Auto News 5

More power and improved handling for special edition XKR. Full story...

Volkswagen plans to install a Porsche manager as CEO of its Bentley brand, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Wolfgang Duerheimer, Porsche's development chief, may succeed Franz-Josef Paefgen, 64, who is set to retire. Full story...

Volkswagen plans to install a Porsche manager as CEO of its Bentley brand, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. Wolfgang Duerheimer, Porsche's development chief, may succeed Franz-Josef Paefgen, 64, who is set to retire. Full story...

Chairing the automaker's annual meeting, Akio Toyoda opened his remarks today with an apology for what has become the worst quality crisis in Toyota's history involving recalls of more than 10 million cars since late last year, mostly for problems... Full story...

Toyota President Akio Toyoda apologized to shareholders for the car maker's recall troubles and promised a fresh start with a growth strategy built on emerging markets and environmental leadership. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. plans to build a $450 million passenger vehicle assembly plant in Thailand by 2012 as part of the U.S. company's catch-up game in rapidly expanding Asia. Full story...

BMW is sticking to a "single digit" percent 2010 sales growth forecast, despite outperforming in the first five months, as tougher comparatives and global fiscal changes kick in. Full story...

Toshiba will supply drive motors for Ford Motor Co. hybrid vehicles, aiming to cash in on surging demand for green cars. Full story...

The chief test driver for the Lexus LF-A sports car died in a crash on a public road near the Nuerburgring where a prototype of a special Nuerburgring edition of the car has been undergoing testing, according to sources in Germany. Full story...

BMW is sticking to a "single digit" percent 2010 sales growth forecast, despite outperforming in the first five months, as tougher comparatives and global fiscal changes kick in. Full story...

Spyker wants to secure a platform-sharing partner for Saab's planned new 92 small car before deciding how to fund the project, and hopes to decide on a partner by year-end, CEO Victor Muller said. Full story...

Fiat stopped short of sealing its near $1 billion investment for the survival of its Naples plant after less than full labor support for plans to boost productivity there. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. plans to build a $450 million passenger vehicle assembly plant in Thailand by 2012 as part of the U.S. company's catch-up game in rapidly expanding Asia. Full story...

Fernando Alonso on Thursday did not back Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo's latest attack on the new teams. Full story...

Mattias Ekström left a strong impression in his first race of the NASCAR series at Sonoma (U.S. state of California). Full story...

Mercedes is still working on its current car but has started to design the W01's successor, team boss Ross Brawn has revealed. Full story...

Police are looking into a boat crash involving former formula one driver JJ Lehto. Full story...

Pirelli will supply four different dry tyre compounds to formula one teams in 2011, the Italian company has announced. Full story...

French manufacturer Citroën has just announced that it will offer wireless Internet connectivity in all their vehicles. Using a WiFi box located inside the car, it works with a 3G/3G+ SIM card provided by the customer's choice of Internet carriers. That means anyone inside the car can access the web with their portable devices such as laptops, smart phones, etc. the WiFi connection works while driving and while idling, and by a measure of precaution, the roaming feature is deactivated so you don't end up with a huge bill, since hooking up to another carrier than yours is very costly in roaming charges. Since last March, WiFi has been available in the C3 Picasso and C4 Picasso people movers as well as the New C3 and sporty DS3 hatchbacks. By the end of the summer, the rest of Citroën's model range will get it. The WiFi accessory is offered for 500 euros, or about $640 CDN. Full story...

Michelin never applied officially to become formula one's new tyre supplier. Full story...