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Renault chief Carlos Ghosn wants the French government to take measures to replace the most polluting old diesel models in France.

As our list of vehicle and concept world premieres attests, this year's Geneva motor show media preview days saw a bumper crop of new models revealed. Glenn Brooks, our man at the Palais des Expositions, reports his observations.

Car sales in Western Europe fell by 10.6% in February, according to data released by LMC Automotive.

Ssangyong Motor expects to return to profitability in 2015, its chief executive said, with financial help from parent Mahindra and Mahindra helping it to update its product line.

Kia has said that its Slovakian plant turned in a net profit of EUR155.5m in 2012. It also produced a record 292,050 vehicles last year, 15% up on 2011.

Hyundai plans to double its advertising spending in Europe in a bid to build on market share gains at a time when struggling rivals like Opel and Peugeot are becoming more aggressive in cutting prices.

Getting a van up on two wheels is not for the faint of heart. One has to be driving with a purpose, so common sense goes, as if he's escaping from, say, the

Two years ago, Estonia adopted the Euro, The Artist won Best Picture among insufferable film bores who never saw it,

Infiniti hopes to win European buyers for its Q50 sedan by offering it with a diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz.

UK new-car registrations rose 7.9 percent to 66,749 in February as the market continued to defy the downward trend in other key European markets.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is betting billions of euros that Alfa Romeo and Maserati will help drive the automaker's money-losing European operations back into the black by 2015-2016.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is betting billions of euros that Alfa Romeo and Maserati will help drive the automaker's money-losing European operations back into the black by 2015-2016.

People could argue all day about the most important debut at the Geneva auto show.

From Lotus F1 Team

Lotus F1 Team announced Thursday that CNBC, the world's leading business and financial news network, will become its Official Business Media Partner in a move which cements the team's position as the number one Formula 1 team for business.

CNBC takes business news to a global audience of 390 million homes around the world.

Throughout the 2013 Formula 1 season, this new agreement will allow Lotus F1 Team's partners to benefit from CNBC's unmatched reach of affluent and influential business leaders with commercial advertising campaigns airing on its international network.

This new relationship builds on the team's recent partnerships with brands such as Microsoft, Unilever and The Coca-Cola Company.

The partnership will see CNBC branding on the nose of the team's 2013 car, as well as on driver and pit crew overalls, team uniform, branding around the paddock and on marketing materials.

Photo: Lotus F1 Team

“I've learned from my mistakes,” said Lotus Formula 1 driver, Frenchman Romain Grosjean during an interview he gave Thursday to Canadian motorsport journalists.

Question (Q): Romain, how did you prepare yourself for the 2013 Formula 1 season?

Romain Grosjean (RG): “I worked hard. Today, I am in a good spirits. The past winter has not been easy. I got really scared of losing the Lotus drive. Some nights have been quite difficult. Early December, everything was still up in the air. But when I got the confirmation from Lotus, I worked hard to be in good spirits and physically prepared for Melbourne.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

Q: You were highly criticized last year for your mistakes. Did that influence you?

RG: “It's normal to be criticized sometimes. I was a rookie in F1, and I had to prove myself. Mark Webber was quite hard with me, but it was just moments after the accident, and he was angry with me. But days later, he apologized. I changed my approach and I worked on myself. I have learned from the ups and downs of my first season in F1. I have learned that if I lose one place at the start, I can gain it back during the race.”

Q: The new breed of Pirelli tires caused you and the other drivers a few problems during the winter tests...

RG: “Yes, indeed: We tested the new tires at the end of the last season, and the results were promising. But the temperatures were really cold during the winter tests in Spain, and the tires never worked properly. Their degradation was a lot faster than expected. After three or four laps, they lost their grip and we were slower by four to five seconds a lap. But we tested them in very special conditions, and it will be interesting to see how they will handle and behave in Australia. Pirelli is bringing super soft and soft tires to Melbourne, so we expect them to degrade very quickly.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

Q: The DRS (Drag Reduction System) will be used differently this year. Is that good news for you?

RG: “We will only be allowed to activate the DRS in the same zones as during the races. For us drivers this is very good news, because last year, it was a real challenge to activate the DRS in every straightaway, and sometimes in very fast corners. The usage of the DRS will remain unchanged during the races, however.”

Q: What's missing at Lotus to be a regular challenger to the bigger teams such as Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and McLaren?

RG: “The attention to details, for example. Last car, the car was sometimes very good and not so good other times. The team also had two new drivers last year, with Kimi [Raikkonen] returning to F1 after having spent two years in rallying. It will not be the case this year.

“You must keep in mind that this team has changed dramatically during the past few years. It was purchased from Renault by Genii. Then we had these front-exit exhausts that were a great technical breakthrough, but that we never managed to fully develop. And 2012 was a good season with several podiums and a win. So we are improving all the time.”

From WRC

When Andreas Mikkelsen makes his Volkswagen debut on next month's Rally Portugal he will do so as part of a new one-car manufacturer team.

The FIA announced that Volkswagen had registered the new squad that will be called Volkswagen Motorsport II.

Mikkelsen, 23, is scheduled to drive a Polo R on every round of this year's WRC from Portugal onwards. By running as part of a manufacturer team, the Norwegian will be eligible to score points in the manufacturers' championship as well as the drivers' championship.


Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Motorsport. (Photo: WRC)

Volkswagen's team manager Sven Smeets explained that running Mikkelsen's car in a separate team, rather than as a third car, would also have testing and logistical benefits.

“The third car was always planned to come, and we chose to have a one-car team in order to give Andreas his fair amount of test days and not to have to share them with our other drivers,” he said.

“Also we are a manufacturer, so in order to have the proper space in the service park the complete package for a one-car WRC team was much more interesting to us.”

The 24th edition of the “Who Works in Formula One” sports reference guide has been released.

The leading directory in F1 contains 600 pages to answer all your questions in one book : biographies, contact names and details, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, facebook, twitter accounts, etc...


For the last 24 years, "Who Works in Formula One" guides have successfully provided the most up to date detailed information about teams, drivers, team owners, key people, crew members, car technical specs, circuits, sponsors, suppliers, engineers, photographers, journalists and many more hard to find facts.

If you looks for the telephone number of a team or its history, contact details for a sponsor or a supplier, the technical specification of a car, an engine, or information on a key person, this book has it!

Buy online at www.whoworksin.com.

From GMM

Sergio Perez has felt the added pressure of stepping up the F1 grid for 2013.

Formerly the surprise podium-getter in a Sauber, the 23-year-old has now been signed up by McLaren, to replace the ultra high-profile Lewis Hamilton.

"Of course the pressure is higher now," the Mexican is quoted by Speed Week, as he represented his new employer at the Geneva motor show.

"But I have no problems with it. Anyone who can't handle pressure should not sign for McLaren," added Perez.

According to most pundits, Perez has had a mixed first winter with the famous British team, complaining about "extreme" tyre degradation and a difficulty adjusting to the new MP4-28.

"Of course I would have liked to collect more information before going to Australia," he admitted.

"Some days it was cold and really difficult to learn about the car," said Perez. "But I don't know anyone in the pitlane who had carefree winter testing. So it's the same for everyone, not a disadvantage for us."

Sergio Perez, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: WRi2)

Sebastien Loeb's racing team - Sebastien Loeb Racing - will contest the FIA GT Series this season. Here are two photos of his McLaren GT3 in the final livery.

Loeb and two of his teammates, Mike Parisy and Andreas Zuber tested the car earlier this week at Magny-Cours in France.

The team will run two McLaren MP4-12C GT3s, and the season will begin at the end of the month in Nogaro, France at the Coupes de Paques.

Photo: Com'On! Racing

Photo: Com'On! Racing

From GMM

Jean Todt looks set to remain FIA president for a second term.

The former Ferrari chief (135 votes) beat ex world rally champion Ari Vatanen (49 votes) to the post in late 2009.

67-year-old Frenchman Todt's first term ends late this year, and he is eligible to run for another four years.

Reports by the French-language AFP and La Presse claim Todt has secured the ongoing backing of the motoring federations in North, South and Central America.

"When the people in North, South and Central America say with one voice that you must be present, it is clear that making the decision to continue will be easier," Jean Todt is quoted as saying.

"It will weigh heavily in my thinking. There is still some way to go, but if you have a team pushing you to continue, it is obvious that it makes you want to continue," he added.