CHATTANAOOGA, TN-Volkswagen officials says they plan to begin hiring in early 2009 for their new plant in Tennessee. MORE

MOSCOW-Ford Motor is following the lead of Volkswagen and Renault in suspending production at some of its Russian assembly lines as demand in that emerging market lags along with that of the rest of the world. MORE

TOKYO- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to reduce the number of production days in every one of its North American plants in the coming weeks. MORE

WASHINGTON-Democratic leaders have predicted a $15 billion automaker bailout will pass Congress within the next two days, but a top Republican says disputes remain over a “deeply flawed” proposal. MORE

DETROIT-Supporters say the general perception of the Big Three and the UAW is not accurate, and that in Washington D.C. there is a double standard with respect to Detroit and Wall Street. MORE

CHICAGO-Reports are surfacing that Boeing is going to have to delay commercial delivery of its new 787 Dreamliner yet again. MORE

CHICAGO-Workers at Republic Windows are staging a sit-in over vacation and severance pay they say they are owed. The company told workers last Tuesday that Bank of America canceled Republic's line of credit and that they would be out of jobs by the end of the week. MORE

DETROIT-General Motors Corp. says it will lay off about 2,000 more factory workers early next year as the U.S. auto sales slump continues to wreak havoc on domestic automakers. MORE

LOS ANGELES-In an interview with Popular Mechanics magazine, comedian and car aficionado Jay Leno makes a pitch for the Big Three. “We’ve given the banks $700 billion. Does it seem like anything has actually happened with that money? No. But when a factory closes, boy, you’ll see the effect of that right away. You’ll see towns go under and you’ll see lives ruined. That town will never be a manufacturing center again.” MORE

TOKYO-Battered by falling sales, Honda says it can no longer afford to field a competitive racing team. MORE