PARIS—Fiat Chrysler proposed on Monday to merge with France’s Renault to create the world’s third-biggest automaker (worth $40 billion) and combine forces in the race to make electric and autonomous vehicles.

DEARBORN, MI—Ford Motor Co. said Monday that it is laying off about 7,000 managers and other salaried employees, about 10 percent of its white-collar workforce across the globe, as part of a restructuring plan designed to save the number two automaker $600 million annually.

HUNTSVILLE, AL—A pair of Japanese automotive parts manufacturers have announced plans to build new factories in northern Alabama to supply the Mazda Toyota joint-venture assembly plant under construction here. Together, the facilities are expected to employ 780 people.

VALENCIA, Spain—Autonomous vehicles from Ford are still a few years away, but one little robot is already showing what’s possible.

LORDSTOWN, OH—General Motors Co. is in discussions to sell its idled assembly plant here to Workhorse Group Inc., a manufacturer of electric vehicles.