Trade News

Ford Motor Co. officials relied on extensive customer research to create the 2021 Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. As part of that, Ford brought dozens of would-be buyers into its Dearborn, Mich., design studios to test the vehicle's new 15.5-inch touch screen.

What Ford's product team learned was that most customers wanted a physical knob to control radio volume. Ford worked with an unnamed supplier to create a metal knob for the job. Shaped with a hole in the middle, like a ring, the controller is bonded directly to the screen. Touching and turning it has the same effect as touching the screen.

The knob will be used only to control volume. But because of how it's bonded on the screen, Ford plans to give it additional functions in the future through over-the-air software updates.

"It's a very versatile technology and will continue to change," said Darren Palmer, Ford's global product development director for battery electric ve…

Most electric vehicles have a one-speed fixed-gear transmission. The Taycan S is the first EV that uses a two-speed transmission to drive the rear wheels.

Unlike internal-combustion engines, electric motors deliver maximum torque right when acceleration begins, which is how EVs leap to 60 mph so quickly.

The Taycan S features a single speed for the front wheels, with a rear two-speed that provides all-wheel drive and the blistering performance that helps give the Taycan S its supercar credentials. That includes a 0 to 60 sprint in about 2.6 seconds, and a top speed of 162 mph.

In a Taycan S, both transmissions stay in first gear until 60 mph, then the rear transmission shifts into second gear, which allows the rear motor to spin slower, getting it closer to peak torque. The second gear enables longer driving range per charge.

But as with all cars, especially high-performance Porsches, your mileage may vary.

Amid coronavirus and contamination concerns in China, new-vehicle sales volume there dropped more than 80 percent in February. As the virus gains traction in the U.S., genuine concerns arise related to the potential disruption here and what this could mean for dealers.

Having faced some adversity early in my life, my personality type has always been to focus more on the potential opportunity of a given set of circumstances. Operating with a philosophy that "the calvary isn't coming" to save me has always provided me with greater clarity in confusing times.

Even before the rise of the coronavirus, one of the largest risks facing conventional auto dealers has been their ability — or should I say inability — to successfully engage and transact with customers online. The general inaccessibility to fully transact virtually by most dealers has paved the way for providers such as Carvana and Tesla to provide a refreshing alternative buying experience…

Hyundai and Kia say they have developed a predictive shift technology that uses information from navigation software, front-facing cameras and radar to change gears — or even shift into neutral — based on road and traffic conditions ahead of the vehicle, rather than just relying on speed and acceleration data. The result is better mileage and smoother driving.

The automakers are not yet revealing where the technology will appear first.

The company has 40 patent applications stemming from the new system, known as the Information and Communication Technology Connected Shift System. It uses three-dimensional navigation data to determine road elevation, gradient and curvature, along with traffic conditions. Radar information gives speed and distance between vehicles, while cameras provide forward lane information.

"When Hyundai and Kia tested a vehicle with an ICT Connected Shift System on a heavily curved road, the frequency of shift…

The Automotive News Shift mobility team is joined by Automotive News publisher Jason Stein in a discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on the future of the mobility industry, as well as automakers, car dealers and suppliers.

Apple Podcasts: “Shift: A podcast about mobility” is available on the iTunes Store and through the ‘Podcast’ app pre-installed on all iOS devices. Click here to subscribe.

Spotify: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" can be streamed through Spotify on your desktop, tablet or mobile device. Click here to subscribe.

Google Play: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" is available on Android devices through the Google Play store. Click here to subscribe.

TOKYO — For Japan's biggest automaker, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics has been a five-year, about $1 billion bet on showcasing the company and its technology to the world.

But speculation is mounting here that the games will be postponed, or even canceled, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If so, Toyota Motor Corp. might be out a bundle.

For starters, Toyota spent a reported $835 million in 2015 to sign on as a top sponsor of the games through 2024.

Since then, it has put untold millions into developing a fleet of electrified, new-mobility vehicles to roll out for the event — from hydrogen fuel cell buses to automated athlete shuttles and a cast of robots to help at events. A self-driving Toyota pod car is supposed to escort the torch relay.

Toyota also created a sophisticated worldwide marketing campaign called "Start Your Impossible" that revolves around the Olympics and the idea of delivering new modes of mobility…

For some of BMW's U.S. dealers, the brand's luxurious 8 Series coupe has turned from halo sports car to financial headache.

Retailers complain the car has received inadequate marketing support, while an abundance of configurations have left some dealership lots with unsold inventory of the high-value model, putting pressure on floorplan expenses.

The 8 Series has the highest day supply of any BMW model, dealers report.

"It is the best car that no one knows about," said one U.S. retailer, who asked not to be identified.

BMW declined to discuss the dealer complaints and doesn't provide information about product marketing costs or inventories.

But dealers aren't too keen on sitting on that high-dollar inventory. The sticker on 2020 models tops $155,000. The interest expense on each 8 Series is $400 to $500 a month, another dealer said.

"It's heavy metal that nobody wants to carry," he said.

The world’s supply chains are facing a root-to-branch shutdown unlike any seen in modern peacetime as efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak hit everything from copper mines in Peru to ball bearing makers in Germany’s industrial heartland.

In the last few days, a supply chain crisis that began earlier this year with Chinese factories has spread into key industries elsewhere that had weathered the impact until now.

The shutdowns are contributing to the growing conviction that the world has slipped into its first recession since the financial crisis more than a decade ago.

“This is kind of a rolling natural disaster,” said Ethan Harris, head of global economic research at Bank of America. “In terms of the impact on global production, the shutdown outside of China will likely become bigger than the impact from China.”

The shock to supply chains, Harris said, is deeper and more sprawling than the trade wars of the past two years and likely to be …

MEXICO CITY -- Volkswagen will temporarily close its factories in Mexico's Puebla and Guanajuato states amid growing worries over the spread of the coronavirus.

Nearly all light-vehicle production in North America is being idled for at least several days amid the crisis and its associated impact on vehicle sales. The shutdowns also will be cascading throughout the North American supply chain in the coming weeks. 

VW's Mexican unit said Friday the upcoming shutdowns will take effect on March 30 and extend through April 12.

The automaker also pointed to slowing demand and the risk of shortages of parts as factors in the decision to suspend production in the factories.

Audi said on March 15 that its Q5 crossover plant in Mexico would suspend production due to a lack of parts caused by the global coronavirus outbreak. The automaker plans to resume output on April 1.

BMW said on Friday that it would extend an already-…

When the U.S. economy last ground to a near halt a dozen years ago and the nation's auto plants largely stopped producing vehicles, Toyota adopted a bold but expensive strategy that made it stand out from other automakers: It continued to pay all of its workers — even if it didn't have work for them to do.

Now, as the coronavirus begins to tear through the U.S. auto industry just as the financial crisis did in 2008-09, automakers again must weigh the costs of keeping their employees on the payroll or sending them off to the unemployment line. And even for Toyota, much of that decision may rest on how long they believe the virus will continue to plague their markets.

So far, transplant automakers that have called temporary halts to production operations have each committed to continue to pay their employees while plants remain closed.

Meanwhile, the unionized work force of the Detroit 3 will receive a combination of unemployment be…