Trade News

TOKYO — The redesigned Honda Civic hatchback continues the nameplate's tradition of gradually growing bigger. It's a little longer and gets a wider rear tread, not to mention more rear legroom.

Honda Motor Co. pulled the wraps off the updated compact hatch late Wednesday in an online unveiling.

On the outside, the 2022 hatchback shares the same styling evolution as the new-generation sedan, which was unveiled in April. The sedan has just gone on sale, and the hatch is expected to arrive stateside this fall.

The front pillar is pushed back, and the roofline tapers back into more of a fastback silhouette. The beltline gets pulled higher for a more upscale look marked with a sleek, straight crease.

The 11th-generation hatchback is longer and slightly lower than the outgoing model. It also has a longer wheelbase. The reconfiguration helps eke out extra rear-seat legroom.

It will be offered with a 1.5-liter tu…

TOKYO — The redesigned QX60 is an upscale, three-row, family-friendly crossover that is a make-or-break launch for Infiniti, heralding a fresh design language and new technologies that the beleaguered Japanese premium brand hopes will reignite its slumping sales.

The overhauled 2022 QX60 midsize crossover, unveiled Wednesday, debuts a styling evolution that imbues the brand's bestselling nameplate with a more rugged, upright utility vehicle stance.

Among the new flourishes is a reworked front fascia featuring an origami-inspired mesh grille and a "digital piano key" lighting signature. The updated look draws from the Japanese roots of Infiniti, which moved its global headquarters back to Yokohama from Hong Kong last year. The headlights, for instance, get a treatment designers call "kimono folds."

A subtle character line runs straight down the beltline, lending an air of stability, while the roofline cuts a sloping silhouette to a streamlined rear. A t…

DETROIT -- General Motors and Royal Dutch Shell Plc are teaming up in the U.S. to expand EV charging and household energy plans drawing on renewable resources.

The automaker and a Shell-owned power company, MP2 Energy LLC, are starting their joint project in Texas, where owners of GM electric cars can get free overnight charging this summer, the companies said Wednesday. The plan is to provide comprehensive energy programs to GM’s customers and supply chain partners, including fixed-rate home energy plans backed by 100 percent renewable energy.

The partnership follows a flurry of low-carbon ventures between energy producers and manufacturers across the globe, with their climate ambitions -- including emissions by their customers -- being scrutinized by investors and activists. Shell is under more immediate pressure than any of its Big Oil peers after a Dutch court last month ruled it must slash its emissions 45 percent by 2030.

GM has set a target of bei…

A study out Wednesday from credit bureau TransUnion found the majority of consumers kept pace with pandemic-related forbearance payments, even on credit products in accommodation programs.

Consumers who left accommodation programs early were considered a low credit risk, TransUnion also found, and were less likely to seek accommodations again.

The results indicate consumer financial health remained stable during the pandemic, according to Matt Komos, vice president of research and consulting at TransUnion.

Accounts in financial hardship — defined by factors such as a deferred payment, forbearance program, frozen account or frozen past due payment — skyrocketed nationwide as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered workplaces and drove up unemployment.

The passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in 2020 significantly increased adoption of these programs by expanding their eligibility, Komos also noted …

Nissan North America Inc. is recalling 138,736 Sentra sedans from the 2020-21 model years because the left, right or both tie rods may be bent.

According to a defect notice filed with NHTSA, a bent tie rod could impair the driver's ability to steer the vehicle. For one thing, the steering wheel could be off-center and experience vibration. For another, the tie rods possibly breaking could lead to a partial loss of steering control, raising crash risk.

Nissan estimates it will start notifying owners Aug. 5. The automaker says they will be told to take their vehicle to a Nissan dealer for an inspection. If bent, the tie rods will be replaced.

Nissan said the vehicles are still under warranty. It notified dealers Friday.

When asked about any accidents or injuries stemming from the recall, a Nissan spokeswoman said the automaker received one report of an accident that was determined to be unrelated to the issue.

Toyota Motor North America will 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 identifier."

The policy will apply July 5 to production facilities in Missouri and Tennessee and July 12 to headquarters in Plano, Texas, as well as plants in Indiana and Kentucky, a company spokesman confirmed. Toyota's remaining facilities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico will retain their mask requirements for all workers, following local health guidelines.

The Japanese automaker sent home almost all of its 36,000 U.S. employees, including the more than 4,000 employees of its once bustling headquarters in Plano, in March 2020 because of COVID-19.

For office workers, a return to the workplace is not yet mandatory, the spokesman confirmed, but for those wishing to do so without a mask, the procedure will include signing a consent form that will allow the a…

Tesla Inc. unveiled what it claims is the longest supercharging route in China, a 5,000 kilometer (3,100 mile) stretch spanning the vast nation from east to west that’s studded with 27 electric-vehicle charging stations along the way.

A promotional video about the route, which also pays homage to China’s majestic landscape, was retweeted by CEO Elon Musk.

Charging facilities are vital to the promotion of EVs, with range anxiety one of the main reasons why people don’t want to make the switch away from gasoline vehicles.

The route covers nine cities, starting from the eastern coastal hub of Zhoushan and stretching to the western city of Horgos bordering Kazakhstan. It loosely follows the same path as the legendary Silk Road, a network of trade routes that for centuries was central to economic, cultural, political and religious interactions. 

Tesla drivers will be able to travel to tourist attractions including the Kumtag Desert, the Turfan v…

Federal prosecutors are seeking to compel Reynolds and Reynolds Co. and individual executives to produce records ahead of a competency hearing for Bob Brockman, the company's former chairman and CEO who faces tax and wire fraud charges.

Government lawyers filed a motion Monday asking a federal judge to order a handful of witnesses to turn over records in response to subpoenas within 30 days. Prosecutors wrote in the filing that while the witnesses are not required to produce evidence until the date of the Sept. 13 competency hearing, "such late production will cause unnecessary and undue delay."

Brockman's attorneys did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Prosecutors wrote in Monday's filing that defense lawyers object to the motion for reasons outlined in a filing in February. Defense attorneys wrote in that filing, which also addressed the government's request for Brockman's medical records, that prosecutors can't conduct a "fishing e…

Toyota's elaborate, peek-a-boo, slow-motion reveal plan for the redesigned 2022 Tundra was blown up late last week when someone posted undisguised images of the pickup's exterior online that were photographed off of a screen presentation.

A few hours after the first images appeared, the company surrendered to the obvious and posted a full image of the next-generation full-size pickup on its Twitter account, adding only "Some people don't know how to keep a secret."

But as someone who's seen the next-generation Tundra up close — I and about 75 other journalists were shown a full-scale fiberglass model of a TRD Pro Tundra this month at the company's headquarters in Plano, Texas, and sworn to secrecy — I can tell you that neither image really does the next-gen Tundra justice.

With no real scale for the eye to measure against in either the leaked or official image, you'll have to take my word that Toyota's first redesign of the Tundr…

Volkswagen Group is undergoing the world's largest industrial overhaul for the electric-vehicle age, plotting half a dozen battery plants just in Europe and retooling assembly lines around the globe.

And yet, its CEO sees autonomous-driving technology bringing about an even bigger shift.

"This change will transform the industry more than EVs or the electrification does," VW Group CEO Herbert Diess said in an interview for Bloomberg's Qatar Economic Forum. "The car becomes so different when it’s driving autonomously."

Diess's view may surprise some auto industry observers, given the breadth of VW's electric revamp and the level of disillusionment that has set in for autonomous-vehicle technology.

While Google's Waymo started offering driverless rides in robotaxis late last year, the service is limited to the Phoenix suburbs. Other companies including Tesla Inc. and Ford Motor Co. have made predictions about the technology's readiness that have not …

Honda is sticking to a familiar playbook to keep the redesigned Civic compact among the best-engineered and best-handling cars on the market. The 11th-generation Civic features more technology, improved fuel economy and new safety features to increase its appeal to younger buyers and maintain itself as a key entry point to the brand. Honda says it offers improved handling, better outward visibility and a simplified interior design. The latest Civic sedan is launching with two powertrains: a 158-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in LX and Sport models and a 180-hp, 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder in EX and Touring models. We've rounded up some early reviews from the automotive press.

"Its looks have been totally overhauled, inside and out. Gone are the various cutlines and fake vents, replaced by a design that borrows heavily from the Accord and appears more premium and mature than the previous Civic.

"Inside, the new Civic is comfortabl…

It appealed to a generation of American outdoor enthusiasts, from Maine to Southern California, who coveted it for its well-appointed interior, six-passenger seating, World War II Jeep pedigree and fake wood veneers.

But after the Jeep Grand Wagoneer's amazing run, Chrysler Corp. ended output of the grandfather of large, plush SUVs on June 20, 1991, at a plant in Toledo, Ohio.

The hulking four-wheel-drive SUV, Jeep's flagship, fell victim to competition from the Ford Explorer and Range Rover as well as more stringent government regulations. Fewer buyers were willing to pay $30,000 for the leather seats and power windows that had once made the Grand Wagoneer a favorite among affluent households.

The Grand Wagoneer, one of the last remaining gas-guzzlers of its generation, would have required extensive reengineering to meet new U.S. safety standards by 1993. It was replaced by the Grand Cherokee.

Toledo's Willys Motors Inc.…