Hamilton clairifies Vettel comments

LEWIS HAMILTON has been forced to clarify comments after suggesting Sebastian Vettel was boring Formula One fans. Hamilton voiced his frustration in the wake of Sunday's Korean Grand Prix as Vettel won his fourth successive race to stretch his championship lead over Fernando Alonso to 77 points. With Vettel now on the brink of his fourth consecutive world title ahead of this weekend's race in Japan, Hamilton likened the 26-year-old's domination to that of Michael Schumacher a decade ago.

TVR goes off the rails

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 02 January 2007 03:25 British sportscar manufacturer TVR is fighting for survival after crashing into administration over Christmas. Blackpool Automotive Ltd, TVR's manufacturing arm, has stopped building cars at the Blackpool HQ, its home since 1947. Around 250 members of staff stayed at home this week, waiting to discover their fate.

Saab gets latest lifeline via $5 million infusion from Chinese company

Saab has been on the edge of collapse since a cash shortage early this year forced it to halt production. Now Automotive News reports that a last-minute payment from China's Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile has given the Swedish carmaker yet another shot. Youngman wants to get a stake in Saab and has taken the first step by giving the company $5 million to cover tax expenses, with another $26.43 million forthcoming for unpaid salaries and $13.18 million more before the end of December.