Category: Automotive News

Study reveals drop in customer satisfaction for independents

By on May 8, 2023

Recent numbers from research firm Ducker Carlisle showed growing dissatisfaction with franchised dealership service departments. This week, JD Power released its 2023 US Aftermarket Service Index Study that showed an overall decline in satisfaction with independent repair facilities as well. The data firm revealed independent shops dropped in all three categories that make up the study — quick oil change, full-service maintenance and repair and tire replacement. Shops were scored on seven measures within each of the three segments. These include ease of scheduling, fairness of charges, service adviser courtesy and quality of work. This is the fourth year of…

Ford to alter China strategy, Farley says

By on May 7, 2023

Farley said the region remains key to Ford. “We believe that not only is it the biggest EV market in the world, but customers digitally are ahead of the rest of the world, and so it’s a really important market for us,” he said. “And what we really see in our presence there is battery technology, digital experiences for the customer and advanced products, both software and hardware integrated.” Earlier this year Ford shook up its China leadership team, promoting Sam Wu to CEO following the retirement of Anning Chen. Wu previously served as managing director and COO. Chen became…

F&I talks over video a good option for car buyers

By on May 6, 2023

Jonathan Jordan, director of retail strategy for F&I product provider JM&A Group, said his company launched its so-called virtual F&I offering in 2018. He told Automotive News in late January the company had logged more than 23,000 transactions where the F&I manager and customer had never actually met — with about 20,000 occurring in the past two years. The video chat feature at first focused on the notion “customers don’t want to come to the dealership,” Jordan said. But this hypothesis was found to be incorrect, he said. “What I like to say is ‘it’s not that they don’t want…

Quebec toughens ZEV sales mandate, frustrating automakers

By on May 5, 2023

Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette announced April 21 that the province was “accelerating” the yearly percentage of ZEVs that must be sold until the goal of 100 per cent is reached in 2035. The current Quebec sales mandates are already more aggressive than the proposed federal mandates and the new provincial targets widen that spread significantly. For example, the federal ZEV target for 2027 is 23 per cent, the current mandate in Quebec is 34 per cent and the newly proposed mandate is 43 per cent. For the 2030, the federal target is 60 per cent, the current Quebec target…

Aston Martin to renew DB11, Vantage, DBS sports cars in 2023

By on May 4, 2023

LONDON — Aston Martin will reveal the first of its overhauled sports-car range at the end of this month, Chief Financial Officer Doug Lafferty said. The automaker has promised to reveal new versions of its three core sports-car models – the DB11, Vantage and DBS – over the next 12 months. The company has not said which will be first, but the DB11 is the oldest model in its lineup. Aston Martin will increase prices on all three cars as it looks to return to profitability with a target margin of 40 percent. “All the next-generation sports cars carry that…

Searching “Windshield Replacement Near Me”

By on May 4, 2023

Car windows and windshields are things that many drivers just don’t think much about– until one day they suddenly need to be replaced. Maybe it’s a large chip, or a small crack that has since flourished over time into a web of other cracks. Perhaps it was a single incident of blunt force that smashed the windshield in seconds. Regardless of what it looks like or how it happened, the truth is that any damage to car windows and particularly windshields should be repaired as soon as possible. But since this is not something drivers actively think about, it can…

Robotaxi companies like Cruise, Waymo, Baidu seek scale

By on May 2, 2023

Robotaxis operate like ride-hailing services. Both incorporate data analytics to determine where rides will be needed, maximizing the utilization of their platforms. Customers hail them via apps. The similarities end there. “It is an entirely different business than ride-hailing,” said Alisyn Malek, CEO of consulting firm Middle Third and former COO of self-driving tech startup May Mobility. Unlike Uber and Lyft, which rely on independent drivers who own and maintain their own vehicles, robotaxi providers must account for vehicle ownership and maintenance costs, whether they absorb themselves or partner with fleet management companies. That business is inclined to conventional taxi…

Tesla will shoot for volume over profit: Elon Musk

By on May 1, 2023

Tesla missed market estimates for first-quarter total gross margin after cutting prices in the US and globally. The electric vehicle maker reported a total gross margin of 19 percent, compared with an expectation of 22 percent from analysts polled by Refinitiv, Reuters reported. Net income during the most recent period dropped 24 percent to $2.5 billion. Tesla reported global deliveries of 422,875 in the first quarter, a 4.3 percent increase compared with the previous quarter. That small growth suggests price cuts were necessary to maintain momentum amid rising EV competition and higher interest rates. The EV maker likely sold 161,630…