Trade News

Ford Motor Co. has launched in Europe the first vehicle from a wide-ranging partnership with Volkswagen Group, the Tourneo Connect small passenger van.

The Tourneo Connect is a version of the new VW Caddy van. It will be built alongside the Caddy at VW's factory in Poznan, Poland.

It comes in two lengths and can seat up to seven people. Deliveries start in spring 2022, Ford said in a statement. 

Ford and VW formed an industrial alliance in 2019 for the joint engineering and production of commercial vehicles, as well as other projects such as autonomous cars and an electric car for Ford on VW's MEB platform.

The first Ford-developed vehicle to be revealed under the joint venture will be the next-generation Ranger pickup that is expected be shown later this year. A VW version badged as Amarok will be built by Ford under the partnership.

The companies said in 2020 that they would produce a total of 8 million commercial vehicles together,…

Rivian, after multiple delays, began serial production of the R1T pickup last month at a retooled assembly plant in Normal, Ill., making it the first electric truck out of the gate as the industry begins a seismic shift to electrification.

The electric vehicle startup's first R1Ts off the line — all Launch Editions — start at $73,000, with a 314-mile range from a 135-kilowatt-hour battery and a 1,760-pound payload capacity.

A larger battery pack is coming designed to give the truck a range of about 400 miles. We've scoured the web for some early reviews.

"If you've never had 826 lb.-ft. of instant, electric torque under your right foot, I can solidly say that you haven't lived. The R1T might not have locking differentials, a two-speed transfer case or any kind of tough-guy wizardry you'd associate with off-road prowess, but none of that matters when you've got an absolute ton of torque. I can slowly pick my line up a steep, roc…

A growing number of manufacturers are bringing overseas operations closer to home and turning to dual sourcing to secure critical products.

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The widespread semiconductor shortage and resulting inventory squeeze sent China sales of new vehicles slumping for a fifth consecutive month in September, with volume shrinking 20 percent to below 2.07 million in the latest period.

Deliveries of new light vehicles ranging from sedans, crossovers, SUVs, multipurpose vehicles to minibuses slipped 17 percent to 1.75 million, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said Tuesday. 

Hit hard by the tight chip supplies and tighter emissions controls on heavy-duty trucks, sales of new commercial vehicles such as trucks and buses plunged 34 percent to around 317,000.

On July 1, China raised emissions standards on heavy-duty trucks to meet State 6 rules, which match Euro 6 standards. The move has curtailed output of new heavy-duty trucks.  China’s new-vehicle market has now expanded 8.7 percent to top 18.6 million through September, with the gain supported by a 77 percent increase in the …

BEIJING -- Tesla Inc. sold 56,006 China-made electric vehicles in September, the highest since it started production in Shanghai about two years ago, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed on Tuesday.

The September sales included 3,853 that were exported, the data showed.

Tesla, which is making Model 3 sedans and Model Y sport-utility vehicles in Shanghai, sold 44,264 China-made vehicles in August, including 31,379 that were exported.

Chinese EV makers Nio Inc. and Xpeng Inc. delivered over 10,000 vehicles each last month. Volkswagen Group said it sold 10,126 ID. series EVs in China in September.

CPCA said passenger car sales in China in September totalled 1.6 million, down 17 percent from a year earlier.

GM’s announcement that it will reveal its all-electric Silverado E at CES in January comes a week after Ford announced a $7 billion investment in batteries and building EVs, including the next generation F-Series pickups.

SAN ANTONIO — The revamped 2022 Toyota Tundra will boast a pair of new V-6 powertrains, including a hybrid, that offer improved mileage over the discontinued V-8 predecessor, plus a number of interior and technical refinements, including an improved infotainment system.

The next-generation full-size pickup equipped with a gasoline-powered, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6, named i-Force, is estimated by Toyota to get 20 mpg combined in 4x2 form, a 5-mpg improvement over the 2021 4x2 with a 5.7-liter V-8 engine. That moves it closer to comparable versions of the 2021 Ford-150 (22 mpg), Chevrolet Silverado (21 mpg) and Ram 1500 Classic (20 mpg). Toyota did not disclose the i-Force Max hybrid's mileage; EPA fuel economy figures for the gasoline and hybrid models will be released later. No diesel version will be offered.

Toyota, which has dribbled out details about the truck since spring and formally introduced it last month during "Sunday Night Football" on NBC, released…

General Motors said it reached an agreement with partner LG Electronics Inc. to recover from the Korean company $1.9 billion of the $2 billion in costs for a recall of batteries in its Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle.

GM had to recall all 143,000 Bolt and Bolt EUV models because of a manufacturing defect involving the battery that led to an increased fire risk.

As a result of the agreement, GM said its estimated reimbursement in the third quarter will offset $1.9 billion of the $2 billion in charges associated with the recalls, based on accruals under U.S. accounting standards. GM said in a news release that LG agreed to cover recall costs and expenses. The final recall cost will depend on the number of battery modules replaced.

GM will recoup nearly all of the costs of the recall, showing that CEO Mary Barra got the company’s battery partner to assume nearly full responsibility. With the settlement, both GM and LG can begin moving past the costly and e…