the Paris auto show.

A Formula 1 Grand Prix is likely to be held in France next year but there is a huge battle raging between the circuits of Magny-Cours and Paul Ricard to stage the event.

The officials of the Paul Ricard Circuit presented their application on Tuesday to stage the race in Southern France.

The following excerpts are taken from the press release that was sent to the medias earlier today:

Invited by the Ministry of Sports and the Auto Racing French Federation (FFSA), the Paul Ricard Circuit representatives have presented this morning the basics of the Var's project “F1 Frnch Grand Prix”, accompanied by the President of Var's Board of Trade and Industry, the representative of the Var's business partners.

This project aims to host the Formula 1 French Grand Prix every two years on the Paul Ricard Circuit, Le Castellet (Var) from August 2013.

Aerial view of the Paul Ricard paddock.

The organisation and the promotion of this international sportive event will be managed by the “Grand Prix de France” GIP promulgated on May 3rd 2012, whose founder members are:

The French State
The Var department
The Agglomeration Community of Toulon Provence Mediterranean
The Agglomeration Community of Sud Sainte Baume
The Board of Trade and Industry of the Var
The Auto Racing French Federation

The Paul Ricard Circuit teams will be put in charge of the technical and operational management.

The application is based on the following principles:
The wish of the local authorities
A location that is easy of access and located in the first touristic region of France
A ready-to-race race circuit
A crowd of 60,000 spectators
Attractive ticket prices
VIP services

During the presentation, the representatives of local authorities and of the Paul Ricard Circuit's direction put the emphasis on the budget realism, the technical quality and the credibility of their project whish they work on for over twelve months with close consultation of FOM, FFSA and the Ministry of Sports.

Organisers and circuit's officials are now waiting for a quick and favourable decision in order to add the Grand Prix to the 2013 FIA calendar.

On this 11th of September 2012, Volkswagen celebrates 60 years of doing business in Canada.

Back then, the less-than-a-handful of dealerships had only the Beetle and Transporter to offer. The first order of Volkswagens arrived in December of 1952 in Toronto. Obviously, only a few Volkswagens were sold in 1952. In the few years that followed, dealers were popping up all over the country including Toronto, Victoria, Montreal, and Winnipeg.

In the last 60 years, Volkswagen has grown from a few hundred deliveries a year to roughly 70,000. In those 60 years, many different vehicles have been offered for sale.

The following is our Top 10 Volkswagens of all time.

10- Thing

Photo: Volkswagen

Continue reading 60 years of Volkswagen in Canada

The Mercedes AMG W03 Formula 1 car that ran Tuesday at Magny-Cours during the young driver test featured a heavily revised exhausts layout.

Photo: WRi2

The Ross Brawn team has modified the W03 by fitting side exiting exhausts to blow the diffuser area. These exhauts use what is called the Coandă effect to force the exhaust plume back down from the higher tailpipe. The Coandă effect is the tendency of a fluid jet to be attracted to a nearby surface.

Photo: WRi2

The Coandă effect will now direct the burning exhaust plume down towards the edge of the diffuser, even at relatively low speed. This helps to both speed up airflow under the floor and to seal the diffuser from airflow entering from the sides, which increases low pressure below the floor for more downforce.

Photo: WRi2

On the photos, we can see that the Mercedes engineers were monitoring variations in air pressure with racks of Pitot tubes located on each side of the rear wing, underneath the main plane of the rear wing and under the diffuser.

The 2014 Chrysler 200 will be the first vehicle to be equipped with a nine-speed automatic transmission, according to Chrysler Group President Sergio Marchionne. Fuel consumption is expected to hover around the 6.2L/100 km, or 38 mpg range.

According to Wall Street Journal sources, Chrysler is said to have spent nearly 2 billion dollars to renew the 200; engine options will remain identical to the current version, meaning a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder and V6. The 2014 Chrysler 200 is expected to arrive early 2014, with sales estimates set at double the current 200 numbers.

What's more, several new models are expected: the Fiat 500L, the new Chrysler 100 compact, also a compact Jeep as well as numerous upgrades to the Chrysler 300, and Jeep Wrangler among others. Stay tuned for more details about these new offerings.

Source: online.wsj.com

The three member National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel upheld penalties imposed against the crew members of Paul Menard's #27 Chevrolet owned by Richard Childress Racing.

The six-week suspensions of Craig Smokstad (car chief) and Grant Hutchens (crew member) “will be effective immediately,” said the panel in a statement.

The penalties arose from a failure to pass a post (Michigan International Speedway) race inspection at Concord, N.C. when NASCAR said that the No. 27 team was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4K (race equipment that has been previously certified or previously approved by NASCAR for use in an event, pursuant to sub-section 8-12, has been altered, modified, repaired or changed in any manner. Intentionally modifying frame rails for the purpose of deceiving NASCAR's inspection gauges) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book.

Photo: NASCAR

The original penalties were - crew chief Slugger Labbe was fined $100,000, suspended from NASCAR until Oct. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Car chief Craig Smokstad was suspended from NASCAR until Oct. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31, while crew member Grant Hutchens was suspended from NASCAR until Oct. 3 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. Driver Paul Menard and owner Richard Childress have been penalized with the loss of 25 championship drivers' and owners' points, respectively.

RCR did not appeal the inspectors' findings. The appeal was limited to the suspensions of Smokstad and Hutchens only. Pending the outcome of the appeal the crew members' suspensions were held in abeyance which is why the suspensions started as of the result of the appeal.

Labbe began serving his suspension on September 4th.

“The Appellant has the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer,” according to the statement from the Appeals Panel.

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel is expecting to get back in the game next time out in Singapore.

The reigning world champion is now 39 points behind Ferrari's Fernando Alonso after the Spa-Monza double header, where Red Bull's RB8 struggled on the high speed straights.

"Our biggest problem is a lack of speed on the straights," he is quoted by Brazil's O Estado de S.Paulo, after seeing the gap blow out by a factor of 15 points at Monza.

"We were always among the slowest. Fortunately the tracks for the next races have less long straights, which should allow us to fight for victories," added Vettel.

But some members of the international press are now saying Vettel is little more than an outside chance to defend his two consecutive titles this season.

Sebastian Vettel. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten: "As long as we have a mathematical chance, we continue to believe."

A pragmatic Dr Helmut Marko added: "It is going to be difficult.

"Alonso has to be our model," he is quoted by Bild newspaper, "scoring podiums or at least points in every race. It's still possible."

The immediate hurdle, however, is to solve the alternator problems that left Vettel at the side of the track both in practice and also the race at Monza.

The Renault/Magneti Marelli units are failing in higher ambient temperatures, and the conditions in Singapore this week are already in the low-30s.

Renault's Remi Taffin ruled out Vettel as a cause of the failures.

"It's nothing to do with him," he insisted.

From GMM

Martin Whitmarsh left Monza insisting McLaren has "no plan B" in the event Lewis Hamilton jumps ship for 2013.

But that's not according to the latest media speculation, which is mentioning Force India's Paul di Resta and former McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen as potential candidates to replace the 2008 world champion and Monza winner.

Plan A, however, is undoubtedly re-signing Hamilton.

"I can imagine we'll have some conversations before Singapore," team boss Whitmarsh said.

But he also admitted it is not too late to slot in a new driver alongside Jenson Button for 2013, and also played down the knowledge about McLaren's next car that Hamilton might take to a rival team.

"Developing next year's car is the work of technologists, engineers and designers," Whitmarsh insisted. "The drivers, apart from when they sit in it, are not that intimately involved in the process."

Martin Whitmarsh. (Photo: McLaren)

Publicly, Whitmarsh is not worried about the situation, describing Eddie Jordan's claims that Hamilton is definitely switching to Mercedes to replace Michael Schumacher as "fantasy".

"It's a small paddock and they (Hamilton's management) have to be seen to do their due diligence, as you can imagine, so I'm not surprised," he said.

Under the surface, though, the situation inside McLaren has changed. One hint is that Button is now point-blank refusing to fall in line behind Hamilton by obeying any 'team orders'.

"I'm not going to go out and pedal round and sit behind my teammate," he said.

Martin Whitmarsh agrees.

"At the moment, the dynamics are right within the team and it will be some time before we change our approach," he said.

Should Hamilton leave, Scot di Resta looks the favourite to replace him. He would ensure McLaren keeps its 'all-British' lineup, and his career is already handled by Button's manager Richard Goddard.

Asked if McLaren has targeted di Resta as a potential driver, Button told the Telegraph: "That is not for me to say, that is for his management to say."

The Daily Mail has mentioned 2008 and 2009 McLaren driver Kovalainen as another candidate, while the wilder rumour-mongers have named another Finn.

But Finnish commentator for MTV3, Oskari Saari, thinks the speculation about Williams' reserve driver Valtteri Bottas is wide of the mark.

On the other hand, "Williams knows that if they do not take Valtteri (in 2013), there will be takers for him from other teams", he warned.

French driver Jules Bianchi, driving a Ferrari F2012 set the fastest time in the first day of the young driver test held at the Magny-Cours circuit in the centre of France.

Bianchi, who contests the Formula Renault 3.5 series this season has also been the Sahara Force India test driver.

Jules Bianchi, Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

Jules Bianchi is also the test driver of the Scuderia Ferrari and today he completed 87 laps of the French circuit, setting the best time of the day in 1m18.070. The day's running finished slightly ahead of schedule because of an electrical problem.

Luiz Razia, Sahara Force India (Photo: WRI2)

GP2 series' driver Luiz Razia was second in the Mercedes-powered Sahara Force India, half a second down to Bianchi. The team had a few technical issues in the morning that limited Razia's running.

Briton Sam Bird spent the day behind the wheel of the Mercedes AMG W03 that featured a heavily revised exhaust layout.

Tomorrow, Bird will be back in the Mercedes as Bianchi will switch to the Force India and the Ferrari will be driven by Italian Davide Rigon.

Pos. Driver Car Time* Laps
1 Jules Bianchi Ferrari 1:18.070 87
2 Luiz Razia Force India 1:18.535 65
3 Sam Bird Mercedes AMG 1:19.094 95
*Unofficial timing