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DETROIT -- General Motors said Chevrolet will end production of the Sonic this year, paring the brand's passenger car lineup to only the Malibu and Spark, in addition to the Corvette and Camaro sports cars.

Automotive News reported the 2020 demise of the subcompact sedan last year.

Chevy notified dealers last month of its plans to end Sonic production "due to declining demand," said spokesman Kevin Kelly.

Chevy began building the Sonic at GM's Orion Assembly plant in Michigan in 2011. GM introduced the Sonic in response to political calls for a fuel-efficient small car built domestically after GM's federal bailout and bankruptcy.

Orion also builds the Bolt EV. Ending Sonic production will allow Orion to prepare for the freshened Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, a larger utility version of the Bolt, Kelly said. The Bolt EUV will go into production next year.

The elimination of the Sonic will not affect Orion's work force of about 1,125, Kelly added. Read more

Lithia Motors Inc. reported Tuesday that vehicle sales increased in June compared with a year ago.

The Medford, Ore., dealership group, the third-largest U.S. new-vehicle retailer, also said it acquired Smolich Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge and Smolich Nissan in Bend, Ore. The move is estimated to generate $100 million in "steady state annualized revenues," the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Lithia credited "notable improvements" throughout its business lines, included a 23 percent gain in same-store used-vehicle sales last month. Same-store new-vehicle sales decreased by 15 percent, and overall same-store vehicle sales rose 3 percent. Service, body and parts sales showed a strong recovery in June, the company said, with same-store sales in that department down just 3 percent for the month.

That's better than the steeper declines experienced earlier in the coronavirus pandemic. Lithia's same-store web traffic soared near…

Former Nissan Motor Co. chief Carlos Ghosn transferred more than $860,000 in October to a company managed by one of two Massachusetts men accused of helping him escape criminal charges in Japan two months later, U.S. prosecutors said.

Ghosn wired the money in two installments to Promote Fox LLC, a company managed by Peter Taylor and one of his brothers, the government said in a Tuesday court filing. Taylor and his father, ex-Green Beret Michael, were arrested by U.S. authorities in May at the request of the Japanese government, which is seeking their extradition for allegedly helping Ghosn flee to Lebanon in December. At the time, Ghosn was out on bail awaiting trial on several financial misconduct charges.

Tuesday’s filing, based on records included in the official extradition request Japan filed last week, indicates that prosecutors in the U.S. and Japan have a detailed understanding of the audacious plot to extract Ghosn from Tokyo. If Michael and Peter Tayl…

NEW YORK -- The remarkable rally in Tesla Inc. shares has put Wall Street in a bind. Their price targets are becoming obsolete almost as fast as they are changed, triggering a surge of revisions, yet an overwhelming majority of analysts still recommend selling the stock.

The latest example of this seemingly contradictory stance came from Morgan Stanley on Tuesday, when analyst Adam Jonas lifted the best-case price target for the electric-vehicle maker to $2,070, after the stock’s “extraordinary” run overshot a previous bull-case estimate of $1,200, which was just set less than five months ago.

But the analyst maintained a sell-equivalent rating on the stock, saying that, even though the market has done “more than a good enough job” of discounting the investment opportunity in the company, it has not sufficiently accounted for risks such as its ability to maintain current profit levels in China and “inevitable” competition from technology firms like Amazon.com I…

NHTSA is investigating fuel leak complaints in 614,000 Chevrolets. No vehicles have been recalled.

The investigation, disclosed on Sunday, involves 2008-10 Chevrolet Cobalts and 2008-09 HHRs. There are 208 owner complaints with 39 specifically noting "puddles or drips" from leaks. No injuries, accidents or fires have occurred because of the leaks.

General Motors said in a statement to Reuters that it will continue to cooperate with NHTSA in the investigation.

The leaks come from corroding metal fuel lines beneath the vehicle. The corrosion occurs in polymer blocks connecting fuel lines to the underbody, beneath an insulation wrap heat shield. The blocks are near the exhaust pipe and muffler.

The Associated Press reported the investigation on Tuesday.

Audi introduced a concept for a sportback version of the e-tron battery-electric vehicle that it says will go into production in 2021 and have a greater range than the existing e-tron.

Unlike the original e-tron that is now available in the U.S., the Q4 Sportback e-tron concept is built on Volkswagen Group's flexible MEB electric platform and is expected to offer an all-wheel-drive range of about 280 miles equipped with a 82-kWh battery, with a rear-wheel-drive variant able to achieve up to 311 miles of range. The current e-tron is rated at 218 miles of range and has a 95-kWh battery.

As with the brand's other sportback models, the Q4 Sportback e-tron has a roofline that aggressively dips in the rear. The swoop is accentuated by a large rear spoiler, which improves airflow and range.

Inside the cabin, the flat floor enabled by the battery pack gives the compact crossover the interior space of a midsize vehicle. The instrument cluster and panel are dom…

TOKYO -- Tesla CEO Elon Musk is "a genius who defies common sense and can be overly optimistic," Panasonic's CEO said on Tuesday, as the Japanese firm cautiously moves to expand a battery partnership with the U.S. carmaker.

"I believe only geniuses can hold onto big visions, and a genius I know is Elon Musk," Kazuhiro Tsuga said at an event for young entrepreneurs.

The remarks on Musk come as Panasonic and Tesla Inc. are in talks to expand their joint battery plant in Nevada after production troubles and delays at Tesla strained their partnership over the past few years.

With excessive optimism, a genius like Musk can ignore what is inconvenient and run straight ahead towards his vision, Tsuga said at the event. "Compared to that vision, most things don't really matter."

"I can never imitate him," he said, adding it is probably safe for everyone not to do so.

Panasonic's partnership with Tesla dates back more than a decade, but it was Tsuga…

Joining Toyota's lineup this year is a plug-in hybrid variant of the top-selling RAV4 crossover. The 2021 RAV4 Prime, touted by Toyota as its fastest model after the Supra, has up to 302 hp, coming from a 176-hp, four-cylinder gasoline engine, electric motors, a booster converter and lithium ion battery. The RAV4 Prime, available only with all-wheel drive, is estimated to get 42 miles solely on battery power and has an 94 MPGe rating. Here's a roundup of RAV4 Prime reviews from the automotive media.

"Driving the RAV4 Prime purely on electricity is a great experience. It's punchy, smooth and nearly silent. As with other EVs, there's tons of low-end torque, which makes this Toyota leap off the line when you nail the accelerator. Its enthusiasm does wane at higher speeds, but its performance is still solid, able to hit 60 mph in around 9.2 seconds. However, this vehicle's performance shines most when driven as a hybrid. Throw that internal-combustion engine into the mix…