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Ford plans to further differentiate the Lincoln and Ford division product lineups, while giving the luxury Lincoln brand a ‘point of view,’ company leaders promise. Ford is also planning for fewer Lincoln dealerships in major metro areas.

Tags: Company Leaders, Ford, Ford Division, Future Ford, Future Product, Lincoln, Metro Areas, Point Of View, Product Branding, Product Lineups, Promise, Tops

Chevrolet has tapped actor and comedian Tim Allen to be its voice, beginning with TV advertising for the new Cruze compact. The first ads for the Cruze will air Tuesday, Sept. 7, Chevrolet said today.

Tags: Ads, Chevrolet, Chevy, Comedian Tim Allen, Cruze, New Voice, Tim Allen, Tv Advertising, Voice Advertising

The Obama Administration initially wanted Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn to run GM after Rick Wagoner was ousted in 2009, and repeatedly pressed Fiat to put up cash for a stake in Chrysler, according to an upcoming book about the government bailout…

Tags: Bailout, Carlos Ghosn, Ceo, Chrysler, Fiat, Gm, Nissan, Nissan Renault, Obama administration, Rattner, Renault, Rick Wagoner, Stake

Ford dealers begin taking orders today for the 2011 F-150 SVT Raptor pickup, featuring a larger standard engine and more seating capacity. For starters, all 2011 Raptors will come standard with a 6.

Tags: F 150 Svt, Ford, Ford Dealers, Ford Engine, Ford Pickup, Raptor, Raptors, Seating Capacity, Starters

The U.S. Treasury is concerned about how many foreign investors it should allow to buy big stakes in General Motors Co.’s proposed initial public offering, the Wall Street Journal said.

Tags: Foreign Investors, General Motors, General Motors Co., Gm, Initial Public Offering, the Wall Street Journal, U S Treasury, Wall Street, Wall Street Journal

Former GM CEO Fritz Henderson has been tapped to become CEO of SunCoke Energy following its separation from Sunoco Inc. next year.

Tags: Ceo, Fritz, Fritz Henderson, Gm, Spinoff, Suncoke, SunCoke Energy, Sunoco, Sunoco Former GM, Sunoco Inc

Ford settled a lawsuit over the death of a New York Mets minor league baseball player in an Explorer accident after a jury ordered the company to pay his estate $131 million. A Jasper County, Miss.

Tags: Explorer, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford Lawsuit, Jasper County, Minor League Baseball, Minor League Baseball Player, Mississippi, New York Mets, USD

Ford settled a lawsuit over the death of a New York Mets minor league baseball player in an Explorer accident after a jury ordered the company to pay his estate $131 million. A Jasper County, Miss.

Tags: Explorer, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford Lawsuit, Jasper County, Minor League Baseball, Minor League Baseball Player, Mississippi, New York Mets, USD

Former GM CEO Fritz Henderson has been tapped to become CEO of SunCoke Energy following its separation from Sunoco Inc. next year.

Tags: Ceo, Fritz, Fritz Henderson, Gm, Spin, SunCoke Energy, Sunoco, Sunoco Former GM, Sunoco Inc

New GM CEO Dan Akerson, in his second official day on the job, said today in a Labor Day greeting to GM’s 80,000 employees in the United States and Canada that he recently had a get-acquainted meeting with UAW President Bob King and UAW GM…

Tags: Bob King, Canada, Ceo, Dan Akerson, Gm, Greeting, Job, Labor Day, UAW GM, Uaw President, United States

Kia Motors America said today it is recalling about 35,000 2010-11 Souls and Sorentos because faulty wiring harnesses could short and cause a fire.

Tags: Faulty Wiring, Fire Risk, Kia, Kia Motors America, Recalls, Sorentos, Souls, wiring harnesses

Dodge today released the first pictures of the 2011 Durango SUV. The Durango will be built at Chrysler’s Jefferson North assembly plant on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Tags: Assembly Plant, Chrysler, Dodge, Dodge Durango, Durango, Grand Cherokee, Jeep, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jefferson North, New Dodge

AutoNation Inc. said today it plans to bid on “multiple” Fiat franchises after Chrysler unveiled its plans for the brand to dealers at a meeting in Detroit on Monday. COO Michael Maroone said he was impressed with the presentation.

Tags: AutoNation, Autonation Inc, Bid, Chrysler, Coo, Detroit, Fiat, Franchises, Michael Maroone

Hyundai will debut a small minivan called the ix20 at this year’s Paris auto show. The company says the new model has a dynamic, sporty profile that is a striking departure from the more boxy-looking models typically found in the segment.

Tags: Auto Show, Hyundai, Minivan, Models, New Model, Paris, Paris Auto, Segment

BMW AG’s namesake brand increased U.S. sales 1.6 percent in August and beat Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus as the top U.S. luxury brand for the third straight month.

Tags: Bmw, Bmw Ag, Bmw Sales, Lexus, Luxury Brand, Namesake, S Sales, Toyota, Toyota Lexus, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, United States

Daihatsu Motor Co., the minicar unit of Toyota Motor Corp., is recalling more than a half-million vehicles in Japan because of faulty rear indicator lamps. The recalls are another blow to Toyota, which already has recalled 12.

Tags: Blow, Cars, Cars In Japan, Daihatsu, Daihatsu Motor, Indicator Lamps, Japan, Japan Daihatsu Motor Co., Million Cars, Million Vehicles, Minicar, Motor Co, rear indicator lamps, Toyota, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Recalls, vehicles

General Motors Co. plans to begin courting investors for its initial public stock offering immediately after the Nov. 2 U.S. mid-term congressional elections, two sources familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.

Tags: Congressional Elections, General Motors, General Motors Co., Gm, Initial Public Stock, Investors, Nov 2, Pitch, United States

General Motors Co. plans to begin courting investors for its initial public stock offering immediately after the Nov. 2 U.S. mid-term congressional elections, two sources familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.

Tags: Congressional Elections, General Motors, General Motors Co., Gm, Initial Public Stock, Investors, Nov 2, Pitch, Reuters, Reuters Reports, United States

Any way you look at it, August U.S. auto sales disappointed. Compared with ‘clunker August’ a year ago, sales fell 21 percent. Compared with the month before, volume dropped 5 percent.

Tags: Auto Sales, New Car Sales, Real Clunker, U S Auto

Chrysler Group recorded its fifth consecutive month of year-over-year increases, as August sales rose 7 percent.

Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Chrysler Jeep, Jeep, Jeep Chrysler, Jeep Chrysler Group, Led

General Motors Co. posted strong August sales at three of its four remaining brands.

Tags: Chevy, Chevy Motors, General Motors, General Motors Co., Gm

Ford Motor Co. will hold fourth-quarter North American production at the same level as the third-quarter of this year and down slightly from the last quarter of 2009 because of the economy’s modest recovery and lackluster consumer spending.

Tags: Consumer Spending, Economy, Ford, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., Fourth Quarter, Last Quarter, Q3, Stable

Toyota Division sales may have fallen 34 percent in August — and are now down 1 percent for the year to date — but General Manager Bob Carter isn’t panicking. Toyota was the No.

Tags: Bob Carter, Date Manager, Retail Sales, Sales Lead, Toyota, Toyota Sales, Year To Date

Rep. John Campbell, a California Republican who is a former auto dealer, said the House’s independent ethics arm has recommended that he be investigated for possible violations involving fundraising.

Tags: Auto Dealer, California, California Republican, Congressman, Fundraising, Independent Ethics, John Campbell

Ford Motor Co., which controls about three-quarters of the U.S. market for police cars, will begin selling a law-enforcement version of its redesigned Explorer sport-utility vehicle late next year.

Tags: Explorer, Explorer Ford, Explorer police, Explorer Sport, Ford, Ford Explorer, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., Ford Vehicle, Law Enforcement, law-enforcement version, Lead, Police Cars, Police Vehicle, S Market, Sport Utility Vehicle, Three Quarters, United States