Lisa Grutta, director of accessories, CLM and retail services at General Motors shares how her parents’ advice to work hard, give 110% and always be humble has paid off in her career. Her passion in the auto industry was on the marketing and advertising side of the business. Early in her career she was asked to move into the sales organization at GM. Grutta said it was one of the best experiences because it took her out of her comfort zone. Her advice to women starting out in their careers is to take on responsibilities and assignment that make you feel uncomfortable because it will help you grow!
2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV counted on to lift brand
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The redesigned Mitsubishi Outlander and its about-to-arrive plug-in hybrid variant are more than an infusion of new blood into an anemic product lineup of just four nameplates for the Japanese automaker.
The midsize crossovers are billed as a launch pad to propel Mitsubishi beyond its low six-digit annual volumes and bargain-brand status.
At a media event here last week, Mitsubishi Motors North America CEO Mark Chaffin teased a product-led "evolution" that he vowed will lift consumer perceptions.
"We're leaning into the key features that differentiate us — Super-All Wheel Control, PHEV technology," Chaffin said. "Before, we were a bit deal-focused, incentive-focused. We're never going back there."
The combustion engine Outlander, which was redesigned last year, is off to a rousing start. Mitsubishi was among the fastest-growing nonpremium brands in the U.S. last year, with sales up 17 percent from 2020.
Expectations are …
An ‘aggressive’ approach to client care
It wasn't long into our Fixed Ops Journal Forum discussion on customer retention before panelist Dan Beakey, service manager at 24 Ford of Easton in Massachusetts, crystallized the many obstacles service departments are currently trying to overcome.
"We're surrounded by challenges," he said. "Every time we look at our business, we've got a challenge. We've got a challenge with technicians. We've got a challenge with parts. We've got a challenge with this overabundance of business. It requires us to go to work. We've got to get aggressive and go to work and really go after taking care of our clients, because if we shoot ourselves in the foot or — in some cases — continue to shoot ourselves in the foot, we're going to lose more customers."
That Week 1 panel, featuring Beakey along with Dave Foy from training company Quantum5 and Alan Freeman from Jim Ellis Automotive Group, covered a lot of good territory on how to better retain service customers.
If you m…
EV battery maker Gotion eyes Michigan for new plant
A Chinese electric vehicle battery maker wants to build a multibillion-dollar plant in West Michigan, state officials confirmed Wednesday, saying an announcement is expected within days.
The yet-to-be-constructed factory would be located near Big Rapids, about 50 miles north of Grand Rapids. The Detroit News first reported the plan late Tuesday. It cited anonymous sources who said Gotion Inc. could spend up to $3.6 billion while adding 500 jobs initially and possibly 2,000 within 10 years.
Local and state officials are expected to designate the land as a Renaissance Zone, exempting the company from property taxes for decades. It was not immediately clear if the state would provide other incentives like a grant from the new Michigan Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund.
Green Township Supervisor Jim Chapman confirmed there is a special meeting scheduled Monday when the applicant — which he would not confirm as Gotion but said is a Chinese batt…
EPA to consider tougher emissions rules for heavy trucks
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will consider adopting more stringent greenhouse gas emissions rules for heavy trucks after Congress passed new incentives to speed the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, the agency told Reuters.
In March, the EPA proposed new rules to cut smog-forming and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from heavy duty vehicles. The agency said it will reopen the proposed GHG rules after passage in August of the climate and spending Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association, representing which companies such as Daimler Trucks, Caterpillar and Cummins, previously raised concerns the EPA proposal could boost costs and result in customers keeping "their higher emitting trucks longer."
EPA will be issuing a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to consider more stringent GHG standards for model years 2027 through 2029 in December.
EPA Office of Air and Radiation off…
New study finds 79% of working Americans want on-demand pay
ATLANTA (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 07, 2022
For National Payroll Week 2022, Instant Financial, the pioneer of fee-free on-demand pay solutions, is highlighting findings from its recent Wages and Wellbeing study, in partnership with the Center for Generational Kinetics, to help organizations understand how to respond to the new job and payment requirements of the post-pandemic workforce. 58% of Americans, across all income levels, are living paycheck to paycheck as they adjust to a post-pandemic economy, meaning more than half of the American workforce is feeling the impact of record-breaking inflation, supply chain issues and a possible recession.
Despite concerns about the economy, Americans are continuing to quit their jobs at a record pace. In fact, 1 in 5 workers plan to quit their jobs this year, giving job seekers greater power than ever before. Findings from the Wages and Wellbeing study show that in 2022, 79% of working Americans would be more interested in appl…
NTSB calls for passive alcohol-detection systems in all new vehicles
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for all new vehicles to be equipped with passive alcohol-detection systems that can limit or prevent the operation of vehicles by impaired drivers, according to recommendations released Tuesday.
The agency's recommendations follow an investigation into a 2021 crash in Avenal, Calif., that killed nine people, including seven children. The crash was caused by an impaired driver who was speeding, the NTSB found.
"Technology could've prevented this heartbreaking crash — just as it can prevent the tens of thousands of fatalities from impaired-driving and speeding-related crashes we see in the U.S. annually," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement. "We need to implement the technologies we have right here, right now, to save lives."
The NTSB is recommending that NHTSA require passive alcohol-detection systems, advanced driver-monitoring systems, or a combination of the two, on all new ve…
Proven Best Practices for Used Vehicle and Service Departments
In each of our Fundamental Books, we combine feedback from over 30 experienced industry veterans with proven best practices and inventive strategies to create these highly effective guides. No matter what type of market you are in, what brand of vehicle you sell, or the size of your staff, these booklets will help you maximize the potential of your dealership in every department.
30 Fundamentals for Used Vehicle Success
Improve pre-owned department ROI performance with this booklet that highlights the metrics you need to improve pre-owned profits.
35 Fundamentals for Service Success
Service department leaders can use this guide to help improve company culture and transform fixed ops into a revenue-generating machine.
Read more
Nvidia’s latest automotive computer has processing speed of 254 trillion operations per second
Chipmaker Nvidia showcased a high-performance automotive computer designed to advance processing of in-vehicle entertainment and automated driving functions.
The technology was unveiled Tuesday at the company's GTC event in San Jose, Calif. Analysts say the computer is designed to keep Nvidia ahead of rival Intel and its Mobileye automotive chip subsidiary.
Nvidia's latest tech, called Drive Thor, can control automated driving, driver-assist systems, infotainment, digital instrument clusters, occupant-monitoring and more from a single computer. This permits multiple vehicle functions on a single system-on-chip instead of spreading them across several electronic control units, lowering costs and streamlining development.
Drive Thor follows other Nvidia tech advances that debuted this year, including a graphics processing unit called Hopper and a central processing unit called Grace.
"What they've done with Thor is taken Grace and Hopper and put th…
DAILY DRIVE PODCAST: September 20, 2022
Ford expects higher costs to mean lower earnings this quarter. GM backs tough emissions targets. Tesla’s upcoming ‘Optimus’ robot faces plenty of skeptics. Plus, a conversation with Bloomberg News Detroit Bureau Chief David Welch about his new book “Charging Ahead: GM, Mary Barra, and the Reinvention of an American Icon.”
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Dodge Charger, Challenger output could move to Windsor, Canada; Jeep EV slated for Brampton, forecaster says
Dodge Charger and Challenger production at Ontario’s Brampton Assembly Plant is scheduled to end in 2024, but according to forecasting firm AutoForecast Solutions, both muscle car programs will stay in the province, while an electrified product from Jeep will take over their floorspace at Brampton.
The next Chargers and Challengers will be built at Stellantis’ assembly plant in Windsor, Ont., said Sam Fiorani, vice-president of global vehicle forecasting at U.S.-based AFS.
“They’re going to share the same platform with the next-generation minivan when it rolls around,” he told Automotive News Canada.
Stellantis confirmed in May that Charger, Challenger and Chrysler 300 production would end in Brampton in 2024 when the plant pauses for a retool. It also said the Windsor Assembly Plant would host STLA Large, a new vehicle platform catering mainly to battery-electric vehicles.
But the company has not disclosed any future product mandates for Brampton…
GM to sell 175,000 EVs to Hertz over 5 years
Rental car company Hertz Global Holdings plans to order up to 175,000 General Motors electric vehicles over the next five years, the latest move by the rental car firm to add zero-emission models.
Hertz and GM on Tuesday announced a joint agreement in which the rental car firm will order Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop EVs through 2027. Hertz expects to begin taking delivery of Chevrolet Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs in early 2023.
The multi-billion dollar, multi-year deal could be the first of many GM agreements to supply EVs to rental car companies, said Steve Carlisle, the automaker's North American operations chief, on a conference call.
"It's an enormous first step," Carlisle said, adding that GM is in talks about similar deals with other rental car companies.
GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement the automaker's work "with Hertz is a huge step forward for emissions reduction and EV adoption that will help create thousands of new EV …