Auto News 5

Ad agency BBDO is closing its Detroit office after losing its Chrysler contract. Come February, the branch's 485 employees will plunge into Detroit's struggling economy with little hope of automotive work. Full story...

Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet sent conflicting signals over the weekend about whether the government should provide aid to Opel. Full story...

The Mercedes-Benk GLK offers an optional child seat recognition system from Luxembourg-based supplier IEE SA. The system automatically deactivates the front-passenger airbag if it detects a child seat. Full story...

Renault 's plant in Turkey will produce the Fluence mid-sized electric car starting in the first half of 2011. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. has resolved its workload dispute with workers at its assembly plant in suburban Kansas City, Mo., a spokeswoman said, as local employees wrapped up voting to authorize a strike. Full story...

China is falling in love with Hyundai Motor Co. The South Korean company has gone for a non-factor to the maker of the top-selling foreign car brand in the country in just seven years. Full story...

GM has paid back another tranche of a 1.5 billion ($2.2 billion) euro bridge loan advanced by Germany in June to save Opel / Vauxhall from bankruptcy. GM said Friday it had paid back another 200 million euros of the loan. Full story...

Hyundai-Kia's share gains have overwhelmed rivals this year, and the climbing yen and South Korea's export-friendly trade pacts are giving Japanese automakers even more worries. Full story...

Nelson Piquet Jr. will take part in the Superkarts USA Super Nationals in Las Vegas next week-end competing against drivers like Michael Schumacher. It will be a first race appearance for the young driver since the end of his Formula 1 career early this year. Full story...

Superman is back! Mark Martin, trying to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, called his teammate Jimmie Johnson Superman for good reasons after the race in Phoenix: No one in the past four years has been good enough in NASCAR's playoffs to beat Johnson in the so called Chase for the Sprint Cup. Full story...

The Hinwil based Sauber team is "waiting patiently" to know if it will be able to keep racing in formula one in 2010. "We are waiting patiently for our starting place," team founder Peter Sauber said referring to the FIA's declaration last week that "urgent clarification" is being sought as to Toyota's "legal position" following the Japanese carmaker's decision to withdraw from F1. Full story...

The Malaysian-owned new Lotus team has signed its first driver for the 2010 season, boss Tony Fernandes revealed on his Twitter page. "Public announcement soon," he said. "The dream continues." Meanwhile, Jarno Trulli was this weekend trackside for the Sprint Cup event in Phoenix ahead of his NASCAR test for Michael Waltrip Racing in the coming day. Full story...

Nothing finally went according to plan for Alex Tagliani who, after being unable to complete the qualifications session, had to take the start with the reserve car during the Nationwide event presented Saturday, in Phoenix. Full story...

Audi today released the final social media video installment documenting behind-the-scenes considerations that shaped its entries in this year's Los Angeles Design Challenge, a competition associated with the upcoming L.A. Auto Show involving Southern California automotive studios. Full story...

TROY, Mich., -- The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) has announced the debut of Electric Avenue, a 37,000 square foot feature on the main floor of the 2010 show. The new showcase will spotlight electric vehicles and technology of both traditional automakers and innovative entrepreneurs. Full story...

You know the Infiniti G35 coupe. It's that sleek two-door with the classy fascia, flat rear end, wide taillamps and the stance of a Nissan 350Z. It makes that distinctive, semi-exotic exhaust howl you probably like, too. Full story...

Back in 2004 and shortly after the Mazda 6 hit the market, it seemed like buying one was a pretty foolproof choice. In addition to capitalizing on a great new styling language, the sporty sedan and wagon from the alternative Japanese manufacturer began winning awards from international press and industry authorities in a big way. The 6 had arrived--and it was a sporty, nicely styled and fun-to-drive machine that made the Accord and Camry look downright boring. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. has resolved its workload dispute with workers at its assembly plant in suburban Kansas City, Mo., a spokeswoman said, as local employees wrapped up voting to authorize a strike. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. has resolved its workload dispute with workers at its assembly plant in suburban Kansas City, Mo., a spokeswoman said, as workers were expected to wrap up voting to authorize a strike. Full story...

Fiat plans to boost Italian output about 40 percent to 900,000 units a year under a restructuring scheme, la Repubblica newspaper said. Fiat will present the plan to unions in a couple of weeks, the daily said. Full story...