Auto News 5

Former Porsche CFO Holger Haerter has been fined 630,000 euros ($824,000) by a German court for credit fraud in a criminal case over the refinancing of a 10 billion euro loan during a failed bid to takeover Volkswagen in 2009.

Porsche is in talks to buy a 10 percent stake in supplier Mobileye, a report said. Mobileye develops safety technology such as camera-based anti-collision systems.

News 4 Jun, 2013

The Brabus-tuned Mercedes GL 63 AMG gets a massive bodykit and a boost in power to 611bhp

Bosch UK sales grew slightly last year from EUR2.2bn to EUR2.4bn, with the automotive technology sector continuing to remain the company's largest business sector. The Tier 1 supplier's UK president, Peter Fouquet, talked to Simon Warburton at this week's Bosch presentation at MIRA's (Motor Industry Research Association) test track in the Midlands.

New-car sales in Germany fell nearly 10 percent in May dampening hopes for any recovery in the crisis-hit European market in 2013.

Pictures 4 Jun, 2013

Buick had used the name and#8220;

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I spent a lot of time in our long-term 2007 Audi S6 during road trips crisscrossing the state of Michigan and going to a World Challenge race at Mosport (now known as Canadian Tire Motorsport Park).

News 5 Jun, 2013

First pictures of the new Skoda Octavia vRS, ahead of its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

In a classic case of April showers and May flowers, last month's US light vehicle sales bloomed quite nicely following the previous month's dip.

The Renault group increased its share of the French passenger car market 0.7 points year on year for a 23.2% share but the automaker's regional chief branded results "unsatisfactory".

Record energy production coupled with a sustained housing recovery are pushing pickup sales to the highest level in as much as eight years and driving Detroit's comeback. Detroit's 3 automakers have gained 1.

Mazda reached back to the 1960s, specifically to 1968 Olympic gold medalist Dick Fosbury -- the man credited with launching the now-popular back-first high jump technique known as the Fosbury Flop -- to pitch its new Mazda6.

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. Today's Rising Star is Eduardo Munoz, Jaguar Land Rover's global parts supply chain director.

Three years after buying Volvo Cars, Chinese tycoon Li Shufu may get to compete with Audi and BMW on a more level playing field in his own country.

Audi sales boss Luca De Meo expects China's compact-premium segment to grow from about 10 percent of the luxury market to more than 25 percent by 2020. Audi plans to meet this demand with its locally produced A3 sedan and Q3 SUV.

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone insists looming bribery charges do not immediately threaten his job at the helm of formula one.

It had been claimed that when German prosecutors formalise the charges against the F1 chief executive, relating to the Gerhard Gribkowsky affair, the sport's owners CVC might depose him.

However, FIA president Jean Todt said last week: "He (Ecclestone) has every right to his job and he does it very well. He is also employed by CVC, so it is their decision."

Nonetheless, with Ecclestone not having a deputy who could immediately step in to replace him, some names have been floating around the paddock in recent weeks.

One of them was Justin King, the UK supermarket giant Sainsbury's current chief, but Ecclestone told the Bloomberg news agency that he rejected him.

"The people they had wanted, if they had come on board, they would have wanted to be the stars," the 82-year-old said.

Ecclestone, however, said he was open to working alongside a deputy.

"If someone comes up who I think could do a good job, let's have him on board," he said. "Lots of people have been suggested but I don't think they are the sort of people who could do the things I do."

But he insisted that a mere corruption charge is no danger to his job.

"They (CVC) are not worried with me being indicted, the problem is if I'm incarcerated. They're quite laid-back. They're not panicking," said Ecclestone said.

But at the same time, plans to float F1 on the stock market are on the back-burner, until the legal troubles in Germany are resolved.

"It would be silly to go into the market, you don't want any single (outstanding) question", Ecclestone admitted.

From press release

Hoonigan Racing's Ken Block and Alex Gelsomino took their first overall win of the season at the Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally (STPR) - round four of the 2013 Rally America National Championship - held on May 31-June 1 in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.

The victory marks the duo's second STPR Rally overall win and it comes at a critical time when Block needed a victory to close the gap to current Rally America National Championship points' leader, David Higgins and Craig Drew from Subaru Rally Team USA.

Block and Gelsomino were able to win 12 of 16 STPR Rally stages in their 2012 Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. without much of the mechanical problems that have plagued the team since the beginning of the season.

Photo: Alex Haugen

Block never relinquished the STPR Rally lead from the event's first stage and built a solid margin over second place finisher, David Sterckx and Karen Jankowski, this year's top finishing Super Production Class drivers.

After winning the last two Rally America rounds, Subaru Rally Team USA quickly lost ground when they broke a steering arm on stage 3 that knocked them out of contention.

David Sterckx and Karen Jankowski's overall podium paralleled their hard fought Super Production Class victory. Sterckx overcame a number of mechanical problems to keep adding to his STPR lead and as a result Sterckx will now assume the top of the Super Production Class standings from Evan Cline who skipped STPR in favor of attending the next round.

Ford maintains third place in the overall Manufacturers' Championship, but gained some ground on Subaru, which leads both the overall and the Super Production categories.

Pros and Cons*
Pros
Its impressive power, high-performance brakes and suspension, comfortable rear seats, great visibility and vast array of comfort and convenience settings combine to make it a truly unique performance sedan.

Cons
On the flipside, excess weight, thirsty engine and brakes that tend to fade during spirited driving disappoint. The normally-aspirated V10 engine that powered the previous M5 is missed by some.


Price
The BMW X5 MSRP starts at $101,500.

Brake energy regeneration and auto start/stop are standard features.

Options include the Executive Package, at $9,500, which includes soft-close doors, automatic trunk, ventilated seats, high-beam assist, lane departure warning and smartphone integration.

Fuel Economy
In city driving, the V8 consumes between 13.2 L/100 km and 14.4 L/100 km. Highway consumption is an estimated 9 L/100 km. The combined ratings are situated between 11.1 L/100 km and 12.1 L/100 km.

Exclusive M Equipment Includes:

• Patented cross-bank manifold
• Dual-clutch 7-speed M transmission with paddle-shift
• Adaptive cruise control
• Dynamic damping control shock absorbers
• Electronically-regulated engine cooling
• Front and rear stabilizer bars
• Electronic throttle control
• M series composite front and rear ventilated disc brakes

Exterior Styling
The 20-inch M wheels and racy styling make it difficult for this sedan to hide its athletic persona. Its elegant, slim headlights, rear spoiler and dual-exhaust tips give away the sporty intentions of this classic beauty.

Drivetrain
Under the hood, a twin-turbo 4.4 litre V8 produces 560 hp and 502 lb-ft torque.

A 7-speed M double clutch Drivelogic transmission drives the rear wheels.

Cargo Capacity
The 2013 BMW M5 offers 520 litres of cargo room in its trunk.

Safety
A number of active and passive safety features along with six airbags protect the occupants of the 2013 BW M5.

Comparable Models
Audi S6, http://www.auto123.com/en/jaguar/xf/2013/specification/20l?carid=1132801404&tab=equipment">Jaguar XFR-S, Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

Photo: BMW

*References
Brière Francis, L'annuel de l'automobile 2013, Montréal Transcontinental, 2012, p.130
Lachapelle Marc, Le guide de l'auto 2013, Montréal, Les éditions de l'Homme, 2012, p.166
Descarries Éric, L'auto 2013, Montréal, Les éditions La Presse, 2012, p.144
www.bmw.ca

From Caterham

British sportscar manufacturer Caterham will make its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, as it looks to further elevate its position as a global authority in sportscar development ahead of the launch of its brand new model in 2016.

Racing under the Caterham Motorsport banner, the lightweight sportscar specialist's participation in the 90th running of the French classic will also allow Caterham Group to investigate the viability of producing a customer Sports Prorotype package in the future.

Caterham Motorsport will run the No. 41 Zytek Z11SN-Nissan in the LMP2 category, with Caterham F1 Team Reserve Driver and Caterham Racing GP2 driver Alexander Rossi joining double LMP2 class-winner, Tom Kimber-Smith and gentleman driver Eric Lux in the driving seat.

Photo: Caterham

The entry to Le Mans also builds on the launch, in 2010, of the Caterham SP/300.R, a supercharged, mini Le Mans-style sports prototype, which has received glowing reviews from both customers and media and garnered strong demand as an advanced track day machine and race school car.

A crew of Caterham engineers, technicians and data analysts will be embedded with its partner team at Le Mans, the highly-successful Greaves Motorsport outfit, to ensure that Caterham's legendary ability to deliver intuitive handling characteristics is applied to the set-up of the No. 41 car.

Caterham personnel will be led by Caterham Technology CEO Mike Gascoyne.

The Caterham Motorsport Mo. 41 LM P2 car will make its on-track debut at the official ACO test at Le Mans on June 8/9, followed by the race itself on June 22/23.