2010 Mercedes G55 Amg~heated & Ventilated Seats~rear Camera~park Assist~ on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 German Grand Prix race recap: so-so racing, great questions

We can summarize the 2016 German Grand Prix in one sentence: Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton started second on the grid, passed pole-sitter and teammate Nico Rosberg before the first corner, and dominate to the finish. In fact, Hamilton turned his engine power output down on Lap 3 and still took the checkered flag seven seconds ahead of Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo's teammate Max Verstappen crossed the line another six seconds back. Rosberg fell to fourth at the first corner and couldn't find the pace to reel in the Red Bulls. His questionable pass on Verstappen didn't help when the stewards penalized Rosberg five seconds; the overtake reminded us of Rosberg's move on teammate Hamilton in Austria. That penalty turned into eight seconds when the Mercedes-AMG Petronas stopwatch didn't work in the pits. Ferrari pilots Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen finished fifth and sixth. Those six drivers all started in the top six, too. Behind them, on Lap 28 of the 67-lap race the next four drivers were Valtteri Bottas in the Williams, Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India, and Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso in McLarens. Low fuel and old tires put the kibosh on Alonso's pace just four laps from the finish, allowing Force India's Sergio Perez to pass, rounding out the top ten. The issues up for debate during the four-week break are far more interesting than the weekend's race. As bad as Ferrari's day might have been – and we'll get to that – Rosberg probably took the biggest hit, losing the race before the first corner for the second weekend in a row and falling 19 points behind Hamilton. Rosberg won the first four races of the season, then the teammates tripped over one another in Spain. Hamilton's won six of the seven races since Spain, Rosberg's best result in that time is a second-place in Hungary. Hamilton turned his engine down on Lap 3 (!) because he's used his entire season's allotment of five turbochargers and five MGU-Ks. Those early-season gremlins now have him on edge of grid penalties. Unless Hamilton's momentum cools off in August, however, that reliability danger might be the only dent in his armor. Rosberg, who once led the Championship by 43 points, will surely drown in his thoughts – and maybe schnapps – over the summer break. Whatever the Italian word for "meditation" is, there'll be a lot of it at Ferrari during the F1 summer break.

Formula 1 seeking independent engine supplier

Formula 1 could get a new engine supplier in the near future, if Bernie Ecclestone and the independent teams gets their way. According to Autosport, the FIA is soon to open the contract up for bids, and there are already several manufacturers that have expressed interest. Currently Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, and Honda supply engines – both to their own premier teams (Red Bull and McLaren for the latter two) but also to other teams like Williams, Sauber, and Toro Rosso. Because the new turbocharged V6 hybrid power units cost those four suppliers so much to develop, they're charging their customer teams big bucks – around $20-30 million per season – to provide the engines. These costs are much higher than the $10 million or so it used to cost to purchase a V8 engine under the previous regulations. Ecclestone figures it's time to bring in another supplier who will not run their own team and not play favorites, but will supply engines to private teams at a lower cost. There are already a number of potential suppliers under consideration. One of them is said to be Cosworth, which has a long history in the series stretching back to 1963. The British firm stepped back between 2007 and 2009, returned in 2010, and dropped out again after 2013. The development could be of particular benefit to Red Bull, which has been unable to find an engine supplier and could be forced out of the series as a result. The team has long been powered by Renault, but that relationship has grown sour. And the other three engine manufacturers have not been forthcoming in offering an alternative arrangement for the team. Related Video: News Source: AutosportImage Credit: Cosworth Motorsports Ferrari Honda Infiniti McLaren Mercedes-Benz Renault F1 engine contract

2017 Infiniti QX30 price anounced ahead of September launch

The 2017 Infiniti QX30 will start at $30,945 for the base model and will max out at $39,495 for the Sport trim. The oversized hatchback will be available in six different trims: the QX30, QX30 Luxury, QX30 Premium, QX30 Sport, QX30 Luxury AWD, and QX30 Premium AWD. There will also be a 2017 QX30 Reservation Program for buyers interested in getting their hands on the car first. Buyers in the program will be able to choose from a selection of gifts to go along with their new QX30. The QX30 Luxury starts at $33,595, while its AWD variant is $1,800 more. The QX30 Sport, which is front-wheel drive only and is 0.6 inches lower than the rest of the lineup, is priced at $39,495. The QX30 Premium will start at $36,295 with the QX30 Premium AWD commanding an additional $2,400. All trims are powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four that puts out 208 hp and sends power to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. While the QX30 borrows a lot of components from the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, it's priced lower than its German counterpart. The Mercedes GLA250 starts at $33,775, while the GLA250 4Matic is priced at $34,775. The QX30 also comes in under the Acura RDX ($36,510), BMW X1 ($34,095), Audi Q3 ($34,625), and the larger Lexus NX 200t ($35,915). The QX30 will hit showroom floors in September.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2017 Infiniti QX30 View 19 Photos News Source: InfinitiImage Credit: Infiniti Infiniti Mercedes-Benz Crossover Hatchback Luxury infiniti qx30