Honda Motor Co

Somebody forgot to tell the automakers that the economy is going downhill: Auto sales in September were up 10% over last year's numbers, with all of Detroit's Big Three posting solid gains. Imports, however, did not fare as well. Can Toyota, once unstoppable, win back its former primacy, post-tsunami and accelerator debacle?

Hyundai and its stablemate Kia have been taking U.S. auto market share gradually for more than two decades. Lately, though, those chunks have gotten bigger. The South Korean car makers' sales are expected to surge almost 25% in September compared to the same month year ago.

GM is expected to show a sales increase of 15.3% from a year ago when it posts August numbers later this week, according to auto industry research firm Edmunds. That would be an improvement of 30,000 cars and light trucks and would eclipse the unit gains of its smaller rivals.

By itself, the S&P downgrade doesn't mean much to the average citizen. The real risk to the public is devaluation, due to the printing of dollars to make servicing the debt easier. Such a course of action by the government could lead to higher interest rates and greater costs of imported goods.

DailyFinance collects all the new recalls here each week to help you keep track of the food and products to avoid. This week's recalls include vehicles, an herbicide from DuPont, a pin from the Build-A-Bear Workshop, step stools and of course, a ground turkey from Cargill.

It was a surprise, in a good way: General Motors (GM) said Thursday that its second-quarter profits had nearly doubled, with revenues soaring on improved margins and strong sales around the world. There were no gimmicks in these numbers. Plain and simple, these are solid results following on good...

The market for used cars is white-hot, and lists of the best models tend to favor brands like Toyota, Lexus, and Honda. But there are better bets for those who don't want to pay a premium for a reliable ride -- if they're willing to buy American: Increased quality plus compromised reputation equals value.