Stocks finished lower Wednesday despite a late comeback attempt as the weight of disappointing economic news and a weak Treasury auction dragged down major indexes.

Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday its electric vehicles will be affordable, setting sights on the potentially lucrative market with a plan to mass produce zero-emission cars globally from 2012.

In addition to the recession, and the bankruptcies of Chrysler and General Motors, a new threat has appeared in the rearview mirror. Many smaller automakers are gaining a bigger share of the market, most notably Hyundai and Kia.

As Honda reaches its 50th anniversary in the U.S., new challenges confront the automaker.

There’s an almost palpable lack of confidence that General Motors  will exit bankruptcy as a leaner, meaner, stronger company. However, the game plan is basically to envision the New General as a sort of American Toyota, with a tidy lineup of brands to manage and an appealing fleet of economical, fuel-efficient vehicles to sell. Sedans and small, gas-sipping cars will be the future, not the fuel-chugging trucks and SUVs that got GM in trouble.

With General Motors about to follow Chrysler into bankruptcy, the nation’s ability to bounce back from the steep recession is being hobbled, the New York Times reports.