Auto News 5

From GMM

Indian authorities have moved to restrict international travel for embattled Sahara Force India supremo Vijay Mallya.

Amid ongoing action relating to his ailing airline Kingfisher, a Mumbai court said the former billionaire can no longer leave India unless he submits a detailed itinerary 48 hours in advance.

The Economic Times also said the action brought on behalf of the tax department means Mallya will have to provide two references for any international travel.

"This order is a significant one," the tax department's lawyer is quoted as saying, and "sends the right message in such cases that court orders cannot be taken lightly and reinforces that no one is above law."

There are 20 grands prix on the 2015 F1 calendar scheduled between March and November.

Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Toyota) claimed Stage 8 of the famous Dakar Rally while Nasser Al-Attiyah (MINI) maintained his lead in the overall standings.

South African Giniel de Villiers had made gains on leader Al-Attiyah during Stage 7 - the first of the marathon stages - and he looked like he was going to secure a second straight stage win but was delayed following a puncture.

He eventually finished fourth with Argentina's Orlando Terranova second and Nasser Al-Attiyah third.

Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah's now leads de Villiers by 8m27 in the overall standings.

Overall standings (after Stage 8):
1 Al-Attiyah, MINI
2 De Villiers, Toyota, +8m27
3 Al-Rajhi, Toyota, +18m40
4 Holowczyc, MINI, +54m38
5 Ten Brinke, Toyota, +1h22m52

From press release

Jordan Taylor ran the fastest lap of the three-day Daytona 24 test, going 1m39.181 in Wayne Taylor Racing's No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP shared by his brother Ricky Taylor and Max Angelelli to lead the Prototype (P) class.

Jordan Taylor, Corvette DP Konica Minolta. (Photo: IMSA)

Dans les autres catégories, on note le meilleur temps de Colin Braun, en Other class leaders were Colin Braun, Prototype Challenge (PC), running 1:41.769 in the No. 54 CORE Autosport ORECA FLM09; Earl Bamber, GT Le Mans (GTLM), 1:44.316 in the No. 912 Porsche North America Porsche 911 RSR; and Marc Goossens in GT Daytona (GTD), 1:46.948 in the No. 33 TI Automotive / ViperExchange.com Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R.

The test was held in preparation for the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 24-25.

From GMM

Daniel Ricciardo has expressed confidence Red Bull can close the gap on dominant 2014 title winners Mercedes this year.

Given Mercedes' level of dominance last season and the restraints of the engine development freeze, many believe the German team will be hard to challenge even in 2015.

La Gazzetta dello Sport, for instance, thinks Mercedes is already knocking on the door of the 900 horse power mark.

"Can Renault and Ferrari get to Mercedes' level? It's going to be a very difficult challenge," Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, who is stepping back from the front line this year, told Sky.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Australian Ricciardo, however, was the only driver to challenge Mercedes' otherwise uninterrupted run of victories last year, and he is sounding confident.

"When I think back to Melbourne last year, we finished second after missing some of the pre-season testing," he is quoted by France's L'Equipe.

"Then Mercedes continued to develop through the season. But I hope that they have now reached the pinnacle, while on our side we have room to improve.

"If we have a good winter, we should catch up," Red Bull driver Ricciardo added.

Jaguar Land Rover is counting on new models such as the Jaguar XE sedan and Land Rover Discovery Sport to help it boost sales to a record of more than 500,000 vehicles in 2015.

Mercedes-Benz, which pioneered the luxury offroader with the boxy G-class 36 years ago, is now adding curves to its SUV lineup with the new GLE coupe.

Volkswagen is mobilizing an SUV and crossover offensive over the next few years to strengthen its presence in those fast-growing segments and revive the VW brand's sagging U.S. sales.

Mercedes-Benz will begin US sales of the C350 plug-in hybrid this fall. The new car is one of 10 plug-in hybrids Mercedes will be launching through 2017, said Thomas Weber, Daimler AG board member for group research and Mercedes-Benz car development.

Buick signaled the direction for a possible flagship sedan with the introduction Sunday of the Avenir concept featuring a new grille and other new styling cues.

News 12 Jan, 2015

585bhp Mercedes GLE AMG 63 S super-suv-coupe is shown for the first time in Detroit

Cars dominated the top segments of vehicles coming off lease in 2014, but the segments with the most projected off-lease growth in 2019, vs. 2014 volumes, will be SUVs, crossovers and pickups, analysts from Kelley Blue Book predicted Sunday.

News 12 Jan, 2015

Company car tax-beating Mercedes C-Class Plug-in Hybrid is unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show

Land Rover will offer a diesel engine in two Range Rover models this year and across its entire lineup in several years. The two vehicles are debuting at the Detroit auto show. They go on sale this fall.

Auto sales will grow in 2015, but the US industry will have to work harder for smaller gains in the sixth year of recovery, analysts from Kelley Blue Book predicted on Sunday.

More than 500 guests from all corners of the nation showed up at The Gallery on Saturday night, an exclusive, invite-only event that formally kicks off the Detroit auto show.

Volvo is considering building an assembly plant in the United States and also may export a "strategic flagship" sedan made in China to the US, people familiar with the Chinese-owned automaker's plans told Reuters.

Jaguar says its first crossover will be called 'F-PACE'. The new vehicle is due to enter production in late 2015 and has been previewed by three concepts, each named C-X17.

Jaguar says its first crossover will be called 'F-PACE'. The new vehicle is due to enter production in late 2015 and has been previewed by multiple concepts, each named C-X17.

Jaguar says its first crossover will be called 'F-PACE'. The new vehicle is due to enter production in late 2015 and has been previewed by multiple concepts, each named C-X17.

Jaguar will launch its first crossover next year. It will be called the F-Pace. The all-wheel-drive car will be a rival to models such as the BMW X3 and Audi Q5.