Earlier today a lawyer representing GM's small bondholders urged a judge to call the government's bluff that it will stop funding the automaker's restructuring if a sale is not approved by July 10.

The lawyer, Michael Richman, objects to GM using Section 363 of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy code to try to divide its assets and sell the best to form a new GM. The bad assets would remain in court as part of the old GM and be liquidated, leaving many creditors with lawsuits, claims and benefits left behind in bankruptcy court.

"Bankruptcy courts call the bluffs of bullying lenders and purchasers all the time," Richman said. "You go to a Broadway show, you expect an orchestra. For a 363 transaction, you need a deadline. It's part of the scenery, part of the show."

His testimony began the third day of GM's asset sale hearing in front of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber. Creditors, who have objected to the sale and speedy emergence of GM from bankruptcy court, are delivering closing arguments this morning.

Richman also dismissed arguments from GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson and others that the automaker's best assets are jeopardized by a prolonged stay in bankruptcy court...detnews.com   Chevrolet

Three of the five car brands gaining the most views on Kelley Blue Book's Web site in May were domestic nameplates, according to a study of online traffic patterns by the Irvine, Calif.-based resource for vehicle buyers and sellers

One of the things that surprised Alan Mulally when he moved from the aerospace industry to run Ford Motor Co. was the huge number of options for cars and trucks that drove up manufacturing costs.

For instance, the Lincoln Navigator large sport utility vehicle had 128 possible console combinations, he told the Morgan Stanley Global Automotive Conference in New York on Wednesday.

"I've just never seen the complexity that we have in the car business and the variation we have with every car," the former Boeing Co. executive said during a question-and-answer session with industry analysts.

But in the past 1 1/2 years, he said, Ford has worked to reduce complexity and has done so by up to 80 percent on some models.

The resulting savings are part of the larger plan to remake Ford by shrinking it to match the reduced demand for its products in the United States and by taking advantage of its huge global size to reduce complexity and costs, he said.

"You can imagine what that means to the cost structure worldwide," he said.

GM announced its intentions to sell or shutter Saab in December, and spent the first months of this year shopping it, along with its Saturn and Hummer brands, to a variety of bidders.

With cash growing extremely short, Saab filed for bankruptcy protection under Swedish law in February, after the Swedish government declined to provide direct operational support or other financing.

Earlier this month, GM announced plans to sell Hummer to a Chinese manufacturer and Saturn to Michigan-based dealership chain Penske Automotive Group.

In addition, GM in May reached an agreement to sell the largest piece of its European operations, Adam Opel, to a consortium of buyers led by Canadian parts maker Magna International.

All those deals are expected to close by the end of the third quarter, roughly the same time GM hopes to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In a recent letter to The Star, a writer couldn’t understand why auto workers were blamed for the car companies’ problems.

Workers don’t design cars, he wrote. They don’t set prices or decide where cars are made. The key decisions are made by top management.

I found this to be a startling assertion. The UAW has approved substantial give-backs in the recent restructuring, but surely most auto workers understand that they, through their union, played a role in the demise of General Motors and Chrysler.

Only by continuing their current, more pragmatic posture can they play a role in Detroit’s revival.

With all the talk about Chrysler and GM’s financial troubles, one car company has good news. It’s the tentative deal that would put Penske Automotive Group in control of Saturn by the end of the year.

He's being dubbed "Saturn's Savior." Roger Penske's plan to buy Saturn is good news to company employees in Salt Lake. Jeff Wetzel of Utah Saturn says, “That ensures our long term future.

The deal - expected to go through - will save 13,000 manufacturing jobs here in the U.S. and 350 retail facilities. Wetzel says, “There won't have to be any layoffs or closures like what's happening at other GM dealerships and Chrysler dealerships.

What will the Chinese automaker do with Hummer? One source close to the situation says Sichuan Tengzhong will market the brand globally, as GM has been trying to do, and probably build Hummer vehicles in other plants around the globe.

GM put the brand up for sale last year to raise cash and begin streamlining its product offerings. If GM couldn't find a buyer, Hummer probably would have been shut down as part of the bankruptcy proceedings the automaker entered on June 1. Former Hummer owner AM General, which builds the original military Humvee on which the brand was based, also was interested in buying it back. But it couldn't reach a deal with GM.

David Reutimann took a trip to Victory Lane, and followed that up with a pole.

The journeyman driver has been on one heck of a journey already this season, and it's not finished yet.

Reutimann believes he can get the No. 00 Toyota into the 12-car field for the Chase for the championship. The 39-year-old Michael Waltrip Racing driver is within six points of Mark Martin for 12th place and the last spot in the Chase. That's not a lot of points to make up over the next three months before the field is set for the 10-race finish.

Reutimann thinks his team has what it takes to grab a coveted spot in the Chase.

"Absolutely, I do," Reutimann said on Saturday at Dover International Speedway. "If we can do the things we need to do on a weekly basis, we should be able to get there."

If he keeps driving like he has the last two races, Reutimann would surely get there. He won a rain-shortened race Monday at Lowe's Motor Speedway for his first Spring Cup victory and then nabbed his second pole of the season for Sunday's race at Dover.

"It's been a pretty cool week," he said.

He's provided a dose of credibility to the maligned MWR team and has done it pushing 40 and in only his third full Cup season. ...google.com   Ford Truck

NASCAR randomly drug-tested 10 crew members from 10 teams during the rain delay at the Coca-Cola 600, an apparent tweak to the first three months of in-season testing.

Prior to Sunday night, crew chiefs said NASCAR typically informed them when the garage opened if a team member had been selected to give a sample. The individual had four hours to report to testing. Drivers can be tested on any day of the race weekend.

But at Lowe's Motor Speedway, NASCAR waited until after the scheduled start of the Coca-Cola 600 to inform teams and ordered individuals to report for testing at the end of the race. Because rain delayed the start, crew members were seen entering the infield care center, where the tests were conducted during intermittent showers. The race was later postponed until Monday.

NASCAR toughened its testing policy this season, in part because former Truck Series driver Aaron Fike admitted to using heroin, even on days he raced. It led the sanctioning body to implement mandatory preseason testing for all drivers and crews, as well random testing throughout the season..google.com   New Chevrolet Corvette

There is a war brewing between the top two Korean automakers and the leading Japanese car companies as they prepare to unleash new hybrid models into the local market in the second half of the year.

Backed by a government plan to provide 3 million won ($2,386) in tax breaks to people purchasing hybrid cars starting in July and a growing interest among consumers in environmentally friendly products, the industry is expecting hybrid car sales to contribute to overall vehicle sales.

With their local release dates scheduled for earlier than those of their Japanese rivals, Korea’s Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors are likely to have a head start over Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda.

This year is particularly significant for Japanese companies as sales in the domestic market have been falling sharply due to the appreciation of the yen against the local currency...joongangdaily.joins.com

NASCAR said Mayfield was randomly tested last Friday in Richmond. The Aegis lab discovered the positive "A" sample Tuesday and notified Mayfield. Two days later, the lab told NASCAR of the failed test.

Mayfield, who participated in both of Friday's practice sessions at Darlington, asked Friday for his backup "B" sample to be tested. That, too, came back positive, and he was told by Aegis officials Saturday afternoon.

Black said he spoke with Mayfield, who can return to NASCAR only after he completes a "path for reinstatement" that's tailored to each individual. The process, which can include rehab, varies depending on the substance.

Picking last November’s Los Angeles Auto Show to reveal the 2010 Fusion Hybrid was a good decision for Ford, given that the city has one of the grimiest atmospheres in North America. Putting more hybrids of the Fusion’s calibre on the road would clean things up in a hurry as it is designed to cut the city fuel consumption of a four-cylinder engine by 60% and a V6 by more than 80%.

The Fusion Hybrid’s new 2.5-litre engine, which is married to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT), uses the Atkinson cycle to improve efficiency by more than 10% when compared with the conventional four-stroke cycle of an internal combustion engine. The downside to the Atkinson cycle — it delays the closing of the intake valve to reduce pumping losses — is that it produces less power. In the Fusion’s case, it works because the electric side of the hybrid’s powertrain more than compensates for the shortfall.

1928: Chrysler buys larger automaker Dodge Bros. and introduces the Plymouth and DeSoto lines. Walter Chrysler is named Time's Man of the Year.>

1934: The company introduces the Airflow, the first aerodynamically designed production automobile. Despite praise for its bold design, it is a commercial flop.

1938-41: Chrysler enjoys four straight years as the world's No. 2 automaker, behind General Motors.

1940: Walter Chrysler dies.

1942-45: With auto production shut down for World War II, Chrysler plants produce Sherman tanks and other military vehicles.< /p>

1950s: Chrysler introduces a host of new features to its cars, including the "hemi"-head V-8 engine, transistor radios, fuel injection and power steering.

About 20 years ago Syrokosz had a friend going through tough times and offered to buy his motorcycle, afterwards sticking it in a warehouse in case if his friend would later have the money to buy it back.

The day came and, as the friend came by with another man who had a truck to carry the motorcycle, Syrokosz asked his friend if he knew where to find a Panhead. His friend pointed to the driver of the truck and said he does.