VENTURE CAPITAL POST

U.S. auto industry sales in April came in below expectations as Asia's major carmakers' results disappointed, offsetting strong gains for trucks and SUVs made by General Motors (GM.N) and Ford (F.N).

Detroit automakers have come full circle, relying as they did before the financial crisis on profits from selling trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States to cover losses overseas.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) reported a first-quarter profit that was less than analysts expected, selling fewer vehicles in North America as it worked to increase production of the redesigned F-150 pickup truck, and losing money in South America.

U.S. auto maker Ford Motor Co (F.N) will take control of its Russian venture with Sollers (SVAV.MM) and provide it with additional financial support, the Russian firm said on Friday.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) Chief Executive Officer Mark Fields made $18.6 million in salary and other compensation last year, below the $23.2 million that predecessor Alan Mulally received in 2013, the company said on Friday.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) plans to triple exports from India with a $1 billion plant that will be one of its most heavily automated in Asia, offsetting slower sales inside the country with a push to sell more local production abroad.

The finance chief of Ford Motor Co (F.N) expects ongoing problems in Russia where the decline of the rouble and the struggling economy was weighing on its market share, according to German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) on Tuesday said it is recalling about 65,000 Fusion sedans in North America because the key can be removed from the ignition even if the car is not in the "park" position 30 minutes after the ignition is off, the company said.

The U.S. auto safety regulator on Tuesday called on Japanese supplier Takata and five automakers to expand nationwide a regional recall of potentially deadly air bags, increasing pressure on the industry to act more swiftly in the growing scandal.

U.S. carmaker Ford is hesitant about investing further in its South African operation because of repeated production stoppages caused by strikes, its regional chief said on Thursday.

Takata Corp (7312.T) has modified the composition of an air bag propellant that contains a volatile chemical at the center of a recall of millions of cars worldwide, the company told Reuters.

Chrysler Group will begin replacing potentially defective air bag inflators made by Takata Corp in more than 371,000 U.S. vehicles in early December, according to documents filed by the automaker with U.S. safety regulators.

Automakers in Brazil are facing the sharpest slowdown since 1999 and it could be a year or more before things turn the corner.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) makes its Wall Street debut to great fanfare on Monday, shifting the carmaker's center of gravity away from Italy and capping a decade of canny dealmaking and tough restructuring by CEO Sergio Marchionne.

German automaker Daimler (DAIGn.DE) and industrial gases maker Linde (LING.DE) pledged to build 20 hydrogen fuelling stations in Germany in coming years to boost support networks for eco-friendly cars.