Daimler

TOKYO -- Once again, the future of Japan's second-largest car maker, Nissan Motor Co., is uncertain.The announcement yesterday by DaimlerChrysler AG that it was walking away from negotiations about acquiring a controlling stake in Nissan and in its equally troubled truck-making affiliate, Nissan Diesel, ended one topic of speculation and debate only to renew another: What will happen to Nissan? With known debts of more than $20 billion, declining sales in two of its three main markets, a cost structure that is high even by Japanese standards and uncertain plans for fixing its problems, the outlook is grim.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler Corp., the No. 3 U.S. automaker, said yesterday that third-quarter profit rose a surprisingly strong 46 percent on sales of sport-utility vehicles in the last quarter before it was bought by Daimler-Benz AG.Net income jumped to $682 million, or $1.02 a share, from $466 million, or 69 cents a share before a charge in the year-earlier period. Chrysler was expected to earn 87 cents a share, the average estimate of analysts surveyed by First Call Corp.The shares rose 50 cents, or 6 percent, to $44.25 yesterday.

DETROIT - General Motors Corp.'s U.S. auto sales rose 1.5 percent last month from a year earlier and Ford Motor Co.'s were unchanged as the largest U.S. automakers fell short of analyst forecasts while boosting incentive spending from May. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler unit, third-biggest in the United States, rose 6.3 percent, more than analysts expected. Toyota Motor Corp. reported an 11 percent increase and Nissan Motor Co. said its sales gained 22 percent, as the Japanese automakers spent less than U.S.-based rivals on incentives.

DETROIT -- Americans shied away from large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks in April as gasoline prices approached $3 a gallon, and with a battery of new SUVs waiting in the wings, domestic automakers are now facing the very scenario they had hoped to avoid. Despite gains at Toyota and Honda, declines at General Motors, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and Nissan pushed vehicle sales in the United States down 0.1 percent in April, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank. General Motors had the biggest drop, selling 7.3 percent fewer vehicles than it did in April 2005.

What's fashionable, as cool as an iPhone but just a tad bigger? In this case, an impossibly tiny vehicle called the Smart Fortwo that isn't even for sale in the United States until January, but its manufacturer says its limited production is sold out through much of 2008. A bubble-shaped two-seater, at 106 inches the Smart is more than three feet shorter than a Mini Cooper, and less than half the length of a Chevrolet Suburban. The Fortwo, following in the tracks of automotive icons such as the Toyota Prius and Mazda Miata, has developed the kind of buzz marketers dream about, managing to squeeze into its pint-sized cockpit several sales-friendly attributes: It sips gas, it's inexpensive and it has loads of personality.

GENEVA -- DaimlerChrysler AG and Renault SA are still weighing whether to take an equity stake in Nissan Motor Co. even as Nissan says it might remain independent if neither European carmaker proposes an attractive enough offer.Executives of the three companies, in interviews yesterday during the Geneva auto show, said that a takeover of even a part of Nissan, Japan's second-largest carmaker, is far from certain, though DaimlerChrysler and Renault each want to increase their presence in Asia.

LONDON -- The first date was in January near the Detroit Auto Show. The secret rendezvous took place in New York, Frankfurt and Geneva.Finally, the flourishing romance between America's Chrysler Corp. and Germany's Daimler-Benz became a full-scale union Wednesday, when the corporate chiefs met at London's Dorchester Hotel, signed contracts near midnight and offered champagne toasts in English.Yesterday, the deal makers revealed details of the biggest industrial merger in history, as Chrysler is to be acquired by Daimler-Benz for more than $39 billion in stock.

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp.'s car and light truck sales were unchanged last month, missing forecasts on disappointing car sales. DaimlerChrysler AG's U.S. sales fell 2.7 percent as its aging minivan and pickup lines fell prey to rivals' redesigned models.GM, the world's biggest automaker, sold 347,855 cars and light trucks, unchanged based on the daily sales rate.Analysts had forecast a 4.4 percent gain. DaimlerChrysler, the No. 3 maker in the United States, said its Chrysler arm's car sales rose 3.3 percent while light truck sales fell 4.7 percent.

DETROIT -- DaimlerChrysler AG's embattled Chairman Juergen E. Schrempp, who oversaw the 1998 merger that created the German-American automaker, said yesterday that he would step down at the end of the year. He will be replaced by Dieter Zetsche, who has revived the sales and profits of the company's Chrysler division in nearly five years as its chief. The surprise announcement, coinciding with DaimlerChrysler's second-quarter earnings report, follows continuing criticism of Schrempp's leadership and a contentious shareholder meeting in April as the combined company struggles to be consistently profitable.

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, said yesterday that its U.S. auto sales surged 63 percent from sales in July 1998, when production was crippled by strikes. Discounts helped Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, big rivals who benefited from GM's troubles a year ago, post gains as well.Ford's sales of North American-built cars and light trucks rose 1 percent, while DaimlerChrysler sales, including Mercedes-Benz, increased 13 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. sales rose 14 percent, while Honda Motor Co.'s were up 7.9 percent.