Trade News

Lana Payne has been elected as the new national president of Unifor, taking over the role five months after longtime leader Jerry Dias abruptly retired as head of Canada’s largest private sector union.

About 1,000 Unifor delegates, voting on behalf of locals across Canada, cast ballots at the union’s constitutional convention in Toronto Wednesday.

Payne, 56, becomes Unifor’s second president and first woman president. She defeated Scott Doherty, executive assistant to Unifor’s national president and Dave Cassidy, president of Local 444, were also in the running.

The initial vote between the three candidates left no candidate with 50 percent. However, Cassidy was eliminated and the union held a runoff. Payne won with 61 percent in the runoff. 

Unifor represents about 315,000 workers across Canada, including 41,000 at auto assembly plants and parts suppliers. It was formed in 2013 following the merger of the Canadian Auto Workers unio…

Maserati will sell warranty coverage as long as 10 years on its engine, gearbox and transmission, the Stellantis brand said last week.

The Extra10 Warranty Program will debut Oct. 1 in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Vehicles within 9.5 years of their registration date will be eligible, regardless of mileage. Coverage will be priced between $1,432 and $2,558, depending on the model, engine and market.

"This new service enables Maserati to provide all its customers with an innovative offer, adding value in terms of unparalleled flexibility in the automotive world," Maserati wrote in a news release Aug. 2. "A major new feature for the brand, aimed at consolidating the value of its cars over time, guaranteeing total peace of mind by combining top performance and the driving pleasure typical of every Trident car."

The Extra10 program also can provide perks such as trips to and from owners' houses or courtesy cars, Maserati said.

Solera's "captive-like" indirect lending program Solera Auto Finance has spread quickly, growing from fewer than five dealerships in April to nearly 2,300 by the end of July.

"There's been a really good reception to our product," Solera Auto Finance CEO Kenn Wardle told Automotive News last week in an update on the business. He also expressed confidence that discipline in payment-to-income ratios would allow the lender and its consumers to weather inflation.

Solera Auto Finance has expanded geographically faster than anticipated. When Solera announced the auto finance lender in March at the NADA Show, it expected the initiative to reach about 20 states by the end of 2022. As of Aug. 2, the lender had spread to 39 states, according to Wardle, who said he thought his company could potentially reach all 50 states by the end of the year.

Wardle said Solera had received "such a really strong reception" at the NADA Show that it recognized the need in the mark…

Nikola Corp. said Wednesday that Michael Lohscheller is taking over as the electric-truck maker's chief executive officer when Mark Russell retires on Jan. 1 next year.

Lohscheller, who joined the company in February, will take over as president from Russell and join Nikola's board effective immediately, the company said.

Lohscheller, 53, was instrumental in Tre battery electric vehicles' production and in achieving development milestones for the Tre fuel-cell electric vehicles, the company said.

Nikola, aiming to manufacture between 300 and 500 Tre battery electric trucks this year, stuck to its production target last week after its second-quarter revenue beat estimates.

Lohscheller was the CEO of German automaker Adam Opel AG from conglomerate Stellantis' stable and briefly served as Vietnamese car maker VinFast's global top boss before taking on the role of Nikola Motor's president.

Lohscheller has improved communication and accelerated …

HAMBURG -- Volkswagen Group's incoming CEO Oliver Blume aims to shrink the size of the group's management board as one of his first moves after his promotion, several people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

"Some dual functions should be reconsidered," one of the sources said.

The number of board seats could be reduced to eight or nine as part of the reshuffle, the sources said, adding that no decisions had been made yet.

The board had swelled to 12 members under predecessor Herbert Diess.

VW said last month that Blume will succeed Diess on Sept. 1. Blume will keep his role as CEO of VW Group's Porsche brand, VW said at the time.

Both Volkswagen and Porsche declined to comment on the matter.

Fast-growing Ciocca Dealerships bolstered its presence in New Jersey and added several brands to its portfolio with its Monday purchase of Flemington Car & Truck Country, founded by the late Steve Kalafer.

Ciocca Dealerships, which has bought stores multiple times in 2022, purchased six dealerships from Kalafer's sons Josh and Jonathan Kalafer.

The Kalafer brothers took over the family business after their father's death in April 2021. Steve Kalafer, a prominent dealer known for speaking out against stair-step incentive and other automaker programs that he thought disadvantaged retailers, also founded a minor league baseball team and attained national acclaim for producing short films.

Flemington Car & Truck Country was made up of Flemington Subaru, Flemington Infiniti, Flemington Audi-Volkswagen-Porsche, Flemington Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac, Flemington Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-Ram and Ditschman/Flemington Ford-Lincoln, all in New Jersey.

Fl…

Ford Motor Co. has committed to buying at least $120 million of solar power annually from DTE Energy Co., which plans to expand its solar infrastructure in Michigan by nearly 70 percent to 650 megawatts.

Ford's commitment amounts to the largest renewable energy purchase from a utility in U.S. history, according to a Ford news release.

Representatives from Ford and DTE, along with government officials, were scheduled to formally announce the deal this morning at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant Modification Center in Wayne.

"Ford was the first large industrial customer to enroll in our MIGreenPower program in 2019 and we want to thank the automaker for its continued commitment to using MIGreenPower to help decarbonize its operations and meet its sustainability goals," DTE Chairman and CEO Jerry Norcia said in the release.

Ford said that by 2025, all of its plants in Michigan will run on carbon-free electricity, avoiding up to 600,000 tons of carbon…

TOKYO -- Straining under a pile of back orders, Honda says its top priority is getting cars to U.S. customers rather than worrying about recession talk or more stringent electric vehicle credits.

Many uncertainties still loom over the auto sector, Honda Chief Financial Officer Kohei Takeuchi said.

Risks include rising inflation and interest rates in the U.S., and a semiconductor shortage that Honda predicts will run into early 2023. Meanwhile, tougher North American manufacturing requirements for a new EV tax credit mean most of today's EVs won't be eligible, he said.

Takeuchi said higher inflation and interest rates will "eventually have an impact on the economy." Honda has 48,300 vehicles in the U.S. market, and its first move will be filling orders. "Rather than taking immediate measures with a recession in mind, we have to focus on delivering our vehicles to customers," Takeuchi said.

Honda has been raising U.S. prices in line with inflation. …

DETROIT — General Motors has begun requiring all Buick and GMC buyers to pay $1,500 for a subscription service that previously had been optional.

The mandatory upcharge provides a three-year subscription to OnStar, GM's long-standing in-vehicle safety, security and connectivity service. It's included in the manufacturer's suggested retail price of all Buicks and GMCs ordered starting June 2 and all Cadillac Escalades ordered starting July 18.

The $1,500 plan is listed on the window sticker as a separate line item along with other additions to the vehicle's standard equipment, but there is no option to remove it or order the vehicle without it. Customers who decline to activate their OnStar service will not be given a price reduction, GM said.

The Detroit Free Press reported the compulsory OnStar charge earlier Tuesday.

"By including this plan as standard equipment on the vehicle, it helps to provide a more seamless onboarding experience and more c…