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News 12 Feb, 2014

Turbocharged 553bhp 3.9-litre V8 for facelifted Ferrari California T

Mercedes is confident the GLA SUV will add to the success of its current compact lineup and help it regain the No. 1 spot in premium-car sales that it lost to BMW in 2005.

News 12 Feb, 2014

Amazing Honda NSX 3D model whets the appetite for the car's 2015 launch

Faurecia says Group total sales for fiscal 2013 were EUR18.03bn, 5% more compared to 2012 with total sales of EUR17.36bn

News 12 Feb, 2014

McLaren has released a cryptic teaser shot of its follow-up to the awesome P1 hypercar

Michelin is reporting annual operating income before non-recurring items at EUR2.2bn (US$3bn), up EUR41m at constant scope of consolidation and exchange rates and representing an operating margin before non-recurring items of 11% of net sales.

Toyota will recall more than half of the Prius vehicles ever sold to fix a software glitch in the car's hybrid system that may cause some parts to overheat, potentially causing the cars to slow down or stop completely.

North American Toyota dealers will be asked to reprogram software in about 713,000 Prius models as part of the biggest recall of the world's best selling hybrid. The global callback extends to 1.

Toyota will recall 1.9 million Prius vehicles globally to fix a software glitch in the car's hybrid system that may cause some parts to overheat, potentially causing the cars to slow down or stop completely.

When we sat down with Ian Callum of Jaguar, he told us that over the course of developing the

If there is an official sign of a foreign marque's "arrival" as a collector car in the American classic-car community, it is arguably the granting of its own class at the annual

GT-A is a restoration shop in

News 12 Feb, 2014

Exclusive interior and exterior detailing revealed in BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe Individual programme

News 12 Feb, 2014

Faulty hybrid system affects over 30,000 third-gen Toyota Prius models

Toyota has issued a Prius recall covering all 1.9m of its third generation Prius cars sold worldwide. The recall concerns a software glitch in the hybrid system that can cause the car to lose power.

Mazda's 'convention-defying' approach to car design means its front-wheel-drive models have the long, flowing looks of popular premium rear-drive models.

From press release

Contrary to what circulated in the media in early January, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing will not be taking part in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

While the team was hoping and initially planning to return to the famed event this season, upon further reflection the last few weeks and based on a couple of different factors, they had to make the tough decision of turning down their invite.

Knowing that preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a monumental task in itself, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing has decided to put all of their effort and focus on their initial season in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.

With the team fielding a new car, in a new series with new rules and new competition, they want to ensure that their focus is not taken away from the job at hand, which is to fight for the prototype class championship.

"We were really looking forward to returning to Le Mans, and I was excited about getting back behind the wheel, but we need to do what is right for the team at this present time," explained Team Owner Greg Pickett.

"We've gone to Le Mans in the past and we know how much work it takes to get to and be well prepared for that race. We also know how much work it takes to fight for a championship, especially with a new car, which is why we've decided to solely focus on the TUDOR Championship this season,” Pickett added.

After a strong performance at the Rolex 24 at Daytona last month, the team is hard at work getting ready for the second round of the TUDOR Championship, which takes place at Sebring International Raceway on March 15. As part of its preparation, the team will be returning to the track at Sebring for a series sanctioned test February 20 - 21, 2014.

KV Racing Technology Wednesday confirmed that Sebastian Saavedra will be part of the team's 2014 program alongside Sebastien Bourdais.

The 23-year-old Colombian will be partnering the Frenchman once again, having been his teammate last year at Dragon Racing.

Dragon is not competing full time at the moment, although team owner Jay Penske has said he will participate in the Indianapolis 500.

Saavedra has competed in 38 IndyCar Series races. He has never led a race lap and has finished in the top 10 only twice, both times last season.

Saavedra made his IndyCar debut with Bryan Herta Autosport in the 2010 Indianapolis 500, then spent the next season with Conquest Racing. With AFS Racing's Gary Peterson as a backer, he ran in 2012 as part of the Andretti Autosport contingent for three races.

His eighth-place finish last year at Baltimore is a career best.

ORLANDO, Florida -- The sweeping, cobblestone road, flanked on either side by vineyards and tall juniper columns, ends at a sprawling, $40 million stone fortress surrounded by Italian cyprus. Proof that with enough money, a central Florida landscape can be transformed into a convincing Tuscan estate.

An ultra-exclusive country club seems an odd place to showcase a Japanese compact car, and our convoy of grey Honda Civics looked a little out of place amongst the sun-drenched vines. However, when you consider that the Civic has been Canada's top-selling car for 16 consecutive years, it could easily buy the place outright.


What is the Honda Civic Coupe?
Introduced in 1973, the Civic, now in its 9th generation, is Canada's top-selling car. Of those sales, 15% are two-door coupes. The combination of economic decline, fierce competition, and interior quality complaints took a big chunk out of Civic sales recently, but it rebounded for 2013 with a 10.4% increase.

Dave Gardner, Honda Canada's VP of Sales and Marketing credits the Civic's well-rounded packaging for its popularity.

"The word ‘Civic' is defined as 'relating to a citizen,'" he explains. "We have a Civic for every walk of life."

The Civic returns in 2014 with new exterior styling, upgraded safety and technology, and a new CVT.

2014 Honda Civic Coupe Price and Specs
The Civic Coupe is available in four trim levels: the volume-selling LX $18,840 (39%); EX $20,900 (37%); EX-l Navi $25,600 (14%); and the performance-enhanced Si at $26,665 (10%).

Returning is the familiar 1.8L VTEC 4-cylinder, but exhaust tweaks have increased its output to 143 hp/129 lb-ft (up from 140/128). The Si Coupe's 2.0L engine increases to 205 hp/174 lb-ft (up from 201/174).

LX and EX models have a choice of 5-speed manual or CVT, while the EX-L is available with CVT only, and the Si comes exclusively with a 6-speed manual transmission. Fuel economy (L/100 km): 7.3 city; 5.5 hwy (manual); 6.7L/100km city; 5.0 hwy (LX); 6.9 city; 5.1 hwy (EX, EX-L Navi); 9.9 city; 6.6 why (Si coupe).

Introduced in 1973, the Civic, now in its 9th generation, is Canada's top-selling car. Of those sales, 15% are two-door coupes. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Driving the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe
Our morning was spent at the wheel of a Civic Coupe EX with a CVT, unfortunately there were no Si models available for testing.

A firmer suspension with revised dampers gives the Coupe flatter cornering ability without undue harshness. Florida's mostly flat terrain didn't present much opportunity for the car to really exert itself, but it handled the winding back country roads nicely. The big news for 2014 is the addition of a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Although universally disliked by performance fans for their characteristic moaning and sluggish response, CVTs are extremely efficient when it comes to fuel conservation. Thanks to a set of wheel-mounted paddles (Coupe only) the Civic's CVT can emulate a seven-speed transmission allowing the driver to gear down and use the engine brake while cornering or, when in "S" mode, control the transmission shifts entirely. This almost completely alleviates the traditional droning and brightens the drive experience considerably in the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe.

A firmer suspension with revised dampers gives the Coupe flatter cornering ability without undue harshness. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Inside and Out of the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe
Externally, the Civic Coupe remains much the same, with the exception of a more aggressive grille and updated rear fascia. The new "solid wing face" incorporates new headlamps into the sweeping grille, underlined by a new fascia with larger air openings. A more chiselled rear finishes it off nicely. Si models receive new 18" rims, a "floating" decklid spoiler, and an even more aggressive front fascia and rear diffuser.

Inside, the cabin retains the same driver-centric layout with its "two-tier dash," but adds a black colour theme and new upholstery fabrics.

Honda ramps up the tech content with a new "Display Audio" multimedia system resembling an iPad. Geared to appeal to younger buyers, the system works through touch using two fingers to flick, slide, pinch or tap through various controls. Like many such systems that work well in theory, this one entails cumbersome screen-shuffling that could more easily be executed by simple knobs.

New technology includes HondaLink connectivity, which lets the driver access a variety of services using their own cell phone data. Facebook, Twitter, thousands of music stations, and even audio books can be accessed using steering-wheel or voice-activated controls. While EX-L Navi and Si models come with embedded Navigation, Display Audio-equipped models can download a HondaLink navigation app ($59).

Lane Watch, which first appeared on the Accord, uses a passenger mirror camera to reveal blind spots in the inside lane when the turn signal's activated.

Inside, the cabin retains the same driver-centric layout with its "two-tier dash," but adds a black colour theme and new upholstery fabrics. (Photo: Honda)

Comparing the 2014 Honda Civic Coupe
Although the folks at Honda declined to name their main competitors, the Elantra and Mazda3 have really upped the ante over the last half-decade, with the Corolla a perennial favourite, too. On sale since December, the new Civic sold 1,715 cars in January to the Elantra's 1,078, Corolla‘s 990 and Mazda3's 749.

Upgrades in features and technology have made this segment more cutthroat than ever, and the Civic's improvements will help in the fight to maintain its position as segment leader.

"I can't recall a better time to buy a new car," said Dave Gardner.

"It's a pretty good fight with Elantra and Mazda3. But let's just say we will be as competitive as the market requires us to be."

From Groupe de courses Octane

The FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA is proud to confirm today that Masters Historic Grand Prix will be part of his racing program, June 6, 7 & 8 on Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

The presence in Montréal of nearly Formula 1 beauties of yesteryear will certainly be one of the highlights of this, the 35th edition (45th in Canada) of our country's round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Nearly 30 cars, including Gilles Villeneuve's 1980 Ferrari 312 T5 will be entered in the two races scheduled for the inaugural weekend of Montréal's ever festive summer season.

Ferrari 312 T5 de Gilles Villeneuve (Photo: Groupe de course Octane)

All the Masters HGP cars that the fans will see in Montréal June 6, 7 & 8, raced in the 1970's and early 80's, a very competitive and dramatic era in Formula 1's history.

Other than Villeneuve's 1980 Ferrari 312T5, we can already confirm that fans will be able to see Mario Andretti's 76 Lotus 77, John Watson's 1982 McLaren MP4/1B's, Jody Scheckter's 1978 Wolf Racing WR6, Jan Lammers' 1979 Shadow DN9and 1983 Keke Rosberg's Williams FW08C in what promises to be a full grid.

Enthusiasts will be pleased to note that all these cars are authentic F1 single-seaters carefully maintained and regularly raced by their owners and drivers. At this year's FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA, Masters HGP races will take place Saturday afternoon (June 7) and Sunday morning (June 8).



The fans who intend to purchase grandstand or general admission tickets to live the fever at the 2014 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA must reach the box office at 514 350-0000 or 1-855-790-1245, seven days a week between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased on our secure websites at www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca or at www.admission.com.