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Hearst moves Road & Track

New York publishing house Hearst says it will move the Road & Track magazine editorial offices from Newport Beach, Calif., to Ann Arbor, Mich., home of its other auto-magazine title, Car and Driver. Additionally, Larry Webster has been named editor in chief, replacing Matt DeLorenzo. Webster had been automotive editor of Hearst's Popular Mechanics since January 2010 and before that was the Detroit editor for Popular Mechanics.

Toyota Matrix likely to be dropped

Toyota will roll out Tundra and Corolla redesigns next year and will revise the RAV4, Avalon and Highlander, but there are some things the division probably won't do. For example, there is a strong possibility that the Corolla-based Matrix hatchback will not be renewed for the United States when the Corolla redesign comes next fall. "If we don't have the Matrix, it won't be the end of the world," said Toyota Division boss Bill Fay at the press introduction of the RAV4 in Phoenix.

The scramble for scarce tires

North American automakers are struggling with a nagging shortage of tires, caused in part by tire plant closings and rising demand for low-volume specialty tires. Automakers are paying much higher prices -- double-digit percentage increases from a year ago -- as tire makers gain pricing power. "We have been bombarded from every side for additional tires, and we can't keep up," said David O'Donnell, Continental Tire's vice president of original equipment in the Americas.