Product, product, product -- that's the mantra that has ruled the auto industry since time immemorial. But today, it's more than a mantra.

Would you believe a Cadillac Escalade that gets 20 miles per gallon? The Escalade Hybrid is still a luxury SUV with a sumptuous interior and brazen "in-your-face" image.

More than 300 classic cars, restored muscle cars, trucks, hot rods, motorcycles and other vehicles will be on display at the 48th Annual World of Wheels Custom Car Show and Celebrity Showcase at

Chrysler's U.S. vehicle sales plunged 55 percent in January, while General Motors' tumbled 49 percent and Ford's dropped 40 percent, starting 2009 at an abysmal pace for the auto industry as lower sales to fleet buyers such as rental car companies weighed down the results.

DETROIT -- General Motors' U.S.

ROMULUS, Mich. -- Chrysler LLC sales chief Steven Landry said today that U.S. industry sales could drop as much as 35 percent in January to the lowest rate in 25 years.

NEW YORK -- General Motors Corp. says it will offer buyouts to all of its hourly employees as the troubled automaker continues to slash costs.

NEW YORK -- The Department of Justice says an online system allowing consumers to track a vehicle's detailed history, including whether it was stolen, will go live tomorrow.

There's only one thing that can keep Honda's new Insight front-wheel drive hybrid from becoming one of the most popular new cars around -- the economy, and that is beyond the company's control.

Finding a so-called "car czar" to oversee the $14.7 billion Big Three auto makers' bailout package will be tricky business.