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Ford sold 75,254 vehicles in China last month, up 44 percent from a year earlier, with volume driven in part by firm demand for the company's redesigned Focus compact car, the company said on Thursday.

Automakers are keen to largely maintain the size of their dealer networks in Europe despite the region's plunging car market, a study shows.

Denso and Delphi help reduce CO2 emission in the new Mercedes-Benz A class. The car has Denso's starter in its stop-start system as well as Delphi's common-rail diesel technology.

Better fuel economy and tighter emissions requirements are driving major changes in powertrain technology, says Bernd Bohr, former automotive chief at Robert Bosch GmbH.

Fiat-Chrysler plans to build up to 280,000 small SUVs a year in Italy for the Fiat and Jeep brands, sources say. Production will start in June 2014 with the as-yet-unnamed Jeep variant followed three months later by the Fiat 500X.

ArcelorMittal says it expects its lightweight steels to start reducing weight in car doors in production models as early as 2014.

McLaren has named veteran executive Ian Gorsuch as regional director for the Middle East and Africa, a role he previously held.

Fiat-Chrysler plans to build up to 280,000 small SUVs a year in Italy for the Fiat and Jeep brands, sources say. Production will start in June 2014 with the as-yet-unnamed Jeep variant followed three months later by the Fiat 500X.

With automakers' and regulators' emphasis on safety, sales of vehicle head-up displays are poised to skyrocket, research firm IHS Automotive says.

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel insists talk about mind games and a July 'curse' will not distract his push for a first home win in Germany this weekend.

Not only has the reigning three-time world champion never won at his home tracks at the Nurburgring or Hockenheim, the newly 26-year-old has actually never won a grand prix in the month of July.

"There is no (July) curse," Sebastian Vettel told Sport Bild this week. "On the contrary, there is more of a home advantage, so I'll try again this time."

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, winner in Montreal. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

Also trying hard, however, will be Vettel's Red Bull teammate, Mark Webber, whose first ever win was at the Nurburgring in 2009.

Then, the Australian - set to retire from F1 at the end of the year - famously shouted the word 'yes!' into his team radio no fewer than 17 times after crossing the line.

He also has another reason to win this weekend, as revenge against German Vettel for the 'Multi-21' saga earlier in 2013.

Indeed, alluding to his special desire to win in Germany, Webber said at Silverstone last weekend: "I don't know what country it (the next race) is in but I would like to win it."

Vettel, however, told Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview that he is not blind or deaf to the 'mind games'.

"Of course I notice," he said, "but I won't let myself be influenced by them.

"It is not decisive for the world championship whether somebody says something that I like or don't like. Maybe they believe they gain an advantage, but these games are not for me -- I don't get a kick out of shooting back. I prefer to answer on the track," added Vettel.

The Volkswagen Golf GTD will go on sale in the U.S. and Canada in 2015 as a 2016 model. It will be the brand's first performance-oriented diesel car for North America and a variant of the upcoming seventh-generation Golf.

Available in 3- and 5-door body styles, the VW Golf GTD rides on the GTI's sport-tuned suspension and boasts a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine that produces 184 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque -- good for 0-100 km/h acceleration in 7 seconds or so. The car will use urea to reduce nitrogen oxides. The urea tank is typically filled when owners change their oil.

According to Andreas Valbuena, product manager for the Golf, the GTD will be priced at around $27,000 and account for 5-10% of total Golf diesel sales.

Source : www.autonews.com

Photo: Volkswagen

From GMM

A win at the Nurburgring will be the perfect tonic for Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn admits.

This weekend's German grand prix is actually the team's and Nico Rosberg's home race, but Briton Brawn thinks countryman Hamilton "deserves" his breakthrough.

Rosberg won Mercedes' first race of 2013 at Monaco, and he followed it up with the win at Silverstone last Sunday -- but only after local hero Hamilton suffered an exploded Pirelli.

"He (Hamilton) deserves a win," said Brawn.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, at Silverstone. (Photo: WRi2)

Hamilton, 28, has had a solid first half-season with Mercedes after switching from McLaren, but he has often struggled with the handling of his all-new car.

It means Rosberg has generally had the upper hand, creating the impression Hamilton - who is reported to have broken up with his long-term girlfriend Nicole - is now desperate to win.

"It (winning) will give him a lot of motivation," agreed Brawn, "not that he needs it. But I think it will give him a boost to know he had the quickest car out there."

Brawn said Hamilton was "stronger" overall than Rosberg at Silverstone, "and I think Nico agrees".

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

Rosberg, however, is enjoying his position for now.

"Slowly but surely we are gaining the status as favourites," he is quoted by Spain's EFE news agency, "and it's fantastic."

The German also played down the effect Pirelli's tire shakeup will have this weekend.

"No matter what tires we use," said Rosberg, "we have a fast car and I think we can stay where we are."

From GMM

There remains an uneasy feeling in the Nurburgring paddock on Thursday, with memories of Sunday's chaotic and tire-exploding Silverstone race still fresh.

Pirelli and the FIA have reacted immediately to the worrying situation by ensuring teams will have new kevlar-belted rear tires this weekend in Germany.

But the unease is about F1's tire supplier having claimed the teams were effectively to blame for the failed tires, by running low pressures, extreme cambers and fitting left-hand rears on the right of the car and vice versa.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

SID news agency on Thursday, however, quoted Mercedes boss Ross Brawn as saying the German team - whose Lewis Hamilton suffered one of the spectacular tire failures in Britain - followed Pirelli's tire-operating guidelines to the letter.

And Speed Week correspondent Mathias Brunner quoted an unnamed team manager as also doubting Pirelli's qualms about rear tire swapping.

"Mounting the tires the wrong way around is nothing new," the team boss said, "and there have never really been any problems with it before.

"We have also always remained within acceptable limits with the tire pressures," the source added.

Additionally, the problems also weren't uniform up and down pitlane, with Force India's Adrian Sutil telling IANS news agency on Thursday: "We did not experience any problem (at Silverstone) and hope for the same in the coming race."

Adrian Sutil, Sahara Force India. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Ferrari looks set to drop its plans to run rookies at the forthcoming young drivers test.

Previously, only drivers with little experience were eligible to test at the Silverstone session.

But the tire-exploding British grand prix last weekend changed all that.

The FIA has reacted to the Pirelli crisis by allowing teams to run their race drivers for tire testing.

But only rookies will be allowed to do actual development testing, amid reports the FIA will have inspectors at Silverstone to ensure compliance.

Nonetheless, Ferrari looks set to run only its race drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa at Silverstone.

"Obviously," confirmed sporting director Massimo Rivola, "this test will be carried out with the actual race drivers. There would be no sense in trying something new with youngsters at the wheel, who do not have the necessary experience to provide the required feedback."

Photo: WRi2

Lotus' Romain Grosjean is also expecting a busy test later this month.

"Apparently, I could have a lot of work to do in the young drivers test," he admitted to France's Sport24.

"Nobody wants to see tires blowing so I know everyone in the sport is working with Pirelli to fix it," added Grosjean.

The FIA has also opened the door to the Silverstone test possibly being extended from three to four days.

Mercedes, banned from the test as a result of 'test-gate', has accepted it will not be allowed to run for the originally-scheduled three days.

But director Toto Wolff hinted the German team will push to attend, if the test is extended to a fourth day.

"Now we're being punished more, because the other teams can use their proper drivers, but we accept it for the purposes of safety. But if there is a fourth test day, we will fight to have this day," he revealed to Germany's Bild newspaper.

The IZOD IndyCar Series has decided to introduce three-wide starts for the upcoming Pocono event that will be held this week-end as well as for the season's finale at Fontana.

Three-wide grids have been a standard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a great number of years and it will now be implemented the other two venues that are part of the Fuzzy's Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown last ran in 1989, when it comprised Indianapolis, Pocono and Michigan.

Photo: Pocono Raceway

Meanwhile, Dale Coyne Racing has confirmed that Pippa Mann will return with the squad for this weekend's race at Pocono.

The 29-year-old Briton, who raced for the team at the Indianapolis 500 and on the Texas oval this year, takes over the car driven by Ana Beatriz for the past two events.

Ryan Briscoe will start from the back of the field at Pocono as a clashing ALMS race will prevent him from taking part in qualifying.

The Australian is set to make his fourth start of the season for Panther Racing but he will have to skip qualifying on Saturday as it clashes with the American Le Mans Series race at Lime Rock, where he will race for Level 5 Motorsports

From GMM

Fernando Alonso has played down the chance of a driver boycott this weekend at the Nurburgring.

Earlier, the Ferrari driver's teammate Felipe Massa would not rule out the possibility drivers will refuse to race in Germany, in the wake of the tire-exploding British grand prix.

At a sponsor event on Wednesday, Spaniard Alonso agreed that if the same tire situation shaped up at the Nurburgring, "It would be impossible to drive".

"We experienced things we never want to see again," said Alonso. "It also could have been a lot worse -- marshals, fans or a driver could have been killed."

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, at Silverstone. (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner thinks Alonso himself could have been the victim, as on-board footage shows he only narrowly avoided flying tire debris at Silverstone.

"Make no mistake," Horner is quoted by El Confidencial newspaper, "Fernando Alonso is someone very lucky to be able to go home (after Silverstone)."

Fernando Alonso said on Wednesday: "I've heard there have been some changes, but we can't make any predictions because nobody has tried them (the new tires) yet."

As for the specific talk of a boycott, however, Alonso is quoted by DPA news agency: "We have to race. For our team, for our sponsors, for the fans."

F1's stakeholders met at the Nurburgring's Dorint hotel on Wednesday, and representing the drivers was Nico Hulkenberg.

Afterwards, the Sauber driver told Sky: "I have no bad feelings going into this weekend now."

Also at the meeting with Pirelli was FIA race director Charlie Whiting.

"The data that we have," he is quoted by O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper, "as well as Pirelli, leads us to believe we will not see a repeat of Silverstone here in Germany."

Charlie Whiting also played down the impact the changes will have on the pecking order, after Ferrari, Lotus and Force India initially blocked the introduction of the kevlar-belted tires.

"I don't think there will be any significant impact," he said.

And, anyway, he said all the teams are now fully on board.

"There were no complaints (during the Dorint meeting) at all," said Whiting.

Meanwhile, Bild newspaper reports that, before the Hungarian grand prix later in July, Pirelli will conduct two tests with 2011-spec cars, at Paul Ricard and Barcelona.

From GMM

The future of the Nurburgring's formula one race beyond this weekend's German grand prix is clouded.

We reported last week that the event is only on this year's calendar because Bernie Ecclestone waived his usual sanctioning fee -- believed to be EUR 14 million.

Track boss Karl-Josef Schmidt admitted on Wednesday to the German news agency DPA that the arrangements with Ecclestone for the 2013 race are "unique".

But he said the reports of a EUR 14 million 'gift' from Ecclestone are nonsense.

The F1 chief executive took responsibility for "part" of the fee, "not the whole thing", Schmidt clarified.

For the race organisers, he added, 2013 is more about keeping the race at the Nurburgring - which is for sale - rather than making a profit.

But beyond 2013, the Nurburgring's future in F1 "remains open", the DPA report concluded.

Nurburgring track.

The final numbers for the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray are in: The coupe will have a base MSRP of $52,745, while the convertible will be priced from $58,245.

The Z51 Performance Package on the 1LT trim starts at $56,520, and the Z51 3LT trim starts at $64,975. Both prices exclude a $1,700 destination charge, taxes, title, and license fees.

“The 2014 Corvette Stingray delivers a combination of performance, design and technology that very few manufacturers can match, and none can even come close for under $53,000,” said Rob Assimakopoulos, general director of marketing and communications for Chevrolet in Canada.

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray comes standard with:

• New 5-position Drive Mode Selector that tailors up to 12 vehicle attributes;
• 6.2L LT1 V8 engine with direct injection and Active Fuel Management;
• New 7-speed manual transmission with Active Rev Matching;
• Dual 8'' configurable driver/infotainment screens with next-generation Chevrolet MyLink;
• Carbon fibre hood on all models, and a carbon fibre removable roof panel on coupes.

Photo: Chevrolet

Hyundai recently asked a bunch of kids aged 4-10 from the Holmer Green First and Junior Schools in Buckinghamshire, England, to put its i30 Tourer (Elantra GT) to the test under "extreme" conditions, and see if it's really tough enough to stand up to the challenges of everyday family life.

While the more mature Hyundai employees analyzed the scene, children let loose for 6 hours and simulated the typical car punishment that parents dread but sometimes have to deal with: jumping and bouncing up and down on seats (in muddy shoes no less), prodding buttons and opening storage compartments, repeatedly putting windows up and down, spilling orange juice on the seats, squashing bananas into fabrics, and turning the trunk into a sand box. The rearview camera and Bluetooth system were not spared, either.

Photo: Hyundai

At the end of the day, a team washed and cleaned the Hyundai i30 Tourer from the ground up, both inside and out, and the car drove out of the playground fully intact and virtually unscathed.

The Korean automaker performed similarly unusual testing at Knowsley Safari Park last year, with 40 baboons acting all crazy around, over and inside the car.

Click here to watch the related video.

Various sources have posted the first official pictures of the all-new 2014 Mazda3 sedan, a few days after the hatchback made its debut in New York.

Embodying the KODO design language, the car definitely looks like a smaller Mazda6. Expect the same SKYACTIV technologies and i-ACTIVSENSE advanced safety features.

Stay tuned for more details about the 2014 Mazda3 sedan, which will go on sale in Canada this fall.

Source: Top Gear Russia via Autoblog

Photo from: Top Gear Russia