IndyCar fanfest in Ballpark Village ahead of Bommarito Automotive Group 500

 IndyCar fans already are being treated to an up close and personal experience with drivers and their cars Thursday afternoon as excitement builds for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“It’s a very racy track. That’s really what we’re hearing. We’re going to see great speed,” said Curtis Francois, owner of Gateway Motorsports Park. “The testings show they are going to have great speed. I think you’re going to see a very competitive race and a lot of passing.”

Some of the best IndyCar drivers in the world met with fans at a free event at Ballpark Village to sign autographs and take pictures, giving race lovers a chance to gaze upon these amazing vehicles up close.

This fanfest also included show cars, an IndyCar simulator, and ticket giveaways. Officials from Gateway Motorsports Park and the Bommarito Automotive Group were thrilled to bring IndyCar racing back to St. Louis.

“Now we have to perform, we have to execute, and all our plans are going to come to fruition this weekend,” said John Bommarito, Bommarito Automotive Group.

IndyCar 2017: Live scoring, TV, live streaming for Saturday's Bommarito Automotive Group 500

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Will Power joined an elite group when he won his 50th pole during qualifying for Saturday's IndyCar Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill.

The race is at 9:45 p.m. on NBCSN. Live scoring and live streaming is available at IndyCar's Race Control. Live streaming is also available at NBCSports.com/live.

Will Power, center, shown after winning last week at Pocono, captured his 50th pole victory on Friday during qualifying for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. Power edged Josef Newgarden, left, last week and again on Friday. Also shown is Alexander Rossi.

Mario Andretti (67), A.J. Foyt (53) and Helio Castroneves (50) are the only other Indy car drivers with 50 pole wins. Castroneves and Power are Team Penske teammates.

Power averaged 189.642 mph during Friday's qualifying to edge points leader Josef Newgarden. Power is coming off a victory last weekend at Pocono, with Newgarden finishing second.

Here is the complete auto racing schedule for this weekend (all times Eastern):

INDYCAR

BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500
Site: Madison, Illinois
Schedule: Saturday, race, 9:45 p.m., NBCSN.
Track: Gateway Motorsports Park (oval, 1.25 miles).
Race distance: 310 miles, 248 laps.
Last race: Will Power held off Josef Newgarden in Pocono.
Fast facts: Newgarden leads Scott Dixon by 18 points for the championship with just three races to go. Helio Castroneves is 22 points behind and 2016 winner Simon Pagenaud trails by 26 points. ...Castroneves won the last race won at Gateway in 2003. ...Dixon, Castroneves and Tony Kanaan are the only current drivers with experience at Gateway.
Next race: Grand Prix at The Glen, Sept. 3, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York.
Online: http://www.indycar.com

China Siap Rebut Jeep dari Amerika Serikat

BEIJING - Produsen mobil China Great Wall Motor Co mengumumkan ketertarikanya untuk membeli merek Jeep dan telah menghubungi produsen automotif Amerika Serikat, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

seperti dilansir dari Automotivenews, Great Wall telah melakukan negosiasi dengan Fiat. Langkah itu akan memisahkan merek Jeep dari brand FCA lainnya, meninggalkan tanda tanya mengenai masa depan Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, dan Ram. FCA pernah mengatakan juga untuk mempertimbangkan kemungkinan memisahkan Alfa Romeo dan Maserati ke perusahaan sendiri.

Presiden Great Wall, Wang Fengying, yang masuk dalam dafar Fortune sebagai wanita ketujuh paling berpengaruh di di Asia, menulis dalam sebuah email kepada AutomotiveNews bahwa Great Wall bermaksud untuk membeli Jeep dan "berhubungan dengan FCA" untuk memulai negosiasi.

Tak heran kalau Great Wall hanya menginginkan Jeep. Analis mengatakan Jeep tidak diragukan lagi adalah bagian paling berharga dari portofolio FCA dan secara teoritis lebih berharga daripada brand lain secara keseluruhan.

Bahkan awal pekan lalu, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) dilaporkan akan dibeli oleh produsen otomotif terkemuka China, Geely. Namun, direktur eksekutif Geely Gui Shengyue mengatakan kepada Reuters bahwa Geely "tidak memiliki rencana untuk saat ini,"

Seperti diketahui, Geely baru saja menandatangani kesepakatan sebagai mitra strategis asing Proton, yang ingin fokus pada pengembalian laba. Sementara untuk Lotus, Geely bertujuan untuk memperluas produksi model untuk menjangkau pasar global.

Namun, Geely tidak sepenuhnya menolak gagasan untuk membeli FCA, namun, "ini akan menjadi langkah yang lebih baik bagi produsen kendaraan lain untuk mempercepat perkembangan mereka," kata Gui Shengyue. Great Wall Motors dan Guangzhou Automobile Group termasuk di antara mereka yang mempertimbangkan untuk membeli FCA, namun belum tentu pembelian aset penuh atau sebagian.

Sebelum ini, CEO FCA Sergio Marchionne dikatakan mencari kemitraan atau pembeli yang memungkinkan perusahaan mengelola kenaikan biaya untuk emisi kepatuhan, dan mengembangkan penggerak listrik dan teknologi penggeraknya sendiri.

Chinese carmaker Great Wall looks at bidding for Fiat Chrysler

China’s Great Wall Motor Company has said it is interested in bidding for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which owns brands including Jeep and the truck maker Ram.

A company official confirmed it was pursuing all or part of FCA after the US publication Automotive News reported that a “well-known Chinese automaker” had made an offer this month, triggering a jump in FCA’s Milan-listed shares.

“With respect to this case, we currently have an intention to acquire,” a statement from Great Wall said on Monday. “We are interested in [FCA].”

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive, is seeking a partner or buyer for the Italian-American group to help it manage rising costs, comply with emissions regulations and develop technology for electric and self-driving cars. An acquisition by Great Wall Motor would be audacious, and one of China’s highest profile manufacturing deals to date.

FCA said there had been no approach from Great Wall and was focused on driving ahead with a four-year growth plan.

It said: “In response to market rumours regarding a potential interest of Great Wall Motors in the Jeep brand, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it has not been approached by Great Wall Motors in connection with the Jeep brand or any other matter relating to its business.”

Earlier on Monday, two sources said Great Wall had asked for a meeting with FCA, with the aim of making an offer for all or part of the world’s seventh-largest carmaker. Citing an email from Great Wall’s president, Wang Fengying, Automotive News reported that Great Wall had contacted FCA to express interest specifically in the Jeep brand.

The industry publication said the Chinese company had not made a formal offer or met FCA’s board. Automotive News quoted a spokesman as saying: “Our strategic goal is to become the world’s largest SUV [sport utility vehicle] maker.” “Acquiring Jeep, a global SUV brand, would enable us to achieve our goal sooner and better [than on our own].”

FCA shares rose 3.9% to €11.12 in early Milan trading, outperforming a flat market. Great Wall Motor shares were up almost 3% in Shanghai.

Yale Zhang, head of the Shanghai consultancy Automotive Foresight, commented: “Jeep is the most logical choice since (Great Wall) wants to be the largest SUV maker in the world.” Ram could be an option, he added, but “the Jeep brand is recognised globally. I think Great Wall Motor is eyeing a global strategy, not just the United States.”

A move for FCA or one of its main brands, if successful, would allow Great Wall Motor to accelerate a planned push into the U.S. market, the two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

They said Great Wall Motor had been making plans for some time to enter the U.S. market, mainly by upgrading some of its key products and improving branding.

The company this year launched its Wei brand of potentially US-market-ready vehicles. Wei is the surname of the Great Wall founder and chairman Wei Jianjun.

MERCEDES' OUTRAGEOUSLY SWOOPY CONCEPT SAYS NEIN TO THE POD-CAR FUTURE

THE IMPENDING INVASION of autonomous vehicles threatens to demote you from the pilot of a machine synonymous with independence to mere cargo in a commodity pod devoid of all spirit. Whatever the truth of this potential nightmare, Mercedes-Benz has pinched itself into waking reality with the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet.
The swooping concept car, unveiled last weekend at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, rejects all notions of practicality. It measures nearly 18.7 feet long and 6.9 feet wide, yet offers just two seats. The wheels stand 24 inches tall. Although the 6 Cabriolet runs on battery power (its solitary nod to the future) and therefore lacks an engine, the hood makes up about half the car’s length.
The vestigial radiator grille was inspired by a pinstripe suit—something else Silicon Valley is doing its best to kill. The rear end brings to mind a yacht, a theme apparently chosen to keep anyone from thinking the car draws ideas from something useful, like a container ship.

Naturally, the interior offers a melee of leather, chrome, open-pore wood, and aluminum. Mercedes’s Rumpelstiltskin department even weaved rose gold into the fabric top. When you aren't gazing out over roughly four acres of hood from the driver's seat, you can monitor the car's vital functions with a glance of what Mercedes calls “hyperanalogue” instruments—digital displays with real needles sweeping over them.
Each wheel gets its own electric motor that draws power from the battery that comprises the car’s underbody. All told, they generate 750 horsepower, and the car will go 200 miles between charges. Well, it might if the car actually existed. This is a concept.

Mercedes won't actually build the 6 Cabriolet, or anything that looks like it. No, this is simply a showcase of design ideas, a glimpse of what the company's engineers could do if freed from constraints like budgets, practicality, and physics. Be that as it may, you have to like the underlying message here: The pods are coming, but that doesn't mean we have to give up opulence.

TUJUH Penumpang, Pintu GULLWING ''KIA KV7'' Mobil VAN Interior Luas

Kia KV7 Concept merupakan Van seperti-SUV futuristik dengan pintu gullwing. Interiornya diracik bergaya lounge yang mewah dengan akses pintu yang mudah dan nyaman pasalnya tanpa pilar B. Gaya machonya semakin terlihat dengan model boxy yang dipadu velg berdimensi 20 inci. Van tujuh penumpang ini dibekali mesin generasi terbaru Theta II. Mesin GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) turbocharger berkapasitas 2.0 liter dengan lemparan tenaga 285 hp. Mesin ini dipadu transmisi otomatis 6-speed.