VENTURE CAPITAL POST

In the heart of western Europe, the Belgian-Dutch-German rust belt has been dealt another blow. Two car plants closed this month as companies sought cheaper labor elsewhere, the final chapter of a manufacturing boom that began when coal mines fuelling Europe's industrialization shut in the 1960s.

Ford Motor Co on Thursday expanded the recall of older-model Mustang cars that have driver-side Takata air bags with inflators, to include about 502,500 vehicles.

Ford Motor Co said on Monday it will add 850 hourly jobs at its Dearborn, Michigan, facilities to support the launch of the redesigned, aluminum-intensive 2015 F-150 pickup truck.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) expects North American sales will rise to 3.5 million vehicles by 2020 from 2.9 million in 2013, executives said at an analyst briefing on Monday at company headquarters.

Workers at a Lear Corp plant in Indiana that makes parts for Ford Motor Co went on strike Saturday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

A group of companies, including several large automakers, have joined a public-private research initiative to lay the groundwork for a system that wirelessly connects vehicles and helps smooth the flow of traffic, the University on Michigan said on Friday.

U.S. August auto sales were the highest for that month in more than a decade, thanks in part to heavy discounting by the manufacturers and a strong Labor Day weekend close, with the industry selling at an annualized pace not seen since early 2006.

New orders for U.S. factory goods posted a record gain in July and auto sales last month accelerated to their highest level in 8-1/2 years, offering further bullish signals for the economy.

Lear Corp, a maker of auto seats and electrical power systems, said it would buy automotive leather supplier Eagle Ottawa LLC for $850 million to strengthen its core seating business and boost its luxury seats portfolio.

Belgium-based Materialise NV has filed for an initial public offering with US regulators on Wednesday, according to a report from Reuters.

Ford Motor Co. chief executive Alan Mulally, once and for all, said that he will not replace Microsoft Corp.'s retiring CEO Steve Ballmer and will remain at the US automaker through 2014. Some prominent Microsoft investors had campaigned for Mulally's candidacy for the top job at the software giant.

2013 had been the best sales year for the auto industry as US consumers bought 15.5 million vehicles. Ford Motor Co., Honda Motor Co. and Chrysler Group posted single-digit percentage gains, while General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. sales declined.

Hyundai Motor Co. on Friday named sales chief David Zuchowski as the new chief of its US arm. Zuchowski will replace incumbent US chief John Krafcik, whose contract expires at the end of the year.

The board of directors at Ford Motor Co is keen to know the immediate career plans of its chief executive officer, Alan Mulally, as speculation about the latter being the next head of Microsoft intensifies.

Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals, which was commissioned by Ford Motors Co. in 1932, has been protected from Detroit's bankruptcy sale. Britain's Christie's Inc. assessed pieces bought by the city money to be worth USD452 million to USD866 million.