Ford Cuts Summer Idle Time At Its Plants To Boost Production By 40k

Even as car sales across Europe have plummeted in recent years, automakers could count on Germans to buy with little discounting. Now, at least one dealer is resorting to Groupon Inc. coupons to boost sales. AK Autoport Koeln GmbH, a dealer in the western city of Cologne, is offering a 99-euro (US$130) Groupon voucher entitling buyers to a discount of 5,450 euros on a 2013 Ford Fiesta — a price break of about 32%.

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co reported a first-

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Co

GM said nine of its 11 U.S. assembly plants would forgo two-week summer shutdowns and continue to operate through the June 28 to July 9 period to help meet strong demand for vehicles

Electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius Plug-In began 2013 with a sales slump. In the months ahead, automakers hope to boost sales with increased production and cheaper prices. A few weeks ago, Reuters noted that only 650 Nissan Leafs were purchased in the U.S. in January 2013, compared to around 1,500 sales per month in October, November, and December. Sales of the Toyota Prius Plug-In have also been muted in early 2013, with 874 purchases in January, down from 1,361 the month before. February was another weak month for Leaf sales, with 653 purchases.

Electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Toyota Prius Plug-In began 2013 with a sales slump. In the months ahead, automakers hope to boost sales with increased production and cheaper prices. A few weeks ago, Reuters noted that only 650 Nissan Leafs were purchased in the U.S. in January 2013, compared to around 1,500 sales per month in October, November, and December. Sales of the Toyota Prius Plug-In have also been muted in early 2013, with 874 purchases in January, down from 1,361 the month before. February was another weak month for Leaf sales, with 653 purchases.

OTTAWA — The grassroots indigenous rights movement that garnered momentum across Canada this winter — grabbing the attention of government and sparking global solidarity protests — has all but fizzled out online, according to a new analysis of Idle No More’s web traffic.

James Picerno submits: New filings for jobless benefits dropped by 16,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 385,000, the U.S. Labor Department reports. That’s the fifth reading below the 400,000 mark since the end of recession in June 2009. Meanwhile, the widely watched four-week moving average slipped to just over 386,000, the lowest level since the recovery began.