U.S. Home Sales Climb at Fastest Pace in 10 Months
from Yahoo! News
New orders for long-lasting U.S.-made goods rose in February for the first time in seven months and new home sales rebounded, government data showed on Wednesday, suggesting the economic downturn might be easing a bit. The Commerce Department said durable goods orders rose 3.4 percent to $165.6 billion in February, the biggest gain since December 2007, after a 7.3 percent drop the prior month. Sales of newly built U.S. single-family homes rose at their fastest pace in 10 months in February, it said in another report. More

ATA Truck Tonnage Index Rose 1.7 Percent in February
from TruckingInfo
The American Trucking Associations' advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index edged 1.7 percent higher in February 2009, marking the second consecutive month-to-month increase. More

Report: GM and Saab Agree to Swap Technology
from Forbes
A news report says General Motors Corp. and its unit Saab Automobile have agreed to swap technology for at least five years in an effort to make the loss-making Swedish brand more attractive to buyers. Saab's finance director, Lars Hagerborg, has told financial daily Dagens Industri that the Swedish car maker will be able to use GM's platform technology in exchange for Saab's safety, chassis and engine technology. More

Ford Plans Two Sub-F-150 Pickups
from Truck Trend Magazine
Ford is working on two new, smaller-than-F-150 pickup trucks, one based on the F-Series and the other a replacement for the aged Ranger compact, which has remained unchanged save for facelifts since the 1998 model year. More

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U.S. Department of Energy Says Wide Single Truck Tires Trim Fuel Costs by 6 to 10 Percent
from Fox Business
A 383-page report made available last week by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory confirms that wide single tires are more fuel efficient than duals on heavy trucks. More than 700,000 real-world miles were driven by six instrumented tractors and 10 trailers over the course of the four-year test. More

Fed Auto Focus Shifts to Electric
from The Detroit News
The Obama administration is shifting much of the government's focus and funding from hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to plug-in electric vehicles. In 2003, after the Clinton administration spent $1.5 billion on a hybrid-electric sedan, the Bush administration touted $1.2 billion for hydrogen technology. Now, with Barack Obama in the White House, the pendulum is swinging back to plug-ins. More