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From GMM

Niki Lauda has hit back at Bernie Ecclestone's attack on Mercedes and F1's new, greener and quieter era.

In an outburst last week against the sport he heads, F1 chief executive Ecclestone said the farcical events of the opening test at Jerez proved his fears about the energy recovery-powered V6 era were founded.

He even dismissed the argument that F1's new regulations save fuel, insisting: "Mercedes are taking 23 trucks with them everywhere. If they really wanted to save fuel they should stop that".

Former triple world champion Lauda, now the chairman of the Mercedes team, hit back at Ecclestone's comments in the German newspaper Bild.

"I don't understand what Bernie said," the great Austrian started.

"The decision to go with the new engines was taken jointly, by everybody, five years ago. To criticise now makes no sense," said Niki Lauda.

Multiple sources report that a new 3.0L diesel V6 -- codenamed ''Lion'' -- will join the new Ford F-150's lineup when the truck gets its mid-cycle update somewhere around 2018.

In related news, Ford pickups and selected SUVs will soon receive an all-new 10-speed automatic transmission. Rumours also suggest that the 2015 Ford F-150's groundbreaking new aluminum body will later be found on the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.

Source : autos.ca

Photo: Ford

From GMM

The reason for F1's controversial move to a 'double points' finale has emerged, after the sport haemorrhaged 50 million television viewers late in 2013.

That is the claim of F1 business journalist Christian Sylt, even revealing in the Wall Street journal an almost 9 per cent audience decline in dominant world champion Sebastian Vettel's native German market.

F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone confirmed that the less healthy television numbers are due to "the less-than-competitive nature of the final few rounds" of 2013.

The news also shows why Ecclestone is pushing so hard for the 'double points' concept to be trebled to the final 3 races of the season, despite the fan backlash.

Photo: WRi2

Mercedes' Toto Wolff, however, likened the backlash to a "sh**storm" and said the fans cannot be ignored.

"Was it (double points) the right move? 99 per cent of our fans and spectators thought it was the wrong move so perhaps it is something to revisit," he told reporters at Jerez last week.

"(But) things need to be done when you see TV audiences dipping, you need to try out things," Toto Wolff acknowledged.

After making its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, the all-new Maserati Ghibli appeared in an epic 90-second commercial titled "Strike" during yesterday's Super Bowl.

As the company's first 4-door midsize luxury sports sedan, the Maserati Ghibli uses a 3.0L twin-turbocharged V6 engine rated at 404 horsepower, allowing it to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. You can already buy yours from $89,000.

In order to reduce the amount of microparticles in the air, Yu Shaocai, a professor at the University of Zhejiang, China, came up with this solution: equip buildings in Beijing with a giant sprinkler system.

Say again?

Apparently, by watering the various facades, air pollution within the city would decrease from 89.5 to 35 milligrams per cubic metre. Used water would be collected at ground level, after which it could serve a new purpose.

Yeah, that makes environmental sense...

Source : caradisiac.com

As 2013 becomes nothing more than an interesting (to say the least) memory, I find myself looking back upon the highlights. As I ponder its ups and downs, delayed flights and busted deadlines, one memory keeps popping up as being the greatest, the most exhilarating, one that I would do all over again. And again. And again...

I got to careen through the Austrian and Italian Alps in a Mars Red 1991 Audi UR Quattro.

In my career, I've had the good fortune of driving some exceptional cars including a pair of Porsche 356s, some ‘90s AMG Mercedes cars, and one 1967 Cadillac DeVille Convertible. I'm quite the fan of the old-school car, be it American or Japanese; however, I will admit to having a strong penchant for the Germans.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Land of RS
This Audi event that started in Innsbruck, Austria, for our wave of the 2013 Alpen Tour brought together some of Audi's most sought-after cars, namely the all-new RS Q3, RS 5, RS 6 (my baby!) and RS 7. The icing on the cake (or is that the cherry?) was the subject of this story: the legendary Audi Quattro.

With few cars to drive and many eager auto-journo fingers wanting to grab the keys to the Quattro, I could not be more thankful to my friend Cort at Audi Canada for having secured the keys to the car for us four Canucks who hoped for nothing less than to live this dream we shared.

Old school is the good school
When the time came, I was handed the simple key to door and ignition and immediately felt like I was getting reacquainted with an old friend. You see, my beloved 1992 VW Jetta GTX shares numerous parts and basic technologies with the Quattro, the first of which are the door handles.

Once in the car, my heart melted, my grin widened, and my palms got clammy. My sinuses also reacted: the smells were the same as those found in my Jetta. I cannot explain in better terms what it is I was going through.

Truthfully, I'd driven two UR Quattros in Canada before this one, but both were in rough shape and in various states of tune. The prospect of tackling Alp Mountain passes in a Quattro that was factory maintained put my mind at ease, and possibly raised my confidence to a level that I would normally not allow it to climb to in an older car.

Five alive
I scarcely had the time to really think about it as the moment the turbocharged 2.2L I5 churned to life, my conscious self became possessed with what surrounded me. As I write these words, my skin is crawling, my hairs are standing on end; this was automotive magic.

Slipping the shifter into first gear and easing off the clutch was no more a chore than it is in my Jetta, despite the presence of beefier mechanicals. The first few metres were covered at a reasonable speed, as numerous Audi peeps watched me drive off. The moment I left the parking lot, I put the hammer down.

To expect this car to take off like a V8 R8 would be foolish. My anticipations of what 220 horsepower could do to 1,380 kg (3,036 lbs.) were spot on. The Quattro is far from being blisteringly fast, especially when lined up along side the RS 7 (the 30-year evolution is reality-crushing), but the go is entertaining to say the least, but not as much as the growl emanating from the 5-pot and flowing out the twin tailpipes.

A 5-cylinder engine has a very distinct wale that is neither wide nor deep, but gurgly and unruly. Either way, its song is prettier than Sarah Brightman's...

Another lovely sound, although mostly muffled, was the turbo's whistle. Its spooling music was always welcomed and served as the precursor to the coming of more power. Turbo lag was not as fierce as one might expect which further increased the level of buoyancy in both the car and I.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

Rallye prepped
As the 5-cylinder's revs climb in 1st or 2nd gear, so does its nose, lifting from the ground as the weight transfers to the rear with haste. To say that the Quattro is “soft” would be wrong. Remember that this car was in part conceived to tackle the worst roads as a rallye car; therefore, wheel travel was a must.

Despite bodyroll, the Quattro would never lose its grasp of the surface below its rubber unless seriously induced into oversteer with throttle lift-off and some steering action. The car was far more content with being neutral or with a little too much speed, plow conveniently into understeer.

Quattro love
The Quattro's Quattro AWD system delivered exactly what it has always promised. A number of the mountain passes were wet (we even encountered snow), but the Dunlop SP Sport 9000 tires were always being put to good use as power would shuffle front to back.

The 1991 Audi Quattro's brakes were never doubted. In spite of being relatively small in size by today's standards, they never completely faded, at least not while I was driving. By driver No. 3, the Quattro had been pushed very hard climbing above the clouds -- and what goes up, must come down. It was only well within the downhill race that they began smoking, somewhat.

Boxy FTW!
And now, a word on the car's looks: Sublime. On the car's cabin: Perfect. On the scenery: Nice.

Seriously, flared or boxed-out fenders are one sure-fire way to get my attention and to make me whimper. It's no small wonder I slapped WRX sedan front fenders on my WRX station wagon, but this is another story...

In reality, all proportions are period perfect and I'm especially enamored with the 15”x 8” wheels. Mmm, so hot! The sunroof, I would do without...

Enough of that.

Audi Tradition
Manufacturers who make vintage cars available for drives always impress me. The pride in their past demonstrated by these acts of kind generosity are some of the best moments I've ever experienced.

Spending half a day with the Audi Quattro was akin to meeting a life-long hero, one that inspired and gave hope to the world. The Quattro has been one of my heroes for just over 30 years, and I was honoured to make his acquaintance in the Alps.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

From GMM

Felipe Massa has tipped his former Ferrari teammate to dominate Kimi Raikkonen at the great Italian team in 2014.

Maranello marque Ferrari replaced the long-serving Brazilian with Finn Raikkonen, its 2007 world champion, over the winter, with Massa having to move to the once-great British team Williams.

Ferrari justified the move on the basis that Massa couldn't support teammate Fernando Alonso's title-charging points hauls on a regular enough basis, but the 32-year-old thinks Raikkonen will also struggle alongside the Spaniard.

Having tipped Alonso to beat Raikkonen while talking to the Italian press at Jerez, Massa explained: "Because he's very intelligent and has already grasped the new rules.

"He (Alonso) knows what he needs to do to be fast from the beginning," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"He combines talent with brains. He really is clever, and that is what you need for rule changes as drastic as these," added Felipe Massa.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, the two drivers of the F14-T. (Photo: Ferrari)

However, Massa said Raikkonen cannot be completely ruled out.

"Maybe the new Ferrari will be better suited to Kimi's driving style," he admitted. "We'll find out."

There have also been doubts about whether Alonso, formerly the clear number 1 alongside Massa, will be able to work harmoniously alongside Raikkonen, the last Ferrari champion.

But team boss Stefano Domenicali said he was "very pleased to see" how harmoniously the pair had worked together at the Jerez test last week.

Alonso also revealed that he spent some days at Maranello with Ferrari's returnee recently.

"We had some fun evenings," he is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"There will be a total sharing of data between us, which is what we are used to at Ferrari," Alonso insisted.

"Every day I had every lap of telemetry from Kimi, and he will also have mine. And what I'm trying here at Jerez, he will try in Bahrain," he added last week.

I understand the allure and draw of hybrid vehicles. I swear I do. More fuel efficient, better for the environment, and all that jazz. However, it's rare that I walk away from a hybrid saying, “Wow, that's a fantastic car to drive! I had so much fun behind the wheel and can't wait to drive it again.” I might be a rarity, but I like to drive. Hybrids rarely give me that satisfaction.

Sadly, the Pathfinder fell into that same hybrid soul-draining category. However, despite that I still quite liked the vehicle as a whole. In terms of ride comfort, space, and design the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid SV is a winner in my books.


What is the Nissan Pathfinder?
For starters, the Pathfinder has been around since the mid-‘80s. And for anyone who thinks the JUKE's clever rear hidden door handles are newfangled, they'd best look back to 1990 at the first gen Pathfinders where Nissan first introduced this feature to give the illusion of two doors only.

Available first as a body-on-frame structure, the second generation switched to the unibody configuration, which is what the latest (and now fourth generation) has done, as well.

2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid Platinum Premium Price and Specs
Starting a good $10k over the price of a base non-hybrid Pathfinder, the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid SV comes in at $39,248 before any extras. Springing for the Platinum Premium edition (which garners a dual panoramic moonroof and a tri-zone entertainment system) means you're starting just under $50k.

Regardless of trim level, you'll be piloting a 2.5L 4-cylinder supercharged engine along with a 15kW electric motor good for 250 horsepower. Nissan claims the Pathfinder Hybrid will turn in numbers in the 7L/100km range, but I only managed to get that number in the mid-11s. Perhaps the cold weather had a great deal to do with it... Controlling the Pathfinder Hybrid's power is a next-generation XTRONIC CVT.

Regardless of trim level, you'll be piloting a 2.5L 4-cylinder supercharged engine along with a 15kW electric motor good for 250 horsepower. (Photo: Nissan)

Driving the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid Platinum Premium
So, no, this wasn't a super-exciting week of driving. However, it wasn't so horrible that I wanted to pour hot coffee in my lap simply to spice things up. While I am no fan of CVTs, Nissan does make a good one and the Pathfinder Hybrid's transmission was smooth and responsive when I wanted it to be with the engine playing nicely if asked.

If nothing else, the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid is extremely comfortable. Long trips or short hauls, this is a great ride. Front or back seats, there's plenty of space; and with the Platinum Premium addition I had the luxury of rear entertainment screens to keep my 2-year-old happy if he got too unruly.

Did I “use” the hyrbrid-ness of the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid? Kind of. The vehicle ran on battery power in most stop-and-go traffic situations, and for a few seconds when first turned on, but otherwise I was on gas all the time. And after having a supercharged V6 Range Rover Sport the week before spitting out fuel consumption numbers just 1L above the Pathfinder Hyrbid, I can't say I was too impressed.

While I am no fan of CVTs, Nissan does make a good one and the Pathfinder Hybrid's transmission was smooth and responsive when I wanted it to be with the engine playing nicely if asked. (Photo: Nissan)

Inside and Out of the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid Platinum Premium
The newly updated exterior of the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder is quite handsome. The more bulbous exterior look carried over from the Murano suits the Pathfinder and gives it a much softer look without dumbing it down.

New LED taillights add a touch of modern, and 18” aluminum-alloy wheels ensure this SUV also looks stylish in all the right ways to attract younger buyers.

Inside, the positive design cues continue. The simplistic layout of the centre stack is a pleasant change from the norm of button overload. While it might trick you into thinking it's useful, the 4.2” Advanced Drive-Assist Display in the driver gauges is anything but helpful and kind of distracting. I usually kept it on the foot-pedal energy graphic, just for fun.

The most poorly designed part of the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid's interior? The steering wheel. I can't tell you how many times I changed the channel or activated something with the toggle switches on each side. They stick out too much and are poorly placed if you drive with proper hand placement.

Space is not an issue in the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, although I was a little shocked that my son was able to kick the front passenger seat when a person was seated comfortably there. He's only 2 years old and his legs are not that long...

Inside, the positive design cues continue. The simplistic layout of the centre stack is a pleasant change from the norm of button overload. (Photo: Nissan)

Comparing the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid
Having just driven the brand new 2014 Toyota Highlander (in both hybrid and regular versions), I'd say this is its steepest competition. While they are extremely similar, I feel like the Toyota moves ahead slightly if only in terms of design and relevance.

Here are the photos of the Formula 1 turbo cars that will compete in the 2014 FIA F1 World Championship.

Note that the photo of the Lotus E22 is missing at this point. We will add it the coment the new Lotus will make its track debut.

Red Bull Racing
Chassis RB10
Engine: Renault
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Sebastian Vettel (race number 1; will carry No. 5 when not champion)
Daniel Ricciardo (race number 3)

Red Bull RB10. (Photo: Red Bull)

Ferrari
Chassis F14 T
Engine: Ferrari
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Fernando Alonso (race number 14)
Kimi Raikkonen (race number 7)

Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

Mercedes AMG
Chassis W05
Engine: Mercedes
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Lewis Hamilton (race number 44)
Nico Rosberg (race number 6)

Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Lotus
Chassis E22
Engine: Renault
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Romain Grosjean (race number 8)
Pastor Maldonado (race number 13)

McLaren
Chassis  MP4-29
Engine: Mercedes
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Jenson Button (race number 22)
Kevin Magnussen (race number 20)

McLaren MP4-29. (Photo: WRi2)

Sauber
Chassis C33
Engine: Ferrari
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Adrian Sutil (race number 99)
Esteban Gutierrez (race number 21)

Sauber C33. (Photo: WRi2)

Sahara Force India
Chassis VJM07
Engine: Mercedes
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Nico Hulkenberg (race number 27)
Sergio Perez (race number 11)

Sahara Force India VJM07. (Photo: WRi2)

Williams
Chassis FW36
Engine: Mercedes
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Felipe Massa (race number 19)
Valtteri Bottas (race number 77)

Williams FW36. (Photo: WRi2)

Toro Rosso
Chassis STR9
Engine: Renault
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Jean-Eric Vergne (race number 25)
Daniil Kvyat (race number 26)

Toro Rosso STR9. (Photo: WRi2)

Caterham
Chassis CT05
Engine: Renault
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Kamui Kobayashi (race number 10)
Marcus Ericsson (race number 9)

Caterham CT05. (Photo: WRi2)

Marussia
Chassis MR03
Engine: Ferrari
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Jules Bianchi (race number 17)
Max Chilton (race number 4)

Marussia MR03. (Photo: WRi2)

French car manufacturer, Peugeot will enter the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship.

From Peugeot Sport

The popularity and excitement inherent in rallycross has seen the discipline grow tremendously in recent years, and the process has been given a further lift by the creation of the FIA World Rallycross Championship from 2014.

All the ingredients were consequently in place for Peugeot to join forces with one of the sport's leading teams, Hansen Motorsport.

Peugeot has been involved in national rallycross series over the years The introduction of a new World Rallycross Championship in 2014 will provide the discipline with a tremendous springboard to expand beyond its traditional European boundaries.

This in turn will permit a new generation of fans to discover the sport. Peugeot wanted to be a part of this process from the outset and, as a consequence, has joined forces with one of rallycross's most prominent operators, Hansen Motorsport.

The official name of the resulting team is Team Peugeot-Hansen and, in association with Peugeot's longstanding partner Total, it will compete with a 208 T16 silhouette version of the 208. The programme will cover all 12 rounds of the championship which is due to kick off in May.

The series will stage a round at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, August 7-8.

Swede Kenneth Hansen boasts one of the most successful records in rallycross history, both as a driver and as manager of his own operation. The decision to strike up a partnership with someone who figures among the discipline's elite was an especially straightforward one given that the series promises to be extremely fierce in light of the field that is taking shape.

From GMM

According to one cruel joke in the Jerez paddock last week, the Red Bull RB10 has a cryptic, phonetic meaning -- 'Red Bull Are Bea-ten'.

It follows a disastrous opening test for the reigning four-time world champions, where even the late-to-arrive backmarker Marussia actually collected more mileage.

Italy's Autosprint published a table of mileage after the first winter test of the pre-season, and it makes worrying reading for the Milton Keynes team.

Graphic: Autosprint

Direct rivals like Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, however, spent no time gloating over the Red Bull crisis.

"There are always some problems that are public, or less obvious, sometimes more, sometimes less," he told Spanish reporters at Jerez.

"Only in Australia are there the first points; this is the first test," Fernando Alonso insisted.

Williams' Felipe Massa, however, admitted that if he was in Sebastian Vettel or Daniel Ricciardo's racing boots, "I would be worried".

"At least they are having some problems this time and are not two seconds faster than the others, as they were in some places last year," the Brazilian is quoted by Totalrace.

Photo: WRi2

Indeed, in a worrying sign of the severity of the problem, Renault's deputy managing director Rob White admitted the cause is "not straightforward" or even fully understood.

"There isn't a single component or system that has caused particular trouble," he admitted.

"The next stage is to identify the root causes for the problems we experienced, to develop the solutions to strengthen our validation process so we can be more confident to tackle Bahrain in a more normal way," he said in a media statement.

Perhaps even more worrying is that the FIA's deadline for initially 'freezing' the specification of the power unit - the end of February - is fast approaching.

Fernando Alonso, however, tipped Red Bull and Renault to be ready.

"If this (the events of Jerez) had happened in Australia, it would be more decisive," he is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But there is still two months, and Red Bull still has the time to do the kilometres that we (Ferrari) have done, and what Mercedes has done. I think more than ever this year, we will have to wait for the races to get an idea of where everybody is."

Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi captured victory at the Rally Liepaja in Latvia this past weekend, and Russian top model Inessa Tushkanova attracted a lot of attention as she captured the Ladies' Cup.

Esapekka Lappi, Skoda Fabia S2000 (Photo: ERC)

Driving a Skoda Fabia S2000, Esapekka Lappi won the event and now shares the top of the European Rally Championship standings with former F1 driver, Robert Kubica.

Kubica won the opening round of the ERC - the Jännerrallye in Austria early January - but did not contest the Rally Liepaja.

Inessa Tushkanova with Jean-Pierre Nicholas (left) and ERC boss. (Photo: ERC)

Driving a Gazprom-sponsored Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, Inessa Tushkanova and co-driver Sergei Larens, finished the rally in 28th position overall.

The top model drove extremely carefully on the slippery, icy roads, but she reached the finish and captured the Ladies' Cup. The other top female competitor, Bulgarian Ekatirena Stratieva, retired from the event.

Inessa Tushkanova, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX (Photo: ERC)

From GMM

The unseemly nose designs up and down the 2014 pitlane have been declared legal by the FIA.

We reported last week that a row over the radical noses was shaping up, with one camp of teams pointing the finger at the other, and the governing FIA unhappy with both.

But despite the questions about the safety and legality of the solutions that were also near-universally declared 'ugly', Germany's Sport Bild cited FIA sources in reporting that the governing body has shelved the issue for 2014.

"The FIA intends to clarify the rules for 2015," the report added.

Much has been said about the various 'gentleman's appendage' solutions seen throughout the pitlane, with perhaps the least attractive being the shovel-like Caterham.

The team's new 2014 driver, F1 returnee Kamui Kobayashi, however, said: "It may not look very good but it feels good, especially because as the driver I cannot see the nose!"

Caterham CT05. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Mercedes AMG has emerged as the early 2014 favorite in the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship.

Amid world champions Red Bull Racing and Renault's crisis, it is obvious that works engine-chassis makers Mercedes and Ferrari have their noses in front on the basis of the opening test at Jerez.

And of that pair, Mercedes out-lapped Ferrari to the tune of almost 300 kilometres - a race distance - over the four days in southern Spain.

Nico Rosberg even did a full Grand Prix simulation, complete with pit stops, while others were grappling simply to run their radically-new cars.

"There was an element of psychology in the (Mercedes) game," respected Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt wrote.

"They wanted to demonstrate strength at a time when the great enemy Red Bull was on the floor," he mused.

Officially, Mercedes has played down any suggestion it is the early title favourite.

"For me it's too early to say who is quick," Sauber driver Adrian Sutil agreed.

But "I think the Mercedes package looks quite strong," he told Britain's Sky. "They do a lot of laps and I have a feeling they are in the front right now."

Others with Mercedes power are also happy. Sir Frank Williams' team moved from the Renault camp over the winter, and after grandees Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, lapped more than any other rival at Jerez with the new FW36.

"Frank Williams went to the Mercedes motor home on Thursday night to personally thank Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff," Schmidt revealed.

Sutil, however - having moved from Mercedes engines at Force India to Ferrari-powered Sauber over the winter - said Ferrari is also in good shape after Jerez.

Ferrari is also happy with its new red works chassis, the F14 T. The famous Maranello marque has struggled with its wind tunnel data in recent years, but a complete overhaul is now bearing fruit.

"The technical parameters of the F14 T, as well as the aerodynamic validation we saw on track, match our expectations and provide a solid starting point, which we must now exploit as much as possible," said team boss Stefano Domenicali.

From GMM

Lotus and Marussia have ended doubts about their official participation in the 2014 championship.

When the governing FIA released the 2014 entry list last month, the two teams' entries were listed as "subject to confirmation".

It subsequently emerged that the teams - competitive but financially struggling Lotus, and the small-budget backmarker Marussia - had been late in paying the higher FIA entry fees.

But France's Auto Hebdo, and other international reports, now insist both teams "have paid" the fees to the Paris federation and are entitled to race in 2014.

Other reports said the FIA has confirmed the news.

The Marussia MR03 at Jerez. (Photo: Marussia F1 Team)

German car manufacturer, Audi has released its lineups for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Five World Champions and Le Mans winners plus a former Formula 1 driver will be racing the Audi R18 e-tron quattros in this year's World Endurance Championship (WEC) and at Le Mans.

Former F1 driver, Lucas di Grassi, who has been competing for Audi since 2012 and finished at Spa and Le Mans in third place last year, has been promoted to the role of a regular driver and replaces Allan McNish, who has ended his career as a race driver.

Tom Kristensen, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Loïc Duval. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

Driver lineups:

Spa 6 Hours and Le Mans 24 Hours
Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen
Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer
Filipe Albuquerque/Marco Bonanomi/Oliver Jarvis *

All other races of the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC)
Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen
Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer

In the 6-hour race at Spa and at the season's pinnacle event at Le Mans, Audi will be fielding an additional R18 e-tron quattro. This car will be driven by the previous DTM driver Filipe Albuquerque as well as by Marco Bonanomi and Oliver Jarvis.

*subject to confirmation by the Selection Committee of the ACO and the FIA.

Opel signed a labor agreement with employees at three German factories in a sign of smoother relations between management and the work force, who have clashed over how to return the unit to profitability.

Seven hedge funds sued Wolfgang Porsche and Ferdinand Piech, members of Porsche Automobil Holding's supervisory board, seeking $2.4 billion of compensation over the aborted purchase of Volkswagen.

Reports in France suggest that PSA is to cut output of its 208 model at its Poissy plant in France. The move is being seen as part of the company's plan to reduce its overcapacity in Europe.

Lear has reported fourth quarter sales of US$4.3bn, up 14% from a year ago and full year sales of US$16.2bn, up 11% from a year ago. It also forecasts increased sales and earnings in 2014.