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From GMM

FIA president Jean Todt insists he does not have unlimited powers to force change within the seemingly crisis-struck world of formula one.

Two backmarkers collapsed in 2014 and three other outfits are furious about the concentration of power and income in the paddock.

Efforts to cut costs this year notably failed, and fingers of blame have been pointed in the direction of the sport's ultra low-profile Todt, who many are now contrasting with his dictatorial predecessor Max Mosley.

"What can I do?" Todt is quoted as saying by Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, after a meeting of the controversial Strategy Group in Geneva on Tuesday.

"We have certain decision-making processes that we cannot just change. That's democracy."

One thing the former Ferrari boss is promising to address is the huge cost of buying a turbo V6 engine from one of F1's three suppliers.

"I am going to fight about the price of the engines for the small teams," he said. "I will do the best but I cannot guarantee the result."

But Todt is much less confident about his plan to re-propose mandatory budget caps, revealing that last time around "even Lotus" argued against it.

He also expressed some sympathy for the plight of Renault and Ferrari, who want more freedom within the rules to catch up with dominant Mercedes.

Jean Todt agreed: "It only makes sense to freeze development if the individual engines are approximately level. On the other hand, we cannot now punish Mercedes because they did a good job."

As for Red Bull's proposal to modify the engine formula perhaps by standardising ERS and adding a twin-turbo, Todt said that is "nonsense".

"We do the sport no favours with these sorts of discussions," he insisted.

Meanwhile, Italy's Autosprint said the Strategy Group on Tuesday ruled to scrap plans for standing re-starts after safety car periods next year, while Todt played down the likelihood of three-car teams to boost fading grid numbers.

"If there are only nine teams next year," he said, "then there will be 18 cars at the start. We have seen periods in MotoGP when only 16 bikes were at the start."

From GMM

New GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer is hoping for "a role" with Sahara Force India in 2015.

The Silverstone based team has now confirmed an unchanged race lineup for next year, but Sahara Force India gave Briton Palmer his F1 test debut in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

"Force India is a team that gives young drivers good chances and I would love to get a role with them," Palmer, whose father Jonathan was an F1 driver in the 80s, said afterwards.

In an official team statement, he added that Sahara Force India "generally do a really good job with their reserve drivers".

Jolyon Palmer, Sahara Force India. (Photo: WRi2)

U.S. regulators told Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to speed up its recall of airbags with faulty inflators linked to at least five deaths. NHTSA said in a letter Tuesday to the company that it should begin its recall of cars with Takata airbags Dec.

Americans took out the most auto loans in nine years during the third quarter, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's quarterly Household Debt and Credit Report.

The U.S. auto industry may post its highest November sales volume since 2001, and one forecaster says light-vehicle transaction prices are on pace to reach the highest level ever for a second consecutive month.

Land Rover plans to complain to Chinese officials about a close copy of its Evoque SUV that broke cover at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China late last week.

Canada had limited information about the restructuring plans of GM and Chrysler Group when the government approved a $12.1 billion bailout for the automakers in 2009, federal auditors said.

Toyota says there will be no convertible version of the Scion FR-S sports car and -- in a blow to power-seeking enthusiasts everywhere -- no turbocharged engine.

Safety regulators have closed investigations into about 500,000 Ford Motor and about 100,000 General Motors vehicles without calling for recalls, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today.

Mazda is recalling about 100,000 of its Mazda6 sedans from the 2014 and 2015 model years because the tire monitoring system may not alert drivers to low tire pressure, U.S. regulators said today.

News 25 Nov, 2014

A new crossover called the SsangYong Tivoli is on the way, expected to rival the Nissan Juke at about £13,000

Honda has admitted that it failed to report 1,729 accidents involving death and injury in its vehicles to US safety regulators since 2003 blaming errors in data entry and an "overly narrow interpretation" of its legal reporting requirements.

Demand in most parts of the world will continue to be soft while the US will continue its slow growth, according to General Motors' president Dan Ammann.

Visteon Corp. confirmed this morning that it's in discussions with a private equity firm to sell its stake in South Korean joint venture Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp.

Part 1 of this briefing reviews the recent financial results of a sample of major global auto suppliers; Part 2 highlights recent developments in industry structure, including M&A and IPO activity and corporate restructuring.

News 25 Nov, 2014

Suzuki confirms a glut of new models including a lightweight Honda Jazz rival and a ‘funky’ new city car

Visteon has confirmed it is in talks with Hahn & Company regarding the potential sale of Visteon's ownership interest in Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp. (HVCC) to the Korea-based private equity company.

Mahle says it is celebrating the third major expansion phase of its research and development centre in China.

Mercedes-Benz has added the CLA Shooting Brake to the CLA compact car range.

Japan's transport ministry will form groups to oversee airbag recalls tied to Takata Corp. and probe Honda Motor Co. for underreporting faults in the U.S., adding to regulatory scrutiny of the two companies.