Auto News 5

Mexico knocked Canada out of second spot in the North American vehicle production rankings last year for the first time as output there rose while automakers throttled back Canadian assembly. Full story...

Abu Dhabi's sovereign fund IPIC is considering investing in indebted German bearings maker Schaeffler or its 49.9 percent-owned unit Continental, the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper reported on Tuesday. Full story...

Industry legend Bob Lutz, General Motors' head of product development, will retire from the company at the end of the year. Full story...

Nissan Motor Co. has applied for U.S. government financing to help it make electric vehicles and develop the advanced batteries that power them, the company said on Monday. Full story...

Like his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel has also counted himself out of the calorie-counting regimen of many of their formula one rivals ahead of the 2009 season. Full story...

MotoGP star Marco Melandri will be making his Speedcar Series debut at the Losail International Circuit on February 12-14, 2009. Full story...

Audi Sport Team Joest will contest the notorious 12-hour race at Sebring, Florida on 21 March with two Audi R15 TDIs. Full story...

The French carmaker Renault, who competes in the FIA formula one world championship with a team based at Enstone (UK), will receive a government cash injection amid the global financial crisis. Full story...

Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel has scotched suggestions that Albert Park may be silent in late March due to the dispute over driver Superlicenses. Full story...

Donington Park boss Simon Gillett has denied reports that the 2010 British grand prix venue is in debt to the tune of 76m euros. Full story...

Like his Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel has also counted himself out of the calorie-counting regimen of many of their formula one rivals ahead of the 2009 season. Full story...

Bob Lutz, big boss of General Motors' product management, announced this week that he will be stepping down after eight years with the company. Lutz joined GM in 2001 and is responsible for improving design quality and raising the standards of product quality. Full story...

Ricky Carmichael, a five-time AMA Supercross champion will enter the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona this coming Friday. Full story...

Small cars are big news at this year's auto show circuit, and Chevrolet is gearing up to launch a new production-confirmed model called the Spark at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Based on the Chevrolet Beat concept, millions of internet voters told the automaker that they wanted the Spark produced. Accordingly, it will be available for sale in Europe in early 2010, followed by 'other global markets' thereafter. Full story...

Japanese automaker Nissan just announced that it will sustain considerable losses for the third quarter of the 2008 fiscal year. The losses total a little over 1.11 billion dollars. Nissan reports that the situation is mostly due to the economic downturn as well as the negative effect of the Japanese yen exchange rate, sagging consumer confidence and the difficulty consumers have obtaining credit. Full story...

Winter testing resumed today on two different circuits, in Jerez, Spain and in Sakhir, Bahrein. On both tracks weather played a role and limited mileage. Full story...

Winter testing resumed today on two different circuits, in Jerez, Spain and in Sakhir, Bahrein. On both tracks weather played a role and limited mileage. Full story...

MotoGP star Marco Melandri will be making his Speedcar Series debut at the Losail International Circuit on February 12-14, 2009. Full story...

Donington Park boss Simon Gillett has denied reports that the 2010 British grand prix venue is in debt to the tune of 76m euros. Full story...

Ricky Carmichael, a five-time AMA Supercross champion will enter the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Daytona this coming Friday. Full story...