DEE-ANN DURBIN

AP Auto Writer
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Ford to put air bags into back seat belts of SUV

Air bags have long been mounted in the steering wheel, dashboard and sides of vehicles. Now, they're in the seat belts.

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Meltdown 101: Ford has suffered less than rivals

Ford Motor Co. has been riding a wave of positive public sentiment since it steered clear of bankruptcy protection and avoided taking federal bailout money — unlike its crosstown rivals, General Motors Co. and Chrysler LLC.

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Philly likes blue: Ford color data reveals quirks

In Philadelphia, they've got the blues. In Cincinnati, they've got — well — the reds.

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Automakers face conflicting safety rules worldwide

It seems like an easy solution: Americans are looking for more fuel-efficient vehicles, so Ford Motor Co. is bringing over some of the small, gas-sipping cars it's been selling to Europeans for years.

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GM offers more fuel-efficient pickup trucks, SUVs

General Motors Corp. is releasing new, more fuel-efficient versions of its full-size pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles later this fall.

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US auto sales slump to 16-year low in July

U.S. auto sales slumped to a 16-year low in July as automakers failed to keep up with consumers' growing demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. While production changes may help that problem, trouble in the credit and auto leasing markets will continue to take a toll on sales.

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GM's Young: Automaker may consider more layoffs

General Motors Corp. might offer another round of buyout and early retirement offers to its U.S. hourly workers because of production cuts, the company's chief financial officer said Friday.

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GM to cut 15 pct of US, Canadian salaried workers

General Motors Corp. plans to cut 15 percent of its U.S. and Canadian salaried work force — or around 5,100 jobs — by Nov. 1 as part of a plan to slash billions of dollars in costs and help the automaker ride out a slump in U.S. sales.

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July auto sales expected to keep downward trend

Take automakers' inability to finance leases, combined with gas prices, the weak economy and other problems facing the industry, and you have the makings of what could be one of the worst months for auto sales in more than 15 years.

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Ford, Daimler, Hyundai profits fall; Renault up

Ford Motor Co. posted its worst quarterly loss ever Thursday in a roiling global auto market that also saw profits fall at Daimler AG, Hyundai Motor Co. and AutoNation Inc. Renault SA reported a profit increase in the first half of the year but still plans to cut jobs and scale back production.

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Ford posts $8.7 billion loss on asset write-downs

Ford Motor Co. posted the worst quarterly performance in its history Thursday, losing $8.67 billion in the second quarter.

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Chrysler plans to cut 1,000 salaried jobs

Chrysler LLC said Wednesday it will cut 1,000 salaried jobs worldwide by Sept. 30 as it tries to return to profitability amid a severe downturn in U.S. sales.

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GM's recovery depends on winning over car buyers

People want small cars that get great gas mileage. General Motors Corp. is known for making top-notch trucks and sport utility vehicles. The company's survival now hinges on the difficult task of convincing buyers that its upgraded cars are just as good as its trucks and worth some extra cash.

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General Motors to announce more cuts Tuesday

General Motors Corp. is expected to cut several thousand salaried jobs and further slash truck production in response to falling U.S. sales and Wall Street's demands for more action to stem its losses, according to two people briefed on the plan.

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Toyota will start making Prius hybrid in US

Toyota Motor Corp., the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that saw its U.S. sales double in the last decade, has come back down to earth. Stung by rare double-digit sales declines and burdened by a growing inventory of slow-selling pickups, Toyota said Thursday it will start producing the Prius hybrid in the U.S. and will shut down truck and SUV production to meet changing consumer demands.

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Toyota could overtake GM in US sales in June

Toyota Motor Corp. could overtake General Motors Corp. in monthly U.S. sales for the first time in June, but the victory could be a hollow one as the weak economy continues to pummel the auto industry and even Toyota struggles to meet U.S. consumers' sudden and insatiable demand for hybrid cars.

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Chrysler takes aim at GM with hybrid SUV prices

The market for hybrid full-size sport utility vehicles may be small, but Chrysler LLC is determined to get a piece of it, saying Tuesday that its new hybrids will be nearly $8,000 less than competitors from General Motors Corp.

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Hummer dealers uneasy as GM weighs possible sale

As if high gas prices, a weak economy and a strike by a major supplier weren't enough to drag down Hummer's sales, Hummer dealers are now reeling from the news that General Motors Corp. may consider selling the brand.

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Minivan sales slow, hit by gas prices and image

Asked recently how the U.S. minivan market has been faring, Nissan's Dominique Thormann had a concise answer.

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Report: Detroit's Big 3 erasing productivity gap

Detroit automakers — and Chrysler in particular — nearly erased the North American productivity gap with their Asian rivals in 2007 thanks to worker buyouts, leaner plants and other improvements, but they still make less money per vehicle because of higher costs, according to the Harbour Report on manufacturing released Thursday.

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J.D. Power: Vehicle quality improves industrywide

The quality of new cars improved across the industry this year, with Porsche, Honda, Toyota, General Motors and Ford among the automakers leading the pack, the marketing and consulting company J.D. Power and Associates said Wednesday.

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Toyota, Honda cars outsell Ford pickups

U.S. auto sales in May brought the starkest signs yet that gas prices have dramatically shifted the market to smaller cars, as the top-selling Ford F-series truck was dethroned by cars from Toyota and Honda and as General Motors announced it was closing four truck and SUV plants after dismal results.

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Ford plans involuntary layoffs of salaried workers

Ford Motor Co. plans to conduct involuntary layoffs of salaried employees by August as part of a restructuring in the face of slumping sales and record-high gas prices, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

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Tentative deal reached to settle GM-Kansas City strike

General Motors Corp.'s string of labor problems could soon come to an end with a tentative agreement at a key assembly plant in Kansas City, Kan.

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Honda robot conducts Detroit Symphony to warm response

The lights dimmed, the sold-out hall grew hushed and out walked the conductor — shiny, white and 4 feet, 3 inches tall.

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