Auto News 5

Joe Oliver, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, has announced a new protocol to determine vehicle fuel consumption, and the result is 15% to 20 % higher ratings that those advertised by car manufacturers.

Consequently, 2015 model year vehicles and others to follow will have to undergo new tests that take into account additional elements such as sudden acceleration and braking, the use of air conditioning, and cold-weather operation.

Natural Resources Canada is offering a new interactive tool to calculate fuel consumption for vehicles from 1995 to 2014.

I checked to see how my 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan would fare. From initial ratings of 12.2L/100km in the city and 7.9L/100km on the highway, it jumped to 13.7L and 9.4L/100km, respectively. That's much closer to the numbers I usually get, but still a tad too optimistic.

What about your car?

Source : protegez-vous.ca

Malaga, Spain -- Mercedes-Benz: A storied, legendary luxury and innovative brand, the three-pointed star carmaker is well-known for designing and building some of the most finely crafted automobiles and trucks in the world.

They are also revered for putting together some seriously potent performance sports cars such as the SLR and SLS supercars. Mercedes and AMG's power and performance enhancing abilities are equally transmitted to their fleet of saloons and coupés such as the E 63 AMG and the CLA 45 AMG. They'll even put the hurt on the fast SUV crowd with the likes of the ML 63 AMG, but on a hot hatchback? This seems too playful for the gang from Stuttgart.

It isn't. The new 2015 GLA 45 AMG is more playful and boy-racer-ish than anything the 125+ year-old brand has ever unleashed on our shores, and I'm very thankful for it. The GLA 45 AMG is the result of Mercedes letting its hair down and partying until the wee hours of the morning. Even so, there are still a few things that they won't do, but a good time will always be had.


What is a Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG?
The GLA 45 AMG is the pumped version of Mercedes-Benz' latest arrival, the GLA-Class. The sensible compact CUV has gone through the amazingly capable hands of the crew from Affalterbach and has come out the other side a track-ready grocery getter.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG Price and Specs
For a vehicle to wear the coveted AMG logo, it must be special if not monstrously powerful. The GLA 45 AMG utilizes the same hardware as the GLA 250, although severely beefed up.

The autographed, hand-built turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder pumps out a mighty 355 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 332 lb-ft of torque between 2,250 and 5,000 rpm. The charger is a twin-scroll type and draws air through an air-water intercooler and will produce 26 max psi (or 1.86 bar).

An AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-DCT 7-speed dual clutch automatic sport transmission transmits the power to all four wheels via Mercedes' 4MATIC AWD system.

The results generated by all this technical wizardry is a 0-100 km/h sprint is over and done with in 4.8 seconds and will reach an electronically limited top speed of 250 kmh.

Where pricing is concerned, it will be announced closer to the release date which will be sometime in late summer or early fall.

The GLA 45 AMG is the pumped version of Mercedes-Benz' latest arrival, the GLA-Class. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Driving the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG
I expected to be scalped. I thought I was not going to be able to walk away from driving the 2015 Mercedes GLA 45 AMG. I was convinced that I was going to need an oxygen mask, some downers, and a wheelchair. But none of this happened.

I had a great time carving a sampling of the Spanish mountains located in the Parque Natural Montes de Malaga, north of the city, but I never scared myself or thought I was going to go flying over the ledge. And that's slightly unfortunate. I know my colleagues at the office were sad to see me return...

Despite my tested Edition 1's flamboyant exterior, the GLA 45 AMG remains a Mercedes, albeit a badass civilized Mercedes. The 4-pot's power is what is most surprising. With all that boost, I was anticipating (hoping) for a kick in the backside at WOT -- but it never came. Some turbo spoolage noise occurs, and before you know it the speedo reads ludicrous speeds. Granted, speed does not pile on in an S-Class-smooth sort of way, but it's almost underwhelming while blasting on the highway.

One way to remain involved is by setting the transmission to “M” manual mode and slamming away at the gears. This is a must on the tight, rapid switchbacks where selecting the right gear for exit acceleration is crucial, and bloody rewarding. The 2015 GLA 45 AMG is especially alive somewhere north of 4,000 rpm and when pushed this way, it feels like a proper hot-tempered hot-hatch. The AMG sport exhaust does wonderful things with the gases off-throttle and flat-out; this is when the AMG comes unto its own.

The AMG sports suspension is calibrated for even road surfaces, and preferably the banked type. Most of the back-to-back esses were free of imperfections and here the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG shone like the Spanish sun. In the city, the older tarmac and stone roads demolished the driving pleasure. I'm not so convinced that this setup will be “nice” in Canada.

My major gripe with the drive was the steering, which felt over-assisted and under-communicative. Precision and response were quick and on-the-spot tight, but the whole process was cold and discombobulated. Never were the car's abilities in doubt, but I wanted it to play a bigger role in the process.

Despite my tested Edition 1's flamboyant exterior, the GLA 45 AMG remains a Mercedes, albeit a badass civilized Mercedes. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Inside and Out of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG
The 2015 Mercedes GLA 45 AMG gains so much thanks to the AMG-specific exterior styling that includes a front splitter, 19” wheels, side sills, and rear bumper.

The tested Edition 1 in the gallery includes unique 20” wheels, red exterior accents, an oversize hatch-mounted spoiler and some questionable side decals. This thing is a must for that boy-racer that lurks within... Yeah, I like it a lot.

The cabin is all Mercedes. The Recaro seats are insane on every conceivable level, and I love the low-slung driving position. The AMG-specific shifter fits perfectly in the middle of the center console and the partially alcantara wrapped steering wheel fits the car's character.

The tested Edition 1 in the gallery includes unique 20” wheels, red exterior accents, an oversize hatch-mounted spoiler and some questionable side decals. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre)

Comparing the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG
The new 2015 Mercedes GLA 45 AMG blurs many lines as far as who it plays against. The Audi S3, the BMW M235i and the all-new Porsche Macan all fall in the AMG's crosshairs.

Once more, I've not driven any of these vehicles, however, pricing will play a huge roll in where the GLA stands.

From GMM

F1 will have to wait to know if it can return to Long Beach.

It emerged that at a city council meeting this week, the issue of opening up the street race lease to bidders - including F1 - would be on the agenda.

"We just want a fair process where qualified people can bid on it," confirmed Chris Pook, F1's original Long Beach pioneer who is reportedly now working closely with Bernie Ecclestone.

But German-language Speed Week reports that while the issue was indeed discussed by the Californian city's council this week, a judgement was postponed.

The correspondent said that while some want Long Beach to keep IndyCar on the streets, others would welcome the return of formula one.

"So the council decided that more information should be obtained in order to get a clearer picture."

One councilman confirmed: "While the current (IndyCar) Long Beach grand prix is a successful event for all parties, the question is whether or not there is an opportunity to do even better with a formula one option."

From GMM

The era of the Concorde Agreement is at its end, according to Bernie Ecclestone.

Difficult and protracted negotiations over the sport's highly secretive document, binding F1's commercial rights holders with its teams and the governing FIA, are notorious.

The long saga over the newest seven-year Concorde is only just at its end, but according to F1 chief executive Ecclestone, there may be no need for another.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, F1 business journalist Christian Sylt said technical and sporting matters are now decided at the new Strategy Group, comprising Ecclestone, the FIA and six top teams.

As for the Concorde, "I think everyone has forgotten about it to be honest," Ecclestone said, "because with the agreement we currently have with this Strategy Group, we don't really need it."

The 83-year-old said it is not even true that a new Concorde was necessary so that F1 can be floated on the stock exchange.

"It was a peace treaty when it was signed. We have moved on and the whole structure has moved on," said Bernie Ecclestone.

Mercedes-Benz' new 2015 GLA-Class is a very interesting product where it links a number of existing compact products in the brand's portfolio.

The question is: Will it distinguish itself enough from the B-Class and the upcoming C-Class to find its true place? The recently introduced CLA-Class has not quite hit the heights it was expected to, if only because consumers are constantly drawn to the C-Class for its perceived extra prestige and price positioning.

As far as the GLA-Class is concerned, given that it's pricing is expected to be squarely between that of the 2014 CLA- and C-Class, it might be that the traditional Mercedes buyer once more opts for the C over the GLA.

Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre

In order to help you understand what the GLA-Class is all about, here are the top 10 points to remember:

1. The GLA 250 features a very economical and potent turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder engine and a high-tech, dual-clutch automatic transmission.
2. Permanent AWD 4MATIC is standard, unlike the CLA and C-Classes.
3. The GLA-Class is part of the G, GL, ML, GLK group -- G brings robustness.
4. Mercedes puts much more emphasis on off-road capability than you would expect.
5. The CLA-Class offers a raised seating position compared to the CLA- and C-Class.
6. With the seats down, total cargo offers up to 1,235 litres of volume.
7. The segment in which the GLA-Class will thrive will likely show a 20% growth, thus showing a high capture potential. In other words, if you want to be trendy, the GLA's the way.
8. If the regular 250 is too mundane, a 45 AMG version is offered with 355 horsepower and 1.8 bar of boost.
9. The GLA 45 AMG boats serious performance numbers including a 4.8-second sprint to 100km/hr and a limited 250km/hr top speed.
10. The 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class drives as good as it looks. Read more about the 250 and the 45 AMG.

From GMM

F1 driver Jules Bianchi has been attacked and mugged near Paris' famous Champs-Elysees.

Le Parisien reports that while the Marussia driver and Frenchman, in Paris for a television appearance, stood outside the luxury Pershing hotel smoking a cigarette before midnight, three assailants attacked him.

Jules Bianchi, 24, was reportedly knocked to the ground and held while his watch was removed.

The newspaper said the watch stolen was a model by Richard Mille, the luxury Swiss brand, worth 70,000 euros. Bianchi filed a report with the police.

Richard Mille is a personal sponsor of Bianchi.

From GMM

Ron Dennis is unapologetic as he vows to take McLaren back on the road to winning.

With the great British team just fifth overall in 2013, 66-year-old supremo Dennis wrestled back control from Martin Whitmarsh and trotted out the old line about even second place being "the first of the losers".

"Of course, I have a lot of respect for the people in our team but they were distracted, not focused enough," he told reporters.

Some believe Whitmarsh, who it is believed is not speaking to the media while his payout is negotiated, was regarded as 'too nice' to effectively run a F1 team.

"Martin is a friend," Ron Dennis insisted. "We did not fall out. Some decisions you take in life are not that easy, and I will not elaborate."

What Dennis has found in Whitmarsh's wake, however, is the loss of Lewis Hamilton and title sponsor Vodafone, and Whitmarsh's new management pick, Eric Boullier.

Dennis insisted, however, that he separately also approached Frenchman Boullier, the former Lotus boss.

"For some time I had been discussing with the shareholders that things were not working," he said.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-29. (Photo: WRi2)

Another perhaps not entirely Dennis-esque choice was the rookie Dane Kevin Magnussen, son of the erratic former McLaren test driver Jan.

"I had reservations (about Kevin)," Ron Dennis admitted.

"I'm not a great believer in sons of drivers," he added, but he thinks Kevin's "steely determination" will result in "an exceptional career".

So the new Dennis era has begun, and a first major input has been to turn down some "stopgap" solutions following title sponsor Vodafone's exit.

"I strongly believe we are (like) Manchester United," he said.

"Inevitably, when you have a run of poor results, people push the rate card down. But I know what this company is and what this grand prix team can achieve, and that requires the correct recognition from and close relationship with a principal sponsor," said Dennis.

Ford awarded CEO Alan Mulally $13.8 million in stock for the automaker's performance last year when its profits grew in North America and sales picked up speed in China.

Lincoln's entire 2014 lineup will be on display at this year's Barrett-Jackson auction at the South Florida Fairgrounds, and some will be available for attendees to use in an exclusive driving experience.

General Motors plans to invest $162 million at its Lansing Grand River site in Michigan to build a stamping plant and create 65 jobs, the Lansing State Journal reported today.

BMW has unveiled details and photos of its new X4 crossover with coupe styling. The vehicle is scheduled to make its world debut next month at the New York auto show, with production beginning this spring in South Carolina.

Youand#8217;re probably going to want to bookmark this video on your smartphone and plug it into the loudest stereo you can find. Only then will you truly appreciate what the Ferrari Enzo and

Chrysler has ordered 93 first-generation

Fisker Automotive received court approval to borrow $4.98 million from Wanxiang Group, the Chinese auto-parts maker that won an auction for the bankrupt maker of luxury plug-in cars.

The Volkswagen T-ROC wasn't the only Geneva motor show concept unveiled this week that uses the

General Motors may increase exports of cars built in South Korea to Australia to offset production declines after the automaker decided to pull its Chevrolet brand from the European market.

Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti plan will share development of compact cars to cut costs, and expand Daimler's North American production footprint and the Infiniti range, according to a news agency report.

GM and Ford both reported double-digit sales gains in China for February -- GM jumped 20 percent and Ford rose 67 percent from a year earlier period.

Wide-ranging, ongoing talks between Tata Motors and its UK unit Jaguar Land Rover's Chinese JV partner Chery Automobile could result in platform sharing, access to China for Tata brand vehicles and possible reciprocal help to introduce Chery to India, a local media report said.

Continental has announced 2013 profits up 0.9% to more than EUR1.9bn (US$2.6bn), with sales rising to EUR33.3bn, despite negative exchange rate effects of more than EUR800m.