Auto News 5

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.

From GMM

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone on Friday rubbished reports he is preparing to plead guilty in order to avoid jail.

Ecclestone's Munich trial began on Thursday, London's Times newspaper reported that Ecclestone, 83, might reach a plea deal and exchange a custodial sentence for a massive $400 million-plus penalty.

"No, that's total nonsense, rubbish," the 83-year-old told Germany's Bild newspaper, having returned to London from Germany.

"I do not want to buy my freedom. Why would I want a deal? I will tell the court the truth about everything that happened, and then it will be up to them to judge," added Ecclestone.

The star witness in the trial will be Gerhard Gribkowsky, the already-jailed ex-banker who was convicted of receiving Ecclestone's alleged bribe.

But Ecclestone said: "Mr Gribkowsky has already testified three times. I don't think anything new will come from a fourth."

He acknowledged, however, that if he is ultimately found guilty, his long and lucrative reign over formula one will be over.

"If I am convicted, it will be difficult to keep my job in formula one. That's the problem," said Ecclestone.

He will return to Munich next week.

"It was an exhausting first day," said Ecclestone, referring to Thursday's opening of proceedings.

"The judge, the prosecutors, my lawyers, they all speak German. I have an interpreter but it's very difficult to follow everything in exactly the way it is said," he explained.

Still, he found time on Thursday for typically light-hearted moments, like when he joked with the judge about his marital status.

"Why not (joke)?" Ecclestone said on Friday. "The judge, the prosecutors, they are all nice people who are just doing their jobs."

Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that American Alexander Rossi, Caterham F1 Team Reserve Driver and Caterham Racing GP2 race driver, will drive in two FP1 sessions this season.

Rossi will be behind the wheel of one Caterham CT05-Renault at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in June and the US Grands Prix in Austin late in the season.

Rossi has been flying the US flag as one of Caterham F1 Team's Reserve Drivers since 2012 in addition to his role as one of the team's primary simulator drivers.

He has completed multiple FP1 sessions and test days for the team since 2011 and Montreal and Austin will mark his first tastes of 2014 machinery on track, building on the extensive mileage he has already accumulated in the team's state-of-the-art simulator at its Leafield, UK base.

Caterham CT05-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

This is the continuation of Rossi's development towards a F1 full time race seat and reflects the ongoing commitment that Caterham have to see him reach his ultimate goal.

“Each time I step into F1 machinery there is an important job to do. Montreal and Austin are important races for me and I want to thank Caterham for the opportunity to continue my development to a full time race seat in F1,” said Alexander Rossi in a team press release.

“My GP2 program combined with my F1 team Reserve Driver duties give me invaluable insight and experience for my future. I've built up a lot of hours in the F1 simulator already this year, but Montreal will be my first visit behind the wheel of the CT05 on track. I look forward to a positive runplan for both the Canadian and USA sessions.”

It was impossible for me to know exactly what to expect. One evening, a few days before the Auto Show, myself and a few other Canucks were being briefed by a Beijing auto-show veteran who also happened to work for Volkswagen.

We were talking about the vibe and the sheer scale of the event held at the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC) and how different it is from what we've become used to. I know much about North American and European shows but, as per usual, things are a little different in China.

This is the 12th edition of Auto China (2014 Beijing Auto Show), the first show being held in 1990. Like Frankfurt and Paris, which alternate show venues every year, Beijing shares the spotlight with Shanghai.

Photo: Matt St-Pierre

Here are a few more facts about what is now the premier car show in China.

1. There are nearly 100 makes represented at this massive show. One. Hundred.
2. Unlike all other auto shows I've attended in Europe and North America, this is the only one where I've ever had to be careful about opening car doors...
3. Press day is also VIP day which doubles as family day and fun day and whatever day. Needless to say that the show floor traffic was mental
4. The actual show is held through 17 pavilions at the China International Exhibition Center.
5. The Volkswagen Auto Group has its own pavilion because they are that big in China.
6. The China International Exhibition Center offers up 60,000 sq metres (645,835 sq ft) of indoor exhibiting space. By comparison, Detroit's Cobo Hall has 722,500 sq ft while the CIAS also has about 650,000 sq-ft.
7. More than 800,000 visitors are expected to attend (The CIAS gets just over 300,000 and Montreal, a tad more than 200,000).
8. Roughly 12,500 journalists from 1,500+ local media organizations attend -- out of which well over 1,000 are foreign and from nearly 50 countries -- to cover the show.
9. Car stats for the 2014 Beijing Auto Show are as follows: 1,134 vehicles on display; 118 world premiere vehicles (31 multinational world premieres, 45 multinational Asian premieres); 71 concept vehicles; and 79 new-energy vehicles.
10. List of domestic Chinese car makers on hand: Geely, Great Wall, CHERY, Brilliance, BYD, JAC, ZOTYE, Soueast Motor, Haima Motor, LIFAN, HAWTAI, GAC Changfeng, Youngman Lotus Automobile. Also, state-owned automotive groups such FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor Group, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, China Chang'an Automobile Group, BAIC Group, and GAC Group are on hand.

Where there are hits, there will always be misses. Call it the yin and yang of automotive design.

Much like what we can find at our local dealerships, some cars scream desire while others bring up bile.

Warning: The following may (or may not) make you lose your lunch.



_{Note: The Lotus part of the China Youngman Automobile Group Co., Ltd. comes from the fact that they build and sell cars in China using a Lotus developed platform. Youngman was also involved in some way shape or form with the SAAB and Spyker companies.}

For many, hearing that Volkswagen practically owns the Chinese car market is an odd concept. The fact is that VW's relationship with the People's Republic of China goes back a little over 30 years.

Here are a few stats on the Volkswagen Auto Group's (VAG) involvement with the Chinese market.

In 1983, the first Santana rolled off the assembly line. By 1998, the 1,000,000th Santana had been built and delivered. Eight short years later, the 1,000,000th Jetta had been built.

Photo: Matt St-Pierre

China's VW operations are divided into two sub groups know as FAW VW and Shanghai VW. Each function separately, selling and servicing distinct VW products. In a certain way, the way this works is not so different than GM offering both Chevrolet and Buick products.

As it stands, the VAG currently operates 17 plants in China. As of last year, the company had 2,400 dealers and by 2018, they expect to have 3,600. By comparison, VW Canada holds 136 dealers and there are 644 in the USA.

As part of this expansion, VW plans on opening a new Volkswagen brand experience centre in Beijing next year. In other words, both Shanghai and FAW cars will be found under a single roof.

As a result of all of this growth, VW expects to employ up to 600,000 people in China, 500,000 of which will be in dealerships, by 2018.

VAG on fire
In all of 2013, VAG sold 9.731 million cars, more than 3 million in China. Mind blown. This generated over 11 billion euro in profits. VAG grew 16% in China last year and so far this year, VW is on track to crush that number. Group sales in China are up 14% in Q1 2014, on par with the Chinese market that grew over 14% in the same period. Globally, the Group is up 5.8%.

In the event that you'd forgotten, VAG encompasses 12 brands and 310 nameplates. Around the world, they own 61 assembly plants, 12 that build engines, 10 put transmissions together, and 23 for components for a grand total 106 plants. This is how stuff gets done.

On the product front, the Chinese market gets world cars such as the Golf and the Polo, as well as LWB versions of existing cars (Magotan, read: European Passat, Tiguan), cars reserved for the US and China only (Passat) and China-only vehicles (Lavida, Gran Lavida, Bora -- all based on the MK4 platform). Many of the changes to the world cars are limited to interior and exterior accents such as chrome, different colours, and lights.

Beyond the actual cars, Volkswagen has a clear strategy for increasing its market share and it is based on people, namely its customers, employees, and society. On the latter portion of the strategy, the environment is high on VW's priority list -- be it recycling, resource efficiency and so on -- including all types of logistics.

Back on the topic of environment, VW offers many alternatives for the urban dweller with e-cars such as the Up!, e-Golf, Plug-in Golf hybrid 1.4 TSI, and the very cool XL1.

A few words on Audi
Audi entered the Chinese market 25 years ago. Growth over the last few years has been equally staggering. For example, in 2007, Audi delivered 102,000 units and a few short years later, in 2013, 491,989 new Audis were sold. I believe that this qualifies as success.

Much of this triumph stems from the fact that Audi was here first for most milestones. For example, meeting the increasing demand for LWB cars for both A6 and A4 L. Now, it's much about the compact luxury CUV and the very popular Q5 is built in China. Another element specifically caters to Chinese customers (such as waiting for a car while being serviced with waiting rooms, movie theatres, even a barbershop).

Larger numbers are a given with such strong growth. In 2009, Audi had 160 dealers. By 2017, there will be 500 of them. Variety is the spice of life. In 2009, there were 9 lines. Now, in 2014, there are 35 available models!

And the sky's the limit for Audi in China as well.

The question is how sustainable is this phenomenal growth and how long can it really last? Volkswagen is very optimistic, and with reason.

Frenchman Alain Prost - a four-time Formula 1 World Champion - says Formula E and electric cars are set for a prosperous future with support from major car manufacturers.

Prost recently teamed up with Jean-Paul Driot of DAMS to create the e.dams outfit, which will enter a team in the new FIA Formula E championship.

After seeing the Spark-Renault SRT_01E in action for the first time during a tire test at the Circuit Issoire near Clermont-Ferrand, Prost said he believed Formula E could be the ideal platform for car makers to demonstrate their electric technology, especially when the power units rules open up in season two.

Emmanuel Collard performing tire tests aboard the Formula E car. (Photo: FIA Formule E)

“The constructors are waiting for the final regulations, but if everything is correct it's going to become a good platform for constructors,” Prost said.

The 51-time F1 race winner also backed the championship's street track-only calendar.

“We need to do something different. F1 and the other disciplines race on the normal race tracks, you cannot attract the same kind of people and I think that was the best way to be in the centre of the cities where the electrical cars normally are,” he added.

“You don't need only to drive the car, you need to think a little bit. You need to manage the energy and this kind of thing. It's a new way of motor racing. It's going to be short to start with, but it's going to get longer and longer as we go on as that is part of the challenge.

“We are very optimistic when you see the technology of the batteries in the next few years, we are optimistic that it's going to get better and better. And that's also the key, we are going to show the people outside that this technology is making progress very quickly.”

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.

NASCAR is expecting to announce performance rules changes sometime before the May 17th NASCAR Sprint All-Star race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

And those changes won't just be limited to changes in motors.

Earlier this year Brian Z. France, NASCAR's CEO said that there would be rules changes to encourage more passing on the one and one-half mile oval which dominate the NASCAR calendar.

The Des Moines Register quoted NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Steve O'Donnell, speaking at the Sponsor Summit at Iowa Speedway, said “the whole package," meaning the sanctioning body would make "significant" changes.

"Engines, downforce, aero and tires," he added for emphasis.

Although the Gen 6 car proved faster than all of its' predecessors there still was the sticky issue of lack of passing.

“We've still got work to do,” he said. “Brian's talked about (wanting) more and more lead changes. That's the end goal.”
France and O'Donnell, the report said, hope to see more passing when they reduce the amount of horsepower in the engines.

No stone has been left unturned. Even the Goodyear tires are likely to change to foster more on-track competition by next season.

“If you watched last year ... 50 laps into a run, 10 laps to go, nobody pits for tires,” O'Donnell said. “And if one guy did, it didn't matter. You think, ‘Wait a minute, that's not right.' So tires are a big part of this as well in getting that all right.”

NASCAR, which maintains a Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C., has also conducted closed to-the-public tests at the 1.5-mile track in Charlotte.

Although teams are expecting these changes, the details have not been made known to them as yet.

From GMM

Stefano Domenicali could rebuild his professional career in the world of Italian basketball.

Italian media reports claim the 48-year-old, who started work at Maranello in his twenties, has been contacted in recent days by Giovanni Petrucci, president of the Italian basketball federation, the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro (FIP).

Petrucci became Italian basketball's president last year.

In his seventh season as Ferrari team principal, Domenicali stepped down between the recent Bahrain and Chinese grand prix due to the fabled Italian team's poor results and was replaced by Marco Mattiacci.

Fernando Alonso scored Ferrari's first podium of the new V6 era in China, and dedicated it to the departed chief.

"Probably all the parts from now until July or August are coming from the team working under Stefano, so hopefully we can give him some great Sundays at home in front of the TV," he said.

Toronto is hosting the Green Living Show this weekend, and the winners of the 2014 Canadian Green Car of the Year awards have been announced.


2014 Canadian Green Car of the Year

• Honda Accord Hybrid

2014 Canadian Electric Car of the Year

• Nissan LEAF

2014 Canadian Plug-in Hybrid of the Year:

• Ford C-MAX Energi

2014 Canadian Hybrid of the Year

• Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Hybrid and Honda Accord Hybride (tie)

2014 Canadian Fuel-Efficient Gasoline of Diesel Car of the Year

• Mazda3

2014 Canadian Fuel-Efficient Three-Row Family Car of the Year

• Mazda5

_{Source : Green Living Show}

From GMM

Daniel Ricciardo has proved his doubters wrong -- even those who wear a Red Bull uniform.

That is the claim of Dr Helmut Marko, the force behind the energy drink company's driver development programme that produced world champion Sebastian Vettel.

But the programme, described by some as brutal, has also discarded its fair share of talents, including Jaime Alguersuari who was dropped at just the age of 21.

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, in China. (Photo: WRi2)

The latest F1 graduates, however, are faring well so far in 2014, including the Russian teen Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso, and Vettel's new teammate at the senior team, Australian Ricciardo.

"We were absolutely right to take him (Ricciardo)," Austrian Marko told Germany's Auto Bild, referring to suggestions the top team should have signed someone like Kimi Raikkonen.

"Those in the team who were against him (Ricciardo joining) are now silent," he added.

Indeed, at present, Daniel Ricciardo is even showing up the reigning quadruple title winner Vettel in the 2014-spec RB10.

Marko says Ricciardo confirms the Red Bull "philosophy, to give young drivers a chance to show their potential to win".

"He has shown that he can keep up with Sebastian, even under extreme pressure and difficult conditions," he said.

As well as more than 'keep up' with Vettel, Ricciardo has also improved the atmosphere inside the team, said Marko, whose relationship with Mark Webber was never good.

"The mood in the team is much better now. There is cohesion between the drivers and no more two directions," he said.

Mark Webber also seems to be enjoying his new life after his seven years with Red Bull, finishing on the podium at a wet Silverstone last weekend in his world endurance debut in the Porsche prototype.

"Always tastes good," the 37-year-old said as he 'tweeted' a photo of himself in his new white overalls drinking from the champagne bottle.

Mark Webber on the podium with Porsche at Silverstone. (Photo: Mark Webber.com)

Mercury Marine in Wisconsin has inaugurated a museum to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Among the classic engines, snowmobiles and personal watercraft is a 1990 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1.

The car houses an all-aluminum 5.7L LT-5 V8 engine that was originally rated at 375 horsepower and broke three endurance records in 1991. Two years later, output was increased to 405 horsepower.

A colour-matched 24' Baja boat also uses this engine, while its trailer rides on Corvette wheels. Can you say ''Wette Vette?''

Production of the Mercury LT-5 stopped in 1994.

Source : mercurymarine.com

Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO and one of the wealthiest U.S. entrepreneurs, saw his take home pay from the automaker plunge by more than 99.9 percent last year after a surge in his 2012 stock options.

GM is facing five different government probes in connection with its recent recalls, the automaker said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

Honda will join the 2014 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb as a sponsor and a competitor, the company said on Thursday.

Auto sales are on pace to rise 9 percent in April from a year ago, as warmer weather coaxes out more shoppers who stayed home during the unusually harsh winter, according to two forecasts released today.

New York state regulators Wednesday sued Condor Capital Corp., a subprime auto lender in Hauppauge, N.Y., which they accused of withholding refunds that should have been paid to customers.

Nissan is experimenting with a 'self-cleaning' car that uses a new coating technology to help repel rain, oil and grime.

Nissan is experimenting with a 'self-cleaning' car that uses a new coating technology to help repel rain, oil and grime.