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From Audi

Le Mans prototypes, DTM and GT sport - Audi fans will be treated to plenty of motorsport again in the 2014 season. In the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Audi Sport Team Joest will be battling to defend the title.

To do so, the squad based in the Odenwald region will be competing in all eight races with two further developed Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars running with laser light for the first time. At Le Mans, the team is going to reinforce its line-up with a third R18.

Mike Rockenfeller, Audi RS 5 (Photo: Audi)

The DTM is playing an important role for Audi Sport again as well. Audi Sport Teams Abt Sportsline, Phoenix and Rosberg are part of the action again, fielding a total of eight Audi RS 5 DTM cars. Following Mike Rockenfeller, Mattias Ekström and Timo Scheider have been confirmed as drivers as well.

In GT sport the brand with the four rings will be featured in its customary international style, competing with customer teams and the Audi R8 LMS ultra in the 24-hour races at Daytona (USA), the Nürburgring (Germany) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium).

In addition, the focus on the USA has been intensified. With a new GTD version of the R8 LMS the first teams have already submitted their registrations for the new North American sports car racing series United SportsCar Championship (USCC).

New as well is Japan being featured on the racing calendar of the Audi R8 LMS Cup for the first time.

News 28 Dec, 2013

First teaser pictures for Citroen C4 Cactus crossover released, due to be revealed on February 5

Chrysler Group has patented an improvement to its Stow 'n Go seats for a future minivan that would allow the seats to collapse in less space.

News 28 Dec, 2013

Pictures and details of the new Mercedes C-Class AMG Sport range have leaked online

New U.S. light-vehicle sales are widely expected to surpass 16 million in 2014 for the first time since 2007, the culmination of a long recovery from the disastrous recession.

New U.S. light-vehicle sales are widely expected to surpass 16 million in 2014 for the first time since 2007, the culmination of a long recovery from the disastrous recession.

The auto industry lost some memorable people in 2013 #8212; among them Eiji Toyoda, Ford's Phil Caldwell, dealers Kjell Qvale and Cal Worthington #8212; and Automotive News lost a beloved member of its family, John K. Teahen Jr.

Hans Werner Aufrecht, an important figure in German motorsport, is celebrating his 75th birthday today, December 28th.

Aufrecht was unlucky enough to join Mercedes-Benz as the company pulled out of motorsport, in the late 1950s. So he started working on a secret project with his friend Erhard Melcher, over which the two men risked their jobs.

If the Mercedes 300 SE racer they were building proved fast, a board member promised them they could race it. If it proved slow, they would have to leave the famous car manufacturer.

The car in question turned out good. So good Aufrecht and Melcher began earning a living from their tuning skills through their humble company called AMG, which went on to become Mercedes' official tuner.

Aufrecht also played a key role in the development of the Deutsches Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, the German DTM championship.

In 2000, he was awarded Germany's Order of Merit for special social commitments.

Now a pensioner, he enjoys spending time with his family.

Despite his age, Hans Werner Aufrecht can still ride a bicycle (Photo: DTM)

BMW Team Schnitzer celebrated Christmas with the award for the best pit stop of the 2013 DTM season.

Led by team principal Charly Lamm, Team Schnitzer's crew nailed the fastest pit stop at five of the ten races on the calendar last season.

On twice of those five occasions, in Moscow and at the Nürburgring, the mechanics even performed the two fastest pit stops.

"This award means a lot to BMW Team Schnitzer," acknowledged Lamm.

"The DTM is an extremely close affair - not just on the track, but also in the pit lane. If you are able to produce better pit stops than all the other teams over the course of the year, it is a nice reward for all the hard practice you put in."

Team Schnitzer pit crew (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

Campos Racing will be fielding two Chevrolet Cruze next year in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

Director Adrian Campos confirmed signing 21-year-old Frenchman Hugo Valente and Serbia's first WTCC driver Dusan Borkovic as drivers.

Hugo Valente (Photo: WTCC)

"I am really happy to have signed with Campos Racing again," explained Valente, who raced a SEAT in his rookie season last year.

"I am overly excited with the idea of driving the new-specification Chevrolet.

"It is also a privilege for me being the third French driver in WTCC alongside the likes of Sébastien Loeb and Yvan Muller."

Briton Max Chilton became the first ever rookie to finish every grand prix in his first season...

Ferrari brought to 67 its streak of consecutive points finish...

With 684, Sebastian Vettel led more laps this season than the rest of the field combined...

McLaren raced a total of 11,488 kilometres out of a possible 11,584...

Jenson Button overhauled David Coulthard as the most experience British driver with his 247th career start in Brazil...

Renault won the last ever race of 2.4-litre V8 era, just like it won the last 3.0-litre V10 race in 2006 and the 3.5-litre V10 race in 1994...

Mechanics in the pit lane totalled 951 pit stops...

Pirelli now has 23,300 slick tires to recycle...

4 of the 23,300 slick tires Pirelli now has to recycle (Photo: WRi2)

British racing driver Lewis Hamilton has ventured on the music scene.

The 2008 F1 world champion helped up-and-coming American singer Ana Lou with an appearance on her new music video "Say Goodbye".

American singer Ana Lou (Photo: Facebook)

According to France's Nextgen-Auto Motorsport website, Hamilton sings about his recent break up with former Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger.

In 2013, the Mercedes driver also scored his first win aboard a Silver Arrow, at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

He ranked fourth in the championship standings, 18 points ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg.

It starts off like any self-respecting detective movie might:

Hyundai Motor America said John Krafcik will step down as CEO at year end, capping a five-year run during which he steered the Hyundai brand to record U.S. sales and market share.

Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik will step down at year end, capping a five-year run during which he steered the Hyundai brand to record U.S. sales and market share.

With the debut of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado at this year's

Our friends at Lexus,

Another day, another upcoming car revealed thanks to a leaked patent filing -- and another BMW model variant to memorize:

A major trend of 2013 in Europe was the rise of B-SUVs. The Opel/Vauxhall Mokka became the early sales leader, but is now assailed from multiple directions. Glenn Brooks tries out the Renault Captur, one of the best and newest challengers.

Not all classic Maseratis are exorbitantly expensive.