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News 28 Jan, 2014

The Nissan ZEOD RC will be the world’s first Le Mans racer fitted with a three-cylinder engine

Pictures See all 4 pictures 28 Jan, 2014

Thai police investigating how Tata Motors chief Karl Slym died said he had an argument with his wife on the eve of his death. Slym, a former GM executive from England, fell from a Bangkok hotel window.

Thai police investigating how Tata Motors chief Karl Slym died said he had an argument with his wife on the eve of his death. Slym, a former GM executive from England, fell from a Bangkok hotel window.

Where will the bulk of the world's cars be built this year? More than a third of the global total will be manufactured in Asia -- and we're not talking about Japan.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to move the group's headquarters out of Italy. But he must tread carefully in the U.S. and Italy, whose governments have bailed out Chrysler and funded layoffs at Fiat.

Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne plans to move the group's headquarters out of Italy. But he must tread carefully in the U.S. and Italy, whose governments have bailed out Chrysler and funded layoffs at Fiat.

UK supplier GKN Driveline will start production at its first plant in Russia next year. Suppliers are being drawn to Russia by automakers that hope to capitalize on forecast growth.

Early jostling for the title of Super Bowl XLVIII advertising champion has shaken up our list of this week's top viral videos.

Honda exported more vehicles from its U.S. factories in 2013 than it imported into America from Japan -- a first for the automaker. Honda exported 108,705 American-made Honda and Acura vehicles, compared to 88,537 it brought in from Japan.

For most teams, everything did not go according to plan in this first day of Formula 1 testing at Circuito Jerez de la Frontera in Spain.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

Most teams limited their running to a series of installation laps while McLaren was not able to join the fray, the MP-29 suffering with electrical issues.

Lewis Hamilton was the first driver to take on to the track, and the first to complete a series of significant lap times in the Mercedes W05.

Lewis Hamilton's crash, Mercedes (Photo: WRI2)

The Brit managed to complete 18 laps of the Spanish circuit until a front wing failure on the following lap curtailed his track time shortly before midday.

At the end of the day, Kimi Raikkonen moved ahead of Hamilton on the charts, setting a 1m27.104 in the Ferrari F14 T.

The Finn also completed the greatest number of laps with 31.

“We had a lot of new things to learn today” - said Raikkonen to www.ferrari.com - “Even if we would have liked to do more laps, I think that for a first day it was alright. Towards the end, when the track was damp, we chose not to take any risks. Now we have a lot of work ahead of us, but all in all, we are pleased with our first day.”

Valtteri Bottas, Williams (Photo: WRI2)

Valtteri Bottas, driving the Williams-Mercedes, was third but almost three seconds to Raikkonen's time.

Mexican Sergio Perez was fourth in the Sahara Force India Mercedes, some six seconds slower than the Ferrari.

Jean-Eric Vergne, Toro Rosso (Photo: WRI2)

Jean-Eric Vergne was fifth in the Renault-powered Toro Rosso. The STR9 was quick out of the box, but the car stopped early out on the track with a software issue.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing (Photo: WRI2)

Four-time World Champion, Sebastian Vettel managed only three installation laps in the Red Bull Racing RB10.

Like Vettel, rookie Marcus Ericsson managed just one exploratory lap in the CT05-Renault.

As a reference, the best lap time set last year here at Jerez was a 1m17.879 set by Felipe Massa in the Ferrari.

Jerez winter test*, Day 1:
Pos Driver Team Time Gap
1. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1m27.104s
2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m27.820s +0.716s
3. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 1m30.082s +2.978s
4. Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 1m33.161s +6.057s
5. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Renault 1m36.530s +9.426s
6. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.257s +15.153s
7. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault No time
8. Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault No time
*Unofficial timing

Gene Haas thinks that American team could work in Formula One. For the amazing low price (in Formula One terms) of $5,000USD he was able to file a letter of intent to start a team.

Of course that's merely the first step. If the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing in NASCAR meets the first step, and he admits he doesn't know the judging criteria, the next fee will be $125,000.

Of course all of that is dwarfed by budgets running $200 million and up annually. And what about the start up costs? Haas told the media, gathered in Charlotte, NC for the Annual NASCAR Media Tour, that basing some part of the team would help cut costs which is a stated goal of the F-One circuit.

But is it really feasible?

This writer thinks not. Formula One teams today are less about aspirations and more about very well funded teams using traditional Formula One methods.

Unfortunately we've been down this path before with the still-born US F1 team with principal Ken Anderson.

Looking back at the history of US team involvement there was the Penske effort of the early 1970s. Tragically after it lost its' heart after the death of Mark Donohue the team lost its' backer, Fred Stecher, who brought First National City bank money. After Mr. Stecher's budges were cup the Penske team withdrew. Then there was the short-lived Parnelli Jones team with Mario Andretti which had tobacco sponsorship. After about two years that team folded for lack of sponsorship.

John Watson driving the Penske PC3 (left) and Mario Andretti in the Parnelli VP J4, South Africa, 1976 (Photo: WRI2)

In the 1980s Beatrice the food giant brought a substantial budget for Carl Haas and former Penske man Teddy Mayer. The budget encompassed both Formula One and Indy Cars with top drivers like Mario Andretti in CART and Alan Jones in Formula One. The F-One team was properly funded with experienced F-One personnel.

That team too folded quite quickly after the Beatrice CEO, James Dutt, was ousted from his position by a palace coup and the company bought out its' contracts.

Alan Jones at the wheel of the Lola-Ford Haas, Hungary, 1986 (Photo: WRI2)

What is the common thread in US start-ups? They had big corporate money behind them.

Haas, no relation to Indy Car's Carl Haas, is said to have a personal wealth of over $700 million. For now he says he'd fund the team. And while he's aware of the $200 to $300 million annual budgets that doesn't account for the costs of building facilities and designing cars from scratch.

Even Formula One's El Supremo Bernie Ecclestone is skeptical.

"They (Haas) have been talking about it for three years," F1 business journalist Caroline Reid quoted Ecclestone as saying. "Somebody can have $10 billion in the bank, but it doesn't mean they are going to spend it."

Despite owning Hass CNC, a leading machine tool manufacturer in the US, it does not have an international footprint yet. Haas says he understands that Formula One wants new teams which offer longevity.

And that's why the dream won't work. Unless and until an international corporate partner is found all we'll have is some nice speculation.

Pros: Volkswagen's compact hero, the Jetta, is more American than ever. Larger and roomier, it also offers more comfortable seats and superb ergonomics. Yet driving dynamics have been preserved in the process. There's also a fantastic model and engine lineup -- including the award-winning TDI -- to suit various tastes and budgets.

Cons: Styling is clean, yes, but also rather bland. The recent price cut is the result of an anaemic base engine and sub-par noise insulation. Finally, some reliability issues remain.


2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Price: The 3 trim levels include Trendline TDI ($22,490), Comfortline TDI ($24,590), and Highline TDI ($27,790).

2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Fuel Economy: Look for the Jetta TDI to achieve 4.6L/100km on the highway and 6.7L/100km in the city.

Improvements and Changes: Gone is the torsion beam rear suspension; say hello to a multilink setup. New colours have been added.

2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Powertrain: The 140-horsepower, 2.0L 4-cylinder turbodiesel under the hood of this Jetta produces a solid 236 lb-ft of torque. Available transmissions include a 6-speed manual gearbox and the acclaimed 6-speed DSG.

Photo: Volkswagen

Cargo Capacity: The Jetta's trunk can hold up to 440 litres of gear. The split-folding rear seats maximize versatility.

Safety: ABS, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, stability control, and traction control all come standard. In the event of a collision, the Intelligent Crash Response System and 6 airbags will protect Jetta TDI occupants.

Comparing the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: The compact car segment is loaded with great models such as the Chevrolet Cruze (also with a clean diesel option), Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Forte, Mazda3 (soon with a diesel option), Nissan Sentra, Subaru Impreza, and Toyota Corolla.

From GMM

Red Bull Racing's title-defending 2014 car underwent the FIA crash tests only ten days ago, it emerged at Jerez on Tuesday.

Although many teams were faltering on day one of crucial pre-season testing in F1's fraught new V6 era, the absence of the reigning world champions was particularly conspicuous.

Designer Adrian Newey told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport that the RB10 was still undergoing crash tests 10 days ago, while mechanics were still putting the complex RB10 together in the moonlit early hours of Tuesday morning.

Then asked what held up Red Bull's running on day one, Briton Newey talked only of a "silly" installation problem.

Photo: Red Bull Racing

World champion Sebastian Vettel gave away slightly more information, revealing that one of the thousands of components of the car had been mounted incorrectly.

"That we managed to put it together in time is a huge achievement," argued team boss Christian Horner.

Vettel, however, worries that the audience will not appreciate the sheer complexity of the task faced by teams this season, particularly if cars are still failing left, right and centre come Melbourne in March.

"If even the engineers are having difficulty, the audience will obviously understand even less," said the German.

McLaren also struggled to get its new car out of the pits on Tuesday, amid reports the MP4-29 was grappling with Mercedes engine-related hydraulic or electronic issues.

Pros: Volkswagen's compact hero, the Jetta, is more American than ever. Larger and roomier, it also offers more comfortable seats and superb ergonomics. Yet driving dynamics have been preserved in the process. There's also a fantastic model and engine lineup -- including a very fuel-efficient turbo hybrid system -- to suit various tastes and budgets.

Cons: Styling is clean, yes, but also rather bland. The recent price cut is the result of an anaemic base engine and sub-par noise insulation. Finally, the turbo hybrid system is all-new and has yet to make a name for itself, especially in the reliability department.


2014 Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Hybrid Price: The 3 trim levels include Trendline ($28,490), Comfortline ($31,100), and Highline ($35,300).

2014 Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Hybrid Fuel Economy: Look for the Jetta Turbo Hybrid to achieve 4.2L/100km on the highway and 4.5L/100km in the city.

Improvements and Changes: Gone is the torsion beam rear suspension; say hello to a multilink setup. New colours have been added.

2014 Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Hybrid Powertrain: A 1.4L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine teams up with an electric motor to generate a combined 170 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque through a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Photo: Volkswagen

Cargo Capacity: Due to the rear-mounted battery, the Jetta Turbo Hybrid's trunk can hold only 320 litres of gear (440 litres in the regular Jetta).

Safety: ABS, brake assist, electronic brake force distribution, stability control, and traction control all come standard. In the event of a collision, the Intelligent Crash Response System and 6 airbags will protect Jetta Turbo Hybrid occupants.

Comparing the 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Hybrid: This is the only compact hybrid on the market. Gas-electric variants of the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Toyota Camry are all larger and slightly more expensive. That said, check out the Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius, as well.

Caterham F1 team uncovered its latest Formula 1 challenger just hours before the start of the first winter test session at Circuito Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

The design team, led by British engineer Mark Smith, showed the new CT05 this afternoon. The car will be powered by a Renault “Energy F1” V6 turbo hybrid power unit.

Caterham has two new drivers for 2014. Car No. 10 will be driven by F1 returnee, Japanese Kamui Kobayashi and car No. 9 will be driven by rookie Marcus Ericsson.

Photo: Caterham F1 Team

Photo: Caterham F1 Team/Twitter

The nose of the Caterham CT05. (Photo: WRi2)

Nissan has unveiled the all-new 1.5L 3-cylinder turbocharged engine that will power its ZEOD RC car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The unit weighs just 40 kilograms, yet produces 400 horsepower, which represents a better power-to-weight ratio than a Formula 1 engine. It's 50 centimetres tall, 40 centimetres long, and 20 centimetres wide.

The Nissan ZEOD RC made its track debut last week using an electric motor along with a combustion engine. The car will go through rigorous testing over the next four months in order to be ready for the June 14-15 competition.

It will become the first entry at Le Mans to complete a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe under nothing but electric power. A single lap of each stint (a fuel "stint" lasts approximately one hour) will be electric powered. Then, the new 3-cylinder turbo engine will take over.

Photo: Nissan

Photo: Nissan

From GMM

Interest in this week's opening test of the groundbreaking 2014 season is near-unprecedented.

The new rules, spearheaded by the new V6 hybrid turbo 'power units', have attracted 25 television networks and 160 accredited journalists to Jerez, where the odd-nosed grid for the new year is taking shape.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Unfortunately for some, the weather might not play along, as dark clouds were gathering above southern Spain late on Monday, ahead of the first of four days of testing.

F1's continuing tire supplier Pirelli is well prepared, and may not have to water the circuit as planned on Friday in order to test its wet-weather range.

The Italian marque has also developed a special 'winter' tire for the crucial 2014 pre-season, having learned the lessons of 2013, when Paul Hembery recalls that "We even saw some ice on the track at one point".

For once, however, tires are not expected to be the talking point over the coming weeks.

The keyword will instead be reliability, or failures, as the teams get thousands upon thousands of all-new components all working harmoniously following perhaps the biggest year-on-year regulations change in memory.

"I think it will be a very turbulent time for everybody, especially at the beginning," world champion Sebastian Vettel, at Jerez to drive the so-far unseen RB10, is quoted in the German media.

"Of course we had a very sound basis in terms of our car after the past four years, but now everything is new," he added.

Vettel is quoted by Sport Bild as worrying that the restrictions on fuel usage in 2014 could make the on-track action "somewhat limited".

And that will be after a particularly arduous off-season for the sport's taller drivers, such as Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne, who although standing at less than 180cm, looked visibly slimmer at Jerez on Monday.

The heavier 2014 regulations have pushed the teams to the limit in trying to get their new cars under the mandatory minimum weight, penalising drivers like Adrian Sutil, who is six feet tall.

"I didn't eat too much over Christmas and New Year," admitted Sauber's German driver.

Also well-built is Red Bull's new recruit Daniel Ricciardo, who desipte his Australian nationality admitted to having played "many winter sports" since the last race of 2013.

"This year, every gram counts," he said at Jerez, where he will drive the RB10 on Thursday and Friday.

Message from Ferrari to Michael Schumacher. (Photo: WRi2)

More immediately crucial, however, will be clocking up laps, after Jenson Button predicted Jerez could be a "hilarious" test characterised by technical failures left, right and centre.

"Whoever has less failures this year will be world champion," former triple world champion Niki Lauda agrees.

Some believe that, unlike in the past when cars would amass 100 testing laps a day and more, a haul of 40 laps will be considered a success in the 2014 pre-season.

"If someone was to get 100 laps he will not have won the world championship," Ferrari technical director James Allison is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, "but he will be on the right track."

Backmarker Marussia, for instance, is already behind schedule, announcing it will miss at least the opening day at Jerez due to a "small but frustrating technical issue".

"The aim is to solve the issue as quickly as possible and send the car on its way," said the team. "We're all set up here in Jerez ready and waiting for it."

The mood at Jerez, while full of anticipation, is also sombre, with Michael Schumacher's ongoing coma not far from minds.

His last two teams in F1 are paying tribute to the great German; Ferrari with a pitboard on Monday that read 'Forza Michael', and Mercedes with the Twitter hashtag #KeepFightingMichael written on the livery of its unrevealed W05 car.

Remember the new model Audi was teasing us with last week ahead of Super Bowl XLVIII? As it turns out, the full commercial features the 2015 Audi A3.

Kia Motor America called on Laurence Fishburne a.k.a. Morpheus to introduce its all-new K900 luxury sedan as part of the commercials that will air during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday.

Inspired by the universe of The Matrix, Morpheus shows a couple what luxury really is as he presents them with the keys to a K900. Prepare to have your mind blown, as well.