Gabrielle Coppola
Car Sales Drop as Chip Shortages Stymie Buyers
The Huntington Ford dealership on Rochester Road in Rochester Hills, Mich. (iStock/RiverNorthPhotography)
After sounding an optimistic note in the first half of the year as soaring car prices padded their profits, auto executives have become more resigned to supply chain headaches after recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Malaysia hampered semiconductor production.
September 30, 2021GM Debuts Midsize Electric Delivery Van
The BrightDrop EV410. (BrightDrop)
General Motors Co.’s electric van unit plans to build a new midsized cargo hauler called the EV410, and has signed up Verizon Communications Inc. as the first buyer, the company said Sept. 28.
September 28, 2021GM Sues Ford in Fight Over Branding of Self-Driving Cars
A logo of the GM Cruise Origin electric driverless shuttle is displayed on the vehicle's door. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)
General Motors Co. is suing its competitor Ford Motor Co. for violating a trademarked driver-assist technology that’s used for hands-free features, according to a lawsuit.
July 26, 2021Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz to Start Electric Van Production in US in 2023
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Mercedes-Benz is bringing production of its new electric delivery van to the U.S. in the second half of 2023, joining a herd of automakers seeking to capitalize on the greening of e-commerce.
March 30, 2021LG to Invest $4.5 Billion to Expand Battery Capacity in US
LG lithium-ion batteries at the LS Power Group Gateway Energy Storage project in Otay Mesa, Calif. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg News)
LG Chem Ltd. plans to invest $4.5 billion in the U.S. by 2025 and hire 10,000 workers to expand battery capacity.
March 11, 2021Lidar Startup Aeva Adds $200 Million to SPAC Deal
A Lidar sensor is seen on top of a Byton K-Byte electric sedan during AutoMobility LA in November 2018. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg News)
Aeva, a laser-sensor startup founded by two ex-Apple Inc. engineers, is poised to increase its war chest by $200 million with an investment by a Hong Kong-based hedge fund ahead of its public listing via a reverse merger.
January 4, 2021Hyundai-Aptiv Venture Wins Driverless Test Approval in Nevada
A BMW vehicle outfitted with Motional technology drives in Las Vegas, where the venture is partnered with Lyft. (Motional)
Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv Plc’s $4 billion self-driving venture received permission from the state of Nevada to test autonomous vehicles on public roads without a safety driver, the company said.
November 17, 2020Daimler to Take Stake in Luminar, Diversifying Autonomous Efforts
Austin Russell, founder and CEO of Luminar Technologies, holds a lidar box at the company's headquarters in Portola Valley, Calif., in July 2017. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News)
Daimler AG’s truck unit is investing in a laser-sensor startup to bolster its development of self-driving trucks in the U.S. less than a week after striking a deal to use driverless technology from a unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc.
October 30, 2020With Fully Autonomous Driving Distant, Lidar Finds Its Place
A Mercedes-Benz Urbanetic Vision autonomous electric concept van, manufactured by Daimler AG, drives on stage at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Germany in September 2018. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg News)
The promise of self-driving cars and robotaxi fleets once seemed just around the corner, but reality is setting in. Makers of the underlying technology are pivoting to more realistic ways of making money in the here and now.
October 26, 2020Top US Dealer Warns Automakers Are Missing Resupply Deadlines
Pickup truck frames sit on the assembly line at the GM plant in Flint, Mich. (Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg News)
AutoNation Inc., the largest U.S. car retailer, is warning new-vehicle inventories remain thin as automakers miss resupply deadlines, which may mean fewer choices and higher prices for buyers.
October 21, 2020