Auto News 5

From Sahara Force India

Sahara Force India Formula 1 team announced Thursday the signing of Mexican race car driver Sergio Perez as race driver for the team in 2014 and beyond.

Perez raced for Sauber in 2011 and 2012, before joining McLaren in 2013.

The 23-year-old Mexican completes Sahara Force India's 2014 line-up alongside Nico Hulkenberg and helps create one of the most exciting pairings on the grid.

Sergio Perez and Dr Vijay Mallya. (Photo: Sahara Force India F1 Team)

“It's a pleasure to welcome Sergio to the team. He brings a healthy mix of youth and experience, and I've been very impressed with his recent performances,” said Dr Vijay Mallya, Team Principal and Managing Director.

“He already has several podium finishes to his name and being chosen by McLaren last year was a clear indication that he is a driver to watch for the future. We also recognise Sergio's incredible talent and we are proud to have him in our team. He clearly has great speed and plenty of fire in his belly. Our job is to make sure he settles in quickly by creating the right atmosphere so that he can realise his potential. By pairing Sergio alongside Nico, we enter the new season with an extremely competitive line-up, which will go toward helping us achieve our goals for the new season.”

Team Principal Vijay Mallya introduces “Checo" in the presence of the Consul of Mexico to the UK. (Photo: Twitter Sahara Force India)

“It's great to announce my new team as Sahara Force India. Coming here was always my first choice and I'm really happy everything has now been confirmed,” said Sergio Perez.

“I want to say thank you to Vijay and the whole team for giving me the opportunity. This is a young team with a lot of determination and they've produced competitive cars for the last few years. It's all change for next season with the new regulations, but I already have a good feeling about 2014. My plan now is to visit the factory and get to know everyone in the team,” the Mexican added.

Qualifying will take on an even greater importance in 2014 thanks to the introduction of a new trophy that will be awarded to the driver who scores the most pole positions during the Formula 1 season.

In the event of a tie, the trophy will be awarded to the driver who holds the greatest number of second places.

If there is still a tie, the greatest number of third places will be taken into account and so on until a winner emerges.

If such a trophy had been in place in 2013, Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel would have been the clear victor having taken nine pole positions to Lewis Hamilton's five.

Penalty points
The pole position trophy is one of several additions to the latest version of F1's 2014 sporting regulations.

Also included was a new article that gives race stewards the power to impose penalty points on a driver's super licence. If a driver accrues 12 penalty points his licence will be suspended for one race, after which the points will be removed from his licence. Penalty points will remain on a driver's super licence for a period of 12 months after which they will be removed.

As part of its annual fundraiser, the Gilles-Villeneuve Museum is selling a book signed by the legendary Enzo Ferrari.

Race fans and collectors can bid on this unique piece until December 31, 2013. The museum will then consider offers received and will decide if the floor price is reached, or not, to dispose of this valuable collector's item.

The autograph of Enzo Ferrari is in the first pages of an impressive book titled “Piloti, che gente...”, which he is the author.

(Photo: Musée Gilles-Villeneuve)

Written in English, this 360 pages book was printed in Modena, Italy, near the headquarters of the Scuderia Ferrari.

It was autographed by the racing legend in 1984. Recall Enzo Ferrari, born in 1898, died 14 August 1988 at the age of 89 years. Only 2500 copies of this book have been printed.

To make an offer, three ways to proceed:
1) it is possible to visit the museum website at www.museegillesvilleneuve.com and fill out the form,
2) it is possible to call the museum at 450-836-2714,
3) by email: museegillesvilleneuve@bellnet.ca to submit your proposal and your contact information.

(Photo: Musée Gilles-Villeneuve)

Volvo yesterday released pictures and a video of its new XC Coupe concept, which will first appear at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 13th, 2014.

Developed under Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President of Design at Volvo, the XC Coupe embodies a brand new styling direction. It also shows another interpretation of how the proportions and versatility of Volvo's new Scalable Platform Architecture, that will underpin all medium and large cars in the company's future, could look.

Photo: Volvo

Photo: Volvo

Photo: Volvo

The 2014 Montreal International Auto Show (MIAS), taking place from January 17-26, will host 46 vehicle premieres including the North American debut of a Mitsubishi, 34 Canadian premieres, and 3 special presentations, one of which is former race car driver Antoine Bessette's Felino cB7.

Luxury and exotic car enthusiasts will be served by Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Porsche, McLaren, Ferrari, and other prestigious makes. The Performance Zone will make its return, featuring the iconic DMC DeLorean from "Back to the Future" along with over 40 modified cars.

Be there!

Source: MIAS

From GMM

Despite his own eagerness to leave the famous British team, Pastor Maldonado thinks moving to Williams is the best step for Felipe Massa.

Venezuelan Maldonado, who is moving his lucrative PDVSA backing to Lotus for 2014, ended his three-year stint at Williams in a bad mood, bemoaning the uncompetitive car and accusing the team of sabotage.

But the 28-year-old, who won the Spanish grand prix from pole last year, thinks Williams is the right place for Massa, who lost his Ferrari seat to Kimi Raikkonen for 2014.

Felipe Massa. (Photo: Williams F1 Team)

"I spoke with Felipe and I think he made the right decision," Maldonado told Brazil's Totalrace.

"First, just for the change," he said, "as he was not achieving success with Ferrari in the last years. It is also true that Williams has gone many years without major success, but I think the team can start to regain its position of the past. I'm not saying to win, but to be constantly in the points and performing at the level of Sauber and the other middle teams.

"Felipe is a good driver, and Williams is a good team. I see no reason why they shouldn't do a good season," added Pastor Maldonado.

From GMM

Another front has opened up amid Bernie Ecclestone's legal woes, as it emerges the state Munich bank BayernLB plans to sue the embattled F1 chief executive.

The 83-year-old Briton is already the subject of criminal proceedings in Germany, while the German media company Constantin pursues him for over $100 million in London's high court.

The cases all relate to Ecclestone's alleged paying of a bribe to the now-jailed banker Gerhard Gribkowsky, as the sport's commercial rights were sold to CVC some years ago.

BayernLB, having originally held the allegedly undersold shares, is now the latest to file a lawsuit, with the bank confirming to DPA news agency its intention to go to the London high court, probably in January.

The Reuters news agency said BayernLB will seek a staggering $400 million in damages.

DPA quoted a bank spokesperson as saying: "It is true that BayernLB is working at high speed on a lawsuit against Mr Ecclestone.

"We expected to submit it to the London high court in January."

However, Ecclestone's hopes appear to have been boosted by the judge in the Constantin case, according to the leading F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.

In the Guardian newspaper, he quoted Mr Justice Newey as saying: "I have to say I find the idea of a bribe being paid to get rid of the banks more plausible than the idea of a bribe being paid to undertake an arrangement under which shares were sold at an undervalue."

Team owner, Richard Childress' grandson, Austin Dillon, will renew the No. 3 Chevrolet made famous by the late seven-time NASCAR Champion, Dale Earnhardt, in 2014.

The No. 3 has not been used in the Sprint Cup Series since the death of Earnhardt on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Although Earnhardt drove with the number “3” it is owned by NASCAR and maintained by Richard Childress Racing at NASCAR's pleasure.

Because the number “3” is so closely connected to Earnhardt some old fashioned fans may not agree with the either the revival or the driver.

Speaking of the late NASCAR icon Childress said. "He would want to see this 3. He didn't want to see it ever go away. I know today that he's accepting this highly. I knew him that well."

Austin Dillon. (Photo: Richard Childress Racing)

As for the unofficial popular vote "For every five (negative) calls, we get 95 positive," Childress said. "What we're hoping to do is win those over with the class we're going to bring the 3 back with."

Even Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr. was okay with the announcement. "I'm in favor of it," he said last week. "I'm real comfortable with it. I look forward to seeing it out on the racetrack. It'll definitely stir up some emotions that I'm probably not aware of right now, but I'm expecting it to have a positive influence on the sport and the fans and Austin as well.

The 23-year old Dillon comes with some pretty good credentials even if there might be some to accuse him of nepotism. He came up through the ladder system winning both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series titles in different years. “My grandfather has done a great job of teaching me how to handle certain responses to things, and I think we're going to go forward with it,” Dillon said. “I've heard a lot of good feedback from the fans, and every time I'm at an autograph session I've had someone ask what's going to happen. They are excited and we are, too, at RCR.

“It's what our sport was built on — family and history — and a great opportunity for all of our sport to see this No. 3 back on the track.”

The car has some major sponsorship and will have at least two paint schemes for Cheerios (cereal) and Dow Chemical.

From GMM

World champion Sebastian Vettel, and 2013 runner-up Fernando Alonso, will not be testing tires for Pirelli next week in Bahrain.

"Sebastian is currently on vacation," Red Bull driver Vettel's spokeswoman Britta Roeske told the Welt newspaper.

Four teams - Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Ferrari and Mercedes - are travelling to Bahrain with their 2013 cars to help Pirelli develop next year's tires.

Roeske continued: "Sebastian has a difficult season behind him, and with all the new difficulties - the new technical regulations, for example - the time to the next season is not so great.

"Sebastian will reflect on the past season and prepare for the new one, but that is nothing different than what he has done in previous years.

"He will only reappear in public if there is an official Red Bull appointment, or at the first (official) tests" in late January, she added.

Photo: Pirelli

Similarly, Ferrari's Alonso will also not be in Bahrain, with the Italian team confirming that Pedro de la Rosa and Jules Bianchi will do the tire work instead.

And a report by Speed Week said that while Mercedes' Bahrain lineup is unclear, 2014 racers Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniil Kvyat will be in action for Toro Rosso.

On December 12th, 2000, General Motors announced the termination of the Oldsmobile brand as the automaker restructured its operations to benefit Buick and Pontiac. The last car ever built by Oldsmobile was an Alero, on April 29th, 2004.

Oldsmobile was originally founded in 1897 and purchased by GM in 1908. Known over the years for its various innovations, such as the V8 engine and automatic transmission, the company enjoyed much success from the 1950s through the 1980s, but started to fade rapidly afterwards.

Sources: CNN and Wikipedia

Oldsmobile Toronado. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Trying hard at something is the cornerstone of success. Investing time and effort into a project is the only way to ensure that the fruit of this labour will thrive -- and sometimes, not at all. On occasion, trying too hard has exactly the opposite outcome.

There are many brands on the market attempting with all their designing and marketing might to break through and rise to the top of the heap. Lincoln is one such label that chose to take its future by the horns and steer it in what will hopefully be the direction of making sales.

The new 2013 Lincoln MKZ is nothing short of a very bold attempt at standing way out in a crowd of compact to midsize luxury sedans. Its styling is growing on me, and there are very few negative points to be made against the car. In fact, its biggest hindrance is the brand itself.


What is a 2013 Lincoln MKZ?
The MKZ is Ford's luxury-brand gateway car. Sharing numerous mechanical aspects with Ford's excellent Fusion, the MKZ is an attempt to bring Lincoln's brand of panache to the masses.

The current string of the MKZ (née Zephyr) began in 2006. Sales never came in droves, and the situation remains more or less the same. The storied soon-to-be-100-year-old company has been struggling to appeal to younger affluent buyers who continue to be drawn by German cars and (more recently) Cadillac.

The MKZ is Ford's luxury-brand gateway car. Sharing numerous mechanical aspects with Ford's excellent Fusion, the MKZ is an attempt to bring Lincoln's brand of panache to the masses. (Photo: Olivier Delorme)

2013 Lincoln MKZ Price and Specs
The base FWD 2013 Lincoln MKZ is offered at a starting price of $37,100. At this price point, the MKZ features Ford's delightful turbocharged EcoBoost 2.0L engine that produces 240 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. A 6-speed automatic transmission is included.

Interestingly, the Hybrid version has a base retail price identical to the base car. It is powered by a 2.0L Atkinson-Cycle 4-cylinder hybrid engine that generates a total system output of 188 horsepower. A permanent-magnet AC-synchronous electric motor and eCVT transmission complete the mechanicals.

The top dog in the MKZ lineup is the 3.7L AWD. Its 300 horsepower V6 and intelligent AWD bring this MKZ's entry price to $41,295.

As tested, my 2.0L EcoBoost FWD included the Reserve equipment group ($3,350), White platinum paint ($600), retractable panoramic sunroof ($3,450), polished 19” wheels ($1,150), and more for a grand total of $47,678.

The MKZ features Ford's delightful turbocharged EcoBoost 2.0L engine that produces 240 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Olivier Delorme)

Driving the 2013 Lincoln MKZ
The 2013 Lincoln MKZ's raison d'être is quite clear: Its intent is not to take on the sportiest of the entry-level luxury cars, but to be a capable and comfortable smooth operator for getting about. It does this quite well -- this plays against it in my opinion.

EcoBoost now carries a tremendous amount of promise, and it delivers in the MKZ. Surprisingly, even tempered in this application, the way it delivers horsepower and torque are noticeable but not incommodious. The absence of throttle hesitation and turbo lag along with a well-geared and programmed transmission make the 2013 Lincoln MKZ easy to drive.

There is no excitement to be had, though. Attaining a good clip is easy, if uneventful. The same goes for the ride. In fact, I've little to say about how the MacPherson and multilink independent suspension works on the 2013 Lincoln MKZ.

The Lincoln Drive Control's active suspension, electronic power steering and noise control make the cabin a quiet and easygoing place to spend some time. The ride remains composed over all but the worst road surfaces. It will handle the daily grind with aplomb.

As you may have guessed by the tone of this section, the 2013 Lincoln MKZ is not the most exciting car to drive, but it does what is required of it.

The 2013 Lincoln MKZ's raison d'être is quite clear: Its intent is not to take on the sportiest of the entry-level luxury cars, but to be a capable and comfortable smooth operator for getting about. (Photo: Olivier Delorme)

Inside and Out of the 2013 Lincoln MKZ
The 2013 Lincoln MKZ's outer shell is what the media talked about -- the stir, if you will -- above all when the concept car was introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show. Despite the not always positive response to the car's shape, Lincoln went ahead with the controversial rearward slopping roofline.

At first, I thought Lincoln had finally gone off the deep-end and gone back to the design days of the ugly monumental flop named the MKT (ever heard of it?), but the darn thing began to grow on me. The near identical in size wedge-cut front and rear overhangs really do it for me, as does the faux hatchback rear profile. With the right wheels and colour (as on my tester), I actually like the overall slightly incoherent shape.

To note, the retractable panoramic sunroof looks good in the brochure if nothing else. Once fully retracted, which would be the reason for getting it, it shades a large portion of the rear window, making poor visibility even worse. I'd save the money for a new couch, for example.

The cabin is an equal generator of mixed feelings. Fit and finish are very good. Materials are of the quality sort; however, the dashboard's presentation is mundane. The premise was elegance, but I think Lincoln went a little too far with the push-button transmission selector.

Passengers are generally well cared for, comfort- and room-wise, save for rear headroom. In fact, always be mindful of your head when entering the car as the low roofline can be hazardous to your skull.

The cabin is an equal generator of mixed feelings. Fit and finish are very good. Materials are of the quality sort; however, the dashboard's presentation is mundane. (Photo: Olivier Delorme)

Comparing the 2013 Lincoln MKZ
The MKZ plays nice and innocent in a segment where a war rages on. Between the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class, Infiniti Q50 and Lexus IS, there's barely any reason to glance in the Lincoln's direction.

That is, unless you're looking to cause a stir... Kind of.

German car manufacturer Audi officially launched Wednesday its new World Endurance Championship and Le Mans challenger, an all-new Audi R18 e-tron Quattro.

In its press release, Audi says although the name remains unchanged the new R18 been redeveloped from scratch. Due to the new LMP1 regulations that will come into effect in 2014, Audi Sport factually redeveloped every single component of the car.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro 2014. (Photo: Audi Motosport)

The key details of the new R18 are:
• A further developed V6 TDI mid-engine powers the rear wheels
• e-tron quattro hybrid system at the front axle (ERS-K - Energy Recovery System Kinetic, a system to store kinetic energy)
• Optimized flywheel energy storage system
• Hybrid system with an electric turbocharger in the internal combustion engine (ERS-H - Energy Recovery System Heat, a system that stores energy converted from heat)

Audi worked hard on its V6 TDI unit as it must comply with the energy specifications of the regulations. The new R18 has to do with up to 30 percent less fuel than its immediate predecessor.

In addition to the internal combustion engine, the powertrain concept, for the first time, features the integration of two hybrid systems.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro 2014. (Photo: Audi Motosport)

As in the past, a Motor-Generator-Unit (MGU), during braking events, recovers kinetic energy at the front axle, which flows into a flywheel energy storage system.

For the first time, the turbocharger of the internal combustion engine is linked to an electrical machine, which makes it possible to convert the thermal energy of the exhaust gas flow into electric energy - for instance when the boost pressure limit has been reached. This energy also flows into the flywheel energy storage system.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro 2014. (Photo: Audi Motosport)

When the car accelerates, the stored energy can either flow back to the MGU at the front axle or to the innovative electric turbocharger, depending on the operating strategy.

The new car is also smaller and narrower. Instead of a diffusor, a genuine front wing with a flap is used for the first time. Use of the exhaust gas in the area of the rear diffusor, as in the case of the 2013-generation Audi R18 e-tron quattro, is now prohibited.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro 2014. (Photo: Audi Motosport)

KOR EcoLogic, based in the U.S., recently unveiled a second hybrid prototype called Urbee 2, which will have its entire exterior and interior 3D printed. The name stands for ''Urban Electric,'' and the final version should be ready for launch in 2015.

A crowd-funding campaign has been initiated by the company to allow Urbee 2 to travel from New York to San Francisco (4,677 km) using only 38 litres of bio-fuel, which would represent a consumption of under 1.0L/100km.

Urbee 2 uses a small, gasoline-powered generator, electric motors, a regenerative braking system, and a supercapacitor.

Source : techno-car.fr

Malcom Wilson's M-Sport will unveil tomorrow its driver line-up for next year's FIA World Rally Championship.

According to several European motorsport publications, Wilson will announce the return of Mikko Hirvonen who lost his ride at Citroen Racing a few weeks ago.

The second Ford Fiesta RS WRC should be driven by 25-year-old Briton, Elfyn Evans, the 2012 winner of the FIA WRC Junior Academy Championship with four wins in six events.

The third works Fiesta should be driven by former Formula 1 driver, Robert Kubica with the support of Lotos, the Polish petroleum company.

Kubica tested the Ford on tarmac in August of last year at the Ecuyers test facility near Chateau-Thierry, France.

Robert Kubica. (Photo: Citroën Racing)

2015 BMW M3 and M4 Revealed for 2014 Detroit Auto Show

The M3 splits into two models and returns to the inline-six.

The 2015 BMW M3 and M4 are finally here. Although the looks of the latest M-cars don’t come as too much of a surprise given the BMW M4 Concept from earlier this year, we do now know that the M3 and M4 will produce 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque from a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine.

Photo Gallery: 2015 BMW M3 and M4 Revealed for 2014 Detroit Auto Show - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2015 BMW M3 and M4 Revealed for 2014 Detroit Auto Show - Automobile Magazine

2015 BMW M3 and M4 Revealed for 2014 Detroit Auto Show | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

2014 SRT Viper TA Review

Time Flies .

Judge not, lest ye yourself be judged. Pretend not to know how crude and terrible and irrelevant the 2014 SRT Viper TA is until you yourself have placed a butt-cheek in the ballistic-fiber seats and tested your own mettle and mortality on a racetrack.

Photo Gallery: 2014 SRT Viper TA Review - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2014 SRT Viper TA Review - Automobile Magazine

2014 SRT Viper TA Review | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

NASCAR, amid slumping attendance and TV ratings, has appointed former Chevrolet executive Brent Dewar as COO, effective Jan. 6.

The third generation Mazda3 sees the company breaking free from Ford platforms and powertrains, instead using its own architecture and engines. Glenn Brooks gets the measure of the new range ahead of the UK market launch in January.

Volvo is set to reveal a new concept car at next month's Detroit auto show, and with just a month to go 'till the launch Volvo has given us several previews of the car.

Rinspeed XchangE Concept Previews Autonomous Driving Future

The future of passenger is experience is the Rinspeed XchangE concept's focus.

With autonomously-driven cars just over the horizon, Swiss company Rinspeed has detailed its vision of the XchangE concept — an all-electric, driverless sedan that effectively turns the automobile into high-class private transport rivaling the best business-class interiors on planes and trains.

Photo Gallery: Rinspeed XchangE Concept Previews Autonomous Driving Future - Automobile Magzine

Photo Gallery: Rinspeed XchangE Concept Previews Autonomous Driving Future - Automobile Magzine

Rinspeed XchangE Concept Previews Autonomous Driving Future | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us