26k Lx Pre-certified 2.4l Stability Control Blue on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Here's how wildly expensive it is to participate in F1

The cost of competing in Formula One racing is extremely high. Not in the physical and lifestyle sense, although that too takes a major toll on each team and driver, but in a literal hand-over-the-cash sense. Each F1 team pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to enter, plus a fee for every single point the team earned in the previous season. Motorsport.com recently detailed just how absurdly pricey entering the F1 field is. According to the piece, the price of entry goes up each year due to the U.S. Consumer Price Index. For 2019, the entry fee is $546,133, and it doesn't stop there. There are additional dues required of each team based on where the team finished in the previous season. Interestingly, the winners pay more. For example, Mercedes-Benz, the constructor champion for the past five years, must pay $6,553 per point it scored in 2018. With 655 points scored, that's $4,292,215. All other teams must pay $5,459 per point. For a full rundown of what the teams will be paying for 2019, check out the full article here.Related Video:

Tier 1 suppliers call GM the worst OEM to work with

Among automakers with a big US presence, General Motors is the worst to work for, according to a new survey from Tier 1 automotive suppliers, conducted by Planning Perspectives, Inc.
The Detroit-based manufacturer, which has been under fire following the ignition switch recall and its accompanying scandal, finished behind six other automakers with big US manufacturing operations. Suppliers had issues with trust and communications, as well as intellectual property protection. GM was also the least likely to allow suppliers to raise their prices in the face of unexpected increases in material cost, all of which contributed to 55 percent of suppliers saying their relationship with GM was "poor to very poor."
GM's cross-town competitors didn't fare much better. Chrysler finished in fifth place, ahead of GM and behind Dearborn-based Ford, which was passed for third place this year by Nissan. Toyota took the top marks, while Honda captured second place.

Honda to dub Fit-based as HR-V for North America

You may remember it as the Urban SUV (pictured above) from when it debuted in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show last year, or know it as the Vezel as the production version was unveiled for the Japanese Domestic Market at the 2014 Tokyo Motor Show. But when Honda starts exporting its new Fit-based crossover - or better yet, building it in Mexico for North American consumption - it will be called the HR-V.
This news comes courtesy of Honda enthusiast forum Temple of VTEC. When contacted by Autoblog, Honda spokesmen declined to comment on the veracity of the report, saying only that it would "announce the name in the near future," but the handle fits with what we know about Honda's history with compact crossovers. The previous HR-V (which was not available in the States) was a high-riding, squared-off crossover built between 1999 and 2006 and based on the Fit's predecessor, the Honda Logo.
While the HR-V moniker might not have name recognition in North America, it would in Europe where Honda also hopes its new crossover will find eager customers. It will also fit in nicely below the CR-V that will continue on as the HR-V's larger stablemate.