Ford unveils electric Mustang SUV to challenge Tesla dominance

Ford Motor Co. is reinventing one of its marquee models — the Mustang muscle car — as a battery-powered crossover to become a player in the electric-vehicle market that is expected to take off in the coming decade. In a splashy ceremony Sunday ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the carmaker unveiled the Mustang Mach-E, a […]

• Bloomberg News
• November 18, 2019
• Bloomberg, Innovation & Technology, Sales & Marketing

Daimler edges past torrid few months to see strong rest of year

Daimler AG showed signs of moving past a rough few months marred by two profit warnings by predicting a strong rest of the year and pledging to control mounting expenses in the shift to electric vehicles. A drop in vehicle inventories will help boost the Mercedes-Benz maker’s bottom line for the remainder of 2019 and deliver positive […]

• Bloomberg News
• October 24, 2019
• Bloomberg, Earnings

Honda breaks sales record

American Honda posted the “best month of sales in company history” in August and set four different records, according to a release from parent Honda Motor Co. Between the Honda and Acura brands, the company sold 173,993 units, a 17.6% year-over-year increase, which “smashes all-time monthly sales records for total vehicles and trucks,” the release […]

• Joey Pizzolato
• September 6, 2019
• Sales & Marketing

New-car prices inch up, EV prices tumble in June

New-vehicle prices climbed 3% year over year, averaging $37,285 in June, according to Kelley Blue Book. KBB analysts attributed the transaction price growth to the persistent demand for trucks and SUVs, pushing both sales and prices in those segments. In fact, light trucks and SUVs are estimated to account for more than 70% of June […]

• Bianca Chan
• July 8, 2019
• Sales & Marketing

Volkswagen Financial introduces electric vehicle comparison tool

Volkswagen Financial Services has launched a digital tool for drivers to assess whether electric vehicles meet their mobility needs.  The idea behind the tool, called EV-4-Me?, is to eliminate confusion around what type of driver is suitable for ultra-low emission vehicles. "Ultimately, facts and evidence should drive the right decisions, and where potential myths overcharging […]

• Nicole Casperson
• July 5, 2019
• Innovation & Technology, Sales & Marketing

Volkswagen debuts car-sharing service with all-electric fleet

Volkswagen has rolled out its take on car-sharing services with the launch of WeShare this week. The service is available in Berlin with a full-electric fleet of 1,500 e-Golf-vehicles hitting the road.  By 2020, the OEM will add 500 of its e-Up! electric vehicles (EVs) and expand the program to Hamburg, Germany, and Prague, the […]

• Nicole Casperson
• June 28, 2019
• Innovation & Technology

FCA Proposed Merger With Renault Could Lead to Captive Discussions

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ merger proposal to Groupe Renault is likely to lead to discussions of creating a captive finance arm to “support the level of volume the new organization could attain,” Zohaib Rahim, manager of economics and industry insights at Cox Automotive, told Auto Finance News. “Last year, [former FCA Chief Executive] Sergio Marchionne mentioned […]

• Nicole Casperson
• May 28, 2019
• Innovation & Technology, Risk Management

Tesla Plans to Use Model 3 Lease Program to Stock Ride-Hailing Fleet

Tesla has launched a leasing offer for its $35,000 Model 3 electric sedan — without the standard option that allows consumers to purchase their vehicles at the end of the term. “With full autonomy coming in the future via an over-the-air software update, we plan to use those vehicles in the Tesla ride-hailing network," the […]

• Nicole Casperson
• April 26, 2019
• Innovation & Technology, Risk Management, Update