Trade News

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Infiniti is previewing more athletic, commanding styling for the next-generation QX60 three-row crossover, promising it will elevate the brand's premium image.

The sleek, platinum-hued QX60 Monograph debuted late Thursday in an online unveiling from the global headquarters of the Infiniti brand's parent, Nissan Motor Co. The vehicle is a close-to-market design study of the production version midsize QX60 that is expected to be redesigned and go on sale next year.

Updating the QX60 is a critical step in rejuvenating the premium brand, said Peyman Kargar, who took over as global chairman of Infiniti in June. The nameplate is the brand's No. 2 seller worldwide behind the QX50, racking cumulative sales of 400,000 globally since its launch.

Infiniti's global sales peaked at 249,000 in 2018 before dropping 24 percent to 188,994 last year. Kargar said the goal is to maintain market share in 2020, even as sales fall amid t…

WASHINGTON -- BMW and two U.S. subsidiaries agreed Thursday to pay an $18 million fine to resolve accusations that they disclosed misleading information about the German luxury automaker's retail sales volume in the United States while raising approximately $18 billion from investors in corporate bond offerings.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said from 2015 to 2019, BMW inflated reported U.S. retail sales, which helped BMW close the gap between actual retail sales volume and internal targets and "publicly maintain a leading retail sales position relative to other premium automotive companies."

It added BMW of North America "maintained a reserve of unreported retail vehicle sales — referred to internally as the 'bank' — that it used to meet internal monthly sales targets without regard to when the underlying sales occurred."

The SEC probe started in late 2019, BMW said.

"There is no allegation or finding in the Order that any BMW entit…

A Michigan House committee passed a bill Thursday that would prevent electric vehicle manufacturers beyond Tesla from selling directly to consumers in the state, setting up a battle between franchised dealerships and EV startups over the direct-sales model.

Michigan's House Bill 6233, which would codify into law a settlement reached by Tesla and the state of Michigan in federal court this year, would exempt the EV maker from the state's ban on direct vehicle sales. But rival electric startups, such as Rivian, contend the bill would prevent them from selling directly in Michigan by carving out an exception that applies to Tesla only.

The five-member House Government Operations Committee passed the bill along party lines, sending it to the floor for consideration. The bill was on the state House's session agenda Thursday as a potential addition, but a spokesman for majority House Republicans told Automotive News it was not expected to see action Thursday whi…

Junior creditors to auto supplier Garrett Motion Inc. are preparing a rival proposal to provide the bankrupt company with financing for its restructuring, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The group of bondholders organized and is in the process of hiring investment bank Moelis & Co. to represent them in the case and submit an offer for a debtor-in-possession loan, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. The group is getting legal advice from Ropes & Gray, Bloomberg previously reported.

Garrett filed bankruptcy this week, struggling to deal with a pandemic-related slowdown in business on top of asbestos liability reimbursements it owes to its former parent Honeywell International Inc. The payments Garrett owes to Honeywell relate to asbestos claims stemming from Honeywell’s old Bendix brake business.

Representatives for Garrett and Moelis declined to comment.

The original $250 million bankr…

While American Axle and Manufacturing is still assessing the damage from a Tuesday fire at its Colfor Manufacturing plant in Malvern, Ohio, its insurance policies are expected to cover any interruptions to the business.

Employees escaped the blaze unharmed, but it remains unclear how much damage could be done to the company's business with customers such as General Motors.

Representatives for the supplier declined to discuss the topic. Calls seeking comment from Automotive News this week have not been returned.

"GM’s supply chain team is working closely with American Axle to develop contingency plans to mitigate any impact to parts supply and on our manufacturing operations," GM said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

American Axle, in a Thursday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said it is "still assessing the impact of the damage as well as coordinating plans to work around this disruption and protect continuity of supp…

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. this week began airing a new ad promoting its adoption of stringent California emissions regulations and calling out its rivals for failing to join the effort.

Called "Built for Progress," the campaign is meant to highlight in a more aggressive way the steps Ford is taking to combat climate change and reduce tailpipe pollution. It was launched the same day the Golden State issued plans to ban the sale of gasoline-powered passenger cars by 2035, but officials say the timing was coincidental.

The first spot, "California Innovation," takes shots at General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Toyota Motor Corp. for failing to adopt the California Air Resources Board's emissions framework that calls for a 2.7 percent year-over-year fuel efficiency increase through 2026.

Ford joined Volkswagen Group, Honda Motor Co. and BMW this year in locking in support for California's framework, which is more stringent than the Trump administrat…

XPeng, a U.S.-listed Chinese electric-vehicle startup, has started exporting vehicles to Europe. 

It loaded 100 G3i crossovers on an ocean liner at a port in the south China city of Guangzhou on Thursday. The vehicles will be shipped to Norway, XPeng said.

The G3i compact crossover -- XPeng’s first product -- has a range of 520 kilometers (323 miles) on one charge. 

The EVs will be distributed by Norwegian EV dealer Zero Emission Mobility with a starting price of 358,000 Norwegian Krone ($37,590), XPeng said. 

XPeng was established in Guangzhou in 2014 by He Xiaopeng, a former executive at e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. 

In August, the company launched an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. It is the third Chinese EV startup to list in the U.S. following Nio and Li Auto. 

Xpeng is the second Chinese EV startup to launch sales in Europe this year. 

Aiways, a Shanghai-based com…

MG, the British car brand owned by SAIC Motor Corp., will launch sales of two electrified models in the fourth quarter, expanding product offerings in the United Kingdom.

The two models -- a battery-powered version of the MG5 sedan and a plug-in hybrid variant of the MG HS crossover – come with a seven-year warranty, MG said this week.

The MG5 EV has a range of 214 miles under the WLP. 

After subsidies, the MG5 EV's starting price will be £24,495 ($31,207), and the MG HS plug-in hybrid will have a starting price of £29,995. 

In the U.K., MG distributes the gasoline-powered MG3 sedan and the gasoline MG HS, as well as both gasoline and battery versions of the MG ZS crossover.

With the rollout of the MG5 EV and the MG HS plug-in hybrid, MG expects to derive more than half of its annual sales in the U.K. from electrified vehicles in 2021. 

In 2005, Nanjing Auto, a state-owned Chinese automaker, purchased the MG…

Used-vehicle deliveries in China rose for the second straight month in August, advancing nearly 12 percent to nearly 1.3 million. 

The growth came from demand for trucks and sedans, according to a tally by the China Automobile Dealers Association. 

Benefiting from Chinese government infrastructure and construction projects, sales of used cargo-carrying trucks surged 29 percent to about 130,000 last month. 

Secondhand sedan sales jumped 18 percent to nearly 804,000 in August.

Demand for used SUVs and crossovers rose 9.7 percent to some 122,000, while used-bus deliveries gained 7.7 percent to roughly 116,000.

By contrast, secondhand multipurpose vehicle sales dropped 6.8 percent to around 77,200 while used-minibus deliveries slid 1.6 percent to approximately 30,000. 

Demand for used vehicles in China has lagged behind new vehicles in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. 

The new-vehicle market has…

WASHINGTON -- U.S. auto safety regulators on Thursday proposed revising recommendations to increase the number of children age 1 or younger who are transported in rear-facing car seats.

NHTSA is proposing to recommend that all children 26.5 pounds or less are transported in rear-facing car seats rather than the existing recommendation for children 20 pounds or less.

The agency says it is “significantly safer” for young children to be rear-facing than forward-facing in a crash.

Meanwhile, NHTSA introduced the first child-sized side impact crash test dummy in federal regulations.

The new dummy, known as Q3, represents the average weight and height of a 3-year-old child. NHTSA said the Q3 “will provide more realistic data about the effect side impact crashes have on children” because it was specifically designed for testing child seats in such crash tests.

“Every child’s life is precious, and the Department’s work will save young lives,” Trans…

Record-breaking Florida car dealer and philanthropist Rick Case, CEO of Rick Case Automotive Group, died Monday at his home in Fort Lauderdale from complications of cancer. He was 77.

In 1962 at age 19, Case opened his first dealership, a used-car lot named Moxie Motors, in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. In 1966, he opened a Toyota dealership. By age 29, he had amassed a chain of motorcycle stores.

Case was determined to continuously break sales records, according to his family, and he challenged himself by betting on fledgling vehicle brands. He opened some of the first U.S. dealerships for brands such as Toyota, Honda, Acura, Hyundai and Kia. Sales volumes at many of his stores set brand records.

Case and his wife, Rita, moved from Akron to Fort Lauderdale in 1985. They opened one of the country's first Hyundai dealerships. Their Acura dealership was that brand's highest-volume store several years in a row.

Case's empire, now in its 59th year, has…

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES -- California plans to ban the sale of new gasoline powered passenger cars and trucks starting in 2035 in a dramatic move to shift to EVs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday.

Newsom told a press conference the state was committing to a "firm goal" to phase out the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035 and was encouraging other states to take similar action.

Newsom's order labeled the elimination of gasoline-powered vehicles a "goal" and a "target" after his office said earlier his order would require the sale of nothing but zero emission passenger vehicle starting in 2035.

The move would be the most significant to date by a U.S. state aimed at ending the use of internal combustion engines for passenger travel.

California is the largest U.S. auto market, accounting for about 11 percent of all U.S. vehicle sales, and many states choose to adopt its green vehicle mandates.

Ne…