Porsche names Norbert Singer grand marshal for Rennsport Reunion

Porsche has named longtime race-car engineer Norbert Singer the grand marshal for the Rennsport Reunion IV on Oct. 14 at the Mazda Raceway. Singer, 71, is the only Porsche racing engineer to have contributed to each of the brand's 16 Le Mans victories.

Toyota to halt North America vehicle output for 5 days this month

Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production at its North American assembly plants for five days this month due to earthquake-related parts shortages. All but one of Toyota's assembly plants are scheduled to be idled on April 15, 18, 21, 22 and 25, the automaker said in a statement Friday.

No sign of global auto meltdown at Tokyo Auto Salon

With more than 600 cars on display and a record number of exhibitors, nothing at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon tuner show hinted at the global economic downturn. As always, there was a great mix of styles, from hard-core, 1,000-hp, supertuned machinery to weird customized scooter tricycles. Auto manufacturers tried hard to capture the minds--if not the wallets--of the younger-than-30 crowd with customized versions of production cars, while tuners were busy persuading power junkies to choose them for their next engine modification.