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News 22 Jan, 2013

Latest pictures of the new BMW 1 Series GT undergoing winter testing

MG is back on sale in New Zealand, where just under 77,000 new cars were sold last year, at three showrooms.

Air system solutions company for the commercial vehicle industry, Meritor Wabco, says it has been named the standard position steer axle service brake chamber supplier for all Daimler Trucks North America air brake vehicles.

Beijing's Public Transport Corporation (BPTC) has placed an order for ZF Friedrichshafen low-floor axles, with 2,200 buses to be equipped with the German supplier's technology and delivered to the Chinese capital this year.

News 22 Jan, 2013

Nissan 370Z Nismo gets an extra 16bhp, firmer suspension and bodykit

Russian car sales will likely rise by 5 percent in 2013 to around 2.9 million, PricewaterhouseCoopers said on Tuesday.

Europe may have long resisted the automatic gearbox but environmental and fuel efficiency legislation combined with major advances in electronics and manufacturing techniques have paved the way for a flood of new automated transmission technologies, including dual clutch transmissions (DCTs). In this interview, Matthew Beecham talked with Alexander Moser, Supervisor Advanced Product Engineering, Clutch Systems, BorgWarner about just how the DCT market is shaping-up.

BMW will offer a two-cylinder motorcycle engine and a generator to extend the range of its i3 electric car. Herbert Diess, BMW's head of randd, said the package will be offered as an option on the i3.

Hatchbacks from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi grew so popular in Europe that the carmakers bet Chinese consumers would feel the same way. They didn't. Next stop: India.

Daimler's Turkish unit expects stronger car and van sales this year despite forecasting that the market will remain stagnant.

Audi says it plans to double sales in the Middle East to at least 20,000 vehicles a year by 2020, as it predicts premium car deliveries in the region will grow 12 to 15 percent this year.

Toyota will probably pick Takeshi Uchiyamada, who led the development of the Prius hybrid car in 1990s, to replace Fujio Cho as the company's next chairman, Nikkei reported, without citing sources.

Team owner and driver, Tony Stewart, has won just about everything he's raced all except the Indy 500.

Roger Penske, the winningest Indy 500 team owner shocked a NASCAR Awards banquet crowd in December offering the three-time NASCAR champion Stewart a ride in the 2013.

A lot of people laughed but Penske was serious about offer.

Eventually Stewart turned down the offer due to obligations with his Sprint Cup team, sprint car (open wheel) team and other duties.

During a trade show weekend in Indianapolis Stewart and Penske and team president, Tim Cindric had dinner in Indianapolis.

Photo: IndyCar

“I didn't tell (Penske) no forever,” Stewart said during the NASCAR media tour. “I told him this: 'You put me on the spot with the offer. I'm not going to tell you no, but I'm going to tell you no for now.' So the way I look at it, it's an open offer for more than one year. He didn't say no to that, so I think we may have an open offer down the road if we choose to do so. You might want to confirm that with him though.”

“It was an interesting dinner,” Stewart said. “That's pretty flattering to have Roger there, and then Chip sitting behind him giving me the look like, 'If you take his offer and don't give me a shot at it ....' I can say that was one of the coolest moments of my career, having that offer.”

“Every year I think about going back to Indy,” said Stewart, whose best finish in the 500 is fifth. “My resume still has one big blank spot at the top of it and it's still an Indy 500 victory, but it's not just as easy as saying yes or no.”

Tony Stewart went on to catalogue his commitments to his various teams as the reason why - for now - the answer is no.

Angie Pritchard is my mom. She drives a grey, 4-cylinder, automatic 2000 Honda Accord. It replaced her 1996, which was powder blue and similarly equipped. That earlier model had 400,000 kilometres of reliable service on it when she sold it. Her current Accord has 245,000. Both posed few problems, started reliably at 30 below, and got mom around when she needed to purchase key cooking ingredients or come visit her favourite son.

Charged with creating an evaluation on the new 2013 Honda Accord Sport, I decided to hand the keys to Mom for some insight.

I am, after all, desensitized to things like backup cameras and electric power steering, in a way. I see them every week. Mom doesn't. She's been driving the same car, every day, for years. I can hardly imagine what that's like.

Turns out it was, largely, a list of the new Accord's thoughtful features that she loved the most.

“The steering is really light when you park it. I liked that.”
That's the electric power steering. When the car is moving at parking-lot speeds, it signals the power steering system to work harder, so you don't have to. You get normal steering feel at highway speeds, and an easier time parking. At low speeds, you could steer with one finger.

“It's so smooth shifting.”
That's because it has a CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission, which executes the smoothest gearshifts possible: none at all. With no gears to shift, power comes on a linear wave, rather than in “steps.” This saves you gas and makes acceleration smooth and seamless.

“I'm going to use this all the time.”
Mom was talking about the “ECON” button. Press it, and the 2013 Honda Accord's computer brain makes changes to the sensor in the gas pedal, the engine and the transmission. These changes work with your gentle driving to help save fuel. You press this when you're trying to drive as efficiently as possible, which Mom always does.

“I love that screen that lets you see what's behind you.”
That's the backup camera. Its standard on every new Accord sold, because Honda says everyone wants one. It helps with parking and navigating while you're in reverse, and makes the area in and around the Accord safer. Winter sees it easily blocked with salty road spray, but a lick of your finger and swipe over the tiny lens as you walk by clears it.

“The turn signals blink three times... on their own?”
That's an added convenience when you're changing lanes. Tap the stick once, and it blinks the blinker three times. Makes you look like a more courteous driver, even if you aren't.

“The lights stay on all on their own.”
Left in “AUTO,” the headlights turn on when it gets dark, turn off when it's not, and even stay on for half a minute after you lock the car so you can see your way up to the house in the dark.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Sprint the telecommunications provider sponsor of NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series is offering a way for fans to get more involved in the stock car series non-points curtain raiser at Daytona Beach on the evening of February 16th.

The 75-lap race, will be divided into three segments and will be called The Sprint Unlimited.


Fan voting categories, include:

Length of each of the three race segments:
• Choice A: 40 laps, 20 laps, 15 laps
• Choice B: 35 laps, 30 laps, 10 laps
• Choice C: 30 laps, 25 laps, 20 laps
-> Race format voting ends at 11:59 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, Feb. 13.

Team pit stop after the first segment:
• Choice A: No pit stop
• Choice B: Two (2) tire change
• Choice C: Four (4) tire change
-> Pit stop voting concludes at the green flag of the first segment.

How many cars will be eliminated after the second segment:
• Choice A: None (0)
• Choice B: Two (2) cars eliminated
• Choice C: Four (4) cars eliminated
• Choice D: Six (6) cars eliminated
-> Elimination voting concludes at the green flag of the second segment.

Fire suit to be worn by Miss Sprint Cup in Victory Lane:
• Fans have a choice of three different fire suit styles
-> Fire suit voting concludes at the green flag of the third segment.

The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) has just launched the first Online Child Passenger Safety Basics Course in the province.

The course is aimed at parents, caregivers and professionals who regularly or occasionally drive children, According to the BCAA, the majority of child car and booster seats are used incorrectly, making children more prone to injuries during a crash.

The Online Child Passenger Safety Basics Course includes information on how to use a seat belt system and child car seat properly, unsafe practice, and what happens in a crash.

It costs just $20, and is accessible to residents of Canada and the U.S.

Source: BCAA

A formidable new breed of Formula 1 cars appeared during the first winter test session 30 years ago in preparation for the 1983 season.

The 1982 cars had venturi tunnel located inside their sidepods sealed by sliding skirts that created an incredible amount of downforce. If, for any reason, a skirt broke or got stuck in its upper position, the car would instantly lose downforce and would crash really hard.

Following the tragic accidents that cost the life of the great Gilles Villeneuve and put an end to Didier Pironi's career in 1982, the FIA decided to change the technical regulations.

Patrick Tambay, Ferrari 126C2 (Photo: WRi2)

For 1983, the FIA required the cars to be fitted with a flat bottom from mid-ship to the axle of the rear wheels, and put a ban on skirts. The engineers realized that they lost something like 60% of the total downforce.

Alain Prost, Renault RE40 (Photo: WRi2)

However, they quickly discovered that a flat bottom could also generate a lot of downforce if it was angled correctly in relation to the ground, and was fitted with a diffuser (called an extractor at the time) at the rear.

Thierry Boutsen, Arrows A6 (Photo: WRi2)

Then, Renault aerodynamicists, including Jean-Claude Migeot, found that blowing hot exhaust gases in the diffuser increased downforce.

“Exhaust blowing to create a fluid skirt on the side of the car (also tested in early 1983) did not work, but blowing the rear diffuser was quite powerful. I remember something like 50 kg on the rear axle at full throttle, whatever the speed,” Migeot told F1 expert, Craig Scarborough.

Jean-Pierre Jarierl, Ligier JS21 (Photo: WRi2)

As you can see in these photos, the 1983 F1 cars had very short sidepods, almost limited to the dimensions of the mandatory flat bottom. The concept was to bring all the weight possible onto the rear axle to increase traction out of the corners.

Jacques Laffite, Williams FW08C (Photo: WRi2)

The Gordon Murray-designed Brabham BT-52B BMW is quite stunning, with super short sidepods that only contained the radiators and heat exchanger of the single turbo.

Nelson Piquet, Brabham-BMW BT52B (Photo: WRi2)

Visitors at the 2013 Montreal International Auto Show can try a new interactive application to customize their dream Volvo.

Developed by WhereCloud in Montreal, the app allows smartphone and tablet users to virtually tailor any Volvo model on display. They can select the powertrain, the exterior and interior colours, as well as the various features. The app then previews the result along with a price.

''Online vehicle builders can be quite complex and tedious. Touchscreens are much more attractive and intuitive to use, especially when the car is right in front of you,'' says Martin Dufort, founder and president of WhereCloud. ''Users can try out various options and compare prices in a clear and simple way. This app fits in Volvo's overall customer experience.''

Following Montreal, Volvo will present the app to visitors at other auto shows including Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Photo: Volvo

Lotus Formula 1 driver, Kimi Raikkonen, nicknamed “Iceman” will contest an ice race in Moscow, Russia in February.

Raikkonen, who won the Grand Prix of Singapore last year as he returned to Formula 1 after a two-year hiatus in world rallying will be back behind the wheel of a sedan race car.

Andros Trophy, four-wheel drive Silhouette car (Photo: Andros Trophy)

The ice racing event, labelled “Race of Stars” will take place at the Moscow Hippodrome on February 23. The action will take place on a large oval.

Raikkonen has some oval experience under his belt, having contested a NASCAR Camping World Truck series' race and a Nationwide race two years ago.

Other well known drivers who have been invited to compete include Caterham new F1 driver Charles Pic, Russian F1 driver Vitaly Petrov, Russian World Rally driver Evgeny Novikov and Red Bull development driver, Daniil Kvyat.

Two Ferrari 250 GT sports cars were auctioned off and sold for over $8 million apiece last Friday.

First, a red 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione earned a winning bid of $8.14 million at an RM Auctions event. It sports a 280-horsepower V12 engine.

Later, a blue 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider was sold for $8.25 million by Gooding & Company.

Other highlights from these events include a 1967 Shelby 427 Semi-Competition Cobra ($2 million), a 1938 Delahaye 135 MS Coupe ($1.54 million), and a 1954 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe ($1.02 million).

All prices are in USD.

Source: The New York Times

Photo: RM Auctions

Photo: Gooding & Company