Auto News 5

China will allow selected dealers to import without the consent of foreign carmakers in a move that analysts warn could lead to a weakening of foreign automakers' control over pricing.

Porsche is joining other carmakers in embracing plug-in hybrids, so much so that the company's sales boss, Bernhard Maier, uses one for his daily commute. Maier shared his views on the future of plug-ins at Porsche.

From Beth Merrick / ZAZOU Communications

Get ready to roar at Rogers Centre this January! Feld Motor Sports has announced the Maple Leaf Monster Jam Tour kicks into high gear January 17-18/15 at Rogers Centre in Toronto for two massive shows.

Tickets are on sale now.

Monster Jam is the most exciting form of family motorsports entertainment on the planet. The stars of the show are the biggest performers on four wheels: the Monster Jam trucks! Approximately 12-ft. tall and about 12-ft. wide, Monster Jam trucks are custom-designed machines that sit atop 66-inch tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds.

Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, Monster Jam trucks generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and are capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Monster Jam trucks can fly up to 125 to 130 feet (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 35 feet in the air.

Fan-favourite trucks slated to appear will be led by Canada's very own dedicated Monster Jam truck Northern Nightmare driven by Cam McQueen, the Monster Jam 2012 World FinalsSM Freestyle Champion.

Northern Nightmare will compete against 11 trucks including Scooby Doo, making its Canadian debut, plus Grave Digger®, Monster Mutt Dalmatian, Max D®, El Toro Loco, Mohawk Warrior, Mega Bite, Spike, Aftershock, Krazy Train and Shell Camino. Trucks are subject to change without notice.

Monster Jam® shows run Saturday, January 17 at 7pm and Sunday, January 18 at 2pm at Rogers Centre. Ticket prices start at $20 for adults and $15 for Kids tickets for children 12 and under. Pit Party Passes are available for purchase for $10.

Tickets and Pit Passes are available at the Rogers Centre Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.ca, and at (855) 985-5000. There are a limited number of TAP ($135) and Gold Circle ($55) seats available for both shows. Additional fees may apply.

The Pit Party will be held from 3pm to 5pm on Saturday, January 17 and 10:30am to 12pm on Sunday, January 18. The pre-show pit party gives fans the chance to see the massive Monster Jam trucks up close, meet drivers, take pictures and get autographs. To access the Pit Party, event ticket and Pit Party Pass must be presented upon entry.

Infiniti Red Bull Racing revealed on its web site the dates of the in-season tests to be held during the 2015 Formula 1 season.

Our Swiss colleague Mathias Brunner said that a spokesperson from Italian tire manufacturer Pirelli has confirmed the dates.

In 2014, there were four, two-days in-season test. It seems that teams found that to be a bit excessive.

This year that number has been reduced to just two, two-day in-season tests (at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya in May, following the Spanish GP, and the Red Bull Ring in July, following the Austrian Grand Prix).

Each team must allocate two days from these tests to running young drivers.

The program of the summer tests:

May 13-14: Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona (Spain)
June 23-24: Red Bull Ring, Spielberg (Austria)

Formula 1 engine suppliers Tuesday met in Geneva to discuss Bernie Ecclestone's idea to change the engine formula for the near future.

Ecclestone's proposal is to significantly increase engine power to make the cars much more difficult to drive and become more spectacular, therefore more attractive to fans.

British magazine Autosport reports that the talks between the Power Unit Working Group and the FIA were constructive, although it is unlikely that any of the changes being talked about will come in to force until 2017.

The magazine adds that the engine chiefs believe that 1000bhp target could be achieved without the need for a total redesign of the current 1.6-litre turbo hybrid V6 Power Units.

The four engine makers in Formula 1 - Mercedes, Renault, Ferrari and Honda. (Photos from the constructors)

The engineers of Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes thinks that increasing the fuel flow rate, the revs of the engine and the maximum fuel allowance would be sufficient for the current engines to reach the 1000bhp mark.

It is understood that modifications to the Power Units are also likely to go hand-in-hand with adjustments to F1's car regulations to make the cars faster and harder to drive. Such changes would include an increase in downforce, bigger tires and a more aggressive look.

The engine chiefs also discussed ideas to reduce costs such as a standardisation of many of the ancillaries surrounding the current engine - such as the energy recovery systems, batteries, turbos and exhausts.

All these proposals will be put forward for further discussion by F1's technical directors later this month, and will also be tabled at the next meeting of the Strategy Group.

From GMM

The FIA's new super licence points system would even have locked Michael Schumacher out of F1.

Apparently reacting to the controversial debut this year of 17-year-old Max Verstappen, the sport's governing body will clamp down hard on the qualifications for the mandatory F1 driving credential in 2016.

But as the details of the licence points system for junior categories emerged this week, some calculations show that many of the sport's top names would have fallen foul of the FIA's tough new criteria for experience.

Writing in Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, correspondent Tobias Gruner calculated that someone like Nico Hulkenberg, having won F3 and GP2 titles, would have collected almost three times the necessary 40 points for his F1 debut.

But Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, would have seen his 2011 debut denied, despite collecting experience in Formula Renault, F3 and the World Series.

Also locked out of F1 at the very beginning of their careers would have been the highly-respected veterans Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button, who went on to win world championships.

Gruner added: "And since a DTM title counts for nothing, former Sahara Force India driver Paul di Resta also would not have got his super licence."

And if the 2016 system had applied at the end of 2009, the great seven time world champion Michael Schumacher would not have been allowed to return to F1 the following year for Mercedes, Auto Motor und Sport continued.

That is because the FIA is requiring even former F1 drivers to have contested at least 5 grands prix in the past season, or 15 grands prix in the previous three years.

"Theoretically," said Gruner, "the record world champion would not have qualified for a super licence."

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

Niki Lauda has played down the chance Fernando Alonso will join Mercedes next year.

Last week, team boss Toto Wolff caused a stir when he said Spaniard Alonso, who has just joined McLaren-Honda, tops the shortlist in the event that Hamilton's negotiations to extend his contract beyond this year ultimately fail.

But triple world champion Lauda, who was instrumental in luring Hamilton from McLaren at the end of the 2012 season, now insists the talks with the newly 30-year-old Briton will result in a new contract.

"I'm not worried," Niki Lauda is quoted by SID news agency. "Both sides want to renew, so it will happen. We are in no hurry."

Lewis Hamilton and Niki Lauda, Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

The feud between Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and new world champion Lewis Hamilton appears to have cooled.

In 2014, the duo's tussle for the title boiled over to the extent that Briton Hamilton said he and Rosberg, who he has known since boyhood, are "not friends".

This week, however, team chairman Niki Lauda declared that the feud is now over, and German Rosberg appears now to have confirmed that sentiment.

On Wednesday, Hamilton turned 30, and the six-months-younger Rosberg said on Twitter: "Happy birthday Lewis -- 30!

"Have a great party! This day is good for me. You are old now, so hopefully it will be easier for me this year," Rosberg added, concluding his 'tweet' with a smiley.

From GMM

Toto Wolff thinks his relationship with wife Susie has actually harmed rather than helped the Williams test driver's career.

Formerly Susie Stoddart, the Scot and former F3 and DTM driver married Toto Wolff in late 2011.

It has often been suggested that her move into F1 was powered by her marriage, as Austrian Wolff is the boss of Williams' engine supplier Mercedes, and he remains a minor co-owner of the Grove based team.

But Toto Wolff told France's Auto Hebdo: "Susie is a small woman with a big character, who was at Mercedes before I was. When I took an interest in HWA (Mercedes' DTM team), she was already in the DTM.

"What makes me a little sad is that I am aware of doing more harm than good to her career that she built up long before she knew me.

"I often hear her described as 'the wife of Toto Wolff', which is fundamentally unfair. There are advertising contracts that she cannot conclude because of me and the conflict of interest. She has had, and still has, a lot of compromises in terms of her career because of me," he added.

Susie and Toto Wolff. (Photo: WRi2)

"She is the test driver at Williams because she did a good job behind the wheel, not because I was a shareholder. At first it was a marketing idea to have a woman, and the only one at the required level was Susie. The team tested her and she went well.

"In DTM, because she was not at the front, people made comments without knowing how the sport is organised also with drivers who are in less competitive cars.

"But when she was competing directly with David Coulthard and Roberto Merhi, she was at their level. And when testing with Williams, she has shown that her level is excellent," Toto Wolff added.

From GMM

Porsche has ruled out entering formula one.

2016 F1 entrant Gene Haas this week indicated he hopes rumours the German giant Volkswagen - Porsche's parent - is contemplating entering F1 are true.

"I think having big manufacturers coming in and supplying engines makes a lot of sense," he told Autoweek and F1 business journalist Christian Sylt.

Porsche returned to the premier LMP1 prototype class at Le Mans last year, housing the F1 veteran Mark Webber. This year, Nico Hulkenberg will split his Force India duties with a Porsche seat.

But the marque's head of research and development Wolfgang Hatz has told Auto Motor und Sport: "Formula one has never been an issue for us and won't be.

"Le Mans is a more attractive environment for us -- there are more and more competitors and we learn more about the production of road cars," he added.

Porsche 919. (Photo: WRi2)

From press release

The newly christened DeltaWing Racing Cars with Claro/TracFone team brings new sponsors and a winning driver line-up to the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Four-time Rolex Sports Car Series champion Guillermo “Memo” Rojas joins DeltaWing veterans Katherine Legge, Gabby Chaves and Andy Meyrick behind the wheel of the revolutionary DeltaWing coupe.

The move to DeltaWing brings Rojas' sports car career full circle, as his very first sports car racing experience was a test behind the wheel of the Panoz front-engine LMP-1 prototype in 2003.

International entrepreneur Carlos Slim Helú's telecommunications divisions Claro and TracFone also come onboard the DeltaWing team for 2015.

From GMM

Lotus was late to pay the FIA entry fee for the 2015 world championship, according to reports in Spain and Italy.

The Enstone team's place on the 2015 entry list recently was marked by the governing body with a "subject to confirmation" asterisk.

Reports suggested this may be connected to rumours Lotus is looking to change its name, perhaps because its licence agreement with Lotus Cars is to end or because the name of a title sponsor might shortly be added.

But a report in Spain's Diario Sport said the asterisk was actually because Lotus did not pay the entry fee to the FIA by the deadline.

The report appears to be based on the information of Italy's Omnicorse, who said: "Was it an oversight or a lack of money to meet even the basic financial obligations?

"It is not clear, but we have been told from Paris that those at Enstone did correct the situation, albeit late," Omnicorse added.

From press release

Porsche spoiled the Mercedes party in qualifying for the tenth edition of the Hankook 24 Hours of Dubai, by defying the odds and claiming pole position and third place on the grid for the race at Dubai Autodrome.

Pre-race favourites Mercedes, with a mighty 12-car entry, were usurped by the Fach Auto Tech Porsche team of Otto Klohs, Martin Ragginger, Jens Richter and Sven Muller who set the pace in practice and then did the business again in qualifying.

Ragginger who drove the pole position lap of 1m57.562.

Last year's winners Stadler Motorsport Porsche of Adrian Amstutz, Christian Engelhart, Mark Ineichen, Rolf Ineichen and Marcel Matter were third fastest, and thus Porsche sent their rivals a clear signal that they have their sights set on the top prize this year again.

Splitting the Porsche duo in second place was the Black Falcon Mercedes of Abdulaziz Al Faisal, Hubert Haupt, Yelmer Buurman and Oliver Webb who have consistently been the better of the formidable Mercedes outfits so far this weekend.

The sister Black Falcons Mercedes, backed by Abu Dhabi Racing who have twice won the race in the past, found traffic to be a handful and as a result the car driven by Khaled Al Qubaisi, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Bernd Schneider and Andreas Simonsen will start the race from sixth on the grid.

Qualifying results (top 5):

1 Porsche 997 GT3 R, Fach Auto Tech, 1m57.562
2 Mercedes SLS AMG GT3, Black Falcon 2, 1m57.864
3 Porsche 997 GT3 R, Stadler Motorsport, 1m58.096
4 Mercedes SLS AMG GT3, Ram Racing, 1m58.450
5 Chevrolet Corvette C6R ZR1, V8 Racing, 1m58.674

From GMM

Team boss Eric Boullier says McLaren can survive without a title sponsor.

The Woking team lost its title backer Vodafone at the end of 2013, and raced throughout last season without naming a replacement.

And now as the new works Honda era dawns, Boullier has been quoted by Russia's f1news.ru as saying McLaren is still not desperate for a title sponsor.

"Even without a title sponsor, McLaren is profitable," the Frenchman said.

"Therefore, we are not in a hurry to announce a title sponsor, as we want to make the right choice. It should correspond to the level of the team," Eric Boullier added.

Jenson Button, McLaren-Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

Talking at the Autosport Show in the UK, Williams Formula 1 team technical director Pat Symonds declared he was worried to see so many teams facing serious financial difficulties.

Two teams, Caterham and Marussia, entered administration in 2014 and at least three others are facing huge debts.

Symonds thinks there is something fundamentally wrong in the system.

"It's not a sustainable business model, if you want to call it a mess it's a mess," Symonds declared Thursday at the show.

"There is a reluctance to sit down and sort it out, the trouble is so much is done without the transparency I believe we should have and those working hard to protect their position are doing so. It's their job of course, you won't get Ferrari saying 'guys, we've got far too much money, we'll give you some'. It's unrealistic,” the former Benetton and Renault technical director said.

"What we really need to do is to start again, [but] that won't change until the current commercial deal expires. Don't get me wrong, it should be a meritocracy, it's just a bit too biased towards the top at the moment. In F1, they say its tough at the top, but it's even tougher at the bottom.

"We do have a business to run and unfortunately as we've seen its one barely sustainable and it's tragic two [teams] have gone and we have another three struggling,” the British engineer explained.

President Barack Obama, on a trip to unveil elements of his State of the Union address, took a victory lap in Michigan on Wednesday to tout his support of the auto industry, but concerns about trade policies hung in the background of his tour.

Tenneco named longtime Johnson Controls executive Brian Kesseler as its COO, effective Monday. Kesseler, 48, who has been president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions, replaces Hari Nair, who is retiring.

Cadillac is cutting prices on its CTS sedan in the US by as much as $3,000, a partial walk back of a big price increase 15 months ago that dealers say has driven away some loyal buyers.

News 8 Jan, 2015

276bhp load-lugging SEAT Leon ST Cupra unveiled, the firm's first ever fast estate

News 7 Jan, 2015

Audi reveals next generation MMI control interface on new Q7 dashboard at the CES 2015 show