For some reason there has been quite a flurry of auto headlines recently. Most of these are good news, so it seemed reasonable to gather a list.

1. Ford to Hire 7,000 to Help Make Electric, Hybrid Cars - Ford manufacturing jobs typically have a high multiplier for the economy at large (directly for suppliers, indirectly through simple economic activity multipliers).

2. Toyota Plans Higher Output as VW Targets Top Spot - This also directly translates to Brazilian, Chinese, American, Japanese, and German jobs. Toyota will be opening a new plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi.

3. Marchionne Wants Chrysler Group to Pay Back U.S., Canada Loans This Year - This is a little more positive than the AP article I found today, but reducing debt via any means is a good thing for Chrysler. Also, It looks like Fiat has boosted their Chrysler holdings.

4. Honda `Aging Champion’ Civic Seeks Revival Amid Hyundai Rivalry - I just wanted to find more car news links, but I am a bit of a Honda fan. If I bought a vehicle with four wheels, it would likely be a Honda.

5. Mercedes Designer Goes `Off the Charts’ to Draw Younger Buyers - I admit to scraping the bottom of the barrel with this link, but the first three links were really good. And this list looks quite impressive with 5 links.

It is my wife’s birthday, and it is time for ice cream cake.