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Although the Brazilian minivan market is facing a severe slump (Citroën finally discontinued the outdated Xsara Picasso this month), General Motors has launched the new Spin based on the global, small car platform that underpins the Sonic and the Brazilian Cobalt sedan - this new model will be produced in Indonesia as well.

Limited-edition Honda Jazz Si gets alloy wheels, sat-nav and Bluetooth as standard

A report issued by the SMMT shows that UK car owners are hanging on to their cars for longer before replacing them. The finding appears to confirm the impact of economic recession as well as an underlying long-term improvement to vehicle quality.

Many of us have dreamed about what it would be like to be a Formula One driver. Thanks to the BBC, we can now get a glimpse inside the life of a successful Formula One prodigy with this and#8220;Crib to Gridand#8221; video.

Maserati is working on a rival to the Porsche 911, and our exclusive images show how it could look when it arrives in 2015

Maserati is working on a rival to the Porsche 911, and our exclusive images show how it could look when it arrives in 2015

French light-vehicle sales edged lower in June, with France's biggest carmaker PSA losing more ground to Volkswagen even as the market decline appeared to slow.

Ford's prelaunch marketing strategy for the redesigned 2013 Fusion, announced last week, is a sign of the times: The cutting-edge combination of social media and entertainment is the kind of nontraditional advertising that is breaking out all over...

Coming this fall: The pickup wars resume, with a twist. Expect boastful claims of horsepower, torque, towing capacity and durability. But this year the Ford and Ram brands also plan to duke it out over fuel economy.

Mercedes-Benz will offer an electric version of its new B-class compact in the United States starting in 2014, a company source confirmed.

Now that President Obama's health care reform is going forward, automotive businesses of varied sizes are assessing their options. For General Motors and other major corporations, the U.S.

Google searches have become the key battleground for courting Internet shoppers, and a Texas lawsuit involving search terms sold by Google demonstrates the potential for Hatfield-and-McCoy battles among dealerships nationwide.

The business of customizing or personalizing vehicles is up for grabs. Manufacturers from Audi to Subaru want to capture the consumer spirit for personalization.

The sports car that BMW and Toyota plan to jointly develop could be a way for Toyota to leap back into a performance segment it has abandoned or possibly provide a high-priced sports model for Toyota's Lexus brand.

Automotive News Europe has announced two leadership changes effective immediately at its pan-European operations.

The sports car that BMW and Toyota plan to jointly develop could be a way for Toyota to leap back into a performance segment it has abandoned or possibly provide a high-priced sports model for Toyota's Lexus brand.

Google Inc., the Internet's dominant search engine, is now selling sales leads to dealerships. Google confirmed that it has launched a pilot program, only in the San Francisco market.

Reigning Canadian champions Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard are only three wins away from a perfect season after winning yet another round this weekend at Rallye Baie des Chaleurs, in New Richmond.

The pair pulled an early lead and never look behind. Wherever they flew by, the others struggled.

"It's a very good win, and we led from the first stage," said L'Estage at the finish of the rally.

Nathalie Richard and Antoine L'Estage celebrating (Photo: Mike Proulx)

"We pushed very hard last night, and made a good gap. Today was more about trying to manage that lead, and everything went well. A lot of guys had problems this weekend, but we did not. It has been a big team effort."

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell of Subaru Canada for example experienced brake, power and overheating issues on top of a windshield fogging up because of high humidity, but sill rallied to second place.

Pat Richard and Alan Ockwell airborne (Photo: Mike Proulx)

"We did a bunch of upgrades to the car, and all of those upgrades performed flawlessly," said Richard. "We had a bunch of little problems with parts that have been on the car for years. It's just sort of one of those bad luck rallies."

Crazy Leo Urlichich and Carl Williamson is another pairing that had to battle its way through the rally, on their way to a third place. A more mature than ever Urlichich pointed out how far they've come in terms of pace, regardless of their problems.

Crazy Leo Urlichich drove to a find third place (Photo: Mike Proulx)

"All problems aside, we have worked extremely hard for more than two years on improving my pace," said Urlichich. "The team has gone to extreme lengths to help me with this. This rally marks an amazing moment where I believe we were faster than Pat Richard on pace. I am very happy because of this pace, and to be honest, that is more important to me than our particular result here."

Americans Ed McNelly and Ole Holter won in the two wheel drive class on their first time out aboard their Ford Fiesta R2.

In Production GT, the win went the Gatineau's own Ouellette brothers Alex and Nick.



Final results - Rallye Baie des Chaleurs (New Richmond)

1. Antoine L'Estage - Nathalie Richard in 1 hour, 28 minutes and 31.5 seconds
2. Pat Richard - Alan Ockwell - 1hour31min45.2s
3. Leo Urlichich - Carl Williamson - 1h37min26.2s
4. Craig Henderson - Lyne Murphy - 1h37min38.9s
5. Steeve Hobbs - Jean-Mathieu Tremblay - 1h40min01.9s
6. Andre Leblanc - Rene Leblanc - 1h40min58.2s
7. Simon Losier - Brian Maxwell - 1h41min23.8s
8. Maxime Labrie - Robert Labrie - 1h42min53.4s
9. Alexandre Beland - Yvan Joyal - 1h43min03.3s
10. Michel Bois - Marie-Philip Simard - 1h43min50.2s

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone has issued his strongest defence yet amid continuing suggestions the Gerhard Gribkowsky bribery affair could also claim the F1 supremo's scalp.

81-year-old F1 chief executive Ecclestone said in no uncertain terms that the convicted former banker's bribery claims are "wrong".

"It's false," Ecclestone is quoted by the German newsmagazine Focus. "The court did what it needed to do ... but the man is lying," he insisted.

Ecclestone has said consistently he paid Gribkowsky the millions because he was being "shaken down" relating to his British tax affairs.

"I am a businessman," said the Briton. "I am always weighing up between opportunity, risk and hassle."

Although there are rumours some in the sport are nervous about the potential association with corruption, Ecclestone said his removal as F1's chief executive would be counterproductive.

"For over 40 years," said Ecclestone, his partners have "trusted my handshake". "There are no corrupt practices in formula one," he insisted.

Ecclestone also denied the link between the scandal and F1's delayed floatation, even if he admits the Gribkowsky situation has been "not very helpful".

On June 26th, the Audi R8 e-tron set a world record for a production vehicle with an electric drive system on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, posting a time of 8:09.099 minutes.

Incidentally, the current record for a combustion engined production car is 7:11.57 minutes. It's held by a Gumpert Apollo Sport, which is powered by a 700-horsepower Audi V8 gasoline engine.

“The R8 e-tron has given a magnificent demonstration of its potential on the toughest race track in the world,” said Michael Dick, Audi AG Board Member for Technical Development, who completed a fast lap himself.

The Audi R8 e-tron accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds. Its top speed is normally limited to 200 km/h, but 250 km/h was approved for the record-setting lap. Meanwhile, the car's 49 kWh rechargeable lithium-ion battery offers a range of about 215 kilometres.

Photo: Audi