Tesla's loan payback would give Obama a green-energy win

10:48 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
Tesla Motors is giving President Barack Obama’s green-energy strategy its biggest win after almost two years of failures pounced upon by Republicans. The California automaker as early as today will become the first recipient of a federal Energy Department vehicle loan to pay off its debt.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Are worries over slower, smaller tax refunds overblown?

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
Some lenders complained in first-quarter earnings reports about smaller and later tax refunds. IRS refund statistics weren’t down by much, but any change is important because tax refunds contribute to the annual peak in subprime financing, according to dealers and subprime lenders.... Read More »

 

Two Denso execs to plead guilty to price fixing, U.S. says

May 22, 2013 06:01 CET
Two executives at Toyota-affiliated supplier Denso have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices and have agreed to cooperate with an ongoing criminal investigation, the U.S. Justice Department said.... Read More »

 

VW to modify late-model diesels in N. America to prevent improper fueling

May 22, 2013 06:01 CET
Volkswagen plans to refit more than a quarter million 2009-12 diesel cars to prevent North American customers from mistakenly pumping gasoline into the fuel tanks.... Read More »

 

VW to modify late-model diesels to prevent improper fueling

4:36 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Volkswagen plans to refit more than a quarter million 2009-12 diesel cars to prevent North American customers from mistakenly pumping gasoline into the fuel tanks.... Read More »

 

Two Denso executives to plead guilty to price fixing, U.S. says

10:54 am U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Two executives at Toyota-affiliated supplier Denso have agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to fix prices and have agreed to cooperate with an ongoing criminal investigation, the federal Justice Department said today.... Read More »

 

Automakers, dealers remain opposed to bill preventing rental firms from renting recalled vehicles

6:34 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Major automakers and auto dealers told a Senate panel Tuesday that they remain opposed to legislation that would prohibit rental car companies from renting or selling vehicles that are subject to a federal safety recall.... Read More »

 

2 congressmen ask Treasury for details on 2008-09 dealership closures

2:36 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Two congressmen -- one a former Ohio auto dealer and the other a Pennsylvania new- and used-car dealer -- have asked the U.S. Treasury Department to release materials detailing how General Motors and Chrysler dealerships were selected for closure during the 2008-09 restructuring.... Read More »

 

Former Saab CEO Jonsson, two other execs arrested on tax charges

May 21, 2013 13:04 CET
Three former Saab executives, including former CEO Jan-Aake Jonsson and Chief Financial Officer Karl-Gustav Lindstroem, were arrested by Swedish prosecutors in an accounting-fraud probe.... Read More »

 

German brands enjoy sales boom in Korea

May 21, 2013 06:01 CET
South Korea has become a growth market for BMW, Mercedes and Audi as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a decades-long preference for domestic brands.... Read More »

 

Tesla Motors may repay U.S. loan by Wednesday, Musk says

10:41 pm U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Tesla Motors may repay its federal Department of Energy loan as early as Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk said in a message on Twitter on Monday.... Read More »

 

Industry: EU trade deal would lift exports

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
U.S. auto exports to Europe could quadruple within 15 years if regulators get rid of tariffs and adopt standard vehicle-safety rules, automaker associations say.... Read More »

 

Cost is key to fate of talking cars

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Cars that communicate with each other to avoid crashes or traffic jams will save lives, but the cost of the systems will determine consumers' acceptance, the U.S. transportation secretary said last week.... Read More »

 

Hyundai, Kia losing ground to luxury imports at home as tariffs fall

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 19, 2013
Foreign brands have seen their share of South Korea's market for premium vehicles surge to 41 percent from 28 percent in the past two years, according to Korean industry groups, as lower tariffs make their cars cheaper and local buyers abandon a decades-long preference for domestic brands.... Read More »

 

MARK RECHTIN

The death of driving? Don't make any funeral plans

11:29 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
You know that study that just came out declaring “the end of the driving boom,” because Gen Y supposedly doesn't care about cars? Ignore it.... Read More »

 

Europe car sales rise for first time in 19 months

May 17, 2013 08:34 CET
European car sales rose for the first time in 19 months on strong demand in the UK and a rebound in Germany. Registrations in April increased 2 percent to 1.08 million vehicles from 1.06 million cars a year earlier, industry association ACEA said.... Read More »

 

GM shares return to $33 IPO price on optimism for truck sales

10:19 am U.S. ET | May 17, 2013
Shares in GM topped its $33 initial public offering price for the first time in more than two years as the automaker prepares to introduce redesigned full-sized pickups.... Read More »

 

Subaru, Mitsubishi small crossovers top new crash test

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 16, 2013
The Subaru Forester and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport have won top honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, becoming the only small SUVs to ace the group's new "small overlap" crash test.... Read More »

 

In boost to EVs, report sees surge in charging outlets worldwide

2:42 pm U.S. ET | May 16, 2013
The steady growth in sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, along with public and private investment, is expected to drive a sharp rise in the number of charging stations worldwide by 2020, a new study says.... Read More »

 

Tesla issuing stock, debt to accelerate repayment of U.S. loan

5:34 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
Tesla Motors plans to issue 2.7 million new shares and debt to repay its U.S. Energy Department loan faster than a five-year plan.... Read More »

 

NHTSA confirms new deputy, considers push for automatic braking

3:51 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed David Friedman, previously a transportation analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists, as its new deputy administrator.... Read More »

 

U.S. to monitor cybersecurity risks as car connectivity grows

3:04 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
Rising cybersecurity risks to drivers as their cars become increasingly powered by and connected to computers have prompted federal auto safety regulators to start a new office focusing on the threat.... Read More »

 

Detroit 3 research group targets next-gen hybrid, EV batteries

3:46 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
With the U.S. Department of Energy's help, a research group managed by the Detroit 3 is launching a drive to speed development of next-generation battery technologies for hybrids and electric vehicles, the department said today.... Read More »

 

Ford aid from Spain probed by EU antitrust regulators

May 15, 2013 12:19 CET
European Union antitrust regulators will investigate whether a 25.2 million euro ($32.71 million) grant given by Spanish authorities to Ford's factory in Valencia breached EU state aid rules.... Read More »

 

Americans, especially young, continue to drive less, report says

5:36 pm U.S. ET | May 14, 2013
Americans, in a worrisome sign for automakers, continue to drive less, with more and more younger people choosing to forgo a driver's license altogether, a major new study released Tuesday found.... Read More »