Auto News 5

Charging towards the future
The maniacal pursuit of a solution for the future of mobility rages on. Manufacturers are scrambling to introduce their version of what will be (according to them) the solution. The key to consideration is offering something in every current cool or modern segment or sub-segment.

BMW is trying something a little different.

When they announced the “i” cars, the intention was to introduce the EV 2.0. Now, it's a done deal.

A revolution
The 2014 BMW i3 is, according to BMW, a revolutionary shift in what the next electric car is. I will wait to drive the car and ideally live with it for a weeklong test before I agree with the statement. For the moment, it looks that way on paper.

What I do agree with is what the “i” stands for: innovation/intelligent. This may also prove to be one of the most important days in the company's history. Clearly, this is big.

What the i3 could be is a shift in society that becomes a way of living. 130 years ago, individual mobility consisted of the horse-drawn carriage; then the car arrived. In BMW's words, the i3 is a reform, the next step, in individual mobility.

Here are more BMW words: They liken the i3 to what the mobile phone has done to society, but in urban mobility terms.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

A new way to build
The arrival of the i3 ushers in a new era of true sustainable mobility. It all begins in the way the car comes together. The carbon-fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) used for the all-new platform are made with the help of renewable hydroelectric power in the State of Washington. From there, the material goes to Leipzig, Germany where wind power is sourced for the assembly of the i3.

The entire production process is far more efficient and clean when compared to, for example, a 1 Series. Many building steps of the 1 Series are not necessary for the i3.

All forms of metalwork are skipped and, therefore, a number of steps and processes (including materials, chemicals) are unnecessary. In fact, all CFRP parts remain unpainted, only the thermoplastic body parts are. This also means that less tooling is required for the assembly process.

For those who want to know: up to 40 parts are made of CFRP on the new 2014 BMW i3. It might seem like very few, however, the entire structure of the i3 is made of CFRP and consists of only a handful of large fragments.

Design (and the materials used to bring designs to life) are evolving. The i3 and its use of CFRP and other materials shows that the move towards the over-used “sustainable” are inevitable. This also applies to the interior where renewable raw materials are found throughout.

The future of the car, the way they are envisioned and built, will continue to evolve. According to an expert, the next step will be a biological revolution -- but it is difficult to say exactly when it will occur. One thing is certain: the 2014 BMW i3 will be regarded as pivotal in the evolution of the car.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Continue reading 2014 BMW i3: The new reality of urban mobility

Apple has developed a system that can automatically customize various elements of a car, like the driver's seat, steering wheel, and mirrors, based on information from a single device like an iPhone -- with or without interaction from said driver.

When two or more people share the same car, the system would memorize the individual settings so each driver wouldn't have to manually re-adjust the controls every time. A person could store his or her personal preferences onto a portable device, and when that device enters the car, it will send the appropriate configuration information.

Apple initially filed for a patent in 2012, and Thomas Ethan Lowry is credited as the inventor. Future applications could include house or hotel climate controls, television, lighting, and other home automation settings.

Source : appleinsider.com

Photo: Apple

The Canadian government is currently searching for investment banks to sell its 140 million shares in General Motors, which are worth $5.1 billion. No timetable has been set, however.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty stated in December 2012 that Canada doesn't want to be a long-term shareholder in the once-bankrupt American automaker.

“The government of Canada remains committed to exiting from ownership of GM as quickly as feasible, while maximizing the value of the government's interests for Canadian taxpayers,” said Kathleen Perchaluk, a spokeswoman for Flaherty.

Canada is GM's third-largest shareholder behind the U.S. Treasury and the GM-UAW Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association.

Source : bloomberg.com

Daimler plans to build a new plant in Brazil to make the C class starting in 2015, a German magazine reported. The plant's starting capacity will be about 20,000 vehicles a year, the report said.

Daimler plans a new factory in Brazil to build the C class, with initial annual capacity of about 20,000 vehicles, a report said.

While Steve Jobs regretted not making an iCar, Apple for years was ambivalent about the auto industry. Now it's vying for dashboard space held by Microsoft, BlackBerry and Pandora Media.

Ford has developed technology to give police officers more protection against someone sneaking up behind their vehicle.

Despite all the challenges of the famous Rally Finland, WRC rookie Robert Kubica came home second in his first participation.

Set-up issues with their Citroën DS3 S2000 slowed down Kubica and his co-driver Maciek Baran early on, but the pair persevered.

In the end, they were beaten to a class victory only by local specialist Jari Ketomaa, as they successfully fended off former P-WRC champion Hayden Paddon, who finished third.

The former F1 star saluted Ketomaa's vast experience of the Rally Finland.

"Ketomaa told me that he had driven on some stages more than fifteen times in the Finnish Championship," is quoted saying by Crash.net. "So it was never going to be easy to challenge him!"

Kubica's second-place has brought him back within 23 points of the WRC2 championship's lead, as both his rivals, Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Nicolas Fuchs, failed to score any point in Finland.

As well as coming home second in class, Kubica finished ninth overall.

Renault will supply Château de Versailles with 23 all-electric cars to monitor the beautiful and historic gardens originally designed by André Le Nôtre, the King's gardener, who was born 400 years ago.

Three Renault ZOE vehicles will be used by service staff to get around the grounds or travel between the national domain of Versailles and Marly. Ten Kangoo Z.E. Vans will be used by the gardeners and curators to carry rare objects, statues, plants and tooling, while 10 Twizy quadricycles will be used by security staff.

Visitors will even be able to see a special "Twizy carriage" featuring the decoration found on the carriage owned by the heir to the throne, the future Louis XVII.

Photo: Renault

Photo: Maxime Allaire

Model: 2007 to 2013 GMC Sierra

Vehicle Type: Pickup

The Verdict: The last-generation Sierra was loved for its comfort, toughness and capability—and GM's 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty should help add confidence to the purchase of a newer used model. Common problems seem mainly straightforward and easily identified.

Price: Pricing varies widely in the used Sierra market, as does the selection of available models. Consult local used vehicle listings to cross sample the market once you've decided on the year, drivetrain and body style you're after.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

What Owners Like: In a nutshell, owners praise the tough, rugged, safe and solid feel of their Sierras. Also high on the list are space, ride comfort and confidence. Performance and towing confidence with the larger V8 engines is also highly rated, and fuel mileage is said to be relatively good, too.

What Owners Dislike: Difficulty parking, cheap interior plastics and excessive road noise on some models are the most common complaints.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Continue reading 2007-2013 GMC Sierra 1500 Pre-Owned

From GMM

Paul Hembery has admitted he would like to organize another 1000 kilometre tire test, although the last one with Mercedes' 2013 car was highly controversial.

Indeed, F1's official supplier and the Brackley based team were officially reprimanded for the Barcelona session.

But if the FIA's clarified guidelines are followed, Pirelli's contract with the sport actually permits tire tests with individual teams, and motor sport boss Hembery admitted he is keen to organize another.

Despite the controversy, and the fact Mercedes was penalized by having to sit out the recent Silverstone test, Hembery called that 1000km session "the best we've ever done".

"That's why we want more of it," he told Germany's Auto Bild.

Photo: Pirelli

"Maybe we'll do another 1000km test with a 2011 car," said Hembery.  "At the end of the year we would also like to do one or two tests with a 2013 car -- one in Brazil and a rain test at Le Castellet."

It is yet another clear indication that, although not entirely certain, Pirelli will be staying in F1 beyond the end of its rapidly-expiring 2013 contract.

But amid the delay in getting a new deal signed, the normal September 1 deadline for revealing the following year's full tire specification to the teams will blow out.

"We will inform the teams on October 1," said Hembery, revealing that the deadline has been extended.

Pirelli is tipped to produce wider rears for the high-torque V6 engines next year, but otherwise Hembery has hinted that the construction and compounds will be much more conservative than the controversial 2013 tires.

He said the scandals and criticism were "too much" this year.

Reigning champion Ryan Hunter-Reay took pole position today, ahead of Sunday's IndyCar race at the fabulous Mid-Ohio road course.

The Andretti Autosport ace clocked his fastest lap at 1m05.3519s at the end of the qualifying session which was enough to stay clear of his other opponents.

Photo: IndyCar.com

Team Penske's Will Power came in second only 0.18 second behind, while Ganassi's Scott Dixon and Hunter-Reay's teammate Marco Andretti finished respectively third and fourth.

The other members of Chip Ganassi squad Charlie Kimball and Dario Franchitti will both start from row three.

Current points leader Helio Castroneves joined James Hinchcliffe in providing the early upsets, with both men facing the prospect of starting from the back end of the field after being knocked out of the first group.

Unfortunately, BHA newcomer Luca Filippi was stripped of his two fastest laps for causing a red flag during the first qualifying phase.

Had his times been allowed to stand, the Italian would have been fourth-fastest in his group.

Qualifying results - Mid-Ohio (IndyCar)
Pos Driver Team/Engine Time Gap
1. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti/Chevy 1m05.3519s
2. Will Power Penske/Chevy 1m05.5359s +0.1840s
3. Scott Dixon Ganassi/Honda 1m05.7051s +0.3532s
4. Marco Andretti Andretti/Chevy 1m05.8566s +0.5047s
5. Charlie Kimball Ganassi/Honda 1m06.4415s +1.0896s
6. Dario Franchitti Ganassi/Honda 1m06.5854s +1.2335s
7. Justin Wilson Coyne/Honda 1m05.9405s Round 2
8. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt/Honda 1m05.9412s Round 2
9. Simona de Silvestro KV/Chevy 1m05.9621s Round 2
10. James Jakes Rahal/Honda 1m06.1778s Round 2
11. Tristan Vautier Schmidt/Honda 1m06.3379s Round 2
12. EJ Viso Andretti/Chevy 1m06.4071s Round 2
13. James Hinchcliffe Andretti/Chevy 1m06.2198s Group 1
14. Sebastien Bourdais Dragon/Chevy 1m06.1856s Group 2
15. Helio Castroneves Penske/Chevy 1m06.2280s Group 1
16. Takuma Sato Foyt/Honda 1m06.1989s Group 2
17. James Davison Coyne/Honda 1m06.2839s Group 1
18. Oriol Servia Panther/Chevy 1m06.2109s Group 2
19. Josef Newgarden Fisher/Honda 1m06.5334s Group 1
20. Tony Kanaan KV/Chevy 1m06.2537s Group 2
21. Sebastian Saavedra Dragon/Chevy 1m07.0895s Group 1
22. Graham Rahal Rahal/Honda 1m06.4002s Group 2
23. Ed Carpenter Carpenter/Chevy 1m07.4107s Group 1
24. Luca Filippi Herta/Honda 1m06.8757s Group 2

Mike Rockenfeller led teammate Mattias Ekström by 1.3 seconds, as the two Audi drivers crossed the finish line of the first ever DTM race in Russia.

Photo: DTM.com

Combined to Canadian Bruno Spengler's 19th-place finish, Rockenfeller's second win of the season has stretched the German's lead to 27 points in the championship hunt.

It was the first time this season that Spengler, who spun at the very beginning of the race as a result of a collision with Miguel Molina (Audi), failed to score any point at all.

"Sometimes, races end in a different way that one had expected," the reigning champion, who was lapped twice by the leaders over the race, conceded.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3 DTM (Photo: DTM.com)

Augusto Farfus saved BMW's day by climbing on the podium, while Adrien Tambay (Audi) and Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz) rounded out the top five.

A total of 45,000 spectators flooded through the gates of the 3.9-kilometer Moscow Raceway to attend race.

Moscow Raceway (Photo: DTM.com)

Race results - Moscow Raceway (DTM)
1 - Mike Rockenfeller (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 74 laps in 1.14'38"512
2 - Mattias Ekstrom (Audi RS5) - Abt - 1"303
3 - Augusto Farfus (BMW M3) - RBM - 11"393
4 - Adrien Tambay (Audi RS5) - Abt - 12"275
5 - Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 17"495
6 - Jamie Green (Audi RS5) - Abt - 18"704
7 - Joey Hand (BMW M3) - RBM - 19"363
8 - Dirk Werner (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 26"117
9 - Timo Scheider (Audi RS5) - Abt - 34"184
10 - Christian Vietoris (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 41"331
11 - Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes C-Coupé) - Mucke - 42"029
12 - Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 43"782
13 - Filipe Albuquerque (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 44"443
14 - Roberto Merhi (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 51"576
15 - Marco Wittmann (BMW M3) - MTEK - 52"941
16 - Timo Glock (BMW M3) - MTEK - 54"421
17 - Martin Tomczyk (BMW M3) - RMG - 58"460
18 - Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes C-Coupé) - Mucke - 1 lap
19 - Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 1 lap
20 - Andy Priaulx (BMW M3) - RMG - 1 lap

Fastest lap of the race: 59"999 by Adrien Tambay (Audi)

Retirements
Lap 32 - Edoardo Mortara
Lap 5 - Miguel Molina

Championship standings
1.Rockenfeller 94 points; 2.Spengler 67; 3.Paffett 57; 4.Vietoris 56; 5.Farfus 48; 6.Wickens 45; 7.Ekstrom 38; 8.Wittmann 33; 9.Werner, Hand 26.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS) rookie Alex Guénette announced he would be making his first career start in the Camping World Truck Series this year, when NASCAR's third biggest series visits the Canadian Tire Motosports Park on September 1st.

Because the CWTS will be visiting CTMP for the first time, the venue provided the perfect opportunity for Guénette to make his debut. The 2012 Procam Supertrucks rookie of the year hopes his knowledge of the track formerly known as Mosport will give him an edge over more experienced racers.

The simultaneous visit of NCTS to Mosport will provided added challenge, but Guénette foresees not particular problem.

"I know the track well and I am sure that (my team) will give me a great car for the Canadian Tire race, so no problem there."

Guénette will test his new truck for the first time in Sebring, where builder Mario Gosselin is based.

Alex Guénette, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (Photo: Alex Guénette)

Mercedes-Benz has done a turnabout on the subject of head-up display and now plans to offer the feature on its redesigned S class and C class, say company sources. The redesigned S-class flagship arrives in showrooms in September.

Volkswagen Group of America may take aim at the Subaru Outback with a rugged, all-wheel-drive wagon based on the next-generation Golf, sources say.

France's move to outlaw sales of Mercedes cars that use an air conditioner refrigerant banned by the EU is hitting dealers hard.

Audi's Mike Rockenfeller ended up first of the qualifying session that preceded the first ever DTM race in Russia. Amazingly, the session was cut short by the Russian president himself.

It was cut short after three of four segments because a ban in the airspace over the track grounded the rescue helicopter. The unscheduled ban was allegedly to allow Russian president Vladimir Putin's plane through.

The ground rescue helicopter (Photo: DTM.com)

The starting order was therefore set by the results of Q3, which had championship leader Rockenfeller in first, his teammate Mattias Ekström in second and BMW's Augusto Farfus in third.

Reigning champion Bruno Spengler (BMW) ended up fourth.

Bruno Spengler, BMW M3 (Photo: DTM.com)

Former F1 driver Timo Glock (BMW) will start only 17th, one place ahead of Canadian Robert Wickens (Mercedes-Benz), who finished a career-best second at the Norisring last month.

The start of the much anticipated first ever DTM race in Russia, which will cover 74 laps of the Hermann Tilke-designed Moscow Raceway, is scheduled for Sunday.

Mike Rockenfeller, Audi RS 5 (Photo: DTM.com)

Qualiyfing results - Moscow Raceway (Russia)
1.Mike Rockenfeller (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 58"423 - Q3
2.Mattias Ekstrom (Audi RS5) - Abt - 58"604 - Q3
3.Augusto Farfus (BMW M3) - RBM - 58"677 - Q3
4.Bruno Spengler (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 58"694 - Q3
5.Jamie Green (Audi RS5) - Abt - 58"749 - Q3
6.Dirk Werner (BMW M3) - Schnitzer - 58"779 - Q3
7.Gary Paffett (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 58"831 - Q3
8.Pascal Wehrlein (Mercedes C-Coupé) - Mucke - 58"843 - Q3
9.Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes C-Coupé) - Mucke - 58"985 - Q3
10.Christian Vietoris (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 59"038 - Q3
11.Miguel Molina (Audi RS5) - Phoenix - 58"907 - Q2
12.Adrien Tambay (Audi RS5) - Abt - 58"910 - Q2
13.Filipe Albuquerque (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 58"914 - Q2
14.Timo Scheider (Audi RS5) - Abt - 58"954 - Q2
15.Joey Hand (BMW M3) - RBM - 59"013 - Q2
16.Edoardo Mortara (Audi RS5) - Rosberg - 59"133 - Q2
17.Timo Glock (BMW M3) - MTEK - 59"177 - Q1
18.Robert Wickens (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 59"285
19.Martin Tomczyk (BMW M3) - RMG - 59"286
20.Marco Wittmann (BMW M3) - MTEK - 59"400
21.Andy Priaulx (BMW M3) - RMG - 59"442
22.Roberto Merhi (Mercedes C-Coupé) - HWA - 59"467

Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen) extended his lead in the World Rally Championship (WRC) by winning his fifth event of the season, in the forests of Finland.

Ogier seemed less than his usual dominant at the start of the rally, sharing the lead with as many as three other drivers on the first day of action. But as rivals Mads Ostberg (Ford), Thierry Neuville (Ford) and Mikko Hirvonen (Citroën) ran into problems of their own, the championship leader disappeared in the distance.

Sébatien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC (Photo: VW Motorsport)

Aboard his Polo R WRC, he crossed the finnish line in Jybaskyla some 36 seconds ahead of Neuville, who climbed on the second step of the podium for a second consecutive rally.

Ostberg, who went off the road near the end of the event, had to settle for third because of his mistake, but nevertheless beat Hirvonen, the fourth and last driver of the leading quartet to reach the end.

Kris Meeke was quick aboard Sébastien Loeb's Citroën DS3, until eventually flipping the nine-time champion's mount. Fifth place therefore went to Dani Sordo, in the third Citroën.

Final results* - Rally Finland (WRC)
1. Ogier-Ingrassia (VW Polo Wrc) in 2.43'10”4
2. Neuville-Gilsoul (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 36"6
3. Ostberg-Andersson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 57”6
4. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 1'21”6
5. Sordo-Del Barrio (Citroen DS3 Wrc) + 6'08"5
6. Novikov-Minor (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 8'39”7
7. Ketomaa-Lindstrom (Ford Fiesta R5) + 11'19”2
8. Andersson-Axelsson (Ford Fiesta RS Wrc) + 11'41"5
9. Kubica-Baran (Citroen DS3 S2000) + 12'48”1
10. Mikkelsen-Markkula (VW Polo Wrc) + 13'42”0

*Unofficial

Daytona International Speedway officials say that the project estimated to cost between $375 and $400 million called DAYTONA Rising, to makeover the frontstretch of the iconic race track in northern Florida is off to a quick beginning.

After a ceremonial groundbreaking in July here are the construction activities currently underway:

• Demolition of all underground utilities and overhead power lines along the entire front stretch
• Relocations of fire pump, emergency generators and electrical panels
• Installation of water and storm sanitary lines on the west side
• Installation of electrical ductbank and manholes on the west side
• Demolition of Americrown buildings at Hospitality Village
• Demolition of Commissary Building at the base of the Sprint Tower
• Initial installation of anchors and footings for temporary ticketing gates

Photo: Daytona International Speedway Communications

Barton Malow is serving as the general contractor for the project. In addition to DAYTONA Rising, Barton Malow has renovated the University of Michigan “Big House” and the Rose Bowl.

ROSSETTI, an award-winning architectural design and planning firm for the past 40 years, which headed the design for Ford Field NFL Stadium, University of Notre Dame Compton Family Ice Arena and five Major League Soccer Stadiums, is leading the master planning of the DAYTONA Rising site.