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The first chapter of the new Formula One era has been written with the conclusion of the Australian Grand Prix, and it included a rookie rush, some resurgent and some unsurprising performances, the sound of screeching tires and a couple of firsts.

Outside predictions as to the pace of the Mercedes AMG Petronas team were proved as soon as the Friday practice sessions, with Lewis Hamilton recovering from an engine sensor fault in the first session to top the second, followed by teammate Nico Rosberg. That didn't change come the start of qualifying, not even the rain slowing down the Silver Arrows, Hamilton taking pole as the last man across the line in Q3.

The surprises were in the order behind him, with new Infiniti Red Bull Racing man Daniel Ricciardo grabbing second spot just three-tenths of a second down on Hamilton. Ricciardo not only looked like he belonged at the front of the grid the entire weekend, but he seems to have reversed the Mark Webber jinx: four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel had car issues and didn't get into Q3, having to settle for 13th on the grid.

After Ricciardo came Rosberg in the second Mercedes, McLaren rookie Kevin Magnussen in fourth, then Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari in fifth, Jean-Eric Vergne in the first Toro Rosso, Nico Hülkenberg in the Force India, rookie Daniil Kyvat in the second Toro Rosso and the Williams duo of Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas rounding out the top ten.

Almost all of that would change as soon as the lights went out.

It looks like 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 drivers might actually get to drive their cars again soon. Reports of fires affecting the track-ready Germans first began about a month ago. Then, a few days later, the automaker confirmed two of the five alleged blazes and said owners shouldn't drive their cars until further notice. Porsche then went so far as to offer to pick up the GT3s and transport them to the nearest dealer until the problem was identified and a fix was found. Finally, there appears to be a repair.

"We know the reason and the problem-solving measures. We're testing them," said Porsche CEO Matthias Müller to Bloomberg. The technical fix will be released to owners shortly.

The recall affects all 785 GT3s that have been sold so far, but there have been no reported injuries caused by the fires. When it first announced the safety campaign, Porsche said: "Internal studies to determine the cause of the engine damage have not been completed yet."

With winter rapidly turning in spring, hopefully Porsche can fix these road-legal racecars in time for drivers to enjoy the nicer weather.

We've heard of EV kit cars that can take a week (or an hour) to build, but how long do you think it would take to build an EV from scratch, using this new-fangled 3D-printing technology? If the technology from Local Motors works as advertised, it should take no more than the five days. The public will get to see for ourselves during this year's International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago, IL in September. Two years ago, at the 2012 International Manufacturing Technology Show, Local Motors built its Rally Fighter (pictured) on the grounds during the six-day event.

So runs the plan, anyway, and Local Motors says it will create the "direct digital manufactured vehicle" based on the plans created by the company's "global community." Some of the advanced manufacturing techniques came from the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and once any kinks have been worked out, the plans could be fairly easily adapted to make EVs that work exactly right for local conditions.

The people involved are not afraid to hype up the possibilities of a 3D-printed. Or even overhype them. Bonnie Gurney, the director of communications for AMT, said in a prepared statement that, "Local Motors is undeniably the first disruptive entrant into the US automotive industry in decades." Tesla fans would likely disagree, but the idea of a 3D-printed car would certainly be something fresh and interesting. Scroll down for a press release.

The 3.0L turbodiesel V6 in the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel earned a slot on Ward's Automotive 2014 10 Best Engines for its power, fuel economy and refinement. In a piece looking at how Fiat subsidiary VM Motor developed the engine, Ward's also makes note of the fact that the same lump goes in diesel versions of the Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli. They're tuned a bit differently, naturally, with the QP putting out 275 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, the smaller, lighter Ghibli making do with the same number of horses but a lower torque output of 420 lb-ft.

The 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet put out by the oil-burning six-cylinder in the Ram was tamed with a host of advances, but it appears that Ram hasn't tamed demand: the initial allocation of 8,000 engines was spoken for within three days of the truck going on sale. Head over to Ward's to read the story of how Ram worked out the equation light-duty-pickup + diesel = success.

Audi showed of its new S1 hot hatch to the public at the Geneva Motor Show last week, but the Four Ringed brand isn't done tweaking the smallest member of its lineup. Here are spy shots of an upcoming refresh of the standard A1.

The camouflaged model on display here appears to be the three-door model. From what we can discern, it seems the A1 is going to look a lot more like the S1 after the revisions. The headlights and taillights are more like the new performance model than the current standard car. Unlike the S model, the facelifted version has a different front bumper with reshaped foglights and a slightly altered design.

A release date for the refresh hasn't been announced yet, but regardless it probably won't be coming here. Audi is already aiming the A3 at young, American buyers. The little A1 just doesn't fit with that strategy.

Volkswagen Group believes it can sell over 10 million vehicles in 2014, with hopes of overtaking Toyota as the world's largest automaker in the process. If VW can do it, it would meet that goal four years earlier than planned. Of course, Toyota isn't sitting still – it also hopes to top the 10 million-car threshold this year and has the advantage of already holding the top spot.

"With rising volume and new models, we will increasingly see positive earnings effects as well," said VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn during its annual press conference, according to Automotive News. The company is spending huge amounts of money to propel it to the top, investing 84.2 billion euros ($117 billion) through 2018, and according to AN it plans to introduce over 100 new models worldwide among all of its brands by the end of next year.

The German automaker may get an extra boost as the European car industry shows signs of emerging from its yearlong stagnation and China continues to grow. In January, VW Group was up 8.5 percent in Europe and 15.5 percent in China, according to its own figures. However, the US has been slowing with Volkswagen brand sales down 19.04 percent in January and down 13.81 percent in February.

VW Group sold 9.73 million vehicles in 2013, which barely topped General Motors with 9.71 million. That includes the German's heavy truck sales; an earlier report showed that the company had sold 9.5 million light vehicles last year. Toyota predicts it is going to sell 10.32 million cars in 2014, up 4 percent. If either VW or Toyota hits its goals, it would mark the first time ever than any automaker has sold 10 million models in 12 months.

We've reached out to VW for comment and are awaiting a reply. We'll update this post if and when we hear back.

The investigation that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened into the Jeep Liberty in October 2013 has been closed. NHTSA received two (!) complaints about fires starting in the driver's door, thought to be caused by the master power window switch. The initial estimate was that 80,000 Libertys could be roped into a possible recall, but according to a report in the Detroit News the agency examined records for 425,000 Chrysler products that used the same window switch, including the Dodge Nitro and Chrysler Town & Country minivan.

After canvassing 265 warranty claims related to the master switches, NHTSA concluded that the rate of fires compared to the "large population of vehicles" was rather low, and that there was no trend pattern behind the few issues it did find. Perhaps with that, and the closure of the trailer hitch investigation, the Liberty can finally rest in peace.

Rashad Charjuan Owens, the driver who crashed through police barricades and into a crowd of people celebrating the SXSW festivities in Austin, Texas, killing two people and injuring dozens more, has been charged with capital murder and may get the death penalty. Owens may also face multiple counts of aggravated assault by vehicle after hitting pedestrians, a woman on a moped, a man on a bicycle, a taxi and a van.

The 21-year-old had been driving the wrong way down a one-way street in an attempt to evade police, who had tried to pull him over on suspicion of drunk driving. After the accident, Owens attempted to flee on foot before being captured by police wielding Tasers. His bond sits at $3 million, according to CNN.

Witnesses on the scene have described the harrowing event as "like something out of a movie." Videos, some graphic, have been uploaded to YouTube and social media, making this accident stand out in the minds of Americans. A video report from CNN can be seen here, but as we said, some footage may be disturbing.

Efficient cars are all the rage these days, but Joe Kyte has made a business of crafting some of the coolest green cars around – literally. Kyte is better known by his nickname Topiary Joe, and in addition to being a talented artist, he is also a real gearhead.

Kyte has been creating topiaries for the last 20 years. It began when he was marketing greenhouse products to Walt Disney World and saw their plant sculptures. He realized that he could do that and since then, has done around 3,400 pieces.

His most intriguing creations are the rolling sculptures that move and turn. Prices for those start at about $18,000 and can be as high as $30,000. While, the wheels are machine-bent, Kyte said all the other parts are done with a table vice and a Lincoln Electric arc welder. Topiary Joe is taking the Porsche (pictured above) to Palm Beach later this year to sell or says he may donate it to Porsche North America. If you really want it, the sculpture is currently on Craigslist for sale for $24,000.

Topiary Joe has also had a life-long love of cars. "I was driving my first MG Midget before I was 14," he told Autoblog. He grew up in Oak Ridge, TN, where the Manhattan Project was partially developed. He says the town was full of recent college grads driving Mercedes, and he caught the bug. His automotive mentor was a nuclear physicist who taught him to repair and restore the Mercs.

Kyte has completed commissions for Sandals Resort, Dreamworks, Absolut, and many more. Among his favorite creations is the Ferrari that he created at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that is now exhibited at the airport each year before the race. Check out his website for a wider look at his work.

No more having to work through brokers or call your people in Europe when you want to trade up to this year's Koenigsegg, now that the Swedish supercar syndicate has appointed New York's Manhattan Motorcars to be its first US dealer. Putting high priority on the company it keeps, this will put the Agera R in a Gotham classroom alongside pupils from Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce. All the better for it to get called on when it raises its hand for potential buyers.

Those buyers will need to get it out of the city, though, if they really want to use it. The twin-turbocharged, 5.0-liter V8 behind the Agera's cockpit is good for 960 horsepower on regular gas, or 1,140 when primed with E85. And we don't expect that those one-piece carbon fiber wheels will enjoy Manhattan's mean streets, even with the swanky Öhlins Racing Triplex suspension.

This is your cue to head down for a test drive with your trade-in and a Vuitton bag filled with roughly $1.5 million. Or you can take your time and start with the press release on the appointment below.

Nissan is giving us the first tease of its creatively named New Sedan Concept that is premiering at the Beijing Motor Show on April 20. The single image shows the vehicle wearing a diaphanous robe that is just translucent enough to make out its headlights, V-shaped grille and badge. The rest is still a mystery.

The New Sedan Concept is aimed at young, digitally focused Chinese buyers, according to Nissan. Its look came from a collaboration between the company's design centers in China and Japan and was led by Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura. However, the teaser certainly makes the New Sedan look a lot like the Sport Sedan Concept from the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. Hopefully, this is truly a new model and not just a repaint.

Scroll down for the full press release and a video of executive design director Mamoru Aoki discussing the new concept and previous ones.

Sponsors come and sponsors go in Formula One, but they tend to stick around awhile at McLaren. The team ran under Marlboro title sponsorship for 22 years from 1974 to 1996, and Hugo Boss has been with the team for 33 years now since 1981. But it's the team's partnership with Mobil 1 which it will celebrate with the sinister livery pictured here.

With Vodafone having left the team at the end of last season, McLaren is without a title sponsor for this season, and was expected to return to its heritage orange livery for this year's championship. But instead it's starting the season at the Australian Grand Prix with this silver and black livery to celebrate two decades of partnership with ExxonMobil.

It may not be quite as sweet as the new Williams Martini Racing livery, but it is pretty slick. Whether it stands a chance of finishing on the podium this weekend, however, is another matter. While McLaren has won the Australian Grand Prix a dozen times – more than any other team – and Jenson Button is one of the winningest drivers in the history of the Aussie race, he and the team haven't been showing too well in pre-season testing.

After decades of cat-and-mouse battle waged between Holden and Ford, Australia's V8 Supercars series has expanded considerably. Mercedes and Nissan both joined the grid last season, and Volvo has followed suit this year. So when 2014 championship kicked off earlier this month in Adelaide, everyone was watching to see who would come out on top.

The answer is Holden, which took first place in all three of the weekend's races. In fact the General Motors division locked out the podium in the first and third races and took first and third places in the second race, letting just one other manufacturer onto the podium the entire weekend – and that was Volvo. The Polestar S60 scored second place on its first race weekend, beating all the Nissan Altimas, the Mercedes E63 AMGs, the Ford Falcons and most of the Holden Commodores.

Now that's hardly winning the championship, but it's a very solid debut. And that point was not lost on the people back at headquarters in Sweden, who are already thinking about making a roadgoing version of the race-spec V8 Supercar.

Speaking with Aussie car site Motoring.com.au, Volvo R&D chief Peter Mertens hinted that such a project is being developed, although it likely wouldn't be based on the current S60. Instead it would have to wait on the next-gen model that will share its Scalable Product Architecture with the upcoming new XC90. That could take some time, but we're sure that the engineers at Polestar aren't wasting any time getting it ready. In the meantime the S60 Polestar with its 345-horsepower turbo six will just have to suffice.

Motorcycle sidecars are a fairly rare sight on American roads, sad as it may be. What's rarer is dogs in motorcycle sidecars. Yes, it seems that when we take our four-legged friends on the road, they're tucked safely into their cages or strapped into some convoluted doggy harness. But some intrepid motorcyclists are combining their love of the open road with their love of their dogs, and a pair of independent filmmakers are documenting the whole thing.

Sit Stay Ride: The Story of America's Sidecar Dogs is the project of Eric Ristau and Geneva Liimatta, a husband-and-wife film team that's aiming to travel across the country and document riders that enjoy bringing their canines along for the ride. Using a set of "doggles" (doggy goggles), the dogs ride shotgun in the sidecar. Think of it as this, only with motorcycles.

"Seeing a dog in a sidecar brings a smile to everyone's face," said Liimatta. "Our film explores the relationship between sidecar dogs and their motorcycle-riding humans. The dogs and humans we've met while shooting this project are amazing characters. You'll love them all."

The film is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for production expenses, find different subjects for the film and help promote animal welfare organizations.

"Many of the dogs featured in this film were adopted from the Humane Society and other incredible organizations," said Ristau. "This is an important message we're trying to send. We want people to adopt dogs and other animals, and also to support agencies that find homes for these pets."

We've included the Kickstarter video from the pair, which details the project, as well as an official press release. Take a look below for both of those things, and then head over to the donation page and chip in.