Auto News 5

The Faenza-based Scuderia Toro Rosso is ramping up its efforts to become a full constructor in 2010, team boss Franz Tost has confirmed. Full story...

Young German Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel has hastily negotiated a new clause for his 2009 Red Bull contract. Full story...

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) has welcomed today's report from the National Audit Office as it underlines a focus on children and cyclists as the top priority needed to lift Great Britain up the road safety league table. "The government are already talking about creating the safest roads in the world and the biggest challenge will be to do this for our most vulnerable road users," says Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the IAM. Full story...

INDIANAPOLIS -- Batteries from EnerDel, the only U.S. lithium-ion car battery manufacturer with commercial-scale production capability, may power the Fisker Karma, scheduled to be the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to market in June 2010. Full story...

Walkers pounding 26 miles sporting their bras next weekend to raise money for charity will be helped by a support crew in Ford S-MAX and Ford Galaxy MPVs provided by Ford of Britain. "Walk the Walk", the grant-making health charity which raises funds for vital breast cancer research and cancer care, will be holding the famous 'moon' and 'sun' walking events around the country this Summer starting in London next Saturday (16 May). Full story...

HIROSHIMA, Japan--Six researchers from Mazda will be honored for their research achievements at the 59th annual Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE) awards presentation. The researchers will receive the Outstanding Technical Paper and the Technological Development awards. The Outstanding Technical Paper Award recognizes individuals and their co-authors for outstanding research in the field of automotive technology. Full story...

Premium five-door cars are popular in Europe, much less in America. But a hatchback's practicality is undeniable, and logically, we should see a lot more of this type of vehicle on our roads. Right now, there very few direct competitors to the Audi A3 in North America. BMW's 5-door 1-Series is Europe-only, Mercedes only has the less-dynamic B200 to rival it, and there are only three Japanese products that come close. Full story...

The Chevrolet Volt remains on track to hit the market in late 2010--and General Motors is still going to invest in developing key products--despite its financial troubles, a top executive said Thursday. Full story...

Porsche's plan to merge with Volkswagen has intensified a power struggle that could see the spectacular fall of the sports car maker's CEO Wendelin Wiedeking. Full story...

General Motors is working without interruption on the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid despite mounting financial woes and the threat of bankruptcy, said Tom Stephens, the automaker's product development chief. Full story...

General Motors is working without interruption on the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid despite mounting financial woes and the threat of bankruptcy, said Tom Stephens, the automaker's product development chief. Full story...

Japan's response to Chrysler's bankruptcy is an incredulous shake of the head. Some here worry about the bankruptcy's impact on the supply chain that is so vital to Japanese automakers operating in North America. Full story...

Former basketball great Dave Bing will give up his title as chairman of the auto parts company he founded now that he's mayor of Detroit. Full story...

The National Automobile Dealers Association is planning to run full-page ads in the Washington Post, Politico and Automotive News to protest the presidential auto task force's push for General Motors and Chrysler to make drastic... Full story...

Conceding that some of its U.S. suppliers may be too financially troubled to build their own parts plants, Volkswagen AG is seeking help from an unlikely source: real estate investors. Full story...

Chrysler LLC's 16,000 nonunion retirees and their spouses, who claim that their health benefits are in jeopardy, will get committee representation in bankruptcy court, a judge ruled today. Full story...

The U.S. Treasury Department said today Chrysler LLC reduced the amount of debtor-in-possession financing to $3.034 billion from $3.340 billion. Chrysler filed for bankruptcy in New York on April 30. Full story...

In today's News Brake: As part of an exclusive interview with AutoWeek, GM CEO Fritz Henderson talks about an opening for a small car in the Cadillac or Buick lineup; demand for the Camaro prompts GM to add to the work schedule at the... Full story...

South Africa's new vehicle sales plunged by 43.1% year-on-year to 24,063 units in April according to data released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (NAAMSA). Full story...

For Lexus fans who can't afford the sleek SC convertible -- or can't wait for its long-overdue model change -- Toyota's premium brand is rolling out a new entry-level IS pop-top. The Lexus IS 250C, which debuted today in Japan, reaches U.S. Full story...