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British driver Jenson Button put the new McLaren MP4-29 on top of the charts at the end of Day 2 of the Formula 1 winter test session at Jerez, Spain.

Jenson Button, McLaren (Photo: WRI2)

Overnight rain, coupled with the decision to douse the track with sprinklers in order to enable Pirelli to evaluate its 2014-spec wet-weather rubber.

Despite the fact that it did not turn a wheel Tuesday, the McLaren emerged quickest today with a time of 1m24.165, some three seconds faster than Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari yesterday.

Raikkonen was second quickest today, 0.7 second slower than Button. Another Finn, Valtteri Bottas, was third in the Mercedes-powered Williams.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG (Photo: WRI2)

Nico Rosberg was fourth in the Mercedes AMG. Following Lewis Hamilton's crash yesterday, a new and revised front wing was delivered at the track this morning.

Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India (Photo: WRI2)

Mexican Sergio Perez was fifth in the Sahara Force India, beating his fellow countryman, Esteban Gutierrez in the Sauber, rookie Marcus Ericsson in the Caterham and Sebastian Vettel who managed to complete just 8 laps in the Red Bull before suffering a "Renault energy store problem".

The Toro Rosso was unable to do any running today, because of electrical problems that could not be repaired in time.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

The Mercedes powered cars (Mercedes AMG, Williams, McLaren and Sahara Force India) completed 212 laps today, compared to just 19 for the Renault teams (Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Caterham). Rosberg alone completed a stunning 97 laps!

As a reference, the best lap time set last year here at Jerez was a 1m17.879 set by Felipe Massa in the Ferrari.

Jerez winter test*, Day 2 :
Pos. Driver Car Time Laps
1 Jenson Button McLaren 1:24.165 43 laps
2 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:24.812 47
3 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:25.344 35
4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG 1:25.588 97
5 Sergio Perez Force India 1:28.376 37
6 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:33.720 53
7 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:37.975 11
8 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:38.320 8
*Unofficial timing

From GMM

Marussia is on course to debut its 2014 car on Thursday.

On Tuesday, having delayed the launch of the MR03 due to minor technical trouble, the team said the newly Ferrari-powered car was finally making its way from the UK to Jerez.

With some trucks and personnel already at the southern Spanish test track, Marussia's race team and Ferrari support crew arrived at Jerez on Wednesday morning.

And the new car is not far behind.

"The truck and car are making great progress -- should be here mid to late afternoon," Marussia said on Twitter. "So a busy night ahead to prepare ourselves for its debut."

From press release

The FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA announced Tuesday the return of the Formula 1600 open-wheel cars, June 6, 7 & 8 on Gilles Villeneuve circuit, as Montréal will host its 35th edition (the 45th in Canada) of our country's round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

More than 40 drivers, seasoned veterans and young hopes from Canada and USA will try to earn the best spots on the grid of the two races included on both the Formula Tour 1600 and 2014 Ontario-Québec Super Series calendars.

« Every year, the automobile racing fans filling our FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA grandstands greatly appreciate the fierce battles offered by these passionate Formula 1600 drivers filling the Gilles Villeneuve circuit grid, has explained the President and CEO of the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA, François Dumontier. We will be honoured to host again next June an impressive contingent of young and experiences drivers who will surely enlighten our support races program. »

Didier Schraenen leading the pack at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. (Photo: Groupe de course Octane inc.)

Over the last few years, Formula 1600 lived a real renaissance in this country and with a new agreement reached between the Ontario and Québec series organizers, it promises to be even more interesting when the 2014 season will begin next May. Both parties have assembled respectively a six-race schedule, avoiding conflicting dates before designating two weekends in each province for a four-event Super Series. June 6, 7 and 8, the Formula 1600 races at the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA will constitute the first round of this first interprovincial challenge.

In several countries, Formula 1600 has a rich history of over 45 years. World champions Jenson Button, Mika Hakkinen, Damon Hill, James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Jody Scheckter, Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher experienced their first success with this kind of cars.

In Canada, the Van Diemen, Spectrum, Vector, Piper, Mygale, Reynard or Swift open-wheel chassis are powered by the 1600cc Ford Kent or 1500cc Honda Fit engines. They are also running with designated and exclusive fuel and tires. OKIDATA, H Grégoire, Toyo Tires and HPD Racing are Formula Tour 1600 sponsors.

Veterans Didier Schraenen, Michel Bonnet and Duncan Murdock, and young promising graduates from kart racing such as Tristan De Grand, Marc Cardin, Max Harranty and Olivier Bédard are among the forty and more drivers expected to enter the two Formula 1600 races at the FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA.

The fans who intend to purchase grandstand or general admission tickets for the 2014 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA must reach the box office at 514 350-0000 or 1-855-790-1245, seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased on our secure websites at www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca or at www.admission.com.

The 2014 McLaren MP4-29 Mercedes features an innovative yet intriguing rear suspension design that was the talking point in the Jerez paddock.

The wishbones and links feature large, wing-shaped aerodynamic 'blockers'.

According to Autosport magazine's technical writer and former F1 designer, Gary Anderson, these are designed to generate additional downforce at slow speed and reduce drag at high speed.

McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRi2)

These elements are illegal if they are simple covers that are attached to the suspension elements. However, if they are structural parts of the wishbones, they are legal.

Anderson explains that the blockers are designed to restrict the airflow coming out of the Coke bottle area when it gets to the back of the diffuser.

This creates an area of low pressure behind the blockers. This then increases the velocity of the airflow travelling underneath the car, generating more downforce from the underfloor.

When the car runs at slower speed, the ride height increases, therefore these sections move and almost completely close the gap at the top of the diffuser, generating additional downforce.

The complete analysis can be read by clicking here.

McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has written a letter to F1's eleven teams, arguing that the controversial new 'double points' rule should be extended to the final three races of the season.

Three races was always the F1 chief executive's plan, but many team bosses refused to agree and so just installing the Abu Dhabi finale as the double points venue was the compromise outcome.

But Ecclestone, 83, is trying again to push his original plan through, appealing directly in writing to the F1 teams because a change at such a late date would require total unanimity up and down pitlane.

According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, the letter seeks approval for 'double points' to be awarded not just in Abu Dhabi next year, but also Austin and Brazil.

But the vote even of Ecclestone's friend and ally Christian Horner, the Red Bull team boss, is unlikely.

He thinks double points at three races next year would turn the title race "pretty much into a lottery".

Not only that, the small teams are reportedly also sceptical, as the allocation of double points will mean expensive car development late in the season will ramp up even more than usual.

And the fact that FIA entry fees for the following season are decided on the basis of points scored is reportedly also a turn-off for teams, as the 'double points' scheme would simply ramp up already escalated costs.

World champion Sebastian Vettel on Tuesday slammed double points as "nonsense".

"It would be like in football if they changed the rules by saying that a goal scored in the last five minutes counted double," he told F1's official website.

"Nobody would think of something bizarre like that."

Summary
When Cadillac first launched the ATS, it promoted its new product as a “BMW 3-Series competitor.” Many of us questioned such a boastful statement, until we actually drove the vehicle. Cadillac was spot on, and now with this new coupe and rumors of a wagon & convertible to follow, I doubt the Bavarians will be sending GM a Christmas card this year!

Price
Figures weren't announced at Detroit. However, with pricing for the 2014 ATS range falling between $ 35,195 and 53,705, we can probably take an educated guess at the price of the new Coupe.

Fuel economy
No fuel-economy numbers have been released. However, with figures for the 2014 four-door 2.0L Turbo running at 10.7L/6.6L/100km (city/hwy -- manual), and 9.9L/6.3L/100km (city/hwy -- automatic), we can expect somewhere around this or slightly better, I'm guessing.

Latest Improvements
Cadillac CUE is at the centre of the ATS Coupe's collection of technologies. Complementing this is OnStar 4G LTE connectivity, which features a built-in WiFi hotspot that can connect up to seven devices. This new 4G LTE connection can also be used to power CUE Collection, a new in-car app marketplace coming to Cadillac vehicles this year.

New ATS Coupe owners will also enjoy the capability of remotely starting the engine or lowering the windows with the key fob or the owner's smartphone, and LED headlamps with Adaptive Forward Lighting is now available.

Photo: Kevin Corrigan

Exterior Styling
With the success of the four-door ATS, the Coupe simply makes perfect sense. It also paves the way for a possible convertible further down the line.

The 2015 ATS Coupe shares the same 109.3” (2,775mm) wheelbase as the sedan, but features its own unique bodywork. It's slightly less outrageous than the CTS Coupe (not quite so humpbacked) which should make the ATS Coupe more appealing to a wider audience.

Interior Design
It's an ATS after all, so the Coupe shares much of the interior we've come to love on the four-door. Quality abounds throughout and attention to detail is precisely what we've come to expect from Cadillac models of late.
Available interior features include:

• OnStar 4G LTE connectivity with built-in WiFi hotspot;
• Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity with natural voice recognition;
• Text-to-voice converts incoming text messages to speech and reads them over the audio system speakers;
• USB, auxiliary and SD memory card ports;
• Sirius XM Satellite Radio with three-month trial subscription;
• Reconfigurable 5.7” three-window instrument panel cluster display;
• Full-colour reconfigurable head-up display.

Drivetrain
The engine lineup includes a standard 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder and an available 3.6L V6. The 2.0L Turbo is rated at 272 horsepower with 295 lb-ft of torque. The 3.6L V6 is rated at 321 horsepower and offers up 275 lb-ft of torque.

Power can be channeled to either the rear or all four wheels, by the owner's choice of a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Customers can expect almost perfect 50/50 weight balance, with a low centre of gravity and a 0-100 km/hr time of around 5.6 seconds (2.0L turbo).

Cargo Capacity
No numbers released yet. However, the four-door boasts 290 litres of trunk space, so I expect the new Coupe to offer somewhat similar capacity.

Comparable Models
The BMW 4 Series, Audi A5 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe are probably its main competitors. However, Cadillac has been attracting new customers to the brand from all over the spectrum with its four-door ATS, and I imagine this will only improve with the Coupe.

If you have a 3D printer at home or at work, you can now get your own miniature replica of many Honda and Acura concepts from the past two decades.

The list includes:

• 1994 FSR
• 1999 Fuya-Jo
• 2003 Kiwami
• 2013 NSX

The plans for these various models and more are available on the Honda 3D website, with a licence from Creative Commons.

Following an ad that shows its engineers at work, Volkswagen has created a brand new commercial that will also air during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday.

A father tells his young teenage girl that every time a Volkswagen car hits 100,000 miles, a German engineer gets his wings. She doesn't believe it, of course.

If only she knew...

From GMM

The engines may be smaller and quieter, but formula one cars will actually be faster in a straight line in 2014.

That is the expectation of Force India's technical boss Andy Green, when contemplating the mammoth rule changes over the winter.

Not only the engine rules have changed, but the FIA has also dramatically reduced the amount of downforce.

But although downforce levels were similarly attacked in 1998 and again in 2009, Green said that the huge changes for 2013 are "crucially different".

"The downforce loss is in the same region and is quite significant," he told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"But this time the drag has also been dramatically reduced, where in the past the drag stayed the same while downforce was going down."

Asked if that means top speeds will be higher in 2014, Andy Green agreed: "Yes. I expect the cars to be about 15kph faster."

Esteban Gutierrez, Sauber C33-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Fiat, which now owns all of Chrysler's shares, today unveiled the logo for the newly formed Fiat Chrysler Automobiles entity.

According to he press release, the three letters in the logo are grouped in a geometric configuration inspired by the essential shapes used in automobile design: the F, derived from a square, symbolizes concreteness and solidity; the C, derived from a circle, representing wheels and movement, symbolizes harmony and continuity; and finally, the A, derived from a triangle, indicates energy and a perennial state of evolution.

The new logo will be adopted by Fiat and Chrysler as soon as practicable and before completion of the reorganization of the new Group.

Photo: Chrysler

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen on Tuesday gave the thumbs up as he returned to the cockpit of a formula one car.

Having already signed to switch from Lotus to Ferrari for 2014, the Finn sat out the last few races of last season in order to have a back injury cured through surgery and physiotherapy.

Asked about his return to speed on Tuesday at the wheel of Ferrari's brand new F14-T, Kimi Raikkonen told the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat: "The back is ok.

"At least now, on the first day of driving, I did not have any problems," he explained. "And I don't expect any either, even if you never know what's going to happen in the future."

Kimi Raikkonen, 34, said he has been able to train normally since the end of December, six weeks after his mid November operation.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Wednesday marks exactly one month that Michael Schumacher has been in a coma.

Doctors at the Grenoble hospital have kept the great German unconscious through anaesthesia, and he is now listed in a "stable" condition.

But the length of 45-year-old Schumacher's coma has neurosurgeons all around the world concerned.

"Regarding neurological functionality, the more time that passes, the more the ability to recover can be challenged," Lyon neurosurgeon chief Patrick Mertens told France's RMC Sport.

"It is certain that in the weeks to come, if we then come to two months and there is no improvement, you worry even more about the ability to recover," he added.

However, another French-speaking neurosurgeon told La Presse newspaper that he has seen "patients improve between one and three years after an accident".

But Gerard Audibert, a neurosurgeon at France's Nancy hospital, told La Depeche newspaper: "The average duration of an artificial coma with a severe brain injury is 15 days."

Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher at the arrival of the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. (Photo: WRi2)

World champion Sebastian Vettel, once dubbed 'Baby Schumi' by the German press, said he has stayed away from his friend and mentor's bedside since the December accident.

"It's not about me at all it's about Michael only and his family," the Red Bull driver said at the Jerez test on Tuesday.

"I am still as shocked as everybody else and I pray and hope he will come back and the miracle will happen and he will be the person he always has been before," Sebastian Vettel added.

Compromise is something car buyers must often deal with when it comes to picking out the one vehicle they're apt to spend the next four or more years with. The most powerful car may be the most cramped; the most economical is likely to be the slowest; the most utilitarian, the ugliest and bulkiest, and so on.

Few if any other segment of cars offers the fewest compromises as do minivans. All hugely capable space-wise, and all reasonably comfortable, the concessions here typically revolve around the drive and performance, especially where any kind of pleasure is concerned.

Year after year, Honda's Odyssey returns as most auto critic's choice as the best driving minivan around. On top of that, the current design is fairly attractive, both inside and out. The Odyssey's major issue is always price, based largely on value when assessed against some of its competitors.


What is the Honda Odyssey?
The Honda Odyssey started out as the rebirth of the sadly defunct Accord wagon. In a few short years, it grew to become a very popular and sought after minivan for its design and handling. In fact, on the used car market, the Odyssey is the most sought after, and the one that retains the highest resale value.
Though a few reliability issues hindered the Odyssey in the early 2000s, it nevertheless flourished into what is the better minivan in a segment that has lost many players in the last five years. It is, and has been, Auto123.com's best minivan for a while.

2014 Honda Odyssey Price and Specs
All good things come at a certain price, and the 2014 Honda Odyssey is no different. To get into a new 2014 Odyssey, one must dish out $29,990 for the base LX. There are seven trims to select from for all budgets, and that's key.

As tested, a buyer would have to dish out $46,490 for the Touring, the top-level trim.

The Honda Odyssey has been faithfully served by a 3.5L V6 for the better part of a decade. Once one of the most powerful V6s in the segment, its 248 horsepower position it at the bottom of the list. The standard issue transmission is a 6-speed automatic.

The Honda Odyssey started out as the rebirth of the sadly defunct Accord wagon. In a few short years, it grew to become a very popular and sought after minivan for its design and handling. (Photo: Honda)

Driving the 2014 Honda Odyssey
For a recent trip to Toronto, I called upon the services of Honda's minivan as I had a large number of boxes to transport to go along with my personal luggage. As I was in no mood for a bout of Tetris to make everything fit in a CUV, I selected said people-mover for not only its functional cargo space, but for the way it can gobble up kilometres of road.

Honda has always benefited from a reputation for building cars that drive well. I am convinced that the engineers who worked on the Odyssey's suspension and drivetrain were reminded of this fact before they even put pen to paper. They done good.

The 2014 Honda Odyssey is very squat over its wheels, conferring the minivan with a low-ish centre of gravity that greatly aids in limiting body roll. The vehicle's fully independent suspension does an admirable job of keeping tire and tarmac in constant contact without an iota of discomfort felt by occupants.

What's more, the Odyssey's V6 and 6-speed autobox thoroughly enjoy working together. In occasional frustration on the 401, I'd find myself requiring a good bout of acceleration. A generous dose of throttle would rush the box down a pair of cogs, and off the minivan would go. To boot, the V6's song is quite pleasant, very Honda in fact.

I spent very many hours at the helm of the Odyssey, over 1,400 km, and was never uncomfortable or wanting more. Traction is good when shod with the proper rubber (Blizzaks in this case) and the minivan stays true to the set course. I would have liked a little more weight behind the steering wheel but otherwise the entire solo experience was very good. Truthfully, I may have set a personal best, time-wise, on the road home... In a minivan, no less.

Honda has always benefited from a reputation for building cars that drive well. (Photo: Honda)

Inside and out of the 2014 Honda Odyssey
The redesigned-for-2011 Honda Odyssey set a precedent where a minivan need not necessarily fit into a mould. Far more dynamic and visually appealing than anything else out there, Honda revised the van for the 2014 model year.

The result is, well, nearly impossible to point out, but the bottom line is that 2014 Honda Odyssey is cool, as far as minivans are concerned.

The huge cabin is fabulous. For four passengers, no other type of vehicle will deliver more room and overall comfort. With the 3rd row stowed, there's practically no limit to the amount of stuff that can be hauled.

With the Touring comes every conceivable bit of technology that Honda has up its sleeve. The more interesting are HondaLink with a touchscreen. At first, it can be confusing, as similar information can be displayed on the two screens (upper contains navigation), but after a short while I'd figured out how to make them both work for me. The kicker is the Touring-only HondaVAC (yes, a vacuum in a van), perfect for family messes.

The huge cabin is fabulous. For four passengers, no other type of vehicle will deliver more room and overall comfort. With the 3rd row stowed, there's practically no limit to the amount of stuff that can be hauled. (Photo: Honda)

Comparing the 2014 Honda Odyssey
Other than the Honda, minivan buyers have the choice between the Dodge Grand Caravan and the others. Truly, this is the way it is. Chrysler's magic wagon remains the one to beat (that will never be beat) in this segment, and for many good reasons.

The Toyota Sienna and Nissan Quest, along with the Odyssey, are merely suggestions. Be that as it may, for those searching for a little “drive” on their drive to soccer practice can depend on the Honda Odyssey to deliver.

Best Use of a Hair Band on a Car Award
Porsche 911 Targa

Targas of recent memory have been of the sliding glass roof variety. The new 991 Targa brings back the hoop (and a very clever roof system) to the 2+2 Porsche. With the return of the hair band, we hear Molly Ringwald will become a Porsche brand ambassador.

Photo: Mark Stevenson

Continue reading Best of the 2014 Detroit Auto Show

From GMM

Roger Benoit, one of the longest serving F1 correspondents in the paddock, said Tuesday's events at Jerez were "embarrassing".

"I have not experienced a start to a new test season such as that in 45 years in formula one," Benoit, who writes for the Swiss newspaper Blick, told Germany's Bild-Zeitung.

As the new hybrid and V6-powered single seaters - featuring bizarre and often rude-looking nose appendages - broke down, hit the barriers or failed even to emerge from the garages, Benoit said F1 had "pulled its pants down in front of the whole world".

"Why do we always make everything more complicated?" he lamented.

Marc Surer, the expert pundit for German television Sky, agreed: "I had not imagined it would be quite this bad."

Where usually up to 100 laps per day and beyond is de rigueur in F1's era of tightly limited testing, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was Tuesday's most prolific runner, with 31 laps in the bag.

And his best lap was 10 seconds off the pace of a normal Jerez test, even though he insisted that "doesn't mean anything".

"We are only learning a new car and driving as much as we can," said Raikkonen.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14-T. (Photo: Ferrari)

The bulk of the rest of the field could count their tallies on the fingers of one hand, including the bizarrely double-nosed new Caterham, whose Marcus Ericsson managed only a single outlap in the entire test day.

"If it's slow but beautiful then what's the point of that?" rookie Ericsson said.

At the moment, however, 'ugly' and stationary is the only conclusion to draw from F1 2014. McLaren's MP4-29 didn't leave the garage even once.

Jean-Eric Vergne, in the unseemly new Toro Rosso, managed 15 laps and was happy, "because just getting the car on track was an achievement".

World champion Sebastian Vettel was stranded in the pits nearly all day after mechanics installed one of the new Red Bull's components upside down.

The German did not point a finger at his crew, however, telling Welt newspaper that this year's cars are "like a puzzle" to put together.

"Before, F1 cars were not so close to rocket science like they are now," he is quoted by F1's official website.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB10. (Photo: WRi2)

Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost said: "When we ran the car at Misano, it became clear how difficult it was to get all the systems interacting with each other."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said at Jerez: "There's probably 40 per cent more drawings required to produce the car and therefore that many more parts to be made and tested.

"I don't know how the little teams are coping," he told the BBC.

It is obvious to say that, given the team's former dominance, Red Bull would have preferred the regulations stay the same in 2014.

"It is clear that F1 must evolve and be relevant to the automotive industry," Horner is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace, "but we do need to question the timing of this change. There are several cars here without many (sponsorship) stickers."

The boss of one of those smaller teams, Toro Rosso's Tost, admitted that the necessary annual budget had increased by 25 per cent over the winter.

"And that money is only to build a car and perform at about the same level as last year. In short, the situation is difficult," the Austrian told Russia's f1news.ru.

He predicted, however, that the farcical sight of constantly-waving red flags would eventually end.

"I think in Melbourne it will not happen," said Tost. "I think already here, on Thursday and Friday, we will be hearing the fantastic music of the new turbo engines. This is only the first test day in January -- there is plenty of time until Melbourne."

Some, however, are not impressed with the milder V6 tones, Nico Hulkenberg admitting Tuesday's proceedings reminded him of a DTM touring car test.

Mercedes' Toto Wolff, however, said early testing is not a good judge, as the engines are not running at full tilt.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05. (Photo: Mercedes AMG F1 Team)

French driver Vergne agreed: "I would say that we were trying everything in a 'safe mode'."

Finally, as Tuesday's most prolific runner, the spotlight fell on the taciturn Raikkonen to deliver the verdict on how 2014 feels from the cockpit.

"It's definitely different," he said, "but it's not like night and day."

And what does he think of F1's brave new era?

"The rules are what they are," Raikkonen told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3, "and the cars are built to whatever the rules are. It makes no sense to complain now."

President Barack Obama cited new General Motors CEO Mary Barra as an example of those who strengthen America by realizing their dreams through hard work.

Manheim has added 16 auctions in its Southeast and Texas markets to a program that aims to assist dealers to whose access to physical auctions might be hampered by harsh winter weather.

Ross Roberts, a former Ford Division general manager who helped turn trucks into everyday vehicles, died today. He was 75.

Daimler is grappling with the surprise resignation of executive board member Andreas Renschler, who had been rumored as a potential candidate to succeed CEO Dieter Zetsche.

Daimler is grappling with the surprise resignation of executive board member Andreas Renschler, who had been rumored as a potential candidate to succeed CEO Dieter Zetsche.