DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. has suspended production and halted shipments of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup after a battery caught fire during a pre-delivery quality check.

Rivian Automotive Inc. is reducing its headcount by 6%, but sparing assembly line workers at its sole operational plant in Normal, Ill., from the cutbacks.

The U.S. manufacturing downturn deepened in January, fueled by a further pullback in orders and factory production.

U.S. manufacturing activity contracted for a second month in December, capping the steepest annual slide in the key factory gauge since 2008 and helping to further tame price pressures.

The Senate Finance Committee is launching an investigation into whether major automakers such as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Tesla Inc. are using parts made with forced labor from the Xinjiang region of China.

A trade dispute resolution panel sided with Mexico and Canada over the U.S. on rules for cars shipped across regional borders, potentially giving more incentive to make auto parts in those nations.

Orders placed with U.S. factories for business equipment rebounded in October, suggesting capital spending plans are holding up in the face of higher borrowing costs and broader economic uncertainty.

Stellantis NV has thousands of cars stuck at its Sochaux plant in eastern France as logistics problems that impacted the maker of Peugeot 3008 SUVs last quarter persist.

U.S. factory output rose in October by less than expected after downward revisions to prior months, suggesting manufacturing is losing some steam as domestic and global demand moderates.

U.S. factory production rose slightly in August as resilient business investment more than offset a pullback in the output of consumer goods, consistent with steady manufacturing activity.