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<!--*/ <!--*/ */ /*-->*/ /*-->*/ Israeli company technology provides insights when rubber hits the road

Whether you live in Michigan and potholes frequently wreak havoc on your wheels, or you live elsewhere, and your tires get a more standard amount of wear-and-tear, it would be helpful to know when one of the most important parts of your vehicle is giving out.

This week, Tactile Mobility launched a measurement technology that can derive insights about a vehicle's tire tread deterioration from data collected using vehicle sensors.

The Israeli company said its technology uses vehicles' existing sensors to collect metrics about wheel speed, wheel angle, RPM and other variables.

Using this information, the company can generate real-time insights about the vehicle's tire-tread depth and ultimately, tire health, for automakers, suppliers, fleet managers, auto repair shops, insurance companies and even the drivers.

Tactile Mobility…

After the unprecedented winter storm in Texas and other states last month, automakers and suppliers could be slammed by yet another devastating parts shortage that could idle seating plants as early as next week.

The blizzard halted the region's critical petrochemical plants, which could lead to a shortage in automotive seating foam, industry sources say.

The storm that left millions without heat or power amid subfreezing temperatures has impacted production of oil refinery byproducts used to make propylene oxide needed for the polyurethane foam found in auto seats.

The potential shortage comes as the supply-constrained industry navigates an unexpected rebound in consumer demand and an alarming microchip shortage that has halted production lines for a number of automakers.

An auto-industry executive who spoke with Crain's Detroit Business on the condition of anonymity said some seating supplier assembly lines were expected to run out of foam by M…

Cadillac rolled out XT5 and XT6 crossovers equipped with a 48-volt system that will give the luxury brand two core models with enhanced fuel efficiency and driving dynamics. 

The system, comprised of a 48-volt motor, power battery, power management module and control unit, will improve fuel economy and driving performance for the two vehicles, GM’s China unit said.

The system, combined with GM’s 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, can reduce fuel consumption of the XT5 and XT6 by 5 percent and 6 percent to 7.0 liters and 7.2 liters per 100 kilometers, respectively, according to GM China.

The system also provides a quieter, smoother and nimbler driving experience: In stop-and-go traffic, the 48-volt motor starts the vehicle with the instant release of torque; when the vehicle accelerates, the motor assists the engine to power the vehicle; when the vehicle is at cruising speed, the system recycles energy from the engine and stores it for future ac…

The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be integrated with Amazon Fire TV for Auto, which will give users access to shows, movies, apps, vehicle features and the Alexa personal assistant.

The utility vehicles, tasked with pushing Jeep upstream, will be technological showcases for the adventure brand and function as rolling entrainment hubs with the inclusion of Fire TV for Auto, the Stellantis brand said Thursday.

The upcoming Grand Wagoneer will be the first SUV with a front-passenger infotainment screen. The 10.25-inch screen, which is shielded from the driver by a privacy film on the glass, allows a passenger to watch movies in addition to sending destinations to the driver. It's unclear whether the Wagoneer will offer a screen for the front passenger.

Stellantis says Fire TV for Auto will communicate directly with the new Uconnect 5 infotainment system. The automaker says the content will sync with an existing Amazon account like other Fire TV dev…

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DETROIT — General Motors plans to launch a digital retail tool to help facilitate EV sales as the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV hit showrooms this summer.

The proprietary tool is powered by Tekion, a fast-growing automotive retail platform provider led by a former Tesla executive.

"The people that are going to buy EVs from Chevrolet, this is their everyday driver. We have to make EV easy," Steve Hill, vice president of Chevrolet, told Automotive News.

Of Chevy's roughly 3,000 U.S. dealers, about 1,700 have signed up to sell the freshened Bolt EV and the new Bolt EUV crossover. Chevy will implement the tool, at no cost to dealers, in June, Hill said. Enrollment begins in April, and pilots are scheduled to start in May. Chevy told dealers about the tool during a Wednesday meeting.

The platform can facilitate a vehicle sale end-to-end, as permitted by state law. Tekion's platform is "more intuitive than the best third parties on the market," sa…

FedEx Corp. is planning to make its entire fleet of delivery vans fully electric by 2040, the company said Wednesday.

The move is part of an effort to become carbon neutral that same year, with the company planning to plow $2 billion into the global effort.

The Memphis, Tenn.-based company will take a phased approach to electrifying its fleet. By 2025, 50 percent of its purchases of new delivery vehicles will be electric, rising to 100 percent of all purchases by 2030.

FedEx has more than 200,000 vehicles in its fleet.

In January, the company announced plans to buy 500 electric vans from General Motors' new commercial venture, BrightDrop.

Jeremy Carroll of Automotive News contributed to this report.

General Motors said Thursday it is considering building a second battery factory in the U.S. with South Korean joint venture partner LG Chem Ltd.

The largest U.S. automaker confirmed it is "exploring the feasibility of constructing a second, state of the art battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States" with LG Chem's battery unit LG Energy Solution, via the Ultium Cells LLC joint venture.

GM said it hopes to have a decision by June.

GM and LG Chem are likely to build the plant in Tennessee and if finalized it’s expected to be near GM's Spring Hill assembly plant, two people briefed on the matter said. It would be similar in scope to the $2.3 billion joint venture battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, currently under construction, the sources said.

The announcement came a day after the disclosure that the U.S. Transportation Department will analyze the impact of an electric vehicle battery trade ruling against SK Innovation Co. on President J…

SEOUL -- A large global recall of mostly Kona electric crossovers has led Hyundai Motor Group to sharply revise down fourth-quarter operating profit, although reports said battery maker LG Chem would bear the bulk of the costs.

LG will assume 70 percent of the estimated $900 million in costs to replace battery systems in about 82,000 Kona vehicles globally, according to the Yonhap news agency and other South Korean media.

But Cho Hyun-ryul, an analyst at Samsung Securities, said he estimated LG's burden was slightly lower at 62 percent of the costs.

Hyundai and LG Chem, whose wholly owned LG Energy Solution makes the batteries, declined to comment on how costs were divided.

The recall, which mostly concerns the Kona, Hyundai's biggest-selling electric car, is one of the first mass battery pack replacements conducted by a major automaker. It has been closely watched as it has set a precedent in how car and battery makers split the bill when problem…

Consumer Reports said it is launching a program to add a "CR Recommended" label to vehicles and other consumer products that meet its safety, performance and reliability criteria.

The consumer research nonprofit organization — often considered a key influencer in many auto purchasing decisions — said one of the main goals is to break through a flood of fake product reviews that circulate online and confuse customers.

"Misinformation permeates the marketplace," CEO Marta Tellado said in a statement. "Far too often, science is misrepresented as science fiction, data is distorted, and reviews are rigged."

A car, appliance, food item or other product achieves "recommended" status when it passes tests and meets other criteria. The rating goes on Consumer Reports' website. Manufacturers can then display the "CR Recommended" label on their websites, on product packaging or in stores.

The organization says it tests more than 2,000 products annually.

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KAR Global on Tuesday said its president Peter Kelly, who has been with the company for 10 years, will take over as CEO on April 1.

He succeeds Jim Hallett, 67, who has been CEO of KAR since 2009.

Kelly joined KAR in 2011 when the company's auto-auction subsidiary, ADESA Inc., purchased Openlane, the Internet-based automotive remarketing company where he was CEO at the time. He also was a co-founder of Openlane.

"The prospect of leading KAR further into our digital future is humbling and exciting," Kelly said in a statement. "The used-vehicle industry is continuously evolving ... I remain committed to investing in people, data and technology to deliver great outcomes for our customers and achieve our business goals."

Kelly, 52, has a long history at KAR. The company credits him for ramping up startup technology to boost KAR's status as a private-label online auction platform.

He was promoted to KAR president in 2019, after stints as the com…

Sonic Automotive Inc. CEO David Smith was indicted by a Mecklenburg County, N.C., grand jury this week on four charges including felony assault by strangulation, according to the court and prosecutor's office.

The procedural action moves his criminal case forward in the Mecklenburg County Superior Court after Smith waived a probable-cause hearing Dec.1.

In addition to the felony assault charge, the grand jury on Monday indicted Smith, 46, on misdemeanor charges of false imprisonment, assault on a female, and interfering with emergency communication, said Meghan McDonald, community liaison coordinator in the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office.

Smith's next court date, a scheduling conference for lawyers, is set for May 18, Jessica Davis, public information officer in the county trial court administrator's office, wrote in an email to Automotive News.

Smith was arrested Oct. 5. A 22-year-old woman not related to Smith told the …