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Ten out of 18 midsize light vehicles earned "good" ratings in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's new side-impact evaluation.

IIHS updated the side test to "address higher-speed crashes that continue to cause fatalities." The new test also uses a 4,200-pound barrier striking the vehicle at 37 mph, instead of the previous 3,300-pound barrier that struck the vehicle at 31 mph. According to a news release, these changes mean the simulated crash "produces 82 percent more energy."

IIHS gave ratings of "good," "acceptable," "marginal" and "poor" to vehicles it classified as midsize.

To earn a "good" rating in both versions of the side test, the occupant compartment of the vehicle must hold its shape, the crash-test dummies must not show signs of severe injuries, and the side airbags and seat belts must "prevent the dummies' heads from making hard contact with the interior of the vehicle."

The 10 vehicles to receive a "good" rating were the For…

NEW DELHI -- Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares expects India to be a profitable market and a bigger growth opportunity than the automaker previously expected as it faces challenges in countries such as China and Russia.

India, where Stellantis sells its Jeep and Citroen brands, makes up a fraction of the automaker's global sales, but Tavares said he expects revenues in the South Asian nation to more than double by 2030 and operating profit margins to be in double-digits within the next couple of years.

Western automakers for years have struggled to make money in India, a market dominated by Asia's Suzuki and Hyundai with their small, low-cost cars.

"Being profitable in India is possible if you do things the India way," Tavares said on Tuesday.

He said this includes sourcing parts locally and vertically integrating the supply chain to keep costs low, and engineering cars locally with features Indian consumers want and are willing to pay for.

S…

BMW's best-selling sedan is taking another step toward an all-electric future with midcycle updates for the 2023 model that include new cockpit technology.

The 2023 powerplants are carried over from the 2022 model. They feature BMW's TwinPower Turbo technology and electrification in the form of plug-in hybrid and 48-volt mild-hybrid technologies.

The 2023 BMW 330i features a 2-liter TwinPower turbo four-cylinder engine, while the BMW M340i and M340i xDrive sport a 3-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-6 with mild-hybrid technology.

The 48-volt starter-generator serves as an electric drive unit delivering a power boost when accelerating off the line, or putting in a quick burst of speed for passing.

Exterior changes include redesigned front and rear aprons and large air intakes.

The sedan receives a wider, more muscular stance with horizontal lines, slimmer light units and flared rear wheel arches.

L…

Online used-vehicle retailer Carvana Co., once seen as a rising star in the COVID-19 era, is facing a reckoning in the wake of numerous setbacks in recent weeks. Those setbacks include wider financial losses in the first quarter, state regulatory challenges over titling and registration fumbles and sweeping job cuts.

To help readers follow the developments at Carvana, we're compiling our ongoing coverage of the company in one organized timeline.

We will continue to closely watch Carvana, its stock price and financial status and will plan to update this timeline with future news stories about the retailer. One event to watch for: Carvana's second-quarter earnings report coming in late July or August.

Feb. 24: Carvana announces a plan to buy the ADESA U.S. physical auction business from wholesale auction company KAR Global. The transaction price is about $2.2 billion.

April 20: Carvana says it sold fewer vehicles than it had planned at lower profits…

Executive Editor Jamie Butters gives you the top headlines and talks about the surge in dealership transactions in 2021, why it occurred and what takeaways Automotive News unearthed in its detailed review of buy-sell data with retail reporters Melissa Burden and Jack Walsworth.

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WASHINGTON — The National Automobile Dealers Association and 12 other trade groups are urging Congress to advance a bipartisan bill that would combat an alarming rise in catalytic converter thefts in the U.S.

In a letter sent Monday to Democratic and Republican leadership on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the groups asked the committee to hold a hearing on legislation known as the Preventing Auto Recycling Theft (PART) Act and to support the measure.

"These thefts are costing millions of dollars to businesses and vehicle owners alike," the groups wrote in a letter to Reps. Frank Pallone, the committee's chairman, and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the GOP ranking member. "In addition, replacing a catalytic converter is costly and often difficult due to the part's skyrocketing demand and supply chain shortages."

Other groups that signed the letter include the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, American Car Rental…

A spokesperson for Rivian Automotive Inc. said Monday that supplier Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. has “continued to supply seats to Rivian” and that the two companies are “discussing a resolution" to a dispute that prompted litigation in a Michigan court.

Rivian alleged in a lawsuit filed in March that Commercial Vehicle Group, a New Albany, Ohio-based auto parts manufacturer, threatened to stop supplying seats unless the carmaker agreed to pay “approximately twice the agreed-upon price.”

Suppliers and automakers often disagree over parts pricing -- particularly when raw material prices are rising as they are currently -- but the disputes rarely go public in the courts.

Shares of Rivian fell 6.9 percent Monday to close at $24.86 and are down 76 percent so far this year. Commercial Vehicle dropped 2.4 percent to $6.45.

The suit involves supplies of vehicle components such as the driver seat, jump seat and trim used for battery-powered vans Rivian i…

Tesla has stopped taking orders for its upcoming Cybertruck pickup truck outside of North America, according to the automaker's official website.

The automaker is only taking reservations for the Cybertruck in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the website showed.

Tesla declined to comment on the matter.

CEO Elon Musk has said Tesla will start production of the Cybertruck next year at its plant in Austin, Texas.

"We have more orders of the first Cybertrucks than we could possibly fulfil for three years after the start of production," Musk said last week at the FT Future of the Car 2022 conference.

He also said Tesla could stop taking orders as demand for some of its vehicles exceeds production "to a ridiculous degree."

Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019. It previously aimed to begin production late this year but has pushed back the plan to the first quarter of 2023.

Dealership marketing company AutoWeb says its board will explore strategic alternatives for the company, including a potential sale or restructuring, as "substantial doubt" exists about its ability to continue as a going concern.

The Tampa, Fla.-based company said Monday that a special board committee will evaluate strategic alternatives, including obtaining new debt or equity funding; selling the company or assets; and restructuring, including through federal bankruptcy protection.

AutoWeb said in a statement that its current cash and liquidity situation led management to determine "that it has substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year" after its first-quarter financial statements were issued.

"The company's ability to continue as a going concern is contingent upon the successful execution of strategic alternatives and management's near-term operating plans," according to the release. "There ca…

Carvana Co. is under scrutiny once more, this time in Illinois, where state officials last week suspended the online used-vehicle retailer's license to sell cars and trucks.

Illinois Secretary of State Police temporarily blocked Carvana's dealer license on May 10 because the company failed to properly transfer titles for vehicles it sold and misused issuing out-of-state temporary registration permits, said Henry Haupt, an Illinois Secretary of State spokesman.

The Secretary of State's police department opened an investigation into consumer complaints about Carvana in February, Haupt told Automotive News. The investigation spans about 90 signed complaints, Haupt said. He said he couldn't provide an exact date as to when Carvana might see the suspension lifted.

Carvana will need to "resolve the issues at hand" before that can happen, Haupt said.

A Carvana spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Carvana has complia…