Auto News 5

Italian Flavio Briatore on Friday dismissed small teams vying for budget-capped spots on next year's formula one grid as "shell companies". Full story...

Team McLaren-Mercedes proved a factor in the second free practice session for the Grand Prix of Turkey with Heikki Kovalainen dominating the timesheets for much of the session. Full story...

Canada's auto dealers and manufacturers have called on the federal government to help strengthen Canadians' confidence and the Canadian economy by introducing an aggressive "scrappage" program aimed at stimulating new vehicle sales while removing higher-emitting, less-safe vehicles from the road. Full story...

It's a shame GM has to let Saturn go. The brand has one of the freshest model lineups in the marketplace, some great designs, a European-based model or two and plenty of potential. Full story...

German driver Sebastian Vettel has expressed skepticism about some of the names that are bidding to set up formula one teams for 2010. Full story...

The legal dispute between 2010 British GP venue Donington's leaseholder and owner has been settled out of court. Full story...

Auto Dealers and Manufacturers across Canada call for an aggressive "scrappage" program to stimulate our economy. Full story...

General Motors Corp. and Penske Automotive Group today confirmed details of a proposed transaction under which Penske would acquire the Saturn brand. If completed, the deal would save more than 350 dealerships and 13,000 jobs at Saturn and its retailers in the United States, and would preserve the customer-focused Saturn brand. Full story...

For the United Nations' World Environment Day on 5 June in Mexico City, the Michelin Group has prepared a report on savings generated by its most recent car and truck tyre ranges since their launch in 2008. Full story...

Team AT&T Williams-Toyota driver Nico Rosberg set the fastest time of the first free practice session of the Grand Prix of Turkey this morning at the Istambul Autodrom. Full story...

British driver Jenson Button in Turkey refused to admit he is already thinking about improving the terms of his current contract. Full story...

The director of Turkey's motor racing sanctioning body admits Istanbul Park may struggle to reach an agreement to keep formula one at the circuit beyond 2011. Full story...

NASCAR has decided to implement a new format of double-file restarts starting at this weekend's Sprint Cup race at Pocono in order to give a better spectacle for the fans. Full story...

Berlin, Germany - The automotive battery industry is growing at a rapid rate despite the economic crisis. The increased focus on hybrid and electric vehicles has led to battery innovation and market growth. With heavy investment in research and development, Germany is positioned to be a global leader in this market segment. Business opportunities in Germany resulting from this trend will be presented at the Advanced Automotive Battery & EC Capacitor Conference in Long Beach, California from June 8-12. Full story...

Sacramento, CA - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined San Diego-based GreenHouse on the steps of the State Capitol this morning as E-Fuel Corp. unveiled the final production model of the revolutionary E-Fuel MicroFueler, a portable micro-refinery fuel system for consumer use. The State of California's Department of General Services is also exploring a pilot program to test the MicroFueler with its flex-fuel vehicles. To see video from today's press conference go to www.GreenHouseEnergy.com. Full story...

Tokyo -- Looking ahead to year 2020, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the company, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announced the "Mitsubishi Motors Group Environmental Vision 2020" roadmap for its near-future environmental policy that maximizes the benefits offered by the EV to Leading the EV era, towards a sustainable future." Full story...

Tokyo -- Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today, on World Environment Day, unveiled the production version of the i-MiEV *1 *2 new-generation electric vehicle (EV), describing it as "the pioneer that will open the door to the next 100 years of our automobile society." The i-MiEV will go on sale on the Japanese market in late July of this year. Full story...

Turin, Italy - Movie lovers will remember Divorce, Italian Style, the hilarious comedy starring the one-and-only Marcello Mastroianni. Rest assured, we do not intend to talk about divorce or even comedy but rather of a suspense thriller whose happy ending will mean the survival of major local employer and the arrival of a "new" car manufacturer on the North American scene. Full story...

The economy melting faster than the ice caps, oil wells are drying up, and horsepower is losing relevance to environmental responsibility. Some believe the world is coming to an end, and North Americans are scooping up more small cars than ever. Full story...

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has priced its new electric vehicle at and#165;4.38 million, or $45,660 at current exchange rates, and wants EVs to account for 20 percent of its global output by 2020. Full story...