Trade News

The redesigned 2021 Toyota Sienna is built on the company's TNGA-K platform and features a standard hybrid powertrain that will give it a Toyota-estimated 57 percent improvement in combined fuel economy: 33 mpg. Along with exterior styling that brings it more in line with Toyota's crossover lineup and new driver-assist and safety features, the 2021 Sienna receives upgraded interior amenities, including a much-improved infotainment system and recliner-like second-row seating. Here's a roundup of snippets of initial Sienna reviews from the automotive media.

"The Sienna was surprisingly in its element on a rather demanding, curvy road, and I'd venture to say it rivals any crossover, and tops most, for composure and ride quality. After the Highlander, its body motions felt tidy, and road noise was a full step quieter. Despite being roughly the same length and weight, the light, quick-ratio steering and suspension tuning made the Sienna feel more nimble, with a sense of m…

Walmart Inc. is adding Cruise, a majority-owned affiliate of U.S. automaker General Motors, to its roster of self-driving startup partners, in a pilot delivery program early next year in Scottsdale, Ariz., the retailer said on Tuesday.

Walmart previously has partnered with tech startups Flytrex, Nuro and Gatik on pilot delivery programs with drones and self-driving vehicles in several U.S. locations, and with Ford Motor Co. in a Miami delivery pilot.

Cruise has been testing its self-driving vehicles for several years in San Francisco, as well as Phoenix. In addition to autonomous taxis, it has provided automated grocery delivery services to residents in San Francisco. 

Backed by Honda Motor Co., SoftBank Group and T. Rowe Price, Cruise told Reuters in an email it is "laser-focused on making this first pilot successful with Walmart."

Cruise did not say how many vehicles will be deployed in the Walmart pilot.

Walmart announced the late…

The 2021 Land Rover Discovery arriving at dealers in February sports a new engine lineup, a redesigned electrical system, revised styling, a revamped interior that has more luxurious touches and, of course, a higher sticker price.

Jaguar Land Rover is continuing a retreat from diesel engines by dropping the option for the 2021 model year Discovery. In doing so, the British automaker walks away from one of the most fuel-efficient midsize SUVs as rated by the EPA — 26 highway, 21 city and 23 mpg combined.

The Discovery's base engine is an Ingenium 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder rated at 296 hp. The only other engine available next year in the North American model Discovery is a 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder with a mild-hybrid system. The 335-hp, six-cylinder is JLR's own Ingenium engine. It replaces a Ford-built V-6 engine and severs one of the final ties between JLR and its former parent company.

It's possible that either new e…

SoftBank Group Corp. is in talks to sell robot maker Boston Dynamics Inc. to Hyundai Motor Co., people familiar with the matter said.

Proposed terms of the deal would give the South Korean automaker control of the robotics company in a transaction valued at as much as $1 billion, said one of the people, all of whom asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The terms have yet to be finalized, and the deal could fall apart, said the people.

Representatives for Boston Dynamics, Hyundai and SoftBank declined to comment on the deal talks. In emailed statements, Hyundai said it’s “continuously exploring various investment and partnership opportunities.” Boston Dynamics said its work “continues to excite partners interested in exploring a deeper commercial relationship with our company.”

A sale of Boston Dynamics would mark another twist in the trajectory of a company that spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the early …

DETROIT — General Motors plans to hire 3,000 employees by the first quarter of 2021 to accelerate electric vehicle production and enhance vehicle software, GM said in a statement Monday.

The additional jobs, many of which are related to GM's proprietary Ultium batteries and EV development, will help GM stick to the new EV standard set by the electric GMC Hummer pickup, which was developed in 18 months.

"We really want to advance the entire EV portfolio, and that's where we need the extra horsepower of having 3,000 additional software engineers," Ken Morris, vice president of autonomous and EV programs, told reporters. "We've figured out how to do this very quickly, and that's just going to help us move faster."

The roles will be in engineering, design and IT, and many of the positions can be remote.

"As we evolve and grow our software expertise and services, it's important that we continue to recruit and add diverse talen…

LOS ANGELES — Hyundai's fourth-generation Tucson compact crossover undergoes a heavy redesign, with a longer wheelbase, new styling inside and outside, two hybrid options and a sporty N Line trim for the 2022 model year.

The Korean automaker presented the U.S. version of its bestselling vehicle globally in Los Angeles on Monday, offering significantly more space, chiseled styling and multiple drivetrain options to better compete against rivals such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue.

Through the third quarter, the Tucson was in eighth place among compact crossovers, with U.S. sales of 91,139 — an 11 percent drop compared with the same period last year. Segment volume is down 20 percent overall.

"Our new Tucson represents the future of Hyundai's full-spectrum eco-powertrain approach, offering internal-combustion, hybrid and plug-in hybrid models," said Thomas Schemera, head of the product division at Hyundai Motor Grou…

Editor's note: All financial figures in this story have been translated from Canadian to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates.

Unifor members overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract with General Motors that includes a commitment to invest up to $1 billion to revive its Oshawa assembly plant in Canada.

Unifor said 85 percent of workers who voted did so in favor of the three-year deal. The contract covers about 1,600 GM workers, most of them at a St. Catharines powertrain plant. The Oshawa plans call for an additional 1,400 to 1,700 workers to be hired by 2022.

“This contract solidifies and boldly builds on GM’s Canadian footprint,” Unifor President Jerry Dias said in a statement.

The ratification of the GM contract wraps up 2020 auto bargaining between Unifor and the Detroit 3 automakers. During the talks, Unifor and the automakers agreed to as much as $3.5 billion in investments in Canadian assembly plants, in addition to new spending …

Cars.com lost money in the third quarter on lower revenue, though the dealership services company showed signs its business is recovering from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chicago company, which provides vehicle listings and other dealership services, reported Monday that it posted a net loss of $12.3 million in the quarter that ended Sept. 30. That compares with a net loss of $426.2 million in the third quarter of 2019, which included a charge against earnings related to the end of a nearly yearlong strategic review process.

Cars.com said Monday that its net loss in the third quarter of this year includes a $30.9 million non-cash charge against earnings to correct an income tax valuation calculation error related to the company's first-quarter results.

Revenue in the quarter fell 5 percent to $144.4 million, which Cars.com said mostly was driven by a pandemic-related drop in national advertising revenue and in its dealership customer cou…

MILAN -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA unveiled the logo of Stellantis, the company resulting from their planned merger.

The automakers said the logo was a further step towards the finalization of their deal to combine into one company.

The automakers agreed in December to merge in a $38 billion all-share deal to create the world's fourth-biggest carmaker, uniting brands such as Fiat, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and Maserati with Peugeot, Opel, Citroen and DS.

"The logo symbolizes the rich heritage of Stellantis' founding companies and the unique combined strengths of the new group's portfolio of 14 storied automotive brands, as well as the diversity of professional backgrounds of its employees working in all the regions," the two automakers said in a joint statement on Monday.

FCA and PSA in July said they had picked 'Stellantis' as a name for the merged group. They said it was in reference to the Latin verb "stello," which means "to brighten with stars…

Editor's note: NHTSA gave Nuro approval to deploy up to 5,000 R2 vehicles over two years. An earlier version of this story from Reuters had the incorrect time frame. Also, Mountain View, Calif., is the only city testing the vehicle in California. The earlier version misstated the number of cities testing the vehicle in California.

Self-driving delivery company Nuro, whose R2 unit has no pedals or steering wheel and only room for packages, said Monday it has raised $500 million as e-commerce gets a huge boost from the pandemic.

Nuro joins other self-driving firms that raised big money this year. Earlier this year Google affiliate Waymo raised $3 billion, helping to boost the total raised in 2020 by autonomous car companies to $7.1 billion as of Nov. 4, according to data firm PitchBook. While that slightly exceeds 2019’s total, it falls short of the record $9.4 billion raised in 2018. Also far fewer startups are getting funded.

Early last year Nuro raised …

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.

Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke says the stars are aligning for U.S. retailers to have a robust spring selling season. He believes the rosy outlook will be driven by key factors such as tax-refund season, a new round of stimulus and consumers' changing attitudes toward car buying.

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PARIS -- A trademark dispute over its logo has left Polestar, the electric-vehicle brand owned by Volvo Cars and Geely, temporarily unable to launch its cars in France. 

Ruling in a case that dates back to 2017, a French has court found that Polestar’s logo is similar enough to Citroen’s “double chevron” design as well as the logo of DS Automobiles, formerly a Citroen sub-brand, to potentially confuse car buyers. 

The court, in a ruling dated June 4 and published in July, ordered Polestar to pay Citroen 150,000 euros in damages as well as legal fees, and banned the use of the Polestar logo in France for six months.

Polestar this spring launched the Polestar 2, a Chinese-built full-electric sedan that is positioned as a rival to the Tesla Model 3, for the Chinese, European and U.S. markets. The first Polestar 2 models arrived in Europe in at the end of June. 

But French visitors to Polestar’s website see only a white page with the m…