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If the outlooks from the two auto companies are anything to go by, GM looks set to be winning the race for the year.

Some of the world’s most conservative companies are starting to experiment with cleaner fuels and cutting-edge technologies to meet new standards starting next year that mandate steep cuts of sulfur emissions from oceangoing ships.

U.S. factory production expanded in December by the most in 10 months, ending the year stronger than expected thanks to a surge in motor-vehicle output and gains across a range of other goods.

Tesla, recognizing as imperative its ability to produce a cheaper electric car, told employees Jan. 18 that it must cut 7% of its workforce.

Propelled by the shale-oil boom, the U.S. is already producing more crude than either Russia or Saudi Arabia, who until recently vied for the top spot. By midyear America will go one better.

Volvo Group Venture Capital AB, a subsidiary of Volvo Group, announced it has invested an undisclosed amount in Momentum Dynamics Inc., which provides high-power wireless charging systems for the automotive and transportation industries.

Characterizations of Andrew Wheeler’s tenure as acting administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fell mostly along party lines during his confirmation hearing to lead the agency

Oil retreated below $52 a barrel as data showing record U.S. crude production suggested markets may remain oversupplied despite output cuts by OPEC and its allies.

LAS VEGAS — Nikola Motor Co. founder and CEO Trevor Milton said two key customers — private fleet Anheuser-Busch Cos. and truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises — will begin fleet tests of Nikola’s zero-emisssions hydrogen-electric Class 8 trucks by the end of the year, as the first shoots of the necessary fueling infrastructure are emerging in Phoenix.

Oil rose amid estimates of another decline in U.S. crude inventories and signs that China is stepping up efforts to combat an economic slowdown.