Here's the problem in a nutshell, or maybe in a hubcap. Jeff Leestma, president of the Automotive Hall of Fame, was chatting with a retired autoworker at a car show.

  Washington -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who is making his first trip to Detroit since joining the Cabinet, will tour facilities of Detroit's Three automakers this week.

  Washington -- Struggling states and towns got a dose of badly needed money this summer from a Cash for Clunkers program that poured hundreds of millions of dollars of tax revenue into their budgets.

  The widow of an Ohio patrolman is suing Ford, blaming the officer's death on engineering problems with the cruiser he was driving when it crashed into a pole and caught fire on Interstate 90 near Cleveland.

  There's something about the 2010 Ford Flex. Entering its second model year, the Flex is Ford's answer to people who need a big people hauler. It stretches more than 200 inches and can carry up to seven people, depending upon how it's configured.

  General Motors Co. has reached a sales agreement for its Hummer brand with a Chinese company that plans to keep the rugged auto company's headquarters in the Detroit area.

  Washington -- California's latest requirement for the auto industry -- advanced window glazing to keep vehicles cooler -- could prevent drivers from making phone calls, listening to satellite radio or using garage door openers.

  Ford Motor Co. has a secret weapon: a group of latter-day whiz kids who are using mathematical models to boost the amount of money it can command for its vehicles.

  After a four-month deep dive into the workings of Chrysler Group LLC, Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne remains convinced the automaker can be profitable in two years.

  Delphi Holdings LLP president and CEO Rodney O'Neal says the Troy-based auto supplier, fresh from a four-year-stay in bankruptcy, is well positioned to succeed as a smaller, leaner company.