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I've covered the auto industry for a long time, but mostly from the factory, automaker, supplier or Wall Street perspective. Before I got to Automotive News, I probably wrote more about the consumer experience than the dealer experience. That all made sense when I was writing for general interest newspapers or a financial wire service.

But I've always admired the entrepreneurial spirit of auto dealers, and I'm glad to have more exposure to them since I joined Automotive News almost four and a half years ago.

I remember David Hult, CEO of Asbury Automotive, before the pandemic talking about buying a used car from Carvana, just to learn what the experience was like and gauge how it stacked up against trying to do the same on his brand's site. Compared to hiring a consultant whom you may or may not fully trust, the return on investment of that experience had to be off the chart.

So it's through the lens of that example that I look at…

In the last two months, Automotive News and other publications have reported on tensions between automakers and their dealers. This doesn't involve all automakers, but recent statements from a few have put many dealers, state and metro dealer associations and the National Automobile Dealers Association on high alert:

What is going on here?

Tension between automakers and their dealers is not new. There will always be differences of opinion on how best to take care of customers and win in the marketplace. In fact, automakers and dealers that address these differences head-on and have open dialogue regarding their resolution have proven over time to be the most successful.

Today's tensions are different. They are not rooted in the conventional give-and-take over cost shifts or how the earnings pie is divided, but rather in threats that go to the very core of the franchise system that underlies the factory-dealer relationship.

Read more

Technology is making in-vehicle digital cockpits more intelligent by using deeper machine-learning capabilities to create more robust occupant monitoring features and other systems.

The advancements were on display at the InCabin Phoenix conference held this month.

The three-day event, hosted by AutoSens, drew companies from around the world to share new in-cabin technology, spanning deeper machine-learning capabilities to more robust occupant monitoring systems.

Novelic, a radar and sensor company in Serbia, was at InCabin Phoenix to highlight the capabilities of its radar automotive cabin monitoring system.

The system, currently undergoing testing in Europe and the U.S., can detect a child left in the car and includes other safety features such as an intruder alert and the specific location of other passengers sitting in the vehicle.

The company's radar system can provide a suite of in-cabin monitoring …

The $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act from late 2021 captured public attention for funding a wave of electric vehicle charging services. But buried deeper inside was also a mandate for a new technology that has nothing to do with EVs.

The law calls for a final rule to be issued next year requiring all vehicles sold in the U.S. to have the ability to passively detect when drivers are under the influence of alcohol and prevent them from driving.

That's a piece of technology that does not exist yet — at least, not as a commercialized market-friendly original-equipment vehicle component.

So the auto industry is scurrying to come up with the technology. And one global supplier, Asahi Kasei, may have a head start in the race.

The Japanese chemical and electronics company has conveniently had a Swedish subsidiary working on alcohol and gas detection sensors for other applications for 25 years.

Asah…

Swiss instrument supplier Inficon has been detecting air leaks for years — on air conditioners, refrigeration, airbags and transmission housings — to look for manufacturing flaws and toxic chemicals. Now the auto industry is asking the company to find leaks in a booming new segment: electric vehicle batteries.

And it's not about air getting out. It's about the possibility of water getting in.

Rainwater splashing into a battery enclosure from the road surface or lake water seeping in while the owner of an electric SUV launches a fishing boat can potentially ruin a big battery.

The question facing automakers and battery suppliers all over the world now is how to make sure something the size of a mattress hasn't ended up with a tiny leak in its seal during mass production.

Inficon's solution is to apply a technology it's been using for years on other products to batteries coming down the assembly line. It pumps helium into …

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. last week confirmed what many had long assumed: Its electric vehicles are big money-losers — for now.

But in re-segmenting its earnings reports to disclose profits and losses for its electric, internal combustion and commercial vehicle businesses, the automaker is giving Wall Street a more detailed road map of what makes it successful today and how it plans to become an EV leader in the future.

Ford said its EV business unit, called Model e, is expected to lose $3 billion this year. That contrasts with forecasts of $7 billion in earnings before interest and taxes for the combustion unit and $6 billion for its commercial business.

The projection would bring the total amount lost on EVs to $6 billion from 2021 through 2023.

Still, the company stood by its goal of earning an 8 percent profit margin on EVs — and 10 percent overall — by the end of 2026.

"It shouldn't come as a shock; we know it's going to be difficult …

A Northern California dealership has tapped into the work-from-home trend to solve a hairy challenge — sourcing used vehicles.

Toyota Walnut Creek recruits stay-at-home parents and other remote workers to scour Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other social media sites for private sellers looking to offload their cars, crossovers and pickups.

The commission-based employees message the sellers online, collect vehicle information and work with the store's used-vehicle department to make offers. Sellers are then directed to the San Francisco-area store to complete the transaction.

General Manager Brad Barnett said soaring prices at auction required creativity in acquiring used vehicles. Barnett looked outside the box for a fix, turning to an unconventional work force — homemakers and moonlighters looking for online work.

The half-dozen employees in Toyota Walnut Creek's At-Home group were recruited via referrals and have never been to the store,…

Ford says its BlueOval City manufacturing plant in Tennessee will be able to produce 500,000 electric pickups per year when it comes online in 2025. Dealers get a glimpse of Ram’s midsize EV pickup. Plus, California service director Lamont Harris talks about building a family culture by listening and taking notes.

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BEIJING -- The Wuhan Economic Development Investment Co. plans to invest 50 billion yuan ($7.30 billion) to build an innovative automobile corridor in the city that will focus on new energy vehicles, automotive electronics, automotive chips and the automotive aftermarket.

In a statement on Thursday, the state-owned company said in cooperation with several major banks it aims to create an industrial hub, or "China Auto Valley," that will have industrial parks and high-tech enterprises.

Wuhan, the biggest city in central China, is the second-largest auto production center in the country behind Shanghai. Dongfeng Motor Group Co., a major state-owned automaker, is based in the city.

In addition, private Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Nissan Motor Co., Honda Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis operate major vehicle assembly plants in the city.

Paul Napleton and stepson Danny Randolph of Napleton Auto Group acquired five dealerships in three transactions last year to grow their partnership. Paul Napleton is the brother of Edward Napleton, CEO of Napleton Automotive Group, based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.

Napleton and Randolph on Aug. 29 acquired Don McCue Chevrolet in St. Charles, Ill., from Tim McCue, Don McCue's son, Randolph told Automotive News. That dealership was renamed Napleton Chevrolet St. Charles. St. Charles is west of Chicago.

"We love the Chevrolet brand, we absolutely love the market out here in St. Charles," Randolph said. "The store just has a ton of opportunity and untapped potential."

Paul Napleton and Randolph, in the fourth quarter, went north to Wisconsin to expand their presence in the Badger state, buying Countryside Ford in Columbus and Countryside Chevrolet-Buick-GMC in Beaver Dam, from Keith Ghanian and Ted Naegeli. The transaction closed on Nov. 14, Randolph said. Read more

The auto industry is in recovery, but vehicle inventories and retail sales will remain at modest levels throughout the year, according to Eric Watson, vice president of sales operations for Kia America.

"Some manufacturers are producing vehicles and are growing pretty significant dealer stocks, while others continue to struggle to supply their dealers with product," Watson said.

Kia is maintaining its position in the middle of the two extremes.

"We're seeing an improvement of the commodities [needed] to build vehicles, but that doesn't mean that there still aren't disruptions," he said.

Kia expects to close March with a 15-day dealer supply, Watson said, which is low compared with historical averages but almost triple the supply from March and April of last year when it dipped to just five days.

"As inventory pressures rise, we're likely to see incentives increase," Watson said, adding that Kia's incentive spending is among the lowest in …