Auto News 5

An automotive supplier majority owned by China's SAIC Motor Corp. is in talks with Johnson Controls Inc. about acquiring the U.S. supplier's electronics business, a daily Chinese business newspaper reports.

Porsche said today its global vehicle sales rose 19.8 percent to a record 14,494 units in March on strong demand in Germany, the United States and China.

Renault says its net prices last year were higher than domestic rivals Citroen and Peugeot. Now the company wants to narrow the gap with Europe's price leader among volume brands: Volkswagen. Carlos Tavares explains how Renault will do this.

The expressway from downtown Seoul to the city's auto show venue is lined with tank traps, barbed wire and guard towers. Mounting tensions with North Korea are a chilling reminder why.

The Nissan Altima and Ford Fusion have entered the thick of the mid-sized sedan sales chase -- long a battle mainly between the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord -- leaving the rest of the pack a few laps behind.

As automakers ratchet down the fuel consumption of their cars to meet tougher federal standards, the top Japanese automakers already have an enormous head start from credits they earned since the 2009 model year.

The expressway from downtown Seoul to the city's auto show venue is lined with tank traps, barbed wire and guard towers. Mounting tensions with North Korea are a chilling reminder why.

Only two months into his new job as the first joint global design chief of Hyundai and Kia, Peter Schreyer is guarded about his burgeoning makeover plans. But this much, he says, is clear: The sibling brands need more distinct identities.

Michel Nykjaer (Chevrolet) and Pepe Oriola (Seat) took their first World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) wins in Marrakech. Yvan Muller (Chevrolet) still leads the point standings.

Qualifying was dominated by Honda, which, thanks to Gabriele Tarquini, earned its first pole position. Unfortunately for the Italian, Michel Nykjaer found a way passed him during the race.

Michel Nykjaer, Chevrolet. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

Fernando Monje (Seat) started Race 2 from pole, but was quickly overtaken by countryman and eventual winner Pepe Oriola (Seat), who would become the youngest ever WTCC winner, at just 18 years old. Monje at least managed to keep Muller behind him, who charged up from 8th on the grid.

Muller's teammate Tom Chilton was forced to retire with an overheating engine following a contact in race 1, and Gabriele Tarquini was out of the race following an accident in race 2. That brought the Frenchman's lead in the championship to 37 points.

Pepe Oriola, Seat. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

From GMM

Lotus has admitted it is opposed to Pirelli making radical changes to its 2013 tires.

After Australia and Malaysia, when the behaviour of the Italian marque's new heavily-degrading range became clear, some top teams - notably Red Bull and Mercedes - said they want Pirelli to make changes as soon as possible.

"Certain teams are keen for a switch back to last year's rubber," Lotus technical director James Allison confirmed, "but teams will always push for what's in their best interest."

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21. (Photo: WRi2)

Indeed, Kimi Raikkonen won in Melbourne with the impressive new black E21, and so Allison said Lotus obviously wants the status quo to remain.

"We feel the current tires make for entertaining racing, but then we would say that as our car tends to prosper when the tires are tender," he admitted.

Pirelli has promised to "review" the situation after next weekend's Bahrain grand prix, warning however that it will only make notable changes if the overwhelming majority of teams demand action.

Carlos Munoz (Andretti) started from pole and never looked back to win the Firestone Indy Lights race at Barber Motorsports Park.

Munoz held his advantage throughout the race to finish just over five seconds clear of Jack Hawksworth in what was an eventless round with only nine cars at the start. For the Andretti driver it was a third-career win.

Carlos Munoz. (Photo: IndyCar)

The only significant position change came in the battle for third, where Gabby Chaves was able to get ahead of Sage Karam to complete the podium.

Zach Veach fell out of the podium battle after suffering a puncture, leaving Jorge Goncalvez to finish fifth ahead of Peter Dempsey, Victor Carbone and Juan Pablo Garcia.

Results - 40 laps:

Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Carlos Munoz Andretti 51m19.4116s
2. Jack Hawksworth Schmidt Peterson + 5.0684s
3. Gabby Chaves Schmidt Peterson + 24.1356s
4. Sage Karam Schmidt Peterson + 42.1138s
5. Jorge Goncalvez Belardi + 42.2621s
6. Peter Dempsey Belardi + 42.9368s
7. Victor Carbone Moore + 43.2567s
8. Juan Pablo Garcia Moore + 48.6414s
9. Zach Veach Andretti + 1 lap

Stoffel Van Doorne and Antonio Felix Da Costa each took a win this weekend, in the curtain-raising event of the Formula Renault 3.5 season, in Monza.

Stoffel Van Doorne started the season with a bang, winning race 1 from pole. It was the first time ever a rookie managed such a good kick-off.

Van Doorne takes won ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Christopher Zanella, while championship favourite Antonio Felix Da Costa went off with a puncture following a contact in the first laps.

Stoffel Van Doorne. (Photo: Renault Sport)

Da Costa was looking to redeem himself in the second heat, starting from pole position. The Portuguese was passed at the start by Van Doorne, but was able to get the lead back a few laps later. Trying to catch up, Van Doorne went straight off at the second chicane, and only recovered behind Da Costa and Kevin Magnussen.

Da Costa and Magnussen remained nose to tail in the remaining laps, the Dane putting the pressure on the race leader, who was able to maintain his lead until the checkered flag.

Stoffel Vandoorne takes third position in race 2, and stays in first position in provisional championship classification ahead of Magnussen and Da Costa.

Antonio Felix Da Costa. (Photo: Renault Sport)

Race 1:
1 - Stoffel Vandoorne - Fortec - 29 laps in 46'48"474
2 - Kevin Magnussen - Dams - 7"053

3 - Christopher Zanella - ISR - 8"596

4 - Oliver Webb - Fortec - 8"991
5 - Nigel Melker - Tech 1 - 16"461
Etc.

Race 2:
1 - Antonio Felix Da Costa - Arden Caterham - 29 laps in 46'24"405

2 - Kevin Magnussen - Dams - 2"767

3 - Stoffel Vandoorne - Fortec - 5"922

4 - Arthur Pic - AV Formula - 11"600
5 - Nico Muller - Draco - 16"805
Etc.

Championship:
1.Vandoorne 40 points; 2.Magnussen 36; 3.Da Costa 25; 4.Pic 20; 5.Zanella 19, etc.

As the temperature blissfully begins to rise (albeit ever so slowly) and the snow melts away, so too do our layers of winter clothes, grimy salt stains on paint jobs, and winter wheels and even rides.

This time of year, everyone walks a bit taller (no need to hunch over from the cold anymore), smiles a bit more, and drivers are a bit happier (save for when they're avoiding smart-car sized potholes, but that's a topic for another story). It's a blissful time for all.

Spring means no more winter rubber. No more winter mags. And sometimes it means no more winter beater . It's time to break out The Summer Ride.

Personally, I've never had the pleasure of owning two separate cars to drive during different seasons. The most I do is change out my rubber and wheels for the colder months. However, I do know of individuals who store their Summer Rides while the white stuff sits on the streets, and they wait for spring to arrive more eagerly than children do for Christmas morning. As they should.

The Summer Ride isn't always a thing of beauty to everyone who sees it, but it is a thing of absolute allure to the owner -- few things can beat it. Decked out in pretty shoes (read: summer rubber and shiny wheels), blemish-free paint that's (hopefully) rust-free, and an interior that's also escaped the ravages of salt stains and winter dirtiness, The Summer Ride is built for warm-night cruises, open-road adventures and (more often than not) going fast.

The Summer Ride is what every teen boy dreams of when he thinks of his first car. He doesn't imagine plowing through deep snow (unless he's St-Pierre dreaming about Big Bird), he dreams of driving with the wind in his face (windows down) and a burbling exhaust note that matches the drone of the cicadas as the temperature rises.

I love this time of year because The Summer Rides start to emerge throughout the city. I hear growling exhaust notes, turbo tweets and over-exaggerated sound systems already and it makes me smile. We're breaking out of our winter shells and embracing the warmer days ahead, and we're doing so through automotive obsessions -- the very best way possible.

I often bitch about our temperamental weather and the fact that we even have winter at all, but when spring finally does arrive and I get to experience the emerging of The Summer Ride again, I'm thankful for the roller coaster ride. Why? Because it's an experience in and of itself to see these rides emerge from hibernation, often after having been toiled over and worked on throughout the long, cold months by dedicated owners who are oh-so happy to show them off and have them appreciated. They are labours of love, these Summer Rides, kept hidden for so many months because they are so dear to the owner.

From less-than-perfect R32 Skylines to brand new Porsches and BMWs (whose owners prefer to keep them warm and clean in the winter), they can be perfectly quaffed or in need of some serious TLC (project car in the making). The Summer Ride can be old or new and that's what makes it so great, and so entertaining to see them emerge.

So, welcome Summer Ride. May the warm months bring you many miles of winding, traffic-free tarmac.

From GMM

Red Bull has signed up a female driver to its famous driver development 'junior team'.

Eighteen-year-old Netherlander Beitske Visser, having won two races in 2012, will race this year with the energy drink company's backing in the German single seater category ADAC Formel Masters in 2013.

She is "the first ever female to join our squad", Red Bull said in a statement.

Beitske Visser. (Photo: Red Bull)

In charge of the junior programme is Dr Helmut Marko, who in February declared that US-based Indycar and Nascar star Danica Patrick has done "not enough" to attract Red Bull's attention.

"We are looking for drivers based on performance, not by quota," he said.

The most famous graduate of Red Bull's junior team is Sebastian Vettel, but also making it to F1 from the same programme were Jean-Eric Vergne, Daniel Ricciardo, Jaime Alguersuari, Sebastien Buemi and several others.

Fisker Automotive, which produces the Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan, announced last Friday that it will lay off 75% of its workforce. This came a week after the 200+ employees were put on a 5-day unpaid furlough.

The future looks bleak for Fisker. Since launching the Karma last year, there have been numerous recalls, and its battery supplier (A123) has gone bankrupt. You may also remember that 300 units were lost in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

And last month, company founder and executive chairman Henrik Fisker resigned due to “several major disagreements” with members of the senior management team.

Fisker recently tried to seek new funds from Chinese investors, but the discussions were not exactly encouraging. Stay tuned...

Sources: www.thedetroitbureau.com

Photo: Fisker

From GMM

One respected veteran correspondent has allayed fears F1's scream will become a whimper when the new V6 rules take over next year.

Apparently spurred on by Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 circuits' union chief Ron Walker told Autoweek last week that the 1.6 litre ERS-boosted engines of 2014 sound "like a lawnmower engine".

And Ecclestone hinted the sport's authorities might be forced to artificially enhance the noise, for fear of losing spectators.

But Jean-Louis Moncet, the long-time French commentator for TF1, said the fears are exaggerated.

"I don't think the engine noise for 2014 is really a problem," he said in his Auto Plus blog.

"I started as a journalist in F1 in 1978, when Renault was winning acclaim with its turbo. Ferrari was not long to follow, then BMW and then others. In those days it was a 1500cc V6, single or twin turbo, except BMW had an inline 4 cylinder."

Nelson Piquet, Brabham-BMW. (Photo: WRi2)

"So, a memory, and one to reassure you," Moncet told his readers. "The grand prix of France, at Paul Ricard, and Nelson Piquet on the Mistral straight.

"Sincerely, in the middle of the straight you could easily imagine the BMW, at 330kph, tearing up the asphalt and digging a trench to a depth of twenty metres. It howled that much. So it's going to sound different (in 2014), but there will be noise -- lots of noise, without which, F1 would not be F1.

"But I think a lot of this fear about the noise is coming from young journalists listening at the grand prix circuits to the turbocharged engine in the GP3 cars, that sound like a power drill. The ERS F1 engine will be fundamentally different," Moncet concluded.

Honda and Acura will unveil two new concept cars at Auto Shanghai 2013, which kicks off in two weeks.

Honda's concept will show the direction of an all-new model the company will be introducing to the Chinese market in the future, while Acura's is announced as a global model.

Other than these design sketches, we currently have no official information to report about the two vehicles.

Photo: Honda

Photo: Honda

So, when exactly is your engine due for an oil change?
You can find the easiest -- and safest -- answer in your owner's manual which lists the manufacturer's recommended maintenance intervals. Overall, though, it all depends on your engine's design and the type of oil used.

Past 5,000 kilometres or so, engine oil gets considerably dirty and loses most of its lubricating properties. This leads to premature wear of the internal components. Oil deteriorates because it constantly has to deal with high pressure, heat, fuel vapours, moisture, and various contaminants.

The million dollar question (so to speak): Should you use synthetic or mineral oil?
Each engine works best with a specific type of oil. Again, refer to the owner's manual to find out the recommended type of oil for your car. If the vehicle you purchased came with synthetic oil, then stick with that. More upscale or higher-performance models often use synthetic oil.

Mineral oil: pros and cons
Mineral oil comes from crude oil through a refining process. It contains saturated hydrocarbons; some of them are quality substances, while others are less than appropriate as they don't withstand heat as well. To reduce the risk of oxidization at high temperatures additives must be incorporated, usually in a proportion of 10%-25%. Mineral oil's biggest advantage is its low cost.

Synthetic oil: pros and cons
Synthetic oil uses synthesized chemical compounds, which means it's artificially produced from carbon and hydrogen. There are two categories: pure synthetic oil and semi-synthetic oil (also called “synthetic blend”). The latter blends mineral oil with up to 20%-30% synthetic oil for improved performance. It may not be as heat-resistant as pure synthetic oil, but it's cheaper. Consider it a best-of-both-worlds solution.

Meanwhile, synthetic oil can either be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components (rather than whole crude oil), or synthesized from other raw materials. A certain number of additives are thrown into the mix to increase quality. In addition to superior heat resistance, synthetic oil boasts low-viscosity at low temperatures to protect the engine upon starting, while its stable viscosity and reduced oxidization, even at high temperatures, make it last longer. Moreover, synthetic oil does a better job of lubricating engine parts, thereby reducing friction. On the other hand, it's almost twice as expensive as mineral oil.

What you need to know
Engine oil is a vital fluid that finds its way everywhere. Its main function is to lubricate moving parts, but it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.

There are various grades of oil (based on viscosity) on the market, and they can all influence your car's fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The oil grading system consists of two numbers (example: 10W30): The first refers to the oil's viscosity at low temperatures, and the second at high temperatures (100°C): the higher the number, the thicker the oil.

Beyond the engine itself, seasons also determine the type of oil you should use. During winter, for instance, your best bet is an oil grade with a low first number so as to oppose less resistance to the crankshaft and, more importantly, allow the oil to quickly reach every part of the engine.

From GMM

Jules Bianchi has refused to rule out speculation his impressive pace with Marussia so far in 2013 could lead to a future at Ferrari.

Having missed out on the Force India seat for his F1 race debut this year, the 23-year-old was snapped up instead by Marussia, after Luiz Razia's sponsorship dollars failed to arrive.

Bianchi and Marussia then emerged as an early surprise package of 2013.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia MR02. (Photo: WRi2)

Backed by Ferrari, as the cream of the famous Italian marque's development 'academy', Bianchi is now being tipped by some to be the next Ferrari driver.

Asked if he has spoken to Stefano Domenicali after impressing in Australia and Malaysia, Bianchi told Sky: "I am still speaking to Ferrari as I am still part of their driver academy, so for sure they look at what I am doing."

"But I don't want to put any extra pressure -- I am with Marussia now, I want to do a good job for them and then we will see what happens," he told the British broadcaster.

Asked, however, if a Ferrari seat is an eventual goal, Bianchi admitted: "It is something we have in mind because I already have a contract with them in the academy, so we want for sure to do something in the future.

"But it is too early to know about that. We have done only two races, we still have 17 races to do and we will see what happens," he added. "I need to stay at this level first of all and improve. We will see next year what happens, but I would be pleased to stay with Marussia next year again."

If he is called up by Ferrari - whose existing driver Felipe Massa is also managed by Frenchman Nicolas Todt - Bianchi insists he would be ready for life at the front of the front.

"Yes, I think every driver when you are in formula one, you are one of the best drivers in the world, so you can jump into a top team like Ferrari. I think you just need more experience when you are a young driver, but then when you are doing good races, you show people you deserve to have that opportunity," he said.

What is fuel injection?
Fuel injection is what makes vehicles go. How? By spraying fuel and mixing it up with air, said mixture gets compressed and ignites (courtesy of the spark plugs), pushing the piston back down and engaging the crankshaft which, in turn, engages the drive shaft that connects the driving axles.

There are two different ways to achieve this momentum: multi-port injection or direct injection. The latter can be found in Ford's EcoBoost engines and Mazda's SKYACTIV engines, for instance. It's widely acclaimed for maximizing combustion efficiency and fuel economy while reducing emissions in the process.

What are the main differences? What motivated engineers to develop direct injection technology? Let's see...

Direct injection (Illustration: Ford)

Carburetors
Older engines used carburetors to create the aforementioned air-fuel mixture. It all worked mechanically, with a butterfly valve controlling the air flow through the carburetor and orifices (referred to as “jets”) distributing the fuel from the intake manifold to the cylinders. Injection timing lacked precision and, consequently, the amount of unburnt fuel was significant.

Electronic injection
Since the 1980s, the quest for more precise systems has led engineers to replace carburetors with electronically controlled fuel injectors. Soon enough, automobiles transformed into mobile computers.

It was a big step forward, but equally big ones could still be made. The reason is simple: Cylinders operate alternatively, not simultaneously. Engineers used an average to send fuel to all cylinders at the same time. As a result, fuel often got trapped until the intake valves opened up, which led to poor fuel atomization. Instead of fine particles, that fuel returned to liquid form as it touched the walls of the intake manifold. It could not blend perfectly with air, and therefore went to waste as unburnt fuel.

Multi-point injection
In order to achieve optimum combustion, fuel injection needs to happen as close to the combustion chamber as possible. Engineers decided to give each cylinder a dedicated injector, a setup that's now known as multi-point fuel injection and allows precise fuel metering. By shortening the fuel flow, atomized fuel is less likely to return to liquid form.

Most modern cars like the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Subaru Impreza rely on multi-point injection.

However, since the fuel injectors are still outside the cylinders, those engines are unable to burn every single drop of fuel. Unburnt fuel creates pollution in the exhaust system, meaning that the catalytic converter needs to be at the top of its game.

Direct injection
Some smart and crafty folks came up with the idea to inject fuel directly into the cylinders (as opposed to the intake manifold). We see it a lot with diesel engines, like Volkswagen's. For more precise injection timing, fuel is pressurized at a whopping 1,500 pounds per square inch (PSI) instead of just 50. And that goes for turbo engines, too, which already rely on compressed air. The result is more effective ignition and combustion.

The most sophisticated injectors are amazingly precise, up to a single millisecond, even at 7,000 rpm.

Direct injection considerably reduces the amount of greenhouse gases vehicles release into the environment. With increasingly strict emission standards, this technology looks to be the way of the future for internal combustion engines.