FORD MOTOR COMPANY

None of the options Ford Motor Co. may be considering - selling off its luxury brands, creating global alliances, taking itself private - would do much to solve the struggling automaker's basic problems, analysts said.

French car group Renault had no comment on Wednesday on a report that Bill Ford had called its chairman and chief executive Carlos Ghosn to explore possible cooperation.

Ford Motor Co., which is facing mounting pressure to reduce its reliance on gas-guzzling trucks, on Tuesday said it would begin selling a new diesel version of its Super Duty pickup in early 2007.

Ford Motor Co. on Friday said it would cut fourth-quarter production by 21 percent and also reduce third-quarter production to accelerate its turnaround plan.

Ford Motor Co. is considering closing more factories and eliminating more management jobs to cut North American salary costs by another 10 percent to 30 percent, the Wall Street Journal reported on its web site on Thursday.

Ford Motor Co., announced a recall of 1.2 million vehicles including trucks and Sport Utility Vans (SUV) which had the cruise control feature over concerns that they could catch fire.

Ford Motor Co. today announced a loss of $254 million or 14 cents per share for the second quarter. The new amount is nearly double what the company had previously reported.

Don't be surprised to see the Big Three automakers lower production forecasts for the rest of the year in light of soaring gasoline prices, slowing economic growth, and the sorry state of affairs in the automobile industry.

Car rental company Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said on Friday it is planning an initial public offering of as much as $1 billion in common stock.

As GM, Renault-Nissan prepare to pursue “exploratory” talks about a possible alliance, GM investors are wondering whether the partnership can benefit the world largest automaker, currently in the midst of a major restructuring.

An audacious plan for a tie-up between General Motors Corp and Renault that would create a $100 billion global auto giant was set to come before the board of the French carmaker late on Monday.

Chrysler Group, a unit of DaimlerChrysler AG, will roll out a new program of discounted vehicle pricing in July in a move intended to clear an overhang of unsold 2006 models, the company said on Wednesday.