Chrysler is within striking distance of a partnership with Fiat SpA, Greg Gardner and Justin Hyde report, after Chrysler and the Obama administration reached a debt-reduction deal and UAW members began voting on cost cuts. But bankruptcy remains a strong possibility Thursday if just one of the 46 debt-holders balks at the deal. Dealers also are resisting a push to shrink their ranks.

Apple's answer to the netbook may be a device that will be a kind of miniature tablet computer, Troy Wolverton reports. Like the iPhone, it will be able to access the Internet over cell phone data networks; wireless carriers would subsidize the retail price.

An internal memo reveals that Procter & Gamble is restructuring its beauty and grooming division to make a greater play for men consumers and could develop new products for high-end retailers, salons and spas, Ellen Bryon reports.

Häagen-Dazs' brand manager Ching-Yee Hu tells Elaine Wong in a Q&A that the marketing strategy behind the launch of its new brand, Five, is "no gimmicks, no bull, just truth, the real pure stuff." It is using SheSpeaks word-of-mouth sampling parties to get the product to consumers, and finds the feedback it collects from them useful. Hu says she thinks of the ideal consumer for the brand in psychographic terms. "They look for high quality products and would rather have a smaller amount of something that tastes great.... They really see natural, wholesome foods as better, pure and …

American Express' efforts to ensure that its customers are credit-worthy may be fiscally sound, but they have been a PR nightmare. L.A. Times consumer columnist David Lazarus has been following the impact of the program on card members, which he characterizes as turning the screws on long-standing customers. Some readers have told Lazarus that AmEx has demanded that they send in copies of their federal tax returns if they want to keep their accounts -- a practice he thought was a scam but that a spokesperson confirmed is true in "isolated cases." "American Express is a …

The American Association of Advertising Agencies has officially ditched its jaw-breaking name for its more commonly used acronym, the 4As, Rupal Parekh blogs. President-CEO Nancy Hill also told attendees at the 4As Leadership Conference in San Francisco that going forward the event will be merged with the 4As Media Conference and that events will be held in cities rather than at fancy resorts. Hill says the former name reflected the organization's history of focusing solely on the business of American ad agencies. It is opening up membership to international agencies, and will also offer membership to educational institutions …

MillerCoors is replacing Anheuser-Busch InBev as the domestic beer sponsor at Toyota Park, where Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire play. The focal point of the two-year deal is an all-you-can-eat-and-drink pavilion that will be restricted to fans who buy multi-game or season ticket packages in the stadium's south side, Mary Ellen Podmolik and Mike Hughlett report. The deal is with the venue and not the team because A-B is the official beer sponsor of MLS. The man behind the marketing is Dave Greeley, the former CMO of the Chicago Bears who was appointed Chicago Fire president in August. …

InBev, the Belgian company that bought Anheuser-Busch last fall, has cut jobs, revamped the compensation system, dropped longstanding perks for managers and told vendors that it wants to take up to 120 days to pay bills, David Kesmodel and Suzanne Vranica report. It also has begun making drastic changes in its relationships with ad agencies, sports teams and TV companies. Relying on research commissioned before the merger, new management believes changing demographics and media habits no longer require spending as much on mainstream sports events watched most heavily by men aged 21 to 40. It recently told NBC it …