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Volkswagen's troubled, loss-making Spanish unit SEAT spent EUR800m on R&D and production facilities ahead of the start of production of the redesigned Leon hatchback at its factory in Martorell, near Barcelona, Spain.

September saw the first fall in a year in car production in Japan - off 12.4% year on year to 773,990 units according to JAMA, the country's carmakers' association.

News 31 Oct, 2012

The Mercedes A45 AMG will undercut the Audi RS3 when it arrives in 2013

News 31 Oct, 2012

Our spies have caught the first glimpse of the new Toyota Aygo, ahead of its debut next year

Pictures 31 Oct, 2012

TRW Automotive said that rising demand for its safety products and increased North American production helped it boost Q3 net income from US$158m to US$163m. Revenue rose to US$3.97bn from US$3.92bn.

MAN, the Munich-based truck maker majority owned by Volkswagen, has joined rivals, including Volvo and Daimler, in predicting that Europe's truck market will stagnate next year.

Isuzu has finished its third pickup plant in Thailand, adding 30% to its capacity in the country and taking annual production to 400,000 units. Thailand is Isuzu's global production base for pickups.

just-auto spoke with Dr Thomas Heckenberger, VP engineering for Delphi Thermal Systems at its Thermal Systems European headquarters in Luxemburg to understand the latest product developments and innovations from Delphi in relation to interior HVAC systems.

From GMM

Fernando Alonso has dismissed as "not true" reports in the Italian press of a post-qualifying row with Ferrari team members in India last weekend.

La Stampa newspaper claimed the Spaniard took exception to media comments by Ferrari's British technical director Pat Fry, and threatened to publish a 'tweet' about a lack of aerodynamic progress during his fading 2012 title battle.

The story spilled into the international media early this week, with some publications claiming the revelation of an argument is fair game.

Some even linked the tale to Lewis Hamilton's switch to Mercedes, and the rumours about Sebastian Vettel moving to Ferrari in 2014, suggesting Alonso's future could be McLaren.

"The problem is when it is not true," Alonso hit back on Twitter.

"It's not fair to your readers," he added in Spanish.

"Forza Ferrari," Alonso ended the exchange, amid reports in the Spanish sports daily Marca that Ferrari will do yet another straightline aerodynamic test this week before introducing more updates for the F2012 in Abu Dhabi.

Team Ferrari at work in a good atmosphere. (Photo: WRi2)

"I do not remember when (the test is taking place)," Fry is quoted as saying.

"We have small improvements coming to Abu Dhabi, and more in America," he added.

"It's not over yet and we need to keep pushing as much as we can."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, meanwhile, played down claims Alonso has been overstepping the mark with some of his apparent criticism of Ferrari's developmental progress in 2012.

"He is the best driver in the world," said the Italian, "of that there can be no doubt.

"If he says certain things, it is only to keep everyone under pressure," added Montezemolo.

Pressure, of course, is not in short supply, with Montezemolo insisting Ferrari must up its game in qualifying.

"If we always start from the third or fourth row," he is quoted by La Stampa, "then everything else becomes difficult, if not impossible."

Nico Hulkenberg has been confirmed as one of the two drivers for the Sauber F1 Team in 2013.

The 2009 GP2 Series Champion made his F1 debut in 2010 with Williams. After one season as a reserve driver position at Sahara Force India in 2011, he was back on the grid this season with the Silverstone based team.

Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn comments in a press release: "We've been observing Nico for some time now and his performances have been very persuasive. That was the case in GP2 and has continued into Formula 1. An obvious highlight was how he scored pole at Interlagos in 2010 despite the most challenging external conditions. He clearly showed that he can seize the chance if it arises. But high spots like that are one thing; systematic teamwork is another - and on that score I have confidence in Nico too."

Photo: Sauber F1 Team

Nico Hulkenberg's reaction: "I'm really looking forward to working with the Sauber F1 Team. It's a well-placed team and very competitive. Plus it's a team in which young drivers have repeatedly delivered exceptional performances. I would like to take up that baton. Until that time I will remain fully focused on my job with the Sahara Force India Team."

No word said on Kamui Kobayashi's status. The Swiss team "will announce its second driver for the 2013 season at a later date".

From GMM

Although committing to Lotus for another season, Kimi Raikkonen is not ruling out a return to his former teams McLaren or Ferrari in the future.

The 2007 world champion has been praised for his highly competitive return to F1 this season, but until now he has failed to add to his career tally of 18 wins.

He won all of those races for McLaren (2002-2006) and Ferrari (2007-2009), until he headed to world rallying in 2010 after being replaced at the Italian team by Fernando Alonso.

"I think the last year has been, overall, good for the team but of course you want to win races and challenge for championships," Raikkonen told the Telegraph, after Lotus announced that the 33-year-old has been signed up for 2013.

"I'm not 100 per cent happy," he admitted. "If I'm here I want to win and be successful."

Kimi Raikkonen does not, therefore, rule out a return at some point to Ferrari or McLaren, insisting that although his relationships with those teams did not end perfectly, the doors could still be open.

Kimi Raikkonen, 2007 world champion with Ferrari. (Photo: Ferrari)

"Ferrari could have ended in a slightly nicer way but the people I worked with who are still there, I had a very good relationship with them and go and talk to them still," he explained.

"You never know," he said. "I don't know how long I will be driving for. Maybe I don't drive for many more years."

Raikkonen said McLaren is another possibility, even though it is reported his relationship with team supremo Ron Dennis was not great.

"For sure you have a different view of many things but we still talk to each other," he said. "I have never had a fight with him. People just try to make sh*t stories. I have no issues with anybody."

From GMM

Bruno Senna hopes the battle between Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel for the 2012 title goes down to the wire in his native Brazil next month.

But he doubts it.

"I hope it does (happen) so that we can have some fun there," the Williams driver is quoted by Brazil's Totalrace, "but it's difficult. Red Bull has a very big advantage."

In fact, he thinks Ferrari's deficit to Red Bull could be even bigger this weekend in Abu Dhabi.

"In India, the advantage is somewhat minimised because it's a track with less limitation for the rear. But when you get to a track like Abu Dhabi, they (Red Bull) will have a very good performance," said the Brazilian.

Gary Anderson, a former F1 technical chief turned broadcaster, agrees that Red Bull and Vettel are very much the championship favourites.

"I don't know how Ferrari will pull it from nowhere to overtake Red Bull's pace of development," he is quoted by German-language Speed Week. "Especially as Red Bull will also have new things on their car in Abu Dhabi."

Austrian great Niki Lauda agreed this week that the title is now "almost impossible" for Spaniard Alonso to win.

Fernando Alonso in between the two Red Bull in India. (Photo: WRi2)

Fernando Alonso, however, said nothing has changed.

"It's been like this for a good part of my career, and yet people say good things about me, that I am considered one of the best."

He told Totalrace that the key to Vettel's resurgent title challenge has been Adrian Newey.

"I don't think Sebastian and Mark (Webber) have improved their driving since Singapore, yet suddenly they are always first and second. This means that the car they have now is so superior that they can even afford to make a mistake; they have that margin. But we (Ferrari) will work hard so that they don't have it in the three remaining races," Alonso insisted.

The Spaniard's former McLaren nemesis Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, clearly agrees with the paddock sentiment about Alonso being at least the 'moral' champion of 2012.

"In my opinion, he is a three or four times world champion already," the Briton is quoted by Spain's El Confidencial.

Former CART series' champion Alex Zanardi will have the opportunity to test a modified BMW M3 DTM November 8 on the Nürburgring circuit.

(Photo: BMW)

The Italian driver, who lost both his legs in a ChampCar crash back in 2001, was expected to get this test in a BMW DTM car, and the German car constructor officially announced the day and the place of the event.

Auto123.com mentioned about this test October 25 after we met with Zanardi at Hockenheim.

“We are delighted to offer Alessandro Zanardi this outing in the BMW M3 DTM,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

“He has been a member of the BMW Motorsport family for many years, so we are very keen to offer him this chance to drive the BMW M3 DTM. We will obviously have to make a few modifications to the car. A DTM car is considerably more complex than the BMW 320si WTCC, with which Alex won on four occasions for us in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. However, our engineers happily accepted this challenge.”

(Photo: BMW)

From GMM

With one short sentence, Fernando Alonso defended the great Michael Schumacher, criticised Mercedes' performance, praised Sauber's 2012 car, and slated the Swiss team's current driver lineup.

"I am sure Michael would have won three races this year for Sauber," the Ferrari driver is quoted by the German-language T-Online website.

Instead, 43-year-old Schumacher is all but resigned to bowing out of the sport at the end of the season on a low, his return to F1 since 2010 almost certainly to be remembered as a failure in his otherwise all-conquering career.

The Mercedes driver is quoted as admitting saying goodbye in Brazil with a good result would "be nice".

"But I don't expect it," he is quoted by Abendblatt. "So in this regard I will not be sentimental."

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

Michael Schumacher said the most he can hope for is that the fruits of his contribution to the Mercedes project will be reaped by next year's drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

"It is natural that we are still working together as a team right now as though I will still be there next year. The team is also interested in my opinion and experience," he said.

Team boss Ross Brawn confirmed that Schumacher's hand will be obvious when Mercedes succeeds.

"I hope people think of Michael on the day that we achieve our goals, because he will wear a proportion of that success," said the Briton.

A four-time Formula 1 World Champion, Alain Prost will now take charge of the delicate project regarding the possible return of the Grand Prix of France on the 2013 F1 calendar.

RMC, Radio Monte-Carlo claims that Prost -- who owned a F1 team back in the '90s -- has met with the directors of the Paul Ricard circuit during the meeting of the World Series by Renault held October 20 and 21.

Alain Prost drove the Red Bull RB6 at Le Castellet earlier this month. (Photo: Renault Sport)

Prost is a former Renault driver, and today is the global ambassador of the French mark. He also captured four of his 51 career victories on the famed Paul Ricard circuit located on the chic Cote d'Azur.

Prost is now in charge of negotiating the conditions for the return of the French Grand Prix on the calendar with F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone.

RMC added that Prost will fly to Abu Dhabi for this weekend's race and will have talks with Ecclestone about the financing of the project and the legal conditions regarding the return of the French round.

On a final note, Prost will also act as an associated promoter of the event, meaning that he will work as an ambassador to attract major corporations to invest in the project and generate high levels of interest for the race.

Jaguar is in seventh heaven. They've got budgets, deep pockets and all types of funding -- in other words, they've got money.

The first project with TATA was the very excellent Range Rover Evoque. And now, the all new 2014 Jaguar F-Type will see the light of day. According to some, the arrival of the new entry level Jag may be the most significant intro from the Coventry, UK-based car company since the fabled E-Type hit the car-show floor over 50 years ago.


The 2014 Jaguar F-Type is the most forward-thinking car design to come from Jaguar's chief designer, Ian Callum's, pen in the last little while. This is not to say that Mr. Callum's past creations weren't incredible (because they were), but the F-Type is a smashingly brilliant evolution of what he's brought to us in the last decade.

The F-Type is a 1+1 roadster designed with the driver in mind. Jaguar describes the cabin as being driver-centric. All of the car's controls, including an 8” touchscreen with navigation and a Meridian audio system, are cordoned off from the passenger in a way that leads one to believe that the car favours the driver.

Jaguar describes the cabin as being driver-centric. (Photo: Jaguar)

The car's sleek, lightweight aluminum shell is as sexy as it is hi-tech. No one who lays eyes on the car will ever doubt that the 2014 Jaguar F-Type is an exotic. Even in its most basic trim, the curves of the F-Type's body are uncannily attractive and seductive. Two distinctive features are the deployable door handles and rear spoiler.

The 2014 Jaguar F-Type and S versions sport twin center-mounted tailpipes that are, by definition, cool. The vast array of wheels and paint schemes further accentuate what is a gorgeous, eye-catching shape.

The V8 S is only slightly different as only 20” wheels are offered, and it gets V8 signature quad tailpipes. The bottom line is that the 2014 Jaguar F-Type is a stunner.

I've already hinted at one of the weapons the F-Type will use to stun its competition and that's a supercharged 5.0L V8. With 495 hp on tap, the top-dog Jag will reach 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds (4.2 seconds to 60 mph) on its way to a top speed of 298 km/h (186 mph).

The lesser F-Types are equally charged, but use a 3.0L V6. The base car manages 340 hp and the S gains an additional 40 hp. Respectively, they sprint to 100 km/h in 5.2 and 4.9 seconds (5.1 and 4.8 seconds to 60 mph) on their way to top speeds of 258 and 274 km/h (161 and 171 mph).

A supercharged 5.0L V8. With 495 hp on tap, the top-dog Jag will reach 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds (4.2 seconds to 60 mph) on its way to a top speed of 298 km/h (186 mph).(Photo: Jaguar)

All 2014 Jaguar F-Type roadsters are equipped with Intelligent Stop/Start technology and an 8-speed Quickshift automatic transmission. It features close-ratio gearing, a dynamic mode and steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters. The “S” cars are endowed with a Dynamic Launch Mode for maximum torque control.

Unlike many competitors, the 2014 Jaguar F-Type sports a power-operated cloth top which drops in only 12 seconds, and will do so at speeds up to 48 km/h (30 mph).

Safety features abound as the roadster will be equipped with airbags, audible park assist, winter mode, as well as traction and electronic stability control systems.

The 2014 Jaguar F-Type is scheduled to arrive in Canada at the beginning of 2013. Final Canadian specs and pricing should be available later this year.

From GMM

Paul Hembery doubts Pirelli will be fighting in formula one against a rival tire manufacturer any time soon.

It was rumoured in India last weekend that the Italian supplier's British chief has now kicked off talks with Bernie Ecclestone about Pirelli extending its stay in F1 beyond 2013.

But Hembery is quoted by the German-language Spox as doubting the sport will end the era of no competition in the supply of tires.

Photo: Pirelli

Asked if he sometimes imagines a 'tire war' would be enjoyable, he answered: "Clearly. From a personal perspective, we always look forward to competition. It's always more fun to beat an opponent."

"Nevertheless, we need to consider the financial environment. The teams have no interest in a new tire war," Paul Hembery claimed.

"Just as it is for the tire manufacturers, it's also very difficult to assess the team's part in success. There would need to be quite a strong argument to return to the days of open (tire) competition," he added.

American race car driver Alexander Rossi set the best time on the second day of the collective GP2 series' tests at Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona.

Running today was disrupted by rain, especially in the morning session. In the wet conditions, Facu Regalia emerged quickest, ahead of Sergio Canamasas and Alexander Rossi.

Alexander Rossi (Photo: GP2 Series)

The rain stopped in the last moments of the morning session, and the track quickly dried in time of the second session.

American Alexander Rossi set the best performance of the day ahead of Adrian Quaife Hobbs and Nigel Melker.

Two more days of collective tests will be held in Jerez, Spain November 22 and 23.

On Tuesday, Toyota's Georgetown, KY assembly plant celebrated the start of production for the all-new 2013 Avalon as well as the Japanese automaker's 25 millionth vehicle manufactured in North America. The milestone model was a silver Avalon Hybrid.

"Toyota's 25 millionth vehicle signifies the tireless work of thousands of Toyota team members, hundreds of North American supplier partners, and great dealers giving their best every day," said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. "We continue to evolve as a company thanks to their commitment to build the best vehicles in the market."

This marks a pivotal time in Toyota's 26-year history in North America, highlighted by a direct investment of nearly $24 billion and the creation of 365,000 jobs in the U.S. alone.

The Georgetown assembly plant employs approximately 6,600 people and builds the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon and Venza, as well as 4- and 6-cylinder engines.