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News 14 Jan, 2013

Full details of the facelifted Mercedes E63 AMG, following its debut at the Detroit Motor Show

Steve Catlin, formerly General Motors' Vauxhall national retail sales manager in the UK, has been promoted to retail sales director, reporting directly to chairman and managing director, Duncan Aldred.

General Motors Middle East (GMME) recorded its second best December sales in 2012 - up 3% year on year to 14,413 vehicles as the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands booked record month and full year volume.

Toyota will "significantly" increase the availability of SiriusXM satellite radio across its US vehicle range during 2013.

The US National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has named Peter Welch its new president from 1 February.

Automakers increasing digital offerings, linking in-dash systems to smartphones and services like traffic monitors are responding to demand, according to a US report which said a recent study by IBM showed buyers would increasingly select new cars based on the gadgetry they contain. Separately, an online survey of about 2,100 people conducted for Johnson Controls (JCI) by Harris Interactive suggested consumers want to use phones and existing apps to safely connect in their vehicles.

Prolonged economic recession, increasing input costs and high interest have affected truck maker Tata Motors, according to OnCars, which said Tata reportedly is offering a discount of up to INR500,000 (US$9,056.89) on some of its heavy trucks to clear stock and avoid inventory backlog.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: I normally would not select a bright yellow sports car as my commuter machine, but this

A decrease in export market demand for Colombian products and commodities combined with domestic speculation about car tax reform and the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US - with its consequent fall in car prices - made 2012 one of the most difficult in recent memory for the local auto industry.

Renault plans to increase local production in Turkey to take advantage of a market expected to grow slightly in 2013.

The French government has officially sought approval from the European Union for its 7 billion euro ($9.2 billion) state loan guarantee for PSA's financing arm, a French newspaper reported today.

PSA vehicle deliveries dropped 16.5 percent to 2.97 million last year as the struggling automaker lost ground in the European market and withdrew from Iran.

Russia's auto industry is in danger of sliding into the same overcapacity problem as the rest of Europe, analysts say.

The European market for compact station wagons is becoming more competitive after Honda said it will join Toyota in adding a wagon variant to its Civic lineup.

Automakers for months have been announcing plans to add local manufacturing in Russia. The list of companies planning to increase output includes VW, Nissan and Ford. But when Russian sales unexpectedly fell flat in November it caused concern.

Next week's Detroit auto show will demonstrate that automakers are finding ways to provide sharp looks and speed, even as cars are shrinking to save fuel.

A growing number of global auto executives say they are planning to increase investments in factories and distribution networks as their fears of widespread overcapacity wanes.

Ram has fired the latest salvo in the ongoing pickup war between the domestic automakers, releasing what the brand claims is now best-in-class towing capacity for its 2013 heavy-duty pickups.

Parts one and two of the Tom DeLoach interview took us through his involvement in Formula One and partnership with Roger Penske.

In this third and final part, Mr. DeLoach said that the Truck Series is NASCAR's “hidden gem.”

The 2012 season was a high-water mark for Red Horse Racing.

“We had really good year,” said Mr. DeLoach. “Five wins and four poles including the biggest truck series race at Daytona (with John King). And we won Daytona and Talladega in the same truck different drivers. Without an unlimited budget Red Horse Racing is up against teams which are basically junior teams to their big name Sprint Cup parents such as Joe Gibbs Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Penske himself who helped with Champion, Brad Keselowski's truck team."

John King and Tom DeLoach after a great victory. (Photo: Red Horse Racing)

“It's frustrating to us, that's why we got our engines from Joe Gibbs Racing. We could have gotten our engines from another supplier, but the real issue we made a fundamental decision to snuggle up to a successful Cup team,” DeLoach told Auto123.com.

“We don't get open book but we get some help. I'm trying hard every day to think and not beat ourselves.

“If I can get everybody's brain focused in the same direction I think we have a better chance of pulling that off instead of other folk. It always comes back to how well you handle the human assets and we work hard to work well together and back up each other and support each other.”

Tom DeLoach said his mentors, Penske and Dennis, believe in people even ahead of money.

One of Roger Penske great strengths is human things. Ron Dennis had a lot of finance capacity but he'd find the right people. If you get some of the very best but they all work well together you have something very special.”

Speaking of money here's how DeLoach sizes up the cost of racing in the US.

"A winning truck team is going to cost 2.5 to 3 million dollars a year, a winning Nationwide team will cost you in the 7.5 to 9 million range and a Cup team is certainly 20 million plus."

But why did DeLoach pick the third-tier series when he had the experience at the highest level in Formula One?

"I think it's probably the purest form of racing that exists in NASCAR. I think it's far superior to the Cup or Nationwide Series.

Bernie Ecclestone the guy is brilliant. He figured out that if you are going to race television money is what drives the mechanics behind it. You need to make it work on television. He set up a formula. The race has x-number of laps or two hours whichever comes from first. Because you want to hold your audience.

Our races are 1 and ½ to two hours long we will hold our audience. It's very intense racing, you have to perform, and you don't have multiple pit stops. You have to be pretty precise. It's difficult to offset an early oops (mistake) because the race is so short. My contention is that Red Horse has never lost a race we just ran out of time.

The Cup series has a lot of the same attributes that Bernie forced into the F1 circuit by all accounts (regarding television revenues). But we're the third child so we don't get the attention we're probably the most untapped gem in the NASCAR process we have that same intensity, we have the same short attention span, we have really good racing, not fraught with the (Sprint Cup fuel race) drama you see in the rest of it,” he said with a touch of irony.

Photo: Red Horse Racing

Would he like to move up to the premier series in NASCAR?

"My idea is adding another truck team and if we get bigger we'd get another team. I look there's (only) 36 (in the field) so there's plenty of room to expand. I like the (Truck Series) schedule it's is kinder to my guys because it's 22 races, I'd like it to be 25 as opposed to 36 or 38 (races) when you consider the non-points races.

"We probably have the kindest (ambience) when you consider the families' standpoint but we have the most intense racing. There is no time to wait around or see what's happening with other folks. The short race we're the most environmentally friendly the amount of time to get there the length of the races. I'm very happy with the Truck Series is the best series going. I may be in a small minority if you don't feel excited about where you are you might not be in the right place."

And Tom DeLoach who has seen the motorsports world from the very peak is very happy to remain in the valley.

Toyota Motor Corporation and its Lexus luxury division unveiled an advanced active safety research vehicle at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Instead of driving itself, this modified Lexus LS aims to enhance the skills of the driver.

Called the ''Integrated Safety Management Concept,'' it relies on various sensors and technologies, such as a 360-degree LIDAR laser on the roof to detect surrounding objects up to about 70 metres, as well as three high-definition colour cameras that detect objects about 150 metres away, including traffic lights (front camera) and approaching vehicles (side cameras).

The concept is said to be ''a testing platform aimed at the development of systems capable of enhancing the driver's perception of their environment, assisting in the decision-making process and improving overall driving skills.''

Ultimately, Toyota hopes to develop an Intelligent Transportation System integrating the car with the driving environment by way of vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside infrastructure communications. Benefits will include collision avoidance at blind intersections and with a vehicle stopped ahead.