Auto News 5

The race is on to be the world's number one in environmental vehicles. Companies such as Toyota, Honda and Renault have staked their claim and Volkswagen said at the Geneva show on Tuesday it aims to be number one in hybrid and electric cars before the end of this decade. Full story...

Leon Haslam (Suzuki) won his first World Superbike Championship race of his career, but was denied a double victory by Carlos Checa (Ducati) in the last moment of the second race during the first weekend of WSBK action at Phillip Island in Australia. Full story...

In a bid to improve its lineup before a fleet of new Fiat-based vehicles arrives in 2012, Chrysler Group is rushing new features and equipment into 15 reworked vehicles. Full story...

Silverstone - The GT Academy 2010 has moved a step closer to unearthing a real racing talent. The 18 Gran Turismo® racers who set out on their quest to win a season long Nissan 370Z drive in the European GT4 Cup have been reduced to only eight after two days of intensive driving challenges. Full story...

Kevin Harvick turned what could have been a series of pit road disasters into a victory coming back to win the rain-delayed Nationwide Race at Las Vegas beating Denny Hamlin."We had our worst day ever on pit road," said his crew chief Ernie Cope. Full story...

Charles Pic took victory in Race 2 in Bahrein, ahead of Giaccomo Ricci and Javier Villa. Full story...

David Coulthard has not yet signed to race in the German touring car series DTM in 2010, according to Mercedes' Norbert Haug. The Scot tested one of the German marque's cars recently, sparking rumours that he will soon test again prior to replacing Mathias Lauda, the son of the triple world champion Niki Lauda. Full story...

The virtual world of the successful Gran Turismo race simulation games enters a crucial phase today. The 18 winners from across the 17 participating countries will gather at the famous Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK. For the next five days they will be put through a series of gruelling driving, physical and mental challenges in order to select the two competitors that display the most talent, determination and potential to succeed as real racing drivers. Full story...

The virtual world of the successful Gran Turismo race simulation games enters a crucial phase today. The 18 winners from across the 17 participating countries will gather at the famous Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK. For the next five days they will be put through a series of gruelling driving, physical and mental challenges in order to select the two competitors that display the most talent, determination and potential to succeed as real racing drivers. Full story...

Toyota showed an impressive reduction in its fleet's average carbon dioxide emissions in 2009 and now trails No. 1 Fiat by a small margin in the race to be Europe's greenest brand. Toyota slashed its average CO2 emissions to 130. Full story...

Stefan GP on Saturday continued its feisty push to race in formula one in 2010. Amid rumours the Serbian outfit may not have sent containers of equipment to Bahrain for the first race as it earlier claimed, copies of the actual transport orders were published on Stefan GP's official website. Full story...

Michael Schumacher apologised for taking the race seat he was hoping to occupy in 2010, Nick Heidfeld has revealed. With Schumacher returning to F1 this year, the German pair are united this year at Mercedes GP, with 32-year-old Heidfeld in the reserve role. Full story...

Stefan GP on Saturday continued its feisty push to race in formula one in 2010. Amid rumours the Serbian outfit may not have sent containers of equipment to Bahrain for the first race as it earlier claimed, copies of the actual transport orders were published on Stefan GP's official website. Full story...

For 48 hours Kurt Busch has bragging rights in the Busch family household as he and 17 other drivers shattered the track record in qualifying for the 400 mile Las Vegas NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Full story...

Team iSport driver Davide Valsecchi won the Bahrain feature race today and clinched the GP2 Asia Series title. Full story...

Team principal of the new Campos Meta Formula 1 team Colin Kolles on Friday confirmed reports that Indian GP2 driver Karun Chandhok is close to securing a deal to race in 2010. Full story...

The race to perfect ultra-fast pitstops in 2010 continues to heat up. Full story...

Corona, Calif. - Recent testing revealed that off-the-shelf Eibach suspension components dramatically improve performance and mileage in a 2010 Camaro SS. Known worldwide for their success on the race track, Eibach has effectively applied this knowledge to the street with their Pro-Plus Performance Handling Package for the hot new Chevrolet Camaro. Full story...

Based on the forecast for lower than normal temperatures in the Birmingham, Alabama area this week, the FAZZT Race Team and driver Alex Tagliani have made the decision to forgo the IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test. Full story...

N.Technology is taking on a new technical challenge for 2010 with the design and development of the racing version of Porsche´s latest car: the Panamera S. Full story...