Auto News 5

Suzuki's Hungarian plant will continue to operate at reduced capacity as production of the Splash and SX4 runs out ahead of the launch of the new Vitara model, a report said.

The newest hot entry on our viral video rankings this week comes from Nissan Canada promoting its sponsorship of high school football.

Renault design boss Laurens van den Acker wants the brand's cars to "seduce" customers with their French styling. The styling chief explained his strategy in an interview with Automotive News Europe.

Klaus Busse, Chrysler Group's head of interior design, and his team enjoy hiding what they call "Easter eggs" throughout Chrysler Group vehicles for owners to discover.

Nissan designers in southern California have reshaped the Murano for 2015 with curvier and more sensual body lines to stand out from the crowd as it did when originally introduced 12 years ago.

From GMM

It is more and more certain that Jean-Eric Vergne will secure at least one more year with Toro Rosso.

Earlier, the 24-year-old Frenchman had been left out in the cold by the Red Bull junior team, as teenage Max Verstappen was signed up for 2015.

But with Daniil Kvyat subsequently called up by Red Bull's senior team, it emerged that the energy drink company is reluctant to pair Verstappen, a 17-year-old rookie, with yet another inexperienced youngster for 2015 like Carlos Sainz jr.

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz has now been asked by Speed Week if Vergne is set to stay at Toro Rosso in 2015.

The billionaire answered: "To have an experienced driver next to a very young driver is quite a strong argument."

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso-Renault. (Photo: WRI2)

Mateschitz also hit back at Red Bull's rivals who have criticised the signing of a driver as young and inexperienced as Verstappen.

"They all wanted Verstappen," he told Kleine Zeitung newspaper. "Only now that he is with us is there suddenly this great outcry."

Finally, Dietrich Mateschitz confirmed that world champion Sebastian Vettel's contract with Red Bull will officially conclude "five days after the last race" in Abu Dhabi.

Two-time Formula 1 World Champion, Spaniard Fernando Alonso is still widely expected to leave Ferrari at the end of the season.

However, talking to Sky Sports F1 in Sochi last weekend during the maiden Russian Grand Prix, Alonso mentioned he expects to race in Formula 1 next season.

The former Renault F1 driver said his plans for 2015 are ‘set', strongly suggesting that he has no intention of taking a one-year sabbatical, as some rumours suggest.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

“My future is already set - or already set in my mind for some months. Now we are finalising everything, it is not a big thing,” Alonso said to Sky Sports F1 in Sochi.

“You need to be patient, you need to wait a little bit,” Alonso answered when asked about the date for a formal announcement.

“I cannot say anything until everything is completely done but it's good and I will do the best for my future and the best for the future of Ferrari because it is the team that I love. When you know it you will say ‘it was so obvious you will do that”, he added.

From GMM

A French journalist has played down reports he said a helmet-mounted 'GoPro' camera was to blame for F1 legend Michael Schumacher's brain damage.

A few days ago, Jean-Louis Moncet reportedly told Europe 1 radio that he recently met with Schumacher's 15-year-old son Mick, who was with his father when the seven time world champion fell whilst skiing last December.

"The problem for Michael was not the hit, but the mounting of the GoPro that he had on his helmet that injured his brain," he was quoted as saying.

GoPro is a popular and highly successful American brand of high-definition, lightweight video camera often used in action sports.

But after Moncet's comments were widely reported, Reuters said shares in the GoPro company plummeted by as much as 16 per cent.

"We are trying to get more information about the original report from Jean-Louis Moncet," said a GoPro spokesman.

"His tweet this morning suggests the comments didn't come from a family member," he added.

Jean-Louis Moncet's tweet read: "Stop all speculation! I say I saw Mick Schumacher, I don't say where, I don't say I talk with him or I did an interview with him. Clear?"

The Marussia Formula 1 team has issued the latest medical update on Jules Bianchi's condition today, Tuesday October 14.

The is the press release:

“Yokkaichi, Japan
14 October 2014, 00.00hrs local/16.00hrs BST

At the request of the family of Jules Bianchi, and in conjunction with the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, the Marussia F1 Team is able to provide the following information regarding Jules' medical condition:

The past nine days have been extremely difficult for Jules and his family. As a consequence of the accident at Suzuka, a number of medical challenges have needed to be overcome and the situation remains challenging due to the diffuse axonal traumatic brain injury Jules has sustained.

Jules remains in a critical but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit of Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi. The Bianchi family continue to be comforted by the thoughts and prayers of Jules' many fans and the motor sport community. In particular, the many demonstrations of support and affection during the course of the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi were of enormous comfort to Jules' parents and the relatives and friends also present at the hospital.

The family will provide further medical updates when appropriate.”

From GMM

Jenson Button says he is concerned about the future of his rookie teammate Kevin Magnussen, as McLaren continues to delay its decision about 2015.

Seemingly waiting for the negotiations between the Woking team and Fernando Alonso, former world champion and F1's most experienced current driver Button admits he is bemused his future remains so unclear in the dying stages of the season.

Asked if he is annoyed, 34-year-old Button was quoted by the Mirror: "Not anymore. I was annoyed at the last race, but I am more relaxed with it.

"It is getting so close to the end of the season, it is actually getting funny."

Hugely wealthy and with a title, 15 wins and well over 250 career grands prix in his pocket, Button said the situation is much harder for his Danish teammate Magnussen.

"You shouldn't worry about me," he is quoted by the BBC. "I am in a great place in my life right now and whatever happens next year I am happy.

"It's tougher for my teammate," said Button.

"I have been in the sport for a long time. I have won a world title and 15 races but Kevin is in his first season and there is more pressure on him to get a drive. I just hope they (McLaren) make the right decision," he added.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren-Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

Mercedes is calling this its first compact premium sports utility vehicle (SUV). I deem the vehicle a luxury sports crossover (CUV) myself, yet apart from that I'm 100% on page with them. This is a particularly nice vehicle, well priced (and packaged) and the timing of its launch couldn't be better. This will do for the luxury CUV/SUV market what the CLA has done for premium sedans/coupes. Truly, Mercedes-Benz ownership has never been so accessible.


2015 MB GLA Price & Specs
The GLA comes in two guises: the GLA 250 (208hp) and the rip-roaring 45 AMG (355hp). Having driven both, I'll vouch for the sheer awesomeness of the 45 AMG (yes, that is the right word), but with a starting figure of $50,500 I view the 250 as the real volume-seller, so we'll concentrate on this model.

The 2015 GLA 250 4MATIC starts off at $37,200 with four surprisingly affordable packages available (Premium, Premium Plus, Sport, and something called the Exclusive Package). Other options include Burl Walnut Wood Trim (very nice!), Anthracite Wave Trim, PARKTRONIC w/Active Parking Assist, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 Surround Sound System and 19" five-twin spoke wheels.

The GLA sports the 2.0L turbocharged I4 engine first seen in the B-Class and CLA. This provides 208 horsepower/258 lb-ft of torque, a 0-100km/hr time of 7.1 seconds, and features ECO stop-start technology. A 7-speed dual-clutch transmission (7G-DCT) comes standard on the GLA 250 4MATIC.

Cargo space is a healthy 1,235 litres and fuel economy is expected to be around 7.4L/100km (Hwy) 9.8L/100km (City) under Canada's new five-cycle testing system.

Driving the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA
The new GLA feels well planted on the road, and is an absolute delight in the twists & turns. This is a vehicle that simply loves to romp & play, and the 4MATIC only adds to the fun.

Obviously, the GLA was never designed to be a serious off-roader, yet with its increased ride height the vehicle should handle most rough cottage trails with ease. That's the real beauty of the GLA. It is a genuine fun all-rounder -- dressed for the city, at home in the country, and a whole heap of fun travelling between the two.

Inside and Out of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA
The new GLA is sleek looking and comes rather well dressed. It's the young city gent in the Giorgio Armani tracksuit and cross-country trainers. As such, it comes appointed with everything one might expect from a modern day automotive athlete (Fully variable 4MATIC all-wheel drive, ESP with Dynamic Cornering Assist, Collision Prevention Assist Plus, an Enhanced On/Off-Road Package with Downhill Speed Regulation [DSR] are all standard fitment).

Available as an option are PARKTRONIC with Active Parking Assist, Bi-Xenon Headlamps and COMAND Online with MB Apps (which allows owners to browse webpages while the vehicle is stationary, and enables free use of Mercedes-Benz Apps while on the move).

The new GLA is a vehicle built for today with the upwardly mobile in mind. It boasts all the latest high-tech gadgetry, yet with a distinct emphasis on being fun to drive.

Comparing the 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Upon first glance, it's difficult not to view the GLA as the Mercedes-Benz take on the Infiniti QX50. Now that's a vehicle that I've always liked. However, Nissan was perhaps slightly ahead of the curve with its rather unique sporty/car-based CUV and the Infiniti brand didn't quite have the status at the time to carry it off.

As far as comparisons go, with its size & price-point, the GLA will be beating off competitors with a stick. Certain station wagons (Audi) will be foisted against it for sure, as will a host of small-scale SUVs (BMW X3). However, like the QX50, the GLA has a touch more utility than most station wagons and a whole lot more sports than most SUVs. Therefore, it will be simple enough to source a few reasonable substitutions, but not so easy to find true competitors.

It's different, and very NOW! I like the new GLA; I like it a lot!

This past weekend, the Olympic Stadium played host to Autorama Montreal 2014 presented by John Scotti and East Coast Carz.

There were more than 250 cars on hand including hot rods, muscle cars, exotic cars, vintage cars, tuning masterpieces, low riders, and various race cars from all over Quebec, Ontario, and the U.S.

The event was a big hit and a fantastic successor to the late Salon de l'Auto Sport that used to take place at Place Bonaventure years ago.

Here is a photo gallery of Autorama Montreal 2014.

Photo: Sylvain Champagne

A total of 1,000 Ferrari cars from 1954-2014 hit the streets of Beverly Hills, California, during the weekend to create one of the largest parades in company history and celebrate a 60-year presence in the U.S.

Numerous Hollywood icons such as the Ferrari 308 GTS (“Magnum, P.I.”), Testarossa (“Miami Vice”), and Steve McQueen's Ferrari 275 GTB/4 were on hand.

Other cars worth mentioning include the new LaFerrari, the 375 MM “Best In Show” winner at Pebble Beach, a priceless 250 GTO, and the first 458 Speciale A on American soil.

The celebration also featured the public debut of the limited-edition F60 America, whose 10 units have already been spoken for.

Source : auto.ferrari.com

Philippe Bianchi, father of Marussia F1 Team driver Jules, gave a moving interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The situation is desperate. Every time the telephone rings, we know it could be the hospital to tell us that Jules is dead," Philippe Bianchi told Gazzetta dello Sport.

"But initially they said that the first 24 hours were crucial. Then it became the first 72 hours and here we are still with Jules, who is fighting. He will succeed in the most important qualifying lap of his life. He won't give up, I'm sure of that. I can see it. I believe it.

"I speak to him. I know he can hear me. His doctors have told us that this is already a miracle, no one has ever survived such a serious accident. But Jules won't give up. His trainer Andrea says that if there is one person who can make it happen, with his will, it's Jules," explains Philippe Bianchi.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia. (Photo: WRi2)

The Bianchi family is perfectly aware that the health condition of the young French driver is very serious.

"It's tough. In a week the life of this family has been destroyed. What are we doing here? Living a nightmare in a place very far from home.

"But when Jules gets a bit better we can transfer him, maybe to Tokyo and things will be a bit easier. But who knows when that will happen. If it will happen. We have no certainties, we just have to wait," explained Jules' father.

Philippe Bianchi also made a sad comparison with Michael Schumacher's skiing accident that took place late December 2013.

"I was very sad when he got hurt. I kept wondering, like everyone else 'Why don't they tell us more about how he is?'. But now I'm in the same position I understand.

"Everyone keeps asking me how Jules is but I can't reply, there is no answer. It's very serious, but he's in a stable condition. One day he seems to go a bit better, and other days, a bit worse. The doctors don't say. The damage from the accident is very bad but we don't know how it will evolve.

"Even with Schumacher it took months to come out of the coma. Jean Todt said he hopes Michael will one day be able to have a normal life. One day I hope we can say the same about Jules," concluded Philippe Bianchi.

Volkswagen of America has teamed up with Global Green USA to put the first copy of the all-electric 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf up for bid before retail sales in the U.S. begin later this year.

Photo: Volkswagen

“We're excited to mark the launch of our first all-electric car with an auction that raises funds and awareness for Global Green USA's groundbreaking work to bring smart, sustainable solutions to communities nationwide,” said Michael Horn, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “The auction is now live for the public to support an important cause and to be the first proud new owner of the brand's first electric vehicle in the U.S.”

By the way, the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf features a 24.2kWh lithium-ion battery and an electric motor producing 115 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque. While range is still unknown, we can tell you that it uses a 7.2kW onboard charger and DC fast-charging standard, accelerating from 0-100 km/h in less than 11 seconds and reaching a top speed of 140 km/h.

Bids will be accepted at Charitybuzz.com/vwegolf until 3:30 p.m. ET on October 29th.

Source : Volkswagen

From GMM

Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul insists engine customer Lotus' impending switch to Mercedes for 2015 is no great loss for the French marque.

Struggling Lotus' long-rumoured move to industry-leading Mercedes power was finally confirmed in Russia.

Lotus E22-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

It means Renault's list of engine partners in 2015 has dwindled to just three -- 'works' team Red Bull, the energy drink company's junior outfit Toro Rosso, and backmarker Caterham.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner, though, is not at all worried.

"I think that as far as Red Bull is concerned, it will make little difference but as far as Renault is concerned, it allows them to focus fully on one solution -- on Red Bull Racing," he said.

With a similar view is Abiteboul, the former Caterham team boss who this year returned to Renault to lead the marque's restructuring after its disastrous start to the new V6 era.

When asked about the impending loss of Lotus, the Frenchman told a group of Russian journalists: "I will not go into details, but the bottom line is that the number of customers of Renault Sport corresponds with our chosen business model.

"But it is also true that for specific marketing reasons, we certainly need to grow the number of customers. In F1, everything is organised on TV and in the press so that all the attention is focused on the top teams.

"If we had lost one of the strongest teams, it really would be a serious loss. Unfortunately, Lotus is not among the strongest teams, and so when it ceases to be a customer, it will not affect our situation in terms of marketing," Cyril Abiteboul insisted.

Cyril Abiteboul, Renault Sport F1. (Photo: WRi2)

On Monday, Nissan tweeted a picture of its new Titan equipped with a 5.0L Cummins turbodiesel engine. It was accompanied by the hashtag #CUMMINSSOON (make sure you type that correctly!).

Nissan has been envisioning a diesel variant of its full-size pickup truck since 2008. The new Cummins unit is expected to power the heavily redesigned 2016 Nissan Titan and possibly the smaller Tundra as well (at least according to rumours).

Stay tuned...

Source : blog.caranddriver.com

Photo: Twitter

From nascar.com

After two years of competing with NASCAR's Gen-6 cars in the Sprint Cup Series, Toyota will be the first manufacturer to debut an updated version of its entry, unveiled the 2015 Camry race car here at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday afternoon.

Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup (Photo: nascar.com)

Just as the 2013 models unveiled by Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota more closely resembled vehicles sold on the showroom floor than their predecessors, the 2015 Camry that will be on the race track remains true to its production counterpart.

In some ways, the similarities between the two vehicles are even more pronounced.

Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup (Photo: nascar.com)

With NASCAR banning individual team testing beginning next season, Toyota officials and teams will be busy shaking down the new entry in the coming weeks. Toyota officials said tests are currently scheduled for Phoenix, Auto Club Speedway and Charlotte in the coming weeks.

Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing field Toyota entries for five Sprint Cup teams. That number will grow to six next season when JGR expands to a four-car outfit with Carl Edwards joining current drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth. MWR's stable currently consists of drivers Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers.

Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup (Photo: nascar.com)

Over 238,000 Nissan Altima sedans from 2013, including 10,049 in Canada, are being recalled around the world because the secondary latch under the hood may not function properly and may allow the hood to open while the car is in motion, should the main latch be unlocked.

Debris and corrosion are the most likely causes of this malfunction.

Nissan says a number of incidents involving 2013 Altima models have been reported so far. A company spokesman, Steve Yaeger, assured that drivers are safe as long as the main latch is locked.

For the moment, Nissan dealers will clean and lubricate the latch mechanism and modify or replace the secondary latch as necessary.

An investigation has been launched to determine whether other Nissan vehicles need to be recalled to fix a similar problem.

Source : auto.lapresse.ca

Lotus F1 Team Junior driver Esteban Ocon will test for Lotus Formula 1 Team.

Ocon will drive a two-year old, Renault-powered Lotus E20 as part of his ongoing development programme and as a reward for winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in his rookie season.

Esteban Ocon (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

The 18-year-old Frenchman - who has been part of the Lotus F1 Team Junior programme since 2010 - took an unassailable lead in the championship standings this past weekend in Imola meaning the title is his with three races yet to run.

Over the course of his season to date with Italian squad Prema Powerteam, Ocon has achieved nine wins and 21 podiums. He currently has 454 points with nearest rival, Max Verstappen, on 368. Ocon has also secured the Rookie title, currently with 558 points to Verstappen's 448.

Ocon will drive the Lotus F1 Team E20 - as used by Kimi Räikkönen to win the 2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - over the course of two days at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo on October 22-23.

Ahead of his test, he will be conducting a simulator programme at Lotus F1 Team's Enstone base.