Auto News 5

Canada's government has threatened to cut off aid to Chrysler unless the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union agrees concessions of C$19 an hour to enable the automaker to finalise its proposed alliance with Fiat. Full story...

Speed would be key in any reorganisation of General Motors if it were to file for Chapter 11, according to one bankruptcy expert. Full story...

General Motors has sent out confidentiality agreements to more than six potential investors for its Opel/Vauxhall unit, CEO Fritz Henderson said. Full story...

General Motors has sent out confidentiality agreements to more than six potential investors for its Opel/Vauxhall unit, CEO Fritz Henderson said. Full story...

General Motors has sent out confidentiality agreements to more than six potential investors for its Opel/Vauxhall unit, GM CEO Fritz Henderson said. Full story...

Fiat chairman Luca Cordero de Montezemolo has denied eyeing General Motors Europe's Opel AG. Full story...

Gentex has said that it is shipping a number of different auto-dimming mirror variations for the 2010 Lexus RX. Full story...

GM sales chief Mark LaNeve has denied news agency reports yesterday that the US treasury's automotive task force has pressured the company to dump its GMC and Pontiac brands. Full story...

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson said today the company has not decided whether to file for bankruptcy protection, but that preparations continue in case such an action is necessary. Full story...

The South Korean government expects to see financial support given to local General Motors unit to GM Daewoo, a minister said on Friday (17 April). 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...

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...

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 (BTCC) 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 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...