Auto News 5

Korean automakers may threaten the global dominance of automakers such as Volkswagen and Toyota, but they are losing ground at home to foreign brands -- especially premium automakers such as BMW and Mercedes.

Following shareholder approval of the proposed merger of Fiat and Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne now faces an uncertain few months as he waits to find out if he has to postpone the tie-up because too many shareholders want to be bought out.

Full-sized pickup sales are rebounding nicely, thanks to the booming oil industry.

Mercedes-Benz USA expects its GLA compact crossover to be in short supply when the vehicle debuts in September because of the segment's growing popularity.

For five years, Chrysler Group has been slowly building its once-tattered relations with suppliers. Then, in about three minutes last week, CEO Sergio Marchionne called that hard-won trust into question.

In the flap over how General Motors and Ford Motor Co. calculate the maximum payload ratings of their pickups, GM blinked. GM said on Friday that it no longer will omit the weight of some parts to boost the maximum payload ratings of their pickups.

GM's contrarian move to re-enter the compact pickup segment this fall with the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon comes at an opportune time, an Automotive News review of more than a decade's worth of data suggests.

Acura's new TLX sedan takes on the high-wire act of replacing both the TL and TSX in the brand's lineup. But the ad campaign for it largely plays it safe, with heavy buys on TV, live sports, online video and other digital ad media.

An extension of Honda's marketing department in the United States keeps a close watch on the activities of dealers who participate in the brand's dealer marketing allowance program and cracks down on any who violate strict rules on what dealers can...

It can be a struggle for newcomers and unknowns to win business in an industry where suppliers are consolidating into a few, ever-larger corporations with global factory footprints.

A decade ago, automakers were a tough sell when Turn 10 Studios approached them about including their vehicles in the first "Forza Motorsport" game. Now, it's the automakers that are knocking on Turn 10's door.

Hyundai is rolling out a global dealership design initiative aimed at creating a unified look at its stores worldwide before the end of the decade.

It sounds like a long shot, but BMW is taking a keen interest in an X3-derived pickup unveiled at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars last week by engineering graduate students from a U.S. university.

Korean automakers may threaten the global dominance of automakers such as Volkswagen and Toyota, but they are fast losing ground at home to foreign brands -- especially premium automakers such as BMW and Mercedes.

Korean automakers may threaten the global dominance of automakers such as Volkswagen and Toyota, but they are losing ground at home to foreign brands -- especially premium automakers such as BMW and Mercedes.

From GMM

Russia and Formula 1 are pushing ahead with preparations for the country's inaugural Grand Prix.

There have been doubts about the viability of the Sochi race in recent weeks, particularly after the MH17 disaster.

But Russia's Championat claims that preparations for the Russian grand prix, scheduled for mid October, are ongoing.

The latest development is that officials of FOM - the Bernie Ecclestone-led Formula One Management - visited the site to inspect the television compound, media and commentator facilities, and the actual circuit paddock.

"Particular attention was paid to pedestrian bridges, locations for cameras, as well as the use of digital flags," the report said, citing official sources.

Championat added that the final inspection of the Sochi circuit, located around the site of the 2014 winter olympics village, will be carried out by the FIA in the second part of August.

Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said that despite the political situation, the teams are currently committed to racing in October.

"We have to rely on the governing body and commercial rights holder," she said.

"They are the ones who have the responsibility and we will do as they say, like we've done in the past."

L.P. Dumoulin raced to victory in the 45th running of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres Sunday in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series competition.

Dumoulin was able to get past Kerry Micks just before the halfway point of the race and hold off a furious charge by Andrew Ranger late in the closing laps to win the JuliaWine.com Le 50 Tours at the 1.53-mile temporary course through the streets of Trois-Rivieres.

It was the second Canadian Tire Series victory of the season for Dumoulin, a native of Trois-Rivieres, and fourth of his career.

Louis-Philippe Dumoulin (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Dumoulin and Ranger were battling on the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish when the caution flag was displayed after an accident between pole sitter Marc Antoine Camirand and Xavier Coupal on lap 51.

The accident sent Coupal into a series of barrel rolls that forced NASCAR officials to display the red flag while safety personnel worked to get Coupal out of the car.

Coupal was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation after the accident. Luckily, he was not injured.

Andrew Ranger (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Due to time constraints and the amount of clean up needed, the race was called after the two-car accident on lap 51.

Ranger finished second with Micks third. Dumoulin's brother, J.F. Dumoulin, was fourth and J.R. Fitzpatrick completed the top five.

Jeff Lapcevich, Alex Guenette, Jason Hathaway, Noel Dowler and Joey McColm brought home the top 10.

Kerry Micks (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

L.P. Dumoulin holds on to his points lead over Fitzpatrick as the series returns to action on August 16 with the Wilson Equipment 300 at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

The Canadian Tire Series has visited the high-banked .333-mile oval each year since 2007. Jason Hathaway is the defending race winner.

From Formula E

Formula E has completed two full event simulations as the world's first all-electric single-seater championship gears up for its first race in Beijing on September 13.

Both events took place at Donington Park, where a temporary pit lane and pit boxes were assembled to mimic those that will be in place at the street circuits the series will visit.

Accreditation procedures, operational and IT infrastructures and even television broadcasts were also meticulously tested.




During the second simulation, for the first time the 10 teams ran all four of their cars as the two non-qualifying sessions, qualifying and an endurance test were completed to the schedule that will take place at the races.

This meant that all of the teams and drivers had the opportunity to simulate the unique car change pit stops - and at the second simulation - a full standing start.

While a number of issues were encountered, which was the reason for running the simulation, overall the events were considered to be a success.

Organisers have also revealed the race day timetable for each Formula E event, which takes place all in one day.

The 10 teams and 20 drivers will have two non-qualifying sessions in the morning - lasting 45 minutes and 30 minutes - followed by a qualifying session split into four groups of five cars with the order selected at random beforehand.

The race itself will last approximately 60 minutes with the race distance (exact number of laps) determined on the day.

Second-generation driver Louis-Philippe Dumoulin captured an emotional victory Sunday in the NASCAR Canadian Tire race held at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres.

Here is a photo gallery of the spectacular and action filled event.

Photos: Philippe Champoux

Race results:

1 L.P. Dumoulin Dodge 51 laps
2 Andrew Ranger Dodge 51
3 Kerry Micks Ford 51
4 J.F. Dumoulin Dodge 51
5 J.R. Fitzpatrick Chevrolet 51
6 Jeff Lapcevich Dodge 51
7 Alex Guenette Dodge 51
8 Jason Hathaway Chevrolet 51
9 Noel Dowler Dodge 51
10 Joey McColm Dodge 51
11 Matt Pritiko Chevrolet 51
12 Ray Courtemanche Jr. Dodge 51
13 Dave Coursol Dodge 51
14 Vaughn Gittin Jr. Ford 51
15 Alex Labbe Dodge 51
16 Scott Steckly Dodge 51
17 Dominic Jacques Chevrolet 51
18 D.J. Kennington Dodge 51
19 Luc Lesage Dodge 51
20 Marc-Antoine Camirand Chevrolet 51
21 Simon Dion-Viens Dodge 51
22 Patrice Brisebois Dodge 51
23 Xavier Coupal Dodge 51
24 Jacques Villeneuve Dodge 50 laps
25 Alex Tagliani Dodge 49
26 Benoit Theetge Chevrolet 43
27 Hugo Vannini Ford 43
28 Gary Klutt Chevrolet 39
29 Matthew Scannell Dodge 38
30 Jocelyn Fecteau Dodge 30 laps, accident
31 Anthony Simone Dodge 29 laps, accident
32 Elie Arseneau Dodge 24 laps, clutch
33 Peter Klutt Chevrolet 5 laps, suspension

Point standings:

1 L.P. Dumoulin 299 points
2 J.R. Fitzpatrick 273
3 Andrew Ranger 269
4 Jason Hathaway 257
5 Scott Steckly 251

From press release

In a battle between two drivers with everything on the line, AJ Allmendinger held off Marcos Ambrose in breathtaking fashion to win Sunday's Cheez-It 355 at the Glen and claim an almost certain spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

In the closing laps, Allmendinger and Ambrose bumped each other, leaned on each other, raced each other side-by-side through the esses without wrecking—astoundingly—and swapped the lead before Allmendinger secured his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory with a pass in Turn 6 with just over one lap left.

The 2.45-mile road course at Watkins Glen International gave both drivers their best chance to qualify for the Chase, and it was Allmendinger who prevailed in a two-lap battle that that was a long-time coming, thanks to three red-flag periods needed to repair safety barriers at the track.

AJ Allmendinger celebrates his win at the Cheez-it 355 (Photo: NASCAR.com)

"Yeah, I mean I knew our car was slick on restarts on the tires, and I knew Marcos was going to try to move me out of the way if he had the opportunity," Allmendinger said.

"To his credit, he didn't wreck me. He just moved me like he should have. I went down into the next corner and leaned on him a little bit to see if I could get a gap and get them racing behind me.

"This is what I live for—this is all I talk about," Allmendinger said. "I don't want to hear that AJ might be the next first-time winner—I'm tired of hearing that."

On Sunday, Allmendinger made sure he won't ever hear those words again.