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A U.S. judge on Thursday said Daimler AG cannot be held liable for allegedly aiding and abetting South Africa's former apartheid government in race-based attacks and injustices.

Soichiro Honda's company built its reputation on the backs of reliable, efficient, rather diminutive things. The

Preston Tucker died on this date in 1956, at the age of 53. We remember him for

Hyundai is getting ready for the Big Game, and by that we really mean the big ad game, and the stars of their seventh consecutive

It's no secret that the original Toyota

When we heard about Holden's plans to shutter its Australian plants after 2017, we didn't know quite what to think.

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: It's almost shocking when a sub-$20,000 car lands in the fleet; really, they're increasingly a rare breed with only entry level C-segment models and the current crop of B-segment rides like this Fiesta left.

Japanese automakers are bracing for a potential consumer backlash should tensions with China escalate after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited a shrine memorializing those killed by war on Chairman Mao Zedong's birthday.

The debut of the

With my frequent visits to wrecking yards, I spot quite a few fascinating examples of 1980s-style, science-fiction-influenced automotive technology.

Volkswagen AG is poised to sell more vehicles in China than General Motors for the first time in nine years, regaining its place as the biggest foreign automaker in the world's largest auto market.

VW is poised to sell more vehicles in China than GM for the first time in nine years, regaining its place as the biggest foreign automaker in the world's largest auto market.

Volkswagen AG is poised to sell more vehicles in China than General Motors for the first time in nine years, regaining its place as the biggest foreign automaker in the world's largest auto market.

As Chrysler was tumbling toward bankruptcy, Scott Garberding was trying to keep the Grand Cherokee alive. Chrysler had committed $1.

Better late than never: Chrysler is reportedly working on hybrid variants of certain key vehicles, mostly under the Jeep brand. That's what a Chrysler executive in the Asian-Pacific region told Australia's Drive.

Right now, the California-exclusive Fiat 500e is the automaker's lone green car.

While a final decision has yet to be announced, Chrysler is starting to make efforts to meet the new fuel consumption standards that will soon come into effect in both the U.S. and Europe.

Source : techno-car.fr

Photo: JEEP

Marseille, France. The upcoming 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 was recently introduced in France to select Canadian auto writers ahead of an on-sale date set for fall 2013.

This highly-attainable new “four-door coupe” is safe to get excited about. A smaller, front-drive cousin of the iconic Mercedes CLS, it intends to be a new and unconventional entry-point to the brand for Canadians. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA's great to drive, and comes off as a purebred Benz, inside, outside and at the driver's fingertips.

Attainable Benz Magic
I have a friend called Billy Cullens. He's a hard-working young father and massive fan of cars that he refers to as ‘baller'—that is, cars with pedigree, class, exclusivity, and (where possible), offensively large chrome wheels.

Cullens, and countless aspirational folks like him, light up when they come across a high-dollar Benz. It's largely the looks, attitude, and sense of occasion, as well as the hope that one day, a new Benz would be one's rolling lounge to celebrate one's successes, and communicate them to those nearby.


When Cullens sees the pricey Mercedes CLS on the road, he stops dead, loses control of most motor functions, and salivates all over everything nearby. There's magic in that three-point star for folks like him.

Sadly, like many Canadians, Cullens can't afford a CLS. He can afford the new 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA, though, and I think he'd buy one.

Looks
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA is a small car with the detail and styling energy of a flagship. The brand's latest classy and youthful style cues are applied, as are stout proportions which give the CLA a beefy, muscular demeanor inspired by its big buck bro, the CLS.

Two distinct character lines run down the side of the car, and the fascias are vibrantly confident. All said, the latest Benz packs a concentrated visual punch, and looks like a seriously big deal coming down the road.

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA is a small car with the detail and styling energy of a flagship. The brand's latest classy and youthful style cues are applied. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

A Remarkable Powertrain
One powertrain and two drivetrain options will be served up in Canuck-spec units. A 2.0-litre direct-injected four-banger with intercooled turbo spins up 211 horses and nearly 260 lb.-ft of torque. This drives the front wheels as standard, or all four optionally. A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission is the sole offering here, even if other markets get manual-equipped variants.

Hammer the throttle from a stop, and the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 glides forward a half-second before the turbo gets working, at which point the front tires scramble slightly for grip until the quick shift up into second.

There's virtually no torque steer or axle hop—just creamy, head-in-your-seat pull and a mellow hum from the engine room. This little beast of an engine has impressive low-end kick and works smoothly, even when spinning fast. It reminded me of a VW GTI, and that's a good thing.

Even pushed towards its limits on twisty French back-roads, only a hint of understeer ever became apparent. Mostly, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA just bites in and goes where you point it, more so with the 4MATIC AWD on board.

A 2.0-litre direct-injected four-banger with intercooled turbo spins up 211 horses and nearly 260 lb.-ft of torque. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

A striking cabin
Drivers enjoy it all from a cabin full of sporty touches—including plenty of red accent stitching, sport seats with one-piece seat-backs, SLS AMG inspired gauges, frameless windows and more.

A big aluminum trim piece adds contrast to the center of the dash, and the aviation-inspired air-vents dial in some unique flare and some distinctive character. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA's dash and instruments look as upscale and fresh as its body.

Gripes? The manual seat adjuster on the passenger-side is a large dial wedged with an inch to spare between the seat and lower area of the B-pillar, and rear seat headroom, thanks to the swoopy roofline, will be tight for full-sized adults.

A big aluminum trim piece adds contrast to the center of the dash, and the aviation-inspired air-vents dial in some unique flare and some distinctive character. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

The Drive
Very intentionally, the 2014 CLA feels like a Mercedes at the fingertips. In the cabin, that means premium surfaces in the right places, and substantial tactile responses to the switchgear.

It's relatively quiet at speed, even exceeding the 130 km/h speed limit on French highways while overtaking gaggles of Peugeots. The sport suspension doesn't murder ride quality, and even the standard comfort suspension is more than happy to be tossed around.

In the process, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA feels solid and dense, and takes direction via a steering system that's quick enough to encourage hard driving, but heavy enough to inspire a sense of locked-on confidence in the process. Brakes are remarkably powerful, even if they lack the precise pedal feel you'll find elsewhere in the market.

The whole package isn't as sharply mischievous as a Cadillac ATS when you drive the bejesus out of it, nor as effortless as a BMW 3-Series. All said, the CLA's performance capabilities nicely balance the tastefully refined character promised by its badge with the brag-worthy dynamics its potential owners will cross shop against.

The sport suspension doesn't murder ride quality, and even the standard comfort suspension is more than happy to be tossed around. (Photo: Justin Pritchard)

I imagine folks like Billy Cullens will be keeping their eyes peeled and wallets ready for the first units to arrive at dealers this fall, with a starting price of $33,900.

The new V6 turbo hybrid engine to be introduced in Formula 1 starting next year is a totally different beast from the current normally aspirated V8.

Engineers from both sides - the three engine suppliers and the teams - are working together to install the various components of the Power Unit, namely the V6 engine, the batteries, the turbocharger, the KERS and the radiators inside the car.

‘‘One of the key areas we needed to investigate was the packaging of the Power Unit. The current V8 is 95kg, 100kg if you add the weight of the MGU (Motor Generator Unit, which converts mechanical energy to electrical)”, said Axel Plasse, Director of programmes and customer support at Renault Sport F1.

Image: Renault Sport F1

“The weight increases to 120kg when you include the ancillary parts, such as the radiators and other cooling devices. With the 2014 Power Unit, the V6 turbocharged engine will be a minimum of 145kg, plus 35kg for the battery. At 180kg, this is an 80% increase over the current units, plus a further 20kg for the ancillaries such as the intercooler and other radiators”, Plasse added.

‘‘The Power Unit is therefore much more integrated and central to design, for example the turbo overlaps the gearbox so it intrudes into the space where there was a clutch or a suspension part. The energy store is also much larger, which has an impact on chassis length, fuel volume and radiator position, amongst other items,” explained the French engineer.

Image: Renault Sport F1

‘‘Since the first days of the turbo units in the 1970s, Renault's philosophy has always been to facilitate chassis integration, so at a very early stage we had regular video chats, conference calls and site visits to our teams, particularly Red Bull Racing, our development partners, to decide the direction and key milestones so designs on chassis and engine could be synchronized”, Plasse ended.

British publishers Coterie Press have released a stunning and exhaustive book about McLaren.

Written by William Taylor, the large format (12x12 inches), 304-page book is called “McLaren - the Cars 1964-2008”. It covers every McLaren model produced between 1964 and 2008, featuring each and every race car, road car and even a relatively unknown high-tech soap box.

Stop! Coterie Press offers a very special offer to Auto123.com readers! Find details below.


Produced under license from McLaren Group, the book has an impeccable presentation, just like any McLaren car. Graphic design is dazzling but clean and efficient.

There is at least one spread for every McLaren car. The text about the design of the car, its performances at the races, complete with anecdotes and technical specifications, including the number of chassis built.

The book contains 750 photos, 80 per cent of which were specially commissioned and taken carefully in a photo studio in a perfect environment.


There is also a foreword written by Ron Dennis and chapter introductions by Emerson Fittipaldi, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton, as well as a very detailed appendix section race results and car specifications.

The book also contains surprising information about some rare and unique McLaren cars such as Bruce McLaren's 1929 Austin Ulster, the M6GT road car, the mighty McLaren Can-Am big block racers, the one-off John Barnard-designed M25 Formula 5000 car, the MP4/88 Chysler-powered F1 car of 1993 and the 1995 Le Mans-winning McLaren F1 GTR.

Author Taylor provides some fascinating details about the life of the older cars as they sourced by McLaren to be entirely rebuilt to their original specifications. In spite of my 32 years of experience covering motorsport, I have been captivated by the content of the book.


At just $49.95 US plus handling and shipping, it is a real bargain. A limited edition, 1000-copy of the book is also available. Each of these books is personally signed and numbered by the author William Taylor. The book is presented in a gloss slipcase with a printed metallic finish, and has the distinctive McLaren logo displayed on the front of the case.

Special offer to Auto123.com readers! Coterie Press will offer a FREE McLaren poster (a retail value of $14.95) to all Auto123.com readers who place an order. Readers simply have to mention Auto123.com when ordering and a poster will be included in with the book.

To order the book and the poster, simply click here.

Didn't get that tremendously rare mid-century toy car that you wanted for Christmas? No worries: Bonhams will be holding an auction in San Francisco on Jan.

DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: Considering it has Corolla underpinnings, the heart of a Prius and some fancy trimmings, I was not expecting much from the