Chrysler and Lancia brands to share products in Europe

Fiat S.p.A. aims to integrate the Chrysler brand more closely with the Italian automaker's upscale Lancia marque in Europe with the two brands likely to share products from small hatchbacks to large sedans. The appointment of Lancia CEO Olivier Francois as Chrysler brand boss is a step toward the goal, a Fiat source said.

Indiana yanks Kruse auction licenses

Kruse Inc., the auction company that sold the famous William Harrah car collection and has been synonymous with auctioning enthusiast automobiles since the 1970s, has lost its licenses in its home state. The Indiana Auctioneer Commission ruled on Tuesday to revoke both of Kruse Inc.'s licenses, and the company has to wait seven years to apply for new ones, said Kelly Butters, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Attorney General's Office. Dean Kruse, president of the auction house, has had his personal license suspended indefinitely.

Akio Toyoda waves family flag, heir makes crisis personal challenge

The reclusive Akio Toyoda is taking the rare step of waving the family flag, as the scion to Toyota Motor Corp.’s founding dynasty tries to steer the world’s largest car company out of a spiraling safety crisis. In testimony prepared for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, President Toyoda pursues a rare personal tack on the emergency, saying “my name is on every car.” “As you well know, I am the grandson of the founder, and all the Toyota vehicles bear my name,” Toyoda says in prepared comments circulated ahead of Wednesday’s committee hearing in Washington. “For me, when the cars are damaged, it is as though I am as well.” The intimate reflection is a departure for Toyoda, who has spent most of his career sidestepping public discussion of his lineage.