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CEO Sergio Marchionne's merger of carmakers Fiat and Chrysler will probably entail a share listing in the United States that cements North America as the group's new center of gravity and further sidelines Italy.

Here's something we think you'll really like: At the Consumer Electronics Show, Chevrolet announced a performance data recorder for the

Ford will make the biggest splash of the Detroit auto show with the redesigned 2015 F-150. At other brands, sporty cars will dominate the headlines. Chevrolet will show the high-performance Corvette Z06. BMW will unveil redesigned M3 and M4 cars.

Nissan North America wants to help its dealers retail more motorsports parts as it pushes for a bigger U.S. role for its Nismo performance brand.

NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray turned the quickest lap of the whole United SportsCar Championship (USCC) field, Saturday testing ahead of the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The 2010 Daytona 500 winner brought his No. 01 Riley/EcoBoost DP around the Daytona International Speedway's road course in 1min38.980s.

But engine problems forced his team to leave before the last day of the three-day test. Michael Shank Racing, which also uses Ford's EcoBoost powerplant also left early.

Photo: IMSA.com

"We have a couple of problems," team owner Mike Shank is quoted saying by Motorsport.com. "We want to make sure we maximize all the reliability things we can. It's not the motor itself. It's the things that hang on it."

Jan Magnussen clocked the best lap of the GTLM field, with a 1min46.010s aboard the brand new Corvette C7.R. The No. 97 Aston Martin Vantage, co-driven by Pedro Lamy, Stefan Mucke, Darren Turner, Richie Stanaway and Canadian Paul Dalla lana, clocked the second best lap at 1min46.157s.

Sam Bird put Starworks Motorsport on top in LMPC, while Jan Heylen went faster than everyone in the GTD category aboard his Porsche 911 GT America. Leh Keen was third in that category, behind the wheel of the Alex Job Porsche he co-drives with Cooper MacNeil, Shane van Gisbergen and Canadian Louis-Philipe Dumoulin.

Robert Kubica wasted not time getting used to driving a Ford Fiesta. In his first outing behind the wheel if his new car, he won the Jännerrallye, round one of the European Rally Championship (ERC).

The Jännerrallye served as a warm-up for the Pole's 2014 season, which starts in two weeks at the Monte Carlo rally.

Kubica overcame a deficit of 11.8 seconds in the final stage, thanks to a better choice of tires, to beat Václav Pech for the win in the Austrian based event.

Robert Kubica, Ford Fiesta RRC (Photo: FIAERC.com)

"We had a big moment when there was fog and I want to apologize to Maciej [Szczepaniak, his co-driver] for this," said the former F1 driver.

"To be honest the experience I got means much more than the win because that was my plan before the start."

Kubica drove a Citroën DS3 to last year's WRC 2 title, before signing with M-Sport to drive a Fiesta RS WRC in the top category of the world championship.

Former rally driver Marcus Grönholm believes former F1 driver turned rally ace Robert Kubica has the potential to succeed.

The two-time world champion was in Austria, covering the Jännerrallye for Eurosport. He witnessed Kubica's dramatic win in the last stage of the ERC season opener.

"He's learning quickly," Grönholm said of the Pole.

"He told me on Saturday morning it was the first time with the studs on a rally car on the stage so he had a lot of things to learn to reach the top. But he is doing well."

Robert Kubica at the Jännerrallye (Photo: FIAERC.com)

According to the Finn, all Kubica needs to be world champion one day is some more experience.

"He needs time to learn but he has the speed, he just needs more experience."

In his career as a driver, Grönholm won 30 WRC rallies, driving for Peugeot and Ford. He now runs a shopping centre in his native Finland.

Kubica, who won the WRC 2 category of the world championship last year with Citroën is making is full time debut in the top category of the WRC at the Monte Carlo, where he will drive a Ford Fiesta RS WRC for M-Sport in two weeks.

Muscle Milk Pickett is entering the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans with its new Oreca-Nissan, Greg Pickett confirmed.

For the occasion, the 66 year-old team owner is making a return behind the wheel, having not raced since Petit Le Mans in 2011. He will share driving duties with his regular drivers Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr.

The Indianapolis based team has raced in La Sarthe only once before, in 2008. Driving a Lola, Pickett, Graf and Jans Lammer completed 146 laps before retiring with engine problems.

"[It's great] going back with Klaus and Lucas with the relationship I have, and with a really nice car that we think can fight for a really good finish in P2," Pickett is quoted saying by Sportscar365.

In order to be allowed to race at Le Mans this year, Graf and Pickett must complete a minimum of 10 laps each during the June 1st test day. Having entered the race last year with Jota Sport, Luhr qualifies automatically.

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing won the last two American Le Mans Series title with Honda, before switching to Oreca ahead of the inaugural United SportsCar Championship season.

Photo: Muscle Milk Pickett Racing

From Audi

A new era begins in US motor racing on the last weekend in January: the 52nd running of the endurance classic in Florida is the first race of new United SportsCar Championship (USCC).

Five Audi R8 LMS cars start in the strongest of the four classes. 
 
An impressive field of about 70 prototypes and GT sports cars join the grid for the opener at Daytona on January 25/26. The ‘GT Daytona' (GTD) class for production-based sports cars, in which the Audi R8 LMS competes, forms the largest contingent.

Audi Sport customer racing developed a GTD version of the successful GT3 customer racing racecar, which makes its race debut at Daytona, specifically for the new US race series. As before, the Audi R8 LMS in GTD form bears the sporting genes of the R8 road car, with which it shares more than 50 per cent of its technology.

The ASF aluminum chassis, the robust V10 power plant with rebuild intervals of 20,000 kilometers or the sophisticated suspension incorporating double wishbones are just three examples of this.

Photo: Audi Motorsport

Audi customer teams at Daytona


Audi R8 LMS #32 (GMG Racing)
Marc Basseng (D), Frank Stippler (D), James Sofronas (USA), Alex Welch (USA)


Audi R8 LMS #35 (Flying Lizard Motorsports)

Filipe Albuquerque (P), Seth Neimann (USA), Alessandro Latif (I), Dion von Moltke (USA)


Audi R8 LMS #45 (Flying Lizard Motorsports)
Nelson Canache Jr. (YV), Tim Pappas (USA), Spencer Pumpelly (USA), Markus Winkelhock (D)


Audi R8 LMS #46 (Fall-Line Motorsports)

Charles Espenlaub (USA), Oliver Jarvis (GB), Charlie Putman (USA), James Walker (GB)


Audi R8 LMS #48 (Paul Miller Racing)
Matt Bell (GB), Christopher Haase (D), Bryce Miller (USA), René Rast (D)

According to IHS Automotive analysts, the vast majority of personal and commercial vehicles will be fully automated by 2050.

Nissan has already announced that its first ''driverless'' car will hit the road around 2020, with other manufacturers following the lead over the next decade.

Sales of autonomous cars will increase from 230,000 units in 2025 to 11.8 million cars in 2035, IHS Automotive forecasts, while fully autonomous cars will begin to appear around 2030.

Experts claim that these vehicles will considerably reduce accidents and the costs attached to them. They'll adjust their driving dynamics and characteristics to maximize fuel economy while communicating with each other to ensure safe, fluid traffic.

Source : leblogauto.com

Photo: Ford

While "Fast and Furious" star Paul Walker and business partner and Pirelli World Challege racer

Lasers -- until recently an exotic toy for the auto industry -- are poised to challenge LEDs as the industry's showcase high-tech headlamps.

Costco's auto sales arm is testing a program that allows franchised dealers to list for sale on its site used vehicles of any brand that are still under warranty.

2014 marks Prodrive's 30th year on the motorsports scene.

Founded by David Richards and Ian Parry in 1984, the British company accumulated six World Rally Championship (WRC) titles, five British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) titles and three GT1 titles over the years.

Prodrive tried to make it onto the Formula One scene a couple of years ago, but the ban on customer chassis sunk its project.

It now races mainly in rally with MINI and in endurance with Aston Martin.



Source: Prodrive

The 2014 edition of the Dakar rally is kicking off this Sunday, in the Argentinian town of Rosario. Entrants are getting ready for the 15 days of competition that lay ahead.

Team X-Raid is fielding a total of 12 MINI All4 Racing to try and sweep the event. Boss Sven Quandt can count on World Rally Championship (WRC) regular Nasser Al-Attiyah, who jumped aboard last minute and of course 11-time Dakar winner Stephane Peterhansel to lead his team.

Nani Roma, Krzysztof Holowczyc and Orlando Terranova are the other X-Raid drivers in with a shot of a top result.

Carlos Sainz. (Photo: Red Bull Racing)

2010 winner Carlos Sainz and teammate Ronan Chabot, aboard their SMG-prepared buggies are a serious threat to MINI in this event, as are Eric Vigouroux, Guerlain Chicherit and Robert Baldwin, who also drive buggies.

NASCAR driver Robby Gordon and 2009 winner Giniel de Villiers are back behind the wheels of trucks: Gordon in a Hummer prototype and de Villiers in a Toyota Hilux. Both are expected to fight at the front.

David Bensadoun. (Photo: ALDO Racing)

Two Canadian teams are taking part in the 2014 edition of the Dakar. David Bensadoun and Patrick Beaulé, who became the first Canadians to finish the event in 2012 are reunited aboard a Desert Warrior, while Matt Campbell makes his first attempt aboard a Dodge Durango he shares with Mexicans Luis Ramirez and Nicolas Ambriz.

All in all, close to 150 cars, 200 bikes, 50 quads and 70 trucks are to take the start Sunday in the hopes to see the finish, January 18th in Valpariso, Chili.

Action Express' Christian Fittipaldi topped the charts Friday, as testing ahead of the 24 Hours of Daytona got underway.

"It was very interesting today to see different cars running together at different speeds, from four different classes," said Fittipaldi, who turned a lap of 1min38.630s in his Corvette DP to beat 15 other Prototype teams.

Driving the No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR, Nick Tandy led the GTLM class, with a time of 1min45.564s.

Nick Tandy, Porsche 911 RSR (Photo: IMSA.com)

"It was a very good day, and it's nice to be on top," said Tandy.

Colin Braun (CORE autosport) topped the spec LMPC category, and Spencer Pumpelly the GTD class behind the wheel of his Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS.

2012 IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay will race again with SRT Motorsports in 2014.

He will share the No. 91 Viper GTS-R with German Dominik Farbacher and Belgian Marc Goossens during extended endurance races of the 2014 United SportsCar Championship (USCC).

"The SRT Motorsports program has come such a long way in a short period of time," the 150-race IndyCar veteran said.

"This is truly one of the most competitive forms of GT class racing in the world and for the Viper GTS-R team to earn three poles and a win last season is outstanding."

No. 91 Viper GTS-R (Photo: SRT Motorsports)

SRT Motorsports also announced signing double European Le Mans Series (ELMS) champion Rob Bell to split driving duties with Jonathan Bomarito and Kuno Wittmer aboard the No. 93 Viper.

Meanwhile, Nissan driver Alex Brundle joined Muscle Milk Pickett Racing's program in the Prototype class of the USCC.

The son of former F1 driver Martin Brundle will be Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr's teammate behind the wheel of the team's Nissan-powered ORECA 03 at the 24 Hours of Daytona. the 12 Hours of Sebring and also at Petit Le Mans.

From GMM

Christian Horner has singled out reliability as "the number 1 challenge" for the start of the 2014 season.

The Red Bull boss has admitted that even the world champion team, having won the last four double world championships on the trot, will have "several sleepless nights" ahead of the start of winter testing late this month.

Horner said it will be a "hugely busy winter" as teams prepare for the radical new regulations, including the new turbo V6 power unit.

"As you know," he told Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, "Adrian Newey does not have a reputation for having a car ready ahead of time, so I am sure there will be several sleepless nights before the car is in running order."

Adrian Newey (right) is keeping Christion Horner awake (Photo: WRi2)

However, he said it is a similar challenge for every team on the grid, with the unique task of each producing a totally new car for the new rules.

"Reliability is the number one challenge," said Horner, "but of course we also want a lot of performance from the car from the very start in Australia.

"It means the amount of work in front of us in phenomenal.

"We did a good job in 2013 but it wasn't perfect, and that motivates us to improve on those areas in which we did not meet our targets.

"That doesn't mean that we expect to win next season. We want to win, but the competition is very hard, and we know how quickly everything can change at the top in F1.

"Nothing can be taken for granted," Horner added.

Entrants of the 2014 and 2015 Junior World Rally Championships (WRC) will have no choice but to drive a Citroen DS3 R3T.

M-Sport has left the French manufacturer alone in the Junior WRC by pulling out its fleet of Fiesta R2 cars.

The Junior WRC visits six European rounds of the actual WRC's calendar. Drivers must be under 26 years of age.

The champion at the end of the year earns a ride to contest six rounds of the WRC 2 championship the following year.

Michelin will be the Junior WRC's official tire supplier.

Citroen DS3 R3T (Photo: Citroen Racing)

Mazda Motorsports decided to enter the United SportsCar Championship (USCC) with a pair of SKYACTIV-powered prototypes.

Through competing in the top "P" class of the USCC, Mazda's objective is to "demonstrate Mazda SKYACTIV Technology to both hardcore racing fans and the mainstream public".

For the occasion, the Japanese manufacturer promoted drivers Sylvain Tremblay, Tom Long, Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez from its factory-backed GX class roster of last year.

"There is no shortage of great racing talent in America," explained John Doonan, Mazda North America's motorsport boss.

"Sylvain, Tom, Joel, and Tristan are all talented behind the wheel, but just as importantly, they act as a true team, supporting everyone at Mazda and SpeedSource."