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TOKYO – Mazda will step up its electrification efforts in the U.S. by introducing the CX-90 crossover as a performance plug-in hybrid tailored to American driving needs.

The large-size utility vehicle, positioned as a replacement for the CX-9, makes its world premiere in January as a 2024 model year, Mazda North America said Tuesday.

The CX-90 will be Mazda's first nationally available electrified vehicle, the company added. It plays a critical role in moving the brand's image upmarket as it dives deeper into electrification.

"This all-new e-Skyactiv powertrain, tuned specifically for the North American market, will provide customers with the best of both worlds in terms of performance and efficiency," Mazda said, emphasizing the offering's chops as a "performance-oriented" plug-in hybrid.

The three-row CX-90 will be followed by the two-row CX-70. Both play a critical role in fleshing out Mazda's offerings in large cr…

General Motors CEO Mary Barra talks about securing GM’s EV battery supply chain, new tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, and her thoughts on the state of autonomous vehicles. Plus, a plant that builds the Jeep Cherokee will shut down, but might still have a future. And the strike at a key automotive insulation supplier ends.

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Toyota's C-HR subcompact crossover, which has been sold in North America since the 2018 model year, will be discontinued in 2023 in the U.S. and Canada.

The automaker said the Corolla Cross subcompact crossover and RAV4 compact crossover will become alternatives to the C-HR after the 2022 model year.

The C-HR, a blend of crossover and hatchback, was aimed primarily at younger buyers and was a key gateway to Toyota's light-truck lineup.

"We are constantly evaluating our product lineup and we remain committed to the compact SUV segment," Toyota said in a statement. "With the recent introduction of the Corolla Cross and Corolla Cross Hybrid, two great products that offer a great combination of utility and efficiency, and the best-selling RAV4, we are providing multiple options for compact SUV buyers."

Despite the C-HR bowing out of the U.S. and Canada, a new plug-in hybrid version will be sold in Europe, Toyota announced this month.

U.S. sales…

WASHINGTON — Only two out of 15 vehicles in the small crossover category earned an overall "good" rating in the first frontal crash test in the U.S. to include a rear dummy, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Tuesday.

The 2022-23 Ford Escape, built after May, and the 2021-23 Volvo XC40 were the only vehicles to earn a "good" rating in the institute's updated moderate overlap front evaluation.

The more challenging crash test adds a dummy representing a small woman or 12-year-old child positioned in the second row behind the driver. It also uses new metrics focusing on the injuries most frequently seen in rear-seat passengers.

The 2021-23 Toyota RAV4 earned an "acceptable" rating, while the Audi Q3, Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester from those model years earned a "marginal" rating.

Vehicles that earned a poor rating are the:

• 2021-22 Buick Encore

• 2021-23 Chevrolet Equinox

• 2021-22 Honda CR-V

• 2021-22 Hon…

About 270 union workers at an Autoneum plant in Bloomsburg, Pa., reached an agreement last week with the Swiss automotive insulation supplier, ending a nearly weeklong strike by Local 1700.

Chief among worker complaints was Autoneum's position that workers pay 5 percent more of their health care costs outside of usual yearly increases. In a new four-year contract that was approved 223-56, costs for the top tier insurance plan will stay the same for the next two years.

In addition, workers will make $1 more a hour, retroactive to May 15, Fox 56 in Pennsylvania reported Friday.

Further details about terms of the contract were not available on Monday.

Autoneum works with almost every major automaker, including General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, according to its website. The Bloomsburg plant had received awards from Toyota in 2011, Ford in 2014 and GM in 2021.

GM told Automotive News last week the strike had not affected its operations.

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Megaretailer Asbury Automotive Group Inc. divested nine dealerships on Dec. 5, selling the North Carolina stores to Hudson Automotive Group of Charleston, S.C., according to Hudson President David Hudson.

Representatives from Asbury Automotive didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Hudson told Automotive News that his company bought six dealerships from Asbury in Greensboro, N.C., representing the Acura, BMW, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, Honda, Nissan and Volvo brands. A collision shop and parking lot in that city were included in the transaction. Hudson Automotive also acquired Dodge-Ram and Ford stores in Fayetteville, N.C., from Asbury, plus a Honda store in Durham, N.C. Asbury had operated the dealerships under its Crown Automotive regional brand.

Hudson said company leaders are excited about the new locations, describing the stores' franchises as great brands in a great market. The transaction gives Hudson Automotive its first BMW and Volvo st…

Ford Motor Co. may have saved its best special edition GT for last.

The automaker is ending the third-generation supercar's production run with a hyper-limited 2023 GT Mk IV track-only variant boasting 800 hp and a $1.7 million price tag.

Ford will make just 67 Mk IVs, an homage to the original 1967 Mk IV track car. As is the case will all GTs, the Mk IV will be hand-built by supplier Multimatic in Canada.

"Multimatic's brief was to create the most extreme final version of the Ford GT, and the Mk IV is the outcome," Larry Holt, executive vice president at Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations Group, said in a statement. "A unique larger displacement engine, proper racing gearbox, stretched wheelbase and truly radical body has resulted in an unprecedented level of performance. We are proud to have been a part of the third-generation GT from its inception to this amazing swan song and consider it a significant chapter in Multimatic's history."

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AutoNation Inc. has agreed to buy RepairSmith, a mobile automotive repair and maintenance provider. The $190 million deal, made public Monday, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.

RepairSmith's technicians come to a home or workplace to service individual, dealership and fleet customers, who can schedule appointments online. The business also will help AutoNation, the nation's largest new-vehicle retailer, recondition cars and expedite delivery.

RepairSmith, of Los Angeles, has operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Oregon, Texas and Washington. The company in August 2021 listed Mercedes-Benz and Porsche's venture capital arm, Porsche Ventures, among its investors.

"By providing an expansion of our group's capabilities, we not only begin to truly leverage our scale, but most importantly offer an expanded range of products and services that will increase both customer loyalty and deepen our share of our customers' house…

WASHINGTON - The U.S. new vehicle automotive fleet's fuel efficiency was flat in the 2021 model year as automakers sold more sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks compared to cars, while the Detroit Three lagged behind foreign competitors.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday the fleetwide real-world average was 25.4 miles per gallon in the 2021 model year, the same as in 2020. The EPA estimates the 2022 fleetwide efficiency average will rise to 26.4 mpg.

Automakers are meeting rising vehicle emissions requirements in part through using credits earned in prior years or by buying excess credits from rivals.

Chrysler-parent Stellantis had the lowest fuel economy among all automakers at 21.3 mpg in 2021, while General Motors was 21.6 mpg and Ford Motor at 22.9 mpg.

The three U.S. automakers had the lowest fleet wide fuel economy of 14 major car companies.

The report showed Stellantis led all automakers in buying emissions cr…

Despite widespread electric vehicle buzz, studies show most Americans have never been EV passengers, let alone drivers.

Their most likely first experience? A rental car, said Gregory Scott, spokesperson for the American Car Rental Association.

Car rental companies are committing to sustainable mobility, Scott said. It's an important statement, as the American Car Rental Association's members purchase 1 in 10 new light vehicles sold in the U.S. each year. Car rental companies' overall commitment signals the future of mobility and provides demand for automakers as they ramp up EV efforts, Scott said.

Hertz Corp. has committed to EVs in a big way and boasts the largest rental EV fleet in North America. The rental car company has agreed to buy 175,000 EVs from General Motors over the next five years, 100,000 from Tesla and 65,000 from Polestar. Hertz has also joined oil giant BP to build a network of U.S. charging stations. It expects the effort to build ou…

The Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement held its second annual CADIA Impact Awards in suburban Detroit last month. The ceremony recognized individuals and companies making noteworthy contributions to DE&I efforts in the industry. There were nine winners within five categories.

CHAMPION FOR DIVERSE TALENT

Individual: Mae Smitherman-Smith, controller, global manufacturing, material planning and logistics, and warranty, Ford Motor Co.

Mae Smitherman-Smith has led several initiatives to improve diversity recruiting and talent development within Ford's finance organization, including a three-year program that connects ethnically diverse employees with senior management, a deep-dive talent review of Black employees and a focus on increasing the diversity of the finance internship program. She is the first Black woman in the finance organization to rise from entry level to senior management in the history of Ford, opening the door for …