Silverstone redevelops Stowe: new pictures

By Christopher Erasmus First Official Pictures 16 November 2009 14:28 This is the new Stowe Complex at Silverstone, the first step in the racing circuit's new £7 million track development programme, and the main feature to attract corporate and product events to the track ahead of major planned events in 2010.Will Silverstone's new Stowe Complex affect the 2010 Moto GP or possible return of the British grand prix?No, the complex is a separate development within the full F1 circuit, and should be fully complete by March 2010, in time for the Moto GP in June 2010 and the still-possible British GP in July 2010. The development is designed to attract manufacturers and corporate events types to come and test at the Northamptonshire venue.So it's just a money-spinning scheme by Silverstone? Or are they actually building something important?The Stowe Complex is certainly a way for Silverstone to generate some important revenue and publicity.

Suzuki take Volkswagen to court

Suzuki are seeking to get their shares back from VW The partnership between Volkswagen and Suzuki promised so much. VW wanted an easy way in to the car market in India – where Suzuki is very strong – and in return Suzuki wanted access to the sort of technology – hybrid and EV – it couldn’t really afford to develop independently. And all looked rosy when VW took a near 20 per cent stake in Suzuki in 2009 But things started to go a bit awry when VW insensitively referred to Suzuki as an ‘associate’, where it could pull all the right strings, in its annual report.

GM's Ed Whitacre meets the press in Web chat

General Motors' new front man, Ed Whitacre, remains a bit of an elusive figure in the car world. But at the very least, the former telecom honcho who's now the leader of the nation's largest automaker does like cars. “Oh yes,” he answered in response to that question during a Web chat on Tuesday, one of his first interactions with the media so far in his tenure at the helm of GM.