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Quebec students have been on strike and protesting against tuition fee increases for more than three months. Classes are suspended and every night the unrest seems to be paralyzing Montreal.

Now we've learned that a particularly strong-minded group is preparing to do anything and everything to disturb or even force the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix (June 8-10) and all the related activities downtown. These students see it as a perfect opportunity to make their plea in front of hundreds of journalists and the millions of spectators and readers they serve across the globe.

Well, sure, but what the heck does Formula 1 have to do with student rights?

I was floored when I read that this radical group planned ''a weekend of commotion and disruption to force the cancellation of the F1 Grand Prix and all the jetset and hoopla embodying sexist, elitist, capitalist and non-environmental values that need to be crushed'' (liberal translation).

Sexist? That couldn't be more inaccurate. I guess those people have never attended a racing event in their short lifetime, let alone a Grand Prix. The notorious ''pit babes,'' girls whose only purpose is to please the male crowd, are basically a thing of the past. Women are now working as team managers, marketing and communication directors, engineers, technicians, mechanics, and various other key positions. And don't you dare call them ''babes!''

Non-environmental? Here's a fact for you: Through a new FIA program, Formula 1 has been carbon neutral for a decade. That's right! And starting in 2014, F1 cars will be powered by small-displacement turbocharged hybrid systems that can occasionally run on electricity.

What's more, a full grid with 22 ultra-efficient cars produce fewer GHG emissions than a single charter bus used by protesters.

Capitalist? Well, all I will say here is that each F1 team directly employs more than 300 people while keeping thousands of workers, subcontractors and suppliers busy. The Canadian Grand Prix boosts the local economy by at least $75 million, which is more than welcome in these tough times. Plus, most of it is fresh cash from outside visitors.

Of course, Formula 1 is a big-spending world, but I've never heard of a college graduate telling his first employer: ''I don't want to be paid. I prefer to work for free, because I don't like your way of doing business.'' How ridiculous does that sound?

So, my suggestion to protestors is, think long and hard about all the consequences before deciding to disrupt the Grand Prix.

From GMM

Australia's last world champion Alan Jones has urged Mark Webber to join Ferrari.

After the Red Bull driver won his second Monaco grand prix last weekend, his team boss Christian Horner moved to play down the 35-year-old's rumoured 2013 switch to Maranello based Ferrari.

"Why would he want to leave?" Horner is quoted by the Sun. "You could see on Sunday that he is at the top of his game and his future will take care of itself."

But Jones, who won Williams' first world championship in 1980, said countryman Webber should think about it if Ferrari have made him an offer.

"Mark has already done one of the two things that most formula one drivers would like to do, and that's win Monaco -- the other one is to drive for Ferrari," he is quoted by AAP news agency. "I'm sure he'd have a look at it. He gets on extremely well with Alonso, so maybe that could be a good way for him to go."

Photo: Ferrari

Also linked with Ferrari has been Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel, who this week denied British newspaper reports about a 2014 'pre-contract'.

"How will this work if I don't know anything about it?" the German smiled to Austria's Kleine Zeitung.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, however, confirmed that the story is at least theoretically possible due to the existence of a contract out-clause for 2014.

"2013 is fixed," the Austrian told Bild newspaper.

"For 2014 there is a performance-related clause in his contract -- for him and for the team," Marko revealed.

Former driver and German TV pundit Christian Danner, however, urged Vettel to resist Ferrari's prestigious lure.

"To go to Ferrari while Alonso is there would be suicide," he insisted.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda also commented: "There is no hurry for Vettel. No one can anticipate where Ferrari will be in 2014."

ALG Canada Industry took a look at car brands value.

Brand value is based on prices cars - no more than five years old - go for at auction. It is used to determine both new and used cars worth.

Photo: ALG Canada Industry

To calculate brand value for car manufacturers; equipment, mileage, age, power, torque and fuel economy are all factored in. Reliability and popularity are also taken into account. When comparing cars of different brands with identical features, it is then possible to say which manufacturer is worth more.

ALG Canada Industry reported that MINI (35 %) ranked first in the common brand segment, followed by Volkswagen (32 %), Honda (27 %), Nissan (20 %), Subaru (20 %) and Toyota (20 %). In the luxury category, Porsche came out on top (34 %), with BMW (17 %), Lexus (13% and Audi (11 %) following behind. Bringing up the rear are SAAB (-31 %) and RAM Trucks (-32 %).

From GMM

Sunday's Monaco grand prix was potentially a lucrative result for the Caterham team.

With actual points still a distant goal for the three backmarker teams, Caterham, Marussia and HRT are instead in a race for the highest classified finish.

Until Monaco, it was Marussia leading the non-points race, thanks to the fourteenth place recorded by Timo Glock in Australia.

The German driver did it again in Monaco, but it was Caterham who burst back into lucrative tenth place in the world championship thanks to Heikki Kovalainen's thirteenth-place finish.

Heikki Kovalainen holding off Jenson Button. (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

At the end of the season, tenth place is the cut-off for 'column 1' teams under the Concorde Agreement, an achievement that last year was reportedly worth almost $30 million to Caterham.

"It's significant. It's critical," said team boss Tony Fernandes.

Not only that, Kovalainen did it in style in Monaco, holding Melbourne winner Jenson Button at bay until the Melbourne winner's battle ended with a crash.

"Simply great. It was the best feeling I've had in these three years in formula one," Fernandes told the Finnish newspaper.

In contrast, Button was unimpressed, joking that he was relieved when he crashed because the "pain" of battling a defiant backmarker was over.

"There has to be a balance when you're fighting for twelfth place and I don't think he had it right, but there you go, that's racing," he said.

LA CLUSAZ, France - We're 4,000 metres up, in the Rhone district of the French Alps, yet the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc towers over us on the horizon. Thick brown mud coats the chiselled flanks of our cute-ute as we splash through a water hole and clamber up its greasy banks. Scrambling over tumbled logs, we're momentarily on three wheels as the trail tilts crazily to one side, then, nose down, we pick our way through a corrugated gully while rocks ping off the steel skid plate.

It's a long way from Yorkdale.


More often spotted in upscale shopping centres and well-tended suburbs, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK would seem to be as far from its natural habitat as a small premium crossover could possibly be. Yet we're surprised at the obvious ease with which its electronic all-wheel-drive system handles the rather gruelling off-road portion of our test drive.

Kitted-out with all-terrain tires, and a package including hill descent, adapted shift points and throttle mapping, and a 30-mm higher suspension, the GLK was completely in its element.

The bad news? The off-road package with which this particular vehicle was equipped won't be available in Canada.

Pity. Instead, we receive a shopping list of safety technology that includes blind-spot assist, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, active parking assist and adaptive high beams. All of which are better suited to the urban environment the GLK will inevitably end up in anyway.

Mercedes-Benz's smallest SUV is just three years old, but has just received a significant refreshing for 2013. The darling of the premium compact-ute segment when it arrived in 2010, the GLK was quickly joined by the more luxurious and athletic BMW X3, Range Rover Evoque and Audi Q5.

And in a segment now dominated by the stylishly rounded, the GLK is a bit of an anomaly with its retro baby G-Class looks. There's a plus side to its association with the iconic Gelandewagen, though - the angular GLK looks more the part of a serious off-roader than any of its competitors - and as M-B is fond of saying "if there's G on it, there's G in it."

But Mercedes-Benz has an ace up their sleeve that they're betting will cement the GLK's place at the top of Canada's premium compact sport-utility segment - a sweet new four-cylinder turbodiesel engine.

Although the GLK will arrive with the choice of two powerplants - including the GLK 350 with a 3.5L V6 producing 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque - we'd put our money on the GLK 250 BlueTEC diesel with 190 hp and 369 lb-ft.

It may be less powerful than the V6, but we never missed the extra ponies thanks to its abundant torque.

Mercedes-Benz's smallest SUV is just three years old, but has just received a significant refreshing for 2013. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Fresh new interior
Externally, the GLK has been freshened up with a more chiselled, AMG-styled front end that includes the LED running lights and a dash more chrome.

The rather austere interior of the previous model has given way to a more lavishly crafted cabin. Plasticky bits have been replaced with soft-touch materials and stitched leather. There's a new, richer looking dash with upscaled gauges and SLS-style round air vents. The gear shifter, like that in the larger M-Class, moves to the steering column, freeing up space for the centre console.

Infotainment is controlled by the Mercedes COMAND wheel which, in our tester, included an optional 12-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo and a navigation system that took good care of us through tangled village road networks.

Large side glass contributes to the overall airy feel to the cabin, and seats in front and back provide adequate room. While the cargo hold is tiny, the rear seats fold down to raise cargo space from 450L to 1,550L.

The rather austere interior of the previous model has given way to a more lavishly crafted cabin. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Driving impressions
We had ample time to experience the new GLK in a variety of settings; from urban traffic in Geneva to the expressways and farm roads that eventually lead to the winding routes through the Alps.

Over patched and pockmarked pavement, we found the GLK's suspension to be firm, but not harsh - the ride is quite comfortable despite its large wheels (19" are standard, with 20" optional). The GLK drives "small," and there's a sure-footedness that inspires confidence thanks to selective damping.

While there's a bit of body roll on the tightly wound mountain roads, the GLK feels controlled and planted, if somewhat less athletic than rival BMW X3. New this year, the electric power steering feels naturally weighted and accurate through the tight turns.

We didn't notice any undue diesel clatter and the ample torque that allowed us to accelerate and pass at low rpms was impressive. Mated to a 7-speed automatic, the diesel's official fuel consumption rating is 6.1L/100km, while we recorded combined readings (including the mountainous inclines) of 7.1L/100km.

There was a shortage of gasoline-powered variants on our drive event and that was fine by us. Aside from the drivetrain, there are no differences between the GLK 350 and the GLK 250.

Over patched and pockmarked pavement, we found the GLK's suspension to be firm, but not harsh - the ride is quite comfortable despite its large wheels. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Summary
The GLK has thrown down the gauntlet for its competition; aside from its other upgrades, it's the only one offering a fuel-efficient diesel. Of course, the Audi Q5 Hybrid offers similar fuel consumption figures, but is estimated to sticker in the $50,000 range. While official Canadian prices haven't yet been released, the GLK should retail in the low-to-mid $40,000 range.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK will be available at Canadian dealerships this July, with the GLK 250 BlueTEC to follow by November.

Volvo XC60 T6 R-Design

Audi Q5

BMW X3

From GMM

Ferrari's F1 staff were sent home on Tuesday, following the latest earthquake in the Emilia-Romagna region.

We reported earlier this month that the team's Maranello headquarters were not damaged by the recent magnitude-6.0 quake.

At Monaco last weekend, team boss Stefano Domenicali reminded that "the ground has continued to shake" ever since.

Reuters on Tuesday quoted a Ferrari spokesman as saying staff had been sent home to be with their families following a reported 5.8-magnitude quake.

"We are with you," Stefano Domenicali told earthquake victims on Sunday, "in thought and deed, because our roots are there".

Ferrari's 2012 single seaters returned to Maranello on Monday.

They were "already in the car assembly area... to undergo the usual post-race rebuild," said the team, ahead of the Saturday deadline for shipping to Canada.

Fernando Alonso had been scheduled to work in Ferrari's driver simulator on Tuesday.

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Delphi has reinforced its ambitious intentions with the US$962m buy of FCI Group's Motorised Vehicles Division (MVL), which it says will allow it to use part of its significant cash strength and bolster its presence in the connector sphere. The deal - Delphi's first major purchase since restructuring - will see MVL become part of Delphi's Electrical/Electronic Architecture (EEA) segment - a global provider of interconnection systems for use in safety restraint systems, powertrain and electrical vehicles. In the first part of two interviews, Delphi CEO, Rodney O'Neal talked to Simon Warburton from the supplier's global headquarters in Troy, Michigan about that deal and Delphi's aspirations.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) has approved the sale of 1% in the Shanghai-GM joint venture back to venture partner General Motors in a move that will give GM a greater say in the JV's future operations.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) has approved the sale of 1% in the Shanghai-GM joint venture back to venture partner General Motors in a move that will give GM a greater say in the JV's future operations.

European Commission has approved Eastman Chemical's acquisition of chemical provider Solutia.

Nissan's global production in April increased 49% year on year to 369,522 units, marking an all-time record for the month of April.

Sure, we didn't take delivery of our little red and white Fiat 500 C until winter was fast closing in, but that didn't stop us from seeking out as much sunshine as we could.

The owners of Lotus said they have no plans to sell the UK sports car brand despite the suspension of CEO Dany Bahar. Bahar's suspension fueled fears that DRB-Hicom is preparing to sell the money-losing automaker.

The owners of Lotus said they have no plans to sell the UK sports car brand despite the suspension of CEO Dany Bahar. Bahar's suspension fueled fears that DRB-Hicom is preparing to sell the money-losing automaker.

Ferrari produces 512 BB-inspired one-off 458-based supercar for guitarist Eric Clapton

European association of automotive suppliers, CLEPA, is backing the FIA's Action for Road Safety campaign as studies reveal driving fatalities are the main cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years with nine out of ten victims living in developing countries.

Nissan, Japan's No. 2 automaker, will start making Infiniti cars at a 2-billion-yuan ($315 million) plant in China from 2014 as it moves to challenge the dominance of German rivals in the world's largest auto market.

Nissan has selected its Barcelona plant as the sole global location to build the brand's second electric vehicle, the e-NV200.

At a ceremony held in Beijing today, the governments of Sweden and China signed a letter of intent to expand their cooperation in the area of road safety.