Auto News 5

Mercedes plans to "significantly" raise production capacity at its Alabama plant from around 185,000 vehicles, as it adds new models including the new Mercedes C class and an SUV based on the Concept SUV Coupe unveiled at the Beijing auto show...

GM is facing a new lawsuit that says the automaker should compensate millions of vehicle owners in the U.S. for lost resale value, potentially exceeding $10 billion (7.3 billion euros), after a slew of recalls.

Porsche was No. 1 in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study in the United States for the second year in row, extending its lead over rivals. Jaguar was No. 2, rising up from ninth place in 2013. Lexus rounded out the top three.

From GMM

Crucial talks about the future of formula one are speeding ahead.

Between the Canadian and Austrian grands prix, team bosses, FIA president Jean Todt and Bernie Ecclestone reportedly got together for meetings in London.

It was about finding urgent cost reduction proposals that bridge the divide between F1's most competitive teams and the second half of the grid, who are angry about the lack of cooperation from their more powerful rivals.

Any proposals that got a majority vote on Wednesday will be presented to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in its Munich meeting on June 26.

By then, time will be up for any other meaningful cost-saving for 2015, as post July 1, only rules with an almost-impossible unanimous vote can be introduced for next year.

According to Italy's Autosprint, only two major rule changes are likely next year.

The first that has reportedly been voted through is the shakeup of the grand prix weekend format, with Thursday's media activities and Friday morning practice both axed.

"The idea came up, let's not do the Friday and save engine and gearbox miles -- it's about one (less) engine a year. And that is, if not (a saving of) millions, it's at least a million or a million and a half," Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Sky.

Autosprint said the F1 weekend from 2015 will now begin late on a Friday, with two 45 minute practice sessions, separated by a half-hour break.

Lotus' Romain Grosjean is supportive.

"As long as there's a grand prix and qualifying session, that's the main thing!" said the Frenchman.

Another proposal voted for in London will force teams to keep a single engine-gearbox-rear suspension layout attached to the race chassis for the entire race weekend.

It is also rumoured that, at the meeting, Ferrari was chided for its latest quit threat, while declining television audiences and restless sponsors were also discussed.

Photo: WRi2

NORTH CAROLINA - Before us lay 11 miles (18 km) of serpentine road along the Tennessee, North Carolina State line. One of the most infamous stretches of pavement in the world, the Tail of the Dragon is almost a rite of passage for motorcycle and sports car drivers. With 318 curves over its sinewy length, it's been the downfall of many a driver, and the landmark "Tree of Shame", festooned with miscellaneous car debris is a testament of its treachery.

While completing the "Tail" gave us bragging rights, it was only part of three glorious days spent driving winding, back-country roads and mountain passes during the 2nd Annual Mazda Adventure Rally. Several of the teams were veterans of the previous year's event - but this year there was a catch: we had no idea where we were going or what we'd be driving.

In 2013, Mazda kicked off the inaugural rally to great success, with the result that it's now an annual event. The stakes are high; not only would we be competing for bragging rights, but there would be a first prize of $10,000 to be donated to our favourite charity.

Representing Auto123, there was one fly in our team's ointment: I can't navigate my way out of a wet paper bag. My ace-in-the-hole was long-time friend and Apex driving school instructor, James Mewett who also happens to be an aerospace engineer. Our chosen charity was the James Fund for Neuroblastoma Research in which James has a personal interest: it was founded in honour of his best friend Syd Birrell's late son James, who succumbed to the disease in 2001 at the age of 8.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

Boarding a charter flight in Toronto, we didn't discover our destination until we touched down in Chattanooga, Tennessee. There, we happily found a fleet of MX-5s, stickered up with our names and team logos. For most of us, it was like being reacquainted with an old friend: the MX-5 is the frolicking border collie of the automotive world, a superbly balanced roadster and the best selling sports car of all time.

Our first day was relatively easy, although it encompassed several hundred kilometres over two states, the route had been pre-calculated into the GPS. There was a catch though - we'd be travelling through the Bible Belt, and our task was to cross off a list of churches. This was made considerably more difficult by torrential downpour reducing visibility to almost nil. By the time we'd arrived, exhausted, at our destination in Young Harris, Georgia, we'd successfully spotted seven churches... but unfortunately we'd missed three. This placed us about mid-pack in the first day's standings, where we quietly endured the smack talk of the front-runners.

Our next couple of days were far more challenging. The routes were designed by Vehicle Dynamic's Group, our driver's meeting presided over by Keith Townsend, who has 16 years experience in motorsports, including three years as the Chief Coordinator of the Rally of the Tall Pines. The pages of notes were as incomprehensible to me as ancient Greek. Not only did we have to correctly determine our course, there were several puzzles to work out for bonus points. Without James's ability to decipher the cryptic instructions and plot the day's course, I'm sure we'd still be driving aimlessly through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

And what glorious routes they were! We snaked through the Chatahoochie Forest, crossed the enormous Wawasee Dam and slid around the spine-tingling gravel hairpins of Blue Mountain. Thanks to my intrepid navigator James, we managed to stay entirely on route over the course of the rally, but my impatience was entirely to blame for missing several clues along the way. We'd successfully captured photographic evidence of landmarks such as the "Richard Russell Parkway", the iconic dragon sculpture of Route 129, but we'd unfortunately blasted right by the "Tallest in the TVA" (Tennessee Valley's biggest Dam).

If the gloriously winding and mostly deserted roads weren't glorious enough, our route delivered us to the Atlanta Motorsports Park, where hot laps comprised part of the rally stage. This shook up the standings considerably, with some of the trailing teams displaying admirable hot-shoe prowess and displacing the smack-talking front-runners. We moved up slightly - James's blinding speed was handicapped by my on-track cone dyslexia.

This is not only a terrific event benefitting some very worthy charities, it's a savvy move by Mazda Canada to reignite the passion for the MX-5 within those of us who haven't driven it for a while. Since its debut almost two and a half decades ago, the tiny roadster has come to define the essence of perfect balance, athleticism and fun.

Although we didn't manage to bring home the $10,000 prize, we were exhilarated, yet exhausted by some of the most challenging driving routes either of us had ever experienced. I'd become reacquainted with an old friend, the MX-5, and James was able to scratch the "Tail of the Dragon" off his own personal bucket list.

Photo: Lesley Wimbush

From GMM

The words 'Keep fighting Michael' are to remain on Mercedes' dominant F1 car.

The German squad - F1 legend Michael Schumacher's last grand prix team during his 2010-2012 comeback - has been running the twitter hashtag on the cockpit of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's silver W05 all year.

But better news is now emerging from the Schumacher camp.

His management has confirmed he is no longer in a coma, and he has been moved from intensive care in Grenoble to a rehabilitation ward in Lausanne, near his Swiss home.

The Swiss tabloid Blick on Wednesday said the great German travelled the 200 kilometres between France and Switzerland on Monday by ambulance, and Bild newspaper quotes chief neurosurgeon Richard Frackowiak as confirming the transfer went "very, very well".

Ambulance staff reportedly had to surrender their mobile phones prior to the journey, and Schumacher's booking was done under a false name to protect his privacy.

Nonetheless, further details have emerged. Blick said reports that Schumacher has lost a lot of weight are true, but that Schumacher - who was awake for much of the trip - was able to communicate to the ambulance staff by nodding his head.

Robert Belvi, the chief neurologist at a Barcelona university hospital, said the latest developments in the Schumacher story are positive.

"Waking from a coma means establishing contact with the environment," he told Spain's AS newspaper, "for instance the patient can respond to simple commands -- open or close your eyes, stick out your tongue.

"If he obeys, there is a clear communication between the brain and the environment. Coming out of coma really is a very good prognosis.

"Schumacher has answered the first question: is he awake or in a vegetative state. Now we have to see where the recovery goes, and hopefully it is to 100 per cent.

"It's difficult to see the same person as before, in terms of language, movement. This all depends on the injuries he has suffered.

"But when a patient has woken up, things usually go very fast. The first three months will decide what is Schumacher's pace of recovery and what the lasting injuries will be," Dr Belvi added.

World champion Sebastian Vettel and Schumacher's former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg this week have both said they do not plan to visit Schumacher at this stage.

"That would not be inappropriate," Rosberg told Bild, "as I'm not in his immediate circle of friends."

But he tipped Schumacher to eventually win his toughest battle.

"I remember one of his last races, in Austin, he was still flat out on every lap even though we were fighting for tenth place or something," the German recalled.

"Then he sat down with us for a two-hour debriefing. After what he achieved in his career, you could forgive him for doing something else, but not him. That's why I know that if anyone can fight back from this, it's Schumi," added Rosberg.

So, for now, the Mercedes stickers are staying on the team's championship-leading 2014 car.

"The Schumi sticker will stay on the car as long as Michael is fighting his difficult fight," confirmed team boss Toto Wolff.

From GMM

F1 failed to make significant cost-saving progress at a meeting on Wednesday, Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports.

Earlier, it was reported that the F1 Commission - involving the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone, the teams and other key stakeholders - voted through the proposal to cut Friday morning practice from next year's race weekend format.

But German correspondent Michael Schmidt reveals otherwise.

"The shorter GP weekend failed, due to opposition from the (race) organisers and the big teams that had earlier agreed," he wrote on Friday.

And that's not the only proposal that hit the dust at Ecclestone's Biggin Hill airport, Michael Schmidt explained.

"With one exception, every proposal was rejected by the 26-member panel," he said.

The proposed ban on tire warmers was another victim of Wednesday's meeting, but Pirelli has offered to pay teams that run its logo on the blankets next year EUR 200,000 each.

Tires blankets. (Photo: WRi2)

So, the only cost-cutting done for 2015 and beyond was in the already tightly-restricted area of testing.

All pre-season testing will now take place in Europe, as Bahrain was ruled too expensive a destination.

The eight days of in-season testing has been reduced to four in 2015, with two days reserved for young drivers.

And in 2016, winter testing will shrink from twelve to just eight days, with a total in-season testing ban to once again be enforced.

A team insider is quoted as saying: "Once again we have failed to save hardly anything, but at least the crazy idea of the shorter weekend is gone."

From GMM

Luca di Montezemolo on Thursday hit reverse gear, after he was quoted as having threatened to pull Ferrari out of formula one.

The Italian marque's president made the clear warning last week to the respected Wall Street Journal, as he insisted that any Le Mans foray for Ferrari by 2020 would be at the expense of F1.

Montezemolo has been highly critical of the new shape of the pinnacle of motor sport, and has reportedly written a letter to Bernie Ecclestone asking for a meeting with all the major stakeholders to discuss the future.

Motorhome Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

But it is believed Ferrari's highly critical stance was discussed at length during the F1 Commission meeting on Wednesday, and two days later Montezemolo is now tempering his earlier remarks.

"A letter to Ecclestone? I don't need to write to him to arrange a meeting," multiple Italian publications on Thursday quoted Montezemolo, 66, as saying at a Maserati event in Modena.

"I never said that Ferrari would pull out, but I do think the time has come to make a reflection on our system. I think Ferrari has the duty to seek improvements for the benefit of the teams, the fans, the media and the sponsors.

"And I think that, having been in formula one for 64 years, Ferrari has the right to think about the future," he added.

"Formula one is an extraordinary sport," said Montezemolo, "but we need to do something to make it better."

From GMM

Red Bull will decide after its home Austrian grand prix this weekend if it will continue with Renault power into the future.

That is the claim of team owner and supremo Dietrich Mateschitz, in a wide-ranging interview with the Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung ahead of the first grand prix at his very own Red Bull Ring.

Team figures recently played down speculation Red Bull could dump struggling Renault and switch to another engine supplier, saying it is "100 per cent" certain the final Adrian Newey-penned RB11 will have a French-made V6.

But billionaire Mateschitz seems to have a different view.

When asked about world champion Sebastian Vettel's recent derogatory description of the current Renault-powered Red Bull, Mateschitz said on Friday: "When he said 'cucumber', he was talking about the engine or the entire power unit of our car.

"He has a point," said the low-profile Austrian. "The car itself is excellent, and also strategically no mistakes are being made. Sebastian knows that too."

Renault engine installed in the RB10 chassis. (Photo: WRi2)

Recently, Dr Helmut Marko said Red Bull's upper management would sit down this weekend in Austria and make a 'final report' about the team's progress in the wake of Renault's disastrous early form in 2014 and subsequent recovery.

Mateschitz confirmed on Friday: "There will be this final report. And then we will decide if there is still potential development in the existing engine, or whether we need to consider a new development in order to reach Mercedes' standard."

Previously, however, Red Bull officials have played down the possibility of a Renault split, as F1's only other engine suppliers are arch rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.

But there have been rumours linking Red Bull with Volkswagen, or a potential move to build a bespoke 'Red Bull' turbo engine -- perhaps in the outfit's forthcoming Newey-led 'Advanced Technology Centre'.

When told there are no real alternatives to Renault, Mateschitz insisted: "There are always alternatives, of course. But I don't see Red Bull using a customer Mercedes engine. Because Mercedes wants to be world champion not just this year but also in the next few years."

Finally, Mateschitz gave his tip for the winner of the football world cup, and the F1 world championship.

"When Messi is on top form, then it's Argentina," he said. "And in formula one, Lewis Hamilton."

GPS manufacturer TomTom has signed a multi-year deal with AOL Inc. to power its core mapping services for AOL's MapQuest.

MapQuest users will now have access to TomTom's extensive digital map database, across all digital platforms including MapQuest.com and its smartphone and tablet iOS and Android apps.

“We are delighted to enhance the digital mapping network of MapQuest with this partnership,” commented Charles Cautley, Managing Director of TomTom Licensing. “Having access to the most accurate mapping technology ensures that millions of people can make smarter decisions on every journey.”

“We are thrilled to partner with a global mapping leader such as TomTom,” said Brian McMahon, general manager, MapQuest. “Every day, millions of people depend on MapQuest for maps and driving directions to find their way. By extending TomTom's mapping expertise across our platforms globally, we are continuing our commitment to provide MapQuest users with a best-in-breed mapping experience.”

DJ Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5, is now selling his 2013 Ferrari 458 Spider for $380,000. What's so special about it? Well, the body is decked out with Nyan Cat - the pixelated kitty that floats endlessly through space on a Pop-Tart, a rainbow trailing behind her and a never-ending song playing in the back. He even nicknamed it “Purrari.”

Photo: craigslist

GM Canada is recalling 3,337 Chevrolet Sonic vehicles equipped with a 1.8L engine and 6-speed automatic transmission -- all from the 2012 model year -- because the transmission turbine shaft may fracture, disabling gears 3 through 6.

Photo: General Motors

If this were to occur while the transmission is in 1st or 2nd gear, the transmission would fail to upshift past 2nd gear, thus limiting the car's speed. If this were to occur while the transmission is in 3rd through 6th gear, power would be lost and the Sonic would coast until its speed was reduced to allow the transmission to downshift to 2nd gear.

Chevrolet dealers will therefore replace the transmission turbine shaft.

J.D. Power's 2014 U.S. Initial Quality Study was released yesterday. Porsche came out on top with just 74 problems per 100 vehicles, followed by Jaguar (87), Lexus (92), Hyundai (94), and Toyota (105).

The industry average is 116 problems per 100 vehicles.

At the bottom of the rankings, you'll find Mazda (139), Scion (140), Mitsubishi (145), Jeep (146), and Fiat (206).

Here are the top nameplates for every vehicle segment according to J.D. Power:

• Small car: Hyundai Accent
• Small SUV: Buick Encore, Kia Sportage and Nissan Juke (tie)
• Compact car: Hyundai Elantra
• Compact MPV: Mazda5
• Compact premium car: Lexus ES
• Compact sporty car: Mazda MX-5
• Compact premium sporty car: Porsche Boxster
• Compact SUV: GMC Terrain
• Compact premium SUV: Infiniti QX50
• Large sedan: Kia Cadenza
• Large premium sedan: Porsche Panamera
• Large heavy-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD
• Large light-duty pickup: Ford F-150
• Large SUV: Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon (tie)
• Midsize sedan: Chevrolet Malibu
• Midsize premium sedan: Hyundai Genesis
• Midsize pickup: Honda Ridgeline
• Midsize SUV: Ford Edge
• Midsize premium SUV: Lincoln MKX
• Midsize sporty car: Dodge Challenger
• Midsize premium sporty car: Porsche 911
• Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country

From GMM

According to the Times newspaper, F1 must look over its shoulder at the new 'formula E' series that is rapidly gaining credibility.

The latest name attracting headlines for the FIA's all-electric single seater category is Jarno Trulli, the well-known former F1 driver and Monaco winner.

The 39-year-old Italian has bought a team, and the former Renault and Toyota driver will be at the wheel of the 'TrulliGP' car on city streets including Berlin, California and London.

"I am very pleased to be a pioneer of this new formula E project," said Trulli, who will race against other ex-F1 names like Lucas di Grassi, Jaime Alguersuari, Bruno Senna, Karun Chandhok and Franck Montagny.

And with Trulli in the team owner's circle are the likes of Virgin, Audi, Super Aguri, Michael Andretti, Alain Prost, and Hollywood actor Leonardo di Caprio.

Times correspondent Kevin Eason said the "intriguing" formula E concept is gathering speed just as F1 is gripped in "soul-searching", with its teams locked in factions arguing about costs.

Ferrari has issued its latest quit threat, arguments are raging about the volume of the engines despite formula E being almost completely silent, and the mere "viability" of a sport run by a private equity group "is in severe doubt", he argued.

Furthermore, F1's television audiences are in decline, said Eason, and "sponsors are restless".

"Formula E is a breath of fresh air and F1 has to worry that fans will believe so," he concluded.

Start of the 2014 Canadian Grand Prix. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

The psychological battle between title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg is now racing into Austria.

The war between the Mercedes stars imploded in Monaco, where Rosberg won, and the German got some more wind in his sails two weeks ago in Canada, where Lewis Hamilton's car failed.

Nico Rosberg, now leading the championship by 22 points after 7 races, said this week it had been crucial to break Briton Hamilton's four-race winning streak.

"If you have those results behind you, like I do now, it gives you that little bit extra, that little bit of an edge, so it does help," he said. "It's important."

Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, in Montreal. (Photo: WRi2)

Lewis Hamilton, however, is determined to fight back.

On social media, adding hashtags like 'never give up' and 'let's go', he has been posting photos of himself training in the gym, one of them topless as he declared he is "fighting hard to win this championship".

"67kg, down from 73 last year," Hamilton revealed.

On his official website, the 2008 world champion's Austria preview quoted him as saying: "There's a long, long way to go. I caught up before and I can catch up again. It's going to take another four wins to make the difference so I'm going to do my best to get those results."

Two senators said they want to raise the federal gasoline and diesel tax by 12 cents a gallon to prevent a fund that pays for about half of the country's transportation projects from running out of money in August.

A new lawsuit says General Motors should compensate millions of car and truck owners for lost resale value, potentially exceeding $10 billion, because a slew of recalls and a deadly delay in recalling cars with defective ignition switches has...

A GM employee who continued to notice safety issues in vehicles and spoke up was transferred to a job where he was instructed to 'not find every problem that GM might have,' according to a Bloomberg Businessweek story posted today.

For the first time, Hyundai-Kia group topped rival automakers in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study, while last year's leader, General Motors, fell to third.

American Honda's Acura division has signed a three-year agreement to support the Tiger Woods Foundation and three related golf tournaments associated with the star golfer's educational efforts.