AutoWeek Daily Drive — Tuesday, May 18, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Tuesday, May 18, 2010                  The hybrid version of the BMW 5-series will be based on the ActiveHybrid concept shown at the Geneva motor... BMW plans 5-series hybrid for 2011 BMW could launch a hybrid version of the 5-series as early as 2011, CEO Norbert Reithofer told shareholders at the luxury-car maker's annual meeting in Munich on Tuesday. A 3-series hybrid employing the same technology could also join at some point, according to the Reuters news agency. The hybrid underpinnings come from the 5-series ActiveHybrid concept shown at the Geneva motor show in March....   Mercedes won't pursue Schumacher penalty appeal from Monaco Grand Prix The Mercedes Formula One team has dropped its appeal against the decision that dropped Michael Schumacher from sixth to 12th at the Monaco Grand Prix. While the Mercedes team and some of its rivals believe it has a good case, the team has accepted that it is unlikely to win a legal battle...   OnStar to tap Google to guide the Chevrolet Volt General Motors Co.'s OnStar telematics unit is bringing Google mobile navigation technology into the car. Chevrolet Volt drivers whose smartphones use Google's Android operating system will be able to use their phones to pinpoint their vehicle's location on Google Maps, GM said in a statement...   2010 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec, an AW Drivers Log EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: You don't need to spend much time behind the wheel of this thing to realize that it just makes sense for SUVs to have small-displacement turbodiesels under the hood. The 3.0-liter engine easily pulls this 2.5-ton sled any place you'd want to go, and relatively...   Toyota has no intention of returning to ‘elitist' Formula One Toyota Motor Corp., which dropped out of Formula One racing last year, has no intention of returning because the sport is out of touch with the carmaker's customer base, the head of Toyota's global racing program says. The new priority is more grass-roots racing that allows closer connection...   NHTSA investigates fuel-tank problem with 2004 Chevrolet Corvettes The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a potentially leaky fuel-tank problem with the 2004 Chevrolet Corvette. The investigation was launched on May 12 and covers an estimated 33,000 Corvettes. There have been 30 reports from consumers alleging... You May Have Missed...   Kids go karting with a purpose in new documentary Racing Dreams WITH VIDEO -- There comes a time in every aspiring race-car driver's life when he has to make a decision: Commit to driving 100 percent, or lead a normal life. For a race-car driver, that time comes before high school. Racing Dreams, by director Marshall Curry, is a documentary about three young go-...   2010 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen S, an AW Drivers Log SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: I felt very European in this German station wagon with a five-speed manual transmission. And I liked it. My coffee even seemed smoother. Really, the highlight for me is the agreeable gearbox. I enjoyed working the throws, and it channeled the 170 horses well. I've ...   Concorso Ferrari puts on a show in Pasadena WITH VIDEO -- Most people have seen the Old Town section of Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, Calif., once a year--during the Rose Bowl parade.Well, finally, there's a new and good reason to interrupt traffic on Colorado: Concorso Ferrari. It's a splendid gathering of beautiful Ferraris for which the ...   GM collaborates with Hawaiian power company General Motors has formed a partnership with Hawaiian power firm the Gas Company to test the state’s hydrogen infrastructure.TGC is the major power provider for the Hawaiian islands. It produces and delivers hydrogen along with natural gas. TGC plans to separate the hydrogen from its pipeline ...   Even Greenpeace doubts electric cars At first glance, Wolfgang Lohbeck, transportation expert at Greenpeace Germany, seemed to be representing a lost cause.He was the only speaker who strongly opposed the electric car as the savior of individual mobility at the Automobilwoche conference on "The New Automobile" on May 6. Electric cars... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. IMPORTANT: Please add AutoWeek.com to your E-mail Address Book to ensure you will continue to receive our newsletters. Please DO NOT reply to this e-mail. You will not receive a reply if you use this e-mail address. Crain Communications, 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207.