Auto News 5

Blowing off media speculation that its bold ambitions for electric vehicles might have cooled, Nissan says it will expand its global EV product line to five models.

Automakers are increasingly strengthening their relationships with video-game manufacturers as they seek to promote their vehicles and woo young gamers as future customers.

Automakers are increasingly strengthening their relationships with video-game manufacturers as they seek to promote their vehicles and woo young gamers as future customers.

Blowing off media speculation that its bold ambitions for electric vehicles might have cooled, Nissan says it will expand its global EV product line to five models.

For more than a year, Volvo's U.S. sales arm and its dealers pressed executives in Sweden to reverse a decision not to sell the V60 station wagon in the United States.

Torque and towing, payload and ponies: They've long been the weapons of choice in the pickup wars.

Don't blame the test. That's the EPA's message in the wake of Ford Motor Co.'s decision to restate fuel economy estimates on its C-Max Hybrid.

Osamu Nagata, the troubleshooting Toyota executive who now heads North American manufacturing and randd, is on a mission to boost capacity and do it quickly -- first by expanding existing factories and then probably adding an assembly plant in Mexico.

Big data is turbocharging the old-fashioned business of direct-mail marketing, giving dealers the ability to pinpoint prospective customers.

General Motors is footing a $5 million bill for 60 days so its 4,324 dealers can test adaptive Web site software that automatically adjusts photos and content based on a visitor's online search history.

Nissan Motor Co. may be working on a more aggressive-looking Maxima sedan with a sportier tapered rear roofline and new front-end design and headlight treatment.

As dealership buy-sells heat up, large privately held dealership groups are bidding aggressively against the large public groups, even for the largest deals.

Geely Automobile, whose parent owns Volvo Cars, said it plans to start exporting vehicles that it develops with the Swedish brand to the United States in 2016.

Toyota Motor Corp. is racing to make its cars stronger in frontal crash tests after some vehicles, including the RAV4 compact crossover, were stung by poor safety ratings.

Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel has taken his 31st career victory at the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix, held Sunday on the longest circuit of the year - Spa-Francorchamps.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing. (Photo: WRi2)

Vettel's latest win means that he draws level with Nigel Mansell in terms of overall victories.

The 26-year-old Red Bull driver, who also set the fastest lap of the race, claimed the lead from second on the grid and now extends his championship advantage to 46 points over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Lewis Hamilton of the Mercedes-AMG team finished in third place.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Photo: WRi2

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus. (Photo: WRi2)

Stewart-Haas Racing has notified the media of a 2pm press conference on Tuesday to announce a team expansion.

Most likely that involves hiring Kurt Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup champion, as the fourth driver and, likely, adding Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 55 crew chief Rodney Childers.

The SHR lineup for 2014 would include the recuperating, three-time champion, Tony Stewart, the returning Danica Patrick and Kevin Harvick who is leaving Richard Childress Racing at the end of the year.

Kurt Busch, who won the title with Roush Fenway Racing, then went to Penske Racing is currently with the one-car Furniture Row Racing.

Furniture Row Racing General Manager, Joe Garone, issued the following statement on Kurt Busch's decision to sign with Stewart Haas Racing.

“It was always our intention to extend Kurt's contract with Furniture Row Racing. We made him an offer last week to continue as the driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet in 2014 and beyond. Though he did not accept our offer we respect his decision and wish him future success. His driving skill and being a dedicated team player will always be appreciated at Furniture Row Racing. But for right now the main focus for Kurt and the team is to qualify for the Chase and contend for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship.

“Furniture Row Racing's technical and engineering programs along with a talented road crew have made great strides this season, which have been evident with the consistently fast race cars that we have brought to the track week in and week out. We, along with our technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, are deeply committed to continuing the work in progress. We are currently in a search process for a new driver in 2014, one who shares the same commitment and winning attitude that we all do at Furniture Row Racing.”

Kurt Busch was on the threshold of qualifying for a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but had a setback in Bristol on Saturday night. He still has two more opportunities to improve his points' position before all the spots are filled.

From press release

Lucas di Grassi and Nico Müller will get the opportunity to test the Audi RS 5 DTM this week at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg (Austria).

Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz complete a multiday test at the race track in Styria in preparation for the final spurt beginning at Oschersleben on September 15.

Audi driver Mike Rockenfeller starts the final dash as championship leader with a 35-point advantage. Rockenfeller and Mattias Ekström are in action for Audi in Spielberg. At the same time, Audi Sport offers two young racing drivers the chance to test the Audi RS 5 DTM.

The former Formula 1 driver and GP2 runner-up Lucas di Grassi belongs to Audi's sportscar driver line-up since mid 2012. The Brazilian clinched a podium position on his Le Mans debut in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro in June 2013.

Nico Müller had previously impressed Audi at the wheel of an Audi A4 DTM at a driver test for budding talents in spring 2012. The 21-year old Swiss now receives the opportunity to drive a current DTM racecar for the first time. Müller currently races in Formula Renault 3.5 and won the series' highlight of the season in Monaco this year. 
 

“We are intrigued to see just how Nico (Müller) and Lucas (di Grassi) get to grips with our RS 5 DTM,” says Dieter Gass, Head of DTM at Audi Sport. “Nico is a promising young driver whose career we have followed with great interest for some years now. Lucas has impressed our sportscar team with his speed and knowledgeable technical feedback, which is why he is regarded as excellent test driver.”

2005 to 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid

Photo: Honda

The Draw: All of this generation Honda Accord's sensibility and style was available powered by a high-performance hybrid system for a short lifespan. The big draw here was the Accord using its available hybrid system as a performance enhancement -- as it was only available with the V6 engine and turned up the performance a notch, netting 255 horsepower or an improvement of 15. Other than the extra power and badging, the Accord Hybrid functioned, looked, and operated like a standard Accord, which is a good thing.

The Common Issues: Perhaps the most common issue reported dealt with a vibration or “tone” emitted from the Accord Hybrid's engine compartment. This appears to be caused when the vehicle's “Active Noise Cancellation” circuitry conks out, thereby failing to cancel out unwanted engine noises when the V6 runs on three cylinders to save fuel. If you notice any strange or unwelcome noises like these from the engine compartment on a test drive, be sure to find out why.

Further, some drivers report a “clunking,” “surging” or “vibration” from the transmission when shifting gears, though it's not completely clear whether this is normal -- given the nature of hybrid models and how they blend gas and electric power to propel the vehicle. If the Accord Hybrid you're considering doesn't feel like it's shifting properly, be doubly sure to have it inspected by a hybrid-certified dealer mechanic.

Photo: Honda

Continue reading Part II: Used Hybrids at a Glance

From GMM

Red Bull is playing down expectations Sebastian Vettel will continue his dominance next weekend at Monza.

Although some insiders thought Mercedes would have the upper hand on the long Spa-Francorchamps straights, German Vettel dominated the Belgian grand prix from start to finish.

Monza is an even higher-speed and lower-downforce circuit, but Vettel is not so sure the RB9 will continue to dominate in Italy.

Sebastian Vettel in Spa-Francorchamps. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

"It's very difficult to predict," said the reigning triple world champion, whose points advantage over Fernando Alonso is now 46 points with eight races to go.

"We had some painful years (at Monza), where we just got hammered down the straights, and we've had years where the loss down the straight was limited, so we could come back in the corners. How it turns out to be this year is difficult to say," added Vettel.

Designer Adrian Newey is also unsure.

"I think Monza could be a difficult circuit for us," he is quoted by Italy's Autosprint. "There are a lot of straights and not so many corners."

As the miles clicked by...
The open road is a telling place to be; telling for the passengers who are stuck with each other for hours on end, and telling for the car that's crossing those endless miles. From discovering things you never knew (or wanted to know?) about your travel partner to realizing the car you thought was the ideal road tripping vehicle clearly isn't, vacationing on the open road can be quite the adventure.

My husband and I decided to make the 6+ hour drive to Niagara Falls for a few days to get away from it all -- with our 1 ½-year-old son in tow, of course.

When faced with what vehicle I wanted to take on said journey, I knew I wanted something rather roomy, safe, comfortable and relatively fun to drive. My thoughts landed on Volvo, and I booked a 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 to get us to the Falls in comfort and style.

While there was plenty of good about the Volvo XC60, there was a bit of bad, too. Overall, it's a fantastic crossover that can be worth the dollars if you really want the Volvo logo.


What is the Volvo XC60 T6?
Introduced in 2008, the Volvo XC60 is a crossover vehicle. It wasn't meant to replace anything, but essentially pushed the V70 out as it was already headed out the door thanks to North America's aversion to the wagon.

Offering up more driving dynamics and a higher ride height, as well as good cargo space, the Volvo XC60 placed well in the lineup alongside the likes of the  XC90.

2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus Price and Specs
There are two engine choices and three models to choose from in the Volvo XC60 lineup. The base Volvo XC60 3.2 FWD starts at $39,350. My particular tester, a 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus with a few options rang in at $53,800 (with a starting price, sans options, of $49,150).

The Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus features Volvo's 3.0L I6 turbocharged engine that's good for 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque along with a 6-speed automatic with Sport Mode and
AWD.

While we did do a great deal of highway miles in the crossover, the overall 10.4L/100km reading at the end of the journey was highly impressive. (Photo: Volvo)

Driving the 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus
After putting close to 2,000km on the Volvo in just seven days (spending close to 27 hours in the XC60's plush, cream-coloured seats), I can truthfully say I like the way this crossover drives. The 3.0L delivers despite the crossover's weight and throttle response is good.

Steering could have been a bit more on-point, but otherwise handling and manoeuvrability were good. Ride comfort was also good.

The laser-guided cruise control is also a godsend on wide-open stretches of boring highway. It's hard to let the car do the braking for you, but the Volvo XC60 T6 handled stop-and-go situations like a pro and kept us all safe.

Where the 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus really shone, in my opinion, was in fuel mileage numbers. While we did do a great deal of highway miles in the crossover, the overall 10.4L/100km reading at the end of the journey was highly impressive.

After putting close to 2,000km on the Volvo in just seven days (spending close to 27 hours in the XC60's plush, cream-coloured seats), I can truthfully say I like the way this crossover drives. (Photo: Volvo)

Inside and Out of the 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus
There's no denying that the Volvo XC60 T6 is a good-looking CUV. With just the right amount of ride height and a rugged, manly exterior design, this Swede is sophisticated without being prissy, and rugged without being classless.

Inside, the cream interior did frighten me a bit with a 1 ½-year-old, but the comfortable leather seats were easily wiped down when stray milk and juice made its way onto surfaces.

Cargo space was more than adequate. With a large running stroller, portable seat, playpen, overnight bags, food and other bits and bobs the 873 litres of trunk space was eaten up. My son did not have to share the rear bench with anyone except his riding companion, Piglet.

Now, here's where we discovered a bit of the bad with the 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus. There are a lot of technological gadgets in this CUV from blind spot monitors to front-crash sensors. One such feature was the automated lift-gate. We discovered if you try to do the work for the car it doesn't appreciate that. The lift locked in the open position and we had to have it towed. It was fixed in less than 24 hours, but proved how too much technology may be just that: too much.

Cargo space was more than adequate. With a large running stroller, portable seat, playpen, overnight bags, food and other bits and bobs the 873 litres of trunk space was eaten up. (Photo: Colin Styker/Miranda Lightstone)

Comparing the 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus
This Volvo crossover has some stiff competition from the Germans in the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLK. We mustn't forget the Japanese either; the Lexus RX350 is a worthy contender as well. Who should take your dollars home? Well, that will come down to your priorities. Some offer better driving dynamics, others more safety features.

As a complete package, I think the 2013 Volvo XC60 T6 Premier Plus comes close.