The Continental: Mercedes’ Longtime Motorsports Manager Departs, News on AMG, Aston, Tesla, and Škoda

Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. Norbert Haug is out at Daimler. The head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport is leaving the company at the end of this year. A statement sent out by Daimler Financial quotes Haug admitting that "unfortunately, with one victory in 2012 since founding our own Formula 1 works team in 2010, we couldn't fulfill our own expectations." His sudden departure concludes a 22-year tenure that has seen many high and low points. Haug is a former writer for the car magazine Auto Motor und Sport, and was responsible for Michael Schumacher's return to the circuit. The bold move hasn't paid off well. Haug's often-abrasive manner and earthy sense of humor has made him plenty of internal enemies, who were actively looking for a misstep. Former Formula 1 driver and airline owner Niki Lauda is calling the shots now at Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. The vocal Austrian was supposed to work in tandem with Haug. A Chaperone for Dr. Bez After the acquisition of 37.5 percent of sports-car-maker Aston Martin by the Italian investment group Investindustrial, reports surfaced about a possible connection with AMG. The Italian investment group had owned a controlling share in motorcycle maker Ducati before it was sold off to Audi, at which moment the partnership between AMG and Ducati ended. That partnership was largely about marketing, and not about technology sharing. Nevertheless, in the bidding war for Aston Martin, Investindustrial made much ado about its relationship with AMG. Indeed, my sources tell me that the Italians were in touch with AMG before the Aston Martin acquisition and had spoken with Affalterbach in rather general terms about a possible technology transfer. This tidbit eagerly was picked up by members of the press who began reporting that the deal would lead to an influx of AMG technology into future Aston models. Of course, there is a connection: AMG parent company Daimler and Aston Martin have talked before. The unfortunate 2009 Lagonda SUV concept used a Mercedes-Benz GL-class platform; Daimler also spoke with Aston Martin about possible moves to save Maybach, which ultimately were discarded. All of those talks took place without external chaperones, so the notion that Ulrich Bez and Ola Källenius would need an Italian investor to facilitate talks about technology sharing of any kind strikes me as somewhat disingenuous. That said, the Aston investor's grandiloquence likely won't keep AMG and Aston from cooperating: "We know the nature of these bidding wars," a slightly amused Daimler source tells me. Both companies are exploring options. They include technology sharing, but, presently, they do not include Daimler purchasing a share in the British carmaker. Not a Truck Guy, Either I just watched the Dan Akerson interview with Automotive News, where, one year after boastfully admitting to the regrettable fact that he is no car guy, the GM CEO gets animated over Volt owners' enthusiasm for their plug-in hybrids. That said, Akerson doesn't seem to be a truck guy, either, judging from the look of the 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups created under his watchful eyes. We all like to write about celebrity designers, but the praise for these boxy things surely needs to go to an anonymous committee. Or perhaps to Akerson himself? Tesla Showing the Way There was a time when automakers in Europe did not have to put their cars through elaborate cycles in order to determine highway fuel economy. It was measured at a steady 56 mph and a steady 75 mph, and it made for amazing figures. Only those numbers didn't make you feel like a very good driver; it simply was impossible to ever reach consumption figures even remotely approaching the official numbers in everyday driving. Fast forward to electrics like the Tesla Model S—the claimed range of 160, 230, or 300 miles is "based on driving a constant 55 mph in ideal conditions," according to Tesla. Oh, I see. I'd like to see an established carmaker plastering brochures, dealerships, and the internet with 55 mph consumption (or "range") figures and misleading customers into believing they are attainable. More details are explained in a lengthy blog post on Tesla's website, but still such evaluation doesn't really give an indication of real-life driving range. In recent official press pictures of the Model S, I was a bit surprised to see a misaligned left taillight. Not that it matters much, but expectations could not have been higher after Tesla boss Elon Musk went on the record on green.autoblog.com, ripping on Audi and BMW with observational gems like this one: "Go and look at the bright molding on a BMW or something and you're like, 'that sucks.'" First Drive: 2013 Tesla Model S First Drive: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Instrumented Test: 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL450 A New Škoda Octavia Musk and his chief designer Franz von Holzhausen could learn a few lessons from the Volkswagen Group, which is about to launch another very cleanly designed hatchback under the Škoda brand. The third-generation Octavia, styled under Jozef Kaban, has grown slightly; its original position in the marketplace now is occupied by the slightly smaller, low-cost Rapid. A powerful Octavia RS version will be launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer. Meanwhile, the diesel-powered Octavia 1.6 TDI gets over 69 mpg in the European cycle—and that test involves more than holding a constant 55 mph. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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