Le Mans regulations for 2014 announced

The organisers of the Le Mans 24-hour have announced a raft of radical new rules on the eve of the 2012 race - including the less restricted use of hybrid power for the top-flight LMP1 racers from 2014. The governing ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) unveiled the major changes due in two years' time as the teams start the 80th 24 Heures du Mans event which runs from Saturday 16 - Sunday 17 June 2012. In order to stay in tune with our environmentally-conscious, economically-chastened times, the focus of the alterations is to improve the efficiency of the elite LMP1 cars' technology and cement a link with roadgoing hybrids, as well as making the race cars safer.

Toyota paid $10 million to settle unintended acceleration lawsuit

Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to pay $10 million to settle a lawsuit with the families of four people who were killed in an accident that led to the automaker’s recall of millions of vehicles over unintended acceleration concerns. The settlement was reached in September, but the amount was not made public at the time after both Toyota and the plaintiffs agreed to keep the deal confidential.

Technicon Design to present Roding Roadster at CDN Car Design Night

Technicon Design is all set to present the Roding Roadster – the first production car developed for Roding Automobile – at Car Design News’ Car Design Night in Geneva on Tuesday evening. The car is the result of collaboration between the two companies after Roding contacted Technicon Design at the beginning of 2011 with the task of redesigning its prototype sports car. Roding developed a prototype of its Roadster concept in 2008, originally designed at the university in Munich, and displayed at the Frankfurt motor show three years ago.