Auto News 5

Infiniti named Nicolas Tschann as product director for Europe to help the brand become a stronger challenger to BMW, Audi and Mercedes in the region.

Mercedes-Benz will snatch the U.S. luxury-sales crown from BMW in 2013, said Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.

At the annual gathering to discuss intelligent transportation systems, engineers and operators alike injected doses of realism about the hurdles ahead for those technologies.

General Motors' game plan for the most important vehicle launch since its 2009 bankruptcy amounted to producing a knockout next-generation pickup that would command top dollar.

Through a strategy of coalescing global unions, civil rights activists and political figures, UAW President Bob King has engineered a broad push into a decidedly hostile corner of the country.

New Jeep Cherokees were due in dealerships almost two months ago but have been held while Chrysler developed and installed new software to smooth out the way the engine, nine-speed transmission and innovative disconnecting drivetrain interact.

BMW set sustainability and technology targets early on for the i3 compact because research showed that potential buyers wanted more than just an electric car.

With the White House seeking to finalize a trade treaty deal by year end, Japanese automakers and the Detroit 3 are embroiled in a good old-fashioned trade war.

In a command center with a wall of monitors resembling an air-traffic control room, General Motors employees "listen in" on social media.

On October 21st, 1984, Austrian driver Niki Lauda won his third and final F1 title with a mere half-point lead over Alain Prost - the smallest winning margin in the series' history.

Born in 1949, Lauda started his career as a Formula 2 driver at March Racing in 1971. Hired by Ferrari in 1974, he won his first championship a year later.

Lauda miraculously escaped death in 1976 when his car crashed and burst into flames (his face was severely burned, though). Six weeks later, he returned to the track and finished in fourth place in Italy.

Niki Lauda, McLaren, 1984. (Photo: WRi2)

After winning his second F1 title in 1977, Niki Lauda announced his retirement in 1978. He came back for three years with McLaren, winning it all in 1984.

Since 2012, Lauda has been serving as non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.

Source: Wikipedia

Toyota Canada is recalling 44,041 Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid and Venza vehicles from 2012-2013. In some cases, if the air conditioning condenser drain hose were to become clogged, water could accumulate and leak onto the airbag control module. This could cause the airbag warning light to illuminate, and potentially result in an unintended deployment of the airbags.

Water damage could also result in a loss of power steering assist, forcing the vehicle to revert to a manual steering mode which would require greater driver effort, especially at low speeds.

Toyota dealers will install a protective shield and sealant to address the issue.

Source: Transport Canada

Toyota Camry Hybrid 2013. (Photo: Toyota)

From GMM

A Danish newspaper has looked into the future and spotted Kevin Magnussen, the brand new Formula Renault 3.5 champion, at McLaren in 2015.

The report in the tabloid newspaper Ekstra Bladet also said the now 21-year-old Dane's Honda-powered teammate in two years time will be none other than Fernando Alonso.

Kevin Magnussen, the son of former F1 driver Jan, wrapped up the Formula Renault 3.5 championship in Spain at the weekend.

With McLaren's backing, he is now linked with a move to F1 next year with Marussia.

"I have focused entirely on achieving this goal (the 2013 title), because you cannot even dream of going to formula one if you do not deserve it," he said in Barcelona.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren. (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, the Ekstra Bladet report might be slightly more than a speculative glance into the crystal ball.

Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper reports that there is more to the Alonso-to-McLaren story than mere rumours.

The newspaper said Honda has agreed with McLaren to split the Spaniard's huge annual retainer.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali, however, insists he is not worried.

"I do not fear losing Fernando," he told the German magazine Sport Bild.

"He has a contract and he recently made clear that he is staying. He wants to win with us, and we want to win with him," Stefano Domenicali added.

Introduced at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, the VL Destino will go on sale in mid-2014 at around $200,000, the company announced.

VL Automotive is backed by former General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz, who acquired 25 unsold Fisker Karmas and fought to access the codes that operate their infotainment system.

VL Destino. (Photo: VL Automotive)

While identical from a design standpoint, the VL Destino has dropped the Karma's hybrid powertrain in favour of a Chevrolet Corvette engine. Actually, two variants will be available: one with a naturally aspirated V8 that produces 450 horsepower, and another with a twin-turbo V8 rated at 638 horsepower.

Lutz also said that the VL Destino will return to the NAIAS this January along with another body style.

Source: Automotive News

Yet another team has claimed its competitiveness in 2013 was affected by Pirelli's mid-season tire construction switch.

Ferrari and Sahara Force India have also said the move from the steel-belted tires, that 'exploded' so spectacularly at Silverstone in June, hurt their form.

Toro Rosso technical boss James Key said: "The greater deformation of the tires was the main reason we completely changed our suspension concept from the STR7 to the STR8.

"But since we've gone back to the 2012 tires, the setup window has become smaller, and we can no longer use certain settings that were created specifically for this (2013) car," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

James Key said the tire switch also had an aerodynamic effect, with the diffuser no longer "working as well as before".

Indeed, the move from steel to kevlar internals preceded Toro Rosso dropping behind Sauber in the lucrative constructors' world championship.

Photo: Pirelli

The 2014 Ford Transit Connect Taxi will launch in many additional markets around the world starting early next year.

“Ford Transit Connect Taxi has proven itself in taxi fleets across the U.S.,” said Raj Nair, vice president of global product development at Ford. “Now, we are building on that success, offering the vehicle for sale in even more markets, including global cities like Hong Kong.”

Photo: Ford

Ford's second-generation Transit Connect Taxi features a lower vehicle height, providing improved roof clearance for taxicab companies to place advertising on the cabin roof. The floor has also been lowered for improved access to the cabin, and it can be modified for wheelchair accessibility through Ford's Qualified Vehicle Modifier program.

Source: Ford

Jamie McMurray ended a three-year winless drought holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his second win at Talladega.

The unusually clean 500 miler had only three cautions; the fewest at the 2.66 superspeedway since 2002.

NASCAR has managed to end the fan-hated tandem drafting. And while there was plenty of three wide racing early in the race the top fifteen cars were running single file down the backstretch.

The race was halted about a half-lap from the finish by a when Austin Dillon, subbing for Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Chevy, spun out of the second turn down the backstretch. He said he was “hooked” by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. but, he may have gotten loose trying to block the rookie who finished third Dillon slid back into traffic and Casey Mears's Ford slammed into the rear of Dillon's car, sending it airborne spinning on its nose.

Austin Dillon's crash. (Photo: NASCAR)

Dillon's car landed on its wheels and the young driver was not injured. Mears was seen in the infield care center and released.

Murray led 16 of the 188 laps to score his first victory of the season, seventh of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career and second on the 2.66-mile track. He also won at Talladega in the fall of 2009.

“I knew that our Chevrolet was good in practice and I just could never get the right line,” said McMurray. “At the plate tracks to get the right line, it requires a lot of risk and I felt like I was pretty patient all day and I saw the 17 (Stenhouse) and the 88 (Earnhardt) coming on the top. It just seemed the top was the better place to get hung out than if you got hung out on the bottom. Fortunately I was able to get myself in position. I don't know how the last lap would have played out because I could see the 88 trying to set me up and trying to figure out where he could get a run on me but when I saw the caution come out behind me.”

Photo: NASCAR

Earnhardt, a popular favorite, at the track was, obviously disappointed. “I had a plan we were going to get a run down the back straightaway me and the No. 14 (Dillon) and whoever else wanted to go,” he said. “They got together behind me getting into their quarter panels and we just never really got a chance to see what we could do. We had our run formed in the middle of (turns) one and two and we were coming off of (turn) two with pretty good steam when they spun out behind me.”

Jimmie Johnson who finished 13th moved into to fourth place ahead of Matt Kenseth, who finished 20th now took the points lead, by four points.

Kenseth, who came into the race with a four-point lead, said “It was just an incredibly disappointing day. The end there I just for the life of me can't figure out.”

Guernsey's Andy Priaulx, a four-time World Touring Car series' champion, scored the best result in his DTM career by finishing sixth in Hockenheim last Sunday. He scored a sixth-place finish last year, but not in the same circumstances.

Priaulx, who drives the Crowne Plaza-sponsored BMW M3 DTM set his best performance in qualifying with a third place before he clinched sixth in the race.

Auto123.com met with Priaulx last Sunday to discuss this sudden and quite unexpected gain in performance.

Andy Priaulx. (Photo: René Fagnan)

“Here (in Hockenheim) I decided to revert to my old driving technique of right foot braking,” said Priaulx.

“I've always done right foot braking until I joined the DTM where the engineers told me to get used to it because that was more efficient. I never got used to it. And here, I decided to switch back and I think it worked out well because I qualified third. I can brake with a lot more confidence and I have a much better feeling for the weight transfers under braking and turn-in. And that shows on the telemetry data,” the genial driver explained.

So, why didn't he revert sooner during the season?

“You know,” he said, “I haven't tested the car since the pre-season test in Barcelona. I'm only driving the car on race weekends. We have a lot of work to do during the sole, 90-minute free practice session. It's not the time to try different driving techniques. But here, I said to myself ‘it's the last race of the season, let's try it'.

Kevin Magnussen claimed the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 title, this weekend in the final rounds presented at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The Dane held a huge advance in the championship hunt going into the last meeting of the season. He kicked off his weekend strongly, by clinching pole position ahead race one.

He then went on to win the first round ahead of Will Stevens and Stoffel Vandoorne, which sealed the title even before race 2.

Photo: RenaultSport.com

Later on, the McLaren prospect set the pole position again, for race 2, despite the smog on the circuit. The DAMS driver set another victory on Sunday, with Stoffel Vandoorne this time in second position ahead of Will Stevens.

Belgian Vandoorne finished the season as runner-up, ahead of Antonio Felix Da Costa.

From GMM

Rubens Barrichello has admitted he is likely to stay in Brazil's stock car championship next year.

Amid rumours he had put together a sponsorship package for 2014, the former Ferrari and Williams driver had admitted he was keen to return to F1 after a two-year absence.

But Monisha Kaltenborn then strongly denied Barrichello, 41, could be paired with inexperienced Russian rookie Sergey Sirotkin at Sauber next season.

And Barrichello is now hinting he will definitely stay in stock cars in 2014.

Photo: Rubens Barrichello

"With the team and the sponsors we are thinking of a renewal," he told Jovem Pan radio at the Curitiba race at the weekend.

"That is the nearest future: a renewal in stock car," Barrichello added.

He admitted, however, that he often misses racing in F1, after the longest grand prix career in the sport's history.

"But I am also a very happy person," said Barrichello. "Now, when I finish the race, I go home at 5pm to my family. My quality of life has changed for the better, so what you lose in one hand, you gain in the other."

From GMM

A political storm is brewing ahead of Monday's London meeting of the new F1 rule-making Strategy Group.

The new body has effectively replaced the old sporting and technical working groups, but it includes only the most powerful and historic F1 teams -- Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, Williams and Lotus.

According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, on the agenda for Monday's meeting is what constitutes a 'customer car'.

If the definition is softened, some of F1's smaller constructors could be endangered as the big teams look to sell their cars to potentially more competitive rival teams.

Sahara Force India's Bob Fernley, whose Silverstone based team has 62 points in 2013 compared to Williams' 1, told the Telegraph that the new body is "unethical and undemocratic".

Vijay Mallya and Bob Fernley, Sahara Force India. (Photo: WRi2)

Auto Motor und Sport said the FIA is, however, comfortable with the Strategy Group, because rule-changes would still need to be approved by the F1 Commission.

But one paddock voice said F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has indeed manoeuvred an unfair advantage, because the big teams are generally on his side.

Other rumours suggest the Strategy Group might not even pass the scrutiny of the EU's competition laws.

"Perhaps," former FIA president Max Mosley is quoted as saying. "To my knowledge, Mercedes has sought legal advice and the answer was that it (the group) is contestable."