Trade News

Think back 13 years. A seeming lifetime ago in terms of automotive history. Guys named Mulally and Wagoner were steering Ford and General Motors. Chrysler hadn't hooked up with Fiat yet, let alone PSA Group.

But Bill Kozyra was doing then what he's doing now: leading TI Fluid Systems, a U.K. company with a big U.S. presence. TI is now a year short of its 100th birthday and stands as one the industry's top 100 global suppliers. The ranking comes from our annual list, the latest of which comes out with this issue.

Few CEOs can claim that kind of tenure. But it does give Kozyra a unique perch to reflect on the state of the industry, from the eve of the Great Recession to a year after the pandemic hit.

He raised five points when I caught up with him by phone last week. And they point to a bright future, at least from the perspective of a 64-year-old (as of Monday, June 28) Detroit native who got his start in this industry more than four decades ago and is re…

Auto dealers have lots of reasons to sell now, as stores are fetching record prices and higher capital gains taxes are on the table.

Record-holding dealer Billy Fuccillo Sr., known for his "It's huge!" advertising slogan and splashy marketing efforts, died June 17 at home in Sarasota, Fla. He was 65.

"Known for his legendary generosity and larger-than-life personality, Billy was thoroughly committed to the communities he served and to the people who knew him as a friend, a father, a husband and a colleague," said a post on the Fuccillo Chevrolet Grand Island Facebook page.

Fuccillo, CEO of Fuccillo Automotive Group, was born in 1956 in Greenport, N.Y., and graduated from Syracuse University, where he played tight end on the football team from 1974 to 1978, according to his obituary.

He landed a job in sales at a Chevrolet dealership in Buffalo, N.Y., and later bought a wholesale car business, according to a report in the Fort Myers News-Press in Florida.

Fuccillo eventually expanded his empire to well over 20 dealerships in New York and other states su…

The coming GMC Hummer EV weighs more than 9,000 pounds and can reach 60 mph in about 3 seconds. The twin electric motors in the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT make more torque than a diesel-powered F-150 and can propel the 4,500-pound vehicle to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Tesla's Model S Plaid can reach 200 mph and hit 60 mph in less than 2 seconds.

All three deliver torque numbers usually associated with high-output diesel-powered trucks. And they are shod with tires created specifically for electric vehicles.

In the EV era, almost no part of the automobile will go unchanged — including tires. With more than 100 electric models scheduled for launch in the next few years, tire companies are under pressure as they wrestle with conflicting demands for a new generation of tires.

These new tires need to be stronger to handle increased vehicle weight and substantially greater torque created by electric motors. But the tires have to be made a…

Big falls are often followed by big bounces.

Infiniti's global boss, Peyman Kargar, hopes the same laws of physics apply to his struggling premium brand. After a 35 percent slump in worldwide sales last year, and a 25 percent slide in U.S. sales during the first quarter, Infiniti is poised to bounce back later this year, Kargar says.

Kargar believes the arrival of the long- awaited redesign of the brand's sales-leading QX60 will provide that bounce.

"A big, big additional jump will come thanks to the QX60," Kargar said in an interview from Infiniti's global headquarters in Yokohama. "We have a really great year in front of us."

The QX60 is critical to Infiniti's comeback, as parent company Nissan Motor Co. struggles to dig out of its biggest operating loss ever and avoid a third-straight year of red ink. But perfecting the formula to achieve sustainable growth at Infiniti is still a work in progress.

Kargar…

LOS ANGELES — Lucid Motors is laying the retail and manufacturing groundwork for the launch of its battery-electric Air sedan in the coming months after years of delays, bringing the California startup's goal of taking on Tesla and Mercedes-Benz a big step closer to reality.

Last week, Lucid announced the end of its preproduction phase at its new Arizona manufacturing plant and said it will move into "quality validation builds" that will pave the way to begin producing for commercial sale.

At the same time, Lucid opened its eighth company-owned showroom, in New York City's Meatpacking District. Lucid is marketing the Air as a high-performance luxury sedan with up to 500 miles of range and ultra-fast charging capabilities.

"Opening a Lucid Studio in New York, one of the most vibrant cities in the world, allows us to demonstrate how Lucid Air and its groundbreaking technology perfectly complement the fast pace and refined taste of the Big Apple," CEO Peter…

BEIJING -- Tesla Inc. plans to recall more than 285,000 electric vehicles sold in China to address risks associated with its Autopilot feature after an investigation conducted by the country’s market regulator.

The EV maker will recall 211,256 locally-produced Model 3 vehicles and 35,665 imported ones, as well as 38,599 China-made Model Ys because their Autopilot systems are too easily-activated during a drive and could potentially lead to car crashes, the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement Saturday.

Tesla will upgrade the autopilot system for the recalled cars for free, it said.

Local registration data as of May shows Tesla delivered more than 275,000 imported and domestically-made Model 3s and Model Ys in China since 2019, suggesting most of the delivered cars will be recalled on the safety issues.

The decision was made after the market regulator conducted an investigation related to product defects, according to the …

Subaru of America has added a trim level to its largest vehicle — the three-row Ascent Onyx — as the Japanese automaker expands its strategy to appeal to new customers while retaining brand loyalists with blacked-out versions and other packages aimed squarely at adventurers.

The Japanese automaker's tactic mimics that of one of its chief rivals in the U.S., Jeep, which carved out niches with appearance and performance trims such as the TrailHawk and Overland.

"So much of our growth has been keyed in on conquest in general," explained Jeff Walters, head of sales for Subaru of America. "We're always looking for ways to appeal to new buyers."

Like the Outback Onyx, the Ascent Onyx features dark-toned exterior trim, including blacked-out badges and black 20-inch wheels. Based on its Premium line, the Onyx adds reverse gear automatic braking, a heated steering wheel and a hands-free power liftgate.

The Ascent Onyx follow…

Automakers are beginning to loosen their mask policies for vaccinated office and factory workers in a signal that working life could soon return to pre-pandemic norms as more people across the nation get their shots.

To the extent that some employees remain reluctant or unwilling to get immunized — or don't want to share that information — these facilities will have to operate with bifurcated sets of rules based on workers' vaccination status.

Toyota Motor North America last week said it would allow some of its U.S. manufacturing and office employees to work without a mask beginning next month if they provide proof of vaccination and wear a company-issued lanyard or wristband, depending on location.

The policy covers a sizable portion of Toyota's U.S. operations. It will apply Monday, July 5, to powertrain component facilities in Missouri and Tennessee and July 12 to Toyota's headquarters in Plano, Texas, as well as the Indiana and K…

On a Wednesday afternoon in May, an Uber driver in San Francisco was about to run out of charge on his Nissan Leaf. Normally this would mean finding a place to plug in and wait for a half hour, at least. But this Leaf was different.

Instead of plugging in, the driver pulled into a swapping station near Mission Bay, where a set of robot arms lifted the car off the ground, unloaded the depleted batteries and replaced them with a fully charged set. Twelve minutes later the Leaf pulled away with 32 kilowatt-hours of energy, enough to drive about 130 miles, for a cost of $13.

A swap like this is a rare event in the U.S. The Leaf's replaceable battery is made by Ample, one of the only companies that offers a service that is more popular in markets in Asia. In March, Ample announced that it had deployed five stations around the Bay Area. Nearly 100 Uber drivers are using them, the company says, making an average of 1.3 swaps per day.

Am…

An Audi dealership that was one of the stores at the center of a lawsuit filed by Volkswagen of America against Napleton Automotive Group has been acquired by another dealership group.

Burlington Automotive Group acquired Audi Wyoming Valley in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on May 17 from Wyoming Valley Motors.

Burlington Automotive, led by Randy Lebowitz, Jake Lebowitz and Wayne Hileman, now has nine dealerships, according to DCG Acquisitions, a Dave Cantin Group company. Dave Cantin and Brian Brown of DCG Acquisitions handled the transaction.

Napleton Automotive had been set to acquire the Audi dealership on multiple occasions dating to at least 2016. The latest deal collapsed last year.

Volkswagen of America last year asked a federal court in Pennsylvania to enforce a 2017 court order related to that store, and a judge ruled in August 2020 in Volkswagen's favor, deeming purchase agreements between Napleton and Wyoming Valley for its Audi store and a Volk…