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Kia's first sporty hatchback, the pro_cee'd GT, goes on sale next week but already the company's UK operation is clamouring for similar performance and styling upgrades to be applied to other models in the range.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn earned $10 million in salary and bonuses for his role as Nissan's top executive for the fiscal year ended March 31.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn earned $10 million in salary and bonuses for his role as Nissan's top executive for the fiscal year ended March 31.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: This 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL550 is your classic terrific all around grand touring car.

News 25 Jun, 2013

Renault has announced the all-electric Twizy Cargo - a tiny, one-seater urban commercial vehicle

General Motors this week will name current US sales chief, Alan Batey, to head Chevrolet worldwide as part of a plan to make the mainstream brand more successful around the world, a person 'familiar with the matter' has said.

News 24 Feb, 2014

New Honda Jazz release date won't be until 2015 in the UK, but it gets a fresh design and better efficiency

The European Union agreed on a compromise deal to enforce stricter rules on CO2 emissions for all new EU automobiles from 2020.

News 25 Jun, 2013

Zero emission cars should get greater Government grants than hybrids

The future for this industry is bound up in the emergence of mega-cities, the continuing growth of vehicle demand in rapidly motorising emerging markets and the integration of personal mobility with smart connectivity.

General Motors named U.S. sales chief Alan Batey as senior vice president of Chevrolet worldwide, a newly created post charged with growing GM's largest brand into a global powerhouse.

A newcomer with a Frisbee has broken into our list of leaders by showing off a few stunts in a roadster. Mazda's "Fun in the Sun" video enters the charts at No. 5, supporting the automaker's U.K. social media campaign.

Fiat has released pictures of the seven-seat 500L Living minivan, the latest variant to the 500 range and one of only two product launches from the brand this year.

From GMM

Mercedes was not found 'guilty' of breaking the rules, Niki Lauda insists.

The German team has been banned from the forthcoming young drivers test at Silverstone, and was officially reprimanded for running its 2013 car and race drivers in a secret test with Pirelli at Barcelona last month.

"There was no rule violation," triple world champion Lauda, the Brackley based team's chairman and a co-owner, told Austrian broadcaster ORF.

"We got a warning -- not even a yellow card which could lead to a red card. We were excluded from the young driver test, which is a judgement that we can live with absolutely."

Niki Lauda said the international tribunal made its verdict with the 'sport' - as opposed to the political intrigue that has filled the headlines in the past days - in mind.

"All the intrigue and the stories were not fair, because everything was done correctly in the sense of how we came to do this test," he insisted.

Photo: WRi2

Niki Lauda therefore slammed those who were heavily critical of Mercedes' behaviour, like Red Bull who reportedly wanted a $100 million fine and hefty points deductions.

"Red Bull went with this story very aggressively," he said, "interpreting everything that could be interpreted into it.

"The paddock is a snake pit but the FIA tribunal is a court, which clearly decided that it was not a rule violation, but a different interpretation of various regulations."

However, Lauda said the outcome of the tire-dominated situation in F1 this year is that Pirelli is now unable to adjust its tires.

"They wanted to bring new tires to Montreal, and then they should have been in Silverstone, now they are not. So if it gets really hot at Silverstone, which can sometimes happen, the problem with the many pitstops will likely continue," he insisted.

"So I don't understand this rule," said Lauda, referring to the need for unanimity in the paddock before changes to the tires can be made immediately.

"If Pirelli says we want to have a different tire because it's better for us (Pirelli), for the cars, for everyone, then someone is always going to say no.

"So this rule is a disaster," he charged.

French car manufacturer, Citroen confirmed Tuesday June 25 its intention to contest the FIA World Touring Car Championship from 2014 with its star driver, Sebastien Loeb driving one of the cars.

After first mentioning that it was considering taking part in the FIA WTCC at the opening of last year's Paris Motor Show, Citroën confirmed today it will be joining the fray in 2014.

Winner of five Cross Country Rally World Cups and eight World Rally Championship Manufacturers' titles, Citroën will be entering an international road racing series for the first time.

Photo: Citroën Racing

Citroën Racing's entry into the world of track racing will coincide with the introduction of a new generation of cars, which are more spectacular than the current crop.

“Competing in a category for the first time, starting from scratch, gives our division a superb challenge,” confirmed Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal.

“Having said that, we will be able to re-use a large part of our existing expertise, starting with the DS3 WRC's 1.6-litre direct injection turbo engine. Work has already begun in our Versailles technical center and is set to be stepped up in the coming weeks, with the first tests of our car and the start of our development programme to prepare for the 2014 season. Obviously, we're still committed to rallying and we'll continue to work hard to try and get the best possible result in 2013. Our partnership with Abu Dhabi is set to be reinforced, enabling us to continue to be involved in WRC with a new system and with new objectives,” Matton added.

Citroën Racing will be taking part in the entire 2014 FIA WTCC season. Nine-time FIA World Rally Champion, Sebastien Loeb will be behind the wheel of one car. The name of his teammate has yet to be announced by Citroen.

From GMM

Amid growing rumours Michelin could return to the grid, Paul Hembery on Tuesday announced that Pirelli is in fact set to remain F1's official supplier.

While at the same time expressing frustration with the situation in F1, and in the days after the 'test-gate' scandal and a FIA reprimand, Pirelli's three-year contract is coming to an end.

That has triggered rumours Michelin - apparently supported by FIA president Jean Todt - could find its way back into the paddock.

But Pirelli's motor sport director Hembery said on Tuesday: "We have signed agreements with the vast majority of the teams.

"Within two weeks we should complete all the contracts. So we're staying in formula one," he told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Even so, Pirelli's controversial 2013 campaign continues. The latest charge has come from Lotus, who have accused the Italian supplier of making overly conservative compound choices for the next races.

"Let's not forget," Hembery responded, "that the cars are faster than what we expected early in the season. And our compounds are more aggressive than in 2012."

Photo: Pirelli

He denied the move is bowing to pressure from Red Bull and Mercedes, who have complained often bitterly about the heavily-degrading 2013 tires.

"No," said Hembery when asked if the more conservative choices are to help those teams.

"Those cars are still aggressive with the tires. It is true that Lotus is better in the heat, and we are expecting typical Silverstone weather with clouds, cold and a bit of rain.

"Our goal is to have no more than 2 or 3 pitstops, so we're going in that direction."

Nevertheless, with teams like Lotus having refused to allow Pirelli to tweak its compounds mid-season, Hembery acknowledged that a confusing four stops per driver is a possibility at Silverstone.

"Last year we saw two stops, so with softer compounds there is sure to be three, maybe four," he said.

He did admit that the planned tweaked tires, fitted with kevlar rather than a steel belt, have been shelved.

"Unless there are surprises (they won't be seen again)," said the Briton.

"Instead we're using a new glue that binds the tread, which should have solved the problem of delamination.

"We're also going to try a prototype hard compound at Silverstone that has a longer lifespan," added Hembery.

A Volkswagen Passat TDI Clean Diesel has just set a new Guinness World Record by conquering all U.S. states (except Alaska and Hawaii) and driving a total of 13,071 kilometres within 16 days and with a fuel consumption average of only 77.99 mpg (3.02L/100km).

The driver team consisted of famous hypermiler Wayne Gerdes and engineer Bob Winger.

“We felt we had a good chance of beating the existing record with a series production Passat TDI,” Gerdes said, “but to smash it by averaging 77.99 mpg is really impressive and a testament to the potential of Volkswagen's TDI vehicles. It shows how much the fuel consumption depends on the driver.”

The previous world record was set at 67.9 mpg (3.5L/100km).

Photo: Volkswagen

From Williams

Williams F1 Team is celebrating a landmark achievement this weekend at the British Grand Prix - reaching 600 races in Formula 1.

Founded in 1977 by Frank Williams and Patrick Head, Williams has secured 297 podiums, 114 race wins and 16 World Championship titles over the past 36 years.

Nine of these titles have been won in the Constructors' Championship, with the remaining seven titles being Drivers' Championships won with Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve.

Photo: Williams F1 Team

Williams has grown into a significant international business since its inception and its achievements have earned Founder and Team Principal Frank Williams a knighthood in the 1999 New Year's Honours List to augment France's highest decoration, the legion d'Honneur.

The team will publicly celebrate reaching 600 races at its home Grand Prix this weekend - a fitting place to celebrate as Silverstone witnessed the team's first ever race win in 1979 and its 100th race win in 1997.

Photo: Williams F1 Team

The team will officially reach 600 starts in F1 at the German Grand Prix the following weekend, and will mark this milestone by displaying the number 600 on the sidepod of both FW35s.

The livery will also be emblazoned with the names of all 691 Williams employees who work across all divisions of the Williams Group as a tribute to their continued hard work and dedication.

The sport of drifting -- or the controlled skid -- was first practiced in Japan in the late ‘80s before gaining worldwide popularity in the decade that followed. Earlier races were held on public streets; but thankfully, closed-circuit races quickly replaced this dangerous practice. The first-ever official drift competition took place in October 2000 at the Ebisu racecourse in Fukushima, Japan. The Japanese D1 Grand Prix championship was established in 2001.

The Asian drift scene drew worldwide attention, inspiring the creation of the American Formula Drift Championship in 2004. The organisation grew beyond its borders, and the Formula Drift Asia Championship, which includes Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia, was established a few years later.

The Eastern Europe Drifting Championship and the European Drift Championship, established in 2010 and 2011 respectively, are the two main European championships.

Canada hasn't been left behind, as it has its own series. The Drift Mania Canadian Championship (DMCC) became a nationwide series in 2006, having received a shot in the arm from the successful drift demonstration at the 2005 Molson Indy event at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve

Whether behind the wheel of a Nissan 240SX, Mazda RX-7, Toyota Corolla or Scion FRS, a number of talented and dedicated drift drivers have made their mark in the world of drifting these past few decades.

Here is a list of the top 10 drivers who have made history in the world of drifting. A few are still active, and some have become genuine legends.

1 - Keiichi Tsuchiya

Photo: Wikipedia

Better known as the “Drift King,” this Japanese driver played an important role in popularizing the art of drifting. This pioneer inspired many successful drivers. He appeared in the movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and he is often employed on various movie sets as both driver and stunt coordinator.

Continue reading Top 10 Must-Know Drift Drivers

Stoffel Vandoorne won both Formula Renault 3.5 races held at Moscow Raceway, and moved on top of the standings ahead of Kevin Magnussen.

The Belgian driver enjoyed a perfect weekend in Russia. He clinched two pole positions, and won both races.

Vandoorne also benefitted from Kevin Magnussen's problems. Magnussen was found guilty of having blocked other cars during qualifying, and was dropped from 3rd to 17th on the starting grid.

While Vandoorne won race 1 ahead of Antonio Felix Da Costa and Nigel Melker, Magnussen could not do better than 11th position.

Sunday, Vandoorne was again in a dominant form, claiming another win from pole position. After starting from third position, Magnussen ended the race in second place, 11 seconds adrift, and lost championship lead.

Stoffel Vandoorne (Photo: Renault)