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Robert Bosch GmbH gained full control over key automotive technology, positioning the world's biggest parts supplier as an unexpected beneficiary of ZF Friedrichshafen AG's leap into the No. 2 position.

Robert Bosch is an unexpected beneficiary of ZF's plans to purchase TRW. Bosch is poised to take full control of a steering joint venture it co-founded with ZF that makes systems that are key to creating driverless cars.

News 16 Sep, 2014

Citroen's DS has teamed up with French fashion house Ines de La Fressange Paris for two new DS3 concepts

Pictures See all 9 pictures 16 Sep, 2014

Opel is demonstrating its OnStar connected vehicle service at this year's 'eCall Days Germany' (16-18 September), the biggest international conference in Germany covering the European emergency call system for vehicles.

General Motors European Opel arm is shaking up operations in Russia to combat difficult market conditions which are "facing serious turbulence".

Toyota has paused plans for a new assembly plant in Mexico after company president Akio Toyoda called for a review of the North American market.

News 16 Sep, 2014

Future Skoda models will be more stylish and design-focused than ever before by relying on traditional techniques

News 16 Sep, 2014

New Bentley Mulsanne Speed to debut at Paris, with 530bhp and a 190mph top speed

Pictures See all 9 pictures 16 Sep, 2014

After reaching agreement to purchase TRW, 2015 is shaping up to be the most momentous year in ZF's long history. Colin Whitbread considers the implications of the latest developments.

General Motors has so far agreed a compensation payout to families of 19 people killed in its cars in crashes related to faulty ignition switches.

VW Group's lead in China's compact sedan market this year has helped boost German automaker' share of the overall car market to 24 percent in July from 21 percent at the end of 2013.

News 16 Sep, 2014

The Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX are next in line for Focus updates - set to go on sale early 2015

Opel will reorganize its Russian operations in response to difficult market conditions amid the crisis over Ukraine, the General Motors subsidiary said Tuesday.

Opel will reorganize its Russian operations in response to difficult market conditions amid the crisis over Ukraine, the General Motors subsidiary said Tuesday.

Billed as the 3,000-mile test drive, the five-part video series starts on the factory floor in Montgomery, AL, and goes west to Orange County, CA.

The executives chosen as 2014 Automotive News Europe Eurostars rose above the rest by pushing their companies to new heights. Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth is this year's winner for Brand CEO.

From wrc.com

Citroen Racing boss Yves Matton has criticised the penalty applied to Kris Meeke for cutting a corner at Rally Australia and believes that without it the Briton would have been able to finish on the podium.

Meeke completed Saturday's stages in fourth, locked in a back and forth battle with Volkswagen's Andreas Mikkelsen who was just 1.5sec ahead.

But the fight ended that night, when stewards hit Meeke with a 1min 01sec penalty, dropping him to fifth, for driving over a grass area on the repeated Valla stage (SS10).

At Rally Poland in June Mikkelsen was reprimanded by stewards for a similar corner cut, but his penalty was a 5,000 Euro fine and the threat of exclusion if he repeated the offence.

Yves Matton said: “I have no comment on Kris's penalty, other than to say that on similar facts the [stewards'] decisions are not consistent. But it's like that. There is nothing more we can do. I just hope if it happens again we have some more consistency with the decisions.”

Meeke regained fourth on Sunday's opening test but was unable to close the gap to Mikkelsen. Without the penalty, Matton believes it was a fight Meeke would have won.

“I don't know if Andreas would have made the same tire choice on Sunday morning if he was still fighting, that will stay as a question mark, but for sure Kris was able to secure third place.

“If you take the penalty away, and you look at the times he was doing, I think it was possible for Kris to finish something like 30 or 35 seconds from the victory. And with the experience he has, for sure it was a great performance.”

From GMM

Luca di Montezemolo says there is no correlation between Ferrari's successes as a business as opposed to success in formula one.

After 23 years as president, the Maranello marque's iconic leader is stepping down to be replaced by Fiat-Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne.

Defending his position, Marchionne said that while 67-year-old Montezemolo should be applauded for growing Ferrari as a road car business, the downwards trend of success in formula one needs to be addressed.

The implication is that, ultimately, Ferrari overall will suffer.

But, in an interview to be aired by Italian broadcaster Rai 1 later on Tuesday, Montezemolo challenged the view that Ferrari's road car and F1 successes can be tied together.

"I often hear people say 'If you win you sell more, if you lose you sell less'," said the charismatic Italian.

"My reply is that it is not so. Just think that the greatest growth Ferrari has had over the past 60 years was in the United States -- the country where formula one is almost unknown."

Montezemolo says that even applies to other markets.

"It would be said 'take a German driver, sell more in Germany'. But we had outstanding victories with a driver like Schumacher, but we didn't sell any more in Germany," he insisted.

The latest victory of Ferrari was in Spain, in 2013. (Photo: WRi2)

Meanwhile, as Montezemolo's decline is hotly debated in Italy and beyond, a member of the influential Agnelli family has backed the controversial news.

Andrea Agnelli, president of the Juventus football club, said Montezemolo made a "profound" impact on Ferrari, including "incredible achievements" for the Maranello marque.

But he said responsibility for Ferrari's failure to win a title since Kimi Raikkonen in 2007 "applies to everyone".

"Whenever you begin a process of renewal which relates to the medium and long term, it is right that it involves new people," said Agnelli, whose uncle was the great Fiat figurehead Gianni Agnelli.

"Ferrari must not be nostalgic but look to the future in a constructive manner with regards to the leadership," he is quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I hope that Ferrari and Juventus win together perhaps already next year, as anyone who works in sports can set no other ambition than victory. Sport, from this point of view, is ruthless both on the football field and on the track," said Agnelli.