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It won't be as tough to find a fun-to-drive fuel-efficient car as automakers introduce a variety of ways to increase fuel economy.

Also in this episode: Kia designer Peter Schreyer becomes the automaker's first non-Korean president.

U.S. auto sales are expected to show a rise of 9 percent for December, capping off the best year for the industry since 2007, fueled by easier access to credit, rising home prices and pent-up demand.

Dockworkers and their employers reached a tentative agreement on royalty payments, averting a strike that would have shut down eastern U.S. ports, possibly disrupting auto parts shipments, for the first time in 35 years.

No one can make members of a certain sci-fi fandom geek out quite like Sir Patrick Stewart. But when Stewart himself wants to indulge in a bit of hero-worship, he turns to none other than renowned racer

Porsche shares surged on Friday after it won a dismissal of a U.S. lawsuit by 26 hedge funds but analysts warned the German company's triumph in court hinged on a legal formality rather than the substance of the case.

Kia Motors Corp. has promoted design chief Peter Schreyer to president. He's the first non-Korean to attain the position at Kia.

Nissan Motor Co. plans to bolster the warranty of the battery module in its electric

U.S. automobile parts maker Tower International Inc. sold its South Korean operations to Seco, a privately owned Korean auto parts supplier, for about $47 million in cash.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: The

Toyota eliminated a huge obstacle with a U.S. settlement over unintended acceleration in its cars and trucks, leaving it to fight smaller cases that will be harder for plaintiffs to prove and less likely to damage the company's growing sales.

Kia promoted its chief designer Peter Schreyer to the role of president, the first foreigner to attain the position at the company, as the South Korean automaker seeks to elevate its global profile.

Industry sales continued to rebound, VW completed its acquisition of Porsche, and Honda and Toyota staged impressive comebacks. Names and faces came and went, as well, in 2012.

Nissan's new low-cost Datsun cars will be based on a Lada, executive vice president Colin Dodge said. "Datsuns will be built off the new Lada Kalina platform," Dodge, who is Nissan's top executive for Europe.

From GMM

Italian Alex Zanardi will not be racing in the German touring car series DTM in 2013.

Aelx Zanardi in the BMW M3 DTM (Photo: BMW Motorsport)

The former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver recently tested a BMW M3 DTM fitted with hand controls, sparking speculation the popular 46-year-old Italian and Paralympian could return to full-time motor racing.

"We did have a conversation about taking it seriously further on," Zanardi told the Telegraph, "but I decided it would be a little bit too much for me to be involved full-time for the whole season next year.

"It would mean I wouldn't have time for things I'd enjoy - like cycling and fishing with my son , so I decided to wait for the next train," the two-time IndyCar champion added.

From GMM

Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat quotes 'Russian sources' saying that Vitaly Petrov is set to keep his Caterham seat in 2013.

Already this week, the 28-year-old's manager Oksana Kosachenko revealed that "all the necessary work on our part is done -- and it's for Caterham to decide".

Vitaly Petrov (Photo: Caterham)

Petrov's teammate in 2012 was Finn Heikki Kovalainen, but Caterham has already announced that Charles Pic will be driving one of the green-liveried cars next year.

Among the other candidates to be Pic's 2013 teammate are Giedo van der Garde, Bruno Senna and Luiz Razia.

Turun Sanomat quotes Kosachenko as saying: "I believe Vitaly's race in Brazil securing tenth place in the manufacturers' championship helps us to stay where we were."

Also playing in Petrov's favour is a recent visit to Caterham's headquarters of his sponsor Russian Helicopters, and Bernie Ecclestone's desire to have a local driver on the grid when Russia hosts its inaugural grand prix in 2014.

From GMM

If Pastor Maldonado was the penalty king, then Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is the master of fair play during the 2012 Formula 1 season.

That is the finding of Brazil's Globo Esporte, having compiled a list of the official FIA penalties attracted by F1's 24 drivers this year.

Williams' Maldonado tops the list with 15 penalties; almost double the tally of the penalty runner-up Sergio Perez, whose 8 penalties was also matched by world champion Sebastian Vettel's official infractions.

At the other extreme is Ferrari's Alonso, whose tally of zero penalties is matched only by German Timo Glock of Marussia.

From GMM

The carbon fibre monocoque of two more Formula 1 teams' 2013 cars have passed the mandatory FIA crash tests.

According to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, one of them is Mercedes' W04, to be raced next year by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The report said the silver single seater will have a new and smaller gearbox, totally different sidepods for the Coanda exhaust, and rear suspension designed to be flexible to geometry changes if required to suit Pirelli's new tires.

Meanwhile, Spain's El Mundo Deportivo said the successor to Ferrari's 2012 car has also passed the FIA's monocoque crash tests.

Earlier this month, Sauber became the first team to announce that its new car, the Ferrari-powered C32, had passed the FIA crash tests and was therefore clear to begin winter testing in February.

From GMM

Frenchman Romain Grosjean thinks he is ready to take a more mature approach to Formula 1.

After the abortive start to his career at scandal-ridden Renault in 2009, the Frenchman got a second chance at the pinnacle of motor racing this year, with Lotus.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team (Photo: Lotus F1 Team)

By mid-season, he had proved his speed with three podiums, but the 26-year-old also became the subject of intense criticism for repeat mistakes, culminating in his ultra-rare race ban following the Spa-Francorchamps start crash.

After a period of speculation about his seat, Grosjean has been signed for a second consecutive full season in 2013.

"I had figured F1 was hard, but not that much," he admitted to Sport24.

"Gradually I realised that the difficulty of the challenge was at least a multiple of two compared to what I knew at the beginning.

"For sure I have been criticised a lot, but if you had told me at the start that I would finish eighth with three podiums, I would have signed for it immediately.

"Yes, I made rookie mistakes for wanting to do things too quickly -- for example, I wanted to get their (Lotus') first win at all costs.

"I hope I've learned now and grown up although there is still work to do," added Grosjean.

"I expect a different pressure now; I cannot commit the same mistakes over and I'll try to score points as often as possible.

"I hope to demonstrate the same pace as this year but be more consistent.

"In terms of the standings, I would rather not set any targets -- that would be another mistake," Grosjean concluded.

Less than three weeks away from its debut at the NAIAS in Detroit, new sketches of the highly anticipated, seventh-generation 2014 Chevrolet Corvette have surfaced on the Internet thanks to CorvetteForum.com members. This comes a day after a drawing of the front fascia ended up online.

Based on what we see here, the C7 Corvette sports a more European-looking silhouette than its predecessor, as well as Camaro-style taillights. Meanwhile, interior sketches hint at a large centre display and improved overall layout.

Are these accidental leaks or a carefully planned stunt? Whatever, most fans of the Corvette would probably say.

Source: La Presse