Autoblog

Max Mosley dodged the definitive bullet earlier today in Paris where the FIA president walked away with a win after a secret ballot vote of confidence took place. Of the 169 votes, 103 expressed confidence in the embattled president, who is dealing with the fallout from a sex tape released by the News of the World that showed Mosely being beaten by five prostitutes. 55 ballots were cast against the motion, while 11 were invalid, according to the FIA. Mosley made it clear that he would not pursue reelection after his term ends later this year, something that is sure to make a number of interest groups, not to mention his old friend Bernie Eccelstone, particularly happy.

[Source: AP, Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty]

Furiosa. That's what the new hatchback from Alfa Romeo will be called, by virtue of an international competition to choose the car's name.

The Italian automaker is getting farther away from the Alfa-numeric (pun intended) nomenclature and giving its models more emotive nameplates instead. The web contest offered online voters a choice of twelve names, and Furiosa got the most votes, beating out Agea, Enos, Everson, Fira, Milo, Mod, Nevo, Solea, Sparvo, Velvetta and Ventura. While some proposals had merit, some of the rejected names were a little cheesy (try to figure out which).

So we can stop calling it the Alfa Junior. The Furiosa is anticipated to make its debut at the Geneva show in March. We're so there.

[Source: Motor Authority]

'You don't want us, and we don't want you.' That seems to be the consensus at Mercedes-Benz regarding Fernando Alonso, who has openly stated his displeasure over the course of the season with McLaren, the F1 team principally owned and powered by Mercedes.

According to emerging reports, the majority of the German automaker's executive board voted that Alonso is no longer a suitable representative of their company, and that his services should not be retained for an additional season. This despite the contract that binds the Spanish driver to the British team through 2008, but if neither party has any desire to uphold the conditions, the contract is rendered rather meaningless.

Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug has also dismissed the speculation that they could prevent Alonso from going to a competing team next season by forcing him into a sabbatical until the contract has run out, saying, "That's not our style." Guess that means the one hurdle between the two-time world champion and a return to happier days at Renault, where he won said titles, has just been conveniently removed.

[Source: F1i.com]

Hourly workers at two Tower Automotive plants have voted to accept pay cuts that will ensure their plants remain open as the supplier struggles to emerge from bankruptcy. Tower had asked a judge for the power to cancel union contracts and cut workers as it saw fit, but the acceptance of wage reductions at these two plants have prompted the company to withdraw its request.

About 2,100 hourly workers will be affected by these pay cuts at plants in Bluffton, Ohio and Elkton, Michigan. Bluffton UAW members will be receiving a pay cut of about 75 cents an hour, while Elkton workers will see their hourly wages drop by about $1. Another plant run by Tower Automotive in Clinton Township, Michigan also voted on and approved a two-year contract extension with no changes. Tower Automotive had reached these tentative deals with the UAW and USW in late July and have been waiting since that time for union members to ratify the arrangement.

Clearly members of the United Auto Workers and the United Steelworkers of America that represent these facilities realized they would either have to accept a pay cut or risk the closing of the plants all together.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

The votes have been tallied in our Name the Volkswagen poll. Among the five names that Volkswagen has offered as possible monikers for its next small SUV, one stood out among the rest with 28-percent of the vote: Nanuk. Other names, such as Tiguan (a combination of the words "tiger" and "iguana" and one bad ass creature we wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley) and Samun were close behind with 23- and 24-percent of the vote, respectively.

We've learned, however, that none of VW's proposed monikers hits anywhere near the mark with Autoblog readers. Remembering that VW has a penchant for naming its cars using wind as a theme, so it may be that Samun, a hot desert wind that blows in North Africa, has the best shot of becoming affixed to the SUV's rear end. According to the company, however, it will stand by whatever name Autobild readers choose. Are you ready to drive away in a VW Tiguan?