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The media preview day for the 2013 Dubai International Auto Show is 4 November. Each time a vehicle or concept world premiere is confirmed for this event, our preview list is updated.

The media preview day for the 2013 Dubai International Auto Show is 4 November. Each time a vehicle or concept world premiere is confirmed for this event, our preview list is updated.

The media preview day for the 2013 Dubai International Auto Show is 4 November. Each time a vehicle or concept world premiere is confirmed for this event, our preview list is updated.

Listing used vehicles for sale simultaneously on multiple online remarketing platforms is the next big thing in used-vehicle wholesaling.

On Toyota Motor Sales USA's Web site, the thumb and forefinger of a giant hand hold an engine behind the back bumper of a 2014 Corolla. The idea is to show how shoppers can configure their own cars.

Mercedes may introduce Google Glass integrated into a car's navigation system in its production models.

Industry experts agree that today vehicles are better engineered, safer and higher in quality than they have ever been. Even so, recalls remain a persistent and costly reality.

Three times during the third-quarter earnings conference call with journalists and analysts Ford CEO Alan Mulally was asked to comment on reports that he may leave the automaker to become CEO at Microsoft.

Kevin Flanagan's Volvo new-car sales are half of what they were in 2001, and the brand itself is teetering in the United States.

DETROIT -- A consummate gearhead who was once a race engineer for Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell, Hau Thai-Tang made a name for himself as chief engineer of the 2005 Ford Mustang.

The federal government shutdown kept some would-be car shoppers away from dealerships in the first half of October, but forecasters still expect U.S. auto sales to rise at least 12 percent this month.

One year ago, as soon as Hurricane Sandy had finished beating the Atlantic coast and rolled back out to sea, car dealers across the New York-New Jersey region rushed in to take stock of the damage.

Understanding the supplier business is child's play compared with trying to grasp the meaning of one of Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte's bizarre paintings.

Pickups are the backbone of North America. Pickups could be credited as being the most instrumental tool that built both the modern US of A and Canada. Their importance on our automotive landscape is paramount.

For the recuperating Big 3, their pickups are a sign of strength of enduring presence of health. The more they manage to put on the streets, the deeper their pockets are and the better the bottom line gets. In fact, the condition of the economy is often mirrored by pickup take rates. If business is bad, sales decline. If sales decline, business is bad...



Workhorse
Thousands upon thousands of small- to medium-size companies depend on their work trucks, their pickups. They are their livelihood and, in many cases, their most valuable asset. It is with this in mind that manufacturers continue to improve upon the old recipe that is a pair of frame rails, a bed, and a cabin. In fact, so good and well-rounded have pickups become that many, if not most, find double duty as both family and "heavy" duty vehicles.

The rate at which modern pickups have evolved is as rapid if not more so than the average automobile. No longer are pickups unrefined, crude, and loud. Save for an exception or two, other than the ability to tow a house and carry all of its furniture, these trucks are usable on a daily basis -- without compromise.

Competition never lets up
2013 was a very big pickup year. With only five manufacturers playing in the full-size segment, and all making important announcements or changes to their offerings, the time was ripe for a comparison test.

With the notable exception of the Nissan Titan (Cummins diesel engine coming next year), the four players in this game were the GMC Sierra (very much new), the Ford F-150 (facelift and trims), the Toyota Tundra (facelift and more) and Ram 1500 (new engine and more).

Test days
The evaluation of these rigs took place over two days and involved a number of exercises. Day 1 was dedicated to on-road driving experiences and some very mild off-road shenanigans.

Day 2 was trucking day. We loaded each truck up with bails of hay and hitched them to a trailer. The results of these tests were highly conclusive and genuinely made the better trucks shine while the others suffered.

Here we have the final scores along with a breakdown of the highs and lows for each truck. They are ranked in order and, frankly, we were not surprised to see who came out on top; however, we did expect more from some especially given the way some were spec'd out. Read on.

Photo: Philippe Champoux

Continue reading 2013 Pickup Comparison Test (+video)

From GMM

Red Bull will have EUR 25,000 less in its coffers for the championship party in Abu Dhabi, after the FIA toasted Sebastian Vettel's title win on Sunday with a penalty.

The German was fined and reprimanded after breaking 'parc ferme' protocols and doing donuts on the front straight when he secured his fourth consecutive world title by winning in India.

But the FIA said it only decided against levying an even harsher penalty "due to the special circumstance".

Sebastian Vettel became 4 times world champion in India. (Photo: WRi2)

Vettel, of course, had equalled the feats of Alain Prost (4), Juan Manuel Fangio (5) and Michael Schumacher (7), who all also won at least four titles.

"Phew," Vettel said, puffing his cheeks out in emotion, when compared to those greats. "I am way too young to understand what it means."

He muddied his emotion even more by constantly swigging on his magnum of podium champagne throughout the FIA press conference, and more drinks would follow.

"We will celebrate a little bit," Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko told German media, "with Sebastian's favourite drink." It is jagermeister "with lots of Red Bull". Bild newspaper said the party raged in a hotel until about 2am.

The bigger party will wait a few days.

"Most of the team flies out tonight or tomorrow morning," Marko said in the Buddh circuit paddock. "We're planning a proper celebration for Abu Dhabi."

It was actually a stressful grand prix for the team. Teammate Mark Webber laughed bitterly as he returned to the paddock following his alternator failure, as his Red Bull is usually the one that breaks down.

Adrian Newey, Christian Horner, Sebastian Vettel, 2013 world champions. (Photo: WRi2)

Team boss Christian Horner doesn't agree with that assessment, though, insisting that a cool look at the statistics shows that both Webber and Vettel "have had an equal amount of issues and failures".

Indeed, Vettel said the team was also worried about his RB9 in India.

"I wasn't allowed to use the drinks bottle in the race," he revealed, "we switched the KERS off, we did everything to try to save energy at the end. The cars are built on the limit."

Development of the 2013 car will now finally stop altogether, amid suggestions Red Bull could be on the back foot for 2014, given key rivals like Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren have been working on the all-new rules for next year for quite some time.

"It's not a disadvantage," team supremo Dietrich Mateschitz told Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper, "because any development this year can also be something good for next year."

Still, as team boss Christian Horner pointed out, "Every driver in the pitlane would like to be in one of our cars at the moment," he is quoted by Agencia Estado news agency.

Vettel was born to succeed at the wheel of one of the energy drink-branded cars.

"At the beginning there were many in the team that thought Vettel was not the right thing for us," Marko recalled on German television Sky.

Vettel added: "He (Marko) said, 'Give the boy a chance'. I'm glad it worked out."

Sebastian Vettel, winner in India with Red Bull. (Photo: WRi2)

He remains under contract for 2014 and 2015, and Prost - the only other holder of four titles - thinks Vettel could go on to match Fangio's record next season.

"The rules are changing," the famous Frenchman told RMC, "so the drivers who are the most involved will undoubtedly have an advantage. And great engineers like Adrian Newey are best able to manage these changes. It is quite possible we will see Red Bull and Vettel dominate for quite some time."

It must, however, be tempting for Vettel to bottle his Red Bull successes and turn soon to a new challenge with another team.

"He can't stay at Red Bull forever," Prost agreed, according to Der Spiegel. "On the other hand, if he is always getting the best car at Red Bull, why would he change just to make the fans happy? He should only change if he wants a new challenge for himself."

After winning his fourth title on Sunday, however, Sebastian Vettel admitted for the first time that recent bouts of booing had affected him.

"I didn't find it easy," he told Bild newspaper, "especially when I had done nothing wrong. My girlfriend (Hanna) really helped me with that."

Meanwhile, another title was won on Sunday, when former F1 driver Robert Kubica clinched the second-tier world rally championship (WRC2) in Spain.

Red Bull Racing driver, Sebastian Vettel has become the youngest-ever four-time Formula 1 world champion at the Indian Grand Prix Sunday.

The German ace is only the fourth person in history to achieve four titles.

Vettel claimed the race with a two-stop strategy and his latest victory also means that Vettel has now won all three Indian Grands Prix held so far.

Mercedes AMG's Nico Rosberg finished second ahead of Romain Grosjean in a Lotus.

A brilliant 13-lap opening run on Pirelli soft tires brought Grosjean up from 17th to fifth, and he then built on that with a superb 47-lap run on mediums which took him up to third and the final podium position.

5.

Sebastian Vettel, race winner and world champion in New Delhi. (Photo: WRi2)

4.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W04. (Photo: WRi2)

3.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F138. (Photo: WRi2)

2.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus E21. (Photo: WRi2)

1.

Romain Grosjean partying with Sebastian Vettel on the podium. (Photo: WRi2)

Today we'll put you behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car and explain what needs to be done to start a race.

In an article posted on F1-Monitor, published by High Power Media, our friend Craig Scarborough explains the procedure of starting an F1 car.

Since 2008, fully automatized launch control has been banned. Today, the driver alone must manipulate the throttle and clutch paddles to achieve the best start.

It all begins during the pre-race warm-up lap as the driver executes a certain number of burn-outs. This brings the tires and clutch up to operating temperature, essential for both for the friction qualities of the carbon clutch plates and the thermal expansion of the clutch plates moving the bite point.

The "Start" switch and BP (Bite Point) button are clearly visible. (Photo: Ferrari)

Near the end of the parade lap, the driver is asked by the engineers to perform a Bite Point Find (BPF), a process initiated by pressing on a button on the steering wheel. The clutch is released and the electronics detect the drop in engine revs and the clutch position is recorded in the software.

The clutch paddles are then reset to match the bite point position.

The car is steered in neutral to its starting position. Moments before the start, the driver will then pull in both clutch paddles and selects first gear, while holding the revs at around 13,000 rpm.

When the lights are on, both clutch paddles are partially released to a pre-set position, which moves the clutch to the bite point.

Romain Grosjean performing a start at the exit of the pit lane in Montreal. (Photo: René Fagnan)

To start the car, the driver lets go one clutch paddle, which releases the clutch part way between the bite point and fully released, and can modulate the throttle to manage wheel spin or avoid stalling.

Once the car is moving forward and wheel spin has significantly decreased, the driver releases the second clutch paddle. Now the clutch is fully engaged and the full engine power is passing into the transmission.

Last week, Jaguar Land Rover Canada helped present the Automotive Journalist Association of Canada's (AJAC) 2013 Automotive Journalist of the Year award to Michel Crépault of L'annuel de l'automobile and Auto Passion magazine.

Lorraine Sommerfeld of the Globe and Mail finished second, while our very own Justin Pritchard came in third place.

The panel of judges, which consisted of Geneviève Bonin, Jacques Grenier, and Robert Bragg, noted that “the information [Justin] provided was easy to understand and the test drives were realistic providing insight into the driving experience.”

“This award was founded over 25 years ago by Jaguar and it is always a thrill to be able to honour Canada's top talents in automotive journalism,” said Barbara Barrett, Communications Manager at Jaguar Land Rover Canada. “Our Jaguar and Land Rover brands are premium and exclusive brands. As a result, it's so appropriate that we recognize the premium journalism published by this exclusive group of Canadian automotive journalists. Congratulations to all entrants and award winners!”

Source: Jaguar Land Rover Canada

Racer magazine has learned that Italian race car manufacturer Dallara will supply the next-generation chassis of the Cooper Indy Lights series.

Andersen Promotions recently revealed that three chassis manufacturers were in the running to earn the 2015 Indy Lights chassis contract.

Racer says that the final decision reportedly fell in Dallara's favour based on offering the lowest sale price of those who submitted bids, low spare parts prices and, as a key concession, the company's willingness to create three-year finance plan to lessen the upfront costs of ownership.

Dallara has a brand new production plant based in Indianapolis, IN.

Andersen Promotions must now unveil the name of an engine supplier for this new car.

Several manufacturers, including AER, Chevy, Honda, Mazda, and others have negotiated with series' officials, and news of which small-displacement turbo engine will be used could follow directly behind the chassis announcement.

On October 28th, 1942, in the midst of World War II, the state of Utah decided to reduce its speed limit to 35 mph (56 km/h) in an effort to save tires and gas. Enforcement of the so-called ''Patriotic Speed Limit'' began on November 10th.

A study by the National Safety Council showed that 46% percent of cars driven by war workers had at least one tire with the tread worn smooth; 23 percent with at least two tires worn smooth; and 11 percent with at least three.

The old speed signs were stored until the limit was raised in 1943.

Meanwhile, car accidents in Utah dropped 35% from 1941-1943, and fatalities decreased by almost 50%.

Source: Mystery of Utah History