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Honda unveiled a near-production concept of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with space for five passengers, instead of four as in Honda's previous generation fuel-cell car. Honda plans to launch the car in 2016 in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.

Honda unveiled a sleek new concept of its upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle late Sunday, but promptly delayed its launch as part of a global quality review in the wake of a series of embarrassing product problems.

Honda unveiled a sleek new concept of its upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, but promptly delayed its launch as part of a global quality review in the wake of a series of embarrassing product problems.

Ford said on Sunday night it was cooperating with federal safety regulators investigating a report the driver of a 2007 Ford Mustang was injured in August by a metal fragment from the car's airbag.

Toyota offered more details about its long-awaited Mirai fuel cell vehicle and said it plans to build a dozen hydrogen refueling stations in the Northeast United States.

Toyota offered more details about its long-awaited Mirai fuel cell vehicle. The Mirai will be sold in California and Europe early next year and can travel 483km (300 miles) a single tank of hydrogen and refuel in three to five minutes.

Toyota will introduce its first mass-market fuel cell car next month, hoping to replicate the success of its Prius hybrid with a vehicle that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline.

As one after another Japanese auto supplier gets snagged for price fixing, it is the unwritten rule, say insiders and lawyers, that middle managers sometimes take the fall for superiors and get rewarded for not airing the company's dirty laundry in...

When Japanese auto suppliers schemed to fix prices, it was as much about protecting market share as pumping up profits, an industry insider said.

To hear auto industry insiders in Japan, the country's problems with bid rigging began to spiral in the early 2000s. Or, more specifically, with the arrival of Carlos Ghosn, the cost-cutting CEO who parachuted into a nearly bankrupt Nissan Motor Co.

More than 17 million cars with Takata airbags have been recalled worldwide, including over 11 million in the United States.

A Georgia judge ordered Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne to give a videotaped deposition in a lawsuit filed by the family of a 4-year-old child killed after the Jeep Grand Cherokee he was riding in was rear-ended and caught fire.

Qoros will unveil a compact SUV at the Guangzhou auto show. The Qoros 3 City SUV will give the Chinese brand a model aimed at Europe's fourth-largest segment as it prepares for a regionwide rollout in 2016.

Ford's conversion of a 2.6-million-square-foot Michigan truck assembly plant to build the aluminum-body 2015 F-150 pickup has altered the look of the factory, body shop and adjoining stamping operations.

From press release

Nicholas Latifi took fifth in the Macau Grand Prix for SJM Theodore Racing by Prema from ninth on the grid.

While the Canadian earned a good result, there was disappointment for his team-mates Esteban Ocon and Antonio Fuoco, who both failed to finish.

Frenchman Ocon was battling for the lead on the opening lap when he collided with Tom Blomqvist at the Lisboa bend. This broke his steering, and he was unable to avoid hitting the barriers at the next corner, causing a pile-up, a track blockage and a red flag.

Fuoco was also caught up in the accident and the SJM Theodore Racing by Prema mechanics worked wonders to change the entire left-front assembly of his car before the restart, which he took from the pit-lane.

Unfortunately, there was not enough time to bleed the brakes and, after making progress up the field, he retired with four laps remaining due to brake troubles.

Nicholas Latifi (Photo: WRI2)

Latifi got through the incident unscathed and was fifth for the entire duration of the restart. He ran very close to Roberto Merhi in the battle for fourth, and twice attempted to brave it out with the Spaniard to take the place, finishing just 0.614 seconds behind.

“It's a very good result, but I'm disappointed that it was the maximum I could have got unless something happened. We opted to go really low on downforce, the least I think of everybody on the grid, and it still didn't give us the top speed we were hoping for.

“Then the tire degradation got worse and they started to pull a gap in front of me. But I'm pleased with fifth.”

From GMM

Sebastian Vettel has apparently grown tired of the extended wait to officially announce his switch to Ferrari.

The fact the outgoing world champion is leaving Red Bull is already confirmed, but his move to Ferrari - although an open secret in the paddock - is still awaiting the outcome of Fernando Alonso's contractual impasse.

But German Vettel let the cat out of the bag last weekend in Brazil whilst filling out a fun questionnaire for the Italian broadcaster Sky.

Asked the question "Sebastian Vettel is", the 27-year-old completed the sentence with the hand-written answer "A driver for Scuderia Ferrari".

Now, speaking to a German Sunday newspaper, Vettel has openly talked about the apparent fact that existing Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen will be his teammate in 2015.

Raikkonen and Vettel are good friends (Photo: WRI2)

The Finn is known as the 'Iceman' who can be uncommunicative with his teammates and colleagues, but Raikkonen and Vettel actually get along well, regularly meeting to socialise or play badminton.

"I see myself getting along with Kimi just fine," Vettel told Bild am Sonntag.

"He is always straight and direct, so on the human side I expect absolutely no problems in the future," he added.

Vettel had a well-documented tense relationship with his former Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, but the quadruple title winner is expecting none of the same issues in 2015.

"He (Raikkonen) has - thank god - zero interest in the politics within a team," he insisted.

From press release

Rob Huff and José María López each won a race, this week-end as part of the World Touring Car Championship's (WTCC) annual visit to Macau.

Huff claimed his 7th win from 20 starts at the Guia circuit, and his second win this season driving for Lada. His former teammate Yvan Muller tried everything but couldn't find a way through.

"It was a difficult race, because of the constant pressure from my old friend Yvan (Muller), but I know him well and I was able to close door every time," commented Huff.

Hugo Valente recovered well after a poor start from pole to take third place, his third podium of the year.

José María López celebrates his 10th win of the season (Photo: WTCC)

Earlier, López scored a record-breaking 10th win this the season. The new WTCC champion claimed victory on his very first visit to Macau.

"It has been an incredible season and it is fantastic to end it with a win at Macau, something that means a lot to me and could not even think of," said López.

"That's probably why I was feeling nervous, despite having already secured the title."

SEE UPDATE BELOW

As it prepares its return to the grid, Caterham is weighing options regarding drivers.

The Leafield based team will need to replace at least one driver since regular Marcus Ericsson left the team. The Swede already has a deal for next year with Sauber.

It emerged in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) paddock in Bahrain that Audi driver Andre Lotterer, who raced for Caterham at Spa, had been offered a chance to return behind the wheel of the CT05.

But the German, who is available on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix week-end, is hesitant.

"Caterham wants me to race in Abu Dhabi but I am not sure if I will take up the offer," he is quoted saying by British magazine Autosport.

Roberto Merhi (Photo: WRI2)

Roberto Merhi is apparently also on the short list of candidates. His father, Roberto Merhi Sr even declared Caterham was contractually obligated to give his son a race seat.

"(Caterham) should know what's going on," he also told Autosport. "Because we have a contract that says if any of the main drivers can't run, Roberto should be driving."

The 23-year-old Spaniard made three Friday practice outings with Caterham before the team went under administration.

Update
Lotterer has now confirmed he will not race for Caterham at Abu Dhabi, having turned down the offer.

From GMM

On the very day Caterham announced it will return to the grid in Abu Dhabi, the F1 team's entire staff was made redundant.

After a controversial crowdfunding scheme raised $3 million for the embattled backmarker, administrator Finbarr O'Connell announced that Caterham is heading to Abu Dhabi for the 2014 finale.

A statement said it was made possible "through Crowdcube, the world's leading investment crowdfunding platform".

Crucially, Crowdcube's service accountancy and tax adviser is Smith and Williamson -- the company Caterham administrator and interim team boss O'Connell works for.

So with O'Connell now faced with claims the crowdfunding project was at least in part a PR exercise, it now emerges that on the very same day it was declared a success, Caterham's 230 race team was made redundant.

Senior aerodynamicist Jim McManus told The Observer newspaper: "It is dismaying to see the amount of publicity surrounding the success of the crowdfunding on the same day that the entire workforce was made redundant while owed seven weeks' salary.

The success of Caterham's crowfunding operation could be a cover-up (Photo: WRI2)

"The cynic in me would suggest that the two are not unrelated, and the good news has served as a convenient opportunity to bury the bad news," he added.

O'Connell, however, who is team boss for now but says his intention is to appoint an alternative, claims that staff actually wanted to be made redundant.

"It is a crazy situation but the most ironic thing is that the majority of the team were pressing me to make them redundant so their redundancy claim forms could be up and running while I try to sell the team," he said.

"If I sell the team they will be re-employed by the purchaser and those claim forms will effectively be ripped up."

As for the timing of the Abu Dhabi announcement and the redundancy letters being received by staff, O'Connell added: "I could not issue redundancy letters until Friday because it was only then that I was appointed administrator to 1MRT".

But McManus insists that some staff "actively indicated that they did not want to be made redundant".

From WRC.com

World champion Sébastien Ogier scored his eighth win of the season after a start-to-finish victory at Wales Rally GB on Sunday.

The Frenchman mastered the muddy gravel forest roads in his Volkswagen Polo R to win by 37.6sec from Mikko Hirvonen, who claimed an emotional second place after a titanic battle in his final rally before retirement.

Sébastien Ogier, Julien Ingrassia (Photo: WRI2)

Hirvonen, driving a Ford Fiesta RS, finished 26.0sec clear of Mads Ostberg's Citroen DS3 on this 13^th and final round of the FIA World Rally Championship after Kris Meeke lost his chance of second when he skidded into a ditch and damaged his DS3's tires.

Jari-Matti Latvala won the rally-closing live TV Power Stage in a Polo R to take maximum bonus points. Thierry Neuville claimed two points for second in a Hyundai i20, with Ostberg taking one point for third.