Trade News

Honda Motor Co.’s U.S. automobile division is joining a Facebook ad boycott, making it the first automaker to publicly pledge to join a movement that is gaining momentum by the hour.

“For the month of July, American Honda will withhold its advertising on Facebook and Instagram, choosing to stand with people united against hate and racism," Honda said in a statement. "This is in alignment with our company’s values, which are grounded in human respect.”

The move includes spending for the Honda brand as well as Acura, Honda's luxury brand.

Verizon, Unilever and other big consumer goods makers have pledged to halt Facebook and Instagram spending in response to civil rights groups, while calling out the social media giant for failing to prevent the spread of disinformation and hate speech.

Unilever took its pause a step further, including Twitter, and extended the suspension in the U.S. through the end of the year. An American Honda spokeswoman said th…

Burt Jordan, Ford Motor Co.'s vice president for global purchasing and supply chain sustainability, will retire effective July 1, the company said Thursday.

The automaker has not determined whether the role will be filled or the responsibilities distributed among other employees, according to a Ford spokesperson.

Jordan, 53, has reported to Hau Thai-Tang, Ford's chief product development and purchasing officer.

Before coming to Ford, Jordan spent 10 years working for General Motors, Toyota Motor Corp. and United Technologies.

He joined Ford in 1999 and has held several corporate officer positions in purchasing since 2013.

He was named 2020 CPO of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council in recognition of impactful leadership. He has also been "a driving force behind Ford's supplier diversity and inclusion activities," Ford said in a statement.

Rising cases of COVID-19 are prompting Manheim to delay reintroducing in-lane bidders at three auction sites in Florida.

The Cox Automotive-owned auction operator planned to allow bidders to return to Manheim Central Florida, Manheim Lakeland and Manheim Orlando next week, after doing so at five pilot locations in Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas this week.

Florida has record daily increases in reported cases of the virus this week.

"As safety is our top priority, we delayed the pilot of in-lane bidding at those three Florida locations due to rising pandemic levels in the area," Alan Lang, Manheim division vice president, said in an emailed statement.

Manheim and KAR Global's ADESA said on March 16 they would switch to digital-only auctions, as the virus outbreak began triggering stay-at-home orders in some parts of the U.S.

Some independent auctions continued to operate with buyers in lanes t…

MILAN -- The COVID-19 crisis has not delayed plans to finalize a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group by the first quarter of next year, FCA Chairman John Elkann said.

"In spite of the huge challenges that have materialized with the COVID-19 emergency, I can confirm that the work of our teams towards the completion of the merger has continued apace and we expect to meet our objective of combining as a single company by the first quarter of next year," Elkann said during the automaker's shareholders' meeting on Friday.

"The COVID-19 crisis has further underlined the compelling logic of this merger," he added.

PSA CEO Carlos Tavares told his company's shareholders on Thursday that he was confident that it would be finalized by the first quarter of 2021 "at the latest." Tavares also pushed back against suggestions that the terms of its merger agreement with FCA should be revised because of the impact of the coronavirus crisis.

There's going to be a new track-only hypercar this summer.

Lamborghini this week released teaser photos of the SCV12, developed with Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the Italian exotic's racing division.

Decked out with orange, black and white camouflage in a unique pattern, the SCV12 features wild styling with sharp angles and a large carbon fiber rear wing.

Lamborghini says the model has its most powerful naturally aspirated V-12 engine ever and is capable of over 830 hp.

In the front, there's a double air intake as well as what Lamborghini calls a "central rib." Lamborghini says the setup directs air to the intake scoop on the roof and in turn creates greater airflow to the engine, increasing power.

To further boost the car's track chops, it has a carbon fiber chassis, a sequential six-speed transmission and racing slick tires.

Lamborghini will build the SCV12 at its Squadra Corse factory in S…

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.

AlixPartners' Mark Wakefield provides insight on the firm's latest Global Automotive Outlook report. He discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and why automakers and suppliers need to rethink investment strategies in new technologies.

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Amazon.com Inc. is buying autonomous vehicle startup Zoox Inc., a move that could potentially help the e-commerce giant slash delivery costs and create a formidable opponent to ride-hailing and food-delivery companies.

Terms of the deal were not announced in a statement Friday, but The Information reported that Amazon agreed to pay more than $1 billion for the firm.

Aicha Evans, Zoox’s CEO, and Jesse Levinson, co-founder and chief technology officer, will continue to lead the company as a standalone business.

“Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience,” said Jeff Wilke, the head of Amazon’s worldwide retail business.

Shipping costs are one of Amazon’s largest expenses, and Zoox could help the company shave off more than $20 billion annually, Morgan Stanley analysts have estimated.

Still, autonomous vehicles have been a target of Silicon Valley giants and venture capital investors for yea…

Heavy truck and engine manufacturer Navistar International Corp. on Friday named insider Persio Lisboa as its CEO, effective July 1.

Lisboa, a 32-year veteran with the company, is currently COO and executive vice president. He succeeds Troy Clarke, who will move to the newly created role of executive chairman.

Clarke, 65, joined the company in 2010 after a 35-year career at General Motors, which concluded in 2009 when he was president of GM North America. Navistar named him CEO in 2013.

"Now is an ideal time for Persio to become Navistar's next chief executive officer," Clarke said in a statement. "I have enjoyed the opportunity to lead Navistar for the last seven years, but it's now my intention to move toward retirement."

Clarke will continue to manage talks with Volkswagen Group's truck division Traton SE, including its buyout offer in January to acquire Navistar for $35 per share, the company said.

Volkswagen said in March it still want…

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is striving to maintain its full-size pickup dominance by redesigning the F-150 to incorporate — and improve upon — some of the most popular features that rivals have added in unsuccessful bids to dethrone it.

The 14th-generation pickup, unveiled virtually Thursday evening, is expected to offer best-in-class towing, payload, torque and horsepower when it hits dealerships as soon as November. The pickup will include functional tailgate upgrades, similar to what General Motors introduced on the GMC Sierra in 2018. Ford is adding a larger center touch screen, just as Fiat Chrysler added to its Ram 1500 in 2018. And the automaker is hoping to preempt a growing list of electric vehicle startups — including one that unveiled a prototype hours before Ford's reveal — looking for a slice of the profitable segment by offering a hybrid powertrain and mobile power generators across all trims.

The F-150, the highest-volume member …

Cadillac said it will introduce the Lyriq, the first in Cadillac's electric vehicle portfolio, at a virtual event in August.

The electric crossover is set to be revealed on Cadillac's media site on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. EDT after postponing its April debut due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Building on more than a century of innovation, the Cadillac LYRIQ marks the beginning of a new chapter for the brand -- one that is all-electric and redefines the boundaries and limits of mobility and connectivity," Cadillac said in a statement.

General Motors has said that Cadillac will be its lead EV brand. The Lyriq, powered by the proprietary Ultium battery, will launch Cadillac's all-electric portfolio that GM has said will debut over the next few years. GM has also said it is planning a large electric Cadillac SUV and a handmade flagship electric sedan called the Celestiq.

The Lyriq unveil is the first GM has moved online due to th…

Waymo and Volvo Cars have agreed to develop a self-driving electric vehicle designed for ride-hailing use, as part of a new global partnership, the companies said Thursday.

Waymo, a unit of Silicon Valley's Alphabet Inc., said it will be the exclusive global partner for Volvo Cars for developing self-driving vehicles capable of operating safely without routine driver intervention. Waymo will focus on the artificial intelligence and certain hardware, including cameras, lidar and radar, for the automated "driver." Volvo will design and manufacture the vehicles.

The companies said Waymo will work with Volvo's global brands, including Polestar and Lynk & CO.

Volvo, owned by China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has a separate agreement to deliver vehicles to ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. that Uber will equip to operate as self-driving vehicles. Volvo Cars is continuing to deliver vehicles to Uber.

Uber's development of self-driving v…