Industry

IndiGO Auto Group of Houston, a growing luxury and performance dealership group that just added three stores in Northern California, is now wholly owned by Pon Holdings, a mobility and transportation conglomerate in the Netherlands. Todd Blue, indiGO’s founder and CEO, said Pon purchased an 80 percent stake in his then-10-store dealership group in October

The CEO of Uber apologized last week after comparing the death of a woman hit by one of the company’s self-driving vehicles to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia. The comments prompted some Twitter users to encourage a boycott of the ride-hailing company. Dara Khosrowshahi, when asked about the killing of Khashoggi

Amazon’s gargantuan fleet order of 100,000 electric delivery vans from Michigan-based startup Rivian will no doubt turbo-boost adoption of electric commercial vehicles. But the move, announced in September, simultaneously will amp up another fledgling business — the fleet-charging infrastructure industry. To power its planned battalion of battery-powered vehicles, Amazon likely will need to plow a

The UAW strike that halted General Motors production for 40 days could have a lingering effect on many suppliers in North America. It might also serve as a taste of things to come. Among those affected by the halt in GM shipments: American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc., Tenneco, Aptiv, Lear Corp., Nemak, Valeo, Faurecia

For FCA dealers in the U.S., news that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA have agreed to merge must be a bit like being told as an adult that your elderly, twice-divorced father is remarrying again. You wish him well — but realistically, his decision is not likely to affect you too much. Such is the

Over the last month, I, along with the rest of the world, have watched as fires rage across California. Even after California utilities implemented “public safety power shutoffs,” prevailing high winds continue to push fires throughout multiple counties in the state, prompting utilities to enforce the third round of power shutoffs this month. On the

Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz is to cut jobs with the aim of making more than €1bn (£840m) in savings by the end of 2022, its owner Daimler has said. The cuts – which reports say will lead to more than 1,000 jobs being lost – come as the carmaker faces challenges from new, tougher emissions targets.

FCA’s planned merger with PSA Group is a risky move, but it’s probably less risky than not doing it. For PSA, the deal looks like a no-brainer: It diversifies the company’s geographic portfolio — giving it entree to the lucrative U.S. market and a well-established dealer network — as it adds a strong brand in

Certified pre-owned vehicle sales are on track for a ninth-straight record year. An unprecedented number of vehicles are returning from leases. And overall used-vehicle retail sales are expected to climb in 2019 and 2020. It would all seem to add up to prime time for CPO programs. But with just more than 2.7 million sold

GREER, S.C. — With one exception, all of Mini’s 121 U.S. dealers are also BMW franchisees, reflecting BMW’s desire to keep its small-car brand within the family. That could change now. Mini’s new Americas boss, Michael Peyton, intends to take a more brand-agnostic approach with the line and says he is open to bringing non-BMW

DETROIT — Its president has stepped aside. One former vice president is headed to prison, and two of the three chief negotiators during 2011 contract talks are accused of taking sizable kickbacks. Five other ex-officials have pleaded guilty to corruption-related crimes. After two years downplaying the scandal as isolated misdeeds, the UAW is acknowledging the

To focus on the need to turn used-vehicle inventory quickly, Erich Gail likes to think about those cars as if they were fresh fruit. “When the oranges come off the truck on day one, they’re juicy and they’re ripe. They’re ready to go,” the CEO of Cardinale Automotive Group told Automotive News. “And every day,

DETROIT — The Tesla Model 3 has a 15-inch touch screen in the middle of the dashboard. Ford Motor Co. is planning to top that next year with a 15.5-inch screen available on the fourth generation of its Sync infotainment system. Sync 4 will offer over-the-air software updates, which could eliminate some of the trips

LAS VEGAS — One of the tenets of Lincoln’s reclamation is a focus on building interiors that feel like sanctuaries. The brand has found an ideal platform to push this messaging: Pinterest, a website that allows users to search for photos or videos and “pin” them on virtual boards showing their interests. The boards often

DETROIT — General Motors projects the cost of the UAW’s 40-day strike to be almost $3 billion, but the new labor pact that emerged from it takes the automaker one step closer to an electrified future. Executives said the four-year contract keeps GM competitive and allows the manufacturing flexibility needed as the market transitions to

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley made three trips across the Atlantic Ocean recently – one to Frankfurt, two to Paris – with a scrapped merger with Renault still fresh in his memory. On the other end of those excursions, according to a person familiar with the matter, awaited someone he considers a friend: PSA

50 with Toyota Jerry Schneider, fourth from left, dealer principal of Metro Toyota in Brook Park, Ohio, received a 50-year award from Toyota Motor North America. Also pictured are, from left, Marty Schneider, inventory control manager; Ken Schneider, general manager; Dan Schneider, used-car sales manager; Barry Greenfield, general sales manager; and Jim Greenfield, sales consultant.

LOS ANGELES — Not long ago, it looked like Guangzhou Automobile Group would be the first Chinese automaker to set up shop on U.S. shores. It had twice made appearances at the Detroit auto show, showing off SUVs under the Cobo Center lights and winning respect for its designs and quality credentials. Between those events,

TOKYO — At first glance, Mazda’s first mass- market electric vehicle, the MX-30, looks like neither an EV nor any of Mazda’s other models. The compact crossover unveiled at last month’s Tokyo Motor Show gets a long hood and slung-back cabin befitting something with cylinders up front rather than a petite electric motor. And in

Toyota is looking to tear a page out of Fiat Chrysler’s Mopar playbook by expanding its catalog of accessories and up-fits for its performance and off-road vehicles that can either be installed at the factory or through its network of dealers. The Japanese brand has had dealer accessories for several years, but through the recent

Nissan called its IMk EV concept a “little box,” but one that showcases the automaker’s next-generation plans for the crucial K-car segment of its Japanese home market. “The IMk is our vision for every day, every moment and every millimeter of life in Japan,” Nissan Senior Vice President for Global Design Alfonso Albaisa said when

Fiat Chrysler is to merge with Vauxhall’s owner PSA to create the world’s fourth largest car company. The two sides say they have yet to finalise all the details, but the 50-50 merger is expected to provide significant cost savings. That has raised concerns at Vauxhall, which employs 3,000 people in the UK, as it

By virtually every rule of finance, Tesla’s third-quarter numbers represented a step back. Its profit, revenue, operating margin and free cash flow were all lower than a year earlier. But, as everyone should know by now, Tesla doesn’t always follow the accepted rules of the auto industry. Neither does its stock, which jumped 18 percent

There was a time when Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak was a believer in fully autonomous vehicles. These robotic cruisers would read and react to the road like humans, he said, and wouldn’t need a steering wheel. Wozniak hoped Apple, which had been rumored over the years to be working on a self-driving car project,

The redesigned Toyota Yaris gets the company’s first application of a new platform for small cars that aims to spice up driving dynamics in the gas-sipping, utilitarian runabout. And on the outside, the next-generation Yaris sports expressive new looks for a peppy new persona, with large front air intakes, dramatic side creasing and flared rear

TOKYO — The auto show here is typically quirky and innovative. But like other once-global events, the Tokyo show is largely a regional one these days. But the biennial expo still serves the world’s third-largest auto market, and most of the big brands here are big players in North America, too. Automotive News Asia Editor

The hardball tactics started in an airport parking garage. Car owners arrived at Orlando International Airport expecting to hand keys to their vehicles to arriving guests, who had arranged to borrow them on the Turo car-sharing platform. Instead, they received citations for illegally operating businesses on airport property. A Turo executive who examined the rash

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has reported a quarterly profit after seeing a big boost to sales in China. The firm made a pre-tax profit of £156m in the three months to 30 September, with revenues up 8% to £6.1bn. Sales in China – a key market for car manufacturers – were up by nearly a

LOS ANGELES — Volvo Cars will create an electric version of its next XC90 and build it at its plant near Charleston, S.C., in 2022,  CEO Hakan Samuelsson told Automotive News last week. It will be the first electric Volvo to be American made and is expected to be the brand’s third battery-powered model. Starting

TOKYO — Just three years ago, when his competitors were already selling all manner of electric vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda finally ordered the startup of his company’s EV project. But he took a surprising approach. Toyoda asked its leaders to think like a startup. Funding wasn’t guaranteed, he told them: Make a