Longtime auto industry lobbyist will retire

Washington — One of the longest serving auto industry lobbyists said late Tuesday he will retire early next year.

Ford projects rise in four-cylinder vehicle sales

Automobiles with four-cylinder engines already comprise more than half of U.S. new-vehicle sales, and that number could grow to two-thirds by the end of the decade, according to projections by Ford Motor Co.

Grand opening held for Model A museum in Michigan

Hickory Corners — A new Ford dealership opened up in southwestern Michigan.

Car condos proposed for former General Motors site in Pontiac

A Birmingham entrepreneur wants to turn more than 80 acres of vacant land once owned by General Motors Co. in Pontiac into a destination for car enthusiasts that would include more than 300 “car condominiums” to house their valuable, classic and exotic cars.

Aussie travels the world searching for Tucker cars

On an extended drive-about from Australia, Brendan Edgerton parked his $150 right-hand drive 1989 Holden Commodore at the entrance to the Henry Ford Museum. He had come to see Tucker automobile #16, one of the world’s 47 existing Tuckers built by automotive dreamer Preston Tucker in 1948.

Tesla plans to raise up to $1.08B while repaying U.S.

Tesla Motors Inc., the electric-car maker run by Elon Musk, increased the size of its equity and debt offerings by 30 percent to as much as $1.08 billion to repay its U.S. loan and build up cash reserves.

Ford consolidating Fiesta production in Thailand

Ford Motor Co. plans to free up much-needed production capacity in North America by shifting manufacturing of its Fiesta subcompact car to Thailand in 2016, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans.

Feds aim to foil traffic hacking

Washington — The top U.S. auto safety regulator said the agency would take action to ensure self-driving cars electronically connected to traffic networks and to each other can’t be hacked.

Outlander, Forester pass crash tests

Washington — Two of 13 small SUVs passed new tougher frontal crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Patented powertrain key to EV carmaker’s success

Elon Musk was fresh off the sale of PayPal and starting another business, commercial rocket service Space Exploration Technologies Corp., when he met kindred spirit JB Straubel. Their shared belief that consumer electronics advances could be applied to more earthly modes of transport is a cornerstone of Tesla Motors Inc.

White House not backing plan to tighten drunken-driving limits

Washington — The Obama administration isn't backing the National Transportation Safety Board's call to drop the legal limit for drunken driving from 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content to 0.05.

Briefs: New No. 2 NHTSA official has history with automakers

Washington — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a new No. 2 official who has often sparred with automakers.

Report: EV charging stations may grow tenfold by end of decade

The number of electric-vehicle charging stations is expected to grow substantially by the end of the decade, according to a new report compiled by IMS Research.

Ford experiencing rapid sales growth in coastal markets

Ford Motor Co.'s shift to beef up car offerings that appeal to coastal markets is accelerating ahead of schedule.

NHTSA’s new No. 2 has history of tangling with automakers

Washington - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a new No. 2 official who has often sparred with automakers.

Ford to build $274M engine plant in Russia

Ford Motor Co. will up its presence in the expanding Russian market with a new $274 million engine plant, the first passenger-car engine plant in the region.

Feds urge states to lower drunken-driving limit

Washington — A National Transportation Safety Board recommendation to lower the legal limit on drunken driving would save hundreds of lives annually, the NTSB ...

Ally, ResCap strike deal to complete restructuring

Washington — Ally Financial Inc. reached a deal Tuesday that should allow its troubled mortgage unit Residential Capital LLC to complete its bankruptcy ...

Big 3 dominate vehicle quality survey, take or tie for 12 top spots

For the first time in more than a decade, the biggest U.S. automakers had a majority of category winners in a survey of vehicle quality, taking or tying in 12 ...

Ford owners sue, saying EcoBoost engine defective

Detroit — Three Ohio drivers are suing Ford Motor Co., claiming the company's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine is defective.

Survey shows relationship between automakers, suppliers fragile

New fuel-efficient cars and luxury-loaded pickups are driving the U.S. auto industry back from the depths of the Great Recession. Sales are up, profits are ...

Cars made in Brazil are deadly

Sao Paulo — The cars roll endlessly off the local assembly lines of the industry's biggest automakers, more than 10,000 a day, into the eager hands of ...

World’s wrecked cars reincarnated on Afghanistan’s dusty streets

Herat, Afghanistan — They sit in the sun harboring their lost histories, their forgotten dreams, their traces of funerals, graduations and stolen kisses. ...

Magna founder sees shift abroad

Washington — The founder of North America’s largest auto supplier says the struggling European auto industry will need to get smaller to survive.

Progress being made in ResCap bankruptcy cases, court-appointed examiner says

Washington — A deal may be near to resolve claims from creditors of Ally Financial’s bankrupt mortgage unit Residential Capital LLC that could allow for a ...

NHTSA investigating 380,000 Ford trucks for steering flaws

Washington -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Saturday the agency is opening a preliminary investigation into 340,000 Ford trucks over ...

Ford family voting rights upheld

Wilmington, Del. — A record percentage of Ford Motor Co. shareholders backed a plan to end the Ford family’ s special class of voting stock that gives it ...

U.S. bureaucracy, lawsuits may stymie driverless cars

Detroit — The U.S. is likely to be secondary market for fully autonomous vehicles when they become available in about a decade, analysts predicted Thursday.

Tesla Model S gets a 99 out of 100 rating from Consumer Reports

Tesla Motors Inc.'s all-electric Model S sedan ranks as Consumer Reports' highest rated vehicle, the influential magazine said Thursday.