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Finch Fulton, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy, and NHTSA general counsel Jonathan Morrison discuss the federal government’s recent Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on automated driving systems, other AV initiatives, and new complications facing connected cars.

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French investigators will arrive in Beirut on Jan. 18 to speak with Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault, as part of a probe into expenses, according to an official in the Lebanese judiciary and a person close to the former auto executive.

The French team will be joined by Lebanon’s state prosecutor, according to the Lebanese official, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public. The French Justice Ministry and a spokesman for the Paris prosecutor didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo almost two years ago and accused of financial misconduct. He has denied wrongdoing and escaped to Lebanon last December hidden inside a large box.

Last month, Ghosn said French criminal investigators would question him in 2021 as part of a separate investigation of expenses covered by a Dutch subsidiary of Renault and Nissan. Authorities in France are looking into interactions with a c…

Elon Musk said it’s “impossible” to take Tesla Inc. private now even though he would have liked to spend more time on innovation.

“Tesla public company duties are a much bigger factor, but going private is impossible now (sigh),” Musk said in response to a tweet saying he should optimize his time in areas such as innovation. “Engineering, design & general company operations absorb vast majority of my mind & are the fundamental limitation on doing more.”

Tesla shares, which were included in the S&P 500 index this week, have surged eightfold this year ahead of the addition to the benchmark measure. The gain is twice the advance of the next best performer on the gauge. The share price jump also created millionaires among its investors, and propelled Musk’s net worth by $132.2 billion to $159.7 billion, making him the world’s second-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Musk also said Starlink, SpaceX’s budding space-in…

TOKYO -- Japan aims to eliminate gasoline-powered vehicles in the next 15 years, the government said on Friday in a plan to reach net zero carbon emissions and generate nearly $2 trillion a year in green growth by 2050.

The "green growth strategy," targeting the hydrogen and auto industries, is meant as an action plan to achieve Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's October pledge to eliminate carbon emissions on a net basis by mid-century.

Japan is one of the biggest economies in the world and a major producer of light vehicles for domestic consumption and export.

Suga has made green investment a top priority to help revive the economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and to bring Japan into line with the European Union, China and other economies setting ambitious emissions targets.

"The government has set up ambitious targets to achieve a carbon neutral society in 2050," said Yukari Takamura, professor at the University of Tokyo.

"Making clear goal…

Automakers welcomed a post-Brexit trade deal agreed between the U.K. and the European Union that was finalized on Christmas Eve, days before Britain is due to leave the bloc's single market.

The accord will complete UK's separation from the EU and averts the threat of an acrimonious breakup on Jan. 31, when a 12-month transition period ends.

ACEA, the European auto industry's lobbying group, said the agreement will allow the sector to avoid the "catastrophic" effect of a chaotic Brexit.

"The impact of a no-deal Brexit on the EU auto industry would have been simply devastating," ACEA Director General Eric-Mark Huitem said in statement.

The agreement will allow for tariff- and quota-free trade of goods after Dec. 31, but will not apply to the services industry -- about 80 percent of the U.K. economy -- or the financial services sector.

It ends uncertainty that started for automakers with U.K. operations when Britain voted to leave the EU in 2…

Jaguar Land Rover has not seen any impact so far from congestion at UK ports, its parent Tata Motors said on Thursday, even as many countries cut transport ties with Britain due to a fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus.

Toyota brought forward its Christmas production breaks at plants in England and France after transport disruption hit parts supplies.

Honda had to stop output at its Civic factory in Swindon, England, earlier this month because of a shortage of parts. It resumed production about a week later.

The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded issues that were already affecting automakers ahead of Brexit, with the looming end to the transition period widely expected to cause delays at ports regardless of the outcome of talks on a trade deal.

Jaguar Land Rover halted production at its British factories for a week in November last year to mitigate any potential impact from a no-deal Brexit ahead of the then Oct. 31 deadline.

Bloomb…

Renault CEO Luca de Meo plans to present his turnaround plan for the automaker on Jan. 14. The Italian executive wants a "revolution" at the French company, so he is calling his plan "Renaulution."

De Meo describes the key points of the restructuring to the automaker's executives and employee representatives in an internal paper of several pages. The paper was obtained by Automobilwoche, a German language affiliate of Automotive News.

De Meo had already outlined the first key points of the restructuring in an interview with Automotive News Europe in November. Now the internal paper makes the overall concept more tangible.

Here are some key points:

Cost reduction

De Meo’s top priority is cost savings. He does not give any concrete figures, but he wants to avoid parallel developments and technology fields that are not immediately usable. Before de Meo's arrival as CEO in July, Renault had already announced its goal of saving ar…

The California Department of Motor Vehicles embarked on a new era of autonomous driving Wednesday, granting a permit to self-driving delivery startup Nuro -- a move that allows the company to launch commercial operations in two counties.

It's the first commercial permit awarded to any company in the state, and it wasn't the only big development for the company Wednesday.

"Issuing the first deployment permit is a significant milestone in the evolution of autonomous vehicles in California," DMV director Steve Gordon said in a written statement. "We will continue to keep the safety of the motoring public in mind as this technology develops."

Separately, Nuro said it had acquired self-driving trucking startup Ike. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Starting commercial service has been the overarching goal of every AV operator. A Nuro spokeswoman said the company has a partner lined up and will launch service "early" …

DETROIT -- General Motors CEO Mary Barra plans to provide a peek of upcoming electric vehicles at CES next month and bolster the automaker’s credentials as a rising power in EVs, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

Barra will give the opening keynote address on Jan. 12 for the all-digital expo, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show. She plans to explain how electrification is a necessary step to address environmental and societal change -- and how GM is ready to play a central role, said the people, who asked not to be named.

In addition to Barra’s address, GM will show a video at CES featuring its latest technology and preview some concept vehicles, including a plug-in Chevrolet pickup, some Cadillac models and vehicles for other brands, the people said. GM President Mark Reuss also will speak about the carmaker’s EV strategy.

GM’s messaging blitz is designed to signal the company’s commitment to electrification and inten…

DETROIT --  A U.S. regulator ruled Wednesday that Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd.'s new design for its Roxor off-road utility vehicle did not infringe the intellectual property rights of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Jeep brand, six months after barring the sale of older models.

The International Trade Commission said the post-2020 Roxor model did not violate the "trade dress" of FCA's Jeep Wrangler SUV, accepting an administrative law judge's October recommendation that design changes made by Mahindra meant an earlier cease-and-desist order should not apply to newer models.

"The ruling validates Mahindra’s redesign of the highly popular Roxor off-road vehicle," Mahindra said in a statement. "Mahindra is now permitted to manufacture and distribute the redesigned 2021 Roxor."

"While FCA is disappointed with the commission's decision regarding the redesign, we believe we will be successful in appealing this decision," FCA said in a statement.

Trade dre…

Adaptability and resilience during the pandemic drove dealership satisfaction with consumer lenders this year, according to J.D. Power. As constraints prompted by the coronavirus pushed more buyer financing activity online and limited lender visits to dealerships, reliable communication between lenders and dealership employees never was so important.

That is the takeaway from 3,960 dealership finance personnel who took part in J.D. Power's 2020 U.S. Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study and cited issues reaching lender representatives late in the summer. Lenders were short staffed, according to dealers, who reported exceptionally long wait times, said Patrick Roosenberg, director of automotive finance intelligence at J.D. Power.

"Dealers are looking to their lenders to be open, honest, and communicate on a regular basis," Roosenberg said. "They need to be able to reach you — especially the credit staff and the funders."

Lenders wer…