Trade News

The RAV4 compact crossover is released by Toyota on May 10, 1994, in Japan, ushering in the era of car-based crossovers and SUVs.

Beginning with briefings in 1986, Toyota engineers sought to create a vehicle that passenger-car operators could easily drive, with greater maneuverability and a relatively high driver's seat to enhance visibility.

The small crossover debuted as the RAV Four concept at the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show. Toyota introduced a revised version of the concept at the 1993 Tokyo auto show that more closely resembled the final production version. In addition to Japan, the RAV4 was initially sold in Europe, with U.S. sales beginning in early 1996.

The RAV4 named was a contraction of "recreational active vehicle" with "four-wheel drive."

The first-generation RAV4 featured a frameless, car-like monocoque body and a front-wheel-drive-based, full-time four-wheel-drive system, making it a new type of four-wheel-…

Uber Technologies Inc. has made an offer to acquire food-delivery company Grubhub Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.

The companies are in talks about a deal and could reach an agreement as soon as this month, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.

Deliberations are ongoing and talks could still fall through, the people said. A representative for Grubhub couldn’t immediately comment, while a spokesperson for Uber couldn’t immediately be reached.

Grubhub shares climbed as much as 37 percent in New York trading after being temporarily halted, valuing the company at $5.6 billion. Uber, with a market value of about $57 billion, rose as much as 6.1 percent.

Uber is shuttering its own food-delivery unit, Uber Eats, in seven countries where the service has proven unpopular, it said last week. Those markets represented 1 percent of Uber Eats gross bookings and 4 percent of the b…

Since the Lamborghini Huracan was freshened for the 2020 model year and given the Evo moniker, the automaker has quickly rolled out additional variants of the sports car.

The rear-wheel-drive Huracan Evo Spyder is the latest to join the mix with an online debut last week. Like the rwd coupe introduced this year, power is supplied by a V-10 engine with 610 hp and 413 pound-feet of torque.

Just as important, the convertible gets the new performance traction-control system that debuted in the coupe. Lamborghini says the system delivers torque when the vehicle is realigning after drifting or side-slipping.

"With rear-wheel drive that means basically [you] go back to your instincts, go back to your senses, be yourself and experience the purest technology and excitement of rear-wheel drive with an advanced traction-control system that allows the driver to have a lot of fun," Alessandro Farmeschi, CEO of Automobili Lamborghini America, said in an interview. Read more

European car buyers still want minicars, for their ease of parking, low cost and fuel efficiency. But automakers say new emissions rules that require costly modifications are making them economically unfeasible.

So, how can the key entry-level segment be saved?

In some cases, automakers are offering electric versions of existing models. In others, they are blurring the line between minicars and models one size up. A few players, including some new entrants, believe that limited-range electric quadricycles are the answer.

Minicars -- also known as city cars or A-segment cars -- were Europe's fifth-largest segment in 2019, with more than 1.1 million sales, according to data from JATO Dynamics. Sales fell 3.9 percent from 2018, representing a decline of about 45,000 units.

"It's one of the very few stable car segments," said Felipe Munoz, lead automotive analyst at JATO Dynamics. "It's lost a bit of share because overall sales have grown slightly in E…

Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark says China's rebound from coronavirus-induced lockdowns has been "astonishing," resulting in a surge in demand for ultraluxury models from the automaker

“In one week in April the order intake for us was greater than any individual month in the six months leading up to it," Hallmark told BBC Radio 4 on Monday. "It’s fair to say the rebound in China is quite astonishing.”

The Volkswagen Group subsidiary restarted production at its factory in Crewe, England, on May 11. It is building cars at half the rate prior to the plant's shutdown in March as it tries to balance protecting the health of its workers against keeping pace with demand.

Like most automakers Bentley temporarily halted output in Europe in March to help slow an outbreak of the virus.

Bentley started the year with 8,000 orders after it had finally overcome delays in launching the new Continental GT coupe and convertible, and the Flying Spur sedan. Hallmark said …

Audi will roll out an advanced, more powerful infotainment system for the 2021 model year across most of its cars and crossovers, broadening the vehicles' ability to deliver satellite radio and Internet connectivity as well as enabling consumers to purchase digital upgrades.

The modular MIB 3 system, which will debut on the 2021 Audi A4 and A5, is Linux-based and comes with a processor that is exponentially faster than the MIB 2 system, the German premium brand says. It will eventually migrate across most of the Audi lineup.

The system's internal modem is capable of download speeds of up to 1Gbps and will be capable of serving up dual-band Wi-Fi to passengers, the brand says. The integrated satellite radio will be equipped with 360L service from SiriusXM, expanding the number of available channels and opening up personalization options as well as on-demand audio.

Audi said the MIB 3 system will also allow it to offer digital upgra…

LONDON -- Arlington Automotive is laying off employees after the coronavirus outbreak forced the supplier to appoint administrators in the U.K. to restructure the company.

Arlington's operations include making bespoke thermostats and the assembly of vehicle systems. The company supplies Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Nissan.

The company did not specify how many staff are being laid off. It employs around 600 people at several locations in Britain.

"The financial issues faced by the group have been compounded by coronavirus," said joint administrator Allan Graham in a statement. "New-car registrations have fallen dramatically and the complexity of supply chains in the sector have led to a sudden halt to manufacturing."

Restructuring acquisitions, including a German business bought last year, and uncertainty around Brexit and tariffs have also contributed to problems, according to joint administrators Duff & Phelps.

Other subsidiaries of Arl…

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.

Christophe Georges, Bentley's CEO of the Americas, says the ultraluxury brand's U.S. sales have risen 62 percent this year. Why the company is uniquely positioned and will continue to invest in physical product showcases.

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TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp plans to slash production in North America by nearly a third through October due to the coronavirus crisis and expects it will take some time for output to return to normal, a person familiar with the matter said.

Toyota will build about 800,000 vehicles, including its RAV4 crossovers and Camry sedans, at plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico from April through to the end of October, the person told Reuters.

That's down 29 percent from the Japanese automaker's output in the same seven months of 2019 and 32 percent lower than its forecast in January for production during the period.

The source declined to be identified because the information is not public.

A Toyota spokeswoman declined to comment on production plans.

The drop in Toyota's production highlights the pain for automakers around the world due to the fallout from the virus. Besides weak demand, problems with procurement and social…