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PSA and General Motors have announced an expansion of their alliance. The partners now say they will share four platforms and expand the reach of their joint purchasing arrangement.

Like many Americans, carmakers are on a continuing quest to lose weight. Less weight, which equals better fuel economy without a loss in performance, is a key selling point in dealerships.

Informed sources in Belgium have told just-auto Ford is to completely shutter its Genk plant in 2014.

Ford said it will end production at its car plant in Genk, Belgium, by the end of 2014, pending the outcome of a consultation process with employee representatives.

Ford said it will end production at its car plant in Genk, Belgium, by the end of 2014, pending the outcome of a consultation process with employee representatives.

General Motors and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen will co-develop four vehicle projects as part of their alliance, the companies said in a statement today.

General Motors and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen will co-develop four vehicle projects as part of their alliance, the companies said in a statement today.

Jaguar Land Rover will follow premium rivals by opening design studios outside its UK home market, Jaguar's design chief Ian Callum said.

The gloomy European market outlook and a worsening price war were the dominant topics of discussion at last month's Paris auto show, but the Mondial de l'Automobile also delivered a number of significant new products.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be back in his #88 Chevrolet for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup race according to his Hendrick Motorsports team.

The son of the late, seven-time, NASCAR champion suffered a concussion while testing the newly repaved track at Kansas City on August 29th.

At the time there was no medical restriction on racing so he continued to race. But, after a 25-car crash at Talladega when the symptoms of the concussion became more severe he went to see NASCAR's leading doctor, Jerry Punch.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car after the crash at Talladega. (Photo: NASCAR)

After seeing the doctor Earnhardt, diagnosed with a serious concussion, missed the following two races, at Charlotte and Kansas Speedway. Regan Smith substituted for him.

According to his team “Earnhardt has participated in a rehabilitation program directed by Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty. Throughout the process, Petty consulted with Dr. Micky Collins, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program.”


“Dale Jr. has done everything asked of him,” Petty said. “He hasn't had a headache since Oct. 12, and we have not been able to provoke any symptoms since that time. I have informed NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports that he is medically cleared for all NASCAR-related activity.”


“Earnhardt was evaluated by Collins on Oct. 16 in Pittsburgh. On Monday, Earnhardt ran 123 laps in a Sprint Cup car during a test session monitored by Petty at the half-mile Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga. Petty cleared the driver Tuesday morning following a final neuropsychological evaluation in Charlotte.”

On Monday Earnhardt's crew chief, Steve Letarte, tweeted "Back in Concord [N.C.] after a great day of testing with Dale Jr. Looks great and ran some awesome laps.''

Although the driver had made the Sprint Cup Chase; he was not in contention for the Championship by the end of Talledega.

Tesla Motors is facing quite a storm this month. The legitimacy of its factory outlets (mostly in shopping malls) came into question, and now dealer associations in Massachusetts and New York are suing the electric car manufacturer for operating illegal stores.

According to the National Automobile Dealers Association, 48 states prohibit or restrict factory ownership of dealerships. Tesla argues that its locations serve only as showrooms and that shoppers must still go to its website to purchase a car.

Dealer associations don't agree, claiming that Tesla is bypassing the dealer system to save money and sell vehicles at a lower price.

"They claim they're operating under the guise of a non-sales showroom, and we call that out as an outright scam," said Robert O'Koniewski, executive vice president of the Massachusetts association.

He believes that the Massachusetts store, which opened on September 28th, violates the state's licensing, consumer protection and franchise laws. In his opinion, Tesla's business model could leave consumers unprotected by the state's lemon law, which forces automakers to buy back or replace a vehicle that can't be repaired.

We'll keep you updated as new developments arise.

Source: Automotive News

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

From GMM

Prodrive boss David Richards has admitted he is interested in buying F1 engine supplier Cosworth.

It emerged last week that HRT and Marussia supplier Cosworth, currently owned by well-known US racing names Gerry Forsythe and Kevin Kalkhoven, is for sale.

And former BAR and Benetton boss Richards, the majority owner of Prodrive, told the Daily Mail: "We've just started to take a look at Cosworth although I think they have rather over-priced themselves as I understand they don't own the brand and they will be out of the formula one business within 12 months.

"Nonetheless, worth a look," he added.

David Richards. (Photo: Prodrive)

Paddock rumours persist that Cosworth, having entered the aerospace and defense sectors after losing premier F1 customers Williams and Caterham, will bow out of F1 when the current V8 rules end next year.

Cosworth declined to comment on the Daily Mail report.

From GMM

Monisha Kaltenborn thinks that if Sauber can provide its drivers with a good car every season, the Swiss team can prevent them from jumping ship.

After two years with Sauber, the Hinwil based team has lost its impressive youngster Sergio Perez to McLaren, and is now expected to promote another Telmex-promoted young Mexican - Esteban Gutierrez - into the race cockpit for 2013.

"We wanted Sergio to stay, but it was not possible," team boss Kaltenborn is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace. "However, if we can (always) have a competitive car like this season, we can prevent this situation from happening again in the future."

Entirely new line-up in 2013 at Sauber? (Photo: Sauber F1 Team)

Gutierrez's teammate in 2013 is expected to be German Nico Hulkenberg, who is moving from Force India to Sauber, but has also been linked this year with a switch to Ferrari.

"We have a great history of bringing young talent into the sport and giving them all the support they need to develop, learn as quickly as possible and move forward," Monisha Kaltenborn continued.

Sauber is currently sixth in the 2012 constructors' championship, between Mercedes (5th) and Force India.

"I think what we did this year is very important for the team's strategy for the coming years," Kaltenborn insisted.

We told you last week about Nissan's mysterious, genre-defining concept that was specifically designed for the Brazilian market. Today, the automaker released a couple of pictures along with a name -- Nissan Extrem.

With ultra-sporty looks and a unique Solar Cortex paint treatment, the Nissan Extrem aims to embody the vibrancy, colour and excitement of Brazil.

Available in FWD and AWD configurations, this 2+2 vehicle rides on 19'' six-spoke alloy wheels and exploits a 1.6L gasoline engine that shares its technology with the innovative Nissan DeltaWing Le Mans race car. Performance figures and other specifications remain unknown.

The Nissan Extrem will be officially introduced at the Sao Paulo Auto Show, which kicks off on Wednesday, October 24th.

Photo: Nissan

From GMM

Former motor racing chief Andrew Craig has tipped F1's owners to "sit tight" rather than float the sport while Bernie Ecclestone is embroiled in the Gerhard Gribkowsky bribery scandal.

While German prosecutors are currently considering whether to charge F1's long-time chief executive with corruption, owner CVC has delayed the stock market floatation of its sport, ostensibly due to adverse market conditions.

But Craig, who was CEO of the now-defunct US open wheeler series CART throughout the category's premier success until 2000, has told leading F1 business journalist Christian Sylt that he sees a link between the stalled floatation and Ecclestone's legal troubles.

"CVC's best option," he told Sylt, "may be to sit tight until after the criminal case is resolved."

And that, according to widespread sources and even Ecclestone himself, could take a long time.

Bernie Ecclestone told Sylt and Eurosport: "I don't see how it (the case) can come to an end really."

Sylt quoted someone close to CVC as saying: "It's hard to know (if the prosecutors are going to press charges against Ecclestone). Bernie is pretty blase about it. It's hard to know to be honest."

It was reported in the German press earlier in October that one solution could be Mercedes recruiting other influential players in F1 to push for Ecclestone's removal as chief executive.

"We would not wait for a months-long process, but (we) would act," a Mercedes source told the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

The Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula 1 team has Wednesday announced its two drivers for the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in the week following the 18th Grand Prix of the season.

Toro Rosso will run Luiz Razia and Johnny Cecotto Junior.

Razia will have two days at the wheel of the Ferrari-powered STR7 on Tuesday and Thursday.

Luiz Razia. (Photo: Team Lotus F1)

The 23-year-old Brazilian finished second in this year's GP2 series, having come up through the ranks of the usual junior formulae.

His previous experience in a Formula 1 car consists of a young driver test for Virgin Racing in 2010 and in 2011 he drove for Lotus in FP1 at the Chinese Grand Prix, as well as taking part in that year's young driver test.

Johnny Cecotto will drive on the Wednesday. The 23-year-old Venezuelan shares his name with his father, a former racer and motorcycle world champion.

Johnny Cecotto Jr. winner at Monaco. (Photo: GP2 Series)

Cecotto Junior has raced in GP2 since 2009. He finished ninth overall in this year's championship, his best result to date. Highlights of the season include a pole position and win in Monaco and another victory in Hockenheim.

A recent trip to Europe landed me behind the wheel of three different diesel press vehicles. This was no accident. I know how much gas costs per litre and it hovers around the $2.00/L mark in Budapest, Hungary -- sometimes even more.

While diesel fuel is slightly higher in price (around $2.20/L), I know from experience that I can get almost double the mileage from one tank. And with all the driving I was doing, every last drop counted.

Round 1: The Mazda CX-5 Diesel

Photo: Alexandra Straub

The Mazda CX-5 is the Japanese automaker's latest crossover vehicle. It came to Canada earlier this year, but this was the first time I'd had the chance to take it for a spin. I'd heard positive comments and read rave reviews from other journalists on it and couldn't wait to try it.

Was I disappointed my first go with it? Absolutely not. In fact, it was a complete pleasure to drive. The interior is really nicely finished, it has a comfortable ride and seats five. And I needed all the space I could get since most of the time there were four passengers on board.

Making it even better was the inclusion of a 2.2L, 4-cylinder diesel engine linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission. I drove about 1,300 km, if not more, and only filled up one and a half times. Fabulous.

Round 2: The Nissan Qashqai Diesel

Photo: Alexandra Straub

Nissan's compact crossover, which is unfortunately not available in Canada, came with a 6-speed manual transmission. You don't see that very often. Although my frequent battle with city traffic made me wish I'd had an automatic transmission, I wasn't complaining.

A trait that carries over into most Nissan vehicles is its ease of use. It's not an uber fancy vehicle on the inside, but it gets the job done. This vehicle also seats five with room to spare in the trunk. It made a great companion for a weekday overnight outing with my mom and grandparents to Lake Balaton.

As for its looks? It's a cutie. And its bright red exterior really made it pop.

Round 3: The BMW X6 xDriver40d

Photo: Alexandra Straub

With this Beemer, I was livin' large -- literally. However, I didn't feel that largeness in the wallet, especially when I filled it up.

Backtracking to when we first met, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the digital range metre showed over 900 kilometres until empty. I thought I must be hallucinating. I wasn't. My lack of hallucinations were further solidified when I filled the tank up at the end of my test period and saw 976 kilometres until empty. Wow. And for a vehicle of its size, that is beyond impressive.

Why the Love?
I heart diesels because they're efficient. I heart them because they're not smelly and not loud. Yes, the older models used to have these traits, but not anymore. With emissions laws being as stringent as they are, there is no room for black clouds of smoke coming out these modern engines. I also heart them because they have range, baby. While you might pay a tad more to fill up a tank, you can get some crazy mileage out of it in the end.

We might not have the three specific diesel models I drove in Europe here in Canada, but we do have a few to choose from, and more are on the way. Woohoo!

From GMM

Red Bull has the standout budget among F1's UK-based teams, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

Citing British companies data, the magazine said Red Bull Technology - the Red Bull Racing parent - had a budget of EUR 245 million in 2011 as Sebastian Vettel sped to his back-to-back drivers' world championship.

Auto Motor und Sport said Red Bull's budget last year was EUR 42 million higher than in 2010.

Red Bull celebrating Sebastian Vettel's second championship in Japan. (Photo: WRi2)

Brackley based Mercedes, meanwhile, reportedly spent just EUR 145 million in 2011 -- a full EUR 100 million less than Red Bull.

Lotus' 2011 budget was a reported EUR 155m, compared to Williams' 111m.

McLaren's figures are pending.

But the news about Red Bull coincides with a fresh wave of speculation in the paddock about the energy drink-owned team's defiance in the face of the teams-governed Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA).

McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh, however, fell short of accusing Red Bull of cheating.

"If they are ahead of us, it's because they've done the better job," he said.

From press release

David Coulthard has become the latest motor sport great to sign up for the Race Of Champions at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium on December 14-16, 2012. 


The Scotsman enjoyed a glittering Formula 1 career, taking 13 grand prix wins and finishing in the world championship top three no less than five times in over a decade at the top. He has since spent three years in Germany's DTM championship but last weekend he announced his retirement from full-time competition to focus on his other interests including his F1 commentary for BBC television.

Photo: Race of Champions

Coulthard said: “This will be my eighth ROC appearance and it's a pleasure to take part. The main draw is the camaraderie between the drivers and all the social events outside the cars but the racing is always exciting. In the ROC Nations Cup you never want to let your team-mate down, then you have the individual event. Looking at how I got on at Wembley, it seems I do better after I've just retired from something. That time I made the final so maybe this year in Bangkok I can finish the job...”

Race organiser Fredrik Johnsson added: “David has been a fantastic supporter of the Race Of Champions down the years and we're delighted that he is back in 2012. He is a real character who is always a big hit with the crowds in the stadium. Now we are thrilled to offer race fans in Bangkok one more chance to see both DC and Michael Schumacher in action.”

The end-of-season contest, which is being staged for the 25th consecutive year in 2012, brings together the world's greatest drivers from motor sport's main disciplines - including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans, MotoGP, Indycar and the X-Games - and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 15 December, before the individual Race Of Champions on Sunday 16 December. 



Drivers confirmed for the 2012 Race Of Champions so far:
• Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
• Sebastian VETTEL, Formula 1 World Champion 2011, 2010
• Ryan HUNTER-REAY, IndyCar Series Champion 2012
• Jamie WHINCUP, V8 Supercar Champion 2011, 2009, 2008
• Mick DOOHAN, five-time 500cc MotoGP World Champion
• David COULTHARD, 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner

From GMM

Former Niki Lauda and Sauber sponsor Money Service Group's founder Michael Seidl has been sentenced to jail for nine years.

Last week, F1 legend Lauda testified against Seidl in a Liechtenstein court, after he lost EUR 500,000 in an investment, and was underpaid to the tune of EUR 800,000 after Money Service Group sponsored his famous cap in 2011.

Niki Lauda (Photo: René Fagnan/Auto123.com)

Seidl was tried for commercial fraud, and according to the major Volksblatt daily he was sentenced unconditionally to nine years in jail.

A court spokesman confirmed the verdict to the Austrian APA news agency, adding that Seidl has lodged an appeal.

As did Lauda, the Swiss team Sauber terminated its sponsorship deal with Money Service Group mid last year.