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News 18 Mar, 2014

Exclusive images and spy shots reveal how the new Audi R8 supercar could look when unveiled in 2015

New vehicle sales in Malaysia fell by close to 15% to 49,632 units in May, from 58,299 units a year ago, according to data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).

A 1.96 billion euro ($2.6 billion) suit by seven hedge funds against Porsche SE in Germany was moved to a cartel court in Hanover to examine antitrust claims against the automaker. The case is part of a group of German and U.S.

Active safety systems and driver assistance technologies are a high-growth area of the automotive business. Global OE fitment levels for driver assistance systems (DAS) are forecast to rise sharply, leading to improved safety and an enhancement of the driver experience. Ultimately, the systems arriving now are part of the advancing technology frontier that will lead to the autonomous car. This month we share some of the latest developments in active safety systems, as monitored, analysed and reviewed in our dedicated real-time QUBE research service.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: A while back I visited the largest Jaguar/Land Rover dealer in the country, Prestige in Paramus, N.J. I remember a sales guy telling me he couldn't wait for the all-wheel-drive Jags. and#8220;At least they'll give us a chance.

We here at Autoweek agree: Vannin' needs to make a comeback. But until science and the dark arts achieve a way to resurrect

Mitsubishi hit our radar on Tuesday for the first time in a long time.

Former rally driver Matt Johnston pays the rent these days by shooting sports, commercial and documentary video for clients such as Ford, ESPN and National Geographic Channel.

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson reiterated that GM has no immediate plans to invest further in struggling PSA.

Toyota used Twitter to broadcast the steps taken to build the Auris hybrid compact car at its UK factory in what the automaker says is a world-first social media project.

Dacia has started selling its Lodgy minivan in Denmark, the latest western European market for Renault's no-frills brand that was originally created for developing markets. The expansion into Denmark marks the completion of Dacia's rollout in the EU.

Mercedes-Benz has set up a new sales-support unit for China and is stepping up the pace of dealer openings in the country as it seeks to catch rival Audi, the best-selling premium brand in the market.

Chrysler Group, saying it has settled a dispute with U.S.

Many dealerships are experimenting with ways to get more bang for the buck in the FandI department. Some dealerships have merged sales and finance responsibilities into lower-paid hybrid positions.

Dacia has started selling its Lodgy minivan in Denmark, the latest western European market for Renault's no-frills brand that was originally created for developing markets.The expansion into Denmark marks the completion of Dacia's rollout in the EU.

Chrysler Group, saying it's settled a dispute with federal safety regulators, will inspect older-model Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty SUVs and install a trailer hitch assembly if necessary to 'better manage crash forces in low-speed...

Jaguar Land Rover is targeting global sales of 750,000 units by the end of the decade, with an eventual target of 1 million units, a top executive said Tuesday.

Senior members of the German government have warned EU member states that German automakers could scale back or scrap production plans in their countries unless they support weakened carbon emissions rules, according to diplomatic sources.

From GMM

The promoter of the Indian grand prix on Wednesday slammed rumours the race may fall off the calendar after 2013.

Reports early this week said existing F1 events in Korea and India may not take place next season, with India's promoting Jaypee Group not committing to funding beyond this year's race and "nearing bankruptcy".

Jaypee spokesman Askari Zaidi said on Wednesday: "Some international news organisations are trying to spread rumours that (Jaypee) may not host (the) 2014 Indian GP.

"This is totally baseless and malicious."

The reports about India's F1 demise also cited poor race attendance, with the Indo-Asian News Service saying on Wednesday that while a crowd of 95,000 gathered in 2011, that figure dropped to 65,000 last year.

But Zaidi insisted: "Our agreement with formula one management is to hold F1 races at Buddh international circuit until 2015, and we are fully committed to do that."

Britain's SportsPro magazine got an exclusive interview with Mansoor Ijaz, one of the new investors in the Lotus Formula 1 Team.

Yesterday, Lotus confirmed that its owner, Genii Capital, has sold a 35 per cent stake in the business to Infinity Racing Partners. Infinity is a special purpose vehicle set up by what Lotus called 'an American hedge fund manager, an Abu Dhabi-based multinational business group and royal family interest of a major oil producing nation'.

Mansoor Ijaz, a US investment banker and sometime media pundit, is also the founder and chairman of New York-based investment firm Crescent Investment Management.

“For us it was an opportunity to bring our technological capabilities,” said Ijaz to SportsPro.

“We have enormous technological capabilities that we can bring and we're going to make Lotus the number one team for sponsorship within the next year. That's simply a result of my network around the world,” he added.

Mansoor Ijaz.

Some medias speculated that there are interests from the United Arab Emirates and also Brunei in that project.

“I will not comment on the royal family, whether it's Brunei or not. What I will tell you is the people who are part of the consortium are old, dear friends, business partners, investors in other things that I've done,” replied Ijaz.

Ijaz also explained why he chose to invest in the Lotus F1 Team. “We have been looking at Formula 1 for about two years now. We looked at three other teams before we decided on Lotus,” he said to SportsPro.

“Team Lotus has the element of real team spirit, meaning across the board - vertically as well as horizontally - in terms of the breadth and depth of the team's capacity. Secondly, there are the business brains that run Genii Capital and the business brains that affect the way in which Lotus is managed as a business; these are men cut from the same cloth as I have been throughout my career,” he added.

“We will be integrally involved in the technology development side, as the engines change next year, as technology comes to the front.

“I have a younger brother, Mujeeb and he is the chief technology officer of A123 Venture Technologies in Boston. He's an important part of the story of what we're doing because he brings a certain capability as a systems integrator and an expert in battery technology that will, I think, dramatically enhance what we're doing on the technological side come next season,” Ijaz continued.

Ijaz confirmed that the new investors have high expectations for the future of the Lotus F1 Team.

“Of course we want to make a profit, but it's not the primary objective. Next year, when there is a change in the way the races will be run, there's a lot of opportunity going forward to differentiate one car from another technologically. We'll be number one in 12 months. I say it simply, flatly, completely - we'll be number one in 12 months,” he concluded.