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News watch March 2011: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Thursday 31 March 2011• US President Barack Obama has strated all US government cars and trucks purchased from 2015 must be alternative-fuel vehicles (Automotive News)• Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has denied a report in Japan's Nikkei newspaper that he is leaning towards a formal merger of Nissan and Renault (Reuters)• Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne says that Chrysler's share IPO may now take place in 2012, depending on financial progress this year (Bloomberg)Wednesday 30 March 2011• Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called a report that the EV carmaker is a takeover target 'bad analysis' and remains confident the firm will stay independent (Bloomberg)• The BBC denies that it rigged a December 2008 Top Gear TV test of the Tesla Roadster, in response to being sued by the EV carmaker (BBC News)• First Group, the UK's largest public transport operator, has announced a £160m investment in new buses, ordering 955 new buses from UK manufacturers Wrightbus and Dennis over the next two years (BBC News)• Japanese production woes look set to continue into April. Toyota expects the majority of Toyota and Lexus production on 14 April (Automotive News)• Saab production has re-started again, following a half yesterday afternoon.

BBC 5 LIVE INVESTIGATES OUTSTANDING FINANCE ON USED CARS

BBC 5 Live Investigates has reported that unwitting used car buyers are being chased for large sums of money, owed on loans taken out by previous owners. Leading vehicle information expert HPI has warned consumers to be vigilant on the risks of finance fraud and get protection with the HPI Check. The report suggested that car owners raising finance with logbook loans secured on their vehicles are selling the vehicles before settling their accounts, which is leaving buyers at risk of losing their cash - and the car.

Lincoln is promised a unique line

Lincoln vehicles will be dramatically different from Ford brand products, Ford Motor Co. executives said last week. "The strategy isn't just new products, but full differentiation from the Ford brand in not only design but in technology," Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of global product development, told a group of auto analysts at the Detroit auto show.