Auto News 5

The first-ever vehicle produced by Toyota was a truck, the G1, way back in 1935. Toyota can now boast that it has reached the incredible 200 million mark, of which 40 million are Corollas, the most popular vehicle ever sold.

''I would like to thank Toyota customers around the world for helping us reach this important milestone, ''stated Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda. '' I have the greatest respect, and would like to express my deepest gratitude, to all those involved in the development, assembly, and marketing of Toyota and Lexus products throughout the years. We are committed to building even better vehicles, in order to continue to offer the best possible products to consumers. This common goal is shared by our 300,000 employees across the globe.''

Source: AutoGuide

Photo: Toyota

From GMM

Fernando Alonso is F1's highest paid driver, and he's worth every penny.

That is the view of Brazilian correspondent Livio Oricchio, who said after Hockenheim that the Spaniard's estimated EUR 25 million salary is "a bargain" for Ferrari.

Another observer told the Times newspaper: "Whatever Ferrari are paying him, it is not enough."

Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari told El Mundo: "If you're a team manager, you want a driver who is fast consistently, adding many points and committing few errors. That is exactly what Ferrari has in Alonso."

Fernando Alonso, the only driver with three wins to his name in 2012, is now so far ahead of the field that even if he stayed at home instead of racing in Hungary this weekend, he would return even after the long August break with a healthy lead.

Fernando Alonso close to the Ferrari pitwall in Germany, for his third victory in 2012. (Photo: WRi2)

Niki Lauda, who interviewed the 30-year-old on the podium at Hockenheim, said he thinks Alonso's latest win was "a provisional decision" in the 2012 world championship.

"He is doing a flawless job so far and he's not going to forget how he's done it in the second half of the season," the triple world champion told Die Welt newspaper.

F1 legend Lauda insists it will be a "difficult task" for any of Alonso's pursuers - chiefly the Red Bull and McLaren drivers - to beat him now.

"We are talking about an absolutely extraordinary driver," former Ferrari driver Patrick Tambay told France's RMC Sport.

"He was opportunistic with a less efficient car at the beginning of the season, and always getting the points or even the win when he could. He is exceptional at motivating the team, and being consistent in always scoring points at every race, even when it's just a few points, he still collects them," he added.

Jenson Button, buoyed by McLaren's return to form in Germany, acknowledged that he needs to start stringing race wins together in order to get back in the title hunt.

He also warned Alonso that things could "easily turn around for him but he is doing a great job and he deserves to be where he is".

But Alex Wurz, a former driver and now commentator for Austrian ORF television, agrees with Lauda that Hockenheim was a "preliminary decision" for the 2012 outcome.

"Ferrari have caught up with the car, so that on the bad days they are losing far fewer points than they were, and they have Alonso who at the moment is in perfect form and putting the team in a good mood," he said.

"In this respect," added Wurz, "the points lead that Alonso has now is definitely worth a lot."

Italy's sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport insisted: "Ferrari is now in a position to dominate the world championship."

"Alonso has never been so strong," agreed Tuttosport.

According to a study led by consulting firm J.D. Power, a typical Canadian family's personal debt reaches 152% of their disposable income. Why? Long-term car loans, for one.

In 2007, 6.4% of buyers took out loans longer than 6 years. Today, 40% are paying off loans of 6 years or more. Although this kind of loan might be attractive to buyers already in debt, it can wreak havoc on the family budget.

Plus, many buyers trade in their vehicle before paying it off. This further increases their debt load since they are carrying the remaining amount over to their new car. Meanwhile, automakers are happy to offer longer amortization periods, because they reap significant profits by getting vehicles back before loan terms are up.

Source: argent.canoe.ca

Also:
Drowsy Driving: A Canada-wide menace (Part 1 of 2)

Forget about downing coffee, blasting music, or even winding down the window as you speed along in minus 30° weather - these quick fixes for drowsy driving won't save your life. Neither will the latest drowsy driving detection systems, though their warnings might urge you (very strongly!) to stop and take a break.

Now standard on some car models, several automakers have developed alert systems to detect driver fatigue based on different driving parameters, which are programmed to recognize such factors as irregular steering or wandering out of lanes, to name a few.

Mercedes-Benz has developed an ATTENTION ASSIST system that analyses no less than 75 driving parameters. When it detects any sign of drowsy driving, it displays a coffee cup icon on the dashboard and sounds a warning to remind the driver that it may be time to pull over and rest. However, the system only works when you're driving over 80 km/h.

Lincoln also offers a similar system, as does Volvo. In fact, Volvo's Driver Alert Control system both detects erratic lane changing and monitors steering. If your steering is irregular, the system sounds a warning and also displays a coffee cup icon. Even Bosch has jumped on the bandwagon, and has perfected a system of its own. As it happens, most automakers now offer drive-assist systems - they, too, can sense when vehicles change lanes or veer off-course.



Nevertheless, a study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that such detection systems may actually increase the risk of accidents by 10%. How so? Without speculating too much about the root causes behind these figures, the researchers claim that some drivers find these alarms annoying and switch them off. Others simply choose to ignore them.

Automakers, however, are sceptical about these results, and maintain that there are not enough vehicles equipped with this technology on the road today. Indeed, given the small sample size of the study, its results can not be said to establish reliable statistics.

But, it's important to remember that, above all, these systems are not fail-proof - it's really up to drivers to heed the warnings and to pull over and take the break they need.

Enjoy your trip and safe driving!

The C-MAX Energy, Ford's first-ever plug-in hybrid, will be making the connection with US markets this fall. The hybrid will be one of five EVs that Ford plans to roll out this year, including the Focus Electric (already on the market), the C-MAX Hybrid, the Fusion Hybrid and the Fusion plug-in Hybrid. Combining a gas engine and a battery-driven electric motor, the car's horsepower will be 188. It will also be equipped with a 4.2-inch LCD screen to help drivers more closely monitor their fuel consumption.

Photo: Ford

According to Ford, the C-MAX Energy will be capable of reaching a 32-km range entirely in electric mode, which is double that of the Toyota Pries. Ford also says it will deliver an overall range of 885 km, the equivalent of about 5.3L/100 km.

The C-MAX Energy will be available in Canada next year.

The manufacturer has announced that close to three-quarters of its model lineup will be redesigned or refreshed before the end of 2013. Chevrolet will launch the proceedings with the redesigned Impala sedan starting early next year. The emphasis will then be placed on the manufacturer's more profitable models, meaning light trucks.

According to this plan, the Silverado 1500 will be the first to hit the market near spring's end, followed by the next generation of full-size SUVs: Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and the Cadillac Escalade.

As far as Cadillac is concerned, they are only offering three current model lines, the CTS sedan, the Escalade SUV along with the SRX crossover. The ATS compact sedan will join the lineup in the next few weeks, along with a redesigned CTS, expected early 2013.

Source: Automotive News

Chevrolet Impala (Photo: Chevrolet)

From press release

New role for Toto Wolff with immediate effect, stepping up from a Non-Executive Director to an Executive Director of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC.

As a shareholder in and Executive Director of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC, Toto will work closely with Sir Frank Williams, each being a long term and committed shareholder of the business.

Sir Frank Williams, said: “Toto's new role, working closely alongside myself, is about Williams looking forward and managing the successful running of the company. I am looking forward to our new working relationship and I have every belief that this partnership will help take Williams F1 from strength to strength.”

Toto Wolff, said: “It's a great honour for me to be assisting and supporting Sir Frank in his role as Team Principal at Williams. I have been a shareholder in the business since 2009 and I am really looking forward to being able to take my responsibilities to a new level. I know that together we will work tirelessly to make the Group and team as successful as it can be.”

The demise of the storied Crown Victoria sedan has forced police agencies throughout North America to rethink their automotive needs. And for the Vancouver Police Department it comes down to two contestants battling for the coveted badge: Ford's Police Interceptor sedan and Dodge's Charger Pursuit sedan.

Two new Interceptors have hit the streets of Vancouver. The pair of Fords has made it through the Outfitting shop and are now equipped for active duty, keeping officers and citizens safe. Getting these units ready for patrol work has not been without its challenges.

The Police Interceptors are completely different from the Crown Victoria units, and presented numerous hurdles in sorting out wiring and equipment installations, including positioning laptops in such a manner as to not impede the driver while angled toward the passenger. Small matters on the surface, but when there are airbag zones to respect and space limitations things get dicey.

Photo: Rob Rothwell

The Fords are first out of the gate while the Department awaits the arrival of two Dodge Charger Pursuit sedans for a side-by-side evaluation against the Interceptors. This is still anyone's competition to win. The officers will complete detailed evaluation surveys online after driving each vehicle.

The Dodges are rear-wheel drive (RWD) units while the Fords are all-wheel drive (AWD). It will be interesting to see if this becomes a defining factor one way or the other. I suspect another criterion that may be influential is that of interior room and comfort.

After jamming a laptop and a chunky centre console between two large officers, space for the humans becomes scarce; especially when those humans are wearing heavily laden duty belts and winter clothing.

Time will tell which police car earns its stripes. I look forward to keeping our readers apprised of the action on the mean streets.

As the championship presented two rounds in Brazil, he only went for a single appearance in Auto GP, but former F1 driver Antonio Pizzonia won both races in Curitiba, while Adrian Quaife-Hobbs secured the title.

As he came to replace Venezuelian driver Giancarlo Serenelli who was involved in GP2 at Hockenheim in the meantime, Pizzonia set the third best performance in qualifying. The championship leader Adrian Quaife Hobbs set the pole position, but the Brazilian driver moved up to the lead at the start. Pizzonia pulled away in front and crossed the finish line in first position one second ahead of Pal Varhaug, while Quaife-Hobbs was delayed in the pits.

Photo: Auto GP

In the second round, Quaife-Hobbs was flying to victory and the title, but the Brit was forced to retire when he hit the tire protections while entering in the pits. Nevertheless, Pal Varhaug was only fifth, Quaife-Hobbs was crowned champion. Pizzonia inherited the lead, and set a second victory out of two Auto GP outings.

Start of race 2. (Photo: Auto GP)

Antonio Pizzonia usually races the Brazilian stock car championship.

Race 1:
1 - Antonio Pizzonia - Ombra - 23 laps in 28'51”683
2 - Pal Varhaug - Virtuosi - 1”142
3 - Sergey Sirotkin - Euronova - 5”104
4 - Daniel De Jong - Manor MP - 17”299

5 - Chris Van Der Drift - Manor MP - 23”755
Etc.

Race 2:
1 - Antonio Pizzonia - Ombra - 23 laps in 28'44”316
2 - Chris Van Der Drift - Manor MP - 8”021

3 - Daniel De Jong - Manor MP - 9”264

4 - Sergey Sirotkin - Euronova - 13”662

5 - Pal Varhaug - Virtuosi - 14”651
Etc.

Championship:
1. Quaife-Hobbs 205; 2. Varhaug 150; 3. Sirtokin 140; 4. Van Der Drift 127; 5. De Jong 78, etc.

The 2012 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L is easy to recognize at first glance. This relatively boxy and tall five-door hatchback makes the daily commutes through city traffic quite enjoyable. But while buyers are enamoured with its sporty driving dynamics, they shouldn't start planning extended road trips.


You see, the suspension makes you want to tear your brain off when you ride over rumble strips on the highway. On the plus side, the Golf doesn't kid around when it comes to manipulating steering; it feels sharp and direct. Steering assist is nicely calibrated and contributes to the machine's highly responsive handling. I love it!

The six-speed Tiptronic autobox is quite sporty, urging you to push even harder. With gentle throttle prodding, the unit shifts smoothly. Floor the gas pedal, and it'll take you to the redline in a nice, linear sprint. There's a price to pay at the pump, but this transmission produces as much fun-inducing adrenaline as the standard manual gearbox.

The six-speed Tiptronic autobox is quite sporty, urging you to push even harder. (Photo: Volkswagen)

The four-wheel disc brakes are properly sized and powerful enough to cool off your bursts of enthusiasm. With sudden pressure on the brake pedal, you'll feel the antilock system working, even on a hot summer drive.

The seats are reminiscent of theatre room chairs from the '90s, meaning that they lack lumbar support. Short-legged drivers will feel some pressure behind the knees. My tester had heated seats, by the way, and I took great advantage of it, even on warm mornings where the temperature had already reached 5 degrees Celsius.

Under the hood is a 2.5L 5-cylinder engine that promises a decent though unimpressive city rating of 9L/100km. In reality, as soon as you forget about fuel economy and start grabbing the bull by the horns, the mill will hover around 10L/100km. I couldn't resist myself!

The Volkswagen Golf offers easy access to the bulbs, windshield washer fluid and coolant tanks. Everything else is kept under tight wrap for a clean look. However, maintenance proves a bit more complicated as a result.

Under the hood is a 2.5L 5-cylinder engine that promises a decent though unimpressive city rating of 9L/100km. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

The automatic Sportline model I tested ($26,650) had the Connectivity Package ($775), which allows control of a cell phone through the centre display, the steering wheel buttons or the overhead console (between the two map lights, next to the sunroof control). If you have a loud passenger, however, there's a pretty good chance that your conversations won't last long.

While the graphics have a somewhat dated look, with white Arial characters on a dark background, the menu is user-friendly and synchronizing my phone with the system didn't cause me headaches. A small screen allows you to set the Bluetooth connection, and once you're done, access to your phone directory goes through the centre console. The system can memorize up to four Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Voice commands are limited to ''Dial,'' ''Last call received,'' and ''Last number.'' Was I able to make a call using voice command? Sadly, no. I guess I'm just too technologically retarded or something. The female voice kept telling me she couldn't understand my commands. I quit trying when smoke came out of my ears.

A small screen allows you to set the Bluetooth connection, and once you're done, access to your phone directory goes through the centre console. (Photo: Marie-Andrée Ayotte)

I liked driving the Golf at night if only because of the cool interior lighting. As for passenger room, my legs were pretty happy. I wouldn't put three big guys in the back; I just don't think they would fit (of course, I can't know for sure since the "big-guy store" was out of samples).

What about the competition? For roughly the same price, consider the oddly designed Nissan cube, the ubiquitous and much more fuel-efficient Mazda3 Sport with SKYACTIV technology, as well as the unsung Suzuki SX4 Hatchback. In terms of driving fun, the MINI Cooper Countryman is a worthy competitor, although its base MSRP equals a fully-equipped VW Golf 2.5L

From GMM

Sauber has set its sights on chasing down Mercedes.

Team boss Peter Sauber, however, admitted the task will be no mean feat.

With half of the 2012 season now gone, the Hinwil based team is sixth in the constructors' standings, a healthy haul at Hockenheim bringing Sauber within 25 points of Mercedes.

The Sauber drivers at Hockenheim. (Photo: WRi2)

"It doesn't matter who is ahead of us, we need to always focus on attacking this opponent," Sauber told the Swiss newspaper Blick.

But he acknowledged: "We are realistic and know that Mercedes is a big adversary for a small private team."

Blick said Mercedes' driver duo of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg are paid a combined EUR 30 million approximately, compared to the no more than 2 million apiece earned by Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez.

Last year, Sauber finished the world championship in seventh place, three places and almost 100 points behind Mercedes.

From Lotus F1 Team

Half way of the season, Lotus conducted one new interview with the Finnish driver. Raikkonen shares his thoughts about his comeback and 2012 championship.

You're up to fourth in the Driver's Championship with only a small gap to the drivers directly in front; where can you go from here?
If you had told me in January that we would be fourth halfway through the season, I think I would have been pretty pleased. It's not a bad place to be, but I think we have a car good enough to have scored more points. I want to win and the whole team is pushing hard to make it happen, so let's see what we can do in the second half of the season...

How are you feeling heading to Hungary?
It is always nice to go to Hungary. The circuit is not the most difficult of them all, but it is still quite challenging. It is also the last race before the summer break and it's a great city to end the first half of the season. It's always nice to have a summer vacation and recharge the batteries for the last - and most important - part of the season.

How do you rate your past performances at the Hungaroring?
I have won once in Hungary and finished second three times. It is very hot and very demanding race. It's only when you win that you don't suffer at the Hungaroring. I hope I don't suffer this time.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E20, in Germany. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

Are you happy to receive a podium placing for your performance in Germany?
It's nice to get the points for third position, but obviously we would rather score it on the track. Having said that I think we did the best we could at Hockenheim from the position we started. Maybe if we had found a bit more pace in the wet of qualifying we could have started higher, avoided the traffic and pushed the leaders, but it is what it is. For sure we were hoping for a bit better, but the car worked well all through the race and we still brought home some good points for the team so there are some positives to bring to Budapest.

How do you assess the team's potential heading to this event?
The team has been working hard in developing our car and we are confident we should be competitive in Hungary. Usually we have a hot weekend at the Hungaroring, and that's what we have been looking forward to during the whole summer. It's never nice to go to media after a race without a win. I love to win, not to explain why we were not able to win. Hopefully we can get the result we are looking for.

What are the particular challenges of the circuit?
It's such a slow and twisty track that you there are two things most of all which are really important for fast lap times; these are good turn in and good traction. If you have those, you have a competitive car there.

Photo: Lotus F1 Team

The circuit's tight and twisty: how important is qualifying?
This is one of those circuits where it's very difficult to overtake. Obviously, you need to get to the front in qualifying and you also ideally want to avoid the dirty side of the track on the grid. We haven't been the best in qualifying so far, but we have been good in the race in hot conditions and able to make different strategies work. It won't be the end of the world if we don't qualify at the front, but it won't make things easy for us either. Let's see what happens.

The Hungarian Grand Prix is also sometimes known as the Grand Prix of Finland because so many of your countrymen attend. What does this mean for you?
It is always nice to see the blue and white flags waving. It's the closest we Finnish drivers get to a home race and a lot of Finns turn up every year. Hopefully I will be able to celebrate with a win for them. 


Ford Motor, which recalled about 11,500 Escape sport utility vehicles last week because of a fire risk, is pointing to a manufacturing flaw in fuel lines supplied by part maker TI Automotive for the problem.

A University of Michigan study released today found that only six in 10 Americans ages 17-19 have drivers' licenses. Thirty years ago, that number was eight in 10.

Chrysler Group says it is considering investing nearly $200 million into its Mack I Engine Plant in Detroit to boost production of the V-6 Pentastar engine.

BMW released the details of the 2013

Henniges Automotive Holdings today named former TRW and Lear executive Douglas DelGrosso as its CEO. DelGrosso, 50, will assume the role at the sealing and anti-vibration supplier on Aug. 1.

Ford is going after the Toyota Prius with its new

First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS

ATS could be seen as just another arrow launched in the direction of the industry's most oft-sited target -- the 3-series -- but that underestimates the comprehensive nature of this effort.

Cadillac has been obsessed with the German luxury carmakers at least since the Bob Lutz era (with the first CTS and the last STS), if not before (with the Catera). And by German luxury carmakers, we really mean BMW. The new ATS could be seen as just another arrow launched in the direction of the industry's most oft-sited target -- the 3-series -- but that underestimates the comprehensive nature of this effort.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS - Automobile Magazine

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Also in this episode: Fernando Alonso is the first driver to reach three wins during the 2012 Formula One season and