Auto News 5

From press release

Mazda has added Canadian IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe to the SKYACTIV Prototype driver line-up for the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona, opening round of the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

Hinchcliffe, a three-time IndyCar race winner and native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, will drive for the Mazda factory team for the fourth consecutive year at the 24-hour race.

Hinchcliffe has driven in the Prototype, GT and GX categories at the Rolex 24. On his way to the IndyCar ranks, he competed in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system that helps young drivers climb to the top level of their sport.

Mazda SkyActive prototype (Photo: Mazda)

The Canadian will be sharing the wheel of the No. 70 Mazda with Tristan Nunez, Jonathan Bomarito and fellow countryman Sylvain Tremblay.

“This will be my fourth year in a row with Mazda, so I think that shows how I feel about them and the level of professionalism that they show. It is a privilege and joy to get to drive for them and it's a partnership I hope we can keep going for many more years,” Hinchcliffe said.

“Coming up through the Mazda Road to Indy, I have had a lot of experience driving different Mazda-powered machines. To see what they've done with that program and how they support the ladder system, not only in open-wheel racing but sports car racing and motorsports overall, it's really really cool to see.

“(Director of Mazda Motorsports) John Doonan has been a big supporter of mine and a good friend for many years, so to get a chance to continue that relationship - personally and professionally - is great. With SpeedSource and Sylvain (Tremblay, team owner) and all the guys, John's put together a real crack organization. It goes hand-in-hand with how they do it at every level of the sport.”

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne said further mergers in the automotive industry are inevitable, and questioned the way safety regulators are exercising their powers.

Ford says its internal North American quality ratings improved last year for the first time since 2010, after working through issues with its touchscreen systems and bumpy new-model launches.

Ford retained the crown in the 2014 model year for most-loyal customers, while Maserati won top honors for conquests, according to the IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards.

Time is one of the most sought-after luxuries, and the auto industry is using technology to give customers more of it, says Ian Robertson, BMW AG board member for sales and marketing.

Vowing to build a better relationship with car dealers, TrueCar CEO Scott Painter showed an early version of a new mobile app at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit today that he said will help automakers target customers more efficiently.

General Motors will sit out the 2015 Super Bowl.

Porsche is looking closely into adding a plug-in hybrid version of its iconic 911 sports car, the company's top sales and marketing executive said today at the Automotive News World Congress here.

A new kind of Shelby Cobra graced the Detroit auto show floor this week. The twist? It was 3-D printed. The U.S.

Audi AG's top sales executive today unveiled a new virtual reality system that he called the 'most flexible sales format ever invented for the car industry.'

Established car companies must accelerate the development and sale of electric vehicles, despite a drastic decline in oil prices, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk said today during a speech to auto executives at the Automotive News World Congress.

News 13 Jan, 2015

Honda bosses confirm an even more powerful NSX Type R will join the hybrid supercar at a later date

When Honda engineers pitched the idea of a revived NSX sports car to President Takanobu Ito, it was just a few weeks after Japan's March 11, 2011, earthquake. The appetite for pricey exotic cars was understandably limited.

News 13 Jan, 2015

Tesla adds new executive seating package for Model S to boost comfort in the back

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne is quoted on the firm's corporate Twitter feed as saying the next Chrysler minivan will have its world premiere at the 2016 Detroit auto show.

For former GM product czar Bob Lutz, his latest project is hitting the startup sweet spot, shipping retrofitted hybrid pickups to fleet customers.

Ram has added a bit more daylight between the hot-selling Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and Ford's redesigned lightweight F-150 in the highway fuel economy race.

Fitch Ratings believes further corporate transactions are likely in the car manufacturing sector and could involve European manufacturers including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Peugeot and Volkswagen.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is turning the corner in Europe and may break even in the region at an operating level ahead of schedule as a focus on premium vehicles for export is starting to pay off, a media report said.

Drivers of older cars can gain some of today's technology when Verizon introduces a product linking them with its wireless network for help in a breakdown and advice on how to fix their aging set of wheels.