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From GMM

Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz insists he is "not disappointed" to be losing world champion Sebastian Vettel.

A week ago at Suzuka, the German - who was nurtured from boyhood to F1 stardom by the energy drink company - announced to Red Bull and the world that he is leaving the team.

It is expected he will switch to Ferrari for 2015.

But billionaire Mateschitz insisted to the German news agency DPA that, at the moment, Vettel and Red Bull Racing are not compatible.

Dietrich Mateschitz (Photo: WRI2)

"Given Red Bull's handicap with the current (Renault) power unit and Mercedes' dominance," he said, "you don't need a four-time world champion who at best can be 'best of the rest'."

And according to Mateschitz, the promise shown by Vettel's successor, 20-year-old Daniil Kvyat, is another reason Red Bull is happily letting its champion go.

"We considered it neither just nor necessary to intervene," he said, "particularly since this switch brings huge financial savings.

"I also believe that the forthcoming switches will contribute a lot to the excitement of the next formula one season," Mateschitz added.

From GMM

Wherever Fernando Alonso will go next year, sponsor Movistar will go with him.

That is the claim of Spain's Marca, who reports that Movistar, the major Spanish mobile operator, has decided to partner with Alonso's next F1 team.

"Talks with McLaren are underway," read the report.

"There are also negotiations afoot with Blackberry, the phone company that is with Mercedes and with which there is an obvious synergy. One (Movistar) sells the lines, the other (Blackberry) the handsets."

If Alonso cannot find a route into Mercedes for 2015, he is expected either to sign a one-year deal elsewhere, or simply sit out next year's championship.

"McLaren will not want to be the stopgap," said London's Times newspaper.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F14-T (Photo: WRI2)

So while the talks go on, everybody else waits.

"It all depends on whether he (Alonso) goes to McLaren or whether he leaves formula one and returns later," said Lotus driver Romain Grosjean, who is leaving his own future open for now.

Also waiting is McLaren driver Jenson Button, the 2009 world champion.

He admitted in Russia: "My family find it really difficult to understand the situation I am in at this point, considering what I have done in the sport."

Another party whose next plans appear held up is Ferrari. There is speculation Hamilton may also be linked with the Maranello team.

"No, that's not true," the championship leader told Germany's Auto Bild in Russia.

Team boss Marco Mattiacci, meanwhile, said on Friday: "I don't have any update, any news, any announcement to be made."

The next six years will be boom times for suppliers with the right technology.

A truck driver in Michigan filed a charge of coercion against the UAW for keeping her from exercising her right to quit the union and stop paying dues, according to the National Right to Work Foundation.

In September, overall used-vehicle prices fell for the fifth month in a row, but prices of used pickups rose sharply. It's all part of a healthy overall market, said Tom Webb, chief economist at auction giant Manheim.

New light-vehicle sales will top 16 million units annually in the United States at least until 2018 but won't reach the heights some forecasters -- and automakers -- are anticipating, predicted Steven Szakaly, chief economist of the National...

New vehicle sales in Vietnam increased by almost 53% to 12,940 units in September, from 8,466 units a year earlier, according to data released by the Vietnam Automotive Manufacturers Association.

Sales by Nissan Motor's Chinese joint venture fell 20% year on year to about 93,700 vehicles in China in September.

Nissan has appointed Hyundai's European chief Allan Rushforth as corporate vice president for global sales based at its Yokohama headquarters and reporting to chief planning officer Philippe Klein.

Design is everything it seems - since declaring design management as a core driver of the company's future growth, Kia Motors Corporation's brand value has skyrocketed by 480% from US$929m in 2007 to US$5.4bn, according to Interbrand's list of 100 Best Global Brands 2014.

Ford said it expects to boost sales in China once new assembly facilities come online and new vehicles hit showrooms in coming months, after posting its first dip in China monthly sales this year.

Conjure up an image of Paris and chances are a multitude of accepted versions will crowd your brain, a smorgasbord of real experiences and tourist brochure charm hard-wired into our DNA for centuries.

News 10 Oct, 2014

New strategy sees future SUVs wear GL badge, sports cars also set for naming revolution

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A driverless Audi RS7 Sportback will tackle Germany's Hockenheim circuit at race speed next week

Interviews conducted at the Paris show have been published this week - chats with François Bancon at Infiniti and Maxim Picat at Peugeot (also here) and also more from Ford's Mark Fields.

Articles 10 Oct, 2014

Get the Auto Express winter special now as part of our 6 issues for £1 offer. You'll receive a FREE ice scraper glove too!

Over three generations since 1993, Ford has sold over 1.4m Mondeos in the UK alone and the car is a staple of the D-segment 'user chooser' fleet driver. With the new model for 2015, redesigned bumper to bumper, the UK sales company is tweaking its approach.

Japan's Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA) says further earthquakes in the country could occur "at any time," although significant lessons have been taken on board since the last major eruption in 2011.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling more than 10,500 C-class sedans in the United States from the 2015 model year because a production error causes steering wheels to squeak and resist turning.

Volkswagen said it is on target to sell 10 million vehicles this year after its September deliveries increased by 3 percent. Higher sales in China and Europe are helping to offset weaker volume in the U.S. and South America for the group.