Auto News 5

Australia is setting up a $100 million Australian ($89 million) fund to support regions affected by General Motors' decision to stop production in the country by 2017, including directly supporting those workers affected by the decision.

News 14 Jan, 2014

All the hottest news from the Detroit Motor Show 2014 - with video

To meet demand for new models, Daimler's Mercedes-Benz plants have introduced numerous special shifts.

News 27 Dec, 2013

Fiat 500 family set to grow, with a five-door 500 set for a 2015 release date

A top official with the United Auto Workers said the American union wants to eliminate the two tier wage system that pays new automotive workers a lower rate than veterans.

BorgWarner says it has signed an agreement to acquire all shares in Gustav Wahler and its general partner, a producer of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves, EGR tubes and thermostats, although terms were not disclosed.

New vehicle sales in Malaysia fell by 2.6% to 52,252 units in November, from 53,365 units sold in the same month of last year, according to data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).

The Indonesian new vehicle market expanded by 7.8% to 111,785 units in November, from 103,703 units in the same month of last year, according to data released by industry association Gaikindo.

Deliveries by the Volvo Group's truck operations in November 2013 rose 16% year on year to 20,356 vehicles.

The 2015 Audi A3 will be the star of Audi's 2014

Europe's weak recovery of car demand continued in November with car sales in the EU up by 1.2% on last year. It was the third consecutive month that the region has posted a positive year-on-year trend.

Which is safer, a car sold in the Europe or the United States? Automakers see little or no difference, but they have struggled to win over regulators, who are wary of an industry push to make safety standards interchangeable across the Atlantic...

Delphi helps keep occupants safe in the new Range Rover with systems such as it electronically scanning radar, which is linked to Land Rover's emergency braking. This helps drivers avoid a collision if the traffic ahead slows quickly.

The new MINI John Cooper Works Concept, which will be presented for the first time at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month, offers a preview of the next generation of the elite sports model. No technical specs have been provided, however.

Featuring exclusive Bright Highways Grey paintwork, familiar MINI red accents (mirror caps, roof, hood), bespoke aerodynamic features, and 18'' John Cooper Works light-alloy wheels in a newly developed design, the MINI John Cooper Works Concept also stands out with a black-surround front grille, LED headlights, and large air intakes.

More details to come during the NAIAS media days.

Photo: MINI

To really to no surprise, veteran driver Takuma Sato will remain with AJ Foyt squad for the upcoming 2014 IndyCar season.

The former Formula One driver earned his first series win in Long Beach this year, giving Foyt its first victory in 11 years, and went on to claim pole position in Houston.

Meanwhile, the team also announced that engineer Don Halliday and performance engineer Raul Prados will also remain with the team.

Sato is scheduled to test with the team at Sebring on Wednesday.

2014 IndyCar line-up (Confirmed drivers)

AJ Foyt Racing (Honda)
Takuma Sato
Andretti Autosport (Honda)
Marco Andretti/Carlos Munoz/James Hinchcliffe/Ryan Hunter-Reay

Bryan Herta Autosport (Honda)
Tba

Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevy)
Scott Dixon/Tony Kanaan/Ryan Briscoe/Charlie Kimball

Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
Tba/tba

Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevy)
Ed Carpenter (ovals)/Mike Conway (road/street)

KV Racing (Chevy)
Sebastien Bourdais/tba

Panther Racing (Chevy)
Tba

Rahal Letterman Racing (Honda)
Graham Rahal/tba

Sarah Fisher Hartman (Honda)
Josef Newgarden

Schmidt Peterson (Honda)
Mikhail Aleshin/Simon Pagenaud

Team Penske (Chevy)
Juan Pablo Montoya/Helio Castroneves/Will Power

Juan-Pablo Montoya, Team Penske. (Photo: Mike Finnegan)

From GMM

After spending his entire career to date with Force India, Adrian Sutil on Wednesday began his next F1 chapter.

"Look who we found getting comfortable in his seat," the Swiss team Sauber said on Twitter, adding a photo of German Sutil, 30, at the wheel of the 2014 car.

Sutil, who began his career in 2007 with Force India's former guise Spyker, was at Sauber's Hinwil headquarters for a seat fitting in the new C33, which has already passed the FIA's static and dynamic crash tests.

Photo: Twitter Sauber

It is not Sutil's first visit to Hinwil. Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said he actually visited "at the end of September to have a look at the infrastructure".

"Although I have known for a while where I wanted to go," Adrian Sutil added, "in the end the negotiations took a bit longer than planned."

And he told F1's official website this week: "I felt that it was time for a change and we worked hard for it for months to make it happen."

General Motors, which acquired Saab in 2000, announced plans to eliminate the brand from its operations on December 18th, 2009.

Hit hard by the recession earlier that year, GM officially put Saab on sale in February. Dutch-based automaker Spyker Cars made a bid, but GM ended talks in December due to deadline problems, and later announced that Saab would be eliminated the following year if it failed to secure a buyer before the close of 2009.

Yet, on January 26th, 2010, GM officials confirmed that they had come to an agreement with Spyker. The transaction did little to resurrect the agonizing Saab, which again changed owners in 2012 (NEVS).

Now, there is hope on the horizon. The Trollhättan plant is still open, and a new production model -- the 220-horsepower Saab 9-3 -- rolled out on December 2nd, 2013.

Source : wikipedia.org

Photo: Wikipedia

From GMM

Pirelli's new range of tires for 2014 is more conservative, according to the whispers from private testing in Bahrain.

A three-day, Pirelli-organised test in the island Kingdom kicked off on Tuesday, with Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Toro Rosso in attendance with their 2013 cars.

The testing of next year's tires, which will have to handle the much-higher torque of the new turbo engines, is taking place behind closed doors, and laptimes and details are not being disclosed.

But Italy's Autosprint said: "The general indication is that they (the tires) are slower. Even with the same (2013) cars, the laptimes are expected to rise, because the tire supplier is taking a more prudent approach."

Pirelli prototype tires. (Photo: René Fagnan)

Pirelli had a tumultuous 2013 season, characterised by the tire-exploding British grand prix and constant complaints about questionable durability and quality.

Autosprint said F1's official tire supplier has taken "dozens" of compound and construction combinations to Bahrain, but they all have one thing in common -- the internal kevlar belt.

"The experiment with steel belts, which gave so many problems at the beginning of 2013, is over," the report added.

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has still not received all of the money he is owed by Lotus.

Towards the end of the season, and just before he set off for back surgery that meant he missed the last two races of 2013, the Finn revealed he has not been paid "one euro" by the Enstone based team this year.

Raikkonen said he almost called a halt to his Lotus career before the race in Abu Dhabi, saying at the time: "I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having."

But then he missed Austin and Brazil, ostensibly only because of his back surgery.

Team owner Gerard Lopez, whose Lotus outfit has been waiting for a crucial buy-in deal by the investment group Quantum, has now revealed that Raikkonen is in fact still owed some money.

Asked if Lotus has paid the Ferrari-bound Finn in full, he is quoted by Finland's MTV3: "Not entirely.

"Some of it, yes, we reached an agreement on the payment in Abu Dhabi," added Lopez.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus. (Photo: WRi2)

It has been reported that Lotus remains deeply in debt, with some employees and suppliers going unpaid.

Gerard Lopez acknowledged: "There have been delays. But the amounts that I have heard (in the media) are completely ridiculous. I will not go into detail, other than to say that the amounts we owe are not big. We will pay, just as we always have done."

Kia Motors America will unveil an all-new concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. The vehicle was penned by the company's design studio in California.

Few details have been released so far. We know that it will be a 2+2 sports car, and Kia promises head-turning looks along with an exciting driving experience, both on the road and the track.

Stay tuned.

Source : thenewsmarket.com

Photo: Kia