Auto News 5

PSA Peugeot Citroen will continue negotiations with unions to cut 8,000 jobs in France despite a court ruling that could delay their implementation.

Ford on Tuesday announced it had booked its highest fourth quarter pre-tax profit in over a decade. Full year pre-tax profit was US$8bn and net income $5.7 bn.

Faurecia is to immediately start negotiations with its Works Council on PSA Peugeot Citroen's restructuring plan that is looking to axe up to 8,000 jobs.

Ford posted fourth-quarter net income of $1.6 billion, carrying the company to its fourth straight full-year profit.

Ford posted a fourth-quarter pretax loss of $732 million in Europe and expects 2013 to be even more difficult. Despite the troubles in Europe, the U.S. automaker had a fourth-quarter net income of $1.6 billion.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: I'm loving the new Mercedes-Benz GL-class family. Drove the diesel last weekend and was mighty impressed.

PSA will continue negotiating job cuts with unions despite a court ruling that ordered a temporary suspension of restructuring until the group completes worker consultations at two sites belonging to parts division Faurecia.

French unions are starting to ratchet up the industrial relations temperature, partially destroying the entrance to Renault's Flins factory and ahead of today's crunch meeting between both France's major automakers and their labour bodies in Paris.

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen, a 50-50 joint venture between PSA and Dongfeng in China, expects to increase sales 14 percent this year to 500,000 units as the company's third assembly plant launches production.

General Motors has announced a US$600m spend at its Fairfax, Kansas, assembly and stamping plant to build a new 450,000 sq ft paint shop, install a new stamping press and other upgrades.

Toyota sold 1,537,371 new passenger cars in Japan in 2012, up 42.4% year on year. Total sales rose 40.9% to 1,692,228.

Enthusiasts may most remember the reveal of the twin turbo Toyota Supra at the 1993 Chicago Auto Show.

On his 1995 album, Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, punk-rock journeyman Mike Watt enlisted Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder to

TPCA, the Czech car assembly plant jointly owned by Toyota and PSA said production fell by a fifth to 215,000 vehicles in 2012 due to weak European demand.

The EU needs a leap in the number of electric and hybrid cars on the road over the next decade to succeed in cutting auto carbon emissions significantly by 2025, a British consulting firm found.

Fiat is said to plan the introduction of the first Alfa Romeo SUV in an effort to help transform the brand into a global luxury marque to challenge Audi and meet a target of tripling sales by 2016 to 300,000.

Audi sales chief Luca de Meo has reshuffled top executives in the three regions where the brand has its biggest unit sales.

A Tesla Model S Performance has just set a new speed record for production electric cars by completing the quarter mile in 12.371 seconds at the Palm Beach International Raceway. With 0-100km/h acceleration in 3.9 seconds, it also proved faster than a 2005 Dodge Viper SRT10.

According to the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA), the previous record of 13.58 seconds on the quarter mile was held by the Tesla Roadster.

British motorsport magazine revealed Tuesday that the entry to the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and asset of the defunct HRT team would be now purchased by a new group.

We tried to get some confirmations, but no one is really willing to talk at this point!

The well respected magazine says that a group of Canadian and American investors are pushing to try and secure HRT's entry slot in F1 but they may have to wait until 2014 before being allowed to join the grid. That's the year the new turbo 1.6-litre engines will be introduced.

The group of investors are working to launch a team known as Scorpion Racing. The effort appears to have the blessing of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Photo: HRT F1 Team

The new team is apparently hoping to run its effort from a facility at Silverstone, using updated HRT F112 chassis that would be powered by Cosworth V8 engines and use Williams semi-automatic transmissions.

However, Autosport adds it understands that the FIA believes the 12th entry slot for 2013 was closed off when it was informed at the end of last season that HRT had been liquidated.

Our collegues at Pole-Position magazine in Canada apparently know a little more on this topic.

“Who are these mysterious Canadian, or Quebecer investors? It's not Lawrence Stroll or Guy Laliberte (from the Cirque du Soleil) or other millionnaires, but people who are quiet and want to remain anonymous at the moment. The group include businessmen who are attracted by the challenge and motorsport in general. For that first year, they want to hire two paying drivers to get the project underway,” could we read on the website.

Stay tuned!

The all-new 2014 Infiniti Q50 luxury sports sedan will make its national debut at the Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in Toronto on February 14th.

Available with a standard 3.7L V6, the 2014 Infiniti Q50 will also offer a hybrid variant combining a 3.5L V6 with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery for a net output of 354 horsepower.

In addition to the Q50, Infiniti Canada will showcase its entire 2013 model lineup in Toronto, including the luxurious JX crossover. The championship-winning Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One race car will be on hand as well.

Photo: Infiniti