Daily News Briefs: May 2, 2012

Here's what we have our eye on today: Although April auto sales increased just 2.3%, they reached a healthy seasonally adjusted annual rate of 14.4 million, according to Autodata Corp. That falls below February's 15.1 million SAAR but ties March's 14.4 million for the second-highest rate since April 2008. (April 2011's SAAR was 13.2 million, but seasonal adjustment calculations, set by the Federal Reserve, move with time which is why 2% may look modest, but 14.4 looks great.) Still, The Detroit News notes that despite high gas prices, electric-vehicle sales fell to 3,500 in April, down from 4,000 in March, as the Nissan Leaf and gas-supported Chevrolet Volt saw month-over-month decreases. Toyota's new Prius Plug-in made up some of the shortfall, however, with a best-ever 1,654 sales. Ford announced it will add a third shift at one of its two Cleveland engine plants to build more turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 engines, but the automaker plans to fill most of the shift's 250 or so jobs with transfers from the second Cleveland plant, which employs 420 but is ending production. Total employment at the remaining Cleveland plant will grow to around 1,220. Meanwhile, Automotive News reports that GM will cut 100 R&D jobs at its Warren, Mich., technical center as part of continued restructuring. The center, in Detroit's north suburbs, employs around 16,000. Chrysler, meanwhile, will set up shop in downtown Detroit's Dime Building, less than a mile from GM's Renaissance Center headquarters. The Detroit News says the automaker plans to lease 33,000 square feet in the building, which its owners will rename the Chrysler House. It will house offices for up to 70 employees, including a satellite office for CEO Sergio Marchionne. Chrysler's primary headquarters is in Auburn Hills, Mich., some 30 miles north. Reuters reports GM CEO Dan Akerson suggested Mary Barra, the automaker's top female executive, could be a potential successor. Barra leads global product development and Akerson said he "wouldn't be surprised if she were" in the mix to succeed him, but GM's board of directors will ultimately select the next CEO. Akerson made the comments during a conference in Florida discussing women and the economy. from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/

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