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WASHINGTON — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than 2.9 million U.S. vehicles for a gear-shifting defect that has been linked to four reports alleging an injury.

The recall covers certain 2013-19 Escape, 2013-18 C-Max, 2013-16 Fusion, 2013-21 Transit Connect and 2015-18 Edge vehicles.

Those vehicles could have a damaged or missing bushing that prevents them from shifting into the intended gear and might cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction, according to a recall report submitted to NHTSA last week.

The affected vehicles could roll away even after the driver puts the vehicle in "park," increasing the risk of a crash or injury, the report states.

"Additionally, if a vehicle is turned off in a transmission gear state other than 'park,' regardless of the gear shift lever position, the engine will not restart," Ford said in the report.

Ford told NHTSA that it is also aware of six reports alleging property damage and 1,630 wa…

Thomas Mueller from Wipro discusses software-defined vehicle technology, the impact of continuous software updates, and how OEMs and customers can get the most out of the cloud.

Today, we catch up with Todd Sanders, Executive Director of Remarketing Services, at Ally Financial, to discuss how dealers can successfully navigate the used-car bubble amid ongoing pandemic conditions and continued supply chain and microchip shortages.

Though the inventory crunch seems to be lessening, dealerships are still working to cope with lower-than-typical sales figures and scarce inventory.

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Transcript:

Advertisement: It is time to take your dealership from 0 to 100 from dedicated underwriter and account executive teams to comprehensive training courses, Ally has the resources needed to help take your business to the next level. Contact your local account executive today.

Jackie Charniga, Automotive News: Hi, everyone. This is Jackie Charniga with Automotive News and welcome to the All Ears podcast. This podcast is sponsored by Ally Financi…

Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar is betting boldly on its first pair of crossovers.

The Volvo affiliate said Tuesday that it expects to receive enough production capacity to produce more than 160,000 of its upcoming Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 vehicles by 2025.

Much of that output will go to the U.S. market, where crossovers and SUVs accounted for more than half of new-vehicle sales last year.

The Polestar 3, a Porsche Cayenne-sized crossover, will go on sale in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2023.

Polestar expects to sell 24,000 of the midsize crossover globally next year, increasing that to 67,000 in 2024 and 77,000 in 2025, according to company figures.

The midsize vehicle features design elements that include a sloping silhouette and headlight and rear light styling that are distinct from other Polestar models.

"With this car, we bring the 'sport' back to the SUV, staying true to our performance roots," Polestar CEO Thoma…

Mercedes-Benz is taking a scalpel to its U.S. car lineup as more Americans embrace SUVs and crossovers over sedans and coupes.

The luxury brand this year confirmed it will stop selling the entry-level A-Class sedan in the U.S after 2022. It is also dropping the S-Class coupe.

At its national dealer meeting late last month, Mercedes said it will replace the C-Class and E-Class coupes with a new two-door CLE nameplate.

"There's just not enough demand for three coupe models," said a dealer at the meeting. "So, it didn't make sense to reinvest the billions of dollars it would take to do a refreshed version of any of those."

A Mercedes spokesman declined to comment on future product.

Cars represented 26 percent of Mercedes-Benz's total U.S. light-vehicle sales (329,574) in 2021, down from 29 percent in 2020. In the first quarter, Mercedes-Benz's U.S. car sales skidded 37 percent to 15,267, or just 20 percent of the brand's light-vehicle volume…

Tesla Cybertruck reservation holders are watching from the sidelines as shiny new Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning and GMC Hummer pickups are delivered to early adopters in the new and potentially lucrative EV truck segment.

Social media is full of early Lightning buyers towing boats, testing the charging rate and cautiously setting out on longer journeys during summer driving season. Rivian has been ramping pickup output since last year, and GMC is trickling out six-figure versions of the Hummer pickup.

Meanwhile, a new forecast suggests that the wildly styled Cybertruck may not make it into the hands of reservation holders until late 2023 at the earliest, behind the Chevrolet Silverado EV.

AutoForecast Solutions puts the start of Cybertruck production in the fourth quarter of next year — after the Silverado in spring 2023 and the GMC Sierra EV in the fall. Tesla's full-size, stainless-steel-body pickup is, however, still expected to beat Stellantis in…

Toyota Motor Corp. is working to foster candidates capable of eventually taking the top job, President Akio Toyoda told shareholders at an annual meeting.

The world’s No. 1 automaker is taking steps to find and develop potential successors, Toyoda, 66, said in response to a shareholder’s question at corporate headquarters Wednesday.

Anyone following in his footsteps must have “unshakable conviction on why Toyota exists” and a firm understanding of the company’s philosophy, Toyoda said, adding that his goal will be to “rejuvenate” management with the move.

Toyoda has sought to reform Toyota's corporate culture, spending more time with younger executives, and cutting back some senior positions.

The brief question-and-answer moment shines light on a topic that’s been top of mind for some Toyota investors and analysts over the past few years: Who is in line to replace the automaker’s current president who, over the past 13 years, has captained its ri…

TOYOTA, Japan -- Toyota Motor Corp. pushed back against critics who say it has been slow to embrace electric vehicles, arguing it needed to offer a variety of powertrains to suit different markets and customers.

At its annual general meeting on Wednesday, the world's largest automaker by sales doubled down on its position that it would stick with technologies including fuel cells and full-hybrid vehicles that have for the past two decades made it a leader in cleaner cars.

Once a favorite with environmentalists for the Prius full-hybrid it popularized more than two decades ago, Toyota has come under fire from some investors for not phasing out gasoline-powered cars and its lobbying on climate policy.

"The goal is carbon neutrality," Toyota Chief Technology Officer Masahiko Maeda told the meeting, responding to questions submitted by Danish pension fund AkademikerPension, which also asked Toyota to refrain from lobbying to undermine the transition to fu…

Tesla Inc. has had a “very tough quarter” as it struggles with supply-chain snags, CEO Elon Musk warned in an internal memo, imploring workers to help get the EV maker back on track.

“This has been a very tough quarter, primarily due to supply chain and production challenges in China,” Musk said in an email to employees over the weekend that was seen by Bloomberg. “So we need to rally hard to recover!”

The company’s Shanghai plant, which had slowed production in recent weeks amid severe Covid-19 restrictions, is returning to full strength and its Austin, Texas, facility is ramping up production as well, Musk said. Last week, he noted, Tesla’s Berlin factory built almost 1,000 cars, while its Fremont, Calif., plant notched a record day of production.

Musk often sends companywide emails near a quarter’s end to push staff to sprint to the finish, and Tesla is known to deliver many units in the the final weeks. In a subsequent memo, he told workers to be pr…

BERLIN -- Volkswagen Group resumed a three-shift operation at its EV factory in Zwickau, Germany, starting Monday, June 13.

Output at the plant, which builds full-electric cars for the VW, Audi and Cupra brands, is expected to increase to up to 1,300 vehicles a day, Automotive News sister publication Automobilwoche reported.

After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, production was interrupted for three weeks in March due to disrupted supply chains, with production falling at times to 900 vehicles a day.

VW's Saxony division, which operates the plant, said the supply of parts is now stable enough for the factory to return to three-shifts.

This will help to clear an order backlog for EVs built at the plant, VW Saxony CEO Stefan Loth said in a statement.

The plant is VW Group's largest location for electric vehicles in Europe. VW brand's ID3, ID4, ID5 compact EVs, the Audi Q4 e-tron, Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron and the Cupra Born all roll off the pro…

Ferrari has named Carla Liuni, an executive with experience in jewelry, luxury goods and at consumer goods corporation Proctor & Gamble, as chief brand officer.

Liuni, 55, starts her new post in September and will report to CEO Benedetto Vigna. She will be based in Milan.

Vigna said Liuni’s experience in building global luxury brands would be an asset for Ferrari, which is preparing for the transition to electrification and will soon release its first SUV, the Purosangue.

Since coming to Ferrari from STMicroelectonics in September 2021, Vigna has overseen multiple changes in the company’s management structure. He will unveil Ferrari’s strategy for the coming years at an event in Maranello, Italy, on Thursday.

“It is increasingly critical to be able to build and maintain a relevant brand identity that resonates with our community and is reflective of the world in which we live,” Vigna said in a news release. “Carla has the experience, the le…

Michigan battery startup Our Next Energy is moving beyond what founder Mujeeb Ijaz calls "a scientific curiosity."

The company, which aims to double the range of vehicles compared with today's standards, is placing its hybrid battery technology into a BMW prototype.

The two companies said Tuesday they've signed an agreement to integrate ONE's long-range battery technology, which reduces the use of scarce and expensive materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt, into an iX electric SUV. They expect to complete the prototype vehicle by the end of the year and demonstrate its ability to achieve 600 miles of range.

BMW i Ventures, the automaker's venture-capital arm, led ONE's $65 million funding round last October, so the official agreement between the battery startup and the German automaker was expected.

Tuesday's development affirms that support and signals further collaboration ahead.

"We're on a path where every piece of the puzzle tha…