Ford has announced that it will buck the industry trend of charging a premium for hybrid variants by pricing its 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid sedan the same as its non-hybrid sibling.

A former employee of General Motors Company and her husband were charged in U.S. federal court this week with conspiracy to sell stolen trade secrets regarding hybrid vehicle technology to Chinese auto manufacturer Chery Automobile.

It’s been a long wait since Cadillac first debuted it CTS Coupe at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2008. This week, dealers nationwide began receiving the first shipments of the eagerly awaited model.

As India’s economy continues to expand, new car sales in the country are expected to rise by up to 13% in 2010-2011. Despite rising commodity prices and interest rates, India remains one of the few bright spots for automakers as the economic rebounds in Europe and the U.S. drag on at a snail’s pace.

In early May, rumors began circulating that General Motors Company was considering re-entering the captive finance business. Today GM announced that it plans to acquire AmeriCredit Corporation of a reported $3.5 billion in cash.

Preston Hood Chevrolet Inc. general manager Taylor Hood is taking GM’s “May the Best Car Win” slogan to heart. Hood has spent nearly $200,000 of his own money to purchase 10 vehicles from rival automakers for his Fort Walton Beach, Florida dealership. Hood said he challenges potential buyers to take comparison drives in the Chevy vehicles he sells and competitive models from Dodge, Ford, Honda and Toyota.

For the first half of 2010, Renault SA and Nissan Motor Company were among the top-selling brands in Europe but are guardedly optimistic about sales for the remainder of the year.

Volkswagen AG has partnered with Hella KGaA Hueck & Company to provide its second-generation Touareg with an all-new adaptive lighting system that uses a windshield-mounted camera and proprietary software from the automaker to scan the road ahead and determine the exact position of oncoming vehicles.

The House panel was asked today to further investigate the dealership cuts made by General Motors Company and Chrysler Group by following up on an audit of their actions. A group of dealerships cut by the automakers would like to know who made the decisions concerning store closings.

Toyota has decided that their U.S. operations needs more autonomy and has begun appointing U.S. citizens to the chief engineer positions for vehicles sold here. Three of Toyota’s top American engineers have now been promoted to oversee development of the Venza, Avalon and Tundra.