News

The monthly sales news is good for Hyundai and Kia, but not so great for Honda. Porsche plans a big hire ahead of its planned IPO. There's more fallout for Cruise after its June crash in San Francisco. Plus, a deeper look at Toyota's big infusion of cash into its battery plant in North Carolina and what it says about the future of EV manufacturing in North America. 

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MEXICO CITY -- Volkswagen Group's Mexico unit said in a statement on Thursday it is "profoundly disappointed" by the union's rejection of a 9 percent proposed salary increase.

The raise would have been the country's largest salary increase by an automaker in recent years, and is the second time the union has voted to reject the deal.

The company said in a statement that outside interests influenced the voting process and impacted the result with false arguments.

"This result is damaging a relationship built over more than 50 years," Volkswagen's statement said.

The union for workers at the plant in Puebla, in central Mexico, had initially sought a raise of more than 15 percent to account for soaring inflation, from salaries that range from $15 to $48 per day.

"The union and company representatives can now sit down again to continue negotiating and try to reach an agreement," Mexico's Federal Labor Center said in a statement early Thursday, …

Toyota Motor North America is recalling about 84,000 of its newest light trucks, certain 2022 Toyota Tundra full-size pickups and 2022 Lexus NX250 and NX350 crossovers, over concerns that their electronic parking brake may not operate properly.

The Japanese automaker said it intends to update the skid control ECU software to fix the issue, in which the electronic parking brake may not engage or disengage properly, and will notify effected owners and leasees by late next month.

Consumers with additional questions or concerns are asked to contact the respective brand customer service center.

As dealerships face profitability challenges, the right technology can make a big difference. A digital workflow lets you work faster and save on numerous overhead costs compared to manual processes. It can also help you avoid errors that can delay funding, stay compliant, and improve the customer experience.

In their latest infographic, Dealertrack shows how digital solutions can address dealership challenges including:

Giving customers the speed and convenience they demand. Reducing errors throughout the deal process. Improving funding speed and cash flow. Savings on operational costs. Avoiding compliance missteps that put you at risk of fraud and fines.

IBM Watson Advertising provides marketers the full power of The Weather Channel app - including its massive audience. In a survey of 5,800 app users about their automobile purchasing behaviors and considerations. About 28% of them said they were likely to consider buying an EV, which is roughly 3x higher than the general population. Shocked? Don't be.

Check out the infographic to find out what these EV intenders revealed to us, including the:

Most important features they consider when choosing a vehicle Top areas of concern or confusion about hybrids/EVs Anticipated timeline for buying or leasing a new vehicle *Source of all statistics: Results cited are from a survey by The Weather Channel of over 5,800 app users about their automobile purchasing behaviors and considerations. May 2022.

Buick is adding another crossover, the compact Envista, customized for the Chinese market, aiming to enrich its product mix in one of the most popular segments.

The Envista, with a starting price of 150,000 yuan ($21,770), is tailor made for younger generations of buyers and families in urban areas, GM’s China unit said. It was introduced at an auto show in the southwest city of Chengdu and heralds a new design direction for the brand.

The Envista is 182.5 inches long and 71 inches wide, or about the size of Buick's Envision in the U.S.

The Envista is fitted with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder direct injection turbocharged Ecotec engine and a chain drive transmission, with maximum power of 183 hp and fuel consumption as low as 6.52 liters per 100 kilometers under WLTC conditions.

The sporty Envista GS features a black mesh grille and 18-inch black-painted wheels paired with red brake calipers.

The Envista is Buick’s fifth crossover produced in C…

Major state-owned automaker GAC Motor  is set to produce batteries developed on its own to ensure supplies for its rapidly expanding electric-vehicle output. 

The move will make GAC the second Chinese EV maker, following BYD Co., to build batteries for its own electric vehicles. 

It plans to build a battery plant with an investment of up to 10.9 billion yuan ($1.58 billion) in the south China city of Guangzhou, GAC said this week. 

With construction set to begin at the end of the year, the factory is expected to produce 26.8 gigawatt-hours of batteries annually in 2025.

The plant will initially produce lithium iron phosphate batteries. 

It will first supply batteries to GAC’s EV subsidiary Aion New Energy Vehicle Co. and other affiliates. At a later stage, it will supply outside customers, according to GAC’s plan.

Additional details about the battery plant were not disclosed. 

GAC, based in Guangz…

Private equity firm One Planet Group has completed its acquisition of dealership marketing company AutoWeb Inc., which no longer will be publicly traded.

Walnut Creek, Calif.-based One Planet Group said Wednesday that AutoWeb — a provider of consumer leads to auto dealerships — will operate as a standalone business within One Planet's portfolio.

"I am so excited to welcome AutoWeb into the One Planet Group family," CEO Payam Zamani said in a statement. "AutoWeb has an incredible legacy in the automotive space, and I believe that its brand, assets and expertise offer a foundation that will allow us to build it back into a business that will lead the next evolution of the industry."

In July, AutoWeb, of Tampa, Fla., disclosed the acquisition plans after earlier saying its board would explore strategic alternatives for the company, including a potential sale or restructuring, including through federal bankruptcy protection. AutoWeb said "substantial doubt" …

WASHINGTON — Ford Motor Co. and Rivian are urging the federal government to expedite the permitting process for U.S. critical mineral mining projects that support domestic battery production for electric vehicles.

In comments submitted Tuesday to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Ford said the permitting process for mining projects that support high-capacity battery manufacturing "should be no longer than three years."

"Today's lengthy, costly and inefficient permitting process makes it difficult for American businesses to invest in the extraction and processing of critical minerals in the United States," Chris Smith, Ford's chief government affairs officer, said in a letter to the department.

Current U.S. permitting requirements for critical mineral production can take up to 10 years, he said. "In contrast, Canada and Australia have adopted mineral permitting policies that enable producers to complete the process in two to three years, while maintai…

Sales representatives who exceed car dealership expectations can yield a significant competitive advantage to an indirect auto lender, a J.D. Power analyst said this month.

J.D. Power's recently released 2022 U.S. Dealer Financing Satisfaction Study, which polled 3,578 auto dealership financial workers in April and May, found only 44 percent of lender sales reps exceeded expectations. But the lender reps who reached this higher bar produced dealership satisfaction scores as much as 190 points higher than competitors, according to Patrick Roosenberg, J.D. Power auto finance intelligence director.

Expertise with lending programs and responsiveness are among the sales rep qualities J.D. Power identified as driving dealership satisfaction.

According to Roosenberg, desirable expertise in lending programs would include explaining how the lender's qualities would benefit that specific dealership.

"It can't be a blanket statement," he told Automotive Ne…

BMW AG has started producing the fuel-cell systems for its hydrogen-powered iX5 crossover, moving forward with a climate-friendly alternative fuel that its German rivals don't expect to be viable in passenger cars.

"Hydrogen will become more relevant in individual mobility due to its advantages," Chief Executive Officer Oliver Zipse said Wednesday at an opening event for the production site in Munich. "Hydrogen-powered cars are the ideal technology for us to complement pure battery-electric vehicles."

BMW is the last remaining German luxury-car maker to pursue hydrogen drivetrains: Mercedes stopped building its GLC fuel cell SUV to concentrate on battery-powered cars; Audi shelved hydrogen test-fleet plans for the same reason.

Zipse said hydrogen fuel cells could provide a climate-friendly option for a significant segment of consumers – 20 percent to 30 percent, he estimated -- who won't be well enough served by the charging infrastructure to use a fully…

The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy has joined auto industry groups in petitioning the Federal Trade Commission to give financial institutions and dealerships another year to meet the revamped Safeguards Rule as the compliance deadline nears.

Following a rule-making process dating to 2019, the FTC in October 2021 voted 3-2 to update the Safeguards Rule. The agency gave businesses until Dec. 9, 2022, to comply with the revised regulations, which are an element of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act governing consumer information security.

"While preserving the flexibility of the original Safeguards Rule, the revised Rule provides more concrete guidance for businesses," the FTC wrote in a May guide for companies. "It reflects core data security principles that all covered companies need to implement."

The National Automobile Dealers Association, auto lender trade group American Financial Services Association, credit bureau org…