[naviga:h3]Trump signs GOP repeal of consumer banking rule[/naviga:h3]

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the repeal of a banking rule that would have allowed consumers to join together to sue their bank or credit card company to resolve financial disputes.

The president signed the measure at the White House in private. Journalists were not present to witness the signing.

The Republican-led Senate narrowly voted to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s regulation, which the banking industry had been seeking to roll back.

The Trump administration and Republicans have pushed to undo regulations they say harm the free market and lead to frivolous lawsuits.

Democrats contend the rule would have given consumers more leverage to stop companies from financial wrongdoing. CFPB Director Richard Cordray, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said in a statement that Trump had “signed away consumers’ right to their day in court.”

[naviga:h3]U.S. auto sales fall even with strong sales of trucks[/naviga:h3]

DETROIT — Increased demand from rental car companies, strong truck and SUV sales, and recovery from hurricanes in Florida and Texas weren’t enough to push U.S. auto sales into positive territory for October.

Sales for the month fell 1.3 percent compared with a year ago as slowing demand made it almost certain that 2017 will be the first year with declining sales in seven years.

Full-year sales almost certainly will fall below last year’s record of more than 17.5 million, although most analysts say demand is still healthy. Automakers reported selling 1.35 million vehicles for the month, according to Autodata Corp.

Ford, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen all reported gains for October on Wednesday, but Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Hyundai and others posted declines.

At Ford, sales rose 6 percent due to a big gain in F-Series pickup demand and an increase in sales to fleet buyers such as governments and rental car companies. Nissan sales were up 8 percent on record sales of the Rogue small SUV, which rose 43 percent.

[naviga:h3]Problems plague rollout of Tesla’s Model 3 sedans[/naviga:h3]

DETROIT — Tesla’s first attempt at high-volume production isn’t going as well as it hoped.

The electric carmaker’s $35,000 Model 3 sedan is the vehicle that could move Tesla from a luxury niche automaker and into the mainstream.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk promised that the Model 3, which has more than 500,000 potential buyers on its waiting list, would be simpler to make than Tesla’s previous vehicles and not plagued with the same delays. But the company produced just 220 Model 3s in the third quarter, far less than the 1,500 Musk promised.

And the problems will continue. Because of delays at its battery facility in Nevada, Tesla said it now expects to make 20,000 Model 3s per month by the end of the first quarter.