AutoWeek Daily Drive — Tuesday, July 27, 2010

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTOSHOWS   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   MARKETPLACE Tuesday, July 27, 2010                  The Automotive X Prize will pass out $10 million in September for fuel efficiency.... Automotive X Prize hits high gear The Automotive X Prize is nearing the finish line. The $10 million contest to produce a highly fuel-efficient car has moved to the validation stage, where the competitors will be tested on a dynamometer. The entries that exceed 100 mpg and meet performance and emissions requirements will win. Cash will be given out in September. The event began in 2008 and had an original field of 136...   U.S. Grand Prix site revealed It appears that we finally know the location of the mooted 2012 U.S. Grand Prix near Austin, Texas. According to local newspaper Web site Statesman.com, one of the land owners involved in the deal said that plans call for the track to occupy “about 900 acres near Elroy in southeastern...   Mini returns to WRC in 2011 Mini will make its return to the World Rally Championship next year, according to company owner BMW. The diminutive brand will take on selected rallies in the 2011 season, with hopes for a full 2012 schedule. Mini's World Rally Car is based on the new Countryman production car and will feature a ...   A look at Dodge's future product With Ram pickups no longer part of its lineup, Dodge is repositioning itself as a sporty brand for all ages. As the brands diverge, Ram keeps the distinctive ram's head logo, while Dodge will have a new script logo that will be revealed this year on the restyled Charger sedan and the...   How much will the 2011 Chevrolet Volt cost? General Motors plans to sell its Chevrolet Volt electric car for about $40,000, according to several news reports. Pricing and ordering details for the Volt will be announced on Tuesday by Joel Ewanick, GM's vice president of U.S. marketing, at a news conference in San Jose, Calif., the...   The 2010 Ford Flex Limited EcoBoost, an AW Drivers Log EDITOR WES RAYNAL: This is a nice people mover but, man, $46,000 is a lot of loot. I kept wondering whilst I drove it: Since the Flex walks and talks pretty much like a minivan, why don't I just save the coin and get a Dodge Grand Caravan? I'm not one of those who are down on the Flex's... You May Have Missed...   Audi A7 breaks cover This is Audi's new A7--the sleek, upmarket liftback previewed by the Sportback concept at the 2009 Detroit auto show. The A7 aims to provide the company with a stylish but practical rival to contemporary four-door luxury cars such as the Jaguar XF and the second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLS....   IndyCar: Series explains Castroneves's Edmonton penalty, says driver in the wrong The chief steward of the Izod IndyCar Series reiterated on Monday that the blocking rule that cost Helio Castroneves a win in the Honda Indy Edmonton over the weekend is well defined.Castroneves led Team Penske teammate Will Power for a restart with three laps to go. Power closed on the leader...   Organizers: No Grand Prix in Detroit in 2011 Auto racing on Belle Isle likely won't be back until at least 2012, organizers of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix said. “[There are] no plans at the current time for the Grand Prix to return in 2011,” said Bud Denker, senior vice president at Penske Corp. and the race's event chairman,...   Tavo Hellmund set to release U.S. Grand Prix details on Tuesday Tavo Hellmund is set to release details of the planned U.S. Grand Prix in a hastily arranged press conference in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday.There has been much speculation about the intended track site, and the lack of information until now has led to some skepticism about the strength of the...   BMW teams up with U.S. Olympic Committee The ultimate driving machine is helping Team USA reach for gold medals.BMW Group announced on Monday that it has been named the official mobility partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) through 2016. BMW will also work with four national governing bodies, USA bobsled and skeleton,...   Ferrari boss: Team orders 'have happened since the days of Nuvolari' Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo made it clear on Monday that he has no problem with what the Formula One team did during the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim over the weekend, and said that driver Felipe Massa has to understand that the interests of the team come first.Massa took the race lead in...   Daytona Speedway offers asphalt with Daytona 500 tickets Leave it to the mareketing wizards in Daytona Beach to find a way to capitalize on the repaving of Daytona International Speedway that is underway now. Instead of junking all the old track surface, the DIS will give chunks of it to fans who buy tickets to next year's Daytona 500.Fans who purchase...   SCCA World Challenge confirms future direction of GTS class WC Vision, the managing arm of the SCCA World Challenge Championships, announced plans on Monday for the future of the GTS class that will include a mix of production sports cars and sports sedans. The initiative is designed to introduce cars to World Challenge that were not previously eligible or...   Mid-Engine Wonders, an AW List The mid-engine. Stepping up to a mid-engine car is like going from Triple-A ball to the majors. There’s plenty of skill in Triple-A, and you can go a whole lifetime in it and be happy. But nothing really compares with the big leagues. The names of mid-engine cars read like a who’s who... CLICK HERE TO UNSUBSCRIBE from the AutoWeek Daily Drive E-mail or to sign up for other AutoWeek e-mail products. 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