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If Volkswagen does buy Fiat Chrysler -- despite the companies' denials of a report that they are in talks -- it would be because the fixations of VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech may line up perfectly with the needs of the family that controls Fiat...

The self-driving car is moving from research lab to product plan, with a wave of advanced features due to hit the market by 2020, automakers and suppliers say.

Because of the ubiquitous smart phone, car shoppers are flooding dealerships with phone calls instead of e-mail inquiries. The sudden change in consumer behavior has dealers pushing employees to brush up on an ancient skill: answering the telephone.

Ford launched a salvo in the escalating heavy-duty pickup towing rivalry last week. And Ram promptly fired right back.

Automotive News will host a half-day conference devoted to dealer issues on Jan. 22 in San Francisco at the Hotel InterContinental during the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.

This year's Automotive Hall of Fame inductees -- Keith Crain, Ferdinand Piech, Dave Power and Alex Tremulis -- have a lot in common.

In conjunction with its announcement last week that it would invest $900 million to expand its Tennessee factory to accommodate a mid-sized cross-over tailored to the U.S.

From wfaa8

A teen girl sadly lost her life this weekend in a freak crash outside Texas Motor Speedway.

Kierstin Eaddy, 14, was competing in an autocross event held in a parking lot of the Speedway when her kart failed to stop after crossing the finish line, said the witnesses.

Her kart went through a low fence, stripping her crash helmet.

Kierstin Eaddy was airlifted to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital after the accident, but was later pronounced dead.

Sharron Neal, Fort Worth police spokeswoman wrote Sunday in an e-mail to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "It is unknown if she lost control because of a medical reason or if there was mechanical failure”.

A jammed throttle or a brake failure could be the mechanical cause of the accident.

We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the member of her family and friends.

Photo credit: Taka Yokoyama / WFAA

Hollywood actor and star of the famous “Grand Prix” movie, James Garner died of natural causes at his Brentwood, California, home.

Garner was found dead of natural causes at his home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles Saturday evening.

Garner played the role of F1 driver Pete Aron alongside Eva Marie Saint and Yves Montand in the iconic “Grand Prix” movie of 1966 directed by John Frankenheimer.

Since then, Garner became a die-hard motorsport fan, attending several Indy 500s and Formula 1 races.

James Garner, « Grand Prix » movie, 1966

Canadian Lance Stroll of Montreal captured victory in Race 2 of the Mugello meeting of the Italian Formula 4 Championship.

Fresh out of karting, Stroll - a member of the prestigious Ferrari driver development program - contests this year his first season in car racing.

Stroll won one race every meeting and stands on top of the point standings with 175 points. He leads Andrea Russo (114 points) and Leonardo Pulcini (84 points).

Lance Stroll (No. 18) (Photo; Formula 4 Championship)

The young Canadian has shown impressive consistency so far this season. He won a race at Adria (June 8), Imola (June 29) and now Mugello on July 13.

Interestingly, Stroll drives for Prema Powerteam, the team led by Angelo Rosin. It is more of less the same team that ran a young Jacques Villeneuve (son of Gilles) during his days in the Italian Formula 3 Championship in the early 80s.

Scientists working for Toyota believe that the future assault of fully autonomous cars may end up increasing overall fuel consumption and air pollution, despite the fact that these vehicles feature a bunch of technologies designed to eliminate traffic accidents and congestion, and in turn reduce fuel use.

Okay, how is that possible, you say? Well, they argue that by making daily commutes faster and more enjoyable, allowing drivers to complete various tasks instead of actually driving, autonomous cars will simultaneously add to urban sprawl and encourage people to hit the road more often.

Photo: Ford

“U.S. history shows that anytime you make driving easier, there seems to be this inexhaustible desire to live further from things,” Ken Laberteaux, senior principal scientist at Toyota Research Institute-North America, said in an interview at the Automated Vehicles Symposium in San Francisco. “The pattern we've seen for a century is people turn more speed into more travel, rather than maybe saying ‘I'm going to use my reduced travel time by spending more time with my family.'”

While Toyota is preaching more of a “co-pilot” approach, U.S. safety regulators want to accelerate the development of so-called driverless cars in order to reduce traffic accidents that annually kill more than 30,000 people.

Do you think drivers will spend more time on the road with autonomous cars than they do right now with regular cars?

Source : bloomberg.com

Remember the SyScan 360 conference we told you about last week, more specifically the $10,000 prize for anyone who could successfully hack into a Tesla Model S and take control of the car? Well, it's been done, folks!

Chinese security experts were able to gain remote control of the electric luxury sedan's door locks, headlights, wipers, sunroof, and horn.

Qihoo 360, which co-sponsored the event, declined to reveal details about how the hack was accomplished, however. According to one unnamed source, the hackers managed to crack the 6-digit code for the Model S' mobile app.

The company also said it reported the hack to Tesla and offered to work with them to fix the vulnerability.

"While Tesla is not associated with the conference and is not a sponsor of the competition, we support the idea of providing an environment in which responsible security researchers can help identify potential vulnerabilities," the company said in a statement. "We hope that the security researchers will act responsibly and in good faith."

Source : cnet.com

Photo: Tesla

From GMM

Fernando Alonso has urged teammate Kimi Raikkonen to "improve".

Spaniard Alonso has utterly dominated his fellow former champion at Ferrari since the Finn returned to the Maranello team for 2014.

He argues Raikkonen's struggles are now hurting Ferrari, who at Hockenheim fell behind Williams in the fight for third place in the constructors' standings.

"In the constructors' championship we have lost a bit of ground to Williams," Alonso confirmed to the Spanish sports daily Marca after the German grand prix.

"We have only been able to count on one car again and we have to improve on that."

Three world champions in action: Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. (Photo: WRi2)

Pros: The 2014 Audi S5 Coupe stands out with a lowered and tightened suspension (featuring an available sport rear differential that can actively distribute power laterally across the rear axle for even more balanced handling), sexy and discreetly aggressive looks, standard all-wheel drive, a powerful V6 that's commendably fuel-efficient, as well as a rich combination of luxury, refinement, and technology.

Cons: Once again, the MMI controls will not prove user-friendly to all drivers. The back seat, even for a coupe, is pretty tight.

Photo: Audi

2014 Audi S5 Coupe Price: As was the case last year, the lineup includes two trim levels -- Progressiv and Technik. The first one starts at $55,900, and the second retails from $60,700.

2014 Audi S5 Coupe Fuel Economy: Expect to burn 13.1L/100km in the city and 8.3L/100km on the highway with the manual transmission. These numbers drop to 11.7L/100km and 7.7L/100km, respectively, when opting for the dual-clutch autobox.

Improvements and Changes: The newly available Audi Drive Select helps you customize individual vehicle components at the push of a button and thus alter the dynamics of the car. Other changes are in the areas of enhancements to packages and standard-equipment lists.

Powertrain: The 2014 Audi S5 Coupe accelerates from 0-100 km/h in a mere 5.1 seconds thanks to a 3.0L supercharged TFSI V6 engine with direct injection that channels its 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque through a standard 6-speed manual gearbox or the available 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. As mentioned earlier, power is distributed to all four wheels by way of Audi's acclaimed quattro system.

Cargo Capacity: The S5 Coupe boasts a 346-litre trunk.

Safety: Six standard airbags keep 2014 Audi S5 Coupe occupants protected from the front and sides, while stability control helps secure the trajectory at all times. In the event of a collision, intelligent sensors automatically unlock the doors, switch on interior and hazard lights, and cut off fuel flow to the engine. Adaptive cruise control and a rear parking system are available.

Comparing the 2014 Audi S5 Coupe: The BMW 435i xDrive, Cadillac ATS Coupe V6 (2015) and CTS Coupe, Lexus RC (2015), Infiniti Q60 Coupe, and Mercedes-Benz C 350 4MATIC are all strong competitors of the S5.

From GMM

Niki Lauda has used an expletive to describe the quality of the cars produced by Mercedes' grandee rivals in 2014.

The F1 legend is the chairman of the Mercedes team, whose W05 car is utterly dominating the sport this year.

"McLaren has the same engine as us and the car is sh*t," he told the Spanish newspaper El Pais. "Where are they? Nowhere. The same with Ferrari -- another sh*t car. Next year will be different because they can change half the engine."

Niki Lauda had been asked about Mercedes' huge advantage in 2014, and whether it is fair that the regulations restrict the rivals' freedom to fight back.

"The rules are written clearly. You cannot penalise Brixworth because others have been stupid," he said.

But the situation has left Fernando Alonso as perhaps the most frustrated driver in F1, seemingly always stranded in a midfield car despite his talents.

"I'm sure he is very frustrated, but the money he makes should help him," said Lauda.

"He can't just go to McLaren because he has a contract that he can't get out of unless he's sacked. Sometimes you choose a car and you're wrong. Remember Ronnie Peterson? He was the best but always in the wrong place," Niki Lauda added.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

When asked about Lauda's expletive-laden description of the 2014 Ferrari, boss Marco Mattiacci played down the controversy.

"I do not intend to comment on a phrase taken out of context in an interview," he is quoted by Italy's Autosprint. "For me, Niki Lauda is an icon of motor sport, one of the most intelligent drivers of all time and my esteem for him is huge."

From GMM

New fuel did not give Red Bull the boost it was hoping for in Germany, world champion Sebastian Vettel has admitted.

Pre-Hockenheim, it was reported the new blend supplied by Renault's works partner Total would deliver a 12 horse power boost.

It did not materialise.

"I think it's not the last word on this," German Vettel told Auto Motor und Sport, "as there are reasons why it did not work out.

"Whether we find out in a week, it's hard to say," he added, referring to the forthcoming Hungarian grand prix.

"For sure it was a disappointment, as we had hoped for more. The big step didn't work out," said Vettel, "but I hope that it is coming."

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing. (Photo: WRi2)

A few races ago, reigning world champion Red Bull looked to have established itself as the first force behind Mercedes.

But Vettel says Williams is now holding that position.

"Absolutely. Their pace in qualifying is outstanding," he said. "But I think we can still catch up. But since Austria they have been right at the front."

Until now, Red Bull has pointed the finger at engine supplier Renault for its lack of pace. But Vettel now suggests Milton-Keynes has some more work to do.

"We have simply lacked grip," he said. "We slide too much. The others are doing better."

From IndyCar.com

British driver Mike Conway earned his second Verizon IndyCar Series victory of the season by holding off Tony Kanaan over a three-lap sprint to the finish in the second race of the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader.

Conway, driving the No. 20 Fuzzy's Ultra Premium Vodka car for Ed Carpenter Racing, won by 3.5418 seconds following the lap 54 restart after a red flag with 4 minutes, 23 seconds left in the 80-minute race.

Photo: LAT for IndyCar

The race director called for the red flag to freeze the field on lap 52 after a multiple-car incident in Turn 3 the previous lap.

Will Power finished third in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car and Charlie Kimball advanced 14 positions relative to his starting spot in the No. 83 Levemir FlexTouch Chip Ganassi Racing car to finish fourth. Takuma Sato rebounded from 23rd place in Race 1 to finish a season-high fifth in the No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing entry.

Verizon IndyCar Series championship front-runner Helio Castroneves, the pole sitter as the race lineup for the standing start was determined by entrant points, sustained wing damage on the No. 3 PPG Team Penske car on the penultimate lap and dropped to 12th place. He holds a 13-point lead over Power through 14 of the 18 races.

Photo: LAT for IndyCar

Conway was the second to switch from Firestone rain tires to alternate tires on lap 43 as the 1.755-mile, 11-turn street circuit was drying following a light rain that started on lap 12.

He was running third after gaining one position on a lap 49 restart and overtook Justin Wilson and Josef Newgarden - both still on rain tires - for first on lap 50.

Conway, earning his second victory of the season and the third for Ed Carpenter Racing, won the 250th race for Firestone since its return to Indy car racing in 1995.

In Race 1, Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 11 Hydroxycut KVSH Racing car, claimed his 32nd Indy car career win. Bourdais broke a tie with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy for eighth on the all-time win list.

From press release

One week after climbing onto the podium in the Tudor United SportsCar Series, the North American Endurance championship, Montreal driver Kuno Wittmer was back in competition again this weekend on the urban track in Toronto.

Invited to drive a brand new Dodge Viper GT3-R in the American World Challenge GT Series, Kuno Wittmer's only goal was to claim another spot on the podium. He successfully achieved that objective by finishing second on Saturday and then winning a spectacular race on Sunday.

In a series that he has won on six different occasions between 2008 and 2010 before moving to the elite of Endurance racing, Kuno Wittmer was anxious to take to the temporary urban track in Toronto that he knows so well.

This year, the World Challenge Series is more highly contested that ever with around fifty drivers entered in the GT and GTS classes. A large number of manufacturers are also involved. Third after the first practice session, Kuno Wittmer then qualified his No.92 Viper GT3-R in the first starting line for the first of two races in the programme.

Kuno Wittmer, SRT Viper (Richard Prince/SRT Motorsports)

During Saturday's round, two collisions in the pack were followed by caution periods, considerably reducing the number of regular race laps, thereby forcing Kuno to be satisfied with second place as he crossed the finish line hot on the tail of the winner.

« During the last lap, I got very close to Englishman Nick Tandy. I was right in his wheels and he was a little blocked by the traffic of cars we were lapping but we were in the twisty part of the track and it was just not possible to overtake him » explained Kuno Wittmer, who added : « for the Viper GT3-R's first World Challenge Series race, finishing second and ahead of Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Bentley, Audi and other GT cars is absolutely excellent. For me, my goal was achieved and we proved that the Viper GT3-R is competitive straight away after being built ! ».

Sunday, Kuno Wittmer was starting in second position but managed to take over the lead as of the third corner. The gap to Tandy's second place Porsche was only slight and never surpassed half a second.

These two World Challenge Series races, held as part of the Toronto Indy, were a unique opportunity to see the Quebec driver in this series in 2014.

As of the end of the month, he will continue his Endurance season, where he always remains in the hunt for the victory and the Tudor United SportsCar GT Le Mans class title. The next round will take place on the road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana on July 25th.

From GMM

Two top Formula 1 teams have admitted they considered lodging a protest against Mercedes AMG at the German Grand Prix.

Hamilton's crash was caused by a failure of the Mercedes driver's Brembo-supplied brake disc, so Mercedes opted to switch the Briton to Carbone Industrie brakes ahead of the race.

Mercedes successfully argued that it should avoid penalty for breaching parc fermé rules because of a clause allowing changes if the new parts are "similar in mass, inertia and function".

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG, Hockenheim. (Photo: WRi2)

Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner revealed that he "absolutely" disagrees, particularly as both of the RB cars were fitted with Brembo brakes throughout the race weekend.

"If you change it like-for-like that is one thing," he said.

"But if you change it for something made by a different manufacturer that has a different characteristic, and as described by the driver himself as something different, it is an interesting precedent."

Christian Horner ultimately decided not to protest, but he is now calling for an FIA "clarification".

"We obviously now need clarification," he said, "because if you can do that, then what else can you change?"

Ferrari's Marco Mattiacci also admitted discussions took place about a potential protest.

"We decided not to move forward on this because I don't think we wanted to get into it," he said.

From GMM

Michael Schumacher might soon continue his rehabilitation at home, according to the Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick.

After six months in a coma, the seven time world champion was recently transferred from intensive care in Grenoble to a rehabilitation ward in Lausanne.

That is not far from the Schumachers' home on the shores of Lake Geneva, but Sonntagsblick claims the 45-year-old German could return home "during the course of the summer".

The report cited sources close to the Lausanne hospital.

Mark Mader, the chief doctor at a rehabilitation hospital in Basel, Switzerland, said that while home care is "difficult" for the family, "it is optimal" for patients like Schumacher.