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Five CEOs of publicly traded U.S. automotive companies realized more than $24 million in total compensation last year, according to the Automotive News/Equilar CEO Compensation Study.

Not surprisingly, the 2021 Automotive News Top Suppliers ranking of the industry's biggest producers of original equipment content for automakers shows that the vast majority of major world parts companies posted sales declines in 2020.

There was some shuffling among the top five spots — CarMax maintained the No. 1 spot, but online upstart Carvana Co. climbed to No. 2 from No. 4 for 2019. Carvana, formed in 2012, first entered the list at No. 8 for 2018.

DETROIT — Dating back to the days of Chrysler Corp., Stellantis North America has spent close to $100 billion with suppliers owned by minorities, women and veterans since 1983 when it started its supplier diversity program.

The automaker built many of those relationships in person, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to change how it engaged with supplier prospects.

The in-person meetings that once were critical to establishing rapport have gone virtual. In addition, the health crisis yielded a new online gateway for diverse suppliers to get noticed at Stellantis. The automaker was formed after the January merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France's PSA Group.

The purchasing division's commitment to doing business with diverse suppliers is stronger than ever, and the company is surpassing its spending goals with them. Stellantis spent more than $6 billion with more than 200 diverse suppliers in 2020.

Bashar Chola…

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Automotive News’ inaugural Notable Champions of Diversity list features 18 leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to improving diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry. They were selected by a panel of Automotive News editors and reporters from nominations submitted by our readers. The honorees work in various corners of the industry: auto manufacturing, supply chain, marketing, retail, finance and remarketing. Their personal experiences inform their approach to DE&I and fuel their passion.

Ellen Farrell, 56

Group vice president and ch…

Shunji Tanaka, a key designer of the iconic Mazda Miata, has died. He was 75.

Tanaka led the exterior and interior design of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, a lightweight Japanese roadster inspired by postwar-era British sports cars. The car went on sale in the U.S. in May 1989 with a starting price of $13,800 and a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 116 hp.

The roadster, which featured a lightweight aluminum hood, weighed a feathery 2,116 pounds and could hit 60 mph in less than nine seconds.

U.S. sales peaked in 1990, the car's second year on the market, at 35,944. The 1 millionth Miata rolled off the line in 2016.

Though annual U.S. sales have declined as convertibles have fallen out of favor with consumers, the car remains a key part of Mazda's identity. In 2019, Mazda celebrated the MX-5's heritage with a 30th anniversary special edition.

Following his stint at Mazda, Tanaka joined Kawasaki, where he designed motorcycles.

Three groups and a former dealership general manager bought dealerships in four December transactions that span from Alaska to Florida.

Two transactions involved a group on Automotive News' top 150 dealership groups list. Here's a look at the transactions involving domestic- and import-brand stores.

Swickard Auto Group on Dec. 15 acquired two General Motors dealerships in Alaska, bolstering the group's presence in the Last Frontier state.

Swickard Auto bought Alaska Sales & Service-Anchorage, a Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac dealership in Anchorage, and Alaska Sales & Service-Valley, a Buick-GMC dealership in Palmer, both from Diana Pfeiffer and Shaun Pfeiffer. That's according to Kerrigan Advisors, a sell-side firm in Irvine, Calif., that represented the Pfeiffers in the sale.

Swickard also owns Mercedes-Benz of Anchorage, located nearby the two newly acquired stores. Anchorage, Alaska's most populous city, is …

Electric carmaker Tesla Inc. will stop allowing video games to be played on its infotainment systems while its cars are moving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday.

The safety agency on Wednesday opened a formal investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles sold since 2017 over the automaker's decision to allow games to be played on the front center touchscreen.

The evaluation covers various 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y vehicles equipped with the functionality "Passenger Play."

Tesla has informed the NHTSA that a software update will lock the "Passenger Play" feature and it will be unusable when the vehicle is in motion, a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.

"The NHTSA constantly assesses how manufacturers identify and safeguard against distraction hazards that may arise due to faults, misuse, or intended use of convenience technologies, including infotainment screens," the agency said.

Tesla did…

General Motors and Waymo are the latest companies to cancel CES plans over COVID-19-related concerns.

GM CEO Mary Barra had been scheduled to give a keynote speech at the annual conference on Jan. 5, during which the company would have shown its electric Silverado pickup for the first time. Barra will still make the speech and presentation over the internet, a spokesman said.

"CES is an important technology platform, and we are continuing with our plans on Jan. 5 to share our significant company news including the reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado EV," GM said in a statement late Thursday.

Waymo, the Google-affiliated autonmous driving company, said earlier Thursday it would no longer participate in the annual technology showcase next month, citing rising concerns over the omicron variant of the virus. Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana had been scheduled to deliver a keynote address Jan. 5 and participate in other activities in Las Vegas.

Further, Waymo had…

Remarketing industry veteran Tom Caruso died Monday at 62 after a battle with cancer.

He began his career in 1980 as fleet manager of Concord Auto Auction, becoming general manager in 1984. He was key in winning numerous local and national accounts, which led to its acquisition by ADESA in 1992.

Caruso later became executive vice president of ADESA, overseeing half of the company's U.S.-based operations, before being promoted to COO and then CEO in 2009. He retired in March 2020 as executive vice president and chief client officer for KAR Global, ADESA's parent company.

“What always set Tom apart ... was not what he accomplished, but how he accomplished it," KAR Chairman Jim Hallett said in a statement. "Tom was a true servant leader who believed deeply in the power of people -- the ability to get anything done through partnership, collaboration and trust.

"He approached every challenge with enthusiasm and an eagerness to work with others to find …