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Australia is setting up a $100 million Australian ($89 million) fund to support regions affected by General Motors' decision to stop production in the country by 2017, including directly supporting those workers affected by the decision.

News 14 Jan, 2014

All the hottest news from the Detroit Motor Show 2014 - with video

To meet demand for new models, Daimler's Mercedes-Benz plants have introduced numerous special shifts.

News 27 Dec, 2013

Fiat 500 family set to grow, with a five-door 500 set for a 2015 release date

A top official with the United Auto Workers said the American union wants to eliminate the two tier wage system that pays new automotive workers a lower rate than veterans.

BorgWarner says it has signed an agreement to acquire all shares in Gustav Wahler and its general partner, a producer of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves, EGR tubes and thermostats, although terms were not disclosed.

New vehicle sales in Malaysia fell by 2.6% to 52,252 units in November, from 53,365 units sold in the same month of last year, according to data released by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).

The Indonesian new vehicle market expanded by 7.8% to 111,785 units in November, from 103,703 units in the same month of last year, according to data released by industry association Gaikindo.

Deliveries by the Volvo Group's truck operations in November 2013 rose 16% year on year to 20,356 vehicles.

The 2015 Audi A3 will be the star of Audi's 2014

Europe's weak recovery of car demand continued in November with car sales in the EU up by 1.2% on last year. It was the third consecutive month that the region has posted a positive year-on-year trend.

Delphi helps keep occupants safe in the new Range Rover with systems such as it electronically scanning radar, which is linked to Land Rover's emergency braking. This helps drivers avoid a collision if the traffic ahead slows quickly.

Which is safer, a car sold in the Europe or the United States? Automakers see little or no difference, but they have struggled to win over regulators, who are wary of an industry push to make safety standards interchangeable across the Atlantic...

From GMM

After spending his entire career to date with Force India, Adrian Sutil on Wednesday began his next F1 chapter.

"Look who we found getting comfortable in his seat," the Swiss team Sauber said on Twitter, adding a photo of German Sutil, 30, at the wheel of the 2014 car.

Sutil, who began his career in 2007 with Force India's former guise Spyker, was at Sauber's Hinwil headquarters for a seat fitting in the new C33, which has already passed the FIA's static and dynamic crash tests.

Photo: Twitter Sauber

It is not Sutil's first visit to Hinwil. Team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said he actually visited "at the end of September to have a look at the infrastructure".

"Although I have known for a while where I wanted to go," Adrian Sutil added, "in the end the negotiations took a bit longer than planned."

And he told F1's official website this week: "I felt that it was time for a change and we worked hard for it for months to make it happen."

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has still not received all of the money he is owed by Lotus.

Towards the end of the season, and just before he set off for back surgery that meant he missed the last two races of 2013, the Finn revealed he has not been paid "one euro" by the Enstone based team this year.

Raikkonen said he almost called a halt to his Lotus career before the race in Abu Dhabi, saying at the time: "I came here only because hopefully we found an understanding on the certain issues we have been having."

But then he missed Austin and Brazil, ostensibly only because of his back surgery.

Team owner Gerard Lopez, whose Lotus outfit has been waiting for a crucial buy-in deal by the investment group Quantum, has now revealed that Raikkonen is in fact still owed some money.

Asked if Lotus has paid the Ferrari-bound Finn in full, he is quoted by Finland's MTV3: "Not entirely.

"Some of it, yes, we reached an agreement on the payment in Abu Dhabi," added Lopez.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus. (Photo: WRi2)

It has been reported that Lotus remains deeply in debt, with some employees and suppliers going unpaid.

Gerard Lopez acknowledged: "There have been delays. But the amounts that I have heard (in the media) are completely ridiculous. I will not go into detail, other than to say that the amounts we owe are not big. We will pay, just as we always have done."

To really to no surprise, veteran driver Takuma Sato will remain with AJ Foyt squad for the upcoming 2014 IndyCar season.

The former Formula One driver earned his first series win in Long Beach this year, giving Foyt its first victory in 11 years, and went on to claim pole position in Houston.

Meanwhile, the team also announced that engineer Don Halliday and performance engineer Raul Prados will also remain with the team.

Sato is scheduled to test with the team at Sebring on Wednesday.

2014 IndyCar line-up (Confirmed drivers)

AJ Foyt Racing (Honda)
Takuma Sato
Andretti Autosport (Honda)
Marco Andretti/Carlos Munoz/James Hinchcliffe/Ryan Hunter-Reay

Bryan Herta Autosport (Honda)
Tba

Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevy)
Scott Dixon/Tony Kanaan/Ryan Briscoe/Charlie Kimball

Dale Coyne Racing (Honda)
Tba/tba

Ed Carpenter Racing (Chevy)
Ed Carpenter (ovals)/Mike Conway (road/street)

KV Racing (Chevy)
Sebastien Bourdais/tba

Panther Racing (Chevy)
Tba

Rahal Letterman Racing (Honda)
Graham Rahal/tba

Sarah Fisher Hartman (Honda)
Josef Newgarden

Schmidt Peterson (Honda)
Mikhail Aleshin/Simon Pagenaud

Team Penske (Chevy)
Juan Pablo Montoya/Helio Castroneves/Will Power

Juan-Pablo Montoya, Team Penske. (Photo: Mike Finnegan)

From GMM

Kimi Raikkonen has made his first appearance since undergoing back surgery a month ago.

The Finn, who sat out the last two races of his Lotus career, made a visit to Ferrari's Maranello headquarters on Tuesday, where he met up with his new race engineer, Antonio Spagnolo.

Italy's Autosprint said Andrea Stella will remain Fernando Alonso's engineer in 2014, which means former Massa engineer Rob Smedley is almost certainly headed to Williams.

It will be a tough gig for Italian Spagnolo, with 2007 world champion Raikkonen famous for his radio impatience during grands prix -- his 'Leave me alone, I know what I'm doing' spiel is now legendary in F1 circles.

Photo: Ferrari

With Kimi Raikkonen replacing the Williams-bound Felipe Massa, it has been a period of significant change at Ferrari.

Also arriving from Lotus, James Allison is now Ferrari's clear new technical director, relegating fellow Briton Fry to being in charge simply of trackside operations, according to Italy's Autosprint.

And Allison said Ferrari's recent work on updating its wind tunnel and simulator technologies will pay off.

"Now we can say we have moved on from being maybe the fourth or fifth team in terms of the tools we have, to once again being at the cutting edge and everything is in place to open up a new Ferrari era," he said.

Autosprint said Ferrari will officially launch its 2014 engine, the all-new turbo V6, on Thursday.

Kia Motors America will unveil an all-new concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. The vehicle was penned by the company's design studio in California.

Few details have been released so far. We know that it will be a 2+2 sports car, and Kia promises head-turning looks along with an exciting driving experience, both on the road and the track.

Stay tuned.

Source : thenewsmarket.com

Photo: Kia

From GMM

McLaren supremo Ron Dennis has suggested he would not step in to prevent Fernando Alonso from returning to the British team.

With the Woking based team looking ahead to its new era with works Honda power from 2015, boss Martin Whitmarsh has made no secret of his desire to see Alonso at the wheel.

But when Dennis was still on the pitwall in 2007, he and Alonso fell out spectacularly, with the two-time world champion splitting from the team after just a single, tumultuous season alongside Lewis Hamilton.

Fernando Alonso and Ron Dennis, McLaren, in 2007. (Photo: WRi2)

So with Alonso showing signs of being unhappy at Ferrari this year, and now paired with Kimi Raikkonen for 2014 reportedly against his wishes, the 32-year-old might be looking for a new team for 2015 and beyond.

Ron Dennis, 66, while no longer in charge of F1 matters, remains the McLaren Group chairman, although reportedly with a non-executive status at present.

When asked specifically about Alonso, Dennis told the BBC: "One has to recognise the first objective of any grand prix team is to win races.

"Whatever obstacles sit between a team wanting to win and winning, be it engineering, fiscal or human issues, you resolve them. You never say never," he added.

The new MINI John Cooper Works Concept, which will be presented for the first time at the 2014 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit next month, offers a preview of the next generation of the elite sports model. No technical specs have been provided, however.

Featuring exclusive Bright Highways Grey paintwork, familiar MINI red accents (mirror caps, roof, hood), bespoke aerodynamic features, and 18'' John Cooper Works light-alloy wheels in a newly developed design, the MINI John Cooper Works Concept also stands out with a black-surround front grille, LED headlights, and large air intakes.

More details to come during the NAIAS media days.

Photo: MINI