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Suzuki loses the American Dream, dies an unloved death on our shores

On Nov. 5, 2012, the American Suzuki Motor Corp.filed for bankruptcy and announced that no more Suzukis will be sold in America—not now, not ever. (Unless someone has the Bricklin-like foresight to import Wagon Rs to our advanced civilization in, say, 50 years.) And with that news, the Stateside automotive journalists filed their respective stories, drove home and sat on the couch to twiddle their thumbs.

Fisker Automotive lays off some workers as government reworks loan

Work on the Fisker Nina family sedan has temporarily halted at the Fisker Automotive plant in Wilmington, Del., while the carmaker and the federal government hash out details of the company's $529 million Department of Energy loan. The interruption has resulted in the layoff of 26 people at its Delaware plant and a number of contract engineers at Fisker's Anaheim, Calif., headquarters. Fisker Automotive said some of the engineering-staff reductions in Anaheim were already planned to occur in between development of the Karma and the Nina.

Saleen S351 Mustang being prepped

After a tumultuous and sometimes litigious couple of years (which included Steve Saleen the man suing Saleen the company for calling itself Saleen!), Saleen the man, the car and the company with the man again in the driver's seat are back, still in Southern California and still in the bustling Inland Empire burg of Corona to which they all ensconced a few years ago. So what's new? First up is a Saleen 351 Mustang, which was announced at the LA auto show last week.