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Report: Sporty Mini Speedster In The Works
Mini has been a giant success story for BMW, with the iconic little cars becoming almost ubiquitous throughout cities these days

Treasury Said To Raise Offer
The Treasury Department has increased its offer to repay Chrysler’s senior lenders as part of continuing talks on how to reduce the company’s debt, a person who had been briefed on the talks said on Wednesday.

Nardelli’s Bumpy Road
When Cerberus Capital Management hired Robert L. Nardelli to fix Chrysler in 2007, the private equity shop and majority owner figured an outsider like Nardelli would show those Detroit guys how to run a car company.

Fiat: Chrysler Remains Top Priority
Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne downplayed reports that the Italian automaker was looking at General Motors Corp.’s Adam Opel unit as an alternative to an alliance with Chrysler LLC.

Fiat Considers Buying Stake In Opel
Fiat, the Italian automaker, may buy a stake in General Motors’ Opel division in Europe, and has discussed a potential deal with government negotiators in Washington, executives at G.M. and representatives of the German government, several officials involved in the talks said Thursday.

Ford Seeks Dealer Concessions
Ford Motor Co. is asking its dealers to make a series of concessions that could save the company $600 million a year.

Ford May Avoid Bailout
Ford Motor Co., the only major U.S. automaker surviving without federal aid, has more than doubled in the past seven weeks even as it prepares to announce its largest first-quarter loss in 17 years.

Ford Expects Same Concessions
A Ford Motor Co. executive says the automaker expects to get the same deal as General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC if unions give more concessions to its rivals.

GM Becoming Royal Debacle
It’s good to be the king — until you start tripping over your own robe. So King Barack the Mild is finding as he tries to dictate the terms of what amounts to an out-of-court bankruptcy for Chrysler and GM.

GM Core Competency
As GM’s journey to bankruptcy nears its conclusion, the punditocracy is busy contemplating the company’s afterlife. The current line of thinking: the feds will cleave General Motors in two.

GM’s Been On The Brink Before - Many Times
The executives at General Motors knew they were in trouble: Their negative cash flow had become intolerable, and their lending institutions had locked up. Bankers refused to lend the corporation any more money, fearing that they’d never see GM’s current loans repaid, much less any new funds they might advance.

GM’s Doomed Future
Don’t wonder about General Motors; its future is set. With or without a bankruptcy proceeding, the company will struggle on. But there will be no quick return to greatness or even a return to mediocrity.

GM Extends Summer Breaks
General Motors plans to extend its usual summer shutdown from two weeks to as much as two months for many of its North American assembly plants as it attempts to reduce its record-high inventories of unsold vehicles.

GM Shutdown Could Begin Next Month
General Motors Corp.’s massive summer shutdown is expected to begin at some plants in mid-May, the Free Press was told Wednesday. Most of its factories will be closed for up to nine weeks, a person familiar with the planning said.

Honda Insights Celebrate Earth Day
American Honda Motors celebrated Earth Day at the Honda Center in Anaheim with a multi-sponsored festival, a Honda Insight (the old one) “homecoming” and a public ride-and-drive of the 2010 Honda Insight that recently went on sale.

Hyundai Reports Decreased Profits
Hyundai – along with its Kia affiliate – has been one of the few automakers able to post sales gains in the U.S. market in recent months, but the South Korean automaker on Thursday reported a rather hefty profit decrease for the first quarter of 2009.

Porsche, Piech Families Said To Sell Car Assets To VW
The Porsche and Piech families plan to sell their main car assets to Volkswagen AG under a plan that would tighten Porsche SE’s grip on Europe’s biggest automaker, according to two people familiar with the matter.

VW Hits Back
Volkswagen is considering an audacious reverse-takeover bid for its majority shareholder, Porsche, in a twist in the drawn-out struggle for control between the two German carmakers.

Relieved Carmakers See Few Signs Of Global Recession In China
There were few signs of the global economic crisis or tumbling car sales in western markets during the opening days of the Shanghai auto show this week.

Groups Work To Keep Carmakers Out Of Bankruptcy
President Obama’s auto task force will meet in the next two days with two groups that are pushing to keep General Motors and Chrysler out of bankruptcy court.

Not So Fast On Idea Of Speedy Bankruptcy
Whoever thinks a bankruptcy of General Motors Corp. or Chrysler LLC would be “speedy” — starting with members of President Obama’s auto task force and GM CEO Fritz Henderson — might want to spend some time talking with Larry Denton.

Bankruptcy Threats Shake Detroit Allies
Political allies of the U.S. auto industry expressed serious concern on Wednesday to senior White House officials about possible carmaker bankruptcies, with Chrysler LLC facing an April 30 deadline to cement an alliance to avert probable insolvency.

Feds Invest $36.4 Billion
The government’s support for the automakers now totals $36.4 billion, a report from the Government Accountability Office released today said.

$300 Million Will Go For Clean Cars
Vice President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing that $300 million in federal stimulus money will go to cities and towns to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Scrap Parts Business Picks Up
It took Eduardo Rodriguez about an hour of sweaty work to wrestle a transmission part out of a Dodge Ram pickup, but he didn’t seem to mind. The auto mechanic cradled the grimy prize in his oily hands as if it were a bowling trophy.

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Chrysler Debuts All-Electric Minivan
Chrysler LLC is celebrating Earth Day today with the unveiling of four all-electric minivans at an event in Washington.

Private Capital vs Uncle Sam
Chrysler bondholders have officially rejected the Presidential Task Force on Automobiles’ (PTFOA) “offer” to exchange 85 percent of their secured debt ($6.9B) for a stake in a reconstituted ChyrCo.

US In Standoff With Banks
The Obama administration has entered a tense showdown with several of the nation’s largest banks that appears likely to determine whether Chrysler survives.

Fiat Denies Report
Fiat S.p.A. today denied a declaration by a member of an Italian union that the automaker’s proposed deal with Chrysler LLC is “90 percent done.”

Sticking With Ford Motor Co.
I felt bad for the glamorous young women pitching new cars at last week’s New York International Auto Show. If I hadn’t been there, the woman on the rotating platform at Buick would have been speaking into thin air.

Ford Expects To Lower Cash Burn
Ford Motor Co. is scheduled to report earnings for the first quarter on Friday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

Bill Ford: Why Cash For Clunkers Is Good Deal
You don’t need a degree in economics to know how the economy is doing. Just walk into your local auto dealer and ask if they are selling cars.

Ford’s Chairman: We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Bailout
While the big banks beg to give back their TARP money, automaker Ford Motor Co. continues to enjoy the fact that it never took any dough in the first place.

In China, GM Remains Driving Force
Ford may be standing taller than General Motors in Detroit these days — flush with cash while its rival is forced to go repeatedly to Washington, hat in hand, seeking government bailouts. But in China the tables are turned.

GM Won’t Make Debt Repayment
General Motors won’t be making a June 1 debt payment of $1 billion, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday. The debt is due the day after GM’s government-imposed May 30 deadline to have an aggressive restructuring plan in place or be left to face bankruptcy.

GM Said To Speed Up Cutbacks
General Motors Corp., trying to avoid a U.S.-backed bankruptcy on June 1, may close plants and scrap models as much as four years sooner than planned to lower its break-even point, people familiar with the effort said.

For Sale: Hummer, Baggage Included
With three bidders in the running, General Motors says it is weeks away from deciding what will become of the controversial Hummer SUV brand, but as a bankruptcy looms, one expert wonders why bidders don’t just hold out for a bargain in a court-ordered sell-off.

US Moves Closer To Becoming Shareholder In GM
The US government is increasingly likely to convert a $13.4 billion loan to General Motors into common stock, sharply reducing the company’s debt burden and giving taxpayers a major stake in the struggling auto maker, sources tell CNBC.

Nissan Shows EV Test Model
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen test-drove a Nissan Motor Co. electric vehicle at the company’s North American headquarters Wednesday, pledging the state’s support in the automaker’s effort to put the cars on the road soon.

Nissan Bypassing Hybrids To Create EVs
Nissan, hardly a major player in the global hybrid market with its one Toyota-engineered model (the Altima Hybrid), says it is staying out of hybrids altogether when it comes to small cars.

Audi Postpones US Production
Volkswagen’s premium brand Audi has, for now, decided not to make cars in the United States, choosing Spain instead of the U.S. as the site to manufacture its new Q3 compact sport utility vehicle.

VW Quarterly Profit Drops
Volkswagen, the largest European automaker, said Wednesday that its net profit dropped 74 percent in the first three months, even as it gained market share in the worst environment for car sales in decades.

Asians Will Capture More Share Of US Output
Asian automakers will increase their share of North American vehicle output as production slowly recovers from the recession, a top automotive forecaster says.

From China, The World’s New Car Capital
Half a world away from Detroit, where the Big Three are fighting for survival, car lovers are running their hands over the shiny sheet metal on display at the Shanghai auto show this week.

Dealers To Meet Autos Task Force
U.S. auto dealer representatives will meet with the government task force charged with retooling the auto industry on Thursday to make the case that a bankruptcy for General Motors Corp should not be an option, a dealer group said on Wednesday.

White House Talks Autos With Michigan Lawmakers
The White House held an hour-long meeting with Michigan’s two U.S. senators and Democratic House members to discuss the fate of the troubled U.S. auto industry.

One Million Plug-In Hybrids By 2015?
Most members of a panel of electric vehicle and battery experts at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress here say President Obama’s goal of having 1 million plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles on the road by 2015 is possible — but will be difficult.

Hybrid War: Prius Takes Aim At Insight
Toyota in effect declared hybrid war Tuesday when it announced that its 2010 Prius gasoline-electric hybrid will have a starting price just $1,280 more than the Honda Insight.

Officials Urge Cap On Greenhouse Gases
Top Obama administration officials went to Capitol Hill Wednesday to call for legislation curbing U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions but steered clear of specifics on how climate-change regulation should work.

LaFontaine Wins Gold For Green
LaFontaine Automotive Group of Highland has received a Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. The 63,000-square-foot Buick, Pontiac, GMC and Cadillac dealership opened June 2, 2008, and is located on 24 acres on M-59/Highland Road, just west of Hickory Ridge Road.

Drag Racing’s Patron Sheik
The most important figure in drag racing this year isn’t some good-ol’ boy who grew up hot-rodding around the sport’s birthplace in southern California.

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BMW Investing In US Showrooms
BMW is taking advantage of what it predicts to be a temporary lull in new car sales by investing about $300 million into refurbishing and expanding its 338 United States showrooms.

Chrysler Finance Unit Rejects Aid
Chrysler Financial executives rejected a new $750 million loan from the Treasury Department after the company was unable to obtain waivers from top executives agreeing to strict pay limits, according to a government report to be released today.

CAW Won’t Speculate On Talks
The president of the Canadian Auto Workers union refused to say Monday whether the union will give more concessions in negotiations with Chrysler LLC.

But Who Will Rescue The Rescuer?
Fiat, the great Italian hope for the American auto industry, has a lot of expectations to live up to right now. Not only are the Torino boyz tackling the miasma of despair that was the Chrysler corporation, but Automotive News reports that Fiat could “form an alliance with General Motors’ core operations in Europe and Latin America.”

Fiat ‘Focused’ On Getting Chrysler Deal
Fiat is “totally focused” on clinching a deal with U.S. car maker Chrysler LLC, a source close to the Italian industrial group said, even though top executives have said there are alternatives.

Ford’s Minority Dealers Offered Full Ownership For $1
Co. is offering its minority dealers the opportunity to purchase the remaining interest in their dealerships for $1 as long as they can raise enough capital to operate the dealership on their own.

Ford Working On Next-Gen Lithium-Ion Battery
One of the biggest things holding back the mass embrace of the electric car is their supposedly short driving range compared to conventionally powered cars, as well as their relatively expensive nature considering the youth of the technology and low production volumes.

Why Bill Ford Wants Gas Tax
What does Bill Ford, CEO of the only Detroit Three automaker not likely to file for Chapter 11 anytime soon, have in common with power-company CEOs David Crane of NRG Energy and Jim Rogers of Duke Energy? A deep aversion to unpredictability.

GM Shuts Silao Plant
General Motor’s Mexico unit said on Monday it shut operations for a week at its pick-up and sport utility vehicle plant in central Mexico due to weak demand in the United States.

GM Dealers Prepare For Worst
Experts are advising car dealers to start preparing themselves for the very real possibility that General Motors files for bankruptcy protection.

In The Beginning There Was Hyundai
And the bigwigs spent ten years building brand equity with cheap, basic transportation. And lo, the Japanese automakers headed upmarket, ceding entry level business to the Koreans.

A Less-Pricey Prius
Toyota, apparently spooked by the arrival of the budget-priced Honda Insight hybrid in showrooms last month, is shaving $1,000 off the sticker of the Prius.

Toyota’s Japan Output To Hit 31-Year Low
Toyota Motor Corp. expects its vehicle production in Japan to fall to the lowest in more than three decades this fiscal year, and below the level needed to maintain its full-time workforce, a report said Tuesday.

Can Small Cars Overcome Crash Fears?
The U.S. government’s push to decrease the nation’s output of greenhouse gases by increasing the fuel efficiency of the cars Americans drive is rekindling an emotional debate: Does driving a small, fuel-efficient car make you more likely to die on the road?

German Luxury Carmakers Press On
The economic downturn seems to be little more than a speed bump for the world’s super-luxury automakers. The latest evidence is Porsche’s Panamera, which the Stuttgart company unveiled at the Shanghai auto show on Apr. 20.

China Carmakers Record Sales May Do Little For Profit
China’s automakers may post record vehicle sales this year on demand for minivans that offer little in the way of comfort, power — or profits.

China’s Influence On Display
The Shanghai auto show that opened Monday is demonstrating how the balance of importance in the global car industry is tipping decisively toward China.

Obama Admin Loans More Money
The Obama administration, as promised, is providing more funds for Chrysler and General Motors as working capital to keep them afloat as they try to meet the government-imposed deadlines.

Chrysler, GM To Get More Aid
General Motors Corp. could get as much as $5 billion more in federal loans, while Chrysler LLC could get $500 million as they race against government-imposed deadlines to restructure, according to a government report filed Tuesday.

Automakers, Energy Firms Agree To Standardized EV Plug
The world may not be able to agree upon a single set of standards for crash tests and emission regulations, but automakers and energy firms the world over have reportedly agreed to a single standard when it comes to electric vehicle plugs.

New Engine Design Sparks Interest
On Easter Sunday in 2001, Carmelo Scuderi called his family together in his home here and announced, essentially, that he had outsmarted the world’s auto makers and their billion-dollar research departments.

Aggressive Driving Linked To 56% Of Fatal Crashes
More than half of deadly automobile accidents in the U.S. involve “aggressive driving,” according to AAA, the largest U.S. motoring club.

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CAW Prez Won’t Speculate On Concessions
The president of the Canadian Auto Workers union refused to say Monday whether the union will give more concessions in negotiations with Chrysler.

Fiat CEO Comes To US
Fiat says Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne is en route to the U.S. and will split his time this week between Washington and Detroit to work out a deal to take a stake in troubled automaker Chrysler.

China Might Buy Chunk Of Daimler
Daimler’s Zetsche won’t have to worry explaining the T&E for his trip to the Shanghai Motor Show. He might come back with a big chunk of Chinese money.

Ford Works To Speed Development Of Batteries
Ford Motor Co. says it is working with battery suppliers and university researchers to speed the development of lithium-ion battery systems for a new generation of hybrids and electric vehicles that it expects to begin building next year.

GM Needs More Fueling Stations
General Motors wants to see a “hydrogen highway” of filling stations across New York that would allow the fuel cell cars now under development to drive from one end of the state to the other.

GM Likely To Build In China
General Motors Corp., shuttering U.S. plants in a bid to avoid bankruptcy, is “likely” to build a new factory in China on surging demand.

GM Says It Will Expand In China
Dealing with the crisis at General Motors Corp. kept new CEO Fritz Henderson from traveling to Shanghai’s auto show, but executives say the company intends to continue growing in China regardless of how its financial mess is resolved.

Jaguar Releases New Teaser Of XJ
Jaguar is only months away from revealing next-generation XJ saloon, which is scheduled for a debut on July 9th at a special presentation in London before going on sale by the end of the year.

2010 Mazda3 Recalled
Mazda may have just launched its 2010 Mazda3 sedan and hatchback last month in North America, but the automaker has already been forced to recall all 25,400 of its small cars over the possibility of a wiring harness design that can lead to system short circuits.

Nissan Goes Wild On Accessories
As if the new Cube weren’t accessory-oriented enough, Nissan North America also is launching a U.S. business unit that will push accessories even more.

Porsche Chooses China
Porsche unveiled its entry into the luxury sedan market here on Sunday night, the eve of the Shanghai auto show. It was the latest confirmation of the importance of the Chinese auto market and the first time that Porsche has entered a new market segment at an auto show outside Europe or North America.

Toyota In Deal With Workers
Toyota Motor Corp.’s French management reached a deal with workers Monday to end four days of labor protests which included a factory blockade that has caused production to drop by 3,300 cars.

Toyota Shelves A-BAT Concept
Toyota won’t build the small, ultramodern A-BAT hybrid pickup concept that was a head-turner at the 2008 Detroit auto show and looked like a good bet for production.

Automakers Set Hopes On Shanghai
The Shanghai auto show this week offers global auto makers a chance to court buyers in that rare thing: a growing market. China’s auto sales climbed for a second straight month in March, rising 5% to 1.11 million unit.

China Automakers Focus On Hybrids And EVs
As global automakers agonize about survival strategies, China’s upstarts are racing to launch homegrown hybrid and electric vehicles in the only major auto market still growing.

Shanghai Auto Show Celebrates leading US In Sales
The Shanghai Auto Show, once a venue for the West to show off its cars to a country still relying on bicycles, is now a showcase for China’s own industry as it overtakes the U.S. in market size.

China’s Influence Grows
After a century in which American tastes largely set the course of the global automotive market, China is poised to increasingly take on the role of global trendsetter.

Auto Execs See Shift To China
Executives at the Shanghai auto show gave strong voice to the industry’s increasing view of China as its key market. General Motors Corp.’s top executive for the Asia-Pacific region said China is one of the “centerpieces” for the Detroit auto maker’s future as it tries to accelerate its restructuring plans for survival.

Schwarzenegger Supports More Aid
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — a long-time critic of Detroit’s Big Three automakers — endorsed additional government assistance to domestic automakers on Monday and even offered to film a commercial endorsement of U.S vehicles at no charge.

Auto Industry Exemplifies Organizational Decline
General Motors and Chrysler are moving toward their fates with the inexorability of a Greek tragedy. Rick Wagoner is an unlikely candidate for a tragic hero, but he fits the requirements perfectly:

UAW Urges Members To Lobby Admin
The United Auto Workers, facing the prospect of deeper wage and benefit cuts, urged its members Monday to lobby the Obama administration for support as the union presses ahead with negotiations with troubled automakers General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.

Batteries Not Included
Shai Agassi in a warehouse on the outskirts of Tel Aviv one afternoon last month and watched his battery-swapping robot go to work. He was conducting a demonstration of the curious machine that is central to his two-year-old clean-energy company, which is called Better Place.

Cali. Governor Calls For Stronger Energy Policy
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the U.S. needs a clear energy policy so automakers can develop cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

China Looks To Electrify Our Cars
At the bottom of a recent New York Times article about China’s burgeoning electric vehicle market, I found quite a few hostile comments.

Lithium Batteries: Nothing But Illusion
Investors beware of ‘nothing but sophistry and illusion’ with regard to Lithium in Bolivia and in the electrification of cars.

Going Green At Shanghai
In recent times, environmental themes have been unavoidable at big auto shows and this year’s Shanghai show, which opened to the media today, is no different.

EPA Targets Car Emissions
The Obama administration’s decision Friday to declare greenhouse gases from vehicle tailpipes a threat to human health has ramped up the pressure on Congress to tackle climate change legislation.

Good And Bad Ideas From Massachusetts
There are all manner of schemes being proposed to address the needs of dwindling state and federal coffers, many of which often focus on getting hitting the wallets of the driving public.

The Truth About Cellphone Bans
I oppose driver cell phone usage bans on principle. It is already against the law to drive while distracted in every State of the Union. Even so, several states and many cities have enacted wholesale bans on the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers.

The REAL Ten Most Dangerous Cars In 2009
Mike Dulberger recently gave us the 411 on Forbes magazine’s “Most Dangerous Vehicles of 2009.” According to the safety campaigner, Forbes spiked his concerns about the [S]mart ForTwo’s safety.

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Nardelli: New Board Coming
Chrysler LLC Chairman Robert Nardelli confirmed today a new board of directors would be appointed should the automaker successfully complete an alliance with Fiat SpA, but also used a series of letters sent to employees today to warn that failure to achieve labor concessions in Canada threaten operations in that country.

Chrysler Says Survival In Canada Hinges On Talks
Chrysler LLC’s Canadian manufacturing operations will not survive in the long-term without significant concessions from the Canadian Auto Workers, the company said in a letter to employees today.

Iconic Mustang Turns 45
Few cars have the universal appeal of the Ford Mustang. Few have been as accessible yet alluring, attainable, yet powerful and still romantic.

GM Hopes To Make Deadline
The chief executive of General Motors, Fritz Henderson, said Friday that “it is still feasible” for G.M. to meet the administration’s demands by June 1 without filing for bankruptcy, but he acknowledged that executives were preparing to seek court protection if necessary.

GM CEO: More Cuts Coming
General Motors Corp. president and CEO Fritz Henderson said Friday that GM would close more plants and cut additional jobs as part of its tougher restructuring plan due by the end of May.

Investor Group Wants To Buy Saturn
An investor group called Telesto Ventures says it wants to acquire Saturn’s retail operations and provide dealers with vehicles from General Motors through 2011 and mostly overseas manufacturers thereafter.

Mystery Saab ‘Investors’ Enable Dealer Denial
It’s a hard knock life for a truth-telling autoblogger. On one hand we have auto-related websites sitting in the happy-clappy pews—whose main contribution to veracity is reprinting PR releases for dissection and pointing us towards source material.

Report: Cadillac Converj Given Production Green Light
One of the most exciting cars from January’s Detroit Auto Show was the Cadillac Converj concept car, which General Motors used to showcase its plug-in hybrid technology in a luxury platform.

Buick May Expand
General Motors Corp.’s Buick, the 106-year-old luxury brand fighting dwindling U.S. sales, may add models as the automaker sheds Saturn and reviews the future of Pontiac, people familiar with the plans said.

GM To Slice More Dealers
General Motors is apparently looking to have identified an additional 1,700 dealerships that it will plan to close in the near future in order to meet the June 1 restructuring deadline imposed by the Obama administration’s auto industry team.

GM To Keep GMC, Pontiac
A senior General Motors executive today denied reports that President Barack Obama’s automotive task force has pressured the automaker to dump GMC and Pontiac.

Nissan Expands Charging Station Plans
The Renault-Nissan Alliance (hereinafter “Nissan”) has expanded its agreement with charging station maker ECOtality to bring charging stations for electric cars to Arizona.

VW May Oust Toyota
Volkswagen AG may have overtaken Toyota Motor Co to become the world’s top-selling carmaker in the first quarter, thanks to government incentives that fueled demand in VW’s major markets.

‘Cash-For-Clunkers’ Proposal May Be Changed
U.S. lawmakers may let cars made overseas qualify for a proposed “cash-for-clunkers” program in a bid to secure passage of the measure, designed to help revive domestic auto sales at a 27-year low.

Study: Ford, GM Quality Surpass Honda
Domestic automaker quality - at least for Ford and General Motors - is reaching near-Toyota levels, according to a recent initial quality study by Michigan-based RDA Group.

Chrysler, GM In Line For More Aid
The Obama auto task force is preparing to loan General Motors Corp. about $5 billion in additional federal short-term aid, and Chrysler LLC $500 million, an Obama administration official familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Did Rattner Pay-To-Play?
Steven Rattner, the private equity executive tapped by President Barack Obama in February to lead the Treasury Dept.’s rescue of the U.S. auto industry, is being linked to payments made in an alleged kickback scheme at the New York State pension fund, according to documents and published reports.

Detroit’s Face Off With Bankers
Bankers are never particularly popular at the best of times. Psychologically speaking, if I borrow $100 from the bank, that $100 is now mine.

Time Is Running Out For Chrysler, GM
Say what you want about the United Auto Workers. But at least at the UAW there’s one guy—the union’s president, Ron Gettelfinger—whom you can bargain with to cut a deal.

Industry Shakeup Opens Door To China Upstarts
As ailing global automakers agonize over their survival strategies, China’s upstarts are racing them to launch homegrown hybrid and electric vehicles in the only major market that is still growing.

As Old Brands Fade, New Ones Appear
Walking around the displays at this year’s New York International Auto Show, it is striking to see not only the number of new cars and trucks on sale, but the number of companies and brands for sale as well.

Toshiba’s New Battery Holds Promise For EVs
Less than 18 months ago, Toshiba unveiled a new lithium-ion battery called SCiB, capable of charging in minutes and lasting far longer than regular lithium batteries. There was only one problem: the batteries had a limited energy capacity compared to traditional lithium units.

America Must Create EV Industry
When gas was topping $4 a gallon last summer, the urgency to find alternative sources of energy to power cars and trucks became clear to most Americans. But with oil prices toppling since, the push for new energy technologies is being shoved aside by the nation’s other economic woes.

Efficient Drivers Cut Emissions, But Stir Up Hot Air
Cruising around this desert metropolis in her four-door pickup truck, Morgan Dresser doesn’t look like an environmental trendsetter. Recently, though, the 26-year-old did something revolutionary.

EPA Begins Discussion On Boosting Ethanol Content
The federal government agreed Thursday to begin taking public comment on a proposal that could boost the amount of ethanol in gasoline by 50% — a small, early victory for suppliers seeking to expand sales of ethanol, usually made from corn.

‘Offset’ Crash Tests Find Higher Risk For Smaller Cars
There’s an old saying — you can’t repeal the laws of physics. That may be the discussion right now at several small-car manufacturers today.

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Restructured Chrysler May See Fiat CEO
Chrysler’s talks with Fiat about a possible alliance to keep it viable may be showing some promise, and if the deal does go ahead we may be seeing a whole new Chrysler with new owners, a new board and possibly a Fiat management team emerge.

Ford Fiesta For US Gets Minor Changes
Ford is busy courting the youth population as potential buyers for the new Fiesta–it has brought 100 Fiesta five-doors over from Europe and loaned them to people for extended test drives

Analyst: GM Bankruptcy Risk Increases
The odds of General Motors Corp.’s filing for bankruptcy protection have increased, JPMorgan Chase said in a research report Monday.

‘Surgical’ Bankruptcy Possible For GM
The Treasury Department is directing General Motors to lay the groundwork for a bankruptcy filing by a June 1 deadline, despite G.M.’s public contention that it could still reorganize outside court, people with knowledge of the plans said during the weekend.

Saturn Dealers Jump Ship
General Motors’ Saturn brand may have already found a long-term partner to keep the marque alive, but it remains to be seen if the ailing automaker will be able to even hang on until the end of 2009.

Small Investors Trapped
Five years ago, Marjorie Holden paid about $40,000 for some General Motors Corp. bonds, which generate tidy interest ranging from 7.4% to 8.4%. Now the bonds are worth just under $10,000.

Lutz Successor Serious Engineer
The ouster of General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner grabbed all of the headlines at the start of this month, but, at the same time, another changing of the guard was taking place quietly inside the auto company.

GM’s Plan For Brief Stay In Bankruptcy Faces Hurdle
General Motors Corp.’s strategy for a quick trip through bankruptcy court is likely to spark legal challenges from bondholders worried about getting steamrolled.

Can GM’s Project Puma Provide A Spark?
By most accounts, 1930 was not one of the world’s better years. It was the first full year of the Great Depression, though people at the time didn’t know how great it would turn out to be.

Pontiac Decision Could Have To Wait
As General Motors prepares for its June 1 bankruptcy-or-viability deadline, the decision on what to do with Pontiac is sitting on the back burner. In fact, dealers may have to wait until next year to find out what the General has in store.

Mazda To Offer Hybrids, EVs
Mazda recently revealed it was working on a new range of clean diesels to reduce its overall emission by 30 percent by the year 2015, but the Japanese automaker has announced its future lineup will also include hybrid and electric vehicles.

US Mitsubishi Dealers Will Get EVs
Mitsubishi Motor Corp. will introduce a small electric car to sell at its U.S. dealerships.

Subaru Readies Another Outback
Subaru of America is showing the new Legacy wagon and sedan and Outback that will go on sale in a few months as a 2010 model.

Toyota May Rehire Former Execs
Toyota Motor Corp., mired in its worst slump in North America since at least 1980, may combine management of its U.S. sales and assembly companies under a former executive, people familiar with the plans said.

Toyota: Steeper Losses Ahead
Formerly proud Toyota is staring in the eyes of another multi-billion dollar loss for the new 2009 fiscal year, the Nikkei [sub] reports.

VW Predicts Diesel Growth
For years carmakers considered diesel models as strictly Europe’s domain, with low demand and a poor reputation in the U.S. doing little to help the cause.

At VW, The Italian Accent Gets Stronger
WHEN Walter de’Silva, design director of the Volkswagen Group, unexpectedly broke into Italian while speaking to the press at the Detroit auto show last January, it was a sign.

US Government To Buy US Made Autos
President Barack Obama said the U.S. government will buy 17,600 new, fuel-efficient vehicles from ailing American automakers by June 1.

Buyers Need Reassurance To Return To Dealerships
If there is a silver lining to the ongoing carnage in the auto industry, it lies in the more creative marketing efforts being deployed by the sharpest carmakers to pull buyers into showrooms.

Thinning Dealer Ranks Is Key For Chrysler, GM
Car dealers — sponsors of Little League, fixtures of Main Street, vibrant symbols of the American entrepreneurial dream — could now prove to be the biggest threat to the future of the very industry they built.

Europe’s Car Scrapping Schemes Likely To Backfire
“Cash for clunkers” government handouts for people to scrap their old cars and buy brand new ones have mitigated the slump in European sales so far in 2009, but could soon turn out to have some seriously negative unintended consequences.

Putting On A Brave Front
IF you listen closely at the New York auto show, you can almost hear the pent-up pressure beneath the optimistic speeches and aspirational displays of gleaming sheet metal: it is the sound of an industry holding its collective breath.

Picks And Pans Of NY Auto Show
The annual New York auto show has never had the star power of the Detroit show in January or the biennial shows in Frankfurt, Paris, or Germany.

Gettelfinger To Retire
Ron Gettelfinger has made it official that he will retire next year during the United Auto Workers Constitutional Convention.

Cars Gone Wireless
Ford is getting its geek on. Like other automakers, the U.S. carmaker has long outfitted cars with CD players, satellite radios, and navigation systems. But now, Ford also boasts Web access.

The Moral Hazard Of Cleantech Hubris
Since last summer, many firms have lined up to get their share of taxpayer subsidies. It is not always clear which firms deserve such subsidies and which ones do not, but as always, it’s predictable that the undeserving firms will do their best to appear deserving.

A123 Raises Money To Expand Facilities
A123Systems said Monday it has raised $69 million from General Electric Co. and other investors to speed the expansion of its U.S. lithium-ion battery manufacturing and smart grid capabilities.

Oil Industry Braces For Drop In Demand
Since Henry Ford began mass production of the Model T nearly a century ago, car-loving Americans have gulped ever-increasing volumes of gasoline. A growing number of industry players believe that era is over.

The Risk Of Reverse
SHIFTING into reverse may be more dangerous than previously thought. According to the first study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the issue, 221 people — more than four each week — were killed by vehicles backing up in 2007.

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Auto News

Chrysler Owners At Odds
Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche said Wednesday that demands from Chrysler LLC’s majority owner, Cerberus Capitol Management, are “making it difficult to reach an agreement” about Daimler’s remaining 19.9% stake in Chrysler.

Chrysler/UAW Talks Gain Urgency
The United Auto Workers stepped up talks with Chrysler LLC over cuts in funding for a health-care trust as the automaker faces an April 30 deadline to pare debt or file for bankruptcy, people familiar with the matter said.

Chrysler And Its Bankers In A Standoff
Chrysler, the U.S. Treasury Dept., and banks are in a standoff befitting one of Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns.

Chrysler Ends Wholesale Incentive
Chrysler LLC will stop giving dealers cash for meeting targets for wholesale vehicle orders — at least for May.

Ford Has No Interest In Chrysler Brands
Ford Motor Co. has no interest in acquiring any Chrysler assets or brands if the automaker is forced into bankruptcy, the president of Ford’s Americas unit said on Wednesday.

Choosing Its Own Path, Ford Stayed Independent
On Nov. 29, 2006, Ford Motor made a surprising pitch to the nation’s biggest banks. In a packed ballroom at a New York hotel, Ford’s chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, said he would mortgage all the company’s assets for billions of dollars in loans to finance an overhaul of the troubled automaker.

US-Spec Mazdaspeed3 Unveiled
Mazda used last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show to debut the new 2010 Mazda3 Sedan, and then followed it with the reveal of the Hatchback model at the Bologna Motor Show just one month later.

Mazda Won’t Seek New Partner
Mazda Motor Corp.’s chief executive officer said Japan’s second-largest auto exporter isn’t looking for another partner after Ford Motor Co. reduced its stake in the company.

Car Shoppers Turn Increasingly To Ford
Evidence is mounting that the few customers who are shopping for new cars and trucks in this tough market are increasingly turning to Ford Motor Co. because it hasn’t asked for federal aid and is perceived as healthiest of the Detroit Three.

Three Bidders Remain
Three bidders remain for General Motors’ Hummer brand, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, adding that current offers range from $100 million to $200 million in cash, in addition to other commitments.

GM Looks To Extend Zeta Line
General Motors has begun engineering work to keep its Zeta family of sporty cars — which includes the new Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac G8 sport sedan — competitive through the architecture’s planned lifecycle to 2020, an Australian publication reports.

Hyundai Discontinues Entourage
Facing ever-slipping sales, Hyundai has officially pulled the plug on its Entourage minivan.

Hyundai Unveils Nuvis
Hyundai has officially unveiled its Nuvis concept car at the New York Auto Show, a gullwinged crossover-esque vehicle designed in the automaker’s Irvine, California, design studio.

Kia Forte Koup Debuts
Kia continued its product expansion today at the New York Auto Show, adding the two-door Forte Koup to its Forte range.

Nissan Pushes Electric Cars, A Lot Of Them
Ready or not, here come the electric cars. Nissan Motor has said that it will build an electric car in 2010, and the company has several more coming after that.

Infiniti Confirms Death Of GT-R Sedan Idea
Last year reports emerged claiming Nissan was seriously considering an Infiniti version of the GT-R supercar.

Tata Nano Finally Goes On Sale
At 6:46 p.m. Thursday, R. Sampathkumar signed a check for 3,809 rupees ($78) and ordered his first car: a Tata Nano.

Toyota To Revamp US Operations
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to announce a major overhaul of its U.S. operations, bringing sales, manufacturing and engineering under one powerful executive, according to reports in The Detroit News and The Wall Street Journal.

VW Considers Mini Car For US
Volkswagen AG is considering selling its Up minicar in the United States, said Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

VW Golf Is World Car Of The Year
The Volkswagen Golf was named World Car of the Year Thursday by a panel of journalists worldwide, edging out two other small cars.

Routan Ads Show Kid-Friendly Aspects
A Germanic air of too-cool-for-the-room hipness has served Volkswagen well selling sporty sedans, but minivan owners are a tougher audience.

Auto Dealers’ Ranks Shrank
In the first quarter of the year, 271 auto dealers in the U.S. went out of business, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association, as car buyers stayed away from showrooms and credit remained tight.

Detroit Uses Aid To ‘Open-Up’ Auto Lending
A recent Bloomberg article discussed how GM and Chrysler have been using government aid to “open-up lending” and mitigate the slide in automotive sales:

New York Auto Show: Mostly Power, Some Prudence
Proof that automakers are still struggling to align their product pipelines with the “new sensibility” forced on the U.S. auto market: the number of big-power, big-money new models outweighs the more prudent wares being unveiled at the New York auto show this week.

China Auto Sales Hit Record
China’s auto sales hit a monthly record of 1.11 million vehicles in March, exceeding U.S. sales for the third month in a row, as tax cuts and rebates for small car purchases lured buyers back into showrooms, according to industry figures.

Detroit’s Auto Pain Hits Japan
Five of Japan’s eight automakers are expected to post significant losses in the next few weeks. Demand for their cars and trucks in the United States, their biggest market, has plunged nearly 35 percent in the past year.

Auto Safety Pick Faces Criticism
President Barack Obama named the head of Mothers Against Drunk Driving to run the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but environmentalists said he is the wrong person to oversee a big increase in the fuel economy of cars and trucks.

Fast And Furious Love
“Muscle beats import every time,” sneers a character in “Fast & Furious,” the latest installment of the auto-fetishizing Hollywood action franchise that celebrates gas-guzzling hot rods, well-upholstered females and action heroes with chests the size of V-8 engines.

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Test Drives And Previews

2010 Cadillac SRX
If you could pick one vehicle to serve as a metaphor for what General Motors is trying to do to make itself leaner, meaner and better positioned to fight off foreign competitors, it’s the 2010 Cadillac SRX.

2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Ten. My local Chevy dealer has ten Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrids on his lot. At $56K. Each. That ain’t right.

2010 Ford Mustang
Many years ago, it became quite fashionable to refer to The Clash as “the only band that ever really mattered.”

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
When Hyundai Motor Co. arrived at the car casino of America 23 years ago, the odds were not in its favor.

2009 Infiniti G37
We’re cruising through Beverly Hills, Calif., in the new 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible, top down, sunny day, following a beautiful Ferrari 360 Modena.

2009 Mercedes GLK350
Another crossover utility vehicle has entered the U.S. market, this one a compact luxury model from Mercedes-Benz called the GLK350, the fifth in the company’s burgeoning line of SUVs.

2009 Nissan Cube
We live in an age of reverence for consumer electronics, the gadgets and gizmos that have increasingly replaced automobiles as objects of wonder for young people.

2009 Nissan 370Z
Life got tough last year for Nissan’s angular, iconic Z car.

2009 Porsche 911 Carrera
Tired of all the dreary news?

2010 Toyota Prius
Toyota has improved its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid hatchback by a striking amount.

2010 Toyota Prius
A calculator can be the plaything of the damned. Allow me to demonstrate.

2009 VW Routan
It’s almost impossible to approach the Volkswagen Routan without cynicism.

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Auto News

Grand Cherokee Ready For Debut
What is likely the last new model from Chrysler LLC will roll onto a stage in New York today, as the company works to survive long enough to get the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolling out of its Detroit factory.

Chrysler Says Fiat Talks On Track
Chrysler LLC president Jim Press said he expected the Treasury Department would soon boost aid to its auto lending arm, while saying that the Auburn Hills automaker is on track to complete a tie-up with Fiat SpA.

Ford Takes Online Gamble
Auto makers must boost fuel economy under new government regulations, and a sure way to do that is promote small cars. But that poses a challenge for Detroit: How can the Big Three battle back in a market segment dominated by foreign rivals such as Toyota and Honda?

Auto Team In Detroit
The Obama administration’s auto task force sent a team of 15 people to Detroit today to hold talks with General Motors Corp. as it races to complete a revamped restructuring by the end of May, planning talks all this week and next.

Funding For Volt On Hold
General Motors said it won’t get federal funding for its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car until the company is certified as financially viable by the Obama administration.

A Risky Bankruptcy
The chance that General Motors ends up in bankruptcy to fix its problems appears more likely, people close to the company’s plans said on Apr. 7. GM would like to avoid going to bankruptcy court, but the company is making preparations to file for protection

GM Unveils New Direct Injection Engine
General Motors Corp. said today it will introduce its 18th North American model with a more fuel efficient direct injection engine.

Honda Shows Dog Friendly Element Concept
When Honda revealed the WOW (Wonderful Open-hearted Wagon) concept car at the 2005 Tokyo motor show, the response from dog owners was overwhelming.

Toyota Says No Plans For Single Exec
Toyota Motor Corp., coming off its biggest fiscal loss in North America in decades, said there are no plans for a single executive in the region to manage both its sales and manufacturing operations in the largest auto market.

Scion Considers Bringing iQ To US
A “microsubcompact” car just over 10 feet long is expected to be the fourth Scion model.

Automakers Put On Brave Face In NY
With the U.S. auto industry likely going through its worst period in history, surely this is the worst possible time to throw a party for the world’s top automakers.

Car Designers Worldly Bunch
Two decades ago, car designer Tom Kearns would make a point of strolling the floor of the big annual auto show in Detroit to see the latest designs from Asian competitors. What impressed him? Not much.

White House Presses Plan On Car Swaps
The White House is pressing lawmakers to move ahead with a “cash for clunkers” program that aims to replace up to two million cars over the next two years at a cost of $4 billion to $6 billion.

Aid Program Begins
The Treasury Department said on Wednesday that it had made as much as $5 billion available to help automotive parts makers survive the industry’s worst sales slump in decades.

Chrysler, GM Launch Supplier Program
The U.S. Treasury said today that General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC had launched a $5-billion program to guarantee payments to parts suppliers, part of the Obama administration’s efforts to stave off a collapse of that segment.

MADD CEO Named Head Of NHTSA
Chuck Hurley, the head of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Driving Costs Hold Steady
Despite a staggering dip in fuel prices, driving costs just as much as it did a year ago.

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Auto News

Chrysler Taps A123 Systems
Chrysler LLC has signed A123 Systems as its battery supplier in preparation for putting electric vehicles on the road next year.

Chrysler Lenders Support $1.5 Billion Aid To Parts Makers
Chrysler LLC’s secured lenders agreed to allow the automaker to participate in a U.S. aid program for suppliers, signaling that banks aren’t gearing up for a liquidation, a person familiar with the situation said.

Ford Cuts Debt
Ford Motor Co. said Monday it sliced nearly $10 billion off its debt load, a move that will save $500 million a year in interest, through debt restructuring initiatives the automaker rolled out last month.

GM, Segway Team Up
After 18 months of working together in secret, General Motors Corp. and Segway Inc. plan to unveil today a prototype two-wheel, electric passenger vehicle that the companies say could be a transportation solution for increasingly overcrowded urban areas.

GM Preparing For Bankruptcy
Preparations for a possible bankruptcy filing at General Motors have become “intense and earnest”, according to a source familiar with the company’s plans.

Spring Hill’s Loss May Be Lansing’s Gain
Auto industry analysts suggest General Motors Corp.’s Spring Hill, Tenn., plant could become vulnerable as the Obama administration makes steeper demands in return for federal financial support.

Cadillac Crossover Draws Bead On Lexus
Cadillac had the Lexus RX squarely in its sights when GM’s luxury brand developed its new 2010 SRX crossover, Steve Shannon, Cadillac executive director of product and marketing, said Monda.

Proton In Talks With Renault, GM
Proton Holdings Bhd., the Malaysian carmaker that ended partnership talks with Volkswagen AG in 2007, said it’s in early discussions with Renault SA and General Motors Corp. about a technical alliance to help make new models.

Tata’s Nano: How’d They Do It?
Last year, Tata Motors’ plan to produce a car for approximately 1 lakh (approx. 2,500 USD) was greeted with equal parts excitement, envy…and skepticism that they could deliver the shockingly inexpensive car.

VW Poised To Overtake GM
General Motors has already been taken over by Toyota as the world’s biggest automaker, but the latest reports are predicting that the struggling Detroit giant is set to fall further down the list.

German Luxury Carmakers Report Differing Sales
German automakers Daimler and BMW said a reluctance by consumers to spend on luxury autos trimmed first quarter sales — but Porsche reported an increase in Germany.

Carmakers Go For Broke At Thailand’s Auto Show
With U.S. automakers General Motors and Chrysler battling for survival back home, and Thailand experiencing its worst slump in sales since the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, one might expect this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show to be a pretty downbeat event.

Chrysler, GM Can’t Tap Into Retooling Loans
General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC are blocked — at least for now — from receiving any part of $25 billion in loans for retooling factories that federal officials will begin lending in a matter of weeks.

Teams Race To Build Super-Fuel-Efficient Cars
A field of 111 teams — ranging India’s Tata Motors Ltd., Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors Inc. and a team backed by musician Neil Young — will compete for a $10 million prize to build a practical vehicle capable of getting the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon of gas, the contest’s backers said Monday.

Russian Auto Bailout Protects Jobs, Not Efficiency
If there is a country that truly needs a car czar, it is Russia, home of the czars — and Lada. The factory here has been stamping out the same version of the Lada, the typical boxy people’s car of the former Eastern Bloc, for four decades.

Slideshow: 10 Cars That Can Save Detroit
Detroit’s long-term success will depend on whether they have the cars and trucks that people desire. These 10 should help.

Road Deaths Fall Sharply
Highway fatalities dropped by 9 percent nationally from 2007 to 2008, a federal agency found, falling to their lowest level in nearly 50 years.

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Auto News

Chrysler Picks A123
Chrysler LLC will buy battery packs for its first ENVI extended-range and battery-only vehicles from A123 Systems, with production to begin in 2010.

Fiat Would Own Biggest Slice Of Chrysler
One way or the other, Chrysler will once again have new owners after April 30. Instead of Cerberus Capital Management and Daimler AG holding 80.1% and 19.9%, respectively, of Chrysler LLC, there will be a larger cast.

Ford Considers 305-hp Focus For US
Ford may add a 300-plus-hp Focus to its U.S. lineup. The Focus RS, a three-door hatchback sold in Europe, is powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder Volvo engine with 305 hp.

Ford To Cut Debt
Ford Motor Co. said today that it expects to shed about 38% of its automotive debt, allowing the company to slash its annual interest payments by more than $500 million and improving the company’s chance to survive without resorting to federal loans, and caused Ford’s stock to surge 15% in late morning trading.

GM’s CEO Softens Stance On Bankruptcy
General Motors Corp. is softening its opposition to bankruptcy reorganization a little more. “If it’s required, that’s what we’ll do,” new Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said in an interview broadcast Sunday, but noted that GM still would prefer to avoid bankruptcy protection while restructuring.

GM’s Henderson: File Bankruptcy Only If Required
Less than a week after becoming the new CEO of General Motors, replacing ousted Rick Wagoner, Fritz Henderson appeared on two major news shows Sunday — CNN’s State of the Union and NBC’s Meet the Press.

GM Unveils New Crossover
GMC is moving into the burgeoning compact crossover market with its brand new Terrain, which debuts this week at the New York Auto Show.

Saab In Contact With 20 Potential Buyers
Saab Automobile, the troubled Swedish unit of General Motors Corp., has been contacted by some 20 potential buyers, with a sale planned in June, the car maker’s lawyer said Monday.

GM To Auction 100 Specialty Cars
With the very survival of the nation’s largest carmaker in question, General Motors Corp. is selling pieces of its history.

Hyundai Hires New Chief Designer
Hyundai has hired former General Motors designer Philip Zak to head up its North American design team in Irvine, California.

Nissan Roles Out The Mobile Device
FORGET about thinking outside the box — or inside it, for that matter. Nissan Motor is betting an estimated $20 million during the worst automotive sales slump in a generation that a spirited campaign can get drivers to forgo the box for the cube.

VW To Overtake GM
General Motors has barely had enough time to settle into its new position as the world’s second largest automaker by volume, but it looks as though the U.S.’ largest automaker will be slipping yet another spot.

The End Of The Affair
These days, Michael Underwood is sneaking onto the Web site of General Motors Corp. and building himself a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. He flirts with different colors, adds every possible option and admires features new to the 2009 model, such as a system that warns about blind-side traffic.

Rattner Rises As Obama’s Mr Fix-it
Steven Rattner arrived in Washington six weeks ago with a reputation as a finance whiz who amassed a fortune on Wall Street. His ability to size up troubled firms, he and others said, was just what President Barack Obama needed to plot a rescue of General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC.

Obama’s Auto Industry Troubleshooter
After 26 years as one of the most politically connected investment bankers on Wall Street, Steven Rattner finally took a job in Washington — only it is not quite the one friends and business associates thought it would be.

Auto Loan Decision ‘Straightforwardly Political’
The decision by former President George Bush to rescue General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC with $17.4 billion in loans in December was “straightforwardly political,” a former Treasury official says.

Congress Gives Buyers Of New Cars A Break
If you’re planning to buy a new car this year, you might also be eligible for a shiny new tax break.

Michigan Battery Plan Gets Boost
Michigan has expanded its tax incentive program for companies developing and making advanced batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

$5 Billion Auto Supplier Program May Be Finalized This Week
The Treasury Department and automakers expect to finalize a $5 billion government auto supplier aid program this week.

Sputtering Economy Has Auto Repair Business Racing
For decades, automotive repair has been seen as a grease-stained poor relation of the dollar-laden sales segment in the auto industry.

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Auto News

Why Chrysler Matters
It’s easy to think that Chrysler LLC is no longer too big to fail.The embattled automaker has already cut its U.S. workforce by more than 60% since the start of the decade, leaving it with just under 39,000 employees in America.

Treasury Starts Talks With Chrysler Lenders
The U.S. Treasury has begun talks with a syndicate of bank lenders about exchanging Chrysler LLC’s debt for ownership in the company, ending months of stalemate among the parties, a person familiar with the situation said.

Chrysler’s Italian Lifeline Full Of Knots
With fewer than 30 days now to cement a partnership with Italy’s Fiat S.p.A. or else, Chrysler LLC’s prospects for survival — at least in something resembling its current form — are slimmer than the lapels on Fiat President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo’s suit.

Ford To Put EcoBoost To Wide Use
Ford Motor Co. revealed wide-ranging new plans Thursday for an engine technology it will use to improve fuel economy across its model line.

Ford Retools Transit Van
Ford has lauded the small-business functionality of its Transit Connect van, but it is now turning its attention to pleasing families.

Ford Gains Edge As Rivals Struggle
Ford Motor Co.’s edge has grown significantly over struggling rivals General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, according to the results of an Internet survey released today.

New GM Chairman Says ‘Good’ GM, ‘Bad’ GM May Work
If General Motors is forced into bankruptcy, then a scenario that allows the company to divide assets into a “good” GM and a “bad” GM may allow the automaker to make a swift reorganization, says Chairman Kent Kresa.

GM Readies Proposals
General Motors Corp. has prepared a new proposal for bondholders that aims to satisfy the government’s demand for much deeper givebacks from creditors, and the company also is working on a new concession package for the United Auto Workers, according to two people briefed on the plans.

In Europe, GM May Need Greater Aid
General Motors Corp. may need “more drastic” government intervention to save its European operations should efforts to secure help from a third-party investor fail, a person familiar with the situation said.

Volt To Remain In Production Plan
The Obama administration, pressing for more fuel-efficient vehicles, won’t block General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet Volt electric car even after the president’s task force called it too expensive, a person familiar with the matter said.

Volt Remains On Track But Electric Grid Still A Challenge
Despite General Motors’ looming troubles, development of the Chevrolet Volt rolls on, and 80 new prototypes will be built and tested starting this summer.

GM Boosts Request
General Motors Corp. has raised its request for loans from a federal energy program by $2.6 billion to $10.3 billion to help build three fuel-efficient vehicles, according to a government filing.

Honda Not Planning Cheaper Insight
Despite Toyota’s bid to undercut the new Honda Insight hybrid with cheaper versions of its popular Prius, Honda says it has no plans to get into a price war with its cross-country rival.

Porsche Finds Fortune From Unlikely Outsourcing
Outsourcing to less-expensive places like India, China, Taiwan and Eastern Europe became routine for many American and Western European companies over the past decade. But what’s Porsche doing in Finland?

Tesla Receives 520 Model S Orders
Electric car manufacturer Tesla says it has received 520 $5,000 deposits for its upcoming Model S electric high-performance sedan, which was launched just a week ago at company chief Elon Musk’s SpaceX headquarters in Southern California.

Incentives Up As Sales Fall
Luxury brands such as Jaguar and BMW offered some of the biggest automotive discounts in March. Overall, cash-back rebates, subsidized interest rates and other incentives in the United States were an average of $3,116 per vehicle last month, a 13% increase over the same month a year ago.

March Auto Sales: Don’t Get Too Optimistic
March represented one of the best months for the stock market in a long time. During the month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and NASDAQ were up 7.8%, 9.4%, and 12.7%, respectively.

Auto Sales Down, But Media Buy Positive Spin
As much as automakers complain about their press coverage, car company spinmeisters should be high-fiving each other over today’s optimistic headlines, despite yet another dreadful month of sales.

Government May Reward Car Buyers
The road to recovery for U.S. automakers could be jammed with hundreds of thousands of gas-guzzling used cars, which President Obama hopes will be traded in for more fuel-efficient vehicles — with the lure of government money.

Too Many Cars, And They Are Not On The Road
The sea of new cars, 57,000 of them, stretches for acres along the Port of Baltimore. They are imports just in from foreign shores and exports waiting to ship out — Chryslers and Subarus, Fords and Hyundais, Mercedeses and Kias.

Honda, Nissan, Toyota Battle Recession
Though he’s 5,400 miles from Tokyo, the chef at the Depot restaurant follows automotive economics in Asia as closely as he monitors the crispness of the Thai shrimp. That’s because his lunch hangout is down the street from the U.S. headquarters of both Honda and Toyota in this Los Angeles suburb.

Court Gives Chrysler, GM Equipment
Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp. secured court orders to remove their equipment from a Canadian parts supplier that went out of business, forcing the shutdown of two Chrysler plants in Canada.

Obama Weighs Bailout Rage Against Future Of UAW
President Barack Obama, confronting growing public outrage against bailouts, is taking a hard line with the United Auto Workers, the union that supported his election and whose future now hangs in the balance.

Environment Bill Can Be Filibustered
Both of Michigan’s senators voted against a measure that would have protected a sweeping climate-change bill from being filibustered.

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Test Drives And Previews

2009 Acura TL
A funny thing is happening at Acura these days. For the ‘09 model year, Honda’s luxury division redesigned both its flagship Acura TL sedan, and its smaller, cheaper TSX.

2009 BMW 750Li
I’m quite certain that somewhere right now, emotionally shattered BMW technicians are gathering in a church basement for a support group, huddled around the cookies and the coffee urn, their hands fairly vibrating with frustration.

Bentley Continental GTC Speed
The arrival of the Bentley Continental GTC Speed is the third and final of the Bentley models to come with the sporty Speed option.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze
Amid the financial mess that has become General Motors, we’re told that the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is coming our way, one more piece of GM’s constantly improving product portfolio.

2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid, GMC Sierra Hybrid
What kind of idiot builds a 20-m.p.g. hybrid pickup truck? Everybody knows that hybrids are 40-m.p.g.-plus small cars like the Toyota Prius.

2009 Chrysler Sebring
Although Honda and Toyota dominate the midsize sedan market with their Accord and Camry midsize sedans, both have bland styling that some consumers find quite boring.

2009 Dodge Nitro
The Dodge Nitro is an endangered species. You might be thinking that’s because it’s a Dodge or because it’s a Nitro, but it’s on the endangered list mainly because it’s a truck-based SUV.

2010 Ford Mustang
In the beginning, Lee Iacocca created the Mustang. But the concept was without form, and void.

2009 Hyundai Elantra
New for 2009, the Elantra Touring is a four-door hatchback (the Elantra’s first hatch since 2006) that’s treated as a separate model.

2010 Mercedes GLK350
The GLK that twists and turns through those narrow European byways in TV ads is a well-appointed piece of fine art with craftsmanship worthy of the Mercedes-Benz name.

2009 Cooper Works Mini
Downsizing doesn’t bother me a bit. I arrived that way, after all, and even now, deep into middle age, I weigh less than some large dogs.

2010 Toyota Prius
FEW cars on the road today have been genuine game-changers, but the Toyota Prius is certainly high among those that are.

2010 VW GTI
It’s the civility you notice first. There is no drama here — no compromises that have to be made in order to enjoy the turbocharged performance.

2009 VW Routan
I’m a DINK. Well, really, my wife and I make up the Burgess DINK grouping for consumer identification and marketing groups.

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Auto News

Chrysler, Fiat Talks Intensify
Executives from Chrysler LLC and the Italian carmaker Fiat have intensified their discussions on an alliance that would allow the Italian carmaker to reenter the U.S. market and team up with its American partner to weather the recession.

Chrysler Supplier Dispute Closes Second Canadian Plant
Chrysler LLC, under a 30-day government deadline to reorganize, shut a second Ontario factory because of a dispute with a maker of transmission parts, crippling plants accounting for a third of U.S. sales.

Ford: Positioned To Lead Growth Segments
Toyota’s global market share leadership has been helped by the success of its hybrids. Looking to a future that will increasingly emphasize fuel economy and lower emissions, Toyota will put 500 plug-in hybrid Priuses on the road in 2009.

Volvo Cuts XC90 Pricing
The poor car market has led many carmakers to take drastic action with their workforces, to ask for government assistance or to offer unprecedented incentives, but so far most carmakers haven’t taken the knife to their base pricing.

Spy Photos: 2011 Ford Edge
Last week we showed you photos of the 2011 Lincoln MKX. This week we’ve got the first ever photos of it’s chassis-mate, the 2011 Ford Edge!

Global Development Is Key For GM
General Motors Corp. expects to preserve its crucial global product development process despite the financial troubles that the automaker and its far-flung subsidiaries face, GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson said Wednesday.

Henderson Laments ‘Difficult Times’, Says Brands Will Stay Put
This is not how Fritz Henderson wanted to become GM’s CEO. As the Detroit automaker stands at the brink of bankruptcy, workers are “shocked” by the abrupt departure of former CEO Rick Wagoner, Henderson told the Free Press in an interview Wednesday.

GM Bankruptcy? Tell Me Another
President Obama rightly says “sacrifices” must be made if GM is to emerge as a viable company. But there’s one sacrifice he won’t make: his re-election chances, by leaving the fate of the UAW truly up to a bankruptcy judge.

Tough Job For Henderson
Who is running General Motors? Is it Frederick (Fritz) A. Henderson, the GM veteran that the Obama Administration chose to replace Richard Wagoner Jr.? Or is it Team Obama?

GM’s New CEO Vows To Beat Bankruptcy
Fritz Henderson, General Motors Corp.’s new CEO and onetime Michigan baseball player, isn’t afraid to field the tough ones.

2010 Chevrolet Equinox Priced
When the fully redesigned 2010 Chevrolet Equinox arrives in showrooms in June, it will start at $23,185, more than $1,000 less than the outgoing model.

GM Asks For $2.6 Billion To Develop Hybrids
General Motors Corp has asked for $2.6 billion of low interest government loans to support the development of three new hybrid vehicles, according to a business plan update released on Wednesday.

Hyundai Plans Plug-In
Hyundai will launch its first plug-in hybrid in the United States in late 2012. The vehicle will be based on the four-door Blue-Will sports car concept on display now at the auto show here, according to Yang Woong-chul, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors’ r&d division.

Kia Reveals Near-Luxury Concept
Kia is offering a hint of its first near-luxury sedan at the Seoul motor show with a concept called the KND-5.

McLaren Plans Replacement
Formula One powerhouse McLaren secretly has begun work on a replacement for its legendary F1 supercar, while it also gears up to become a mainstream sports-car maker.

Toyota To Slash New Prius Price
Toyota Motor Corp. is going for the jugular with its upgraded Prius, setting a 2.05 million yen starting price ($20,750) in Japan that is on par with the newly released Honda Insight.

VW Abandons Rabbit Name
Novelist John Updike had more success creating Rabbit sequels than Volkswagen.

Automakers See Ray Of Hope
Despite reporting another major sales decline in March, auto makers expressed a rare bit of optimism Wednesday, saying they see signs the industry’s downturn might be near bottom and a recovery could be starting.

March Car Sales Show Signs Of Life
A late-month uptick caused March car and truck sales to surpass forecasters’ expectations, providing a glimmer of hope to the U.S. auto industry that the long and ugly drought is nearing an end.

Auto Sales: Nowhere To Go But Up?
Hurting from the recession and bankruptcy talk about General Motors and Chrysler, automakers were nevertheless upbeat in reporting March sales 37% lower than the same month a year ago, according to Autodata.

Silver Lining Amid Dismal Auto Sales
Sales of new cars and trucks in March continued to be dismal, but there was a silver lining in the 36.8% drop in sales compared with the same month a year ago:

Scrapping Subsidies Boost Sales
Germany and Italy are the latest countries to report March increases in car sales helped by government scrapping incentives. In Germany, registrations increased 40 percent last month. In Italy, a 0.24 percent rise in registrations was celebrated because it was the first increase in a year.

Auto Official To Focus On Displaced Workers
Former deputy labor secretary Edward Montgomery, President Obama’s new point man to help towns harmed by the collapse of the auto industry, said yesterday that he’s going to focus his efforts on helping displaced workers get such services as extended health-care benefits, income support and retraining.

Delphi, GM And Task Force To Have Talks
Officials from Delphi Corp. and its former parent General Motors Corp. will meet with representatives from President Barack Obama’s auto task force on Monday for talks that could get the struggling auto supplier out of bankruptcy protection.

Legal Complexities As Automakers Restructure
When I became a corporate bond manager in 2001, one of the first things I began to do was sell away all of my automaker bonds. A big bet I knew, even though I was a neophyte, but I thought it was the right thing to do.

Now, Obama ‘Owns’ GM
In firing the CEO of General Motors this week and suggesting bankruptcy may be the best course for that company and Chrysler, President Barack Obama demonstrated forcefully that the Administration will go only so far to rescue even the country’s most important icons.

Cash-For-Clunkers Runs Into Competing Legislation
A simple idea to boost the U.S. economy — paying people to scrap old, inefficient vehicles for new, cleaner ones — has been gathering the support of President Barack Obama many automakers, the UAW and environmentalists.

Incredible Deals Possible
One proposed Clunker bill, introduced by Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) would result in some sensational deals on new cars if some version of the bill gets passed in Congress.

Playing ACES: EVs Get A Big Dem Push
The bill from two House Democrats, Ed Markey from Massachusetts and Henry Waxman from California, is more like a rough outline for an climate and energy plan than a final draft.

China Vies To Be World Leader In EVs
Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that.

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