Auto News 5

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel has unofficially confirmed that he will be a Ferrari driver in 2015.

At present, even though his switch from Red Bull to Ferrari has been signed and sealed for weeks and is an open secret in the paddock, neither side is able to actually announce it.

That is apparently because of a contractual impasse between the Italian team and its current driver Fernando Alonso.

But it is believed Alonso is currently en route to Woking, where he will sign his McLaren deal and open the door for Ferrari to finally confirm Vettel's impending arrival.

The German driver may have already jumped the gun.

In Brazil, the Italian broadcaster Sky reportedly gave Vettel a fun questionnaire to test his grasp of the Italian language.

The first question was: "Sebastian Vettel is", and the 27-year-old completed the sentence with the hand-written answer "A driver for Scuderia Ferrari".

Nonetheless, Ferrari is not ready to lift the lid on the news officially.

Ferrari fans. (Photo: WRi2)

At the presentation of the new Fiat 500x this week, Ferrari's new president Sergio Marchionne reportedly told Italian media: "Will we (Ferrari) announce the future strategy at the Abu Dhabi grand prix?

"I don't know. It is important first to finish the last race. It was a tough year and Sunday at Interlagos was not a good day," he added.

It does appear, at least, that Kimi Raikkonen will be Vettel's 2015 teammate, despite a season of struggle for the Finn alongside Alonso.

Team boss Marco Mattiacci has been quoted as hailing Raikkonen's performance in Brazil, where he finished seventh, just behind Fernando Alonso.

Italian reports quote Mattiacci as saying Raikkonen's weekend at Interlagos was "fantastic" and "extremely positive".

"Kimi is a great professional," he added, "and does not need any kind of pressure to do well. We work very well together, and Raikkonen is one of the best drivers out there.

"We are building our future together step by step," Marco Mattiacci insisted.

Adapted from nascar.com

Police in Dover, Delaware released a statement Friday, confirming that an investigation of alleged domestic assault involves NASCAR driver Kurt Busch.

His ex-girlfriend, Patricia Driscoll, has accused him of bashing her head against a wall in Busch's motorhome while he was despondent over the outcome of qualifying at the Dover International Speedway in September, according to news reports.

"He was verbally abusive to her and said he wished he had a gun so that he could kill himself," the documents say.

An attorney for Busch said the allegations are false and brought by a rejected ex-girlfriend "who has refused to accept the end of a relationship." A hearing has been set for December 2nd.

Kurt Busch, Kyle's older brother has a reputation for being temperamental. The former Sprint Cup champion has been fined and/or suspended for verbally abusing reporters and for altercations with other drivers.

GM is eliminating one production shift at the Michigan plant where the Cadillac ATS and CTS are made, a reflection of new brand chief Johan de Nysschen's vow to fix excess production and high inventories that have plagued Cadillac over the past year.

Cox Automotive has agreed to pay $325 million in cash to buy Xtime, a leading provider of service scheduling and workflow software to dealerships, the companies announced today.

The UAW said it expects Volkswagen AG to announce soon a policy change that would allow for union representation at the company's plant in Tennessee, where the union has faced challenges organizing workers.

Chrysler will begin replacing potentially defective airbag inflators made by Takata in more than 371,000 vehicles in early December, according to documents filed by the automaker with federal safety regulators.

General Motors' most recent quarterly report to federal safety regulators on crashes that may be linked to a defect lists 47 deaths and 614 injuries in vehicles it has recalled this year for ignition problems.

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 10,509 C-class compacts from model year 2015 in the United States because some cars can lose steering function at low speed.

Porsche is introducing the Panamera Exclusive Series, which features more luxury than the company has ever offered before.

The initial public offering of luxury carmaker Ferrari is expected to happen between the second and the third quarter of 2015, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said today.

News 11 Nov, 2014

New Lexus LF-C2 concept could point towards a convertible version of the RC coupe

Daimler will revive its Maybach ultraluxury marque as a subbrand with three variants of its flagship S-class sedan, including a version aimed at Chinese buyers, but the company ruled out a Maybach SUV for now.

Daimler will revive its Maybach ultraluxury marque as a sub-brand with three variants of its flagship S-class sedan, including a version aimed at Chinese buyers, but the company ruled out a Maybach SUV for now.

General Motors is laying off 160 workers and trimming production at the assembly plant where it makes the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano amid weaker-than-expected demand for the small cars.

News 11 Nov, 2014

Volkswagen has revealed a new four-cylinder diesel engine that uses high-pressure injection to produce 268bhp and nearly 60mpg

Takata Chairman Shigehisa Takada's failure to come forward and address an airbag crisis ensnaring the world's biggest automakers risks shaking investor confidence in the 81-year-old manufacturer's prospects.

Infiniti is road-testing its next global model, the compact Q30 hatchback, which will hit showrooms in 2016. The new five-door will use the architecture of Mercedes-Benz's European-market A class and also will rely on a Daimler-designed, 2.

A spokesman for FCA has confirmed to just-auto that the Bravo is no longer being manufactured in Europe. The car died a quiet death in July and will not be replaced until 2016, at which time a new three-model series will enter production in Turkey.

Volkswagen's bid to increase its stake in a lucrative joint venture with Chinese partner FAW has stalled just as the German automaker is stepping up expansion in its biggest market, company sources said.

News 11 Nov, 2014

Bike and track-car maker KTM will be teaming up with Reitier Engineering to build an all-new X-Bow racer