Nissan unveils new platform of cheap, light cars for India and China first

Nissan unveils new platform of cheap, light cars

Wis. politicians, insurance companies, scramble to avoid blame for auto premium increases

Wis.: No one taking blame for higher car insurance

Cash for Clunkers trade-ins piling up; auto recyclers want more time to dispose of vehicles

WASHINGTON — Trade-ins from the Cash for Clunkers program are piling up and auto recyclers are seeking more time to meet the deadline for disposing of all those vehicles.

Auto recyclers seeking extension of deadline to recycle and crush clunkers

WASHINGTON — Cash for Clunkers may be history for car shoppers, but the program’s largesse lives on in recycling yards around the country.

Car plant in Tunica may be topic for rumored special session of Mississippi Legislature

JACKSON, Miss. — Several Mississippi lawmakers say they’ve heard a special session is possible in the next couple of weeks, with speculation that it would involve incentives for a proposed auto plant in Tunica County, but Gov. Haley Barbour has not made an announcement.

Nissan to launch joint venture with Sumitomo Corp. for recycling of electric car batteries

TOKYO — Nissan Motor Co. said it will set up a joint venture with a Japanese trading house for recycling of electric car batteries.

Automotive X Prize narrows pool of contestants competing in $10 million green-car contest

NEW YORK — The organizer of a $10 million contest to develop next-generation green vehicles said Monday it narrowed down its list of competitors by half, with qualifying teams ranging from Indian car giant Tata Motors to a team of Cornell University engineering students.

China auto sales jump 78 percent in September as tax cuts, stimulus spur buying

SHANGHAI — China has widened its lead over the U.S. as the world’s top auto market, with September sales vaulting 78 percent, spurred by tax cuts and government stimulus spending.

FBI video shows cars, trucks tossed around by waves from tsunami that struck American Samoa

HONOLULU — The FBI on Friday released video footage showing waves rushing in and violently tossing cars and trucks in a parking lot as a deadly tsunami struck American Samoa last week.

Consumer spending surges by largest amount in nearly 8 years in August but incomes lag

WASHINGTON — Consumer spending, propelled by the wildly popular Cash for Clunkers auto sales program, shot up in August by the largest amount in nearly eight years even though personal incomes continued to lag.

Sun sets on Saturn: GM kills once vaunted star brand after purchase talks fail

DETROIT — For those who expected General Motors’ once-funky Saturn brand to live on with a new owner, there has been a sad twist. Saturn, once billed as a different kind of car company, appears as dead as Pontiac and Oldsmobile.

GM to shut down Saturn after Penske terminates talks with GM on uncertain future assembly

DETROIT — For those who expected General Motors’ once-funky Saturn brand to live on with a new owner, there has been a sad twist. Saturn, once billed as a different kind of car company, appears as dead as Pontiac and Oldsmobile.

High costs force some people to roll the dice on health care coverage, opt out of insurance

NEW YORK — Call it a health care gamble: the decision by some people to opt out of health insurance, paying cash for routine care while playing the odds that an accident or catastrophic illness won’t plunge them into financial ruin.

Transportation Dept. kicks off meeting on texting, mobile use by drivers

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called distracted driving a “menace to society” Wednesday, kicking off a two-day meeting on preventing drivers from using mobile devices behind the wheel.

GM’s Lutz says automaker may extend money-back guarantee program due to successful results

NEW YORK — General Motors Co. may extend its money-back guarantee program after the much-touted promotion wraps up in November, the company’s vice chairman said Friday.

Founder of KB Toys auctioning off his collection of antique automotive toys in NJ

VINELAND, N.J. — One of the greatest automotive toy collections in the world is being auctioned off in New Jersey.

LA transit agency tentatively agrees to award $300 million to Italian light rail manufacturer

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has tentatively agreed to award a contract to an Italian firm to make 100 light-rail cars.

Aided by retraining programs, auto engineers and designers look outside industry for new work

DETROIT — After Jerry Tester lost his job as a contract engineer at General Motors, it soon became clear that the struggling auto industry wouldn’t be the place where he would work again.

Recession’s impact: Census data show longer commutes, delayed marriage, fewer immigrants

WASHINGTON — A broad survey of Americans has provided striking measures of the recession’s effect on life at home and at work: People are now stuck in traffic longer, less apt to move away and more inclined to put off marriage and buying a house.

Despite focus on cleaner cars, trucks and SUVs are big sellers under Cash for Clunkers program

WASHINGTON — Pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles were big sellers under the Cash for Clunkers program despite the federal government’s focus on replacing gas guzzlers with more fuel-efficient cars.