Headlines for Thursday, January 17, 2013

Ford says 2013 Fusion Energi gets range of 620 miles

The hybrid wars continue after the Detroit auto show, and Ford has thrown it latest punch: the 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid. Read More »

Malibu refresh will address rear seating, report says

General Motors, seeking to revive sales of its new Chevrolet Malibu, is working on speedy design changes to the sedan -- including the rear seating -- to make it more competitive with other midsize models, two people familiar with the effort said. Read More »

Hey, come build a plant in sunny Macedonia

Viktor Mizo is all smiles and speaks fluent English as he explains why the Republic of Macedonia would be an excellent spot to build an auto parts plant. Read More »

Aston Martin seeks engine partner

Aston Martin is in talks with potential partners to jointly develop high-end engines and electronic parts to strengthen its sports-car lineup. Read More »

First Shift: Mercedes culture change

U.S. boss aims for better relations with customers; real-time satisfaction data; Ford: More listening, less talking to suppliers Read More »

Spanish bank nears deal to be Chrysler's financing arm, report says

Chrysler close to a deal that would make Spain's Banco Santander its in-house financing arm, replacing U.S.-based lender Ally Financial. Read More »

Dodge rethinks the wedding registry to pitch the Dart

Chrysler Group is trying to redefine a wedding ritual with "The Dodge Dart Registry," a site that lets engaged couples raise money toward purchasing a new car by asking their friends and family to chip in. Read More »

Why Caddy has 2 ways to play the ELR pricing game

The most common question on the lips of onlookers who saw Cadillac unveil its flashy and fuel-sipping ELR plug-in hybrid at the auto show was: "How much?" It's too early for General Motors execs to discuss price. The coupe won't hit showrooms for about a year. But the guessing has begun. Read More »

Chrysler deal near with Santander on financing arm, report says

Chrysler Group is close to a deal with Spain's Banco Santander as an in-house financing arm to be called Chrysler Capital, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Read More »

Aston Martin seeks development partner to build high-end engines

Aston Martin, the British maker of sports cars featured in James Bond movies, is in talks with potential partners to jointly develop high-end engines and electronic parts to strengthen its sports-car lineup. Read More »

AutoNews Now: In defense of electric cars

GM's Reuss says EV's day will come, Volt's 'political beatdown', the style issue, Marchionne on Fiat's electric money-loser. Read More »

Monsters (ELR) vs. dogs (Corvette) in car design

The Cadillac ELR won an EyesOn Design award this week for Best Production Vehicle. Congratulations to Cadillac. The ELR is certainly a distinctive-looking vehicle, which keeps essentially all the design elements of the Cadillac Converj concept car. Read More »

Kia picks new agency to improve digital presence

Kia Motors America said today it has picked a new digital ad agency to revamp its online presence while the brand boosts spending on Internet and mobile marketing. Kia tapped Publicis Groupe-owned Denuo as its digital agency of record after bidding that took six months Read More »

U.S. automakers urge Obama to punish Japan for weak yen

President Barack Obama should tell Japan's new government that the United States will retaliate for policies aimed at weakening the yen, a group representing Ford, GM and Chrysler said today. Read More »

Certified used-vehicle sales, Dec. & YTD

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

Record exports lift UK car production in 2012

Record exports last year lifted British car production to its highest level since 2007. Britain produced a total of 1.46 million vehicles in 2012, up 9 percent on 2011, with 1.21 million of those sold abroad. Read More »

Renault's French job-cutting plan gets better reception than PSA's

Renault's plan to cut 7,500 jobs in France to boost the competitiveness of its plants has had a better reception from the government than a similar move by rival PSA. Read More »

Marchionne predicts fast rise for Jeep production in China

Fiat and U.S. unit Chrysler expect to make at least 100,000 Jeeps in China soon after production starts in 2014 as they seek to catch up with rivals in the world's biggest car market. Output could quickly double, Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said. Read More »

BMW chairman to stay on board until 2016, source says

BMW Chairman Joachim Milberg will remain in his post until 2016, a source said, so he can be succeeded by current BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer during that year. Read More »

Better Place CEO leaves in electric car firm's latest shake-up

The new CEO of electric car venture Better Place has stepped down just four months after a company shake-up put him in charge, officials said. Read More »

Daimler to sell Smarts via Twitter-like service in China

Daimler will sell a limited edition of its Smart ForTwo using a Twitter-like service in China as it tries to tap the country's 564 million Internet users. Read More »