Trade News

Sales of SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co.'s latest full-electric vehicle model, an inexpensive, four-seat Wuling sedan, topped 15,000 in the first 20 days after hitting showrooms July 24. 

In the same period, orders for the EV exceeded 50,000, the light-vehicle joint venture between General Motors and SAIC Motor Corp. said this month. 

The early sales and orders have made the Wuling-badged vehicle the most popular EV it has rolled out, the partnership added. 

The vehicle, known as the Hongguang Mini EV, was launched at an auto show organized by the south China city of Chengdu last month, with a starting price of 28,800 yuan ($4,162). 

It is powered by lithium ion batteries and can drive for up to 120 kilometers on one charge and at a top speed of 105 km per hour.

Target customers are young drivers in Chinese cities, according to SAIC-GM-Wuling. 

The Hongguang Mini EV is the third EV product SAIC-GM-Wuling has in…

Chinese battery and electric carmaker Kandi Technologies Group said on Thursday it is actively exploring setting up an electric and off-road vehicle manufacturing plant in North America.

The U.S.-listed company said it is in the early stages of discussions with various partners, including local government agencies from the U.S.-Mexico border, but warned negotiations would not guarantee that a plant will be built.

Many Chinese electric vehicle makers are looking at the United States for expansion as demand for EVs picks up.

China's Li Auto Inc., backed by food delivery giant Meituan Dianping, recently made a Nasdaq debut. Xpeng, backed by Alibaba and Xiaomi, filed for a U.S. listing in July.

Kandi said it plans to forge a position in North America's electric vehicle market by offering lower-cost vehicles after eliminating shipping costs and tariffs.

The company recently began accepting pre-orders for the K23 and K27 EV models in the United S…

Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are preparing to suspend their ride-hailing services in California beginning on Friday morning unless an appeals court rules at the last minute they cannot be forced to treat their drivers as employees, rather than independent contractors.

Lyft, in a blog post Thursday, said it would suspend its California operations at midnight.

Uber, in a blog post, said it would have to temporarily shut down unless the appeals court intervenes. The company did not respond to requests for comment Thursday on whether it would also shut down at midnight.

The companies have sought the intervention of an appeals court to block an injunction order issued by a judge last week. That ruling forced the companies to treat their drivers as employees starting Thursday after midnight, but Uber and Lyft have said it would take them months to implement the mandate.

The appeals court has not yet intervened.

The threat to suspend servi…

LOS ANGELES — Acura is adding technology and performance to its core midsize sedan with a redesign and re-engineering of the TLX for 2021, moves that will also push the car upmarket in base content and price.

The 2021 Acura TLX goes on sale Sept. 28 starting at $38,525, including shipping, up sharply from a base price of $34,025 on the outgoing 2020 TLX, long considered a solid value in the segment.

As Acura rebuilds as a premium marque, it needs to put more distance between itself and mainstream Honda, said Jon Ikeda, Acura brand officer. That means a base 2021 TLX that's far more upmarket and comparable to the higher-trim 2020 TLX that starts at $37,225, with shipping.

The TLX remains a top-selling luxury midsize sedan, even though first-half U.S. sales fell nearly 30 percent to 9,414, and 2019 volume dropped 13 percent to 26,548.

Moving the base TLX further upscale will also require educating dealers and consumers on…

Nissan Motor Co. will introduce six additional all-electric vehicles in China by the end of March 2024 as part of a broad electrification push, its China chief said this month.

Nissan will also roll out e-Power vehicles in China, Shohei Yamazaki, chairman of Nissan’s management committee for China, said in a statement. 

Nissan’s e-Power vehicles are hybrids equipped with an electric motor to directly drive the wheels and an onboard gasoline engine to generate electricity for the motor.

The company aims to derive 23 percent of annual sales in China from EVs and e-Power hybrids in the fiscal year that ends March 31, 2024, Yamazaki added, without revealing additional details about the vehicles. 

Nissan assembles only one electrified model in China -- the battery-powered Nissan Sylphy compact sedan at its joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group. 

Nissan’s China sales have increased for five consecutive months, with July volume ri…

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.

Lyft's Chief Strategy Officer Raj Kapoor discusses how the ride-hailing company is accelerating its efforts to deploy self-driving vehicles.

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Volkswagen Group Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch settled a market-manipulation case that alleged he and other former executives informed markets too late about implications of its diesel-emissions rigging for Porsche Automobil Holding, VW’s majority shareholder.

Poetsch agreed to pay 1.5 million euros ($1.8 million) to end the case, a spokeswoman for Stuttgart prosecutors said by phone. The investigators also ended the probe against former VW CEO Matthias Mueller, who at the time also served on the Porsche board. He didn’t have to pay a fine. The probe against Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of both companies, will continue.

“Porsche Automobil Holding’s supervisory board is still of the opinion that the board members didn’t violate their duties. The allegations are baseless,” the company said in a statement. “The board, after a diligent review and consideration, decided to cover the amount imposed on Mr. Poetsch.”

It’s the second investigation Poetsch settled…

NEW DELHI -- Toyota Motor Corp. will offer its cars in India on leases or shorter-term subscriptions, hoping to tap growing demand for private transport as travelers cut down on communal journeys during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Japanese automaker said on Tuesday it would offer leasing plans to corporate and retail customers of three to five years across its portfolio of cars -- including the Glanza hatchback, Yaris sedan and Fortuner utility vehicle -- for as little as 21,000 rupees ($281) a month.

Naveen Soni, senior vice president, sales and service at the automaker's India unit, said the need for safe transport was growing and leasing or subscription models offered a more cost-effective solution than buying a car.

So far, leasing and subscription services in India have largely focussed on the higher end of the auto market and therefore make up a fraction of the overall numbers, said Soni.

"The lower end of the market is where the bulk is," he…

Detroit has been getting a lot of attention on the self-driving vehicle front recently.

Just last week, the State of Michigan said it has embarked on efforts to create a corridor between Detroit and Ann Arbor with infrastructure specifically slated for connected and autonomous vehicles. The project's viability will be considered over the next 24 months.

And now, a self-driving paratransit shuttle pilot is being deployed to help senior citizens in the Motor City.

Last year, French company Navya received a mobility grant from PlanetM, the Michigan Economic Development Corp.'s mobility arm, to deploy such a shuttle. This month, a Navya Autonom shuttle began operating along a preprogrammed 1.3-mile route in Detroit, connecting Brush Park Manor senior center and Brewster Homes to Detroit Medical Center Heart Hospital, according to a release.

The free, wheelchair-accessible shuttle runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and is excl…

Finance and insurance managers aren't likely going anywhere, according to one industry expert. But at what point in the sales process they're introduced may shift based on changes expedited by the coronavirus pandemic.

Jim Houston, managing director of consumer lending and automotive finance at J.D. Power, said on a webinar hosted by the Automotive Press Association that the F&I product sales experience is here to stay. But it may gravitate more often from the time — and the place — it historically has occurred during a vehicle sale.

"Maybe it's upfront before the vehicle's selected, or in many cases, it could be after the vehicle has been selected, purchased, the consumer goes home and [they] engage you in that particular product after the fact," Houston said.

"More consumers will look to be able to find the vehicle they want and the financing options they want outside of the dealership. The typical indirect model where I sho…

DealerPolicy, a digital insurance platform that allows customers to compare quotes for car insurance while still in the dealership, is adding a mobile option, the company said last week.

The expansion comes during increased remote and digital change in dealerships as the nation copes with the coronavirus pandemic. The tool, FastPass, allows customers to view insurance quotes with the dealership's assistance at the store or at home.

The company's goal is to connect customers to more affordable insurance policies as many struggle with monthly vehicle costs, and to help dealerships sell more finance-and-insurance products. Mike Burgiss, president of dealer solutions at DealerPolicy, said the mobile feature was tested at select dealerships in the spring and rolled out officially Aug. 13.

To initiate the process, dealership employees enter a customer's cell phone number and vehicle identification number into DealerPolicy's back-end s…