motor

The bank sees 2011 EPS of $1.75 down from $2.40, vs. the consensus for $1.84 per share, and 2012 EPS of $1.95 down from $2.45, vs. the consensus estimate of $1.96 per share.

The revisions are based on the continued improvement in Ford's operating results which should lead to a reversal of almost all of Ford's valuation allowance against deferred tax assets as soon as the second half of this year.

Morgan Stanley lowered its EPS estimates for Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F), while maintaining its overweight rating and $21 target price for the company.

The temporary shutdown of the company's 13 factories in North America is inevitable, the company said. How long the production stoppage will last is unknown.

Toyota Motor Co (NYSE:TM) announced earlier today that they will have to close down all of their North American factories by the end of this month due to a parts shortage caused by the damage from the Japanese earthquake and tsuna

The company joined a growing number of companies in noting, however, that it expects a parts shortage from Japan will significantly affect the auto industry well into the year.

Chairman and CEO Mike Jackson said, "We expect production disruptions will significantly impact product availability from Japanese auto manufacturers in the second and third quarters of 2011.

AutoNation Inc (NYSE:AN) posted year-over-year unit sales growth of 19% for the month of March, selling 22,246 cars. For the quarter, the company posted 23% year-over-year growth, selling 54,190 cars.

General Motors (GM) is developing a Buick using the Chevrolet Volt's plug-in hybrid technology, reports Bloomberg. According to two people familiar with the project, designers are working on a version of the hybrid Opel Ampera sch

Honda Motor Co. says it will temporarily cut production at its North American auto factories starting Wednesday due to shortages of parts, according to a report by the Associated Press. The AP sites a company statement that indica

President Akio Toyoda gave the 10 million figure while outlining the company's "global vision" Wednesday. This is the first major announcement since the recalls happened a year and a half ago.

The automaker reported worldwide sales of 8.42 million vehicles last year. Toyota became the world's top automaker by vehicle sales in 2008, which is a position that GM held for 76 years.

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) is targeting annual sales of 10 million vehicles by 2015, despite the fact that overly rapid growth was the root of recent recalls.

Toyota's new AA- rating is still higher than its auto industry peers.

The Japanese car-maker is trading down 1.4% at $90.92 per share.

Standard & Poor's cut its rating of Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM) from AA to AA- Friday, "Because the company's profitability is still weak, its pace of recovery is slower than those of Japanese peers, and its profitability migh

The brake, steering and safety systems manufacturer said it took advantage of the rebound in global auto production and reduced costs.

The company posted sales of $3.7 bln, ahead of the analysts' consensus for $3.48 bln on Thomson Reuters. EPS was $1.72, vs. expectations of $1.24 per share.

For Q1, the company is guiding for sales of $3.9 bln. The Street is at $3.81 bln.

For 2011, TRW sees sales in the range of $14.9 to $15.3 bln.

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (TRW) is up 1.06% to $60.27 in late morning trade, after reporting better-than-expected earnings for 2010 Q4.

Ford (F) is recalling 363,000 F-150 pickup trucks, reports Reuters. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall in North America is due to a potential problem with the trucks' door handles. The F-15

Toyota (TM) has been indicating on ads that it plans to release a new version of its hybrid Prius car, according to the New York Times. Toyota is trying to retain its status as environmental leader among automakers despite the fac