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From nascar.com

Deciding that there was insufficient evidence to warrant criminal charges, an Ontario County (New York) grand jury will not bring any charges against NASCAR champion Tony Stewart for his involvement in a sprint car accident during an Aug. 9 race at Canandaigua (N.Y.) Motorsports Park that fatally injured fellow driver Kevin Ward Jr.

Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to deliver the findings, ultimately saying that "there was no evidence to charge Tony Stewart with a crime."

He said the grand jury examined the evidence and heard from two dozen witnesses for "the better part of two days" before reaching its conclusion.

The two charges it considered were second degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. In the state of New York it takes 12 of 23 votes from the grand jury to return charges. They delivered their verdict in less than an hour.

Tantillo said of the two dozen-plus witnesses that testified, they included two accident reconstructionists, eye-witnesses, track workers and medical responders along with photographs and two video recordings. He said Stewart was able to testify, but by law he could not reveal who else did or did not.

Tantillo indicated however there was a toxicologist report conducted on Ward and it found that Ward was under the influence of marijuana "enough to impair judgment."

It's a fact, there's a Transit designed (available in Europe) for just about any purpose you'd care to mention. That's why it has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years now, and we are now finally to discover why!

What is a Ford Transit?
The Ford Transit is a range of light commercial vehicles produced by the Ford Motor Company. They have been marketed in Europe since 1965. In fact, it would be fair to say that the Ford Transit (now in its 5th generation) is to commercial vans what the F-150 is to pickup trucks. Much of this is due to its history of ultra-reliability/perfect sizing and superb handling characteristics.

It's also down to the countless variations Ford has made available over the years, and although North America won't be getting everything currently on offer in Europe and in other parts of the world, however, it won't take long before tradespeople here start demanding equality with their European cousins. Check out any Europe-based Ford commercial website and you'll see what I mean.


2015 Ford Transit Full-Size Prices & Specs
My tester was the 250 MR (Medium Roof) powered by the (optional) fabulous (and I do mean that) 3.2L I5 Turbo Diesel.

Pricing for the Transit range starts at just $30,052, but as my test vehicle boasted the above-mentioned turbo diesel (a $5,995 option), it ended up at $49,152, with a certain amount of additional luxuries, I must add. Now that's still highly competitive in the marketplace for this type/size of van and, in my opinion, it's worth paying the extra for the diesel version (it truly is superb).

The Transit range offers three power options:

• 3.7L Ti-VCT V6 FFV
• 3.5L EcoBoost® V6
• 3.2L I5 Diesel

Three wheelbases:

• 3,300 mm (150, 250 SRW)
• 3,750 mm (150, 250, 350 SRW)
• 3,750 mm extended (250, 350 SRW / 350HD DRW)
• Max Payload: 2,109 kg. (3750 mm ext. Van 350HD with 3.5L)
• Max GVWR: 4699 kg. (350HD DRW)

Warranty: 3 years Bumper to Bumper (60,000 km) and 5 years Powertrain (100,000km)

The tow rating for my tester was 2,041kgs (with the 3.31 limited slip rear diff), although this rises to 3,357kgs with the optional 3.73 gearing.

Fuel economy: No official figures available, yet I was averaging under 12L/100kms in a vehicle with less than 500kms on it, and we all know how diesel powerplants take a while to loosen up and return the best fuel economy, yes?

Driving the 2015 Ford Transit
Badged as a Power Stroke unit here in North America, the Duratorq inline-5 Turbo Diesel produces 185hp and a whopping 350 lb-ft of torque. Coupled to an incredibly smooth 6-Speed Automatic Overdrive with SelectShift, this large van is (and I can't stress this enough) almost car-like to drive. Sure, you're constantly aware of the hulking great box situated behind the cab, yet with such a refined powerplant and frontal vision worthy of solarium comparison, this would be an extremely relaxing place in which to spend your work day. You sit up nice and high which takes the boredom out of traffic jams, and when the road frees up you can take off faster than a lot of family sedans I've driven. Then again, the Ford Transit has always held a certain reputation for performance & handling (I'm not joking -- they race Transits in Europe!). In fact, the UK Police stated back in the ‘70s that it estimated in 95% of all robberies in which the criminals used a van-style vehicle, a Ford Transit was the getaway vehicle of choice.

The steering wheel might appear small when first entering the vehicle, yet it becomes comfortable with use and the turning circle of the Transit is impressive, to say the least. The same could be said of the 4-wheel disc brakes which are smooth in operation, yet powerful when required.

My tester came with the rear sides paneled out and the optional rear cargo floor mat. This probably had much to do with the quietness of the vehicle, which truly surprised me as the typical drumming noise you get from most panel vans was almost non-existent.

Inside & Out of the 2015 Ford Transit
Typically, commercial vans don't enter beauty pageants as they are designed first and foremost as workhorses. However, it must be said, the new Transit is a bit of a looker. Its frontal design is sleek and the non-slab-shape side panels not only add to its stylish looks, but also do a fine job fending off dings & dents (nothing ages a work van quicker than door dings and panel damage!).

The interior follows along similar lines with a smart yet useful dashboard which somewhat mirrors the design of other Ford products (Ford Focus, Fusion etc.). There's also plenty of storage bins and a large glove box that should help owners keep the cab area clean and uncluttered.

The side access doorway is large and operates one-handed with ease, and the design of the rear doors enables loaders to completely fold back the doors for maximum loading size. They're even magnetised so the wind doesn't grab them mid-load.

All in all, it's hard to fault the design and usability of the Transit. It is a truly impressive looking vehicle in which to turn up at a jobsite, yet it has been carefully thought out with the operator in mind.

Comparing the 2015 Ford Transit Full-Size
We've witnessed these types of large-scale vans from Mercedes-Benz (first sold as Dodge products). Since then, we've seen the Sprinter go from Dodge back to Benz and a Fiat become a Ram (ProMaster). Somewhat confusing, but what's not is the usefulness and practicality of these vehicles. Speaking as someone born into the trades, this is precisely what the Canadian workforce has been waiting for. A van that can carry everything you need, is tall enough to stand in, and one that returns great fuel economy. What's not to like about that?

From GMM

Fernando Alonso is the man on everybody's lips this week in the world of formula one.

Musing the recent departure from the great but currently-troubled Ferrari of its long-term president Luca di Montezemolo, former F1 driver and champion Mika Hakkinen said: "Nothing is forever.

"Definitely it will not be the only change at Ferrari. There are many rumours," he said in his latest interview with sponsor Hermes.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

All of the current rumours are about Spaniard Alonso, arguably the best and most coveted driver in F1 today who appears to have finally lost his patience with the Maranello team.

But according to the latest twist of rumours, it may be an entirely mutual divorce between the double world champion and the fabled Maranello marque.

The Spanish sports newspaper Marca claims there is a faction at Ferrari that wants to get "rid" of the 33-year-old so that it can rebuild for the future in peace over the next few years.

Indeed, Alonso's exit might at least end the current tumult in the rumour stakes.

But for now, the authoritative La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton may be one of Ferrari's options to succeed Alonso, while Italy's Tuttosport claims reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel may even have signed a preliminary contract.

The German has already played down those latest reports.

"I've already said on numerous occasions that I've got a contract with Red Bull for next year and I'm working on the principle that I will still be driving for them," Vettel told the German magazine Sport Bild.

The fund created to compensate for deaths or injuries linked to General Motors vehicles with faulty ignition switches this week made its first cash offers to about 15 people, the office of the lawyer overseeing the program said on Wednesday.

Cadillac will name its new, lineup-topping sedan the CT6, marking the start of a top-to-bottom overhaul of the luxury brand's nomenclature.

AutoNation, in a move to cater to the tuner crowd, began providing customers with performance upgrades at its 27 Chevrolet dealerships this month through a new partnership with aftermarket tuning house Hennessey Performance.

Audi says the softtop on its new TT Roadster is lighter and opens faster than on the model it will replace. Audi revealed a photo of the cabriolet Wednesday ahead of its public debut at the Paris auto show next week.

Audi says the softtop on its new TT Roadster is lighter and opens faster than on the model it will replace. Audi revealed a photo of the cabriolet Wednesday ahead of its public debut at the Paris auto show next week.

China's cash-strapped National Electric Vehicle Sweden said it would lay off up to 200 employees at its Saab car plant in Sweden as production is unlikely to resume anytime soon.

China's cash-strapped National Electric Vehicle Sweden said it would lay off up to 200 employees at its Saab car plant in Sweden as production is unlikely to resume anytime soon.

Top executives at General Motors and Ally Financial received excessive compensation after receiving bailout funds from the U.S. Treasury in 2009, according to a Treasury special inspector general report released today.

Does Mazda have enough brand cachet to market designer goods -- such as gadgets, apparel and furniture -- as luxury marques such as Porsche have done?

A senior official with China's economic planning ministry and his son took bribes from a Guangzhou carmaker, including kickbacks for helping approve the opening of a Toyota dealership, a Chinese prosecutor said today.

China will continue to drive global auto sales growth over the next 12 to 18 months, while shipments of US-made vehicles will slow, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report.

New vehicle sales in Argentina fell 30% in August to 57,653 units compared with 82,330 a year earlier.

Aleris announced plans to invest $350 million to expand its rolling aluminum mill in Kentucky and start its first U.S. automotive body sheet production to meet burgeoning demand for lightweight materials in North America.

Due to falling heavy truck demand in the European region, MAN plans to reduce the working hours of 4,000 workers at its Austria and Germany plants, Bloomberg reported.

The FAW-Toyota joint venture in China reportedly has trimmed its annual sales target by 6% to 620,000 units after demand this year was less than anticipated.

Germany will offer free parking and the right to use bus lanes to buyers of electric, fuel cell and some plug-in hybrid cars in a bid to have 1 million EVs on German roads by 2020, up from about 21,000 at the start of the year.

Nevs, which has been attempting to revive Saab car models, said it would lay off up to 200 employees due to lack of work, because "the decision to re-start production will be further delayed".