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Where Ford will slash jobs in EuropeWhere Ford will slash jobs in Europe

July 27, 2024| 9:16 am

Workers were told to expect concrete numbers of job losses from the automaker in mid-February, according to Cologne’s daily paper, the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Industrial action threats Ford’s plans triggered a union threat of Europe-wide disruption. “If negotiations between the works council and management in coming weeks do not ensure the future of workers, we will join the process. We will not hold back from measures that could seriously impact the company not just in Germany but Europe-wide,” IG Metal said. Ford of Europe produces, sells and services Ford brand vehicles in 50 markets, employing around 45,000 people at its own… [...]

The Infiniti showroom redesign is lounge-likeThe Infiniti showroom redesign is lounge-like

June 26, 2023| 2:48 am

The lack of fresh product has put Infiniti into a multi-year slump. Last year, the brand reported 46,619 US sales, its lowest since 1992, according to Automotive News Research & Data Center. Another retailer also said he’s unlikely to pull the trigger on a store upgrade until he sees a “Cadence product that is true and believable — not just promises.” “Infiniti has been a disappointing brand for years,” Haig said. “Its dealers are not making any meaningful money compared to almost any other franchise.” Anticipating the pushback, Infiniti is pitching the redesign to its dealers as optional. “It’s not… [...]

Stella Automotive AI hires Rich Sands as CEOStella Automotive AI hires Rich Sands as CEO

June 21, 2023| 1:21 am

Stella Automotive AI, a Tampa, Fla., auto retail technology startup funded in part by dealership groups Maroone USA and Pohanka Automotive Group, has hired auto industry consultant Rich Sands as its new CEO. His hiring, effective May 26 and announced Monday, comes after the company in early May announced it had closed a seed round of financing. Beyond Geoffrey Pohanka, the 2023 chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association and chairman of his namesake group, and Mike Maroone, CEO of Maroone USA, funding round participants included Czubay Family Enterprises and Presidio Group, a Denver and Atlanta investment banking and advisory… [...]

US judge throws out lawsuit against Elon Musk over TwitterUS judge throws out lawsuit against Elon Musk over Twitter

May 31, 2023| 9:09 pm

A judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk that claimed he cheated Twitter shareholders several times last year in the course of buying the social media company for $44 billion. In a decision on Monday, US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said plaintiff William Heresniak lacked standing to sue because he challenged “wrongs associated with” Musk’s buyout, not the fairness of the buyout itself. Breyer said Heresniak did not show harm from Musk’s belated disclosure of a 9.2 percent Twitter stake, which the suit said let him buy more shares at lower prices before the buyout… [...]

F&I talks over video a good option for car buyersF&I talks over video a good option for car buyers

May 5, 2023| 4:10 pm

Jonathan Jordan, director of retail strategy for F&I product provider JM&A Group, said his company launched its so-called virtual F&I offering in 2018. He told Automotive News in late January the company had logged more than 23,000 transactions where the F&I manager and customer had never actually met — with about 20,000 occurring in the past two years. The video chat feature at first focused on the notion “customers don’t want to come to the dealership,” Jordan said. But this hypothesis was found to be incorrect, he said. “What I like to say is ‘it’s not that they don’t want… [...]

Rivian will speed up factory flow by making its own motorsRivian will speed up factory flow by making its own motors

April 18, 2023| 12:02 pm

Rivian is offering the most configurations of its electric pickup and crossover with only the dual-motor setup. For example, the Enduro motors can be combined with three battery sizes on the R1T: standard pack, with 270 miles of range; large pack, with 350 miles of range; and max pack, with 400 miles of range, according to Rivian’s website. The quad-motor setup — an $8,000 option — can be paired only with the large pack for 328 miles of range. Rivian customers who had already preordered the quad-motor setup with the max pack will have their orders converted automatically to [...]

Used-car seller Canada Drives granted creditor protectionUsed-car seller Canada Drives granted creditor protection

March 30, 2023| 5:45 am

Canada Drives obtained creditor protection March 20 under an order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia, according to a notice from court-appointed monitor PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. While the company has focused mainly on ecommerce since 2020, Canada Drives was founded in 2010 as a lead-generating business, matching consumers looking for financing with local dealerships. Under CCAA protection, it plans to restructure its business, winding down the “capital intensive” online sales segment, and refocusing on the financing matching service it has provided for more than a decade. As part of the restructuring plan, Canada Drives also intends to maintain one aspect… [...]

Ford recalls: 1.3M Fusions, Lincoln MKZs called back for brakesFord recalls: 1.3M Fusions, Lincoln MKZs called back for brakes

March 22, 2023| 10:57 pm

Ford is also recalling about 280,000 F-150 pickups globally from the 2021 model year, according to a separate recall report made public Thursday. The recall covers about 222,000 vehicles in the US, 50,000 in Canada and 2,000 in Mexico, Ford said. The windshield wiper arms on those vehicles may break, reducing visibility in certain conditions and increasing the risk of a crash. Potential indicators of the issue include erratic or slow wiper speed. Ford told NHTSA that as of Jan. 25, it was aware of 576 global reports of inoperative or detached windshield wiper arms related to this condition. Trico… [...]

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