Auto News 5

New York City is a big place. The Jacob Javits Center is an equally large venue. In it, a bunch of car things happen, and people happen as well.

With many hundreds of auto journalists, manufacturer people and cars galore, little situations are bound to arise -- be they good, awkward or bad (our lack of vitamin D over the winter months has taken its toll, and the promise of more sun and warmth gets to some of us).

Here's a collection of a few of my favourite 2013 NYIAS press day moments:

A MINI Woody Clubman wagon! OK, so the wood's not real, but I love the idea. Surprised? Didn't think so...

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Continue reading Matt's Top 15 NYIAS Press Day Moments

From press release

The new-look FIA GT Series kicks off this weekend in Nogaro, France, featuring a field of quality and diverse entries, with 26 of the best and most spectacular GT cars in the world.

A recognizable core of illustrious former GT1 World and GT3 European Championship teams has committed to the new-look FIA GT Series this season, laying solid foundations of growth for the future.

Amongst the teams to watch this weekend is last season's FIA GT World and European Championships, the newly-named HTP Gravity Charouz team (formerly HEICO), which enters three Mercedes SLS AMG GT3s.

Another title-winning team from last season is Belgian Audi Club Team WRT, which enters two Pro Cup Audi R8 LMS ultras.

Other entries of great interest include the leading Ferrari team and FIA GT Championships' regular AF Corse and their Ferrari 458 Italias, and Dörr Motorsport which enters a pair of McLaren MP4-12Cs, and Phoenix Racing with a pair of Audi R8 LMS.

Sebastien Loeb's McLaren MP4-12C. (Photo: FIA GT Series)

Not to forget Sebastien Loeb Racing - the team of the nine-time World Rally champion and motorsport legend, fielding two McLaren MP4-12C cars. Now embarking upon his first full season in circuit racing and one of the most familiar faces in world motorsport, Loeb will pair up with talented McLaren factory driver, Alvaro Parente.

The French team also fields a second McLaren for the experienced GT duo of local hero Mike Parisy from Pau and Andreas Zuber.

With all due respect to a brand for which I have much respect, for a short while there I thought they were all but dead.

The period between Ford dropping them like a gym bag full of old dingy workout clothes to transitioning to holdings of their news owners, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to today was, in a word; rough.

In that near 3 ½-year period, Volvo lay silent. Products such as the XC60 and S60 fared well (for Volvo), but little was heard or said as far as advertising other than “safety can be sexy.”

Improvements and changes
This has all changed, and for the better. Volvo, along with the support of their new parent company, is in the midst of turning things around.

The next step in the Swedish company's resurgence is a near brand-wide facelift that will serve as a much needed refresher in showrooms for the 2014 model year.

Although the touchups are minor, they are still noticeable, at least to those interested and considering a Volvo product. Essentially, the front fascias gain a shinier grille and the headlights have grown slightly. The rear gets some attention as well where the tailpipes are now better integrated into the bumper.

Onboard, a new set of digital gauges (or Adaptive Digital Display) will be available in the new S60 and XC60. Visually, the impact from the driver's seat is quite illuminating, like stepping into the present.

The other news pertains mostly to an issue that had plagued Volvo for a while. Having owned a 2004 Volvo XC70 for a number of years, I cannot say with a straight face that I was happy with its fuel consumption numbers. These results are expected to change dramatically in the next few years with a slew of new or revised powertrains that will consist mostly of 4-cylinder engines in various states of tune, and include Hybrid applications.

The Really Big News
The arrival of the V60 Sports Wagon for the 2015 model year. I'll tell you more about it in another story, but it is what the coming of this vehicle represents for the brand that is especially telling.

Marc Engelen, President & CEO, Volvo Cars of Canada Corp., is no stranger to the Swedish brand having spent nearly 18 years with the company. He took up the top spot at Volvo Canada on July 1st of 2012, and in nine short months has been instrumental in revitalizing the brand not only in Canada but in North America.

His determination and experience were influential in bringing the V60 here as Volvo intends to grow in what it considers to be a strong, stable market with plenty of potential.

As we all know, product is key and introducing a core brand-image-reflecting car (such as the V60 Sports Wagon) can and will only do some good.

The future is bright
But this is not all: Engelen promises much more is to come from the Gothenburg-based company as new or completely revised cars and crossovers are on their way, as well. Talk about creating hype and making the dealership network feel loved and appreciated again.

The next such introduction will be the XC90. It has been all but invisible for a while (nowhere to be found on the Geneva or NY auto show floors) and is slated for official launch in late 2014. And with it, don't expect a 6-cylinder engine to be offered even as a option. Later on, the S80 will be given a new lease on life and take its rightful place as the undisputed flagship of the brand.

So, the ball is about to be served in the buyer's courts. At the moment, Engelen and Volvo Canada are finally giving us writers real and positive fodder to transmit to you, our readers, and it's all good news.

Are you like me and find yourself routing for the brand? I can't help but see Volvo as a “good-guy” brand, and deserving success.

From a low of roughly 5,500 sales in 2012, the future can only be bright from here.

Tires are the most expensive consumables on a car. Sure, if your transmission fails, it will be costly to replace, more so than a set of tires. Consider that you'll most likely have purchased 3 to 4 sets of tires before the 'box kicks the bucket. As well, you're likely to replace your rubbers a few times before the car is put out to pasture.

This page serves as a hub, bringing together the most important aspects you need to know about tires.

Buick is a brand with a wealth of history behind it, and today is seen as one of the major forerunners of the new face of General Motors. Much of the credit for this surely lies with the Buick LaCrosse as it is, perhaps more than any other, the model that led to the successful resurgence of the Buick name back into the luxury automobile market.

Naturally, when it comes to updating a model as important as this, the company would be foolish to go radical.So for 2014, expect a little more of everything, and everything nicely executed!


The 2014 Buick LaCrosse is available with a choice of two powertrains: a 2.4L 4-cylinder with eAssist (light electrification technology) rated at 182 hp or a 3.6L V6 (304 hp). Both come paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The new Buick LaCrosse, although available in 2WD, is also available with an advanced Haldex all-wheel-drive system with electronic limited slip differential (eLSD) that automatically decides how to distribute torque based on vehicle speed, throttle position and individual wheel slip.

A more expressive design
Exterior updates on the 2014 Buick LaCrosse include:

• New front fascia;
• Sculpted hood and more prominent waterfall grille;
• New styling both front and rear;
• Signature wing-shape LED daytime running lamps and LED wraparound tail lamps.

New interior environment
The interior of the 2014 Buick LaCrosse also receives a refreshed look with redesigned seats and a new central instrument panel/console. There's also an all-new Ultra Luxury Interior Package (synthetic suede headliner, semi-aniline leather seating, authentic Tamo Ash wood trim) available. This interior propels the new LaCrosse even further into the luxury segment. All models also feature Buick's QuietTuning process that reduces unwanted cabin noise, and should make the new 2014 LaCrosse one of the quietest in its segment.

The 2014 LaCrosse also receives a new configurable 8” colour touchscreen, and the company's next-generation IntelliLink system with advanced features including natural language voice recognition.

New safety features
Two Driver Confidence packages are now available:

• Package No. 1 includes:
• Forward Collision Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Lane Change Alert
• Side Blind Zone Alert
• Rear Cross-Traffic Alert
• High-Intensity Discharge headlamps with Active Forward Lighting, fog lamps
• Head-Up Display

Package No. 2 adds:

• Radar-based Forward Collision Alert
• Collision Preparation (with Collision Mitigation Braking)
• Full-speed-range Adaptive Cruise Control
• Safety Alert Seat

This comes on top of the eight standard air bags in the 2014 Buick LaCrosse, including rear-seat thorax air bags, StabiliTrak, traction control, and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and Intelligent Brake Assist. Plus a rear-vision camera is available.

Summary
Don't expect radical changes in the 2014 Buick LaCrosse. However, look for perhaps slightly more than you would expect to find, because that's precisely what the new LaCrosse has to offer!

The new 2014 Buick LaCrosse goes on sale this summer and its key competitors will most likely be the Acura TL, the Lexus ES350 and the Lincoln MKZ.

Unfortunately, no Canadian pricing is available at this time.

Photo: Buick

Hyundai presented the all-new 2014 Equus for the first time in North America at the New York Auto Show.

Significantly enhanced both inside and out, this full-size sedan gets the Korean automaker's award-winning 5.0L GDI V8 engine, which produces 429 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque via an eight-speed automatic transmission with SHIFTRONIC manual mode.

Riding on a new set of 19” turbine-blade alloy wheels in a polished silver finish, the 2014 Hyundai Equus' front fascia has been redesigned with thinner chrome grille bars and new lower fascia opening strakes in place of the former chrome accents. New LED fog lights come standard, while the side mirrors have been redesigned and the taillight graphics incorporated to a more horizontal theme.

Inside, look for a restyled dashboard and improved control layout on the steering wheel. As for technologies, there's a larger, 7” TFT LCD centre display in Signature models, and a large 12.3” TFT LCD gauge cluster display in Ultimate models. A Blind Spot Detection system with rear cross-traffic alert is now standard, while the Equus Ultimate adds a multi-view camera system that provides a nearly 360-degree aerial view of the vehicle for optimized visibility and safety.

Photo: Hyundai

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal, Caterham F1 Team said the Anglo-Malaysian team is disappointed but not beaten after the first two Grands Prix of the 2013 season.

“We knew these two back-to-back races would be difficult, but we managed to do the best we could,” said Abiteboul in a Caterham video interview.

“We managed to get two race finishes for our two drivers, Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde. They both learned a lot and are fitting well in the team. Charles was also new to the Renault engine and to the KERS. We are also still in the process of learning the new CT03,” Abiteboul added.

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

The Frenchman explained that all teams faced rough conditions in these two races.

“Those two races took place in very different conditions. It was colder than expected in Australia and very hot in Malaysia. The team was really down after FP1 in Melbourne. We expected to be fighting against Marussia, but they were in front of us. Maybe the cold conditions were fitting their car better. In the heat of Malaysia, we were not that far. We noticed that other teams are not that far from us, which is encouraging,” Abiteboul continued.

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

“It's good to have a big break right now. It gives us the chance to repair the damages. We broke quite a few parts. We came back with four front wins less than when we left. So we have to do the repairs and fabricate new components. We will bring new parts in Bahrain, and then some other new ones in Barcelona. So it is encouraging and we are going in the right direction,” Abiteboul said.

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Friday is the fourth and final day of the first collective DTM test session held at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain.

Day 1 say Canadian Robert Wickens set the fastest time in his Mercedes-Benz C-Coupe ahead of BMW's Martin Tomczyk in his M3.

Robert Wickens, Mercedes. (Photo: DTM)

Mercedes' Gary Paffett was quickest in Day 2, finishing in front of Augusto Farfus for BMW.

On Day 3 it was the turn of Jamie Green to shine in his Audi RS5, setting the best time of the day in front of DTM rookie, Pascal Wehrlein in a C-Coupe.

Jamie Green, Audi. (Photo: DTM)

The teams tested the new Hankook option tire. This tire features a softer compound than the well-known DTM control tire. Due to this change, the option tire offers the driver the opportunity to set for a certain period in time - estimated some 40 kilometres - the opportunity to set lap times that are about 1 to 1.5 seconds faster.

Pascal Wehrlein, Mercedes. (Photo: DTM)

If the tire used for a longer period, however, the lap times will drop significantly. The question how long and when the new tire should be used represent a new challenge for the team strategists.

Different strategies will increase the excitement for the fans who will be able to see if a driver is racing on the option tire as it features a yellow mark on its side.

Bruno Spengler, BMW. (Photo: DTM)

Every driver will be provided with just one set of option tires per weekend and must use this set of tires once in the race. The decision around the mandatory pit stops has not yet been made.

Mike Rockenfeller, Audi. (Photo: DTM)

For this season, the sets of tires will be drawn on the Friday of the respective race weekend and afterwards are fitted by Hankook for the teams. Then, the tires are sealed until they are used in the free practice session. This procedure is repeated between the qualifying session and the race.

Martin Tomczyk, BMW. (Photo: DTM)

After Mercedes set the best performances on Tuesday and Wednesday with Robert Wickens and Gary Paffet, Jamie Green was fastest on the third day of collective testing in Barcelona.

Jamie Green. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

The Brit, who joined Audi after eight seasons under Mercedes' colors, set his best lap time in 1'07'171, with 180 laps cumulated on the day. Second fastest was 18-year-old Pascal Wehrlein, who is about to make his DTM debuts with Mercedes, and who was only 0,065 seconds slower than Green.

The first BMW driver was Dirk Werner, who was 7th quickest, 0,242 seconds slower than Green.

From GMM

1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve is not sure Sebastian Vettel's apologies should be so readily accepted.

Vettel repeatedly said sorry to Mark Webber after Sunday's Malaysian grand prix, where he passed the Australian for victory against Red Bull's orders.

And he apologised to the Milton-Keynes based team's entire staff on Thursday, team boss Christian Horner revealed.

"He recognises the team is vitally important and being part of the team is a crucial aspect to being able to challenge for the championships," said Horner.

But outspoken Villeneuve, now a television pundit, told Germany's Auto Bild: "It's easy to make excuses. In the end he's got the win and the points. Mark has nothing. It was a deliberate decision by Vettel."

Sebastian Vettel ahead Mark Webber, Red Bull RB9-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

French Canadian Villeneuve said it is obvious the 25-year-old triple world champion did the wrong thing.

"The team give you the contract and pay you money and so you do what they want you to do. It's very simple," he said.

Jacques Villeneuve compared the Sepang saga with 1982, when Didier Pironi similarly ignored a 'do not pass' agreement to beat his father, Gilles Villeneuve, to the chequered flag at Imola.

Didier Pironi leads Gilles Villeneuve at the end of the 1982 San Marno Grand Prix. (Photo: WRI2)

"Ignoring is just plain wrong," said Villeneuve. "The best example is my father and Didier Pironi. Just look at the problems that caused."

Indeed, Gilles Villeneuvewas so enraged by Pironi's actions that many believe it contributed to his crash and death at Zolder shortly afterwards.

Whatever the case, the general consensus in the paddock is that the affair has terminally damaged the teammates' relationship at Red Bull.

"They will simply have to try to survive the rest of the season somehow," former driver Mika Salo told Finland's MTV3 broadcaster. "For next season, they (Red Bull) will probably look for another driver to put in Webber's place."

A former Central Intelligence Agency director, speaking in Detroit on Thursday, challenged two prevailing political arguments on energy policy and independence while emphasizing the importance of consumer choice at the fuel pump.

The EPA will propose a package of rules on Friday that includes cleaner gasoline and stricter limits on pollution from the tailpipes of cars, sources say.

The EPA proposed a package of rules today that includes cleaner gasoline and stricter limits on pollution from the tailpipes of cars, despite objections from the oil industry.

The UAW's membership rolls grew slightly in 2012 as the auto industry rebounded, even though the union did not achieve its longstanding goal of organizing a major auto factory in the South.

Toyota Motor revealed a refreshed version of its Scion tC coupe and special editions of the brand's other models Thursday at the New York auto show where Scion got its start.

The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has received 1,585 complaints about vehicle financing since last March, according to data released by the agency today.

2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Have A Seat

This car has some mighty comfy chairs. Or does it?

As the calendar flips from winter to spring, our Four Seasons Nissan Altima moves into the second half of its yearlong test with Automobile Magazine. In recent months, the car has taken us to auto shows, to the airport, to the train station, to Kentucky, and across southern Michigan.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Four Seasons Update - March 2013 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5 SL - Four Seasons Update - March 2013 - Automobile Magazine

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2014 Dodge Durango First Look

Renewed, and with eight speeds, to boot.

Rumors of the Dodge Durango's death were greatly exaggerated. Although we heard Chrysler was axing Dodge's three-row sport utility, paving the way for a Jeep product riding on the same platform, the plans has changed. The Durango remains part of Dodge's portfolio, and receives a moderate mid-cycle update for the 2014 model year.

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2014 Dodge Durango - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Look: 2014 Dodge Durango - Automobile Magazine

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A labor strike at GM's plant in Rayong, Thailand, over the last few months is hitting the supply chain.

Also in this episode: A West Virginia state representative wants to ban Google Glass behind the wheel; Dartz is set to make the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen even more insane.