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From GMM

Red Bull and Toro Rosso have denied rumours they could shake up their F1 driver lineups for the final two races of the 2013 season.

Speed Week reports rumours from the Abu Dhabi paddock that this weekend's race at Yas Marina could be Mark Webber's last in F1.

The Australian, who has admitted suffering with motivation problems, has already announced his switch for 2014 to Le Mans.

He will be replaced by countryman Daniel Ricciardo, but the latest rumour is that the 24-year-old could made an early move from Toro Rosso ahead of the US grand prix in Austin later this month.

That would free up a seat for the last two grands prix of 2013 at Toro Rosso, who have signed inexperienced youngster Daniil Kvyat for next season.

Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso. (Photo: WRi2)

"I think it's nonsense, and I know nothing about it," Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost is quoted as saying.

"Anyway, Daniil has no super licence, so how can he race?" the Austrian added.

However, Tost's argument about the super licence does not bear up to scrutiny.

Auto Motor und Sport reports that, because Toro Rosso wants to field Kvyat in Friday practice in Austin and Brazil, a test in a 2011 car has been lined up for the 19-year-old at Misano in early November.

"That's right," Tost confirmed, "but the story for this is that he will do the first practice for us in Texas and Brazil."

Red Bull Racing, meanwhile, denied that Abu Dhabi will be Webber's last grand prix.

"Mark Webber will drive the last three races for us," the team told Speed Week.

From press release

As the start of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship season rapidly approaches, Hyundai Motorsport continued to prepare for its upcoming challenge during October, testing the i20 WRC for a total of 15 days and driving more than 1000 km on both gravel and tarmac.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

“This month was exceptionally busy for us: we were out testing the i20 WRC on both surfaces for more than half of the month, with our three test drivers swapping the seat on four separate test sessions. We now have two latest-spec i20 WRC, which allows us to further intensify the development schedule by alternating between the two chassis,” said Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan.

“Overall, it was a positive month as we managed to test new parts, try different set-up solutions and cover some good mileage with the car.”

October's testing kicked off with a four-day gravel test in the south of Spain where the team continued to assess the behaviour of the i20 WRC in warm weather conditions with both Juho Hänninen and Chris Atkinson on duty.

“During this test we took the opportunity to continue the development of the car on gravel conditions, similar to the ones we will find in Portugal and Sardinia next year. We tried several configurations for these kinds of terrains and evaluated some new components which we hadn't tested before,” explained Nandan.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

The Hyundai Motorsport team then moved from the south of Spain up to the Catalonia region for a five-day gravel test. This was followed by a tarmac test in Baumholder, Germany, home of the iconic Arena Panzerplatte, which forms part of Rallye Deutschland's itinerary.

“After concentrating on loose surfaces in the first part of October, we took the i20 WRC to tarmac for a test on the same conditions of Rallye Deutschland. We had some new suspension parts to try as we hadn't tested on tarmac since August,” Nandan continued.

In the final week of October, the team continues tarmac development in Catalonia on the roads of Rally de España, the penultimate round of the WRC, which was held last week. “Testing on the same roads as the rally allows us to start to have some references on the stages we will tackle next year,” concluded Nandan.

This month marked also the beginning of another important process for the Hyundai Motorsport team. The dossier for the homologation of the i20 WRC needs to be compiled and lodged by the FIA by the end of October.

Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

2014 Chevrolet Tahoe

The 2014 Chevrolet Tahoe is certainly a large, full-size SUV, but it's not as big as it could be.

2014 Chevrolet Tahoe LS models gain a raft of standard equipment, including remote start, auto-dimming rearview mirrors, a rearview camera, and rear park assist -- all features previously available as optional equipment.

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2014 Chevrolet Sonic

If the Cruze was the first indication that Chevrolet could finally shift away from building subpar small cars, the Sonic was confirmation.

New For 2014

A rearview camera is now standard on the 2014 Chevroletn Sonic LTZ and RS models, but the most interesting safety-related gadgets are available as part of a new Safety Package. Offered on LT, LTZ, and RS trims, the package includes both lane-departure-warning and forward-collision-alert systems, both features not commonly found in this market segment.

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2014 Chevrolet Spark

There's no denying that the 2014 Chevrolet Spark is a youthful car.

New For 2014

There's no denying that the 2014 Chevrolet Spark is a youthful car, aimed at the vibrant millennial customers GM desperately wants to lure into showrooms. That said, when stacked against some of its supersmall-car competitors -- such as the Scion iQ, the Mitsubishi Mirage, and the Fiat 500 -- the 2014 Chevrolet Spark actually looks like a surprisingly mature choice.

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2014 Chevrolet Volt

It's a hybrid. It's an electric. The reality is that the 2014 Volt lies somewhere between those two categories.

New For 2014

Chevrolet has only mild cosmetic tweaks in store for the 2014 Volt. A leather-wrapped steering wheel is now standard, while heated front seats are optional on cars equipped with cloth seating surfaces. The charge-port cover, located ahead of the driver’s door, now opens with a simple push instead of an internal release. Two new paint colors join the lineup, while the available jet black interior scheme now incorporates monochromatic seats.

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Tower International, which supplies structural metal components and assemblies to automakers, said today it posted third-quarter net income of $3.3 million.

Australians Rod Wade and Michael Flanders will be making a second attempt to drive from New York to Los Angeles in less than 60 hours on Nov.

Power on Ice is Bentley's winter driving experience, and it's held at the edge of the Arctic Circle in Finland. There, selections of frozen lakes are shoveled and plowed into race courses designed by honorary Bentley Boy Juha Kankkunen.

BorgWarner, the maker of automotive turbochargers and emission systems, reported a 65 percent rise in quarterly profit, partly due to higher demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.

PSA Peugeot Citroën has opened the production line for the new EB Turbo PureTech engine at the Française de Mécanique plant in Douvrin, France.

Toyota's Lexus was rated the most reliable of the 28 vehicle brands surveyed in the United States, Consumer Reports magazine said.

Hino Motors has raised its group earnings estimates for the fiscal year ending 31 March, 2014 due to brisk demand in Japan and emerging Asian markets such as Thailand.

Rolls-Royce has created a bespoke Phantom Bespoke Chicane Coupé, which the automaker says draws its inspiration from the Goodwood Motor Circuit.

Paccar reported a 32% rise in quarterly profit as the company sold more trucks in North America.

2013 Ruf 3800S

A logical engine swap.

Brand addicts in search of extreme Porsches should travel not to Zuffenhausen but to Pfaffenhausen, home of Alois Ruf, Jr., who has been manufacturing low-volume Porsche hot rods since he took over the business from his father in 1974. With no love from Porsche, Ruf has created such memorable driving machines as the 1987 CTR "Yellowbird" plus today's awesome 777-hp CTR3 Clubsport and the RGT-8 powered by Ruf's bespoke 550-hp eight-cylinder engine. Since other Rufs cost between $314,000 and $769,000 in the U.S., the Boxster-based Ruf 3800S looks like a bargain at $132,895. A Cayman-based coupe is available for $6800 more.

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ruf 3800S - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 Ruf 3800S - Automobile Magazine

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BMW is recalling about 176,000 of its four-cylinder, gasoline-powered vehicles from the 2012-14 model years because of potential problems with the power brakes, the company said.

The 2013 LA Auto Show opens to the public on Nov. 22 and runs until Dec. 1, promising something like 50 new cars and trucksand#8212;concepts, production cars, you name it. Many of these will be of the clean and green variety.

Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne today acknowledged mistakes in the way the company developed and launched the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and vowed to never repeat them. "What we've learned is that we'll never repeat it," he said.

News 20 Nov, 2013

Two new Daihatsu Copen concept cars, both called the Kopen, have been revealed