Toyota's recall troubles seem never-ending. Just a few months after the car company's last recall, it has found defects involving the fueling systems of a variety of Lexus models. This won't help the company's beleaguered reputation.
Last year's massive recalls -- and the resulting legal fallout -- have given Toyota's reputation a beating, cutting into its sales. But the company can't blame all of its problems on the recalls. Analysts also point to another issue: A lack of compelling new models.
With U.S. automotive dominance waning, a new moniker has emerged: the "Detroit Three." Still, don't count out Ford, GM or Chrysler. Their post-recession future looks strong, thanks to some agonizing restructuring. Now, they can be profitable selling fewer cars.
Automakers recalled more vehicles last year than in any of the last six years. And while Toyota Motors accounted for much of the growth, with problems including unintended acceleration and glitchy brakes, many other car manufacturers also saw their recalls increase.
Ford will spend $400 million to upgrade its Kansas City, Mo., plant after production of the current Ford Escape compact SUV moves to another facility. It's the fourth North American plant that Ford has overhauled or plans to as it seeks to reinvigorate its vehicle lineup.
The smallest of the Detroit Three, Chrysler has made substantial strides in turning around its business, including lowering the number of vehicles it needs to sell to make a profit. The automaker had pegged 1.65 million as its operating break-even point, but has just lowered this to about 1.5 million vehicles.
The United Auto Workers union has been bleeding members, with fewer than 400,000 at the end of 2009. With a purportedly more collaborative attitude, the group plans to unionize foreign auto manufacturers with factories in the U.S.
The nation's leading trade association for car dealers says it now sees industry sales of nearly 13 million vehicles this year, topping last year's by 12%. The rise is attributed to pent-up demand, loosening credit and a rising stock market.
The economy may be less robust than most Americans would like, but that didn't stop many of them from hitting the showrooms in December. That likely propelled auto sales in the final month of 2010 to 1.13 million units, the year's highest levels.
It's still hard to diagnose how the overall economy will fare in 2011. But the signs for at least one area all seem to be pointing up: car sales. Analysts predict the number of vehicles sold next year will rise 10% to 23% above that of 2010.
Chrysler Group is recalling more than 144,000 Dodge and Ram vehicles in three separate actions, and Ford Motor is recalling about 15,000 trucks and sport-utility vehicles that may catch fire. These actions add to what's been a near-record for auto recalls.
GM's stock price rose as much as 2.5% in trading Tuesday after several brokerage houses began coverage of the stock, with several issuing upbeat initial ratings and hefty price targets. GM still faces a hard road forward, but Wall Street generally sees success ahead.
The auto giant announced plans Monday to extend its start-stop technology -- a feature common to gas-electric hybrids -- to its conventional gasoline-powered passenger cars and SUVs as well.
Who makes the safest cars? Hyundai Motor and its sister make, Kia Motors, along with Volkswagen and its luxury brand, Audi, garnered the most awards in the recent vehicle crash tests conducted by an insurance industry testing group.