The auto company shut down most of its facilities for the summer, but the Hamtramck assembly plant remained open, for employees like Leblanc to get the Volt rolling.

VOA: standard.2010.07.30

Grand larcenies are down 48%, auto thefts are down 24% and felony assaults dropped 31%, department figures show.

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Plus, the Commerce Department reported that retail sales fell 0.5% in June, the second straight monthly decline, with auto sales down 2.3%.

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So far, core has been held down by auto pricing and corporate willingness to hold prices and margins down in the U.S. The coming slowdown in profit growth may cause multi-nationals to push through U.S. price increases.

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