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A long-distance debate last week between two CEOs -- Ford's Alan Mulally and Renault-Nissan's Carlos Ghosn -- reignited a hot-button debate in the industry over the value of the Japanese yen.

Volkswagen plans to discontinue sales of the Routan, a rebadged Chrysler Group-built minivan VW has offered in North America since 2008, the company's top U.S. executive said.

In the midst of a proxy fight with dissident investors, Lear announced an agreement with shareholders Marcato Capital Management and Oskie Capital Management to expand a stock buyback and keep the hedge funds' nominees off Lear's board.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view.

The escalating rivalry among Germany's premium automakers was fully on show at the annual financial results conferences of Audi and BMW.

Audi and Mercedes are both vying to be the world's No. 1 luxury brand as the race heats up to topple BMW from the top position.

From Coyote Rallye

Reigning North American and Canadian Rally Champions, driver Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard will contest the remaining events of the Rally America series at the wheel of a genuine Mitsubishi Lancer World Rally Car.

After having contested the first two rounds of the 2013 season, including a victory at Michigan's SnoDrift Rally in their Mitsubishi Evo X, will finish off the remaining five Rally America rounds with the WRC Lancer.

This will mark the first time a Canadian competes in a modern day World Rally Car that has already contested the World Rally Championship and it is also the first time the British MML Sports team will bring their WRC05 car to compete in North America.

L'Estage tested the car last November in the Czech Republic.



"This is big news! To take part in rallies at the wheel of a car that has been in the World Rally Championship is fantastic and I'm really looking forward to more great battles with Ken Block and David Higgins," said L'Estage in the team's press release.

"Our hard work has come to fruition in the form of an agreement with MML Sports of the UK, with whom we already tested the car. All of our sponsors play a big role in this as well and we are thrilled to have our partners on board".


The first event that the L'Estage/Richard duo will take part in with the WRC Mitsubishi Lancer will be on the first weekend of May for the Oregon Trail Rally, round 3 of the Rally America series. A major test session will precede the rally, enabling Antoine to familiarize himself with the car.

A.J. Foyt Racing announced that Conor Daly will drive the Honda-powered No. 41 ABC Supply car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a teammate to Takuma Sato in the No. 14 ABC Supply Co. car.

Daly tested with the team in mid-December (two days before his 21st birthday) at Sebring International Raceway.

He competed the past two seasons in the European-based GP3 series, and has won in every formula -- Firestone Indy Lights, GP3, Star Mazda and Skip Barber -- he's competed. He won national titles in the Star Mazda (2010) and Skip Barber (2008) series.

Daly made his GP2 debut March 22-24 at Sepang International circuit in Malaysia with seventh- and 13th-place finishes.

Conor is the son of former F1 and Indy car driver, Derek Daly. Derek may not remain perfectly relax during the Indy 500 in May since he's perfectly aware that ovals can be really dangerous. In 1984, Derek Daly came close from losing both his legs when his Indy car slammed into the concrete wall during the Michigan 500.

Next Tuesday at the Motor Press Guild (MPG) luncheon held at Ford Motor Company Design Center Showroom in Irvine, California, the automaker will release the first pictures of the 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition, which features new appearance upgrades

“With the industry focus on fuel-efficient, smaller cars, it's easy to forget that trucks are a dominant segment in the American market,” said Aaron Gold, president of the MPG. “This luncheon will give a closer look at the uniquely American truck market -- and the first look at the newest version of Ford's ultimate performance truck, the 2014 SVT Raptor Special Edition.”

In addition to previewing the Special Edition Raptor, Ford Truck Group Marketing Manager Doug Scott will review the current lineup of F-Series pickups and how it maintains the necessary versatility to attract a variety of industries, from agriculture to fire fighting.

Chevrolet announced that the all-new 2014 Camaro Z/28 will get a race-proven 7.0L LS7 V8 engine that produces an estimated 500 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed TREMEC TR6060 manual transmission with unique gearing.

This mill is derived from the LS7 used in the C6 Corvette Z06, which was developed in conjunction with Corvette Racing.

“In the Camaro lineup, the LS7 complements a range of great V8 choices, starting with the 426-horsepower LS3 in the Camaro SS, and ending with the supercharged LSA rated at 580 horsepower in the Camaro ZL1,” said John Rydzewski, assistant chief engineer for small-block engines.

The 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 becomes the most track-focused production model in the car's history. By comparison, the original 1967 Camaro Z/28 housed a 302-cubic-inch (4.9L) small-block rated at 290 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque.

Photo: Chevrolet

Richmond International Raceway got a taste of the new Gen-6 car in day one of a two day test at the three-quarter mile oval. Four divers, on two teams, consisting of Juan Montoya and Jamie McMurray (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet) and Aric Almirola and Marcos Ambrose (Richard Petty Motorsports Ford) took the track.

No Toyota teams took to the track on Monday.

In chilly April weather, contributing to cool track temperatures, driver got a good grip on the track which could mean new track records eclipsing the 20.772 seconds/129.983mph set by Brian Vickers in 2004.

“The track is extremely fast,” said Almirola. “When we rolled out on the track at 9:00 this morning, it was still kinda cool and the track had a lot of grip. We were running lap times close to the pole speed in race trim. Really surprised at how fast the track was and how fast our cars were.”

“This morning was a lot of fun,” said Montoya. “The track was really cool this morning so it was crazy fast. It's a good place when you need to find some traction. There's a lot of things you can work on here.”

Juan-Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet. (Photo: NASCAR)

The same group will return to the track on Tuesday in preparation of the Sprint Cup race scheduled for April 27th.

The Richmond race weekend gets under way on Thursday, April 25 with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Blue Ox 100 and the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown presented by FedEx. The Nationwide Series hits the track on Friday, April 26 for the ToyotaCare 250, followed by the Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 on Saturday, April 27.

“(The Gen-6 car has) so much more grip than what we had last year,” said McMurray. “I think it would be hard to find anybody say they don't like that. It turns better, it has more drive off, everything's better about it.”

Sebastien Loeb and Alvaro Parente (McLaren) took victory in the qualifying race the opening round of the FIA GT Series in Nogaro. Howver, the pair was penalized twice during the main race, won by Stippler and Sandström (Audi).

W Racing Team. (Photo: FIA GT Series)

Loeb, who run under the colors of his own team made impressive debuts in the GT series alongside his co-driver, Alvaro Parente.

After taking third position in qualifying, the pair won the qualifying race after Loeb overtook the Audi R8 LMS WRT driven by Niki Mayr-Melnof, with four laps remaining.

On Monday, Loeb started the main race from pole position, but was quickly under pressure from Mayr-Melnof, who was aiming for revenge.

After the pit stops, the Audi was back in first position, with René Rast taking the lead ahead of Alvaro Parente's McLaren. But the Portuguese driver lost his brakes and hit the Audi, which spun, and the McLaren inherited the lead.

Sebastien Loeb Racing. (Photo: FIA GT Series)

New race leader Alvaro Parente was penalized with a drive through becaue the race officials found that Loeb had undone his seat belts before the car came to a complete stop.

The McLaren rejoined the race in 6th, with Rast in the lead. The German driver crossed the line in first position, but the Audi was penalized for having cut the engine during its own pit stop. The incident gave victory to sister car driven by Frank Stippler and Edward Sandström.

Fifth at the finish line, Loeb and Parente received another penalty for the incident with Rast, which put them down in 13th position.

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen is "a candidate" to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull, team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has admitted.

In the wake of the 'Multi-21' team orders affair, Red Bull denied speculation Webber's role as teammate to world champion Sebastian Vettel is now untenable.

But even billionaire Mateschitz, a known strong supporter of 36-year-old Webber, agrees that the Australian could leave at the end of his 2013 contract.

"Whether he retires, only he will choose," Austrian Mateschitz told Speed Week.

"(But) Mark is definitely a candidate for 2014. He is always welcome with us. So too would be a quick junior like Vergne or Ricciardo from the Toro Rosso team," he added.

"Sorry, I know it's a diplomatic answer which leaves everything open, but that's how it is. Everything else is pure speculation."

Kimi Raikkonen. (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

Fascinatingly, Mateschitz also mentioned Finn Raikkonen - a close friend of Vettel's - as also potentially in the running for a 2014 seat.

Often mentioning the 2007 world champion in interviews, Mateschitz is an open admirer of Raikkonen's, having sponsored the 33-year-old's two year rallying foray in 2010 and 2011.

Contradicting April Fool rumours that Raikkonen has announced his impending retirement, Mateschitz said: "Kimi is cool and fast and always a candidate."

Germany's Bild newspaper reported that Webber has "already been in contact" with Porsche officials, regarding a new 2014 prototype team for the famous marque at Le Mans.

Russian oil company, Lukoil - the major sponsor of Lada Sport - announced it will also back team RML in this year's World Touring Car Championship.

Last season, Lukoil was the main sponsor of the Seat Leon TDis driven by Gabriele Tarquini and Alexey Dudukalo.

For this year, the Russian company joined Lada for the team's return in WTCC, running two Grantas driven by James Thompson and now Mikhail Kozlovskiy.

Following the Monza disaster where the two Ladas were badly damaged, Lada Sport has decided to replace Alexey Dudukalo by Mikhail Kozlovskiy, from the next event in Marrakech. It's now official since Monday, April 1st.

Mikhail Kozlovskiy, new Lada driver. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

Meanwhile, Lukoil will also back team RML's Chevrolets. The British team was in charge of Chevrolet's WTCC works programme for almost a decade, before the American constructor's withdrawal from the series late last year.

RML now runs two private Chevrolet Cruzes for Yvan Muller and Tom Chilton.

Yvan Muller's Chevrolet Cruze with Lukoil in Monza. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

From GMM

F1's governing body has warned three top teams to make changes to their cars ahead of the next race in China, it has emerged.

Italian reports, including in the pages of Italiaracing and Omnicorse, claim the FIA has reacted after scrutineers flagged controversial solutions in the area of the underbody presented in Malaysia by Red Bull, Lotus and Mercedes.

The reports say the cars' 'splitters' are too flexible, with the teams told to make changes for Shanghai to avoid sanction.

Photo: WRi2

From GMM

Ferrari, Mercedes and even McLaren -- they all claim they can push reigning champions Red Bull in 2013.

Some have already written off McLaren on the basis that not evolving the winning 2012 car in favour of a radical machine for this season was a grave mistake that has netted the famous British team just 4 points so far this season.

Jenson Button, however, told the Mirror he thinks a title tilt is still "definitely" on.

"It's a massive turnaround for us," he said, referring to the progress made in mere days between Australia and Malaysia.

"Most of the race in Sepang we were quicker than the Lotus. Most of the race we were quicker than Ferrari, I have gone from being pretty down in Melbourne to being a lot more positive," he said.

And team boss Martin Whitmarsh is quoted by Speed Week: "I would be very disappointed if we did not make a further step in China."

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

Already competitive is Ferrari, where Felipe Massa is now right back on the pace after a lean period of form, and Fernando Alonso was a favourite for victory in Malaysia until his first-lap dramas.

"Red Bull, in my opinion, is still the strongest team at the moment," team boss Stefano Domenicali is quoted by Corriere della Sport. "Mercedes has made progress, Lotus is very competitive. The season will be interesting and challenging, but no doubt we will be there among the best."

Also confident is Lewis Hamilton, having switched from McLaren over the winter and already collecting 25 points compared to championship leader Sebastian Vettel's 40.

In Malaysia, he put his Mercedes on the podium, behind the warring Red Bulls.

The two Mercedes closes to the Red Bull in Malaysia. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

But, referring to the Sepang race, Hamilton insisted: "For a time I was able to drive on the pace of the Red Bulls and it felt great."

Ultimately, he had to drop his pace to save fuel, but if not for that issue, "the situation would have been different. I am sure," the Briton is quoted by Finland's Turun Sanomat.

"If we continue on this path, we will be able to win at some point in the season," added Hamilton.

NASCAR Euro Racecar reigning champion, Ander Vilarino made honor to his title by claiming a double win in the season's opener in Nogaro this weekend.

In Nogaro, the Spaniard was dominant from the word go, as he clinched pole position in his TFT's Chevrolet Camaro.

In Sunday's race, Villarino maintained the lead from start to finish, taking his first season win ahead of Yann Zimmer and Romain Ianetta.

Photo: Euro-Racecar NASCAR / Stéphane Azémard

The second round was a bit more complicated for the 2012 champion, who was involved in a contact on lap 1 with Frédéric Gabillon. Villarino received a drive-through penalty, and dropped down to 6th position.

The Spaniard drover well, he was able to make contact with the leaders, Yann Zimmer and Javier Villa, at the beginning of the last lap.

Villa tried to pass Zimmer, but Vilarino was able to get side by side with both leaders. He managed to slip by and take victory for a second time.

Villa and Zimmer finished second and third, espectively.

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has failed to deny rumours Justin King, the 51-year-old British boss of supermarket chain Sainsbury's, is being lined up to replace him.

F1's 82-year-old chief executive Ecclestone is embroiled in the Gribkowsky corruption affair, which could see him convicted by German authorities or stepped down by the sport's owners CVC.

According to business journalist Christian Sylt, one name regularly linked with Ecclestone's job is Justin King.

Bernie Ecclestone told the Guardian: "I've no idea whether the boss of a company like Sainsbury's could do my job. Maybe he could."

King's son is Jordan King, who this year will race in European Formula 3, reportedly with the backing of five brands with business ties to Sainsbury's.

Two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series' champion, Andrew Ranger will be back once again in the national stock car series as he will contest two races this summer: one at ICAR and one in Trois-Rivieres.

Photo: Bonzaï Racing

For Ranger, those two events will be part of an extensive schedule that will see him race in an impressive number of ARCA, K&N East and West as well as some NASCAR Nationwide events.

The Quebec driver will contest the ICAR road course race on July 7th and the Trois Riviere race August 11th, riding alongside Ray Junior Courtemanche in a second car prepared by Dave Jacombs with the financial backing of La Cité de Mirabel Inc.

Photo: Bonzaï Racing

Ford Canada is recalling 193 vehicles due to a problem with the fuel tank. Affected models include the 2013 Ford Explorer, 2012 Ford Taurus, and 2012 Lincoln MKS.

In some cases, the fuel tank may have been manufactured incorrectly and fail to provide the expected strength in the event of an impact. A fuel leak may also occur even in the absence of an impact.

Dealers will therefore inspect and, if necessary, replace the fuel tank.

Source: Transports Canada