Auto News 5

Japan's exports rose for a ninth consecutive month in November, with light-vehicle shipments to the United States rising 13 percent, a sign the weak yen and a recovery in global demand are energizing a major growth driver in the world's...

Nissan has announced the appointment of Paul Willcox as Chairman for Nissan's Europe region, bringing him back after a very brief stint with Volkswagen UK.

Mitsubishi Motors lifted its operating profit forecast for the current financial year by 20 percent, helped by a weakening yen, cost cuts and strong sales of the Outlander SUV plug-in hybrid.

The successor for the Acura TL sedan will be revealed as a prototype at the Detroit auto show in January.

Lamborghini has released the first details of the Huracán, its replacement for the Gallardo. The car will have its first public outing at the Geneva motor show in March.

BMW is planning to make three models at its new plant in Brazil: the 3 Series, X3 crossover and the Mini Countryman.

More than 500 workers of Ashok Leyland opted for a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS), bringing down the workforce by 10%, reports The Economic Times.

Citroën chose Paris and the famous Louvre museum as the site for the unveiling of the latest DS prestige model for the Chinese car market - the DS 5LS.

Western European car sales may improve by nearly 3 percent next year after November showed modest growth, LMC Automotive forecasts.

Western European car sales may improve by nearly 3 percent next year after November showed modest growth, LMC Automotive forecasts.

Lamborghini has crowned its

Nissan has appointed new regional bosses for Europe and the Africa-Middle East-India regions, tapping Paul Willcox for Europe and bringing in Takashi Hata from transmission maker Jatco to run the emerging market portfolio.

Nissan has appointed new regional bosses for Europe and the Africa-Middle East-India regions, tapping Paul Willcox for Europe and bringing in Takashi Hata from transmission maker Jatco to run the emerging market portfolio.

After a 10-year run and more than 14,000 sales, the Lamborghini Gallardo is being put out to pasture, and a faster, more nimble replacement, the Huracan, will arrive in the spring.

Toyota targets sales and profitability gains in Europe and Russia next year on the strength of its hybrid models, said Didier Leroy, Toyota Europe head.

An Australian entrepreneur and a Romanian engineer have designed and built the dream car of every five-year-old boy: a hot rod made of over 500,000 LEGO blocks. And it works!

Equipped with a compressed air system, 256 pistons, and four radial engines, this machine can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h.

Source: blog.caranddriver.com

From press release

The intense wheel-to-wheel action of Formula 1600 racing will be broadcast nationally by Move Motorsports and Fuel MediaLab.

Jason Sharpe of Move Motorsports (promoters of both the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship and Formula 1600 Super Series) and Joel Robinson of Fuel MediaLab (producers of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on TSN) have reached an agreement to produce a number of shows to be broadcast nationally during the 2014 season.

The broadcasts will cover a select number of events showcasing the entry-level formula to a large and passionate audience. It will include a high percentage of the on-track action but will also get behind the scenes in an effort to learn more about Canada's next wave of international racing superstars.


“Formula 1600 is the first step on the ladder to a career in racing,” said Jason Sharpe of Move Motorsports. “Half of our competitors are under the age of 18 and right out of karts. They are fearless and hungry for nothing other than victory. The other half have been doing this for years and their experience behind the wheel sometimes baffles the rookies and is the recipe for some epic battles. Canadians will be incredibly entertained by this show and as a bonus are getting the first look at the new breed of racing stars,” he added.

“In the twenty-five years I have been involved in televised auto racing, the Formula 1600 series has been one of the most exciting to watch,” said Joel Robinson of Fuel MediaLab. “It doesn't get better than seeing that group of thirty to thirty-five cars racing five-wide into turn one. I look forward to working with Jason and the team at Move Motorsports Management and showcasing this country's racing prospects to Canadian racing fans,” he added.

The events to be televised, network and broadcast schedule will be released early in the New Year.

Both Canadians Alex Guenette and Maryeve Dufault will be on hand starting this Friday to take part in the annual ARCA Racing testing session at the Daytona Superspeedway in preparation for the season opener in February.

For Guenette, it will be a first outing on the super-oval and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Rookie of the year is scheduled to take part in at least three races under the supervision of Mario Gosselin.

Alex Guenette at the annual NASCAR Night of Champion Touring Awards. (Photo: Alex Guenette)

The 17-year-old just came back from the annual NASCAR Night of Champion Touring Awards where he was also selected as the most popular driver in the NCTS championship.

As for Maryeve Dufault, she is back in action after more than a year hiatus in the ARCA Series where she will be joigning Strange Racing with which she will compete in every event of the upcoming 2014 season.

Maryeve Dufault. (Photo: ARCA)

From GMM

A month ahead of official pre-season testing for 2014, Charles Pic has admitted his future remains far from certain.

It has been rumoured in recent days and weeks that, ahead of the new season, the Lagardere-backed Frenchman's sponsorship haul might not be as strong as that of his 2013 teammate Giedo van der Garde.

At the same time, there have been rumours Caterham might be considering a new driver to replace 23-year-old Pic, such as the Swedish rookie Marcus Ericsson.

And Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper reports that Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi, who has been looking to return to the grid after losing his Sauber seat at the end of last year, was spotted at Caterham's UK factory this week.

Charles Pic admitted his future is not secure.

Charles Pic. (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

"Given the nature of the driver market at the end of the season," he told France's Auto Hebdo, "I knew that the decision would not be taken quickly.

"Small teams in particular wait for the decisions of their more competitive rivals," added Pic.

"For me it would be logical to stay at Caterham, but you can never be sure about anything in formula one. The contract with Caterham is my first priority, but there are other options. Honestly, at the end of the season, we saw that the main problem was not the drivers, but the financial situation," he revealed.

Charles Pic is surely referring to the fact that, while he struggled alongside Dutchman van der Garde in the closing stages of 2013, Caterham was already working hard on its all-new project for next year.

"The main problem was that we had to do the season with last year's car," he said, "and we were the only team in this situation."

In an identical car, however, Van der Garde had got the upper hand by the last few races.

"This was his debut season, so it seems logical that he made progress. But prior to India, I was regularly in front of him, and with a significant advantage. In the last three races Giedo had more success than me, but that was because I had a lot of mechanical problems," he argues.

Charles Pic said he feels he performed well enough in 2013 to deserve to keep the seat, but there are other factors in play, and "mainly financial" ones.

"I'm optimistic," he insisted, "because myself and the team need stability."

From GMM

Rodolfo Gonzalez, Marussia's reserve and occasional Friday practice driver in 2013, has revealed he has been offered a role as Pirelli's F1 tester.

Like his countryman Pastor Maldonado, Gonzalez is sponsored by Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA.

But he told the El Universal newspaper: "I have received an attractive offer to be Pirelli test driver in the coming season.

"First there are other options that I would like to explore, so fortunately, I can make a decision about the offer in February or March, as I really want to stay in formula one," Gonzalez added.

"I think in two years I will accept the offers to race in categories such as in the US and Europe, but at the moment I prefer to wait and stay."

Rodolfo Gonzalez. (Photo: WRi2)

Rodolfo Gonzalez has a low profile in the F1 paddock, with most observers believing his sponsor dollars talk louder than his talent.

He confirmed that sponsorship is crucial to the fate of all F1 drivers, with the exception of the very top teams.

Marussia team boss John Booth, however, insisted: "He has nothing to prove. Perhaps he is lacking a little bit of consistency, but he is a formula one driver and he knows what he's doing."

"He has helped us a lot," added John Booth.