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Toyota Motor Corp. has postponed the online reveal of the redesigned 2021 Lexus IS sedan that had been planned for June 9 in the wake of ongoing civil unrest in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Lexus issued a two-sentence press release today, saying it "has respectfully postponed the world premiere of the new IS, which was originally scheduled for June 9. Revised timing will be announced soon."

The Japanese automaker also issued a statement Wednesday decrying "unacceptable bigotry and a lack of education around the COVID-19 virus to more recent societal issues of violence, killings and racism against African Americans in Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia and elsewhere." It had planned to introduce the redesigned luxury sports sedan from its headquarters in Plano, Texas. Lexus announced the online event on Monday and released a teaser image with the announcement.

Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, died May 25 in Minneapolis after Der…

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co is re-evaluating how much office space it needs for white-collar workers as restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic are eased and employees return to workplaces.

In March, Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles told salaried employees to work from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Ford brought back 12,000 salaried employees last month, and others have been told they can work from home until September, spokeswoman Marisa Bradley said. Given potential workplace changes caused by the outbreak, a facility consolidation the No. 2 U.S. automaker had already launched could accelerate.

"If we know we are going to have a smaller population that's going to come back to work, we could look at maybe shrinking our footprint," Bradley said.

U.S. companies are wrestling with who can work from home and how much office space is necessary.

Ford COO Jim Farley said recently many salaried employees c…

Online used-car retailer Vroom Inc. on Friday increased the target range for its U.S. initial public offering, looking to raise up to $375 million as the IPO market gathers steam after the COVID-19 pandemic put several debuts on hold.

The company is offering about 18.8 million shares at a price range of $18 to $20 in the IPO and is expecting a valuation of $2.25 billion at the top end of the range, according to a filing.

It had earlier expected the offering to be priced between $15 and $17 per share.

Markets surged Friday after a better-than-expected jobless report from the U.S. Department of Labor.

HAMBURG -- Volkswagen has completed an internal report into how it came to publish a racist advert, the automaker said.

The findings will be released once its management board has reviewed the matter, VW said on Friday.

VW's management board, headed by CEO Herbert Diess, meets regularly on Tuesdays.

In the clip, a black man is depicted next to a new VW Golf, being pushed around by an oversized white hand, which then flicks him into a building adorned with the sign "Petit Colon."

Petit Colon is a real cafe in Buenos Aires, Argentina, located near the Teatro Colon. In French the term translates into "small settler," which has colonial undertones.

Criticism of the advert went viral last month and the company apologized and pulled the clip, prompting VW's labor leaders to accuse management of damaging the company.

"The clip is disgusting and inexcusable," VW works council member Bernd Osterloh said at the time.

VW itself admitted …

WASHINGTON -- America’s labor market defied forecasts for a Depression-style surge in unemployment by rebounding in May, signaling the economy is picking up faster than anticipated from the coronavirus-inflicted recession.

A key gauge of payrolls rose by 2.5 million, trouncing forecasts for a sharp decline following a 20.7 million tumble the prior month that was the largest in records back to 1939, according to Labor Department data Friday. The jobless rate fell to 13.3 percent from 14.7%.

U.S. stocks jumped after the report, adding to weeks of gains in equities since mid-March.

While the overall picture improved, one key number in the report deteriorated. Unemployment rates declined among white and Hispanic Americans, but the level ticked up among African Americans to 16.8 percent, matching the highest since 1984. That comes amid nationwide protests over police mistreatment of African-Americans, which have drawn renewed attention to black people’s econo…

Join Automotive News Publisher Jason Stein for a daily podcast series about the coronavirus crisis. He’ll speak with industry experts, insiders and Automotive News reporters about how the virus is impacting and reshaping the automotive industry.

Scott Corwin, managing partner at Deloitte Consulting, outlines four potential outcomes that could play out for the mobility ecosystem after COVID-19.

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Nissan Motor Co. is recalling more than 1.8 million sedans because the secondary hood latch may get stuck in the open position. A majority of the recalled vehicles in North America are in the U.S. and Canada.

The recall covers Nissan Altima sedans from the 2013-18 model years.

Corrosion on the secondary latch may not hold the hood closed while the vehicle is in motion, according to a statement from Nissan.

In 2016, Nissan recalled Altimas from the 2013-15 model years because of the same issue. The remedy in 2016 was to replace the hood latch, according to a NHTSA document. Vehicles that had the hood latch replaced in the 2016 recall have not reported crashes or injuries.

"Nissan has received 16 claim reports involving a minor crash and/or minor injury for vehicles that did not receive the repair," a Nissan spokeswoman told Automotive News in an email.

The Associated Press reported on the expanded recall e…

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that most of its salaried employees will continue working from home until at least September, about two months longer than previously estimated.

The automaker, citing safety concerns, said it informed employees Thursday to help them plan their summer.

"This timing allows us to continue prioritizing safety actions such as sufficient PPE for all of our place-dependent work force who have already returned, as well as the proper supply for those who would be returning later this summer, while also continuing the modifications to all of our facilities to ensure the proper social distancing protocols are in place," Ford said in a statement.

The automaker previously said it expected most North American white-collar workers would remain at home until at least late June or early July. The new schedule was reported earlier by radio station WWJ in Detroit.

Last month, Ford resumed production at its North American manuf…

Volkswagen Group says it plans to digitally reveal a refreshed 2021 Arteon sedan from Germany on June 24 that will feature a redesigned cockpit, more advanced driver-assist systems and an upgraded infotainment system, along with styling changes.

The brand's top-end sedan was first shown in early 2017 in Europe but was late arriving to the United States after its launch was caught up in widespread industry delays over the implementation of a new global emissions testing regimen, known as WLTP. As a result, Volkswagen dealers in the U.S. didn't begin selling the Arteon until April 2019.

The refreshed model "will be given a completely new cockpit environment to match its exclusive nature, and the latest modular infotainment matrix (MIB3) systems will be integrated to ensure the best possible connectivity," Volkswagen said in a statement about the June 24 unveiling. The brand will also unveil a new wagon version of the Arteon on that date, but tha…

AutoCanada Inc. reported a net loss in the first quarter of $46.9 million (all figures in CND) as economic shutdowns that began in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic offset year-over-year retail sales gains in the first two months of 2020.

Total vehicles sold in the quarter ended March 31 fell by 13 percent to 13,735 units, while revenue dipped 4.1 percent to $708.8 million. The $46.9-million net loss compares with a $2.7-million loss in the first quarter of 2019.

The results were due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down economic activity across Canada and the United States beginning in mid-March, the company said. Through February, AutoCanada, the country’s only publicly traded dealership group, said total retail vehicle sales were up 2 percent from a year earlier, driven by a 6 percent gain in retail vehicles sold in Canada.

The rapid deterioration of AutoCanada’s first-quarter performance underscores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on auto r…

U.S. auto sales will fall about 20 percent this year and not recover from the coronavirus pandemic for more than half a decade, according to AlixPartners.

In its Global Automotive Outlook released Thursday, the consulting firm projected that U.S. sales will fall to 13.6 million this year from 17.1 million last year and not return to 17 million until 2026. The forecast extends to 2027 without reaching the peak of 17.55 million sales set in 2016.

The virus has damaged economies around the world, and global sales are projected to plunge 21 percent this year to 70.5 million from last year's 89.7 million. From 2020 through 2022, 36 million sales will be lost compared with 2019's run rate, AlixPartners projected.

"The impact of the COVID-19 crisis globally is as if a market the size of all of Europe had vanished for the year," Stefano Aversa, chairman of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at AlixPartners, said in a statement.

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