Auto News 5

Four projects by Germany, Spain and Hungary are being examined by the European Commission concerning the compatibility with EU state aid rules for Volkswagen, BMW and Ford.

Nissan has priced its Pulsar compact hatchback to undercut equivalent versions of the Ford Focus and VW Golf, the segment's top-selling models.

Callaway's formula for making the C7 Corvette even more potent should be familiar to anyone who's followed the cars coming out of this tuner. For the Corvette, Callaway has added a 2.

Bugatti may build a hybrid successor to its 1,200-hp Veyron, sources said. The new model will beat the top speed of Bugatti's Veyron Super Sport, the sources added.

Bugatti may build a hybrid successor to its 1,200-hp Veyron, sources said. The new model will beat the top speed of Bugatti's Veyron Super Sport, the sources added.

News 10 Jul, 2014

All-new Ingenium engines to go in Jaguar XE first and join Disco Sport range in late 2015

Sales in the once-strong volume mid-sized sector are forecast to fall to less than 500,000 in western Europe this year, down from more than 800,000 in 2011, as pressure from premium alternatives mounts.

Sales in the once-strong volume mid-sized sector are forecast to fall to less than 500,000 in western Europe this year, down from more than 800,000 in 2011, as pressure from premium alternatives mounts.

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton left Silverstone without making a single comment to the media after testing on Wednesday.

He might have been advised to steer a wide course around the 'Nico Rosberg is not German' controversy.

But there could be another issue he - and Mercedes - were keen to swerve.

The FIA's Charlie Whiting has dropped a bombshell on F1 teams, warning them in writing that systems mimicking illegal active suspension - commonly referred to as 'Fric' - probably are in fact illegal.

The concept has become so widespread that it is believed every single 2014 car features it.

"It came as a surprise. It's not based on any team action. It's an FIA action," McLaren team boss Eric Boullier told reporters on Wednesday when asked about Whiting's intervention.

Before Boullier's comments, it might have been assumed that a rival team complained to Whiting about Fric, because the iteration aboard Mercedes' ultra-dominant 2014 is considered to be more advanced than most others.

"I hear the Mercedes system is very complicated, so it could affect them more," Marussia driver Max Chilton told Britain's Sky at Silverstone.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes AMG W05. (Photo: WRi2)

For the moment, the FIA is not actually banning the system, but in the technical directive, Whiting warned that teams could theoretically begin to lodge protests against their rivals, starting at Hockenheim next weekend.

So some teams might simply dodge the controversy by removing 'Fric'.

"We thought we might as well try the car and see what we could do without it," Chilton said after Wednesday's test action, "in case it goes that way."

The Briton said the backmarking Marussia did not feel too different with 'Fric' off the car.

But that could be because the Marussia system is not as "extreme" as some.

"I think some teams may have been extreme. This is maybe why the FIA is questioning the legality of this system," agreed McLaren's Boullier.

"I don't know the secrets of the designs of the other teams. I think for most of the teams it would not be a game-changer. There is maybe a couple of teams who have been extreme and obviously who could be potentially in trouble to switch back to a non-connecting system," said Boullier.

Theoretically, the 'Fric' issue could be good news for Mercedes' rivals, and very bad news for the ultra-dominant German team.

"After what the FIA has said," Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is quoted by Speed Week, "I can surmise that some cars will be more affected than others if there are any possible changes."

Mercedes' big gap, however, is probably safe, according to Michael Schmidt, the respected correspondent for Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"Mercedes may have to give up some of its advantage, but the gap to the chasing pack is so big that the Silver Arrows is not in trouble. Especially as Red Bull has a similarly-good system," he said.

From GMM

Jules Bianchi staked a claim on a Ferrari race seat on Wednesday, setting the pace at the post-British grand prix Silverstone test.

Drafted in by Ferrari to replace Kimi Raikkonen after the Finn's high-speed crash last Sunday, Frenchman and Marussia driver Bianchi looked as impressive as Fernando Alonso had been in practice last weekend in the same F14-T car.

Moreover, Bianchi's 1 minute 35.2 laptime was more than a second faster than Raikkonen - who has notably struggled in 2014 - had managed in Silverstone practice.

Jules Bianchi, Ferrari F14 T, Silverstone. (Photo: WRi2)

Although clearly part of Ferrari's future plans, the 24-year-old played down the significance of his Silverstone speed, insisting differing wind conditions between the race weekend and the test played a significant role.

"But it's always good to do some good laptimes and to be consistent. Obviously it is much better to do a good job and a good laptime," he admitted.

Nonetheless, Raikkonen is firmly under contract for 2015, and Bianchi acknowledged that a race seat with the Maranello team "is not the plan for next year".

From GMM

Talks about Carlos Sainz jr immediately replacing a Caterham driver for the German grand prix and beyond took place at Silverstone last weekend.

Multiple Spanish sources are confirming the news, although they disagree about his chances.

According to El Mundo Deportivo, it is a very real "possibility", following talks between Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, Sainz's father Carlos Sainz, and new Caterham 'advisor' Colin Kolles.

Speculation says talks took place about forgiving Caterham's outstanding gearbox bills to Red Bull if Sainz, the latest cream of the energy drink company's junior programme, stepped in immediately to replace Kamui Kobayashi.

"Nothing is final, nor is it the only option," the newspaper quoted a source close to 19-year-old Sainz. "Currently, Carlos is focused on this weekend's round of the Renault world series, and then we will talk and see."

Caterham CT05-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

The Spanish sports daily AS admits that a Hockenheim debut for Sainz was initially a possibility, but a deal between Red Bull and Caterham was not agreed.

"So now the intention of Red Bull is that Sainz will step into the Toro Rosso on a Friday this year, and next year he will be a race driver," the report said.

From GMM

World champion Sebastian Vettel is not sure Red Bull can catch up with Mercedes by 2015.

Red Bull boss Dr Helmut Marko said at Silverstone last weekend that, "In 2015, we want to be on par with Mercedes."

After taking part in the post-British grand prix test on Wednesday, German Vettel said: "The gap to Mercedes is very big.

"Until the beginning of next season we will try to catch up," he is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, "and I hope that we are able to improve and get closer."

Vettel is also quoted as saying by Speed Week: "While we have made significant progress since the winter, the opponents also are not sleeping.

"We expect to make further steps over the coming months, and towards the end of the year we should be in a better position to judge where we stand for 2015."

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, at Silverstone. (Photo: WRi2)

Pros: The venerable Lexus RX, the brand's top seller, proves solidly built, smooth, comfortable, and very reliable. Cargo capacity is right at the top of the compact luxury CUV segment, and in RX 450h trim, fuel efficiency is remarkable. What's more, customer service at Lexus dealerships usually eclipses the one you're going to get with German makes.

Cons: The battery pack is an older-design, nickel-metal-hydride unit. While plush, the seats lack side support.

Photo: Lexus

2015 Lexus RX 450h Price: Making things simple for buyers, Lexus offers a single trim level, and it starts at $62,650.

2015 Lexus RX 450h Fuel Economy: Based on Natural Resources Canada's new 5-cycle testing procedure to determine fuel consumption ratings, expect to burn 8.0L/100km in the city and 8.5L/100km on the highway with your 2015 RX 450h.

Improvements and Changes: Now officially called “RX 450h SPORTDESIGN,” this luxury crossover's powerful presence is made stronger and more aerodynamic by a newly sharpened front bumper, more angular headlights, an even bolder interpretation of the Lexus Spindle grille design, and standard 19” alloy wheels.

Also new for 2015 is a “One Push” confirmation that makes the Lexus Remote Touch controller easier and more intuitive to operate.

2015 Lexus RX 450h Powertrain: A smooth 3.5L V6 teams up with a pair of electric motors as part of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system. Together, they put out 295 net horsepower and a massive amount of torque. A specifically calibrated CVT handles power delivery to all four wheels. Choose Normal, ECO, EV, or Sport drive mode to optimize efficiency or performance to suit your mood and driving conditions.

Cargo Capacity: You can expand the cargo area from 1,133 to 2,274 litres by folding the rear seats in the 2015 Lexus RX 450h. By the way, these numbers are equal to the gas-powered RX, so the battery makes no difference here.

Safety: Standard features include stability and traction control, disc brakes with ABS, brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, as well as smart stop technology, which automatically cuts engine power and allows the brakes to take precedence over the accelerator when both pedals are pressed at the same time. Let's not forget the 10 airbags and available technologies like adaptive cruise control, a blind spot monitor, intuitive parking assist, and head-up display.

Comparing the 2015 Lexus RX 450h: Direct competitors are limited to the Audi Q5 Hybrid and Infiniti QX60 Hybrid. Don't sleep on the diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC, though.

FIAT's North American branch is premiering a new web series titled “Neighbors” in conjunction with the comedy video website Funny Or Die. Starring the 2014 Fiat 500L, the five webisodes can be viewed at www.funnyordie.com/fiat.

The action starts when a hip Italian couple in their thirties move into a house in the suburbs next to a middle-age American couple. The series follows the four characters through a number of adventures (or misadventures).

"The FIAT brand's playful personality and Italian heritage give us license to find new ways to tell our brand story. Partnering with Funny Or Die, which has a huge built-in fan base and social media following, has proven to be a winning formula for us,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer - Chrysler Group LLC and Fiat Group Automobiles Head of Fiat Brand. “The reaction to our ‘Backseat Italians' video proved the power of great content and a passionate fan base that Funny Or Die brings to the partnership. Since the launch of this latest series of videos, we've seen an uptick in web traffic, and this deeper engagement with our brand ultimately leads to FIAT Studio visits.”

FIAT is also sponsoring “Funny Or Die Soccer Week,” a special weeklong programming event featuring soccer-themed videos and articles.

From press release

Albatec Racing returns to full strength in round six of the FIA World Rallycross Championship presented by Monster Energy in Belgium this weekend (12&13 July), when both two-litre, 16v Albatec Peugeot 208s are back in action.

Following a heavy test crash in Sweden by former F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve last month, Team Principal Andy Scott gave up his own car for the French-Canadian to drive in the three Scandinavian rounds. Now though, the Dumfries businessman will be reunited with the #26 MacDuff-backed motor as he bids to return to semi final form and challenge for his first outright World RX win.

Now restored to a two-car attack as the season approaches the midway point, hopes are high of a return to form for the team that showed semi final pace in the opening two rounds for former British Rallycross Vice-Champion Andy, and for lady luck to shine on Jacques who has consistently proved his speed behind the wheel of the 600bhp French powerhouse.

Jacques Villeneuve. (Photo: Albatec Racing)

The new Circuit Jules Tacheny track should suit the Peugeot and Jacques well, being largely road-based. In the last three rounds he showed outstanding pace, posting the fastest single lap time in heat one, and the second in heat two in Norway. In Finland the 1995 Indycar World Series Champion looked set for a semi-final slot, only to have a puncture end his progress, while last time out in Sweden, even a heat win and a rapid pace on day two was not enough to secure a semi final place, as crash damage sustained on Saturday ruled him out.

Being new to the championship also means the track is unknown territory for everyone, offering a level playing field across the huge 37-strong Supercar field. The Mettet track located near Charleroi was originally built for motorcycle racing in 1927, and since then has hosted two and four wheeled events. While new to the Rallycross schedule, the organisers have spent considerable time and money on preparing the track to FIA standards, and indications are that the weekend will offer up another superb action-packed event.

Andy Scott, Team Principal and Driver, Albatec Racing #26: "The damage sustained to Jacques car in Sweden was extensive, but it's now been completely rebuilt and ready for race action, and we're pleased to have both cars back out in Belgium. Over the last three races we've suffered with only running one car, having two naturally doubles the chances of progressing to the semi finals, as well as providing double the opportunities to further develop the car.

"I believe Jacques has the potential to shine in the second half of the year, he's already shown his speed, we just need to harness that and convert it into consistent results across the heats. The upcoming tracks should suit his driving style, while the new Mettet track offers a level playing field across the board for everyone. Personally I can't wait to get back in the driving seat too, it's been incredibly tough being at the track and not racing."

Jacques Villeneuve, Driver, Albatec Racing #25: "I'm looking forward to Belgium and the subsequent races, which are held on road courses transformed into rallycross circuits which should suit my driving style better, and where one bad race doesn't have such an effect on the overall results. We need to find a little bit more speed, but I'm confident we can do so as I think we have a good base from which to progress."

The recently unveiled Mercedes-Benz “Future Truck 2025” prototype is fully autonomous, making it the first driverless truck in the world, the company says.

In the following video, you'll see the truck negotiating highway traffic. There's a man in the driver's seat, but he's not touching the steering the wheel. Instead, he writes some notes on a clipboard and surfs on the internet using his tablet.

While the test drive was fairly short (5 km), Mercedes-Benz has shown how autonomous driving technology can successfully be applied to large trucks.

Source : autoblog.com

Pirelli's new 18-inch concept tires formed the centre of attention at Silverstone, with Lotus F1 Team reserve driver Charles Pic giving the new design its debut on Wednesday morning.

Pic headed out shortly after 9am in the current Lotus E22 equipped with the new 18-inch tires and completed 14 laps of the Silverstone circuit. With the concept tire designed principally to showcase aesthetics rather than performance, and a general-purpose compound, the lap times were not the focus. Instead, the objective was to gauge reaction to the very different new design, which received the thumbs up from most observers.

Charles Pic aboard the Lotus E22, equipped with Pirelli 18-inches tires. (Photo: WRi2)

Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “In our view, the new tires looked stunning fitted to the Lotus, and the reaction has already been felt all over the world. These are just a prototype concept, but if the teams decided that they wanted us to proceed in this direction, we have the capability to carry on development in this area and come up with a production-ready version in a comparatively short space of time. We've heard a lot of opinions already and we look forward to canvassing other opinions in the coming weeks and months.

"Even though performance wasn't by any means priority here, the new tires still behaved exactly in line with our expectations, so we're clearly potentially at the beginning of a huge development curve, with the wheel and tire size rules having remained unaltered for many years."

Comparison 13-inches vs 18-inches tires. (Photo: Pirelli)

The new tires were designed and built in accordance with Pirelli's premium strategy in Milan. The key technical advantage of an 18-inch tire is a stiffer sidewall that helps maintain the structural rigidity of the tire and also makes it easier for the tire to maintain a constant pressure - as there is less actual air inside the tire. The new tire is physically bigger, which makes it much more relevant to the Ultra High Performance tires that are seen on the road, leading to greater technology transfer.

The new tires tested today have the same width as the current 13-inch tires (245mm at the front and 325mm at the rear) but a diameter that is bigger by 30mm. The weight is approximately the same as the 13-inch tire, because although the diameter is bigger, there is a smaller sidewall. The total weight, including the rim, is around 4 kilograms heavier.

Charles Pic aboard the Lotus E22, equipped with Pirelli 18-inches tires. (Photo: WRi2)

Leaving a child inside a car on a hot summer day can have tragic consequences, which is why a 12-year-old boy named Andrew Pelham came up with a simple device to help parents not accidentally forget their young children on the back seat.

The EZ Baby Saver is a series of rubber bands attached together and wrapped in brightly coloured duct tape. One end hooks onto the driver's door, while the other attaches to the back of the child seat.

"When you open the car door and get out of your car, you're blocked by the brightly coloured EZ Baby Saver and you remember, 'oh, my child is still in the car,'" Pelham explained to Fox News.

Due to the long, expensive process of securing a patent, he said he'd rather just raise awareness and encourage parents to design their own EZ Baby Saver at home. It's already working, as evidenced by the numerous emails and Facebook comments Pelham has been receiving since making his invention public.

Of course, the device will only serve its purpose if parents remember to install it before hitting the road. However, you have to admire the efforts of a kid who imagined a safety system that no automaker has even developed yet, let alone made standard in vehicles.

Some of today's cars feature advanced technologies like driver drowsiness detection, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and smartphone apps to remotely program air conditioning before you get to your car. It makes no sense that a much more basic solution to prevent children from being left in the car hasn't been integrated yet.

Source : foxnewsinsider.com

From GMM

Jo Ramirez, McLaren's former long-time team manager, has slammed fellow Mexican Sergio Perez.

McLaren ousted Perez, 24, after a single season at the end of last year in favour of Danish rookie Kevin Magnussen.

"As a driver Sergio was actually not bad (at McLaren)," Ramirez, a former advisor to Perez, told motorline.cc. "I think he was also getting better.

"Sergio was just not good enough as a person. He didn't really cooperate with the team, he was too cocky. His attitude was very bad," he claimed.

"He was unpopular with the engineers, with everyone. I often criticise him in the media, but I do not criticise him as a driver. He's a good driver."

"It's such a shame," Jo Ramirez continued. "I was at the Jerez test this year and spent time with McLaren and Sauber, and no one was able to say something good about Sergio. They all say that he needs to change his attitude if he wants to stay in formula one."

Sergio Perez in the McLaren garage, in 2013. (Photo: McLaren F1 Team)

Pros: With its signature soft top, which opens in a mere 15 seconds and takes just two seconds longer to close, the 2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet brings open-air freedom to the heightened performance of the S5. The three-layered design of the acoustic roof gives it outstanding noise and heat insulation properties. This convertible also stands out with a lowered and tightened suspension, sexy and discreetly aggressive looks, standard all-wheel drive, a powerful V6 that's commendably fuel-efficient, as well as a rich combination of luxury, refinement, and technology.

Cons: Once again, the MMI controls will not prove user-friendly to all drivers. The back seat is pretty tight, and the coupe's manual gearbox is nowhere to be found in the cabriolet.

Photo: Audi

2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet Price: As was the case last year, the lineup includes two trim levels -- Progressiv and Technik. The first one starts at $68,800, and the second retails from $74,100.

2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet Fuel Economy: Expect to burn 11.8L/100km in the city and 8.0L/100km on the highway with the S5 Cabriolet.

Improvements and Changes: The newly available Audi Drive Select helps you customize individual vehicle components at the push of a button and thus alter the dynamics of the car. Other changes are in the areas of enhancements to packages and standard-equipment lists.

Powertrain: The 2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds thanks to a 3.0L supercharged TFSI V6 engine with direct injection that channels its 333 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque through a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission. As mentioned earlier, power is distributed to all four wheels by way of Audi's acclaimed quattro system.

Cargo Capacity: When the top is stowed away, it has little effect on the trunk thanks to its intelligent Z-fold design. That means you get 288 of the S5 Coupe's 346 litres of cargo room.

Safety: Front and side airbags keep 2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet occupants protected, while stability control helps secure the trajectory at all times. In the event of a collision, intelligent sensors automatically unlock the doors, switch on interior and hazard lights, and cut off fuel flow to the engine. Adaptive cruise control and a rear parking system are available.

Comparing the 2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet: The BMW 435i xDrive Cabriolet, Lexus IS 350 C, and Infiniti Q60 Convertible all compete against the S5 Cabriolet.