Auto News 5

Suzuki Motor chairman and president Osamu Suzuki has said the automaker is seeking approval from Myanmar's government to resume production the country once known as Burma.

Hyundai Motor Group has reshuffled some heads of its automotive parts affiliates and overseas operations following the mileage overstatement fallout in the US and Canada.

Hyundai Motor has opened its own factory in Brazil capable of rolling out 150,000 cars a year. Previously, vehicles were assembled locally by an independent importer and that arrangement continues for some models.

Component manufacturer, Faurecia, says it has achieved a "real leap forward" in its North America business with rapid growth of 33% in 2011 and an expected increase of 42% this year.

News 13 Nov, 2012

The facelifted BMW 5 Series GT has been spied ahead of its debut at the 2013 Detroit Motor Show

Pictures 13 Nov, 2012

Honda has introduced a new one-motor hybrid system for small vehicles, called the 'Sports Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive system'.

Volkswagen said on Tuesday that global sales of its core brand jumped 16.3 percent in October to 501,300 vehicles, the second-largest gain of the past eight months.

Infiniti executive Bernard Loire is moving to Italy to head Nissan's operations in the country.

Faurecia says it is accelerating its global programme of restructuring as it looks to address falling European demand with a series of job cuts.

Audi says it intends to pursue a new design strategy that will differentiate more between model lines, allow a greater integration of technical features and give emphasis to creating individual styling that pairs the exterior and interior of a...

Fiat must pay at least $342 million for a 3.3 percent stake in automaker Chrysler Group that is held by a union-related trust, the trust claimed in documents filed in a U.S. court. The UAW health care trust said Fiat's offer of $139.

Alfa Romeo has been a never-ending headache for Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. After seven years and two relaunches, Fiat's sports car subsidiary remains a Rubik's Cube that the workaholic CEO just can't seem to solve.

International Automotive Components Group has opened a plant in Romania to produce interior components.

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. says it has contracts to produce its electric parking brake and its electronic stability control system.

GM's re-imagined Test Track Presented by Chevrolet will open in Epcot on December 6th. This new attraction will allow Walt Disney World Resort guests to design their very own Chevrolet and test it out -- virtually, of course.

''Designing a successful vehicle requires some careful thought about how to balance capability, efficiency, responsiveness and power - some of the key elements that Chevrolet designers must consider with every new vehicle they imagine,'' said Jeff Mylenek, GM Design manager, Global Exhibit and Merchandising Design.

Participants will have a choice of three vehicle types: car, truck or crossover. They will receive some helpful tips from Chevrolet designers throughout the process.

Next, they will have the opportunity to test drive their vehicle design on track surfaces that simulate the actual validation process that Chevrolet engineers use to ensure every new vehicle meets the highest performance standards. Each design will be evaluated and scored based on a number of criteria.

It doesn't stop there: Fans will be invited to produce and share a TV commercial starring their custom vehicle and pose for action shots in front of their design.

Just imagine the future of the automobile if the next generation of designers comes from Disney World!

Photo: Chevrolet

From Indycar.com

Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, who finished fourth in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings this season, will join Tony Kanaan and Rubens Barrichello in competing in the Copa Caixa Stock Car season finale December 9 at Interlagos in São Paulo, Brazil.

Castroneves will drive for Shell Racing in the No. 3 car. Valdeno Brito will be his teammate.

Tony Kanaan (Photo: indycar.com)

This past weekend, Kanaan finished 19th in the penultimate series race at Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet in Brasília. He teamed up with Raphael Matos (23rd place) for Bassani Racing.

Former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello who competed for Medley Full Time Sports, retired from the 41-lap race won by Max Wilson.

Both Kanaan and Barrichello, who were teammates this past season at KV Racing Technology, will donate their winnings to the Barrichello Kanaan Foundation that helps underprivileged children in Brazil.

From GMM

Reigning back-to-back world champion and 2012 points leader Sebastian Vettel has admitted that F1 backmarker Timo Glock always beats him -- in a game of chess.

Switzerland's Blick newspaper reports that Red Bull driver Vettel only discovered his love of the famous board game in the past few weeks.

So far, the German has played mostly against his countryman Glock, who drives for Marussia.

"Timo is the only one who is giving me real problems this year," laughed Vettel. "Because he always wins!"

This weekend will be Vettel's 100th grand prix, where in Austin the 25-year-old could theoretically wrap up his third consecutive drivers' championship.

Sebastian Vettel is not always winning. (Photo: WRi2)

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Lewis Hamilton's latest pastime is recording music in a $2,400 per day London studio, the Sun newspaper reports.

"He's very passionate about music and wants his work to be of good quality," said a source. "He's got the cash, so why not?

"But he has no intention of becoming a pop star."

From GMM

Sauber is set to announce a joint sponsor with its partner Chelsea, the English premier league football club.

Earlier this year, the Swiss F1 team announced the "new and innovative partnership" with Chelsea, in which the sports teams wear each others' logos.

Now, the Daily Mail reveals that Sauber and Chelsea are poised to announce their first joint sponsor.

"The first commercial joint venture will be announced in two months' time," said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay.

"You are going to see some results of the partnership very soon."

Photo: Sauber F1 Team

The Daily Mail also reports that, amid the Gerhard Gribkowsky corruption affair, premier league chief executive Richard Scudamore is on the list of potential candidates to replace Bernie Ecclestone.

"But it would need a considerable offer to tempt Scudamore away (from football)," admitted journalist Charles Sale.

A report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that the United States will become a net exporter of natural gas by 2020 and a net oil exporter by 2035, at which point the country will be almost self-sufficient in energy.

The extraordinary growth in oil and natural gas output in the U.S., combined with the higher fuel economy standards, will basically eliminate its dependence on foreign oil.

As a result, the IEA predicts a sea change in global energy flows. Canada, which is currently a major energy supplier for the U.S., will likely shift its production toward emerging Asian markets.