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New-vehicle inventory in the U.S. stayed nearly flat in May from the previous month as supply disruptions and continued strong demand made it difficult to refill depleted stocks, according to data compiled by the Automotive News Research & Data Center and Cox Automotive.

Cox said automakers and dealers had 1.13 million vehicles on hand nationwide, a 35-day supply, which is roughly the same days-supply figure that has been in place since January, Cox said. The figure is up 20,000 vehicles from the previous month but still 30 percent below where inventory stood a year earlier, Cox said.

Among the automakers that continue to report monthly sales and inventory data, Ford Motor Co., Hyundai-Kia and Subaru maintained their days' supply from the previous month, while American Honda, Toyota Motor, Mazda and Volvo saw their days' supply decline in May.

Cox said in its analysis that among the U.S. market's 30 top-selling models, full-size trucks had the most…

The Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association filed a lawsuit Wednesday in an attempt to block the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's adoption of California Air Resources Board rules, which would require automakers to produce a higher percentage of electric and hybrid vehicles for sale in Minnesota by 2024.

The lawsuit was filed in the Minnesota Court of Appeals after a suit filed in federal court in 2021 failed to block the regulation.

The new suit claims the adoption of the rules exceeds the pollution agency's "statutory authority," as it is delegating rule-making authority to CARB. According to a statement released by the Minnesota dealers association Wednesday, Minnesota law prohibits a government agency from writing rules for another government agency.

Association President Scott Lambert told Automotive News that the rules will disrupt demand and cause dealers to purchase more EVs than they can sell.

"This is the Upper Midwest. It gets cold …

Kellen Walker gives you the top headlines. Car dealers are not as confident about the near future. A top Toyota supplier considers spinning off its chip business. There’s good and bad news for Tesla. Plus, Robert Ebin of KPA talks about new updates to the Safeguards Rule and some things dealerships should be doing now to ensure they’re in compliance by December.

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Ford Motor Co. is upping its investment in electric vehicle training and demo models for dealerships and dropped an idea to give EV buyers a seven-day return option after executives solicited extensive feedback from retailers.

The automaker is largely sticking with its plans to have dealerships sell EVs using a new set of standards that would involve them keeping no inventory on-site, setting nonnegotiable prices and offering customers the ability to complete their purchase online.

Company executives say they have adjusted their thinking on some aspects of the customer experience after more than two dozen gatherings with dealers across the country but assert that some of their goals have been misinterpreted. They noted that dealers will retain the ability to set their own prices and operate physical storefronts even with online sales.

According to Ford executives and dealers familiar with the discussions, Ford entered the talks floating the concept of a…

Honda's redesigned 2023 HR-V subcompact crossover — bigger, sportier and available with a new driver-assist feature for enhanced off-roading — is powered by a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine with 158 hp and 138 pound-feet of torque.

And while the base price is rising by nearly $2,000, it will remain under $25,000, making it accessible to the 25 and younger audience Honda hopes to capture more of.

The second-generation HR-V, on sale now, adopts a new architecture that puts it more in line with the latest, 11th-generation Civic as well as the redesigned, sixth-generation CR-V compact crossover coming in September.

It features an independent rear suspension for smoother ride quality. The three available trims — LX, Sport and EX-L — can all be configured with front- or all-wheel drive.

Honda says the awd system is improved for a more responsive driving character. Upon start, the system is tuned to send more torque to…

Bob Carter has spent the better part of four decades talking nearly nonstop to Toyota and Lexus dealers, visiting their stores, helping them develop their businesses and building lasting friendships with his quick, folksy wit and an amiable smile.

But at the end of this month, Carter, 62 — a fixture at Toyota since the days when the Japanese automaker's pickups were called just, well, Pickup and the man who's headed sales at the automaker since 2017 — will call it a career. He said he plans to spend the next few months doing what he's done for the past several decades: head out to travel — only now he'll be accompanied by his wife, Jane, instead of just his cellphone.

"It's been a hell of a career, but after 41 years, it's time to toss the keys to the next group," Carter told Automotive News last week after Toyota Motor North America announced his retirement June 6. Last year, amid COVID-19 and supply disruptions, Toyota finished as the top-sel…

The pandemic-triggered contraction in the Chinese new-vehicle market slowed significantly in May, with wholesale volume dropping 13 percent to 1.86 million, following a 48 percent slump in April.

The market recovery was led by sales of new light vehicles, which slid 1.4 percent to 1.62 million last month, after slipping 43 percent in April, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement Friday.

Government efforts to combat coronavirus outbreaks this year, with many parts of the country including Shanghai under stringent lockdown, has upended auto production and sales.

Automakers and government officials are trying various incentives to revive the market.The sales tax on vehicles priced at no more than 300,000 yuan ($45,000) and with 2.0-liter or smaller engines has been cut in half to 5 percent of the sticker price beginning June 1. The temporary tax cut could spur an increase of 2 million extra car and light-vehicle sales this ye…

Four auto retail groups added dealerships to their portfolios in second-quarter transactions.

Here's a look at the deals involving import and domestic dealerships and stores in New York and Wisconsin.

One transaction involved an auto retailer ranked on Automotive News' top 150 dealership groups list.

Matthews Auto buys two Fuccillo dealerships

Matthews Auto Group, of Vestal, N.Y., has acquired two Fuccillo Automotive Group dealerships to enter the Albany market in New York.

Matthews Auto, which in January 2021 bought five New York Fuccillo dealerships, on May 27 purchased Fuccillo Kia of Schenectady and Fuccillo Hyundai of Schenectady. Schenectady is northwest of Albany.

The transaction did not include a Lincoln franchise that had been located at the Hyundai dealership, according to Matthews Auto.

Matthews Auto, a family-owned business since 1973, renamed the stores Matthews Kia of Schenectady and Matthews Hyundai of Schenect…

Despite continued robust profits, franchised dealers polled by Cox Automotive this spring were a little less optimistic about the future than they were mid-winter, as overall dealer sentiment softened in part because of inflation, higher costs and still-tight inventory.

Franchised dealers' expectations for their vehicle markets for the next three months fell from a score of 69 in the first quarter to a still-positive 64 in the second quarter, according to the latest Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index results.

"The decline we're observing with franchises here is not typical for this time of the year," Cox Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke told Automotive News. Normally, franchisees' three-month outlook holds steady heading into both spring and summer, Smoke said.

Cox surveyed 591 franchised and 555 independent dealers from Jan. 24 to Feb. 7 for the first-quarter index and 568 franchisees and 531 independents from April 25 to May 9 for the second-quarter…

Ferrari plans to significantly expand its factory in northern Italy as part of the electrification strategy it will unveil during a highly anticipated briefing next week, according to people familiar with the matter.

The automaker has snapped up space near its Maranello plant and started clearing the way for a third production line that will be dedicated to making electrified vehicles, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.

The expansion will also likely include a new battery R&D center, they said.

Ferrari will highlight the project during its June 16 capital markets day, when CEO Benedetto Vigna is expected to shed light on the automaker's EV strategy and lay out his business plan for the next four years.

The former STMicroelectronics executive was hired as Ferrari CEO in to accelerate the shift away from the 12-cylinder engines and four-figure horsepower the automaker is known for.

Ferrar…

SEOUL -- Production at Hyundai's biggest factory complex fell by half on Thursday because of component shortages caused by a truckers' strike in South Korea, a union official at the automaker said.

The automaker's Ulsan plants operated at about 50 percent to 60 percent of capacity due to parts procurement issues the strike caused.

Hyundai normally builds about 6,000 vehicles a day at its Ulsan factories including the high-margin Genesis SUV and Ioniq 5 EV.

With trucks unavailable because of the strike, Korean companies are seeking alternative ways to transport goods. At Hyundai affiliate Kia, employees were spotted driving newly produced cars on the streets to warehouses.

Hyundai said it has experienced partial production disruptions at its Ulsan plants and is monitoring the situation closely.

Thousands of South Korean truckers have been on strike this week to protest the surge in fuel costs, disrupting production, slowing activity at por…