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Mazda has posted train-wreck fiscal year 2011/12 results with an operating loss of JPY38.7bn (profit of JPY23.8bn the previous year) on sales of JPY2.03 trillion (JPY2.3 trillion).

German chemicals giant, Evonik Industries, has put forward several alternatives to its Nylon 12 resin product, following the recent fatal explosion at its partially-destroyed Marl factory that killed two employees.

The Indonesian automotive association, Gaikindo, has dramatically cut its forecast for vehicles sales this year to 700,000 units, from 950,000 earlier in the year, citing new government policies designed to curb excessive borrowing.

There was a time when VW liked to strut around a bit and emphasise its success relative to the competition. But now that rivals have jobs, and even whole factories on the line at risk, it was sensible and sensitive to concentrate on reporting its own results rather than its results relative to others.

Does 31 mpg, eked from a 4,255-pound, five-passenger luxury sedan swimming in leather and wood and all the techy accoutrements to which the 1 percent have become accustomed, sound reasonable? Fathomable, even?

Remember the basket-case that was Chrysler? Then who do you think Sergio Marchionne can have been describing in yesterday's webcast eulogy: "We are incredibly satisfied with the first quarter; absolutely outstanding; fired on all cylinders.600,000 cars for the quarter.the target for the year is 2.4m. The outlook is absolutely positive."

Honda said it more than doubled its quarterly operating profit as production recovered from a number of natural disasters last year.

German supplier Continental AG today reported better-than expected first-quarter sales and affirmed its outlook for the full year. Sales rose by about 11.5 percent to 8.3 billion euros ($10.98 billion), the company said in a statement.

All three engine offerings for the 2013 Ford Escape were certified by the EPA to get 30 mpg or more on the highway, Ford said. Ford has redesigned the Escape for 2013 and dropped the V-6 engine option in favor of a top-of-the-line 2.

Sergio Marchionne launched another attempt by Fiat to win over Chinese buyers on Monday, with the unveiling of the Viaggio sedan at the Beijing auto show.

A collaboration between BYD and Daimler has come out this week at the Beijing Auto Show, in the shape of a brand new company - DENZA. Its first prototype, quite simply named New Electric Vehicle (NEV), is promised only to the Chinese market, but could venture itself out onto the world in a no-so-distant future.

Photo: Daimler

In charge of the design, Daimler has come up with innovative schemes; suicide doors and front grill integrated headlights. Meanwhile, BYD took care of the battery and electrical systems.

What sets this four-door sedan apart is the way its exterior chrome finish shines to give the car an out of the ordinary brightness. Also, the copper and wooden interior - which has chrome touches two - makes passengers feel like they're in a lounge, not in car. Plus the batteries were fitted so low, nothing gets in the way of climbing aboard or jumping out of the vehicle.

BYD and Daimler kept their cards close to their chest when it came to more mechanically-detailed information, and have yet to reveal how much the NEV might cost. In a few months time, this promising concept should have given away all its secrets.

Nissan plans on redoing 75% of its fleet within the next 15 months. The Altima, the Pathfinder and the Sentra models are already going under some serious changes.

Before 2013, five new models should be rolled out of the factories.



The North American branch of Nissan revealed at the Beijing Auto Show that the brand new Sentra will make its first appearance in the States this summer, and should be hitting the showrooms come fall.

The said coming out of the latest generation Sentra will coincide with the Nissan North America's 30th anniversary. That's why they have set the bar as high as they could for themselves, because Nissan wants much more dynamic and much more attractive product.

Details should be revealed during the summer.

Portuguese driver Felipe Albuquerque put his Audi A5 DTM on top of the timing sheets today during the first practice session for the opening round of the 2012 DTM series in Hockenheim, Germany.

Albuquerque emerged fastest of the 22 drivers with a quick time of 1m34.508 set during the second half of the session. The temperature was warm, but the skies were grey and a few drops of rain fell twice during the session.

Mike Rockenfeller, also driving for Audi, was second quickest, just 0.016 second behind Albuquerque. Edoardo Mortara was third, ahead of Timo Scheider, Miguel Molina and Mattias Ekstrom, making it an impressive six-in-a-row for Audi.

Mike Rockenfeller, Audi. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)

The fastest Mercedes C-Coupe was the car of McLaren F1 test driver Gary Paffett in seventh place, 0.331 second down to Albuquerque.

Series' newcomer Robert Wickens of Canada did very well, raking eighth overall and second fastest Mercedes in the Stern car. Wickens is the reigning champion of the Formula Renault 3.5 single seater series.

Robert Wickens, Mercedes. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)

However, it was a difficult day for BMW, making a return to DTM after a long absence.

Bruno Spengler, BMW. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)

The quickest BMW runner was Andy Priaulx who set the 13th time in his BMW M3, ahead of the sister cars of Canadian Bruno Spengler and reigning DTM champion, Martin Tomczyk.

Priaulx set a time of 1m35.389, 0.881 second slower than the leading Audi.

Bruno Spengler, BMW. (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)

Qualifying will take place tomorrow afternoon, German time, and Auto123.com will provide live coverage of the timed session.

Performance, speed, displacement, wheels... Whatever strikes a chord in you, it's all part of the giant web that defines the automotive world. Auto123.com leaves no string and no layer untouched, helping you see things more clearly and catch up on all the buzz. Aren't you glad you have us?

2012 MINI Cooper Roadster (Photo: BMW)

Here's what you can look for next week:

• Reviews of the 2012 Nissan Versa 1.6 SV and 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan;
• Our first impressions of the 2013 Ford Police Interceptor, 2012 MINI Cooper Roadster, and 2013 Dodge Dart;
• A feature on the king of custom wheels, Fastco;
• Tips on how to make your very own car videos using an iPhone;
• Canadian car sales for the month of April;
• Our blogs, news, and other cool content.

Coming soon:

• Our first test drives of the 2013 Subaru BRZ and 2013 Nissan Altima;
• Our first impressions of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class and G-Class;
• Seat time in the 2013 Porsche Boxster and 2013 Cadillac XTS.

Have a good time reading, and be safe on the road!

General Motors plans to introduce a diesel-powered Chevrolet Cruze in the United States next year. As one of the most popular cars on the North American market, the award-winning compact sedan is a prime candidate for this project.

Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com

A 2.0L clean turbodiesel engine will resolve drawbacks once associated with diesel cars, such as excessive engine noise and obnoxious smells.

Of course, no one says it will be easy: Diesel today accounts for only 3% of all US car sales, according to the Diesel Technology Forum. However, there's been a jump of 35% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.

Diesel engines deliver more torque and a higher performance than gasoline engines while being significantly more fuel-efficient. They also have a relatively lower cost of entry than some hybrids and EVs.

Time will tell if GM's bold gamble pays off.

Michael Manley, COO of Fiat-Chrysler Asia Pacific, announced that Dodge's days in Australia are numbered and that the automaker plans to expand the Fiat range in this country.

“We haven't taken a decision to formally kill Dodge in Australia, but if we follow the same pattern as we have in other international markets then it's certainly only a matter of time,” he said.

Photomontage: Auto123.com

The Dodge Journey will likely make room for the Fiat Freemont, based on the same platform, while the Dodge Dart will be sold as the Fiat Viaggio - provided that Chrysler reverses its decision not to build the car in right-hand drive.

The Freemont is mechanically identical to the Journey and offers a choice of a 3.6L Pentastar V6 or a 2.0L, 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine. The bodywork, however, stays true to Fiat styling. Production is scheduled to start in the second half of 2012.

Chrysler Australia and Fiat have also discussed the future of Alfa Romeo, which will officially join the fold on May 1st. The Viaggio, inspired from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, recently made its debut at the Beijing Auto Show and will roll off the assembly line starting in late June.


_{Soure: GoAuto}

In order to meet the demands of GT-R owners, Nissan has developed a special ''Track Pack'' that will boost the supercar's price to £84,450 (about $135,000 CA), making it even more exclusive than it already is.

From a design standpoint, the custom six-spoke RAYS alloy wheels with gloss black centres not only look good, but they also shave 10 kg off the standard 2012 GT-R's weight. Suspension settings have been modified as well in order to improve track performance.

Photo: Nissan

Other changes were made to the interior. The ridiculously tight rear seats are gone, while a pair of new track-ready sports seats can be found up front. They're covered in what is referred to as ''magic cloth,'' a high-friction fabric that allows occupants to ''stick'' to the seats during hard cornering and braking.

The GT-R Track Pack also includes an enhanced Bose audio system.

In terms of performance, look for the same 550-hp twin-turbo engine that propels the car from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds.

Now, the bad news: The GT-R Track Pack is only available in the UK and Japan.

So, whatever happened to the Lamborghini Estoque concept that was unveiled in Paris back in 2008? Was it scrapped right after the show? Not at all, according to CEO Stefan Winkelmann.

Photo: Lamborghini

"It was placed on hold because of a number of reasons, including the lack of a suitable platform," he said.

In case you didn't know, the plan to add a third model to the Lamborghini lineup is back on the table.

While a four-door sedan is an option, the exotic Italian automaker apparently sees more potential in a sport-utility vehicle. The Urus concept, launched at the Beijing Auto Show, could develop into a production model by 2015.



_{Source: Autoweek}

Davide Valsecchi (DAMS), who dominated last week end in Bahrain, takes another win on Al Sakhir circuit as he won race 1 on Saturday.

The italian driver, who took win in both rounds presented last week end during the Formula 1 Grand Prix, started from outside row 1 today behind poleman Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham).

Davide Valsecchi, DAMS. (Photo: GP2 Series)

Valsecchi moved up to the lead at mid race, then pulled away in front, to secure a third victory in a row. Fabio Leimer (Racing Engineering) takes second place, 7,7 secondes behind Fabio Leimer who took the advantage over Van der Garde in the last laps.

Marcus Ericsson (iSport) took 8th position, which put him on pole position for race 2, due to reverse grid regulation for the Top 8.

Race 1:
1 - Davide Valsecchi - Dams - 32 laps in 57'35"088
2 - Fabio Leimer - Racing Engineering + 7"711
3 - Giedo Van der Garde - Caterham + 14"824
4 - Luiz Razia - Arden + 24"142
5 - Max Chilton - Carlin + 24"705
6 - Rio Haryanto - Carlin + 40"965
7 - Felipe Nasr - Dams + 45"772
8 - Marcus Ericsson - iSport + 50"645
etc.

From GMM

Two teams deployed a quiet 'trick' in Bahrain in order to exploit a loophole in the long-life gearbox rules, a specialist publication claims.

Williams' Pastor Maldonado had to move five places back on the grid last Sunday because a fault in his gearbox was discovered after the Chinese grand prix.

A cost-saving rule in F1 requires gearboxes to last five consecutive grands prix, with unscheduled changes met with the penalty.

But some gearbox problems "can be simulated for tactical reasons", read a report in Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

So why would a team do that?

Whilst he was struggling out of the points during the Bahrain grand prix, Williams decided to pull the sister FW34 driven by Bruno Senna out of the race.

"I started feeling a lot of vibration in the brake pedal," said the Brazilian, "and the decision was made to pit to avoid risking an accident."

But Auto Motor und Sport contends: "His retirement was tactical."

The publication said a manufacturing defect was discovered on both Williams cars ahead of the Bahrain weekend, with a fix not set to be in place until Barcelona.

The loophole in the long-life gearbox rule is that genuine retirements - for whatever reason - are not further penalised on the grid of the next race, even if a gearbox is changed out of sequence.

McLaren's Jenson Button also did not see the chequered flag in Bahrain.

Photo: WRi2

Whilst running in the points a few laps before the end, the Briton had to pit due to puncture, probably caused by a broken and noisy exhaust that was blowing hot gases onto the tire.

"A lap later, despite setting a personal best in sector two, Button was back in the pits," said Auto Motor und Sport.

The official explanation was a differential problem, but Auto Motor und Sport claims the retirement, like Senna's, was "probably for tactical reasons".

"Button was in 13th place, with no hope of breaking into the points."

The retirement means he can now take on a fresh gearbox for Barcelona, without penalty. This could have an added benefit, journalist Michael Schmidt contends, because McLaren is planning modifications at the rear of the car that require a new gearbox shape.

Without the tactical retirement in Bahrain, Jenson Button would have had to wait until Monaco for the new gearbox.

Meanwhile, Michael Schumacher took a five-place grid penalty in Bahrain due to Mercedes having to break the seal on his gearbox prior to the race.

He can therefore have a complete gearbox change for Barcelona, which according to Auto Motor und Sport is an all-new carbon housing design that is lighter, which should improve the W04's treatment of the Pirelli tires.

Teammate Nico Rosberg must wait until Monaco before he can use the new 'box.