Honda Motor Europe (HME) announced on Friday it is cutting 800 jobs at its UK plant in Swindon, citing "sustained conditions of low demand in European markets".
Volkswagen brand sales surged in December to push its full-year worldwide volume up 13 percent to a record 5.74 million vehicles, the company said on Friday. VW brand sales jumped 31 percent during the final month of 2012 to 517,900 vehicles.
Volkswagen brand sales surged in December to push its full-year worldwide volume up 13 percent to a record 5.74 million vehicles, the company said on Friday. VW brand sales jumped 31 percent during the final month of 2012 to 517,900 vehicles.
The Chevrolet Corvette, once the coolest of cool rides on Route 66 and the rest of America's roads, has suffered the cruelest of fates: It's known as an old man's toy.
South Korea's Halla Climate Control has decided to buy Visteon's automotive climate units, almost four months after the American auto-parts supplier announced the plan for combining the businesses to make them more competitive.
Ford Motor plans to hire 2,200 salaried workers this year in the United States as it continues to beef up payrolls to handle rising sales and production in North America.
With Europe's new car sales set to fall this year to levels not seen since the 1990s, pressure will increase on automakers' revenues and operating margins.
A visit to Smart's car production plant in Hambach, France, offers a first-hand look at how the Daimler subsidiary gets two different cultures to work together.
A system allowing trackside spectators and on-site reporters to access video, audio and data with a bespoke handheld device will not be available at grands prix in 2013.
Photo: Fanvision
Fanvision, originally launched as Kangaroo TV some years ago, announced on Thursday it has been unable to reach a new agreement with FOM (Formula One Management), headed by F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.
"Unfortunately it is clear that we are not going to be able to agree terms with FOM and very reluctantly we have to confirm that we won't be in F1 in 2013," a statement released by Fanvision said. "It's a big blow for us."
Former IndyCar series' driver, Danica Patrick confirmed Thursday that she will not contest this year's Indy 500, round of the IZOD IndyCar series.
Patrick, who recently made her debuts in the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup series wants to focus this year on her first full-time season on NASCAR's highest level of competition.
Now a member of the Stewart Haas team, Patrick will contest the full Sprint Cup and will run the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day as the Indy 500 in May.
"The team and I decided to focus on (Sprint) Cup,” Danica said during a press conference held in Daytona.
“It's going to be plenty of work as it is, and it's going to be important for me running for the championship full-time for the first time to really keep myself focused with the Cup car," Patrick said.
Danica Patrick with her new boss, Tony Stewart. (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
The recently divorced Patrick added that her 2013 schedule also could include some Nationwide series events, although she has not yet signed a deal with a racing team or sponsor.
"I'm not sure if that's completely set. There have been some reports that have come out about running for Turner, and we're definitely talking to them trying to figure it out," Danica Patrick said.
"We're definitely working on that, but there's been nothing signed yet, and the exact dates and the sponsor has yet to be confirmed for all that."
Acknowledging its aerodynamic weaknesses, the fabled Italian team last year signed well-known F1 aerodynamicist Loic Bigois to switch from Mercedes.
Ferrari is currently developing its 2013 car, probably to be called the F2013, in Toyota's state-of-the-art Cologne wind tunnel, while the Maranello facility is closed and improved.
Toyota's wind tunnel at Cologne. (Photo: TMG)
At the same time, Autosprint reports that the scarlet-clad team has signed Martin Bester.
The Briton's last post was as Williams' aerodynamics team leader.
He has also worked for BMW and McLaren's F1 teams.
Prior to working at Mercedes, chief aerodynamicist and Frenchman Bigois worked alongside Bester at Williams, the Italian magazine added.
Mikko Hirvonen, the 2012 world rally championship runner up, believes countryman Kimi Raikkonen would have kept improving had he stayed in rallying.
Finn Raikkonen, F1's 2007 world champion who has driven for top teams McLaren and Ferrari, finished the 2012 season in third place as he made his return to the sport.
In 2010 and 2011, following his split with Ferrari to make way for Fernando Alonso, the now 33-year-old opted to try his hand at world rallying.
Kimi Raikkonen and Mikko Hirvonen, back in 2011. (Photo: WRC)
Speaking about Raikkonen's competitive return to F1 last year with Lotus after two seasons away, Hirvonen said: "Well, it was not really a surprise."
"This man knows how to drive F1 (cars). When I heard he was going back, I thought that if the car is good, he will survive -- and Kimi did very well," he told Turun Sanomat newspaper.
But Hirvonen thinks Raikkonen would have kept improving had he stayed in rallying.
"The results would certainly have improved, but how much would have depended on how much enthusiasm Kimi had for practicing and testing. But his pace would definitely have improved in the third season," he added.
German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has released two studio shots of its new, 2014 V6 Formula 1 engine.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
The new V6, 1.6-litre engine is turbocharged, and will feature direct fuel injection as well as ERS, Energy Recovery Systems. It has been designed by Mercedes' engine department, Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines located in Brixworth, UK.
Andy Cowell, managing director of the company confirmed that the turbocharger is capable of spinning at 125,000 rpm.
The engineer also confirmed that the new V6 motor will produce about the same 750 bhp figure of the current normally aspirated, 2.4-litre V8 engine. However, a large pourcentage of that power will come from the ERS.
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
The current KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) currently produces 80 horsepower for 6.7 seconds per lap, while the new ERS will deliver 161hp for 33.3 seconds per lap.
M-Sport lost the official support of the Ford Motor company late last year, but managed to be supported by Qatar this season. The team unveiled the new colors of its Ford Fiestas RS that will compete in the World Rally Championship.
Mads Ostberg will be number one driver of the team managed by Malcolm Wilson this serason.
Malcolm Wilson and Mads Odsberg. (Photo: M-Sport)
The Norwegian will be joined bu Russian driver Evgeny Novikov in the second Ford Fiesta. Nasser Al-Attiyah will join the team for selected rounds this year.
Former Citroen driver Thierry Neuville and former IRC rally champion Juho Hanninen will race for the M-Sport Junior Team.
Italian Guido Forti, the owner of a Formula 1 team in the '90s, has sadly passed away at the age of 72.
Forti started to be involved in motorsport back in the '70s when he ran Teo Fabi in Formula Ford.
He then entered teams in Formula 3 and Formula 3000 series, running young talents such as Franco Forini, Enrico Bertaggia, Emanuele Naspetti and Gianni Morbidelli.
Pedro Diniz, Forti F1, 1995 (photo: Archives)
In 1995, he fitted Ford-Cosworth engines to its modified F3000 cars and stepped up to Formula 1. His small team entered 23 Grands Prix in 1995 and 1996 with Roberto Moreno, Pedro Diniz, Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini.
Forti's best result in F1 was a 7th place finish in Australia with Diniz.
Hyundai Motor Co. has bolstered its nascent World Rally Championship (WRC) programme with the appointment of WRC veteran Michel Nandan as Team Principal.
The Frenchman, who has held key technical positions on the world rally stage since the mid-1990s, joins Hyundai at an exciting time in the manufacturer's WRC programme.
Hyundai announced its intentions to enter the World Rally Championship at the Paris Motor Show in September last year and is now developing a WRC-specification of its new i20 model with the objective of competing in the entire 2014 championship.
Michel Nandan, Hyundai i20 WRC. (Photo: Hyundai)
The South Korean car manufacturer has also established a bespoke motorsport subsidiary, Hyundai Motorsport GmbH, under which the company's WRC programme will be run. Gyoo Heon Choi has been named the President of Hyundai Motorsport GmbH.
Hyundai is no stranger to the world of WRC, having participated in the competitive motorsport series from 2000 to 2003. Now, Hyundai is raising the bar for its return to WRC, running an in-house team operating out of custom-built headquarters in Alzenau, Germany, just outside of Frankfurt, where Hyundai's European HQ is situated.
As the 2013 WRC season gets underway, Hyundai is embarking on a year of preparation for its return to the world rally stage with the intensive development of its WRC-spec i20 under Michel Nandan's experienced direction. An interim version of the i20 has already begun testing in Korea to enable Hyundai to undertake component and suspension analysis with further tests scheduled throughout 2013.
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