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Bloomberg News | General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Group LLC and Nissan Motor Co. said U.S. sales rose in September as the industry recovers from its worst year in almost three decades.
Deliveries at GM, the largest U.S. automaker, climbed 11 percent from a year earlier to 173,155, the Detroit-based company said in a statement today. Ford, the second-largest, increased sales 41 percent to 160,873, the Dearborn, Michigan- based company said in a statement. Get the full story »
Automakers would be required to nearly double fleet efficiency to 62 miles per gallon by 2025 under the most ambitious scenario of a U.S. government outlook on fuel economy and emissions released on Friday.
Gasoline and electric hybrid vehicles and electric cars would play a crucial role in meeting the top range targets, according to the preliminary assessment presented to industry as a starting point for developing fuel standards for 2017 cars and light trucks, including SUVs, pickups and vans. Get the full story »
A Rolls Royce car at a showroom in London, Oct. 1, 2010. BMW is recalling some of its own brand and Rolls-Royce cars because of a potential braking problem. (Reuters/Paul Hackett)
Bloomberg News | BMW, the world’s biggest maker of luxury cars, said it’s recalling almost 350,800 BMW-brand and Rolls-Royce models worldwide to repair a power-brake system fault.
The voluntary recall involves fixing brake-pressure pumps on 345,000 BMW 5-, 6- and 7-Series models and 5,800 Rolls-Royce cars built from 2002 until 2010, Frank Strebe, a BMW spokesman, said today in a phone interview from the Paris Motor Show. The new version of the 5-Series sedan isn’t affected, he said.
The fault was detected when drivers complained that they needed to push harder on the brake pedal on cars with high mileage, Strebe said. The Munich-based carmaker is telling customers to bring in their vehicles as a “pro-active” measure, and that the fault poses no safety issue, he said, adding that he doesn’t have an estimate of the cost to BMW. Get the full story »
The Illinois Commerce Commission has asked the state’s three major electric utilities to assess the impact that plug-in vehicles could have on ratepayers.
With the first major plug-in vehicle rollouts scheduled for next month, it is still unclear how much ratepayers in Illinois will pay to charge those vehicles or what upgrades will be needed to the state’s electrical infrastructure. The ICC said Wednesday that utilities have been asked to report back by December about the vehicles’ potential impact in a white paper that will guide a new statewide committee established to prepare for the vehicles. Get the full story »
Chrysler Group fired 13 workers at the same auto plant visited by President Barack Obama this summer after a local television station report showed some of them drinking on their lunch breaks.
Two other workers were also suspended for a month without pay, the automaker said.
Acting on a tip, a Detroit Fox News affiliate’s cameras and reporter captured workers from the Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant guzzling beer and, in some cases, smoking what appeared to be hand-rolled cigarettes or other smoking material. Get the full story »
From Bloomberg News | Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said the second-biggest U.S. carmaker may reduce its product lineup to as few as 20 models. Get the full story »
Sunday it will recall some 140,000 Sonata sedans in the U.S. market because of steering problems that could result in a loss of, or reduction in, maneuvering capability. Hyundai Motor America is conducting a voluntary safety recall of Sonatas built between Dec. 11, 2009, and Sept. 10, Hyundai said in a statement emailed to Dow Jones Newswires. Get the full story »
The government has opened an investigation into the subcompact Honda Fit after receiving complaints that the vehicle’s low-beam headlights stopped working. Get the full story »
Bentley Flying B hood ornament (AP)
Bentley Motors is recalling hundreds of cars with faulty hood ornaments that pose a potential hazard to pedestrians, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The recall affects 596 vehicles from the British automaker, of the Arnage, Brooklands and Azure models from 2007-2009.
The problem stems from the “Flying B“ hood ornament, a winged B that is supposed to retract upon impact.
Get the full story »
General Motors Co. likely will seek to raise $8 billion to $10 billion through an initial public offering in November, less than it initially planned, Bloomberg News reports reported Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter. Get the full story »
Automobile-parts recycler LKQ Corp. said it completed seven acquisitions in the third quarter through Sept. 20, improving its distribution, and that it was continuing to see opportunities for more deals.
The acquisitions expand LKQ’s wholesale aftermarket and recycled parts distribution in a number of markets including Philadelphia and Cincinnati and its production capacity for refinishing of aluminum wheels, the company said in a statement. Get the full story »
Clorox Co., maker of household cleaning products and other consumer goods, said it struck a deal to sell its auto-care brands to private equity firm Avista Capital Partners for $780 million in cash. Get the full story »
General Motors said Monday it was recalling more than 20,000 Cadillac CTS and CTS-V vehicles to replace a glove compartment that could lead to leg injuries in a crash.
GM says the recall involves nearly 5,000 all-wheel drive 2009 Cadillac CTS and CTS-V models, and more than 15,000 vehicles from the 2010 model year. Get the full story »
Chinese automaker and General Motors Co. partner SAIC said Monday it is paying close attention to GM’s upcoming stock sale, but gave no hint over whether it plans to take a stake itself.
GM executives in the U.S. and China likewise refused comment on reports that the automaker is in talks with its state-owned joint venture partner SAIC about buying a stake in the Detroit company through its initial public offering. Get the full story »
