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Some non-Chrysler Group dealers may receive franchises to sell Fiats, according to Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler. Fiat franchisees could also get the Alfa Romeo franchise, which will return to the United States in 2012.

Tags: Alfa Romeo, Ceo, Chrysler, Chrysler Dealers, Chrysler Group, Fiat, Fiat Dealers, Fiats, Franchise, Franchisees, Franchises, Sergio Marchionne, Some non-Chrysler Group, United States

President Obama visits Michigan – the heart of the U.S. auto industry – today on a mission to convince taxpayers that their investment in the bailouts of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC will bring a return.

Tags: Auto Industry, Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Chrysler Group LLC, General Motors, General Motors Co., Group Llc, Heart, Investment, Michigan, Obama, Success, Taxpayers, U S Auto, United States

President Barack Obama, in the heart of the U.S. auto industry, told a crowd of workers that the government bailouts of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC are giving taxpayers a return on their investment.

Tags: Auto Industry, Barack Obama, Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Crowd, General Motors, General Motors Co., Group Llc, Heart, Revival, Taxpayers, U S Auto, United States

Honda posted its best quarterly operating profit in nearly 3 years today on brisk sales in the U.S., China and other Asian markets. The automaker also raised its forecasts despite a sharp rise in the yen.

Tags: 3 Years, Asian Markets, Automaker, Brisk Sales, China, Honda, Operating Profit, Sharp, United States, Yen

Lithia derives almost 30 percent of its sales from Chrysler Group brands but doesn’t plan to seek much Fiat business as the Italian automaker prepares to reenter the U.S.market.

Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Fiat, Italian Automaker, Lithia, S Market, United States

Lithia derives almost 30 percent of its sales from Chrysler Group brands but doesn’t plan to seek much Fiat business as the Italian automaker prepares to reenter the U.S.market.

Tags: Chrysler, Chrysler Group, Fiat, Italian Automaker, Lithia, S Market, United States

In exchange for U.S. bailout money that reached $85 billion, the auto industry has been restructured, and ‘you now have all those auto companies showing a profit,” Obama said.

Tags: Auto Companies, Auto Exchange, Auto Industry, Bailout, Money, Taxpayers, United States, USD

Volkswagen reported the biggest quarterly profit in 2 years on higher demand in China and the U.S. for the Golf compact and Audi A5 coupe. Second-quarter net income quadrupled to $1.63 billion, the company said.

Tags: Audi A5, Audi A5 Coupe, China, China Demand, Net Income, Quarterly Profit, United States, USD, Volkswagen, Vw

Toyota will recall 412,000 high-end passenger cars in the United States to fix steering problems.

Tags: Cars, Passenger Cars, Toyota, Toyota Cars, Toyota Recall, Toyota will, U.S. Toyota, United States

Nissan Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co’s forecast-beating quarterly profits may prove tough to match in the second half as robust sales in China and elsewhere start to slow. A patchy recovery in the U.S.

Tags: China, Hyundai, Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Motor Co, Nissan, Nissan Motor, Nissan Motor Co, Quarterly Profits, Second Half, Soar, United States

The Fiat brand returns to North America in December after an absence of nearly three decades. Depending on the source providing the information, Fiat wants to sell between 50,000 and 100,000 vehicles in North America in 2011.

Tags: Absence, Fiat, North America, Three Decades, United States

As Tesla Motors seeks to fuel growth with the cash from its successful stock offering, it’s moving into unexplored territory. The Silicon Valley electric car maker remains largely unknown to U.S. consumers.

Tags: As Tesla Motors, Car Maker, Consumers, Electric Car, electric-car maker, Silicon Valley, Stock, Tesla Motors, Unexplored Territory, United States, Valley Electric

A group of activist dealers rejected in the Chrysler and General Motors bankruptcies is contemplating going back to Congress to seek justice after a federal audit questioned the criteria used to terminate dealers, as well as the automakers’ claims…

Tags: Automakers, Bankruptcies, Chrysler, Chrysler Motors, Congress, Congressional Action, Federal Audit, General Motors, Gm, Terminations, United States

General Motors has begun advertising for one of the most highly anticipated model launches in years, the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. The ‘Shattering Status Quo’ campaign teases the Volt and will be a big test for GM’s new U.S.

Tags: Ads, begun advertising, Chevrolet, Chevrolet Volt, Chief General, General Motors, Gm, Gm Motors, New Marketing, Test Marketing, United States

Sales of medium- and heavy-duty trucks in the United States rose 10 percent in June from a year earlier to 22,096 units. Commercial-truck sales have risen every month this year, after almost three years of declines.

Tags: Declines, Heavy Duty Trucks, Heavy Trucks, Rose, United States

Complaints to U.S. regulators of unintended acceleration in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles are down sharply as separate government and expert reviews of the matter move forward.

Tags: Acceleration, Expert Reviews, Motor Vehicles, Regulators, Toyota, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Vehicles, United States

Toyota Motor Corp. said it has a repair about 600,000 Sienna minivans recalled in the U.S. three months ago for possible corrosion in a cable that holds the spare tire.

Tags: Corrosion, Minivans, Sienna, Spare Tire, spare-tire corrosion Toyota Motor Corp., Three Months, Toyota, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, United States

Honda Motor Co. is preparing to stop selling its Legend sedan in its home market, a Japanese newspaper reported today. The vehicle, rebadged as the Acura RL for the United States, is the Acura brand’s flagship sedan despite lackluster sales.

Tags: Acura, Acura Rl, Acura RL Honda Motor Co., Flagship, Honda, Honda Acura, Honda Motor, Honda Motor Co., Japanese Newspaper, Japanese Version, Lackluster Sales, Legend, United States

BMW of North America has moved two top executives into new positions in a shift that leaves the automaker searching for a marketing chief. Jack Pitney, 47, becomes vice president for BMW’s eastern region, its largest sales zone.

Tags: Automaker, Bmw, Bmw America, Bmw Of North America, Jack Pitney, Regional Sales, Sales Marketing, Sales Zone, Top Executives, United States, Vice President

Highway linking Monterrey, Mexico and the Nueva Laredo border crossing #8211; the crossing through which most U.S.-Mexico trade travels #8211; was shut down for much of the past week because of flooding.

Tags: Detroit, Detroit Automakers, Hurricane, Laredo, location, Mexico, Mexico Trade, Monterrey, Monterrey Mexico, Plants, Travels, United States

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will extend warranties on about 235,500 RAV4 vehicles and address steering complaints on as many as 500,000 late model Matrix and Corollas in the United States.

Tags: Address, Cars, Corollas, Late Model, Matrix, Pledges, Rav4, Toyota, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, Toyota Repairs, United States, Warranties

Nissan Motor Co. said it will halt production at two U.S. plants for three days because of a delay in getting parts from Hitachi Ltd. The plants in Smyrna, Tenn., and Canton, Miss.

Tags: Hitachi, Hitachi Ltd, Mississippi, Nissan, Nissan Motor, Nissan Motor Co, Plants, Smyrna, Tenn, Tennessee, United States

Toyota Motor Corp. said today it will extend warranties on about 235,500 RAV4 vehicles and address steering complaints on as many as 500,000 late model Matrix and Corollas in the United States.

Tags: Cars, Corollas, Fix Cars, Late Model, Matrix, Rav4, Toyota, Toyota Cars, Toyota Motor, Toyota Motor Corp, United States, Warranties

The Renault-Nissan alliance has hired Jim Press, former head of Toyota’s U.S. unit, as a consultant for the group’s global sales and marketing.

Tags: Adviser, Boss, Chrysler, Former Toyota, Global Sales, Jim Press, Nissan, Nissan Renault, Renault, Renault Alliance, Renault Nissan, Sales And Marketing, Toyota, United States

Company is exploring cause of unintended acceleration in select models and has recalled more than 8 million worldwide for defects such as pedals that stuck or snagged on floor mats. U.S.

Tags: Crashes, Driver Error, Floor Mats, Select Models, Sudden Acceleration, Toyota, United States