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The versatile Toyota Matrix is back for the 2013 model year with some changes to the option packages on all trim levels.

The base Matrix's optional Convenience package now includes the sound system upgrade with six speakers, a USB port and Bluetooth phone connectivity that was previously offered in the more expensive S package.

The sporty Matrix XRS now gets a cargo mat and a stereo upgrade with a 6.1” display, a USB port as well as Bluetooth phone and streaming audio connectivity.

As for the Matrix AWD, it's now equipped with leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob as well as the XRS' sound system upgrade.

The 2013 Toyota Matrix will be on sale next week, with a base price of $16,795 before taxes, freight and delivery charges.

From GMM

Sebastien Buemi is confident he can return to the formula one grid in 2013.

After being dropped by Red Bull's driver development team Toro Rosso, the 23-year-old Swiss was signed for 2012 by the energy drink's premier championship winning team as its official reserve.

"It's good," Buemi told the German language Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten. "Red Bull is the number one team in formula one and I have a foot in the door. This is important if I want to return to the grid next year."

As to how his search for a 2013 race cockpit is going, Buemi insisted he has "options".

"I can't tell you any more before the ink is dry on a contract," he said. "But I can say that it looks good at the moment."

Sebastien Buemi, Toyota driver in 2012. (Photo: Toyota)

Sebastien Buemi categorically ruled out switching to F1's struggling backmarkers Marussia or HRT.

Asked if he would trade his spot on the reserve bench for a seat at one of those small teams, Buemi insisted: "No, I would not. Of course I want to race again, but those teams are just too far away from the others. You're not in the right race if after 15 laps you're trying not to be in people's way."

Asked if that means he is in talks with a 'serious, competitive team' for 2013, Buemi answered clearly: "Yes."

Naturally, he would not be on the market at all if Red Bull had kept its 2012 lineup instead of opting for newcomers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Asked about that, Buemi answered: "Currently it's not going too well for Toro Rosso, they've got less points than they did in 2011, but I'm not thinking about it. The Toro Rosso chapter is over for me and in the past."

He said he will not be echoing his former teammate Jaime Alguersuari's much harsher criticism in the wake of the Toro Rosso driver clean-sweep.

"I'm grateful to Red Bull," insisted Buemi, "they've helped me a lot. I don't want to talk about how it ended with Toro Rosso. It is what it is -- I can't change it."

After being closed for approximately 1 year, General Motors' Spring Hill Manufacturing plant near Nashville, Tenesse is finally opening its doors. After a $460 million investment that saw the removal of nearly 250 million pounds of materials (which were then washed, recycled and donated for construction projects in the surrounding areas), the plant is ready to begin production again.

The GM Spring Hill plant will be responsible for producing the all new Ecotec 4-cylinder engine, and will be one of the most technologically advanced engine manufacturing facility in the world. The plant is expected to create 450 jobs.

The first engine to be manufactured at the Spring Hill facility will be the 2.5L engine set to debut in the brand new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.

Photo: Chevrolet

From GMM

Martin Whitmarsh has revealed he is not surprised to hear about 2014 engine supplier Pure's problems.

The McLaren boss and current FOTA chairman said he expects there to be just three engine manufacturers - Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari - supplying turbo V6 engines in 2014.

There had already been doubts in the paddock that HRT and Marussia's V8 supplier, the British independent Cosworth, may not be in a position to supply engines in 2014 as per the radical new regulations.

And it emerged recently that Pure, the 2014 engine supplier set up by BAR founder Craig Pollock, has paused its operations for financial reasons.

The Renault engine inside the Red Bull RB8. (Photo: WRi2)

Whitmarsh told Germany's motorsport-total.com that it was "foreseeable".

"For me it's no big surprise," he said, referring to Pure.

But even though F1 looks set to be left with just three engine suppliers for its 12 teams, Whitmarsh insisted: "As far as I know, Renault is willing to supply up to seven teams."

And he said Ferrari and Mercedes may also be willing to increase their number of customers.

So Whitmarsh explained that, assuming all 12 teams enter the 2014 championship, there will be a "solution" in the event that are only three engine suppliers.

One solution, he said, is that V8 engines be still allowed on the 2014 grid, so long as their performance is made equal to the V6s.

"That would be feasible," admitted Whitmarsh, "(although) personally I don't think it's an attractive solution."

It's no secret that I've never been what you'd call a true fan of the North American pickup. Oh sure, they have their playtime uses, such as carrying dirt bikes, ATVs and the like, but in my opinion, other than being a work tool they border on the pretty much useless.

You see, coming from Europe where we would rather park up the dirty old workhorse in the evening and hop into a smart little hot hatch, I have a little difficulty fathoming why anyone would choose to spend 24 hours a day piloting a work truck.

Whereas we Europeans believe in making life simpler for ourselves by creating large rear beds with drop-down sides and tailgates and often tipper facilities, you crazy North Americans seem to enjoy loading everything from the rear end. By the time you've completed your loading, I've already delivered mine and I'm well into my second cup of tea.

Photo: Kevin Corrigan

We then come to my biggest bugbear of all, that of engine sizing. Why are nearly all North American pickup trucks powered by honking great V8s when most Euro-trucks manage quite comfortably with a small 4-cylinder unit or a diesel lump? What's that, you may one day wish to haul a trailer? Well, perhaps you wouldn't need to if you owned a vehicle with a truck bed slightly larger than the business end of a station wagon.

Still, even I have to admit that these trucks do have a certain Cool Joe factor, and none come much cooler than the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor I recently drove. Yes, in a week, its 6.2L V8 raped my wallet to the tune of a months' worth of pocket money, but for those few short days, I was King of the Hill and Master of all.

However, I'm still trying to fathom the actual reasoning behind this product. Yes it's big (and big is beautiful here), and it's extremely capable off-road, but so is a farm tractor and those things run on subsidized diesel, or even chip fat. The Raptor, on the other hand, drinks fuel like a vampire sucking the very blood from your veins. So what is the point?

Well, I'm hoping that this is simply a styling process to test consumers for future products. I hope I'm right on this as the Raptor's design would be perfect for the next revamp of the F-150. It's in-your-face, brutishly handsome, and perhaps even capable of bringing an old sceptic like me on line. If they truly wanted to turn me, they should offer a 2WD version with a 2.0L EcoBoost under the hood. After all, it would supply roughly the same power as a V6.

So come on Ford, I've made up the game plan for you. I simply want a Full-size diesel Transit drop-sided tipper for work, a fuel-efficient Raptor for playtime, and while you're at it, let's throw in an EcoBoost Mustang convertible for those warm summer nights.

Magna International reported a 24-percent jump in quarterly profit on Thursday and said it was buying the controlling, minority stake in its electric car business.

A123 Systems' CEO said the company's financial rescue by China's largest auto-parts maker will preserve U.S. jobs, after the agreement drew criticism from a member of Congress.

The best thing about Detroitand#8212;besides our stellar sports teams and sparkling reputationand#8212;is that the car industry lives here. In addition to the Detroit Three, nearly every maker has a presence in the Motor City.

2012 Fiat 500 Sport - Cuteness Prevails

A niche car, like the Fiat 500, doesn't have a lot of candidates for simple and straightforward comparisons.

A niche car, like the Fiat 500, doesn't have a lot of candidates for simple and straightforward comparisons. You can stretch to compare it to a car that's a little bigger or more expensive, or you can look at it next to some cars you'd usually skip, such as the Fiat's stable mate, the 500C.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Fiat 500 Sport - Four Seasons Update - July 2012 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Fiat 500 Sport - Four Seasons Update - July 2012 - Automobile Magazine

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Also in this episode: Details of the next BMW M3 emerge, and we learn more about the departure of GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick.

BMW, one of the official sponsors of the London 2012 Olympics, has gotten its brand into the Olympic stadium -- which is supposed to be free of all commercial activity -- via a fleet of cute Mini Minis.

Porsche will preview plans for a Panamera-based wagon concept in September at the Paris motor show. It is set to provide telling clues for the direction of a production version that could arrive in several years.

2013 Acura RDX

The 2013 Acura RDX is a bit of an anomaly.

The 2013 Acura RDX is a bit of an anomaly. While most automakers are switching to smaller, turbocharged engines to achieve higher EPA numbers and entice buyers (as well as meet new government-mandated CAFE requirements), Acura has chosen instead to drop the RDX's turbocharged four-cylinder in favor of a normally aspirated V-6. The crossover still manages to improve upon its previous fuel economy figures, although the increase is fairly small: the all-wheel-drive model sees the most significant increase with a combined rating of 22 mpg, up from 19 mpg. This might not sound like a particularly good number for a small crossover but when compared to others in its class, it stacks up pretty well: six-cylinder all-wheel-drive versions of the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and Cadillac SRX achieve 20, 21, and 18 mpg, respectively.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Acura RDX - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Acura RDX - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Now this is a Fiat

Pictures 9 Aug, 2012

News 9 Aug, 2012

R8 e-tron will be the first production car to get a digital rear-view mirror

News 9 Aug, 2012

Scheme will offer similar arbitration service to council-run car parks

Suzuki says it is unable to provide further details of the arson attack at its Indian Maruti unit at Manesar that left a senior manager dead and scores of severely injured staff hospitalised.

News 9 Aug, 2012

Audi workshops will now video problems, then post the footage online for customers to see

Days after vowing to be 'relentless' in getting GM back on track, CEO Dan Akerson is putting his money where his mouth is. On Wednesday, Akerson bought 25,000 GM shares at a price of $20.