Auto News 5

France's three domestic car brands increased new-car sales in their home market by 14.6 percent in March. Full story...

Heavily indebted German bearings maker Schaeffler Group has broadly agreed with its banks on interim financing worth 500 million euros ($661 million), a German newspaper said on Thursday, citing financial sources. Full story...

GM Daewoo, the South Korean unit of General Motors, is optimistic it will be able to overcome a "critical" period for its cash position in the second quarter, its head said today. Full story...

GM Daewoo, the South Korean unit of General Motors, is optimistic it will be able to overcome a "critical" period for its cash position in the second quarter, its head said today. Full story...

The German government today named Daimler senior executive Ruediger Grube as its choice to take the helm at national rail network Deutsche Bahn. Full story...

General Motors has asked for $2.6 billion of low interest government loans to support the development of three new hybrid vehicles, according to a business plan update released on Wednesday. Full story...

General Motors has asked for $2.6 billion of low interest government loans to support the development of three new hybrid vehicles, according to a business plan update released on Wednesday. Full story...

Ford is shuffling its design lineup, naming Moray Callum executive director for its Americas operations, replacing Peter Horbury, who returns to Volvo. Horbury fills the slot vacated by Stephen Mattin, who left the company. Full story...

Bankrupt auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. will sell its brakes and its suspension businesses to BeijingWest Industries Inc. of China for $90 million, according to court documents. Full story...

Chrysler LLC stopped production at its Windsor, Ontario, minivan plant on Wednesday due to a shortage of metal castings, including engine and transmission mounts and brackets, the company said. Full story...

A Russian car assembly plant will shut down indefinitely this month in the first major auto failure of the economic crisis. Full story...

Chrysler Canada extended its production shutdown to a second Ontario plant today as a parts shortage forced the automaker to idle assembly operations at its Brampton car plant. Full story...

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced that IndyCar Series veteran Darren Manning would drive the No 23 Honda-powered Dallara in the season-opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Full story...

Stewards on Thursday declared that Lewis Hamilton and McLaren offered "deliberately misleading" evidence that resulted in Jarno Trulli losing his podium in a post-race inquiry last Sunday in Australia. Full story...

WASHINGTON --Tesla Motors has taken 520 reservations for the Model S, an all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge. Full story...

Infiniti G37 Convertible debuts the new Bose Open Air Sound System. Its major claim to fame is that the system automatically adjusts itself to sound better during top-down motoring. The system springs into action when the top goes down and also processes two other inputs: outside noise and vehicle speed. A cabin microphone monitors the outside noise. Full story...

Total Light Vehicle Sales in Canada for the Month of March Full story...

The Brawn GP Formula 1 team has now agreed a major sponsorship deal with the Virgin Group for 2010, SportsPro magazine reported on Thursday. Full story...

Here's Samantha. Her voice is mellow, pleasant and nicely modulated. She seems calm and quite knowledgeable. Samantha is actually the name of the voice heard by Ford owners who use its latest infotainment technologies. Customers will hear Samantha's voice -- as well as French-speaking Julie's and Spanish-speaking Paulina's -- give life to the company's advanced communication and entertainment system called SYNC. Full story...

Too good (Or cheap) to be true? As Yoshimura Suzuki will be switching to 2009 models for the next AMA race, Mat Mladin's current racer, a 2008 GSX-R1000 Superbike will de sold off the back of the hauler, right after the Superbike race this coming Sunday in Road Atlanta. Full story...