Olivier Francois, Chrysler Group's new marketing chief, is said to puff away in nonsmoking offices. He's not much for political correctness. And when it comes to advertising he likes to take risks -- plenty of them.

  General Motors Co. is ready to keep control of Opel if the European Union blocks the division's sale to Magna International Inc., The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

  General Motors Co.'s bid to find an outsider to replace its chief financial officer is being complicated by pay restrictions imposed on companies that got big U.S. government bailouts, The Wall Street Journal reported.

  Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg expressed confidence that Germany could address EU concerns about a sale of GM's Opel to Canada's Magna International Inc., saying they did not put the deal at risk.

  The auto boom came fast to this harbor town on Lake Michigan where Ramblers first rolled off the line a century ago. But the bust has been just as dramatic and decades in the making. Nash gave way to AMC, then Chrysler, then bankruptcy.