Benjamin Reeves

Adam Opel GmbH, an aging European subsidiary of the General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), is hoping Chinese sales will be a panacea for miserable performance in the European market.

The world's economies have fallen to their weakest level since the recession officially ended in 2009. German and U.S. bonds actually charge buyers interest rather than pay buyers interest. The euro zone's survival appears at genuine risk and China's red-hot economy, the second-biggest in the world, is not so red hot any more.

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK), the nation's second largest natural gas producer, is seeking to patch its $22 billion shortfall brought on by dropping natural gas prices by selling its midstream pipeline assets to Global Infrastructure Partners for $4 billion, the company announced Friday.

Fiat S.p.A. plans to close its headquarters in Mirafiori, Italy for eight additional working days this summer to save ?8 million ($10.1 million) following lackluster European profits for the company.

Sino-Japanese joint venture National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB (NEVS) has paid a paltry 1.5 billion to 1.8 billion kronor ($210 to $250 million) for defunct Swedish carmaker Saab Automobile AB.

NASCAR fans are car fans, and the racing league and manufacturers like Toyota that compete in the Spring Cup Series are betting that some design tweaks can energize that fandom as well as dealership sales.

Kia Motors Corporation (Seoul: 000270) is recalling 72,568 model year 2006 to 2008 Kia Rio cars due to a defect which can cause deployment of airbags when children are in the passenger seat during a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tuesday.

One of the main selling points of the Piaggio Aero Avanti II private plane is the relatively massive cabin size. If you're in the market for a private plane, you probably want comfort, and that probably means the ability to sit and stand without feeling crunched. Piaggio says the Avanti II is the perfect plane for this, but how do some of the other competitors stack up?

The P180 Avanti II is striking. Even stationary on the tarmac, the plane from Italian aerospace company Piaggio Aero looks like it will rise into the air with the slightest breath of breeze, a magnificent Roc ready to take to the skies and transport its travelers to wondrous lands, or the Essex County Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey, in other circumstances.

Last week thousands of retirees were suddenly faced by what for many would be the largest financial decision of their lives when both Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) announced they would launch immense pension buyout plans unprecedented in the United States.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is considering launching local China-only brands as it continues to try and bolster its own brand in the largest global auto market, according to Reuters Monday.

U.S. car sales soared 47.6 percent for the American Honda unit of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) in May, as the Japanese automaker consummated its recovery from last year's triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdowns), with strong sales of its flagship Civic and Accord cars.

Mazda Motor Corporation (Tokyo: 7261) struggled in May posting U.S. sales growth of just 5.4 percent on a daily selling rate adjusted basis, however, the company's sales for the year to date remain strong compared to last year, up an adjusted 19.3 percent.

Volkswagen AG (Frankfurt: VOW) U.S. sales grew 28.4 percent in May, the company's best May since its heyday as a 70s era-icon.

May U.S. car sales increased 20.5 percent for Nissan Motor Company Ltd. (Tokyo: 7201) on strong demand for the Altima, as the company continues to push out remaining inventory in advance of the launch of the 2013 model in June, demand remained high for fuel-efficient models and moderating gas prices drew some consumers back to trucks.

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) will provide certain salaried retirees with a lump-sum pension payment offer in lieu of normal monthly pension payments, a move which is expected to reduce the pension obligation of the nation's largest automaker by $26 billion, the company announced Friday.

Continued strong car sales were joined by a surge in truck and SUV demand to drive a 12.6 percent growth in May U.S. sales for Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), which cited demand for fuel efficient vehicles as a primary driver of growth.

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) experienced modest U.S. sales gains of 10.9 percent in May with sales of 245,256 vehicles, the highest monthly volume for the company since August 2009.

Sales grew across the board in May for U.S. automakers with Chrysler Group LLC, a subsidiary of Italian Fiat S.p.A. (Milan: F), leading the way in growth and General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) leading in volume, while Ford's car and truck sales remained strong on demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. The Asian carmakers also reported U.S. sales on Friday with Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) enjoying bumper growth of 73 percent.

Chrysler Group LLC, a subsidiary of Italian Fiat S.p.A. (Milan: F), reported May U.S. auto sales up 30 percent, the best showing for the month in five years and the 26th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for the revivified company.

The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) appointed Alan Horn as chairman of Disney Studios, replacing former chairman Rich Ross, who was forced out of the role in April, the company announced Thursday.

After ditching Super Bowl ads, General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) pivoted away from the NFL and instead entered into a five-year advertising partnership for its Chevrolet brand with the popular British soccer team Manchester United, a move meant to bolster the brand's global awareness, the company announced Thursday.

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) will offer a pension buyout to 98,000 retirees and former employees of the nation's second biggest car company, Reuters reported Thursday.

Euro zone annual inflation is expected to be 2.4 percent in May, down from 2.6 percent in April, a report from the European Union's Eurostat statistics office said Thursday.

I will never, ever, ever fly on Spirit Airlines (Nasdaq: SAVE) again. In the past 24 hours, I have experienced the worst flying experience of my life. Over the course of almost seven hours of absolutely unacceptable delays, I was lied to, witnessed mothers struggling to care for their children, saw elderly people lose access to their medication.

China will not see any major government stimulus in the near future, a report published by the state-run media agency Xinhua said Wednesday, news which sent tremors through Chinese stock markets.

Fiat Industrial S.p.A. (Milan, FI), a 2010 spin-off of Fiat S.p.A. that makes trucks and tractors, plans to merge with CNH Global NV (NYSE: CNH), the producer of Case and New Holland brand tractors, the company announced Wednesday.

Texas manufacturing grew in May while the state's production index was steady, indicating sustained growth from the month before, although the outlook is poor, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said Tuesday.

U.S. consumer confidence dropped in May for the second consecutive month, and the expectations index likewise fell, suggesting that economic growth is slowing, the Conference Board said Tuesday.