IRVINE — Kelley Blue Book predicated yesterday that January new-vehicle sales will fall 30 percent below the December high, and end the month at 900,000 units sold. This equates to a 13.2 million seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR). On a year-over-year basis, 900,000 units would market a nearly 10 percent increase from last January. For … Read More »

Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. fell in Seoul trading after South Korea’s two biggest automakers reported fourth-quarter profits that missed analysts’ estimates. Hyundai fell for a second day, slipping as much as 3.7 percent to 220,500 won at 10:44 a.m. on the Korea Exchange, while Kia dropped as much as … Read More »

LAS VEGAS — Organizers of the second annual Agent Summit have announced that Jim Tunney, a former pro football official and highly regarded motivational speaker, will deliver the final keynote address at this year’s show. Tunney joins an all-star list of speakers for Agent Summit 2012, which is scheduled for March 12–14 at Caesars Palace … Read More »

U.S. regulators, who ended their investigation yesterday into the Chevrolet Volt, said electric- powered vehicles do not pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline cars. “Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” the National Highway Traffic … Read More »

General Motors Co. on Thursday reported 2011 sales that appeared to show it once again seized the title of world’s largest auto maker by volume, eclipsing Volkswagen AG and setting off another auto-industry dust-up over how to count affiliate sales. GM, which held the spot for almost eight decades before being dethroned by Toyota Motor … Read More »

Italian motorcycle maker Ducati is expected today to announce a sales increase of 43 percent in North America for 2011. The results in the U.S., Canada and Mexico helped drive record sales worldwide, the company said. They also established North America as Ducati’s biggest global market. Ducati’s sales stand out in a motorcycle industry that … Read More »