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SUZUKA, Japan – Toyota's newly appointed CEO Koji Sato says hydrogen will be a top priority of his carbon neutral strategy, even as he redoubles his focus on electric vehicles.

Under his watch, through the end of the decade, the focus will be expanding the hydrogen infrastructure and the array of industries using the futuristic fuel, Sato said.

"We want to ensure that hydrogen stays a viable option," Sato said March 18 on the sidelines of a weekend endurance race where Toyota has planned to field a hydrogen-powered race car.

"We need a production and transport supply chain," Sato said. "Unless we see evolution there, we cannot expect a volume increase in the energy's use."

Sato, who takes over as CEO of Toyota Motor Corp. on April 1, said last month after being named to the top job that the world's biggest automaker "must drastically change" the way it does business and adopt an "EV-first" mindset. The company is now developing a new dedicated EV…

Trying to get driver's license certifications for her children in Pennsylvania was an "unbelievable" experience for Beth Beans Gilbert, vice president of Fred Beans Automotive Group.

Road tests in Pennsylvania must be taken through the state's Department of Transportation or an approved third-party business. Gilbert described signing up for the test through PennDOT as a "terrible process" where she had to often wake up in the middle of the night to attempt to schedule an appointment through the online system.

It felt like a lottery system, Gilbert said, as the number of new drivers eager for a test outnumbered the available test spots. People often pay driving instructors to navigate the system for them to secure an appointment, she said.

Then Gilbert learned of Jason Fidishun, CEO of John's Driving School — one of the small number of businesses allowed to administer driving skills exams in the state — and sought his help for her children.

She s…

Lithia Motors Inc.'s acquisition of Jardine Motors Group in the United Kingdom, similar in store count and revenue to its 2021 megadeal to buy Michigan's Suburban Collection, immediately gives the largest new-vehicle dealership group in the U.S. significant scale in an international market it long coveted.

The deal adds more than 40 new-vehicle dealerships in the U.K. to Lithia's portfolio, including stores selling luxury brands Aston Martin, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. And by entering the U.K., Lithia gains direct exposure to the agency model of retail, in which dealers sell vehicles on behalf of some automakers, such as Mercedes, at factory-set prices.The deal, which closed Wednesday, March 15, will add more than $2 billion to Lithia's annual revenue, Lithia CEO Bryan DeBoer said.

"And more importantly, it gives us a foundation to grow more in the United Kingdom over time, which is helping us drive towards our $50 billion [annual revenue] target for 202…

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — With the upcoming Dodge Hornet compact crossover, designers had to instill the brand's signature attitude and character into an existing design.

The canvas was the Alfa Romeo Tonale, a model meant for luxury customers that incorporated visual cues such as the Italian brand's triangular "scudetto" grille.

Dodge's design unit took that foundation and added an aggressive spin with inspiration from the muscular Challenger, Charger and Durango. The hood boasts integrated heat extractors that separate it from the Tonale, along with a mail-slot grille opening in the fascia that's important for functionality and accentuates its performance- geared feel.

The end result was a vehicle sporting a meaner-looking front end than the Tonale that pushes the "Brotherhood of Muscle" into the compact utility space, the industry's largest segment.

The Hornet comes in two trims: the GT with a conventional powertrain that…

Unifor is considering the merits of negotiating a profit- sharing agreement for the first time in its history as it prepares for bargaining with the Detroit 3 automakers in August.

“We are asking our research department to do a deep dive into what that looks like,” said Dave Cassidy, president of Local 444, which represents hourly workers at Stellantis minivan assembly plant in Windsor, Ont. “There’s a lot of discussion around, ‘is it good? Is it bad? The devil is in the detail.”

Negotiations representing 22,000 hourly workers at Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Stellantis assembly and powertrain plants are expected to begin in August. Lana Payne, national Unifor president, is expected to select the union’s strike target on Labor Day weekend, said Cassidy.

The potential paradigm shift on profit-sharing follows news of unprecedented profit-sharing cheques Stellantis’ U.S. hourly workers are expected to receive this year.

“These are some of the l…

Mazda has appointed Masahiro Moro to be the automaker's next CEO. Staring defeat in the face, incumbent UAW President Ray Curry has filed a protest against the union’s election process. Plus, service coach Coralee Zueff talks about her experiences as a woman in fixed ops and how dealerships can do a better job attracting women to the profession.

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DETROIT — UAW President Ray Curry, who trails as the final votes are being counted in the union's first direct election of leadership, has filed a protest saying thousands of members were disenfranchised and that the winner of one regional director race was ineligible.

Curry's team, in a statement Friday, said there are "a number of significant issues that have come to light recently that call the election into question and require immediate investigation." Curry trails challenger Shawn Fain in a runoff that has been unsettled for two weeks while officials work to verify more than 1,600 challenged ballots.

Fain has all but claimed victory in the race, which is being overseen by the federal monitor that was a condition of the UAW's corruption settlement with the Department of Justice. The monitor has not released an update on the vote count, but Fain's camp, which has observers in the room where the tally is happening, said he leads by 505 votes with fewer than…

A former Tesla Inc. regional service manager claims Elon Musk’s EV company was too cheap to install air conditioning in the bay of one of its service shops to protect technicians during heat waves — and that he ultimately got fired over his complaints.

Benjamen Simon reported unsafe working conditions from heat “reaching dangerous temperatures” on the Tesla shop floor in Peabody, Mass., several times in 2021 and urged management to install air conditioning, according to a complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston after it was transferred from state court.

Tesla denies wrongdoing in the case.

Simon claims he kept escalating the requests, even after his managers told him Tesla’s finance department wouldn’t approve spending “well over $100,000 for just one location to get air conditioning,” according to the complaint.

“The dangerous heat situation did not improve,” Kathleen Davidson, a lawyer for the former manager, wrote in the comp…

Jaguar Land Rover has appointed the company’s head of UK operations, Rawdon Glover, to oversee the revamped Jaguar brand.

Glover’s title will be "Brand Managing Director, Jaguar," JLR said in a statement.

His promotion comes as Jaguar prepares to become an all-electric brand in 2025 and position itself higher in the market with a new range of luxury models

JLR will give more information on the company’s progress on its plans for the brand in April, it has said.

Glover’s former job as managing director of JLR's UK operations will be managed on an interim basis by Paddy McGillycuddy, currently the head of sales and marketing in the UK, JLR said.

Glover joined the British luxury automaker in 2011 from Volkswagen Group, where he rose to the position of head of aftersales and service for the group in the U.S.

He was initially appointed director of global customer service for JLR, before moving to the UK position in June 2018, according to…

Nissan North America Inc. technicians in Tennessee voted against unionization on Thursday, the latest defeat for organizing efforts at foreign automakers in southern U.S. states.

The workers, at the automaker’s plant in Smyrna, Tenn., voted 62-9 against joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, known as the Machinists union, National Labor Relations Board spokesperson Kayla Blado said in an email.

In an emailed statement, Nissan said workers “elected to maintain their direct relationship with the company. Nissan respects this decision, and we remain focused on working with employees to drive our future forward together.”

The union petitioned in 2021 to represent the group of around 86 tool and die technicians at the factory. The company successfully persuaded a regional NLRB director that any union election should instead include the thousands more employees at the plant, but a panel of labor board members in Washington …

BEIJING — SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co is offering 3.7 billion yuan ($537 million) in cash subsidies for car purchases in China, joining more than 40 brands in slashing prices ahead of a change in emissions rules in the world's largest auto market.

The joint venture between China's SAIC Motor Corp. and Volkswagen Group is offering 15,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan in subsidies until April 30 across its full lineup, which includes the Teramont, Lavida and Phideon models, SAIC-VW said on its WeChat account late on Thursday.

Guangzhou Automobile Group, the Chinese partner of both Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., has also offered subsidies running from March 15 to March 31.

Chinese passenger vehicle sales fell 20 percent in January-February, industry data showed, even as some manufacturers offered reduced prices to stimulate demand.

Sales of new energy vehicles, which include all-battery and plug-in battery-petrol hybrid vehicles, grew faster than …

Chinese electric-vehicle maker Xpeng Inc. reported a wider-than-expected fourth-quarter loss and said deliveries could drop as much as 48 percent in the first three months of this year versus the same period in 2022.

Xpeng posted a net loss of 2.36 billion yuan ($342 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31, according to a statement Friday. That was worse than the 2.1 billion yuan deficit forecast by analysts, and compared with a 1.29 billion yuan loss the year before. Revenue slumped 40 percent to 5.14 billion yuan, missing the 5.7 billion yuan forecast.

“With the optimization of our product portfolio and the significant improvement of our marketing capabilities, we will resume growth in our sales and market share,” Co-President Brian Gu said in the filing. CEO He Xiaopeng said the company has “comprehensively” reviewed its strategy.

Xpeng is in closer competition with Tesla Inc. in terms of product lineup and pricing range than its U.S.-listed riva…