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The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid will launch in Michigan, joining California as a market that will get the car initially, General Motors Co. said today.

Tags: California, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Volt, General Motors, General Motors Co., Initial Market, Michigan, Plug In Hybrid

Ford Motor Co. today is unveiling its 2011 Ford Focus with a sportier look — engineered only for North America but with a European-inspired ride, handling and styling.

Tags: Euro, Ford, Ford Focus, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., North America

Volkswagen AG, Europe’s biggest car maker, aims to more than double its sales in the United States within the next three to four years, the head of the company’s U.S. business said on Sunday.

Tags: 3 Years, Car Maker, Europe, Europe Car, Exec, S Sales, United States, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Ag

The Automotive News guide to top executives in the North American automotive industry. This is a PDF document download.

Tags: Automotive Industry, Automotive News, Industry Executives, Industry News, News Guide, Pdf Document, The Automotive News, Top Executives

Toshio Furutani, the straight-talking sales and marketing specialist who took over as Lexus’ global chief last June, is turning his attention to a growing set of problems in the United States.

Tags: Big Bucks, Lexus, Sales And Marketing, Sedans, United States

Tall, handsome and enterprising, California dealer Mike Kahn believed himself to be Nissan’s fair-haired boy.

Tags: California, California Dealer, Courtroom, Mike Kahn, Nissan, Wrath Of Kahn

Sales in 2009 were truly terrible, and, no, happy days are not here again. But sift through the data and talk to numbers crunchers and you’ll discover surprising pockets of optimism about the year ahead. U.S.

Tags: Ahead, Crunchers, Discover, Happy Days, Optimism, Pockets, Signs Of Life, United States

What a difference a decade makes. Remember 2000, when General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group controlled nearly two-thirds of a whopping 17.

Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Decade, Detroit, Ford, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Two Thirds

As hundreds of rejected dealerships prepare to file for arbitration, Chrysler Group appears poised to strike back.

Tags: Arbitration, Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Obstacles

Soon after General Motors execs Ed Whitacre and Mark Reuss met with National Automobile Dealers Association officials to blame NADA for legislation that mandated arbitration for rejected GM dealers, GM drastically slashed its plans for next month’s…

Tags: Arbitration, Association Officials, Automobile Dealers Association, Ed Whitacre, Execs, General Motors, Gm, Gm Dealers, Legislation, Mark Reuss, Nada, National Automobile Dealers, National Automobile Dealers Association, Reuss

General Motors Co. will produce the Cadillac Converj plug-in concept car introduced at last year’s Detroit auto show, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said today at an analysts’ meeting.

Tags: Bob Lutz, Cadillac, Cadillac Car, Cadillac Converj, Cadillac Converj plug-in concept car, Chairman Bob, Concept Car, Detroit, Detroit Auto Show, General Motors, General Motors Co., Gm, plug-in, plug-in concept car, plug-in technology, Technology, Vice Chairman, Volt

The days of car companies making their own steel, as Ford Motor Co. long did at is Rouge mill in Dearborn, are mostly dusty memories. But one company is bucking the trend.

Tags: car, Car Companies, Dearborn, Dusty Memories, Ford, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., Hyundai, Kia, Own Steel, Rouge mill, steel, Steel Production, Trend

General Motors Co. was criticized in Sweden after the U.S. automaker named a restructuring firm to run the winding-down of Saab even as it reviewed several bids which included an offer from Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Tags: Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One, Formula One Supremo, General Motors, General Motors Co., Gm, Restructuring, Saab, Sweden, United States

Chrysler Group is taking the first steps to retool its powertrain lineup and improve fuel economy 25 percent by 2014. The automaker — burdened by a reputation for building gas-guzzling vehicles and facing stiffer U.S.

Tags: Automaker, Chrysler, Chrysler Engines, Chrysler Group, First Steps, Fuel Economy, Fuel Saving, Gas Guzzling Vehicles, Powertrain, Reputation, United States

Ford Motor Co. dealer Bob Tasca Sr. died this morning after suffering a fall shortly after Christmas. Tasca, 83, died at Rhode Island Hospital, said Bob Tasca Jr., his son and president of Tasca Automotive Group in Cranston, R.I.

Tags: 83 Ford Motor Co., Automotive Group, Bob Ford, Bob Tasca, Bob Tasca Jr., Bob Tasca Sr., Christmas, Cranston, Ford, Ford Dealer, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., Rhode Island, Rhode Island Hospital, Tasca Automotive Group, Tasca Ford

Manheim’s used-vehicle price index rose 20 percent last month from December 2008. The index stood at 117.5 in December, compared with 98.0 for the same month last year.

Tags: Manheim, Price Index, Rose, Vehicle Price

General Motors Co. said today it has chosen Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York, as its new Cadillac creative agency after a review that began in October. The shop succeeds Boston-based indie Modernista, which worked on the account for three years.

Tags: Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Bartle Bogle Hegarty General Motors Co., Boston, Cadillac, Creative Agency, General Motors, Gm, Modernista, New Cadillac, New York, USD

Mitsubishi Motors North America is inviting agencies to pitch its nearly $200 million advertising account, executives familiar with the matter said. The incumbent shop, independent agency Traffic, is not expected to defend the business.

Tags: Account Executives, Advertising, advertising account, Grabs, Independent Agency, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi Motors North America, North America, Traffic, USD

GMAC Financial Services says it has now approved or is near final approval of 93 percent of the 1,474 Chrysler Group dealers who applied for wholesale financing credit lines.

Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Dealers, Chrysler Financial, Chrysler Financing, Chrysler Group, Final Approval, Gmac, GMAC Financial Services, Wholesale

Ford will introduce nine new or upgraded engines and six new transmissions in North America this year as part of a five-year effort to overhaul its entire global powertrain portfolio, which totals 60 new powertrains.

Tags: Ford, Ford Engines, New Engines, New Ford, North America, Powertrain, Press Release, Transmissions

Ford will introduce nine new or upgraded engines and six new transmissions in North America this year as part of a five-year effort to overhaul its entire global powertrain portfolio, which totals 60 new powertrains.

Tags: Ford, Ford Engines, New Engines, New Ford, North America, Powertrain, Press Release, Transmissions

Ford Motor Co. today said it will introduce nine new or re-engineered engines in North America this year as part of a five-year effort to boost fuel economy and cut emissions. Additionally, Ford will introduce six new transmissions.

Tags: Emissions, Ford, Ford Engines, Ford Motor, Ford Motor Co., Ford Transmissions, Fuel Economy, New Engines, North America

General Motors Co. today said it had selected corporate restructuring firm AlixPartners to oversee the wind down of Saab. GM also said it will continue to evaluate proposals to buy Saab.

Tags: Corporate Restructuring, General Motors, Gm, Proposals, Saab

Investment group Genii Capital said today it has made an offer for Saab with Formula One motor racing boss Bernie Ecclestone. Genii’s offer was one of three late bids for the Swedish brand, which owner General Motors Co.

Tags: Bernie Ecclestone, Bidders, Boss, F1, Formula One, Fresh Hope, General Motors, General Motors Co., Genii, Genii Capital, Investment Group, Saab

Chrysler Group will introduce several editions and variants of existing models next week while awaiting new vehicles to arrive through its alliance with Fiat. The U.S.

Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Fiat, Fiat Cars, Models, New Vehicles, United States, Variants