(June 30, 2010)  NEW YORK — Stock in Tesla Motors Inc., the first U.S. carmaker to launch a public stock offering in 54 years, surged almost 41 percent in its first day of trading even as broader markets were plummeting.

Tesla finished the day with a gain of $6.89, to $23.89 a share. Tesla, the electric car company that counts Daimler and Toyota among its shareholders, raised $226 million selling shares Monday above its forecast price range.

(June 30, 2010) Recently, automakers announced they will be offering free home charging stations to early buyers of new plug-in electric vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan Leaf, Ford Transit Connect, and Smart Fortwo.

General Motors has said it would offer the first 4,400 buyers of its new Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid the chance to have a free 240-volt charging station installed in their home garage. The cost of the charging stations will be covered by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

(June 29, 2010) DETROIT — General Motors' planned public stock sale is likely to leave the U.S. government with a minority stake while also raising new funds for the automaker, people briefed on the still-developing plans said, news service Reuters reported.

The U.S. Treasury, which owns 60.8 percent of GM stock as a result of its $50 billion bailout last year, aims to sell about 20 percent of its holdings as part of the stock sale, two sources with knowledge of the preparations said.

(June 28, 2010) Kia Motors is considering changing its U.S. lineup nomenclature from product names to alphanumerics, Automotive News reported today.

The move is being considered at the highest levels of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. In a recent interview, Hyundai Motor Co. Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun said the company is considering the change.