WAILEA, Hawaii — Qualcomm Technologies unveiled more powerful versions of its automated driving and digital cockpit platforms, which the tech giant said can deliver computing and artificial intelligence performance several times greater than previous generations. Qualcomm, which is hosting journalists for product announcements here at the Snapdragon Summit, also said Oct. 22 that it entered into a … [Read more...]

The number of service departments applying artificial intelligence is multiplying, with the technology handling everything from booking appointments to suggesting conversational language for business development center workers. The result is increased service department revenue and, hopefully, happier customers."I think if you're running a service department, you should be able to double your … [Read more...]

Honda Motor Co. is recalling 720,810 vehicles in the U.S. because of a faulty high-pressure fuel pump that can leak, increasing the risk of fire, crash or injury if it happens near an ignition source. The recall affects the 2023-24 Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2023-25 CR-V Hybrid, and 2025 Civic and Civic Hybrid. The fuel pump, made by Hitachi Astemo in Japan, was improperly produced, leading … [Read more...]

General Motors Financial saw net income fall by more than 10 percent year over year during the third quarter as the GM captive finance operation grew its financing income but spent more on interest. Net income: $499 million, down 11 percent from a year earlier. Revenue: $4 billion, up 11 percent. Net income attributable to common shareholders: $469 million, down 11 percent. GM Financial in an … [Read more...]

Auto lenders and dealerships should not ignore car buyers with lower credit scores, Armando Hidalgo, director of servicing at SameDay Auto Finance, said in a panel discussion at the Auto Finance Summit this month in Las Vegas. With many of those consumers "now needing credit, it is a good opportunity for us to capture some of that market," Hidalgo said. It is "also a good opportunity for borrowers … [Read more...]

LAS VEGAS — "Kara," "Chris" and "Sam," ScaleVoice's artificial intelligence "workers," are designed to sound and behave so much like humans that customers can't tell they're automated technology tools. The Czech company hopes U.S. dealerships will embrace them in the coming months as it pursues new venture capital and an expansion. "We're delivering AI workers built specifically for the automotive … [Read more...]

The first modern electric minivan available in the U.S. harks back to the 1960s, when the Beatles ruled the pop charts, free love was in the air and hippies of all stripes embraced the Type 2 Volkswagen Microbus. The 2025 VW ID Buzz — first promised way back in 2017 — goes on sale next month. It's more than a play for nostalgia. It helps VW expand into another, though shrinking, segment. VW … [Read more...]

DETROIT — It's just after 6 p.m. on a warm Wednesday evening at the sprawling Nissan Technical Center just north of Detroit. Most of the 1,400 engineers and others working here have clocked out for the day. But not a half-dozen members of Nissan's Acceleration Team. Crouched under a well-worn Nissan Z sports car and using a hammer to gently tap a new brake pad into place between the rotor and … [Read more...]

Many middle-income Americans are hesitant to buy a car until interest rates or vehicle prices come down, according to a survey from Santander Holdings USA Inc. The lender, based in Dallas, in August surveyed roughly 2,200 Americans who make about $50,000 to $148,000 a year. Thirty percent of respondents to the quarterly Santander US Paths to Prosperity survey said they were likely to take out an … [Read more...]

NASHVILLE — Nissan sales and marketing boss Vinay Shahani said he has a plan to execute perhaps one of the automotive industry's most challenging brand makeovers. Nissan's U.S. market share fell by about a third from 2018 through last year, according to the Automotive News Research & Data Center. The reduced throughput dragged dealer profitability in the first half of 2024 to its lowest level … [Read more...]

China exported more than 60,000 electric vehicles to the European Union in September, with shipments jumping to the second-highest level on record ahead of additional tariffs expected to take effect at the end of this month. Automakers from Asia’s biggest economy shipped 60,517 EVs to the 27 nations in the European trade bloc last month, up 61 percent from last year, according to customs data. The … [Read more...]

Automotive News has been highlighting the increasingly complex and rapidly expanding role that artificial intelligence is playing across all levels of the industry. From its use in the earliest seeds of research and product development to manufacturing, logistics, retailing and service, AI's promise to transform the industry and make it much more efficient is great. Yet, there is a common theme … [Read more...]

Hyundai Motor North America is recalling 1,568 hybrid electric compact crossovers due to a hydrogen gas leak that could increase the risk of fire if exposed to an ignition source. The recall affects 2019–24 Hyundai Nexo models, one of the first hydrogen-powered vehicles on the mass market. Hydrogen vehicles remain rare in the U.S.; only about 17,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles were on U.S. roads by … [Read more...]

A startup is offering auto dealerships artificial intelligence screening of their finance managers' sales pitches to customers for comprehensiveness and compliance — as well as AI customers for managers to role-play and improve their approach. Anomaly Labs unveiled its AutoTrainer software at the NADA Show last February. As of mid-September, without the services of a sales team, it had 50 … [Read more...]

GM said it earned nearly $4 billion in North America as third-quarter revenue in the region jumped 14 percent to a record $41.2 billion. Source: autonews.com … [Read more...]

After 50 years of R&D, General Motors is closing its Cold Weather Development Centre in Kapuskasing, Ont., saying the work done at the facility has become “redundant.” “Through continuous improvement, our cold weather testing capability has dramatically improved and evolved and issues can now be root-caused at the supplier and development stages,” GM Canada said in a statement to Automotive … [Read more...]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk faces questions about the automaker's plans to launch an autonomous robotaxi service with a future Cybercab model after offering few details during a Hollywood presentation in early October. Tesla reports third-quarter financial results after the stock market closes Oct. 23. It will then host a conference call with investors and Wall Street analysts, during which Musk is … [Read more...]

Elon Musk has been sued over ‘Blade Runner’ imagery. The production company filed a lawsuit accusing Tesla CEO Elon Musk of copyright infringement, saying it specifically declined to grant permission to use the images. Source: autonews.com … [Read more...]

Innumerable disclosures figure into analyzing the overall health of a publicly traded company. Source: autonews.com … [Read more...]

JM Family Enterprises CEO Brent Burns will retire and be succeeded next year by COO Dan Chait, the company announced. Chait, 57, will become CEO of the company effective Jan. 1. Burns, 65, will retire but remain on the board of JM Family, a conglomerate whose holdings include captive lender Southeast Toyota Finance and the finance and insurance product provider JM&A Group. Chait's succession … [Read more...]