Ford Trims Q4 Loss to $2.75B; Plans Job Cuts

(NEWSER) - Ford surprised the markets today by posting a $2.3 billion quarterly profit, thanks mostly to debt restructuring actions, Reuters reports. The result beat estimates and represents Ford's first good quarter in more than a year; this time in 2008, the automaker lost $2.7 billion. But the global downturn that pushed Chrysler and GM to bankruptcy is still biting Ford—without the debt reduction the company would have posted a narrow loss. More»

Analysts warn that letting automakers sink will have impact across the economy

(NEWSER) - Letting one of the Big Three go under could have disastrous effects on many corners of the American economy, McClatchy Newspapers reports. Beyond the jobs lost at the companies and their suppliers—as well as the jobs lost everywhere those workers spend their wages—the repercussions would hit sectors as diverse as defense, television, and even sports. More»

Bankruptcy saved that industry, but auto isn't exactly the same

(NEWSER) - When the steel industry was floundering, many people thought the worst possible outcome would be to allow the big, old companies to go bankrupt. But it took that failure to pare down the industry to a workable size and inject new life into it, David Streitfeld writes in the New York Times. Could the same be true of the auto industry? More»

Cost cutting offsets weak sales in US for world's No. 3 automaker

(NEWSER) - Ford today posted an unexpected first-quarter profit of $100 million, Bloomberg reports, the result of cost cutting in North America and strong overseas sales. Analysts had anticipated a loss on the order of last year's first-quarter drain of $282 million. The world’s third-largest automaker said its revenues increased 1.2% to $43.5 billion. It was only the second quarterly profit for the company in the past two years. More»

GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota saw sales fall last month

(NEWSER) - A tumbling US economy hit Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and Toyota today as all four posted declining sales for last month, Bloomberg reports. Chrysler fell 14% as Ford dropped nearly 7% and GM suffered almost a 20% drop in light truck sales. "Primarily it's driven by the weak economy,'' one analyst said. "It's been difficult for people to refinance and get credit.'' More»