TORONTO — The chief executive officer of Chrysler and Fiat said Monday he and Canadian authorities have begun talking about purchasing Canada’s 1.7 percent ownership in Chrysler. The Canadian federal government and provincial Ontario government received 1.7 percent of Chrysler two years ago as part of a bailout that also provided $1.7 billion in loans … Read More »

Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally held meetings today with U.S. House Speaker John Boehner as well as two top White House officials to urge the continuation of a single national fuel efficiency standard. He also met with freshmen members of Congress to tout the importance of manufacturing, reported The Detroit News. The head of … Read More »

Renault SA Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn agreed to make development of upscale cars for French factories a “priority” as the government steps up its influence in the wake of a botched spy investigation. Renault, based in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, named Carlos Tavares as Ghosn’s deputy late yesterday, reported Bloomberg. The French state, the carmaker’s … Read More »

WASHINGTON – Vice President Joe Biden touted the Obama administration’s bailouts of U.S. auto makers in the White House radio address Saturday, saying they succeeded in turning around the auto industry and helped the economic recovery. “Because of what we did, the auto industry is rising again. Manufacturing is coming back,” Mr. Biden said. “And … Read More »

Federal auto safety regulators are investigating 440,000 Nissan Altimas for braking issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today it had opened a preliminary investigation into 2007-08 Nissan Altima vehicles after receiving 20 complaints alleging brake master cylinder leakage, reported The Detroit News. NHTSA had 16 of those complaints since October. Two complaints allege … Read More »

Fiat SpA plans to buy the U.S. government’s remaining stake in Chrysler Group LLC by the end of 2011, boosting the Italian carmaker’s holding to 57 percent. The U.S. Treasury has been notified of the plan to exercise an option to purchase the government’s 6 percent stake in the nation’s third-largest automaker, Turin, Italy-based Fiat … Read More »