Automakers in North America built 1,449,400 light vehicles in April, rising 8.0% above same-month 2017 after a slow first quarter. The catalyst was light-truck production, which soared 17.8% to 1,013,567 units, while car output contracted 9.5%. Assembly plants in the U.S. built 980,048 light vehicles, an 11.6% improvement over 2017’s 878,426, which was down 15.4% from the previous year. Car output ticked up 0.7% to 265,826 units, the first year-over-year increase in 17 months. ...