Auto News 5

Renault aims to grow its market share in emerging markets with the launch of two low-cost vehicles, one of which would challenge the Tata Nano in India, a French news Web site reported.

China's passenger-vehicle sales will expand by an average 8 percent a year to reach 22 million in 2020, driven by demand for SUVs and rising incomes in smaller cities, according to a report from McKinsey.

The battle for the top spot in luxury car sales over the next decade likely will be decided by who wins the largest share of the expanding market for smaller premium cars. Current No.

Toyota is rolling out two precrash safety systems that it says will help prevent high-speed collisions and pedal-misapplication accidents. The technology will debut soon in a high-end Toyota-brand sedan.

The battle for the top spot in luxury car sales over the next decade likely will be decided by who wins the largest share of the expanding market for smaller premium cars. Current No.

China's passenger-vehicle sales will expand by an average 8 percent a year to reach 22 million in 2020, driven by demand for sport-utility vehicles and rising incomes in smaller cities, according to a report from McKinsey and Co.

Nissan Motor, hoping to boost disappointing sales for the Leaf electric car, said it has improved the driving range of its alternative-fuel vehicle by 14 percent and lowered its price tag.

French supplier Valeo is poised to become North America's second-largest producer of climate-control systems, breaking a tie with Visteon, now that the company has formed a joint venture to acquire operations producing those systems from Ford.

Chrysler Group will sell less than half as many 2013 SRT Vipers all of next year as it sold Jeep Patriots in October. Executives with the automaker's new Street and Racing Technology brand are OK with that.

Dr Vijay Mallya has confirmed that Sahara Force India Formula 1 team will invest several millions of dollars in new technology for next season of the World Championship.

“We've scored more points in 2012 than in any previous season and every year we've demonstrated that we've gone up the ladder. Given the tools that we have, which are mostly of the Jordan era, we have done exceptionally well,” said Mallya.

The co-owner of the team indicated that the team has the ambition of moving forward next season.

Vijay Mallya. (Photo: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

“We had a board meeting in India after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the board has approved a £50 million ($80M) capital investment programme for the team. We are going to invest heavily in new technology and give more tools to our design team to try and move further up the grid,” he added.

The Indian billionnaire wants his team to beat Sauber for sixth place in the constructors' championship. With just one race to go this Sunday in Brazil, Sauber is sixth with 124 points, while Sahara Force India is seventh with 99.

“We hope that Nico (Hulkenberg) will be able to pull off what he did for Williams in 2010 [pole position]. That's what is needed if we want to catch Sauber! Otherwise I hope we can end the season with a strong result. Two cars in the points would be nice,” said Mallya.

NASCAR driver Danica Patrick disclosed via her Facebook page that she and her husband, Paul Hospenthal, had - amicably - decided to end their marriage of seven years.

Message from Danica Patrick to her fans: "I am sad to inform my fans that after 7 years, Paul and I have decided to amicably end our marriage. This isn't easy for either of us, but mutually it has come to this. He has been an important person and friend in my life and that's how we will remain moving forward."

The former IndyCar driver and GoDaddy.com spokesperson had met Hospenthal, a physical therapist, when she was recovering from a yoga injury.

Danica Patrick and Paul Hospenthal at Daytona, beginning of 2012. (Photo: NASCAR)

The Roscoe, Illinois native made NASCAR history as she finished 10th, in her first full year in stock car racing's Triple-A series. She's the highest placed woman to compete in NASCAR's top level National touring series.

On Monday, Ms. Patrick was voted the NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular driver. Next year she will become a full-time driver in the premier level Sprint Cup Division.

From press release

The newly formed Qatar Red Bull Rally Team showed off its 2013 Dakar contender and driver line-up.

The Qatar Red Bull Rally Team has revealed its new buggy, which will compete at the 2013 Dakar Rally in South America this January. The buggy will be piloted by previous Dakar winners and former Volkswagen teammates Carlos Sainz, who won the rally 2010, and Nasser Al-Attiyah, who took victory in 2011.



The buggy that the duo will pilot takes its inspiration from US Baja-style desert-racers, but has combined that American durability with European engineering to create what the team believes is an innovative off-road vehicle.

Speaking of the project, Sainz, who won the World Rally Championship in 1990 and 1992, said: “There's nothing quite like preparing a completely new car for a Dakar Rally and my first impressions of this buggy is that it's a very impressive machine.

“The whole team has great hopes that we can achieve a good performance at the 2013 Dakar Rally,” he added. “It's still very early days to be saying how far up the leader board we can finish in this car but we are working everyday to make sure we get the set-up just right.”

The DTM series will be return to Spain in 2013, and therefore next year's calendar will comprise the same number of rounds as this year.

The DTM competitors will contest 10 races in 2013, and the highlight of the season will be the maiden DTM race in Russia that will be held on August 4, a stone's throw from Russia's capital Moscow.

The traditional season finale at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg will take place as early as September 15. Just 19 weeks or 133 days after the season kick-off contested at the same venue on May 5, the Southern German circuit will be the venue of the decision in the battle for the titles.

In addition to the round at Moscow, the calendar comprises another three abroad races: on May 19, DTM will be racing at Brands Hatch/GB and two weeks later, on June 2, the DTM drivers will battle it out for championship points at Austria's Red Bull Ring - with the final race on foreign soil, the round at Zandvoort, Netherlands, being held for July 21.

The 2013 DTM calendar*
May 5 Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)
May 19 Brands Hatch (GB)
June 2 Red Bull Ring Spielberg (A)
June 16 Lausitzring (D)
July 7 Norisring (D)
July 21 Circuit Park Zandvoort (NL)
August 4 Moscow (RUS)
August 18 Nürburgring (D)
September 1st Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (D)
September 15 Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg (D)

*Subject to approval by FIA

Organisers of the Korean Formula 1 Grand Prix revealed that they have lost a little more than $36 million.

News agency Reuters reports that the Korean race (which staged its third F1 Grand Prix last Spring) returned operating losses of $36.4 million, potentially threatening its place on the F1 calendar.

South Korean organisers claim that they are not able to attract a sufficient number of spectators during the race weekend.

They have also expressed dissatisfaction at the terms of their contract with the owner of the commercial rights of F1, particularly over the cost of race-sanctioning fees.

They declared last year they were seeking renegotiate its Grand Prix contract in a bid to keep the event on the calendar following doubts over its future.

From GMM

Norbert Haug has played down the possibility Michael Schumacher will return to the paddock next year with a prominent F1 role.

The seven time world champion is returning to retirement after a three-year comeback with Mercedes, but had been tipped for a non-driving role at Mercedes.

"There will be talks after the season," Mercedes' motor racing vice-president Haug told SID news agency.

Michael Schumacher. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

"However, I don't think Michael wants a role in formula one. He loves our brand and we would count ourselves very lucky if Michael would work with us further in the international sphere for Mercedes. There are few sportsmen who are rated as highly as he is, or loved as much. And the roots of his professional career were with Mercedes, just as the end of his active career was as well. A further cooperation could not be more authentic," added Haug.

Meanwhile, Haug denied suggestions Mercedes is ramping up its formula one budget to coincide with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton in 2013.

"I don't know where these rumours come from," said the German. "That was never the plan, and we never have nor never will complain about having too little money."

Our cars, trucks and SUVs don't like being forced into action on a cold morning any more than we do -- let alone after sleeping outside, covered in ice and salt.

Yet, Canadians everywhere will soon begin waking up their Hondas and Dodges, and Fords and Volkswagens at 30-below, then setting off with little thought about the cruel challenges posed by the extreme temperatures.

Simply; your car is expected to perform the same way, every day of the year, cold or not.

For a closer look at how automakers ensure that's the case, I talked to Hayato Mori, Honda Canada's Manager of Product Planning.

Photo: Matthieu Lambert

Justin Pritchard (JP): How do you make sure a car will start without being plugged in at temperatures that make us cringe?

Hayato Mori (HM): For gasoline to be ignited by a spark plug, it needs to be in vapor form -- and not much evaporates in the cold.

Even before start-up, the car knows air temperature, pressure and flow, as well as engine temperature, speed and location of the engine within the cycle. This allows the injectors to spray a fine fuel mist in ideal amounts, at the perfect time, to maximize the likelihood of combustion.

And, thankfully, most of the things that make for an efficient engine, like low friction, precise measurement and good fuel control, also make for an easier cold start. Some credit has to be given to the fuel companies, too. All gasoline distributors in Canada provide a “winter fuel” to help the fuel vaporize when cold.

JP: Does Honda have a minimum standard temperature at which vehicles must be able to start?

HM: We sell cars in Russia, Northern Europe and all over Canada. The customer expectation is the same globally: “It has to start.” This is our target.

JP: Can you share any specific exercises that vehicles are put through in cold weather testing?

HM: The testing after development has been completed is focused on making sure the car works as expected in the hands of a Canadian customer. How quickly the car warms up, defrosts and starts is one example. Getting you through the drive-thru without any annoyances is one of our tests, too.

JP: Any big challenges to predict for future winter or performance testing?

HH: As engine size decreases and vehicle interiors grow, ensuring a car with a small engine and a large interior can keep the passengers warm in extreme cold may require creative solutions. But currently we have no issues keeping our Honda Fit customers warm in extreme cold with traditional, well designed and sized HVAC and cooling systems coupled to an efficient engine.

JP: Where is cold weather testing performed?

HM: Cold temperature testing starts on the tiniest clip, hinge or circuit board in “cold chambers” worldwide by suppliers before they are considered for use. Design and development groups then test vehicles in environmental chambers to make sure it all works as expected when assembled.

There's no replacement for real-world testing, and Honda engineers can be found on frozen ice roads worldwide, including northern Canada.

Only two drivers -- Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso-- still have a mathematical chance of claiming the 2012 Formula 1 World Championship. Let's review all the possibilities for each driver.

The “easiest” way for Sebastian Vettel to clinch his third title is to finish Sunday's race in the top four, regardless of where Fernando Alonso finishes. Vettel would take the title because of his higher number of wins during the season.

Fernando Alonso can only win the championship by finishing on the podium. Fourth or lower is no good at all for the Ferrari driver. If Alonso wins and Vettel is fifth or lower, the Spaniard will be champion.

Here is the points possibility chart with the current standings and the points awarded for each position.

From GMM

Rumours of 'financial difficulty' at Lotus are continuing.

Early this week, it was claimed Kimi Raikkonen's place at the Enstone based team might actually be in doubt for 2013.

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said there is an issue in terms of promised bonus money in the Finn's 2012 contract, given his unexpectedly large points tally.

"I don't know where this stuff comes from. I can't say anything about it," the 2007 world champion's spokesman Riku Kuvajan was quoted by the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

Photo: Lotus F1 Team

Now, on Wednesday, the German magazine said other staff at the Enstone based team are waiting for their pay-cheques.

Auto Motor und Sport said the team's management is holding out for the latest installment of commercial income from the sport's owners, headed by chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

The report said Lotus is waiting for that money to "pay the wages of 493 employees and Kimi Raikkonen".

This year's Los Angeles Auto show is one of the most significant U.S. shows in years for Jaguar Land Rover, said Jaguar Land Rover North America President, Andy Goss.

Three breakthrough new products will be launched starting with the Jaguar XFR-S, the fastest and most powerful sedan the brand has ever produced.

Meanwhile, the new 2013 Range Rover is hailed as the world's first SUV with a lightweight all-aluminum body. The US-spec vehicle with the naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 will weigh approximately 380 kilograms less than the outgoing equivalent. Fuel economy will improve, as will emission control.

Lastly, visitors at the L.A. Auto Show will get to see the premiere of the all-new Jaguar F-TYPE, for the first time shown in Black Pack performance trim. This two-seat, soft-top convertible sports car is built on a front-engine, lightweight aluminum architecture with rear-wheel drive.

Release dates for the Canadian market remain undisclosed for now.

Photo: Jaguar

The new 2013 Honda Crosstour is now arriving at dealers across the country with more purposeful exterior styling, significant upgrades to the interior design and materials, more power and efficiency, as well as revised pricing.

The base four-cylinder model starts at $28,990, which is $6,000 lower than the most affordable 2012 Crosstour V6 2WD. A new Earth Dreams V6 is also available.

Standard features on the 2013 Honda Crosstour include a rearview camera with guidelines, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, fog lights, one-touch turn signals, and an Expanded View interior mirror, just to name a few.

The 2013 Crosstour is one of the first Honda models available with the new keyless Smart Entry with Push Button start, as well as the brand's LaneWatch blind-spot display. Other advanced safety features such as Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Warning can be specified, too.

The four-cylinder engine is rated at 9.4L/100km in the city, 6.4L/100km on the highway, and 8.1L/100km combined. The ratings for the V6 are 11.1, 7.1 and 9.3, respectively.

Photo: Honda