Ferrari has announced that it will auction off the rights to the very last F430 to roll off the assembly line and donate the proceeds to help citizens of the Abruzzo region that was devastated during the April 6th earthquake in Italy.

Rights to the car will be on the block at a special Ferrari-themed RM Auction this Sunday, however, the car itself will not be built until the end of the year.

The 490hp F430 will come with a special two-tone paint job using the traditional colors (red and blue) of Aquila, the city hardest hit by the earthquake. The owner will then be invited to the Ferrari factory in Maranello to chose the remaining options on the car. Ferrari has said it will toss in several pricey options from its Carrozzeria Scaglietti catalog.

The Italian exotic will come with a certificate signed by Ferrari Chairman, Luca di Montezemolo and a special dedication plaque.

This news also marks the first admission by Ferrari that F430 production will end this year, making the arrival of a concept to succeed the impressive exotic at the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall almost certain.

Official release after the jump:

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According to a leaked document, General Motors is planning on selling Chinese-built cars to Americans in the near future.

The document does not specifically state which vehicle or vehicles could be exported to the U.S., but it does suggest that small cars would be the focus. There is speculation that it could be a sub-compact like the Chevy Spark, but a Buick model might also be a possibility.

What is clear, however, are the numbers, as GM plans to import as many as 17,335 vehicles from China to the U.S. by 2011. This number would then grow to 50,000 by 2014.

If GM does in fact go through with the plan, it would be the first successful attempt by an automaker to import Chinese-made cars. Several Chinese automakers have declared interest in the U.S. marketplace but so far none have succeeded, due in part to the high safety and emissions standards in the U.S. as well as poor consumer confidence.

Moving production to China would easily help the automaker reduce manufacturing costs. However, it would also be viewed as a betrayal of domestic workers.

[Source: DetroitNews]

Ferrari has officially declared that if FIA president Max Mosley intends to go through with his plan for a two-teared budgetary system in Formula 1 he can count the prancing horse out.

In a statement Ferrari’s board of directors declared that if the FIA goes ahead with it’s plans, “then the reasons underlying Ferrari’s uninterrupted participation in the World Championship over the last 60 years – the only constructor to have taken part ever since its inception in 1950 – would come to a close.”

The board blasted Mosley stating that, “The rules of governance that have contributed to the development of Formula 1 over the last 25 years have been disregarded, as have the binding contractual obligations between Ferrari and the FIA itself regarding the stability of the regulations.”

Ferrari is the first manufacturer to officially declare it would pull, after Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have made remarks that they might pull. Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso team owner v has also declared a boycott if Mosley goes ahead with his new rules.

As the most popular and marketable team in Formula 1, Ferrari’s threat is akin to the Yankees quitting baseball.

What exactly this new rule setup includes is a two-tiered setup with some teams spending an unlimited amount of cash to compete while other teams would have a £40 million  cap – not including driver salaries, marketing, engines or fines. Teams in the £40 class could use adjustable front and rear wings and have engines with unlimited revving capabilities.

There is speculation that the adjustable aerodynamics might provide an advantage that no amount of money spent on engineering could exceed, making high-dollar teams uncompetitive.

As well as practical reasons, Ferrari opposes the FIA’s two-tiered system in principle.

“The same rules for all teams, stability of regulations, the continuity of the FOTA’s (Formula One Teams Association) endeavours to methodically and progressively reduce costs, and governance of Formula 1 are the priorities for the future,” reads the statement. “If these indispensable principles are not respected and if the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula 1 World Championship.”

The board of directors also asked that Ferrari’s many fans understand that the decision not to race in 2010 under the current rules was a difficult one but that it is consistent with Ferrari’s racing principles.

Official release after the jump:

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In a study of 25,000 new car buyers, Porsche owners are most likely to recommend that their friends buy a Porsche. In fact, according to a survey performed by marketing research firm AutoPacific, the Porsche brand gets an recommendation rating of 91 percent.

When it comes to individual models, all of Porsche’s vehicles did well, but the top spot actually belongs to Infiniti’s G37. An amazing 95 percent of new G37 buyers would recommend that their friends buy the same car. This result also gave the G37 the title of most recommended Aspirational Luxury Car.

In the luxury car category, the Premium Luxury segment was dominated by the Lexus LS. Toyota also took home the most recommended in the Large Car category for the Toyota Avalon, the Premium Mid-Size Car category for the Camry, the Luxury Mid-Size Car category for the Lexus ES, the Image Compact Car category for the Prius, the Minivan category for the Sienna, the Compact Pickup category for the Toyota Tacoma and the Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility  category for the 4Runner.

In total, Toyota took the most class wins with eight, while Ford scored six “Most Recommended” wins and Honda took home three.

Not surprisingly Ford took home the top spot for Large Light-Duty Pickups with the F-150 and Large Heavy-Duty Pickups with the F-Series Super Duty. The Mustang took home the spot as the most recommended sporty car, while the Flex and Edge won for the Large Crossover SUV and Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV categories.

The just-released survey by AutoPacific includes data from over 25,000 individuals who purchased or leased a new car from September to December 2008.

“Typically, car buyers are very pleased when they first drive their new car off the dealer lot. But just as a vehicle’s worth depreciates over time, some car owners’ level of confidence depreciates,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “We have quantified their level of confidence to see which new car owners will recommend their model most and this is information which will help new car shoppers make informed, confident buying decisions. While many owners can be happy with their new cars, it takes another level of confidence to recommend it.”

More “Most Recommended” vehicles after the jump:

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Last week we brought you a story about the 600hp Novitec Tridente Maserati GranTurismo S. The details were limited and the photos grainy and out of focus. Now we have all the official specs and a huge gallery of glorious photos.

What you need to know, other than the fact that the 4.7-liter Italian V8 now makes 600hp thanks to a supercharger, is that torque grows from a factory 361 ft-lbs to 434 ft-lbs. Novitec says this equates to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds – 0.4 seconds faster than the factory car. But with that much power on-tap, the real improvements come up top as the Novitec monster hits 124 mph in 14.6 seconds and tops out at 196 mph.

To help put all that power to the ground the Novitec engineers equipped the Maserati with some new wheels capable of handling massive pieces of rubber. Up front the 20×9-inch wheels get sizable 275/30/20 Pirelli tires while out back the GranTurismo S has been fitted with 21×12.5-inch wheels with enormous 355/25/21 tires.

GALLERY: Novitec Tridente Maserrati GranTurismo S

Complete details on the Novitec Maserati Tridente after the jump:

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Mercedes appears to be trying its hand at humor in the advertising world in a campaign to promote the all-new 2010 E-Class.

The ad takes a while to get to the point and when it does get there they ask you to think slightly more than is normally expected in a commercial. The message is actually quite simple, however, as your dreams (no matter how scary or enjoyable) will have to wait thanks to the new “Attention Assist” system in E-Class.

The Attention Assist system is just one of several new “Assist” systems on the new E-Class, including Adaptive Main Beam Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and Brake Assist Plus.

The system works by using audio and visual warnings to notify the driver that he may be drowsing off. When activated, a coffee cup icon on the dash lights up. “It’s the next best thing to handing the driver a cup of espresso,” said Mercedes-Benz Chairman Dr. Dieter Zeich.

Thanks to a member of 5Post.com we have these amateur spy photos of BMW’s upcoming 5 Series GT out testing in Germany. While the telling details are covered up, it does not appear as though much has changed from the concept car first unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show back in March.

This isn’t really a surprise as at that show BMW board member Dr. Klaus Draeger referred to it as a “near-series concept.” The vehicle is based on BMW’s Progressive Activity Sedan idea and features a hatchback or sportback like rear end for improved cargo capacity and, therefore, functionality over the standard 5 Series.

It is 196.8-inches long, making it second only in length to the 7 Series. It is also 61.2-inches high, meaning it is exceed only by BMW’s X models.

The whole Gran Turismo luxury crossover segment seems to be an emerging automotive aero as Audi intends to introduce a similar model soon and Acura recently unveiled the ZDX Concept at the New York Auto Show.

We expect the upcoming 5 Series Gran Turismo to officially debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall.

GALLERY: BMW 5 Series GT Spy Photos

[Source: 5Post.com]

GM Vice Chair Bob Lutz Kisses a Saturn Astra. Recently he kissed-goodbye to all his stock in the company.

In a move that should probably be illegal (but isn’t) six General Motors executives recently sold off all their shares in the company. That’s right, those same guys who helped drive GM into bankruptcy traded in all their stocks when a trading window opened.

The move signifies that GM will most likely file for Chapter 11 and while it does seem unjust that these executives are permitted to jump ship, smart investors will see this as a sign. (You know what they say when the rats start to leave a ship).

GM’s Vice Chairman Bob Lutz (pictured above) sold off all of is 81,360 shares at $1.61 each, cashing in on $130, 969.60. The North American President of GM, Troy Clarke, dumped his 21,380 shares for just $1.45 each for a total of $31,001.

The remaining executives involved in the sell-off were VP Thomas Stephens, as well as Group VPs Gary Cowger, Carl-Peter Forster and Ralph Szygenda.

The move prompted the stocks to continue their slide, dropping 17 cents (or 11 percent) to just $1.44 by days end. In the past year GM’s stock value has declined by 92 percent.

General Motors is facing a June 1st restructuring deadline by the Obama administration or else the federal government will pull the funding plug on the automaker. As it stands a bankruptcy scenario seems unavoidable.

[Source: Bloomberg]

It’s not exactly the sort of news worthy of a celebration, but some cautious optimism is certainly appropriate as word comes that the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky might not suffer the same fate as almost every other fun vehicle under the General Motors umbrella.

Fritz Henderson, GM’s new CEO said that the company would be willing to part with the plant where the two sports cars are assembled. The Wilmington, Del. plant is also the location where GM manufactures the Opel GT – a European version of the car.

“If someone were to approach with a proposal that made good sense for our people, we’d be open to it,” Henderson said.

Both the Solstice and Sky were introduced in 2006 as front-engine, rear-wheel drive roadsters. The models come standard with a 173hp four-cylinder, with a turbocharged 260-hp four-cylinder optional.

General Motors is still intent on selling off the Saturn brand and scuttling the Pontiac nameplate, however, it won’t rule out selling the Wilmington facility as there is likely to be some interest in the niche-market vehicles.

Last year GM moved close to 20,000 units of the two American models, with the Solstice selling 10,739 units and the Sky 9,162 units.

The move is similar to the one made by Chrysler in regards to the Dodge Viper. Chrysler has yet to find a buyer for that iconic nameplate.

[Source: AutoWeek]

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This is the latest installment in Audi’s brilliant marketing campaign that mocks other car makers and positions the brand as an alternative to traditional luxury vehicles.

For the new 525hp 5.2-liter V-10-powered R8, the setting is Maranello, Italy – the home of Ferrari. When positioning itself as a luxury brand, Audi takes on the Germans (or even the Japanese), but when competing in the exotic car arena there is no place quite like Italy.

And in a move that is almost blasphemous, the R8 is painted bright red. Needless to say the Italians are not amused and promptly chase the German exotic out of town.