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Automakers have cut more than 2 million vehicles from their production plans this year because of microchip shortages, even as the industry testifies to the supply crisis slowly subsiding.

According to the newest estimate from AutoForecast Solutions, manufacturers eliminated 56,199 vehicles from their factory schedules this week because of a lack of semiconductors, pushing the year-to-date global production loss estimate to about 2.04 million. 

AutoForecast Solutions expects that figure to climb by 400,000 vehicles by the year’s end. However, even a year-end total of 2.4 million would represent a major improvement over 2022 and 2021. Last year, factories had to cut 4.39 million vehicles from their plans, while 2021 saw 10.56 million vehicles eliminated because of the chip shortage.

Asian assembly plants outside of China suffered a majority of this week’s cuts, with 35,008 vehicles axed there. Automakers in North America trimmed 21,191 vehicles from…

Lincoln appears to be in limbo. U.S. sales by the luxury brand are on pace to fall for the fourth straight year, and new President Dianne Craig has backed away from electrification commitments made by past leadership.

Craig said Lincoln has too many dealers and plans to whittle down the network from the roughly 600 it had at the start of 2023. It also plans to shrink the lineup those dealers can sell.

Lincoln is expected to discontinue gasoline versions of two nameplates, the Corsair and Aviator, while its first EV, a three-row crossover, is expected to debut in late 2025.

Aviator-size EV: Lincoln's long- awaited three-row electric crossover, roughly the size of today's Aviator, is planned for the Oakville Assembly Plant in Canada. Production is expected to begin in late 2025, after that of a Ford-badged version. It's possible the vehicle could include some interior and exterior design elements of the Star concept unveiled in 2022. It's unclear whether…

Jay Leno didn't visit suburban Detroit's Woodward Dream Cruise just to crack jokes.

He also had a car to pick up.

The comedian helped kick off the annual Motor City celebration of car culture by appearing with Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis to announce a new line of co-branded car care products. Then he became the first customer to take delivery of a 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 "Last Call" edition.

Leno said he ordered the 1,025-hp Demon, which costs $103,361 after shipping and gas guzzler charge, in March when he helped unveil it in Las Vegas. The special edition, which marks the Challenger's final year of production as an internal combustion vehicle, is his fourth car with four-digit horsepower, he told The Detroit News. "I'm a huge fan of Dodge," he said. "To me, it's a great American road car."

Leno said he preferred to be at the Dream Cruise this month instead of hobnobbing at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in …

Troy Duhon and his bustling Premier Automotive Group, along with partners, acquired three new dealerships and expanded into a new state in second- and third-quarter transactions, Premier Automotive CMO Gia Katzenmeyer confirmed to Automotive News.

Duhon, with partners Vincent Castro and Jorge Clue, on June 5 purchased the former Hyundai of Moreno Valley, east of Los Angeles.

Castro and Clue each have an undisclosed ownership stake in the renamed Premier Hyundai of Moreno Valley, while Clue is general manager, Katzenmeyer said in an email.

"Castro has been with Premier Automotive since its inception in 1995," Katzenmeyer said. "He's the partner in numerous dealerships under the Premier umbrella."

Texas store

The New Orleans group also bolstered its Texas presence on Aug. 3 when Duhon, with partners Randon Blacklock and Rick Martinez, purchased the former Littlefield Chevrolet-Buick-GMC, northwest of Lubbock.

Blacklock and Martinez h…

General Motors President Mark Reuss and Hyundai Motor Co. President Jose Muñoz will be keynote speakers at the Automotive News Congress in Detroit on Sept. 12.

The event's theme is "Investing in Innovation," with a focus on navigating the future of electrification, infrastructure and sustainability across the auto industry.

Panelists include ZF North America President Martin Fischer, Fox Motor President Diane Maher and Assembly Ventures cofounder Jessica Robinson.

Automotive News will display the latest game-changing innovations from PACE Award finalists and post pilot pre-commercialized innovations from PACEpilot finalists. Automotive News also will introduce this year's class of Rising Stars.

The Congress takes place on the eve of the North American International Detroit Auto Show, which runs Sept. 13-24.

Register by scanning the QR code here or by visiting autonews.com.

According to a dealer-focused webinar poll cited by AutoSuccess, 36 percent of respondents said they're just getting started with their Safeguards Rule compliance plans, and only 25 percent were close to done.

If you're not yet compliant, you're not alone. That said, the Federal Trade Commission can enforce steep fines of up to $100,000 per violation now that the June 9 deadline has passed; it's critical to put in place your compliance plan now.

Here's why auto dealers should care, and what steps to take to get compliant.

The revised FTC Safeguards Rule put an emphasis on data protection and robust security measures.

To comply, dealerships must strengthen access controls and implement multifactor authentication on accounts with access to customer financial data.

A key part of the Safeguards Rule requirements is a data security program with identity and access management support.

Since nearly …

Paige Hodder has joined Automotive News as a reporter covering auto retail, with a focus on finance and insurance. 

Hodder, 22, covered general automotive industry topics as an intern for Automotive News. Before that, she interned as a general assignment reporter for the Mackinac Island Town Crier in Michigan. 

Hodder is an alumna of the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts. While there, she was editor in chief of The Michigan Daily college newspaper.

Auto industry elite, performance enthusiasts, and collectors donning pastel linen suits, floral jumpers, fascinators and fedoras gathered on California's central coast for Monterey Car Week to admire both old and new sheet metal exhibitions.

Amid bellowing V-8 engines and eye-watering wafts of tailpipe exhaust, one thing is clear: Americans' love for gasoline-powered autos is alive and well among the wealthy.

But despite the rich history and performance on display, electric vehicles shared an equally bright spotlight at this year's celebration — from exotic hypercars to spaceship-shaped cruisers to boxy kid haulers — taking the storied event into the ultimate collision of past and future.

Lotus EVIJA: The customized Lotus carries a 93 kilowatt-hour battery with an output of 2,011 hp and can go from 0 to 100 mph in under 3 seconds.

Automobili Pininfarina PURA Vision: The design concept shows tri-opening pillarless do…

FRIEDBERG, Germany — Robotics specialist ABB said orders for its inkjet PixelPaint robot are likely to bring it to market soon.

ABB first revealed the painting technology in 2020, saying it would cut production energy costs, speed up paint application and allow for easier vehicle personalization.

"We are very, very close," Joerg Reger, managing director of ABB Robotics' automotive business, told Automotive News Europe during a visit to the tooling supplier's R&D facility here. "We have a preassignment with one customer, and we are in final negotiations with two to three others."

Both volume and premium automakers have expressed interest, Reger said.

The system allows volume automakers to offer contrasting roof colors without having to run a vehicle through the paint shop a second time.

Eliminating overspray also cuts the need to mask the body before painting the roof, which saves time.

Reg…

UAW members at the Detroit 3 have authorized a strike if talks break down. Ultium Cells offers to increase worker’s pay at its Ohio plant. Plus, banners are helping a dealership recognize its technicians for their work.

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Nissan North America is suing a terminated Gallup, N.M., dealership for its continued unauthorized use of the manufacturer's trademarks, service marks and signage.

The trademark infringement, breach of contract and unfair trade practices suit alleges Ed Corley Nissan refused to provide access to the premises to remove signs, and the ex-dealership "purchased used Nissan vehicles and advertised them for sale" at the same location.

The franchise termination took effect in May 2022. However, a Google search showed that Ed Corley Nissan still has LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook pages. In addition, Corley Nissan LLC is still listed as an active corporation on the New Mexico Department of State website.

The suit seeks an injunction and damages, as well as $763,375 Nissan said the store owes for 25 vehicles it bought in 2021 and another $152,994 it said the ex-dealership owes for parts, tools and services.

According to the complaint, Ed Corley Nissan a…