Auto News 5

News 21 May, 2014

Latest Mercedes C-Class Estate more luxurious and practical than ever, and wide engine range includes two hybrids

Pictures See all 12 pictures 21 May, 2014

What is it?

-- Fancy a spot of cargo capacity in the BMW i8, the Citroën SM of our generation? Well, only the finest luggage for sirrah, n'est-ce pas? Louis Vuitton, which would like to remind you that it still makes luggage as Monsieur Vuitton intended...

Few men were more instrumental in Ferrari's history in America than John von Neumann -- importer, businessman, race-car driver, "the pillar of California sports-car racing," who

About a month ago, we found some screenshots and .pdfs of the ordering guide for the 2015 Ford Mustang. The only thing we didn't know was the price.

News 21 May, 2014

Mercedes reveals a new teaser image and video of the upcoming AMG GT supercar ahead of an official reveal later this year

Toyota defended its title as the world's most valuable car brand. BMW was No. 2 while Ford made the biggest improvement, leaping past VW brand and Nissan into the top five, according to a study.

Toyota has developed a new semiconductor it says can boost fuel efficiency in hybrid cars such as the Prius by up to 10 percent.

France's Bollore Group is setting up a car-sharing program for electric vehicles in the United States. The company already offers similar services at home and says it will launch car-sharing in London this year.

Peugeot has high hopes for the new 308 SW despite many customers deserting compact station wagons for SUV-styled crossovers.

The 98th running of the prestigious 500 Miles of Indianapolis will be run this weekend on the 2.5-mile Brickyard. Here are 9 fascinating things and fun statistics to know about this race.

1
Most victories by a driver: 4 by A.J. Foyt (1961, 64, 67, 77), Al Unser (1970-71, 78, 87), Rick Mears (1979, 84, 88, 91)

Al Unser. (Photo: IMS)

2
Longest span between first and last victory: 17 years for Al Unser (1970 to 1987)

3
Youngest winner was Troy Ruttman (1952) at 22 years, 80 days old
The oldest winner was Al Unser (1987) at 47 years, 360 days old

Troy Ruttman. (Photo: IMS)

4
Largest margin of victory was 13 minutes, 8.40 seconds - Jules Goux over Spencer Wishart in 1913. The closest margin of victory was 0.043 of a second - Al Unser Jr. over Scott Goodyear in 1992.

Al Unser beats Scott Goodyear by just 0.043 second. (Photo: IMS)

5
Most Indy laps led in career: 644 by Al Unser

6
Most laps led without winning in his career: 431 by Michael Andretti

7
Most lead changes, single race: 68 in 2013; fewest lead changes, single race: 1 in 1930

8
Most consecutive laps/miles in career: Scott Dixon, 1,366 laps or 3,415 miles

9
Largest family at Indy: the Andrettis with 5 members
Mario Andretti (1965-78, 80-94) Father
Michael Andretti (1984-92, 94-95, 01-03, 06-07) Son of Mario
Marco Andretti (2006-13) Son of Michael
Jeff Andretti (1991-93) Son of Mario
John Andretti (1988-94, 2007-11) Nephew of Mario

Monaco is the slowest Formula 1 circuit of the season. Rivals say that such a twisty track might just neutralise the Mercedes W05s perceived advantage of very high top speed.

Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari arrive firmly believing that Monaco will offset their poor top speed, and the cornering ability of the Renault-powered RB10 car has long been recognised as standard setting by trackside observers.

"Monaco is one of my favourite tracks, it's an absolute challenge," admits Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

"You cannot afford to make one single mistake, because you would easily crash into the railings. Overtaking is only possible with taking an extreme risk. The best place to overtake is before the harbour chicane when we exit the narrow tunnel at 300 km/h and race towards the first-gear chicane”, vettel explained.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso also hopes that Mercedes AMG could be vulnerable here, and that Red Bull will challenge strongly.

"I think Monte Carlo will be one of the few possibilities to challenge Mercedes, especially for Red Bull," Alonso said.

"In the corners they [Red Bull] are very fast but on the straights they seem to lose a lot of lap time. In Monte Carlo there are no straights so Red Bull could challenge Mercedes."

He also stresses that Ferrari is not aiming merely for a podium finish here. "It's true the world championship is in their [Mercedes'] hands. They have a big advantage, but I think it's not any different to any sport, or any racing over the years - we can fight. We need to have a strong weekend and get some good points,” Alonso declared.

The first free practice session will begin at 10am, local time, Thursday morning.

Team Williams' new head of vehicle performance, Briton Rob Smedley is confidant his protégé, Felipe Massa will be in stronger shape at this weekend's Monaco GP.

The engineer made that comment following the results of the recent Barcelona test.

Massa drove the Mercedes-powered Williams FW36 last Tuesday, and Smedley says both Williams and the veteran driver himself are pleased with the improvements made.

Smedley led the recent post-race technical debriefings.

Rob Smedley and Felipe Massa, Williams Martini Racing. (Photo: WRi2)

"My approach is to always go through and look at every single detail even if that wastes a little bit of time going down certain avenues,” he said.

"So, we have come up with some very, very good analysis in a very short space of time. Luckily there was the test after the race in Barcelona so we were able to test some things could there, which worked. That just gives us all a great deal of confidence in our analysis methods and then going to test those methods in the track, it gives Felipe confidence that 'I had a problem in the last two races, the guys have got stuck in and they've come out with a bunch of things, we've tested that all in Spain and it's all worked',” the engineer explained.

"So he's confident going into Monaco, we're confident in him and I'm certainly happy with that round of work,” Smedley concluded.

The Sports Authority of Thailand and the organisers of the Race Of Champions have been unable to find a new date for the 2013 event, originally scheduled to take place on December 14-15.

This is due to date clashes with the 2014 motor sport calendars and the ongoing political situation in Bangkok, where martial law was imposed yesterday.

The Race Of Champions has been held all over the world for 25 consecutive years, including a successful ROC 2012 in Bangkok, and we hope to return to the Thai capital city to repeat that success at a future event.

News about ROC 2014 will be announced in the near future.

Canadian rally driver 'Crazy Leo' Urlichich this season is competing in the FIA World Rally Championship, running in the new Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy.

Urlichich started the season by contesting the Rally de Portugal in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta R2 alongside his new co-driver, Andrew Roughead.

However, for personal reasons Roughead is no longer able to continue co-driving the Canadian.

'Crazy Leo' Urlichich at Rally de Portugal. (Photo: 'Crazy Leo' Facebook)

“We've done my first World Rally Championship event earlier this year with Andrew Roughead, and it was awesome. There are no problems between Andrew and me, but Andrew had some major changes in his personal life in the last month”, ‘Crazy' Leo explained.

“Andrew is a great co-driver, and I'd love to have him back in the car, but he can't commit to any rallies outside of the United Kingdom (and close to his home) at this point,” he added.

Urlichich's next WRC event is the Rally Poland, scheduled June 26-29. That leaves little time for ‘Crazy' Leo to find a new co-driver.

Experienced co-drivers who are interested in running WRC events and who are available this year should send their resume to Leo at: me@crazyleo.net.

From press release

Hyundai Motorsport announced May 21 the appointment of renowned Italian motorsport specialist Nino Frison as the company's Technical Director with immediate effect.

Frison will be based at Hyundai Motorsport's factory in Alzenau, from where he will head up the various engineering departments (chassis, engine and design).

He will report to Team Principal Michel Nandan and be responsible for the continuous development of the Hyundai i20 WRC car.

Frison has a wealth of experience dating back over thirty years during which he has become one of the most trusted technical and management advisors in international motorsport. His experience covers all forms of racing from single seaters, including numerous leading roles within Formula 1 teams, to the pinnacle of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

Hyundai Motorsport inaugurates new engine dyno facilities at Alzenau

Hyundai Motorsport has recently inaugurated a new engine test bench (dyno) at its factory in Alzenau in a bid to accelerate its engine development and testing processes.

The dyno will give the team more freedom to conduct ongoing development and analysis of its 1.6 litre turbocharged engine in-house, while simulating the diverse range of conditions that the team will have to face in the competitive WRC environment.

Nino Frison. (Photo: Hyundai Motorsport)

Waterton Lakes National Park, AB -- The heavy-duty pickups from General Motors are just the ticket for those who use their pickups to work, providing towing and payload capability on par with the F-250/350 and RAM 2500/3500. However, the Chevrolet Silverado also gives those blue-collar working folk a nice place to relax between job sites.

To find out everything there is to know about General Motors' updated 2500 and 3500 series Silverado, they sent us to Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park to tow and haul some stuff around. You know, as if we were doing real work.


What is the Chevrolet Silverado HD?
The Chevrolet Silverado HD is the less expensive of two offerings from General Motors -- the other being the GMC Sierra HD -- with a choice of two engines and three cab configurations.

The Silverado HD is offered in 2500 and 3500 series, with either a single rear axle or dually configuration, and a multitude of trims. A new top-level trim, High Country, will be available later in the year.

2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD Price and Specs
As with any heavy-duty pickup, the options sheet for the Silverado HD is longer than 12-foot 2x4 lumber, and pricing varies accordingly.

Two engines are available on the Silverado HD: a 6.0L gasoline-burning Vortec V8 (those hoping for the new 6.2L EcoTec3 V8 will be disappointed) or a 6.6L Duramax turbodiesel V8.

The 6.0L develops 360 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque in 2500 models, while 3500 models make do with 322 hp. This engine is E85 FlexFuel capable and has the option of factory-approved CNG fitment.

However, the diesel is where big work gets done. With 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque on tap, those hauling heavy loads on a regular basis will want to shell out the extra $9,670 for the oil burner. The available Allison 1000 transmission adds an additional $1,445.

Three different cab configurations (Regular, Double, and Crew) are also available, as are three different box setups: Short, Long, and Chassis cab.

At the low end, the Silverado 2500 HD 2WD Regular Cab, equipped with long box and in base trim, starts at $37,290. Those with a bit more money to burn can shell out $60,055 for the Silverado 3500 HD Dually 4WD Crew Cab, equipped with a long box in LTZ trim. That's before any additional options, which can easily nudge these trucks into the $80k range, especially once the new High Country trim is introduced.

Driving the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD
As we left our first coffee stop on the trip, we switched from our first vehicle -- a GMC Sierra HD Denali -- to a Silverado HD LTZ carrying a massive bail of hay in the box. Except when looking in the rearview mirror and seeing nothing but bound-up foliage, I completely forgot the payload was present.

Our trip down to Waterton Lakes National Park was easy, stopping at Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump along the way. Except for the decidedly heavy-duty diesel sounds emanating from the 6.6L Duramax, the Silverado HD drove much like its 1500 series light-duty counterpart: smooth, comfortable, and incredibly quiet.

Thanks to enhanced aerodynamics and new inlaid doors, the Silverado HD is much more silent inside than its predecessor. The quietness is even more evident in the gas-engine equipped Silverado HD, which could double as an incredibly luxurious highway cruiser with the right options.

The day after our Waterton Lakes visit, our activities took us to Bar-U Ranch where General Motors laid out a comparison test between mechanically similar Ford Super Duty and RAM Heavy Duty models.

With the same trailer and load, the GM offering easily spanked the RAM on uphill climbs. The Ford was able to keep up until about 90 km/h and then slowly fell back.

Inside and Out of the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD
While the frame remains relatively the same in GM's new big-boy toys, exterior and interior designs are all-new and highlight some fantastic features.

Outside, the Silverado HD now offers a rear bumper step (again, much like its little brother) for easy bed access without having to deploy a “man step.”

Cabs have changed significantly as well, now offering a front-hinged rear door on double cab models. The interior environment is greatly improved, easily putting the GM trucks at the front of the pack of heavy-duty offerings from the Big 3.

A best-in-class interior is not an easy accomplishment. Supportive, comfortable seats are a good start, as is the new-generation Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system with the ability to pair up to 10 Bluetooth devices. However, the materials and switch gear really sets the Silverado apart from the pack.

Gone are button blanks -- those spots where push-button options could be but aren't -- replaced with a toggle-switch bar at the bottom of the centre stack with switches that vary in length depending on the number of options equipped. And, to top it all off, everything is easy to use with a pair of thick work gloves.

Up front, the Silverado HD receives the same corporate facelift as the light-duty truck, with lots of chrome and a split going through the headlights. Even with this bolder, chunkier look, the Silverado has improved aerodynamics to keep everything quiet and route much cooler air to the powerplant under-hood.

Overall, and even with the carryover frame, the Silverado HD is a product worth serious consideration in the class. As heavy-duty haulers go, you can't get any better -- at least not until the next-generation trucks come along from Ford and RAM.

Comparing the 2015 Chevrolet Silverado HD
There are only four choices in the heavy-duty segment in Canada, with General Motors providing half of them. The Silverado and Sierra HD models, available in both 2500 and 3500 series, compete for construction jobs with the Ford F-250/F-350 and RAM 2500/3500.

From press release

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour will open another season of stock car racing this Saturday, May 24 at Scotia Speedworld with the Harry Poole Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil.

The season opener will launch the 12-race schedule that will take the Tour to five Maritime markets over the next 17 weeks.

Approximately thirty of the best teams from across the region are expected to battle for a spot in Saturday's main feature. Qualifying for the Harry Poole Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil gets underway at 3:10 pm with racing slated for 4:00 pm. Grandstands gates open at 1:00 pm.

Saturday's season opener will be run in honour of Harry Poole, one of the original builders and owners of the Pro Stock Tour and Scotia Speedworld.

John Flemming (Halifax, NS) won the season opener last year en route to his fourth series championship (2002 '03, '06, '13).

Two fellow multi-time series champions are also expected in the field on Saturday; Shawn Tucker, (Fredericton, NB) a three-time series champion, (2004, '07, '10) and Shawn Turple (Enfield, NS) who has won two of the Tour's prestigious tiles (2010, '12).

These veterans will have their hands full as an ambitious and talented field of drivers will be looking to take home the first checkered flag of the season.

Sarah McKay (Quispamsis, NB) will debut as the first female to pilot a car on the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour. When the green flag flies this Saturday, McKay will become the first lady of racing in the Maritimes. McKay has a solid track record, a standout in karts; McKay moved to the competitive Sportsman division at Speedway 660 in 2013 and won the Rookie of the Year Award in the class.

After competing at Speedway Miramichi and Petty Raceway to complement her Speedway 660 schedule and showing quick promise in a full bodied Late Model, the team made the call to run full-time on the Tour in 2014.

The Maritime League of Legends will kick off their 2014 campaign with a 50-lap feature prior to the Harry Poole Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil.

Admission for Saturday's season opener is $25 for adults; $5 for youth; pit admission is $30. Children 7 and under are admitted for free. Tickets will be available at the gates on race day (Cash Only).

Sunday May 25th will launch the 2014 season for Scotia Speedworld's Weekly Racing Series, racing starts at 2:00 pm on Sunday.

EXPECTED ENTRY LIST - Harry Poole Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil
No.0 - Shawn Turple - Enfield, NS
No.5 - Jonathan Hicken - Brudenell, PE
No.8 - Kent Vincent - Westmoreland, PE
No.11 - Marty Prevost - Fall River, NS
No.14 - Terry Dougay - Albany, PE
No.18 - Darren MacKinnon - Charlottetown, PE
No.20 - Greg Fahey - St. Stephen, NB
No.21 - Shawn Pierce - Bridgewater, NS
No.24 - Steve Ross - Waverly, NS
No.29 - Greg Proude - Springvale, PE
No.31 - Colby Smith - Cape Sable Island, NS
No.32 - Sarah McKay - Quispamsis, NB
No.37 - Cy Harvey - Elmsdale, NS
No.51 - Vance Hanes - Kennetcook, NS
No.52 - Shawn Tucker - Fredericton, NB
No.53 - Cole Butcher - Porter's Lake, NS
No.66 - Daryl Mahar - Hubley, NS
No.67 - Dylan Blenkhorn - Truro, NS
No.72 - Brad Eddy - Lower Sackville, NS
No.87 - Matt Harris - Fredericton Junction, NB
No.88 - George Koszkulics - New Glasgow, NS
No.89 - Donald Chisholm - Antigonish, NS
No.91 - Dylan Gosbee - Cornwall, PE
No.97 - John Flemming - Halifax, NS
No.98 - Jerome Kehoe - Sydney, NS
No.99 - Craig Slaunwhite - Terence Bay, NS

*Entry list subject to change without notice

Yet another day with another recall announced by General Motors. This time, 218,000 Chevrolet Aveo models from 2004-2008 are targeted due to a potential fire hazard.

The problem stems from a faulty part in their daytime running lights that could overheat and cause a fire. GM has yet to report any related incidents.

That pushes to nearly 16 million the number of vehicles recalled by GM since the start of 2014.

Last week, the automaker was also hit with a $35 million fine for not recalling certain vehicles in a timely manner.

Source : auto.lapresse.ca