Trade News

Dealership management system giant Reynolds and Reynolds Co. ended its legal challenge to a state law in Arizona that gives auto retailers more control of data inside their DMS, bringing the 2-year-old case to a close shortly before the new year.

U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow signed an order Dec. 27 dismissing Reynolds' remaining claims after a stipulation by the parties, including Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and the Arizona Automobile Dealers Association, which intervened in the case.

DMS rival CDK Global Inc., which had joined privately held Reynolds and Reynolds in filing the lawsuit in July 2019, exited the case about a month earlier.

"After significant contemplation, Reynolds has decided to dismiss the case in Arizona," company spokesman Greg Uland told Automotive News in an email. "This does not change our stance on data security or how our systems operate. We will continue to work with our dealers to make sure they have the tools t…

For highly automated cars, seeing what's ahead of and around the vehicle is critical. But seeing unoccupied space can provide a more complete picture — by literally filling in the blanks.

Arbe Robotics Ltd., a leader in 4D imaging radar systems for advanced driver-assist systems and autonomous driving, plans to highlight its free-space mapping, a critical refinement to its perception programming and sensors, this week at CES.

The new algorithm now sees unobstructed or drivable areas around the vehicle and locates the vehicle within that mapped space. And it does this in concert, or in "sensor fusion," with on-board camera inputs.

"A key element in the perception of the car is being able to understand which areas are free and which are occupied by another car or a guardrail," explains Ram Machness, chief business officer at Tel Aviv-based Arbe. "Nobody till now was able to use radar for free-space mapping. The current generation of […

The CEO of Energy Systems Network, co-sponsor of the Jan. 7 event, discusses why high-speed racing is an "awesome platform" to test autonomous vehicle components and software, develop a world-class talent pipeline for the AV industry and build on the groundbreaking example of the DARPA challenges.

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Mercedes-Benz has revealed a 620-mile-plus EV concept that the luxury automaker claims is its "most efficient and aerodynamic vehicle."

The Vision EQXX, which Mercedes said can drive from New York to Cincinnati on a single charge and is as aerodynamic as a football, showcases long-distance efficiency through advancements in energy density, aerodynamics and lightweight design.

"The Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX is how we imagine the future of electric cars," Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius said in a statement.

The concept was revealed Monday at an online event and was to be the centerpiece of the brand's stand at CES in Las Vegas. Mercedes pulled out of the show last week, citing the global spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The Vision EQXX is an experiment in energy efficiency — demonstrating efficiency improvements in the electric motor, inverter, battery design, packaging and thermal management.

T…

SEOUL -- Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia forecast that their combined global sales will jump 12 percent in 2022, even as last year's sales fell short of target due to the global chip shortage.

The companies sold 6.67 million vehicles in 2021, about 3.7 percent less than their combined target of 6.92 million vehicles, largely due to supply problems including the chip shortage, which drove down vehicle shipments.

They said they would target global sales of 7.47 million vehicles this year.

"In 2022, Hyundai Motor plans to expand its market share and strengthen profitability through efforts to stabilize chip supply and demand, adjust vehicle production schedules, strengthen electric vehicle lineups as well as optimizing sales profit and loss by region," Hyundai Motor said in a statement on Monday.

The chip shortage, due to supply problems and a surge in demand for consumer electric gadgets during the pandemic, has hit the auto industry hard, with …

SONOMA, Calif. — Though Subaru is looking toward an electric future, the 2022 WRX is a clear indication of the brand's commitment to its enthusiast customer base.

Touted as a more refined reiteration of the iconic rally car, the fifth-generation WRX is the first version of the sporty compact sedan built on Subaru's Global Platform, which improves vehicle dynamics and reduces noise, vibration and harshness — significantly enhancing the overall rigidity of the WRX and its ride and handling on the road.

The car gets a new sport-tuned suspension, electric power-assisted steering, an electronic controlled power-assisted brake system and multi-mode vehicle dynamics control with track mode.

Michael Redic, car line planning manager at Subaru of America, said the automaker relied heavily on customer feedback to improve the WRX while working to ensure the brand stayed true to the vehicle's heritage.

"The customers love the per…

Since General Motors first showcased the "Boss" 14 years ago at CES, the annual technology showcase has become a prominent venue for displaying the latest in autonomous-vehicle technology.

This year's most intriguing entrant won't navigate rocky desert terrain as Boss, an autonomous Chevrolet Tahoe, did as the winner of a Defense Department competition that served as a formative event for the automated industry. In fact, it won't navigate any terrain at all.

Sierra Space Corp. plans to unveil a full-scale replica of its Dream Chaser spacecraft during the show. The real thing is scheduled to launch late this year or perhaps in early 2023, according to Janet Kavandi, president of the company, on a cargo-carrying mission to the International Space Station.

When it departs, it will be under autonomous control with no humans aboard.

"You may not necessarily have to have a pilot to have a Dream Chaser, but we will allow crew interfaces to the vehicle,"…

Tesla Inc. delivered 308,600 vehicles worldwide in the fourth quarter, smashing the previous record for the EV maker and setting a capstone on a year in which the company joined the exclusive $1 trillion market valuation club.

The better-than-expected results posted Sunday pushed Tesla’s total sales for the year to more than 936,000, up about 87% over 2020’s deliveries of just under half a million vehicles. Thirteen analysts surveyed by Bloomberg on average had expected about 263,000 vehicles for the quarter, though some had revised their numbers upward in the final days of December.

“This is a trophy-case quarter for Tesla as the company blew away even bull-case expectations,” Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in an e-mailed statement. He called it a “jaw-dropper performance for Musk & Co. in the December quarter with massive tailwinds into 2022.” 

Electric elevation

Quarterly deliveries are one of the most closely wa…

BEIJING -- China will cut subsidies on new energy vehicles, such as electric cars, by 30 percent next year, the Finance Ministry said on Friday.

The Ministry said on its website the 2022 NEV subsidies policy will terminate on Dec. 31, 2022, and NEVs will not be subsidized afterward.

The ministry had said in April 2020 that subsidies for NEVs would be cut from 2020 to 2022 by 10 percent, 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively.

For NEVs used for public transport, subsidies would be cut by 10 percent in 2021 and 20 percent in 2022.

China, the world's biggest auto market, has set a target for NEVs, including plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, to make up 20 percent of auto sales by 2025.

Global automakers such as Volkswagen Group, General Motors, Toyota Motor Corp. and Tesla Inc. are ramping up EV production in China.

The Ministry also said China would tighten up supervision of NEV safety issues to prevent accidents.

Tesla Inc. and Elon Musk may have extra to celebrate for New Year’s Eve on Friday as workers push toward record quarterly deliveries in the waning hours of 2021, capping a remarkable year in which the electric-car company’s market value zoomed past $1 trillion.

Deliveries are one of the most closely watched metrics at Tesla: They underpin the company’s financial results and are widely seen as a barometer of consumer demand for electric vehicles amid a global shift away from the internal combustion engine. Being at the forefront of that wave helped make Musk, Tesla’s CEO, the world’s richest person this year, with a fortune of about $273 billion.

The Austin, Texas, carmaker typically counts sales until midnight on the last day of a quarter, which in this case means New Year’s Eve. On average, a dozen analysts in a Bloomberg survey estimate Tesla may report about 265,000 deliveries -- and more-recent updates, such as a 290,000 prediction last week from Dan Levy o…

Tesla Inc. is recalling more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S EVs to address rearview camera and trunk issues that increase the risk of crashing, the U.S. road safety regulator said.

The EV maker is recalling 356,309 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles to address rearview camera issues and 119,009 Model S vehicles due to front hood problems, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The total number of recalled vehicles is close to the half a million vehicles Tesla delivered last year. Tesla could not be reached for comment.

For Model 3 sedans, "the rearview camera cable harness may be damaged by the opening and closing of the trunk lid, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying," NHTSA said.

For Model S vehicles, front hood latch problems may lead a trunk to open "without warning and obstruct the driver’s visibility, increasing the risk of a crash," Tesla told the agency.

Tesla is not aware of any crashes, injuries …