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The first Jeep CJ-5 — the civilian version of the M-38A1 made famous during World War II — was produced Oct. 11, 1954, helping to launch what would become one of the most American of consumer brands, influencing competitors and popular culture for decades.

Willys began designing civilian vehicles in 1944. With no auto stamping capacity, designs were limited to those that could be stamped by appliance manufacturers, resulting in a boxy, flat appearance. The first was the CJ-2A.

In 1956, Willys introduced the CJ-6, adding 20 inches to the wheelbase of the CJ-5.

More than 1.5 million CJ's — which stands for Civilian Jeep — were built since the model first appeared.

In November 1985, American Motors Corp. disclosed plans to stop building the CJ the following January, ending decades of production of the direct descendant of the famed World War II workhorse.

At the time, AMC said it would build an all-new Jeep …

LMP Automotive Holdings Inc., an emerging public auto retailer and subscription provider, said it agreed to purchase a majority stake in New York's largest dealership group in a transaction valued at $608 million.

The deal, announced late Friday, would advance LMP's aggressive acquisition goal to grow to as many as 50 franchised new-vehicle stores within a year of starting from scratch.

Pending closing conditions, LMP plans to purchase a 70 percent stake in Atlantic Auto Group, which is owned by John Staluppi Sr. It represents the largest chunk of Staluppi Auto Group, which is ranked No. 9 on Automotive News' annual list of the top 150 U.S. dealership groups, based on 2019 retail new-vehicle sales.

Staluppi Auto Group includes stores owned by John Staluppi Jr., which are not involved in the transaction. Staluppi Auto Group sold 62,570 new retail vehicles last year at a combined 43 dealership locations.

Alongside previously announced acquisitions,…

A longtime Toyota executive who ran the automaker's supply chain management organization will retire later this month, Toyota Motor North America announced.

Randy Pflughaupt, 61, group vice president of supply chain management, will retire Oct. 26 after 38 years with Toyota. He will be succeeded by Keith Robertson, 51, vice president of demand and supply management for Toyota Motor North America, the automaker said. Robertson will report to Chris Nielsen, chief quality officer in North America.

Pflughaupt previously was group vice president of sales administration with Toyota Motor Sales, senior vice president of production control with Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing, group vice president of marketing and held several sales region leadership positions. Most recently, Pflughaupt played a vital role in the automaker's ongoing response to COVID-19.

The impending executive change comes as the automaker continues to struggle to keep up with growin…

LOS ANGELES — Hyundai's Santa Fe midsize crossover is undergoing a heavy freshening for the 2021 model year, including new hybrid and plug-in hybrid options that will come next year. The gasoline models, produced at the automaker's plant in Alabama, will go on sale by the end of this year.

Although the Santa Fe was redesigned for the 2019 model year, the 2021 model rides on a new platform to accommodate the hybrid battery packs.

The freshened Santa Fe features front and rear styling updates, revised engines on all trims and a new center stack and console design inside, Hyundai said Monday.

"The bold new face of the Santa Fe is enhanced with a wider, three-dimensional grille and a striking T-shaped LED illumination signature, including daytime running lights," the company said. "The new silhouette sports a horizontal cabin profile, scalloped lower door panels and a long, highly-defined hood."

A new top-end Calligraph…

The midengine Chevrolet Corvette has hit yet another production snag: a parts shortage that will halt assembly at the Bowling Green, Ky., plant this week.

General Motors paused production of the 2020 Corvette beginning Monday, spokesman Kevin Kelly said.

"Due to a temporary parts supply issue, we can confirm that Bowling Green Assembly will not run production the week of Oct. 12. Our supply chain, manufacturing and engineering teams are working closely with our supply base to mitigate any further impact on production, and we expect the plant to resume normal operations on Monday, Oct. 19," Kelly said in a statement.

Corvette inventory is extremely limited because most of the sports cars are preordered before they arrive at dealerships, he told Automotive News.

Corvette production at the Kentucky plant will be extended into December, Corvette Action Center reported last week, citing a letter to Chevy dealers. GM originally said that 2020 Corvette…

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley will offer views on how to revive the European auto market next week in a seminar sponsored by industry association ACEA.

Manley, who is president of ACEA, will deliver his address ahead of a debate among industry figures on how to ensure that the recovery is also environmentally sound. 

Participants include Henrik Henriksson, CEO and president of Scania Group and chairman of ACEA’s commercial vehicle board; Diederik Samsom, head of cabinet for Frans Timmermans, the first vice president of the European Commission, which issues emissions regulations; and Colin Couchman, an analyst at IHS Markit.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier will present the perspective of Europe’s largest automotive market.

The coronavirus pandemic, which hit Europe starting in mid-March, led to several months of widespread factory and dealership shutdowns. Automakers slashed sales, production and profit forecasts, and many m…

LOS ANGELES — The Honda Accord midsize sedan undergoes a mild refresh for the 2021 model year, mostly focused on front exterior styling across all trims and power-delivery improvements to the hybrid model.

The base LX trim of the gasoline model gets a $500 price hike to $25,725 including shipping. The 2021 model goes on sale Tuesday.

Exterior styling changes include a wider, restyled front grille with better integration of the radar unit used for safety and driver-assistance features, Honda said Monday.

On higher trims, there are new LED headlights with wider road illumination and smaller openings for the fog lights. For 2021, Honda is offering new alloy wheel designs and a new gray pearl color on some trims.

Inside, lower trims now come standard with an eight-inch touchscreen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. All trims now come standard with a rear-seat reminder that alerts the driver to check back seats…

BEIJING -- General Motors on Monday said continued market recovery from the COVID-19 crisis helped its China vehicle sales jump 12 percent in the July-September period, marking the automaker's first Chinese quarterly sales growth in two years.

The second-biggest foreign automaker in China by units -- after Volkswagen Group -- said it delivered 771,400 vehicles in China in the third quarter. That followed a 5 percent fall in the second quarter, when parts of China were still emerging from virus-busting lockdown measures.

GM has a Shanghai-based joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp. making Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles. It has another venture, SGMW, with SAIC and Guangxi Automobile Group, producing no-frills minivans and which has started manufacturing higher-end cars.

Sales rose 26 percent under its mass-market Buick brand in the third quarter versus the same period a year ago, while those of premium brand Cadillac jumped 28 percent, GM said in a …

Hayward Mitsubishi lies just 15 miles northwest of Tesla's electric vehicle factory in Fremont, Calif., in the center of the environmentally friendly San Francisco Bay Area. And although it may sound like a stretch, the modest Mitsubishi dealership is competing with mighty Tesla for green-car buyers in the region, thanks to store owner Ayman Moussa.

Moussa has seven Asian-brand dealerships in and around Silicon Valley. Through social media and other marketing efforts, he aggressively targets environmentally conscious buyers looking at Tesla and other EVs.

And even though many Mitsubishi dealers are longing for new product these days, Moussa is pitching a strong current vehicle to lead his marketing charge: the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

"Through our marketing partners, we went after everybody interested in the HOV commuter lane in California and everybody interested in an EV," Moussa told Automotive News. His Facebook and Google ad keywords included "T…