Australia's Holden to cease production after 2017, GM says

General Motors, in the latest blow to Australia's auto industry, will end vehicle and engine manufacturing and scale back engineering operations in the country by the end of 2017. The company's Holden unit, a mainstay in Australia for decades, cited the high cost of manufacturing in one of the world's smallest but most competitive markets and one that has also been upended by a steady rise in imports, mostly from southeast Asia. There has been widespread speculation of the move in recent days and earlier Tuesday, in Australia, GM officials said no decision had been made.

Volvo S60 R-Design won on Facebook by ‘The Lake District’

Volvo Greatest Drive Winner – The Lake District You may remember we reported in June that Volvo had gone slightly bonkers and decided to give away a brand spanking new S60 to whoever submitted the ‘Greatest Drive’ on Facebook; the route that offered not just great scenery but a great driving experience too. And Volvo didn’t skimp on the competition, with not just an astonishingly good prize but also the services of Robert Llewellyn to drive an S60 round the three routes initially voted the best (curious, that – we didn’t know Bobby could drive a car without an electric motor), with videos posted so Volvo’s Facebook fans could make a proper decision on what really was the ‘Greatest Drive’. And the winner was ‘The Lake District’.

U.S. is seeking a record $16.4 million fine against Toyota

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking a historic $16.4 million civil penalty against Toyota for failing to notify the agency in a timely fashion of a throttle problem that could cause unintended acceleration, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Monday. The amount is the maximum penalty and would be the most NHTSA has levied against an automaker. The agency said Toyota waited at least four months to alert it of the potential pedal problem.