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From GMM

Fernando Alonso is locked in "tough negotiations" with McLaren, the F1 correspondent Luis Vasconcelos claims.

Although the Spanish driver insists Sebastian Vettel's switch to Ferrari is a mere symptom of his own plans for the future, there are sections of the media who think the German actually caught Alonso off guard.

Some well-placed Spanish correspondents, for instance, think Alonso expected to be replaced at Ferrari by Lewis Hamilton, therefore opening up the prime seat at dominant Mercedes.

That suspicion would tie in with the fact that, like the rest of F1, even Red Bull was apparently caught off guard by Vettel's news, which was revealed to the team mere hours before it was made globally public.

But when Red Bull made it official, the energy drink company simultaneously closed the door to Alonso, saying the junior Daniil Kvyat will be promoted instead.

"This is a better solution than to have a star in the final years of his career," Dr Helmut Marko insisted to Austrian broadcaster Servus TV on Monday.

Fernando Alonso and Ron Dennis, back in 2007. (Photo: WRi2)

Vasconcelos, reporting for the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, said Red Bull's Marko "told Kvyat the good news just half an hour before it was officially announced".

Arguably the best driver in F1 but also perhaps the most temperamental, the dramatic turn of events may have left Alonso with only two choices for the 2015 season.

Vasconcelos claims that taking a sabbatical next year, just as Alain Prost had to do when he left Ferrari acrimoniously in 1991, is now a very real possibility for Alonso.

His only other option appears to be McLaren-Honda.

But those negotiations, Vasconcelos claims, are "tough". Indeed, a McLaren source told us "no one" currently knows how the situation with the Woking team's 2015 driver lineup will ultimately turn out.

"The Spanish star wants only a one-year contract, while McLaren is insisting on a commitment of at least two years," said Vasconcelos.

A one-year deal would leave Alonso theoretically free to leave McLaren after earning up to an incredible EUR 40 million in 2015, and then jump into Hamilton's plum seat at Mercedes for 2016.

From GMM

Michael Schumacher still has "a long and hard road ahead of him," the F1 legend's friend Jean Todt said this week.

On Tuesday, we reported that the FIA president had told the Belgian broadcaster RTL after visiting Schumacher at home that the great German "can live a relatively normal life within a short period of time".

The quote was translated from print reports that appeared on Monday at the specialist Dutch website formule1.nl, and the Dutch-language Belgian newspaper HLN.

Subsequent investigations have revealed that Todt's comments were in fact made to French radio RTL, in which the 68-year-old did sound optimistic about the future of his former Ferrari colleague.

However, it was actually the reporter who had asked Todt if Schumacher will one day live a 'normal life' again, to which the former Ferrari boss answered: "One can only hope."

"We can say he will probably not be able to drive in formula one again. He has made progress in recent weeks and months, but there is still a long and hard road ahead of him.

"He needs time and rest. He fights and one can hope that things will improve quickly."

When pressed for details about Schumacher's current condition, including whether the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver can move and speak, Todt insisted: "I do not want to say because it is a very personal matter.

"What is important is that he is alive and his family is around him."

From GMM

The teams and drivers may have leapt 8,000 kilometres from Suzuka to Sochi, but Jules Bianchi remains in the minds of the entire F1 world.

As was and is still the case with F1 legend Michael Schumacher, protagonists and pundits are now turning to the opinions of external experts to know more about the predicament the talented 25-year-old Frenchman finds himself in.

His family late on Tuesday confirmed that Bianchi suffered a "diffuse axonal injury" when he hit a recovery vehicle during the wet Japanese grand prix on Sunday.

"I hope they understand how grateful we are for their courage in talking to us through a simple, honest press release," former F1 doctor Gary Hartstein wrote in his blog.

Hartstein has been a critic of the manner in which Schumacher's family and management have kept his legions of fans essentially in the dark about his brain injury.

Jules Bianchi, Marussia. (Photo: WRi2)

Nonetheless, the Bianchi camp's news on Tuesday has triggered a frenzied round of speculation as to what it really means.

The health consultant for French news BFMTV, Alain Ducardonnet, said the fact the family named diffuse axonal injury is "Not what we had hoped for".

"So now we will have this seemingly endless wait for whether these lesions will heal, and especially if they are going to have irreversible consequences," he added.

Some of Bianchi's supporters have taken comfort in the news by the presence of Professor Gerard Saillant, President of the FIA Medical Commission, and also with Ferrari which despatched Professor Alessandro Frati, Neurosurgeon of the University of Rome La Sapienza, to the Mie hospital.

But when asked what he can do for Jules Bianchi, Gary Hartstein told 20minutes.fr: "Nothing. I think he is there much more for moral support, because he was also there in 2010 after his (Bianchi's) serious accident in GP2 in Hungary.

"He (Saillant) has not performed surgery for years and his specialty is in spinal injuries," Hartstein added.

Bianchi's situation has also triggered wild reports about the repercussions for formula one, including the need for rule changes and possibly even roof coverings or canopies over the drivers' heads.

Gary Hartstein said: "The fact that Bianchi is still alive shows how safe F1 is today. I think formula one has reached an extremely high safety standard. But it is clear that anything can always be better."

Mika Hakkinen, who almost died when he fractured his skull in a crash in Adelaide in 1995, said after Bianchi's accident that covering the cockpits should not be ruled out.

"If it can save lives, we should look at any option that further reduces the risks," the double world champion told Austrian broadcaster Servus TV.

Meanwhile, Speed Week reports that rumours Japanese authorities seized parts of Marussia's equipment before the team could travel to Russia are not true.

However, there remains no information about how the team will tackle this weekend's grand prix at Sochi mere days after the Bianchi crash.

When you hear the word “Jeep,” what image comes to mind? Probably a go-anywhere Wrangler hitting the Rubicon Trail and conquering everything in its path.

What you do not imagine is a derivative of the long-gone Dodge Caliber with a seven-slot grille touting fuel economy over capability.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what makes up the Compass. It's Jeep's redheaded stepchild with Trail Rated badging.

But, it's not as bad as you'd think.


What is the Jeep Compass?
Available solely with 4-cylinder engines measuring in at 2.0L and 2.4L, the Compass is the smallest of the Jeeps, and a twin to the much-boxier Jeep Patriot. Its bones were shared with the Dodge Caliber before that was killed off in favour of the new Dodge Dart.

The Compass can be had with front- or four-wheel drive, and a selection of transmissions ranging from a 5-speed manual to a 6-speed automatic or continuously variable unit used with the 2.4L engine and four-wheel drive.

While not as luxurious as a Grand Cherokee or as capable as a Wrangler, the Compass is one of the least expensive compact SUV options in the Canadian market. Prices for the base model Sport 4x2 trim start at $18,995. Adding the 4x4 option brings the price up to $22,295. Top-level Limited 4x4 models start at $30,690 without optional extras.

Driving the 2015 Jeep Compass
Heading into 2015, the Jeep Compass offers exactly the same mechanicals as the 2014 model. But, since you're here...

The Sport trim is given the base 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with 158 hp and 141 lb-ft of torque. Move up to the North Edition or Limited and you're greeted with a 2.4L 4-cylinder engine producing 172 hp and 165 lb-ft of torque.

While on location at Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds, we jumped in a 2015 Jeep Compass Limited with the 2.4L 4-cylinder mill and drove it around one of the longer loop tracks pocked with potholes and bumps.

First, the Compass isn't fun to drive. The 2.4L mill has some poke, but it won't set your heart ablaze with lust.

The ride quality is so-so and handling is what you'd expect from a compact SUV first engineered almost 10 years ago. It's aging and isn't as crisp or smooth as other, newer offerings. However, if you are looking for dependability at least the folks at Chrysler have been refining this platform for quite some time, and the bugs have all been worked out.

For those shopping on a budget for a city runabout in the shape of a small SUV, the Compass might not be the most pleasant vehicle available from a driving standpoint, but there's definitely some value in what the Jeep-lette provides.

Inside and Out of the 2015 Jeep Compass
And this, folks, is where you're going to find all the value: content.

Consider, for a moment, that the Compass does have a starting price of $18,995. That's dirt cheap for a new car -- especially a compact SUV -- these days. Yet, somehow, Jeep still manages to add some decent touches.

16” aluminum wheels? It's got them.

Fog lamps? It's got two of them!

Tire pressure warning? Yup: the Compass has that in the base model, as well.

While the interior finishes may still be slightly on the cheap side, and you will have to do without air conditioning unless you select it on the order sheet for the base model, there's Hyundai-level content in the Compass.

Moving up to the North Edition, which will run you $26,140, air conditioning becomes standard along with keyless entry, power locks, and power windows.

Jeep is also happy to point out their “Altitude” and “High Altitude” packages for the Sport and North Edition models are available this year, adding even more content to their baby utility. If you are looking for a couple of particular options, this might be the way to go to save a little coin.

Comparing the 2015 Jeep Compass
There are so many compact SUVs and crossovers in the Canadian market, many brands compete with themselves, including Jeep.

The closest competitor to the Compass would be the Jeep Patriot. Another familial competitor is the Fiat 500L. GM offers the Chevrolet Trax and Orlando, slotting in above and below the Compass/Patriot twins. And, those with a bit more coin to spend can cross-shop with the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Mitsubishi RVR, Nissan Juke and Rogue, Subaru XV Crosstrek, and Toyota RAV4.

From GMM

F1 will court further controversy this weekend when Russian president Vladimir Putin oversees the inaugural grand prix at Sochi.

Amid the Ukraine crisis, the MH17 atrocity and tough anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Europe and the US, there had already been calls for formula one to cancel its first race in the country.

But mere days after the Japanese grand prix, F1 is now busily setting up at the new Sochi Autodrom, based around the central venue of the Winter Olympic Games earlier this year.

Having skipped Japan, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone will be at Sochi this weekend, having travelled to the former Soviet state Azerbaijan on Tuesday to unveil the sport's next destination, the 2016 European grand prix at Baku.

As for controversial Russia this weekend, he insisted: "We are happy, the sponsors appear to be happy, so we carry on.

"No one has spoken to me about this race or told me that we cannot go," he told The Times. "The sanctions do not affect us and what we are doing is not illegal.

"The Russian people asked us to come here and that is what we are doing. We are putting on a grand prix. This is nothing to do with politics. As I have always said, we do not do politics.

"We are in Sochi to race," said Ecclestone.

Photo: Sochi Autodrom

Times correspondent Kevin Eason claims Putin, who is "a close friend" of Ecclestone's, will also be there.

"F1 should reflect on the lack of global support for Putin's behaviour in the Ukraine," said Dr Andrew Foxall, director of the Russia Studies Centre at London's Henry Jackson Society think-tank.

"If Putin appears to wave to the crowd, it will be on global television and F1 will forever be blighted by association with an authoritarian regime."

Porsche, feeling the heat from such cars as the redesigned Chevrolet Corvette, is giving the venerable 911 a tune-up for 2015.

Denso, an affiliate of Toyota and the automaker's biggest supplier, said it is considering expanding production in Japan.

Denso is giving Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a reason to believe his weak yen policy will eventually boost investment by manufacturers.

Garmin International says Honda has selected it as the navigation provider for future Civic and CR-V models in Europe, Russia and South America.

General Motors is recalling 7,601 Chevrolet Caprice police vehicles from the 2011-13 model years for a problem with the gear shifter that could allow the car to roll away while in park.

Stanley Electric says it has developed an Adaptive Driving Beam (ADB) headlamp that improves night-time driving safety and security.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), says today's (8 October) meeting to discuss the company's reorganisation, will see administrator, Lars Eric Gustafsson, propose the situation continue until 29 November this year.

Chrysler Group has dispatched its Italian-born head of North American manufacturing, Mauro Pino, to Latin America and replaced him with its head of powertrain manufacturing.

Japan's Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) says it remains "quite cautious" concerning prospects for the sector as current and expected sales tax hikes in the country kick in.

Aston Martin, the British sports car brand, said today it hired Simon Sproule, the vice president of communications at Tesla Motors, to serve as chief marketing officer under new CEO Andy Palmer. The move is effective November 1.

Aston Martin has recruited Simon Sproule, Tesla's communications head, to serve as chief marketing officer under new CEO Andy Palmer. The move reunites the two Britons, who had worked together at Nissan before Sproule left to join Tesla.

Volvo Cars is testing a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that uses three turbochargers and cranks out at least 450 hp.

News 7 Oct, 2014

New report shows diesel emissions caused 90% of the UK to reach illegal air pollution levels in 2013

News 8 Oct, 2014

Bentley's Range Rover-rivalling SUV has been spotted testing at the Nurburgring