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GM recalls 258,000 SUVs for fire hazard

General Motors is recalling a family of SUVs, including the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Saab 9-7x, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender, after reports of 28 fires caused by short circuits in the power windows and locks. The recalled SUVs are from model years 2006 and 2007. In total, GM estimates 258,000 vehicles will need repairs.

EV maker Coda trims staff

Not much more could go wrong for electric-car maker Coda, which has struggled to sell its four-door EV in the United States since officially launching it here in March. But Web reports, first seen at www.plugincars.com, say the company laid off 50 employees, or 15 percent of its workforce, last week, mostly in the sales and marketing departments. Efforts by Autoweek to contact Coda have not been successful.

A fun car steers brand loyalty, study shows

Car buyers stick with their current brands if the automaker builds fun-to-drive vehicles, a customer-retention study revealed. The J. D.