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General Motors has postponed plans to freshen at least a handful of vehicles — including the Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and Cadillac XT4 — during the coronavirus pandemic, according to LMC Automotive.

"Most face-lifts appear to have some delay associated with them, especially those that hadn't really been fully completed. Where they were essentially getting ready for production, we aren't seeing any delays there," said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting with LMC Automotive. "Nothing that I'm aware of at this point has been outright canceled."

So far, GM has postponed a face-lift for the 2021 Buick Enclave to the 2022 model year. A freshening of the Cadillac XT4 for the 2022 model year also was delayed, to the 2023 model year, LMC said.

A GM spokesman in March said updates to the Chevy Bolt, Traverse and Equinox for the 2021 model year would be pushed to 2022.

GM is prioritizing new and redesign…

Auto industry bosses these days are in an unenviable position, but none more so than Gregor Hembrough.

In the maw of a global pandemic, the CEO of Polestar USA isn't just orchestrating the launch of a new vehicle in the U.S., but an entire brand.

Polestar, the Swedish electrified performance brand affiliated with Volvo Cars, is gearing up to introduce its first mass-market model here — the Polestar 2.

The market success of the electric fastback, which starts at $61,200 including shipping, is crucial for the prospects of the new brand. In addition to the Polestar 2 and Polestar 1, a limited-run, $155,000 hybrid sedan, the automaker plans a sporty crossover followed by two more models.

The odds are stacked against the electric upstart. Demand for big-ticket vehicles has evaporated as consumers hunker down for a deep and protracted recession. The National Automobile Dealers Association slashed its forecast for U.S. new…

Ford Motor Co. on Saturday said it will offer COVID-19 tests to hourly and salaried employees with suspected symptoms in four key states as thousands of workers prepare to return to the job on Monday.

The automaker said it's partnering with local health systems in southeast Michigan and metro areas around Louisville, Ky., Chicago, and Kansas City, Mo. It said test results should be available within a day.

"Fast and accurate testing is a key tool in the effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19," Dr. Walter Talamonti, Ford's medical director, said in a statement. "These contracts will allow us to test employees with suspected symptoms and have results back within 24 hours. If they test positive, we can quickly identify close contact employees who may have been exposed and ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days."

Ford said it's utilizing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which identifies if someone is actively infected. The…

Ford Motor Co. on Saturday said it will offer COVID-19 tests to hourly and salaried employees with suspected symptoms in four key states as thousands of workers prepare to return to the job on Monday.

The automaker said it's partnering with local health systems in southeast Michigan and metro areas around Louisville, Ky., Chicago, and Kansas City, Mo. It said test results should be available within a day.

"Fast and accurate testing is a key tool in the effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19," Dr. Walter Talamonti, Ford's medical director, said in a statement. "These contracts will allow us to test employees with suspected symptoms and have results back within 24 hours. If they test positive, we can quickly identify close contact employees who may have been exposed and ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days."

Ford said it's utilizing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, which identifies if someone is actively infected. The PCR tests detect the pr…

The next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan has apparently been revealed in spy shots that capture the car's high-tech new interior.

The pictures, which have not been verified, were posted on a Spanish Instagram page and show the car's exterior and interior, with only a light disguise.

German press reports say the upper premium sedan will be available to order in Europe from September with deliveries starting in November.

Mercedes has said that the launch of both the S-Class and the related all-electric EQS sedan are on track despite the coronavirus pandemic that forced the automaker to introduce remote working and temporarily close factories.

The EQS is expected to go on sale next year as a Tesla Model S rival.

The S-Class exterior appears to be evolution of Mercedes' current design, with a wider grille up front and rear lights that now extend into the trunk lid, in a similar fashion to those seen on the current CLS coupe-styled seda…

BEIJING -- Wuhan is rolling out consumer subsidies to support local auto and home appliance companies as the city in which the coronavirus first emerged tries to revive its economy after months of heavy lockdowns.

Wuhan authorities will offer 10,000 yuan ($1,415) subsidies to residents who buy locally made electric vehicles, according to a text message sent by city government to citizens on Saturday. A gasoline car would come with a subsidy of up to 5,000 yuan.

Customers who purchase Wuhan-made air-conditioners, water heaters or refrigerators will also receive subsidies. The subsidies are valid until the end of this year, the message, which was seen by Reuters, said.

Reuters reported on Monday Wuhan was considering supporting local automaker Dongfeng Motor Corp.

Wuhan produced 1.5 million vehicles last year and the city is also home to plants owned by Dongfeng Motor Group's joint ventures with Honda Motor and Peugeot SA, and General Motors' partne…

In normal times, Garrett Guest would be somewhere watching a baseball game right about now.

Spring usually is a hectic season when Guest, an assistant scouting director for the Chicago White Sox, crisscrosses the nation to evaluate prospects coming up the ranks.

But with baseball diamonds empty, his life as a scout is largely limited to watching videos of prospects online or conducting Zoom meetings with fellow scouts and with players the club wants to learn more about.

While one of his passions is on ice for now, another ----the auto retailing business ---- is rolling through the crisis.

Guest also is vice president of South Oak Jeep-Dodge-Chrysler-Ram, the dealership in suburban Chicago that he runs with his father, Dennis. Guest is adjusting to life as a grounded scout while his store makes adjustments of its own by transitioning to selling cars and trucks digitally.

Guest's scouting responsibilities…

DALLAS — Toyota Motor North America's new CEO, Ted Ogawa, spent the past several years under the direct tutelage of the man he succeeded: longtime CEO Jim Lentz, who retired April 1. Ogawa, who cut his teeth in the U.S. as a purchasing coordinator at the joint Toyota-General Motors NUMMI assembly plant in Fremont, Calif., sees calm, confident leadership as the key to getting Toyota's North American operations through the COVID-19 pandemic, a belief he shared with Lentz.

Ogawa, 60, had never granted an interview to a news organization before, but he spoke for an hour with Publisher Jason Stein and Staff Reporter Larry P. Vellequette on March 9 at his office in Plano, Texas, just weeks before the Japanese automaker suspended production. Here are edited excerpts.

Q: Tell us your feelings about being in the CEO position and your vision for the role.

A: Firstly, I want to continue the legacy that Jim Lentz started, with bringing our teams all together as To…

New data is shedding light on just how much the coronavirus pandemic has kept people from traveling.

In the U.S., the disruption hit a peak in early April, when people reduced their total miles traveled by half across all surface modes of transportation, according to Arity, a mobility and data analytics company.

Since then, the company has seen a gradual uptick in travel. Total miles traveled had returned to 62 percent of previous norms on May 9.

But the broad picture masks considerable differences; the pandemic's impact on travel has varied from state to state.

Some saw a drop in overall miles traveled as precipitous as 70 percent while others declined as little as 23 percent from previous levels.

Gary Hallgren, president of Arity, says what constitutes a recovery looks different from one region to another.

Wyoming's traffic has recovered to near pre-pandemic norms, while Washington, D.C., remains 70 percent below its norms.

…

Volvo Car USA's vehicle subscription program violates several California franchise and consumer protection laws, according to a six-month investigation by the state's Department of Motor Vehicles.

In a letter dated April 28, the department warned Volvo that future violations might lead to "enforcement actions" but stopped short of taking any punitive steps now.

The California DMV probe escalates a two-year battle between Volvo and its California dealers over the subscription service and questions the future of a key Volvo retail program in the Swedish automaker's largest U.S. market.

Volvo views the subscription program as another channel for dealers to move inventory. Just as with traditional new-vehicle leases and sales, dealers receive a margin on subscription volume.

Care by Volvo, launched in 2017, is a two-year subscription service. The program bundles the use of a vehicle, insurance and maintenance costs into …

Tesla Inc. has chosen to locate its second U.S. auto factory in Texas, the blog Electrek reported, citing an unnamed source.

The EV maker will construct the plant in or near Austin, the typically pro-Tesla blog said.

The Associated Press and CNBC later reported that Austin and Tulsa, Okla., are finalists for the facility but that no final decision has been made.

Elon Musk said in March that Tesla was scouting for sites where it will build both the in-development Cybertruck and the Model Y crossover for customers on the East Coast. The CEO last week threatened to move the company’s headquarters and future programs to Texas or Nevada after a California county blocked the carmaker from reopening its factory in the San Francisco Bay area.

Within days, the company defied county health officials and restarted production.

Tesla unveiled the Cybertruck in November, with Musk pitching it as a radically different option from the highly lucrative pick…