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Baidu has become the latest company to deploy driverless vehicles on public roads.

The Chinese technology company received a permit from Beijing transportation authorities on Friday to conduct testing with five driverless taxis — those without a human safety backup — on the city's streets.

"Obtaining permission or driverless testing in Beijing represents a breakthrough that will accelerate Baidu's push to commercialize autonomous driving," a Baidu spokesperson said in a written statement.

The development comes mere days after AutoX, a Chinese competitor, became the first company to roll out autonomous vehicles without safety drivers in China. AutoX received a permit to operate as many as 25 driverless vehicles in Shenzhen.

Across the global industry, more companies are removing — or planning to remove — human safety drivers from their test vehicles. Notably, Waymo expanded the audience for its rider-only operations in m…

Aurora Innovation, the self-driving startup founded by three of the most prominent members of the fledgling industry, will soon add another big name to its ranks.

The company said Monday it is acquiring Uber's Advanced Technology Group, a move that infuses the startup with workers and fresh funds. As part of the deal, Uber plans to invest $400 million in Aurora.

In exchange for the cash and the self-driving tech, Uber will hold a 26 percent ownership interest in Aurora, according to Uber’s 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021.

Uber had been searching for a buyer for its self-driving division for several months, as it sought to eliminate its more ambitious mobility investments and concentrate on its core ride-hailing service. Earlier this year, it sold its Jump bike-share program to rival Lime. Last week, Uber reportedly agreed to sell its air-taxi research division to Joby…

A prototype of autonomous driving startup Zoox Inc.'s vehicle was reportedly seen in San Francisco over the weekend.

The company's self-driving robotaxi was seen at a photo shoot near San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, according to a Forbes report, citing an image from Reddit user LakailB87.

The Foster City, Calif.-based company has plans to officially reveal the vehicle, which has bidirectional capabilities, on Dec. 14.

Zoox has a short promotional video on its website that displays few details of the vehicle.

A Zoox spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately we are unable to comment on rumors or speculation, but confirming the official reveal of Zoox's vehicle is slated for 12/14.”

The company, founded in 2014, has been making waves and exploring a variety of opportunities amid the pandemic.

Retail giant Amazon bought Zoox for more than $1 billion in June.

Zoox also received a test permit from California authorities in September to test …

The 2021 Chicago Auto Show will not take place in February because of the COVID-19 pandemic but organizers are aiming for a spring event, though dates have not been finalized.

"At this point, with the recent increase in [COVID-19] cases, it doesn't look like February is realistic," said Mark Bilek, senior director of communications and technology for the Chicago Auto Show. "So we wanted to make sure that we let people know that we're still very excited about trying to have a show in spring of 2021, at some point, be it in March, April or May."

The 2021 Chicago Auto Show was set for Feb. 13-21. The show's website now refers to spring 2021.

Bilek said the auto show, one of the biggest in North America, particularly with consumers, has been working with health departments from both the city of Chicago and state of Illinois to determine when it can hold the event. The show has submitted plans to the city and state but is waiting on approval, Bilek said.

…

Join Automotive News Publisher Jason Stein for a daily podcast series about the coronavirus crisis. He’ll speak with industry experts, insiders and Automotive News reporters about how the virus is impacting and reshaping the automotive industry.

Nikola, Luminar and Velodyne are among a growing number of automotive companies that have struck deals with a special purpose acquisition company this year. Deloitte's Marc Holzer explains the benefits and risks of SPACs and why more startups are using them to raise capital and go public.

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LOS ANGELES — Honda Motor Co. is moving beyond an aggressive expansion of its certified pre-owned vehicle business by launching an updated sales website that now lists non-certified used vehicles up to 10 years old.

American Honda is using HondaCertified.com for the non-CPO listings. The updated Web portal launched on Monday.

"With the continued rise in new-vehicle prices, the first vehicle purchase for many buyers will come from the used-car market, and our upgraded website makes this process more simple and enjoyable," said Dan Rodriguez, manager of auto remarketing at American Honda.

"Expanding our branded website to include used vehicles up to 10 years old offers customers more high-value options with quality Honda products and their local Honda dealer standing behind their purchase," Rodriguez said in a statement.

The CPO website now has three "program" choices:

Honda Certified Plus, a program launched last year that offers the longest wa…

Toyota Europe will align its CO2-reduction goal with the European Union's tougher fleet emissions target.

"We are just as ambitious [as the EU] and we will have the portfolio of electrified products available to make it happen," Toyota Europe CEO Johan van Zyl told Automotive News Europe in a video chat.

EU policymakers want to automakers to slash fleet CO2 emissions by 50 percent in 2030 compared with the 95 grams per km requirement that takes effect this year. The EU had previously wanted to cut CO2 output from vehicles by 37.5 percent over the next decade. The EU aims to be climate neutral by 2050 under the so-called European Green Deal.

To do its part, Toyota says that zero-emissions vehicles will account for a third of its sales in Europe by the end of the decade. "We should sell about 35 percent of zero-emissions vehicles by 2030," van Zyl said.

Right now, Toyota and its premium brand Lexus offer one zero-emissions model each in Europe, the h…

Toyota's first full-electric vehicle based on its e-TNGA platform will be a utility vehicle similar in size to the RAV4.

The vehicle will go on sale in Europe "in couple of years," Toyota Europe’s sales and marketing chief, Matt Harrison, said in a video chat. "We are moving into launch mode for the vehicle."

Toyota Europe's product and marketing director, Andrea Carlucci, said the utility vehicle will be the automaker's first pure electric car developed for Europe.

In a statement on Monday, Toyota said it will announce further details in the coming months.

The model will be one of the 10 zero-emissions vehicles the automaker plans to launch in Europe by 2025, executives from Toyota’s European division said.

The utility vehicle, developed with Subaru, will be the fifth of the 10 models. Toyota and Subaru announced their EV cooperation last year.

The others include the Proace City electric compact van developed by Toyota’s van partne…

This year will go down as one of the worst in history. Words like "new normal," "pivot," "distancing," "national shutdown" and even "mask" all took on new meanings in the American lexicon in 2020.

Auto dealers, like many organizations, took it right on the chin financially and otherwise. Dealerships grappled with shifting definitions of the word "essential." The service lane was usually OK, but the sales floor often was not. Or it was, but only with appointments. Changes in what was allowed month to month and state by state presented unique challenges for retailers.

Our firm was thrilled again to partner with Automotive News to research and determine 2020's Best Dealerships to Work For. We conducted the employer questionnaire and the employee surveys, the results of which determined the winners. The deadline to register for this program was March 20. Yup, March 20. That was pretty much when we all realized that we were going into a deep, dark place, as establi…

At Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria in Arizona, all employees have a job to do, but they're never alone in striving to achieve their personal goals.

The dealership's 106-person staff leans on one another like family. When the store gets busy — or upended by the unthinkable, as seen this year with the coronavirus pandemic — all employees take on multiple responsibilities to help each other out.

"That helping culture is something you can't even put a price on," said Rick Trinkl, the dealership's general manager since August 2016. "Everybody wants to help the person next to them and isn't working at their expense. They're working with them — and for the betterment of everyone."

The store, which sold 1,678 new and 932 used vehicles in 2019, is once again being honored as an Automotive News Best Dealership To Work For, after first receiving the award last year.

For 2020, Larry H. Miller Hyundai Peoria tops the large dealershi…