Trade News

WASHINGTON — U.S. traffic deaths declined for the first time since 2020 but remain at levels that call for "urgent and sustained action," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said last week.

From April to June, 10,590 people died in vehicle crashes on U.S. roads, down 4.9 percent from the same period in 2021, according to NHTSA estimates. The agency said it's the first decline in fatalities after seven consecutive quarters of year-to-year increases since the third quarter of 2020.

Still, early projections show roadway deaths increased in the first six months of 2022. Through June, an estimated 20,175 people died in crashes, up 0.5 percent from the first half of 2021.

"Although it is heartening to see a projected decline in roadway deaths in recent months, the number of people dying on roads in this country remains a crisis," said Ann Carlson, NHTSA's acting administrator.

Carlson assumed the role after Steven Cliff's d…

Hyundai's plans to field a supercar to help launch its N performance brand — rivaling the Acura NSX, Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo — have been officially scrapped.

Albert Biermann, who steered Hyundai's N division until he retired in 2021, told Top Gear last week that the project — nicknamed the Chairman's Car — would have cost over $150,000.

"At that time it was thought a Hyundai could not have this price," Biermann said.

The N supercar featured a carbon-fiber tub chassis and midengine layout.

"We had plans for a petrol [engine] with or without hybrid, or [the car could have accepted] a hydrogen fuel cell," he said.

The supercar project's demise hasn't stopped Hyundai from dreaming, though, most recently with the N Vision 74 concept. The high-performance hydrogen fuel cell hybrid introduced in July was inspired by Hyundai's heritage, namely the 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupe concept created by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

What V-8? The most potent Mercedes-AMG C 63 sedan will be powered by a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain.

The spunky compact 2024 C 63 S E Performance swaps a V-8 for a plug-in-hybrid powertrain with 671 hp and 752 pound-feet of torque. Many of the key technologies in the 2.0-liter inline with an electric turbocharger are derived from the 1.6-liter hybrid that is among the most advanced and highest-performance powerplants ever under Mercedes' umbrella: the EQ10 Power+ setup used in Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One cars.

Mechanical linkages allow both the gasoline engine and electric motors to power all four wheels.

The latest C 63 marks the end of compact V-8 performance sedans by AMG that began with the W202 C 43, followed by C 63 models with a 6.2-liter V-8 and the outgoing C 63 with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8.

The changes go beyond what is under the hood. The front end is 2 inches longer, the wheelbase has grown by 0.4 inch, and the front fend…

Mega-supplier Robert Bosch is on the prowl to save money by monitoring and reducing energy waste at its plants, such as its operation in Eisenach, Germany, here, where a connected energy management system allows technicians to collect energy-use data from devices around the facility to make adjustments wherever possible. The company's factory in Changsha, China, recently deployed an "AI-controlled energy management system" that helped reduce energy consumption by 18 percent.

WASHINGTON — The new general director of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association's U.S. branch office says the eligibility restrictions in the new electric vehicle tax credit could impede EV adoption in the U.S.

"The current eligibility requirements significantly narrow American consumers' choices and likely make the tax credit less effective, thereby hindering the market uptake of electrified vehicles," said Anita Rajan, who was hired in May to steer the group's Washington, D.C., office following the departure of Manny Manriquez.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act signed last month, new EVs must be assembled in North America to be eligible. New restrictions on sticker price, buyer income and battery component and critical mineral sourcing take effect Jan. 1. The 2022-23 Nissan Leaf is the only Japanese-brand EV that may qualify for a $7,500 credit through Dec. 31, according to U.S. data.

Rajan, 42, submitted written respons…

DETROIT — General Motors on Friday said all employees who have been working remotely must report to an office at least three days a week starting later this year, modifying the flexible and intentionally vague "Work Appropriately" approach it adopted during the pandemic.

In an internal message to affected employees, GM said it's making the change because "the COVID-19 situation has dramatically improved" and to encourage more collaboration as the automaker transforms its business in the years ahead. A GM spokeswoman confirmed the authenticity of the message obtained by Automotive News and provided a statement explaining the change.

"We're committed to maintaining flexibility to ensure our employees can attend to personal commitments, and we will share details with them in the coming weeks," the statement said.

The message to employees was attributed to "the senior leadership team," listing CEO Mary Barra, President Mark Reuss and 12 other top executives. …

WASHINGTON — A coalition of 92 major cities and transit agencies is urging NHTSA to deny separate requests from Ford Motor Co. and General Motors to deploy a limited number of self-driving vehicles without certain human controls or functions on U.S. roads.

In comments submitted to the agency Wednesday, the National Association of City Transportation Officials said it strongly opposes both automakers' requests for temporary exemptions from certain federal vehicle safety standards.

The association — whose member cities include Detroit, Phoenix and San Francisco — argues in part that forcing self-driving vehicles "into the existing regulatory scheme is inappropriate" and that NHTSA instead should use its rule-making authority to establish new performance standards for those vehicles.

It also said the automakers' petitions do not meet the legal standard to receive an exemption and that the exemptions aren't necessary to achieve their cla…

Toyota plans to close its plant in Russia. Ford shuffles its c-suite. Faraday Future’s plan to raise capital sparks death threats. Plus, a conversation about the steps dealership service departments need to take before repairing electric vehicles.

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NEW YORK — Mercedes-Benz will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon Digital Chassis in upcoming vehicles, Qualcomm Technologies Inc. said Thursday.

Mercedes plans to power its vehicles' digital cockpits and telematics systems with the computing platform, Qualcomm said. The company now has a Snapdragon design-win pipeline worth $30 billion, according to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, a figure that reflects Qualcomm's efforts to become a prominent automotive presence.

The Snapdragon Digital Chassis is a set of open, scalable platforms for use in connectivity, digital cockpits and advanced driver assistance systems.

"Our technology partnership is transforming Mercedes-Benz vehicles as we deliver unparalleled compute, performance, AI and safety experiences by providing premium solutions for their next generation of automobiles," Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm's automotive chief, said in a statement.

Mercedes is the latest brand to say it will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon pla…

Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton wasn’t truthful when he claimed his company was responsible for most of the components in a planned pickup truck General Motors was to build for the electric vehicle maker, a GM engineer testified.

“There were no components coming from Nikola,” Scott Damman, a senior manager at GM working on software, told the jury in Milton’s criminal fraud trial Thursday. “They owned the creative design, what the vehicle looked like and felt like, but all of the parts were to come from General Motors.”

Milton is accused of misleading investors by exaggerating the company’s progress toward introducing vehicles for sale and of lying about Nikola’s technology and partnerships. The defense argues he was just following the corporate marketing plan and never said anything he didn’t believe to be true.

The testimony from Damman, whom GM sent to work with Nikola at the time, came in response to questioning about a video interview Milton gave …