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Electric carmaker Tesla Motors aims to sell about 10,000 cars a year in Germany by 2015 as it builds out its network of charging stations, CEO Elon Musk told a German paper.

The Mexican auto industry is about to go on a $10 billion factory building spree, illustrating the nation's rising economic challenge to rivals from the United States to China.

These days, Chrysler can't build Jeep Wranglers fast enough to satisfy demand. But the off-roader hasn't been redesigned since 2006, and stricter fuel economy standards threaten what many Wrangler fans love most about their compact SUV: solid axles.

The Impala Limited won't be so limited after all. General Motors will continue to sell the fleet-only version of the Chevrolet sedan until 2016, about two years longer than the company previously had indicated.

From GMM

Kevin Magnussen has declared himself "ready" for formula one -- even at a top team.

The McLaren-backed youngster has just wrapped up the Formula Renault 3.5 title, and rumours suggest he could make his debut next year with Marussia.

But with Sergio Perez still not confirmed at McLaren for 2014, rumours Magnussen, 21, could replace him are also swirling in the paddock in India.

"Well, what you see in the media and what is reality in the team are two completely different stories," Mexican Perez told F1's official website.

Nonetheless, there is a feeling that McLaren's man of the moment is Magnussen, the son of former F1 driver Jan, who was presented to the world's media by the Woking based team in India.

Asked if his new 2013 title, or his solid McLaren connection, are giving him the warmest feelings at present, he smiled: "Winning the title was nice.

"But I guess the connection to McLaren is important because it could be my ticket to grand prix racing," Magnussen is quoted by Speed Week.

"I also know that everything has to fit together if I drive in formula one next year. I know I'm ready," he insisted.

"I have learned enough to take the step, so if it works, I'm happy. If it doesn't work for 2014, the world won't end and I'm in good hands with McLaren."

As for which 'M' he might make his F1 debut with next year - Marussia or McLaren - Magnussen would not be drawn.

"I don't know where I'll go," he said. "If it is a good team, I will have to prove immediately that I deserve the trust.

"I have no problem with it. If it is with quite a small team, maybe the pressure will be less, but the expectations will be the same."

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has pointed to Pirelli's reversion to 2012-specification tires, and the tightening of the operating guidelines, as the reason he has fallen off the pace at recent grands prix.

The Finn denied that his impending switch to Ferrari might explain why teammate Romain Grosjean appears to have moved ahead inside the Lotus team.

Told there is an obvious link between Raikkonen's drop in pace and his 2014 move to Ferrari, teammate Grosjean insisted: "It may look like it, but there is no direct link.

"Ok, it's my chance to prove that I can lead the team, but from my side it was all about just taking one step at a time," the on-form Frenchman told Die Welt newspaper.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus E21 (Photo: WRi2)

Raikkonen, meanwhile, pointed to the tires, whose specification was changed by Pirelli in the wake of the explosive British grand prix.

"I can get less out of them than Romain on a (single) flying lap," he is quoted by Agencia Estado.

"In the race it's less of a problem because you're not so much at the limit of the car, but when you have started down the grid, it's too late to attack the leaders."

The 2007 world champion said Pirelli's clamping down on the tires' operating guidelines also hurt him.

"They increased the limits for camber and tire pressure," Raikkonen explained. "So there's not much you can do about it.

"Before we had more freedom," he added.

From GMM

Eric Boullier has admitted Pastor Maldonado is in the running to race for Lotus in 2014.

But at the same time, the Enstone based team's boss made it clear that his preferred pick to replace the Ferrari-bound Kimi Raikkonen is Nico Hulkenberg.

"I would love to (sign him)," Frenchman Boullier told F1's official website.

"This is the recommendation that I gave to my board."

The board, however, will have to weigh its decision against financial considerations, with Lotus' 35 per cent sale to a group of investors called Quantum still not confirmed.

"We already dragged this out for many months, but we cannot drag it out forever," said Boullier. "We have a deadline -- and I hope they will not miss it."

If Quantum does miss the deadline, Hulkenberg might miss out.

In that scenario, Maldonado might leap to the front of the queue thanks to his millions in backing by Venezuela's PDVSA.

Asked by the British broadcaster Sky if Lotus has been in contact with Maldonado, despite PDVSA's contract with Williams, Boullier admitted: "We had discussions with him, yes, it's true.

"They are still going on," he added.

Ferrari refugee Felipe Massa is another driver in the running, but Grosjean admitted that, if he could choose, he would sign Hulkenberg.

"But," Grosjean told Die Welt newspaper, "Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Massa would also be great teammates."

From GMM

Pirelli has renewed its threat to quit formula one.

F1's controversial Italian tire supplier has signed deals for 2014 and beyond with the teams and Bernie Ecclestone, and even got the FIA's green light to stay in the sport.

But Paul Hembery, the marque's F1 chief, told reporters in India that Pirelli needs to be able to do more testing ahead of the 2014 season.

"Based on the comments of our chairman (Marco Tronchetti Provera) a few weeks ago, there has to be some (more) running or we can't do the tires," he is quoted by Reuters news agency.

Hembery's comments come amid a tumultuous season for Pirelli, after the explosive British grand prix and regular criticism of its heavily-degrading tires.

Chevrolet unveiled its first-ever small-block V8 engine on October 26th, 1954. This 180-horsepower unit wound up in the 1955 Corvette (C1) in place of the 235 cu. in. 6-cylinder.

By the way, Chevy's first V8 engine dates back to 1917.

The new small-block soon became the norm for the brand, with several other models taking advantage of its superior performance and durability, not to mention its lower cost.

Following its reputation as a light, compact powerplant, the small-block V8 earned the “Mouse” nickname.

In 1957, output was bumped to 283 horsepower, which pleased hot rod enthusiasts.

Production ended in 2005.

Source: Novak Conversions

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel clocked the fastest lap ever Saturday around India's Buddh International Circuit, the host to this weekend Indian Grand Prix, on his way to yet another pole position.

Vettel led Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, in a straightforward fight on soft tires during the qualifying session's shootout.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB9 (Photo: WRi2)

His teammate Mark Webber chose not to engage directly in the fight for pole, instead setting his lap on the much slower, but also more durable, medium compound tire, on which he managed to set the fourth fastest lap.

Mark Webber, Red Bull RB9 (Photo: WRi2)

The Australian could have the upper hand in the race, as drivers in the top 10 must start with the tires they qualified on.

Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) could not beat Webber even on the soft tire. They line up fifth, sixth and seventh respectively.

Felipe Massa, Ferrari F138 (Photo: WRi2)

Eighth on the grid, Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) clocked the second fastest lap amongst drivers using the medium compound, a group which also includes McLaren's Sergio Perez (ninth) and Jenson Button (tenth).

In the championship hunt, the Spaniard needs Vettel to finish outside the top five Sunday for his hopes to stay alive.

Romain Grosjean (Lotus) qualified a distant 17th because he lost his Q1 gamble on the medium compound.

Qualifying results* - Buddh International Circuit
1.Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'24"119 - Q3
2.Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W04) - 1'24"871 - Q3
3.Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) . 1'24"941 - Q3
4.Mark Webber (Red Bull RB9-Renault) - 1'25"047 - Q3
5.Felipe Massa (Ferrari F138) - 1'25"201 - Q3
6.Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'25"248 - Q3
7.Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'25"334 - Q3
8.Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F138) - 1'25"826 - Q3
9.Sergio Perez (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'26"153 - Q3
10.Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/28-Mercedes) - 1'26"487 - Q3
11.Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'25"519 - Q2
12.Paul Di Resta (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'25"711 - Q2
13.Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM06-Mercedes) - 1'25"740 - Q2
14.Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR8-Ferrari) - 1'25"798 - Q2
15.Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'26"134 - Q2
16.Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C32-Ferrari) - 1'26"336 - Q2
17.Romain Grosjean (Lotus E21-Renault) - 1'26"577 - Q1
18.Pastor Maldonado (Williams FW35-Renault) - 1'26"842 - Q1
19.Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'26"970 - Q1
20.Giedo Van der Garde (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'27"105 - Q1
21.Charles Pic (Caterham CT03-Renault) - 1'27"487 - Q1
22.Max Chilton (Marussia MR02-Cosworth) - 1'28"138 - Q1

*Unofficial timing

From GMM

Adrian Newey has hinted his time in formula one may be coming to an end.

As Sebastian Vettel prepares to drive his Newey-penned Red Bull to an easy fourth consecutive world championship in India this weekend, the designer of his car admitted his eyes may be wandering elsewhere.

"I'm 54 now," Newey told the Telegraph, "and there are lots of other things I would like to be involved in.

"Maybe the America's Cup, who knows?" added Briton Newey, recognised as perhaps the greatest F1 designer of all time.

America's Cup Oracle Team USA (Photo: Guilain Grenier)

But he played down the prospect he will move his sights to designing a competitive yacht in the very near future.

"It's a bit too late (for 2014) isn't it?" he said. "My immediate future lies in formula one. I'm fully committed to next year and the new regs."

Telegraph correspondent Tom Cary speculated that Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz might want to put together his own America's Cup team, with Newey at the drawing board.

"Maybe," Newey answered. "It's not something I have spent a lot of time talking to Dietrich about I'm afraid."

A homecoming of sorts provided a ray of sunshine for Denny Hamlin who won the pole in Martinsville.

The Virginia native, who was sidelined for four races earlier this year due to a back injury, beat the track record set by Jimmie Johnson earlier year with a lap of 99.595 mph, beating Johnson by .048 second. This was Hamlin's fifth pole of the year another anomaly in an otherwise disappointing year.

Photo: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images

“I'm real proud of the effort -- I think it's my best ever start (here) so whether it's second or third, maybe there's an asterisk that goes next to it, but it's fun to qualify well here,” Hamlin said.

“It's also so demanding. You've got to hit everything just right in order to qualify up front here and this is probably the best time I've ever hit it right and I was just a little bit short. Not too bad, more to do tomorrow and I'm looking forward to Sunday."

"If we get a win, by no means will it fix or make us feel good about our year, but it will give us something to smile about in the future," said Hamlin, who added, confidently to reporters "See you Sunday night" after his pole-winning news conference meaning he expected to be back in Victory Lane.

"It will make me appreciate that moment that much more because it's been such a struggle," said Hamlin meaning this year.

"Not only just the back stuff, but when you lose that edge of being at the top of your sport, it's making you fight that much harder to get back to the top. The moment in which we become our old race team that we've been for the last seven and a half years, and we start winning races again ... it will be overwhelming.

While Hamlin has four wins at the paper clip shaped half-mile Johnson has eight wins, the last one coming, from the pole in Martinsville at the April race.

And Johnson appears to be surrounded by Joe Gibbs Racing drivers including Kyle Busch, who starts third and his closest rival in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Matt Kenseth who will start fourth.

When Johnson was asked if that green lag start makes him nervous he replied "No," adding "Maybe I should be, but not as of now. We will all race hard I'm sure. We have all been, at least so far, have been a lot of situations with each driver and been able to race hard and take it right to the line, but not cross it."

Johnson and Busch actually tied in qualifying at 99.344 mph, but Johnson was awarded the second spot based on the owner points tiebreaker, moving Busch to the third spot with Kenseth alongside.

And just to make things a little better Hamlin also took the pole for Saturday's truck race.

A total of 13,587 SUVs -- including the 2013 Infiniti JX35, 2014 Infiniti QX60, and 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder -- are being recalled due to a problem with the ABS. Incorrect calibration may result in longer than expected stopping distances during light braking on rough roads. Since this could potentially increase the risk of a crash, dealers will update the ABS system software.

Nissan is also recalling 593 NV200 vans from 2013 because electrical wiring around the battery may wear against the fusible link bracket, potentially causing an electrical short. This could blow the fuse, causing the engine to stall and increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will reposition wiring and install additional protective covering. Heat damaged wiring will be replaced.

Source: Transport Canada

Gulf States Toyota plans to cut 83 jobs at its vehicle processing center in Houston, according to a newspaper report and a notice the company sent to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Polyphony Digital, maker of driving simulator and#8220;Gran Turismo 6,and#8221; is partnering with the Ayrton Senna Institute on the new version of its flagship game.

Workers at the automotive supplier Faurecia Interior Systems Inc. plant in Louisville, Ky., have elected to join the UAW.

Did inspiration strike Lee Iacocca during a football game at the University of Michigan 50 years ago?

ABT Sportsline is well known in Europe for tuning Audis and other

2014 BMW i3 First Drive

Taking an electrically powered ride into the future.

There are a million bicycles in Amsterdam, and the people pedal upright, full-fender Omafiet roadsters at a stately pace as they travel around the city on the old cobblestone streets. It's an alternate universe of transportation, clean and green and friendly. It's the perfect place to drive the 2014 BMW i3 for the first time.

Photo Gallery: 2014 BMW i3 First Drive - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2014 BMW i3 First Drive - Automobile Magazine

2014 BMW i3 First Drive | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Toyota agreed to settle a lawsuit that brought a $3 million jury verdict in a claim that a defect in a Camry caused the vehicle to unintentionally accelerate, leading to an accident that left one woman dead and another injured, a lawyer said today.