June auto sales weaken amid CDK software outage: DesRosiers

TORONTO – DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says June light vehicle sales were relatively weak amid widespread software outages after cybersecurity attacks last month. The consultancy estimates sales for the month came in at 169,000, “dead even” with June 2023. Andrew King, managing partner of DesRosiers, says sales figures for the month are still far below industry highs, with June sales exceeding 200,000 units in pre-pandemic years. CDK Global, an Illinois-based company that provides software for several auto dealers across Canada and the U.S., was hit by back-to-back cyberattacks on June 19. DesRosiers says the June sales numbers were helped by an […]

GM brings in new CEO to steer troubled Cruise robotaxi service while Waymo ramps up in San Francisco

General Motors on Tuesday named a veteran technology executive with roots in the video game industry to steer its troubled robotaxi service Cruise as it tries to recover from a gruesome collision that triggered the suspension of its California license.

Marc Whitten, one of the key engineers behind the Xbox video game console, will take over as Cruise's chief executive nearly nine months after one of the service's robotaxis dragged a jaywalking pedestrian — who had just been struck by a vehicle driven by a human — across a darkened street in San Francisco before coming to a stop.

That early October 2023 incident prompted California regulators to slam the brakes on Cruise's robotaxis in San Francisco. It had previously giving the driverless vehicles approval to charge for rides throughout the second densest city in the U.S., despite objections of local government officials who cited flaws in the autonomous technology.

General Motors, which had hoped Cruise would be generating $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025, has since scaled back its massive investments in the robotaxi service. The cutbacks resulted in 900 workers being laid off j ust weeks after Cruise co-founder and former CEO Kyle Vogt resigned from his job in the aftermath of crash that sent the pedestrian to the hospital.

Ford recalls 95,000 pickup trucks in Canada because transmissions can suddenly downshift to 1st gear

DETROIT - Ford is recalling about 645,000 pickup trucks across Canada and the U.S. because the transmissions can unexpectedly downshift to first gear no matter how fast the trucks are going.

Ford spokesperson Maria Buczkowski said about 95,000 of the vehicles are linked to Canadians and repairs on the trucks are expected to begin in the third quarter of the year.

That's on top of more than half a million affected trucks in the U.S.

The recall covers certain F-150 pickups from the 2014 model year. Ford's F-Series pickups are the top-selling vehicles in the U.S.

For Tesla’s futuristic new Cybertruck, a fourth recall

DETROIT (AP) — Tesla is recalling its futuristic new Cybertruck pickup for the fourth time in the U.S. to fix problems with trim pieces that can come loose and front windshield wipers that can fail. Tesla has recalled the stainless steel-clad Cybertruck four times since it went on sale Nov. 30. The new recalls, announced in documents posted Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each affect more than 11,000 trucks. FILE - A Tesla Cybertruck is on display at the Tesla showroom in Buena Park, Calif., Dec. 3, 2023. Tesla is recalling its futuristic new Cybertruck pickup for […]

Car dealerships in North America revert to pens and paper after cyberattacks on software provider

NEW YORK (AP) — Car dealerships in North America are still wrestling with major disruptions that started last week with cyberattacks on a company whose software is used widely in the auto retail sales sector.

CDK Global, a company that provides software for thousands of auto dealers in the U.S. and Canada, was hit by back-to-back cyberattacks Wednesday. That led to an outage that has continued to impact operations.

For prospective car buyers, that's meant delays at dealerships or vehicle orders written up by hand. There's no immediate end in sight, but CDK says it expects the restoration process to take “several days” to complete.

On Monday, Group 1 Automotive Inc., a $4 billion automotive retailer, said it is using “alternative processes” to sell cars to its customers. Lithia Motors and AutoNation, two other dealership chains, also disclosed that they implemented workarounds to keep their operations going.

Car dealerships are being disrupted by a multi-day outage after cyberattacks on software supplier

NEW YORK (AP) — Car dealerships across North America have faced major disruptions this week.

CDK Global, a company that provides software for thousands of auto dealers in the U.S. and Canada, was hit by back-to-back cyberattacks on Wednesday. That led to an outage that continued to impact many of their operations on Friday.

For prospective car buyers, that may mean delays at dealerships or vehicle orders written up by hand, with no immediate end in sight. Here's what you need to know.

What is CDK Global?

Edmunds: The best performance cars for $65,000

The $65,000 milestone might seem like an arbitrary price cap for a list of excellent performance cars, but look carefully and you’ll discover that it’s a sweet spot for some of today’s most compelling performance offerings. Look upmarket from here and you’ll quickly be shopping in six figures without a meaningful gain in performance. And below this cost benchmark are some solid entry-level cars, but they offer far less performance. Here, then, are Edmunds’ five best performance cars for about $65,000. All pricing includes destination. Audi RS 3 If you’re old enough to remember motorsports in the 1980s then you […]

Tesla recalling more than 125,000 vehicles to fix seat belt warning system

Tesla is recalling more than 125,000 vehicles to fix a seat belt warning system that may increase the risk of an injury in a collision.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the recall includes certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.

The seat belt warning system is supposed to provide audible and visual seat belt reminder signals to drivers to alert them that their seat belt isn't fastened. The NHTSA said that on certain vehicles, the audible and visual seat belt reminder signals were not going off at the time they were supposed to, which doesn't comply with federal safety requirements.

The NHTSA said that as of Tuesday, Tesla had identified 104 warranty claims that may be related to the condition. The company isn't aware of any collisions, fatalities or injuries that may be related to the condition.

Associated Auto Auction collector car sale puts ‘amazing stories’ on block

Associated Auto Auction’s own version of Ford v Ferrari will be part of its latest collector car sale Friday and Saturday.

Among the 220 items that will be on the block at the Winnipeg company’s 7130 Roblin Blvd. site are a 2000 Ferrari 360 Modena and a 1965 Shelby Cobra Factory 5 Five — from the manufacturers at the centre of the 2019 Matt Damon-Christian Bale movie.

“There’s a lot of people who’ll be thinking they’re going home in this one,” said Brooke Collingridge of Associated Auto Auction, pointing to the newly rebuilt Shelby that includes a brand-new engine.

Craig Collingridge (Brooke’s father) and his family bought the business that’s been around for more than 50 years, six years ago. They now run collector car auctions several times per year in Winnipeg, Barrie, Ont., and Regina, with plans to expand to Vancouver.

Nissan warns owners of older vehicles not to drive them due to risk of exploding air bag inflators

DETROIT (AP) — Nissan is urging the owners of about 84,000 older vehicles to stop driving them because their Takata air bag inflators have an increased risk of exploding in a crash and hurling dangerous metal fragments. Wednesday’s urgent request comes after one person in a Nissan was killed by an exploding front-passenger inflator, and as many as 58 people were injured since 2015. “Due to the age of the vehicles equipped with defective Takata air bag inflators, there is an increased risk the inflator could explode during an air bag deployment, propelling sharp metal fragments which can cause serious […]

The unofficial spokesman for the American muscle car, Tim Kuniskis, is retiring

DETROIT (AP) — Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Ram and Dodge brands and the unofficial voice of American muscle cars, is retiring after nearly 32 years with Stellantis. The announcement Friday comes as Stellantis struggles with U.S. sales as it begins the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles. Through April, its sales were down 14.1% while the industry as a whole saw a 3.1% increase, according to Motorintelligence.com. For years Kuniskis was the spokesman for high-performance American cars, introducing many powerful models including last year’s 1,025 horsepower Challenger SRT Demon 170. FILE - Tim Kuniskis talks about the company's […]

After decisive loss at Alabama Mercedes plants, powerful auto union vows to return and win

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A decisive vote against the United Auto Workers union at two Mercedes factories in Alabama on Friday sidetracked the UAW's grand plan to sign up workers at nonunion plants mainly in the South.

But newly elected President Shawn Fain said the union will return to Mercedes and will press on with efforts to organize about 150,000 workers at more than a dozen auto factories across the nation.

Employees at Mercedes battery and assembly plants near Tuscaloosa voted 56% against the union in an election run by the National Labor Relations Board.

The vote count handed the union a serious setback a month after the UAW scored a breakthrough victory at Volkswagen’s 4,300-worker assembly factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Japanese automaker Honda revs up on EVs, aiming for lucrative US, China markets

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automaker Honda reaffirmed its commitment to electric vehicles Thursday, saying it will invest 10 trillion yen ($65 billion) through fiscal 2031 to deliver EV models around the world, including the U.S. and China. “Honda has not changed its belief that EVs are the most effective solution in the area of small mobility products such as motorcycles and automobiles,” the Tokyo-based company said in a statement. By 2030, battery EVs and fuel cell EVs will make up 40% of Honda Motor Co.’s global auto sales, and it will have global production capacity for more than 2 million […]

Edmunds: The five things you need to know before buying your first used Tesla

It’s a good time to be in the market for a used Tesla. Tesla’s significant price cuts over the past year on its new cars have caused the prices of used Teslas to drop significantly. But buying a used Tesla isn’t as straightforward as buying a used Toyota, especially if you’ve never owned one. The car experts at Edmunds outline five general tips for car shoppers who are in the market for a used Tesla. PICK THE RIGHT TESLA FOR YOU Most shoppers looking for a used Tesla choose between the brand’s two sedans and two SUVs. The Model 3 […]