Auto News 5

From GMM

A crisis meeting to plot formula one's future has been cancelled.

The meeting was set to take place in London on Thursday, involving Bernie Ecclestone, Ferrari's Marco Mattiacci, Red Bull's Christian Horner, Force India's Bob Fernley and Mercedes' Toto Wolff.

But Germany's Auto Bild reports that the meeting was called off at the last minute because Austrian Wolff, Mercedes' motor sport chief, called in sick.

Correspondents Bianca Garloff and Ralf Bach claim Wolff had to have follow-up checks on his broken bones in the wake of a bicycle crash last week.

"The meeting would have made little sense without the team boss of the dominant team," they said.

But there could be other issues at play as well. Ecclestone wanted to bring in his controversial friend Flavio Briatore to head the new 'popularity working group', but some members of the paddock were reportedly not so keen.

"Why do we need Flavio?" Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda was quoted on Thursday by the Daily Mail. "Bernie is the man in charge, and he should stay in charge. We should think together with Bernie as he is the master of what we can improve."

Auto Bild claims the cancelled meeting was rescheduled for Saturday.

From GMM

Fresh blood is in no short supply on the F1 grid this year, as Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas impress.

But if you ask Marc Surer, a former driver turned commentator for German television, he doesn't hesitate for a second when asked who he would sign up if he ran a team.

"Kvyat," he told Speed Week instantly.

Surer is referring to Russian youngster Daniil Kvyat, who has only just graduated from his teens.

"He is the man of the future," Marc Surer insisted.

"His rise from GP3 to formula one without the luxury Valtteri Bottas had to learn for a year as a test driver. The Russian was thrown into deep water but he does his job so well.

"I find it very impressive."

Daniil Kvyat and Franz Tost, Toro Rosso. (Photo: WRi2)

Kvyat is the latest cream of Red Bull's increasingly impressive young driver programme, which has also produced the likes of Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.

He is currently being housed by Toro Rosso, the Red Bull 'junior' F1 team headed by Franz Tost.

Austrian Tost said this week: "He is doing a fantastic job. Taking into consideration how little mileage he was able to do before the season, he is driving very well, showing that he has natural speed.

"Equally importantly, he has had no accidents, nor has he made any mistakes."

The speed of Kvyat's progress would seem to have endangered the F1 future of his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, who has been overshadowed in 2014 in his third consecutive season with the Faenza based team.

Poised in the wings is the next Red Bull-backed junior, Carlos Sainz jr.

"He (Vergne) has suffered a lot with reliability issues, but when his car was running fine, he delivered good performances," Tost insisted when asked about the Frenchman this week.

"Thanks to his experience he makes an important contribution to the team's technical development and I'm convinced that there is still more to come from him."

Australian Daniel Ricciardo caused a stir this season not only by winning his first Grand Prix in Canada but mostly for being the only driver to have beaten the Mercedes duo.

The ever-smiling Ricciardo was born July 1st, 1989 in Perth, Australia from Italian parents.

He started karting at the age of nine, and in 2005, he entered the Western Australian Formula Ford championship driving a vintage car.

The following year, however, he won a scholarship into the Formula BMW Asian championship. That launched his career.

Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel in 2006! (Photo: BMW)

2006
Third overall in the Formula BMW Asia series for Eurasia Motorsport after two wins, 12 podiums, one pole position and three fastest laps. Fifth in the Formula BMW World series with Fortec Motorsport.

2007
Sixth overall in the Italian Formula Renault 2.0 series, scoring one podium finish.

2008
Formula Renault 2.0 WEC champion with eight wins, 11 podiums, 10 pole positions and seven fastest laps. Runner-up in Formula Renault 2.0 Euro series, with six wins, seven podiums, five pole positions and five fastest laps.

2009
Dominates British Formula 3 championship, taking title with six wins, 12 podiums, six pole positions and four fastest laps. Tests for the Red Bull Formula 1 team.

Daniel Ricciardo, Formula 3 Champion (Photo: WRI2)

2010
Runner-up in Formula Renault 3.5 championship with Tech 1 Racing. Takes four wins, eight podiums, eight pole positions and four fastest laps. Tests for Red Bull Formula 1 team.

2011
As Red Bull reserve, impresses on Fridays for Toro Rosso at first eight rounds. 'Loaned' to HRT and races from Silverstone onward, faring well against the experienced Liuzzi. Continues to compete in Formula Renault 3.5. Secures race seat at Toro Rosso for 2012.

Daniel Ricciardo, HRT (Photo: WRI2)

2012
Ninth in Australia bodes well for rest of year, but campaign stymied as Toro Rosso's STR07 falters. Best run is a trio of point-scoring finishes in Singapore, Japan and Korea where he is able to mix it with faster cars.

2013
Displays growing speed and maturity, outclassing Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne to land 2014 race seat at sister team Red Bull. Makes regular Q3 appearances, with best race results two seventh places in China and Italy.

Pros: The competitively priced 2015 Acura ILX proves to be a refined, sporty sedan that's fun to drive, especially when equipped with the Dynamic Package.

Cons: Acura engineers should probably abandon the 2.0L SOHC engine, which sorely lacks power. Moreover, the Dynamic Package is not available with an automatic transmission. Some people would say the ILX lacks available high-tech features, but then again, it's not exactly a full-fledged luxury sedan.

Photo: Acura

2015 Acura ILX Price: The lineup consists of four trim levels including the base ILX ($27,990), ILX Premium ($30,290), ILX Tech ($32,090), and ILX Dynamic ($32,090).

2015 Acura ILX Fuel Economy: Based on Natural Resources Canada's new 5-cycle testing procedure to determine fuel consumption ratings, expect to burn an average of 8.3L/100km with the 2.0L engine, and 9.3L/100km with the 2.4L unit.

Improvements and Changes: The ILX got mixed reviews following its initial launch two years ago. For 2014, Acura responded with a number of improvements in hope of attracting more buyers. This time around, the ILX returns essentially unchanged.

Powertrain: Two different powertrains can be had with the 2015 Acura ILX. The base, Premium, and Tech models use a 2.0L, SOHC, 4-cylinder engine that produces 150 horsepower and 140 lb-ft of torque through a 5-speed automatic transmission. The ILX Dynamic benefits from a 2.4L, DOHC, 4-cylinder unit rated at 201 horsepower and 170 lb-ft, as well as a close-ratio, 6-speed manual gearbox.

Cargo Capacity: The 2015 Acura ILX offers up to 348 litres of cargo room in the trunk alone. The rear seats fold down for more versatility.

Safety: A number of modern safety features protect the occupants of the 2015 Acura ILX. Beyond ABS, brake assist, and electronic brake force distribution, you'll find Vehicle Stability Assist with Traction Control, Hill Start Assist, and six airbags.

Comparing the 2015 Acura ILX: Looking to buy a compact luxury sedan? There are plenty of alternatives out there including the Audi A3, Buick Verano, Cadillac ATS, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Infiniti Q50, and Lexus IS.

It is a known fact that the Ferrari V6 power unit is overweight and underpowered.

Autosport magazine's Alberto Antonini Tursday wrote that Ferrari engineers came up with a simple change that they got tested by one of their customer teams, Marussia.

The 059/3 power unit has been designed without the use of heat shields, simply because of a lack of space at the rear of the F14 T.

Additionally, the exhaust pipes of the Ferrari motor are longer than those of the rival engines. Therefore, the exhaust gases that are blown into the turbo are a bit “cold”, resulting in a lack of power.

Last February, the three F1 power units were homologated and frozen for the rest of the year. The Mercedes and Renault were homologated with heat shields, but not the Ferrari.

Ferrari engineers soon realised that the turbo was running at too cold temperatures in the car.

Ferrari then asked the FIA to do some changes, but the sanctioning body turned them all down because they were considered as “major modifications”.

Recently, Ferrari tested a solution on the Marussia engines with a special paint applied on the exhaust pipes and some components.

Autosprint says the power gain is about 20 bhp in certain circumstances.

On the down side, Antonini adds that the increased temperature inside the tubes may cause them to break.

Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

According to a Ford spokeswoman, Sara Tatchio, the company will start phasing out BlackBerry smartphones for employees in the next few months and replace them with iPhones from Apple. That's 3,300 devices this year, and another 6,000 over the next two years.

Ford deems iPhones to be more practical.“It meets the overall needs of the employees because it is able to serve both our business needs in a secure way and the needs we have in our personal lives with a single device,” Tatchio said.

It's another big blow to BlackBerry, which has lost several major customers in recent years including Home Depot in 2013. There's been no comment on Ford's decision to go with Apple other than the following statement:

“Enterprises should think twice about relying on any solution built on the foundation of a consumer technology that lacks the proven security benefits that BlackBerry has always delivered.”

Source : affaires.lapresse.ca

Tesla Motors has now officially teamed up with Panasonic to build a large-scale battery manufacturing plant in the U.S., known as the Gigafactory. Its location, however, remains to be determined.

According to the agreement, the electric car maker will prepare, provide and manage the land, buildings and utilities, while Panasonic will manufacture and supply cylindrical lithium-ion cells and invest in the associated equipment, machinery, and other manufacturing tools based on their mutual approval. Third-party suppliers will be called upon to produce the required precursor materials.

The goal with the Gigafactory is to keep reducing the cost of long-range battery packs in parallel with manufacturing at the volumes required to enable Tesla to meet its goal of advancing mass market electric vehicles.

“We have already engaged in various collaborative projects with Tesla toward the popularization of electric vehicles,” said Yoshihiko Yamada, Executive Vice President of Panasonic. “Panasonic's lithium-ion battery cells combine the required features for electric vehicles such as high capacity, durability and cost performance. And I believe that once we are able to manufacture lithium-ion battery cells at the Gigafactory, we will be able to accelerate the expansion of the electric vehicle market.”

The Gigafactory will produce cells, modules and packs for Tesla's electric vehicles and for the stationary storage market. It's expected to employ about 6,500 people by 2020.

Source : Tesla Motors

Photo:Tesla

A 1957 BMW 507 that once belonged to Elvis Presley is returning home to be fully restored.

From 1955-1959, only 254 copies were made, and most of them were purchased by celebrities including Alain Delon and Ursula Andress. The King drove one during his time as a GI in Germany, and later had it painted red because he supposedly got tired of women writing their phone numbers on the body panels in lipstick.

Photo: BMW

There has been plenty of speculation about what happened to the 507 in the following years. The car is now in the hands of the BMW Museum in Munich, where it will go on display until August 10th. Then it will be fully restored in a long process that could take up to two years.

Elvis' 507 may return to the museum after that, become a rolling exhibit, or perhaps land in some wealthy collector's garage. Who knows?

Source : ca.autoblog.com

Fiat-Chrysler has announced a recall on 29,500 Fiat 500L models from 2014-2015 due to a problem with the knee airbags. Four thousands of those are in Canada, and roughly one third of all affected vehicles are currently on dealer lots, the automaker said.

Apparently, the knee airbags may not deploy properly and offer adequate protection in the event of a crash since “they do not meet the requirements for unbelted passengers,” a company spokesman told Automotive News.

While no related incident has been reported so far, dealers will replace the airbags at no cost. Affected owners will be notified within the next 60 days.

Source : autonews.com

Photo: Fiat

From press release

If you're looking for some action to pack into the middle of your Civic Holiday Weekend, head for Canada's Toughest 1/3-Mile Paved Oval Saturday August 2. They'll give you all the action you can handle.

The headline attraction for the First of Five Hot August Saturday Nights is the Touring Chase for the Colours pole qualifying event - presented by Lucas Oil Products - with OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Model and OSCAAR Modifieds.

Also on the bill will be the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, Peterborough Hyundai Mini Stock and Parry Spring Service Renegade Truck divisions. To top it all off, the 4Fun and Mini Stock teams will run double features and the evening will include a pre-race corn roast.

His three main event wins have Ryan Kimball sitting at the top of the Earl Ireland Auto Sales Late Model standings. Also scoring a hat-trick when it comes to feature races has Anthony DiBello leading the Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car points, while Jack Dallin, Tyler Junkin and Willow Barberstock share the same honour in the Parry Spring Service Renegade Truck, Peterborough Hyundai Mini Stock and Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun divisions respectively.

Fans and competitors are reminded to double-check the scheduled start times for the Saturday, August 2 Touring Chase for the Colours pole qualifying event.

Pit gates will open at 2pm, with the spectator areas unlocked at 4pm. Racing begins at 6pm.

Looking ahead on the schedule to Saturday, August 9 when the tight, tricky bullring on Mount Pleasant Road, west of the Liftlock City will feature the 100 lap Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series event - presented by Attersley Tire.

Action will also include the Battlefield Equipment Rental 4Fun, Peterborough Hyundai Mini Stock, Paul Davis Systems Thunder Car divisions, with the always popular Hurricane Midgets and King of the Hill.

Just over a month ago, Renault Sport revealed the body lines of its new sports car.

Today, the French company can reveal its name: Renault Sport R.S. 01.

Paddocks, engine oil and burned rubber... Discover the first picture of Renault Sport R.S. 01, caught in its natural environment.

The next important date is August 27 at the Moscow Motor Show, when Renault will us all about this spectacular sports car, which is set to become the next star in the World Series by Renault.

Renault Sport R.S. 01 (Photo: Renault Sport)

Dallara shook down its new Indy Lights spec racer, the IL-15.

This new car will be used starting next year.

It is power by a turbocharged, two-liter AER engine that produces some 450 bhp.

The test took place at Putnam Park, 30km away from Indianapolis.

Conor Daly and former Indy Lights series' champion Tristan Vautier drove the IL-15.

The new IL-15 will again be tested Monday of next week at Mid-Ohio, the day following the IndyCar and Indy Lights race.

Dallara IL-15 Indy Lights (Photo: IndyCar)

GM says it deletes heavy items such as the rear bumper from certain pickups when it weighs them in order to boost the vehicles' maximum payload ratings.

Lexus has no plans to join the rush of carmakers manufacturing in China because it has to learn to crawl in that market before it runs, a top executive says.

Chrysler Group is recalling 29,500 Fiat 500L cars from the 2014-15 model years to replace knee airbags that may not deploy in the correct position if the driver is not wearing a seatbelt.

Europe was Mitsubishi's most profitable region in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, the company said today.

Automakers, citing delays at NHTSA, want the agency to postpone rules that would require hybrids and electric vehicles to be equipped with pedestrian-alert systems.

A senior Lexus executive said that a car priced below $30,000 would not be worthy of the brand, in an indirect dig at German rivals who have been moving downmarket.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler plans steps to boost efficiency and lower costs on all operating levels, according to a senior company source, as the luxury carmaker struggles to raise output and profit margins.

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler plans steps to boost efficiency and lower costs on all operating levels, a source said, as the luxury carmaker struggles to raise output and profit margins.