Headlines for Friday, November 30, 2012

Ford recalling 2013 Escape, Fusion because of possible engine fires

Ford is recalling the 2013 Ford Escape crossover and 2013 Ford Fusion sedan equipped with 1.6-liter engines that may overheat and cause fires. Read More »

Lotus sues fired CEO for lavish spending on homes, helicopters

Lotus said ousted CEO Dany Bahar stuck the carmaker with the cost of his luxury lifestyle. Lotus is seeking to recoup about $4 million for unauthorized expenses and overpaid salary and bonuses. Read More »

Ex-GM engineer, husband found guilty of trade-secret theft

A former GM engineer and her husband were found guilty today of conspiring to steal the automaker's trade secrets for hybrid and electric vehicles. Read More »

North America car and truck production - 12/03/2012

This is data compiled by the Automotive News Data Center and requires a Data Center subscription to access. Read More »

Lotus sues fired CEO for lavish spending on homes, helicopters

Lotus said ousted CEO Dany Bahar stuck the carmaker with the cost of his luxury lifestyle. Lotus is seeking to recoup about $4 million for unauthorized expenses and overpaid salary and bonuses. Read More »

November sales pace may reach 4-year high on storm recovery, pent-up demand

U.S. auto sales are expected to rebound robustly in November, potentially hitting their strongest pace in more than four years, as consumers in the Northeast returned to dealerships after superstorm Sandy hurt demand in late October. Read More »

Toyota offers retirement incentives to 2,000 U.S. employees

Toyota is offering retirement incentives to about 2,000 U.S. workers, or 10 percent of its employees in the country, in an effort to manage attrition of its aging work force. Read More »

Ontario finance minister calls on Canada, Ontario to sell GM stake

The Canadian and Ontario governments should sell their stake in GM, which is equal to about 9 percent of the company's shares, sooner rather than later, the province of Ontario's finance minister is quoted as saying in a report in the Globe and Mail on Friday. Read More »

AutoNews Now: Fiat promo goes 'topless'

Glimpse of racy promos for 500 lineup; Audi's patient pursuit of sales growth; soft side of GM pickups?; Lapham: Then and now. Read More »

Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker to dealers, dies

Zig Ziglar, a motivational speaker who inspired world leaders and business owners, including auto dealers, died Wednesday in Texas. He was 86. Ziglar spoke at the 75th annual National Automobile Dealers Association convention in 1992. Read More »

U.S. launches new project to advance electric-vehicle batteries

The Obama administration launched a fresh $120-million research project Friday, aimed at developing cheaper batteries for electric vehicles, a sector that has faltered despite billions of dollars of prior government investment. Read More »

ArcelorMittal wins revival of patent suit against AK Steel

ArcelorMittal won a revival of its patent-infringement case against AK Steel over a process to make steel stronger so it can be used in automobile manufacturing. Read More »

Electronic braking, stability control systems saving thousands of lives, U.S. study finds

Computer-controlled braking and stability control systems in cars and light trucks are saving thousands of lives in the United States, according to a three-year study released on Friday by federal safety regulators. Read More »

Chrysler rewards hourly workers with early bonus

Chrysler is paying U.S. hourly workers represented by the UAW the second half of a $3,500 ratification bonus earlier than required by a labor agreement. The company said the early payment, which will be made on Dec. 21, was to acknowledge the "dedication" of the workers as the U.S. Read More »

AAA calls for suspension of E15 gasoline sales

Leading road travel group AAA on Friday called on the U.S. government to suspend the sale of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol fuel, the latest opposition against increasing the use of biofuels in transport. Read More »

Europe's crisis forces organizers to cancel Amsterdam auto show

Organizers of next year's Amsterdam auto show have cancelled the event because of a lack of interest from automakers. Read More »

First Shift: Sales headed for a 'cliff'?

Will political fight put the brakes on sales?; SS a halo hope for Chevrolet; Fusion takes green honors; Chrysler museum's fate. Read More »

Aston Martin put on downgrade watch by Moody's as funds dwindle

Aston Martin has been put under review by Moody's for a possible credit downgrade as it runs through its cash reserves. Read More »

Sprint targets automakers with in-car communications system

Sprint unveiled on Thursday an in-vehicle communications and entertainment system it hopes automakers will adopt as they seek to attract younger, more connected consumers. Read More »

U.S. dealers can use Porsche test track to win over customers

When Porsche's $100 million North American headquarters in Atlanta opens in 2014, dealers will have another tool to close a sale or reward a loyal customer. The headquarters project includes a test track and a customer experience center that dealers are invited to tap. Read More »

Porsche argues U.S. is not the forum for suit by hedge funds

Porsche SE is seeking to reverse a ruling in the United States that the company must face a lawsuit by hedge funds accusing it of hiding a plan to corner the market in Volkswagen shares. Read More »

Mitsubishi's Masuko on rebound plan

Mitsubishi's U.S. sales are down 29 percent through October, the industry's biggest decline. President Osamu Masuko says the company's rebound will begin in the next fiscal year, when annual sales will rise to 80,000. Read More »