Headlines for Friday, March 15, 2013

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Opel to freeze pay as Ford's Belgian workers agree on severance

GM and Ford won employees' approval in Europe for labor-cost cut plans to restore earnings in the region in response to a recession that's reducing vehicle sales. Manufacturing workers at Ford's plant in Genk, Belgium, and its suppliers will end walkouts after agreeing to severance packages. Read More »

AutoNews Now: Mulally's comp drop

CEO's pay takes a hit as Ford misses key targets; Obama pursues funding for EV, CNG, biofuel research; Lapham recalls 'Irish Popemobile' Read More »

VW, UAW discuss setting up Chattanooga labor board

Volkswagen and the UAW have discussed setting up a German-style labor board at VW's assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., the automaker's human resources chief said today. Read More »

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE:

Is that available with the Luddite package?

This month the iconic British motoring series Top Gear stumbled into a fantastic idea for automakers to pursue on future vehicles. Read More »

Obama seeks $2 billion in research on cleaner vehicles, fuels

President Obama, faced with few options for financing his clean-energy ambitions, on Friday proposed diverting $2 billion in revenue from federal oil and gas leases over the next decade to pay for research on advanced vehicles. Read More »

U.S. medium & heavy truck sales, Feb. & YTD

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

North America car and truck production - 03/18/2013

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

Ford CEO Mulally's 2012 compensation falls 29% to $20.99 million

Ford CEO Alan Mulally's compensation fell 29 percent in 2012 as the company failed to hit several performance targets. Mulally's pay dropped to $20.99 million from $29.5 million in 2011. Mulally received $2 million in salary, a $3.95 million cash bonus and stock awards totaling $14. Read More »

Customer Incentives

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

Toyota recalls FJ Cruiser to inspect, repair rear seat-belt retractors

Toyota is recalling about 310,000 FJ Cruiser compact SUVs worldwide because cracks can develop in the rear door panels, allowing the seat-belt retractors to detach. Read More »

Chrysler restructuring expert tapped to fix Detroit's fiscal woes

Kevyn Orr, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's pick to take control of Detroit, will probably need every ounce of experience he gained helping Chrysler Group reorganize to create a plan for the Motor City to survive. Read More »

GM, Ford secure cuts in labor costs in Europe

GM and Ford won employees’ approval in Europe for labor-cost reductions to restore earnings in the region in response to a recession that’s reducing vehicle sales. Read More »

U.S. fuel economy posts biggest gain since 1975

The fuel economy of vehicles sold in the United States last year had the sharpest gains in almost four decades, with Honda Motor, Volkswagen AG and Mazda producing the most efficient fleets. Read More »

Japan has more work to do to join trade talks, U.S. says

The United States on Friday cautiously welcomed Japan's interest in joining negotiations on a U.S.-led Pacific free trade pact, emphasizing that Tokyo must demonstrate its willingness to tackle longstanding trade barriers to U.S. goods and services. Read More »

Buick's Tony DiSalle on 'attainable luxury'

Buick's U.S. sales are up 22 percent through February. The brand lost share last year, but has outperformed the industry over the past six months. Read More »

First Shift: A budget 'Vette for '15?

Stingray lite said to be in works; Chevy ad shakeup; room for more VW brands; BMW, Toyota, VW get respect Read More »

PSA mirrors VW, readies megaplatform to cut costs

PSA is planning to produce its compact, mid-sized and SUV models on a common platform that also is likely to underpin models made by alliance partner GM. Read More »

Porsche hopes to match last year's 2.4 billion euro profit in 2013

Porsche is aiming to match last year's profit in 2013, the company said on Friday. In 2012 Porsche posted an operating profit of 2.44 billion euros ($3.17 billion). Porsche said net debt dropped to 1.87 billion euros at the end of December from 2.58 billion at the end of 2011. Read More »

Girsky irked by Europe's chilly reception for plug-in

GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky isn't happy with the lukewarm reception the Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid has received in Europe. Read More »

VW shares worth 929 million euros put on sale by Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank put on sale a block of about 5.8 million Volkswagen AG preferred shares for as much as 929 million euros ($1.21 billion) in an accelerated bookbuilding. Read More »

Winterkorn open to further VW acquisitions

VW Group remains open to making further acquisitions, though the German group has its work cut out integrating its 12 brands, CEO Martin Winterkorn said. "We are currently well positioned with 12 brands, but there are always opportunities that one cannot pass up," Winterkorn said. Read More »

Opel is 'in attack mode,' will survive, says CEO Neumann

New Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann says he can revive the beleaguered European brand and stem its persistent losses -- with plenty of help from parent company General Motors. Read More »

VW, BMW predict 'difficult' 2013 on Europe slump, China slowdown

VW Group and BMW Group predicted a "difficult" 2013 as the European auto market contracts, vehicle prices in the region drop and growth in China slows. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn said the automaker is confronting "tougher competition and difficult economic conditions." Read More »