The U.S. Treasury Department, armed with a $700-billion fund to help salvage the economy, is no longer talking to automakers about possible aid, further complicating efforts by General Motors to seek help for a merger with Chrysler, the Free Press was told Thursday.
U.S. consumers bought 14.3% fewer cars and trucks from Ford Motor Co. last month, compared to the same period a year ago, as the national economy continued struggling against a housing and credit crisis and high fuel costs. However, the Ford Focus performed well, rising 24%.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday for denying its first-in-the-nation global-warming gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, challenging the Bush administration's conclusion that states have no business setting emissions standards.
U.S. light vehicle sales fell 6.9% to about 1.25 million sales in April from a year ago, hitting Detroit's automakers hard, as the pinch of $3.60-a-gallon gas combined with a struggling U.S. economy to drive a strong consumer shift to more fuel-efficient cars and crossovers from large trucks.
Comments from readers of freep.com about recent business stories. The Bush administration threatens a veto of the energy bill containing new fuel economy standards for vehicles:
As budget-conscious consumers keep their cars longer in the struggling economy, salvage yards across the nation have reaped the rewards of more business.
