Trade News

Volkswagen of America has commissioned a one-off GT concept of its two-row Atlas Cross Sport that employs the more powerful 2.0-liter engine from the Golf R, two rows of Recaro racing seats and color-matched performance calipers and wheel inserts to match the vehicle's striking "Kingfisher Blue" paint scheme.

The build was done by VW enthusiast Jamie Orr, owner of Orchid Euro, as a way to "inject some of that VW magic into our SUVs," Scott Keogh, CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, said in a statement. "This concept is proof that it's possible to build SUVs that could appeal to our performance enthusiast base."

Hand-painted at VW's Chattanooga assembly plant, the Atlas Cross Sport GT concept is built on the vehicle's top trim line, with 22-inch ABT Sport HR Aerowheels, wrapped in Yokohama Advan Sport V105 UHP 285/35R22 tires. The vehicle features ST Suspension XTA Plus 3 coilovers with color-matched and GT Concept-branded springs and TAROX eigh…

FRANKFURT -- Shareholders in Volkswagen, Europe's largest carmaker, on Thursday approved a deal to settle claims against four former executives, including longtime CEO Martin Winterkorn, related to the company's emissions scandal.

The initial deal, which was announced last month and which will see Volkswagen receive 288 million euros ($339 million) in compensation, required shareholder approval and 99.9 percent of investors agreed to the proposal at the group's annual general meeting.

Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating U.S. diesel engine tests, sparking the biggest business crisis in its history.

The settlement marks a major milestone in the carmaker's efforts to turn a page on the scandal, which has cost it more than 32 billion euros in vehicle refits, fines and legal costs so far.

<!--*/ */ /*-->*/ Scooter app adds feature to discourage riding under the influence

In addition to the dangers of driving under the influence, we should consider the dangers of scooting under the influence.

Shared electric scooter services are an alternative for those who do not own a car and do not wish to hire a Lyft or Uber. But along with the convenience comes a potential problem: people using scooters while intoxicated.

Scooter company Bird, which has more than 250 partner cities throughout the world, has taken note of this concern and is launching a "checkpoint" within its app called Safe Start. It's designed to discourage people from riding scooters under the influence.

Riders attempting to use a Bird scooter between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. will have to verify they can safely use the scooter by correctly entering a keyword into the app.

Bird says the app feature is a way to encourage those who might be under the influence to choo…

Amazon-backed EV startup Rivian Automotive plans to build a second U.S. assembly plant that will also include battery cell production, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

"While it's early in an evolving process, Rivian is exploring locations for a second U.S. manufacturing facility," Rivian spokeswoman Amy Mast said on Thursday. She declined to provide further details.

Multiple U.S. states have bid for the plant -- dubbed "Project Tera" in documents -- which will be announced in a couple of months and break ground early next year, said the sources, who asked not to be identified. The timing could still change given the coronavirus pandemic, which has already delayed the planned announcement from the summer, the sources said.

"We look forward to working with a supportive, technology-forward community in order to create a partnership as strong as the one we have with Normal," Mast said.

Rivian's existing U.S. plant is in Normal, Il…

LOS ANGELES — The founder and CEO of HAAH Automotive Holdings, Duke Hale, has formed a new company that intends to make a bid for ailing Korean automaker SsangYong Motor Co., Hale told Automotive News.

HAAH this week announced that it had abandoned plans to import Chinese cars to the U.S. and would file for bankruptcy liquidation. Hale said he could not provide further information on the bankruptcy filing, including the filing date, on advice of legal counsel.

Should Hale's new investor group be successful in its bid for SsangYong, Hale said that bringing its vehicles to the U.S. and Canadian markets from Korea would likely be part of the business plan for the automaker.

"If we were successful in our acquisition of SsangYong globally, that obviously means we would have the [right to] the U.S. and Canada markets," Hale said.

Hale's new Delaware-based company, Cardinal One Motors, will take over HAAH's yearlong interest in the court process to fin…

General Motors said Wednesday it will cut some truck production in North America because of the ongoing global semiconductor shortage.

The automaker said its Flint Assembly plant in Michigan that builds the Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD trucks will operate on one production shift the week of July 26.

GM said its Ft. Wayne Assembly plant in Indiana that builds the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 model trucks will be idled next week. GM's Silao Assembly plant in Mexico that also builds the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Cheyenne and GMC Sierra 1500 will also suspend production next week.

All three plants are expected to resume regular production the week of Aug.2

DETROIT -- The global semiconductor chip shortage that has hit automakers around the world and constrained vehicle production will easily drag into next year, the CEO of Stellantis, the world's No. 4 automaker, said on Wednesday.

The comments by Carlos Tavares at an Automotive Press Association event in Detroit echoed those made by Daimler AG earlier in the day.

"The semiconductor crisis, from everything I see and I'm not sure I can see everything, is going to drag into '22 easy because I don't see enough signs that additional production from the Asian sourcing points is going to come to the West in the near future," Tavares said.

The global chip shortage comes as demand for cars has spiked during the global economy's recovery from the coronavirus crisis, driving up prices of new and used vehicles.

Some automakers have adapted to the chip shortage by dropping features from their models, while others have built vehicles without the necessary…

My first newspaper job was in Dallas, and we shared a parking lot with our sister TV station next door. My colleagues and I would notice the TV reporters had nicer cars, fancier clothes and, of course, better hair. I was always much more comfortable writing, so I never contemplated a move to the other side.

But our Fixed Ops Journal Forum gives me a bit of time in front of the camera, and well, I'm still more comfortable writing. Fortunately, the feedback has been great, and attendees are learning from the presentations and conversations — which is our goal.

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The first two forum sessions aired July 13 ("At Your Service: The State of the Industry"…

Porsche Cars North America COO Joe Lawrence says the sports car maker is on track for a record year in 2021, with the hot-selling Taycan electric sedan leading the charge.

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