Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said Thursday it has placed its ratings for Stillwater Mining Co. on CreditWatch with negative implications, citing concerns about its possible loss of a contract with General Motors Corp.

China surpassed the United States as the world's biggest auto market for the first half of 2009 after June sales soared 36.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data reported Thursday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. auto parts maker Lear Corp <LEAR.PK> filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, a day after setting out plans to restructure its $3.6 billion debt burden under a proposed deal with creditors.

Struggling automotive parts supplier Lear Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday after receiving the support it needed from lenders and bondholders.

Automotive parts supplier Lear Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday after receiving support from lenders and bondholders to reorganize its struggling business.

U.S. auto parts maker Lear filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, a day after setting out plans to restructure its $3.6 billion debt burden under a proposed deal with creditors.

U.S. auto parts maker Lear Corp <LEAR.PK> filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, a day after setting out plans to restructure its $3.6 billion debt burden under a proposed deal with creditors.

Researchers are exploring the widely held belief that cars project personalities because they look like human faces when viewed head-on.

The extreme volatility that has gripped oil markets for the last 18 months has shown no signs of slowing down, with oil prices more than doubling since the beginning of the year despite an exceptionally weak economy.

The butterfly decals on the front bumper, flowers in the dashboard vase and lime-green paint job only confirmed Dennis Slice's perception of a Volkswagen Beetle parked in a lot at Florida State University.

Ford Motor Co. said its sales in China surged 14 percent in the first half of 2009, another positive sign for global automakers that are counting on China to drive revenues as they struggle in North America.

General Motors and Chrysler are closing 3,200 dealerships nationwide, and aren't doing any favors for recent automotive tech graduates looking for mechanic jobs. But fewer people buying new cars and trucks also means people are counting on their older vehicles to run reliably.

Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. has claimed the top spot in Canadian vehicle sales in June for the first time in 50 years, the company reported Thursday.

An attorney for General Motors urged a bankruptcy judge Thursday to approve the automaker's sale plan, saying that the only other alternative would be a liquidation of the company's assets.

Stocks capped their third straight down week with a sharp drop Thursday as a weak jobs report muzzled all the green-shoots talk and investors hunkered down. The Dow lost 1.9 percent this week.