Chrysler Shuts Down All Production for 30 Days
from CNN
Chrysler LLC announced that it is stopping all vehicle production in the United States for at least a month. All 30 of the carmaker's plants will close after the last shift on Friday, and employees will not be asked to return to work before Jan. 19. Chrysler blamed the "continued lack of consumer credit for the American car buyer" for the slow-down in sales that forced the move. More

Feds: Decision Soon On Auto Loans
from The Detroit News
Treasury Department officials are weighing the condition of the nation's banks before they loan money to General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC, possibly by Friday. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said automakers would soon get emergency loans but the department is still asking detailed questions of automakers before it allocates any money from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. GM and Chrysler are seeking up to $15 billion in emergency aid to keep them afloat through the beginning of next year. More

Isuzu May Hitch A Ride With GM
from Forbes
The Japanese truck maker is said to be considering buying a part of GM's truck business, but only if GM agrees to continue producing in that segment of the industry. In a bid to stave off bankruptcy, General Motors is shopping its truck unit to foreign buyers. Japanese commercial vehicle maker Isuzu Motors may bite. The two firms may find some sort of alliance helpful as they confront an increasingly bleak outlook for global vehicle demand. More

Truck Sales Picking Up Again, Ford Says
from The Star
U.S. demand for large pickup trucks is rebounding as fuel prices fall, according to Ford Motor Co. Ltd's worldwide sales chief . "Those vehicles are 15 percent of the industry, like they were in February," Ford's Jim Farley said in an interview yesterday. "We've got parts of the country where pickup trucks are the biggest segment again." More

Volkswagen Plans to Sell a Truck Unit
from The Wall Street Journal
MAN AG said it will acquire the Brazilian truck and bus operations of its biggest shareholder, Volkswagen AG, for about €1.18 billion ($1.58 billion), the first major step in the companies' plan to forge a European truck alliance. Analysts say that the German truck maker is paying Volkswagen a high price, but Volkswagen could in turn use the proceeds to boost its stake in MAN. More

Ford F-150 Named Motor Trend Truck of the Year
from Associated Press
Motor Trend said Tuesday it has voted Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 model truck as its 2009 Truck of the Year, the third time in its production history that the half-ton pickup has taken top billing. In 2008, Toyota Motor Co.'s Tundra pickup truck took the prize."The stakes were high and the field of contenders was among the best yet for this year's voting," said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. "Despite the downturn in the economy, the pickup truck remains the automotive backbone of America, providing a tough, durable workhorse for business and recreational users alike. No matter what shape the American auto industry emerges from the current crisis, the pickup truck will remain a key part of the American automotive landscape." More