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As the first child of the 2009 marriage between Fiat S.p.A. and Chrysler Group, the 2013 Dodge Dart contains the DNA of both of its parent automakers.

General Motors and Chrysler Group learned some very hard lessons during their 2009 bankruptcies, including one taught by their Japanese competitors: Better supplier relations pay dividends.

Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon expects sales to grow about 10 percent this year, which would mean surpassing the brand's peak of 253,277 units in 2007.

After stumbling in China, Subaru is doubling down on North America. The brand has abandoned a plan, rolled out just 10 months ago, to start building cars in China by 2016.

BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch expects BMW to remain No. 1 in U.S. luxury-vehicle sales this year. BMW claimed the title in 2011 for the first time, ending Lexus' 11-year run as the luxury leader.

Steve Cannon was no more than a dark horse candidate to become head of Mercedes-Benz USA last fall after his boss, Ernst Lieb, departed.

John Maloney, 50, was Volvo's top U.S. marketing executive before being named CEO of Volvo Cars of North America in January.

A publicity stunt in Nanjing, China, turned into a public relations nightmare for Italian sports car maker Ferrari last week.

In December, when Hyundai wanted to make a big splash during an unveiling of its Veloster coupe near Los Angeles, the company had two options: Buy a 30-second commercial or rent the side of a building. The building won.

Nick Bunkley has joined Automotive News as an enterprise reporter covering industrywide issues at the paper's Detroit headquarters.

Sales of new cars and light commercial vehicles in Russia rose 14 percent year-on-year in April to 266,267, the Association for European Businesses (AEB) said, slightly more than the 13 percent growth rate seen in March.

When Lexus launched the first IS in 2001, they thought they were stepping up to the plate for a sacrifice bunt. The bases were loaded with the LS, ES and RX and instead of only one run coming in, the IS hit a grand slam, for the company's image.


It is becoming clear to me that Japanese manufacturers rarely know how to respond to success. What I mean to say is that follow-up versions to hit cars always lose ground. The 2012 Lexus IS is but one such example. Another is the 2012 Honda Civic...

Introduced in 2006, the current-generation IS was met with hopes of more RWD performance, handling and driving pleasure. The first IS did miracles, so to speak, with a 215-hp, 3.0L straight-6. The promise of 300+ hp with the new car ignited dreams of a BMW 3 Series fighting Japanese compact luxury missile. Sadly, it was not to be; the opportunity to stand and be counted did not come. It took a special-edition IS F to get noticed, but that did not last very long either.

The youngling
Be that as it may, the 2012 Lexus IS 350 AWD has its merits. Up until the arrival of the 2013 GS, the IS was the most dynamically styled car on the showroom floor, F cars excluded. Distinctive and well sculpted, the IS is still the car-face of Lexus. The RX is the best-known Lexus of all and it'll probably stay that way for a long while yet.

The IS plays its role well, as it mostly stays away from the generic styling found on the LS and ES cars. The cabin is equally youthfully attractive, for a Lexus, mind you. The centre stack is lifted from the previous GS, which is good, thanks to its larger, user-friendly controls and touchscreen interface. By comparison, the new 2013 GS is an ergonomic disaster.

Interior space is valid for four adults, not more. The front seats are comfortable, but are the least supportive and attractive when compared to all of its competitors, namely from Audi, Volvo, Infiniti and BMW. Fit and finish are beyond reproach and clearly demonstrate Lexus' general attention to detail.

The centre stack is lifted from the previous GS, which is good, thanks to its larger, user-friendly controls and touchscreen interface. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Convoluted
Lexus is meticulous, refined, luxurious and all about comfort. These calling cards apply to all of Toyota's luxury line except to that of the 2012 Lexus IS. I get the impression that there were two rival teams of engineers on the IS program. Both had different ideas and neither won or lost.

For example, if you look closely about the cabin, you'll find a power button hidden behind the steering wheel, out of sight, as though they were ashamed. It's there but you're probably not supposed to use it, at least that was my impression.

Same goes for the engine note. From tick-over to about 4,000 rpm, the 3.5L V6 is as docile as a kitty cat. Beyond that, all 306 ponies sound as though they are moments away from ripping the bonnet to shreds before stampeding across the Great Plains, fully enraged by having been kept under wraps. I like engine noise, not a cacophonous racket. This is a strange mix.

From tick-over to about 4,000 rpm, the 3.5L V6 is as docile as a kitty cat. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Road composition
The 2012 Lexus IS 350 AWD is a fine road car. It is clearly, and as expected, anchored to luxo-cruising more than sport-cruising; however, it manages to be entertaining to drive in most instances.

The V6 is eager and well versed in getting things in motion. The slick-shifting 6-speed autobox never misses a beat and is well tuned to handle the engine's 277 lb-ft of torque. The IS 350 AWD will reach 100 km/h in just under 6 seconds which is commendable and quite quick.

In Power mode and with the shifter slotted in manual mode, the IS is entertaining to drive but the good times promptly run out. The none-too-imposing P225/45VR17 tires and wheels do what they can, but it becomes quickly apparent that this is not a sports sedan.

The fully independent suspension, like the remainder of the car, errs on the side of comfort but is far from being soft. In fact, I'd say it's well tuned with a fine balance between handling and easy driving.

At odds with smooth operation, the car's steering is overly, almost unnecessarily, heavy. At low speeds, it's downright unpleasant. Brakes are efficient and up to the task.

The fully independent suspension, like the remainder of the car, errs on the side of comfort but is far from being soft. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

IS or something else
At the end of my week with the 2012 Lexus IS 350 AWD, I did not feel one way or another about the car. This is often times the Lexus way, at least until now. Again, the 2013 GS is shaping up to be a different beast.

The IS is a tough sale in a segment that includes such heavy hitters as the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Volvo S60 and Infiniti G. In the tested trim, the car has an asking price of $52,850. That kind of money will get you all of the above.

As someone that knows what they want, the IS' split personalities probably won't suit your specific needs. Then again, maybe it will.

BMW 3 Series

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Infiniti G37xS

Mitch Evans (Arden) and Conor Daly (Lotus) won the opening two rounds of the 2012 GP3 season at Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

Antonio Felix Da Costa clinched pole position, but the Portuguese, as well as Daniel Abt, were penalised for jumping the start of the race, and both drivers received a drive-through penalty.

Mitch Evans, who was running third behind them, inherited the lead and eventually clinched the victory ahead of Marlon Stockinger and Aaro Vainio.

Conor Daly, who started Race 2 from third position, moved up into the lead in the first corners ahead of poleman Robert Visoiu and Tio Ellinas.

Ellinas was also penalized for jumping the start, and when the driver from Cyprus went into the pits for his penalty, Daly was able to pull away out in front to secure his maiden GP3 win ahead of Visoiu and Matias Laine.

Although he concluded Race 2 in 20th position, Mitch Evans remains on top of the provisional standings ahead of Daly and Vainio.

Mitch Evans, Arden. (Photo: GP3 Series)

Race 1 classification:
1 - Mitch Evans - Arden - 16 laps in 28'38"738

2 - Marlon Stockinger - Status - 2"609
3 - Aaro Vainio - Lotus - 4"594

4 - Patric Niederhauser - Jenzer - 5"071
5 - Matias Laine - Arden - 6"284

Etc.

Conor Daly, Lotus. (Photo: GP3 Series)

Race 2 classification:
1 - Conor Daly - Lotus - 16 laps in 27'21”043
2 - Robert Visoiu - Jenzer - 3"265
3 - Matias Laine - Arden - 4"168
4 - Aaro Vainio - Lotus - 4"877

5 - Patric Niederhauser - Jenzer - 5"669
Etc.

Championship:
1. Evans 25 points ; 2. Daly and Vainio 23; 4. Niederhauser and Stockinger 20; 6.Visoiu 18; 7. Da Costa and Ellinas 16; 9. Abt 4; 10. Brundle, Fumanelli and Ceccon 2.

From GMM

Rumours that Felipe Massa is now on his last legs at Ferrari are beginning to gain in volume.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali fueled the speculation on Sunday by insisting Ferrari expects the struggling Brazilian to "fight back starting in Monaco".

"We absolutely need his points to also fight for the constructors' title," said the Italian.

Before Domenicali's words, whispers were already doing the rounds that Adrian Sutil could be set to play a role, should Ferrari bite the bullet and dump Massa.

The former Force India driver could either replace him directly, or replace a driver who moves from his existing team to Massa's cockpit.

It is the latter scenario that seems most likely.

Sutil, trying to resurrect his career after the Eric Lux assault affair, returned to the F1 paddock at the weekend in Barcelona, accompanied by his manager Manfred Zimmermann.

They spent a lot of time at Sahara Force India, his old team.

Paul di Resta leading Nico Hulkenberg. (Photo: Sahara Force India)

The big rumour, therefore, is that the Anthony Hamilton-managed Paul di Resta could be set to move to Ferrari, with Sutil to fill the Sahara Force India vacancy.

But there is also a whisper that Nico Hulkenberg's manager Timo Gans has been spotted in the Ferrari motor home.

"It's important to be here," Sutil told German television RTL at the Circuit de Catalunya. "Hopefully something comes of it. It's still very early in the season, so I have to wait a bit, but on the other hand maybe I can get back into a cockpit quite quickly."

He admitted that he spent "most of the time" during the Spanish grand prix with Sahara Force India.

From GMM

F1's unpredictable season became simply "strange" in Barcelona, Fernando Alonso said after finishing second on Sunday behind Pastor Maldonado.

Once derided as a mere pay-driver, Maldonado was in Barcelona hailed by French-language commentator Patrick Tambay as "a new champion".

Reporters could hardly believe they were asking the Venezuelan with braces on his teeth if he is a contender for the 2012 title, and then hardly believe the Williams driver answered seriously in the affirmative.

"Some of the results that we saw this weekend feel very strange," said Ferrari's Alonso.

Even until Spain, it had been strange -- McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull had shared the winning spoils, mainly due to the tyre situation, as teams grapple to understand the product Pirelli is supplying.

Podium of the 2012 Spanish grand prix, Pastor Maldonado, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen. (Photo: Pirelli)

Now, after Barcelona, minds have to go back to 1983 for the last time five different winners won the first five races of a season.

"At one race one team is there (at the front) and then suddenly they are tenth in the next race, so it's bit of an odd situation," agreed the 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who finished behind Alonso in his Lotus on Sunday.

Many thrill-seeking spectators are hailing F1's unprecedented uncertainty, whilst the purists join the engineers in scratching their heads.

Asked if he is enjoying it, former double world champion Alonso admitted: "I don't know. I don't know how to answer."

On the one hand, uncertainty is good for a sport, but the teams and the drivers are just lost at sea.

"With seven laps to go I got to a curve and suddenly the grip was gone. I even radioed the box to see if the car had been damaged," said Alonso.

His countryman Jaime Alguersuari has a clearer view.

"This is the most even formula one we have seen for 20 years, so it means you really see the work of the driver, especially with the tyre management," the former Toro Rosso driver told AS newspaper. "From my point of view this is the best F1 we've had for a long, long time, with the best man winning each time."

Reigning back-to-back world champion Sebastian Vettel, however, joined Alonso in the head-shaking.

"Three weeks ago Williams was nowhere, now they're beating everyone into the ground," he is quoted by spox.com.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Mario told Kleine Zeitung newspaper: "If we knew why, we'd be very happy."

Some think the magic recipe is the ability to look after tyres, but in Spain arguably F1's best driver at tyre management - Jenson Button - was lost.

"I work hard at it," the Briton is quoted as saying, referring to his famous driving style, "but right now it's not working and I have no idea why."

Shanghai winner Nico Rosberg added: "Two races ago we were at the top and now everything is changed. What's up with formula one?" he is quoted as saying in German-language reports.

From a purely sporting point of view, however, 2012 is a compelling tale.

"I think it's going to be a big fight right to the end with some very close racing. Anyone can win," Lotus' Romain Grosjean is quoted by RMC Sport.

Venezuelan Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado had been quick throughout final practice and qualifying of the Grand Prix of Spain in Barcelona, but few seriously expected him to win the race on Sunday.

But Maldonado defied his critics - of whom there have been plenty since he entered Formula 1 - with a faultless maiden victory. In a superbly balanced Renault-powered Williams FW34, Maldonado kept his cool after losing the lead to Fernando Alonso at the start of the race and then withstanding huge pressure from the Ferrari near its end.

Photos: WRi2

Maldonado became Sunday the fifth different race winner of the season, driving for the fifth different constructor.

For a while it looked as if Alonso had it made after his lightning start, but tire wear got him in the end after a valiant chase after Maldonado and he had to settle for second. The local hero was under serious pressure from Kimi Raikkonen in the closing laps and would likely have been overtaken had the race been over 67 laps.

Lotus had indeed great pace during the race - enough for the two fastest laps of the race for Romain Grosjean and Raikkonen - but it came far too late.

From GMM

The day after marking its first win for eight years, the once-great Williams team is counting its losses.

(Photo WRI2)

"Everything in our garage is totally destroyed," said team manager Dickie Stanford, who mere hours after holding aloft the constructors' trophy on the podium found himself wielding a fire extinguisher.

It is believed rival teams have already offered to help Williams to get up to speed for Monaco by loaning the Oxfordshire based team any critical equipment.

It could have been worse. Although one fuel rig mechanic was pulled from the garage with his legs on fire, and airlifted to hospital, no one was critically injured in the biggest pit fire anybody had seen in F1 in recent memory.

In a press release, the team said the fire originated from the fuel area.

(Photo: WRI2)

Dozens of those who helped to put out the fire, wearing the shirts of teams up and down the smoke-filled pitlane, received treatment in the medical centre, and seven were in hospital overnight.

"We will have everything we need to run operationally at Monaco, » said Williams chief operations engineer Mark Gillan to Autosport.

Initial inspections of Bruno Senna's car, which was in the garage when the fire erupted as it had not finished the race, suggest that the chassis is undamaged. However, team Williams will not be certain of that until it has examined the car more closely back at its U.K. base.

From GMM

Felipe Massa needs to relax and focus on getting his formula one career back on track.

That is the advice of Jaime Alguersuari, the former Toro Rosso driver who is now trying to rebuild his own career by testing tyres for Pirelli and working as a co-commentator on British radio.

Asked about Massa's continuing crisis, Spaniard Alguersuari acknowledged it is a "difficult time" in the Brazilian's career.

"Right now the most important thing for him is to stop thinking about the external pressure and just focus on his work and his problems. Sometimes you're not competitive, something has happened and you don't know what it is," Alguersuari told the Spanish newspaper AS.

"But the worst thing you can do is doubt, hesitate, get nervous and start looking at your teammate, because all that will happen is it will get worse," he added.

"Being in elite sport does not, as many believe, depend just on your skills, it's about managing the psychological, physical and technical elements. I am convinced that Massa is not now a slow driver, he can get back to being like Fernando (Alonso) and some days - why not? - faster. The only difference between the two is in the head; that's the difference between good and best," said Alguersuari.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F2012. (Photo: Ferrari)

Livio Oricchio, the respected F1 correspondent for O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, fears the sport's last Brazilian drivers - Massa and Bruno Senna - could soon lose their seats.

"As a driver, your main reference is always the work of your teammate, so in the sense that (for Massa and Senna) they are Fernando Alonso and Pastor Maldonado, it's going very badly. At this point, only a miracle will keep Massa at Ferrari. He would have to do what he has failed to do in the last two championships, which is to qualify close to Alonso and score points regularly. Neither is what a Ferrari driver is really about," admitted Oricchio, "but it's a huge challenge given Massa's loss of confidence and an unbalanced car."

2013 Subaru BRZ First Impressions

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo preview

Photo: Hyundai

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL 550 First Impressions

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

Other very interesting topics:

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• Google's autonomous car driving itself around Nevada
• AJAC Brighton to London Eco-Run
• Volkswagen Beetle Fender edition to resonate all the way to showrooms
• Blog: Reverse psychology

Chevrolet launched today a brand new small SUV called the Trax. Official debuts are scheduled for September at the Paris auto show.

Canada and Mexico are among the first countries the Chevrolet's newest car will go on sale in, starting in 2012's last quarter. A total of 140 countries should eventually greet it.

Photo: General Motors

Furthermore, on top of the Cruze, Sonic, Orlando and now Trax models, Chevrolet is expected to bring out as soon as this summer a replacement for the sub-compact Spark, a new Malibu and, this fall, the 2013 Traverse.

The Trax is aimed at consumers looking for a utility vehicle with lots of loading space but cheap on gas. Most importantly, it opens up the small SUV segment to Chevrolet.

No other information about it has filtered through so far.