Trade News

DENVER — As the U.S. Energy Department sets goals and targets for decarbonizing industry writ large, it also is taking steps to shed carbon from its own operations.

The department will spend $38 million to reduce carbon emissions at four of its 17 national laboratories. The initiative comes as the White House seeks to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, and it is expected to serve as a blueprint for other labs and hard-to-decarbonize industries.

It's one part of an ongoing effort to promote clean-energy technology both within the transportation industry and beyond.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm unveiled the Net Zero Labs Pilot Initiative on Wednesday while speaking at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Denver. She is expected to tour the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., on Wednesday afternoon.

The national laboratories are among the most power-hungry facilities in the federal government. They …

As it was still trying to get past its 2015 global diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen of America in 2019 unleashed a new campaign called “Drive Something Bigger than Yourself” that touted causes ranging from water conservation to highway traffic de-congestion.

Now, with the scandal mostly in its rearview window, VW is taking a decidedly lighthearted turn with a new round of ads and social media and influencer work that attempts to reclaim the clever, witty tone of the brand’s past. At the same time, VW is executing a more flexible media buying plan to deal with the unpredictability of today’s automotive market caused by supply chain issues.

“It’s time to refresh and reboot” and make “something folks can relate to on an everyday level,” Kimberley Gardiner, senior vice president of marketing at VW of America, said in an interview. “When our work has a bit of that Volkswagen smile, that wink, it feels clever, it doesn’t take itself completely seriously and it s…

DETROIT — Speaking to a gathering of automotive industry professionals gathered a conference on diversity, equity and inclusion, General Motors' top DE&I executive encouraged the audience to create "self sustaining" workplace environments that foster such initiatives.

"It means that we've created an environment that will sustain itself, and what we aim to do at General Motors and I know what many of us are aiming to do is to walk into a world where everyone owns equity and inclusion," said Telva McGruder, GM's chief DE&I officer. "Not the DEI team, not [human resources] … literally everyone and when you get to that point, then we can really talk about sustainable diversity."

McGruder on Tuesday delivered the keynote address at the fifth annual Rev Up 2030 DE&I summit in suburban Detroit, presented by The Center for Automotive Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. The daylong program consisted of networking opportunities and panel discussions among lead…

Lithia Motors Inc. sold one of its Subaru dealerships in the second quarter, while Dobbs Equity Partners' auto retail portfolio entered a new state late last year and a dealership group bought its third franchised store in the first quarter.

Here's a look at the deals involving import and domestic stores and dealerships in Montana, Indiana and Ohio. One transaction involved an auto retailer ranked on Automotive News' top 150 dealership groups list.

Lithia Motors Inc. divested a Subaru dealership in Montana earlier this month.

The publicly traded auto retailer on May 4 sold Lithia Subaru of Great Falls to Jeremy Day Automotive Group, Tom Dobry, Lithia's vice president of marketing, confirmed to Automotive News in an email.

The dealership was renamed Great Falls Subaru.

Great Falls Subaru currently is Jeremy Day's only dealership and marks his return to store ownership, according to Greg Krueger, partner at Sterling Mergers and Acquisitions…

Hackers compromised some online accounts of General Motors customers in April, potentially accessing addresses, phone numbers and other personal information, according to a data breach notice filed with California regulators.

In a letter to affected customers, GM said it identified suspicious login attempts to an unspecified number of accounts between April 11 and April 29. The intrusions allowed hackers in some cases to redeem gift cards using reward points.

It was unclear how many accounts were affected, although the California Attorney General’s Office reported that nearly 5,000 breach letters were sent to state residents. Social Security numbers and driver’s license details weren’t compromised, the company said.

GM told customers that hackers didn’t obtain passwords from GM’s systems but rather pilfered them from other websites where customers might reuse their login credentials. The company recommended its customers reset their passwords and use u…

Sales of electrified vehicles – full-electric and plug-in hybrids -- doubled globally in 2021 to 6.6 million, but that rapid growth has further stretched supply chains already threatened by the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine, the International Energy Agency said in its annual electric vehicle outlook report.

Essential materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt are particularly at risk, the IEA said, noting that prices for lithium – an essential component of EV batteries – were seven times higher in May than they were at the start of 2021. Cobalt prices more than doubled, and nickel prices almost doubled.

That surge was a result of "unprecedented" battery demand and "a lack of structural investment in new supply capacity," the report said.

That has had a direct impact on the price of batteries, which make up about one-third of the cost of new EVs. Battery prices fell by 6 percent to $132 per kilowatt in 2021, a slower rate of decline than 2020’s …

Executive Editor Jamie Butters and Kellen Walker give you the top headlines and a new EV battery plant is coming to the Hoosier state. Shanghai’s COVID lockdown is causing more problems for Toyota. And a federal judge says Bob Brockman must stand trial for tax evasion. Plus, more on Stellantis' tanking supplier relations with Automotive News' Lindsay Chappell.

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WASHINGTON -- Hyundai Motor America said it will recall 281,000 vehicles in North America over seat belt pretensioners that could explode and project metal fragments, causing injuries.

The recall, which comes after three injury reports, covers some 2019-2022 Accent, 2021-2023 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, front driver or passenger-side seat-belt pretensioners could explode upon deployment. Dealers will secure seat-belt pretensioners with a cap.

Seat-belt pretensioners are part of the a system that locks the seatbelt in place during a crash to provide additional protection to occupants.

This recall expands and replaces four earlier recalls. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new recall fix completed, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday.

The new recall includes 239,000 vehicles in the U.S. and about 42,0…

DETROIT — Stellantis has appointed a new head of purchasing and supply chain in North America amid deteriorating relations with its suppliers.

Marlo Vitous, 45, the company's supply chain vice president, is replacing Martin Horneck, who is retiring, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Automotive News. Horneck, 59, had been hired by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2020 ahead of the merger with PSA Group that formed Stellantis.

Stellantis confirmed Horneck's departure Tuesday but did not comment further.

The change comes shortly after Stellantis created controversy among its suppliers with new purchasing terms and conditions that it later rescinded — and one day after a prominent study gauging suppliers' relationship with major automakers ranked the company lowest for a second consecutive year.

In Plante Moran's annual Working Relations Index released Monday, Stellantis dropped to the study's lowest ranking for any North American automaker i…

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated when the CR-V was last redesigned, and then freshened under a midcycle update.

Honda is calling the redesigned 2023 CR-V compact crossover rugged, sophisticated and more versatile. It was previewed Tuesday with the release of several teaser images and will go on sale in September.

The current, fifth-generation CR-V was redesigned for the 2017 model year, and freshened for 2020, including a hybrid variant, and has been a top seller for the brand. Last year, U.S. sales of the CR-V topped 361,000, making it the fifth most popular nameplate across all segments. Toyota's rival RAV4 snagged the No. 4 slot.

In addition to revised styling, the CR-V also will have an advanced hybrid system that adds a "sportier driving experience and more capability."

Hybrids currently represent about 25 percent of CR-V sales, according to Honda. The company has said it will increase the mix of hybrid production fo…

WASHINGTON -- Ford Motor Co. has agreed to pay $19.2 million to resolve allegations it falsely advertised real-world fuel economy and payload capacity for some hybrids and pickup trucks, the Iowa Attorney General's Office said Tuesday.

The multi-state settlement covers 2013–2014 C-Max hybrids and 2011–2014 Super Duty pickups. In 2013, Ford lowered the advertised fuel economy ratings on its C-Max hybrid by up to 7 mpg and sent checks to owners of $550 to make up the difference in fuel costs.

"For years, Ford advertised impressive fuel economy and payload capacity for its cars and trucks,” Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said. "Unfortunately, these figures were not based in reality, leaving customers with vehicles that did not meet their standards."

The settlement, with 40 states and the District of Columbia, prohibits Ford from making false or misleading advertising claims concerning the estimated fuel economy or payload capacity of a new motor vehicle…

General Motors is angling to get back on top.

"We're looking to put ourselves back in the No. 1 position from a share perspective," GM North America President Steve Carlisle said.

While GM plots its path toward an all-electric future, the company also will strive to retake the U.S. sales crown it lost to Toyota Motor North America last year after nine decades as the country's top seller.

GM hopes to build enough inventory to overtake Toyota and meet pent-up demand while maintaining discipline.

But new-vehicle launches and updates to existing nameplates don't equate to a plethora of vehicles on the ground. GM has been refining its dealer tools to establish a more streamlined retail and delivery process, Carlisle said.

"We're putting tools in place to optimize the flow of product through the whole pipeline and allowing our dealers and customers to see further upstream," Carlisle said. "Those are all things that…