Trade News

What had been a felony grand larceny and forgery case against a former Fuccillo Automotive Group executive has become a misdemeanor petty theft affair.

Joseph Pompo, 33, who had once been accused of stealing more than $1 million from the group, entered an Alford plea to a single count of petit larceny on Oct. 24. Sentencing is set for Feb. 15, 2023.

Jefferson County, N.Y., Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Nielsen said she couldn't comment on the case until sentencing.

Under an Alford plea, a defendant officially declares themselves to be not guilty while pleading guilty, according to Syracuse University law professor Todd Berger. The prosecution must present some evidence supporting its case before the judge can accept such a plea, Berger said.

Pompo, Fuccillo Automotive's former corporate director of finance, tax, finance-and-insurance operations and reinsurance, was arrested in February 2021 on suspicion of first-deg…

Longtime Georgia dealer Jim Ellis, founder of his namesake auto group, died Friday at his Duluth, Ga., home, just weeks after his son Jimmy Ellis, the company's CEO, died, the Ellis family said.

Jim Ellis was 90. No cause of death was shared.

All Jim Ellis Automotive locations will close Wednesday for his funeral, according to posts on the company's website and Facebook page.

"Mr. Ellis leaves behind a lasting legacy as a Christian, business leader, friend and servant in the Atlanta community and in the automotive industry," the family wrote in a statement. "Little did he know that his sacrifice 51 years ago, putting all he had on the line to open a Volkswagen dealership in Chamblee, would pay off in a way that would provide jobs for almost 1,700 Atlanta-area residents and result in millions of dollars contributed to people in need in metro Atlanta communities."

Born Jan. 5, 1932, Jim Ellis worked a range of jobs in his younger years, including in…

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin is urging the U.S. Treasury Department to prevent companies from using loopholes to bypass stringent eligibility rules in the Inflation Reduction Act's electric-vehicle tax credits.

In a letter sent Monday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Manchin asked that the tax credit for commercial EVs is implemented in "a manner that strengthens domestic manufacturing while ensuring economic and national security" and that it does not allow companies to "cheat the system."

The West Virginia Democrat pointed to public comments submitted by some automakers and foreign governments last week asking for a broad interpretation of the commercial EV tax credit that would allow rental cars, leased vehicles and ride-hailing vehicles such as those used by Uber and Lyft to qualify for the full $7,500 commercial credit, known as 45W.

If allowed, Manchin argued, companies could then effectively bypass sourcing and assembly requirements in the tax…

TOKYO – Mazda will step up its electrification efforts in the U.S. by introducing the CX-90 crossover as a performance plug-in hybrid tailored to American driving needs.

The large-size utility vehicle, positioned as a replacement for the CX-9, makes its world premiere in January as a 2024 model year, Mazda North America said Tuesday.

The CX-90 will be Mazda's first nationally available electrified vehicle, the company added. It plays a critical role in moving the brand's image upmarket as it dives deeper into electrification.

"This all-new e-Skyactiv powertrain, tuned specifically for the North American market, will provide customers with the best of both worlds in terms of performance and efficiency," Mazda said, emphasizing the offering's chops as a "performance-oriented" plug-in hybrid.

The three-row CX-90 will be followed by the two-row CX-70. Both play a critical role in fleshing out Mazda's offerings in large cr…

General Motors CEO Mary Barra talks about securing GM’s EV battery supply chain, new tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, and her thoughts on the state of autonomous vehicles. Plus, a plant that builds the Jeep Cherokee will shut down, but might still have a future. And the strike at a key automotive insulation supplier ends.

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Toyota's C-HR subcompact crossover, which has been sold in North America since the 2018 model year, will be discontinued in 2023 in the U.S. and Canada.

The automaker said the Corolla Cross subcompact crossover and RAV4 compact crossover will become alternatives to the C-HR after the 2022 model year.

The C-HR, a blend of crossover and hatchback, was aimed primarily at younger buyers and was a key gateway to Toyota's light-truck lineup.

"We are constantly evaluating our product lineup and we remain committed to the compact SUV segment," Toyota said in a statement. "With the recent introduction of the Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross Hybrid, two great products that offer a great combination of utility and efficiency, and the best-selling RAV4, we are providing multiple options for compact SUV buyers."

Despite the C-HR bowing out of the U.S. and Canada, a new plug-in hybrid version will be sold in Europe, Toyota announced this month.

U.S. sales…

WASHINGTON — Only two out of 15 vehicles in the small crossover category earned an overall "good" rating in the first frontal crash test in the U.S. to include a rear dummy, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Tuesday.

The 2022-23 Ford Escape, built after May, and the 2021-23 Volvo XC40 were the only vehicles to earn a "good" rating in the institute's updated moderate overlap front evaluation.

The more challenging crash test adds a dummy representing a small woman or 12-year-old child positioned in the second row behind the driver. It also uses new metrics focusing on the injuries most frequently seen in rear-seat passengers.

The 2021-23 Toyota RAV4 earned an "acceptable" rating, while the Audi Q3, Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester from those model years earned a "marginal" rating.

Vehicles that earned a poor rating are the:

• 2021-22 Buick Encore

• 2021-23 Chevrolet Equinox

• 2021-22 Honda CR-V

• 2021-22 Hon…

About 270 union workers at an Autoneum plant in Bloomsburg, Pa., reached an agreement last week with the Swiss automotive insulation supplier, ending a nearly weeklong strike by Local 1700.

Chief among worker complaints was Autoneum's position that workers pay 5 percent more of their health care costs outside of usual yearly increases. In a new four-year contract that was approved 223-56, costs for the top tier insurance plan will stay the same for the next two years.

In addition, workers will make $1 more a hour, retroactive to May 15, Fox 56 in Pennsylvania reported Friday.

Further details about terms of the contract were not available on Monday.

Autoneum works with almost every major automaker, including General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, according to its website. The Bloomsburg plant had received awards from Toyota in 2011, Ford in 2014 and GM in 2021.

GM told Automotive News last week the strike had not affected its operations.

Megaretailer Asbury Automotive Group Inc. divested nine dealerships on Dec. 5, selling the North Carolina stores to Hudson Automotive Group of Charleston, S.C., according to Hudson President David Hudson.

Representatives from Asbury Automotive didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Hudson told Automotive News that his company bought six dealerships from Asbury in Greensboro, N.C., representing the Acura, BMW, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, Honda, Nissan and Volvo brands. A collision shop and parking lot in that city were included in the transaction. Hudson Automotive also acquired Dodge-Ram and Ford stores in Fayetteville, N.C., from Asbury, plus a Honda store in Durham, N.C. Asbury had operated the dealerships under its Crown Automotive regional brand.

Hudson said company leaders are excited about the new locations, describing the stores' franchises as great brands in a great market. The transaction gives Hudson Automotive its first BMW and Volvo st…

Ford Motor Co. may have saved its best special edition GT for last.

The automaker is ending the third-generation supercar's production run with a hyper-limited 2023 GT Mk IV track-only variant boasting 800 hp and a $1.7 million price tag.

Ford will make just 67 Mk IVs, an homage to the original 1967 Mk IV track car. As is the case will all GTs, the Mk IV will be hand-built by supplier Multimatic in Canada.

"Multimatic's brief was to create the most extreme final version of the Ford GT, and the Mk IV is the outcome," Larry Holt, executive vice president at Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations Group, said in a statement. "A unique larger displacement engine, proper racing gearbox, stretched wheelbase and truly radical body has resulted in an unprecedented level of performance. We are proud to have been a part of the third-generation GT from its inception to this amazing swan song and consider it a significant chapter in Multimatic's history."

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AutoNation Inc. has agreed to buy RepairSmith, a mobile automotive repair and maintenance provider. The $190 million deal, made public Monday, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.

RepairSmith's technicians come to a home or workplace to service individual, dealership and fleet customers, who can schedule appointments online. The business also will help AutoNation, the nation's largest new-vehicle retailer, recondition cars and expedite delivery.

RepairSmith, of Los Angeles, has operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington. The company in August 2021 listed Mercedes-Benz and Porsche's venture capital arm, Porsche Ventures, among its investors.

"By providing an expansion of our group's capabilities, we not only begin to truly leverage our scale, but most importantly offer an expanded range of products and services that will increase both customer loyalty and deepen our share of our customers' house…