Call this the long overdue Spring sales surge for the pick-up truck.

It may not be sexy, but the importance for automakers and the U.S. economy cannot be overstated.

"Housing is beginning to improve, and that's fueling our pick-up sales," said Kurt McNeil, Vice President of U.S. Sales for General Motors.

In April, the big 3 all saw big sales for their pick-ups.

• Ram Trucks up 49%
  
• Ford F-Series up 24%
  
• GM Pick-ups up 23%

After posting strong profit growth quarter after quarter for much of the last two years, Chrysler saw earnings growth slow last quarter.

The lower profit was expected as Chrysler shipped fewer vehicles, handled higher costs due to the launch of new models, and saw its mix of sales shift more toward less profitable cars.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk admits his company can do a better job taking care of its customers and their Tesla vehicles. So the electric car company is beefing up its service business by making the warranty on its battery packs "unconditional" while also offering new services to Model S owners who need work done on their car.

"I think our service is OK, but not great and it needs to be great," said Musk during a conference call with reporters. "This is not about having OK service or good service it's really about the perspective, what is the service and warranty program that you wish you could have from any carmaker?"

The Department of Transportation wants automakers to limit their in-car communication systems in an effort to curb distracted driving accidents.

On Tuesday, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration announced new guidelines it wants auto companies to follow as they develop in-car communication systems. NHTSA recommendations are designed to limit how long a driver takes their eyes off the road to no more than two seconds at a time.

"I think people using cell phones while driving is dangerous," said Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation. "These guidelines are based on the best data and best information we have."

Tuesday afternoon at the Hongqing Anfu Ford Dealership in Chongqing, China and the SUV showroom is buzzing. A steady stream of potential buyers are looking at the Ecosport CUV and Kuga SUV.

"I like how big it is," said one buyer after he opened the rear gate of a Kuga.

He's not alone. China has fallen hard for utility vehicles. Last year, sales of sports utility vehicles jumped 20.8 percent, outpacing the overall auto sales rate in the U.S.

"The people want to sit up high, see the road, have the spirit of adventure" said Wesley Liu, who oversees Changan Ford dealerships in China.

China, once a major weakness for Ford, is expected to generate 40 percent of the automakers annual sales by the end of the decade. The projection means China will likely pass the United States as Ford's largest market by 2020.

"I am spending more and more time, and our team is spending more and more time, in China," said Alan Mulally, Ford CEO. "We feel really good about our diversity and our position in china."

As Ford gears up for the Shanghai Auto Show later this week Mulally believes it has found the formula for winning in China: tapping the booming markets of inner China while also rapidly expanding the number of models for sale.

"We are the fastest growing brand [in China]. We are doubling our production capacity. We are bringing in all the Ford vehicles now," said Mulally.

A quarter of the way through 2013, Volkswagen is moving closer to its near-term goal of selling 10 million vehicles annually.

The German company, which finished last year as the third largest automaker in the world, is in position to overtake General Motors in global sales this year—and should close the gap with Toyota for the title of number one in the world.

Still, VW Board Member Christian Klingler sounded a cautious tone about weakness in European auto markets. "The data for March clearly show that the markets are becoming even more difficult," said Klingler.

Despite lackluster sales of fully electric and extended range electric cars, President Obama is doubling down on his support for developing more energy efficient vehicles.

The President's proposed budget for 2014 calls for $575 Million for the Energy Departments vehicle research budget. If approved that would represent a 75 percent increase. The proposal comes as Fisker Automotive, an electric car company that still owes $193 million to the Energy Department, is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Fisker's financial and political problems have become symbolic of how the Obama administration has struggled to jump-start the use of electric vehicles in America.

(Read More: Fisker Fires Most of Its Rank-and-File Employees)

Ford and its Indian advertising agency have apologized for ads showing women in bondage and admitted that they should never have been created at all.

One of the ads for the Ford Figo subcompact car show caricatures of three scantily clad women gagged, bound, and crammed into the back of the Figo while Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi looks back from the front seat, smiling and giving the "peace sign." The tag line at the bottom of the ad says, "Leave Your Worries Behind."

Another ad with the same tag line shows a caricature of Paris Hilton winking while the Kardashian sisters are gagged and bound in the back of the Figo.

Ford's advertising agency WPP admitted the ads should never have been created.

It may be an exaggeration to say the minivan is dead, but make no mistake it has been dispatched to the land of niche vehicles. Need proof? Back in 2000, Americans bought 1.37 million minivans and they made up 7.9 percent of all auto sales. Today, the minivan is just 3 percent of total auto sales in the U.S.—and just over 500,000 were sold last year.