2001 Ford Explorer Hood 1954155 on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

Infiniti to build new compact hatch at Sunderland from 2015

Infiniti will build its new posh family hatchback at Nissan's Sunderland factory from 2015. The landmark contract will create 1000 new jobs in the UK, 280 of which will be in the Sunderland plant itself. It's the latest thumbs up for the facility, which currently stamps out around 2000 new Nissans every day.

Subaru Hybrid Tourer concept

Subaru has released the first renderings of its 'Hybrid Tourer Concept', which will be shown at the 41st Tokyo motor show next month. A proposal for a future grand touring car, the concept aims to integrate environmental friendliness, driving performance and safety. The exterior design is said to have been inspired by wings to create a 'feeling of freedom and confidence'.