Trade News

Viral videos and reports of customer outbursts over mask requirements in retail stores have become another part of the new normal as the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S.

With upset consumers on either side of the debate, dealers are grappling with whether to put their own mandates in place and how to handle any resulting customer protest. Many auto retailers have required employees to wear masks since spring. More of them are now telling customers they must wear them, too, as public health recommendations grow stronger and local and state governments increasingly require masks in retail outlets.

But there is fallout — both from people upset when others don't wear masks and customers who resent being asked to.

Diehl Automotive Group President Corina Diehl told Automotive News she has fielded at least one complaint on social media from a customer upset that others weren't wearing masks when the person visited one of her dealerships in suburban…

General Motors is unhappy with Facebook Inc.’s efforts to keep hateful and disparaging content away from the automaker’s brands and has joined peer Ford Motor Co. and other companies that have stopped advertising with the social-media company.

GM said Friday it has paused placing ads on Facebook in recent weeks and is in talks with the company about improving efforts to eliminate harmful content on its popular platform.

GM’s move is a sign that the pressure on Facebook will continue in August and potentially longer. Ford and Honda Motor Co.’s U.S. subsidiary also said Friday they have no plans to resume spending on Facebook. On Thursday, Unilever NV-owned ice-cream brand Ben & Jerry’s extended through the end of the year its halt of paid social-media advertising.

“We are not satisfied with the progress Facebook has taken to date and therefore have paused our media investment with the platform,” GM said in a statement. “We are encouraging them to move…

SHANGHAI -- Xpeng Motors has raised an additional $300 million from investors including Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, people familiar with the matter said.

As enthusiasm builds for EVs, shares of their makers such as Tesla Inc. and Nio Inc. have surged in recent months and automakers are looking to capital markets for funds.

Six-year-old Xpeng, which is backed by Alibaba Group Holding , said earlier in July it had raised around $500 million from investors including Aspex, Coatue, Hillhouse and Sequoia Capital China.

It has now raised an additional $300 million from new investors including the Qatar Investment Authority, the sources said, adding the company might further expand the fundraising.

Funds will go toward research in areas such as intelligent vehicle technologies, the sources said, without giving any further details.

The latest fundraising takes the total amount raised so far in the company's so-called C+ round to more than $800 m…

MEXICO CITY -- Mexican conglomerate Alfa said on Friday it plans to spin off the entirety of its remaining 75 percent stake in auto supplier Nemak.

If shareholders approve the proposal at an Aug. 17 meeting, they would receive one share of Controladora Nemak for each of their Alfa shares. They would also retain share ownership in Alfa's equity.

"We plan a gradual and orderly transition process to make Nemak an independent business," Alfa President Alvaro Fernandez Garza said in a statement.

Controladora Nemak would be listed on the Mexican stock exchange following the spinoff, Alfa said. Nemak, which began to trade publicly in 2015, would continue to be listed as a separate entity. Nemak shareholders in the future would be able to decide whether to merge with Controladora Nemak, Alfa said.

Nemak, which makes aluminum components for automakers including Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Toyota, saw second-quarter results severely …

Shares of the so-called blank-check company merging with electric carmaker Fisker fell 20 percent on Friday after it disclosed it would not close a deal by the end of July to use Volkswagen Group's EV platform for its vehicles.

Spartan Energy Acquisition Corp., backed by alternative investment manager Apollo Global Management Inc., announced a deal earlier in July to take Fisker public through a merger that valued the EV startup at $2.9 billion. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

A blank-check company, or SPAC, is a shell company that raises money through an initial public offering to buy an operating company, typically within two years.

Shares of Spartan fell 10 percent on Friday to close at $12.32, well below the highs of $23.86 when the deal was announced earlier this month. The stock is still above Spartan's IPO price of $10.

Fisker said at the time of the deal it was in talks with VW to use the German automaker's MEB EV plat…

DETROIT — It appears 2021 will be the year of the electric pickup, with an assorted mix of entries from both industry vets and startups.

But one of the biggest pickup players, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has been mum on its plans for a battery-powered hauler.

CEO Mike Manley on Friday shed some light on his thinking about this new market and made clear that FCA hasn't revealed its full hand when it comes to electrification, for which the automaker has traditionally taken a steady approach.

"The reason we haven't spoken too much about electric pickup trucks is not that we view that market as nonexistent," Manley said during an earnings call with investors. "We've always had a slightly different view in terms of timing and adoption rates, particularly in North America in terms of full electrification."

He added: "We are committed to an electrification strategy, most of which we have revealed — we haven't revealed everythi…

DETROIT— General Motors and EVgo have partnered to triple the size of EVgo's U.S. fast charging network in the next five years, aiming to solve one of the major roadblocks to electric vehicle adoption.

GM and EVgo will add more than 2,700 fast chargers to cities and suburbs starting next year. The expansion will target about 40 metro areas and will make EV charging more accessible and convenient, GM says.

The broader network will increase charging access for drivers who live in multi-unit homes, rent their homes and can't install chargers, or lack access to workplace charging, GM and EVgo said in a joint statement Friday. The companies declined to provide financial details of the partnership.

The partnership "is a proof point that we believe very strongly that [EV sales and EV charging] have to come together. In order to have confidence to have an EV as your only vehicle, you have to know there's robust and fast charging available," GM CEO Mary Barra to…

American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings posted a net loss of $213.2 million in the second quarter, compared with a gain of $52.5 million a year earlier, as the supplier experienced global production shutdowns in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The supplier said revenue for the quarter plummeted nearly 70 percent to $515.3 million from $1.7 billion. Second-quarter sales include $171 million from the company's U.S. iron casting operations sold in December.

American Axle joined several other suppliers this week that reported plunges in second-quarter net income and revenue. More companies are set to report results next week.

About $947 million of sales were "negatively impacted" by the pandemic, American Axle said.

Shares of the Detroit supplier slipped about 6 percent to $6.66 in midday trading on Wall Street.

Second-quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes and other adjustments fell to negative $52.1 million compared wit…

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.

In an exclusive three-part interview, Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks with Automotive News Publisher Jason Stein. In this first episode, the 49-year-old discusses a wide range of topics, including manufacturing challenges, the company's streak of quarterly profits and soaring market value. He also opens up about why the EV maker is so popular, getting more range out of future vehicles and how the federal tax credit program for EVs is putting Tesla at a ''significant disadvantage.''

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Ford Motor Co. said Friday it had won approval to defer some quarterly payments due on its U.S. Energy Department retooling loan, but added it will repay the loan on time by June 2022.

In September 2009, Ford was awarded a $5.9 billion low-cost government loan, a key source of liquidity in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

The automaker said its loan was modified in June to reduce quarterly principal payments from $148 million to $37 million. Ford said it has $1.26 billion of remaining principal left on the loan.

An Energy Department spokeswoman said "the flexibility the Loan Programs Office was able to provide through this loan modification is a good example of what (Energy) Secretary Brouillette meant when he asked for all of the Department’s resources to be supportive of the energy industry during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Ford said "with COVID-19 related economic uncertainty remaining, we believe that is worthwhile to further strengthen our…

Jaguar Land Rover parent Tata Motors reported a bigger quarterly loss on Friday, as the coronavirus crisis hammered sales in several of its key markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on automakers globally and piled pressure on Tata Motors, which was trying to improve JLR's sales after reeling from weak demand and political uncertainty related to Brexit.

Sales at JLR, which accounts for most of the company's revenue, fell more than 42 percent during the quarter and Tata Motors said the outlook for the unit remains uncertain.

"For the rest of FY21, Jaguar Land Rover will continue to manage costs and investment spending rigorously," the company said in a statement.

Earlier this week, the unit named ousted Renault boss Thierry Bollore as its next CEO, with a mission to return the U.K. automaker to profit.

Tata reported a consolidated net loss of 84.38 billion rupees ($1.13 billion) for the first quarter ended June 30, compared w…

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Friday posted a second-quarter loss of $1.24 billion, as North American operations contributed a small profit despite lost production due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the second quarter, when factories in North America and Europe were closed for weeks to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, FCA's net revenue plunged 56 percent to $13.9 billion. The automaker reported an adjusted loss of $1.1 billion before interest and taxes, compared with a profit a year earlier.

North American vehicle shipments sank 62 percent. But the company said that was "partially offset by favorable channel and model mix," so the region avoided a loss even as net revenue fell 53 percent to $9.71 billion. FCA restarted auto production in May after a two-month hiatus in the region. North America managed to report a $46.1 million profit, down 98 percent from a year earlier.

"Our second quarter showed that decisive actions and extraordinary cont…