Auto News 5

From GMM

F1 is not mandating titanium be fitted underneath next year's cars solely to create sparks, the governing body insists.

After tests on a couple of cars were carried out during Austrian grand prix practice last month, the FIA has now committed to introducing new rules for 2015.

It was reported that the sole reason for adding titanium to the skid blocks was to create the kind of spectacular sparks that characterised the 80s.

But, in the wake of criticism that F1 is too often reverting to 'artificial' rules to inject excitement, the FIA insists the new skid block rules are in fact to "ensure they are made from a lighter material and are better contained".

"The skids have formerly been made of a heavy metal, which has been very resistant to wear, and they (the teams) put the skids around the points in the plank where thickness is measured," said F1 race director Charlie Whiting.

"This metal is extremely heavy and when pieces detach they can be extremely harmful. We saw two punctures in Spa previously because of bits of this metal that lay in a kerb and caused damage," he added. "In a worst case scenario they could fly off and hit someone."

Sauber C33-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

So Charlie Whiting said the FIA is mandating the use of titanium next year primarily for safety reasons.

"Secondly," he explained, "the titanium wears some two to 2.5 times more quickly than the metal currently used. Thus cars will have to be run a little bit higher to manage wear and teams won't be able to drag them on the ground quite as much as they have in the past.

"The third effect is that you will see a lot more sparks, which some people think will look a little more spectacular," Whiting acknowledged.

From GMM

The distinctive nose at the front of Caterham's 2014 car could be the popular victim of a development push by the backmarker team.

"New management, new nose, new hope," read a report in the German-language Speed Week, as it referred to Caterham's plans to press ahead in the wake of the Tony Fernandes era.

Caterham is currently last in the constructors' standings, after its traditional backmarker rival Marussia finally broke into the points in Monaco.

Finishing last in 2014 - a statistic new bosses Colin Kolles and Christijan Albers are determined to avoid - could mean the loss of about $20 million in official prize-money.

And so it seems Caterham's mysterious new Swiss-Middle Eastern owners have approved a timely development push.

Italy's Omnicorse claims departed backer Fernandes had essentially 'blocked' the further development of the uncompetitive CT05 car while he contemplated selling the Leafield based team.

The new management has now 'unblocked' that programme.

The report said that, on Tuesday, a 60 per cent model of the car entered the state-of-the-art Toyota wind tunnel in Cologne, with the fruits of the work scheduled to debut at the Belgian grand prix after the summer break.

The headline improvement will be a "more efficient nose", Speed Week claims.

The curious 'double nose' on the CT05, arguably one of the ugliest innovations in F1 history, is tipped to be gone at Spa-Francorchamps in August.

But, before that, the new nose would require a new FIA crash test.

"We obviously have a lot of work to do," said team boss and former Minardi driver Albers, "but we're prepared for the challenges ahead."

Caterham CT05 nose. (Photo: WRi2)

In 2015, it is expected that every car on the grid will feature much more aesthetically-pleasing nose designs.

Next year's rules have addressed the issue of the unseemly and unpopular 'anteater'-style noses.

"We can't legislate against ugly cars," said the FIA's Charlie Whiting, "but what we can do is to try to get closer to what was originally intended."

The 2015 rules mandate larger minimum cross-sections of the noses, he confirmed.

"They (will) have to be a certain height and a certain width and they must be symmetrical about the car centre line," said Charlie Whiting.

From GMM

Mercedes will restrict the race strategies that can be adopted by its drivers as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fight for the 2014 title.

Until now, the dominant team has given its driver duo almost free rein to battle for the championship, despite constant speculation that Mercedes and its parent Daimler might prefer to see German Rosberg ultimately triumph.

Italy's Autosprint now reports that one of the ways Mercedes is moving to demonstrate absolute equality between the pair is to limit them to very similar pit strategies.

"The drivers must comply with the same number of pitstops," said correspondent Alberto Antonini.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG, pitstop. (Photo: WRi2)

That aside, the Hamilton and Rosberg camps will be free to wage their battles, even at the risk of some loss of 'transparency' as outlined by boss Toto Wolff recently.

"As an individual, you cannot dominate alone in motor racing," Wolff is quoted by Speed Week. "Our position is a testament to how well we work together.

"But of course there are areas where you keep certain details to yourself to develop an advantage, and this is also accepted by the team. But it must not have a negative influence on the development of the team," he insisted.

An EPA proposal would require automakers to road test vehicles to verify mileage figures before they are published on window stickers and other sources, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing EPA officials.

What is it?

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former 'Tonight Show' host Jay Leno will be among the keynote speakers at the 2015 National Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Expo in San Francisco.

German industrial gases maker Linde AG opened what it said was the world's first production line for hydrogen fueling stations today, in a bid to boost support networks for eco-friendly cars.

Honeywell is merging its transportation systems unit into its aerospace division to take advantage of similarities between the businesses.

South African employers are warning of the consequences of an 'indefinite strike' as the country's huge metalworking walk-out now enters its third week, slashing automotive component availability.

Critter control isn't an essential item on the CV of anyone applying for a job at Hyundai America Technical Centre's Inc's (HATCI) California proving ground in the Mojave Desert but it doesn't hurt to know what you're doing. For a start, facility manager Matt Seare has no problem catching snakes and carries the essential kit in the SUV in which he prowls the 4,300-acre facililty.

It's now more than seven years since the Audi R8 went on sale, but the car's development by quattro GmbH is continuing right to the end of production.

Just a few weeks after the debut of the Mercedes-Benz MLC in concept form, prototypes were spotted testing in Colorado earlier this month.

News 14 Jul, 2014

Volkswagen's new seven-seater midsize SUV to be built at the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee from 2016, as part of a £530million investment

Given the buzz created by the recent sale of barn-stored Aston Martin DBS twins a couple months ago, and on the heels of

SENIOR MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Yeah and#8230; I don't exactly get the 2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR, but not because I wouldn't smile and welcome a modern Super Beetle.

Volkswagen Group America said its Passat plant in Chattanooga will add production of a seven-seat SUV at a cost of US$900m (EUR643m), adding 2,000 additional jobs. About US$600m (EUR432m) will be spent in Tennessee. A local R&D centre is also planned.

Is the S63 AMG Coupe not enough for you? Here's your ride.

News 15 Jul, 2014

The lightweight Jaguar XE is set to be a class leader, with its clever chassis revealed today

Volkswagen will assemble a new family-hauling crossover at its plant in Chattanooga and invest $900 million to expand the factory in a push to double U.S. sales of VW-brand vehicles by 2018.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into around 500,000 older model Ford sedans for issues with the steering, reported Autoguide.com.