Headlines for Tuesday, January 29, 2013

AutoNews Now: Ford's plan to grow share

Pickup trucks, plus full year of Fusion, Escape sales could help; LaHood stepping down; French auto-worker uprisings. Read More »

First Shift: Ford earns $1.6 billion

N.A. shines, while Europe outlook darkens; watchdog raps 'excessive' GM, Ally pay; a way to buy a Hyundai. Read More »

Audi shuffles top sales execs in Europe, China, Germany

Audi sales chief Luca de Meo has reshuffled top executives in the three regions where the brand has its biggest unit sales. Read More »

Ford posts $1.6B quarterly profit, predicts wider losses in Europe

Ford posted fourth-quarter net income of $1.6 billion, carrying the company to its fourth straight full-year profit. Excluding a large year-earlier extraordinary gain, net in the latest quarter rose 55 percent, powered by strong results in North America. Read More »

Ford earnings: Analysts and experts react

What analysts and others have to say about Ford's 2012 earnings and outlook for 2013: Read More »

New-vehicle shoppers look at more models before buying, study says

New-vehicle shoppers are considering more models before buying, and fuel economy remains the most influential factor in a purchase decision, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study. New-vehicle shoppers consider an average of 3.3 vehicles, J.D. Read More »

Ford posts $732 million quarterly loss in Europe, predicts worse 2013

Ford posted a fourth-quarter pretax loss of $732 million in Europe and expects 2013 to be even more difficult. Despite the troubles in Europe, the U.S. automaker had a fourth-quarter net income of $1.6 billion. Read More »

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to step down

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, 67, who raised awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, said he will leave President Obama's Cabinet after a replacement is confirmed. Read More »

Fisker hires consultant to help conserve cash during strategic review

Fisker Automotive, the plug-in hybrid sports car maker that’s seeking a partner or a buyer, hired Huron Consulting Group to help manage day-to-day operations during negotiations. Read More »

Penske bumps up stock dividend 7.7 percent

Publicly traded auto retailer Penske Automotive Group today announced that its board approved a cash dividend of 14 cents per share for the fourth quarter of 2012 -- a boost of 7.7 percent over the previous dividend. Read More »

Battery supplier to Boeing, Honda and Mitsubishi cleared in airliner review

GS Yuasa, the supplier of lithium ion batteries used in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as well as in electric and hybrid vehicles made by Honda and Mitsubishi, has been cleared of responsibility for the fires that have plagued batteries in the airplane. Read More »

Corvette convertible prepped for Geneva motor show

The convertible version of the redesigned 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will make its world debut at the Geneva motor show in early March, according to Autoweek. Also, the Stingray convertible will go on sale as a 2014 model and could be in dealer showrooms by the end of this year. Read More »

Gentex profits fall 2% for Q4, rise 2% for year

Gentex, the supplier of automotive rearview mirrors and related parts, today reported a 2 percent decline in quarterly profits and a 2 percent gain in annual profits. The company said it posted net income of $39.6 million in the fourth quarter, down from $40. Read More »

Losing LaHood: What it means for the war on distracted driving

I have no political affiliation to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, but I consider him my kindred spirit in our mutual concern with distracted driving. Read More »

Chinese firm wins A123 despite U.S. tech transfer fears

China's largest auto parts maker won federal government approval to buy A123 Systems, a bankrupt maker of electric car batteries that was funded with government money, the Chinese company said today. Read More »

Mazda's O'Sullivan on outpacing industry growth

Mazda's North American CEO Jim O'Sullivan expects the automaker to outpace U.S. industry growth in 2013 after two years of lagging behind. In this video, O'Sullivan explains how stability in Washington, D.C., could positively impact the industry, and which vehicles will drive Mazda's sales. Read More »

Marchionne said to plan first Alfa Romeo SUV as Fiat losses mount

Fiat is said to plan the introduction of the first Alfa Romeo SUV in an effort to help transform the brand into a global luxury marque to challenge Audi and meet a target of tripling sales by 2016 to 300,000. Read More »

EU needs leap in electric, hybrid cars to reach carbon goals, study says

The EU needs a leap in the number of electric and hybrid cars on the road over the next decade to succeed in cutting auto carbon emissions significantly by 2025, a British consulting firm found. Read More »

PSA-Dongfeng China JV aims for 14% sales growth in 2013

Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen, a 50-50 joint venture between PSA and Dongfeng in China, expects to increase sales 14 percent this year to 500,000 units as the company's third assembly plant launches production. Read More »

PSA court ruling may delay job cuts

PSA will continue negotiating job cuts with unions despite a court ruling that ordered a temporary suspension of restructuring until the group completes worker consultations at two sites belonging to parts division Faurecia. Read More »

PSA-Toyota Czech car production falls 20% in 2012

TPCA, the Czech car assembly plant jointly owned by Toyota and PSA said production fell by a fifth to 215,000 vehicles in 2012 due to weak European demand. The plant, which employs 3,000 workers, makes the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 minicars. Read More »