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The 2015 Acura TLX will make its production debut at the 2014 New York auto show.

After the passing of William Clay Ford Sr., Ford has announced that they will honor his memory and his contribution to the automobile with the creation of scholarships for automotive design students. William Clay Ford Sr.

-- Ayrton Senna positively dominated the 1990 Monaco Grand Prix: he came in with the fastest qualifying lap, started on pole, set the fastest lap, led every single one of them, won the thing, beating rival Alain Prost in the process, then went on to...

Chrysler has made the decision to suspend production of the

Sales of Datsun cars officially restarted Wednesday after the brand's 30-year dormancy, with the first cars being delivered in India.

The

It's the annual event that quietly wakes Europe's auto industry into action after winter slumber. Now that it has come and gone, just-auto's future products editor, Glenn Brooks, reflects on the significant trends and vehicle world premieres at the 2014 Geneva Salon de l'Automobile.

Porsche said a fastener that wasn't properly installed is to blame for engine fires in two of its 911 GT3s that led to a recall of all 785 cars from the current model year.

Japanese auto deliveries will drop 16 percent in the year starting April 1 as a sales-tax increase damps demand, an industry group estimates.

Porsche said a fastener that wasn't properly installed is to blame for engine fires in two of its 911 GT3s that led to a recall of all 785 cars from the current model year.

Renault stands to benefit the most from deeper ties with alliance partner Nissan, industry watchers believe.

Nestled amongst the hills just north of Toronto, the snow-covered Hockley Valley was the ideal setting for a recent, and rather surprising comparison test of winter rubber. However, before we get down to the results, let's take a stroll through the tire world.

Tire brands
Tire manufacturers can be sorted into 3 basic groups. Tier 1 are the household brands we've all heard of, such as Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear etc. Tier 2 are perhaps the slightly lesser known manufacturers (BF Goodrich, Hankook, Yokohama tec.), with Tier 3 being typically more associated with value priced products.

Certain brands specialize in one or two areas of the market, while others offer a full line of products.

Quality control plays a major role in the production of tires. Most top tier manufacturers test each and every tire as they roll off the line, while others use a form of batch testing, whereby tires are randomly selected for testing from each batch of tires produced.

Obviously, price plays a role in all this, but do those higher tier premium brand products necessarily perform better? After all, your safety is riding on just 4 small patches of rubber so surely it's wise to purchase the best tires available. I guess what I'm saying is, can quality/capability be had for a lesser price?

Well, one company believes this to be so and to prove it, Sailun invited a group of automotive journalists to blind test its new IceBlazer WSL2 against a higher priced/higher tier competitor.

Photo: Kevin Corrigan

Sailun - A brief history on the company
Sailun is a Chinese company which has been around for 12 years now. Its products are sold in over 120 countries across 6 continents and yet, many have never heard of the name Sailun. Some may even question rubber products manufactured in China. However, the simple truth is, just about every tire manufacturer has production facilities in China today. In fact, China is rapidly becoming the world hub of the tire industry.

Sailun markets itself as a “value tire” brand, yet is proud of the fact that it tests each & every tire, just like the premium brands do.

According to Sailun, over 45% of all replacement tires purchased today are “value tires”. Hardly surprising with the current economic climate. Yet with so many manufacturers in this market, no single company boasts more than a 5% share. Sailun aims to change this and position itself at the very top of the value tier. With brand awareness marketing and product comparisons against higher-priced products, the company aims to prove it can rival anything in Tier 2 and possibly a few in Tier 1 categories.

Photo: Kevin Corrigan

Sailun puts its IceBlazer WSL2 to the test
This was to be a blind evaluation, whereby both brand names/logos had been carefully removed from the sidewalls of each tire. These were then mounted on identical Ford Fusion vehicles, two white AWD models and two black. Obviously, there was some guessing done as to whether the white cars featured the Sailun tires (come on now, the good guys always dress in white), but in truth, none of us could readily identify which vehicles carried which tires.

The event was staged in three segments. The first being a snow-covered slalom run, followed by an emergency-style lane change maneuver on snow packed ice, and ended with a road course through the surrounding area. The timing couldn't have been better, as Hockley Valley had recently received a good dose of fresh snow which provided us with true real-world wintery road conditions. We even managed to find a few snow ploughs to dodge!

Test 1 - The Slalom
The first thing I picked up on, was the little noticeable difference between each set of tires. The Sailun rubber, which we later learned were mounted on the black vehicles, performed well against its competitor, the Hankook i*Pike (W409). Trying to pin down an outright winner was rather frustrating as although the Sailun tires felt better in directional grip though the cones, I slightly preferred the start-off traction of the Hankook rubber.

Test 2 - The lane change/emergency stop
Again, the Sailun tires performed noticeably better in directional grip. However, upon hard braking, although the Sailun rubber stopped marginally quicker than the Hankook, I found the Sailun tires to be slightly less predictable.

Test 3 - The road test
Out on the snow-covered hilly roads of Hockley, the Sailun IceBlazer WSL2 tires came to life. In everyday winter conditions, the Sailun-equipped cars by far outperformed its competitor. They were much quieter, stopped better and their directional prowess truly showed when rounding in the corners on deeper snow.

Photo: Kevin Corrigan

Conclusion
Having driven to the event in a Range Rover shod in all-seasons, both tires clearly demonstrated why drivers need to switch to dedicated winter tires when the weather turns bad. As far as comparisons go, I personally placed the Sailun marginally ahead of its competition. However, at the close of day, attendants were each asked to rate both tires on a scale of zero to five in several key areas.

The final result: Remarkably, both tires achieved an equal rating of 4 points, so no outright winner.

On the other hand, the Hankook i*Pike (W409) rubber cost on average 69% more than the Sailun IceBlazer WSL2 tires. So perhaps there's a winner after all... the consumer!

Sorel, Quebec native Maryeve Dufault will drive the No. 46 Shooters Ford Fusion this weekend in the second round of the ARCA series, the Mobile ARCA 200.

The race will be held at the Mobile International Speedway, a half-mile paved oval, also known as “Alabama's Fastest Half Mile”.

Maryeve will be working alongside her new crew chief, Rick Crawford.

“I'm really happy to start working with Rick (Crawford) at Mobile, it is his home town and local track and I am sure he will have good information for me since it's my first time racing there,” said Maryeve.

“I know the guys have spent a lot of time at the shop working hard to get me the best car for this race. I just cannot wait to roll the car on track for the first practice at Mobile with our new partner Shooters Restaurant Group. I am so grateful to have amazing partners and proud to be with Team Stange,” she added.

Maryeve and the No. 46 Shooters Ford Fusion will be part of the pre-race fan fest located at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama on Thursday, March 20 from 4 to 6pm.

Maryeve Dufault (Photo: Team Stange)

The U.S. government yesterday slapped a $1.2 billion fine on Toyota ― the largest ever against any automaker ―for misleading customers about unintended acceleration complaints in its cars and failing to recall some 12 million vehicles in a timely fashion.

A four-year investigation has shown that several deadly crashes were the direct result of a stuck gas pedal leaving drivers unable to slow their cars down. The poorly designed floor mats have been identified as the most likely culprit.

“We have made fundamental changes across our global operations to become a more responsive company, listening better to our customers' needs and proactively taking action to serve them,” said Christopher P. Reynolds, chief legal officer at Toyota Motor North America.

Toyota also faces numerous civil lawsuits from victims or their families in various U.S. states.

Source : auto.lapresse.ca

Red Bull Racing Formula 1 has now formally appealed Daniel Ricciardo's disqualification from second place in the Grand Prix of Australia in Mebourne, March 16.

Ricciardo's Renault-powered RB10 had been found by the FIA to have 'consistently exceeded the maximum fuel flow of 100kg per hour' during the race.

After the decision of the FIA was released late Sunday night, team boss Christian Horner declared that the FIA fuel sensor was "unreliable" and "immature technology", adding that the team's own equipment showed that Ricciardo's RB10 ran within the new-for-2014 fuel flow limits.

Red Bull Racing has now formally completed the process of submitting their appeal to the FIA.

The governing body will now have to set a date for the International Court of Appeal hearing where Red Bull Racing's case will be heard.

Two years ago, Bentley introduced the EXP 9F concept; now, we have the first official picture of the production model that should go on sale in 2016.

Featuring Bentley's signature styling, it's said to become the “most luxurious and powerful SUV on the market.”

Bentley expects to sell at least 3,000 units a year, and 2,000 customers have already pre-ordered one.

Photo: Bentley

Almost 20 years after he lost his life in a terrifying head-on collision during the 1994 Grand Prix of San Marino, Google's latest Doodle will honor what would have been Ayrton Senna's 54th birthday.


Born into a wealthy family in Sao Paolo, Brazil on March 21 1960, Senna captured title in karting, Formula Fords, Formula 3 before he graduated to F1 with the small Toleman team in 1984.

The Brazilian, a three-time Formula 1 World Champion with McLaren, was just 34 when he died on 1 May 1994, when his Renault-powered Williams crashed into the concrete wall at Tamburello while leading the race from Michael Schumacher.

Outside of the sport, Ayrton Senna often said he despaired over the situation faced by the world's poorest people.

By the time of his death, it was estimated his foundation had given around $400 million to charities supporting underprivileged children in Brazil.

For the first time ever, the Porsche Boxster and Cayman will be available in GTS trim. The new models will arrive at Canadian dealerships this summer starting at $83,900 and $85,900, respectively.

Equipped with a 3.4L flat-six engine, the Porsche Boxster GTS (330 hp) and Cayman GTS (340 hp) deliver 15 more horsepower than the Boxster S and Cayman S.

The new Boxster GTS sprints from 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 281 km/h, while the slightly faster Cayman GTS gets to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds and maxes out at 285 km/h.

Standard equipment on both models include the Sport Chrono Package, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), sports seats, and Alcantara interior trim.

Photo: Porsche

Although I may be a certifiable petrolhead, I am mindful of fuel consumption. My issue is that I've not yet been able to tolerate one aspect at the expense of the other. Allow me to elaborate: I'm no fan of the Toyota Prius; it's no fun. Period. This is why I'm a fan of the recent crop of hopped-up “performance” hybrids.

The current Impreza, introduced for the 2012 model year, was joined by the XV Crosstrek a year later. The return of the new “Outback Sport” was a welcome sight, and when the coming of a hybrid was announced at the 2013 New York Auto Show, I was taken; more power, less fuel, and all Subaru with a hatch.

The 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek has an undeniably attractive and rugged appearance that is coupled with an AWD system known to deliver. Sadly, my hopes for more driving enjoyment without paying more at the pumps never happened. The XV hybrid is still a Subaru but the extra upfront costs are not justifiable.


What is a Subaru XV Crosstrek?
The 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek is a compact crossover-hatchback that is based on the Impreza hatchback, with a little extra ground clearance and all-important plastic body cladding.

The XV slots itself below the Forester in Subaru's line-up of utility vehicles, offering slightly less cargo room but all of the brand's legendary all-weather capabilities.

2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Price and Specs
The XV Crosstrek nameplate consists of four trim levels starting with the Touring, which sports a sticker price of $24,495. An extra $2,000 will get you a Sport (sunroof and HID headlights). The Limited gains much kit in the form of navigation and leather and retails for $28,995. The Hybrid offers the Sport's level of equipment with a few extra touches and the powertrain for $29,995.

All of these cars run with a 2.0L flat 4-cylinder engine that produces 148 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque. The hybrid throws in a permanent magnet AC synchronous motor that produces 13.4 hp and 48 torques. Total combined system output comes out to 160 horsepower and 163 torques.

Regular 2014 Subaru XV Crosstreks can be outfitted with a 5-speed manual or a CVT. The Hybrid can only be spec'd out with the Lineartronic CVT with 6-speed manual mode and paddle shifters.
Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive is standard across the board.

The 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek is a compact crossover-hatchback that is based on the Impreza hatchback, with a little extra ground clearance and all-important plastic body cladding. (Photo: Subaru)

Driving the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid
As a long-time fan of the brand, I knew what to expect when I got behind the wheel of the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid. I'd driven the Impreza, with both transmissions, and so was looking forward to experienceing some extra oomph from the hybrid powertrain.

Perhaps I should have reserved my hopes of added performance for my upcoming reviews of the WRX and STI... Other than a trivial boost from roughly 2,000 rpm, the extra hp and torques feel more theoretical than practical. Despite this letdown, I found myself satisfied with the XV Crosstrek hybrid's acceleration and passing abilities.

The result of throttle application does bring to light an issue that has quickly become old and redundant. The Lineatronic CVT transmission does what it has to do, but is not gracious about it. Response is often rubbery and the box will peg engine speeds at or near redline if the go-pedal is held down. The trick is to back off once the tachometer hits 4,500-5,000 rpm, which can be counter intuitive. The CVT-bashing continues because other manufacturers' (Honda, Nissan) figured out how to program them to work like a conventional automatic -- it makes a HUGE difference.

Of all Subaru products, this is the least well-adapted to our climate, only because of the hybrid system. Snowfall as well as frigid and mild temperatures required the constant use of the climate system defrost functions. Because of the A/C compressor needed, the gas engine would never shut off. I was therefore never able to make use of the EV mode. In fact, even with the fan off, I never experienced full electric propulsion.

Thus, in the end, a weeklong fuel consumption average of nearly 10L/100km solidified my disappointment with the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid.

These frustrations where often forgiven as no amount of snow or poor driving conditions would ever slow me down. The 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid's ride is firm but not uncomfortable. I'd go so far as to add sporty. Steering is good, a far cry from previous generation Subarus, and the brakes are up to the task.

I'd driven the Impreza, with both transmissions, and so was looking forward to experienceing some extra oomph from the hybrid powertrain. (Photo: Subaru)

Inside and Out of the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek
As I've pointed out, the XV's styling is great. It gives off a bulldog vibe that says no terrain or weather condition can stop it.

The Hybrid's Plasma Green Pearl paint job is really cool, and should be offered on all trims. It matches up nicely with the blacked-out wheels and subtle exterior chrome touches reserved for the Hybrid and the Limited.

The 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid's cabin is very spacious for a compact car, and the trunk is equally capacious. The dashboard's layout is ergonomic; all controls are within reach and well conceived. I especially like the 4.3” colour multifunction display at the top of the dashboard. Overall presentation is drab though, and the materials are short on class. Fit and finish are good.

Seats and driving position are spot on, especially where visibility is concerned for the latter. Gripes come from the location of the heated seat switches and a few other elements.

The 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid's cabin is very spacious for a compact car, and the trunk is equally capacious. (Photo: Subaru)

Comparing the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid
The 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid's competitors are few and far between. In actuality, it is the only AWD hybrid currently offered on the market in its price bracket. The likes of the Volkswagen Jetta hybrid, Honda Civic hybrid and Toyota Prius can all line up with the XV, but all eclipse it fuel economy-wise.

The bottom line is that a regular XV Crosstrek is a wiser bet simply because the car is more affordable.

From GMM

Toto Wolff has revealed his negotiations with Paddy Lowe were initially about wooing the former McLaren technical boss to Williams.

In 2012, Wolff was Williams' executive director and he is still a shareholder to this day.

He told Austria's Sportwoche magazine this week that, on the advice of former McLaren and Williams driver Alex Wurz, he tried to convince 51-year-old Lowe to leave McLaren.

"Our first meeting was at Alex's house in Monaco," Toto Wolff revealed.

"We then negotiated for a long time. I wanted to bring him to Williams, but things were not going that well (at Williams). Luckily," said the 42-year-old.

"When I switched to Mercedes, Paddy was willing to come along."

Indeed, Wolff - now Mercedes' motor racing chief - bought into the Brackley based team early in 2013, and Briton Lowe followed six months later, ultimately replacing the departed Ross Brawn as a team boss.

Paddy Lowe and Toto Wolff, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)