Isuzu May Buy GM Truck Business
from The Detroit News
General Motors Corp. is negotiating with Isuzu Motors Ltd. to sell its medium-duty truck business, a move that would help the cash-strapped automaker raise money, cut costs and help ensure it complies with a $13.4 billion federal loan package. The negotiations involve keeping the truck division in Flint through 2014, a local union official said Monday. That contrasts with an earlier failed agreement with Navistar International Corp., which would have relocated jobs to another factory. More

GM U.S. Sales Fall 49 Percent; Ford, Toyota, Honda Down
from Associated Press
General Motors' U.S. vehicle sales plunged 49 percent in January while Ford's sales dropped 40 percent, starting 2009 at an abysmal pace for the auto whole industry as lower sales to fleet buyers like rental car companies weighed down the U.S. automakers' results. More

Navistar Demonstrates Readiness with 2010 Emissions
from MSN
One step closer to meeting the stringent emissions standards required for 2010, Navistar unveiled its 2010 MaxxForce 13-liter Advanced EGR engine at the World of Concrete show in Las Vegas. More

ArvinMeritor Delivers Hybrid Diesel-Electric Class 8 Truck to Key Partner
from PR Newswire
ArvinMeritor Inc. announced that the company presented Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, Ark., with a prototype heavy-duty truck equipped with the first Meritor diesel-electric drivetrain. Wal-Mart Transportation operates nearly 7,200 heavy-duty trucks in North America and has committed to doubling its fleet efficiency by 2015. Wal-Mart will test and evaluate the vehicle in regular linehaul service at one of its distribution centers throughout 2009. More

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Obama Auto Team Taking Shape
from The Detroit News
Stephen Girsky, a longtime auto-industry analyst who heads the private-equity firm Centerbridge Industrial Partners, is a leading candidate to become a member of President Barack Obama's auto restructuring team, people familiar with the matter recently said. Girsky, a former General Motors Corp. consultant who has recently advised the United Auto Workers on issues including the union's efforts to obtain federal loans, is not expected to be named auto czar. Instead, he is likely to become the # 2 official or as a member of a board overseeing the restructuring of GM and Chrysler LLC. Girsky could not be reached for comment. More

Senate GOP Blocks Additional $25 Billion for Highways
from Transport Topics
Senate Republicans Tuesday blocked a proposal to add billions of dollars of highway and mass transit funding to the economic stimulus bill continuing to shape, the Associated Press reported. More

Investing in Exports: National Association of Manufacturing Calls for Increased Funding of U.S. Export Programs
from Shipping Digest
Trade is low on the horizon as the Obama administration and Congress look to jolt the economy back into good health. But a strong dose of spending on export promotion programs, especially for manufactured goods, should be one of the prescriptions in the economic stimulus package, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. Robust exports through most of 2008 kept the economy from crashing until the fourth quarter, and export growth could help it get out of the sick bed sooner rather than later. More

Scientists Urging Biodiesel Support
from Bulk Transporter
A group of scientists are endorsing the use of biodiesel and encouraging their peers to add their support, according to information from the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). More

Diesel Drops 2.2˘ to $2.246
from Transport Topics
Diesel fuel’s national average price fell 2.2 cents to $2.246 a gallon, the lowest in more than three and a half years, the Department of Energy said. The downturn left the price $1.034 less than the same week last year, DOE said following its weekly survey of filling stations. More