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Renault led a 6 percent gain in French new-car sales in April as the European auto market recovery took a firmer hold in the region's third-biggest market.

Daimler's supervisory board has chosen Michael Brecht as its deputy chairman replacing Erich Klemm, in a move that may smooth management-labor relations at the automaker.

The test facility at Germany's ADAC automotive club near Munich is one of only a handful of test centers in Europe accredited by EuroNCAP to assess the safety of passenger cars.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine goes live on Monday, May 5.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne faces a tough task in turning around the automaker's operations in Europe, analysts say, after losing 2.15 billion euros in the region in the past three years.

PSA expects sales of its Peugeot brand in China to rise at more than twice the rate of the market this year, pushing China pass France as the automaker's largest single market.

Jaguar Land Rover is sharing its knowledge of assembling aluminum-bodied cars with rivals including Audi and Mercedes as the automaker seeks to cut production costs through the introduction of industry standards for manufacturing aluminum vehicles.

California and more made news this week. See what you remember by taking our quiz.

British driver Lewis Hamilton looks forward to next week's Grand Prix of Spain as he hopes to score his maiden win in this country.

The 2008 F1 World Champions has scored three consecutive wins so far this season in his Mercedes W05.

Hamilton failed to score point only in the season-opener in Australia after he suffered an engine problem early in the race.

Hamilton has failed to win the Spanish Grand Prix in his seven previous appearances.

"It's been good to have a bit of a break between races: for us as drivers and also for the team who have been working flat out for so many weeks," Hamilton declared.

"After three great weekends in Malaysia, Bahrain and China I'm obviously keen to get on to the next one and continue that positive momentum into the next leg of the season. Barcelona is a great place to have the first European round on the calendar. It's a circuit we all know very well - although this is the first time in my F1 career that I have raced there without testing at the circuit during the winter,” Hamilton added.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

“Aside from being the first European race of the season, Barcelona is classically seen as the first big milestone for upgrades from the teams and we can expect to see quite a range of developments throughout the pit lane,” Paddy Lowe, executive director at Mercedes AMG said.

“The circuit itself is highly demanding on the cars: arguably requiring the best combination of power, handling and aerodynamics seen during the entire season. It's often said that a car which performs well in Barcelona will be a great car for the season, so we're looking forward to seeing where we stand relative to the competition”, Paddy Lowe explained.

Heavy downpour in the city of Baltimore has led to one street collapsing on Thursday. Several vehicles were swallowed by the landslide, but fortunately no one was injured.

The amateur video below is quite scary.

Of course, this reminds us of the eight classic Corvettes that fell into a sinkhole under the Kentucky museum where they were on display.

Source : lemonde.fr

From GMM

A meeting in London on Thursday eased the threat of a head-on collision between F1's big and small teams, according to reports.

Together with Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt, bosses of the 11 teams met at Ecclestone's facility at the Biggin Hill airport.

The meeting was called after the six most powerful teams - Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, Lotus and Williams - vetoed Todt's plans to introduce a mandatory budget cap from 2015.

The remaining teams, F1's smallest and least successful outfits Sauber, Sahara Force India, Marussia and Caterham, hit back angrily with a letter to Todt alleging that the vetoing 'Strategy Group' may be a breach of Europe's competition laws.

Indeed, the European Commission subsequently confirmed that it is "monitoring" the situation.

The big teams have responded to the crisis by backing instead a range of cost-cutting proposals to the technical and sporting regulations.

International media sources have said the proposals include the extension of paddock curfews, the banning of tire warmers, and from 2016 and 2017 measures like standardised components, FIA-homologated active suspension, and 18-inch tyre dimensions.

The German news agency DPA claims that, following Thursday's meeting, a "solution" to the divisive issue of urgent cost-cutting now "seems more open".

The report said the small teams intend to respond to the rule change proposals "within the next two weeks".

London's Times newspaper agreed that the threat of a European investigation had eased the crisis between the rebelling small teams and their powerful rivals.

"Todt and the teams are said by insiders to have been rattled by the EU interest and were propelled towards finding a rapid solution," wrote correspondent Kevin Eason.

He added that FIA president Todt "promised to address serious grievances over costs", and vowed to "revive an investigation into the possibility of a team 'cost cap'".

"No one wants to hear that the EU is taking an interest," said a source. "There is the realisation that we have to level the playing field and get costs under control quickly."

“Grace, Space & Pace” has been Jaguar's slogan forever, and I'm pleased to announce that the 2014 XJL 3.0L V6 fits this like a well-worn driver's mitt. It is the quintessential class ride for those who enjoy the experience of piloting a well-designed luxury performance machine.


What is a Jaguar XJL?
Jaguar's flagship XJ nameplate has been around since the late ‘60s. Although the model has been through several reincarnations, it somewhat maintained the traditional appearance of its forefathers. However, the current Jaguar XJ series, launched in 2009 (2010 MY), changed all this. The new XJ series was set to follow the trail laid out by its midrange sibling, the Jaguar XF (launched in 2007). It was a dramatically modern design for the XJ, specifically aimed at a new breed of Jaguar buyer. This was a huge gamble in many ways, but has since proven itself a smart move by the company.

Since then, Jaguar has invested heavily in updating the model year upon year, and now with AWD added to the mix the Jaguar XJ is well positioned to take on all.

2014 Jaguar XJL Price & Specs
Our tester started out at $96,490. Of course, add in the Premium Rear Executive package, a fantastic 825W Meridian sound system, plus one or two other niceties and it topped out at $113,440. That's a fair chunk of money, even if you say it fast. However, the Jaguar XJL 3.0L V6 AWD is a lot of car and, when compared to others in its class, it's not difficult to find value in the Jaguar.

Fuel economy: 13.2L/100kms (City) / 8.1L/100kms (Hwy)

Fuel tank capacity: 82 litres

Driving the 2014 Jaguar XJL
At first glance, the XJL appears to be a rather large automobile. Take a second look and it still appears large, especially for a vehicle with a 3.0L V6 under its hood. However, this is the “L” (Long Wheelbase) version and Jaguar has seldom been known to under-power its offerings.

A quick tap of the start button, made famous by Jaguar products of the ‘60s, awakens the sleeping beast. However, its quiet cabin muffles the sound of the engine to the point where one's tempted to hit the button again. Then suddenly, the now familiar rotary dial gear selector gracefully rises up from the centre console and, with a quick twist of the wrist, the cat is placed in prowl mode.

The XJL may be powered by a humble 3.0L V6, but supercharging this to 340 hp certainly has its benefits. With all four wheels clawing at the tarmac, this floating palace goes from 0-100km/hr in just 6.2 seconds. Much of this is down to the fact that the 2014 Jaguar XJL boasts a curb weight of just 1,883kg thanks to its rigid, but lightweight aluminum construction.

Yes, a sizable vehicle, yet it certainly doesn't feel so at times. The handling characteristics of the XJL are simply superb. It takes the twists & turns like a vehicle half its size, yet becomes a stately cruiser on the highway. Jaguars have always been famous for this split personality. However, drivers need to pay close attention to the speedometer if they value their license as the combined smoothness/acceleration is way beyond posted limits!

Jaguar knows a thing or two about brakes. After all, the company was the first to fit disc brakes to a production vehicle. Apparently, they haven't forgotten this as the brakes on the 2014 Jaguar XJL are some of the best around. Smooth in operation, yet powerful when required.

Inside & Out of the 2014 Jaguar XJL
It's no secret that I like Jaguar products. Until a decade or so ago, I worked on them daily, although much of this was due to the fact that a Jag tech could make decent money fixing all the issues that came with Jaguar ownership. Those days are long gone -- or so I'm told by colleagues still in the trade. Apparently, it's a completely different Jaguar world today.

Yes, although it still is one of the biggest secrets in the industry, Jaguars of today are much more reliable than the models I worked on. They're also much better equipped, which is obvious the moment you slide inside one. An 8” touchscreen dominates the sculpted centre dash and owners enjoy complete voice-activated control of audio, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth systems. For the rear-seat passengers, there are individual screens which rival the size of a laptop computer, and we even see the return of picnic tables (work stations as they're now called). Jolly nice, indeed!

However, my test vehicle came fitted with some sort of carbon-fibre interior trim that is a little like painting a Mohican haircut on the Mona Lisa and saying how you've improved her looks. Sorry, but this is not for me, as I still view finely polished wood veneers as the perfect partner to scrumptious leather. Call me old school if you like, but there are limits and fancy-named plastics simply cross the line.

Comparing the 2014 Jaguar XJL 3.0L AWD
With every brand attempting to play in the high-end luxury market today, there's more competition in this arena than you can shake a stick at. However, being old school and knowing this market reasonably well, I still feel Jaguar's only true competition comes from its European playmates (Mercedes-Benz/BMW/Audi/Porsche).

An airbag issue is forcing Honda Canada to recall 1,501 units of 2014 model-year Odyssey vehicles.

During assembly of the electrical coupler for the passenger side curtain airbag, the shorting terminal, which is used to prevent deployment of the airbag before it is assembled into the vehicle, may have been damaged. A damaged shorting terminal may cause the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) indicator to illuminate as well as prohibit the side curtain airbag from deploying during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

All affected owners are urged to take their Odyssey to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. The repairs will be made free of charge.

Source : Honda Canada

Briton Nigel Stepney, the former Lotus and Ferrari chief mechanic, has been tragically killed in a road accident Friday norming, May 2nd.

Stepney is very well known for having been the pivotal man in the infamous 2007 McLaren-Ferrari “spygate” scandal.

Stepney -- who was working for Ferrari -- was found guilty of espionage and sabotage after he provided McLaren man Mike Coughlan nearly 800-pages of secret Ferrari material.

The scandal culminated in McLaren being fined US $100 million by the FIA, then under the presidency of Max Mosley.

The Briton worked in F1 for teams Shadow, Lotus, Benetton and Ferrari before he was banned from F1, later joining JRM in endurance racing.

Stepney, 56, was involved in a road traffic accident on the M20 Londonbound carriageway at Ashford, Kent in the early hours of Friday morning.

A statement from the Kent police said that investigations were underway as to the cause of the incident.

Nigel Stepney (Photo: WRI2)

From IMSA

Ahead of this weekend's Tudor United SportsCar Championship round at Laguna Seca Raceway, California, IMSA has announced that teams running the Daytona Prototype (DP) cars of Class P will all face a reduction in horsepower.

With Class P allowing the use of DPs, P2 and Deltawing cars, IMSA officials are continuing to strive for an equitable balance of performance between them.

With the first three races of the season being won by DP cars, some critics have been particularly Daytona vocal at the results.

As a result, the IMSA has announced that the Chevrolet Corvette DPs will now run with a one-millimeter smaller air restrictor to help stunt performance. Ford EcoBoost powered DPs will also run with a smaller restrictor, this time of 0.9mm reduction, in combination with a reduction in boost pressure.

The upshot of these revisions is a reduction of around 10 to 14 horsepower for the DP cars.

“We do have the lap times between DPs and P2s very close now,” explained Scot Elkins, vice president of competition and technical regulations, IMSA.

“To be making relatively small adjustments at this stage is something we feel good about. There is so much involved with winning a race. And there's only so much we can have an effect on [with regulations].”

The DTM will introduce a new Safety Car later this season: a BMW M4 Coupé based on the production model of the M4.

The M4 will make its debut at the race at the Nürburgring on August 17.

BMW M4 Coupé DTM Safety car. (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

The car will feature a completely new, 431-hp six-cylinder inline engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and high-rev characteristics generates a maximum torque of 550 newton metres over a wide range of speeds.

This allows the BMW M4 Coupé to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds.

The M4 Safety Car will use many BMW M Performance Parts.

BMW M4 Coupé DTM Safety car (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

Other modifications include the removal of the rear seats, the installation of a roll cage and Recaro racing seats with Schroth safety belts, LED lights on the front apron, a radio communication system, LED lights on the roof and a special livery. The modifications took about two months to complete.

BMW M4 Coupé DTM Safety car (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

BMW M4 Coupé DTM Safety car (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

BMW M4 Coupé DTM Safety car (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

From Formula1.com

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen were amongst a host of F1 drivers past and present who attended a memorial service at Imola in Italy on Thursday to mark the 20th anniversary of the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger.

In an emotional ceremony at Tamburello corner attended by thousands of fans and members of Senna's family, the Ferrari duo were joined by Marussia's Jules Bianchi and a number of former F1 drivers in paying their respects to the two racers who lost their lives over the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix weekend.

Photos of all the drivers. (Photo: Ferrari)

Jarno Trulli, Riccardo Patrese, Luca Badoer, Pierluigi Martini, Andrea de Cesaris, Gerhard Berger, Emmanuele Pirro and Ivan Capelli attended the event.

“The only positive thing to come out of the weekend that took Ayrton and Roland Ratzenberger away from us was that, from then on, safety in Formula One improved significantly,” said Alonso.

“In fact, we can say that inside our cars there is something of the legacy of Senna and Raztzenberger, because after that terrible 1994, nothing was ever the same again.”

Gerhard Berger, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari team manager Massimo Rivola. (Photo: Ferrari)

Raikkonen echoed his team mate's thoughts: “Senna was very important for Formula One, as a driver and a person and his death led to a rapid acceleration in the process of increasing the level of safety in our sport.

“That has avoided other tragedies from occurring. Unfortunately however, one cannot change the past, neither for Ayrton nor for Roland Ratzenberger. The only thing we can do is remember this champion, whose exploits defined the history of Formula 1 for a long time.”

After a disappointing start to the 2014 Formula 1 season, McLaren bosses have decided to implement some staff changes in the various technical departments.

The team's new director of racing, Eric Boullier, and its chief executive officer, Jonathan Neale, sat down and reviewed the organization of McLaren F1.

British magazine Autosport writes May 2nd that the restructure involves the hiring of two new aerodynamicists, including former Sauber man Tony Salter and Guillaume Cattelani from Lotus.

These two engineers will help McLaren in the period before aerodynamic chief Peter Prodromou (formerly with Red Bull Racing) comes on board next year, and while the legal uncertainty remains over Dan Fallows (also from Red Bull Racing).

Changes are also being implemented to the way the team operates, with the Woking-based team set to put into action better chains of commands and clearer lines of communication.

“Once we have this leadership in place with clear strategy, then we have to make sure the communication flow within the company is maybe a little simpler to make it faster and better in the end,” Boullier told Autosport.

“That will be key for me - the key point to drive this company back to success”, the French engineer added.

Photo: McLaren F1 Team

After four races in 2014, Derek Warwick thinks the new penalty points system is a success.

Regularly F1 race steward, Derek Warwick was one of the three-man in Bahrain, where Pastor Maldonado received three points, after he flipped over Esteban Gutierrez. This is the biggest punishment yet issued.

Since the beginning of the season, five drivers had penalty points on their super licence. Jules Bianchi (Marussia) is the only driver who has already been penalized two times in 2014.

Once a driver totalizes 12 points, he would be banned for the next grand prix.

"I think it is working," the former Arrows and Renault driver told Sky Sports News. "Maybe at the end of this year we might have to change a few things. Maybe the amount of penalty points for certain incidents - maybe some are too high, some are too low. (FIA Race Director) Charlie (Whiting)'s very good at looking at the end of the season and maybe changing that slightly."

Before this new process, drivers generally would be issued with a combination of reprimands and grid drops.

"If somebody gets enough penalty points and they are then forced to miss a grand prix it's because they have been driving badly all year. So the system is good. It's no different to the road: if I go speeding three or four times I'm going to lose my licence - and that's how it should be," says Derek Warwick, adding the system could now eventually deter the serial offenders.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia MR03-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Status of the driver penalty points, after four races:

• Four points:
Jules Bianchi, Marussia - Two points for causing a collision with Pastor Maldonado in Malaysia + two points for causing a collision with Adrian Sutil in Bahrain.

• Three points
:
Pastor Maldonado, Lotus - Causing a collision with Esteban Gutierrez in Bahrain.

• Two points
:
- Valtteri Bottas, Williams - Impending in Malaysia qualifying.
- Kevin Magnussen, McLaren - Causing a collision with Kimi Raikkonen in Malaysia.

- Adrian Sutil, Sauber - Forcing Romain Grosjean off the track in Bahrain qualifying.