(December 11, 2009) With all the bad press recently over recalls, Toyota has some good news.

Toyota is running overtime at all its North American plants to keep up with demand and replenish low stocks of vehicles, according to a story in Automotive News.

Toyota's latest boost in North American production comes at its plant in Woodstock, Ontario. Toyota, seizing on strong sales momentum for its small RAV4 crossover, said today that it will “immediately” begin hiring a second shift of 800 workers for the Woodstock plant.

(December 11, 2009) Resale value and vehicle quality have become increasingly important reasons for new-vehicle buyers to remain loyal to an automotive brand, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Customer Retention Study.

Now in its seventh year, the study measures the percentage of vehicle owners and lessees who replace a previously purchased new vehicle with another from the same brand. Retaining existing owners is critical to a brand's market success, particularly in the current challenging market conditions.

(December 10, 2009) DETROIT — General Motors has confirmed Buick GMC General Manager Michael Richards has quit after nine days on the job, according to the Detroit News

"We wish him the best," said Susan Docherty, GM's vice president of sales, service and marketing, who did not name a replacement.

(December 9, 2009) Volkswagen will buy a one-fifth stake in Suzuki for $2.5 billion, tapping the Japanese firm's expertise in small cars and dominance in India as VW seeks to become the No.1 automaker, Reuters reported.

The move is the second coup this week for ambitious VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech, coming on the heels of the German carmaker's 3.9 billion euro ($5.8 billion) purchase of a 49.9 percent stake in sports car maker Porsche AG.

(December 9, 2009) DETROIT — Susan Docherty, GM vice president Sales, Service and Marketing announced this week that James M. Campbell, 45, has been named general manager — Chevrolet, effective immediately. In his previous assignment, Campbell was responsible for GM's Fleet and Commercial Operations.

"Jim has a strong track record of building relationships and partnerships with dealers and customers, and deep Chevrolet experience," Docherty said. "His energy, drive for results and willingness to take risks are great assets for leading the growing global Chevrolet brand."

(December 8, 2009) DETROIT — General Motors will invest $336 million in the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to begin production of the Chevrolet Volt electric car in 2010.

This brings GM’s combined Volt-related investments in Michigan to $700 million, covering eight facilities. Detroit-Hamtramck will be the final assembly location for the Volt, using tooling from Grand Blanc, lithium-ion batteries from GM’s Brownstown Township battery pack manufacturing facility, camshafts and connecting rods from Bay City, and stampings and the Volt’s 1.4L engine-generator from Flint.

(December 7, 2009) Jaguar Land Rover is recalling more than 4,000 model year 2010 Range Rover vehicles built at the Solihull (UK) Assembly Plant from March 3, 2009, through to Nov. 12, 2009, to update faulty software that could cause an airbag deployment failure.

(December 6, 2009) Still struggling to deal with the fallout from the controversial recall of 3.8 million vehicles, Toyota is facing the challenge of yet another federal safety probe. Government regulators are probing complaints that some of the automaker’s vehicles may stall in traffic, sometimes at high speed, according to the Detroit Bureau.com.

(December 5, 2009) The 2010 Ford Taurus was named International Car of the Year (ICOTY) at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The ICOTY award honors new-year model vehicles that foster an emotional connection with consumers. The all-new Ford Taurus was voted the winner of the 14th annual award by a panel of 19 automotive media from around the U.S. representing top newspapers, magazines and Web sites.

(December 4, 2009) Several key leadership changes were announced today by General Motors Chairman and CEO, Ed Whitacre.

“I want to give people more responsibility and authority deeper in the organization and then hold them accountable,” Whitacre said.  “We’ve realigned our leadership duties and responsibilities to help us meet our mission to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles.”