DETROIT, March 18 (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers union
could soon get a big boost in its efforts to represent hourly
workers at Volkswagen AG’s assembly plant in
Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Horst Neumann, VW’s board member in charge of human
resources, told reporters on Friday that the automaker was in
talks with the UAW about setting up a German-style labor board
at the Tennessee plant. It was an about-face for a company that
has resisted opening the U.S. plant to the UAW.

DETROIT, March 14 (Reuters) – General Motors Co is
planning to build an entry-level Chevrolet Corvette that would
cost less than $50,000 and widen the iconic sports car brand’s
appeal, people familiar with the plans said.

The No. 1 U.S. automaker is looking at bringing out the less
expensive model in mid- to late- 2015, according to the people,
who asked not to be identified discussing future product
strategy.

DETROIT, March 8 (Reuters) – R.L. Polk & Co, owner of
used-car history provider Carfax and a leading provider of auto
industry data, is exploring its options, including selling the
company or taking it public.

The suburban Detroit company has hired New York investment
banking firm Evercore Partners to explore its options, which
could include a sale, an initial public offering or
acquisitions, Polk Vice President Lonnie Miller said.

HOUSTON/DETROIT, March 6 (Reuters) – General Motors Co
aims to save fuel by trimming the weight of its vehicles
even as it develops electric cars with a driving range of up to
200 miles to eliminate the need for gasoline altogether, the
U.S. automaker’s chief executive said on Wednesday.

Dan Akerson also revealed at a conference of energy
executives and investors in Houston that GM’s new Spark EV would
have a range of 75 miles to 80 miles (120-129 km) without a
charge – double the electric-only range of its Chevrolet Volt
plug-in hybrid. The Spark is due to go on sale this summer.