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News 23 Aug, 2012

Diesel-powered British sports car can hit 200mph and returns 68.9mpg

Pictures 23 Aug, 2012

Continental has opened a new technical centre in Brazil.

Global driver assistance systems (DAS) revenues are expected to grow from US$22.7bn in 2012 to US$460.8bn in 2017, according to according to researchers at ABI.

The millionth vehicle to be shipped to an export market has just been announced by Toyota Australia. The division sends its Melbourne-built models to New Zealand as well as various markets in the South Pacific and the Middle East.

Audi ranks highest for the third consecutive year in J.D. Power's 2012 China Sales Satisfaction Index Study.

The writing was on the wall when the US importer axed the CX-7 in early 2012. Mazda has now stopped building this crossover after fewer than six years of production.

Skoda said its deliveries in July rose 6 percent to 72,600 cars from a year ago. Skoda has been one of the fewer mass-market automakers to grow in Europe during the current slump.

Jaguar is hoping that by adding a four-cylinder engine to the slow-selling XF sedan, it can begin to revive its fortunes in the USA. In July, the brand's sales totalled just 1,011 units.

Daimler is mulling building compact Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with alliance partner Renault-Nissan, a German business daily reported today.

Daimler is mulling building compact Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with its partners Renault-Nissan, a German business daily reported today.

The latest-generation Porsche 911 offers ZF Friedrichshafen AG's fast-shifting dual-clutch transmission as an option. The system helps improve the sport car's acceleration by enabling smooth gear changes with no power flow interruption.

GM's Opel/Vauxhall said it will cut workers' hours at two of its four German plants in response to a drop in demand for cars in Europe.

The government said on Wednesday it plans to complete rules "soon" that significantly boost automobile efficiency, despite calls from some Republicans for further evaluation of the regulations.

Renault believes its image and brand value will get a boost from a new program that aims to help people living below the poverty line in France to gain access to cars and other mobility options.

Rumours indicate that IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard has initiated talks about double-header race weekends on street/road courses for the upcoming 2013 season.

The idea is to increase the number of races on the calendar next season, without having the costs escalating. In the event of a double-header, teams, sponsors and fans would all get more bang for their buck because they would all be already on site for the second race.

Promoters could offer better packages too, without having to invest more money and TV broadcasters could increase their viewership.

So, practices and qualifying could be held on Friday; one race could be presented on Saturday afternoon and another one on Sunday.

At the moment, only street and road courses are considered since crash damage for a road race isn't nearly as bad as on an oval, so a wreck on Saturday shouldn't put a team out of play for Sunday.

From GMM

Felipe Massa has admitted his future remains unclear, despite talks with Ferrari about the 2013 season having begun "a long time ago".

The Brazilian, who is 13 places and 139 points behind his teammate Fernando Alonso in the drivers' championship, is at risk of seeing his Ferrari career end after seven seasons.

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said last week that Massa, 31, "knows what he has to do" to secure a new deal.

"I'll need to stay prepared and finish the races well to try to have better results in the second half of the year," the driver said at an event in his native Sao Paulo on Wednesday.

"The discussions began a long time ago, but until there is a deal finalised, nothing changes."

Massa said his own form is now on an upswing, after Ferrari improved the performance of the F2012 car.

But he denied that because Alonso is pushing for the championship, he faces an even tougher time to prove to Ferrari that he should stay in 2013.

"It won't hurt me," said Massa.

"If I'm near Alonso or in front of him I'll do what I can to help him win the championship, that's obvious."

Massa is quoted by Brazil's Globo as saying he has always been under pressure in F1.

"At Sauber I was fired after my first year, and being test driver I had to have good results to get another chance. Then in my first year at Ferrari, Kimi Raikkonen was already signed and no one knew if Michael Schumacher would stop or not.

"Then we can speak about Valentino Rossi ... actually, in my career, I have been through more difficult times," he insisted.

"I am confident. I have a chance to continue with Ferrari. What we need to do is keep working on the car, because (in F1) nobody does anything alone.

"Yes the next races are super-important for my future, but it was also the same at the beginning of the championship.

"I'm 100 per cent focused on my results, and I believe so much in what I am capable of doing, which is what I've done many times."

Spa Grand Prix President Étienne Davignon has locked the Belgian Grand Prix down for the next three years, Belgium's Lalibre.be reported on Tuesday.

Davignon confirmed the new deal between the Walloon Region, Spa Grand Prix and Formula 1 executives in a press conference. A deal that will allow Spa-Francorchamps' Belgian Grand Prix on the World championship calendar until 2015.

Organizers also announced that the 5,600 persons who purchased a ticket online via The Ticket Enterprise will be able to attend the race after all.

All 5,600 of them were left in the dark when the Dutch company went bust.

Event organizers promised that, upon proof of purchase, a ticket would be granted to them. But to be allowed in, they will also have to turn their rights to Spa Grand Prix, in order for the organizing committee to get the money back from The Ticket Enterprise.

From GMM

Lewis Hamilton "has told" his boss he wants to stay with McLaren in 2013.

The team's managing director Jonathan Neale said last week the 2008 world champion is "close" to agreeing a new contract.

And boss Martin Whitmarsh has now been quoted as saying Hamilton, 27, "has told me" he wants to stay at the Woking based team.

"If Lewis wants to stay in the team, which he has told me he does, then he should do," Whitmarsh is quoted by the BBC and the Independent newspaper.

"Lewis and I have spoken two or three times at length. I think we are closer than we have ever been," he added.

From press release

Budweiser racing and NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick go into high gear as they team up with Blippar, an innovative new augmented reality technology out of London, for their U.S. launch.

Launched in the UK in the summer of 2011, Blippar is the first image-recognition phone app aimed at bringing the real world into a world of exciting augmented reality experience, instantaneous content and digital discovery.



Users can "blipp" real world items - such as newspapers, magazines, products, posters, online images - to bring them to virtual life with overlaid digital information, videos, games or interactive experiences.

For the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, when fans view the Budweiser logo through the Blippar app on a mobile device, a vivid new world appears giving fans the chance to take their picture with NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and enjoy interactive material and behind-the-scenes video content of Kevin Harvick.



Fans will be able to interact with the Budweiser logo on beer cans, packaging, posters and images on the internet.

To begin the fun, simply download the free Blippar app to your mobile device (Android, Iphone or Ipad) and begin viewing the Budweiser logo through your screen to watch it magically come alive!