Ford, Navistar Modify Business Pact to Settle Litigation
from Market Watch
Ford Motor Co. and Navistar International Corp. said they will restructure existing business relationships to settle litigation between the two companies. Ford and Navistar will end their current diesel supply agreement at the end of 2009, but will continue such collaborations as their Blue Diamond Truck and Parts joint ventures. More

Obama Presses Lawmakers to OK New Bailout Funds
from Detroit Free Press
President-elect Barack Obama privately delivered a pre-inauguration veto threat to fellow Democrats, saying they wouldn’t deny him use of the remaining $350 billion in federal bailout funds. Obama coupled his threat with a promise to revise elements of the original bailout program that have drawn criticism, pledging that billions will go toward helping homeowners facing foreclosure. More

Keep on Truckin’: Dealers Report Sharp Increase in Pickup and SUV Sales
from MSNBC
Darryl Leggieri’s next vehicle will probably be a Hummer. Shrinking gas prices and attractive deals lured the Hudson man to test drive a Hummer SUV this week at DePaula Chevrolet-Hummer in Albany. Leggieri represents a return by vehicle buyers to a sector of the industry that lost traction when fuel costs soared. Nationwide, 51 percent of all vehicles sold in the United States in December were pickups and SUVs. It was the first time since February that truck sales exceeded car sales, according to industry analyst Edmunds.com. Until the gas crunch, large vehicles consistently outranked small-car sales. More

Honda Says Credit Conditions Haven't Improved
from Reuters
A U.S. bailout of the financial industry has "not really improved" credit conditions and it is impossible to forecast U.S. industry auto sales for 2009, Honda U.S. executives said. Richard Colliver, executive vice president of Honda America, told reporters at the Detroit Auto Show that he was unsure if the world's largest vehicle market would ever hit annual sales of 16 million to 17 million units again. More

Truck Maker Volvo Slashes 1,600 Jobs in Sweden
from Associated Press
Swedish truck maker AB Volvo said it will lay off more than 1,600 employees in Sweden as it slows production amid falling demand for trucks. The layoffs will be in addition to more than 2,000 job cuts announced by the truck unit last year, Volvo spokesman Stefan Karlsson said. More

Bosch’s New Safety Technology Helps Prevent Skidding, Rollovers and Trailer Sway
from PR-USA
Robert Bosch LLC announced it is launching its innovative brake control system, ESP(R)8T, which helps detect and prevent skidding, rollovers and trailer sway in many types of road conditions. The system debuts as standard equipment across the 2009 Ford F-150 lineup, which just earned the prestigious 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year and 2009 North American Truck of the Year. The 2009 Ford F-150 offers the most towing capability and segment-exclusive technologies in its class. More

The Incredible, Shrinking Ethanol Alternative
from National Review
Just one year ago, in the warm glow of national acclaim and flanked by Gore ally and green venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, General Motors Chairman Rick Wagoner announced at the Detroit auto show a historic commitment to developing ethanol as an alternative fuel by investing in ethanol-startup Coskata and converting GM’s vehicle fleet to E85-capable vehicles. "This is a game changer," said David Cole of the Center for Automotive Research. More

Chrysler Considering Car-Based Small Pickup
from Automobile Magazine
Today's small pickup segment isn't what it once was when Ford Rangers, Chevy S-10s and Toyota Tacomas were a common sight. Rising gas prices and falling demand have effectively managed to shrink small truck sales by 15.2 percent in 2007 and 24.2 percent in 2008. Now, despite the Pontiac G8 ST's cancellation, Chrysler is looking at creating its own car-based pickup. More