Auto News 5

GM and Isuzu Motors agreed to jointly develop a midsize pickup truck for sale in several markets around the world, but not for the United States and Canada.

Workers at Hyundai Motor Group pledged more strikes as the two carmakers and their biggest supplier finalized a $10 billion purchase of plum real estate in Seoul's ritzy Gangnam district for a new headquarters.

Final-week forecasts from Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book (KBB) suggest September 2014 light vehicle sales in the US will be down around 20% from August but up about 11% year on year to around 1.3m (SAAR: 16.5m).

Ford's president of the Americas, Joe Hinrichs, said during a TV interview the company is predicting industry-wide US light vehicle sales will top 17m in 2015, a tally last achieved in 2001.

Proton launched the Iriz subcompact car in Malaysia on Thursday, hoping it will help the national carmaker regain ground lost to key domestic competitors including Perodua.

UK car production fell 22 percent in August because of the timing and length of holidays and repairs to a major plant. So far this year output has risen 1 percent and is expected to reach record levels by 2017.

UK car production fell 22 percent in August because of the timing and length of holidays and repairs to a major plant. So far this year output has risen 1 percent and is expected to reach record levels by 2017.

Sales of hybrid electric cars in South Korea are expected to accelerate next year with government incentives expected to make some local models actually cheaper to buy than equivalent petrol models.

GM plans to leverage its return to investment grade, which could lower borrowing costs, by strengthening its lending arm, CFO Chuck Stevens said.

ZF's acquisition of TRW will put the German company in an elite group: Megasuppliers able to feed automakers' growing appetite for collision-avoidance technology.

The sales slump continued for most Chinese automakers last month in Russia, which is their main export market. Lifan, Geely and Chery all suffered double-digit sales declines in August.

Renault says the Eolab concept previews fuel-saving technologies that will appear on its production cars before 2020. The Eolab's fuel economy rivals the Volkswagen XL1, promoted as a "1-liter" car because it uses one liter of fuel per 100km.

The Fiat 500X is unlikely to cannibalize sales from its sister model, the Jeep Renegade, industry watchers say.

The executives chosen as 2014 Automotive News Europe Eurostars achieved success by exceeding expectations. Stewart Callegari, Nissan's product manager for the Qashqai, is this year's Eurostar winner for Project Leader.

ZF's acquisition of TRW will put the German company in an elite group: Megasuppliers able to feed automakers' growing appetite for collision-avoidance technology.

Renault says the Eolab concept previews fuel-saving technologies that will appear on its production cars before 2020. The Eolab's fuel economy rivals the VW XL1, promoted as a "1-liter" car because it uses 1 liter of fuel per 100km.

From GMM

Niki Lauda is the latest F1 figure to slam the new 'Formula E' series.

The all-electric and nearly silent single seater series, promoted by Alejandro Agag and sanctioned by F1's governing FIA, kicked off recently on the streets of Beijing with a talented field and healthy grid.

But Niki Lauda, the iconic F1 champion and Mercedes team executive, has revealed he didn't like what he saw.

"For me it was the worst thing I have seen for a long time," the outspoken Austrian is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

"The cars look like toys, they creep around the track one after the other -- for me, this is not motor sport," Niki Lauda insisted.

Start of the first Formula E race, in the streets of Beijing, China. (Photo: FIA Formula E)

Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart gave his first interview to Associated Press since the August 9 accident that killed Kevin Ward Jr.

That night, the sprint car Stewart was driving struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, New York state.

"I know 100 percent in my heart and in my mind that I did not do anything wrong," Stewart told AP. "This was 100 percent an accident."

According to the report, legal counsel advised Stewart not to describe what he remembers about the accident. Instead, he did discuss his life since that night, which included missing races at Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol.

The 43-year-old reportedly was in shock when he returned to his motorhome at Watkins Glen at 2 a.m., and he has since sought and received professional help to deal with the accident.

"You sit there and you wrack your brain, you try to analyze 'Why did this happen?' " Tony Stewart said. "I made myself miserable just trying to make sense of it ... I just couldn't function. I've never been in a position where I just couldn't function.

"You race hurt, you race sick, and that's the way racers have always been. You say you can go do what you need to do, and then it becomes very clear that you can't."

Tony Stewart. (Photo: NASCAR)

While he returned to racing last month at Atlanta after the three-race absence, Stewart rarely leaves his North Carolina home.

"You are part of something so tragic and so unthinkable, it's hard to face anybody," Stewart said.

"It was hard to wrap my arms around this, and it still is. I haven't been a part of society for more than six weeks. You are scared to be around anybody, you are embarrassed to be around anybody because of what happened."

Getting back to his racing routine, including his role as co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, has helped Stewart return to his life in the sport, but it's a life that will never be the same.

"There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about it. And it will be like that all your life," Stewart said.

"You are never going to forget about it. You are never going to not see it happen all over again. It's going to be a part of me forever."

From GMM

Rubens Barrichello offered his services to F1's dominant team Mercedes at the recent Singapore grand prix.

Just before Singapore, the championship leading team announced it had signed teenage DTM star Pascal Wehrlein to be the new Mercedes reserve.

Indeed, the young German was trackside in the Asian city-state, but Auto Motor und Sport reports that he did not have a mandatory F1 super license in his pocket.

Enter Rubens Barrichello.

He may be 42, retired from F1 and now only at grands prix as a pundit for Brazilian television, but his experience is unsurpassed in grand prix history.

So, too, is his enthusiasm.

Barrichello admits having told Toto Wolff in Singapore: "If you need a replacement, I'm ready and fit. Since I've been karting regularly again, I've lost weight".

The popular former Ferrari and Williams driver competed for Brackley based Mercedes' former guise, Brawn GP, in 2009.

Mercedes W05. (Photo: WRi2)

It seems that for a large number of Formula 1 fans, the current turbo hybrid cars look too easy to drive.

As part of ongoing discussions about making the sport more popular, F1 directors feel that modern cars look too easy to drive.

That is especially the case after a 16-year-old -- Max Verstappen - was signed to drive for Toro Rosso next season, and recently tested a two-year old car without a problem, and seemingly setting competitive times.

Max Verstappen testing the Toro Rosso STR7 in Spain. (Photo: ToroRosso.com)

After talks in recent Strategy Group meetings, the FIA will evaluate potential technical rule changes (such as tire grip, car dimension, and aerodynamic performance) that could make the cars more difficult to drive.

Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo admitted recently that although the current generation of cars were technically very complex, they were not as hard to drive as in previous years.

"Physically, it's not a walk in the park, but it's easier than it was a couple of years ago at least," he explained.

Frenchman Alain Prost, a four-time World Champion, told Autosport magazine that the F1 cars much be made more difficult to handle.

In 1988, Prost and his McLaren teammate Ayrton Senna were driving 1000-bhp turbo cars that had H-pattern manual gearboxes, no power steering and no driving aids whatsoever.

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in Monaco, McLaren, 1988. (Photo: WRi2)

"I don't know what's going to happen with Max Verstappen, but it's true that he's going to be able to drive the car no problem," he told the British magazine.

"This was absolutely not possible in our time - the cars were so difficult to drive.

"That doesn't mean you absolutely want to go back to the way it was, but I think the speed of the cars during the races and the grip is not very good. It's quite slow, so you need to have a proper Formula 1,” Prost explained.