CHRYSLER

Ford Motor Co has made the most progress in improving vehicle quality among major automakers, while Chrysler ranks at the bottom of the industry for reliability, according to an annual Consumer Reports survey released on Tuesday.

Workers at five Ford Motor Co U.S. plants represented by the United Auto Workers have backed a contract aimed at bringing the automaker's labor costs in line with rivals General Motors Co and Chrysler.

Overcoming an entrenched corporate culture is the biggest question mark for General Motors Co management as it tries to maintain viability following its near failure this year, the former chief of the Obama administration's autos task force said on Wednesday.

The Obama administration plans to order that the top earners at firms which received billions of dollars in government bailouts will see their cash payouts cut by an average of about 90 percent from last year, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The Obama administration was deeply divided over whether to fund Chrysler's restructuring in bankruptcy and whether the automaker could survive to repay the investment, according to a former senior official.

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc (DTG.N) said on Monday it would slash its 2010 car rental purchases from Chrysler and that its average fleet costs had stabilized at levels it hoped to maintain next year.

The auto boom came fast to this harbor town on Lake Michigan where Ramblers first rolled off the line a century ago.

Kenosha, Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Michigan has a long history in automotive history that will die if a Chrysler engine plant is shut as planned next year.

General Motors Co is on track to complete a wrenching cost-cutting but faces risks from an uncertain U.S. economy and rising unemployment as it tries to win back consumers, the automaker said on Wednesday.

The world's biggest truckmaker, Daimler AG , is seeing evidence the U.S. truck market has bottomed, but it remains cautious about the pace of any recovery, the head of Daimler's truck division said on Wednesday.

U.S. auto parts maker Delphi ended four years in bankruptcy on Tuesday, emerging from Chapter 11 as a private company and removing a major uncertainty for former parent General Motors Co [GM.UL].

The Obama administration's pay czar plans to cut the cash salaries of the top employees at seven firms that have received large sums of government aid, in a bid to reshape their compensation packages, the Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Chrysler Group LLC has created a separate Ram brand for its Dodge pickup trucks and replaced the heads of two car brands as the automaker rushes to complete a critical long-term business plan.

A U.S.-led group has entered the race to buy Ford Motor Co's Volvo cars unit, the Financial Times reported, in a challenge to China's Geely Automotive which last month confirmed its interest in the loss-making Swedish carmaker.

LONDON A U.S.-led consortium has entered the race to buy Volvo from Ford , the Financial Times reported, in a challenge to China's Geely Automotive , which confirmed its interest in the money-losing Swedish carmaker last month.

Labor costs at Ford Motor Co (F.N) are about $16 an hour higher in Canada than in the United States, the Canadian Auto Workers confirmed on Friday, but union said it needs guarantees on production levels before it agrees to concessions to level the field.

Chrysler Group LLC said on Friday it will idle production of its Jeep Wrangler SUV for a week starting Monday due to part shortages from an unidentified supplier.

Ford Motor Co of Canada (F.N) bucked the trend in September, posting comfortably higher auto sales as the broader Canadian industry continued to slide.

U.S. auto sales tumbled by 23 percent in September as showrooms emptied after the government-funded boom from the cash for clunkers program, with General Motors Co and Chrysler hardest-hit.

U.S. auto sales tumbled by 23 percent in September as showrooms emptied after the government-funded boom from the cash for clunkers program, with General Motors Co and Chrysler hardest-hit.

The global auto industry would have collapsed if the U.S. government had not provided taxpayer-backed financing for automakers General Motors and Chrysler, according to the chief executive officer of Motors Liquidation Co (MTLQQ.PK).