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Willis Honda in Burlington, N.J., and its owner have lost another round in their long-running legal battle with Honda and a rival store over how the competing point in Hamilton, N.J., was awarded.

After 40 years of covering all aspects of the auto industry as a reporter, columnist, commentator and editor, Executive Editor Edward Lapham will retire at the end of June.

We keep hearing that the iPod generation doesn't care as much about cars. That theory was proved wrong over the weekend during the Concourse d'Elegance in Como, Italy.

Kia's near-luxury Cadenza sedan -- priced from around $36,000 and equipped to swipe customers from the Acura TL and Lexus ES -- underscores how far the marque has come since its days as a value brand for used-car intenders.

Car dealerships suffered little damage from the tornado that ravaged an Oklahoma City suburb last week. So they were able to jump into the relief effort quickly, joining automakers and aid groups to help survivors.

Mercedes-Benz isn't waiting for the E-class redesign in 2016 to outfit its mid-sized range with some of the high-tech equipment that was developed for the S-class sedan that arrives this fall.

Penske Automotive Group Inc. says it would be interested in buying some dealerships in Germany owned by Daimler AG.

Four years after GM's bankruptcy, the leaner automaker has begun tapping a deep pool of relatively young, still talented retirees who left the company earlier than planned during the downturn. Some were laid off.

General Motors' OnStar telematics unit has quietly become a profit margin superstar. Analysts peg OnStar's revenues at about $1.5 billion annually, with a margin of 30 to 35 percent. That's about five times the 6.

Chrysler Group is equipping some of its lower-trim vehicles with a Microsoft-based infotainment system used by Fiat -- and, according to the software maker, more vehicles are on the way.

The traditional summer auto plant shutdown is quickly fading away. With tight inventories, rising sales and customers flocking to big, profitable vehicles, the Detroit 3 no longer can afford to halt plants for two weeks.

As Internet leads, mobile phone calls and texts swamp dealerships, business development centers are starting to look counterproductive to some dealers.

There is no parking lot outside the Volkswagen and Audi stores that opened side by side last year in Manhattan's main dealership district. Parking on the street, for those lucky enough to find a spot, means popping $3.50 an hour into a parking meter.

Automotive News Europe salutes the winners of the 2013 Rising Stars awards. Every day until June 12 one of the 18 winners will be featured.

Let's start today with a question, shall we?

Well, I'm guessing you watched the Monaco Grand Prix as you wouldn't be here reading this, would you? So, hands up who saw it? Ah, I see... a fair show...

Now, let's carry on with a second question:

How many of you watched the Indy 500?

Well that's not so good, is it? Much, much less...

But you know what? That's tragic.

Despite the Monaco Grand Prix being the event of motorsport events, I found it a bit of a let down. Certainly, seeing Nico Rosberg silence his detractors by keeping his cool amidst the chaos on and off-track - especially on a weekend where it was 30 years since his dad won in Monaco - was worth tuning in for, and so was...

Umm... so was.... the end, maybe? It was somewhat spectacular but nobody likes to see an accident, especially on the tight confines of somewhere like Monaco.

So Rosberg's win. That was it. Nothing else really got me fevered up.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG, winner of the Monaco Grand Prix (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Once again, the first half of the race was marked by drivers saving their tires, which, for me at least, signifies nothing - apart from the pace of the Mercedes W04 - has changed since Barcelona, really.

Whilst there has always been somewhat of a tire-war in F1, the feeling is that it has gone too far, because grand prix racing used to at least, be who could manage everything the best and cross the line the quickest. Not anymore.

Nobody likes seeing a driver having to drive slowly for half the race as he fears for shredding his tires, and as I've said in a similar column, I'm not overly interested in strategy as I can't stand chess. It's boring.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I want to see drivers doing what they do best. Drive. Drive fast and race.

If you scratch the chess swipe, Mark Webber is a man who would agree. After the race, the Australian claimed the grand prix was an exercise in ‘nursing the car' and ‘waiting for the chequered flag.'

Similarly, one of Audi's DTM drivers, Adrien Tambay lit up Twitter by claiming he was “honestly disappointed with the way F1 has gone.”

If we carry on with the idea of disappointment, let's fast forward to 18:12 Central European Time. I'd filed my F1 report and had settled down in front of the TV to watch my first Indy 500. Whilst I admit I'm no expert on the series, I was on the edge of my seat for the full 200 laps.

It. Was. Epic.

Restart at the Indy 500. (Photo: Forresst Mellott/IMS)

During the grand prix, I may or may not have been making mental shopping lists. During the Indy, I once again fell in love with open wheel racing.

Sure, you could argue that during the Spanish Grand Prix there was plenty of passing, but how much of it was it down to the Debatable Racing System and wilting Pirellis?

However, look at the Indy, and there were 68 lead changes. Sixty. Eight. That's around a third of the 33-car field having led the race at least once. And they were all on the same tyres. And had similar aero.

How many passes were there in Monaco?

At the Brickyard, did you notice any drivers backing off in case they shredded their tires? No. Did you see drivers conserving fuel, but still going flat out and actually racing each other? Yes.

Did you enjoy it? I certainly did.

And this made me think.

Certainly, whilst IndyCars have different aero and tires to an F1 car, the 500 was spectacular and by far the best open wheel race I've seen all year.

So maybe, just maybe - and this is a European saying this - Formula 1 might have to look to the US for 2014 if it's to emerge from the slump it currently it's currently in.

From GMM

Felipe Massa left hospital following checks on Sunday and should be fit for the Canadian grand prix in two weeks.

Whilst already suffering from a sore neck from his practice crash, the Brazilian suffered a near-identical incident during the Monaco grand prix.

After initially recovering trackside in a neck brace, Massa was transferred to hospital for checks but later Tweeted a thumbs-up photo from his Monaco apartment.

"He is fine," said Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali, "and I believe that in the space of a few days he will back in perfect shape and ready to race in Montreal."

Although Massa's two Ste Devote crashes this weekend were almost identical, Ferrari believes the first was caused by hitting a bump.

And "It seems that (Sunday's) incident can be attributed to a problem on the left front corner of the car," said technical director Pat Fry.

Felipe Massa's Ferrari F138, after his crash in Monaco. (Photo: WRi2)

After an intensive few months of preparation at its Alzenau headquarters, Hyundai Motorsport has taken the i20 WRC out of the workshop and onto the road at the start of its testing programme.

The latest specification of the Hyundai i20 WRC ran for the first time during a positive shakedown on a private testing ground in mid-May. According to the press release, Hyundai Motorsport's technical team completed the roll-out without encountering any particular issues.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

This shakedown was followed last week with the first comprehensive testing session where the team started working on different set-up solutions and gathered valuable data which will be analysed by engineers back at the Hyundai Motorsport facility in Alzenau.

While all key areas of the car's performance were evaluated, there was a major focus on collecting feedback on the i20 WRC's 1.6 litre turbocharged engine as part of the continuing development programme for the powertrain.

A total of 550 kilometres covered over the three days has enabled the team to start building the knowledge base of testing data from which to prepare its entry to the WRC in eight months' time.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

“We have an intensive testing schedule for the rest of 2013 which will take us to different venues across Europe, to evaluate the i20 WRC in different conditions and on different terrains which reflect the variety of circumstances we will encounter in the World Rally Championship next year,” said Michel Nandan, Hyundai Motorsport team principal.

“We are not disclosing our specific test venues or the names of the various drivers we will have but we will ensure that every aspect of the car's performance is put to the test and thoroughly evaluated without leaving anything to chance.”

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

KV Racing's Tony Kanaan has been around for a long time but for once he will add his name to the prestigious Indianapolis 500 winner's trophy after earning his first ever victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In a race that saw no less than 68 lead changes, the KV Racing Technology driver took the lead for the final time when he passed Ryan Hunter-Reay on a restart with three laps left to run.

Tony Kanaan, KV Racing. (Photo: IMS)

But when Dario Franchitti crashed and immediately brought the yellows back out, that left anyone wanting to challenge Kanaan's lead with nowhere to go; the final laps being completed under caution.

Rookie Carlos Munoz (Andretti Autosport), who has run amongst the leaders all through practice and qualifying, finished second in front of his teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti who finished respectively third and fourth.

Dale Coyne Racing's Justin Wilson was the first Honda-powered driver across the line in fifth, the Brit jumping ahead of Helio Castroneves in the final laps, while AJ Allmendinger (Penske Racing) drove a great race all afternoon on his way to seventh.

Simon Pagenaud, Charlie Kimball and polesitter Ed Carpenter, who started strongly but faded later in the race, completed the top 10.

Tony Kanaan. (Photo: IMS)

97Th edition of the Indianapolis 500 Results - 200 laps:

Pos   Driver  Team/Engine  Time/Gap
1. Tony Kanaan   KV/Chevy   2h40m03.4181s
2. Carlos Munoz  Andretti/Chevy  + 0.1159
3. Ryan Hunter-Reay  Andretti/Chevy  + 0.2480
4. Marco Andretti   Andretti/Chevy  + 0.3634
5. Justin Wilson  Coyne/Honda  + 0.8138
6. Helio Castroneves  Penske/Chevy  + 3.0086
7. AJ Allmendinger  Penske/Chevy  + 4.0107
8. Simon Pagenaud   Schmidt/Honda  + 4.2609
9. Charlie Kimball   Ganassi/Honda   + 5.6864
10. Ed Carpenter   Carpenter/Chevy  + 6.8425
11. Oriol Servia  Panther DRR/Chevy  + 7.8633
12. Ryan Briscoe   Ganassi/Honda  + 8.9216
13. Takuma Sato  Foyt/Honda  + 10.2602
14. Scott Dixon  Ganassi/Honda  + 11.3858
15. Ana Beatriz  Coyne/Honda  + 12.2657
16. Tristan Vautier  Schmidt/Honda  + 15.3045
17. Simona De Silvestro   KV/Chevy  + 15.7201
18. EJ Viso   Andretti/Chevy  + 17.8056
19. Will Power  Penske/Chevy   + 22.5403
20. James Jakes  Rahal/Honda  + 1 lap
21. James Hinchcliffe  Andretti/Chevy   + 1 lap
22. Conor Daly  Foyt/Honda   + 2 laps
23. Dario Franchitti  Ganassi/Honda  + 3 laps*
24. Alex Tagliani  Herta/Honda   + 4 laps
25. Graham Rahal  Rahal/Honda  + 7 laps*
26. Katherine Legge   Schmidt/Honda  + 7 laps
27. Townsend Bell   Panther/Chevy  + 8 laps
28. Josef Newgarden  Fisher/Honda  + 9 laps

* Not running at finish

Retirements
Sebastien Bourdais  Dragon/Chevy   178 laps
Pippa Mann  Coyne/Honda  46 laps
Buddy Lazier   Lazier/Chevy   44 laps
Sebastian Saavedra  Dragon/Chevy   34 laps
JR Hildebrand   Panther/Chevy  3 laps

From Ferrari

The Fiorano test circuit was the scene of Kamui Kobayashi's first drive at the wheel of a Ferrari Formula 1 car, the F10 that competed in the World Championship three years ago.

Kobayashi has been part of the Ferrari family since March, racing a Ferrari 458 in GT races.

Kamui Kobayashi, Ferrari F10 (Photo: Ferrari)

Kobayashi didn't take long to get to grips with the F10 in what was a preparatory test for when he will drive it in the Moscow City Racing event, which will see the F1 car shoot through the streets of the Russian capital over the weekend of July 21.

“The first feeling was one of great happiness,” commented the Japanese driver after the short test.

Kamui Kobayashi, Ferrari F10 (Photo: Ferrari)

“I raced against this car and I knew how quick it was, so it was very important to get some experience of it. Last year's race in Brazil was the last time I drove a Formula 1 car and now I am racing in WEC (World Endurance Championship) in a 458 GT and the impressions are completely different. But it wasn't hard to readapt, because in the past, I've driven all sorts of cars and I'm used to change. It will be very nice to drive an F1 car again at this event in Moscow and for me it will be a double debut: the first time at the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car in an event and my first visit to the city.”

Kamui Kobayashi, Ferrari F10 (Photo: Ferrari)

Sean Edwards dominated the Porsche Supercup race presented in Monaco while Sebastien Ogier took 13th position, as Sebastien Loeb ended the race in 16th place.

Loeb already raced in the Porsche Supercup in Barcelona two weeks eaagorlier, where finished 11th. In Monaco, he was joined by WRC regular Sebastien Ogier who entered the race at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3.

Ogier classified 11th in qualifying, as Loeb was 13th fastest at the end of the session.

In the race, Ogier crossed the finish line in 13th position, three spots ahead of Loeb.

The race was dominated by Sean Edwards, who already claimed victory in the opening round in Barcelona. Edwards led from start to finish, after  starting from pole position.

Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier in Monaco. (Photo: Volkswagen Motorsport)