Tag: automotive news canada

Braking defect prompts Tesla’s big recall in China

By on April 19, 2026

Tesla Inc. recalled virtually every car it’s sold in China due to a braking and acceleration defect that may increase crashes and safety risks. The automaker will deploy an over-the-air software fix to more than 1.1 million vehicles produced in Shanghai from January 2019 to April this year, plus some models imported into China, the State Administration for Market Regulation said Friday in a statement. The defect relates to Tesla’s regenerative braking system, which makes use of energy created when drivers take their foot off the accelerator by sending power to the car’s battery. The vehicles haven’t allowed drivers to…

45% of used-vehicle loan terms ‘frighteningly’ long at 84 months, up from 25% in 2021

By on April 16, 2026

With high vehicle values and high interest rates compromising affordability, buyers — particularly entry-level ones — have been forced to extend borrowing time frames, Ross said. “Consumers are looking to stay in a consistent monthly payment range to what they used to previously, so the only thing they have is to elongate that loan term,” he said. Ross, Karwel and Abraham saw little relief in sight for buyers as both new- and used-vehicle inventories remained tight. UPSIDE: MORE F&I SALES For dealers, however, the longer loan timelines are creating opportunities. Finance and insurance products, once pitched when selling new-vehicle sales,…

VW’s Cariad, ThunderSoft partner on connectivity, infotainment

By on December 11, 2025

BERLIN — Volkswagen Group’s software unit Cariad will establish a joint venture with Chinese technologies provider ThunderSoft for connectivity and infotainment systems in China, with ThunderSoft holding a 51 percent stake. The partnership will develop software products for car cockpits, infotainment systems and cloud development. These are consumer-facing areas where automakers are competing to set themselves apart and retain control over valuable data on consumer behavior. “The needs and requirements of the Chinese customers are at the center of our strategic efforts,” VW Group China chief Ralf Brandstaetter said on Thursday. Cariad will be the minority shareholder in the joint…

Rising new car prices stalling purchases

By on November 2, 2025

More than a quarter of shoppers who would have bought a new vehicle within a year now report they’ll give it another 12 months. Additionally, interest in buying a new vehicle within the next six months has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, according to market research company GfK, which pointed to vehicle affordability as the culprit. Six-month demand for a new vehicle dropped 13 percent across all consumers between January 2020 and December 2022, according to a January survey by GfK. Demand fell 11 percent among households earning $50,000 to $99,999, a key consumer demographic. Interest in buying a new vehicle…

Germany’s auto industry must defend itself in moving to EVs

By on September 16, 2024

Germany for decades led on well-engineered combustion cars. It’s now facing a watershed year in the quest to retain an edge in the age of electric vehicles. Europe’s biggest economy is under growing pressure to retool dozens of fossil fuel-era factories employing tens of thousands of workers in a race for clean-technology leadership with the US and China. Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are rolling out several new battery-powered models in the coming months that will be pivotal to proving they can finally start to narrow the gap to Tesla and China’s BYD, the two clear leaders in EV sales.…

Amazon deploys 5,000 Rivian vans

By on July 15, 2023

“To date, Amazon’s Rivian vans have delivered more than 150 million packages across the country,” Amazon said in a blog post Thursday. More than 800 cities now have the electric vans delivering packages, the retailer added. Amazon first deployed the EDV van about a year ago. For the US, the van comes in three cargo sizes: 500 cubic feet, 700 cubic feet and 900 cubic feet, according to Rivian. “This expansion marks a major milestone for Amazon as we continue to drive the fastest rollout of an electric delivery fleet at this scale in the US,” Amazon said. Since Rivian…

Here’s how US auto sales shook out in the first half of 2023

By on July 11, 2023

Six months into 2023, the supply shortages that had handcuffed sales for several years were fading, and volume was up year over year in nearly every vehicle segment. General Motors outsold Toyota at the halfway point for a second consecutive year, and Ford was on pace to become the top brand for the first time in three years. Hyundai-Kia leapfrogged Stellantis to become the No. 4 automaker, as Tesla — based on estimates since it doesn’t report US results — climbed to No. 8. Tesla still has three of the four most popular electric vehicles, though others are grabbing more…

The latest numbers on the automotive microchip shortage

By on July 10, 2023

There are more signs that the microchip shortage is easing, even as automakers cut 82,573 vehicles from production plans worldwide last week, according to the latest estimates from AutoForecast Solutions. North American factories lost 38,677 vehicles because of a lack of semiconductors last week, in addition to 21,700 cut from assembly plants in China and 22,196 removed from production schedules elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. For the second consecutive week, AutoForecast Solutions lowered its full-year production-loss estimate for North America. It now expects about 954,206 vehicles to be cut in the region by year’s end, an improvement from the 1.01…