Auto News 5

No auto show would be complete without its share of prototypes and concept vehicles presented with great pageantry and flourish by the major manufacturers. Full story...

Primetime Race Group has signed 19-year-old Canadian driver Kyle Marcelli to co-drive alongside team owner Joel Feinberg in the 2010 American Le Mans Series in the Le Mans Prototype Challenge class (LMPC). Full story...

Rüsselsheim. The Adam Opel GmbH Supervisory Board today appointed the new Management Board of the company. The new CEO and leader of the company will be Nick Reilly. In this capacity, he will be responsible for all Opel/Vauxhall activities worldwide. Full story...

British race team Manor and John Booth will field a team in this year's new GP3 category. Full story...

The new FAZZT IndyCar team and car were unveiled during the Montreal International Auto Show Thursday. Full story...

LAMPO2 is an electric demonstration sports car conceived by Protoscar (www.protoscar.com), a Swiss company which has been developing CleanCar projects for 23 years including consulting of OEMs, power utilities and governments. Full story...

TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announces it plans to begin a gradual rollout in Japan in mid-2010 of its newly developed "G Sports"1 (G's) sports conversion car2 series. The series, to be sold through Toyota-brand dealers, is meant to offer to a wider range of people the "automotive seasoning" that TMC has pursued through its GAZOO Racing3 activities. Full story...

Montreal, QC - The Montreal International Auto Show (MIAS) Charity Preview evening, which took place January 14, 2010, helped raise $361,119.24 to benefit five (5) worthy causes within the Greater Montreal's medical community: Fondation du CHUM, Montréal Sacré-Coeur Hospital Foundation, MUHC - McGill University Health Centre Foundation, Pierre-Boucher Hospital Foundation and Santa Cabrini Foundation. This fund raising event was presented by the Montreal Automobile Dealers Corporation Foundation and the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Full story...

Toronto, ON, Mercedes-Benz Canada recognized the outstanding achievements of its top-performing dealers today by announcing the 2010 Star Dealers list. This highly coveted designation identifies the top nine authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers, and acknowledges the important contributions they have made in 2009 to the overall success of the brand within Canada. Full story...

My wife calls me the eternal optimist. I can't help it! I obviously love my wife, my job (notice how wife comes before job...) and am generally just a happy guy. Quite honestly, 2009 was a tough year for me too as the industry I adore went through a really rough patch. The mood in the business was so dismal last year, I did not bother going to Detroit, my first absence in five years. Full story...

A Red Bull-Renault Formula 1 car will be driven on a sheet of ice on Sunday to celebrate the return of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Full story...

Stephane Peterhansel (BMW) has won on Friday 13th stage of the Dakar raid. Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen) leads his teammate Nasser Al Attiyah only just 2min 48sec on top of the standings before the final and decisive stage to be held tomorrow. Full story...

Nissan today announced an immediate $30,000 cash donation to the Red Cross to assist with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The cash donation is part of a multi-faceted relief program by Nissan in the Americas. Full story...

It's not often that $24,175 gets shoppers both a cool car and a piece of motoring history--unless you're talking about the Volkswagen New Beetle. With timeless looks, fun-to-drive manners and an available convertible model, the Beetle continues to bring value-priced fun to the motoring masses. Full story...

Top US car dealer Roger Penske has said electric car sales in the United States would require continued government subsidies. Full story...

Dacia has said that its sales rose by 20.5% to more than 300,000 vehicles in 2009. Full story...

Nissan Motor sales in China last year rose 48% to a record 518,968 passenger vehicles, the automaker said in a statement. Full story...

Toyota's US unit on Thursday said its new plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, would be used to build the Prius hybrid, currently imported from Japan, although timing depended on how quickly the depressed US market recovered. Full story...

Sales of new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) in Russia fell 49% in 2009 to 1.47m cars, according to data released by the Association of European Businesses (AEB). Full story...

Local firm GB Auto said on Thursday it had started an exclusive agreement to import and sell Mazda-branded vehicles in Egypt. Full story...