Auto News For Monday, May 25, 2015 - GM Increases Wentzville Truck Production

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Monday, May 25, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO RACING BUSINESS
Juan Pablo Montoya – former Formula 1 Driver, former NASCAR driver, former Indianapolis 500 winner – won the Indy 500 on Sunday, May 24. Also on Sunday, Formula 1's Monac0 Grand Prix was won by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg. Juan Pablo Montoya last won the Monaco Grand Prix in a BMW in 2003. He finished second in a McLaren-Mercedes in 2006.

INSIDE THE TRUCK BUSINESS
Forget lunch. Forget "six-minute production lulls." Get to work, people of Wentzville, Missouri. GM needs more trucks.

AUTOFOCUS
Canada's best-selling premium brand car through the first four months of 2015 is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Here are the 24 next-best-selling luxury vehicles in Canada.

TTAC
Chevrolet Volt sales have been plunging for a while. Now Nissan Leaf volume is taking a dive, too.

KINJA
If the wagons that are on sale are hardly purchased, don't expect more wagons. Volkswagen USA sold fewer than 1500 in April 2015.

REVIEW
The first Mazda CX-3s are trickling into Mazda stores. And yes, they really are eye-catching vehicles. The first customers to test drive them will likely be interested because they're affordable crossovers with flexible packaging but a compact, city-friendly size. But they'll be pleasantly surprised by the handling, according to every review.

WATCH
How hard do you have to go to grab pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix? Here's Lewis Hamilton's best qualifying lap.

Auto News For Thursday, May 21, 2015 - Ford Recalls 8963 2015 Ford F150s

Here are the six must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Thursday, May 21, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO RACING BUSINESS
Lewis Hamilton will be driving for Mercedes-Benz until at least 2018 and he’ll be paid handsomely for doing so. Forbes says that with bonuses, Lewis, the two-time F1 champion, will earn $45 million per year.

INSIDE THE PERFORMANCE CAR BUSINESS
SE, EX, GLS - all the typical trim line names are so dull. How about ZHP? The 2016 BMW 435i ZHP isn’t the first ZHP BMW, but it’s the first 4-Series with the performance package. According to Car & Driver, it includes an extra 35 horsepower, a Track Handling package, an M Performance limited-slip diff, an M Performance package, and more. And it makes a better noise. 

TTAC
Hyundai USA’s SUV/CUV lineup is small and accomplishes rather not a lot. But in a slowing car market, Hyundai has maintained passenger car health and set an April sales record last month. 

RECALL
Ford Motor Company is recalling 8963 2015 Ford F150s due the possibility of the steering upper intermediate shaft being improperly riveted.

REVIEW
Acceleration times are getting crazy. Now, in evo testing, the six-cylinder Porsche Cayenne GTS accelerates to 62 mph in 5.1 seconds. 

WATCH
Chris Harris, like humans the world over, appreciates the idea of a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. This video of the latest model is evidence of that fact.

HISTORICAL RACING - MERCEDES-BENZ 300 SLR

Nearly 55 years after the fact, NetCarShow.com has compiled 80 pictures of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and the Gallery can be seen right here, right now. Unfortunately, one-quarter of the Gallery is tainted by the hints of - or even full frontals of - the '04 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, not the prettiest car on a list of the ugliest cars of all time.

In The Good Car Guy's 100 Favourite Cars feature from early October the 300 SL Gullwing made a strong and unsurprising appearance. The corresponding racecar, the 300 SLR, was said to be as robust as it was elegant; two terms not normally applied to track cars. The inline-six-cylinder engine weighed 518 pounds, generated nearly 300 horsepower, and was once tested on a dynamometer at the equivalent of racing revs for 9,800 kilometres.... plus another 32 hours. Apparently the only part in need of changing was the oil rings at about 6K.

Names like Fangio and Moss, with races like Le Mans and the Mille Miglia and the Targa Florio, combine to make the 300 SLR's history as evocative as that of any ex-racer. In all honesty, the names of today's racers and races will never be remembered as fondly because the cars they drive will not be recognized the same way. The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR lingers as a proverbial nod to an era before racing efforts were computerized and tested digitally, a stunning retrospect of romantic motorsports.

LEWIS HAMILTON'S RACING BIOGRAPHY IN 3 MINUTES OF CNN VIDEO

Yesterday Lewis Hamilton became the first Englishman to win the Formula 1 championship since 1996. He is the youngest ever title holder. The race was available right here on GoodCarBadCar.net, but for the racing background of this McLaren-Mercedes superstar, check out CNN's 'Hamilton's Fast Rise' below. 

CHEVROLET TO SWITCH WTCC CAR FROM LACETTI TO CRUZE

In parts of the world where the World Touring Car Championship is more than just an obscure motorsport seen by a few in the middle of the night on the web (yes, I'm talking to you... us, North America), viewers are watching the 2008 season seeing Chevrolet in third place in the team championships. They don't use a Corvette or Malibu or Silverado. The Chevrolet team in the WTCC uses a Chevrolet Lacetti.

To those in Canada, think Chevrolet Optra, Optra5, and Optra wagon. For those careful automotive watchers in America, think Suzuki Forenza and Reno. Yes, they turn it into a race car. And it does alright.

Next year, if the trio of Chevrolet drivers remains the same (Nicola Larini, Robert Huff, Alain Menu, Manabu Orido) they can expect to be driving the WTCC version of the Chevrolet Cruze. (See pictures and info on the Cruze here and here)

The Cruze will make its debut in Brazil where the two Seat Leon diesels won this season. Testing has already begun on the Cruze WTCC. In business terms, positioning the Cruze in the WTCC has much to do with what you can read about in the first Cruze link above. In 2009, for an American vehicle to be taken seriously on the world stage, motorsport really helps. Competition for the Lacetti in 2008 has included the Volvo C30, numerous BMW 3-Series sedans, Honda's European Accord, two varieties of the aforementioned Seat Leon, and the Lada 110.

PEUGEOT'S LE MANS DRIVERS

It ought to be a matter of national pride for Peugeot, not to mention the disturbing nature of absolute German dominance at France's most famous race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Audi  won this classic race in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.  Although Bentley - a Volkswagen subsidiary just like Audi - took the title in 2003, it was with Audi's help.  

1996, '97, and '98 were Porsche's years whilst 1999 was BMW's.  The most recent French company to win was indeed Peugeot, but that was 1993.  

Thus, Peugeot is ready to battle again.  This year, they'll be majoring on the drivers as seriously as the cars.  Ask any casual Le Mans follower about previous winners and you will inevitably be told about car companies; not drivers.  If Peugeot manages to wrest the Heures du Mans crown from Audi this year, the drivers will be remembered.  

Jacques Villeneuve, Christian Klien, Alex Wurz, Pedro Lamy, Franck Montagny, Marc Gene, and Ricardo Zonta all sound good.  World Rally man Stephane Sarrazin and ex-Formula 3000 racer Nicolas Minassian should help the cause.  For those keeping track, that's three Frenchmen, one French-Canadian, and not a single German.  

Peugeot's current showrooms are not full of models that could be easily linked to a win at Le Mans.  Like Audi (which uses lines like, "Audi is a trailblazer when it comes to diesel power. Since 1989, over 4.5 millions cars have rolled off the production line with the highly efficient TDI technology under the bonnet. By equipping the R10 TDI sports prototype with this technology, we have just won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel-powered car for the second time") Peugeot is opting for diesel power in their Le Mans racer and it is on this point that Peugeot can claim 'trickle-down' effect and exercise marketing heft. Peugeot and its sister company Citroen are indelinly linked to diesel engines, and rightfully so.  

IRL CHAMP CAR MARRIAGE

Speculation has led to rumour has given way to report has given way to.... truth?  It appears that the Indy Racing League, which has as its flagship race the Indianapolis 500, will merge with Champ Car effective really, really soon.  In fact, a press conference could be held tomorrow.

Even Jerry Seinfeld didn't like the overuse of the "Ovaltine" bit.  On the other hand, it had become gruesomely apparent that televesion wasn't working with the Champ Car World Series.  It's a little bit I-need-you-but-hate-you mixed with plenty of Baby-it-hurts-to-love-you and a lot of Can't-live-with'em-can't-live-without'em.  

Consider this: Patrick Carpentier, Juan Pablo Montoya, Sam Hornish Jr. are just some of the names who crossed over, at least temporarily, into NASCAR for the Daytona 500.  Champ and the IRL need to do more than just keep fans.  They need to keep drivers.

HONDA NEWS QUOTES

"We have worked for a long time to give Honda a better image. Five years ago, our dealers would never have believed that we could lift Civic and CR-V prices by £4,000 and still command the secondhand values to back them up. But we did it - and now we intend to repeat the exercise with the Accord." Graham Avent, Honda UK corporate operations manager, explains the justification behind Honda's attack on the big German trio of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. -> Birmingham Mail

"There is a great deal of work to do over the two remaining tests before we head to Melbourne, but I am now happier in the car and have more confidence to push it to the limit." Jenson Button, Honda F1 driver, after much practice and testing ahead of 2008 Forumla 1 season. -> ITV-F1

"We made some good steps with the driveability this week which have given me more confidence getting on the power." Former Ferrari F1 driver and current teammate of the previously-mentioned Jenson Button, with just a few weeks until the first race of the season. -> ITV-F1

"That would represent a nine-yen weakening in the dollar and a 180 billion yen drag on operating profit. Can we offset that with an increase in vehicle sales? Like I said, next year is going to be a down year for us." Fumikho Ike, Honda's CFO, describing the situation that'll lead to Honda's revenue growth going AWOL until 2009. -> Guardian

"Considering the importance and competitiveness of the car industry, we are entitled to higher wages." Yuji Kato, president of the Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions, which is pushing for wage hikes from Toyota, Nissan, and Honda; where the union wants salaries to rise 1,000 yen monthly. -> Bloomberg

TOYOTA HITS THE HEART OF AMERICA

The United States of America is not Formula 1. The heart of America is not found on soccer fields.  Indeed, sushi is not an American staple. Chicken & ribs is more likely to be found on tables in Kansas tonight.  American families could be watching their kids prepare for baseball season this spring and summer.  And... America is NASCAR.  Says who?  

Says Toyota.  Fortunately for Toyota, just days before a few dozen drivers attempt 500 miles of racing in Daytona, Denny Hamlin won one of the Gatorade Duels on Thursday.  Tony Stewart, a fairly prototypical old-time American racer, finished second.  Denny and Tony - them boys are Toyota boys.  

True enough; these Gatorade Duels are just qualifying races.  Toyota can't take hold of the lead in the standings based on qualifying races like this.  Points aren't even handed out.  However, it does put three Toyotas in the first three rows of the Daytona 500, significantly raising the massive Japanese automaker's hopes on Sunday.  This might not be news yet, but the news on Monday could be headlined by an ugly, V8-engined behemoth with a Toyota badge on the front. Backlash not mandatory, but possible.  This is supposedly "The Great American Race", after all.  

FOR SALE: F1 TEAM - PRICE?

Extra! Extra!  Breaking news.  Check your local Classifieds; scan every section.  A more detailed rundown of the inclusions will be forthcoming, but for now, get your wallets ready.

Super Aguri, a nearly brand-new Formula 1 team, can be your's for $1.00 + ........ the payment of the team's debt.  That'd be $47,000,000.  But who's counting?

Super Aguri runs Honda engines and attempts to field Japanese drivers, despite their England-based garage.  

BEST VID ON THE WEB

If you love cinematography, Subaru, the WRC, winter, snowboarding, or any combination of these things, follow this link to what may be the best new clip on YouTube.

LEWIS, TUNDRA, SOLO MERCURY

McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, last year's runner-up in Formula 1, was fined about €800 for driving over 120mph (190+km/h) in a 80mph (130km/h) zone. His Mercedes was confiscated and his license suspended.

He will be permitted to test his McLaren racer. In fact, Lewis can drive anywhere except France, where, for one month, Lewis isn't permitted behind the wheel.

Poor fella. Ironically, former F1 champion Michael Schumacher, a man widely considered to be a potential candidate for best driver ever, is under investigation for an exciting taxi ride through Munich last week. Schumi figured he could get his family to the airport faster than cab driver Tuncer Yilmax. So, that's what Schumi did, giving his family and Mr. Yilmax the ride of their lives. They made their flight, but German police don't like the fact that Michael broke the law. You're not allowed to commandeer taxicabs. Whatever.

MotorTrend has named the Toyota Tundra its truck of the year. Don't be too hard on MT for picking a truck that was just named in a recall (a recall that doesn't include any accidents or injuries). Afrer all, what truckmaker hasn't come under a recent recall?

Silly I know, but Mercury was, until recently, selling cars at Mercury-only dealerships. The last such store, Community Motor in Pennsylvania, just closed its doors. Community Motor sold new Mercury's for 57 years, but their best yearly total was way back in 1989.

Also, just minutes ago, the "35mpg by 2020" bill in the United States Congress passed and will head for the ballpoint pen of George W. Read this for more info on the bill.

WRC SERIOUSLY ALTERED

Scheduling for the 2009 World Rally Championship is sure to raise eyebrows and drop jaws. February of '09 sees rallies in Ireland and Norway followed by Cyprus in March; Portugal and Argentine in April; Italy in May; Greece and Poland in June; Finland in August; Australia in September; and ending with Spain and then Great Britain in October.

Something's missing, say ye.

Aye, 'tis indeed a mystery. Monte Carlo, home to many a racing driver; many a playboy; many a Rolls-Royce; and many a yacht, is not on the 2009 WRC schedule.



Fast forward to January 24th of 2010. That'd be day 1 of the Monte Carlo rally, the first WRC phase in 2010. Sweden, Mexico, Jordan, Turkey, New Zealand, Indonesia, Russia, Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, and France follow the rally among the rich. The 2008 season by one race - to 15 - and as you counted, '09 and '10 feature just twelve.

If you can't afford to roll amongst the high-roller but enjoy a view of the town, tune in next May 25th. Formula 1 never leaves Monaco.