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FREMONT, Calif. — Amazon-owned self-driving tech developer Zoox is getting ready to join a field of companies carrying passengers in autonomous vehicles.

While the company isn't saying when it will begin commercial operations — "soon," says a co-founder — it may be the first to design and deploy a bespoke robotaxi for operations on U.S. public roads.

As the company readies for operations, it previewed its VH6 vehicle on the streets of Silicon Valley last week.

The Foster City, Calif.-based company is driving into an increasingly crowded field.

Waymo introduced limited service in the Phoenix area in 2017 and Motional partnered with Lyft to offer rides in its AV in Las Vegas the following year. Cruise launched a ride-sharing service in San Francisco this year, while Argo has started testing its AVs in Miami in preparation for a partnership with Lyft this year. Almost all except Zoox have partnerships for package delivery.

While most robotaxi…

Honda is touting the newest Civic Type R as the most powerful vehicle ever produced under the Honda brand.

No details on horsepower or other engine specifications accompanied Thursday's unveiling — with Honda set to release final specs closer to the vehicle's fall launch. For now, it's also described as the most "powerful" vehicle in Type R history.

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R continues a 30-year tradition for the front-wheel-drive racing Type R series, which debuted in 1992 with the NSX Type R.

From the outside, the new hatchback mostly maintains the latest Civic's restrained styling but does sport some new features. A redesigned front bumper, larger front fender grilles and a new side sill aim to give a more aggressive stance and provide more airflow efficiency.

The Type R's prominent spoiler remains, and the wider rear doors support the new stance shown in the front. Under the spoiler are the Type R's signature three…

Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess is leaving the company. J.D. Power says EVs are still less appealing to consumers than gasoline-powered cars. The curtain comes up on the Cadillac Celestiq. Plus, a conversation with TransUnion's Satyan Merchant about how the credit risk profile of EV buyers differs dramatically from those purchasing gasoline-powered vehicles.

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Automotive mirror supplier Gentex Corp. said Friday that ongoing component shortages and reduced light-vehicle production led to lower second-quarter profits, but also touted a sales increase compared with 2021.

The Zeeland, Mich., company, which primarily produces automatic-dimming rearview mirror and camera-based driver-assistance systems, said net income decreased 16.3 percent to $72.4 million. Gentex's earnings are generally watched closely as a quarterly predictor for other suppliers' results.

Operating expenses continue to increase, with a 21 percent rise to $62.6 million. Gentex cited staffing and professional fees, freight expenses and travel-related expenses as causes for the growth.

Net sales climbed 8 percent to $463.4 million, with automotive sales mimicking at an 8 percent increase. This contrasts with a 1 percent drop in light-vehicle production in the company's primary markets of North America, Europe, Japan and Korea.…

Automakers are forming contingency plans for potential work stoppages at West Coast ports even as talks continue between the Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to replace an expired labor contract.

The ports, especially those in Long Beach and Los Angeles, are crucial shipping hubs for the U.S. auto industry.

The giant combined port complex at San Pedro Bay accounted for $19.1 billion in automotive imports— including passenger cars, trucks, buses, parts and accessories last year, according to an analysis by KPMG, the international accounting and consulting firm.

Import volumes are running another 11 percent higher through May when compared with the same period a year earlier, KPMG said.

Most imports are from Asian brands. But parts and accessories, including what's needed for North American assembly plants, made up almost $9 billion in imports. That represents a potential vulnerability to domestic lig…

LUVERNE, Alabama, July 22 - A supplier majority owned by Hyundai Motor Co is being accused of using child labor at an Alabama plant that supplies stamped metal parts for the Korean carmaker's assembly line in nearby Montgomery.

According to area police, the family of three underage workers, and eight former and current employees of the factory.

Underage workers as young as 12, have recently worked at the plant operated by SMART Alabama LLC.

SMART, listed by Hyundai in corporate filings as a majority-owned unit, supplies stamped metal parts and welded subassemblies for cars and SUVs built by the automaker in Montgomery.

Hyundai didn't respond to phone calls or emails from Reuters seeking comment.

SMART, in a statement, said it follows federal, state and local laws and "denies any allegation that it knowingly employed anyone who is ineligible for employment." The company said it relies on temporary work agenci…

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess is stepping down and Porsche boss Oliver Blume will take over Diess's role, VW said on Friday in a surprise shake-up at the world's second-biggest automaker.

Diess is resigning "by mutual agreement," VW said.

Blume, who will continue his role as the head of the Porsche brand, will be flanked by VW’s current Chief Financial Officer Arno Antlitz, who will assume the position of chief operating officer. 

The changes are effective Sept. 1, VW said.

Diess' future at Volkswagen has been in doubt on multiple occasions during his four-year stint as CEO, most recently late last year over clashes with the company's powerful works council about his electrification strategy and management style.

His departure comes as the company is pushing to beat Tesla to become the world's top electric vehicle maker, catch up on software and execute an IPO for Porsche.

Diess, in a LinkedIn post before the a…

DETROIT — Members of the industry, family and friends from across the country and overseas gathered here Thursday evening for the 2022 Automotive Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony. The Dearborn, Mich., museum and exhibition center, opened in 1939 and honors accomplishments of pioneers in the industry each year. In addition to the inductions, these industry leaders were given the following awards:

Industry Leader of the Year Award: Jim Farley, Ford CEOMobility Innovator Award: Amnon Shashua, Mobileye founderIndustry Influencer: Randy Parker, Hyundai Motor America senior vice president, national salesIndustry Influencer: Shilpan Amin, General Motors International presidentIndustry Influencer: Sherry House, Lucid Motors CFOIndustry Influencer: Ann Wilson, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association senior vice president of government affairsIndustry Influencer: Linda Zhang, Ford F-150 Lightning chief engineer

Here are the 2022 Hall of Fame inducte…

Auto retail giant AutoNation Inc., in a step toward developing its own captive finance unit, plans to acquire auto lender CIG Financial to support its growing standalone used-vehicle AutoNation USA business and further develop customer relationships throughout vehicle ownership.

AutoNation said this week in reporting lower second-quarter net income that it plans within the next 90 days to buy CIG Financial of Irvine, Calif., for $85 million.

The planned purchase marks a strategy move under AutoNation CEO Mike Manley's leadership. Manley, who took over as chief executive in November, said in February that he was "aggressively looking" to restart a captive finance company at the auto retailer and in April said he would prefer to create a captive finance company from an acquisition.

"This acquisition provides capabilities, footprint, technology and most importantly a proven, motivated team with great leadership," Manley told investors and analysts in a call…

Three dealership groups expanded with single-store purchases and an owner buying his second store in first-quarter and second-quarter transactions.

Here's a look at the deals involving domestic and import dealerships and stores in Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma and Maryland.

Star Family of Dealerships buys Ford storeStar Family of Dealerships in Texas expanded last month with the purchase of a Ford dealership.

The group, owned by Mike Dunnahoo and Tracy Gilliam, bought Big Spring Ford in Big Spring, Texas, on June 28, according to DCG Acquisitions, a Dave Cantin Group company that handled the transaction. Tony Karabon of DCG Acquisitions was the broker.

The dealership was renamed Star Ford of Big Spring. Big Spring is west of Abilene, where Star Family of Dealerships is based, according to its website.

The group bought the store from Ford & Son's Auto Investors LLC. That's former RFJ Auto Partners Holdings Inc. CEO Rick Ford's holding compan…

Cadillac is looking back and forward in creating what it says will be the brand's most advanced vehicle ever.

The hand-built Celestiq show car, introduced Friday, previews Cadillac's vision for advanced electric vehicles. It is engineered and designed to place the brand equally alongside the latest luxury EVs from upstarts such as Lucid and longtime rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi. It features five high-definition advanced LED interactive displays, a four-panel Smart Glass Roof and Ultra Cruise, General Motors' next-generation hands-free driver assistance technology that goes beyond highway driving. Cadillac plans to offer Ultra Cruise on the Celestiq production vehicle.

The production car -- billed by Cadillac as the "standard of the world" -- will be custom commissioned, meaning many features and materials, such as knobs, color trim, seating and even headliners, will be available from a menu.

It is scheduled to go on sale late next year, forecasters say…

Lithia Motors Inc., which outsold AutoNation Inc. for the first three months of 2022, did so again in the second quarter, making it the nation's largest new-vehicle retailer through the first half and putting Lithia closer to overtaking longtime No. 1 AutoNation for a full year.

Lithia reported Wednesday that it sold 68,752 new vehicles in the second quarter, including a small but undisclosed number sold in Canada. While Lithia's new-vehicle sales numbers dropped 8.5 percent compared with last year's second quarter, AutoNation's new-vehicle sales tumbled even more. New-vehicle sales performance for both retailers has been squeezed by the industry's inventory shortage, but Lithia's aggressive dealership acquisition strategy has helped it keep sales numbers up.

AutoNation on Thursday reported that it sold 57,890 new vehicles in the second quarter, down 25 percent from the year-ago period.

Through the first half of the year, Lithia sold 133,694 new vehicl…