Trade News

The University of Washington and its Urban Freight Lab have collaborated with the Seattle Department of Transportation to launch a neighborhood "microhub," a central spot where consumers can pick up goods and companies can make zero-emissions last-mile deliveries.

The Seattle Neighborhood Delivery Hub is operating as a pilot project in a parking lot in the city's Uptown neighborhood to test new vehicles, business models and technologies aimed at reducing overall emissions in delivery services.

"Our members wanted to come together and collaborate on a space that would allow them to test and evaluate ... novel last-mile delivery services ... outside of the lab in an independent way," explained Anne Goodchild, professor of Civil Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington and founder of the Urban Freight Lab, a public-private research group that helps develop strategies for managing goods deliveries in urban areas.

The…

Companies that provide Internet vehicle listings are looking beyond generating traditional leads to help consumers transact online.

The capabilities that listings sites such as CarGurus and TrueCar are adding to their platforms expand on their original auto classifieds businesses. They range from integrating with digital retailing software providers to allowing consumers to build deals that incorporate vehicle financing and protection products.

The shift follows a broader industry trend toward e-commerce that had been slow to evolve until the coronavirus pandemic sped it forward. Executives of the listings companies and observers of the segment say allowing consumers to complete more purchase steps on third-party websites before passing them on to a dealership will generate deeper leads from more-serious buyers.

Someone who acts beyond simply requesting a quote, such as seeking a trade-in value or applying for credit, signals to a dealership that "this…

A 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV owned by Vermont Rep. Timothy Briglin, a supporter of EVs in the state legislature, recently caught fire while charging in his driveway.

The vehicle is a part of a November recall of more than 50,000 2017-2019 model year Bolts in the U.S. due to fire concerns. GM confirmed five instances of fire at the time of the recall. There were nearly 69,000 vehicles recalled globally.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of this incident. We have reached out to the customer and are actively investigating the incident and gathering additional information to understand the specific circumstances," GM said in a statement.

GM later announced a remedy to owners of the recalled EV, which was able to identify potential battery anomalies. The remedy calls for replacing battery module assemblies in the vehicles as well as installing advanced onboard diagnostic software to detect potential issues in the battery.

Owners of 2019 mo…

As the second quarter came to a close, one dealership group expanded while another transaction involved a first-time dealer.

Here's a quick look at the transactions involving domestic- and import-brand stores.

Oregon acquisition

Time Auto Group acquired its first Subaru and Honda dealerships on June 30 when it bought Klamath Falls Subaru and Klamath Falls Honda, in Oregon, from Underriner Motors.

The growing Time Auto of Portland, Ore., also owns Volvo Cars of Bend, in Oregon, as well as Beaverton Nissan and Gladstone Mitsubishi in suburban Portland. The group also includes D&C Motor Co., a used-vehicle dealership in Portland that specializes in European luxury brands. Klamath Falls is in southern Oregon.

"We're looking to expand, especially in Oregon," Time Auto CEO Daniel Crainic told Automotive News. "It's close enough to us where it gives us a dynamic footprint."

Time Auto's two-store Klamath Falls acquisition follows its pu…

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess received a contract extension under which he will lead the automaker until October 2025.

Diess will remain in his post until his 67th birthday, VW said in a statement on Friday.

Diess and his management team "have worked with employee representatives to successfully advance the transformation of the group over the last few years," VW Group Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch said in the statement.

Under the leadership of Diess "conditions will be optimal for the continued successful development of the entire company in the coming years as well," Pötsch said.

Diess's contract extension was made possible by the recent departure of labor leader Bernd Osterloh. The pair had frequently clashed over strategy.

The extension marks a victory for the former BMW AG executive who twice last year was unsuccessful in seeking an early extension to his contract. Internal tensions were defused in December with a broad…

General Motors is recalling 410,019 pickup trucks from the 2015 and 2016 model years because the roof-rail airbag inflator end cap in them could detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall could rupture.

According to a safety recall report filed with NHTSA, corrosion caused by moisture introduced during the supplier manufacturing process could occur inside the inflator vessel.

If the end cap separates from the roof-rail airbag inflator or a sidewall rupture occurs, compressed gas could escape and the end cap could be propelled into the vehicle, potentially injuring the driver or passengers.

GM says the supplier at the time of assembly was Key Safety Systems, now known as Joyson Safety Systems.

The recall covers a range of pickup models: the 2015-16 GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500; and the 2015-16 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500.

GM reports roof-rail airbag inflators ruptured in three unoccupied 2015 Silverado vehicles in mid…

As automakers add digital services, Gartner's Mike Ramsey says the companies are failing to reach many vehicle owners because of unreliable factory apps.

How do I subscribe?Can't wait to hear the next episode of "Daily Drive"? Subscribe through a podcast app to receive episodes days in advance. If you don't have a podcast app already, here are some options. 

iPhone / iPad“Daily Drive” is available on the iTunes Store and through the ‘Podcast’ app pre-installed on all iOS devices. Click here to subscribe to "Daily Drive"

Android“Daily Drive” is available on the Google Play store. Click here to subscribe to "Daily Drive"

Spotify"Daily Drive" is available on Spotify. Click here to subscribe to "Daily Drive"

The European Union is set to propose a switch to zero-emission vehicles and boosting its renewable energy target in an unprecedented push to align its economy with more ambitious climate targets.

The European Commission, the bloc’s regulatory arm, plans to require emissions from new cars and vans to fall by 65 percent from 2030 and by 100 percent from 2035 compared with this year’s levels, according to an EU document seen by Bloomberg News.

The tougher pollution standards will be complemented by rules that will oblige national governments to bolster vehicle charging infrastructure.

The clean overhaul of transport will be part of a swath of measures to enact a stricter 2030 climate goal of cutting greenhouse gases by at least 55 percent from 1990 levels.

The package, to be unveiled on July 14, will also include a proposal to boost the share of power the bloc gets from renewable energy to 40 percent from the current 32 percent by the end of this dec…

Nio Inc. plans to add at least 3,700 battery-swap stations by the end of 2025 as it seeks to further the adoption of electric cars in the world’s largest auto market.

The Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturer has so far built around 300 battery-swap stations -- places where drivers can go to quickly get their car battery swapped out for a fresh one rather than waiting for it to re-charge. Having now sold around 120,000 EVs, Nio will make offering more charging stations a priority, President and co-founder Qin Lihong told a media briefing in Shanghai on Friday to mark Nio’s inaugural Power Day.

Range anxiety has been a major hurdle in EV uptake, particularly in a country like China where distances can be vast. Rival Tesla Inc. has built more than 850 so-called supercharging, or fast charging, stations and 6,500 charging piles in China.

Nio is also working on building more charging stations and mobile battery charging vehicles, said Shen Fei, Nio’s vice pr…

Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler is stepping up the pace of its transition to electric mobility and plans to largely eliminate internal combustion engines before the end of the decade.

"We are switching from EV first to EV only," a high ranking executive familiar with the plan told Automobilwoche, a sister publication of Automotive News Europe.

This means that every model series will have a full-electric version, while production, sales and structures will be switched to a business without diesel and gasoline engines.

Plug-in hybrids could also cease to play a role after 2030, Automobilwoche reported.

However, there will initially be no firm date for dropping combustion engine cars because they will be in demand after 2030 in some markets, depending on the charging infrastructure, Automobilwoche said.

Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius plans to present details of the plan at a strategy day on July 22, sources told Automobilwoche.

The automake…