Trade News

Companies that provide Internet vehicle listings are looking beyond generating traditional leads to help consumers transact online.

The capabilities that listings sites such as CarGurus and TrueCar are adding to their platforms expand on their original auto classifieds businesses. They range from integrating with digital retailing software providers to allowing consumers to build deals that incorporate vehicle financing and protection products.

The shift follows a broader industry trend toward e-commerce that had been slow to evolve until the coronavirus pandemic sped it forward. Executives of the listings companies and observers of the segment say allowing consumers to complete more purchase steps on third-party websites before passing them on to a dealership will generate deeper leads from more-serious buyers.

Someone who acts beyond simply requesting a quote, such as seeking a trade-in value or applying for credit, signals to a dealership that "this…

A 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV owned by Vermont Rep. Timothy Briglin, a supporter of EVs in the state legislature, recently caught fire while charging in his driveway.

The vehicle is a part of a November recall of more than 50,000 2017-2019 model year Bolts in the U.S. due to fire concerns. GM confirmed five instances of fire at the time of the recall. There were nearly 69,000 vehicles recalled globally.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of this incident. We have reached out to the customer and are actively investigating the incident and gathering additional information to understand the specific circumstances," GM said in a statement.

GM later announced a remedy to owners of the recalled EV, which was able to identify potential battery anomalies. The remedy calls for replacing battery module assemblies in the vehicles as well as installing advanced onboard diagnostic software to detect potential issues in the battery.

Owners of 2019 mo…

As the second quarter came to a close, one dealership group expanded while another transaction involved a first-time dealer.

Here's a quick look at the transactions involving domestic- and import-brand stores.

Oregon acquisition

Time Auto Group acquired its first Subaru and Honda dealerships on June 30 when it bought Klamath Falls Subaru and Klamath Falls Honda, in Oregon, from Underriner Motors.

The growing Time Auto of Portland, Ore., also owns Volvo Cars of Bend, in Oregon, as well as Beaverton Nissan and Gladstone Mitsubishi in suburban Portland. The group also includes D&C Motor Co., a used-vehicle dealership in Portland that specializes in European luxury brands. Klamath Falls is in southern Oregon.

"We're looking to expand, especially in Oregon," Time Auto CEO Daniel Crainic told Automotive News. "It's close enough to us where it gives us a dynamic footprint."

Time Auto's two-store Klamath Falls acquisition follows its pu…

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess received a contract extension under which he will lead the automaker until October 2025.

Diess will remain in his post until his 67th birthday, VW said in a statement on Friday.

Diess and his management team "have worked with employee representatives to successfully advance the transformation of the group over the last few years," VW Group Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch said in the statement.

Under the leadership of Diess "conditions will be optimal for the continued successful development of the entire company in the coming years as well," Pötsch said.

Diess's contract extension was made possible by the recent departure of labor leader Bernd Osterloh. The pair had frequently clashed over strategy.

The extension marks a victory for the former BMW AG executive who twice last year was unsuccessful in seeking an early extension to his contract. Internal tensions were defused in December with a broad…

General Motors is recalling 410,019 pickup trucks from the 2015 and 2016 model years because the roof-rail airbag inflator end cap in them could detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall could rupture.

According to a safety recall report filed with NHTSA, corrosion caused by moisture introduced during the supplier manufacturing process could occur inside the inflator vessel.

If the end cap separates from the roof-rail airbag inflator or a sidewall rupture occurs, compressed gas could escape and the end cap could be propelled into the vehicle, potentially injuring the driver or passengers.

GM says the supplier at the time of assembly was Key Safety Systems, now known as Joyson Safety Systems.

The recall covers a range of pickup models: the 2015-16 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500; and the 2015-16 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500.

GM reports roof-rail airbag inflators ruptured in three unoccupied 2015 Silverado vehicles in mid…

As automakers add digital services, Gartner's Mike Ramsey says the companies are failing to reach many vehicle owners because of unreliable factory apps.

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WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY -- The U.S. and Mexico on Thursday agreed that a new union vote will be held at the General Motors Silao plant by Aug. 20, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office and Mexico’s economy ministry said.

Both countries released a joint statement that said Mexico has agreed to a number of safeguards before the vote, including having Mexican federal inspectors and impartial international observers from the International Labor Organization at the facility ahead of the vote. Mexico said in May that it would review labor practices at the GM plant in central Mexico after a formal complaint from USTR.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement the agreement with Mexico will allow workers to vote on whether to approve their collective bargaining agreement in "free and democratic conditions." She praised Mexico "for taking swift action when they recognized that workers’ rights were denied."

Last month, Mexico sent a letter that f…

Polestar, the electric-car maker controlled by Volvo Car AB and its owner Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., is in talks to go public through a merger with Gores Guggenheim Inc., a blank check-firm, according to people with knowledge of the matter. 

A transaction may value the combined company at around $25 billion, the people said. No deal has been reached and it’s possible terms could change or that talks fall apart.

Jennifer Kwon Chou, a Gores Guggenheim representative, and a Polestar spokesperson declined to comment. A spokesman for Volvo in the U.S. didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A Geely spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment outside of Asian business hours.

Gothenburg, Sweden-based Polestar, led by CEO Thomas Ingenlath, is a rival to Tesla Inc. and EV maker Lucid Motors. It had been exploring options for going public as early as this year, Bloomberg News reported in March.

The company’s second vehicle and…

WASHINGTON -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday its political action committee will halt donations to U.S. members of Congress who voted against President Joe Biden's election certification in January.

The largest Japanese automaker has faced harsh criticism for donations to some lawmakers -- members of then-President Donald Trump's Republican Party -- who voted against certification of Biden's win in some U.S. states.

"We are actively listening to our stakeholders and, at this time, have decided to stop contributing to those members of Congress who contested the certification of certain states in the 2020 election," the company said.

More than 535 people have been arrested and charged with joining an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Congress from certifying Biden's election victory over Trump.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said last month that Toyota made $56,000 in total donations to…

ZISLOW, Germany -- Volkswagen's supervisory board will discuss on Friday whether to extend the contract of CEO Herbert Diess, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The meeting, at which the sources said the board could decide in favor of a two-year extension for Diess until 2025, is taking place only days ahead of Volkswagen's strategy day scheduled for July 13.

A fresh contract would come shortly after Diess' long-term opponent Bernd Osterloh stepped down as works council head and took a management position at Volkswagen's truck unit Traton.

Diess, whose current contract runs until April 2023, had asked for an early extension toward the end of last year to get more backing for his efforts to reform Europe's top carmaker, but ran into opposition from powerful labor leaders, including Osterloh.

No firm decision has been taken and there is no guarantee that the supervisory board will reach an agreement at its meeting on Friday, the peopl…

Group 1 Automotive Inc. is expected to report higher profits on solid new-vehicle sales in the second quarter, despite a shortage of new cars and trucks to sell.

The company provided preliminary data on the second quarter because the microchip-related supply disruption has "made it very difficult for the financial markets to grasp the impact on our business," CEO Earl Hesterberg said in a release Thursday.

Group 1 expects earnings per share for the quarter to range between $10.20 and $10.70. Group 1 reported $1.63 in diluted earnings per share in the pandemic-stricken second quarter of 2020 and $2.64 in the second quarter of 2019.

The company said its profits are being driven by strong vehicle margins in the U.S., a rebound in U.S. service business and recovery in the U.K., as well as cost controls.

Second-quarter parts and service gross profit is expected to be up 10 percent against the second quarter of 2019 – a more comparable period because th…

Mazda's North American unit is recalling 260,915 Mazda3 vehicles from the 2004-2007 model years because airbag deployment could cause the plastic emblem on the steering wheel module cover to shatter and send fragments flying.

According to documents filed with NHTSA, the fragments could strike occupants during airbag deployment, which increases the risk of injury.

Mazda estimates it will notify owners by mail Aug. 28. The automaker will have owners take vehicles to a Mazda dealership so the airbag module cover can be replaced with an improved part. Airbags and inflators won't be replaced.

Mazda says owners won't be charged for the service. The automaker also says customers "would not have been able to incur warrantable costs" related to fixing the defect, so it won't offer a reimbursement plan.

According to a safety recall report filed with NHTSA, replacement airbag module covers have logos that don't contain polyurethane, which is subject to deter…