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Fernando Alonso expects to retire after McLaren-Honda

When Fernando Alonso was three years old, his father gave him a model of a McLaren-Honda grand prix car. That's where his path to Formula One started, and it's where he wants his career to end as well. Speaking with Autosport, the two-time world champion indicated that he intends to retire after he's done at McLaren, rather than switch to another team. Of course, he didn't indicate just when that would be, but as far as he's concerned, the road ends in Woking. The highly rated and immensely successful Spanish driver has been on the grid for fourteen years now. He started out with Minardi (precursor to Toro Rosso) in 2001, then spent four seasons with Renault, where he scored back-to-back world titles. He then switched to McLaren for one year, where he won four races, then back to Renault for another three where he and the team fell off their form. Fernando subsequently switched to Ferrari where he spent the last five seasons, thrice finishing second in the world championship but never quite managing to clinch an elusive third title. This year he's back at McLaren but has had a bumpy start. After crashing during a pre-season test session, he sat out the season opener, and failed to finish the second round in Malaysia. He's now in Shanghai preparing for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Like this writer, he'll be turning 34 in July, making him the fourth oldest driver on the grid this year. So he's still got a good few years in him, and will likely want to see the troubled rekindling of the McLaren-Honda partnership through to winning form. But while nobody can tell what the future will bring, it looks like any other team that hopes to lure the champ away could end up disappointed.

Honda replaces CEO Takanobu Ito with Takahiro Hachigo

At its upcoming shareholders' meeting in June, Honda is set to make a raft of changes to its senior personnel, including new board members, directors, auditors and operating officers. But the most pivotal of the new appointments will see the replacement of its president and chief executive. That job currently belongs to Takanobu Ito, who will step down in June and hand the reins over to Takahiro Hachigo, subject to ratification by the shareholders. Hachigo-san has been with Honda since 1982, rising up the ranks and holding a series of key executive and R&D posts with the Japanese automaker in locations around the world – including here in the United States, where he spearheaded development of the original Odyssey minivan and directed the company's American R&D center. He subsequently headed Honda's European operations and currently serves as its most senior officer in China. He's 55 years old. He takes over from Ito-san after a tumultuous period for Honda. Ito, 62, joined Honda in 1978 and similarly rose through the R&D ranks, holding some of the same positions along the way that Hachigo would later, albeit more focused on the company's operations at home in Japan. Ito took over as president and CEO in 2009, steering Honda through a difficult period marked by fluctuating currencies, the tsunami disaster of 2011 and flagging quality issues that have forced Honda to issue unprecedented recalls, focusing much criticism on Ito's leadership. Honda recently recalled millions of vehicles that were fitted with Takata's faulty airbag inflators, which had the unpleasant tendency to spew shrapnel at consumers. Ito will remain on board as a director and advisor, but what we'll be most interested to see is the direction in which Hachigo will take the company. Under Ito's leadership, Honda has brought back performance icons like the NSX and Civic Type R, launched innovative environmental technologies, delved into aerospace with the HondaJet and re-entered Formula One. One of Hachigo's first priorities will undoubtedly be to restore the company's reputation for quality, but we'll have to wait and see what (if any) sort of new and exciting developments he'll spearhead once he takes office. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Announces New President & CEO Tokyo, February 23, 2015 --- Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Recharge Wrap-up: VW exec predicts EVs with 375-mile range

Volkswagen says EV ranges over 300 miles aren't too far in the future. Plug-in hybrids are merely a bridge to all-electric mobility becoming more practical for people who need to travel longer distances, according to Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Volkswagen's head of powertrain development. Energy density is increasing rapidly in new batteries. Speaking about the e-Golf, Neusser says, "I expect the next generation in 2015-17 will increase to around 300 km [186 miles] and the following step will be around 500-600 km [310-372 miles]." Neusser also says he believes that charging infrastructure will improve to catch up with these more advanced batteries. Read more at Motoring. BMW is offering higher incentives for the all-electric i3 than the range-extended version. More buyers are opting for the i3 REx, with its 78 extra miles of range. So, to move the standard i3 (which is already cheaper), BMW is offering $2,000 in incentives for October - double what is offered for the i3 REx. The added incentives help close the price gap between the BMW and other EVs with similar ranges. The deals won't last long, though. According to New Jersey BMW salesman Manny Antunes, BMW's current incentives are "as aggressive as they're going to get" for a while. Read more at Green Car Reports. Honda is changing its research and development process for all cars after a series of Fit Hybrid recalls. The hybrid version, which makes up more than half of all Fit sales in Japan, was the subject of four recalls within nine months. In response, Honda will change the way it develops cars worldwide, with one extra "gate" to pass in the process. Honda will do prototype testing earlier in the research process to see how separately developed components work together before moving onto the car's development phase. It will add time and cost to making cars, but Honda hopes it will help prevent problems - like those that come with a flurry of recalls - down the road. Read more at Automotive News. Featured Gallery 2015 Honda Fit Hybrid View 16 Photos Related Gallery 2014 Volkswagen e-Golf: Frankfurt 2013 View 15 Photos Related Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: Motoring, Green Car Reports, Automotive NewsImage Credit: Honda Green Plants/Manufacturing BMW Honda Volkswagen Electric Hybrid recharge wrapup