Auto News 5

U.S. automaker Chrysler said on Tuesday its organization outside North America would not be affected by a bankruptcy filing at home or its planned alliance with Fiat S.p.A. Full story...

GMAC Financial Services is extending through May a policy that allows dealers to avoid making certain payments on aging inventory. GMAC had suspended dealers' so-called curtailment payments in April. Full story...

General Motors has started to notify 2,600 dealers of plans to eliminate them, and a dealers group is trying to block the effort by getting elected officials to intervene. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. is looking at making a $400 million investment in its Michigan Assembly Plant and a related stamping operation in Wayne, Mich., aided by some $159 million in state tax assistance approved today. Full story...

A looming General Motors bankruptcy won't deter bondholders from pressing ahead with demands for more favorable treatment in the automaker's restructuring, an adviser for the creditors said. Full story...

Auto parts maker ArvinMeritor Inc. reported a quarterly loss on Tuesday and forecast a bigger loss for the current quarter, saying it will be impacted by Chrysler LLC's plant shutdown during its bankruptcy process. Full story...

As General Motors and Chrysler move forward with their respective restructuring plans, I have noticed a growing and unsettling wave of anti-dealer rhetoric in the news. Full story...

What if, all of a sudden, you really needed a pickup truck? Not a dinosaur-sized, heavy-duty rig like the Dodge Ram or Ford F-150, but a small, practical and much more fuel-efficient truck -- would the Chevy Colorado ever cross your mind? Full story...

WAYNE, Mich., May 6, 2009 - Ford Motor Company said today it is investing $550 million to transform its Michigan Assembly Plant into a lean, green and flexible manufacturing complex that will build Ford's next-generation Focus global small car along with a new battery-electric version of the Focus for the North American market. Full story...

While BMW drops KERS for Spain, Ferrari has confirmed that the controversial energy re-use technology will still feature on the F60 package this weekend in Barcelona. Full story...

Almost everyone who uses gasoline or oil, on land or on sea, has likely spilled some while filling the tank. The clean-up seems to create more problems than the original spill: rags, sand, and ponds of toxic oily soap-water. Let's face it: anyone fueling an engine doesn't want to be bothered with cleaning up a few ounces of oil on the driveway or in the water. It's messy and toxic. Full story...

"With a view on the biofuels industry that ranges from the advanced agricultural seed we sell through Pioneer Hi-Bred to the new advanced biofuels technologies we are bringing to market including cellulosic ethanol and biobutanol, we find ourselves with a unique perspective on the Obama administration announcement to create a Biofuels Interagency Working Group. Full story...

GOTEBORG, Sweden, May 6 -- A German automotive manufacturer has chosen Semcon as its development partner in a pilot study for a new concept car. The combined order for 2009 amounts to around SEK 50 million and the first phase of the project will run for the duration of the year. Full story...

On Wednesday Aguri Suzuki admitted he is interested in returning to formula one team ownership despite the sour experience he had with his team. Full story...

Canadian Patrick Carpentier will be back behind the wheel of a NASCAR car next weekend as he will drive the Toyota No.7 of SK Motorsports during the Nationwide event the Diamond Hill Playwood 200 in Richmond. Full story...

While every other team muses the KERS dilemma, it is clear that McLaren-Mercedes is the 2009 champion in the new energy re-use technology. Full story...

Paul Tracy (KV Racing) and veteran Scott Sharp (Panther) were allowed to take part in the first day of the Rookie Orientation program and the former Champ Car champion was the quickest of all drivers at the end of the day. Full story...

What if, all of a sudden, you really needed a pickup truck? Not a dinosaur-sized, heavy-duty rig like the Dodge Ram or Ford F-150, but a small, practical and much more fuel-efficient truck -- would the Chevy Colorado ever cross your mind? Full story...

Azure Dynamics Corporation (TSX: AZD) - ("Azure") or (the "Company"), a leading developer of innovative hybrid green technologies that address environmental and cost issues for operators of commercial vehicle fleets, announced today that five Balance(TM) Hybrid Electric trucks were ordered by the City of Toronto. The five trucks will be put into service in three different city divisions including the Library; the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division; and Solid Waste Management Services. Full story...

Median lines will be green this year on New Brunswick roads. Full story...