u.s. auto sales

Toyota will announce Friday that by September, it expects to have all of its North American plants back to their normal production levels. Then, it can begin attempting to recoup the U.S. market share it lost due to shortages related to the Japan earthquake and tsunami, as well as a slew of recalls.

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.

As expected, automakers Wednesday reported sluggish sales for August. The nation's anemic economic recovery kept consumers away from dealerships, despite generous end-of-model-year incentives on the part of many manufacturers.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Chinese auto sales in June, including buses and trucks, increased 36 percent from a year ago -- checking in at 1.14 million, second only to April's 1.15 million. In June, Chinese motorists purchased 872,900 cars, SUVs, and other...