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Suzuki will return to two-shift production at its plant in Hungary as it prepares to launch the new Vitara subcompact crossover, a report said.

The United States will be the biggest market for the new Mercedes-AMG GT and is expected to account for 25 percent of the car's worldwide volume.

Messring, a German manufacturer of crash-test facilities, has established a wholly owned Chinese subsidiary. The company has built ten crash-test facilities in China over the past decade.

Gestamp, a Spanish supplier of metal auto parts, predicts that by 2015 China will become its third-largest market worldwide, after Germany and Spain.

BMW may have to increase production of its i8 plug-in hybrid supercar to meet high demand. The waiting time of up to 18 months for the 120,000 euro coupe is too long, BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said.

Prompted by lifestyle changes among Generation Y buyers, Honda, Fiat and Mazda joined the stampede to introduce smaller entries in the booming crossover market as the industry seeks younger buyers.

Even before Mikko Hirvonen's recent retirement, speculation linked Tänak with a Ford Fiesta RS seat following impressive World Rally Car appearances in Sweden and Portugal this year.

Tänak drove with M-Sport in 2012 but was dropped after an accident-prone season. He returned to the championship this year, primarily in WRC 2, with a more mature attitude and guided by new co-driver Raigo Mõlder.

Friday, M-Sport confirmed Tänak would be a Ford driver in 2015, alongside Briton Elfyn Evans.

Tänak replaces veteran Mikko Hirvonen who decided to stop his WRC career after the last WRC event, the Wales GB Rally.

From GMM

Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel may be joining Scuderia Ferrari at just the right moment.

Ferrari has had a tumultuous start to the new V6 era and has been busily shedding top staff all year including Stefano Domenicali, Luca Marmorini and president Luca di Montezemolo.

According to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday, Vettel will have plenty of help.

The Italian newspaper said that since October, Ferrari has signed key personnel from Red Bull Racing, Mercedes AMG and McLaren.

"It is no coincidence that many engineers are following Vettel from Red Bull," said correspondent Luigi Perna, "and others have come from Mercedes, McLaren, Lotus, Williams and Renault.

"Within the racing division at Ferrari, there have been 60 new hirings," added Perna, revealing that one of them is Mercedes hybrid specialist Wolf Zimmermann.

And "Cedric Cornebois, an expert in combustion, also comes from Mercedes," Perna said.

With two teams currently in administration (Caterham and Marussia), and several other small teams being very concerned with the escalading costs of racing in Formula 1, let's look here at the money it needs to run a team.

In Abu Dhabi for the final race of the season, Caterham administrator Finbarr O'Connell has identified the next few weeks “absolutely key” for the team's chances of surviving in its current form as he prepares to meet with three different groups of would-be investors.

“It is about what they invest rather than the price tag. The price tag will get them into Formula 1 - the big thing then is the ongoing costs," O'Connell explained.

“At this end of the grid it's probably £70 million ($110 million) a year of costs that you have to cover so only people who know they can cover that, either through sponsorship, driver sponsorship or these motor companies effectively can use it for R&D or for marketing, it's those sort of entities that we're looking at.”

How is that money spent over a year?

Here is the breakdown for an average team, such as Caterham (as published by Autosport magazine):

Hybrid power system (power units): $28 million
Gearbox and hydraulics: $5 million
Fuel and lubricants: $1.5 million
Pirelli tires: $1.8 million
Electronics: $1.95 million
Information technology (IT): $3 million
Salaries: $20 million
Travel and trackside facilities: $12 million
Chassis and parts production/manufacturing: $20 million
Windtunnel/CFD facilities: $18.5 million
Utilities and factory maintenance: $2 million
Human resources and professional services: $1.5 million
Freight: $5 million

Total: $120.25 million

Lotus Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has received a 20-place grid penalty ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The FIA stewards added that the Frenchman would need to carry out further penalties during the race if he is unable to serve it in full.

Grosjean's Lotus E22 will use his sixth internal combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-H in Abu Dhabi. He therefore earned three distinct grid penalties of ten, five and a further five places for the infractions, giving him a total grid penalty of 20 places.

Since there are only 20 cars in the field, the Lotus driver will serve other grid position penalties during the race in the form of a time penalty during the race, in accordance with the following:

1 - 5   5 Second Time Penalty
6 -10  10 Second Time Penalty
11-20  Drive-through Penalty
Over 20  10 Second Stop and Go Penalty

Lotus E22-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

From GMM

With F1's biggest names swapping teams and the 2014 championship entering its decisive showdown, the furore over the future of the sport enjoyed a brief sojourn on Thursday.

But on Friday, the civil war between angry small teams on one side and Bernie Ecclestone, the grandees and owners CVC on the other will be back on pole position.

A meeting between Ecclestone and the furious Lotus, Sahara Force India and Sauber is set to take place in Abu Dhabi, as the teams suspect a concerted effort to drive them out is now well under way.

They have now abandoned their boycott threats, but an even bigger threat for Ecclestone and the FIA may have emerged.

Anneliese Dodds, a British politician, has written to the European Commission's competition arm with "grave concerns" about F1's governance, according to the Times newspaper.

It follows a letter from the small teams to Ecclestone last week accusing F1 authorities of operating a "cartel" through an inequitable distribution of income and the big team-dominated, rule-making 'Strategy Group'.

"There was an agreement made between F1 and the European Union about competition some years ago and it seems that has not been stuck to," Anneliese Dodds said.

Starting grid. (Photo: WRi2)

The Times said Dodds' letter follows a dossier having been sent to the EU capital Brussels, revealing secret information about the Strategy Group and how the most powerful teams are also given the bulk of F1's commercial income.

Also of interest to Brussels could be the way in which the FIA, despite its sole role as the sport's regulator of rules and safety, recently concluded a deal with Ecclestone including a 1 per cent shareholding of the commercial rights.

Stuck in the middle of the civil war is Williams, a mid-sized private team enjoying a run of form that was granted a place in the controversial Strategy Group due to its history.

Deputy boss Claire Williams confirmed: "We occupy an intermediate position between the two camps. On the one hand, we are sympathetic to the position of the three teams, but we also understand the position of the top teams.

"At the same time, I do not agree when the Strategy Group is called a cartel, as it was formed with the consent of all the teams, including those who are not represented.

"But for us, the politics are not relevant. We do not come to a race weekend to spend our time in debate. If other teams want to do that, it's their decision," she is quoted by f1news.ru.

Formula 1 World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton set the early pace ahead of rival and Mercedes' teammate Nico Rosberg in the two free practice sessions for the Abu Dhabi GP on Friday.

Hamilton, who leads Rosberg by 17 points in the drivers' standings, lapped the 5.554km Yas Marina circuit in a time of 1m43.476 to go 0.133s faster than the German in FP1.

The gap to the third fastest car, Fernando Alonso's Ferrari, was a huge 1.708s.

Sebastian Vettel was fourth ahead of Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo.

Toro Rosso duo of Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Eric Vergne were sixth and seventh respectively, with Valtteri Bottas (Williams) eventually eighth ahead of Force India's Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.

Rookie Will Stevens made a stuttering start to his F1 career, claiming 20th and last place in the second Caterham.

Making their own practice debuts, Esteban Ocon was 16th for Lotus while Adderly Fong was 19th in the Sauber.

Will Stevens, Caterham-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

Second free practice session
Hamilton again set the fastest time in the second free practice session held under the lights, beating Rosberg for a second time in succession.

Hamilton emerged on top with a lap of 1m42.113, which was a mere 0.083 seconds quicker than the German.

Their closest challenger was McLaren's Kevin Magnussen. The young Dane ran with upgrades on his MP4-29 on Friday, just under a tenth quicker than Sebastian Vettel, who proved faster of the two Red Bull RB10s in practice on his final race weekend appearance for the team.

Fernando Alonso's Ferrari F14 T developed an electrical problem on his second lap, forcing him to stop and abandon his car on the race track.

Williams, meanwhile, enjoyed a more competitive second session after a double engine cover failure in FP1.

Valtteri Bottas wound up fifth fastest ahead of the second Red Bull Racing of Daniel Ricciardo, Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and the McLaren of Jenson Button.

Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat and Felipe Massa (Williams) completed the top ten.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes. (Photo: WRi2)

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina, 1st free practice session*:
1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1m43.476 - 31 laps
2 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1m43.609 - 30
3 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m45.184 - 22
4 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m45.334 - 30
5 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m45.361 - 23
6 - Jean Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m45.718 - 17
7 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m45.835 - 32
8 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m45.913 - 8
9 - Sergio Perez (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m45.983 - 23
10 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m46.030 - 24
11 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1m46.049 - 23
12 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m46.131 - 23
13 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m46.549 - 7
14 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'46”556 - 28
15 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m46.711 - 31
16 - Esteban Ocon (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m47.066 - 29
17 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1'47.235 - 8
18 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'47.971 - 24
19 - Adderly Fong (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1m48.269 - 25
20 - Will Stevens (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1'50.584 - 14

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari. (Photo: WRi2)

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina, 2nd free practice session*:
1 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1m42.113 - 35 laps
2 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1m42.196 - 37
3 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1m42.895 - 37
4 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m42.959 - 33
5 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m43.070 - 34
6 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m43.183 - 32
7 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m43.489 - 33
8 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4-29-Mercedes) - 1m43.503 - 23
9 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m43.546 - 38
10 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m43.558 - 34
11 - Sergio Perez (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m43.746 - 37
12 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m44.005 - 38
13 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m44.068 - 32
14 - Jean Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m44.157 - 39
15 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1m44.316 - 38
16 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1m44.763 - 37
17 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m44.986 - 35
18 - Kamui Kobayashi (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1m45.505 - 38
19 - Will Stevens (Caterham CT05-Renault) - 1m47.057 - 34
20 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14 T) - No time - 2
* Unofficial timing

Days after Bernie Ecclestone declared Formula 1 does not need to chase a younger audience, Formula E electric series' boss Alejandro Agag claims his series is for the young fans.

Speaking during the official pre-race press conference ahead of tomorrow's Putrajaya ePrix, Agag, the CEO of Formula E said: “Formula E is the championship for the younger generation. We are open to the young fans and Formula E is designed with that in mind”.

“We have for example created FanBoost, which is a possibility for fans to vote on social media and online to push for their favourite driver. For the first time ever fans can have an impact on the result of sport.”

Agag emphasised that the impact of social interaction and influence of the mobile phone and tablet generation as a key to driving Formula E's future initiatives.

“You can't score a goal in football or score a point in tennis through social media but clearly you can push a driver to help overtaking,” Agag explained.

“The next generation have a different way with interacting with the world. The young people are going mobile and it's going interactive. In our opinion a new racing championship has to be ready for that change.”

A memorable qualifying session Friday saw Marvin Kirchhofer blaze to pole in Abu Dhabi, whilst Carlin rookie Alex Lynn became the fifth driver to take the elusive GP3 crown.

Lynn, a member of the Red Bull Young Driver programme, had one hand on the coveted trophy prior to the season finale at Yas Marina Circuit, after his nearest challenger in the standing's Dean Stoneman failed to score - Lynn can not be beaten on points and thus celebrates a fantastic season.

At the chequered flag, the qualifying session belonged to Kirchhöfer, the second pole position for the rookie, with Stoneman, Bernstorff and Lynn completing the front two rows.

Looking ahead, what does the future hold for the new champion?

“The best scenario for me would be to get the Toro Rosso drive in Formula 1, but ever increasingly, unfortunately, a small cog in a huge moving wheel goes around in terms of Red Bull and Formula 1,” Lynn said in a press release.

“Things are very difficult. But to be honest it's very much in the air. I do believe that in the next two to three weeks I will know for sure my future, once the F1 season is finished. It will be an interesting time but I have three or four options and if any of them come off, it will be amazing. I'm sure one of them will but until it's done, it's not done. Everything is looking good,” the British driver declared.

GM said Grace Lieblein will replace Alicia Boler-Davis as head of global quality as the company caps a year of record recalls.

GM said Grace Lieblein will replace Alicia Boler-Davis as head of global quality as the company caps a year of record recalls. Lieblein, currently head of purchasing, will be replaced by powertrain chief Steve Kiefer.

Ferrari has named 14-year employee Edwin Fenech as CEO of the premium sports car maker's North American unit.

General Motors today named Stephen Carlisle the new president and managing director for GM Canada as the company's current chief for Canada, Kevin Williams, prepares for retirement at year's end.

Mobileye, which produces collision-avoidance technology, reported a 70 percent rise in revenue but posted a net loss for the third quarter.

GM's Europe-based brands are plotting what could be a major reversal of fortunes. It's all about new cars, extra models and an ever-closer alliance with Buick.