Confirming earlier reports, Volkswagen announced on Friday that it will buy assets of German coachbuilder Karmann. Volkswagen also announced that its new Karmann subsidiary will produce at least one new model for the German car maker.

Ford’s plan to bring its labor costs in line with those at General Motors and Chrysler may be veering off course as two more United Auto Workers staffed plants have rejected the automaker’s contract for a new labor deal.

United Auto Worker union members at Ford’s Kansas City, Missouri truck and SUV plant voted down a proposed labor contract on Sunday, throwing the automaker’s labor plans into question. Ford is seeking UAW concessions similar to those given to General Motors and Chrysler.

The UAW is planning to present changes to the existing four year labor agreement it has with Ford Motor Company to its National Ford Council delegates later today in Detroit. If the delegates agree to the changes then the agreement will be put to a member vote.

Rental car giant Dollar Thrifty says that it will cut the proportion of Chrysler products in its fleet from 76 percent to just 30 percent in an effort to cut costs and to diversify its fleet as a way of protect itself from any future challenges in the auto industry.

With cross-town rivals General Motors and Chrysler still suffering from post-bankruptcy hangovers, Ford is looking to expand its market share, both here and abroad. Ford believes it can use its current situation to improve sales in the U.S., but is also keen on improving its market share in other key global markets.

Toyota snatched the title of world’s largest automaker from General Motors in 2008, but the latest stats show the Detroit automaker battled back during the first half of 2009. GM fell behind Toyota by more than 274,000 units in the first half of 2008, but has cut that deficit to just 11,000 units in 2009.

The ‘new’ General Motors technically cut all ties with the ‘old’ GM — still immersed in bankruptcy court – when it emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, but the new GM is likely to gain huge tax benefits from its bankrupt counterpart.

Ford announced on Thursday that about 1,000 UAW members accepted buyouts last quarter, bringing the Michigan automaker close to its ideal level of employment. Ford’s now employs about 47,000 UAW workers, down from 95,000 in 2003.

Although Ford was able to sidestep bankruptcy and has actually been growing its market share over the past few months, the Dearborn-based automaker is expected to announce a second quarter loss on Thursday. The second quarter’s red ink will mark Ford’s fifth straight quarterly loss.

Ford may have been the only of the Detroit automakers to sidestep bankruptcy and avoid billions in government loans, but the Dearborn-based automaker announced on Thursday it will be shaking up its management ranks to bolster its North American turnaround.

If several consumer groups have their way, used Chrysler vehicle could soon come with a warning sticker. Under the terms of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, Chrysler shed its liability for any defective vehicles produced before May 30th, potentially putting thousands of consumers at risk.

Lear – the world’s 11th largest auto supplier by sales – has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in a New York court. Like most auto suppliers, Lear has been hit hard by the collapse in new car sales, posting a net loss of $689.9 million last year. The company’s bankruptcy filing covers its operations in the United States and Canada.

With U.S. new car sales finally showing signs of bottoming out, Ford will follow through with its plan to increase production during the second half of the year. Ford announced earlier this year that it would boost third quarter production by 10 percent.

Some industry analysts have speculated that bankruptcies at Chrysler and General Motors could give the Michigan automakers an advantage over cross-town rival Ford – as they will be able to shed mountains of debt and liabilities – but Ford executive chairman Bill Ford says the company will be better positioned for future success than its Detroit rivals because of its lack of government intervention.

Yesterday, General Motors announced that it would bring former SBC and AT&T chief Edward Whitacre, someone with no automotive industry experience, to be its new Chairman when it emerges from bankruptcy. Whitacre, who is said to be a current Cadillac owner, successfully grew AT&T into the country’s largest telecom provider, but faces a daunting task with helping to turn GM around.

General Motors may be in the middle of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, but the Detroit-based automaker opened one of the most technologically advanced battery labs in the country earlier this week. Based in Warren, Michigan, the new plant intended to keep GM at the forefront of advanced battery technology.

Ford has been relatively quiet on the topic of bankruptcy over the last few weeks, but General Motors’ recent Chapter 11 filing has the Blue Oval finally speaking out. Although Ford was the only of the Big Three able to sidestep bankruptcy in recent weeks, some top Ford executives are concerned that that seeming advantage could quickly turn into a market disadvantage.

Though sales figures for May were generally down significantly across the board, now-bankrupt General Motors reported its best month all year and Ford says it reached its highest market share since 2006. Despite hefty incentives, Toyota saw a nearly 40 percent drop in sales compared to the same period last year.

Reeling from dramatically cut-back new automobile production, automotive industry supplier Visteon says it, along with a handful of its North American units, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Visteon’s $625 million in cash and short-term investments pales compared to its nearly $4 billion in total liabilities.