DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - The United Auto Workers union has agreed to a two-tiered wage system and a switch to far-less generous pensions for new hires in exchange for job security promises in its landmark contract with General Motors Corp., the union said Friday.

The tentative agreement offers far more concessions than initially announced when a deal was reached early Wednesday.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) - A landmark deal which could help the Big Three US automakers narrow their labor cost gap with Asian competitors faced opposition Thursday among the union's rank-and-file workers ahead of a crucial ratification vote expected next week.

Leaders of the United Auto Workers union expressed confidence that they would receive the votes necessary to approve a contract negotiated with General Motors Wednesday after a two-day strike.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - The United Auto Workers union could meet some resistance as it tries to wrap up contract negotiations at struggling Ford Motor Co. and privately-held Chrysler LLC following Wednesday's landmark deal with General Motors Corp., analysts said.

While Ford would benefit significantly from the same kind of health-care deal offered to GM, it could balk at the kind of job security concessions offered by its rival.

CHICAGO, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) - The Big Three US automakers will likely substantially narrow their labor cost gap with Asian rivals following a landmark deal reached between General Motors Corp. and the United Auto Workers union, analysts said.

While details of Wednesday's tentative agreement are being withheld pending union ratification, GM is expected to be able to cut its nearly 30 dollars-per-hour labor cost disadvantage with non-unionized US plants run by Toyota Motor and other foreign competitors by more than half.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. reached a tentative deal with striking workers Wednesday on a historic new contract which will help the automaker narrow the cost gap with its Asian competitors.

The deal also set a framework for contracts with Ford Motor Corp. and Chrysler LLC, which face similar issues on containing labor costs.

Production resumed Wednesday following a two-day strike by more than 73,000 United Auto Workers members who walked out of 80 plants after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. reached a tentative deal Wednesday with the United Auto Workers on a new national contract to end a two-day strike, union and company officials said.

The deal ends the work stoppage by more than 73,000 UAW members who walked off the job at 80 GM plants Monday after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

The automaker hoped to resume production by Wednesday's afternoon shift, GM spokesman Tom Wickham told AFP.

CHICAGO, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. has reached a tentative deal with striking workers who shut down 80 plants across the United States, the automaker said Wednesday.

More than 73,000 United Auto Workers members walked off the job Monday morning after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

The automaker hopes to resume production by Wednesday's afternoon shift, GM spokesman Tom Wickham told AFP.

CHICAGO, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. has reached a tentative deal with striking workers who shut down 80 plants across the United States, the automaker said Wednesday.

More than 73,000 United Auto Workers members walked off the job Monday morning after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

GM said the new national contract, which is subject to union ratification and court approval, includes a historic agreement to establish an independent trust to cover the costs of retiree health care.

CHICAGO, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. has reached a tentative deal with striking workers who shut down 80 plants across the United States, the automaker said Wednesday.

More than 73,000 United Auto Workers members walked off the job Monday morning after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

GM said the new national contract, which is subject to union ratification and court approval, includes a historic agreement to establish an independent trust to cover the costs of retiree health care.

CHICAGO, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. has reached a tentative deal with striking workers who had shut down 80 plants across the United States, the automaker said Wednesday.

More than 73,000 workers walked off the job Monday morning after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

CHICAGO, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - A nationwide strike at General Motors will likely end in a matter of days or a few weeks as a lengthy strike could potentially bankrupt the company, analysts said.

'Any protracted strike would basically do in GM and it's not in the union's best interest to do that,' Dana Johnson, chief economist at Comerica Bank, told AFP. 'You hope that rationality prevails.'

Some 73,000 workers at General Motors (GM) plants across the United States went on strike Monday after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - Some 73,000 workers at General Motors plants across the United States went on strike Monday after contract talks broke down over issues of job security and health care.

The strike forced the closure of at least one plant in Canada and could also affect plants in Mexico which supply parts to US facilities.

GM has been seeking concessions from labor as it undergoes a massive restructuring in the face of a steady loss of market share to Asian competitors.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - A hush fell over plant floors Monday when union officials announced that it was time to walk out on their jobs at General Motors.

It was the first time in nearly ten years the United Auto Workers had called a strike at a GM plant and things have changed a lot in Detroit.

Dozens of plants have been shut down across the country as the Big Three automakers struggle with a steady loss of market share to Asian competitions.

OTTAWA, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - A strike at General Motors in the United States has forced one assembly plant in Canada to close, and four more are expected to close in the coming days, the Canadian Auto Workers union said Monday.

'It's not inconceivable that by the end of this week, we could have anywhere between 80,000 and 100,000 people unemployed, mostly in Ontario, some in Quebec as a result of a dispute between General Motors and the United Auto Workers in the United States,' CAW president Buzz Hargrove told reporters.

DETROIT, Michigan, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) - Members of the United Auto Workers returned to work Monday at General Motors Corp. after a weekend of intense negotiations failed to produce agreement on a new contract.

Friday's midnight deadline for an accord expired as talks apparently foundered over health-care issues.

Rivals Ford and Chrysler say their existing contracts with the UAW have been extended indefinitely.

DETROIT, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - Embattled US automakers are nearing a Friday deadline in key contract talks with the sector's main union the United Auto Workers amid disagreements over costly health benefits and wage packages.

General Motors' officials said privately they had doubts about whether they could reach an accord by the deadline of midnight Friday (0400 GMT Saturday), while Chrysler and Ford said their existing contracts with the union have been extended indefinitely.

FRANKFURT, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - The world's biggest automakers, GM and Toyota, have taken different paths to building cleaner cars but agree there is no one route to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

They also agree that making the technology affordable will be a challenge.

Toyota 'is five years in front of the rest of the world' in developing hybrid technolgy that combines electric and internal combustion engines, German auto analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer told AFP Tuesday.

TOKYO, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) - Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. edged closer to taking the title of the world's top automaker by output after US rival General Motors reduced its production target for this year.

GM on Tuesday reduced its output forecast for North America for the third quarter of 2007 to 1.05 million vehicles, down 25,000 from its previous target, and also trimmed its projections for Asia.

The US auto giant now expects to produce 9.285 million vehicles globally this year, according to its latest forecasts.

CHICAGO, Sept 4, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors' US sales rose 5.3 percent in August from a year ago, lifted by strong demand for its new pickup trucks and crossover sport utilities, the automaker said Tuesday.

GM said its US dealers delivered 388,168 vehicles in August, giving the sputtering auto giant what is expected to be its best market share of the year, estimated at 26 percent.

'Bucking the trend in the industry, we were able to post healthy sales results in August,' said Mark LaNeve, vice president of GM North America.

MOSCOW, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) - Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska bought a stake of under 5.0 percent in US car manufacturer General Motors late last year, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.

The paper, citing sources close to the businessman, said Deripaska saw the investment as a speculative move on the stock market rather than the start of a takeover attempt.

'He is making no secret of it (the investment). Some of his business partners are already aware,' one unnamed associate told the newspaper.

MOSCOW, Aug 7, 2007 (AFP) - Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska has bought a stake of under 5.0 percent in US car manufacturer General Motors, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.

The paper, citing sources close to the businessman, said Deripaska saw the investment as a speculative move on the stock market rather than the start of a takeover attempt.

'He is making no secret of it (the investment). Some of his business partners are already aware,' one unnamed associate told the newspaper.

DETROIT, Michigan, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors Corp. saw US sales drop 18.5 percent in July as a solid increase in retail sales were unable to offset planned cuts of low-margin sales to rental car companies, the automaker said Wednesday.

Retail sales rose 14.5 percent to 239,192 vehicles in July, with overall sales slipping to 320,935 vehicles. Year-to-date sales were down 9.4 percent at 2.5 million.

DETROIT, Michigan, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - After a long string of losses and setbacks, US automakers are showing new signs of life thanks to strong overseas earnings and cost-cutting at home.

General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Company posted surprisingly solid second quarter profits as the massive restructuring programs at both automakers began to pay dividends.

GM on Tuesday reported that its quarterly results had improved by more than 4.2 billion dollars to an 891 million dollar gain.

CHICAGO, July 31, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors sped past Wall Street forecasts Tuesday by announcing a second-quarter profit of 891 million dollars, helped by cost-cutting and growth in key markets.

The largest US automaker posted its third straight quarterly profit and rebounded from a loss of 3.4 billion dollars in the same period a year ago.

But just like competitor Ford, which surprised the markets last week when strong global operations pushed it towards a profit, GM warned that it has a long way to go to complete its massive restructuring plan.

CHICAGO, July 31, 2007 (AFP) - General Motors sped past Wall Street forecasts Tuesday by announcing a second-quarter profit of 891 million dollars, helped by cost-cutting and growth in key markets.

The largest US automaker posted its third straight quarterly profit and rebounded from a loss of 3.4 billion dollars in the same period a year ago.

Excluding one-time items, the profit amounted to 2.48 dollars a share, well ahead of the average analyst estimate of 1.13 dollars.