(Bloomberg) – Saab Automobile is holding technology-sharing talks with three vehicle makers in an effort to cut model-development costs and cement its recovery from near collapse, the head of the manufacturer’s parent company said.

“We’ve had discussions with three carmakers,” Spyker Cars NV Chief Executive Officer Victor Muller said today in an interview. The company wants an industrial partner to invest technology and cash in an updated version of Saab’s classic 92-model compact car of the 1950s, he said. Continue reading Saab in talks with 3 automakers to share technology

DETROIT — A majority of automotive parts suppliers have rewritten contracts to protect themselves against steep jumps in steel prices, but some remain exposed to price swings, according to a recent survey by consultants IRN Inc., of Grand Rapids, Mich.

Among companies that use steel, about 55 to 60 percent of suppliers who responded to the survey in May and June said they have some form of contractual terms in place to protect against price surges, IRN President Kim Korth told a meeting of the Society of Automotive Analysts.

In contrast, when the spot price of hot-rolled steel roughly doubled in April 2007, “virtually no one at that point had any kind of material relief contracting with the customer,” she said Wednesday.

“Suppliers have done a great deal to protect themselves from materials price increases since when we last conducted this survey” in May-June 2008, Korth said. Continue reading Suppliers rewrite contracts to protect against raw material price surges

Toyota, GM recall 1.3 million vehicles for stalling
Corolla, Matrix recalled by Toyota; Pontiac Vibe by GM

WASHINGTON — Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. today announced recalls of 1.3 million vehicles from the 2005-2008 model years following complaints of engine stalling. Continue reading Toyota, GM recall 1.3 million vehicles for stalling