The U.S. auto safety regulator on Tuesday called on Japanese supplier Takata and five automakers to expand nationwide a regional recall of potentially deadly air bags, increasing pressure on the industry to act more swiftly in the growing scandal.

Toyota Motor Corp on Monday said it will introduce its first mass-market fuel cell car in the United States next year, hoping to replicate the success of its Prius hybrid with a vehicle that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline.

U.S. carmaker Ford is hesitant about investing further in its South African operation because of repeated production stoppages caused by strikes, its regional chief said on Thursday.

Takata Corp (7312.T) has modified the composition of an air bag propellant that contains a volatile chemical at the center of a recall of millions of cars worldwide, the company told Reuters.

Chrysler Group will begin replacing potentially defective air bag inflators made by Takata Corp in more than 371,000 U.S. vehicles in early December, according to documents filed by the automaker with U.S. safety regulators.

Geely-owned Volvo Car Group said on Sunday it had begun production of its best-selling XC60 crossover at its plant in Chengdu, taking a further step toward supplying locally-produced cars in China as well as opening the door to overseas exports.

Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O) shares rose more than 7 percent in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the electric-car maker beat analysts' expectations for third-quarter results.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCHA.MI)(FCAU.N) U.S. October sales rose 22 percent on strong pickup truck demand, the company said on Monday.

Daimler AG (DAIGn.DE) has opened a research and development (R&D) center in Beijing tasked with further tuning its Mercedes-Benz brand to wealthy Chinese tastes and closing the sales gap with Audi AG (NSUG.DE) and BMW AG (BMWG.DE).

Automakers in Brazil are facing the sharpest slowdown since 1999 and it could be a year or more before things turn the corner.