Auto News 5

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."

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

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

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

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

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

American Honda, following a three-month selection process, picked incumbent RPA to remain its advertising agency for the Honda brand, but has given the Acura business to Boston-based Mullen.

How would you react if you saw that the and#8220;Mona Lisaand#8221; was going up for auction? What about the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben? Would you sit there, jaw agape, dumbfounded that a cultural treasure -- one-of-a-kind irreplaceable objects -- are...

Mitsubishi's restyled Outlander crossover is a vast improvement in interior refinement, packaging and technology over the outgoing model. The outgoing Outlander was among the worst-selling compact crossovers in the industry.

Also in this episode: An entry-level Corvette in our midst; Nürburgring is for sale.

Midsize Madness - Day One

It’s all about character.

Mainstream sedans--millions of them. Get out there on the road and you'll find them. Not too big and not too small, all built for the way we drive in this country--even if the carmakers labels seem to come from elsewhere. These are midsize cars built to suit American roads and American drivers, so we really should call them American sedans.

Photo Gallery: Midsize Madness - Day One - Automobile Magazine

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It's the father of the venerated 300 SLR. It was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio, Hans Hermann and Sir Stirling Moss.

Mini revealed Monday it will announce details regarding its expanded performance driving school as well as new app partnerships during the New York auto show.

Noise, Vibration & Harshness: Free the Fiat 500

It was no surprise in 2009 when large swathes of America's Fourth Estate, Automotive Division, practicing a sort of misguided car nationalism, moaned and groaned about Chrysler's takeover by Fiat.

It was no surprise in 2009 when large swathes of America's Fourth Estate, Automotive Division, practicing a sort of misguided car nationalism, moaned and groaned about Chrysler's takeover by Fiat. How, they wondered, could an Italian company run an American one -- by government edict no less -- especially after they'd spent so many years dismissing Italian carmakers as hopeless automotive romantics, sharp-suited, socialist incompetents with a flair for snappy shoes, snazzy camshafts, and doing lunch?

Photo Gallery: Noise, Vibration & Harshness: Free the Fiat 500 - Automobile Magazine

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Pininfarina may produce a few examples of the Sergio concept we saw at the Geneva motor show for a few well-heeled buyers with about $3.9 million in liquid assets.

When Steve Loudin and Tom Drewer hit the road this May in a heavily modified SRT Viper, they'll be carrying a message that ought to resonate with anyone who likes Chrysler's and#8220;Imported From Detroitand#8221; campaign: Buy American.

The production version of the 2014 Acura MDX will be revealed at the New York auto show at the end of this month.

News 18 Mar, 2013

Range Rover could move more upmarket to compete with a Bentley SUV

Oh wait, we're going up there?

China will save the electric car, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn predicts - and with it the vision of battery-powered motoring on which he has staked his credibility.