Auto News 5

A shocking new ad from New Zealand aims to alert drivers about the often tragic consequences of speeding and the fact that everyone on the road can make a mistake.

Speed kills, but so do bad decisions behind the wheel. Bear that in mind after watching this video:

Dodge is set to expand its Blacktop lineup, which already includes the Charger, Challenger, Avenger, Journey, and Grand Caravan, with the addition of the 2014 Dodge Dart SXT Blacktop. The car will debut at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week.

Featuring 18'' wheels and gloss black accents throughout (grille, mirrors, headlights, etc.), the Dart SXT Blacktop also sports dual exhaust and race-style LED taillights.

The sporty interior stands out with a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity, red/black seating surfaces, and red trim on the dashboard.

Available in seven different body colours, the 2014 Dodge Dart SXT Blacktop is motivated by a 2.4L MultiAir2 Tigershark engine that produces 184 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque.

Canadian availability has yet to be confirmed.

Photo: Dodge

French robotic auto specialist Induct came to Las Vegas' CES with the world's first intelligent, electric and driverless shuttle. Called Navia, it's already been deployed in France, Switzerland, the U.K., and Singapore, with the U.S. to follow anytime soon.

Offering seating for up to eight and a top speed of 20 km/h, Navia utilizes advanced robotics, laser mapping technology and sensors that detect the vehicle's acceleration and rotation to instantly calculate its position, nearby obstacles, route, and distance travelled in real time, enabling it to carry its passengers quickly, safely, and efficiently. Said passengers can select their destination on a touchscreen offering various stops.

Fully electric, Navia is recharged by induction (using magnetic fields) without the need for cables or human intervention, allowing it to be self-sufficient and run 24 hours a day. It looks like the ideal solution in industrial sites, theme parks, college campuses, complexes and more.

Navia also helps reduce the operational costs of a regular shuttle service with driver (around $200,000 a year in the U.S.) by 40%-60%.

Kia is using the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to launch the KND-7 concept in North America. This 4-door compact coupe has no B-pillars for easier cabin access, and a 1.6L turbo engine that produces 201 horsepower.

Photo: Kia

The company also revealed its advanced telematics and infotainment innovations, starting with the UVO VR (Voice Recognition) technology. As soon as next year, some 2015 model year Kia vehicles will arrive with an all-new generation of multimedia suite, including the ability to download additional apps such as the iHeart Radio music service.

The following video presents the many possibilities of UVO through a unique game of Monopoly:

From press release

Former Canadian Formula Ford 1600 champion, Louis-Philippe Dumoulin will begin the 2014 season on the prestigious Daytona International Speedway circuit.

“L-P” will take part in the 52nd edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona this upcoming January 25th and 26th at the wheel of the No. 22 Porsche 911 GT America, GTD class, from the Alex Job Racing/WeatherTech team.

Supported by WeatherTech his major partner in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series the Quebecer has joined his teammates Cooper MacNeil, Leh Keen, and Shane van Gisbergen over the last weekend, Roar Before the 24, for the practice in preparation for the endurance event.

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin. (Photo: Bill Kent)

“I'm very happy to once again be part of the Alex Job Racing/WeatherTech team, there is great chemistry between us. The practices have been promising; we've accomplished great lap times. The level of competition is high in the GTD class, my teammates are fast and it's looking very good for the 24”, explains Louis-Philippe Dumoulin.

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin will be part of the Rolex 24 at Daytona for the third time (2008 Porsche GT3 - Sports Car series, and, in 2013, Ford Riley - Daytona Prototype). Furthermore, it's with the Alex Job Racing/WeatherTech team that Louis-Philippe Dumoulin (the only Canadian on the podium) and his teammates had finished in second place in their class during the legendary 12 hours of Sebring.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona is an international endurance event that looks nothing like a regular racing event. The drivers have to adapt to extreme conditions, such as night driving without getting many hours of sleep. Also, following the merge, the best endurance drivers in the world, coming from both series (American Le Man Series and Grand-Am), will compete in the Tudor United SportsCars Championship, heightening the level of competition quite substantially.

Photo: Zachary Miller

“It's even more interesting with a top-of-the-line team such as Alex Job Racing/WeatherTech, which has the potential to win the race. We will fight alongside very good drivers of international fame. I'm very excited to be on the track for the 24 at Daytona for the third time in my career, especially with the support of our partner in NASCAR Canada, WeatherTech, it's just fantastic”, shares the Quebecer with enthusiasm.

Activities for the 52nd edition of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will begin on Wednesday January 22nd, and the start of the 24-hour event will occur at 2:30 pm the following Saturday, January 25th (EST).

CEO of the team, Patrick Louis resigned from his day-to-day role at Lotus.

Previously Chief Operating Officer, the French shouldered Eric Boullier since 2012, including financial matters.

Matthew Carter is promoted new CEO of Lotus. He's a trusted person of the minority shareholder Andrew Ruhan.

Patrick Louis should retain a position on the Lotus team board.

Lotus E21. (Photo: René Fagnan)

Stephane Peterhansel (MINI) won the second day of the Dakar rally, and moves up to first position in provisional overall classification.

Peterhansel, last year's winner of the event, concluded the second day in 3h52''05, ahead of Carlos Sainz's buggy SMG and Giniel de Villiers' Toyota Hilux.

They are followed by the three X-Raid MINI All4s Racing of Juan Roma, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Orlando Terranova.

In provisional classification, Peterhansel now holds the lead, 28 seconds ahead of Sainz and 4m10 ahead of Al Attiyah.

Carlos Sousa, who was the first leader of the race following a win on the opening stage, had to stop on Monday after a turbo failure on his Great Wall Haval.

Stephane Peterhansel, MINI ALL4 Racing. (BMW Sports Communications)

As a result of a plea bargain former NASCAR driver, Jeremy Mayfield was convicted of possession of stolen goods and possession of drug paraphernalia in Catawba County Court on Monday.

As part of the deal Mayfield's 45-day sentence was suspended, and he was instead placed on unsupervised probation for 18 months. He was also ordered to pay $88,124.41 in restitution to victims and $1,100 in fines and other costs, according to a press release from prosecutors.

Mayfield had once raced at the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series for Penske Racing and Ray Evernham otorsports.

In a statement, District Attorney James Gaither said the sentence was in part due to the death of one of the state's key witnesses “and the likely result should these cases have been presented to a jury without this witness.”

Mayfield's was suspended from NASCAR in 2009, when he was suspended by NASCAR, he tested, twice, positive for methamphetamine use. He has denied illegal drug use, but after two appeals the suspension was upheld.

Mayfield was charged criminally after a Nov. 1 police raid at his house turned up stolen property.

Authorities say they found heavy machinery stolen from nearby companies and equipment taken from a racing operation.

Mayfield drove in 433 Sprint Cup races over 16 years. He had five victories, his last one coming in August, 2005 at Michigan International Speedway.

Joe Gibbs Racing officials announced that Sam Hornish, who previously drove for Penske Racing will race in seven races for the team sharing the No. 54 Toyota with Kyle Busch.

“I'm excited about driving the No. 54 Monster Energy car this year. It's a great opportunity for me,” said Hornish. “It's the best possible situation for me to jump into great equipment and have the opportunity to go right out and win. After working with Penske for 10 years and now to have the opportunity to partner with Joe Gibbs Racing, I couldn't have asked for anything better. These are great people, top notch. To partner with Kyle, and all this team provides, with the support of Joe and J.D., it provides me with everything I need to succeed. It's also a phenomenal opportunity for me to partner with a market leader such as Monster Energy. The brand identity and fan following that goes along with this sponsor is super. I can't wait to get into that car!”

Toyota Camry No 54, Joe Gibbs Racing. (Photo: NASCAR)

Adam Stevens returns as crew chief and Kyle Busch will return to pilot the Camry in 26 races, while Hornish will fill the driver's seat in the remaining seven races.

“We're excited to have someone of Sam's caliber joining Kyle behind the wheel of the Monster Energy Camry this year,” said J.D. Gibbs, President of Joe Gibbs Racing. “We think we have a great team there with Monster Energy and Sam will be an outstanding addition. We lost out on the owner's championship by just one point last year so our focus will be on trying to get that title back in 2014.”

Hornish, an Indy 500 winner, has spent the past two seasons driving the No. 12 car for Penske Racing in the Nationwide Series. Last season he recorded one win, 16 top-five and 25 top-ten finishes and captured four pole awards. In 99 career starts, Hornish has two wins, 28 top-five and 53 top-ten finishes. He also has made 130 career starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“This year will be fun with Sam and me behind the wheel of our Monster Energy Camry,” said Kyle Busch. “Last year we lost the chance for another Owner's Championship by a slim margin and I think you can expect a close battle again this season. Having an experienced guy in there to fill the role on a regular basis when I'm not there, gives Adam (Stevens, crew chief) the opportunity for real consistency. Sam was a strong competitor last year and I look forward to having him on our side this season.”

Hornish's first race behind the wheel of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota will be May 3 at Talladega. In addition he will race both Iowa Speedway races, Road America, Chicagoland Speedway on July 19, Mid-Ohio, and Kentucky Speedway on September 20.

"Monster Energy is all fired-up about having Sam Hornish Jr. to back up Kyle in our car for 2014,” said Mitch Covington, Monster Energy VP of Sports Marketing. “Sam is a proven go-getter and we all look forward to seeing Sam crossing the checkers in first.”

Manheim said today it will offer some relief to dealerships hit by the weekend storm that dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of the Northeast and Midwest by waiving some online auction fees.

Toyota's engineers have been so successful reducing the cost of the company's new fuel-cell powered FCV sedan that the operation in the United States has asked headquarters to boost their initial allotment.

The Subaru Outback deserves to find more favour with British buyers, Glenn Brooks believes, after having just tried the updated model with the new combination of boxer diesel and Geartronic CVT.

One hundred years ago, Henry Ford made a move that angered his peers and changed the nation -- he introduced the $5-a-day wage for Ford line workers.

German supplier Robert Bosch GmbH has developed a self-parking function for vehicles that can be remotely activated by the driver via a cell phone.

Chinese cars are poised to begin hitting U.S. showrooms by as soon as next year. BYD, the Chinese automaker backed by Warren Buffett's Berskshire Hathaway, plans to introduce about four models for its U.S.

Chrysler Group's Jeep brand set a global sales record in 2013 with sales of 731,565 vehicles, up 4 percent from the previous year's record despite not having the Jeep Cherokee available for sale until late October.

Fans of no-frills, no-nonsense motoring, rejoice: The Caterham Seven is coming to the United States, legally -- some assembly required.

Garmin International Inc. says its new high-definition dash cam is like a 'personal eyewitness' on the road.

News 8 Jan, 2014

New Ford Fiesta RS promises agressive bodykit and 230bhp

For the past three months, Original Equipment Suppliers Association founder Neil De Koker has been easing the reins of his organization into the hands of its new CEO, Julie Fream.