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From GMM

McLaren's 2013 car is being designed with Lewis Hamilton in mind, technical director Paddy Lowe has revealed.

Media speculation is rife that the team's 2008 world champion is on the verge of signing with Mercedes for next season.

But McLaren's Lowe on Wednesday sounded confident Hamilton will still be alongside Jenson Button in 2013.

"That's how we're working in terms of the design for next year," he said. "It is our assumption that they are the drivers who we will be fielding next year. We have two fantastic drivers in Lewis and Jenson and we are very keen to keep them."

But he also admitted that whether or not McLaren has to change a driver at relatively short notice is "not a huge issue" in terms of engineering and design.

Paddy Lowe, McLaren. (Photo: WRi2)

Hamilton, meanwhile, has played down suggestions his foul mood after winning last weekend's Italian grand prix was a sign he is set to quit McLaren.

"We buried my aunt that week, so she was constantly on my mind ... it has been a tough time for the family, and (I) just had a lot on my mind," he is quoted by Reuters.

"It was nothing to do with being unhappy. Trust me, I was happy," he added.

The turmoil in Europe's auto industry may present an opportunity for American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings to acquire distressed assets, new CEO David Dauch said in an interview on Wednesday.

Also in this episode: The Aston Martin DB9 gets more power and Land Rover says it can build a car smaller than the Evoque

GM is preparing to bid this week for Ally Financial's auto-lending arms in Europe and Latin America, said three people with knowledge of the matter.

2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4

The reason we wanted to test the 2012 Mini Countryman with an automatic transmission is our Four Seasons Countryman with a manual transmission didn't win a lot of friends.

The reason we wanted to test the 2012 Mini Countryman with an automatic transmission is our Four Seasons Countryman with a manual transmission hasn't won a lot of friends. Not only does the clutch suffer from less-than-ideal engagement point and a lack of feel, but our long-term test vehicle went through a clutch in less than 15,000 miles. How come? The clutch disc is too small to handle the torque of the 1.6-liter engine under boost and the engine doesn't have enough torque off boost to get the Mini off the line quickly. Even if you don't intend to abuse the clutch, it's very difficult to launch the car without slipping the clutch excessively when you're trying to move off from a stop faster than the stereotypical Prius driver.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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A former Suzuki dealer, eight dealership employees and a former American Suzuki district manager have been indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

GM is aiming for industry-leading customer loyalty rates that could add more than $4 billion in annual revenue, product development and quality executives for the automaker said on Wednesday.

Busman's Holiday

What do real racers do on an off weekend? They go racing-in really bad race cars.

"Pit this lap. Pit this lap," Bill Riley radios to driver Jim Kasprzak as his car slices down off the 31-degree banking and crawls along the pit lane at Daytona International Speedway. "Watch for me. You will stop five pits past the start/finish line."

Photo Gallery: Busman's Holiday - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: Busman's Holiday - Automobile Magazine

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Shelby American is following up its 950- and 1,100-hp anniversary edition Super Snake models with something a little tamer for 2013.

Ken Lewenza, president of the Canadian Auto Workers, knows how to play the part of the tough union boss.

We've seen galleries galore of Jaguar F-Type testers running around the western United States in camo.

UPDATED: The battle over ownership of one of the 1960

Contract talks between the Canadian Auto Workers and GM were "bogged down" on Wednesday on plant-specific issues, a CAW official said, making a quick breakthrough on an overall labor deal unlikely.

News 25 Sep, 2012

More pictures of the Jaguar F-Type have been leaked, ahead of its world debut on Wednesday night

Pictures 19 Sep, 2012

Ford Genk's largest union says the US automaker will pump EUR750m-EUR800m (US$979m) into the plant in an 18-month programme that will see the Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy models built in Belgium.

News 21 Sep, 2012

Fiat is set to unveil the Abarth 695 Fuori Serie and a new personalisation programme at Paris

As dozens of Japanese firms have been forced to temporarily halt business in China amid anti-Japan demonstrations, concerns are growing that the development may affect their earnings, especially automakers who have already been plagued by the rise of the yen and a slowdown in the global economy.

Pictures 21 Sep, 2012