Autoweek Daily Drive — Thursday, November 15, 2012

HOME   |   CAR NEWS   |   CAR REVIEWS   |   RACING   |   AUTO SHOWS   |   VIDEOS   |   COLLECTOR   |   SUBSCRIBE Thursday, November 15, 2012                  Autoweek's editors have worked to narrow down the field of 2013 Best of the Best contenders to five cars and... 2013 Autoweek Best of the Best finalists announced With nearly four dozen vehicles in contention, the process of paring down a year's worth of new cars and trucks to our favorite few proved more difficult this latest go-round than ever before. Or perhaps it feels like that every year. Regardless, with overhauls to some of the automotive landscape's most significant nameplates—   Ecclestone talks U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, and more F1, in exclusive interview The interview you're about to read took place in the paddock at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium during September, in one of two portable facilities Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has stationed at the track. This one is his office; the...   2014 Chevrolet Corvette teaser video unlocked The next step in the marketing campaign that leads to the reveal of the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette took place Thursday with the release of a 47-second teaser video, titled "Conception."   Does Formula One need America more than America needs F1? Analysis on the eve of the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin As fans flock this week to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for the Formula One United States Grand Prix, the best indication of...   Chrysler to build more Rams, V6 engines Chrysler Group will add a third shift next spring at its Warren Truck plant in suburban Detroit and revamp part of its Mack Engine complex in Detroit to make more Pentastar V6 engines. The moves represent about $238 million...   Mitsubishi to introduce 2014 Outlander and 2013 Outlander Sport in LA The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander and 2013 Outlander Sport will make their debut at the Los Angeles auto show on Nov. 29. The two vehicles will ride on...   2013 Honda Crosstour gets styling, interior changes The 2013 Honda Crosstour gets a base price of $27,230, which is $525 lower than 2012 model. The sheetmetal is reworked for the new year, and some equipment has...   2012 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew review notes EDITOR WES RAYNAL: This 2012 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew seems like a whole lot of truck for the money, considering a loaded-like-this F-150 or   Circuit of the Americas designer promises Austin, 'It's a drivers' track' One man who will be more anxious than most when Formula One cars finally take to the Circuit of the Americas this week will be track...   Sirius XM to broadcast U.S. Grand Prix Sirius XM Radio will offer its subscribers live coverage of this weekend's anticipated 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, the first FIA Formula One World Championship race to be run in the United States since 2007. The 2012 F1 U.S....   COTA tower gives the best view of the track you'll never see The elevator has only two buttons – 1, for the ground floor, and 2, for the second floor, which happens to be 22 stories up. The observation tower at the Circuit of the Americas, immediately the tallest structure in Elroy, Texas, gives up to 100 people a superb view of the new Formula One...   Fast facts: Circuit of the Americas and the U.S. Grand Prix It's been five years since Formula One last raced in the USA but for the 19th and penultimate round of the 2012 season the series is returning to America this weekend for the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The new Circuit of the Americas is a purpose-built 3.4-mile, 20-turn, F1 standard ...   Motorcycle racer Luis Carreira dies during China qualifying Motorcycle racer Luis Carreira of Portugal died Thursday following a crash in qualifying for the Macau Grand Prix. The Guia street circuit in China is considered one of the most demanding in the world, and it features car and motorcycle races. Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher won there in...   Angelelli gives Wayne Taylor Racing fastest lap at Daytona test Max Angelelli turned a fast lap in 1 minute, 41.118 seconds on the Daytona International Speedway road course on Wednesday to give Wayne Taylor Racing the best time at the Grand-Am's ...   Le Mans extends entry to Level 5, Conquest Endurance, Extreme Speed American Le Mans Series teams Level 5 Motorsports, Conquest Endurance and Extreme Speed Motorsports each received invitations on Wednesday to the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans. The International Motor Sports Association--sanctioning body of the... You May Have Missed...   Mercedes Ener-G-Force: The shape of SUVs to come : Like this shape? Want an SUV like it? Tell Mercedes The Mercedes Energ-G-Force, which will debut at the Los Angeles auto show, could be the shape of Mercedes SUVs to come--if you like it.“If people really like it and reaction is good then yeah, we might have to think of making it happen in reality,” said designer Huey Lee, who was part...   GM's green future: EVs, plug-in hybrids General Motors' future green-car efforts will focus on plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles rather than conventional hybrid powertrains, product chief Mary Barra said Wednesday.Barra said GM has narrowed its future development emphasis in an effort to defend its leadership position attained with...   Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty to join forces with Memo Gidley and Darren Law at 2013 Rolex 24 At Daytona Debuting team driver Darren Law and a returning Memo Gidley will join two-time Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty at the wheel of the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Corvette Daytona Prototype for the 51st Annual Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 24-27, 2013. The...   How long will Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR Sprint Cup dominance last? Jimmie Johnson was the victim of bad luck at the AdvoCare 500 this past Sunday. Johnson had a tire go down and ended up in the wall.He entered Phoenix on Sunday with a seven-point lead in The Chase, but left sitting 20 points behind Brad Keselowski.Johnson is one of the best to ever get into a...   Religious fanatics to protest F1 at United States Grand Prix in Austin Apparently, picketing outside the funerals of U.S. soldiers just isn't enough for the Westboro Baptist Church.The group, which has become notorious for traveling around the country and preaching hate at pretty much everyone who isn't part of their church, has now found a new place to protest:...   IndyCar race in Fort Lauderdale faces major hurdle IndyCar won't be staging a race in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., if the deal requires the city to pay about $4 million a year out of the county's tourist tax account.That's the message Mayor John Rodstrom sent loud and clear during Andretti Sports Marketing's presentation to city officials this week.ASM...   Grand-Am gets testing in at Daytona While 20 Grand-Am Rolex Series teams were preparing for 2013 competition Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway, an American Le Mans Series team was on hand providing valuable data looking ahead to 2014 competition.Joao Barbosa ran the fastest unofficial Daytona Prototype lap of the day, running ...   2014 Chevrolet Corvette may get a Japanese-made automatic gearbox: Autoweek TV Also in this episode: Chevrolet will debut an electric Spark in Los Angeles, Honda shows off its refreshed Civic and Eterniti Motors throws caution and good taste to the wind with its Cayenne-based Artemis. TRANSCRIPT-- Chevy will debut its Spark EV in Los Angeles.-- Honda releases a couple of... 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.