Economy Watch Archive: Autos

June auto sales: GM, Ford down 13%, Chrysler down 12%

UPDATED with more automakers reporting at 1:45 p.m.: Detroit's Big Three automakers saw June sales drop between 12 and 13 percent as auto buyers pulled back last month. General Motors' June sales dropped 13 percent compared with May, a sign...

By Frank Ahrens | July 1, 2010; 1:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Autos
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Washington Post Co. elects former GM CEO Rick Wagoner to its board

Rick Wagoner, who was fired as chief executive of General Motors by the White House, has been elected to The Washington Post Co.'s board of directors, increasing the board to 11 members, the education and media company said today. The...

By Frank Ahrens | June 10, 2010; 1:04 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Autos , Corporations
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GM recall: 1.5 million vehicles for potential fire hazard

General Motors is recalling 1.5 million Buick, Cadillac, Hummer, Saturn and GMC sport-utility vehicles, pickups and cars from 2006 to 2009 because a heated washer fluid system module could pose a fire risk, the company said moments ago. There are...

By Frank Ahrens | June 8, 2010; 10:54 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Autos , Corporations
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Ford makes it official: Storied Mercury brand to be axed

Ford said this afternoon that it would kill its low-sales Mercury brand by the end of the year, ending the badge's 71-year run. The car was a creation of Henry Ford's son, Edsel, who developed it in 1939 to fill...

By Frank Ahrens | June 2, 2010; 4:16 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Autos
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Ford, GM, Chrysler report double-digit May sales; Toyota up 7%

UPDATED with other automakers at 2:53 p.m.: Chrysler said its May sales were up 33 percent compared to May 2009, which sounds like a great number -- and it's not bad -- but one-third of its sales came from low-cost...

By Frank Ahrens | June 2, 2010; 2:53 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Autos
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Feds open floormat-entrapment probe on 2010 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan

UPDATED to correct spelling of Mercury Milan: The federal government has opened an investigation into possible floormat gas-pedal entrapment in the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. According to the filing at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- which...

By Frank Ahrens | June 1, 2010; 2:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Autos
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Older Entries in This Category »

AP: Former Toyota exec said in e-mail: 'We need to come clean.', Frank Ahrens , April 7, 2010

March sales: Toyota up 41%, Ford up 40%, GM up 21%, Honda up 23%, Chrysler down 8%, Frank Ahrens , April 1, 2010

Toyota's March sales rise 35%. Or perhaps 40%. Take your pick., Frank Ahrens , March 31, 2010

NHTSA hires underemployed NASA engineers to figure out Toyota problems, Frank Ahrens , March 30, 2010

Safety group claims Toyota's acceleration problems caused by electronics, Frank Ahrens , March 23, 2010

Reports: Toyota will replace gas pedals, Frank Ahrens , March 23, 2010

N.Y. police confirm Fed's findings on 'runaway' Prius: Driver error, Frank Ahrens , March 22, 2010

Feds: Brakes were not applied on runaway N.Y. Prius, Frank Ahrens , March 18, 2010

Data: Toyota drivers experience more runaway acceleration than owners of other vehicles, Frank Ahrens , March 16, 2010

Toyota casts doubt on runaway Prius driver's story, Frank Ahrens , March 15, 2010

Advice to drivers of runaway cars: Shift into neutral, Frank Ahrens , March 15, 2010

Positive retail numbers send markets climbing, Kendra Nichols , March 12, 2010

In New York, another runaway Prius, Sarah Halzack , March 10, 2010

Engineers weigh in with their stories, possible solutions to Toyota's problems, Frank Ahrens , March 10, 2010

Toyota's bad luck continues with runaway Prius in California, Frank Ahrens , March 9, 2010

Toyota launches massive engineering, PR counterattack on runaway acceleration, Frank Ahrens , March 8, 2010

Congress wants more documents on runaway acceleration from Toyota, Frank Ahrens , March 5, 2010

GM to reinstate hundreds of closed dealerships, Frank Ahrens , March 5, 2010

List of vehicles that do not have brake-override systems, Frank Ahrens , March 3, 2010

Nissan to recall more than 500,000 vehicles, Frank Ahrens , March 3, 2010

Subpoenaed Toyota documents cause partisan rift on House Oversight committee, Frank Ahrens , March 2, 2010

Rockefeller: Toyota should be required to add brake-override systems to all Toyotas in U.S., regardless of vehicle age, cost, Frank Ahrens , March 2, 2010

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