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China gets part of the credit for Ford Motor Co.'s newest EcoBoost engine, a 1.5-liter powerplant. China gives car buyers a roughly $300 tax break for buying a vehicle with an engine of 1.5 liters or less.

The "world's best-selling vehicle nameplate" has a nice ring to it, and last week Ford laid claim to that title in 2012, just as it had for 2011. But Toyota would have none of it, claiming that its Corolla was the real No. 1.

Hyundai-Kia U.S. retail sales, excluding fleet sales, totaled about 248,900 vehicles in the first quarter, down 9 percent from last year. Meanwhile, major competitors all increased sales to retail customers.

If Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk can't win against dealers at the state level, he will make a federal case of his bid to sell electric vehicles directly to the public through factory stores.

To make its 500e electric more appealing to shoppers, Fiat will offer the car for the same monthly lease payment as the base 500 with a gasoline engine.

With the help of key suppliers -- ZF Friedrichshafen and American Axle and Manufacturing -- that developed two major innovations, the Cherokee is Jeep's best hope to compete with today's Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape.

Cadillac chief Bob Ferguson has picked Steve Majoros, a veteran of ad agency Campbell-Ewald and a force behind such well-known Chevrolet campaigns as "Like A Rock" and "American Revolution," as his global marketing director.

As automakers in North America crank up production, suppliers that chopped capacity during the recession have become a critical bottleneck. Asked to boost production, many suppliers say they finally are making money again and are loath to take risks.

Automakers will test China's huge appetite for crossovers and SUVs with introductions this week at the Shanghai auto show.

Hyundai Motor Co.'s limited global production capacity is capping the company's growth, a top executive says. The company is squeezing nearly every unit possible from its assembly plants.

The head of Renault's entry-level models, Arnaud Deboeuf, will share insights on how Dacia has thrived during Europe's debt crisis at the 16th Automotive News Europe Congress on June 12 in Paris.

The European auto industry is in for a rough ride over the next few years. What are the solutions? Which companies will emerge as winners? The 16th Automotive News Europe Congress will explore answers to those questions on June 12 in Paris.

BWI Group provides the Mini Roadster's struts and shocks.

With sales slowing and government debt a growing crisis, the European auto industry is in for a rough ride over the next few years.

Volkswagen's Sebastien Ogier has confessed he felt so ill ahead of the Rally of Portugal, he was unsure he would be able to make the start.

Illness aside, Ogier put in an outstanding performance to win the rally by almost a minute and claim his third consecutive victory from Citroen's Mikko Hirvonen. In addition to not being up to full strength, the points' leader also had to contend with a slipping clutch on his Polo R WRC on the final day, which he believed would end his rally.

““Unbelievable,” said the Frenchman after the event. “What a rollercoaster [ride] here in Portugal! I am overjoyed [with the win].

“First the illness, then the brutal stages, which really push a rally car to the very limit.”

“When we had the problem with the power transmission on this morning's opening stage, I thought: 'That's it Seb. The rally is over,' he confessed. “Fortunately we made it to the service and the guys did a fantastic job there. I think we really deserved the win.”

“The rally was extremely demanding and difficult, for the car, the entire team, and particularly for me,” he continued. “When I arrived in Portugal on Monday evening, I was not certain whether I would be able to start.”

Despite having an advantage of 54 points over second placed Mikko Hirvonen in the driver's standings, Ogier commented that whilst he would not need to win any more rallies this year to secure his first world championship, he would not be giving up on taking wins from the remaining rallies given the competition he faced from rivals in the opening stages of the Portuguese event.

“Looking at the Championship, maybe it looks easy for me,” he said.

“[But] Mads [Ostberg] and Dani [Sordo] were very, very fast [here] before their mistakes. It will be a big fight to keep this kind of result all the year, but now we have a good advantage.”

“Now we don't need to win the rallies, but this is not my plan: I am a competitor and I like the taste of victory.”

I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. Call me prudish, but I've just never felt the need. I don't judge those who do, hell, my husband smoked for over a decade before he made the decision to quit.

Where smoking was something the cool, suave, popular kids did from the ‘20s to the ‘50s, since the ‘60s (at least) it has taken on a dirty double entendre. Only rebels, outcasts and runaways smoke cigarettes. In many areas, restaurants and bars/clubs no longer allow smoking on their premises, airplanes are smoke-free, buses are smoke-free: everywhere is smoke-free. So, why do some cars still have ashtrays?

It dawned on me while in my latest tester, a 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid3, when I was fiddling with various buttons, openings and knobs: I came across the elusive ashtray. There are some car models that even line their “ashtray” with velvet, clearly marked “Not an ashtray,” making it impossible to use it for anything other than loose change.

It would seem the Germans are the worst offenders for ashtrays in their vehicles. The Europeans love their cigs. While the Americans and Japanese make it a point to move as far away from the dirty habit as possible. In a way, they are dictating how their owners behave, what habits they have. They are making it more difficult for their drivers (and passengers) to indulge in a bad habit by not providing an ashtray and lighter.

Why? Well it seems that automakers, since the mid-‘90s at least, have been slowly phasing out the ashtray/lighter combo to appease consumer demand. And as smoking has taken on even more of a stigma in the 21st century, manufacturers are clearly following the trend.

As I've never been a smoker myself, I can't imagine ever wanting to use the car's ashtray. What's so hard about opening a window and discarding the dirty, gross ashes outside? I mean, technically, your window should be open anyways, so why not ash outside? Maybe I'm just an ignorant non-smoker...

So, what's next? Will automakers suddenly take a fancy to “curing” obesity and ensure their cup holders are only big enough to hold small beverage sizes? No Ventis or Super Gulps allowed, sorry. If they do, it won't happen suddenly. It will be a slow gradual fade out of the larger cup holder size. One day you'll notice your large caramel macchiato doesn't fit, so you order a medium . Then a few years later, in your next new vehicle you'll notice your medium doesn't fit either...

If automakers are hell bent on “protecting” their customers -- and by association, their customer's health -- while they drive, might I suggest a few things? An SMS-block that's activated as soon as your car is turned on; a breathalyzer installed in every car owned by a driver who's been arrested for DUI; air purification systems in every HVAC system (not just those on high-end vehicles); and rear-view mirrors that cannot be turned far enough to the left to be used to apply makeup while behind the wheel.

Jenson Button believes McLaren is ‘not quick enough' yet to fight at the front of the grid.

The Briton finished yesterday's Chinese Grand Prix in fifth, giving himself and McLaren their strongest finish after a troubled start to the season. Despite this, the 2009 world champion believes the upgrades that the team bought to Shanghai had not quite worked and it was a ‘clever' two-stop strategy rather than outright pace that netted him a valuable 10 points.

"I'm very happy to have finished fifth today - and the team should be too,” said Button after the race.

“It [the race] was always going to be tricky: we weren't quick enough to adopt the same strategy as the others, so we had to run longer than the rest and make two pitstops, rather than three.

For us, a two-stopper was the fastest way to the end of the race. It meant I had to let others past me and protect the tyres.”

Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: WRi2)

Button also likened the strategy of not racing faster cars to the LMP1 and LMP2 categories in sportscar racing.

"It's really tough because in a way it's a little bit like Le Mans when you're in an LMP2 car and the LMP1 cars are coming up behind you," said Button. "The cars were so much quicker than me and there was no point racing because it would have destroyed our strategy. One lock-up, one trip over the marbles and the tires would have been gone so our strategy wouldn't have worked and it was a very tight strategy.”

“We had to be careful, we had to be clever and intelligent and I think as a team we did that today,” he continued.

Despite the pace deficit to its rivals, Button believes McLaren should be happy with their performance in Shanghai as the team have identified further issues on their difficult MP4/28 car and he went on to praise the team's decision to adopt the alternative two-stop strategy.

Photo: McLaren

"[So] it was a tricky race but we should be very happy with what we did. To come away P5 with ten points; we wouldn't have done that if we had done the same strategy as everyone else.

We're not quick enough, so we take away positives but also we know that we're not quick enough and we need to improve,” he concluded.

Button and McLaren lie eighth and fifth in their respective drivers and constructor's championships.

Price Range: $96,200 and up

Description: Few cars on the road today are as instantly identifiable and spellbinding as the Porsche 911. One of the most storied performance cars in history, Germany's premier sports car export hits the 2013 model year with a slew of recent improvements and updates, alongside more technology and performance than ever before.

Pricing starts at $96,200 for an entry 911 Carrera, while a factory-tweaked 911 Carrera S opens the bidding at $112,800. Four-wheel drive variants of these open the bidding at $103,900 and $120,500, respectively. Entering the Turbo range will set shoppers back $156,900 for a 911 Turbo, and $183,400 for a Turbo S.

Lofty pricing to be sure, though it provides access to one of the most easy-to-use and fuel-efficient performance cars ever built.


Drivetrain: The 911 lineup is motivated by a slew of different flat-six engines bolted behind the rear axle. The standard model gets a 3.4L mill that's good for a high-revving 350 horsepower. 7-speed transmissions are available in manual or PDK dual-clutch.

The dialed-up Carrera S gets a 3.8L flat-six variant, with output rising to 400 horsepower. Four-wheel drive can be added to Carrera and Carrera S models at the shopper's request. In this case, the name badge earns a “4.”

The extreme-performance Turbo models get a 500-horsepower, twin-turbo version of the 3.8L powerplant as a minimum, though the Turbo S sees output bumped slightly to 530 horses.


Consider it if: selection, pedigree, recognition and exclusivity are priorities in your next performance car. With numerous option packages, wheel options, accessories, and a comprehensive personalization program, it's easy to create a 911 that's truly one-of-a-kind.

Skip it if: you're after the most horsepower for your dollar, or you're not in the “good books” of your local police force.

Other Notes: Unique exterior design touches include LED running lamps, speed-deployable spoilers, and a large sunroof panel. Luxury equipment includes a potent surround audio system by Burmester, automatic climate control, heated and chilled leather seats, a communications management system, and more. Various seat and steering-wheel options are available for customization, too.

Don't Miss: the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system. Available at an additional cost for shoppers serious about motorsports, the system uses an innovative ceramic composite brake rotor and high-performance calipers for unbeatable durability, fade resistance and looks. The PCCB rotors won't rust, either.

The world's first 7-speed manual transmission in a road car is also fitted as standard equipment on most models.

Engineers also created a dynamic engine-mount system which adapts the stiffness and damping properties of the engine mounts in real time in response to changing conditions. The mounts stiffen during aggressive driving for more precise responses to throttle inputs and their effect on vehicle dynamics. Casual driving sees the mounts soften for higher levels of comfort.

Photo: Porsche

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has publically urged Sergio Perez to improve following the Chinese Grand Prix.

Since moving from Sauber to McLaren, the young Mexican has scored just two points and has struggled in comparison to teammate Jenson Button. Another difficult weekend in China saw Perez crash in free practice, and finish out of the points in 11th after being heavily criticized to the point of weaving by Kimi Raikkonen, who damaged his Lotus against the McLaren whilst trying to overtake.

“Sergio is not satisfied with his performance this weekend,” remarked Whitmarsh.

"He is a young driver and he had a difficult weekend, but he is not satisfied with himself and nor should he be,” conceded the McLaren team principal to AUTOSPORT.

"There is some pressure there and this will not go down as his best weekend of the year,” he continued.

Sergio Perez, McLaren MP4-28. (Photo: McLaren)

However, Whitmarsh did not lay the blame for Perez's underperforming solely at his driver's feet and believes the team should shoulder some of the blame.

"We haven't given him a great car so far, and he is up against someone like Jenson who has done a fantastic job with the car we have given him,” he admitted.

"We, as a team, have to step up and support a young driver who has an enormous amount of talent.

Whilst publically urging his driver to up his game, Whitmarsh praised Perez's on-track behavior, which was slammed by Kimi Raikkonen after the race.

The Finn damaged the nose of his Lotus against the McLaren as the Mexican moved onto the racing line as Raikkonen tried to make a pass. Despite the 2007 world champion's comments, Whitmarsh has urged Perez to be equally as aggressive in the future.

“He needs to toughen up," said Whitmarsh. "He has been generous in allowing people past him and I think he was a bit more robust in China.”

Robin Frijns will make his GP2 debut with Hilmer Motorsport at Bahrain this weekend in a one off deal.

The Dutchman, who is the Sauber Formula 1 team's reserve driver and reigning Formula Renault 3.5 champion, missed out on a GP2 seat in the season opener due to budget problems, despite having tested for the Trident and Russian Time outfits in pre-season testing.

With the deal being in place for just one race, Frijns is aware of the work ahead in order to keep the seat with the newly formed team.

“If I want to do the rest of the season we have to work and we know it,” Frijns told AUTOSPORT. "It always depends on the money.”

Despite the nature of the deal, the Maastrichter is also happy to be racing again.

“I'm happy that I get to race again, to be driving in Bahrain is good news for me.

Whilst Frijns has never raced in GP2 before, he is looking forward to the challenge given Hilmer scored points on their debut in Malaysia.

“If you are realistic, everything is new to me in GP2, and it's a new team, so if I can fight for points I will be quite happy.

"I need more time in the car of course, and you only get 30 minutes practice before you are straight into qualifying.

"That is quite harsh but it's the same for everyone. I don't have experience of that, but I just need to learn a lot in the time I have and hopefully we will be OK."