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WASHINGTON -- The head of the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday questioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to require all new passenger vehicle sales in 2035 be zero-emission models, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the plan "raises serious questions regarding its legality and practicality" and said it could impact the state's electrical grid.

"California’s record of rolling blackouts -- unprecedented in size and scope -- coupled with recent requests to neighboring states for power begs the question of how you expect to run an electric car fleet that will come with significant increases in electricity demand, when you can’t even keep the lights on today," Wheeler wrote.

Newsom did not immediately comment.

California on two days last month imposed rolling blackouts on about 400,000 customers during an oppressive heat wave.

The state’s grid operator blamed outages on a gas plant suddenly…

Uber Technologies Inc. is considering a purchase of Daimler and BMW's ride-hailing joint venture Free Now, a deal that could boost its market share in Europe and Latin America, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Uber expressed interest in a potential acquisition of Free Now after the venture’s efforts to attract additional investors struggled to gain traction amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Any deal could be complicated by the challenging market faced by ride-hailing companies, which could make it more difficult to agree on a price, one of the people said.

There’s no certainty the deliberations will lead to a transaction, and other bidders could emerge, the people said. Representatives for Uber and BMW declined to comment, and a Daimler spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on speculation.

Daimler and BMW merged their mobility operations last year and…

Toyota Motor North America launches its latest ad campaign Monday, featuring the 2021 Venza midsize crossover.

The campaign, titled "Seekers of New," highlights the Venza's advanced technologies and hybrid performance.

A TV spot called "Lifesaver" features the Venza's performance capabilities with a couple trying to save their runaway dog as they maneuver through a city in the rain. The ad shows them using the digital rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of the dog running past.

The campaign will air on ABC, NBC, HGTV, Food Network, USA, Discovery and Bravo.

Digital and social spots will showcase features such as the Venza's Star Gaze fixed panoramic roof, hands-free power liftgate and quiet interior.

Toyota Motor North America said August U.S. sales fell 23 percent to units. For the year, sales are down 22 percent from August 2019 as the rebound from the pandemic continues.

The 2021 Venza is available nationwide, starting at $33,645,…

DETROIT -- General Motors on Monday said it plans to invest $71 million at two Ohio plants to enhance transmission production and prepare a casting facility for future components work.

GM will invest $39 million at its Toledo transmission plant to upgrade production of the eight-speed rear-wheel-drive transmission and $32 million at its Defiance casting plant. The investments will retain 240 manufacturing jobs.

The announcement builds on a $700 million investment announced last year at the Toledo plant, the Parma Metal Center and the DMAX plant that created about 450 jobs.

"Through these investments, GM continues to strengthen its significant manufacturing presence in Ohio," Phil Kienle, vice president of North American manufacturing and labor relations, said in the statement. "Our Toledo and Defiance teams continue to focus on building world-class products for our customers and these actions are an investment in their futures."

Toledo Transmissio…

Editor's note: All figures in Canadian dollars. As of Sept. 27, $1 U.S. equals $1.34 Canadian.

Ford workers represented by Unifor ratified a new three-year contract with the automaker that includes a commitment from the company to invest nearly $2 billion in its Canadian facilities, the union said today.

According to the union, 81 percent of workers voted to ratify the contract. Workers voted virtually on the deal Sunday through Monday morning.

“The vote result not only demonstrates our members’ overwhelming support for their bargaining committees and their new collective agreement, but also shows Unifor members have a clear vision of a strong and prosperous Canadian auto sector,” Unifor President Jerry Dias said in a statement.

Negotiations between Unifor and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will formally begin on Thursday, Dias told Automotive News Canada. A deadline for an FCA deal will be set in the coming days, he said.

The union will look to…

More than thirty of the largest U.S. companies have agreed to new disclosures of previously private race, gender and ethnicity workforce data as part of a push by the New York City comptroller and three city retirement funds.

General Motors, Amazon.com and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are among 34 companies that have agreed to share the regulatory filing when they report new numbers next year, Comptroller Scott Stringer said in a statement Monday. Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo Inc., and Coca-Cola Co. have also promised data, the comptroller said. More than a dozen S&P 100 companies already release the detailed form but they are the exception, not the rule.

The initiative is part of a broader push to compel workforce transparency at companies that have made explicit statements of support for equality after broad protest of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Two other groups were formed earlier this month to ensure all public companies have at least one…

General Motors will repay $28 million in state tax incentives to Ohio after the automaker came under heavy criticism for closing its Lordstown Assembly plant in March 2019.

GM announced its planned closure of the plant in Northeast Ohio in November 2018 along with three other U.S. plants, drawing condemnation from U.S. President Donald Trump and many U.S. lawmakers.

GM sold the plant last year to startup Lordstown Motors, which plans to hire 400 workers to build EV pickup trucks starting in 2021.

On Monday, Trump inspected a prototype Lordstown Motors pickup outside the White House. "It's an incredible piece of science, technology. It's going to happen now with more and more trucks,” Trump said.

The unscheduled event came on the eve of the first presidential debate, scheduled for Cleveland, about 60 miles from Lordstown.

Democrats have seized on a July 2017 speech Trump made in Youngstown, Ohio near the Lordstown plant when he said jobs wer…

BEIJING -- Electric vehicle maker Xpeng Inc. said on Monday it would start building a new vehicle assembly plant in Guangzhou with 4 billion yuan ($590 million) in financing from the local government.

Xpeng, listed in New York and headquartered in Guangzhou, will start making cars at the factory from the end of 2022. It is already makes P7 sedans and G3 SUVs in two existing factories in China.

The Guangzhou city government will provide the financing to Xpeng to build the new plant in the area, Xpeng said in a statement. The new plant will have an annual manufacturing capacity of 100,000 vehicles.

Uber Technologies avoided a ban in its biggest European market after a London judge said the ride-hailing service deserved an 18-month license to operate in the UK capital.

Uber did enough to satisfy the court that it was now "fit and proper" to hold a permit, despite its "historical failings," Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram said on Monday.

In November, Transport for London revoked its license a second time over concerns that it failed to adequately verify drivers’ identities and safeguard passengers.

While Uber's new license is shorter than the 5-year permit it could have received, the magistrate was far more complimentary of its executives than a prior judge in 2018 who criticized the "gung-ho attitude" of previous management.

Ikram pointed to Uber’s "credible and honest witnesses and said the firm may perhaps be doing "even more" than what a reasonable business is expected to do in the sector.

The license review is just one of a numbe…

<!--*/ */ /*-->*/ The drama never ends

This time next year, Detroit will be kicking off its first auto show in nearly 1,000 days. Maybe.

Who knows whether such an event will even be possible again by then. But with next spring looking unexpectedly crowded on the auto show calendar and still iffy for in-person gatherings, organizers last week decided to shift the Detroit event to the fall from now on. It was a shrewd move to get some breathing room and take advantage of an opening created by several major European expos losing their luster, our Chief Content Officer Jamie Butters writes in Monday's issue.

This year, with their glitzy auto show exhibits still packed away, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors have big events of a different kind on their calendars at the end of September. It's the changing of the Jims at Ford this week, as Jim Hackett retires and Jim Farley becomes the 13th CEO in the company's 117-year history. Meanwhile, General M…