Mazda Seeks 50 Percent Higher Sales in Thailand
Jan. 22--Mazda Sales (Thailand) expects to boost its sales this year by nearly 50 percent to 15,500 units, with plans to launch new models and expand its dealership network.

Amid Cuts to Thousands of Jobs, Ford Spares Top Executives
Jan. 22--Ford Motor Co., which is cutting thousands of hourly jobs, did not meet a goal it set in July 2002 to cut at least six of its highest-paid executive positions by the end of 2003.

Chrysler Group Unveils Trio of Eagerly Awaited Ragtops
Jan. 6--It was nippy in Detroit on Tuesday, but DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group unveiled three new ragtops suitable for sunny warm weather. The Auburn Hills-based division of the German automaker introduced a long-awaited Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible, as well as a Chrysler Crossfire...

AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE Bestows Its 2004 All-Star Awards; Editors Recognize Outstanding Performance in 14 Categories of Cars and Trucks
NEW YORK, Jan 6, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE, America's leading automotive lifestyle publication, today named its 2004 AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE All-Stars, recognizing cars and trucks for outstanding performance within their categories. As excellence in automotive engineering...


Sales of cars and light bus in first ten months (1)
BEIJING, Jan 7, 2004 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Following is a table showing the sales of cars and light buses in China in the first ten months of 2003:

HONDA TO RELEASE HYBRID ACCORD IN NORTH AMERICA IN '04
TOKYO, Jan 6 Asia Pulse - Honda Motor Co. (TSE:7267) announced Monday that in 2004 it will start selling the hybrid type of passenger car Accord in North America. The Honda Accord Hybrid reduces fuel consumption to a level comparable to that of compact cars by combining an electric motor and...

TOYOTA'S NORTH AMERICAN SALES TOP 2 MLN UNITS IN '03
TOKYO, Jan 6 Asia Pulse - Toyota Motor Corp. (TSE:7203) said Sunday that its new-auto sales in North America surpassed 2 million units in 2003 thanks to gains among models such as the Corolla sedan.

It's Convertible Season in the Land of Endless Winter
DETROIT - In the land of endless winter, they're dreaming about endless summer. How else to explain the bevy of new convertibles on display at the North American International Auto Show this week? On Tuesday, DaimlerChrysler unveiled its long-awaited Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible and...


Toyota to sell hybrid version of Lexus RX SUV in US this year
DETROIT, Michigan (AFX) - Toyota Motor Corp is offering its hybrid-electric vehicles to upscale buyers with its first luxury sport-utility due for sale later this year.

Zetsche sees Chrysler petrol-electric car on market in 2-3 yrs
DETROIT (AFX) - Chrysler Corp plans to commercialise its first hybrid petrol-electric vehicle by about 2006, CEO Dieter Zetsche told the Financial Times. The hybrid is likely to be a small or medium-sized passenger car that would form part of a new line-up of such cars that the US arm of...

Alliance to Save Energy Lauds Toyota for Making Fuel-Efficient Hybrid Prius Trendy Award-Winner
WASHINGTON, Jan 8, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- "Kudos to Toyota for offering not only a fuel-efficient hybrid car, but also a hot, sexy, crowd-pleasing ride," said Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan, who is one of tens of thousands of eager consumers on the waiting list for the 2004 Prius.

Ford considering manufacturing luxury cars in China - WSJ
SHANGHAI (AFX-ASIA) - Ford Motor Co and its Premier Automotive Group unit plan to decide in about a year whether or not to manufacture luxury brand cars in China, the Wall Street Journal reported.


Winners And Losers at the Detroit Auto Show
DETROIT - Two iconic American cars with a combined 90 years of automotive history had magic moments just a few blocks and a few minutes apart this week. The 2005 Ford Mustang and the 2005 Chevy Corvette were the stars at the North American International Auto Show, which opened with three days of...

Chrysler's Zetsche sees rise in auto sales this year due to new vehicles
LONDON (AFX) - Chrysler Corp chief executive Dieter Zetsche said he is confident the company will see a rise in auto sales this year, due to a new crop of vehicles led by the 300 C range, reported Wall Street Journal.

Toyota Corolla regains top spot in 2003 among Japan's best-selling cars
TOKYO (AFX-ASIA) - Toyota Motor Corp's Corolla compact regained the top spot among Japan's best-selling cars in 2003, a year after it gave up its 33-year hold on the No. 1 position to Honda Motor Co's Fit, the auto dealers' association said.

GM extends 0% financing program
NEW YORK (AFX) -- General Motors said it'll extend its 0-percent financing program through March 31 on many car models. The world's largest auto maker is offering interest-free financing for terms of up to five years, or cash rebates of up to $3,500. The move marks the latest incentive plan by...


INTERVIEW General Motors to offer China auto loans by end-H1; bracing for risk
SHANGHAI (AFX-ASIA) - General Motors Corp said it expects its auto financing arm, General Motors Acceptance Corp (GMAC), to offer auto loans in China by the end of the second quarter, with the company bracing for the risks of operating in a market with limited auto credit data and restrictive regulation.

DaimlerChrysler up as GM outlook offsets Mitsubishi investment talk
FRANKFURT (AFX) - Shares in DaimlerChrysler AG gained ground in early deals as General Motor Corp's upward 2004 EPS guidance took the focus off speculation that the German-US auto giant may inject more capital into its 37 pct-owned Mitsubishi Motors Corp, dealers said.

Improving auto ops to boost Ford's 2004 profit - UPDATE 3
SAN FRANCISCO (AFX) -- Ford Motor on Friday said that 2004, which the world's No. 2 automaker calls the "year of the car," should be the most profitable year since heir Bill Ford Jr. took over in the fall of 2001.

Car Design Is Just One Arena Where Geometry Battle Rages On
There are Hummers galore, the ultimate Legos for status-seeking adults. The Ford Bronco concept, a gleaming cube of silver. The Jeep Rescue concept, looking like a Hummer Mini-Me. And the rest of the SUVs, box populi for the masses.


Venezuela: Car sales fell by 50.5 per cent in 2003; set to recover in 2004
Caracas, 14 January: The Venezuelan motor sector is in the midst of a serious crisis, caused by the recession affecting the country, which made sales drop by 50.5 per cent last year, a source from the sector affirmed today.

Lexus Used-Car Dealership to Open in July near Dayton, Ohio
Jan. 19--WASHINGTON, Ohio -- Lexus of Dayton, a successful luxury car dealer for 14 years, has broken ground for a separate "pre-owned" Lexus facility on Lyons Road. The $3.2 million facility, between Yankee Street and Washington Church Road, is scheduled to open in July.

Centrix Financial Taps Bacino As New Exec VP
Centrix Financial, a Denver-based provider of subprime auto lending services, said it has hired former NCUA Board member Geoff Bacino as its executive vice president for government and regulatory affairs.

DaimlerChrysler rallies on target-beating GM Q4 figs
FRANKFURT (AFX) - Shares in DaimlerChrysler AG rallied into the black in midafternoon on the back of target-beating fourth quarter figures from fellow US 'Big Three' carmaker, General Motors Corp, dealers said.


Real Wheels
Warren Brown talks about all your automobile issues! He has been covering the automobile industry for The Washington Post since 1982. Brown, who joined the newspaper in 1976, has what many people think is a particularly cool job: He gets to test drive all manner of cars, from top-of-the-line Mercedes...