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Volkswagen drops "GTi" lawsuit against Suzuki

Way back in 2004, Volkswagen took umbrage with Suzuki being granted permission to use the nameplate "SWIFT GTi" for a performance variant of its small-car offering (2012 equivalent seen here). Now, eight years and surely some very steep legal bills later, VW has finally dropped its claim against Suzuki.
The General Court of the European Union stated, back in March of this year, that Suzuki's GTi registration could not be confused with VW's "Golf GTI." Volkswagen had appealed that ruling, though has now reportedly called off the dogs. In fact, Germany's Die Welt reports that the appeal has been dead for several weeks now.
This news comes amongst continued arbitration acrimony between the two automakers, all revolving around VW's forced divestiture of nearly 20-percent stake it purchased in Suzuki some two years ago.

Recharge Wrap-up: NASA's EV plane, GM and Navy partner on fuel cell drone sub

NASA is building an all-electric test aircraft called the X-57. The lightweight plane's design balances speed with efficiency. The wings house two main propellers at their tips, with twelve smaller motors with retractable prop blades dotting the wing's lead edge. This helps it get the lift it needs to take off while reducing drag in the air, a delicate balance rooted in wing design. The X-57 is part of NASA's 10-year New Aviation Horizons program to make aircraft quieter, more efficient, and less polluting. Fans of The Right Stuff are sure to be pleased to see X-designated planes back in action. Read more at Wired. Suzuki has made its Baleno hatchback more efficient with a mild hybrid system. The European model has a lithium-ion battery pack under the front passenger seat that stores energy from a regenerative braking system to supplement power from the 1.2-liter engine during acceleration. Suzuki says the system improves the Baleno's fuel economy and reduces CO2 emissions by about five percent. Read more from Automotive News Europe. The Borgward BX7 plug-in hybrid SUV has won several Plus X Awards. The revived German automaker's PHEV received awards in the categories of Design, High Quality, Ergonomics, and Functionality. Any Plus X Award winner must display added value, which the panel of judges call the "Plus X Factor." The BX7 launched in China earlier this year, with plans to go on sale in India later this year and Europe soon after that. Read more at Green Car Congress. General Motors and the US Navy are teaming up to power underwater drones with hydrogen fuel cells. The Navy's goal is to provide its large displacement unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) with 60 days of operation between refueling. "Our in-water experiments with an integrated prototype show that fuel cells can be game changers for autonomous underwater systems," says Frank Herr, head of Ocean Battlespace Sensing at the Office of Naval Research. "Reliability, high energy, and cost effectiveness – all brought to us via GM's partnering – are particularly important as Navy looks to use UUVs as force multipliers." GM says that just as on-road experience gained through its Project Driveway fuel cell test fleet is valuable, automotive customers stand to benefit from lessons learned from this naval project. Read more in the press release below. GM AND U.S.

Suzuki back in MotoGP for 2015

It had been planned for 2014 but it's going to be 2015 instead - that's when Suzuki returns to the manufacturer ranks of MotoGP after quitting the series at the end of 2011 because of The Great Recession. When Suzuki stopped after 37 continuous years of racing, it said it intended to return three years later and it has been in talks with MotoGP's rights holder, Dorna Sports, since last year. No doubt, though, that fan anticipation of the team's return outdoes any dismay at the delay. It will join Yamaha, Honda and Ducati in the premiere league.
Its bike has already been testing in Japan and was with the official MotoGP tribe in Barcelona, Spain on Monday when Suzuki announced its return. It's said the development bike is called the XRH-1, being ridden by official tester Randy de Puniet (who currently races in MotoGP on an Aprilia-based bike with TeamAspar). and after a day of testing de Puniet got the new Suzuki to within seven-tenths of a second of the top time posted by other MotoGP teams. Davide Brivio, who once ran the Fiat-Yamaha team and has been close with Valentino Rossi, will be the team manager.
Speaking of Rossi, The Doctor is back with Fiat-Yamaha after a bad run with Ducati but is only contracted to the end of 2014. Brivio is the man who got Rossi to join Fiat-Yamaha, then got him to Ducati. Until he took the head of Suzuki's works effort, Brivio was working with Rossi's VR46 management company, heading areas like merchandising. The rumormill has already begun its work, with folks wondering if Rossi will head to Suzuki in 2015 if his second stint at Yamaha doesn't prove fruitful before then. Scroll down below for the official press release from Suzuki.