Trade News

DETROIT -- Truck fleet operator Ryder System Inc. will manage and maintain autonomous trucks for Waymo Via, the autonomous truck unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., the companies said on Wednesday.

Waymo Via is testing a small fleet of trucks with its automated driving system in Texas, Arizona, California, Ohio and Michigan. Under the new partnership, Ryder will handle maintenance and roadside service, among other services, the companies said.

"Over time, we see tremendous opportunity to expand our collaboration to accelerate the broad deployment of autonomous trucks," Rocky Garff, head of Waymo Via's trucking operations, wrote in a blog post.

Waymo Via also is building a hub for autonomous trucks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that will be "able to accommodate hundreds of trucks and personnel," Garff wrote.

Waymo did not say when its autonomous truck fleet would grow to hundreds of vehicles.

Waymo Via said last October it is collaboratin…

CDK Global Inc. reported higher revenue and profit in its fiscal fourth quarter, a period in which the company brought digital retailing firm Roadster under its umbrella.

The Hoffman Estates, Ill., dealership management system giant on Tuesday posted net earnings attributable to CDK of $49.4 million in the period ended June 30, up 8.3 percent from the year-earlier period.

CDK's net earnings from continuing operations, which do not include the international business unit it divested in March, fell 42 percent to $36.3 million.

CEO Brian Krzanich said in an earnings call Tuesday afternoon that the sale helped strengthen CDK Global's balance sheet and reduce debt, as well as pursue the $360 million acquisition of Roadster in an all-cash deal.

That purchase is seen by CDK as key to the company being at the cutting edge of retail technology. "Roadster is proving to be that final piece in our puzzle to really help modernize and…

Asbury Automotive Group Inc. last week bought its third dealership in Colorado and is believed to have made its first acquisition since buying eight luxury-brand Park Place Dealerships stores in Texas last August.

Asbury on Aug. 9 bought Greeley Subaru, northeast of Denver, from Warren Yoder. The dealership has been renamed Mike Shaw Subaru Greeley.

"Subaru is a highly desirable brand with a history of success in the market and nationwide," Asbury said in a statement to Automotive News. "This acquisition also strengthens our presence in the Colorado market."

The Greeley store is Asbury's second Subaru dealership. Asbury also owns Mike Shaw Subaru in Thornton, Colo., which it acquired in November 2019.

Fellow public auto retailer Sonic Automotive Inc. also acquired a Subaru dealership in Colorado last month.

Asbury in February 2020 bought a Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram store in Greeley, a dealership that also operates under the Mike Shaw brand,…

TOKYO — This might be the age of the electric, but Nissan just redesigned its iconic Z car with a boost of gasoline-powered horsepower.

With a high-output 3.0-liter V6 powerplant, the new Z is a 400-hp, twin-turbo, retro-styled piece of eye candy, gaining 68 hp and a 30 percent increase in torque. It is also quicker off the line, eking a 15 percent improvement in the car's 0 to 60 mph time.

It's the first time the Z has packed 400 or more hp.

Retro-styled on the outside, high-tech on the inside, the redesign is partly homage to the car's origins and partly a signal for Nissan's new direction.

With its global sales focused mainly on the U.S. and Japan, the Z is expected to be more of a brand builder than volume player.

Indeed, the Z is a key element in CEO Makoto Uchida's "Nissan A to Z" product blitz, which aims to rejuvenate an aging lineup with a steady stream of new offerings. The "A" stands for the new Ariya electric crossover, and the…

LOS ANGELES — Kia America has named Eric Watson vice president of sales operations, overseeing the automaker's regional and corporate sales operations in the U.S.

Watson, who has been acting vice president of sales operations since March, begins his new role immediately and reports to Kia North America CEO Sean Yoon, Kia said in a news release Monday.

Through July, Kia has achieved five consecutive monthly sales records and reached record U.S. market share, according to the automaker.

Kia America's previous head of sales operations, Bill Peffer, resigned suddenly in January — one week after also assuming the title of COO. Peffer was named CEO of Maserati North America shortly after leaving Kia.

Watson joined Kia in December 2017 as director of field operations. Before that, Watson worked for Mazda North American Operations for eight years. His last post at Mazda was director of marketing operations, according to his Linke…

The CEO of electric-vehicle maker Li Auto Inc. has said the industry should limit using the terms autonomous and self driving, considering no automobile today is truly capable of that and its common usage is becoming misleading for consumers.

Li Xiang’s comments, on his WeChat account Monday, come days after a fatal accident involving an electric car from rival Nio Inc. The 31-year-old driver of that vehicle had Nio’s navigation-on-pilot function activated and was killed when his car rear-ended another on a highway.

That and similar accidents in China have raised consumer concerns over the safety of electric cars, which tend to have more advanced driving technology and intelligent features than traditional cars. Some people say the way the vehicles are being advertised, including describing driver-assistance functions as autonomous driving, is potentially dangerous.

“The terms ‘autonomous’ and ‘assistance’ are conflicting each other in describing one sin…

General Motors will replace all battery modules in Chevrolet Bolts that were recalled last month, rather than only defective modules, the automaker said.

The module replacements, which could start as early as this month, come after GM recalled its 2017-2019 model year Bolt battery-powered cars for the second time in less than a year. Two fire incidents were reported after the initial recall, including one in a Bolt that had updated software.

Affected customers can visit certified EV dealers for the repair. As of 2019, about half of Chevy’s U.S. dealer network was EV-certified.

GM said in a statement it would replace recalled vehicles' five lithium ion battery modules with new modules, rather than replacing entire battery packs. "The battery pack case, wiring and the other pack components are not defective and do not need replacing," GM said.

GM said earlier the high-voltage batteries being recalled were produced at South Korean manufacturer LG C…

Online used-vehicle retailers are anticipating an eventual normalization of the topsy-turvy used-vehicle market and auto retail in general, but for varying reasons.

For retail-first firms Carvana, Vroom and Shift, seasonably cooling used-vehicle prices could also mean slowing tailwinds on the per-car gross profits they are able to command. For CarLotz, which specializes in consignment, more new-vehicle production could spell some relief.

Traditional franchised dealers can no doubt relate to all four companies.

Used-vehicle prices have been on a wild ride: diving in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and then swiftly rebounding, eventually reaching record heights this spring and summer.

As analysts and used-vehicle market observers expected, wholesale prices have finally crested. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index fell 2.6 percent month-over-month in July — but was still up 24 percent compared with July 2020. …

Elon Musk was acting as a proper chief executive officer as Tesla Inc. weighed the purchase of power provider SolarCity in 2016, his longtime ally and fellow Tesla Inc. director Antonio Gracias told a judge.

A two-week trial over the billionaire CEO’s role in the $2 billion transaction wrapped up Monday, and now Judge Joseph Slights III must decide whether Musk -- who was the solar company’s chairman and largest shareholder at the time -- properly removed himself from the deal to avoid conflicts of interest.

Gracias, the last witness, was questioned by Musk’s attorney about the 50-year-old chief’s role in the acquisition. He emphasized that Musk removed himself from the deal’s pricing and from voting on the acquisition but had a legitimate part to play.

“He’s recused from the deal, but not from doing his job,” Gracias testified under questioning by Daniel Slifkin. He said he and Musk made themselves “available” to Tesla’s board for any questions on the …