Auto News 5

Shares of Suzuki Motor Corp. raced to a 10-month high after a source said Volkswagen AG is exploring a deal to cooperate with the Japanese automaker to boost its presence in ultra-small cars. Full story...

Possible plans by Volkswagen to cooperate with Suzuki Motor Corp. raised an enthusiastic response among investors on Friday, but traders said the main focus at VW remained firmly on Qatar. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. is seen likely to pursue additional debt restructurings that may include a debt exchange, or a debt-to-equity swap, as the company burns through cash and takes on new government loans. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. is poised to take advantage of steadier auto sales and increasing U.S. market share by stepping up production, CEO Alan Mulally said Thursday. Mulally also said the automaker would use the $5. Full story...

Automotive seating giant Lear Corp. is preparing a pre-packaged bankruptcy five days before it must make a $38 million interest payment on two of its bonds, according to a Dow Jones report. Full story...

Renault has decided to replace a French executive vice president at Russian carmaker AvtoVAZ, in which it owns a 25 percent stake. Full story...

General Motors' announcement that it will make its new subcompact car in Orion Township, Mich., is "imminent," U.S. Rep. John Dingell said. Full story...

General Motors said today it will make its new small car in Orion Township, Mich., dashing hopes in Spring Hill, Tenn., and Janesville, Wis., that the car would keep one of their factories alive. Full story...

General Motors needs to exit from bankruptcy quickly in order to avoid a "fatal" blow to many of its suppliers and the loss of thousands of jobs, CEO Fritz Henderson said in a court filing on Thursday. Full story...

A General Motors assembly plant in suburban Detroit will be awarded the work on GM's coveted subcompact car project, ahead of plants in Tennessee and Wisconsin, according to a wire service report today. Full story...

Shortly after lunch hour on Friday, rain fell on the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, scene of the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series event this weekend. Full story...

DETROIT -- General Motors selected its assembly plant in Orion Township, Mich. and stamping facility in Pontiac, Mich., to build its future small car, which will add to the automaker's growing portfolio of U.S.-built, highly fuel-efficient cars, including the Chevrolet Cruze and Volt. Today's announcement will restore approximately 1,400 jobs in total. Full story...

F1's FOTA teams would rather not race in Turkey if the circuit cannot fill its grandstands, Flavio Briatore said on Thursday. Full story...

Thousands of people look for golf carts for sale due to changes in law which allow them to be road legal. Street legal golf cart sales skyrocket from increased demand. New and used golf carts are gaining mainstream popularity for quick trips as more and more people go green. Full story...

With F1's peace deal less than two days old, a resumption of the dispute is now a possibility, furious FIA president Max Mosley wrote in a letter on Thursday. Full story...

Will China dislodge the United States from its number one spot in terms of vehicle sales in 2009? If the current trend continues, it just might be happen. Full story...

With an uneasy peace now declared between the FIA and the eight FOTA teams, attention is turning to the five formula one outfits that sat on the outside of the dispute. Full story...

When the new-generation Highlander debuted in 2008, a four-cylinder version was no longer in the catalog. Well times change. It's back. Speaking at a press event designed to showcase Toyota's strategy for these trying times, Stephen Beatty, the company's managing director, noted that new and more four-cylinder models are part of Toyota's grand scheme, and definitely not a knee jerk reaction to the economic climate. Full story...

Deeply lustrous paint, precise light-refracting edges, uniformly tight body joints - every Audi embodies perfection on the road. The interior is also finely honed and conveys a confident air of quality. A tremendous amount of effort goes into the precision handling of surfaces. Full story...

BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team driver Mikko Hirvonen leads Rally Poland tonight after a dramatic opening day on which championship leader Sebastien Loeb crashed out for the second rally in succession. Full story...