AUTO

Toyota Motor Corp plans to introduce six new hybrid vehicles by the end of 2012 and bring an electric vehicle to the U.S. market that year also, a top research and development executive said on Monday.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which last month completed its purchase of Volvo from Ford Motor Co, may build as many as three plants in China to make the Swedish brand, a Geely spokesman said on Tuesday.

Watch out for the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS at the Paris Motor Show this fall. Months before its debut, the company teased potential customers with a cryptic sculpture at the Detroit Auto Show and by revealing the striking Shooting Break concept at the China show.

U.S. safety regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into reports that fuel tanks from 1997 to 2001 model year Ford Motor Co F-150 pickups have dropped onto the road due to rusted support straps.

General Motors Co's new chief executive, Dan Akerson, will receive a $1.7 million cash salary as well as stock grants, the U.S. government-owned automaker said on Friday.

Strengthening dealer networks, successfully launching a redesigned Jetta, and boosting used-car sales are top priorities for Volkswagen America Inc under Jonathan Browning, the unit's new chief executive.

Now a new generation of drivers is set to embark on a similar kind of experiment. Until recently, most electric vehicles, or EVs as they are often known, have had a range of just a few dozen miles, limiting their usefulness and appeal.

Hyundai Motor, South Korea's No.1 carmaker, unveiled its first pure electric car on Thursday, with a goal of commencing mass production of the vehicles in 2012.

Automakers in China shipped 18.7 percent more passenger cars to dealers in August from a year ago, official data showed, lagging a nearly 60 percent annual jump in retail car sales, reflecting an apparent drawdown in dealers' showroom inventories.

PSA Peugeot Citroen and Renault will repay on Friday a third of the 6 billion euros ($7.6 billion) in French government loans, after scrapping schemes helped the carmakers emerge from the financial crisis.

Group vehicles sales growth at Volkswagen slowed to 11.2 percent in August, Europe's biggest carmaker said, sounding a wary note about the outlook as global markets cool.

Ford Motor Co has invited Lincoln dealers to a meeting in October to discuss its plans to breathe new life into the lagging luxury brand at a critical time for many of its U.S. retailers.

Ford Motor Co, which owns 11 percent of Mazda Motor Corp, has not yet fully discussed its long-term relationship with the Japanese automaker but is pleased with the current setup, a top Ford executive said on Thursday.

BMW surpassed August's global sales volumes for its core brand not just versus last year's month but for those of 2007 and 2008 as well, underlining the strength of the recovery in the premium car market.

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has picked Goldman Sachs to advise it on a bid for a $2.1 billion stake in builder Hyundai Engineering & Construction, a source close to the matter said on Wednesday.

Nissan Motor Co and its Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Group unveiled on Wednesday a new brand for their local passenger car venture, saying the first model would be introduced in 2012.

Toyota Motor Corp plans to begin producing a hybrid version of the Yaris subcompact at its factory in France in the business year starting next April, the Mid-Japan Economist newspaper said.

Daimler could resume its dividend this year at nearly twice 2008's rate and may bring forward a planned bond issue.

Italian car maker Fiat SpA will hire Toyota Motor Europe's Andrea Formica to head sales at its four-brand automotive group, Automotive News Europe said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Hyundai Motor's steady climb in the global auto industry has nurtured a strong base of local suppliers, and South Korean parts makers could be looking at more business overseas after adding premium car brand BMW to their list of clients.

The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co in the first offering of the automaker's stock, six people familiar with preparations for the landmark IPO said.

Nissan Motor is open to a green car alliance with Chinese automakers, a senior executive said on Saturday, as it moves to tap the fledgling industry in the world's largest auto market.

Major Chinese automaker Chongqing Changan Automobile is in talks with Ford Motor to expand their partnership beyond China, a senior Chinese executive said.

Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp said it will build its fourth auto plant in India, boosting its output in one of the fastest growing car markets to 1.5 million units a year.

China's top economic planner and a leading government-backed research body disagreed at an auto industry forum over whether the world's largest auto market is facing excessive capacity after breakneck growth in 2009.

General Motors' new boss Dan Akerson sent his first letter to staff on Thursday, saying he valued the role of organized labor in the company's success as GM heads into negotiations with its union-represented U.S. workers next year.

Autoliv, the world's biggest maker of air bags and seat belts, has seen stable demand despite expectations for slower car production in the second half of the year.

South Korean automakers Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor Co are in talks with IzhAvto on the assembly of cars at the distressed Russian company's plant.

South Korea's No. 2 automaker Kia Motors said on Friday that it had started a recall of some Soul and Sorento vehicles sold worldwide because of a fire hazard.