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Two Americans accused of smuggling former Nissan Motor Co. executive Carlos Ghosn out of Tokyo have been transferred by the American authorities to Japanese custody after losing a months-long extradition fight to remain in the U.S.

Michael Taylor and his son Peter were handed over to Japanese custody on Monday morning, according to another son, Rudy Taylor.

The Taylors face a possible prison sentence of three years on charges they engineered the audacious December 2019 escape in which Ghosn hid inside a black box that was loaded onto a charter jet. The auto executive remains a fugitive.

For months, the Taylors battled extradition in court, arguing the allegations against them did not constitute a crime under Japan’s penal code and that conditions in the country’s prisons amounted to torture. They also hired lobbyists in Washington to press their case with the Trump administration.

But none of those efforts paid off. In recent weeks, the federal …

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler U.S. on Monday pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate the Labor Management Relations Act as part of a criminal probe tied to the ongoing UAW corruption scandal.

As part of its plea agreement, the automaker, now part of Stellantis, will pay a $30 million fine and accept an independent compliance monitor for three years.

Speaking in front of U.S. District Judge Paul Borman, representatives for the automaker admitted that between 2009 and 2016, FCA made more than $3.5 million in illegal payments to UAW officials for lavish parties, home mortgage payments, fancy meals and expensive golf outings. Much of the money was funneled through the National Training Center operated jointly with the union, which both sides have agreed to shut down.

"Through its participation in this conspiracy, FCA violated federal labor law and undermined the collective bargaining process and the faith of the UAW's membership in their leaders…

CDK Global Inc. has completed the sale of its international business to private equity firm Francisco Partners.

The deal, valued at $1.45 billion, closed Monday, the Hoffman Estates, Ill., dealership management system giant said. The transaction was announced in November.

"We are very pleased that the transaction closed on schedule and appreciate all the efforts made by both companies to successfully complete the sale," CDK CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement.

"I look forward to continuing our growth strategy and focus on our North America business," he added.

Francisco Partners has offices in San Francisco, New York and London and specializes in working with technology companies. CDK has said the private equity firm is acquiring 100 percent of CDK's international business, with operations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South Africa.

CDK has said it will use the proceeds to focus on its North American operations, which include DM…

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Polestar USA chief Gregor Hembrough talks about the Swedish EV startup's retail expansion strategy, being a ''digital-forward'' brand and bringing Polestar 2 variants to the market.

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Much like the industry is racing toward a future of electric vehicles, it is also racing to modernize the way in which EVs are built.

Different designs can improve manufacturing efficiency and provide a modular solution for a variety of transportation applications. They can also accelerate the industry's shift to electrified powertrains.

Some experts suggest seeing things from a smaller perspective when it comes to components — and from a flatter perspective when it comes to the overall architecture. One such possibility: the skateboard chassis.

The modular design of a skateboard allows for a vehicle manufacturer to place any passenger, commercial or fleet body type on top of an electric chassis.

It is easier to modify, reduces weight, increases vehicle efficiency and, ultimately, can help hasten the electrification of the fleet.

Skateboards are well into play already: Amazon and Rivian's electric deliv…

SHANGHAI — A few years ago, automakers in China still heavily relied on manual labor to assemble electric axle drives.

That has changed dramatically as annual EV output topped 1.1 million in 2020, quadruple the number in 2015. The explosion has prompted auto companies to look for ways to automate assembly of e-axle drives, which combine electric motors, transmissions and power electronics in a single unit.

This has created opportunities for industrial automation companies. Among those at the forefront of this trend is Comau, a major supplier of powertrain machining and assembly equipment for automakers in China. The company's robotic technology has helped EV makers significantly expand output, said Wang Junwu, engineering director of Comau's powertrain assembly division in China.

By using its own proprietary technology and forming partnerships with other automation providers, the Italian company has developed robotized e-axle assem…

Understandably, the idea of self- driving large trucks has garnered tremendous attention throughout the coronavirus pandemic and its reverberations through the supply chain. One of the major players in the automated freight realm believes in that long-term road map but intends to take an important interim step.

Plus will launch a driver-assist product this year that keeps humans in control but supports their driving habits and helps them save fuel.

The company intends to commercially deploy its driver-assist systems during the second quarter in partnership with FAW Group, the largest Chinese truck manufacturer. Shortly thereafter, company officials say their technology will reach U.S. roads.

Many companies believe that systems that keep humans in the driving loop are so distinct from autonomous ones, in which humans never have a role, that their development cannot be commingled.

Plus COO Shawn Kerrigan disagrees. H…

Gautam Narang has little interest in solving the vexing and vast challenges awaiting self-driving vehicles as they're deployed across the broad transportation landscape.

He does intend to solve them, however, in specific areas.

The co-founder and CEO of self-driving truck startup Gatik believes the technical complexities of autonomous operations can be substantially reduced when vehicles are deployed along repeatable routes. The best way to deploy autonomous vehicles: one road at a time.

"We are not trying to boil the ocean and solve every tricky autonomous-driving scenario," he said. "We are constraining the problem. If that means sticking to the right-most lane or making three right turns to make a left, all of that is fair game."

Such logistical twists might annoy human passengers, but in the freight world, no one cares so long as their goods get delivered. That's why Gatik has concentrated on launching self-drivin…

Travis Katz — after stints with MySpace, a venture capital firm and travel companies — aims to electrify and connect automotive fleets as CEO of BrightDrop, an electric vehicle-powered goods and delivery service launched by General Motors.

Today's vehicles are more high-tech than ever, Katz said, and "the growing importance of software is shaping how these vehicles operate."

BrightDrop, which will run out of offices in Detroit, San Francisco and Atlanta, will sell the GM-built EV600 electric van and EP1 electric pallet, which helps delivery workers move goods short distances, such as from the van to the customer's door. BrightDrop also has a suite of software to predict maintenance requirements and locate and manage vehicles remotely.

BrightDrop's launch is part of a broader zero-emissions goal by GM. The automaker has said its entire lineup will be electric by 2035.

Katz, 49, spoke with Staff Reporter Hannah Lutz about the benefits of an electr…

The auto industry has long been the top customer for industrial robots.

But an odd thing happened in 2020: For the first time in recent memory, orders for nonautomotive robots surpassed those for automotive robots in North America. That's according to the Robotic Industries Association. The group, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is part of the Association for Advancing Automation and has data going back to 1984.

In North America, auto companies and suppliers ordered 15,045 robots last year, worth nearly $830 million. Companies in other industries ordered a combined 15,999 robots, worth about $744 million. Automotive robot orders grew 39 percent, while orders grew 69 percent in the life sciences, 56 percent in food and consumer goods and 51 percent in plastics and rubber.

"In 2020, we saw two trends in particular that propelled growth in nonautomotive orders for robotics technology," said John Bubnikovich, chief regional officer, North Ame…