Automotiv News

The earnings were hurt by warranty costs of 320 billion won ($231 million) for its Santa Fe crossover engines in the United States.

Newer automatic emergency braking systems prevent about twice the number of crashes that older models do but still fail to stop crashes at high speeds, a challenge for automakers preparing to meet a strict new federal standard for the technology.

Model-year 2024 vehicles with automatic emergency braking avoided 100 percentof forward collisions at 35 mph, a much better performance than 2017 and 2018vehicles, which avoided collisions 51percent of the time at that speed, according to research published Oct. 24 by AAA.

“AAA is very pleased to find that automatic emergency braking systems are getting significantly better, and that’s a great result for drivers and safety of the road,” said Greg Brannon, director of automotive research at AAA.

However, only three out of four test vehicles were able to avoid a collision at 45 mph, and none could avoid a collision at 55 mph.

NHTSA is requiring that all new vehicles be equipped with automatic emergency braking that can meet a high-speed requirement starting in September 2029. Vehicles must avoid a collision automatically with no manual braking for speeds of up to 50 mph. Vehicles must avoid a collision at speeds of up to 62.2 mph when a combination of the automatic emergency brake and the manual brake is engaged.

While AAA tested only full automatic emergency braking without driver intervention, that none of the vehicles could avoid a collision at 55 mph suggests that the industry has a ways to go to meet the new federal standard.

“The new standard doesn’t go into place until 2029, so there’s a lot of work and development and testing and things that will have to happen between now and then,” Brannon said. “The good news is, we’ve got five years to do that.”

Automatic emergency braking has well-documented safety benefits, but the technology must navigate complexity. The government has determined that automatic emergency braking must prevent crashes at certain speeds, but oversensitivity of the system can pose its own danger.

Manufacturers including Honda, General Motors, Mazda, Nissan, Tesla and Volkswagen have faced investigations or recalls related to false activations of the systems, when vehicles brake for nonexistent obstacles. NHTSA has compiled reports of injuries because of these false activations — 93, for example, as a part of the Honda investigation. And automakers and other stakeholders have voiced concerns that stricter standards could create more false positives.

Despite the challenges facing manufacturers that must meet the new standard, the AAA research indicates that in seven years, automakers have been able to double the prevention capabilities of their automatic emergency braking systems.

The automotive industry has been “tuning, refining and making better, and the tweaking of those those algorithms combined with the additional sensors — it seems to be headed in the right direction,” Brannon said.

Penske Automotive Group's artificial intelligence platform to improve customer service and increase service and parts revenue is expanding across the auto retailer's dealerships nationwide.

Sonic Automotive Inc.'s third-quarter net income rises with assist from tax benefit.

Used-vehicle sales giants are among auto retailers assessing and expanding applications of artificial intelligence.

Unifor opened a labor action center in Niagara Region this month to help about 1,000 members find work following layoffs and retooling delays at General Motors Canada’s St. Catharines Propulsion Plant. 

GM is working to restructure its struggling business in China, where its market share has fallen amid heightened competition, particularly from domestic brands selling low-priced EVs.

Tesla said it expects to launch lower-cost models next year. "Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025."

Lithia Motors Inc. by the end of the third quarter reduced expenses by $50 million more than the group's original target for a cost-cutting initiative launched this year, COO Adam Chamberlain said Oct. 23 on the company's Q3 earnings call.

Longo Toyota of Prosper said it was the first such incident, but police reportedly told the man they were having problems with area dealerships.

British automated driving startup Wayve has opened an office in Sunnyvale, Calif., where it will locate a test fleet that's learning how to drive on American roads.

A study says 88 percent of political ads involving EVs are negative. The electric vehicle industry is worried about reputational damage. 

We don't know why Elon Musk has become Donald Trump's biggest supporter, but he could be looking to regulate the regulators.

Switching to an electric vehicle comes with a host of considerations, including when and where to charge it.

For fleet operators, moving away from gasoline-powered vehicles also comes with business implications. Some companies might be interested in adding EVs to their fleets but don't know how to begin.

General Motors and Ford Motor Co. want to make it easier for business customers to go electric. GM has launched a turnkey program called EV Starter Kit to give companies more confidence that battery power can meet their needs, said Jennifer Costabile, director of marketing and sales enablement for the GM Envolve fleet and commercial business unit.

Ford offers a digital tool, E-Switch Assist, that analyzes gasoline vehicles' energy usage and estimates the energy needs for comparable EVs, based on data about driving distances, cargo loads, terrain, heating and climate, and driver behavior. E-Switch Assist, part of the Ford Pro commercial division, uses the data to suggest which vehicles could be a good fit to make the switch to EVs.

Ford said the tool has assessed more than 38,000 commercial vehicles and found that close to 53 percent could be suitably replaced by an EV.

"We are aiming to provide those insights to help fleet managers make those best decisions," said Nate McDonald, cross-vehicle brand manager for Ford Pro, whose work includes EVs. "It's about getting rid of the unknown."

GM starter kit

GM's program pulls in several components to help fleet customers make a successful EV transition — surveying drivers to determine the likeliest adopters and the best routes, installing home chargers and using OnStar telematics data to help businesses figure out how to reimburse employees who charge company EVs at home.

The program includes customizable training for drivers to increase comfort with EVs, Costabile said. OnStar analytics also can help fleet managers analyze ownership costs and compare them against internal combustion vehicles.

GM believes it is "coming out with something that is complete, holistic and gives the business and the fleet manager — but more importantly, the driver — the confidence that EVs can do this work," she said. "And we're here in the long run to support them."

GM has a few EVs aimed at commercial customers, including work truck versions of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and electric commercial vans from its BrightDrop brand, which will become part of Chevy in the 2025 model year. But the automaker said other models, including the Equinox EV, also could be options for fleet buyers.

Fleet companies can use the EV Starter Kit to determine which drivers might be willing and able to transition into an EV and use the findings to identify the best-suited routes, Costabile said. GM also is providing its PowerUp Level 2 charger and standard home installation at no cost to fleet customers, some of whom have drivers take vehicles home. The installation process includes procurement, permitting, quotes and inspections, Costabile said.

"This is not their area of expertise," she said of fleet managers. "It takes a lot of time and energy off their plate so they can continue to manage their business like they need to."

Zurich North America ordered about 90 Chevy Equinox EVs in the spring and 90 more this fall to reduce emissions in its vehicle fleet, said Megan Kock, a business consultant for the insurance company.

Many drivers who have moved into EVs are claims adjusters and risk engineers who do site visits and take their vehicles home overnight, Kock said. Those still in gasoline vehicles include crop claims adjusters who drive pickups, employees who can't charge at home and those who drive more miles a day than an EV can accommodate, she said.

Zurich's switch came as GM was developing the EV Starter Kit, and the training it offered has been helpful, Kock said.

"They're the expert," she said. "It's the manufacturer talking about your car."

Ford EV incentives

In addition to Ford's E-Switch Assist tool, the automaker is offering bundled services including a Level 2 EV charger to commercial customers in California and Massachusetts who subscribe to Ford Pro charging software. The software itself is more widely available to fleet customers and helps manage energy consumption and related costs.

Ford Pro also will give commercial customers a $2,000 incentive to offset EV charging costs, whether at home, a central depot or a work site, the automaker said.

"Our solutions are aimed at making this transition easier and potentially reducing the total cost of ownership," McDonald said.

GM, Ford aim to help fleet customers with EV transition

General Motors and Ford Motor Co. have launched tools to help commercial customers determine which of their vehicles and routes could be suited to go electric.

The automakers have tools to help commercial customers determine which of their vehicles and routes could be suited to go electric.

Revenue from advanced driver-assist systems is expected to surge from just $1.7 billion in 2023, according to a report by Oliver Wyman Forum. The firm also expects massive revenue growth in EV charging services.

Mobile service startup Curbee has named Amit Chandarana as its new CEO. He replaces Denise Leleux, who helped launch the startup after serving as director of global customer and ownership experience at Tesla.

U.S. sales of the Bronco SUV are down 16 percent this year, but dealers and analysts say it's a function of supply and demand finally normalizing. Accessories and other add-ons remain lucrative.

"Every little thing can be celebrated — a good month [or] a troublesome car that finally leaves. Go out and buy some ice cream bars and say, 'Guys that Bronco's out of here, let's take a minute and celebrate.' When an employee goes through training, whether that's just an after-work session put on by a local parts store or they go off to a training center that's out of town — when they come back, celebrate that. When leaders start to learn more about what motivations each of their team members has, they'll know what works. Some are money-motivated, some are time off-motivated, some want public recognition, some want private recognition. Figure out what works best for your individual team members and you'll figure it out. Then find ways to sprinkle that in with the birthday cake and the work anniversaries. I write a little handwritten card — 'Just another year on the team. Love having you here. Can't wait to see what this next year brings for you.' Same with the birthdays. You know, somebody gets engaged or has a baby, find a way to celebrate that. I hate to say it, [but] at funerals. We just had a grandmother of one of our technicians at the downtown Cleveland store die. You send flowers and you make sure that you make an appearance there. Some people will say, 'I didn't think you'd be here; you didn't have to send flowers.' Hey, we're in this together. We're a family. And sometimes that could be overused — you know, you're part of the family. But when you act like that — you celebrate birthdays, you celebrate successes and you mourn the loss together — it brings you together." — Bill Snow, vice president of franchise development and operations at Rad Air Complete Car Care in northeast Ohio, on the "Ratchet + Wrench Radio" podcast.

The VW ID7 electric sedan, similar in size to the discontinued Passat midsize sedan, was supposed to launch in the U.S. in the third quarter, but now it looks like it will likely launch in 2025.

While one firm is betting on AI's use to price dealerships, some industry experts question its ability to overcome subjective elements of dealership valuations.