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From GMM

Honda's return to formula one in 2015 is being warmly welcomed in the paddock.

Amid poor results and the global financial crisis, the Japanese carmaker pulled out as a team at the end of 2008, but will return in 2015 as a works supplier of the new turbo V6 engine to McLaren.

"I think it's very good for the team and for McLaren's future," said Jenson Button, "but I think it's also good for the sport.

"It means we will have four engines in formula one, and I think it will pave the way for even more carmakers to come in," the McLaren driver, and former works Honda driver, told Brazil's Totalrace.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso also welcomed the good news, believing Honda will boost competition in F1.

"It's always positive and always welcome when manufacturers come into F1," the Spaniard is quoted as saying.

"We have seen that the smaller teams with lower costs did not have the success that was expected, as formula one is much more demanding than any other category. Honda's arrival is the best of news," added Alonso.

Photo: WRi2

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also sees Honda's return as a good sign for F1.

"It's great to see them coming back. It shows that F1 is very significant for car manufacturers," he said.

"We have seen the benefits that Infiniti has had to be involved with Red Bull, so I'm very happy to see Honda coming back," the Briton added.

Four time world champion Alain Prost, affiliated with F1 engine supplier Renault, agreed: "I think it's great. It's great for F1. It's good for Honda but I think also good for the image of F1.

"We have new and very complex technology coming next year, and manufacturers want to be involved in F1 again because of that, which is great for F1's image in general," he added.

Button's former works Honda teammate, Rubens Barrichello, commented: "When I knew they (Honda) were going out of the team I was in, there was a very big sadness in the air.

"Honda without F1, and F1 without Honda -- they're not the same. I am very happy to see them again," said the veteran Brazilian.

Bill Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor, nearly doubled his holdings in a special class of supervoting shares that gives the Ford family more sway over the automaker's direction.

GM is shuffling its design executives for the second time in a year, promoting the lead designer for the Holden brand in Australia to the top design job at Cadillac and Buick.

Legislation that would block Tesla Motors from using the Internet to sell its electric cars in North Carolina is on the back burner for now. But a legislative maneuver has cleared the way for a vote on other dealer-franchise matters.

A new generation of the Mazda3 (Mazda Atenza in Japan) has been announced. The car is said to weigh some 90kg less than the old model.

A West Virginia Chevy dealer is suing several federal departments and administrators responsible for the Affordable Care Act, alleging the law violates his beliefs by requiring him to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives taken after sex.

A state appeals court in Ohio has sided with a local Nissan dealer's argument that Chevrolet's unusual popularity in his market makes Nissan's sales expectations for him unrealistic.

One year ago, in the run up to the Formula One British Grand Prix, Spanish bank Santander unveiled a

2013 BMW M3 Lime Rock Edition

Make the whole world your racetrack.

I love the looks of this BMW M3 not just because of its big wheels and carbon-fiber spoiler, but also because the flared fenders and squat stance make it look deliberate and purposeful. I love the M3's V-8 engine not simply because it makes 414 hp, but because of the way it furiously races toward its 8400-rpm redline. I love the quad-tip exhaust not simply because it's loud (and it is very loud), but because it snarls and barks and growls like a race car. And I love the dual-clutch transmission not only because I can drop it into automatic mode when creeping around in rush-hour traffic, but because in full-bore mode it shifts with a ferocity and swiftness I could never manage with a manual gearbox.

Photo Gallery: 2013 BMW M3 Lime Rock Edition - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2013 BMW M3 Lime Rock Edition - Editors' Notebook - Automobile Magazine

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GM outlined plans on Wednesday for investing $691 million to expand its Mexican operations, including the previously unannounced expansion of its Toluca engine plant.

The Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique and the Chrysler Cirrus were duking it out for the best-value compact sedan among domestic automakers in 1994.

2014 Mazda3 First Look

Big Apple Unveiling for 3rd-generation 3.

New York City
Ten years after unveiling the first-generation Mazda3 compact, and with no corporate love lost for its smiley-faced, second-generation model, the small, independent Japanese automaker Wednesday revealed its all-new 2014 Mazda3, which goes on sale in September. The car was also unveiled Wednesday in Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, and London in anticipation of a public unveiling Wednesday evening in Manhattan via Xbox Live. The global rollout is apt since Mazda sells the car in more than 130 countries, and the Xbox Live medium is also appropriate given the 3's target demographic. The compact accounts for 40 percent of Mazda's U.S. sales, some 110,000 cars, and 50 percent of its sales in Canada.

Photo Gallery: 2014 Mazda3 First Look

Photo Gallery: 2014 Mazda3 First Look

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Over automakers' objections, New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan has signed into law legislation that dealers in the state say will bolster protections from factory controls, particularly in the areas of dealership renovations and warranty work...

General Motors will invest USD133m to add a third stamping press to its Wentzville Assembly and Stamping plant, with the potential for creating or retaining approximately 55 jobs.

Mazda has gained a fair amount of traction with its fuel-efficient Skyactiv technology, which was first fully implemented in production on the CX-5 compact crossover, followed by the

Autoweek reader Martin Schwirzke sent us this excellent ad for a 2007 Ford Mustang. He found it on Craigslist in the San Francisco Bay Area.

News 26 Jun, 2013

Citroen has released first official pictures of the new Grand C4 Picasso seven-seater

Germany is working to block a compromise deal that would impose a tougher CO2 emissions limit for all new cars in the European Union starting in 2020, EU sources said.

Pictures 26 Jun, 2013

We know you all love looking at pictures of the upcoming Chevrolet