Auto News 5

Audi's vehicle sales increased by nearly 7 percent in October on demand for the A3 and Q3 models, along with strong growth in China and the United States.

For the first time in more than two years, the Honda Fit [Jazz] outsold Toyota's Prius and Aqua models in Japan last month to become the nation's best-selling model.

GAZ Group says it is not yet ready to reveal its successor as CEO to Bo Andersson following his surprise decision to move to rival Russian automaker, AvtoVAZ.

The youngest generation of US car buyers is easing up on new car purchases in 2013, virtually erasing any momentum it gained in 2012, according to a new analysis by Edmunds.com.

Proton is targeting annual sales of 500,000 vehicles globally by 2018, according to local market research company AmResearch following a meeting with the Malaysian carmaker.

New vehicle sales in Indonesia increased by 3.5% to 110,507 units in October, from 106,754 units a year earlier, according to data released by automotive industry association Gaikindo.

We weren't particular surprised by Chevrolet's unveiling of a

As the SEMA Show winds down, we bring you a quick gallery of the

When you think of Pininfarina-built cabrios and coupes from the 1970s, the

Twelve cylinders. Twin-turbochargers. 621 hp and 738 lb-ft: Yeah, Mercedes-Benz's new S65 AMG sounds like a monster, and we mean that as a compliment.

French tyre manufacturer Michelin and Indonesia's Chandra Asri Petrochemical have agreed in principle to jointly invest US$435m in a new synthetic rubber plant in Indonesia to supply the local tyre industry and increase export potential.

Fiat will shortly join Daimler in offering car-share services in Milan as automakers seek new ways to attract young drivers who can't afford to buy cars in crisis-hit southern Europe.

Rolls-Royce buyers in China are a generation younger than their counterparts in Europe and the United States. The average age of a customer in China is 40 to 45 years old while it 60 to 65 elsewhere in the world.

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson says the company's car production footprint in Europe is safe despite the region's chronic overcapacity. He also believes the region's sales slump could be coming to an end.

From GMM

Bernie Ecclestone's long reign at the top of formula one could end over an alleged multi-million 'bribe' paid to jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.

As the circumstances surrounding that payment are probed this week in London's high court, it emerged that more payments - which might also be described as 'bribes' - were paid by Ecclestone to well-known team bosses some years ago.

The court heard on Thursday that Eddie Jordan, now a BBC pundit, quadruple world champion Alain Prost, and the late Arrows boss Tom Walkinshaw - all former F1 team owners - were each paid $10 million to sign the 1998 Concorde Agreement.

The money was reportedly paid straight from Ecclestone's Bambino family trust into the bosses' personal bank accounts, not to their respective F1 teams.

"They were paid to ensure that their teams did sign. Isn't that right?" the lawyer for German media company Constantin asked the F1 chief executive in court.

"Yes," Ecclestone agreed.

It also emerged on Thursday that, although Ecclestone claims he only paid Gribkowsky because he was threatening to tip off British tax authorities, Gribkowsky in fact felt physically threatened by the now 83-year-old.

Constantin's lawyer said Gribkowsky felt he was "under some sort of physical threat" from Ecclestone and had even consulted with Munich police.

Aiming to compete with the big U.S. and European luxury brands in the American market, Nissan launched the Infiniti brand on November 8th, 1989 with a network of 51 U.S. retailers.

Infiniti later expanded into Mexico, Canada, the Middle East, Russia, France (2008), and Spain (2008). China and Brazil will follow in 2014.

Originally, two models were available including the Q45 sedan and M30 coupe. Success came early, and in 2003 Infiniti made Car and Driver's "Ten Best Cars" (G35).

Infiniti was among the first car companies to introduce intelligent cruise control (2001), lane departure warning (2004), 360-degree view (2007), and blind spot monitoring.

Q45, 1989. (Photo: Infiniti)

Honda Canada is recalling 24,692 Odyssey minivans from 2007-2008 due to a defect in the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system.

The brakes may apply unexpectedly while the Odyssey is being driven without the driver pressing on the brake pedal. If this were to occur, the brake lamps would also fail to illuminate. These issues could increase the risk of a crash.

Honda dealers will affect repairs.

Source: Transport Canada

The new Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG will be launched simultaneously at the Tokyo and Los Angeles auto shows later this month. The car is scheduled to go on sale next spring. Pricing has yet to be determined.

Equipped with a twin-turbocharged AMG V12 engine rated at 630 horsepower, the Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG uses an AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-TRONIC transmission to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited at 249 km/h.

Moreover, the Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG comes standard with the AMG sports suspension based on MAGIC BODY CONTROL, which recognizes road surface undulations in advance, and a lithium-ion battery that replaces both the starter battery and the backup battery -- resulting in a weight saving of over 20 kilograms.

Inside, the Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG boasts exclusive, diamond-patterned nappa leather, sports seats with AMG logos, a high-resolution TFT colour display, a Burmeister audio system, and a panoramic sunroof.

Mercedes S65 AMG. (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

Exhibitors at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas are no fools: They know that having a hot car in their booth dramatically increases their chances of getting foot traffic.

However, those exhibitors with a little more coin know exactly how to further increase interest in their booths at the 2013 SEMA Show: with the help of scantily clad girls.

Judging by the amount of guys hovering around the SEMA girls, I'd say it was mission accomplished. Now, if only the guys remembered what the product they had stopped to look at actually was...

Phew, we survived! The 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas is a wrap, and Team Auto123.com has made it out alive, and intact, thought we may have left some fluids back on the showroom floor... what with all the drooling and what-not (get your mind out of the gutter!).

What a show it's been this year in Las Vegas. We've seen it all from two wheels to four to six, well you get the idea. It's all here and we experienced it as best we could, and tried to keep you up to date and enjoying the madness right along with us. We hope you've liked the coverage so far.

As we come down from our 2013 SEMA Show high and gather all the thousands of photos and hours of video reels, we'll be putting together a few more galleries, some Top 10s and short videos for your viewing pleasure. Make sure you check back in the next few days. We weren't just partying it up with the car girls all week, we were working hard! We swear.

Don't forget to head on over to Auto123.TV for all the 2013 SEMA Show coverage in one spot including photo galleries, videos and more.

It's been a wild ride and we're already looking forward to next year's show.