Trade News

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Despite dealerships' tight inventory and automakers being forced to temporarily remove features from new models because of chip shortages, lessees feel their next vehicle will be newer and more advanced than their existing models, according to a survey. The consumers also expected to pay the same amount or less than their current bill.

The Oct. 15 Pollfish study of 1,000 leaseholders found 82 percent of lessees were concerned supply issues could affect the availability of their next model, according to CoPilot, the car-shopping assistance company that commissioned the study.

But 66 percent felt their next model would be an upgrade in terms of features, and 92 percent thought their next lease or purchase would be newer, CoPilot's survey found. Fifty-six percent of customers thought it would cost them the same amount or less.

Even customers in the crunch time of three months or less left on their leases are confident they'll move to n…

Dealerships and lenders can use technology to hasten and augment the stip process, a startup working with some of the major automotive finance companies has demonstrated.

Informed.IQ goes beyond traditional submission methods for stips — income stipulations — such as uploading images to a portal, linking bank accounts or physically bringing documents to a dealer, CEO Justin Wickett said. Under the old system, a customer might be able to upload a picture of a pay stub, but they wouldn't immediately know whether the information is enough to confirm the loan, he said.

But Informed can automate "over 95 percent of situations" with artificial intelligence reviewing documentation images and confirming information such as income or address immediately, Wickett said. The Informed system can text the customer a link to the submission portal, which permits the buyer to submit the stips from home.

Dealers can use such document analysis to qualify a buyer before th…

BERLIN -- A works council being set up by Tesla Inc. staff at the company's new Gruenheide plant near Berlin risks being unrepresentative as most of the employees hired so far are middle or senior managers, Germany's largest union warned on Tuesday.

IG Metall said seven Tesla employees, none of whom were its members, had called a meeting for Monday to choose a committee to run elections for a works council that would remain in position for at least two years.

"We're happy there's been a starting shot," Birgit Dietze, head of IG Metall's regional office for Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony where Tesla's factory is located, told Reuters.

"What is important is that the workers' council is really there for all employees ... for us it's a little too soon."

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under German labor law, employees must be at a company for six months before they can run in a works council election -- meaning any body f…

DETROIT — General Motors said it will begin delivering the GMC Hummer EV pickup to customers next month.

Duncan Aldred, vice president of global Buick and GMC, said Tuesday the $112,595 Hummer Edition 1 — the only version available for the first year — will have a 329-mile range, tow up to 7,500 pounds and haul up to 1,300 pounds. He declined to say how many reservations the brand has booked or how many Edition 1 pickups will be produced.

"This really culminates what's been an amazing journey of two years," Aldred said on a media call. "It's the fastest program GM has ever done from idea/inception to engineering it and delivering it into the hands of the customer."

The Hummer is GM's first EV built on its proprietary Ultium battery platform. Less expensive trims of the pickup, as well as a Hummer SUV, are scheduled to arrive in 2022 and 2023.

The Hummer pickup received a high-level endorsement last week when President Joe Biden visited GM's Factor…

The Detroit 3 automakers are not yet mandating vaccines for thousands of unionized workers even as they said in a joint statement with the UAW on Tuesday that they will extend requirements for workers to wear masks at work sites.

General Motors, Ford Motor Co., Chrysler-parent Stellantis and the UAW said they have agreed that unionized auto workers will be asked to report vaccination status on a voluntary basis, but not as a requirement. They also agreed to continue mask requirements at work sites.

The White House wants employers to mandate vaccinations.

Labor Department rules issued Nov. 5 requiring all companies with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccines or regular testing by Jan. 4 for nearly all employees have been put on hold by a federal appeals court. On Tuesday, the Biden administration asked a court to lift the stay.

"Vaccination requirements work. They’re implementable without disruptions. And they boost — they boost dramatically vac…

BERLIN -- Employees at Tesla Inc.'s huge new factory near Berlin will elect a works council to represent their interests, a German trade union said on Tuesday.

The IG Metall trade union said seven employees had taken the first step towards setting up a works council, planning to choose an election committee on Nov. 29.

"A works council ensures that the interests of the workforce have a voice and a weight. This is in line with the democratic work culture in Germany," said Birgit Dietze, IG Metall district leader in Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony.

The Tesla plant near Berlin will employ 12,000 workers, although only about a sixth of that have been hired so far, meaning the election of a works council will not take place soon, IG Metall said.

IG Metall has said applicants have told it that Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk is known for his rocky relationship with organized labor, is offering pay 20 percent below the collectively bargained wages offered at o…

The Dodge brand's path to its electric future is trying to appeal honestly and accurately with two distinct camps: consumers who are excited about the brand's EV push and naysayers who fear the muscle-car brand is abandoning its identity.

Tim Kuniskis, the brand's CEO, is using digital marketing to appeal to both groups.

Dodge's two-year campaign to build excitement for an electric muscle car includes a giveaway of 25 vehicles during an eight-week event called Operation 25/8. (The name is meant to suggest that the brand goes beyond 24/7.) This effort will enlist superstars from the sports, music and automotive arenas. They have a combined following of 250 million people, said Kuniskis, who likened it to two Super Bowls.

When those followers register to win a free car, Kuniskis gets their email address: "Not that I want to send you an email that says, 'Hey, we're having a sale this weekend.' "

Rather, the plan is to regularly reach out and talk abo…