Auto Industry | featured news

...There’s little doubt that motorists want more connectivity, despite the worrisome traffic statistics. But many experts are betting that so-called connected car technologies can be put to work reducing the number of accidents, injuries and deaths on America’s roadways.

... the auto industry is weighing in with what appears to have been a solid February – buoyed by a recovery in another key sector of the economy. “The housing sector has now joined auto sales in propelling the U.S. economy forward,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations for General Motors, which reported a 7% increase, year-over-year.

Lexus, Porsche and Lincoln are the best performers in an annual survey of vehicle dependability.

Fiat SpA, the Italian automaker that controls Chrysler LLC, saw fourth quarter earnings more than double thanks to strong North American sales that more than compensated for a weak performance in Europe.

Ford is joining with Diamler and Renault-Nissan to speed the development of cars that run on hydrogen. The three companies expect their alliance to bring affordable hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to market as early as 2017. Fuel cell vehicles run on electricity generated from hydrogen and oxygen. The only byproduct is water.

At Detroit’s annual auto show, the carmaker’s chief executive said he expected the upward sales trend to continue this year, bolstering both Chrysler and its parent, Fiat.

Toyota has once again dethroned General Motors as the world's top-selling automaker. The Japanese company sold 9.7 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2012, although it's still counting. GM sold 9.29 million.

An auto industry research firm says an improving economy and a host of new models should push U.S. auto sales above 15 million this year.

Several of India's car makers reported a drop or a modest increase in sales for December, despite year-end discounts and the recent introduction of new models.

Motor Intelligence estimates a 6.49 million sales pace for domestic trucks in November and a 5.55 million sales pace for domestic autos for a total of 12.04M