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Scott Painter, who founded used-vehicle subscription service Fair, said he is working to launch a new software-as-a-service platform to help subscription providers achieve scale and become profitable. Painter, who stepped aside as Fair’s CEO last year, said he has been quietly working since March on a new entity, NextCar Inc. NextCar will not be a

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. said on Friday it expects to sell 100,000 cars and trucks equipped with the company’s new hands-free driving system in the first full year of availability. The catch is, only the system hardware will be installed. The software will not be ready for nearly another year, Ford said. The automaker’s

Fisker Inc. said Thursday it completed a deal to go public by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, with the proceeds funding operations and development of its first electric vehicle through the start of production in late 2022. Shares of the combined company are expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange starting Friday

Tesla Inc. plans to add at least one new service center every week in 2021, website Electrek reported on Thursday, citing a source familiar with the matter. The report doesn’t specify which regions are targeted for the expansion, but the EV maker has been expanding its network of service centers and recharging network to keep

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday reported third-quarter net income of $2.4 billion and raised its full-year forecast even as it readies for a number of major product launches in the coming months. The automaker’s adjusted earnings before interest and taxes in the quarter more than doubled from the same period a year ago

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Wednesday posted net income of $1.4 billion in the third quarter, including a record profit in North America even as sales declined. The automaker, in one of its final earnings reports before its merger with PSA Group is scheduled to close early next year, said it earned an adjusted $3 billion

The latest attraction at Yellowstone National Park will have nothing to do with majestic mountains or gushing geysers. Beep, a Florida-based mobility-services operator, says it will deploy two autonomous shuttles at the park starting in May 2021. The pilot program will be operated in conjunction with the National Park Service and help provide transit in

Among dozens of lidar companies pioneering technology that helps autonomous vehicles perceive the road ahead, many can build prototypes that effectively function. Few have production contracts that pave the way toward mass production. Lidar startup AEye Inc. joined the ranks of the latter Tuesday. Global supplier Continental said it had acquired a minority share in

WASHINGTON/SEOUL –The U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday delayed a decision in a trade secrets case involving South Korean battery makers LG Chem and SK Innovation to Dec. 10. LG Chem, an EV battery supplier for Tesla Inc. and General Motors, filed its trade complaints against SK Innovation in April 2019 in the United States

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group are set to win European Union approval for their $38 billion merger to create the world’s No. 4 automaker, people close to the matter said. Following feedback from rivals and customers, the automakers only had to tweak the wording of their concessions to EU antitrust regulators, with no changes

SHANGHAI — With the coronavirus outbreak largely contained since March in China, the local market for new passenger vehicles and light trucks has sustained growth for five straight months. But there has been little to celebrate for American brands here. Except for Tesla, demand for U.S.-brand vehicles remains subdued, leaving many of their dealers struggling

Volvo Car USA’s newest crossover signals the next chapter of the Swedish automaker’s evolution. The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge P8, arriving in U.S. stores early next year, is the awkwardly named vanguard of a portfolio of emissions-free models. “Electrification by far is the highest priority in the company,” Volvo Car USA CEO Anders Gustafsson told

Motional and Lyft said their self-driving ride-share service in Las Vegas is resuming after the coronavirus pandemic paused operations earlier this year. Motional, the joint venture between Hyundai Motor America and Aptiv, was rebranded in August and is relaunching in alignment with COVID-19 guidelines. According to a statement from Motional on Thursday, 70 percent of

The streets of Miami and South Beach are filled with luxury and exotic vehicles. But few are Alfa Romeos.  Breaking into the chic market has been an uphill slog for dealers since the Italian brand’s U.S. return in 2014, and a group of Alfa Romeo dealers in the area have been working for more than

Daimler is slowly pulling back the curtain on how its line of Mercedes-Benz sports cars will evolve as the leading luxury-vehicle maker goes electric. CEO Ola Kallenius has dropped hints this month that Mercedes plans to challenge brands including crosstown rival Porsche by introducing plug-in performance models. He told German monthly Manager Magazin in an

STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s Autoliv, the world’s largest producer of airbags and seatbelts, reported higher than expected quarterly earnings on Friday as it returned to profit in the wake of a plunge in car production due to the pandemic. Autoliv reported a third-quarter operating profit of $175 million compared with a $154 million profit in the

Nissan North America is repositioning some senior leaders as the automaker works on a turnaround of the U.S. business. Two top executives will swap roles as part of the reorganization, Nissan told dealers Thursday in an email obtained by Automotive News. Nissan confirmed the moves, which take effect Nov. 1. Judy Wheeler, 58, will oversee

Penske Automotive Group Inc. reported Thursday that its third quarter was the most profitable quarter in company history, driven by big per-vehicle profit gains, higher finance-and-insurance income and lower costs. Penske, the second-largest new-vehicle retailer in the U.S., said third-quarter net income more than doubled to $247.6 million. Revenue fell 0.1 percent to $5.97 billion.

Tesla Inc. on Wednesday reported third-quarter net income of $331 million, extending its record streak of profitability to a fifth quarter as it aims to deliver half a million vehicles in 2020. The electric vehicle maker reported a 39 percent jump in revenue to $8.8 billion. It was aided by $397 million in regulatory credits

DETROIT — Hummer is back, and so is its six-digit price tag. For $112,595, the 2022 GMC Hummer Edition 1 unveiled Tuesday comes with underbody armor and cameras, a removable Infinity Roof and a battery range of more than 350 miles via three electric motors. Production of the Edition 1 is scheduled to begin in

The National Automobile Dealers Association elected Michael Alford as its next vice chairman, indicating he is likely to be the group’s chairman in 2022. Alford, 56, president of Marine Chevrolet-Cadillac in Jacksonville, N.C., was elected to the 2021 post during the association’s board meeting Tuesday — held virtually this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Canadian auto supplier Magna International Inc. named President Swamy Kotagiri. 51, as its next CEO, effective Jan. 1. The 21-year company veteran will replace Don Walker, 64, who will retire as CEO at the end of the year. “Given Swamy’s role in aligning the company’s strategy with the megatrends impacting new mobility and the ‘car

DETROIT — General Motors is expected to announce on Tuesday significant investments to expand production of electric vehicles at a factory in Spring Hill, Tenn., and potentially other sites. GM said in a statement Monday that it planned to make a “major U.S. manufacturing investment announcement” on Tuesday. The Detroit News reported that the automaker

SEOUL — Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors said on Monday that their third-quarter earnings would reflect quality-related costs amounting to a combined 3.36 trillion won ($2.94 billion). The costs would include additional provision expenses related to the South Korean automakers’ “Theta” engines, the companies said in separate regulatory filings. Hyundai Motor said a cost

Editor’s note: All dollar figures in this story have been translated from Canadian currency into U.S. dollars at current exchange rates. Unifor leaders on Sunday urged Fiat Chrysler Automobiles workers to ratify a tentative contract that includes pay raises, changes to the new-hire pay grid and plans from the automaker to invest between $1 billion

TOKYO — In the criminal trial of former Nissan director Greg Kelly here, testimony has painted a picture of Nissan officials going to extremes to avoid public scrutiny of Carlos Ghosn’s handsome executive compensation. According to testimony in the government’s case against the former human resources executive, a group of top brass — including a

The full-size Ford pickup, traditionally the top-selling U.S. pickup, also became the most stolen vehicle of 2019, according to a National Insurance Crime Bureau report. NICB’s “Hot Wheels: America’s Top Ten Most Stolen Vehicle Makes” measures theft data submitted by law enforcement to the National Crime Information Center. The Ford pickup moved to the top

TOKYO — Just as critics were wondering about the viability of General Motors’ fuel cell truck partnership with electric heavy-truck startup Nikola, two Asian competitors jumped headlong into the segment. This month, Hyundai and Toyota each unveiled plans to ramp up development and commercialization of hydrogen-fueled commercial vehicles to be launched from North America to

Billionaire Robert F. Smith has been hailed as a brilliant investor who built Vista Equity Partners into a private equity powerhouse and a generous philanthropist lauded for paying off the student debt of Morehouse College’s entire graduating class last year. But federal prosecutors undercut that image on Thursday, saying Smith concealed income and evaded taxes

Nikola Corp.’s CEO sees a path ahead for his company even if the embattled electric-truck startup is unable to come to terms with General Motors on a proposed strategic partnership. Talks between the two companies are ongoing, but if a tentative technology-sharing and manufacturing deal announced last month falls apart, Nikola will revert to a