Industry

As dealerships reopen, making sure customers — on edge due to the coronavirus — are confident their serviced cars are clean and germ-free has become a top priority. Antimicrobial treatments for vehicles have become increasingly popular at dealerships. In many instances, dealerships provide the cleaning for free. But in the past two months, antimicrobial treatments

Honda has said it is dealing with a cyber-attack that is impacting its operations around the world. “Honda can confirm that a cyber-attack has taken place on the Honda network,” the Japanese car-maker said in a statement. It added that the problem was affecting its ability to access its computers servers, use email and otherwise

For Fernando Varela, who has three Ford stores and a four-brand General Motors store in pickup-loving eastern Texas, “it’s going to be an interesting summer.” Varela said he anticipates a shortage of light trucks across the board, especially pickups, as factories ramp up production after a two-month shutdown because of the coronavirus. He estimated his

ATLANTA — This is a milestone year for Porsche: The German sports car maker famous for its wailing flat-six engine leapt into a silent future. U.S. deliveries of the Taycan, Porsche’s first battery-electric vehicle, ramped up early this year. Porsche reported about 350 Taycan sales through March in the U.S. Global demand for the Taycan

Wearing masks in public to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus has quickly become a staple in American life. Should it be common in automotive advertising, too? Donning masks is a polarizing issue in some circles, and it appears auto retailing is one of them. Ford has experienced this firsthand. Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director

Jeff Guyton picked an interesting time to move back to the U.S. from Europe to take over as president of Mazda North American Operations just more than 14 months ago. The brand’s first redesigned model under its new “premium” image — the compact Mazda3 sedan and hatchback — was headed toward a disappointing sales debut

Luxury carmaker Bentley has said it will cut 1,000 jobs in the UK, about a quarter of its workforce. The company, which makes its cars in Crewe, has offered all staff the chance to take voluntary redundancy. The move comes as the car industry faces a sharp drop in sales due to coronavirus. Bentley has

Mexico’s auto industry is scrambling to meet U.S. demand for supplier parts and high-demand vehicles after falling weeks behind in battling the coronavirus pandemic and restarting its manufacturing base. But to catch up, it must navigate both delicate economic conditions and steadily rising COVID-19 deaths. The challenges there, in America’s largest base of imported U.S.

Car dealership Lookers has announced it will cut up to 1,500 jobs with the closure of more showrooms in the UK. The company reopened its showrooms on Monday after the government lifted coronavirus lockdown restrictions. Luxury carmaker Aston Martin also announced 500 redundancies, a week after naming a new chief executive. It comes as the

Volvo Car USA rolled into the new decade propelled by a strong sales tailwind. In February, the Swedish automaker posted its 14th consecutive month of year-over-year growth in its second-largest market. Then, the coronavirus arrived and brought that momentum to an abrupt halt. Like his peers, CEO Anders Gustafsson is adjusting to what he describes

Media playback is unsupported on your device The UK’s largest car manufacturing plant is “unsustainable” if the UK leaves the European Union without a trade deal, owner Nissan says. The Japanese company’s global chief operating head told the BBC people had to understand the EU was the Sunderland factory’s biggest customer. Ashwani Gupta said that

If there was ever a time to test investors’ enthusiasm for the auto industry, it probably wouldn’t be right now. Health fears have flattened the car business, and they also haven’t been too nice to the stock market. But Trevor Milton doesn’t see it that way. Milton, the founder and CEO of Nikola Motor, a

Carlisle and Co. data from select automakers shows dealers are transporting more cars to the shop from customers’ homes. From February to mid-April:  Automaker with highest use: Pickup and delivery more than doubled, to 40% of repair ordersAutomaker with lowest use: Pickup and delivery more than doubled, to 7% of repair orders 

Flooding caused by two dam failures in the small town of Sanford, Mich., destroyed an irreplaceable collection of about 20 Pontiac Fieros just as the owner was preparing to sell them and retire. Fieros Forever, a small museum and shop dedicated to the midengine two-seater, was inundated May 19 by up to 10 feet of

TOKYO — The new strategy to put Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi back on their feet can be summed up by how the alliance told the listening world. The plan was laid out last week simultaneously by the three heads of the three carmakers, looped in from three locations in an international webcast conveyed in three

DETROIT — Before the coronavirus outbreak hit the U.S. in March, General Motors’ North American team had four major initiatives for the year: grow retail share, prepare for an electric vehicle future, improve dealer relations and enhance the customer experience. The crisis led to plunging sales, significant financial losses and a nearly two-month production shutdown.

British car manufacturing came to a screeching halt in April, down 99.7% against the same month last year. It was the lowest output since the Second World War, according to the industry body, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Just 197 premium and luxury sports vehicles rolled off factory lines, with 45 of those

Renault is cutting 15,000 jobs worldwide as part of a €2bn (£1.8bn) cost-cutting plan after seeing sales plunge because of the virus pandemic. “This plan is essential,” said interim boss Clotilde Delbos, who announced a bigger focus on electric cars and vans. Some 4,600 jobs will go in France, and Renault has said six plants

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the auto industry strained under the weight of billions of dollars in planned spending on new technology. The array of development projects, some with distant paydays, are often labeled as ACES — Automated, Connected, Electric and Shared vehicle technology. It now appears the global health crisis could prove fatal to

The motor trade is calling for the UK to introduce a car scrappage scheme to help jump-start the economy and replace older, more polluting models. It came as Scottish car dealers urged the Scottish government to follow England’s lead and let showrooms reopen in the first phase of easing lockdown. A £400m incentive was offered

Nissan’s UK factory in Sunderland will stay open as the Japanese carmaker carries out a global restructuring amid the coronavirus pandemic. It will close its factory in Barcelona with the loss of about 2,800 jobs after the firm plunged to a $6.2bn (£5bn) net loss in the last financial year. Nissan is cutting production and

It usually takes Beep about a month to launch its self-driving shuttles on a new route. Following a late-night phone call at the onset of the pandemic, the mobility operator implemented a new route in roughly a week to assist in the fight against COVID-19. Planning, mapping, testing and training were fast-tracked so Beep could

Struggling luxury UK carmaker Aston Martin has announced that chief executive Andy Palmer has stepped down. Tobias Moers is taking over from 1 August, with Keith Stanton filling the gap as interim chief operating officer. Mr Moers joins from Mercedes’ high-performance subsidiary AMG, where he is currently chief executive. Aston Martin was struggling before the

Iconic UK supercar maker and Formula 1 team McLaren plans to cut more than a quarter of its workforce after the coronavirus crisis hit demand. The firm employs around 4,000 people but 1,200 of those are to be made redundant, the vast majority in the UK. Motorsport events have been cancelled around the world by

It looked for a while as if Rivian might power through the pandemic crisis unfazed, with interest in the startup’s electric pickups and SUVs gaining momentum following the completion of a $1.3 billion investment round in December. After Ford Motor Co. said it was investing $500 million in Rivian last year, Ford kicked off 2020

The French government has announced an €8bn (£7.1bn) rescue plan for its car industry, which has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal includes €1bn to provide grants of up to €7,000 to encourage citizens to purchase electric vehicles. It also puts money toward investments to make France a centre for

John Lewis plans phased reopening of stores John Lewis is planning a phased reopening of its stores, using lessons it has learned on social distancing from the partnership’s Waitrose shops. Changes will include having a customer service host to monitor numbers inside and answer queries, and fewer entrances. John Lewis and other non-essential shops in

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many automotive manufacturers and suppliers are scrambling to develop risk management policies and procedures. While there are many critical unknowns, and circumstances change by the hour, it’s becoming increasingly clear that risk management isn’t just tied to business productivity or ticking regulatory boxes anymore. As we’ve learned, it

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is in talks with the government to secure a loan of more than £1bn, following a drop in sales during the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, the carmaker has been in discussions for weeks about a support package. JLR, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, has seen sales plunge by

Germany’s highest civil court has ruled that Volkswagen must pay compensation to a motorist who had bought one of its diesel minivans fitted with emissions-cheating software. The ruling sets a benchmark for about 60,000 other cases in Germany. The plaintiff, Herbert Gilbert, will be partially reimbursed for his vehicle, with depreciation taken into account VW