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Following several other automakers, Toyota is turning to aluminum to make its vehicles lighter. Next year, the 2016 Lexus RX 350 crossover will become the company's first model with an aluminum hood and liftgate, while in 2018 the popular Toyota Camry sedan will get an aluminum hood as well.

It appears the aluminum sheet will come from a joint venture between Kobe Steel and Toyota Tsusho Corp., a trading company affiliated with Toyota Motor Corp. Toyota will be among the venture's first customers, several sources confirmed.

Talks on site selection and final details for the joint venture are expected to conclude this month. The plant will be able to produce 100,000 tons of aluminum sheet annually.

"Toyota has plans to use aluminum on future vehicles for hood, closures and parts for lightweighting," said spokeswoman Jana Hartline. "Also, we will increase usage of mix metals and resin materials to enhance lightweighting efforts."

Source : autonews.com

Andretti Autosport's new Bettle ralycross racer made its debut last weekend in the Los Angeles' round of the Global Rallycross Championship.

American ace Tanner Foust drove the Beetle in the event.

His teammate, former Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Scott Speed captured victory Saturday and finished 6th Sunday, driving a VW Polo.

VW Beetle (Photo: VW of America)

Andretti Autosport and Volkswagen of America produced this 544-bhp GRC Volkswagen Beetle.

Tanner showed that it was quick straight out of the box, setting the best time in one of the qualifying heats.

“We gained a lot of experience and we were quite competitive. I look forward to the next race held Saturday in Seattle”, said Foust.

Infiniti has priced the new long-wheelbase version of its flagship Q70 sedan to lure buyers to the larger model.

The hybrid revolution that the Prius ushered in has put it in an awkward position: So many other brands have followed Toyota's lead into the hybrid market that the Prius no longer stands out. The brand is now it's at a marketing crossroads.

From GMM

Toto Wolff has declared Mercedes' obvious resistance to moves to relax F1's engine 'freeze'.

The German marque has utterly dominated in 2014, producing a clearly superior turbo V6 'power unit' than its engine rivals Renault and Ferrari.

Despite the fixed homologation of the power unit specification, the struggling suppliers can make substantial changes for 2015 in the form of a 'token' system that allows for an up to 48 per cent design overhaul.

But also being discussed is that, in the event of another situation like 2014 where one manufacturer is clearly ahead, engine makers have the opportunity to catch up mid-season.

Mercedes' V6 turbo hybrid engine (Photo: WRI2)

"Formula one is not just about different engines," Monisha Kaltenborn, whose Sauber team uses the underpowered Ferrari power unit, said in Singapore.

"Engines do play a role there but the gap should not be that big."

It is believed the prospect of one in-season engine development push has been discussed by team bosses recently, with many other non-Mercedes teams also thinking it is a good idea.

For obvious reasons, the Mercedes runners are opposed.

"No!" said Claire Williams, whose Grove based team has emerged from a slump in 2014 after switching from Renault power.

"You have to enter the season with your race car and, if you haven't done a good enough job, then why change the regulations?" she added.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has the same attitude.

"The further development of engines is absolute nonsense," he is quoted by Speed Week.

"If you are not sorted out by the homologation of 28 February for the year, why should it be any different three months later?" he asked rhetorically.

From press release

It was a difficult race for McLaren's Kevin Magnussen in Singapore.

The rookie managed to score a point by finishing 10th, but suffered physically for it, getting burned by his inexplicably hot seat.

"It was a very, very tough grand prix," the Dane said. "During the race, I don't know if there was something wrong with the car, but my seat started getting very hot.

"Without that, I think we could have done better than 10th, but at least we got that one point. It's better than nothing.

"It was the hardest point I've ever earned," he added.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRI2)

Team boss Eric Boullier applauded Magnussen's fighting spirit.

"(Magnussen) was subjected to severe bodily discomfort as his car's cockpit began to overheat, necessitating his holding his arms aloft, first one then the other, in an effort to direct cooling air down his sleeves and inside his race-suit.

"In the end, after an impressively plucky drive in extremely challenging conditions, he was able to score a single point for the team.

"It was scant consolation, of course it was, but it's indicative of his tremendous fighting spirit, and I commend him for it."

From GMM

McLaren has reportedly suffered yet another sponsorship blow.

On the eve of the Singapore grand prix, Bernie Ecclestone unveiled whisky brand Johnnie Walker as a new official sponsor for the sport.

Speed Week asked the F1 supremo how he always manages to collect top backers, while the teams themselves are struggling commercially.

"The teams also have great sponsors," the 83-year-old Briton insisted.

"Johnnie Walker has sponsored one of the teams," Ecclestone.

He was, of course, referring to McLaren, the British grandee team that in the wake of Vodafone's departure has failed to sign a new title sponsor in 2014.

Not only that, amid McLaren's performance slump, long-time sponsor Hugo Boss jumped ship to Mercedes.

And now, according to the Mirror newspaper, McLaren is losing Johnnie Walker as well.

Correspondent Byron Young said that as the drink brand's parent Diageo signs up with Ecclestone, its withdrawal of the McLaren deal is a "crippling blow" for the Woking based team.

"The decision will come as another embarrassment for boss Ron Dennis who has refused to cut his rate card despite the recession," said Young.

Ironically for McLaren veteran Jenson Button, however, the financial struggles in F1 could now be his best chance to stay on the grid beyond 2014.

If the pitlane drops below ten teams, Ecclestone will ask the richer teams to bolster numbers by running third cars.

But Button said he would prefer if his talks with Dennis result in a new deal on its own merit.

"I talk to Ron a lot. It's all moving along fine," he said in Singapore. "I'm not scared of anything.

"I would rather not have to think about the only way I have a career next year is with a three car team. I like F1 the way it is."

From NASCAR.com

JR Fitzpatrick did everything he could. LP Dumoulin did what he needed.

The result was Dumoulin was crowned the champion of the 2014 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Saturday, while Fitzpatrick walked away with the winner's trophy for the Pinty's 250 at Kawartha Speedway.

Final championship margin: Three points.

It capped a remarkable career transformation for the 35-year-old Dumoulin, who got his start in open-wheel racing and didn't make his NASCAR debut until 2009. He ran his first full season in 2012, won his first NASCAR race last year and first NASCAR oval race this season.

Photo: Matthew Manor/NASCAR

Dumoulin qualified 15th and finished ninth at Kawartha. It was enough for him to edge Fitzpatrick for the title after the latter won the pole award and led the most laps en route to his third victory of the season.

Fitzpatrick led three times for 171 laps, including the final 78. A late caution gave Steckly one more shot with seven to go, but Fitzpatrick pulled away to win by .229 seconds.

It was all for naught, though, as a 100-lap green flag run in the middle of the race left just 10 cars on the lead lap and all but ensured Dumoulin the title.

He entered the race with a 16-point lead and needed to only finish 11th or better to claim the championship.

Defending race and series champion Steckly finished second at Kawartha, while Jason Hathaway, Mark Dilley and Kennington rounded out the top five.

Hollywood, CA — When you're known for doing something, like really known, and you tend to do that something really, really well; you'd better not mess it up the next time you try and do it in front of a bunch of people expecting you to be nothing short of amazing at it.

Ford is known for the Mustang. This is their storied, cult classic car that's made their brand the thing if boyhood posters and manhood fantasies. The Mustang is one of those cars, like the Challenger and Corvette, that young boys (and girls) craned necks to see as they rumbled past on the street.

So, has Ford managed to maintain that boyhood charisma that's made the Mustang so appealing for 50? After cruising Mulholland Dr., the Pacific Coast Highway, and pushing the ‘Stang on twisty canyon roads, I kinda think they have.

Photo: Miranda Lightstone

Doesn't it have an EcoBoost engine now?
Alright boys and girls, gather round, I have a secret to tell you. Are you listening? Ready? Even though the EcoBoost is only a 2.3L inline-4, it's boosted which means its got pull (320 lb-ft of torque over the 3.7L V6's 280), which means it's a blast to drive plus it's gonna save you money at the pumps down the road. It's a wonderful engine that feels light and playful in comparison to the heavy-duty, hard-hitting 5.0L V8.

Complemented by the 6-speed manual transmission (that's in need of a short-shift upgrade), the 310-horsepower EcoBoost feels sublime and sounds great too. The faint whistle of the turbo as it spools is music to any car lover's ears, and the gears are so easy to row through you'll enjoy every moment behind the wheel.

Oh, but that V8
Of course, if you want more of the Pony Car experience, you should look no further than the 5.0L V8. From the moment you press that start-stop button and the V8 rumbles to life, your senses will tingle and you'll just want to press the throttle down as often as possible.

Equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission, the 5.0L 2015 Ford Mustang GT was malleable and oh-so fun to throw into the corners. With 435 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque, the 5.0L is a bit of a beast. Power is sent out the rear wheels (and with it in full Stig mode as I called it - there's a track setting that looks like the Stig's helmet - which turns off all traction control) meaning that getting the bum out is oh-so easy and oh-so tempting. The V8 makes the Mustang feel a bit nose heavy, especially in the corners, but it is still more than possible to throw this coupe around and have a blast.

However, despite an updated suspension and rear differential, it felt a bit soft to me. Having just driven the Challenger (another Halo Car), I found that the Challenger felt much sportier than the Mustang which at times felt dopy and a bit too body-roll-y for my liking. Consequently, the ride is actually very, very comfortable and perfectly suited for everyday use, even with a Performance Pack attached to the top GT model.

The retro look is so hot
And you'll agree with me here. Ford took all the things that were every good about the Mustang in the past, modernized them, and stuck them on the 2015 model. Instead of a choppy, angular mug, the front is now sleek, sexy and oh-so macho. LED headlights and the signature three-bar sequential-turn-signal rear LED taillights are perfectly placed and sized. Exaggerated rear wheel arches make for an aggressive, ready-to-pounce stance, and the prancing pony and clean rear trunk design come together beautifully to complete the 2015 Mustang package.

My favourite exterior bit? The 5.0L GT features rear-facing nostrils on the hood (one on each side) and when you're in the car looking forward, you see them ever so slightly flanking the “power bulge”. Love it.

Inside, the centre stack was completely rethought and is user friendly, and actually very simple. No overload of buttons or fancy bits. It's all there and it's all in easy to reach buttons and knobs. Of course, Ford's Sync system is in place, but if you've got the V8 you'll only want to listen to that exhaust note anyways.

Does it pony up against the competition?
Well, this falls directly in line with the recently redesigned Challenger, Charger, and ‘Vette. These are all Halo Cars, all American muscle vehicles that were once known for straight-line prowess and lots and lots of power under sculpted hoods.

The new Mustang is right in line with that, but also on to something more with the introduction of the EcoBoost engine into the lineup. With a starting price just under $25k for the 300 horsepower V6 Coupe and the top model GT Premium Coupe sitting just shy of $50k, there are many options and engine specs for you to play with in order to build your perfect Mustang.

Is it the best Mustang so far? I'm not totally convinced of that, but I do know it's an improvement on the outgoing model and it looks bloody sexy and is a ton of fun to drive. In my mind, Ford did it right.

From GMM

One small problem has cost Nico Rosberg big under the glaring Singapore floodlights.

Long before the five lights went out on the start gantry on Sunday, the former championship leader's Mercedes crew was grappling with malfunctioning electronics on the steering wheel.

They never solved it.

"I had no hybrid power, no DRS. The gearbox was always changing two gears at once.

Nico Rosberg watches from the sidelines after retiring from the Singapore Grand Prix on lap 13 (Photo: WRI2)

"I had hoped we could fix it at the pitstop, but in the end, nothing worked," Rosberg is quoted by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

In the end, his retirement was utterly catastrophic for his 22-point cushion against arch-rival Lewis Hamilton -- who won the race.

The Briton now leads the championship by 3 points with just five races to go.

Rosberg could not hide his anger.

"I let out a lot in the cockpit," he admitted, revealing that boss Toto Wolff even found the need to apologise.

Rosberg says the Brackley based team, so utterly dominant in performance terms in 2014, needs to work harder on reliability.

"We have already had several problems with reliability this year," he insisted. "This is our weakness.

"We need to improve the car -- it must be 100 per cent reliable," Rosberg added.

From press release

The 13th annual Targa Newfoundland concluded Friday on the St. John's waterfront after a grueling 5 days of stages throughout the Avalon, Burin, and Bonavista Peninsulas.

The Legros & Motti Avalon North Leg of the event ran through the familiar stages of North West Brook, Freshwater, and then ending up in what has become the official last stage of the Targa, Brigus.

The winner of Open was the team of Mike Davenport and Brad Benson in their Subaru STI. The team won last year as well, so they will be seeking another win in 2015 and look forward to the challengers who want to knock them off the top spot.

In the Modern division, the father and son team of Brian and Matthew Oldford finally won the division after not finishing the previous two. A thrill of winning such an event in their home province makes it even more special.

The Classic division winner was pretty much not in doubt from Leg 2 onward. The Ford Mustang of Indiana natives Jack Rogers and C J Strupp crossed the line with a huge margin in overall time over the 2nd place finishers of Mark Bovey and Miles Markovic in their GMC 1500 pickup.

In Grand Touring, Equipped division, John Hume Sr. and Craig MacMullen in their Mini GP stayed on top and won after leading the division almost from the start. Their team mates, also driving a Mini GP, placed 2nd as Cody Morch and Nicole Troster pulled off the 1-2 finish for the Hume Media Inc. team.

In Grand Touring, Unequipped, the ‘Racing Reverend' Canon David Burrows and Jason Fancey in their Scion tC came out on top after leading for most of the event.

Several other individual awards and team trophies were also presented at the awards reception on Friday night. The President's Manufacturers' award is given to the manufacturer-backed team with the best member position. This year's trophy was awarded to Scion.

The Kenzie Cup for Marque Teams, which represents the three highest placing cars of the same marquee in any of the divisions, went to MINI in 2014.

The Jerry Churchill Memorial International Team Trophy went to Canada Hume Media whose vehicles are all registered in the same country and who had the best average team position.

From press release

Audi has celebrated the second consecutive one-two win in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Following their victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer won again in the fourth race of the season, in Austin.

Photo: Audi

One and a half hours into the race drizzling rain set in that soon changed into a downpour. Numerous competitors slipped into the gravel and came to a halt in dangerous places. Therefore, race control decided to red flag the race.

About 50 minutes later, the teams resumed the race behind the safety car and, on mixed conditions tires, Benoît Tréluyer defended his lead successfully.

Photo: Audi

Round five on the WEC calendar will be held on the track at Fuji in Japan in three weeks from now.

Race results* - World Endurance Championship
1 - Fassler-Lotterer-Treluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) - Audi - 157 laps
2 - Di Grassi-Duval-Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro) - Audi - 53"016
3 - Davidson-Lapierre-Buemi (Toyota TS040 Hybrid) - Toyota - 1'03"945
4 - Dumas-Jani-Lieb (Porsche 919 Hybrid) - Porsche - 1 lap
5 - Bernhard-Webber-Hartley (Porsche 919 Hybrid) - Porsche - 2 laps
6 - Wurz-Sarrazin-Conway (Toyota TS040 Hybrid) - Toyota - 2 laps
7 - Prost-Heidfeld-Beche (Rebellion R One-Toyota) - Rebellion - 8 laps
8 - Howson-Bradley-Matsuda (Oreca 03-Nissan) - KCMG - 12 laps
9 - Zlobin-Minassian-Mediani (Oreca 03-Nissan) - SMP - 12 laps
10 - Sharp-Dalziel-Brown (ARX 03b - Honda) - Extreme Speed - 16 laps
*Unofficial results

Photo: Audi

From GMM

Russia is pressing ahead with its preparations for next month's inaugural grand prix in Sochi.

That is despite the highly controversial and divisive Ukraine crisis, the recent MH17 atrocity, and new anti-Russian punitive sanctions by the US and Europe.

In Sochi on Friday, Russian teen Sergey Sirotkin will drive the Sauber in practice, reportedly as part of the struggling Swiss team's 'Russian rescue deal' that may in fact have been heavily delayed over the past months.

Asked whether the more intense sanctions imposed by Europe had hurt the deal, team boss Monisha Kaltenborn said in Singapore: "It's not affecting it."

Also defiant in the face of the sanctions are the Russians themselves, who insist that the new facility at the former winter olympic park is now ready for F1 mid next month.

"The sanctions will not affect the racing," deputy Russian prime minister Dmitry Kozak told the major news agency Itar Tass.

Also confident about Russia's inaugural race, to take place the week after the forthcoming Japanese grand prix, is Russian automobile federation chief Viktor Kiryanov.

He said: "The officials that were here a week ago said that the track is well prepared.

"There were small flaws, but the organisers have eliminated them and today I can say that we are ready for the grand prix in Sochi," Kiryanov announced.

Adapted from GMM

Ferrari has split from the pack and declared its support for three-car teams in formula one.

Amid rumours up to three or four teams are in financial peril, Bernie Ecclestone said in Singapore that the sport would fill the grid gaps by requiring top teams to move from two to three-car operations as soon as 2015.

"We'll know after the next two or three races, but it (the three car plan) is being looked at," said the F1 supremo.

It is feared two-decade-old Sauber and backmarker Caterham are the most at risk of collapsing, but Marussia is also in obvious strife and reports of unpaid bills regularly emerge about the Lotus team.

Force India co-owners Vijay Mallya and the jailed Subrata Roy, meanwhile, are also having high-profile financial problems.

If some teams do ultimately collapse, however, it is possible that three-car teams will be the solution to dwindling grid numbers.

Most team bosses are not keen.

Most bosses are against three-car teams, but not Ferrari (Photo: WRI2)

"I hope it never comes to that," said Mallya.

It is expected that if the three-car solution is triggered by the grid dropping below 20 cars, it is the top teams like Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren that are most likely to add a third runner to their respective garages.

Dominant giant Mercedes, however, is not keen.

"For us, the cost would amount to around 32 million euros to have a third car," Toto Wolff is quoted by Speed Week.

His counterpart Eric Boullier, however, said McLaren would "maybe" run a third car "to keep the grid at a decent number".

But Ferrari has made clear it is more than happy with the idea of three cars bearing the fabled Prancing Horse logo running around the calendar next year.

"It's not about the survival of F1," a team spokesman told the Spanish sports daily AS, "but for the show.

"With all due respect, people would prefer to see three more Red Bulls, Ferraris and Mercedes than the other cars," he reportedly added.

From press release

Lewis Hamilton made the most of Nico Rosberg's troubles in Singapore to take the lead of the drivers' championship back from his teammate.

Photo: WRI2

From 22 points back, Hamilton leaped ahead of Rosberg, who retired on lap 13 with an electrical problem, and now holds a three point advantage with five races to go.

"It was great to come here after winning in Monza and start the final leg of the season with such a competitive car," the Brit said.

Red Bull was quick in Singapore, but ultimately Hamilton was able resist the pressure from Sebastian Vettel, who held the lead momentarily after Hamilton's final stop.

Photo: WRI2

"I knew (Vettel) was on a two-stop strategy and that his tires were old. I went for it down the back straight. The gap was pretty small and maybe I could have chosen another point on the circuit.

"But I luckily squeezed through and made it stick."

Photo: WRI2

Rosberg's problems surfaced during his installation lap prior to the start. Mercedes opted to change steering wheel, but the tactic failed to fix the problem.

Having been forced to take the start from the pit lane, the German battled an uncompetitive car for his first stint and eventually retired right after his first stop, with the gearbox stuck in neutral.

Mercedes apologized to Rosberg and promised to work on its reliability.

Race results* - Singapore Grand Prix (round 14 of 19)
1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 60 laps 2.00'04"795
2 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 13"534
3 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 14"273
4 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14-T) - 15"389
5 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 42"161
6 - Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 56"801
7 - Sergio Perez (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 59"038
8 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14-T) - 1'00"641
9 - Nico Hulkenberg (Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1'01"661
10 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'02"230
11 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1'05"065
12 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'06"915
13 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1'08"029
14 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1'12"008
15 - Marcus Ericsson (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'34"188
16 - Jules Bianchi (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1'34"543
17 - Max Chilton (Marussia MR03-Ferrari) - 1 lap

Fastest lap of the race: 1'50"417 by Lewis Hamilton

Photo: WRI2

Retirements
Jenson Button
Adrian Sutil
Esteban Gutierrez
Nico Rosberg
Kamui Kobayashi

Drivers' championship
1.Hamilton 241; 2.Rosberg 238; 3.Ricciardo 181; 4.Alonso 133; 5.Vettel 124; 6.Bottas 122; 7.Button, Hulkenberg 72; 9.Massa 65; 10.Perez, Raikkonen 45; 12.Magnussen 39; 13.Vergne 19; 14.Grosjean, Kvyat 8; 16.Bianchi 2.

Constructors' championship
1.Mercedes 479; 2.Red Bull-Renault 305; 3.Williams-Mercedes 187; 4.Ferrari 178; 5.Force India-Mercedes 117; 6.McLaren-Mercedes 111; 7.Toro Rosso-Renault 27; 8.Lotus-Renault 8; 9.Marussia-Ferrari 2.
*Unofficial results

From GMM

Even in the midst of Fernando Alonso's anger and warnings, rumours about his future just will not go away.

Speaking with foreign-language reporters on the eve of the Singapore grand prix weekend, the Spaniard flew into a rage when faced with the latest wild speculation about his impending Ferrari exit.

Hinting that the leaks are coming from within Maranello, Alonso had said on Thursday: "If I do say something, I will do it in a few weeks time and somebody will not like what it is."

Still, the rumours keep coming.

The latest are being heard from the Japanese corners of the paddock, just two weeks ahead of the country's own grand prix at Suzuka.

Photo: WRI2

Suzuka, of course, is owned by the Japanese manufacturer Honda, who have been repeatedly linked with a big-money effort to sign Alonso to McLaren for 2015 as the highly-anticipated works F1 collaboration kicks off.

Speed Week reports that Japanese sources are saying Honda is prepared to 'move mountains' behind the scenes at Suzuka early next month to convince Alonso to leave Ferrari.

The report said Honda is apparently fully prepared to buy out the remainder of his lucrative Ferrari contract to make it happen.

Crisis-struck Ferrari, however, having already parted with big names like Domenicali, Marmorini and di Montezemolo in 2014, will not want to now lose Alonso.

"Without Fernando Alonso," Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda is quoted as saying, "Ferrari would be nowhere."

General Motors is recalling some Cadillac and Impala cars while Chrysler Group called back some Jeep and Dodge SUVs, according to government reports.

This month's advertising launch for VW's redesigned 2015 Golf puts the car at the center of a zany online video on Funny or Die.

Ford is concentrating on the 2.3-liter engine and other high-tech features in intensive training sessions designed to educate dealership salespeople.

BMW is learning that what distinguishes the ultimate driving machine can be a matter of taste.