Daimlerchrysler Corp

Superior Industries International Inc. said that it has won orders for aluminum road wheels from DaimlerChrysler Corp. The terms were not disclosed. Van Nuys-based Superior supplies aluminum wheels and other aluminum components to Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Rover, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Isuzu.

The mood among Chrysler workers was as glum as the rain that drizzled on their North American headquarters Tuesday as the U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler absorbed news of the impending ouster of its president, the latest in a series of executive departures. James P. Holden would be the latest top-level executive of the Chrysler Group to be axed or to leave voluntarily since the takeover by Germany's Daimler-Benz in 1998.

DaimlerChrysler Corp. on Wednesday gave Jim Holden, president of its North American arm since September, the added title of chief executive and shifted other managers as the auto maker tries to rebuild market share and boost its lagging stock price. The latest shifts come as the auto maker works to restore confidence for U.S. employees after several high-level departures.

DaimlerChrysler Corp. paid $400,000 to settle a dispute with U.S. safety regulators over whether the auto maker delayed two recalls last year. The penalty was one of the largest ever collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The dispute involved two recalls. The first, in January 1999, covered 700,000 1993-1997 LH sedans with 3.5-liter engines. The fuel rail that delivers gasoline from the tank to the engine had a seal that could degrade and cause leaks.

DaimlerChrysler Corp. paid $400,000 to settle a dispute with U.S. safety regulators over whether the auto maker delayed two recalls last year. The penalty was one of the largest ever collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The dispute involved two recalls. The first, in January 1999, covered 700,000 1993-1997 LH sedans with 3.5-liter engines. The fuel rail that delivers gasoline from the tank to the engine had a seal that could degrade and cause leaks.

The mood among Chrysler workers was as glum as the rain that drizzled on their North American headquarters Tuesday as the U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler absorbed news of the impending ouster of its president, the latest in a series of executive departures. James P. Holden would be the latest top-level executive of the Chrysler Group to be axed or to leave voluntarily since the takeover by Germany's Daimler-Benz in 1998.

When DaimlerChrysler Corp. unveils its Jeep Commander concept vehicle today in advance of the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, it will fall short of the ambitious goal set two years ago to develop a revolutionary electric vehicle with a fuel cell powered by gasoline. The fuel-cell system in the Commander doesn't work, although DaimlerChrysler vows it will fix the problem in a few months. The car at the L.A. show, which runs Jan.

General Motors Corp. said it has quit the Global Climate Coalition, a lobbying group that has led the opposition to a 1997 global warming treaty reached in Kyoto, Japan. Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler Corp. withdrew earlier.

The federal government is investigating a possible defect in Jeep Grand Cherokees that may cause the popular sport-utility vehicles to lurch into reverse--usually when idling with the gearshift in the "park" position. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received at least 48 complaints of what it terms "inadvertent rollaway in reverse" involving 1995 to 1999 Grand Cherokees, according to an agency document. The incidents have led to 32 crashes and 14 injuries.

DaimlerChrysler Corp. on Wednesday gave Jim Holden, president of its North American arm since September, the added title of chief executive and shifted other managers as the auto maker tries to rebuild market share and boost its lagging stock price. The latest shifts come as the auto maker works to restore confidence for U.S. employees after several high-level departures.

Superior Industries International Inc. said that it has won orders for aluminum road wheels from DaimlerChrysler Corp. The terms were not disclosed. Van Nuys-based Superior supplies aluminum wheels and other aluminum components to Ford, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Rover, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan and Isuzu.

When DaimlerChrysler Corp. unveils its Jeep Commander concept vehicle today in advance of the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, it will fall short of the ambitious goal set two years ago to develop a revolutionary electric vehicle with a fuel cell powered by gasoline. The fuel-cell system in the Commander doesn't work, although DaimlerChrysler vows it will fix the problem in a few months. The car at the L.A. show, which runs Jan.

Automakers cannot sue to block Rhode Island from enforcing tighter standards on tailpipe emissions first adopted by California, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres dismissed General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler Corp. and two automakers' associations from the case, but his ruling permits several local car dealers to pursue the lawsuit. The automobile manufacturers have lost similar cases in California and Vermont. In his ruling, Torres said, "It is difficult to see what interest the public has in permitting the plaintiffs another bite of the apple in challenging regulations limiting the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."

The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to take up an Ohio case that tests whether states can offer huge tax breaks to corporations to lure them to build plants in their states. Last year, a U.S. appeals court said such incentives were unconstitutional. Ohio offered German automaker DaimlerChrysler Corp. tax breaks worth about $280 million in exchange for building a $1.2-billion Jeep assembly plant near Toledo. The practice has been common for decades as states competed to win large factories.