Auto News 5

An audit report by federal inspectors that was critical of how the Obama administration, GM and Chrysler handled the termination of thousands of dealerships proves that the cuts were 'unjustified,' the chairman of the National Automobile... Full story...

Retail sales of new vehicles in October are expected to be the year's strongest as U.S. consumers avoid a midmonth buying lull, J.D. Power and Associates said today. Full story...

Two important events fuelled mobility engineering in Brazil this month. The most recent, the SAE Brasil 19th International Congress and Exhibition, focused on the competence of Brazilian engineering for the mobility of the future. There were three days of presentations and debates, 20 panels and 140 technical papers, besides numerous stands, almost a mini motor show. Full story...

Growing up in suburban Calgary, AB I really didn't think the smart car would sell at all in this country. Who would even want something this small? How the heck would this thing do on icy roads and what if you got in an accident?! Full story...

Scion confirmed plans to expand its presence in Canada in 2011 with the rollout of 40 Phase II dealers in 30 more markets across Canada next spring. Scion launched in Canada in September with 45 dealers in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver and the response from Canadians has been tremendous. 70% of all inquiries are hitting the key "male under-35" target market and about half are new to the Toyota brand. Full story...

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has started production at its Oppama facility for the all-new 100% electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF, which is slated to go on sale in December in Japan and the United States, and from early 2011, in select markets in Europe. Full story...

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) announced it will offer Canadians more than a dozen new or significantly refreshed Toyota and Lexus models in the coming year. The first of these vehicles to be released include the 2011 Toyota Highlander and Highlander Hybrid and the refreshed 2011 Lexus IS series. Full story...

Ann Arbor, Michigan - Introduced in 2009, the compact model brought in to replace the Spectra has nevertheless taken off. More contemporary and better equipped than its predecessor, at the end of the first quarter of 2010, over 10,000 Canadians had already snapped one up, a record compared to the Spectra's sales numbers. Full story...

To help you select the right model, here is an evaluation of winter tires for commercial vehicles, designed to offer maximum carrying capacity as well as excellent performance on dry, wet, snowy and icy roads. Full story...

Sébastien Loeb (Citroen C4) leads Rally Catalunya after day 1, but Sebastien Ogier (Citroen C4) pushed hard behind the multiple world champion. Full story...

NASCAR announced that the 2011 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown will return to the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale on Jan. 28-29. Full story...

Jacques Villeneuve has found the Surfers Paradise circuit like returning to a familiar friend. Full story...

Red Bull has pledged driver equality for the 2010 title fight, whilst openly admitting that Sebastian Vettel is regarded as the man of the future. Full story...

The 2011 FIA World Touring Car Championship calendar has had one amendment to the draft that was approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council on September 8th: the WTCC Race of the UK will move from Brands Hatch to Donington Park. Full story...

F1 drivers have expressed concern about the design of the pit entry at the new Yeongam circuit in Korea. Full story...

Former Sauber Motorsport driver Pedro de la Rosa has concluded a two-day test for Pirelli at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya, Spain. Full story...

Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) signs the fastest lap during the first practice session, Mark Webber (Red Bull) is on top during the second practice session ahead of Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). Full story...

'Better city, better life', is the theme of Shanghai's Expo 2010, which closes at the end of the month. The city is home to 20m people and it seems, as locals rush to see the international pavilions before they close, about 19m are there every day at the moment. More realistically, over 1m passed through the turnstiles last Saturday (16 October) and the wait for popular pavilions such as China's own could be as long as five hours. Full story...

An audit report by federal inspectors that was critical of how the Obama administration, GM and Chrysler handled the termination of thousands of dealerships proves that the cuts were 'unjustified,' the chairman of the National Automobile... Full story...

GM and Chrysler will lead automakers to 'gushing profits' when annual U.S. sales reach 15 million vehicles, said Steven Rattner, the former head of the federal government's auto task force. Full story...