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Volkswagen in China will recall 384,181 vehicles to fix a gearbox problem.

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Prior to the 2013 model year, the S5 coupe was equipped with a

The European Union's industry committee has backed a compromise that would give carmakers limited leeway in the race to cut CO2 emissions in line with targets while rejecting German calls for more lenient rules.

News 20 Mar, 2013

In this week's issue we drive the new Clio Renaultsport and look at how to minimise the cost of classic car ownership

VW Group's recall in China to fix defective gearboxes may cost it more than $600 million. The recall affects 384,181 vehicles including the VW Golf Audi A3, China's quality inspector said.

Johnson Controls has announced the expansion of its interiors plant in East London, South Africa.

New vehicle sales in the Philippines increased by over 35% to 14,332 units in February, from 10,591 units a year earlier, according to member data jointly released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of Philippines Inc (CAMPI) and the Truck Manufacturers Association.

Indonesia's largest automotive components manufacturing group, PT Astra Otoparts, announced plans to issue new shares in May to raise funds to pay off debt and for business expansion.

New vehicle sales in Thailand continued to grow strongly year-on-year in February, by 42.3% to 129,910 units, with order fulfillment still high from the government's first-time buyer incentive scheme which expired at the end of 2012.

Thai Rung Union Car Plc (TRU), a Thai-listed vehicle modifier and components manufacturer, plans to invest THB 500 million (USD 17 million) this year to expand capacity and increase revenue by 15% from last year's THB 3.78 billion.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMI) started up operations at its new USD340 million assembly plant in Karawang in West Java in mid-March, producing the Etios Valco 1.2L small hatch-back.

Opel says it will build the next generation of its Mokka subcompact crossover in Europe and not in Korea, where the current model is manufactured.

Mazda hopes to have a bigger impact in the shrinking mid-sized segment with the new Mazda6. Buyers are increasingly switching to crossovers from sedans.

Hourly workers at Ford's plant in Genk, Belgium, will get $750 million in severance as part of a deal to close that factory by the end of 2014.

From GMM

Retirement is the right option for Ralf Schumacher, according to former F1 rival David Coulthard.

Despite Mercedes signing him up to stay in the DTM series in 2013, 37-year-old Schumacher surprised the racing world late last week when he announced he is hanging up his helmet.

Schumacher, whose older brother is the famous seven time world champion Michael, is instead moving into management, taking up a shareholding in the RSC Mucke Motorsport team.

Also hanging up his helmet late last year was Coulthard, the 41-year-old who raced in the German touring car series alongside Schumacher at Mercedes since 2010.

"I was surprised (about Ralf Schumacher's decision)," Coulthard told the Kolner Express newspaper, "because I thought he wanted to stay on for another year. But I know from personal experience how hard it is to compete against these DTM guys. For me it (retiring) was right, and I think also Ralf has realised that it is time to go."

Ralf Schumacher, Mercedes. (Photo: DTM)

In a press release published Wednesday March 20, the Renault Group and four-time Formula 1 world champion, Alain Prost, announced the prolongation of their relationship for the coming year.

From Renault Sport F1

Alain Prost has been the Brand Ambassador for Renault since 2012 and will take on an enlarged consultancy role within Renault Sport F1 this year.

In addition to his current duties promoting the brand in press and marketing activities, the Frenchman will assume an advisory role within the Renault Sport F1 Executive Committee.

Within the scope of this role he will attend a selection of races over the year, plus events outside the F1 calendar, including the World Series by Renault and various other competition activities.

Photo: DPPI

Alain Prost and Renault have a long working history. Alain Prost raced for the Equipe Renault Elf in the early part of his F1 career, from 1981 to 1983. Over this period he won nine races, only missing the drivers' title in 1983 by two points. He resumed his relationship with Renault in 1993 after joining Williams. The Frenchman went on to dominate the championship with seven wins, thus securing his fourth and final world title.

“Alain's experience of F1 personnel and politics combined with his sharp intelligence and retained enthusiasm for the sport has already been of great benefit as we consolidate our position as an engine supplier to four teams,” said Jean-Michel Jalinier, Renault Sport F1 President and Managing Director.

“We will continue to draw on his knowledge this year, particularly as we prepare for the technical challenges of the 2014 engine regulations.”

“Renault has a long history within F1 and everything it has done in the sport has ultimately been a success. Indeed I have achieved some of the greatest results of my career with Renault power,” Alain Prost added.

“Over the past year I have seen that it has kept the same passion and rigour for F1, and it has stayed true to these values as it prepares for the new V6 power unit in 2014. I will use my experience and knowledge of the sport to advise on strategic and technical challenges - it's a very exciting time for everyone and together we represent very strong potential,” Prost said.

From GMM

The buck will stop at Martin Whitmarsh if McLaren cannot quickly emerge from its early 2013 slump, according to former team driver David Coulthard.

Having lost team stars Lewis Hamilton and Paddy Lowe ahead of the new season, the Woking based team struggled markedly in Australia with the radical new MP4-28.

Whitmarsh, team boss, might ultimately shoulder the blame, Scot Coulthard wrote in a column for the Telegraph.

"You cannot escape the fact that there is pressure upon Martin Whitmarsh as team principal, for in the end, the captain of the ship is responsible for its navigation," said the 41-year-old, who drove for McLaren between 1996 and 2004.

"F1 is not a sport where people shy away from responsibility. Any evidence of a lack of commitment, lack of focus, or an inability to deliver consistently, is immediately addressed. Failure is not an option," Coulthard added.

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren's team boss. (Photo: WRi2)

There has been talk of McLaren scrapping the MP4-28 in favour of reverting to the winning 2012 car, but that cannot be done in the very short term.

"Am I excited for the next race (in Malaysia)? We certainly will not be quick," Jenson Button is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace.

On the possibility of the 2012 car returning to action later on, Whitmarsh is quoted by Italy's Autosprint: "Purely from a technical points of view, it would be possible."

As the pressure ramps up, Button backed his boss.

"Everyone looks up to Martin," he is quoted by the Daily Mail. "It's difficult to always be strong, but he is doing a bloody good job. There is no finger-pointing. We want to improve, but it is going to be a long journey for us I think."

From wrc.com

Four weeks before he makes his World Rally Championship debut on Rally Portugal, former Formula 1 driver, Robert Kubica has admitted that the loose-surface event is likely to be his hardest test of the year.

The Pole will contest the seven-round WRC 2 championship in a Citroen DS3 RRC, tackling the remaining events in the WRC calendar except the rounds in Argentina, Australia and the season finale in Great Britain.

Alongside him will be experienced Polish co-driver, Maciek Baran, who since 2003 has navigated for WRC regular Michal Solowow. The pair will also take part in four rounds of the European Championship, starting with next week's all-asphalt Rally Islas Canarias.

As he unveiled the livery of his new Citroen, Kubica explained that his objective for 2013 was to build experience of the rallies and of driving with pace notes.

“Each and every rally will be new to me,” he said. “This year Rally Portugal will be the hardest. Although some sources apparently claim that I have already done some test on gravel, in fact I haven't done it yet. We will test after the Canaries Rally. Rally Portugal will be my first world championship event, first gravel rally and for the first time I will tackle such long stages - one of them has over 50 kilometres. It will be a steep learning curve for us.”

“My goal is clear: to learn, learn, learn. Experience is essential here, more important than in racing. On circuits we do a lot of laps, the driver knows the track by heart. Here you have to trust the pace notes completely. For me it is important to work on my pace notes system, I feel it can be improved and this is the key to success,” he added.

A difficult decision to take
Kubica acknowledged that the decision to switch from racing to rallying hadn't been easy, and he didn't rule out a return to the racetrack.

“Everything I do in my life, I do with one hundred per cent commitment,” he said. “My approach to rallies will be the same, but I will not put racing aside. Probably I will test a lot on circuit this year, but only if my rally schedule allows it.”

“The most important thing to me was to come back to competing at highest possible level in motorsport. I guess it worked out - only Formula 1 is at higher level than World Rally Championship, although in fact it is impossible to compare these two series. These are two different kinds of sport, so it's like comparing one of the most famous marathon runs in the world to 100 metres sprint run during Olympic Games,” he added.

From GMM

Caterham has hit back at paddock rumours team founder Tony Fernandes has lost interest in the F1 project and could soon shut it down.

Late last year, Malaysian entrepreneur Fernandes handed over the role as team boss to Cyril Abiteboul.

And the decision to replace the highly rated Heikki Kovalainen with a second pay-driver for 2013 was seen by some as an acknowledgement that Caterham is unlikely to ever make the giant leap from the back even to the middle of the grid.

Indeed, the green cars lined up dead last on the Melbourne grid last Sunday, while Caterham was the only team whose drivers both finished the race two laps down.

Caterham CT03. (Photo: WRi2)

Riad Asmat, Caterham chief executive, dismissed all the rumours.

"If I remember correctly, our alleged demise has been reported about since we came into formula one in 2010," he is quoted by Speed Week.

He said "The investments we have already made for the new turbo era" beginning in 2014 is clear evidence Caterham has no intention of pulling out of F1.

"Why would we spend money like that if we're closing down?" the Malaysian asked rhetorically.

"Formula one is part of a larger picture of our business model," Asmat continued, "and a fundamental part of the complete philosophy.

"That is the second reason why the rumours of a withdrawal are nonsense. Caterham is staying this year, next year and for many more years," he insisted.

I've said it before and will repeat it countless times in the future: I love cars. I especially love cars that have a purpose, a clearly defined one. Think Scion FR-S, Ford F-150, Mercedes Sprinter and Subaru Outback.

When I first glanced at pictures of the 2013 Chevrolet Trax, I thought I had found a new nameplate to add to my list. When I took delivery of my Trax, I was immediately smitten with its quirky almost cute mug. The love quickly dissipated in the course of our comparo as the Chevrolet Trax lost its grip in the shootout.


What is a Trax?
General Motors dubs the 2013 Chevrolet Trax the “smart SUV.” The fact of the matter is that it's a compact crossover that further blurs the definition of what a CUV is.

The Trax competes against the likes of the Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan as well as taking on the Mitsubishi RVR and Subaru XV Crosstrek.

The name would suggest that the Trax is a minimally capable off-roader; however, this is not the case. Available with AWD, the 2013 Chevrolet Trax is primarily urbanite as its outer dimensions suggest maneuverability and its ability to fit in relatively small parking spots.

General Motors dubs the 2013 Chevrolet Trax the “smart SUV.” The fact of the matter is that it's a compact crossover that further blurs the definition of what a CUV is. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Technicalities
The 2013 Chevrolet Trax is shod out of the box with a turbocharged 4-cylinder ECOTEC 1.4L engine that produces 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. The LS model has a standard 6-speed manual transmission in base trim, and a 6-speed autobox is optional, standard on all other trims. Front-wheel-drive is standard while AWD is a $1,950 option. Pricing starts at $18,495.

Driving the Trax
Despite the smallish displacement motor, the turbo manages to make things generally interesting. Perhaps the best aspect of the drivetrain is its impressively frugal fuel consumption numbers; we averaged fewer than 10L/100 km on test day, the best by far of the lot. Acceleration is decent, but the addition of three passengers to go along with the driver maxes out what the powertrain can achieve.

The optional 6-speed autobox swaps gears with skill, but prefers to do things at its rate. In other words, the Trax does not like to be rushed. With the available AWD, the 2013 Chevrolet Trax proves to be a competent tool to get around on snow-covered roads, particularly in the city. Where the countryside is concerned, as I found out firsthand during the comparo drive, things aren't as good.

What became evident was the Trax's suspension calibration or, better yet, lack thereof. The 2013 Chevrolet Trax suffered from poor weight transfer control on some of the twistier country roads. The same applied to strut rebound and compression control; in short, the Trax felt floaty while the others remained composed and surefooted.

Steering was numb with little feedback but thankfully, its precision was never put in doubt. As for the brakes, the top portion of pedal travel was mushy and therefore unresponsive. It was not as disconcerting as with a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu we recently entered in another comparo test.

Despite the less than stellar performances on the open road, the 2013 Chevrolet Trax proved to be an excellent and comfortable steed in the city. It is clear why GM refers to it as the “REAL” city adventurer.

The 2013 Chevrolet Trax is shod out of the box with a turbocharged 4-cylinder ECOTEC 1.4L engine that produces 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Inside and out of the Trax
The most endearing aspect of the 2013 Chevrolet Trax is its outer appearance. Stout and snub-nosed, its short overhangs and wheels at all four corners really make it the perfect “cute” urban jungle-conquering vehicle.

Its tall 5-door body configuration lends itself well to young, small family duty; however, fitting anything more than two adults (or three kids) on the rear bench will work if only for a very short period.

Sadly, the remainder of the cabin takes a serious nosedive. GM designers may have thought to fit a large number of storage areas throughout but they did not think to make it all fit harmoniously together. The dashboard is a smorgasbord of cheap looking, differently textured and poorly assembled pieces of plastic.

The high points include the very easy to use and pleasant to behold MyLink that just about seamlessly brings music, video, smartphones and the like together in a fun-to-use way. Fair marks go to the front seats, the driving position and overall visibility.

The dashboard is a smorgasbord of cheap looking, differently textured and poorly assembled pieces of plastic. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour)

Comparing the Trax
As we discovered in our comparo test of Compact Crossover Alternatives, the 2013 Chevrolet Trax has everything it needs on paper but falls short in execution.

The most hurt on the Trax comes from its pricing. Our AWD 2LT came in at just under $29,000 which is quite pricey when you consider that it has no heated seats or fog lights while those of equal of less money in the comparo did.