Trade News

LOS ANGELES — Mitsubishi is using the midcycle update of the Eclipse Cross compact utility vehicle to clean up its styling, particularly at the rear, and is adding a new powertrain option with a plug-in hybrid that could make it to North America.

Launched in 2017, the Eclipse Cross is Mitsubishi's newest product and one of its most compelling, with the only turbocharged engine in its U.S. lineup.

The automaker's headquarters in Japan has confirmed the plug-in hybrid version of the small crossover "in select markets."

The restyled CUV will hit U.S. showrooms in the first quarter of next year as a 2022 model, Mitsubishi said Thursday.

A teaser photo shows a more cohesive, coupe-like design that appears to eliminate the horizontal taillight bar that bisected the rear hatch glass. The front design is also heavily revised.

"The new design draws inspiration from the Mitsubishi e-Evolution concept, emphasizing the strength and dynamics from our SU…

BMW Group completed expansion of a battery production facility at its joint venture with Brilliance China Automotive Holdings this week to double battery output for locally built electrified vehicles. 

The expanded facility is in BMW Brilliance's Tiexi plant in the northeast China city of Shenyang. 

While ramping up output, the expanded center will become the first production site worldwide to build BMW's fifth-generation high-voltage batteries, the automaker said. 

The batteries will be first supplied to the BMW iX3 full-electric crossover to be built at the joint venture’s Dadong plant, also in Shenyang. The factory is set to launch mass production of the iX3 at the end of this month. 

BMW to date has launched sales of four locally produced electrified vehicles in China: plug-in hybrid versions of the BMW X1 crossover and BMW 5 Series sedan, and two Zinoro-badged crossovers -- the full-electric 1E and…

Unifor and Ford Motor Co. remain “miles apart” in bargaining as Monday’s contract expiration looms, according to the union’s president.

“We’ve got a ton of work to do,” Unifor President Jerry Dias said. “We are far apart right now on everything: product, economics. Ultimately, I realize we have several days yet to go, but the clock is starting to tick.”

The union is seeking an investment and new product for Ford’s Oakville, Ont., plant, where production of the Edge crossover will reportedly end in 2023. Unifor also wants changes to the 10-year wage grow-in period and other economic gains.

The master agreement between Ford and Unifor covering about 6,300 Canadian workers is set to expire Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Unifor last week picked Ford as its target company, meaning it will look to pattern subsequent deals with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and General Motors based off an eventual contract with Ford.

Ford COO Jim Farley, who will take over as CEO …

SAIC Motor Corp. aims to capture 10 percent of the Chinese market for fuel cell vehicles by the end of 2025, according to a plan disclosed this week. 

The state-owned automaker plans to launch sales of its first fuel cell vehicle, the Euniq 7 multipurpose vehicle, under the Maxus brand at the end of the year. 

A second fuel cell vehicle, the Maxus FCV80 van, is also planned. Earlier this year, SAIC received approval to build the van in China.

SAIC said it plans to roll out at least ten fuel cell models, including passenger vehicles, trucks and buses, by 2025. 

It will also produce more than 30,000 fuel cell battery systems for the vehicles, according to the plan. 

The Chinese government has ambitious goals to promote FCVs. Under a blueprint drafted in 2016, the government expects to expand the domestic fuel cell vehicle fleet to 1 million and build some 1,000 hydrogen stations across China by 2030. 

Song…

Evergrande Group, a leading Chinese property developer, said its electric vehicle unit raised 4 billion Hong Kong dollars ($516 million) from a consortium of institutional investors including tech giant Tencent Holdings and ride-hailing provider Didi Chuxing. 

Two other investors are Silicon Valley-based private equity firm Sequoia Capital and Chinese private equity firm Yunfeng Fund, Evergrande Group said this week. 

It marks the first time the property developer has raised funds from external investors for its new EV unit. 

Evergrande Group ventured into the EV market in 2019 with a slew of acquisitions. 

Several European companies dominated the list of acquisitions: •    National Electric Vehicle Sweden, a Swedish company that bought assets of bankrupt Saab Automobile in 2012 to build EVs on the Saab 9-3 platform.•    U.K. electric motor maker Protean Holdings Corp.•    Dutch…

Shift to EVs would reduce public health costs by billions, lung association says

The traffic ceased. The skies cleared.

Even with all the tumult wrought by the coronavirus, one of the ancillary effects of the crisis was its contribution to improved air quality in major cities across the world. As commuters stayed home, their vehicles stopped spewing pollutants.

In March, Los Angeles, for example, experienced its longest stretch of “good” air days in at least four decades, per data maintained by the EPA. Not engulfed in a brown haze, residents could see for miles.

In many cities, the opportunity to experience life with cleaner air brought greater scrutiny of the costs of living with smog and pollution and of transportation's contribution to the problem.

A first-of-its-kind report issued this week by the American Lung Association details those societal ramifications, and importantly, says $72 billion in public-health benefits can be achieve…

Now it's official: The 2021 Mazda CX-30 crossover arriving late this year will add an optional turbocharged engine that delivers a significant bump in power over the 2020 model. Mazda says all-wheel drive will be standard with the turbo engine, a 2.5-liter 16-valve double-overhead-cam four-cylinder.

When fueled with premium gasoline, the turbocharged engine is rated at 250 hp; on regular, horsepower drops to 227. The 2020 CX-30, powered by a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder, is rated at 186 hp.

Other upgrades include Smart City Brake Reverse Support, which automatically applies the brakes at low speeds when the driver is reversing and sensors detect an object in the way. Traffic Jam Assist uses the steering system to help the driver stay within lane markers at speeds slower than 40 mph.

No word yet on trim levels, pricing or fuel economy. The all-wheel-drive 2020 CX-30 has a base price of $24,400, which includes a $1,100 …

Volkswagen has confirmed that its new subcompact crossover will be called the Taos in the U.S. and says it will reveal the vehicle Oct. 13.

Automotive News reported the name Monday in a story on the brand's future product plans. A spokesman for the brand said the subcompact crossover — which will slot below the Tiguan in price — will carry the Taos name in markets across the Western Hemisphere.

"It was important to choose a name that really embodied the nature of the car and the town of Taos, New Mexico was a perfect fit. It's a small city that offers big things — from outdoor adventure to arts and design and great cuisine," Hein Schafer, senior vice president for product marketing and strategy for Volkswagen of America, said in a written statement Thursday.

Taos is a town of 6,000 residents with a world-class ski resort, and it is home to the Rio Grande Gorge and a 1,000-year-old Native American community.

The Taos (pronounced tous), which is bel…

Editor's note: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated the number of U.S. Audi dealers. 

Silvercar — the wholly owned Audi subsidiary that has been the German premium brand's platform to experiment with mobility solutions — is expanding a partnership with Audi dealerships in several U.S. metros that will make on-site Audi rentals available.

So far, nine of Audi's 302 U.S. dealers have opted into the program, which began in July, said Stephan Zeh, head of Audi Mobility Services. He said he expects the number of participating dealers to more than double by the end of this year. Most are in locations where Silvercar had an existing presence operating its subscription or rental programs, including Dallas; Seattle; Denver; Henderson, Nev.; Charlotte, N.C.; Costa Mesa, Calif.; and three cities in Florida. However, Zeh said the rental program would be available across Audi's dealer network over time and that dealers could be up and running in as litt…

Retailers in Alabama and Florida were facing power outages and 80 mph winds after Hurricane Sally made landfall early Wednesday.

One dealer in Pensacola, Fla., was able to move inventory but experienced winds of more than 100 mph during the storm, said Ted Smith, president of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association.

In Alabama, two dealers were unable to assess damage to their stores because of fallen trees blocking their route.

"They think they are going to be OK," said Tom Dart, president of the Automobile Dealers Association of Alabama. He said the storm hit farther east than anticipated, which spared dealerships in the Mobile Bay area.

Dealerships in Pascagoula, Miss., in the eastern part of the state toward the Alabama line, were reporting little to no cleanup in the area.

"We pretty much dodged a bullet on this," said Marty Milstead, president of the Mississippi Automobile Dealers Association.

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ChargePoint Inc., one of the world's oldest and largest electric vehicle charging networks, is nearing a deal to go public through a reverse merger with Switchback Energy Acquisition Corp, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The deal for ChargePoint could value the company at more than $2 billion and be announced as early as next week, the people said, cautioning that talks could still collapse and terms may still change.

The people requested anonymity as the matter is private. ChargePoint declined to comment. Switchback did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Campbell, Calif.,-based ChargePoint, founded in 2007, last month closed on a $127 million funding round which valued the company at $1.37 billion, according to PitchBook data.

ChargePoint has attracted funding from both private venture investors and large strategic investors, including German automakers Daimler and BMW and the venture arm of oil company Chevron Co…

DETROIT — Cadillac on Wednesday told its 880 U.S. dealers that they will need to invest at least $200,000 each on electric vehicle chargers, tooling and training to continue selling the brand's vehicles beyond 2022.

The brand plans to launch its first EV, the Lyriq crossover, in late 2022, and have a fully electric lineup by the end of the decade.

"Now's really the time to start engaging with our dealers in preparation for that," Rory Harvey, vice president of Cadillac sales, service and marketing, told Automotive News. "There's a lot of planning that has to be put in place to make sure they're absolutely ready."

Harvey communicated the required investment to dealers in a video Wednesday morning. Brand officials have been discussing the company's product plan and implications of an all-EV lineup with dealers during regional events and at this year's National Automobile Dealers Association convention.

Cadillac worked closely with its dealer council…