Ford Banks on Edge for Turnaround

Can Ford Motor Co. regain its Edge? The automaker certainly hopes so with the introduction of a new crossover aimed at the U.S. auto market's fastest-growing segment.

The Edge is arguably the automaker's most important product for 2007, coming along at a time when Ford struggles to reverse sharp declines in sales and market share that are generating billions of dollars in losses. The new crossover is critical if Ford hopes to catch up with import marques, like Honda and Toyota, which now dominate the crossover segment, which by Ford's own analysis, is quickly replacing the once-booming sport-utility vehicle segment.

Equally important, the Edge has to give some grounding to Ford's Bold Moves marketing campaign, proving to an increasingly jaded market there's more to the marque than competent, but distressingly boring products, such as the Five Hundred sedan.

Read more on Ford's plans for the Edge

GM Posts $115 Million Loss

General Motors Corp. posted a third-quarter loss of $115 million, which represented a $1.5 billion turnaround from the $1.7 billion loss it had posted in the third quarter only 12 months ago.

GM noted in its quarterly financial report that, excluding special charges, it would have earned $529 million during the July-September period. Revenues also increased 4 percent to $48.8 billion and it said the losses in both its global and North American automotive operations narrowed significantly as the company's comeback appeared to pick up momentum and easily beat Wall Street's expectations.

GM says it still is not satisfied with the results since it continues to lose money. GM officials also said the company had around 1 million vehicles in inventory at the end of September, which is similar to last year's level. Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis, said the inventory won't drag down future earnings.-Joseph Szczesny

Chrysler Losses Hit $1.5B

DaimlerChrysler AG reported profits plunged 37 percent in the third quarter as the Chrysler Group posted a $1.5 billion loss. The $1.5 billion operating loss at Chrysler compared with an operating profit of $360 million the year prior.

Bodo Uebber, DaimlerChrysler's chief financial officer, said the company was reviewing all aspects of its U.S.-based operations, including management and strategy. When asked if he could say that a sale of Chrysler had been ruled out, Uebber said he could not provide any more information.

More on Chrysler's losses

WJR Auto Report: Diesels Good and Bad

When it comes to diesels, there's good news and bad news. This high-mileage technology is all the rage in Europe, accounting for at least half of all automotive sales - and for good reason, considering gains in fuel economy of up to 40 percent. In real world conditions, where you're not spending most of your time in heavy, stop-and-go traffic, diesels often out-perform comparable hybrid-electric vehicles. The good news is that new federal rules have just gone into effect, mandating a switch to extremely low-sulfur diesel fuel. Sulfur is a poison to advanced emissions systems, so the new fuel will allow automakers to introduce some of the world's most advanced pollution control technology, such as Mercedes' new Bluetec powertrain. Okay, so now the bad news: manufacturers are still struggling to make this technology work and to bring it in at an affordable cost. So even with the arrival of clean diesel fuel, there'll be a dearth of diesel vehicles on the road in 2007. Volkswagen, for example, has pulled several models off the market.  But, more good news, VW and other makers are getting ready to roll out an array of new, clean diesels, starting in 2008.-Paul A. Eisenstein

FROM THE SOURCE headlines from the latest press releases

Hyundai Announces Sonata Platinum Edition to Celebrate 20 Years of Sales in the US

Name	Symbol	Last	Change
Autobytel, Inc.	ABTL	3.36	+0.10 (+3.07%)
Autoliv Inc.	ALV	57.02	-0.10 (-0.18%)
AutoNation Inc.	AN	21.01	-0.33 (-1.55%)
ArvinMeritor Inc.	ARM	15.27	-0.03 (-0.20%)
American Axle & Mfr. Holdings Inc.	AXL	19.35	-0.07 (-0.36%)
Ballard Power Systems Inc.	BLDP	7.09	+0.80 (+12.72%)
BorgWarner Inc.	BWA	60.58	+0.13 (+0.22%)
Cummins Inc.	CMI	133.66	-1.06 (-0.79%)
DaimlerChrysler AG (ADR)	DCX	54.68	+2.35 (+4.49%)
Dura Automotive Systems	DRRA	0.25	-0.00 (-0.04%)
Eaton Corporation	ETN	73.89	+0.21 (+0.29%)
Ford Motor Company	F	8.49	+0.19 (+2.29%)
General Motors Corporation	GM	34.71	-1.48 (-4.09%)
Gentex Corporation	GNTX	15.45	+0.02 (+0.13%)
Goodyear Tire & Rubber	GT	15.05	+0.13 (+0.87%)
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR)	HMC	34.43	-0.30 (-0.86%)
Johnson Controls Inc.	JCI	82.47	-1.88 (-2.23%)
Lear Corporation	LEA	29.97	+0.33 (+1.11%)
Magna International Inc.	MGA	75.57	+0.27 (+0.36%)
Motorola Inc.	MOT	23.56	+0.20 (+0.86%)
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR)	NSANY	23.22	+0.33 (+1.44%)
Sonic Automotive Inc.	SAH	24.86	+0.01 (+0.04%)
Siemens AG	SI	89.83	+1.03 (+1.16%)
Sirius Satellite Radio	SIRI	3.65	-0.07 (-1.88%)
Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR)	TM	119.23	+0.99 (+0.84%)
TRW Automotive Holdings	TRW	25.92	+0.21 (+0.82%)
Tower Automotive Inc.	TWRAQ.PK	0.062	-0.001 (-0.80%)
United Auto Group Inc.	UAG	23.07	-0.12 (-0.52%)
Visteon Corporation	VC	7.73	+0.15 (+1.98%)
XM Satellite Radio Hold.	XMSR	10.17	+0.01 (+0.10%)