Tag: top automotive news

Should You Use Insurance to Replace Your Windshield: Yes or No?

By on June 3, 2023

It’s likely what happened to you before: a chipped or cracked windshield. Unfortunately, this type of issue generally occurs quickly, and without any warning. In addition, chips, cracks and breaks can be big, small, easy to fix or very expensive to repair. Each situation is different and calls for a specific action. It’s important to remember that when you experience windshield damage, seek professional automotive assistance as soon as possible. Not only is it extremely unsafe for you (and others on the road) to drive a car with a windshield that has been impaired, but small chips or cracks can…

Canada’s Linamar will ‘immediately’ break ground on new plant

By on May 18, 2023

Canadian auto supplier Linamar Corp. plans to break ground “immediately” on a new plant in Welland, Ont., that will house three giga-casting presses capable of producing very large aluminum structural parts for electric vehicles. The Guelph, Ont.-based parts supplier announced the new site in the city south of Niagara Falls as it reported its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Company CEO Linda Hasenfratz said the state-of-the-art plant will be a “flagship location” for the company’s structural castings business. “As the first supplier to invest in this equipment in North America, Linamar will naturally take a market leadership position in this technology,”…

Cupra announced Raval as the name of small electric hatchback

By on May 12, 2023

Also on Thursday, the Seat announced record operating profit for the first quarter of 2023, at 144 million euros, compared with five million euros in the first quarter of 2022. Revenue was 3.6 billion euros, 48 percent higher than the first quarter of 2022. Cupra began as a trim line of Seat and became its own sub-brand under former CEO Luca de Meo, now CEO of Renault Group. Cupra is now Seat’s main growth driver, Seat said. Seat said Cupra sold 46,600 units during the first quarter of 2023, 83 percent more than in the same period in 2022. Seat…

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…

JLR’s new identities: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender, Jaguar

By on April 28, 2023

JLR announced Wednesday that Jaguar’s first car under its new strategy will be a four-door electric GT priced at more than £100,000 ($124,200) with a range of up to 700 kilometers (435 miles). The absence of the Land Rover name in the rebrand created controversy on social media within the UK, with some commentators assuming JLR had dropped the storied name. However, JLR confirmed the name would continue as a badge on its SUVs to serve as a “trust mark.” “Land Rover will remain. It is strong, well known, and we will use that collective strength to give our brands…

What Happens if ADAS Calibration Isn’t Done?

By on April 28, 2023

Automotive design and technology are constantly evolving; each year, vehicles become increasingly advanced and reliable on electronic and computerized features to deliver better safety, performance, and comfort.Windshields are no exception. Although the windshields of newer vehicles may look like they’re just a piece of glass, most of them contain sensors, cameras, and other advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) equipment that play a large role in how your car functions. Unfortunately, this makes the process of replacing windshields more complex—and costly. Understanding ADAS Calibration ADAS refers to a wide range of automated features that assist or alert drivers while they’re…

Maserati updated the lineup with a choice of EVs, hybrids, combustion

By on April 26, 2023

Peffer said Maserati’s sales last year and so far in 2023 are primarily utility vehicles. Early data shows that around 80 percent of Grecale sales are conquests. The Grecale starts at $64,995 with shipping, a price point that may surprise some consumers. Houston Maserati dealer Steven Wolf said the brand’s image can make people assume its products are out of their reach, but the Grecale is more accessible. “I think that there’s a lot of people who don’t know you can get a Maserati in the $60,000 range, and I think that’s something [where] the word needs to get out,”…

Transport technology startup funding plunged 43 percent in March

By on April 23, 2023

Globally, deal activity in the mobility technology sector for the fourth quarter of 2022 was going flat into 2023, Jonathan Geurkink, a senior analyst at PitchBook, told Automotive News. “We are seeing investment shift away from the activity in and around autonomous driving and the ride-hailing and last mile stuff seems to be tailing off as well,” Geurkink said. “I think there are areas certainly in battery technology that look interesting. We’re probably going to put out an analyst note in the next month or so on sodium battery technology and some of the investments there.” Of the 47 investments…