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General Motors said late Sunday it agreed to extend the deadline for victims of faulty ignition switches to apply for compensation by another month to January 31.

Lincoln has signed up 32 dealers in six states for its new Black Label luxury subfranchise. Lincoln announced the Black Label series last year in an effort to set a new standard for luxury vehicles and customer service within the brand.

Small crossovers and extra-large luxury sedans will share the spotlight at the Los Angeles Auto Show, as Mercedes revives the Maybach name and Honda and Mazda roll out subcompact SUVs.

Automotive News Europe needs your help to identify the Rising Stars in the European automotive industry. The award honors executives with a pan-European profile who have driven change, fostered innovation and made courageous decisions.

After launch problems crippled the rollout of the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ, Ford Motor Co. throttled back aggressive ramp-up timetables, CEO Mark Fields said in an exclusive interview last week.

By the end of 2015, AutoNation Inc. customers will be able to finance and buy a car online -- even signing the paperwork electronically from home, says AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson.

Many dealers collect historic vehicles, and some even display vintage cars in their showrooms.

As Toyota prepares to consolidate its far-flung engineering, sales, marketing, finance and corporate operations into a new North American headquarters near Dallas, it's wrestling with a knotty set of challenges: retaining enough employees to ensure...

Pint-size crossovers and extra-large luxury sedans will share the spotlight at the Los Angeles Auto Show, as Mercedes-Benz revives the Maybach name with a top-of-the-line sedan, Audi unveils a concept for a future flagship and Honda and Mazda roll...

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., amid a remarkable sales rebound this year in the United States, is targeting its first profit in North America since the global financial crisis.

In May, Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, president of Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries, unveiled a business plan to guide the company through 2020. But Subaru's sales are rising so fast, he may have to roll out a new plan much sooner than expected.

Sonic Automotive Inc. is contracting with Manheim to buy and stock used vehicles at a new-car store near Denver as part of an unprecedented pilot program, said Jeff Dyke, Sonic executive vice president of operations.

By the end of 2015, AutoNation customers will be able to finance and buy a car online -- even signing the paperwork electronically from home, says AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson.

Pint-size crossovers and extra-large luxury sedans will share the spotlight at the Los Angeles Auto Show, as Mercedes-Benz revives the Maybach name with a top-of-the-line sedan, Audi unveils a concept for a future flagship and Honda and Mazda roll...

From press release

After a long and successful association, Gary Paffett and McLaren will part company at the end of the 2014 Formula 1 season, with McLaren changing engine partner from Mercedes-Benz to Honda.

Paffett began working with McLaren in 2006, and has spent the past eight years as a combination of test driver and reserve driver.

He has spent hundreds of hours driving test laps in McLaren's simulator, and the data that his work has produced has been hugely valuable to the process of designing and developing McLaren's Formula 1 cars.

Moreover, Paffett has always enjoyed working with McLaren.

"I've loved working for McLaren and hope my feedback and input over the years has been beneficial,” said Paffett.

“The engineers I've worked with have been kind enough to say that it has. I have many friends at McLaren, and I wish all of them the very best of luck for the future. Fingers crossed for a McLaren grand prix win or two next year!"

"Gary has been an excellent member of the McLaren team for the best part of a decade, and his technical input, on test track and in simulator alike, has been hugely important to us. Just as important, he's a great guy. We wish him well,” declared Jonathan Neale, COO and acting CEO, McLaren Racing.

Paffett will compete in the German DTM championship and continue his association with Mercedes-Benz and team HWA EURONICS.

Adapted from GMM

The list of potential teammates for confirmed Caterham driver Kamui Kobayashi in Abu Dhabi is growing by the hour.

Names including Andre Lotterer, Roberto Merhi, Rubens Barrichello, new GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer and Max Chilton have all been linked with the drive, after Swedish regular Marcus Ericsson terminated his contract last week.

Italiaracing reports that Lebanese driver Khalil Beschir is another candidate, perhaps given his high profile in Abu Dhabi as a television pundit and also a manager of up-and-coming Middle Eastern drivers.

Now Max Chilton has emerged as a surprise candidate to race the second Caterham in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

Unlike Caterham, it appears Marussia has in fact missed the weekend deadline to ship its freight to Abu Dhabi.

That leaves Chilton, the well-backed 23-year-old, eyeing the race seat at Caterham vacated last week by the Sauber-bound Marcus Ericsson.

Caterham missed its crowdfunding target by last Friday's deadline, but administrator Finbarr O'Connell said the shortfall could be made up by a driver's backers.

"There's a variety of contracts but this particular one is with one of the drivers we've been talking to," he told the BBC.

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport now reports that the identity of that driver is in fact Chilton.

A reckless driver who put lives at risk when he drove onto Brands Hatch circuit last June while a VW Fun Cup race was underway has been jailed for eight months.

Jack Cottle had his girlfriend and a friend in the car when he drove onto the British road circuit during an actual race.

The friend filmed the whole scene from the back seat as Cottle laughed as he completed a lap of the track.

Cottle had pleaded guilty to a public nuisance charge at Maidstone Crown Court in October.

After being granted bail with a condition of residence, Cottle was handed his sentence today by Judge Martin Joy, who described Cottle's actions as "premeditated" and "inexcusable".

"Your deliberate behaviour endangered not only your own life but those of your passengers, the competitors, the emergency services, the marshals, stewards and anyone else who was nearby," judge Joy told Cottle.

"His conviction and prison sentence will serve to reinforce the message that this kind of antisocial behaviour is not only stupid, but will lead to prosecution," said Jonathan Palmer, Chief Executive of MSV (the owner of Brands Hatch) after the sentencing.

From GMM

Buoyed by the end of his legal troubles, Bernie Ecclestone says he is now determined to never step down as F1 chief executive.

Having turned 84 this year, the Briton admits 2014 was particularly difficult as he battled to fight off the Gerhard Gribkowsky scandal that nearly saw him not only nearly deposed, but potentially also in jail.

He won the day with a highly controversial $100 million settlement, and is now once again presiding fully over the F1 kingdom he built almost from scratch.

So Ecclestone is no longer intimating his decades-long reign may be nearing an end. Asked by the correspondent for Gulf News, the diminutive Briton replied rhetorically: "When am I going to quit?

"Sure, it's been a terrible year, one of the worst of my life but, as I have told you often enough before, and nothing has changed, I am staying put," said Ecclestone.

"The only way my job in formula one will come to an end, unless somebody with the power decrees it, is when they are carrying me away in my coffin. And then they'd better make sure the lid is nailed down," he added.

As ever with a specific position taken by Ecclestone, however, he does caution that he might change his mind under some circumstances.

For instance, he told the BBC recently that while he would like to tweak F1's income distribution, as well as the sporting and technical regulations, "The big problem is that now we run a democracy".

"You know I'm against democracies, with anything," said Ecclestone. "You have a democracy if you don't want to do anything except start a working group. We have to be able to say 'This is how it's going to be'."

Now, he told Gulf News in London: "I have always run the business the way I thought it should be organised. And it has mostly worked.

"The minute I can't do that, I will quit.

"I have often flown by the seat of my pants with nobody but myself to turn to. Sometimes I've got it wrong -- but mostly I've got it right.

"And formula one, and the thousands of people in it, and the many millions of followers worldwide, have been the beneficiaries," he added.

From GMM

Mercedes has scheduled urgent contractual talks with Lewis Hamilton, as the team looks to keep its dominant pairing together beyond 2015.

Currently, the pair are set to race together once again next year, despite clashing on and off track at times as the intensity of their championship fight heated up.

Earlier this year, Mercedes extended its deal with Nico Rosberg, while teammate Hamilton's contract is still currently set to expire at the end of 2015.

Asked why only Rosberg's deal was extended, team boss Toto Wolff told the Austrian broadcaster ORF: "We didn't want to be in a situation where in a year's time there is the possibility we have to be filling not one but two places.

"Nico is an important part of the team, he fits in well and his performance is good so we wanted to extend at an early stage," he said during the Sport am Sonntag programme.

"With Lewis," Wolff continued, "the contract runs for another year anyway and in the summer we started to discuss (extending) it (beyond 2015).

"We have agreed that we want to continue and Lewis has said the same but at some point we decided that it was not the right time to do it. The duel was so intense so we thought it was a good idea to talk after Abu Dhabi.

"Now we have agreed that we get together on Monday in Abu Dhabi to talk about it," said Wolff.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG. (Photo: WRi2)

If confirmed, the news looks set to lock Fernando Alonso out of Mercedes for now, following speculation the Spaniard wanted to find a stop-gap solution for 2015 in order to target Hamilton's place in silver for 2016.

But it appears Mercedes is happy with Hamilton and Rosberg, despite their run-ins this season.

Wolff was asked if he even sees the "fire" between the team's current pairing as essential to continue Mercedes' dominance into 2015 and beyond.

"I don't know if fire is important," he said. "The only thing the two are interested in is that they have the fastest race car possible. So I would say at the moment that we have a good situation.

"Clearly there are many others who would like to have this cockpit, but I hope our two see it that way as well and we can go on with this driver combination," added Wolff.

Before the future arrives, however, the eyes of the world will be on Hamilton and Rosberg this weekend in Abu Dhabi as their 2014 championship battle reaches its conclusion.

Asked who the favourite is, Wolff told ORF: "I have been asked this question time and time again in the past days.

"Mathematically, the numbers are on Lewis' side, but we (Mercedes) want to behave neutrally.

"Lewis is in the lead and a second place will be enough to be world champion, so Nico has to hope for a third place or worse (for Hamilton).

"If you look on the basis of the last few races, then everything points to another one-two," he admitted.

After nine months of intense racing, the 2014 Formula 1 World Championship draws to a close in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

With double points up for grabs for the first time in the sport's history, it promises to be a thrilling climax to the season.

Here is the timetable of the event. Please note that all times are local.

Thursday November 20
Formula 1 Press Conference - Press Room 15:00

Friday November 21
GP3 Practice Session 10:00 - 10:45
GP2 Practice Session 11:15 - 12:00
Formula 1 Practice 1 13:00 - 14:30
GP3 Qualifying Session 15:00 - 15:30
Formula 1 Practice 2 17:00 - 18:30
GP2 Qualifying Session 19:00 - 19:30
Formula 1 Press Conference - Press Room 19:00 - 20:00

Saturday November 22
Formula 1 Team Pit Stop Practice 11:15 - 11:45
GP3 First Race (14 Laps or 30 Mins) 12:05 - 12:40
Formula 1 Practice 3 14:00 - 15:00
Formula 1 Qualifying 17:00
GP2 First Race (31 Laps or 60 Minutes) 18:40 - 19:45

Sunday November 23
GP3 Second Race (14 Laps or 30 Minutes) 13:00 - 13:35
GP2 Second Race (22 Laps or 45 Minutes) 14:20 - 15:10
Formula 1 Fastest Lap of the Year Award - Grid 15:20
Formula 1 End of Year F1 Drivers Photograph - Grid 15:25
Formula 1 Drivers Track Parade 15:30
Formula 1 Starting Grid Presentation 15:45 - 16:15
Formula 1 National Anthem 16:46
Formula 1 Start of the race 17:00

*This timetable is subject to change.