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Workers at VW's plant in Hanover, Germany, are demanding the carmaker build a new model at the factory as it risks losing an order for the next Porsche Panamera.

Workers at VW's Hanover plant in Germany are demanding the carmaker build a new model at the factory as it risks losing an order for the next Porsche Panamera.

Workers at VW's German Hanover plant are demanding the carmaker build a new model at the site as it risks losing an order for Porsche's next Panamera coupe, a labor leader said.

News 28 Jan, 2014

As numbers of new drivers gaining their licence hits a ten-year low we look back at the 110-year history of the UK driving test.

Hyundai Motor affiliate Kia's UK national sales company (NSC) said it booked record corporate sales in 2013 as its dealers won close to 40% more fleet and company car 'user chooser' sales.

This past Sunday, Jim Marshall was posthumously bestowed a

A couple weeks ago, we showed you a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS that had been sitting in a barn for 44 years following an engine fire. This car, chassis no.

The key to attractiveness, we all know, is twofold. Step one is to be attractive. Step two is not to be unattractive. Many people struggle with the latter.

News 28 Jan, 2014

The Nissan ZEOD RC will be the world’s first Le Mans racer fitted with a three-cylinder engine

Pictures See all 4 pictures 28 Jan, 2014

Thai police investigating how Tata Motors chief Karl Slym died said he had an argument with his wife on the eve of his death. Slym, a former GM executive from England, fell from a Bangkok hotel window.

Thai police investigating how Tata Motors chief Karl Slym died said he had an argument with his wife on the eve of his death. Slym, a former GM executive from England, fell from a Bangkok hotel window.

Where will the bulk of the world's cars be built this year? More than a third of the global total will be manufactured in Asia -- and we're not talking about Japan.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to move the group's headquarters out of Italy. But he must tread carefully in the U.S. and Italy, whose governments have bailed out Chrysler and funded layoffs at Fiat.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to move the group's headquarters out of Italy. But he must tread carefully in the U.S. and Italy, whose governments have bailed out Chrysler and funded layoffs at Fiat.

UK supplier GKN Driveline will start production at its first plant in Russia next year. Suppliers are being drawn to Russia by automakers that hope to capitalize on forecast growth.

Early jostling for the title of Super Bowl XLVIII advertising champion has shaken up our list of this week's top viral videos.

Honda exported more vehicles from its U.S. factories in 2013 than it imported into America from Japan -- a first for the automaker. Honda exported 108,705 American-made Honda and Acura vehicles, compared to 88,537 it brought in from Japan.

For most teams, everything did not go according to plan in this first day of Formula 1 testing at Circuito Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

Most teams limited their running to a series of installation laps while McLaren was not able to join the fray, the MP-29 suffering with electrical issues.

Lewis Hamilton was the first driver to take on to the track, and the first to complete a series of significant lap times in the Mercedes W05.

Lewis Hamilton's crash, Mercedes (Photo: WRI2)

The Brit managed to complete 18 laps of the Spanish circuit until a front wing failure on the following lap curtailed his track time shortly before midday.

At the end of the day, Kimi Raikkonen moved ahead of Hamilton on the charts, setting a 1m27.104 in the Ferrari F14 T.

The Finn also completed the greatest number of laps with 31.

“We had a lot of new things to learn today” - said Raikkonen to www.ferrari.com - “Even if we would have liked to do more laps, I think that for a first day it was alright. Towards the end, when the track was damp, we chose not to take any risks. Now we have a lot of work ahead of us, but all in all, we are pleased with our first day.”

Valtteri Bottas, Williams (Photo: WRI2)

Valtteri Bottas, driving the Williams-Mercedes, was third but almost three seconds to Raikkonen's time.

Mexican Sergio Perez was fourth in the Sahara Force India Mercedes, some six seconds slower than the Ferrari.

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso (Photo: WRI2)

Jean-Eric Vergne was fifth in the Renault-powered Toro Rosso. The STR9 was quick out of the box, but the car stopped early out on the track with a software issue.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing (Photo: WRI2)

Four-time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel managed only three installation laps in the Red Bull Racing RB10.

Like Vettel, rookie Marcus Ericsson managed just one exploratory lap in the CT05-Renault.

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 1:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m27.104s
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m27.820s +0.716s
3. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m30.082s +2.978s
4. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m33.161s +6.057s
5. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Renault 1m36.530s +9.426s
6. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.257s +15.153s
7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault No time
8. Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault No time
*Unofficial timing

Gene Haas thinks that American team could work in Formula One. For the amazing low price (in Formula One terms) of $5,000USD he was able to file a letter of intent to start a team.

Of course that's merely the first step. If the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR meets the first step, and he admits he doesn't know the judging criteria, the next fee will be $125,000.

Of course all of that is dwarfed by budgets running $200 million and up annually. And what about the start up costs? Haas told the media, gathered in Charlotte, NC for the Annual NASCAR Media Tour, that basing some part of the team would help cut costs which is a stated goal of the F-One circuit.

But is it really feasible?

This writer thinks not. Formula One teams today are less about aspirations and more about very well funded teams using traditional Formula One methods.

Unfortunately we've been down this path before with the still-born US F1 team with principal Ken Anderson.

Looking back at the history of US team involvement there was the Penske effort of the early 1970s. Tragically after it lost its' heart after the death of Mark Donohue the team lost its' backer, Fred Stecher, who brought First National City bank money. After Mr. Stecher's budges were cup the Penske team withdrew. Then there was the short-lived Parnelli Jones team with Mario Andretti which had tobacco sponsorship. After about two years that team folded for lack of sponsorship.

John Watson driving the Penske PC3 (left) and Mario Andretti in the Parnelli VP J4, South Africa, 1976 (Photo: WRI2)

In the 1980s Beatrice the food giant brought a substantial budget for Carl Haas and former Penske man Teddy Mayer. The budget encompassed both Formula One and Indy Cars with top drivers like Mario Andretti in CART and Alan Jones in Formula One. The F-One team was properly funded with experienced F-One personnel.

That team too folded quite quickly after the Beatrice CEO, James Dutt, was ousted from his position by a palace coup and the company bought out its' contracts.

Alan Jones at the wheel of the Lola-Ford Haas, Hungary, 1986 (Photo: WRI2)

What is the common thread in US start-ups? They had big corporate money behind them.

Haas, no relation to Indy Car's Carl Haas, is said to have a personal wealth of over $700 million. For now he says he'd fund the team. And while he's aware of the $200 to $300 million annual budgets that doesn't account for the costs of building facilities and designing cars from scratch.

Even Formula One's El Supremo Bernie Ecclestone is skeptical.

"They (Haas) have been talking about it for three years," F1 business journalist Caroline Reid quoted Ecclestone as saying. "Somebody can have $10 billion in the bank, but it doesn't mean they are going to spend it."

Despite owning Hass CNC, a leading machine tool manufacturer in the US, it does not have an international footprint yet. Haas says he understands that Formula One wants new teams which offer longevity.

And that's why the dream won't work. Unless and until an international corporate partner is found all we'll have is some nice speculation.