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Continental has raised its profit forecast for 2014 after earnings jumped nearly 20 percent in the first three months.

Renault Group has unveiled first-quarter revenues fractionally down 0.1% to EUR8.26bn (US$11.43bn), although it recorded a 5.1% increase in registrations.

-- We reported on carbon-fiber wheels almost exactly a year ago.

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News 25 Apr, 2014

New patent reveals software that could stop people texting and using other apps at the wheel

News 25 Apr, 2014

Nissan develops prototype Note that uses ‘self-cleaning’ paint to protect against rain, sleet and dirt

Pictures See all 6 pictures 25 Apr, 2014

PSA reported a 2 percent gain in first-quarter revenue as a recovery in its home region and expansion in China boosted deliveries.

VW will lay off about 900 workers at two Brazilian plants in response to sluggish demand for cars in Latin America's largest economy.

Infiniti will celebrate its 25th anniversary in the United States this November and the luxury brand is conducting a review of its global advertising account that basically amounts to a relaunch of the brand.

How well did you pay attention to the industry? Take our news quiz to find out.

Ford's first-quarter earnings fell 39 percent to $989 million, as pricing weakened in the United States. The company reduced its European losses in the quarter by more than half.

Nvidia expects to see its processors in 25 million new cars within a few years, up from about 4.5 million now.

The Lamborghini Urus SUV will be built at parent VW Group's factory in Slovakia starting in 2017, sources said.

McLaren Formula 1 will implement an "aggressive" development plan in a bid to stop their recent slump, racing director Eric Boullier says, with upgrades already mapped out until July's race in Britain.

The team scored a double podium in Australia to take an early lead in the constructors' championship, but have since dropped to fifth after suffering a double retirement in Bahrain and failing to break the top ten in China, where both Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen were lapped.

Boullier feels the team's shortcomings were exaggerated by cold conditions in Shanghai, but nonetheless says they have planned a bold series of developments to return to the front of the Formula 1 field.

"Everything is planned already," he told a McLaren-Mercedes teleconference. "Spain will see an interesting upgrade for the car, [while] every race will see an upgrade package.

"The good thing is we have a very, very good rate of development in the wind tunnel, so then it is just up to us to manufacture the parts and bring them on track."

Boullier insisted that McLaren's poor form had not changed their target of race victories in 2014, adding: "We have to believe we will win a race. I think we will be able to keep pushing to bring a very strong and aggressive development for the season. I think we put ourselves in a position to fight for a win - maybe not in the first part of the season, but hopefully later.

"If you look in detail obviously it looks like we have stepped back from the beginning of the season, [but] I made clear that a lack of downforce was obviously hurting us when you have very hot or cold temperatures, and there is a technical reason for that. It is true that Australia was a bit optimistic, but we also prepare ourselves to pick up points or even podiums from the others.

"2014 should be a benchmark year for us. It should be seen as a year of rebuilding a winning team, Boullier explained.

Takuma Sato and Justin Wilson doubt Formula 1 cars could cope with the bumpy surface of the Long Beach circuit.

Long Beach race founder Chris Pook works hard to make the Formula 1 to be back on the streets of Long Beach and the year 2018 is now targeted.

"I don't know if current F1 cars could absorb the conditions of the track surface here or not. I pretty much think they can't," explained Takuma Sato to Autosport, who won the Long Beach IndyCar race in 2013.

"They'd have to resurface like they do in Monte Carlo - they resurface that every year. And the rest of the track is semi-permanent, so they have a very smooth surface. But it is a real street course. Even we have a lot of bouncing. So there'd be a lot of work to be done," added the Japanese IndyCar driver.

Takuma Sato leading the Long Beach race to the victory in 2013. (Photo: AJ Foyt Racing)

Another former F1 driver remains sceptic with a Long Beach Formula 1 Grand Prix.

"We love going there because it's Long Beach, it's a lot of fun, and it's so raw. But an F1 car won't go around there. They'd be complaining about the bumps. They'd have to resurface the entire place, after they'd ground the entire place," said Justin Wilson

"I saw that story (F1 return) and chuckled. There's no way an F1 race could happen around here anymore. In the 1980s you could do that, but now it doesn't any sense. It's a great event; we love it. But Monaco is as smooth as the Indy 500, to give you a point of reference. If they came to Long Beach, they'd be shocked," added Justin Wilson.

German car constructor Audi managed to get its two R18 e-tron Quattro repaired in time for next weekend's 6 Hours of Spa, Round 2 of the World Endurance Championship.

The preparation phase for this event is particularly intensive for Audi. The accident damage sustained by the two R18s in the season opener at Silverstone resulted in a lot of work.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

The incidents caused considerable vehicle damage. The two monocoques of the hybrid sports cars were damaged.

In fact, the two Audi R18s that will be taken to Spa will be built around spare monocoques -- one that was at Silverstone and the other which travels with its test team.

It is understood that the two damaged race chassis have been returned to their Italian manufacturer for repair. One of them could make it to Spa to be on hand as a spare.

A third car
In other news, Audi will enter a third R18. It will be driven by Marco Bonanomi returning to the race car cockpit, Filipe Albuquerque, who will be making his WEC debut with Audi after switching from touring cars to sports cars last winter.

The No. 3 car will sport a different bodywork that can be recognized at first glance by the longer rear overhang. Its use in Belgium is very valuable for the Audi engineers, as the data generated by car No. 3 assists in validating the simulations which Audi previously performed. By the same token, the team can test how to handle the special body version and other technical modifications in racing conditions.

Audi R18 e-tron quattro at Silverstone. (Photo: Audi Motorsport)

Improvements and Changes: The 2014 Buick Enclave's IntelliLink system now includes SiriusXM radio and enhanced voice recognition. An additional pair of charge-only USB ports and the industry's first front centre inboard-mounted airbag can be found in all Enclaves, while forward collision alert and lane departure warning systems are available on select models.

2014 Buick Enclave Pricing: A base Convenience model with front-wheel drive starts at $42,295 (plus freight and delivery charges). The more upscale Leather and Premium models retail for $47,445 and $51,545, respectively.

All-wheel drive costs an extra $3,000 in all three cases.

Photo: Buick

To learn more about the Buick Enclave, don't miss:

2013 Buick Enclave Review

2013 Buick Enclave First Impressions

McLaren Formula 1 team created a stir during the winter tests with its new MP4-29 fitted with controversial yet innovative rear suspension that uses aerodynamically shaped wishbones.

After a solid first outing in Australia, the new turbo hybrid McLaren fell down the order during the following races.

Drivers Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen claim the MP4-29 is lacking overall downforce, resulting in a difficulty to get the tires into their working range.

McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRi2)

Despite the setback, McLaren says it is fully committed to keeping its radical suspension blockers for the rest of the season.

According to the experts, these blockers are designed to generate additional downforce at slow speed and reduce drag at high speed.

However, it emerged others teams are not convinced of their benefit and think that the blockers actually increase drag, which can have knock-on effect in terms of fuel efficiency.

McLaren evaluated the MP4-29 without the blockers during the recent Bahrain tests.

McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRi2)

McLaren race director Eric Boullier revealed that the data from the test had been encouraging and left the team convinced about the benefits of the blockers.

"We are happy with this," he explained. "In terms of downforce and drag numbers, it has been now validated, so we are now happy to carry on with this.

"The car has been developed around this device so we have to keep developing the car as it is now."

* Note: This preview doesn't include the X5 M, which has yet to be redesigned.

Pros: The 2014 BMW X5 is the result of two generations of refinement. It isn't radically reformed, but didn't need to be. A highly profitable vehicle for BMW, the American-built X5 is also a dynamically and aesthetically pleasing crossover with enough travel amenities and off-road equipment, not to mention advanced technologies (including three superb engines), to justify its price.

Cons: Like many German products, however, the 2014 BMW X5 may suffer from electronic problems and other reliability issues. It's a pretty heavy vehicle, too, which carries a penalty at the pump. What's more, the long list of options can seriously hurt your bank account.

Photo: BMW

2014 BMW X5 Price: Buyers have a choice of three models:

• X5 xDrive35i at $62,900;
• X5 xDrive35d at $64,400;
• X5 xDrive50i at $76,500;

2014 BMW X5 Fuel Economy: The official combined city-highway ratings are 7.6L/100km for the diesel-sipping xDrive35d, 9.6L/100km for the standard xDrive35i, and 12.2L/100km for the more powerful xDrive50i.

Improvements and Changes: The 2014 BMW X5 has been fully redesigned. Evolutionary in nature, it features updated styling, revised engines, and slightly more interior space.

2014 BMW X5 Powertrain: Two 3.0L inline six-cylinder turbocharged engines are available, including a 300-horsepower gasoline version and a 255-horsepower diesel unit producing 413 lb-ft of torque. Then there's a 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8 engine that cranks out 445 horsepower. All are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Cargo Capacity: The cargo area expands from 620 to 1,750 litres when you fold the rear seats.

Safety: ABS, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, stability control, and traction control all come standard. Head-up display, night vision, adaptive cruise control, park assist, high-beam assist, and various camera systems around the vehicle are some of the advanced features available to boost safety.

Comparing the 2014 BMW X5: Other medium-to-large luxury crossovers worth checking out include the Acura MDX, Audi A7, Cadillac SRX, Infiniti QX60/QX70, Range Rover Sport, Lexus RX/GX, Mercedes-Benz ML, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Touareg, and Volvo XC90.