Auto News 5

-- In 1989 Japan ruled the world, and we remember the greats from that illustrious era: the

General Motors' first redesigned full-sized pickups in seven years have come dangerously close to being labeled flops since their launch last summer.

Longtime general manager Ryan Kirkpatrick had saved for years to buy a dealership only to discover a cold truth: Store values have risen so much, few managers can afford to buy.

In 14 months, a General Motors engineer went from telling colleagues that improving the Chevrolet Cobalt's ignition switch was "close to impossible" to signing off on the very fix he had shot down, documents show.

AutoNation Inc. and other dealers are worried about more than the rising cost of leads from third-party car-shopping sites. They see other signs that the sites want to encroach on their turf.

Jeep will double global sales by 2018 with strong growth in South America and China under Fiat Chrysler's five-year product and business plan, sources said.

The past three decades have seen a transformation of Japan's Big 3 from importers of Japan-built vehicles to powerful U.S.

If Mark Fields is going to fill Alan Mulally's shoes at Ford Motor Co., he can't allow the bad mojo Mulally banished from the culture to creep back in.

General Motors plans to shorten its customer satisfaction survey and ask shoppers to give dealers online-ready ratings and reviews, said two sources familiar with the program.

Some green-vehicle technologies that looked like sure bets for the second half of this decade are lagging. And some technologies that seemed like long shots seven model years ago have become viable.

A top Kia Motors Corp. executive doused designer Peter Schreyer's dreams for a sporty roadster, saying it wouldn't adequately build the brand or boost profits.

Car design is at a crossroads. There is more diversity in form language today than ever before as each company defines its own expression.

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne wants the Jeep brand to double its global sales to more than 1.5 million vehicles by 2018, sources said. Marchionne sees the brand as one of Fiat Chrysler's main pillars of growth.

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view.

When GM decided to pull Chevrolet from Europe, it saddled its Korean unit with 150,000 units of excess capacity. GM Korea is now eyeing new markets such as Australia as substitutes for lost European sales.

Fourteen of Europe's most talented young automotive executives have been chosen as Rising Stars by Automotive News Europe. The 2014 winners will honored in Brussels on June 3.

From GMM

One proposed solution to the sound problem in formula one this year is a "megaphone"-style exhaust.

The news was revealed by Toto Wolff, a chief at one of F1's three current engine suppliers, Mercedes.

Together with Ferrari and Renault, the engine-making trio is currently looking into how to turn up the controversially low volume of this year's new 1.6 litre V6 turbos.

Nico Rosberg, a Mercedes race driver, tipped a solution to be found ahead of the Monaco grand prix late this month.

"We will soon be in Monaco and I think we will hear a different sound there," the German said last weekend whilst visiting the DTM season opener at Hockenheim.

"I think it's important that we do work on it, because the noise is part of the show."

Last week, a meeting involving Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt and all 11 F1 team bosses took place in London, and top of the billing was the issue of cost cuts.

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

But also on the agenda was noise.

"We discussed what solutions there might be, and us at Mercedes also have our approaches and proposals," Wolff, also at Hockenheim for the DTM opener, is quoted by Speed Week.

He said some of the proposed solutions will be tested at the post-Spanish grand prix test next week.

"We will try them out on the car in Barcelona and see if they have the effect that we are looking for," said Wolff.

He revealed that the solutions are all focused on the area of the engine exhaust.

"We have some highly complex solutions within the exhaust system," said Wolff, "and also one like a 'megaphone' that simply opens up at the end -- with all the problems that brings with it," said Wolff.

"I do not know if the latter is what we should be doing in formula one, but nevertheless we will come with our suggestions and approaches and see in Barcelona."

According to IDATE, a European think tank specialized in telecom, Internet and media markets, the number of connected cars on the road will explode from 45 million last year to 420 million by 2018.

A “connected car” is any vehicle equipped with Internet access and capable of sharing it with other devices both inside and outside the vehicle.

IDATE also predicts that connectivity revenue for connected cars will exceed €8 billion in 2018.

“The strategy of most manufacturers is to make their cars connected,” says Samuel Ropert, project leader at IDATE in charge of the latest report. “The main driver here is based on the regulation related to safety issues in Europe and the underlying revenue opportunity for them. In the U.S., the recent GM announcement to embed 4G modules in all new cars is seen as a key trigger for market take-off.”

Source : blog.idate.fr

Swiss Formula 1 team Sauber will race an updated C33 car this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

Both C33s of Esteban Gutiérrez and Adrian Sutil will be significantly improved, including an extensive weight reduction and a major aerodynamic update.

Test and reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will again be behind the wheel in FP1 on Friday. Esteban Gutiérrez will take over the C33 in FP2.

“This aero update consists of a modified front wing and a new engine cover, new side-pod fins and deflectors, as well as a number of other aerodynamic changes,” explained Giampaolo Dall'Ara, Head of Track Engineering at Sauber.

“Besides that, we will also have a software improvement, which will enable us to use the potential of the Ferrari power unit in a better way. We expect a busy Friday at the track while tuning the set-up to the new package,” the Italian engineer continued.

Sauber C33-Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Dall'Ara also talked about Pirelli's tire choice for this race.

“Making the best use of the tire compounds will also be a challenge, as Pirelli's choice to allocate medium and hard tires appears to be conservative,” he explained.

“In the past we've seen up to four pit stops in Spain. With the changes we have made to the tires this year, we would now hope to see no more than three for the majority of drivers,” declared Paul Hembery, Pirelli director of motorsport.

Pros: The base model Jaguar XF 2.0T offers expensive styling without an expensive price tag while delivering respectable fuel economy.

Cons: A little engine pushing a big car means smoothness and refinement may not be as good as other XF models.

Photo: Jaguar

2014 Jaguar XF 2.0T Pricing: The XF 2.0T starts at $53,500 and all options are either a la carte or in small options packages as no trim levels exist. Fully optioned, the XF 2.0T can crawl past $75,000 before taxes, freight, and PDI.

2014 Jaguar XF 2.0T Economy: Equipped with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive, the XF 2.0T is rated at 10.8/6.9L (city/highway) per 100 km with the standard automatic transmission by Environment Canada.

Improvements and Changes: A new Vision Pack is available, including safety items like Blind Spot Monitor, Adaptive Front Lights, Intelligent High Beams, and electrochromatic auto-dimming rear view mirror. The revised Premium Pack now includes Jaguar Voice Control and keyless entry while the Interior Sport Pack and Black Pack is now available on all XF models.

2014 Jaguar XF 2.0T Powertrain: The base model XF is equipped with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 240 hp at 5,500 rpm and 251 lb-ft of torque between 2,000-4,000 rpm. The diminutive motor is mated to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission sending power to the rear wheels exclusively. There is no all-wheel drive option on this particular model, but it is available with the 3.0-litre V6 XF.

Safety: The Jaguar XF 2.0T comes standard with six airbags (front, front seat-mounted side, and side curtain) along with electronic brake-force distribution, traction control, dynamic stability control, cornering brake control, and engine-drag torque control. Blind Spot Monitor is an optional extra.

Comparables: The XF competes with mainly German rivals: Audi A6, BMW 5-Series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. However, the Cadillac CTS also gives the Jag some competition.