14 Ferrari 458 Spider 2k Miles Carbon Fiber Int Navigation Yellow Calipers 13 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW, Ferrari, VW cars use tungsten mined by terrorists

Bloomberg Markets is reporting that BMW, Volkswagen and Ferrari have been using tungsten ore sourced from Columbia's FARC rebel terrorists. The extensive story focuses on Columbia's illegal mining trade and calls into question the provenance of the rare ore that is used not only in crankshaft parts production, but is also found in the world's computing and telecommunications industry for use in screens.
The ore is mined by the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army), and exported to Pennsylvania, where it is refined. The refined ore is then sent over to Austria, where a company called Plansee turns it into a finished product. Now, it's important to note that we aren't talking about the world's supply of tungsten here. In 2012, Plansee's American refinery purchased 93.2 metric tons of tungsten, valued at $1.8 million. That's peanuts, with the entire Colombian tungsten mining industry producing just one percent of the world's supplies.
That doesn't make indirectly supporting FARC any more acceptable, though. BMW, VW and Ferrari are all committed to not accepting mineral supplies from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also in the grips of a guerrilla insurrection funded, in part, by illegal mining. The same commitment would figure to extend to Colombian mining, but as BMW points out, it's difficult for a multi-national manufacturer to know where every item in its supply chain comes from. A company spokesperson says as much, telling Bloomberg, "These few grams out of the billions of tons of raw materials passing through the BMW supply chain are of no practical relevance."

Previewing the 2014 Paris Motor Show

Don't let the shiny objects detract from the serious side of the show. Sales, fuel economy and regulations are part of the conversation.
The Paris Motor Show is one of the glitziest events on the automotive calendar. Yes, it helps that it's in the City of Light, but the glamorous surroundings only enhance the spectacular wares that automakers bring to the show. This is where Europeans debut their best new cars for the coming year, both as eye-catching concepts and in production trim.

Watch how fans honored Michael Schumacher on his 45th birthday outside his hospital

Michael Schumacher remains in a medically induced coma six days after a skiing accident in the French Alps. While the racing legend spent his 45th birthday in the hospital, listed in stable but critical condition, racing fans from all over Europe descended upon the clinic in which he lies in Grenoble, France, to pay their respects.
The event was arranged by Ferrari, the manufacturer with which Schumacher is most often associated after winning 72 individual races for the Italian marque between 1996 and 2006. In total, Schumacher won 91 races, stood on the podium 155 times and won seven F1 Driver's Championships over the course of his illustrious 19-year career.
Schumacher's family was deeply touched by the outpouring of support and has issued a short statement thanking Ferrari fans for their "incredible sympathies." We've gathered a few videos together showing scenes of support from outside the hospital, and you can see them, along with the family's official statement, below.