Ford, UAW cut deal on retiree health benefits

Ford has hit a home run in negotiations with the UAW, setting a precedent for GM and Chrysler and freeing up the cash it needs to stay out of the government bailout cookie jar.

Punditry: The top five Fiats that Chrysler needs now

Fiat's recent offer to link up with Chrysler could be silver lining within the Carpocalypse's clouds of doom.

Under the proposed deal, Chrysler gets its cash-starved mitts on Fiat's la bella machinas. And Fiat grabs a minority stake in Chrysler and dibs on Chrysler's distributors and dealerships.

We would get a heaping helping of la dolce automobili, but which cars would head stateside? Presuming all goes well, here's my list of the five Fiats that would save Chrysler's bacon.

Swedish customs halts Saab production, citing unpaid taxes

Reuters is reporting that the Swedish customs authority has effectively shut down Saab's Trollhättan factory, citing a "considerable" sum of import duties that have been left unpaid.

Saab set to sink as GM steps aside

"Nej tack nu går bort!" (No thanks, now go away!)

Such was the response from the Swedish Industry Ministry, when approached by the General to purchase a majority stake in the ailing automaker.

Now, Saab is mounting its last stand against mounting debts and a critical lack of suitors interested in the struggling automaker.

Brabus builds a brazen, ballistic G-Wagen

The Gelandewagen has a long history as a world-conquering off-roader. Now in its 30th year of production, the two ton Benz-built bruiser has conquered the Sahara, straddled the Alps and set dozens of records for going places lesser trucks could not.

But now Brabus has written another record for the G-Wagen: the most powerful production off-roader ever built.

GM seeks $16 billion; dire future looms for Saturn, Saab

Today was the due date for GM and Chrysler to turn in their homework -- a plan defining each automaker's long-term viability. And in defining the way forward, General Motors has put the hangman's noose around Saab and Saturn.

And that's just the start.

Just how safe is your pickup truck?

Bigger is better, when it comes to crashes. A basic tenet of physics that for years has sold big, burly pickups as the "safer" alternative to mid-size sedans. But, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety discovered, many of today's full-size pickups flunk the side impact crash test, a feat those wimpy sedans manage with ease.

So just how safe is yours?