Uber looks to partner with other self-driving companies

Uber Technologies Inc.'s self-driving unit is looking to partner with other companies working on autonomous driving, the company's CEO said on Wednesday.

"Our view is that we will partner with other autonomous providers over a period of time," Dara Khosrowshahi said at the RBC Capital Markets conference when asked about reports Uber is looking to sell its autonomous driving unit, Advanced Technologies Group (ATG).

He said Uber could offer competitors, who have poured billions of dollars into the development of autonomous taxis, a large customer base and valuable data on profitable routes generated through its ride-hailing business.

Reuters last week reported that Uber is in ongoing talks to sell its ATG unit to self-driving car startup Aurora, as Uber was seeking options for the costly unit, with fully automated vehicles still several years away.

Khosrowshahi declined to directly comment on the reports, but said Uber was looking to create an open …

Read more
  • 0

Inteva CEO Lon Offenbacher to retire; Roose steps into role

Longtime automotive supplier executive Lon Offenbacher will retire in the first half of 2021 from Inteva Products LLC, the company said.

Offenbacher, 67, has served as the company's president and CEO since Renco Group Inc. acquired the interiors and closures businesses out of bankruptcy from then-Delphi Corp. to form Inteva in 2008. Prior to the role, he served as the business line executive for the acquired Delphi divisions.

Gerard Roose, 57, the current vice president of sales, marketing and product development at Inteva, will replace Offenbacher this month, the suburban Detroit company said in a statement Wednesday. Offenbacher will serve in an advisory role until his retirement next year.

Also part of the original executive team, Roose has worked alongside Offenbacher for many years. Prior to the founding of Inteva, he served as sales director at Delphi.

"Inteva has proven over and over again that we can meet the most significant challenges pr…

Read more
  • 0

FCA, PSA shareholders to vote on merger on Jan. 4

MILAN -- Fiat Chrysler and PSA shareholders are scheduled to meet on Jan. 4 to approve their planned merger and create Stellantis, the world's fourth biggest car maker, the two companies said on Wednesday.

In December, Italian-American Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French Peugeot maker PSA agreed to combine in a $38 billion all-share deal, uniting brands such as Fiat, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Maserati with the likes of Peugeot, Opel, Citroen and DS.

The two companies have pledged to finalize the merger by the end of the first quarter of next year.

Read more
  • 0

N.Y. dealership settles claims of deceptive practices targeting Chinese, non-English-speaking customers

A New York City dealership accused of a slew of deceptive and illegal practices targeting non-English-speaking customers agreed to pay more than $286,855 in restitution and penalties Tuesday as part of a consent order with the state's attorney general.

The office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James accused Star Toyota of Bayside of preying upon Chinese customers using "fraudulent, deceptive, and unlawful practices."

Through Chinese-speaking sales staff, the dealership allegedly deceived customers by haggling in Chinese but changing the prices in contracts written in English. The dealership also is accused of jamming, which is slipping finance and insurance products into a car deal without the customer's consent or knowledge.

"Stealing from our immigrant communities by taking advantage of language barriers is not only illegal, but downright shameful," James said in a statement. "New York values its immigrant communities…

Read more
  • 0

Consumer finance cases headed to Supreme Court could impact auto finance

The U.S. Supreme Court is in session, and the lawyers at Hudson Cook are keeping an eye on a few upcoming legal cases that could cause ripples in the auto finance and retail sectors. Here are three cases before the court they feel could have far-reaching implications:

Facebook Inc. v. Duguid: Noah Duguid alleges that he never used Facebook, but the social media company sent him numerous text messages about issues with his account. Even though Facebook did not generate random sequential numbers in order to contact Duguid, the Ninth Circuit determined the texts fall under the automatic telephone dialing system category under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, passed by Congress in 1991, prohibits robocalls without the receiving party's consent, unless "such calls are necessary in an emergency situation affecting the health and safety of the consumer." Auto lenders have struggled with TCPA violations in r…

Read more
  • 0

May Mobility, on-demand shuttle provider Via to partner in Texas

Self-driving shuttle company May Mobility is partnering with app-based passenger shuttle provider Via Transportation Inc. to expand May's on-demand operations to new cities next year, starting with Arlington, Texas.

The autonomous vehicle platform that May Mobility and Via will launch "integrates on-demand shared rides, public transportation, and transit options for passengers with accessibility needs all as part of one complete service offering," the companies said Wednesday in a statement.

May Mobility and Via will first incorporate AVs into Via's existing on-demand public transit service in Arlington in partnership with the city of Arlington and the University of Texas at Arlington.

To do so, May Mobility, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., will adopt Via's platform that encompasses booking, routing, assignment, customer experience and fleet management.

Bolstered by a $1.7 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration's Integrated Mobility Inno…

Read more
  • 0

Ford, Truist rank highest in consumer finance satisfaction

Lincoln Automotive Financial Services led luxury dealers for the eighth year in a row in J.D. Power's annual U.S. Consumer Financing Satisfaction study, while Truist — formerly known as BB&T — took the lead for mass-market brands.

J.D. Power said last week the results weighed responses of 10,103 customers who financed a new or used vehicle within the past three years. Five factors determined satisfaction: billing and payment process, mobile app experience, onboarding process, origination process and website experience.

Jim Drotman, Ford Credit executive vice president of U.S., Canada and International, said in a statement the lender's goal is to be among the reasons Ford customers remain with the brand.

"Despite the pandemic and unprecedented numbers of customer calls, our team never lost sight of this," Drotman said. "Tough times only strengthen our resolve to do the right thing for our customers, so they become customers for …

Read more
  • 0

FCC votes to shift portion of auto safety spectrum to Wi-Fi use

The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday approved a plan to allow a growing number of wireless devices to use part of a spectrum previously set aside for automakers to develop methods for vehicles to communicate with each other, a decision that the Transportation Department warned could result in "thousands of accidents."

The FCC voted 5-0 to split the spectrum block set aside for auto safety. Over the objections of automakers and some U.S. agencies, the FCC decision finalized a plan announced last year to divide a block of the 5.9 GHz spectrum band that was reserved in 1999 for automakers to develop technology called DSRC, but has so far gone largely unused.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said there is "a pressing need for us to allocate additional spectrum" for Wi-Fi, noting the coronavirus pandemic underscored "consumers need access and more bandwidth to be able to engage in telework, remote learning, telehealth, and other broadband-related services."

<…
Read more
  • 0

American Axle to close Ohio plant gutted by fire

American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings will close its Malvern, Ohio, manufacturing plant that was destroyed in a fire in Sept.

Malvern plant manager Jason Lowe said in a letter to the community on Friday that the blaze was too severe and that the structural damage to the building was irreparable, according to the local newspaper, The Repository.

"We know that this decision affects many in the community and at AAM," Lowe wrote. "We will continue to work with affected associates to identify employment opportunities within the AAM organization where available."

The Colfor Manufacturing plant caught fire Sept. 22. Reports said that presses caught fire at the plant, which employs 276 hourly and salary associates, but no injuries were reported.

It is not clear which automakers beyond General Motors relied on the driveline and drivetrain systems supplier's plant. GM accounted for 37 percent of American Axle's business last year, according to an SEC fil…

Read more
  • 0

Honda nods to past with next Civic

LOS ANGELES — Honda is giving one of its core cars -- the Civic -- a reboot that reaches back in time for design cues while accentuating the crouching posture typical of sports sedans.

The interior also has been overhauled to echo the clean, uncluttered lines of earlier generation Civics.

Honda, which revealed a prototype of the 11th-generation compact Civic on streaming platform Twitch late Tuesday, said the car, its top seller, will go on sale in late spring 2021 as a sedan. It will be followed months later by a Civic hatchback, as well as Si and Type R variants.

Honda has discontinued the Civic coupe.

The Civic, a key entry point for the brand for decades, has remained the top-selling compact car this year, with U.S. sales of 200,941 through the third quarter, a decline of 21 percent. Still, U.S. consumers continue to abandon compact cars, mostly in favor of light trucks, with segment volume down 35 percent to 720,71…

Read more
  • 0

Ceramiseal launches nationwide, helps auto dealers gain additional $850 profit per policy

Columbus, OH – November 10, 2020 - Ceramiseal, an innovative industry leader in automotive protective coatings, today announced its launch into auto dealerships nationwide. Ceramiseal’s paint and fabric protection combines ceramic and nano diamond technologies to provide protection inside and out, backed by science, to keep vehicles looking new. To date, beta stores are averaging an additional $850 profit per policy.

“Automotive dealerships face many challenges to successfully compete in today's changing marketplace. Ceramiseal offers a series of products that help increase profitability with unique potential add-ons to boost a dealership’s business and sales. After spending much of my career in automotive service collision shops, I know these products will add profitability to every dealer’s bottom-line. They will also improve the customer experience, which is more important in today’s changing retail landscape than ever before,” said Chris Rothermel, Ceramiseal Nati…

Read more
  • 0

CU Direct and DealerSocket announce new integration for CUDL auto lending platform

Irvine, Calif. November 12, 2020 — CU Direct, the nation’s leading developer of lending software technology for the credit union industry, has announced a new integration with DealerSocket’s award-winning CRM.

As a result of the collaboration, CU Direct has expanded its CUDL auto lending platform’s DMS/CRM integration solution to include DealerSocket, a leading SaaS provider to the automotive industry. The system integration with the CUDL platform minimizes the need for dealers to double enter data, better simplifying and streamlining the entire application process, while allowing more opportunities for quicker financing solutions.

"The new integration not only allows dealers to tap into CUDL's credit union network — which, collectively, represents one of the industry's top auto finance sources — it creates a seamless workflow within DealerSocket's CRM that streamlines the credit application process for dealers and ultimately improves the experience for their c…

Read more
  • 0