Auto News 5

Daimler said vehicle sales at its Mercedes-Benz Cars unit, which includes the Mercedes and Smart brands, rose 8 percent to 146,112 in October.

News 7 Nov, 2014

Automated driving systems could appear on Volkswagen Group cars within the next five years

Alarmed by a report a decade ago that one of its airbags had ruptured and spewed metal debris at a driver in Alabama, Japanese supplier Takata secretly conducted tests on 50 airbags it retrieved from scrapyards, two former employees involved in the tests, one of whom was a senior member of its testing lab, told the New York Times.

News 7 Nov, 2014

Volkswagen will replace core models like the Golf and Passat every five years, with facelifts after three

Opinion 7 Nov, 2014

Excessively priced insurance is the reason first-time drivers find it so difficult to run a car, says Mike Rutherford

Honda, facing a US safety probe, has strengthened its recall of US cars to replace potentially defective Takata air bags linked to several deaths.

Former Ferrari boss Luca Cordero di Montezemolo will become chairman of Italian airline Alitalia with Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan as his deputy in the new company that will be formed when the Italian airline ties up with the Abu Dhabi-based carrier, two sources close to the matter told the Reuters news agency.

Ford global marketing chief Jim Farley will move to Germany to steer Ford of Europe starting January 1 in a job swap with European boss Stephen Odell, the company said.

Ford global marketing chief Jim Farley will move to Germany to steer Ford of Europe starting January 1 in a job swap with European boss Stephen Odell, the company said.

In exclusive news broken this morning by just-auto, top Ford executives Stephen Odell and Jim Farley are to swap jobs.

In exclusive news broken this morning by just-auto, top Ford executives Stephen Odell and Jim Farley are to swap jobs.

Continental is unable to complete its acquisition of rubber firm Veyance Technologies and may need to sell one of the target company's divisions to win regulatory approval in the United States, a German magazine reported.

Jaguar Land Rover executives are confident that new products in new segments will drive their global sales sharply higher in three years.

Keno Kato, Nissan's global head of product planning and strategy is a 1960s-muscle car fan from rural Japan. At the office, he directs a global team of planners to translate future customer trends into product performance, appearance and technology.

In the wake of ZF's $13.5 billion acquisition of TRW Automotive, other merger and acquisition deals are bubbling up with small and midsize European companies as acquisition targets.

Suzuki is trying to emulate BMW's and Volvo's success on the seas by associating its brand with one of the world's most famous sailboat races. Partnering with Route du Rhum can only help Suzuki boost its small presence in Europe

Ford global marketing chief Jim Farley will move to Germany to steer Ford of Europe and swap jobs with European boss Stephen Odell, sources said. Odell will succeed Farley as head of sales, service and marketing worldwide, sources said.

Nico Rosberg set the fastest lap with Mercedes at Interlagos on Friday, during the free practice sessions of the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Dry and warm conditions at Interlagos, although the track was particularly slippery all day with the brand new asphalt.

Nico Rosberg recorded the quickest time in the first practice session, on Friday morning, leading his temmate Lewis Hamilton by 0.221 s.

Almost a full second further, Daniil Kvyat was third aboard Toro Rosso. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) is fourth and the local hero Felipe Massa is fifth with Williams.

Max Verstappen impressed with the second Toto Rosso at sixth position. The crash of Daniel Juncadella to be noticed with the Sahara Force India of Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver was unable to participate the second practice session.

Max Verstappen, Toro Rosso STR9-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

Same order for the Mercedes drivers in the afternoon. Kimi Raikkonen is third with Ferrari, Daniel Ricciardo is fourth for Red Bull, followed by the two Williams drivers.

Fernando Alonso ended his session with the rear of his Ferrari in fire. A power unit-related problem is suspected.

Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F14 T. (Photo: WRi2)

Brazilian Grand Prix
Interlagos, Friday

Free practice session 1 - Results*
1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1m12:764 - 30 laps
2 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1m12:985 - 32
3 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m13:723 - 39
4 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m13:742 - 30
5 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m13:811 - 28
6 - Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m13:827 - 26
7 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m14:034 - 31
8 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m14:114 - 32
9 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1m14:136 - 30
10 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m14:197 - 27
11 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1m14:434 - 31
12 - Felipe Nasr (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m15:522 - 22
13 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m14:678 - 33
14 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m14:902 - 24
15 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m15:109 - 23
16 - Daniel Juncadella (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m16:030 - 17
17 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - no time - 2
18 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - no time - 6

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Free practice session 2 - Results*
1 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes W05) - 1m12:123 - 36 laps
2 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes W05) - 1m12:336 - 36
3 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m12:696 - 32
4 - Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m12:956 - 24
5 - Valtteri Bottas (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m13:035 - 31
6 - Felipe Massa (Williams FW36-Mercedes) - 1m13:099 - 27
7 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari F14 T) - 1m13:122 - 20
8 - Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m13:254 - 35
9 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB10-Renault) - 1m13:333 - 28
10 - Kevin Magnussen (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1m13:479 - 33
11 - Pastor Maldonado (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m13:497 - 33
12 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus E22-Renault) - 1m13:714 - 37
13 - Nico Hulkenberg (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - 1m13:882 - 32
14 - Esteban Gutierrez (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1'13”902 - 25
15 - Adrian Sutil (Sauber C33-Ferrari) - 1m14:204 - 36
16 - Jenson Button (McLaren MP4/29-Mercedes) - 1'14”209 - 31
17 - Jean Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso STR9-Renault) - 1m17:171 - 5
18 - Sergio Perez (Sahara Force India VJM07-Mercedes) - no time

*Unofficial timing

Adapted from GMM

It's not official, but this is an open secret that Sebastian Vettel will join Ferrari next year, to replace Fernando Alonso.

"When the cameras are on," the German smiled on Thursday, "it is difficult to say anything, "but when they turn off, everyone seems to know what is going on."

Vettel took his Red Bull crew out for a farewell dinner in downtown Sao Paulo on Wednesday night, but he admitted to reporters that he will not be sad when the curtain comes down on his difficult 2014 campaign.

As for 2015, "I know what I'm doing, that's for sure," Sebastian Vettel insisted. "And I know who my teammate will be."

Stand Red Bull. (Photo: WRi2)

It appears likely he is referring to his friend Kimi Raikkonen, but the Finn's high-profile struggles in 2014 have produced a cloud of speculation.

"Everyone has his own opinion. Many times we have seen that they are wrong," Raikkonen told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3.

"It is the way it is here (in F1). It is probably the saddest thing about formula one.

"The main thing is that you know yourself how things are and to trust in what you are doing," said Kimi Raikkonen.

From GMM

As 18 F1 cars practiced in Brazil, one of the absent teams came to the end of the line.

The Telegraph's Daniel Johnson broke the news, reporting early on Friday that Marussia, although listed on the FIA's 2015 entry list, has "ceased trading".

An early hint about Marussia's impending fate was given by the FIA on Wednesday, when the renamed Manor F1 Team was listed on the 2015 list accompanied by a "subject to confirmation" asterisk.

Interestingly, there is no asterisk alongside Caterham's 2015 entry.

"(Marussia) will not be in Abu Dhabi," Johnson 'tweeted' from Interlagos. "Staff made redundant."

Although the Banbury based team and also Caterham were absent in Austin and now again in Brazil, chief Graeme Lowdon attended the US race for talks.

"But no one came up with the money," Johnson added.

The initially unofficial news, broadcast live by British television Sky during its practice coverage on Friday, was then confirmed by the broadcaster.

Shortly afterwards, the administrator FRP Advisory admitted: "It goes without saying that it is deeply regrettable that a business with such a great following in British and world motor sport has had to cease trading and close its doors."