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Mark Reuss, the person in charge of global development for Cadillac, confirmed the introduction of a new flagship luxury Cadillac towards the end of next year. It will compete head on with the biggest names in the high-end market, including the Mercedes-Benz Classe S.

Cadillac hopes that this sedan becomes the standard bearer of the brand. “What we do there has got to be a symbol of excellence,” Reuss told The Detroit Bureau at a GM event. “This is a car Cadillac needs and that will define this brand in terms of innovation and excellence.”

This new sedan will rank higher than the previous premium model, Cadillac XTS, which could well disappear in the mid-term. The XTS is also about the only Caddy left with front-wheel drive, a feature that Cadillac looks like abandoning in the near future. Indeed, the new flagship sedan will most likely opt for rear-drive and all-wheel-drive, following the example of kindred models such as the Jaguar XJ and the BMW 7 Series.

To be continued...

Source : thedetroitbureau.com

The second running of the NASCAR Camping World Truck race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park -- Chevrolet Silverado 250 --will be staged this weekend.

The race will feature rounds of the Camping World Truck, the Porsche GT3 Cup Canada, the NASCAR Canadian Tire series and the Canadian Touring Car Championship.

For more information about this exciting event or to purchase tickets, make sure to visit: www.mosport.com.

Last moments of the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Chevrolet Silverado 250 Weekend*

Friday, August 29, 2014
7:00 am - 9:00 pm - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Registration
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm - Porsche GT3 Cup Canada Test Session
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - LUNCH
3:00 pm - 3:30 pm - Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Practice #1
3:45 pm - 4:15 pm - Canadian Touring Car Championship Practice #1
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Practice #2

Saturday, August 30, 2014
7:00 am - 4:00 pm - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Registration
8:00 am - 8:30 am - Canadian Touring Car Championship Qualifying
8:45 am - 9:15 am - Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Qualifying
9:30 am - 10:30 am - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice #1
10:40 am - 11:25 am - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Practice #1
11:35 am - 1:00 pm - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Practice #2
1:10 pm - 2:00 pm - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Practice #2
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - LUNCH
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm - Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Race #1
4:00 pm - 4:30 pm - Canadian Touring Car Championship Race #1
4:40 pm - 5:00 pm - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Qualifying - First Session
5:05 pm - 5:25 pm - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Qualifying - Second Session
5:40 pm - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying

Sunday, August 31, 2014
7:00 am - 3:00 pm - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Registration
9:00 am - 9:30 am - Canadian Touring Car Championship Qualifying
9:50 am - NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Driver Introductions
10:00 am - 11:45 am - Pinty's presents the Clarington 200

(NASCAR Canadian Tire Series) 200 km
12:00 pm - 12:45 pm - LUNCH
1:00 pm - NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver Introductions
1:30 pm - Chevrolet Silverado 250

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race (64 Laps)
4:15 pm - 5:00 pm - Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada Race #2
5:15 pm - 5:45 pm - Canadian Touring Car Championship Race #2

* Schedule Subject to Change

Last month, Buick unveiled its all-new SUV, the Envision. Today, the manufacturer published a first look at the interior of the vehicle, which will make its world premiere on August 28. Competing with the Acura RDX and the Infiniti EX, the Envision is slated for the (American) market during the latter months of 2015.

We now know that the Envision is outfitted with a leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel. The steering wheel also features controls for cruise control, music and Bluetooth connectivity. The area beneath the centre console and the seats, which have split centre armrests for access to extra storage space and USB port, are wrapped in dual-stitched burgundy leather.

A panoramic sunroof gives its soundproof interior a spacious feel. The Envision's FlexRide suspension system can be adjusted between 4 different settings: Normal, Tour, Sport and Off-Road. In fact, the Envision is the first Buick vehicle to offer Off-Road mode. It is also equipped with parking assist, engine start/stop and lane departure warning.

Source : motorauthority.com

Photo: Buick

British, South African, Australian and customers from twenty other countries may now order a right-hand drive (RHD) Mustang for the first time in the car's history.

Ford engineers put the final touches on the prototype only a few days ago and are now readying it for extensive testing that will take place over the next few months. The car is slated to be released by Q2 in 2015 to a total 120 markets world wide, 25 of them being new thanks to the arrival of the RHD ‘stang.

More than 9.2 million Mustangs have been sold in America since 1964 while only 161,000 have been delivered elsewhere in the world in the same period. The RHD version should significantly increase the car's appeal.

Source : Ford

Photo: Ford

If you're like most proud car owners, loaning your baby to someone is often a very difficult task. This may be especially true if said baby is a Corvette. As GM is on your side, they've come up with a valet mode that records HD video, in-car audio, and vehicle data. This info will give you details on what went down with your Vette when you weren't watching.

“Performance Data Recorder was initially designed as a tool for track days, allowing drivers to record their laps and improve their driving skills,” said Charles. “We soon realized the system could have many more applications, such as recording a scenic drive up Highway 101, or recording when the Valet Mode is activated.”

Offered as standard equipment on every 2015 Corvette, the valet mode and data recorder take note of speed, engine RPM, gear position and g-force. It will be possible for the owner to watch the recorded video on the 8-inch screen or downloaded to a computer.

Source : media.gm.ca

Kimi Raikkonen of the Scuderia Ferrari believes having an incident-free race for the first time this season was essential to his season-best finish of fourth at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday.

Raikkonen led the race, and was running in third place when another Finn, Valtteri Bottas in the Williams, passed him with just five laps to go.

Fourth place represents Raikkonen's best result since rejoining the famed Italian team.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (Photo: Ferrari)

"We had decided to tackle this race more aggressively, making an early stop to get ahead of the cars that had yet to pit and that meant I was able to stay with the leaders for much of the race," Raikkonen explained on Formula1.com.

"We did our utmost and for the first time, we managed to have a clean race without any problems.

"In general, I'm happy with how this weekend ended. We knew it would not be easy on this circuit, but the car has improved and today the pace was good.

"Fourth place shows we are going in the right direction, but it doesn't mean we can settle for that. Today, we scored a good number of points, but we are here to win and we will continue to work to reach the top."

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari and Jenson Button, McLaren. (Photo: Ferrari)

From FLIR

FLIR, an innovation partner with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, had the opportunity to capture some great footage at GAMMA Racing Day 2014.

Using a FLIR x6580sc infrared camera, the company were able to capture in high speed, the Infiniti Red Bull car's tires heating up as the driver burned rubber.

Other thermal cameras used were the FLIR T650sc and the FLIR B660.

In the partnership, FLIR will develop solutions using our world-class miniature thermal cameras to provide the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team with unique insights into the thermal characteristics of their cars' components and operations.

See more at www.flir.com/motorsports