Auto News 5

General Motors' first redesigned full-sized pickups in seven years have come dangerously close to being labeled flops since their launch last summer.

Longtime general manager Ryan Kirkpatrick had saved for years to buy a dealership only to discover a cold truth: Store values have risen so much, few managers can afford to buy.

In 14 months, a General Motors engineer went from telling colleagues that improving the Chevrolet Cobalt's ignition switch was "close to impossible" to signing off on the very fix he had shot down, documents show.

AutoNation Inc. and other dealers are worried about more than the rising cost of leads from third-party car-shopping sites. They see other signs that the sites want to encroach on their turf.

Jeep will double global sales by 2018 with strong growth in South America and China under Fiat Chrysler's five-year product and business plan, sources said.

The past three decades have seen a transformation of Japan's Big 3 from importers of Japan-built vehicles to powerful U.S.

If Mark Fields is going to fill Alan Mulally's shoes at Ford Motor Co., he can't allow the bad mojo Mulally banished from the culture to creep back in.

General Motors plans to shorten its customer satisfaction survey and ask shoppers to give dealers online-ready ratings and reviews, said two sources familiar with the program.

Some green-vehicle technologies that looked like sure bets for the second half of this decade are lagging. And some technologies that seemed like long shots seven model years ago have become viable.

A top Kia Motors Corp. executive doused designer Peter Schreyer's dreams for a sporty roadster, saying it wouldn't adequately build the brand or boost profits.

Car design is at a crossroads. There is more diversity in form language today than ever before as each company defines its own expression.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne wants the Jeep brand to double its global sales to more than 1.5 million vehicles by 2018, sources said. Marchionne sees the brand as one of Fiat Chrysler's main pillars of growth.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view.

When GM decided to pull Chevrolet from Europe, it saddled its Korean unit with 150,000 units of excess capacity. GM Korea is now eyeing new markets such as Australia as substitutes for lost European sales.

Fourteen of Europe's most talented young automotive executives have been chosen as Rising Stars by Automotive News Europe. The 2014 winners will honored in Brussels on June 3.

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel his renewed his attack on F1's 'new' face, after he was rebuked by the FIA for earlier calling the mild sound of the V6 engines "sh*t".

Now with more refined comments, the reigning quadruple world champion does not hide his obvious disdain for the sport's new configuration.

"We are a sport that is famous for being loud and dangerous," Red Bull driver Vettel told the German newsmagazine Focus.

"We run the risk of losing the essence of motor sports," he charged.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB10, in China. (Photo: WRi2)

When asked about the new, quiet and V6-powered engines, Vettel responded: "I would prefer a V10 or V12 with 1000 horse power -- lots of power.

"I would like to drive cars that are as fast as they can be -- I need to feel as though I am taming a dragon or a beast," he explained.

"Compared to last season, this impression has diminished an awful lot," said Vettel, who has struggled in 2014 alongside his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

"The car does not know what I want. Under braking and in the corners I have an absolute lack of confidence," explained the 26-year-old, referring to the Adrian Newey-penned new RB10 and his troubles at the wheel.

From GMM

Nico Rosberg is sounding far from defeated ahead of the Spanish grand prix.

The German, although still leading the drivers' world championship by a few points, has seen his teammate Lewis Hamilton win the last three races on the trot.

But far from expecting to fall in line behind the Briton when the battle resumes in Barcelona, Rosberg on Monday told German television RTL his plan for Spain is "full attack".

"To know I have the fastest car to drive is so inspiring," said the 28-year-old.

Nico Rosberg said the goal for Barcelona is not to hold Hamilton off but to "extend the championship lead", which will almost certainly require him to beat his on-form teammate on the track.

He won in Australia when Hamilton retired, but in Malaysia, Bahrain and China, Rosberg saw the other Silver Arrows with the upper hand.

Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05, in Australia. (Photo: WRi2)

Bahrain, however, was a true and rare wheel-to-wheel battle, with Rosberg claiming that when all was well with the two Brackley-built cars in 2014, the Mercedes pecking order is "undecided".

"I was better in the dry, him in the rain," said Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton has also hogged the qualifying limelight so far this year, but last year at the Circuit de Catalunya, it was Rosberg on pole ahead of the 2008 world champion.

Now, "pole position will be very important for the battle with Lewis" this weekend, said a feisty Rosberg ahead of the 2014 Spanish race.

Hamilton and Rosberg's relationship dates right back to their boyhoods, but suddenly the prize is the biggest one in the entire world of motor sport -- the F1 title.

Nico Rosberg admits that is making their personal relationship "a bit harder" than in the past.

"But luckily we have experienced it all before, even right back to karting," he said.

From press release

The 2014 championship turned a page at the Hungaroring with Citroën being beaten for the first time of the season.

While Yvan Muller scored another win in the first race, Gianni Morbidelli chalked up his first-ever WTCC win when he dominated the second race in his Münnich Motorsport Chevrolet RML Cruze.


The Citroën team still scored a 1-2 victory in Race 1, with Yvan Muller finishing ahead of José María López and Honda's Tiago Monteiro. In the second race Morbidelli led the proceedings from start till finish, though Monteiro was never more than half a second away from the Chevrolet's rear bumper.



The effect of the Citroën cars being weighed down by 60 kilograms of compensation weight showed especially in Race 2, where the first C-Elysée finished an atypical fifth. Though the Hungaroring is known for being hard to overtake on, the performance of the Chevrolet and Honda cars showed that the French 'armada' is no longer invincible, as Tom Coronel proved by keeping Muller and López at bay for the entire race to score a well-deserved fourth place.


Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb had his worst WTCC weekend so far this year as a botched start in Race 1 dropped him from third on the grid to seventh at the end of the first lap, behind all four Honda drivers.


Local hero, Norbert Michelisz, had an unfortunate qualifying session on Saturday which saw him outside the top ten when a suspension part broke on his hot lap. The Hungarian still salvaged a sixth place in the first race and a tenth in the second, cheered on by a huge partisan crowd that flocked to the circuit in spite of bad weather; official attendance was 58,000 over the two days. 


Start of Race 2 at the Hungaroring. (Photo: FIA WTCC)

In the world championship standings, López still leads with 115 points, but team-mate Muller is now within ten points of the Argentine. 


The championship will resume next week at the Slovakia Ring, on May 11 for rounds 7 and 8.

From NASCAR

NASCAR announced today it has reached a seven-year agreement with Camping World to remain the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 2022.

The new deal ensures that Camping World will own exclusive rights as title sponsor for a total of 14-consecutive years, equaling the longest entitlement sponsorship in the history of the national series, which is celebrating its 20th season.

The renewed partnership aligns two brands in the midst of significant growth.

Camping, NASCAR style. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

According to a press release, since originally becoming series entitlement sponsor in 2009, Camping World has expanded its number of stores by 35 percent, resulting in the company eclipsing $3 billion in annual revenue.

NASCAR fans are outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy a variety of activities. According to Experian Consumer Research, NASCAR fans are 40 percent more likely than non-fans to go camping. When it comes to camping gear, NASCAR fans are at least 50 percent more likely than non-fans to have tents, lanterns, and other camping equipment.

Camping, NASCAR style. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)

From GMM

Even with $14 million in his hand, reigning GP2 champion Fabio Leimer could not buy his way into formula one.

The 25-year-old Swiss, who will instead race sports cars in 2014, was healthily backed by his wealthy long-time sponsor Rainer Gantenbein.

The veteran correspondent for Blick newspaper, Roger Benoit, claims Gantenbein offered Sauber almost $14 million in exchange for one of the Hinwil based team's race seats this year.

But Leimer has reportedly told some insiders that Sauber's counter-proposal was no less than $28 million -- slightly less than what Esteban Gutierrez's Mexican backers pay.

Fabio Leimer, 2013 GP2 Champion. (Photo: GP2 Series)

Instead, Sauber signed the experienced Adrian Sutil to be Gutierrez's new teammate.

But Benoit claims that Sutil's seat for 2015 is in doubt.

He said reserve driver Giedo Van der Garde and his Dutch sponsors are promising "many millions" to Sauber for a race seat next year.

A sign the 29-year-old Van der Garde may even have a "preliminary agreement" with Sauber is the fact that not only will he be in action on Friday morning in Barcelona, but also during the post-race test at the same Spanish grand prix venue.