Trade News

SUVs cause more severe injury to bicyclists than cars, a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows.

The tall front end of SUVs can strike bicyclists higher on their bodies above the center of gravity. This results in riders getting knocked down, where they can be run over, rather than being thrown onto the hood of the vehicle, said IIHS statistician Sam Monfort, the lead author of the study.

The study analyzed data from 71 Michigan bicycle crashes that involved a single SUV or car and a bicyclist age 16 or older. The severity of injuries inflicted by cars and SUVs was compared using the Abbreviated Injury Scale — which assesses injuries by body region — and the Injury Severity Score, which combines injuries from different regions into an overall assessment.

Ground-impact injuries were twice as common on SUV crashes, the study showed. Trauma to the body was 55 percent higher for SUVs than for cars. Scores for head injuries inflicted by…

Andrew Wareing, a 24-year Nissan veteran, takes over as purchasing boss for the Japanese automaker's Americas region starting May 1.

Wareing, 53, will oversee purchasing for Nissan's operations in the region, including vehicle assembly and engine manufacturing plants in the U.S., Mexico and South America.

He will also oversee supplier quality assurance, purchasing project management and supplier relations.

Wareing is currently regional vice president of purchasing for Nissan in Africa, the Middle East, India, Europe and the Oceania region.

The executive started his career with the automaker as a buyer at the Nissan Motor Manufacturing plant in Sunderland, England.

Wareing succeeds Hiroshi Izumiyama in the role. A Nissan spokesperson was unable to share specifics about Izumiyama's next assignment.

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Global said on Thursday that it is working with Chinese carmakers to develop its own robotaxis, which it aims to put into service by 2025, revealing a concept one with robotic arms it called "Didi Neuron."

The company said that it is collaborating with multiple new energy carmakers in China on developing robotaxis.

"We hope they can enter Didi's network and provide services by 2025," Didi Autonomous Driving COO Meng Xing said at a company event that was livestreamed online.

"We hope they will be domestically produced. We hope the supply chain is controllable, and even 90% of the key components inside can be domestically produced," he said.

He also showed off a robotaxi concept car called "Didi Neuron", with robotic arms that can help passengers pick up luggage.The blue and white vehicle had no driver's seat, maximizing space for passengers.

Didi also announced a lidar sensor and a car computing device at the event…

SHANGHAI -- The Shanghai auto show is around the corner. But only a small number of global automakers have disclosed what they will exhibit at the event. 

Is it because they are unprepared for the Chinese market’s rapid shift toward electric vehicles or do they want to keep consumers waiting until the last minute?

Only six international brands have disclosed what they plan to show, signaling they aim to impress local audiences with new EV models. 

The Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV, an ultraluxury full-electric utility vehicle, will make its global debut at the Shanghai auto show, Mercedes-Benz said this week. 

The new electric EQE crossover, and the redesigned, long-wheel-base version of the GLC crossover, will also be revealed for the first time in China.

Two new models under the Toyota brand’s bZ series of EVs will be exhibited for the first time globally. 

The two EVs will be rolled out in the Chinese market…

Nissan's U.S. sales to rental companies swung skyward in the new year, despite tight retail supply and a vow to dial down the fleet business.

The automaker's first-quarter fleet sales surged 83 percent to 67,577, compared with a 36 percent increase for the overall industry, per TrueCar estimates based on data through mid-March.

TrueCar forecasted Nissan's fleet penetration to be the second highest among major manufacturers after Stellantis in March and above the industry average of 16 percent.

Nissan said the higher Q1 fleet volumes were to meet its contractual obligations with commercial customers.

"There's always some seasonality in the industry as fleets stock up for the busy spring [and] summer seasons," spokesman Brian Brockman told Automotive News.

But the uptick is raising eyebrows among dealers, some of whom say they have a less than 30-day supply of the entry-priced models that fleets like, such as the Sentra, Kicks and Versa.

Bob Loquercio Auto Group has expanded with the addition of three dealerships in Peoria, Ill.

CEO Bob Loquercio and his namesake group on April 5 purchased O'Brien Lexus of Peoria, O'Brien Toyota of Peoria and O'Brien Ford of Peoria from Joe O'Brien of O'Brien Auto Team, Loquercio confirmed to Automotive News.

The dealerships, in central Illinois, were renamed Peoria Toyota, Lexus of Peoria and Ford of Peoria. Loquercio said his brother, Anthony Loquercio, also purchased an undisclosed stake in the Peoria Ford store.

Bob Loquercio said the group's first Lexus store will get updated, with construction expected to begin in December.

April's acquisition makes 14 franchised stores and one used-car store in Illinois and Indiana for the group, Bob Loquercio said. He said he has several other dealerships under consideration to purchase but didn't share specifics.

"We're in growth mode," Loquercio said. "We're looking to expand our footprint."

Lidar maker Ouster is suing China's Hesai Group for patent infringement and wants the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate the company for illegally importing technology based on five of Ouster's lidar patents.

Ouster filed its complaint with the USITC against rival lidar maker Hesai and its related entities on Wednesday.

San Francisco-based Ouster also filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Hesai in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, seeking monetary damages and an import ban against the company's lidars.

"What we've filed is a preliminary step, a request with the ITC to consider our case," Ouster co-founder and CEO Angus Pacala told Automotive News. "Ouster's goal is to seek a ban of the infringing products in the United States, this is the first step in a series of steps to ultimately reach that goal."

Ouster wants the commission to issue a limited exclusion order and a cease-and-desist order against Hesai …

"Winning is important. [But] the winning part is about serving the customer. It's not about gaining the accolades or 'I sold X amount'; it has nothing to do with that. It has to be about serving the customer. But you'll never make them a customer if they say no to you. If they leave, they're gonna go somewhere else and become someone else's customer. That's why we're passionate about this. I feel like we have to dig in and figure out how to overcome objections. They've been talking about it forever on the variable side, and some of the most talented people in the dealership overcome objections every day as part of their daily ritual. Let's get those people together, and let's start working together and have our sales managers teaching our advisers to overcome objections. Let's talk about our finance managers and finance directors teaching our advisers, working with them." — Michael Barich, service and parts trainer and coach, on the "WTF: What the Fixed Ops?!" podcast,…

The 2024 Acura Integra Type S will go on sale in June offering performance enthusiasts distinct and aggressive styling as well as 320 hp from a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine.

The engine is the same one used in the Honda Civic Type R, but with 5 more horsepower thanks to center-mounted exhaust outlets on the redesigned rear fascia. Both performance variants offer 310 pound-feet of torque and come with a six-speed manual transmission only.

The Integra Type S positions performance and design at the gateway to the Acura brand and, despite significant performance enhancements, does not compromise on daily driving characteristics, said Emile Korkor, assistant vice president of Acura National Sales.

Compared with the standard Integra, the Type S increases output by 120 hp and 118 pound-feet of torque. Its stance is 2.8 inches wider. And it has a reworked front fascia with a larger diamond-shaped grille and vented aluminum hood for improve…

The EPA has unveiled its strictest-ever limits on vehicle tailpipe pollution, a move that could spur greater sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. Capital One stops car dealer floorplan lending. And Hyundai Motor North America’s Olabisi Boyle talks about the automaker’s growing service to help customers become more energy independent.

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Tesla Inc. has parlayed price cuts into a formidable lead over its luxury competitors in the first quarter of 2023.

The Austin, Texas-based automaker's first-quarter sales volume surged 55 percent from last year, and it sold more than double the volume of No. 2 BMW.

But the segment's historic favorites are fighting back against the new front-runner with their own fleets of electric vehicles.

Mercedes-Benz's EV sales have more than quadrupled in the first three months. The brand's four EQ-branded models accounted for 9.7 percent of sales in the first quarter, including vans.

EV "product is driving momentum," Mercedes-Benz USA sales boss Senol Bayrak told Automotive News on Wednesday. "We have now a full lineup of these cars available — from SUV to sedan."

To boost EV adoption, Mercedes will launch a six-week marketing campaign starting April 22. The Mercedes EQE SUV, which debuted last month, will be the centerpiece of the blitz.

Mea…

LANSING — Michigan will give companies $410 million to open two electric vehicle battery plants following approval of transfers by a legislative panel on Wednesday.

The Democratic-led Senate Appropriations Committee authorized the subsidies for Ford Motor Co. ($210 million) and Novi-based Our Next Energy Inc. ($200 million) on 15-4 votes.

They did not vote on a $175 million package for Gotion Inc., a Chinese company with a U.S. headquarters in Silicon Valley, and The Right Place, a Grand Rapids-based economic development organization supporting the Gotion project.

Ford's factory will be in Marshall, Mich., ONE's in Wayne County's Van Buren Township.

The Michigan Strategic Fund board previously approved the aid, part of broader incentives packages for the multibillion-dollar plants, but final legislative authorization was needed to transfer money within the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund. The House budget panel gave its blessing, in…