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Research carried out by two UK consulting firms has concluded that cost savings resulting from the widespread adoption of more fuel efficient vehicles in Europe could boost the European economy and create around 400,000 new jobs.

BMW forecast unchanged 2013 pretax profit as European auto sales drop and the automaker increases spending to bring out 25 new models in the next two years. Pretax profit climbed 6 percent to 7.82 billion euros ($10.1 billion) in 2012.

America's powerful UAW labour body has launched a blistering attack on proposals for Japan to enter the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), claiming the move would cost "tens of thousands of jobs."

Ford, General Motors and Fiat were the automakers worst hit as European passenger car registrations fell 10 percent last month to their lowest February level for 23 years.

Volvo Cars, the Swedish carmaker owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., won the approval of China's main industry planner to begin making vehicles in the country, three people familiar with the matter said.

As of July 2011, the city of Santa Fe, N.M.

Volvo is said to have won the approval of China's main industry planner to begin making vehicles in the country.

PSA has struck a deal with five French unions, representing 76 percent of its workforce, over severance packages that the automaker will offer employees as it seeks to reduce its headcount in the country by 17 percent.

Twenty-five will battle it out this weekend in the streets of St. Petersburg as the IZOD IndyCar series presents the opening round of its 2013 season.

Out of the 25 drivers, 7 are Americans, and only one is a rookie, Frenchman Tristan Vautier, the reigning Firestone Indy Lights series' champion.

The field is divided in 13 cars using Chevrolet engines, and the other 12 relying on Honda power.

Ryan Hunter-Reay's Dallara -- the series' current champion -- will carry the No. 1 plate this season.

Entry list
IZOD IndyCar Series
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Car Driver Car Name Engine Entrant
1 Ryan Hunter-Reay DHL Chevrolet Andretti Autosport
3 Helio Castroneves Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske
4 JR Hildebrand National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet Panther Racing
5 E.J. Viso Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM Chevrolet Team Venezuela/Andretti Autosport/HVM
6 Sebastian Saavedra Dragon Racing Chevrolet Dragon Racing
7 Sebastien Bourdais Dragon Racing Chevrolet Dragon Racing
9 Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Target Chip Ganassi Racing
10 Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Target Chip Ganassi Racing
11 Tony Kanaan Hydroxycut KVRT- SH Racing Chevrolet KV Racing Technology
12 Will Power Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet Team Penske
14 Takuma Sato ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda A.J. Foyt Enterprises
15 Graham Rahal Midas/Big O Tires Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
16 James Jakes Acorn Stairlifts Honda Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
18 Ana Beatriz Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dale Coyne Racing
19 Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dale Coyne Racing
20 Ed Carpenter Fuzzy's Vodka / Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Ed Carpenter Racing
22 Oriol Servia Panther DRR Chevrolet Panther DRR
25 Marco Andretti RC Cola Chevrolet Andretti Autosport
27 James Hinchcliffe GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Andretti Autosport
55 Tristan Vautier (R) Florida Lottery c/w Schmidt Peterson Honda Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
67 Josef Newgarden Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
77 Simon Pagenaud Schmidt-Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports
78 Simona de Silvestro Nuclear Entergy Areva KVRT Chevrolet KV Racing Technology
83 Charlie Kimball Levemir and NovoLog FlexPen Honda Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing
98 Alex Tagliani Barracuda Racing Honda Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian

McLaren Electronics Systems, a company of Group McLaren issued a press release Tuesday afternoon to explain the problems that plagued the ECU running Mark Webber's Red Bull RB9 in Australia.

The complete press release reads as follows:

There is a new standard ECU (Engine Control Unit) in 2013 that featured on all Formula 1 cars that took part in the recent Australian Grand Prix.

It will power the 2.4-litre V8 engines this season and the new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged parallel hybrid engines in 2014 and beyond.

New TAG-320 F1 ECU. (Photo: McLaren Electronic Systems)

Supplied by McLaren Electronics Systems, the new ECUs were run for the first time on the track by most teams in winter testing in February; just six weeks before racing began in Melbourne.

They replace the previous ECUs that have been running very reliably since the standard ECU was introduced by the FIA in 2008.

An ECU comprises several thousand parts; tens of thousands of solder connections and hundreds of thousands of lines of software. It is a very complex piece of equipment that controls the powertrain and DRS, and acts as a car's primary data system.

The electronic units themselves ran without incident in Melbourne, but there was a software-related issue that meant that Mark Webber's Red Bull Racing car's garage data system had to be re-started during the formation lap.

That disrupted his preparations for the start of the race, for which Mark and the team has our apology. We are working together with them to prevent any recurrence.

A total of 3,000 vehicles are now being recalled in Canada due to a problem with the passenger's side frontal airbag. Affected models include the 2013 Nissan Sentra, Pathfinder, and Altima, as well as the 2013 Infiniti JX35.

On certain vehicles, sensors within the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured incorrectly. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag, increasing the risk of personal injury to the seat occupant.

Dealers will therefore inspect and, if necessary, replace the ODS sensors.

Source: Transports Canada

Next week at the New York Auto Show, Cadillac will unveil an all-new 420-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 engine which will become the signature of the 2014 Cadillac CTS when it goes on sale this fall.

“The new Cadillac Twin-Turbo brings a new dimension of technologically advanced performance to the all-new 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan,” said David Leone, executive chief engineer. “Delivering power and sophistication, it marks another large step forward in the product-driven expansion of Cadillac.”

This engine is more powerful than the 3.0L unit in the BMW 535i (300 hp), and even the 4.4L V8 of the BMW 550i (400 hp). Cadillac says the new CTS will sprint from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in an estimated 4.6 seconds, and reach a top speed of about 274 km/h.

A naturally aspirated 3.6L V6 (321 hp) and a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder (272 hp) will also be available with the 2014 Cadillac CTS.

Photo: Cadillac

Coroner Yvon Garneau is urging the Société de l'assurance automobile du Quebec (SAAQ) to penalize drivers who text behind the wheel with up to nine demerit points instead of just three.

His recommendation is the result of an investigation following the texting-related death of a Transport Quebec employee last October.

“Clearly, drivers don't get the message. The number of tickets keeps rising at an alarming rate, so it's time to stop talking and start acting,” Garneau wrote in his report.

Ever since the government increased from three to nine demerit points the penalty for drivers who get caught passing a school bus with a stop sign, the situation has improved dramatically.

The coroner predicts the same thing will happen with drivers who text on the road. He even suggested a 30-day suspension of the offender's cell phone.

Source: LaPresse

Owners of 2004-2008 Acura TSX sedans in Canada need to be aware of a recall on 16,990 units.

On certain vehicles operated in areas where road salt and de-icing chemicals are used, if the driver enters the vehicle with a salt/snow mixture on their feet, this could melt and soak the carpet, allowing the salt-water solution to contact the base of the Engine Control Unit (ECU). As a result, the ECU could suffer corrosion damage, which may cause the engine to stall.

Acura dealers will install a waterproof cover over the ECU. Any damaged ECU will be replaced.

Source: Transports Canada

From GMM

Niki Lauda has slammed the tire situation in formula one, accusing Pirelli and the FIA of confusing the fans.

"The situation with the tires is absolutely stupid," the forthright triple world champion, broadcaster and Mercedes team chairman and shareholder said.

"Artificially creating more and more pitstops is wrong," Lauda told German newspaper Bild. "Pirelli can't really help it as they are only doing what the FIA ordered them to do, but 90 per cent of the time no one understands what is happening in the races now."

Photo: Pirelli

Pole sitter Sebastian Vettel finished the 2013 season opener third on Sunday, while Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen did one fewer pitstop and surprisingly won for Lotus from seventh on the grid.

Niki Lauda said the current situation, with the tires more influential than ever before, is confusing for the fans.

"My advantage is that I can ask our (Mercedes) engineers. The fans cannot. But even our people are confused. When the tires are so soft, it's bad for formula one. The fans don't understand if there are more than two pitstops. (For F1) it's a fundamentally wrong path."

Pirelli's Paul Hembery hit back: "Many fans have told us they think the racing is more exciting now."

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is happy to have "proved people wrong" after leaving McLaren.

Many critics rounded on the 2008 world champion when he announced his decision to leave McLaren, an established top team, for the recently underperforming Mercedes in 2013 and beyond.

But Hamilton's new W04 looked competitive in winter testing and then in Melbourne last weekend, while the 2013 McLaren is struggling.

Lewis Hamilton in Melbourne. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

"Lewis Hamilton recently acquired a dog and so, it seems, has (Jenson) Button; only Button is driving his," wrote Guardian correspondent Paul Weaver.

Lewis Hamilton cannot hide his joy at the situation, aiming fire at his critics including Sirs Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart: "They don't know what they're talking about.

"It's nice to prove people wrong," admitted the 28-year-old after touching down in Malaysia.

"It has been everyone (criticising), particularly all the ex-drivers commenting that it was the worst decision ever. The team (Mercedes) have done well, I'm really proud of my team. I'm proud of my decision as well," added Hamilton.

Ana Beatriz becomes the 25th official entry for the upcoming IZOD IndyCar's season opener at St. Petersburg after she's inked a deal to race for Dale Coyne Racing.

The Brazilian, who swapped seat with Stefan Wilson last week at the Alabama official tests, will run alongside veteran Justin Wilson in the Honda-powered team.

Beatriz started her IndyCar career in 2011, driving for Dreyer & Reinbold but was only able to take part in only two races last year in Sao Paulo and the Indianapolis 500 for Andretti Autosport.

Schmidt Peterson's Tristan Vautier is therefore the only driver without previous IndyCar experience of the St. Pete street course, although he won last year's Indy Lights event en route to the 2012 crown.

Rubens Barrichello coaching Ana Beatriz in 2011. (Photo: IndyCar)

From GMM

McLaren has hit back at arch-rival Red Bull's claims that the British team was responsible for Mark Webber's troubles in Melbourne.

After Webber had a terrible start and then KERS trouble during Sunday's season opener, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said: "You need to ask McLaren why the ECU didn't work".

McLaren subsidiary MES (McLaren Electronic Systems) mandatorily supplies electronic control units to every team in F1.

The new ECU TAG-320. (Photo: McLaren Electronic Systems)

A new unit for 2013, in preparation for the radical new V6 engine rules next year, caused several problems in recent winter testing.

Martin Whitmarsh, the McLaren team principal, told PA Sport he was "distressed" when he heard about Horner's criticism.

"We'll put our hands up if it's a fault that's derived from the hardware or the Bios," he said. "You can also inflict ECU problems on yourself by how you set it up, but I will look into it. I'll be disappointed if it is our fault because in F1, NASCAR and IndyCar, we've not yet stopped a car, and we're very proud of that record."

Meanwhile, as McLaren grapples with its uncompetitive new MP4-28, Christian Horner admitted his surprise that the British team scrapped the successful 2012 car in favour of a radical design.

"I think McLaren had a very good car last year," he said. "Arguably for large parts of the season they had the fastest car, so they will know their own reasons why they have chosen to go the route they have."

The IndyCar Series has incorporated into the IZOD IndyCar Series rulebook its standardized push-to-pass parameters that will be used on streets and road events for the upcoming 2013 season.

Push-to-pass, a device that increases temporarily the power of the engine and which was introduced to the new engine-chassis package last July on the streets of Toronto, will have parameters for each of the road/street course events, including doubleheader races at Detroit, Toronto and Houston.

There's no delay in activation or refresh time.

According to the new rules, if a driver chooses to use a blast of power, they cannot cancel it. Therefore, it will make it more difficult to choose to use as a defense mechanism rather than as an overtaking opportunity.

Photo: IndyCar

IZOD IndyCar Series-controlled push-to-pass parameters

Event   Total pushes    Time per push    Total time
St. Petersburg    10 times   15 seconds   150 seconds
Barber   10   20   200
Long Beach   10   20   200
Sao Paulo   10   20   200
Detroit   10   15   150
Toronto   10   20   200
Mid-Ohio   10   20   200
Sonoma   10   15   150
Baltimore   10   15   150
Houston   10   15   150

Bonhams will be offering for auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday July 12 one of the most historic Grand Prix car ever raced.

Bonhams has consigned the 1954 2.5-litre straight-8 Mercedes-Benz W196 - chassis number ‘00006/54' - in which five-time World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio won both the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races.

Photo: The Spitzley/Monkhouse Collection

These great victories were the first two to be achieved in succession by the frontier-technology Mercedes-Benz factory Formula 1 team in its postwar racing come-back. Chassis ‘00006' also has special significance as the first open-wheeled slipper-bodied postwar Mercedes-Benz ever to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix race - having made its debut in that German GP.

The car's innovative W196 design also marked the successful introduction to Formula 1 of the technologies such as fuel-injected engine, all-independent suspension and multi-tubular ‘space frame' lightweight chassis design and all-round inboard-mounted brakes.