Trade News

SALT LAKE CITY — Toyota's venerated Land Cruiser nameplate rejoins the brand's U.S. lineup next year in a trimmed-down and less-expensive form much closer to the off-roader's roots than its bloated predecessor, which had evolved to overlap similar body-on-frame Lexus models.

The 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser will be smaller, more nimble and equipped with a hybridized turbocharged powertrain, a host of infotainment and driver assistance features and a boxy look that evokes its early heritage.

Imported from Japan and based on the Land Cruiser Prado that Toyota sells in Japan and other global markets — badged in the U.S. as the Lexus GX — the U.S. version of the Land Cruiser will start in the mid-$50,000 range, Toyota said. In comparison, when Toyota suspended U.S. sales of Land Cruiser in 2021 after a 63-year run, the low-volume off-roader started at $86,880, including shipping.

"This icon belongs in our lineup," Toyota division head Dave Christ said in a writ…

DETROIT — The UAW plans to demand from the Detroit 3 what union President Shawn Fain called the "most audacious and ambitious" set of proposals in decades, including double-digit wage gains, restoration of pensions and better benefits for retirees.

In a Facebook Live stream Tuesday evening, Fain shared with viewers what he called "the members' demands" — a list of 10 economic proposals that are officially being presented to bargainers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis this week. In past years, Fain said, that process typically happened behind closed doors.

Those demands include:

The elimination of tiers on wages and benefits; Substantial wage increases; Restoration of cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments; Defined benefit pensions for all workers; Re-establishment of retiree medical benefits; The right to strike over plant closures; A "working family protection program" that keeps union members employed in the event of a plant closure or financial downtu…

Porsche is marking its 60th anniversary with a limited edition of a model that turned the German sports car brand into an automotive icon.

Porsche said it will make just 1,963 of the 911 S/T, the lightest of the 992 generation.

Exclusivity comes at a price. The Porsche 911 S/T starts at $291,650, including shipping. U.S. deliveries begin in spring 2024.

The model will debut at Porsche's Rennsport Reunion in September.

A 4.0-liter flat-six engine powers the 911 S/T, delivering 518 hp. It is paired with a six-speed manual transmission and lightweight clutch.

Porsche said the S/T is the only current generation 911 to combine a double-wishbone front-axle design with a multilink rear axle without rear-axle steering.

The 911 S/T weighs 3,056 pounds, 70 pounds lighter than a manual 911 GT3 Touring.

To achieve that, Porsche combined elements of the 911 GT3 RS with the body of the 911 GT3 wi…

Ken Garff Automotive Group on July 31 acquired seven Aloha Kia dealerships on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii. Seller Bill van den Hurk plans to retire from the automotive business, a spokeswoman for Ken Garff said.

"I'm so proud of what we've built at these seven dealerships over the past 27 years, and in particular the positive influence we've been able to provide in our communities," van den Hurk said in a statment.

Russell Wong, the longtime COO for Aloha Kia, will stay on as regional vice president for the dealerships, the spokeswoman confirmed to Automotive News. Leadership teams at the dealerships also will stay in place, as will the Aloha Kia naming convention.

"We are excited to expand into Hawaii and continue to grow our relationship with Kia," Ken Garff CEO Brett Hopkins said in a statement.

The deal reflects rising interest in the Kia brand.

July's transaction is the first of 2023 for the large private ret…

The automotive industry has long been central to a strong North American middle class. That positioning is about to face a major test as the Detroit 3 begin negotiations with the UAW in the U.S. and Unifor in Canada.

Negotiations will be led by a variety of personalities — some with little or no bargaining experience and others who will strive to fix decades of inequity in one shot.

These negotiations will show the true colors of union leaders.

Both the UAW and Unifor have new leadership, with the UAW electing Shawn Fain as president in March and Unifor electing Lana Payne as president in August 2022.

Fain was elected as a member of the UAW Members United reform group and has promised a more militant approach to negotiations, definitively declaring that he will end two-tier wages, reintroduce cost of living adjustments, win significant increases for current retirees and eliminate alternative work schedules.

Two-tier wages were first bargai…

The E-Class may be losing some of its sales stature in the Mercedes-Benz lineup as America's wealthy households migrate to light trucks, but it remains a formidable showcase for the German brand. With the redesigned 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the automaker is sticking to the car's famed trademarks: quiet comfort, elegant functionality, top-notch engineering and advanced technology.

The E 350 variant is equipped with a new 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that produces 255 hp. The E 450 4Matic tops the latest two-car E-Class sedan lineup that hits showrooms in the first half of 2024. The M256 mild-hybrid powertrain is carried over, but the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine sees output rise 13 hp to 375 hp. The 48-volt integrated starter generator — slotted between the engine and the nine-speed automatic transmission — now generates an extra 22 hp when needed.

The wheelbase has been increased by 0.87 inch. Available rear-wheel steering (pa…

Uber Technologies Inc. reported its first operating profit, fueled by demand for rides and delivery and marking a significant milestone as the company seeks to move beyond its cash-burning past.

The results showed that trips in the U.S. and Canada have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, while delivery demand hit an all-time high despite increased costs for food. Uber posted a second-quarter operating profit according to generally accepted accounting principles of $326 million and free-cash-flow of $1.14 billion. The shares were down fell 5.6 percent when the market closed Tuesday.

"Both of these milestones were achieved through a combination of disciplined execution, record audience, and strong engagement," Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in prepared remarks. He added that the company was "well-positioned to sustain strong, incremental profit generation."

Uber's business has remained largely unscathed from elevated inflation rates as custo…

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. nearly doubled its operating profit in the latest quarter, as the world's biggest automaker ramped up supply on free-flowing semiconductor shipments and shifted sales into high gear in major markets, led by Japan.

In the latest three-month period, from April-June, Toyota's operating profit soared to 1.12 trillion yen ($7.75 billion), from 578.6 billion yen ($4.00 billion) a year earlier.

But Toyota also warned in Tuesday earnings announcement that lagging performance in the important North American market is undermining investment in electric vehicle production.

Operating margin in North America, the company's top market, languished at 3 percent in the quarter, below that in other regions, such as 14 percent in Japan and 6.3 percent in Europe.  

"We are not satisfied with an operating profit margin of 3 percent in North America, and we need to raise this more," a Toyota official said. "As we will be making battery…

Nissan's sporty Z coupe is getting primed again for track duty.

The Z Nismo returns to the U.S. after three years this fall with added horsepower and torque, performance-tuned suspension and brakes, aerodynamic bodywork and a stiffened suspension.

Like Mercedes-Benz' AMG or BMW's M, the Nismo has the double objective of enhancing Nissan's sporty side while adding profit to various models for both the manufacturer and the dealers, said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions.

"It takes a desirable product and makes it aspirational," Fiorani said.

In the U.S., Nissan has offered the Nismo performance package on the Sentra compact sedan, the 370Z and GT-R sports cars and the Juke compact crossover.

Takao Katagiri, global CEO of Nismo, has said that Nissan is "having lots of discussions" about introducing additional Nismo offerings geared toward American tastes.

"When we look at the U.S. market and what our competitors ar…

Mazda is dropping two vehicles from its U.S. lineup after the 2023 model year, the MX-30 — its first electric vehicle — and the CX-9 large crossover. For now, Mazda is focusing on gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles instead of EVs.

Three hybrid crossovers, the CX-50 and CX-90 that are already on sale, and the CX-70 that is expected to arrive next spring, replace the outgoing vehicles.

The MX-30, sold only in California, is a compact crossover that was limited by a 100-mile range between charges.

Mazda sold just 66 MX-30 crossovers through June, down from 316 sold in the first half of 2022. It was available for just two model years, while the CX-9 has been a mainstay in the lineup since 2007.

Mazda also has no plans to market the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV in the U.S., a spokesperson said. The MX-30 R-EV, sold in Europe and Japan, features a 17.8-kilowatt-hour battery, and, with a rotary range extender, provides 53 miles of all-…

California state regulators will review the data protection policies of car manufacturers as part of the state's efforts on consumer privacy. The audit will focus on connected vehicles that tie in with drivers' mobile phones to power popular infotainment features — like Apple Inc.'s CarPlay or Alphabet Inc.'s Android Auto.

"Modern vehicles are effectively connected computers on wheels," Ashkan Soltani, executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, said in a statement Monday. "They're able to collect a wealth of information via built-in apps, sensors, and cameras, which can monitor people both inside and near the vehicle."

Soltani said the agency's enforcement division is reaching out to car manufacturers to gauge how they use and collect consumer data and are complying with California's privacy laws. The agency declined to comment further on which carmakers it had contacted as part of the review.

The California Privacy Protection Agen…

U.S. regulators want 58 mpg CAFE standards in less than a decade. Suppliers get rare leverage in contract negotiations. Plus, a conversation with the head of GM’s hydrogen business, Charlie Freese.

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