Geely president Li Shufu admits disputes with Volvo managers

Three months after becoming the new owner of the Swedish car brand Volvo, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. President Li Shufu said he disagrees with Volvo's management about its product plans. Speaking last week at a forum hosted by the Chinese Web site of the Financial Times in Shanghai, Li said that Volvo should develop large cars for China.

Toyota files for 'Supra' trademark

Adding more grist to the new-Toyota-sports-car mill, the automaker has filed with the USPTO for a “Supra” trademark covering “Automobiles and structural parts thereof.” On one hand, it's routine for companies to protect their dormant trademarks; Toyota previously filed to protect the "Supra" mark back in 2010; that protection expired on January 27th of this year. The new filing was made on Feburary 10th, in the midst of the post-Detroit, FT-1 enthusiast froth. We can't help but hold out hope that there's a bit more weight behind this application than simple maintenance of the status quo.

Mercedes-Benz to take over Smart distribution from Penske; plans for four-door scrapped

Mercedes-Benz has agreed to take over Smart car distribution in the United States from Penske Automotive Group, the companies said Monday. Penske launched the European microcar brand, which is owned by Mercedes' parent, Daimler AG, as an independent distributor in 2008. But after a fast start, U.S.