News

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. last week asked President Donald Trump to comply with its rules by wearing a face mask and other protective equipment throughout his visit to a Michigan plant building ventilators.

He chose not to, aside from a brief behind-the-scenes tour, but the automaker was ready if he did.

In the days leading up to the presidential visit, Ford scrambled to prepare a one-off face shield specifically for Trump. A member of the automaker's D-Ford design team mocked up a number of special shield designs in his personal shop: one featuring a blue band with the presidential seal and "President of the United States" stamped in the middle, another with a simple red, white and blue background with the words "United States of America."

Ford ultimately chose another design: The words "Commander-in-Chief" over a navy blue background, flanked by two Ford Blue Oval logos and accented by red stripes and white stars. It was made with the same rubber door-s…

Tesla Inc.’s overnight price cuts suggest the coronavirus is putting a bigger damper on demand than has been reflected in the electric-car maker’s share price, two analysts said.

The $5,000 reductions for the Model S and X and $2,000 cut for the Model 3 were an “acknowledgment that Tesla isn’t immune to material North American demand weakness,” Craig Irwin, an analyst at Roth Capital Partners, said in a report Wednesday.

“With the stock trading in the stratosphere,” Roth wrote, “the key question is, ‘Can Tesla continue to deliver an interesting growth rate in the U.S.?’”

Credit Suisse’s Dan Levy said the discounts change the narrative around the company’s volume this quarter. Prior to the price cuts, investors were concerned that demand would be limited by tight inventory. The company shut down production at its lone U.S. auto plant on March 23 and rushed to reopen the facility -- initially without local authorities’ permission -- in mid May.

Tesl…

The National Automobile Dealers Association and the American International Automobile Dealers Association have joined a growing list of trade associations and other groups calling for Congress to pass temporary and targeted liability relief legislation related to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter sent Wednesday, more than 200 groups urged members of Congress to "enact temporary liability protections for businesses, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that work to follow applicable public health guidelines against COVID-19 exposure claims."

The groups also are asking members to protect health care workers and facilities providing critical care and services; manufacturers, donors, distributors and users of personal protective equipment and other supplies; and public companies "targeted by unfair and opportunistic" securities related to the coronavirus.

"The need for liability protections and relief is clear," the groups said in the let…

HANGZHOU -- Cashback offers, up to 10 free oil changes, generous prepaid gasoline cards -- these are just some of the giveaways China's auto dealerships are using to woo customers out and about after spending much of February and March in lockdown.

For the most part, they are getting the job done.

Cui Peng, a Geely sales manager in the eastern city of Hangzhou, says unit sales at his dealership jumped 30 percent in April from March and they are hoping for 25 percent growth in May.

That is partly due to delayed demand after China shut down to contain the coronavirus. But it is also thanks to an offer of six free engine oil changes, worth around 3,000 yuan ($420), for customers who buy models such as the Binyue crossover.

"Although car retail prices are not much different from usual, customers get to enjoy these complimentary services that do not impact our budget much in the short term," he said.

In the nearby city of Ningbo, a Toyota Motor …

PARIS -- Renault plans to cut 5,000 jobs by 2024 to help save 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in costs, according to a report published by Le Figaro newspaper.

The automaker will not resort to outright layoffs, the newspaper said on its website on Tuesday.

Renault will prioritize "the non-replacement of employees planning to retire," the report said.

The company declined to comment on Le Figaro's report.

Renault has a 48,500-strong workforce in France as of 2019. The automaker is expected to unveil job cuts and plant closures on Thursday as part of its cost-saving plan.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron announced an 8 billion euro plan to make France the top producer of clean vehicles in Europe and urged French automakers to make vehicles in their own country.

Macron said the government would not sign off on a planned 5 billion euros ($5.5 billion) state loan for Renault until management and unions had concluded …

Acura, hoping to burnish its performance credentials and distinguish its lineup from rivals, as well as the Honda sibling brand, is adopting a double-wishbone suspension once again on its midsize sport sedan.

Acura released new details Tuesday about the platform architecture used to retool the next-generation TLX prior to the car's introduction on Thursday. It also released a new teaser image of what will become the brand's flagship sport sedan once the current RLX is discontinued after the 2020 model year.

The redesigned TLX is built on a new platform exclusive to the brand, with a chassis featuring a double-wishbone front suspension, which was common in previous Acura performance models.

The Japanese luxury marque is rebuilding its lineup with redesigned models to further distinguish it from the mainstream Honda brand.

The current TLX sedan is equipped with front MacPherson struts.

"The new TLX's front …

General Motors Canada says employees at its factory in Oshawa, Ontario, will manufacture 10 million masks over the next year for the government of Canada. Production began Tuesday.

GM Canada originally announced in late April that it would use its idled assembly plant to make face masks for health care workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The automaker said Tuesday that it will manufacture the face masks at cost for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand said in a statement that the agreement ensures “a steady and reliable domestic supply of this vital equipment.”

Neither the automaker nor government said how much the masks cost.

David Paterson, vice president of corporate and environmental affairs at GM Canada, would only say that the price was “very competitive” and that the automaker could offer an “assured supply” of masks, and do so quickly.

Paterso…

A broad coalition of national trade groups sent a letter last week to congressional leaders asking for changes to the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program that would provide more flexibility to participating small businesses.

In the letter, sent Thursday, May 21, the groups called for "emergency legislative and administrative action" to repeal the program's requirement that 75 percent of the loan be used to cover payroll costs and 25 percent be used to cover mortgage, rent and utilities during an eight-week period.

Additionally, the groups — including the National Automobile Dealers Association and the American International Dealers Association — are asking for an extension of the eight-week period that the funds must be spent to qualify for loan forgiveness and for an extension of the June 30 safe-harbor date for rehiring workers and restoring salary levels.

"These steps would conform the PPP with the reality of the gradual reopen…

PARIS -- The French government has pledged a total of 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) to help the auto industry recover from the coronavirus crisis, including increased incentives for new electric vehicles and boosting a scrapping program to get higher-polluting older models off the road.

Speaking Tuesday at a Valeo parts factory in northern France, President Emmanuel Macron said the government wanted France to be the European leader in EVs by getting automakers to repatriate production from abroad and develop new models on French soil.

"We need a motivational goal: Make France Europe's top producer of clean vehicles by bringing output to more than 1 million electric and hybrid cars per year over the next five years," Macron said at the news conference.

To help reach that aim, Macron said France would increase the state bonus for private consumers buying electric cars (that cost up to 45,000 euros) to 7,000 euros ($7,680)  from 6,000 euros.

MEXICO CITY -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Tuesday began reopening its operations in Mexico.

The company said two plants in the central Mexican city of Toluca are ramping up after a gradual restart of its operations in the northern city of Saltillo a day earlier.

The spokesman for FCA Mexico said the company's operations in Saltillo had restarted on Monday with 40 percent of personnel.

The company idled its operations in Mexico on March 19.

The last Model T, the car that put the masses behind wheels, is produced on May 26, 1927, with Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, driving the last one off the assembly line.

The Model T was billed as the universal car -- "the motor car for the great multitude" -- that Henry Ford envisioned for years. While other manufacturers at the time focused on luxury cars for the wealthy, mostly for recreation, Henry Ford wanted a utilitarian car "large enough for the family but small enough to run and care for."

It combined low weight -- about 1,200 pounds -- simplicity and durability with a reasonable price of $850. Fuel efficiency was decent for the day -- about 13 to 21 mpg -- and it could travel up to 45 mph.

Ford initially used vanadium steel, a metal that only French luxury cars featured at the time, to give the Model T greater durability. It was capable of navigating rough ground, since the few roads at the time were relatively poor. The …