Auto News 5

The boss of F1's commercial rights owners CVC has denied reports the company is considering ousting Bernie Ecclestone as chief executive. Full story...

Volvo Car Corporation has chosen advanced, American-made lithium-ion battery systems designed and produced by Ener1, Inc. (Nasdaq: HEV) to power a pair of plug-in hybrid V70 demonstration cars being put through their paces across Europe this fall as part of a rigorous development program leading up to the planned 2012 commercial launch of a production plug-in model. Full story...

Honda's new CEO, Takanobu Ito has today announced plans to begin sales of the CR-Z sports hybrid model in Japan in February 2010. The start date for UK sales of the new hybrid coupe will be released towards the end of 2009. Full story...

Double Fusion, the leading in-game advertising company and gaming audience network, today announced its role in the development of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.'s cube(R) Party Roundup game created exclusively for the Apple(R) iPhone(TM). Double Fusion, in collaboration with game development studio Coresoft, designed and developed the groundbreaking mobile game, which aligns with Nissan's advertising campaign introducing the Nissan cube(R) in the U.S. as a "mobile device." Full story...

Daimler AG (stock-exchange abbreviation DAI) and its new major shareholder Aabar Investments PJSC (Aabar), of Abu Dhabi, have started their first joint strategic project with the sale by Daimler of 40 percent of its equity interest in Tesla Motors Inc. to Aabar. This investment allows Daimler and Aabar to leverage their shared interest in the development of low-CO2 drive systems. Full story...

Mazda Motor Corporation has announced the completion of the new passenger car plant at AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT), a joint venture manufacturing facility with Ford Motor Company. Full story...

Originally slated to cease production in December 2009, the Chrysler Group Conner Avenue Assembly Plant -- the exclusive home of Dodge Viper production since 1995 -- will continue to build the V-10 powered sports car. Chrysler Group is no longer pursuing a sale of the Viper business assets. Full story...

After leading a good portion of the last Toronto Indy, Alex Tagliani missed out on a potential victory because of an untimely yellow flag and his boss Eric Bachelart has called on the IRL to reassess the IndyCar Series' pit closure rules. Full story...

Sebastien Bourdais left the Nurburgring on Sunday evening intending to honour his full 2009 contract with Toro Rosso. Full story...

Once again this past weekend, prestigious makes of the automobile industry, such as Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche were featured at the "Sommet des legends" at legendary Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Full story...

Defending NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion Scott Steckly has won the Tide 250 at Autodrome St. Eustache on Sunday afternoon. Full story...

Even after a shower and a post-race debrief, Rubens Barrichello was still unhappy with his F1 employer Brawn GP as he left the Nurburgring. Full story...

In Part One of Auto123.com's premium SUV comparison test, the overall winner proved to be an obvious choice. However, as pointed out by many readers, we failed to include a number of worthy contenders. Full story...

BMW is willing to supply a customer team with engines in 2010, formula one team boss Mario Theissen has revealed. Full story...

Fernando Alonso wants to set up a professional cycling team, according to Italian and Spanish reports on Monday. Full story...

Distinctive appearance. A wealth of customer-friendly technology and interior appointments. Fun to drive. Now, add more power without sacrificing fuel economy to the growing list of ways to describe the Ford Flex. Full story...

Renault has chosen Nissan's U.S. finance chief to head its house bank and Porsche has restructured its sales in Russia, Latin America and Canada in the latest management changes in the industry. Full story...

Russia's auto lobby group wants the government to launch a scrapping incentive scheme to help stop the collapse of new-car sales. The call for help comes after Russia reported a sales decline of 50 percent or more for the third consecutive month. Full story...

Faurecia is growing fast in emerging markets. The French supplier booked 2 billion euros in new business in developing countries last year. By comparison, Faurecia reported 1 billion euros in sales in emerging markets in 2008. Full story...

The 2009 Eurostars stand out because they have succeeded while their competitors stumbled. This year's winners have earned their awards by taking risks and refusing to fail. No auto executive has shown more courage than Fiat S.p.A. Full story...