Trade News

BMW will advertise in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years. A U.S. spokesman for the German luxury auto brand confirmed the ad buy but did not share details.

BMW last appeared in the game in 2015 with an ad starring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. It flashed back to 1994 when the then-"Today Show" hosts struggled with the concept of the internet. The spot then flashed forward 21 as the duo pondered the improbability of electric cars—specifically BMW’s i3 EV. 

That spot was in many ways ahead of its time — promoting EVs has been a popular tactic for brands in recent Super Bowls, with automakers such as General Motors and Audi using the pricey ads to hype their electric vehicle ambitions.

See which brands are buying ads in Super Bowl 2022.

While EVs remain a niche market today, automakers are pouring billions of dollars into them in anticipation that the demand will grow in the coming years. BMW — which still uses the “i” des…

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House lawmakers who head key subcommittees on oversight and trade criticized Tesla's recent expansion in Xinjiang, China.

"Your misguided expansion into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region sets a poor example and further empowers the (Chinese government)," said Democrats Bill Pascrell and Earl Blumenauer in a joint letter to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla recently opened a showroom in Xinjiang, the latest foreign company caught up in tensions related to the far-western Chinese region where detention camps have drawn heavy criticism.

Xinjiang has become a significant point of conflict between Western governments and China in recent years. U.N. experts and rights groups estimate that more than a million people, mainly Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities, have been detained in camps there.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Pascrell and Blumenauer in…

SHANGHAI – China’s light-vehicle market managed to rebound in 2021 after three straight years of decline, aided in part by a shift that has grown nonstop over the years: an inflow of women that is outpacing that of men among licensed motorists.

An increasing number of carmakers in China, spotting the trend, have launched new products to attract female shoppers, notably in the electric vehicle segment. 

The population of motorists in China has grown exponentially since private car ownership started to take off in the mid-1980s. 

The ranks of drivers even expanded from 2018 to 2020 while the light-vehicle market contracted. 

The number of motorists in China increased 11 percent to 456 million in 2020 from 409 million at the end of 2018, according to data released by the Ministry of Public Security. 

Notably, the percentage of female drivers has kept ticking up not only in the most recent three-year period, but ever since …

Stellantis NV is preparing for a $900 million retooling of its Jefferson North Assembly plant in Detroit, where it plans to build the Dodge Durango and next generation Jeep Grand Cherokee this spring.

The investment, announced by the automaker in 2019 with the $1.6 billion construction of Mack Assembly a few blocks north, will include a modernized general assembly plant, body shop, test track, validation center and paint shop addition. The promise of 1,100 new jobs is another boost for the city's east side.

However, the reboot at the 3 million-square-foot plant has raised concern among some environmentalists and residents after state regulators hit the automaker with air emissions violations this fall following the rapid construction of Mack Assembly and retooling at Warren Truck Assembly.

Stellantis said it has fixed emissions problems at both plants and that tests results show the air is safe, but it has not said when it will solve the paint odor issu…

DETROIT-- General Motors plans to launch power generators for multiple uses, including EV charging, powered by its Hydrotec hydrogen fuel cell technology, the automaker said Wednesday.

The power generators are designed to enable fast-charging capability for electric vehicles without permanent charge points, the addition of affordable DC fast charging at gas stations without expanding the grid and mobile energy at military bases.

GM's partner for the generators, Renewable Innovations, plans to install 500 Empower rapid chargers at gas stations and in popular travel corridors across the country by the end of 2025.

The generators could replace gasoline- and diesel-burning generators at worksites, buildings, movie sets, data centers and outdoor concerts and festivals, GM said.

The generators could also act as a backup energy source during a blackout in residential communities.

The power generators are the next phase in GM's strategy to extend i…

Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 200,000 older-model cars because of a potential separated brake pedal bumper, according to NHTSA documents dated last week.

The malfunction could cause the brake lights to illuminate continuously, confusing other drivers on the road, according to NHTSA's report.

Ford is recalling certain Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans from the 2014 to 2015 model years, and certain 2015 Mustangs, with potentially 199,085 vehicles affected.

The malfunction also could lead to drivers in automatic-transmission vehicles being able to shift out of park without using the brake. This can increase the likelihood of a vehicle rollaway and the risk of an injury.

The vehicles were all sold or registered throughout the southern U.S. or in Hawaii, as exposure to high temperatures and humidity can cause the brake pedal bumper to corrode.

Owners of the vehicles are expected to receive letters notifying them of the recall on March 3, and Fo…

Longtime Super Bowl advertiser Kia is coming back to the game after taking last year off. Its 60-second spot will be handled by David & Goliath, the automaker’s creative agency of record. Kia did not provide creative details.

Kia has appeared in 13 Super Bowls and bought ads in 11 straight games until it opted to sit out of the 2021 bowl, joining other auto brands that curtailed investments in the game as they adjusted to COVID-19 budget realities. 

Get the latest Super Bowl 2022 news here from Automotive News affiliate Ad Age.

Kia is the fourth automaker to confirm 2022 in-game ads, following Nissan, Toyota and General Motors. Last year, only three automakers bought ads — Stellantis (Jeep), GM and Toyota — which marked a recent low point for the category. In the 2020 Super Bowl, six automakers consumed a total of seven minutes and 30 seconds of airtime, spending an estimated $77 million on media buys.

Kia for years was known for celebr…

WASHINGTON — Electric vehicles are an "essential tool" in the Biden administration's plan to clean up the U.S. transportation sector, White House Climate Adviser Gina McCarthy said Wednesday.

Transportation is the nation's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. McCarthy, a former EPA chief during the Obama administration, said "there's no doubt" the future of transportation in the U.S. and globally is electric.

"We know where the global marketplace is actually moving," she said during an opening keynote here at the 2022 Government/Industry Meeting organized by SAE International. "The only question that we have in front of us today is whether the United States is actually going to lead, whether we're going to seize the jobs and opportunities electric vehicles bring right here" in the U.S.

McCarthy pointed to actions taken by the administration to "jump start" an EV future, including a goal set by President Joe Biden for half of all new vehicles sold …

F&I personnel paid on commission tend to be exempt from federal overtime requirements, according to Chris Hoffman, co-chairman of Fisher Phillips' Automobile Dealers Industry Group. However, those staffers will still likely need to keep track of their time similar to an hourly employee, he said.

Hoffman discussed these F&I employment practices with Automotive News on Jan. 7, about a month after co-hosting a webinar on dealership wage and hour law. For those new to the industry or unfamiliar with the topic, here's a crash course on some basic wage and hour issues related to F&I.

Hoffman said in a statement Jan. 10 that confusion does arise, "particularly for newer operators and in areas where states have implemented changes."

In that vein, note the discussion here largely surrounds federal law. Your state might have more stringent requirements, and Hoffman encouraged dealers to learn their state's rules.

The federal Fair Labor Standar…

More than 5,000 fake employers have appeared on auto loan applications over nearly three years, according to the fraud screening firm Point Predictive.

The deception was associated with about $1 billion worth of loan value from February 2019 to December 2021, Point Predictive said Thursday. It estimated fake employer loan application volume grew from about $7 million per month to $35 million per month during that time.

Sometimes, Point Predictive or its lender clientele caught the fraud before the loan. Other times, it was discovered after the fact.

"The rise in the use of fake employers on credit applications is astounding, and the $1 billion threshold only proves the growing threat of this problem," Point Predictive senior fraud analyst Justin Hochmuth said in a statement. "We're uncovering about 100 new fake employers that are being created each week."

Point Predictive Chief Strategist Frank McKenna told Automotive News on Friday he expected …