Auto News 5

General Motors today said it will buy 200 million shares of its stock from the U.S. Treasury for $5.5 billion and that the government intends to unload all of its shares within 15 months. GM will pay $27.

News 29 Dec, 2012

Latest spy pictures give us our best look yet at the all-new BMW 2 Series Coupe and Cabriolet

Wanxiang says it expects a regulatory decision concerning its bid to purchase A123 systems early in the new year.

News 19 Dec, 2012

Motorists spend 18 per cent of their journey not looking at the road, according to a study by Direct Line

A report in the China Daily newspaper says that BYD is planning to set up a facility in California to make electric buses.

News 22 Dec, 2012

The DfT has relaunched its drink-drive campaign for the festive season

France's Economic Redevelopment Ministry has welcomed the nomination of former European Aerospace and Defence company chief executive, Louis Gallois, to its supervisory board.

News 26 Dec, 2012

Alfa Romeo-based Maserati has been given the go-ahead for production

News 22 Dec, 2012

Technology from the axed Jaguar C-X75 hybrid supercar is set to power future models

The Sunderland plant in England will no longer manufacture a C-segment hatchback which Nissan had planned to make there in 2014. Instead, the plant will be the sole build location of a new Infiniti model.

Its getting a bit late in the holiday season to add new items to your wish list, but there's no shortage of tempting options thanks to scale model-makers like Autoart and Automodello.

Tesla Motors said Daimler AG's Herbert Kohler resigned from its board and was replaced by another executive at the German automaker.

Private equity firm Carlyle Group LP today completed the sale of Metaldyne LLC for about $820 million to another buyout firm, its second divestment of an American auto parts supplier it picked up from bankruptcy in as many years.

Infiniti will build its new premium compact hatchback in the UK. Production of the entry-level model will begin in 2015 for global markets at parent Nissan's plant in Sunderland, England, Infiniti said.

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel insists he is not bothered that some regard Fernando Alonso as a better driver.

Recently, after a confidential post-season survey involving all 12 team bosses, Spaniard Alonso was voted the standout driver of the season, despite German Vettel winning his third consecutive championship with Red Bull.

"If people think that Alonso's wins are about the driver and mine about the car, that is also Fernando's responsibility - but it doesn't bother me," he is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

"I admire him (Alonso) very much and I respect him as a driver," added Vettel.

Photo: WRi2

"For me it was clear from the beginning that my opponent for the title would be him. After the winter tests, Ferrari became competitive more quickly than we expected - yes, maybe in Malaysia he would not have won in the dry - but already by Barcelona he was among the best. His strength was to always be fast even if he was almost never the fastest," Vettel said.

As for the claims Alonso is a better driver, Sebastian Vettel insisted: "I don't want to stand here and prove my performance, but we have also won races that we should not have. Monaco last year, for example, when I made the decision against all reason to go with a one stop. Also Barcelona 2011, when Hamilton was faster but he couldn't get past me."

From GMM

Jean Alesi has decided to retire from motor racing.

At the wheel of a highly uncompetitive Lotus-powered Dallara, the F1 veteran made his Indy 500 debut this year and vowed to return in 2013 with a better performance.

But the 48-year-old Frenchman, who won just one grand prix for Ferrari during his 202-grand prix career between 1989 and 2001, announced this week he is in fact quitting.

"I do not feel like hunting for sponsors," Jean Alesi told the French sports daily L'Équipe.

Jean Alesi at the Indy 500, in 2012. (Photo: IMS)

From NASCAR

In an effort to strengthen and grow its racing series for 2013 and beyond, NASCAR announced Tuesday several revisions to its competition personnel structure.

The following changes will take effect in 2013:

Joe Balash, who has served as the Nationwide Series director since 2004, will be assuming a new role as international competition liaison. This position will be the NASCAR point of contact for competition-related matters relative to the Toyota (Mexico) Series, Canadian Tire Series, the Euro Racecar, Touring Series and other international competitions and series in which NASCAR might be involved and/or considering involvement. Balash will report to Richard Buck, who has been promoted to managing director, competition GRAND-AM and managing director, Touring Series, NASCAR.

Wayne Auton, who has served as the Camping World Truck Series director since 1995, will assume the role of Nationwide Series director. Auton will continue to report to John Darby, managing director, competition and Sprint Cup Series director.

Chad Little, currently Whelen Modified Tour Series director and director of racing development, Mexico, will serve as Camping World Truck Series director. Little also will report to Darby.

Brad Moran, currently Canadian Tire Series director, will serve as director of Touring Series, NASCAR, reporting to Buck.

With the increasing integration between NASCAR, Grand-Am, American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Euro Racecar, NASCAR Touring Series, these moves are designed to strengthen all of the sport's racing series, both at the national and international levels.

From GMM

F1's governing body backtracked on aerodynamic changes for the 2014 season because of fears the next generation of cars would be too slow.

After the recent World Motor Sport Council meeting in Turkey, the FIA announced that scheduled bodywork rule changes for 2014 to reduce downforce have been replaced by "2012 specification".

"There was concern that formula one cars would become too slow," read a report by the authoritative German magazine Auto Motor und Sport.

Red Bull RB8. (Photo: WRi2)

One problem is that the all-new turbo V6 and energy recovery systems will add considerable weight - and more than initially expected - to the 2014 single seaters.

With the 2014 rules, the FIA is reportedly aiming to slow down the F1 cars by no more than five seconds per lap.

Any more than that, the German report claimed, runs the risk that formula one could be genuinely outpaced by Le Mans prototype cars, or the US-based Indycars.

Ferrari F2012. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

According to his manager, Jules Bianchi has a "real chance" of securing one of the two remaining race seats on the 2013 grid.

The 23-year-old Frenchman's manager Nicolas Todt told RMC Sport that Bianchi is in the running for the vacant Force India drive alongside Paul di Resta.

Bianchi, also supported by Ferrari's driver development 'academy', was the Silverstone based team's full time reserve driver this year.

"The decision is in the hands of two or three people at the Force India team," Todt, the son of FIA president Jean Todt and also the manager of Felipe Massa and Pastor Maldonado, said.

"I think Jules has a real chance but nothing is done," added Todt.

Jules Bianchi. (Photo: Ferrari)

It has been reported the favourite for the drive is German Adrian Sutil, but Todt insisted: "There are many drivers knocking on the door at Force India."

He said he doubts Sutil is a shoe-in for the seat.

"I would be surprised, but as of today I do not think anyone has signed," said Todt.

Sahara Force India has announced it will launch its 2013 car at Silverstone on 1 February, ahead of the winter test season in Spain.

Ford's F-Series is still going strong. Heck, it just sold its 100,000th unit in 2012, a feat no other automaker had ever accomplished in a single year.

"The F-Series has been Canada's favourite truck for 46 consecutive years, but we have never sold 100,000 F-Series in a single year before," said Dianne Craig, president and CEO at Ford of Canada.

The milestone vehicle was purchased in Kingston, Ontario. FYI, if you lined up 100,000 F-Series trucks end-to-end, they would stretch over a distance of nearly 600 kilometres!

Ford of Canada has now sold 2,755,788 units (and counting) since the model's debut 46 years ago.