Auto News 5

Spyker CEO Victor Muller was late.

French new car sales inched 0.1 percent higher in May, led by domestic automaker Renault. The CCFA industry body says it could raise its 2014 growth forecast.

Operating in a lower-middle-class area, with about 20 percent of deals falling through at the finance desk, dealer Carlos Uruchurtu struggled to keep salespeople from jumping to dealerships in better neighborhoods.

Some General Motors dealers worry that an onslaught of safety recalls could jeopardize their quarterly incentive bonuses. GM told dealers in recent weeks to stop delivering several high-volume models that later were recalled to fix safety defects.

Penske Automotive Group Inc. has begun no-haggle pricing at a Toyota dealership near Phoenix on new and used vehicles, trade-ins and finance and insurance products.

The auto industry's love affair with weight-saving aluminum is just warming up. In the pipeline is a growing list of vehicles with all-aluminum bodies or with more aluminum body panels, such as doors, roofs and trunks.

PPG Industries CEO Charles Bunch exercised stock options to top the list of the 35 highest-paid CEOs at publicly traded North America-based automotive companies.

Judging by minivan sales, the segment has crashed over the past decade. Volume, shmolume, retailers say. Many consumers buy loaded, higher-end models, so minivans deliver good margins. And minivan buyers often become a dealership's loyal customers.

Dealership new-vehicle profits won't grow anytime soon.

Everything about the new test program that Google co-founder Sergey Brin revealed last week points toward a personal transportation system that directly challenges the driver-centered, ownership-based business model the auto industry has relied on...

Five years ago this week, General Motors Corp. -- long a symbol of America's industrial might -- sought bankruptcy protection. Work on what would become the bankruptcy road map began within GM before outgoing President George W.

Eight states, in a coalition including California and New York, have signaled that they're willing to meet automakers part way in an effort to put 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles on their roads by 2025.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has high ambitions for the French-Japanese carmaking alliance. His aim is to "install Renault-Nissan as one of the top three global automakers."

Automotive News Europe honors the winners of the 2014 Rising Stars awards. Every day through June 3 a pair of the 14 winners will be featured. The Rising Star for Marketing is Etienne Henry of Renault-Nissan.

Automotive News Europe salutes the winners of the 2014 Rising Stars awards. Every day through June 3 two of the 14 winners will be featured. The Rising Star for Purchasing is Craig Price of Dana.

Renault's long-term sales goals for China are bold. The automaker is aiming to sell 600,000 to 700,000 units, up from just 32,000 cars in the market last year.

Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has high ambitions for the French-Japanese carmaking alliance. His aim is to "install Renault-Nissan as one of the top three global automakers."

The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view. This month's edition looks at Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn's plan catch industry leaders Toyota, VW and GM.

British Formula 1 journalist Adam Cooper reports Monday morning that despite radio silence from the FIA, the Romanian-backed FRR F1 Team project has been granted a place on the F1 grid.

After the FIA granted an entry to American entrepreneur Gene Haas April 11, it said it was “in the process of conducting further investigations for Forza Rossa,” using the name that forms part of the official FRR identity.

Despite the delay, FFR is expected to be ready to race by 2015.

Cooper also writes that FFR - to be run for Colin Kolles - is planning to use Renault power units (that could be rebadged as Dacias) and apparently has a lot more elements in place compared to Haas Formula.

The man behind the project is Kolles' fellow countryman, 45-year-old Ion Bazac, a qualified physician, politician and former Romanian health minister.

Bazac is also a successful businessman and is also Romania's Ferrari importer, under the name Forza Rossa.

Colin Kolles, HRT, 2011. (Photo: WRi2)

Japanese driver Yuki Iwasaki crashed heavily into the barriers during a race of the Japan GT300 series at Autopolis.

Iwasaki, who drives a Nissan GT-R Nismo, said the brake pedal when straight to the floor at 220 km/h when he attempted to decelerate for a corner.

The Japanese explained in his blog that he downshifted to try to reduce the speed of the car, and worked the steering wheel to try to spin the car. Nothing worked.

The Nissan hit the tire wall straight on.

Amazingly, Iwazaki has not been injured although he suffers from a sore back.