Auto News 5

Here are the main F1 news briefs of this day, Wednesday October 4, 2009 Full story...

Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. announced today that it is withdrawing from participation in the 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Series. As a result of this decision, there will no longer be an official Yamaha race team or the traditional manufacturer support for the series. Full story...

DETROIT - Given an improving business environment for GM over the past few months, and the importance of Opel//Vauxhall to GM's global strategy, the GM Board of Directors has decided to retain Opel and will initiate a restructuring of its European operations in earnest. Full story...

Factory Five is a small, family-owned company from Massachussetts that is growing at the speed of light. In fact, it's now the world's leading designer and seller of kit cars. However, building cool replicas of actual models was no longer enough for the two brothers in charge, so they decided to start R&D operations. Full story...

An off-road Raptor SVT truck powered by a 411-hp engine, a Mustang Cobra Jet destined for drag racing, a 400-hp Fiesta that scaled Pikes Peak after winning the XGames... American automaker had one thing to say at the SEMA show: Ford is still synonymous with power, and still all-American. Full story...

The Japanese car company Toyota revealed its decision in a news conference in Tokyo today following an earlier board meeting. The current economic situation had prompted its departure. Full story...

Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG.A, NYSE: MGA) today announced that it has been advised by General Motors ("GM") that the GM Board of Directors has decided to terminate the sale process for Opel. Full story...

American TV star/car tuner Chip Foose had the honor of kicking off the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Alongside Peter Klutt, he unveiled a 1970 Super Cuda with equally super ambitions. As the featured masterpiece of the latest season of Dream Car Garage, this one-of-a-kind Cuda will reportedly run a few track tests in the upcoming days with the goal of out-accelerating the legendary Ferrari Enzo in a straight line. Full story...

Michelin and Goodyear, the most recent tyre brands in formula one, have played down suggestions they might take over from Bridgestone as F1's exclusive supplier in 2011 and beyond. Full story...

Richard Petty Motorsports, which debuted a Ford for Elliott Sadler in ninth place in Sunday's Talladega 500, has decided to run a Ford Fusion for AJ Allmendinger for the final three Sprint Cup races of 2009. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corporation will announce on Wednesday its decision to pull out of formula one with immediate effect. Full story...

Bernie Ecclestone has braced the formula one world for an even longer race calendar in future. Full story...

Hayes Lemmerz International Inc., a century-old maker of aluminum and steel wheels for cars and trucks, said it won approval of its bankruptcy reorganization plan on Tuesday, and expects to emerge from Chapter 11 this year. Full story...

French Canadian supercar dreamer Luc Chartrand started working on the Plethore (French for plethora, or abundance) LC-750 about 11 years ago. He designed, engineered and built it all himself. Three years ago he ran out of money. Full story...

A reality TV show is playing out this week center stage at Ford's SEMA display. Full story...

We met with Gran Turismo creator and godfather Kazunori Yamauchi at SEMA and asked him the usual phalanx of questions--most importantly, when the heck is the game coming out? We're dying here, man, dying!!!!! Full story...

Kia treated the SEMA show like a regular auto show, with five new, unique, modified cars on the stand. Full story...

Hurst, the legendary company synonymous with Olds 442s, performance shifters and all things muscle cars, has turned its attention to modern iterations of pony cars. Full story...

The Obama administration did not get involved with General Motors Co.'s decision to keep and restructure its Opel carmaking operations in Europe, a U.S. Treasury spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Full story...

The Obama administration did not get involved with General Motors Co.'s decision to keep and restructure its Opel carmaking operations in Europe, a U.S. Treasury spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Full story...