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PSA led a 6 percent gain in French car sales last month as registrations at the automaker jumped 17 percent. Sales were also boosted by an extra selling day, the CCFA industry association said.

Opinion 1 Oct, 2014

A Japanese sleeping giant is about to wake from its slumber, says Auto Express editor-in-chief Steve Fowler

The executives chosen as 2014 Automotive News Europe Eurostars achieved success by exceeding expectations. Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk is this year's Eurostar winner for Entrepreneur.

Stadco supplies the vast majority of the aluminum outer structure for the new Jaguar F-Type, including the door and hood assemblies and front and rear fenders.

The executives chosen as 2014 Automotive News Europe Eurostars achieved success by exceeding expectations. Heinz-Gerhard Wente, head of Continental's ContiTech division, is this year's Eurostar winner for Supplier Division CEO.

Supercars such as a new 900hp Lamborghini and the Ferrari 458 Speciale A will line up alongside fuel-efficient plug-in hybrids such as the VW Passat GTE at the Paris auto show. The Mercedes-AMG GT and Jaguar XE will also debut.

U.S. sales of SUVs, small crossovers and full-size pickups soared in September as cars became a tougher sell. Overall volume rose 9 percent, and a 16.4 million SAAR showed demand remains strong even after the industry put up big numbers all summer.

Chrysler Group sold 169,890 vehicles in September, a 19 percent increase from September 2013, with every brand but Dodge contributing to the company's gains. It was the group's 54th consecutive month of year-over-year increases.

Ford Motor Credit has joined the trend toward longer loans, rolling out 75-month terms nationwide starting today. The company previously had conducted a pilot program.

Soft F-series pickup sales and a 40 percent cutback in sales to rental fleets pushed Ford Motor Co.'s September sales down 3 percent from a year earlier, to 179,518 units. Overall fleet sales fell 14 percent to 42,878.

Booming crossover and SUV sales helped Toyota Division eke out its seventh straight monthly sales gain last month, while Lexus continued to gain ground on its luxury rivals.

From GMM

Jos Verstappen has moved to ease the pressure on his son's shoulders ahead of the Japanese grand prix weekend.

The former F1 driver is already in Japan, where his newly seventeen year old son will make history at Suzuka as the youngest ever driver to participate in an official grand prix programme.

Young Verstappen's maiden appearance will only be in Friday morning practice, ahead of his full race debut next year with the same Toro Rosso team.

Still, the pressure is intense.

"The whole motor sport world will be looking at what Max is doing," said his father Jos, "but he must take it easy and not drive straight away on the limit."

Jos and Max Verstappen. (Photo: WRi2)

42-year-old Verstappen, with over 100 grand prix starts to his name, knows well the challenge of the fabled Suzuka circuit.

Max revealed: "My dad has raced at Suzuka many times and he told me it's not an easy track to start on."

So Verstappen senior is trying to play down the obvious pressure and the high expectations, after Dr Helmut Marko recently compared Max with the legendary Ayrton Senna.

And F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has now said Max has the potential to be a "superstar".

Jos said: "No one should expect Max to turn the world upside down on Friday.

"Laptimes are not important," he is quoted by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "It's much more important for Max to just do his laps. Max will be driving a new car to him, which is very different to the 2012 version. And he's also starting at Suzuka, which is not an easy task."

Short and sweet: sometimes it's best. Leave on a high note; get out while they still appreciate you, and all that. With a lifespan of just five years, the Hyundai Genesis came in with rear tires burning, and it's looking to leave the same way -- on that high rubber-burning note.

Why even show up in the first place? Well, Hyundai desired that ever-popular and sought-after young-buyer vote of confidence. Reaching for the cool appeal, Hyundai released the Genesis Coupe, its first rear-wheel-drive sports car. On the heels of the Tiburon that left something to be desired in terms of performance and boy-racer appeal, the Genesis Coupe checked all the right Gen Y boxes.

Now, as we prepare to say goodbye to the peppy two-door number, I got behind the wheel of a high-performing Genesis Coupe 3.8 GT.

To check out our full review, head on over to Auto-Venus.com.

Photo: Miranda Lightstone

From GMM

With five full races to spare, Mercedes this weekend has its first opportunity to wrap up the 2014 constructors' world championship.

Utterly dominant this season, the German team is 174 points clear heading into Suzuka, meaning a one-two on Sunday with Red Bull scoring fewer than 3 points would wrap it up with Sochi, Austin, Brazil and Abu Dhabi still to run.

"Every single one of us wants to finish 2014 in style," confirmed team boss Toto Wolff.

Mercedes is also the overwhelming favourite for the drivers' title, but the close battle between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and a marked record in the reliability stakes means that Daniel Ricciardo remains remotely in the running for now.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko is keeping the pressure high, insisting that the tension between Hamilton and Rosberg still threatens to derail the silver team.

"This peace (between the drivers) is not real," he exclaimed to the major German daily Bild ahead of the Japanese grand prix.

"Eventually, Hamilton and Rosberg will be side by side again, and when they see it is the title in front of them, there are no more rules," added Marko.

"And when the silver arrows explode again, we will be there to beat them."

Marko also hopes Mercedes' poor reliability record of late, including former championship leader Nico Rosberg's steering wheel failure in Singapore, continues to worsen.

"Further losses for them plays in our favour in the championship fight," said the outspoken Austrian.

"Mercedes can still throw the championship away."

From GMM

The fate of the German grand prix venue at the fabled Nurburgring is once again in serious doubt.

Recently, we reported that after the embattled circuit was bought for a reported EUR 77 million, it was in the throes of promising talks with Bernie Ecclestone over a new long-term F1 race contract.

But it then emerged in late August that the buyer, a Dusseldorf company called Capricorn, had missed the deadline on its latest due payment to the Rhineland-Palatinate state.

"We still expect the sale to go ahead," a spokesman for the financial recovery experts in charge of the Nurburgring insolvency said at the time.

Aerial view of the Nurburgring.

But now, another alarming report about the health of the Nurburgring buyout deal has emerged.

The respected German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche claims Deutsche Bank has withdrawn its financing for the Capricorn transaction, meaning a new buyer for the Nurburgring is now being sought.

The news could become official later on Wednesday, when the European Commission rules on whether the Capricorn deal is even lawful.

A spokesman for the liquidator told Wirtschaftswoche that he could not comment for reasons of "confidentiality".

Deutsche Bank also would not comment.

But the report said the liquidator has already been in talks with alternative buyers, last Thursday in Berlin and on Monday in London.

A spokesman for HIG Capital, a US-based group, said: "We have the money and we stand by our (previous) offer."

From GMM

Kamui Kobayashi has retained his race seat at Caterham for his home grand prix this weekend.

As the team seeks new sources of income in the wake of founder Tony Fernandes' shock mid-season exit, the Japanese driver lost his place to Andre Lotterer at Spa in August.

It was expected that Roberto Merhi would then replace Kobayashi in Monza and beyond, but - despite his Friday outing at Monza - the 23-year-old Spanish rookie is yet to secure his mandatory super license.

Caterham announced on Wednesday that Merhi will return to Friday duties this weekend at Suzuka.

It is good news for Kobayashi, who therefore gets at least one more race outing for the Leafield based team in front of his adoring home fans in Japan.

Kamui Kobayashi, Caterham CT05-Renault. (Photo: WRi2)

Popular and highly rated yet substantially unsponsored, Kobayashi's future beyond the Japanese grand prix is much more clouded.

"He knows that he has open doors at Caterham," new team boss Manfredi Ravetto told F1's official website last week.

"Obviously he knows that he also has to deliver this year. He has to help us to achieve the P10 that we are targeting."

It is a quite different story for the heavily sponsored Marcus Ericsson, as the 24-year-old has enjoyed an uninterrupted 2014 season and solid prospects of retaining the seat next year.

"We don't want to lose Marcus," confirmed Ravetto, "because the team invested in him in his rookie time and now wants to harvest on this investment, as we think that he will be able to deliver."

“It's not a sports car. It's a Sedona”

Kia's U.S. division is launching a multiplatform marketing campaign to promote the all-new 2015 Kia Sedona.

“Race Track” is the first in a series of ads that playfully challenge the stereotypes and conventions of high-end, high-performance vehicles and the people who drive them. The new Sedona is portrayed as “not what you'd expect” and “not a compromise” before the campaign tagline -- “It's not a sports car. It's a Sedona” -- appears.

“The element of desire was a major theme in the design and engineering of the all-new Sedona, and our campaign was conceived to signal that something different is going on at Kia,” said Tim Chaney, vice president of marketing communications at Kia Motors America. “Sedona brings new levels of style and sophistication to a bland and predictable segment for the growing number of people who do not want to be confined by the conventional design limitations of the category."

Looks can be deceiving indeed!

Source: Kia

The Mercedes AMG Formula 1 Team confirmed Wednesday the news of a new partnership with Hugo Boss, effective from 1 January 2015 onwards.

Hugo Boss, a market leader in the upper premium and luxury global apparel market, becomes a team partner of the Mercedes F1 team, and the team's official supplier of lifestyle and formal wear clothing.

Photo: Mercedes AMG

Hugo Boss is therefore leaving McLaren after 33 years.

The German company will create high-performance teamwear and develop a 'BOSS for Mercedes-Benz Collection', inspired by the Formula 1 team, which will be available twice a year featuring high-end menswear fashion.

Nico Rosberg already had a personal sponsorship from Hugo Boss when he raced in GP2 in 2005. (Photo: WRI2)

Ford Canada today announced that 1,000 hourly jobs will be created at its Oakville assembly plant in Ontario to produce the all-new 2015 Ford Edge, which will go on sale early next year.

Through a $700 million investment, Oakville is now one of Canada's most competitive and advanced global manufacturing plants, able to meet growing demand in North America and around the world.

The new jobs will bring total employment at the plant to more than 4,000 by the end of this year. Ford already added 300 jobs in 2013 to meet growing consumer demand.

“The new 2015 Ford Edge sets a new standard in its class and will show countries around the world Canadian quality at its best,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The Americas. “New jobs at Oakville Assembly will strengthen our investment in Canada and increase our capabilities as we gear up for one of the most anticipated launches at Ford.”

The Oakville assembly plant currently manufactures the Ford Edge and Flex, along with the Lincoln MKX and MKT. The 2015 Ford Edge will be exported to more than 100 countries worldwide. It's all new from wheels to roof and is loaded with more technology, higher levels of craftsmanship and greatly improved vehicle dynamics.

Source : Ford Canada

Photo: Ford

Infiniti has released the first official pictures of the all-new Q80 Inspiration concept ahead of its public debut at the Paris Auto Show on Thursday.

Standing 5,060mm long and 2,010mm wide, the Q80 Inspiration sedan offers a unique head-up display system for both the driver and front passenger, and a touchscreen for each rear passenger.

Under the hood is a 3.0L twin-turbo V6 engine mated to an electric motor. Total output is 550 horsepower.

This new engine is smaller and more potent, and serves as a precursor to a family of engines that will be introduced to the Infiniti portfolio within the next two years.

"Q80 Inspiration is a concept vehicle, but there is a production intent associated with it," said Francois Bancon, Infiniti Vice President of Product Strategy. "The naming of the car indicates that something like the Q80 Inspiration will be in our portfolio of the future. This vehicle will inspire all of our future products."

Source : infinitinews.com

Photo: Infiniti