Auto News 5

Chrysler LLC's Canadian manufacturing operations will not survive in the long-term without significant concessions from the Canadian Auto Workers, the company said in a letter to employees today. Full story...

CAW President Ken Lewenza today accused Chrysler LLC of trying to undermine his union's authority by sending an e-mail directly to roughly 9,000 Chrysler union workers in Canada. Full story...

The former investment company executive now heading the US treasury's autos task force is under investigation in a state and federal inquiry into an alleged kickback scheme at New York state's pension fund, media reports said. Full story...

GM's UK subsidiary Vauxhall has announced that its VX Racing unit will not return to the British Touring Car Championship in 2010. Full story...

GM's UK subsidiary Vauxhall has announced that its VX Racing unit will not return to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 2010. Full story...

Nippon Steel and other Japanese steelmakers hasve agreed to cut steel prices paid by Toyota by around 10%, a source told the Reuters news agency. Full story...

Ford's new Fiesta small car outsold the Volkswagen Golf to become Europe's most popular model in March. Helped by scrappage incentives, the Fiesta had its best March sales in Germany since 1998. Full story...

Volkswagen may have become the world's top selling automaker in the first quarter of 2009, ahead of Toyota, according to a media report on Friday. Full story...

First it was the car industry copying supermarkets' 'BOGOF' (buy one, get one free) promotions. Here in the UK, that was the recent offer from one well known broker on Dodge Avengers (two for GBP20,000) while, in Auckland, New Zealand, a new dealership was launched recently offering BOGOFs like a free Citroën C4 hatchback with every C6 sold or a free Fiat Punto with every Alfa Romeo Brera. Now, in Slovakia, other retailers are borrowing the scrap-for-new scheme that has recently boosted new car sales. According to news agency AFP, the scrappage scheme there has sparked copycat slogans to revive washing machines, trainers or wallet sales amid the economic crisis. Full story...

Toyota will demonstrate its infrastructure-linked driving safety support systems at a public display of intelligent transport systems technologies sponsored by the Universal Traffic Management Society of Japan (UTMS) in Toyota City, from 21-23 April. Full story...

Antonov, the developer of a novel type of automatic transmission, is edging ever closer to series production of its transmissions, writes CSM analyst Chris Guile. Antonov nearly achieved this back in early 2005, when one of its designs was tantalisingly close to being approved by MG-Rover, but the subsequent collapse of MG-Rover put an end to that plan. Full story...

Fiat Chairman Luca Cordero de Montezemolo denied on Friday the Italian carmaker was looking at General Motors' German unit Opel. Full story...

Few cars have the universal appeal of the Ford Mustang. Few have been as accessible yet alluring, attainable, yet powerful and still romantic. Full story...

Chrysler would cede control of its board and ultimately senior leadership if it completes a planned alliance with Italy's Fiat SpA, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said. The U.S. Full story...

Chrysler would cede control of its board and ultimately senior leadership if it completes a planned alliance with Italy's Fiat SpA, Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli said. The U.S. Full story...

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has cancelled his trip to next week's Shanghai auto show, a spokesman said on Friday. Full story...

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has canceled his trip to next week's Shanghai auto show, a spokesman said on Friday. Full story...

Volkswagen group may have overtaken Toyota Motor to become the world's top-selling carmaker in the first quarter, thanks to government incentives that fuelled demand in VW's major markets. Full story...

Steven Rattner, the leader of the Obama administration's auto task force, was one of the investment-firm executives involved with payments now under scrutiny in a state and federal investigation into an alleged kickback scheme at New York state's... Full story...

Auto supplier Visteon Corp. has agreed to provide severance pay to former employees of its United Kingdom facilities in a proposal aimed at ending a dispute that has seen workers staging sit in strikes and picketing Ford Motor Co. Full story...