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Governments have mainly tried to fight distracted driving with laws banning handset use or texting in the car -- laws that are widely flouted. Google and its partners from the auto industry are taking an approach that's more carrot than stick.

Chrysler dealers eager to crank up sales of the redesigned 2015 200 will have to wait a few more months.

A sparse refueling network won't be the only hurdle facing Toyota Motor Corp.'s new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. A generous dollop of government subsidies will also be necessary for the car.

Toyota Motor Corp. has delayed the start of production for the fourth-generation Prius from next spring until December 2015. Engineers are sweating the details of a new vehicle architecture and the company's next-generation hybrid system.

The Automotive News PACE Awards, which honor game-changing innovation by suppliers, is accepting applications for the 2015 competition. The application deadline is Aug. 29. Go to autonews.

Toyota has delayed the launch of its fourth-generation Prius hybrid from the second to the fourth quarter of 2015. A source said the carmaker was continuing to work on maximizing the car's fuel economy.

U.S. buyers of the new Porsche Macan, which went on sale in May, face a wait of more than six months for delivery. So the company is trying to keep potential Macan buyers happy by putting them in other Porsches during the wait.

From press release

For the second successive event Albatec Racing's chances of progressing to the FIA World Rallycross Championship finals were scuppered by a puncture, after Jacques Villeneuve's Peugeot 208 sustained first lap damage in heat four of World RX of Finland today.

The former F1 World Champion made contact with Alexander Hvaal at turn two, and the result was a front right puncture on his 600bhp two litre 16v Supercar, which cost him around two seconds a lap and prevented him from challenging for heat victory.

Jacques Villeneuve, Peugeot 208 Supercar. (Photo: Albatec Racing)

The 1995 Indycar World Series Champion's hopes of reaching his first semi-final were dented by an earlier incident, but this time involving Timmy Hansen's Peugeot which barrel-rolled in heat three causing a re-run which subsequently knocked Jacques out of the top 12. On actual race times Jacques' performance, in which he finished third, would have seen him maintain a qualifying position, however notional times were awarded to the race five finishers, dropping Jacques to P15 and losing him a pole start for his final heat.

The poor start position for his final qualifying race meant he was unable to get a clean run into the first corner, and consequently collided with Hvaal, bringing his third World RX outing to a premature finish. Jacques will be back in action in round five of the 12-round series in Höljes, Sweden next weekend, joining Team Principal Andy Scott who returns to race action aboard the #26 Albatec Peugeot 208.

Andy Scott, Albatec Team Principal: "There have been a lot of different decisions made today which ended up affecting our grid position for heat four. Jacques lined up on position five which hasn't been a quick starting spot all weekend, and didn't manage to take a good start and had a little contact at the second corner, which resulted in him getting a puncture.

"He managed to bring the car home, but obviously not quick enough to make the semi finals which rounded off a disappointing weekend for Albatec. On a positive note the car ran faultlessly all weekend, with no issues, so that bodes well for the next round in Höljes this weekend, where we are determined to once again make the cut and qualify into the semis at least."

Jacques Villeneuve, Peugeot 208 Supercar. (Photo: Albatec Racing)

Jacques Villeneuve, Albatec Racing Driver #25: "It's been a very disappointing second day in Finland. I started from the outside of the grid for heat one and it didn't go too well, and in the second I managed to get a few good corners racing in the wet but then had a puncture and the tyre came off the rim, which means we finished early.

"Looking ahead to the next round though I'm hoping to capitalise on the undoubted pace of the car, and to convert that into some good results and push for a semi final and final place in Sweden."


From GMM

The Sochi track is nearing completion, as preparations for the inaugural Russian grand prix race on.

Even amid speculation the Crimean crisis could derail the country's first ever F1 race, organisers have been stepping up their plans for the October debut.

Germany's SID news agency quoted promoter Sergey Vorobyov as revealing: "Due to popular demand, we have decided to build another grandstand on one of the most interesting points of the circuit."

And another official of the race promoter Omega has been quoted by the Russian news agency Interfax as saying the Sochi venue is now "99 per cent" ready for October.

Photo: Formula Sochi

Following the launch of its new bumpr app last month, auto insurer belairdirect has published several interesting facts and stats about the dangers of texting while driving.

Did you know that 60% of drivers use their cell phone while driving? Or that 2 million Canadians were spotted using a cell phone while driving over a 2-week span?

At the current rate, the number of deaths caused by driving distractions will soon exceed the number of deaths resulting from drunk driving. This is mind-boggling, especially with the multiple awareness campaigns, shocking advertisements, and hefty fines that were put in place in recent years.

Bumpr is a free mobile application for Android devices helping you avoid being distracted by text messages or notifications while driving, and choose from a wide range of humorous automated responses, informing the caller that you are driving.

Once installed, the app starts automatically when the vehicle reaches a speed of 20 km/h. If you are not the driver, you can deactivate the app. You also have access to the history of notifications that were received while driving.

From GMM

Investigators may be even closer to solving the theft of Michael Schumacher's medical records.

The Swiss newspaper Sonntagsblick reports that investigators are now looking elsewhere, having found that the doctor's letter was not taken or copied by staff of the university hospital in Grenoble, where Schumacher was in a coma.

Instead, French police are reportedly now looking across the border, into Switzerland, Sonntagsblick claims.

It is believed chief prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat suspects that it was during Schumacher's recent two-hour ambulance transfer between Grenoble and Lausanne that the medical summary was photographed.

The ambulance company is reportedly located in the Swiss canton of Valais, and a spokesperson said: "We have decided not to take a public position on the case of Michael Schumacher."

From GMM

As speculation swirls around the future of F1's most experienced active driver, McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has called on Jenson Button to up his game.

At the end of his fifteenth consecutive season on the grid, 34-year-old Briton Button's current McLaren contract is up.

Despite speculative links between the Woking based team and Button's fellow champions like Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and even Lewis Hamilton, Dennis insisted in Austria that McLaren is "not looking to finalise our driver lineup now".

He did, however, admit that he would "love" to have drivers of that calibre at Woking.

The rumour goes that Dennis could reunite with his former protege Hamilton if the 29-year-old fails to beat Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg to this year's title.

"That's not really something I want to think about. Why would I even consider it (losing the title)? It's all about positive energy," Lewis Hamilton told British reporters at the weekend.

Indeed, 'positive energy' is something Dennis believes in strongly, and so he insists Button should not interpret his latest comments as some sort of threat.

"No one should ever feel threatened," he told British television Sky, "either as a driver or an engineer. All we want to do is win, and we have to take considered decisions in that process."

Jenson Button, McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

But Ron Dennis hinted that the 'decision' will only fall in 2009 title winner Button's favour if he is able to improve his performance this year, despite not having a race-winning car.

At the very same time, it appears likely McLaren will retain the services of rookie Kevin Magnussen beyond 2014.

"I'm sure Kevin is giving a big wake-up call to Jenson," Ron Dennis said.

"In some ways you say 'Great, we made a great choice with Kevin', and in other ways you say 'Come on Jenson, you are a world champion and absolutely one thing you can do on a consistent basis - and you should be doing it - is beating your teammate'.

"Do I want him (Button) to try harder? Of course I do," Ron Dennis insisted. "He's a highly paid grand prix driver, and yes, we're not giving him the best car, but he could do his bit, and Kevin's got to make it as difficult for him as possible."

From GMM

Not even halfway through the 2014 season, Renault is having to acknowledge it will not catch up with V6 pacesetters Mercedes.

That, according to the French marque's F1 engine chief Rob White, is because of the FIA's homologation rules, more commonly known in the paddock as the development 'freeze'.

Renault is under huge pressure from disgruntled partner Red Bull to up its game, but White said: "The possibility to change the specification of the engine during the season is extremely limited.

"We are pushing for next year," he is quoted by Italy's Autosprint, "in order to have a greater scope of development.

"At the moment it is not possible to change the specification of the power unit without the permission of the FIA, and the federation does not give any permissions for performance reasons," Rob White explained.

Nonetheless, White says Renault has managed to make "significant improvements" since its pre-season crisis, and more is still in the pipeline for 2014.

"But the changes will be more long-term," he added. "At the end of the day we are not looking for excuses, because the rules are the same for everyone and we have to respect what the others have done."

Renault Sport trucks. (Photo: WRi2)

Meanwhile, Renault Sport F1 president Jean-Michel Jalinier has played down speculation Red Bull's patience has run out, as the reigning world champions declare their dissatisfaction publicly and repeatedly.

"The cooperation is very intense," he told Speed Week, "and we are in contact daily.

"But at the working level, everything is running smoothly," Jalinier insisted. "The atmosphere is good and constructive."

Antoine L'Estage (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) and Alan Ockwell (Toronto) of the Yokohama Canada Rally Team won the 2014 Rallye Baie des Chaleurs in their first event together. The two built a lead early on the first day and managed their advantage to a record sixth victory at the second round of the Canadian Rally Championship.

"This is very good for the championship,” said L'Estage. “It was a good event with just a few minor problems which the crew was able to fix without any issue. My Yokohama tires were perfect. The goal this year is to win a seventh Canadian rally championship and set a new record.”

L'Estage and Ockwell had worked together at the regional Rallye Saguenay, but Baie des Chaleurs was their first true test at full speed in competition. The team quickly found a strong pace and distanced themselves from the competition. 

Alexandre Béland (Val d'Or, Que.) and Lyne Murphy (St-Constant, Que.) set a strong pace together, carving out a second place finish in their 2007 Subaru Impreza STI. While Murphy has a number of podium finishes with other drivers, this weekend's result is a career-best with Béland.

The two had to fight through a variety of problems, including a small coolant leak, idle problems and reduced power thanks to a boost leak.     

“We're happy,” said Béland. “This weekend was a lot of hard work, but we're very happy to have done so well in spite of the problems.

Third place went to Joël Levac and Stéphanie Lewis of Rivière-Beaudette, Que. The two debuted their new Prodrive MINI which was originally campaigned in the World Rally Championship. Prior to the event Levac insisted the goal was to increase his experience with the new car and that finishing position was a secondary consideration. The two last competed in a round of the Canadian championship two and half years ago.

“I said to Stéphanie that the main goal was to better learn how the car drives,” said Levac. “I didn't want to make any mistakes or know what position I was in and feel encouraged to push harder. I haven't been in a car for a long time, so I want to be smart about how hard I push.”

Podium ot the Rally Baie des Chaleurs 2014. (Photo: Maxime Poirier)

Two Wheel Drive action was full of excitement. Simon Dubé (Jonquiere, QC) and Philippe Poirier (St-Rédempteur, QC) struggled early in the event to find a winning pace. However, their rivals pushed too fast, and suffered mechanical and electrical problems. Dubé and Poirier moved into the lead late in the event. The two were competing together for the first time. 

“We drove consistently and had to be patient,” said Dubé. “We had to be patient and it worked out for us. We had an almost flawless event. Philippe is a very good co-driver and I have to thank him for racing with me.”

Boris Djordjevic and Leanne Junnila of Calgary won the Production 4WD class, finishing 11th overall.

Pat Richard (Squamish, BC) and Nathalie Richard (Halifax) of Subaru Rally Team Canada were absent from the event after Pat suffered and injury leading up to the rally and was unable to compete.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada and features a contingency program from Subaru Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Rallye Baie des Chaleurs Final Results
1. Antoine L'Estage - Alan Ockwell - two hours, five minutes, 38.1 seconds
2. Alexandre Béland - Lyne Murphy - 2:11:39.1
3. Joël Levac - Stéphanie Lewis - 2:11:57.5
4. Jean-Sebastien Besner - Yvan Joyal - 2:14:28.4
5. Sylvain Vincent - Simon Vincent - 2:16:0.7
6. Maxime Labrie - Robert Labrie - 2:18:42.8
7. Steeve Hobbs - Jean-Mathieu Tremblay - 2:19:45.0
8. André Leblanc - René Leblanc - 2:20:14.5
9. Frank Lognay - Ludovic Lognay - 2:28:16.6
10. Mathieu Leblanc - Alex Litalien - 2:30:11.2

From GMM

Ferrari appears likely to shed at least one of its existing drivers.

That is the view of retired double world champion Mika Hakkinen, who thinks the Maranello team is grappling not only with a less than fully competitive 2014 car.

The Finn thinks Ferrari also has a driver problem.

"In my opinion Ferrari is more and more into the situation of eventually replacing one of the two drivers," he said in his latest interview with his sponsor Hermes.

"The comments being made by Fernando Alonso do not sound like someone who will be with Ferrari for much longer. And I don't want to say anything against Kimi Raikkonen, except that he is constantly behind his teammate," 45-year-old Hakkinen added.

The former McLaren driver also commented on the 2014 plight of F1's reigning quadruple world champion Sebastian Vettel.

"I do not understand how it is possible that his (Red Bull) car is permanently broken. Incredible," said Mika Hakkinen.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari F14 T, Montreal, Canada. (Photo: WRi2)

From press release

Caterham F1 Team has confirmed that Indonesia's Rio Haryanto will drive on day two of the sixth 2014 F1 test At Silverstone on July 9th, joining Will Stevens who drives day one.

Rio joined EQ8 Caterham Racing in January to contest the 2014 GP2 championship and is currently tenth in the standings with 26 points after a good start to his season. He will now step up to an F1 seat for the third time in his career, having previously taken part in F1 tests in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and Silverstone in 2012.

Caterham CT05-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

Rio Haryanto: “I can't wait to be back in an F1 car and I'm delighted it's with Caterham F1 Team, the senior team to EQ8 Caterham Racing. The last time I drove an F1 car was at the young driver test at Silverstone in 2012 and with the new engine regulations this year I'm sure it'll be a very different experience. The goal for me is to use this day as another learning experience, another chance to build on the F1 laps I've already done, and while my focus before the test is obviously to do the best job I can in GP2, I will be 100% ready to work to the plan the team set and help them develop as best I can.”

"I would like to take this chance to thank Pertamina for their continued support during my GP2 season with EQ8 Caterham Racing, which has provided me with the opportunity to test the Caterham F1 Team car."

Every year since 1999, the International Engine of the Year Awards recognize the best powerplants in the auto industry. The jury, which consists of 82 members from 34 countries, has four Canadian representatives including David Booth, Jim Kenzie, Marc Lachapelle, and Richard Russel.

Using their driving impressions and technical knowledge, these car experts take into consideration fuel economy, performance, noise, refinement, and fun factor. They all have 25 points to allocate to their five favourite engines in each category, with a maximum of 15 points and a minimum of one point for any given engine.

Below are the top three finishers in each category. Click here for the full results.

International engine of the year:

1. Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost (351 points)
2. Ferrari 4.5-litre V8 (281 points)
3. Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (254 points)

Sub 1-litre:

1. Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost (505 points)
2. BMW 647cc 2-cylinder electric-gasoline range-extender (261 points)
3. Volkswagen 999cc 3-cylinder (239 points)

1-litre to 1.4-litre:

1. Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (360 points)
2. FIAT 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo (202 points)
3. Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI (170 points)

1.4-litre to 1.8-litre:

1. BMW/PSA Peugeot Citroën 1.6-litre turbo gasoline (267 points)
2. BMW 1.5-litre 3-cylinder turbo (256 points)
3. Volkswagen/Audi 1.8-litre TFSI (196 points)

1.8-litre to 2-litre:

1. Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo (271 points)
2. Audi 2.0-litre 4-cylinder TFSI (235 points)
3. BMW 2.0-litre 4-cylinder twin-turbo diesel (211 points)

2-litre to 2.5-litre:

1. Audi 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbo (357 points)
2. Mazda 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D (340 points)
3. Mercedes-Benz 2.1-litre CDI (221 points)

2.5-litre to 3-litre:

1. BMW 3.0-litre 6-cylinder TwinPower Turbo (254 points)
2. Porsche 2.7-litre DI (228 points)
3. BMW M 3.0-litre turbo (174 points)

3-litre to 4-litre:

1. McLaren 3.8-litre V8 (351 points)
2. Audi/Bentley 4.0-litre TFSI (245 points)
3. Porsche 3.8-litre flat-6 DI (231 points)

Above 4-litre:

1. Ferrari 4.5-litre V8 (380 points)
2. Ferrari 6.3-litre V12 (271 points)
3. Mercedes-AMG 5.5-litre turbo V8 (148 points)

Green engine:

1. Tesla electric motor (248 points)
2. BMW 647cc 2-cylinder electric-gasoline range-extender (189 points)
3. BMW electric motor (145 points)

New engine:

1. Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre turbo (225 points)
2. BMW 1.5-litre 3-cylinder turbo (154 points)
3. BMW electric motor (138 points)

Performance engine:

1. Ferrari 4.5-litre V8 (289 points)
2. Ferrari 6.3-litre V12 (220 points)
3. McLaren 3.8-litre V8 (136 points)

From GMM

A saga involving a controversial pre-season test is now over.

Last month, an unnamed whistleblower circulated letters to the FIA and some rival teams about an allegedly illegal six-day test on Austrian automotive company AVL's indoor 'rolling road' facility.

It subsequently emerged that the test involved Red Bull's sister team Toro Rosso but possibly also Red Bull test driver Antonio Felix da Costa.

Engine supplier Renault's Remi Taffin confirmed: "We just had to work with our partner AVL, because our own facilities were at full capacity."

Renault argued that the 'test' was in fact just perfectly legal engine bench running, amid reports the Toro Rosso was not fitted with front or rear wings.

Nonetheless, an FIA spokesperson said three weeks ago: "We will look into the matter carefully and then answer any questions."

Photo: WRi2

It appears the investigation is now over, with all parties reportedly cleared of any wrongdoing.

Even Red Bull's arch-rival Mercedes admits the test appears to have been above board.

"We do not suspect anything against the regulations," team boss Toto Wolff told the Austrian magazine Sportwoche a week ago, "especially as the wings were removed from the car."

And at around the same time, Wolff also told Kleine Zeitung newspaper: "We were made aware of it with an anonymous letter.

"The FIA is looking into it to make sure everything was lawful, but to our knowledge, it was not an aero test," he added.

General Motors announced on Monday that it will conduct six new safety recalls in the U.S. and Canada involving more than 8.4 million vehicles. That brings to nearly 30 million the number of units recalled by GM so far this year.

“We undertook what I believe is the most comprehensive safety review in the history of our company because nothing is more important than the safety of our customers,” said GM CEO Mary Barra. “Our customers deserve more than we delivered in these vehicles. That has hardened my resolve to set a new industry standard for vehicle safety, quality and excellence.”

GM is aware of seven crashes, eight injuries and three fatalities. The fatal crashes occurred in older model full-size sedans being recalled for inadvertent ignition key rotation. There is no conclusive evidence that the defect condition caused those crashes.

Photo: General Motors

We're back for day four of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and live coverage starts at 3:25 a.m. Eastern Standard Time right here on Autoweek.