BEIJING, April 22 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), seeking to tap into China’s growing appetite for brawny sport utility vehicles, will quadruple its offerings in that segment over the next year.

The U.S. automaker, a latecomer in the world’s largest automotive market, will add the Kuga, the Chinese version of the Escape, and EcoSport small SUVs, and the larger Explorer to its sparse China SUV portfolio, Ford Asia chief Joe Hinrichs said on Sunday.

HANGZHOU, China, April 19 (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co is
investing $760 million to build a new plant in eastern China as
part of its effort to catch up with U.S. rival General Motors Co
in the world’s largest auto market.

Ford said the new plant in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province
will initially boost the U.S. automaker’s annual capacity in
China by 250,000 vehicles when production begins in 2015.
Construction is expected to begin later this year.

SEOUL/DETROIT (Reuters) – Oh Kwang-teak recently spent $310 on a haircut and beauty care at a salon in Seoul’s upscale Cheongdamdong district before splashing out $1,100 at a five-star hotel, which, if asked, will fill your bath with chocolate milk. He also visited Hermes and Cartier stores, while his wife had an expensive massage.

All in the name of research.

Oh sells Hyundai Motor (005380.KS: Quote, Profile, Research) cars and is part of a select group of the South Korean firm’s dealers tasked with seeing first-hand what makes premium service brands tick – and applying that to Hyundai cars.

SEOUL/DETROIT (Reuters) – Oh Kwang-teak recently spent $310 on a haircut and beauty care at a salon in Seoul’s upscale Cheongdamdong district before splashing out $1,100 at a five-star hotel, which, if asked, will fill your bath with chocolate milk. He also visited Hermes and Cartier stores, while his wife had an expensive massage.

All in the name of research.

Oh sells Hyundai Motor cars and is part of a select group of the South Korean firm’s dealers tasked with seeing first-hand what makes premium service brands tick – and applying that to Hyundai cars.

SEOUL/DETROIT, April 10 (Reuters) – Oh Kwang-teak recently
spent $310 on a haircut and beauty care at a salon in Seoul’s
upscale Cheongdamdong district before splashing out $1,100 at a
five-star hotel, which, if asked, will fill your bath with
chocolate milk. He also visited Hermes and Cartier stores, while
his wife had an expensive massage.

All in the name of research.

Oh sells Hyundai Motor cars and is part of a
select group of the South Korean firm’s dealers tasked with
seeing first-hand what makes premium service brands tick – and
applying that to Hyundai cars.

DETROIT (Reuters) – A123 Systems (AONE.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is replacing lithium-ion battery modules and packs that could fail due to a manufacturing defect, a problem that recently led to the high-profile shutdown of the Fisker Karma luxury sedan during testing by Consumer Reports.

A123, whose shares fell 14 percent on Monday, said it discovered defects in some certain cells made at its plant in Livonia, Michigan, that Chief Executive David Vieau said can “result in premature failure of the battery module or pack, including a decrease in performance and reduced battery life.”

DETROIT (Reuters) – Michigan’s Court of Appeals has cleared the way for a team appointed by the governor to come up with a consent deal to keep afloat Detroit, America’s historic “Motor City,” which could run out of money in months.

The pressure on Detroit is intense. Monday is the deadline for Governor Rick Snyder’s team to recommend what to do to fix the dire financial situation for Michigan’s largest city, long synonymous with the U.S.-based auto industry.

DETROIT (Reuters) – The court of Appeals in Michigan has cleared the way for a governor-appointed team to come up with a consent deal to keep the city of Detroit, which could run out of money in months, financially afloat.

The court late on Friday reversed an order from earlier in the week that questioned whether the team – facing a deadline on Monday – could meet in private and barred it from issuing a recommendation until a hearing set for March 29.