minivan

Resurgent Ford Awards Top Two Execs $99 Million in Stock

Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Executive Chairman Bill Ford, have been awarded $56.5 million and $42.4 million in stock, respectively, in recognition for the company's stunning turnaround, which resulted in the automaker raking in $6.6 billion last year -- its best performance in more than a decade.

Will GM Post Its First Annual Profit Since 2004?

Or will it disappoint? Investors -- and taxpayers -- will be watching on Thursday, when GM posts its latest earnings. Despite analyst expectations of a full-year profit, the automaker has warned that fourth-quarter results will fall "significantly" from previous periods.

General Motors Sales Rose 22% in January

General Motors sales rose 21.8% in January compared to a year ago on strong sales across its lines of passenger cars, "crossover" vehicles and trucks, the automaker said Tuesday. Each of the automaker's four divisions recorded higher sales for the month.

Though Chrysler Is Still Unprofitable, Employees Earn a $750 Bonus

Union employees at Chrysler Group will receive a $750 bonus next week as an acknowledgment of their contributions in helping to revive the once-bankrupt company, the automaker said Monday. Salaried workers, excluding the company's top 50 executives, will also receive the payment.

January Auto Sales Should Build on 2010's Momentum

A slowly brightening economy combined with low financing rates and generally stable fuel prices have put consumers in a buying mood. New models, particularly from Ford and GM, are also helping to keep U.S. auto sales on a positive trajectory as 2011 starts.

Ford May Post Its Best Yearly Profit in a Decade

Analysts forecast that Ford will announce a profit of 48 cents a share on revenue of about $30.6 billion when it releases earnings on Friday. That translates into an expected pretax profit of $8 billion in 2010, the best Ford has seen since 1999.

Ford Recalls 525,000 Windstar Minivans for Steering Issue

Ford is recalling more than half a million minivans to repair parts that could corrode and affect vehicle handling. The action involves Ford Windstar minivans from the 1999 to 2003 model years that were sold in cold-weather areas where salt is routinely used to de-ice roads.

Beyond Recalls: A Year Later, Toyota's Woes Continue

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.

Chrysler Rolls Out Plans for a Hybrid of a Different Kind

Chrysler has finally decided to jump on the hybrid bandwagon, announcing Wednesday that it is working with the EPA to develop a hydraulic hybrid powertrain for its vehicles. The system, which stores energy derived from vehicle braking as pressure, could improve fuel economy by 30% to 35%.

Chrysler Finds It Can Be Profitable Selling Fewer Cars

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.

Fiat Boosts Stake in Chrysler to 25% After Hitting Milestone

Italian automaker Fiat increased its stake has in Chrysler Group to 25% after the U.S. automaker met a key goal by starting engine production at a plant in Dundee, Mich., the company said Monday during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Auto Dealers Are Upbeat on U.S. Sales for 2011

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.

Upbeat Consumers Push Auto Sales Higher

The nation's automakers ended 2010 strong, with most reporting higher sales for December. Consumers seemed to put concerns about the U.S. economy on hold and more than offset reduced demand by fleet customers, such as corporations and rental-car companies.

GM Ends Upbeat Year With 7.5% Sales Rise in December

And for all of 2010, GM's four core brands sold 118,435 more vehicles this year than the company did with eight brands in 2009. GM says it expects to gain total and retail market share for the year. In December alone, the automaker sold nearly 224,000 vehicles.

December Auto Sales: Set to End 2010 in High Gear

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.

Fiat May Raise Its Stake in Chrysler to 51% Before IPO

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said Monday that he could increase Fiat's ownership in Chrysler to more than 50% should America's smallest domestic automaker seek to return to the stock market this year, but that he doesn't plan to merge the companies' operations.

2010 Likely Busiest Year for Auto Recalls in Seven Years

2010 may be the year of the car recall, with the U.S.'s six-largest suppliers recalling more than 19 million vehicles over the last 12 months. Toyota, which recalled about 7 million cars this year, tops the list. General Motors, at about 4 million, came in second.

Ford Adds 37,000 Windstar Minivans to Axle Recall

Ford is expanding this summer's recall of Windstar minivans to replace axles that may crack after exposure to road salt. The automaker is adding 37,000 units in the U.S. and Canada to the original 575,000 Windstars from the 1998 to 2003 model years it recalled in August.

Toyota's Latest Recall: 94,000 Sienna Minivans

The beleaguered Japanese carmaker is sending notices to Sienna owners to warn them of brake-light switch brackets that are susceptible to damage and could lead to eventual loss of braking effectiveness. No accidents relating to the defect have been reported.

October Car Sales Point to an Auto Rebound

Buoyed by consumers' increased confidence in the U.S. economy, most automakers reported higher sales of cars and trucks in the U.S. during October compared to a year ago -- making it the best October in three years for the auto industry.

General Motors Sales Rose 3.5% in October

Buoyed by stronger demand for pickups and crossover, GM said today that October sales increased 3.5% compared to a year ago. Excluding its discontinued brands, sales of Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet models rose 13% for the month.

To Topple Toyota, Volkswagen Must Accelerate in the U.S.

VW has set a hefty goal for itself: to displace Toyota as the world's No. 1 car company. The German automaker is actually within reach, thanks mainly to its huge lead in China. To overtake Toyota, however, VW will need to really ramp up sales in the American market.

Chrysler May Soon See More Federal Aid

In addition to state tax credits from Michigan -- and the billions of dollars already loaned it by U.S. taxpayers in the form of last year's bailout -- Chrysler may soon get approval for billions more in loans from the Department of Energy.

GM Vehicles Rise in Consumer Reports' Latest Quality Survey

Although Honda and Toyota remain the benchmark of reliability in the U.S. automobile industry, General Motors has made considerable strides in improving the quality of its cars and trucks, according to the magazine's 2010 Annual New Car Reliability Survey.