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From GMM

Peter Sauber has essentially confirmed reports Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg are in the running to drive for the Swiss team in 2013.

With Sergio Perez heading to McLaren, the fact Sauber is retaining the Telmex sponsorship is a sign the team could move its other Mexican Gutierrez into the race seat next season.

And incumbent Kamui Kobayashi admitted in Korea that his seat is in doubt because he has been asked to bring a sponsor to the team for 2013.

Peter Sauber observing Kamui Kobayashi in the garage. (Photo: WRi2)

Sauber is close to the veteran Blick correspondent Roger Benoit, who in recent weeks has said Gutierrez and Force India's Hulkenberg are the favourites for any vacancies at the Hinwil based team for next season.

"I think Blick has mentioned all of the possibilities. And there are no more suspects than that," Sauber is quoted by the newspaper.

Earlier, Sauber - set to turn 69 - announced he has finally handed over as team principal to chief executive Monisha Kaltenborn.

"You have to let go," Peter Sauber told Blick. "But anyone who thinks I have lost interest are completely wrong," added the man who will remain president of the board of directors and two-thirds team owner.

Peter Sauber said he made his decision to hand over to Kaltenborn when, from Switzerland, he watched Kobayashi finish on the Suzuka podium.

"Yes, just like that," he told Benoit.

Here's an interesting little number: A car Honda tells us is sporty, yet delivers econocar fuel economy; a car that looks like the escape pod of the U.S.S. Enterprise, with room for only two passengers.

Applaud the 2012 Honda CR-Z for being different from anything else on the road -- quite different, in fact.


A sporty car with 122 hp? Really?
Really. The 2012 Honda CR-Z is equipped with a 1.5L inline-4 that, combined with an electric motor as part of Honda's IMA hybrid powerpack, develops 122 hp and 123 lb-ft when connected to the CVT automatic gearbox.

With the latter, you also get wheel-mounted paddle shifters that actually work quite well, although you aren't going to feel like a racecar driver with the modest power output. Zero to 100 km/h takes 9.2 seconds; not painfully slow, but not thrilling.

Punching the Sport mode button helps: it provides quicker throttle response and a more eager reaction from the CVT to get some extra speed on board.

Choosing the ECO mode in the 2012 Honda CR-Z obviously bogs the system down in favour of maximum fuel economy. Around town, the electric motor's assistance and a start/stop system help keep fuel economy high. Official ratings are 5.6/5.0 L/100km city/highway.

On a round trip from Montreal to Toronto, we averaged 6.1L/10km. While the result isn't bad at all, we were expecting better.

The 2012 Honda CR-Z is a decent handler, but is by no means a sports car. Its electrically assisted steering is nicely weighted and communicative, and you can squeeze a little fun out of the car despite its modest torsion beam rear suspension, but this ain't no MINI Cooper competitor.

The 2012 Honda CR-Z is equipped with a 1.5L gas engine and an electric motor, good for a combined output of 122 hp. (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Space-age dashboard
Honda's recent interior styling efforts left us wanting more, such as in the Civic. In the 2012 CR-Z, on the other hand, the design is still very peculiar, but seems to work well in this car. The dash is riddled with circles and squares, with blue backlighting that offers up a cold, alien-like appearance. Even the shift lever looks like something you'd see dipped in formaldehyde several floors under Area 51.

The seats are dressed in a sporty, yet durable, silver-coloured cloth, although an available Premium Package substitutes them for heated leather upholstery (as well as a navigation system). While comfortable for the normal commute, they lack the support needed for 500-km road trips.

The dash is riddled with circles and squares, with blue backlighting that offers up a cold, alien-like appearance. (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Room for two
In other markets, the CR-Z has a back seat. But in a peculiar move, Honda decided the car would be a two-passenger coupe in Canada and the US, with plenty of room behind the front seats for a big purse. The rear section even looks like a seat was taken out purposefully. Whether they did this in an effort to recapturie the sprit of the loveable and long-gone CRX, or they figured no North American carcass would actually fit back there without a giant shoehorn, they should've left it in.

Fold down the rear panel in the 2012 Honda CR-Z (what used to be the rear seatback), and you get up to 711 litres of cargo space. The liftover height is low, thanks to a hatch that extends all the way to the bumper. On the other hand, the two-section glass portion of the hatch cuts down rear visibility and the rear wiper is just about useless. This hunchback design can also be found on other Honda products such as the Insight and the Crosstour.

The standard feature list of the 2012 Honda CR-Z includes HID headlights, 16” alloys, climate control, a trip computer, Bluetooth connectivity, a telescopic steering column, keyless entry and a great sounding seven-speaker sound system with a USB port.

Fold down the rear panel in the 2012 Honda CR-Z (what used to be the rear seatback), and you get up to 711 litres of cargo space. (Photo: Philippe Champoux)

Reasonably priced
At $22,590, the CR-Z isn't a bargain-basement, blue-light special, but is well equipped for the money, and let's not forget that it includes a costlier hybrid powertrain. By adding the CVT to replace the standard 6-speed manual, the MSRP climbs to $23,390.

Direct competitors are hard to determine. You could consider a MINI Cooper hatchback or a Scion tC, but really, the 2012 Honda CR-Z is in a world of its own. Oh wait, there's also the Hyundai Veloster, which costs less, has a back seat and handles better, but it has a less refined ride than the Honda.

Fuel efficient, stylish and well equipped, the Honda CR-Z is an interesting proposition. I'd prefer if it had a back seat, even though it would be cramped, because you never know when it might come in handy.

On the other hand, the 2013 model should be more powerful (read: sportier) and just as good on gas. If you set your sights on a CR-Z, you might want to wait for next year's model.

Greg Biffle announced that he's still in the fight for NASCAR's Sprint Cup with the pole in Charlotte.

Driving a Ford Fusion Biffle averaged 193.708 mph breaking a seven-year old track record. Only it wasn't easy. “That obviously is the fastest I've been around this race track, fast as anybody has, and it was a nerve-racking lap,” said Biffle.  

“I just couldn't believe the speeds I was seeing and I knew when I went to take off that 29-flat was the time to beat.  I knew that I struggled to run a 29.40, so I knew it was gonna be tough to do and I just dug deep.  I drove it off into turn one and the car stuck really, really well.  Three and four is where I'd been struggling and I just committed to myself that I had to drive it in there far enough and get back to the gas quick to be a factor and try to be at the top.”

At the moment Biffle is only ninth in the points, 49 markers behind leader Brad Keselowski in the standings. Biffle said it's not over yet.

“There's two ways to look at that,” Biffle added “we're certainly not gonna give up.  We're gonna try to win here Saturday night, try to win next week and that's all we can do is be in control of our own destiny and try to win these races.  Is it too late for us to get back in the hunt?  Probably.  Mathematically, it doesn't look good, but it's possible.”

Great pole position for Greg Biffle in Charlotte. (Photo: NASCAR)

The 53-year-old Mark Martin (at 193.361 mph) and Ryan Newman (at 193.251 mph) were also under the old record.

Clint Bowyer was the fastest Chaser in fourth; followed in fifth by five-time Champion Jimmie Johnson (second in the points).

Denny Hamlin, third in the points) qualified ninth and point's leader, Brad Keselowski, qualified 20th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s announcement that he has to miss this race and next week's race in Kansas, due to a concussion sustained in Kansas at test, but not fully appreciated until this week, capped off a round of musical chairs in the driver's seats.

Regan Smith, previously at Furniture Row Racing qualified Earnhardt's car at 26th. Kurt Busch who left James Finch for Furniture Row, qualified 21rst in his first race for the Denver-based team.

AJ Allmendinger who recently completed NASCAR's Road to Recovery (ending his suspension for what he calls an unintended ingestion of proscribed drug), will start 38th in his first start in Busch's previous team.

Failing to qualify were Joe Nemechek, Josh Wise, Scott Riggs and Cole Whitt.

Ford Motor Co.'s board discussed a succession plan for CEO Alan Mulally at its monthly meeting on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Federal safety regulators are investigating consumer complaints that panoramic sunroofs equipped on some 2012 Hyundai Velostermodels have spontaneously shattered or exploded.

Toyota Motor has recaptured the top spot among automakers in U.S. customer loyalty for the first time since the third quarter of 2009, according to a study released Thursday by Experian Automotive.

The owners of former New York dealerships Eagle Auto Mall and Terry Morris Chrysler-Jeep will face off against Chrysler Group in court on Dec. 3 in suits stemming from allegedly wrongful franchise terminations.

The Los Angeles Auto Show has made sharing and connecting easier for the social media crowd by optimizing its Web site for mobile devices.

Porsche has ramped up the performance of its second-generation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's industry alert that warned about the proliferation of counterfeit airbags on Wednesday could spark legal debates about who should pay the cost of replacing the potentially dangerous parts.

General Motors is increasing imports of Chevrolet Spark minicars for sale in the United States following a stronger-than-expected launch here.

-- The Acura ZDX is dead,

Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund Aabar sold its remaining 3.07 percent stake in Daimler AG worth about 1.25 billion euros ($1.6 billion) on Oct. 5, the German carmaker said in a regulatory filing today.

The Porsche 962 is one of the greatest things to have ever existed. Visually, mechanically, aurally, it's perfect.

First Drive: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish

In many ways the Aston Martin Vanquish is entirely different from the DBS is replaces; at first glance, though, it's undeniably similar.

As disappointments go, the iPhone 5 has to rank up there with Michael Jordan's baseball career and Tiger Woods' Ryder Cup record. I mean, seriously, it's an iPhone 4S that's been stretched and squashed, and yet I lie awake at night imagining the moment I can get my feverish palms on one - that's the power of the Apple brand.

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: First Drive: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish - Automobile Magazine

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The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport isn't a truck, by the strictest definition, but it's going to make a hot Korean brand even hotter.

Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors received a $10 million grant from California to buy assembly equipment and add 500 workers to build a rechargeable SUV in the state.

Toyota's Lexus unit, dethroned in 2011 as the best-selling luxury auto brand in the United States, said it may miss its sales target in the country this year amid increased competition from BMW.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: As far as shapes on wheels go, the Nissan Cube is diminutive and demonstrative, and from a glanceand#8212;it clearly lives up to its name.

Videos 11 Oct, 2012

Question time at race speed for Skoda Fabia IRC driver Andreas Mikkelsen