Hyundai electric on way

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Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, said it will begin selling its first car that runs purely on electricity in the domestic market in the second half of 2010.





The i10 Electric will have a driving range of 99 miles and a top speed of about 80 m.p.h., Hyundai said Friday in an e-mailed statement.


British registrations rise

New car registrations in Britain rose 6% in August from July, with one in four sales linked to the government's cash-for-bangers incentives, an industry group said Friday.



"Banger" is British slang for an old car or van.



The gain in August, normally a quiet month in the auto trade, followed a 2.4% increase in July, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.



Through August, more than 102,000 cars had been sold under the program, the Society said.


Ford plans F-Series, Super Duty promotion

Ford Motor Co. is planning a promotion for its F-150 and Super Duty trucks this month to boost demand and build on a 13% rise in sales of the full-size pickup line in August.



The automaker wants to keep up momentum on the F-Series pickups, Doug Scott, Ford's director of truck marketing, said in an interview. The F-Series, according to company figures, was a top-10 seller in the U.S. government's cash-for-clunkers program and Ford hopes to prevent a sharp drop-off in sales now that the program has ended, Scott said.



The F-Series has gained 12 points of market share since its redesign last year, and the model now controls 36% of the full-size pickup segment, Scott said.



The F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for the past 32 years.


Delphi amends GM deal

Delphi Corp., the auto-parts supplier that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2005, said it further amended its liquidity agreement with General Motors Co., according to a regulatory filing.



The amendment extended a deadline to allow Delphi to meet certain covenants and conditions laid out by the Bankruptcy Court that determines whether it can draw on a $250-million loan from GM, according to a Friday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



Delphi also amended its existing debtor-in-possession loan to allow it to use the proceeds of the DIP while lenders continue to forebear until 8 p.m. New York time on Sept. 17, according to the filing.



The Troy-based company is still planning to exit bankruptcy around Oct. 1, said Lindsey Williams, a Delphi spokesman.



The DIP consists of a $1.1-billion first-priority revolving line of credit, a $500-million first-priority term loan and a $2.75 billion second-priority term loan, according to the filing.



There is $230 million outstanding under the revolving loan and $310 million under the first-priority term loan, according to the filing. Delphi hasn't drawn on the second-priority term loan, it said in the filing.

Inside autos: Hyundai electric on way | Detroit Free Press | Freep.com