Handheld cellphone bans may correlate with lower distracted-driving fatalities, report says

Prohibiting drivers from using handheld devices leads to lower traffic fatalities, according to an analysis of NHTSA data by driver education company Zutobi.

Zutobi ranked states by a "distracted driving severity score" based on state population, the number of distracted driving-related fatalities in 2020 and the percentage of fatalities due to distraction.

New Mexico ranked worst, with a severity score of 99.98 — nearly double that of the next-worst state, Kansas. New Mexico experienced 148 distracted-driving fatalities in 2020. That was a rate of just over 10 per 100,000 licensed drivers. Around 38 percent of fatal crashes in the state involved distracted driving, Zutobi's report said.

Second-worst Kansas logged a severity score of 51.21 and 4.5 distracted driving fatalities per 100,000 drivers. It had 90 distracted-driving fatalities, and nearly 22 percent of fatal crashes involved distracted driving. Louisiana, Wyoming and Kentucky rounded out the fi…

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Steven Cliff leaving NHTSA to become California Air Resources Board executive officer

WASHINGTON — NHTSA chief Steven Cliff is leaving the nation's top auto safety regulator and will join the California Air Resources Board as its executive officer on Sept. 12, the state regulatory agency said Friday.

Ann Carlson, NHTSA’s chief counsel, will assume Cliff’s duties when he leaves the agency next month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Cliff was confirmed by the Senate on May 26 — only 78 days ago — as NHTSA’s 16th administrator. The agency had been without a permanent leader since 2017, when Mark Rosekind resigned as the Trump administration took over.

He previously was the agency's deputy administrator — a role he had filled since shortly after President Joe Biden was inaugurated in 2021, a year that saw 1,093 issued recalls, "the most in NHTSA's history," Cliff told Automotive News last month.

“This is an exciting time in transportation, and I am grateful that Congress has provided NHTSA with un…

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LMP closer to dissolution with pending sale of 6 dealerships

Just 17 months after LMP Automotive Holdings Inc. bought its first franchised dealerships — and with public goals to grow to 80 to 100 stores by the end of 2022 — the small public auto retailer appears headed for dissolution, as it has agreed to sell six dealerships to Atlantic Coast Automotive Group.

LMP, in a regulatory filing Wednesday, said it entered into asset purchase agreements with Atlantic Coast Automotive on Aug. 5 for its Florida Kia dealerships in Port Charlotte and Cape Coral, plus Kia and Subaru stores in Mount Hope, W.Va., a Chevrolet dealership in Oak Hill, W.Va., and a Buick-GMC store in Beckley, W.Va.

LMP said it anticipates cash proceeds of $133 million from the deal, which is slated to close by Oct. 31, according to the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

LMP's move to sell the six dealerships (a seventh dealership also is under a sales contract) and pursue a liquidation plan follows a tumultuous several months …

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Hyundai, Kia vehicles probed by NHTSA over exploding seat belt pretensioners linked to 3 injuries

WASHINGTON — U.S. auto safety regulators are investigating certain Hyundai and Kia vehicles from the 2020-22 model years after allegations of exploding seat belt pretensioners that have been linked to three injuries.

The investigation could affect an estimated 275,000 vehicles and will initially cover the:

• 2021-22 Hyundai Elantra and Elantra Hybrid

• 2021 Hyundai Venue

• 2021 Genesis GV80

• 2022 Genesis GV70

• 2020-21 Hyundai Accent

• 2022 Kia Sorento Hybrid and Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation said it was aware of three separate incidents alleging faulty seat belt pretensioners.

"In all three incidents, the driver-side seat belt pretensioner deployed abnormally, causing metal fragments to enter the rear cabin resulting in injuries to the rear occupants," according to a report released Friday.

The agency said the "failure mechanism and contributing factors remain unclear." Read more

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Porsche 911 inspired by ‘Cars’ to be auctioned

Porsche has collaborated with Pixar Animation Studios to develop a one-off Porsche 911 inspired by the Sally Carrera character from the animated flick Cars.

The 911 Sally Special is based on the 473-hp 911 Carrera GTS. The manual-drive car features a custom Sally Blue Metallic color.

The Turbo-inspired wheels are redesigned by Style Porsche designers, with their five-spoke design receiving a subtle modification to match the 20/21-inch diameter of current-generation wheels on the 911.

The vehicle will be auctioned by RM Sotheby's on Aug. 20 during Monterey Car Week. Proceeds will support young girls through Girls Inc. and USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

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NHTSA opens probe into 1.7 million Ford, Lincoln vehicles for alleged front brake defect

WASHINGTON — U.S. auto safety regulators have opened a safety probe into more than 1.7 million Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ midsize sedans after reports alleging front brake hose failures.

NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation said it had received 50 complaints alleging such failures on Fusion and MKZ vehicles from the 2013-18 model years and was aware of one crash allegedly related to the issue.

Many of the complaints claim "the brake hoses are rupturing, leaking brake fluid and occurring with little to no warning," according to a report released Friday.

Front brake hose ruptures and leaking brake fluid can result in increased stopping distances, the agency said.

Ford Motor Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In August 2020, Ford recalled more than 488,000 2015-18 Ford Edge and 2016-18 Lincoln MKX vehicles because the front brake hoses on the midsize crossovers may rupture prematurely…

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EV maker Rivian’s net loss widens

Electric-vehicle maker Rivian Automotive Inc reported that revenue was $364 million in the second quarter while the EV maker's net loss widened to $1.71 billion, from $580 million a year earlier.

The company said a ramp-up in production helped it deliver more SUVs, pickup trucks and vans.

The company has in recent months started overcoming the supply chain issues and semiconductor shortages that have curtailed its ability to meet soaring demand for electric vehicles.

Rivian reiterated its annual production forecast of 25,000 units and said it expects to add a second shift for vehicle assembly at its Normal, Illinois plant towards the end of the third quarter.

In the second quarter ended June 30, the EV maker delivered 4,467 vehicles, up from 1,227 units in the previous three months.

The company said it has received about 98,000 pre-orders for its R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck.

The revenue of $364 m…

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GM’s RICO lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler rejected by appeals court

A U.S. appeals court upheld a 2020 ruling that tossed out a racketeering lawsuit General Motors filed against rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, now part of Stellantis, and former executives.

GM filed the racketeering lawsuit in November 2019, alleging FCA bribed UAW union officials over many years to corrupt the bargaining process and gain advantages, costing GM billions of dollars.

"Even accepting GM’s theory as true, the chain of causation between FCA’s bribes and GM’s injury is still too attenuated," said the opinion of the three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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CULA and Affinity Federal Credit Union partner to offer leasing program

San Diego, CA, and Basking Ridge, NJ – August 2, 2022 – Credit Union Leasing of America (CULA) announced today that it has partnered with Affinity Federal Credit Union (“Affinity”), one of the nation’s largest credit unions, to bring the affordability and flexibility of leasing to Affinity’s New Jersey members and local dealerships, with plans to expand the indirect leasing program to New York and Pennsylvania.Affinity provides comprehensive services and solutions, including auto purchase and leasing support and loan options, for its members in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Affinity ranks in the top 2% of all credit unions in the U.S.(1), and has more than 20 branches across the tri-state region. CULA, which experienced record growth in the last two years, with 2022 expected to surpass 2021, has been the leader in indirect vehicle leasing for credit unions for over 30 years.

“Affinity’s mission is to support our members' financial well-being and to work closel…

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Understanding the Gen Z Car Shopper

There are a lot of assumptions about Generation Z. Those born between 1997 and 2012 are generally thought to be hyper-online and at the leading edge of consumption trends.

But when it comes to buying a car, Gen Z is much different than the stereotypes portrayed on social networks. In a recent survey, CDK Global asked over 1,100 people of all ages, including Gen Z shoppers 18–25, about the car-buying experience. The results found that Gen Z can be more thoughtful, spending more time weighing decisions, but they also found the car-buying process more difficult than any other age group and were least likely to recommend their dealership experience.

81% of Gen Z shoppers want to take their time to understand all of their options when purchasing a vehicle Gen Z wants more expert guidance from sales representatives than any other generation This group is also least likely to recommend their dealership experience to a friend Gen Z was more frustrated by added fees than any ot…
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Income verification platform Truework raises $50M Series C

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Truework, a fintech company that provides income and employment verification for the nation's largest mortgage, auto, and consumer lenders to approve more borrowers in a fraction of the time, today announced it raised $50 million in Series C funding.Leading the Series C round was G Squared, with returning investors Sequoia Capital, Activant Capital, and Khosla Ventures also participating. New investors include Indeed, Human Capital, and Four Rivers Group. The completion of this round will support planned product development, additional hiring, and foster the company's continued growth as an efficient, secure, and user-friendly platform for income and employment verification.

By digitizing and simplifying the income and employment verification process for banks, lenders, payroll providers, and HR departments, Truework streamlines the lending process for both lender and borrower. With consumer consent as a foundation, Truework…

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Scott Painter’s Autonomy startup orders 23,000 EVs, partners with AutoNation

Subscription startup Autonomy announced that it placed orders Tuesday for 23,000 electric vehicles from various automakers for its fledgling subscription platform. Autonomy, founded by serial entrepreneur Scott Painter, also said it is partnering with dealership giant AutoNation Inc. to obtain the vehicles and have them serviced.

The orders are for 45 models from 17 automakers and are valued at $1.2 billion, Autonomy said in a release. The company plans to take delivery of all 23,000 vehicles within 18 months, Painter told Automotive News.

Autonomy's business model is to provide subscribers an EV for a flat monthly fee. The company is a rebrand of Painter's 2020 venture, NextCar, which was a back-end software-as-a-service platform marketed toward vehicle subscription providers.

Upon its launch in January, Autonomy had only the Tesla Model 3 available for subscribers. The company later added the Tesla Model Y as an option. The new orders and the partnersh…

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