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Showing posts with the label Detroit

GM unveils 2025 Chevy Equinox with new rugged design, standard heated seats

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[ad_1] The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox RS. Chevrolet DETROIT — General Motors is redesigning its gas-powered Chevrolet Equinox crossover to look more rugged than its predecessors in an attempt to move the vehicle upmarket and attract new buyers. The 2025 Equinox, which GM revealed Tuesday, will feature additional standard safety and convenience features. Brad Franz, director of Chevy car and crossover marketing, said the changes to the Equinox are meant to boost the appeal of the vehicle, which GM introduced about 20 years ago. The compact crossover has grown to be among GM's best-selling vehicles. "It's critically important for us to be introducing this product right now. We feel it's going to be just as important, if not more, than [before]," he said. "We still expect it to be the No. 2 Chevy volume vehicle and, frankly, it plays in the biggest segment in the industry at 22% [market share]. We don't see that declining." Sales of the Equinox have b

UAW chief says time is running out for Ford, GM and Stellantis to avoid a strike

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[ad_1] What a potential UAW strike could mean for the supply chain What a potential UAW strike could mean for the supply chain 06:28 The head of the United Auto Workers warned Wednesday that the union plans to go on strike against any Detroit automaker that hasn't reached a new agreement by the time contracts expire next week. "That's the plan," President Shawn Fain responded when asked if the union would strike any of the companies that haven't reached a tentative deal by the time their national contracts end. A strike against all three major automakers — General Motors, Stellantis and Ford — could cause damage not only to the industry as a whole but also to

How Tesla's price cuts could spur an EV pricing war

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[ad_1] A Tesla showroom is seen in the City Center shopping center on January 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images DETROIT — Tesla vehicles in the U.S. are seeing significant price cuts, and that's proving to be a double-edged sword for the electric carmaker and the greater automotive industry. Tesla earlier this month slashed prices of its new cars by as much as 20% , making the vehicles more affordable and likely eligible for federal tax credits . But it also tanks the resale values of cars for current owners and is sending ripple effects through the auto industry. related investing news CEO Elon Musk hasn't directly addressed the price cuts, which are counterintuitive to his claims that the company's cars will be appreciating assets — a rarity for the market aside from classics and collectible vehicles. Analysts say the price cuts suggest Tesla is prioritizing sales over profits, potentially signaling a demand problem. "There's deman

White House no longer sending top officials to Detroit for UAW strike talks this week

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[ad_1] A United Auto Workers member on a picket line outside the Ford Motor Co. Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne, Michigan, on Sept. 15, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images The Biden administration is no longer sending two key officials to Detroit this week to potentially help broker a deal between striking autoworkers and the Big Three car companies, a White House official told NBC News. President Joe Biden last week said he would dispatch White House senior advisor Gene Sperling and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to support discussions between the companies and the United Auto Workers union. But the White House and the UAW mutually agreed it would be better to speak virtually via Zoom, the official said Tuesday. Sperling and Su could still go to Detroit next week but there are no firm plans for them to do so, the official added. "We'll continue to assess travel timing based on the active state of negotiations," the White House official said. Biden large

Canadian auto union reaches deal with Stellantis after brief labor strike

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[ad_1] Lana Payne celebrates on stage as Unifor, Canada's largest private-sector union, announce Payne as their new president to replace outgoing leader Jerry Dias in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Aug. 10, 2022. Cole Burston | Reuters DETROIT — Canadian union Unifor and Stellantis have reached a tentative agreement early Monday morning, ending a brief strike that began after a deal wasn't reached by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The Canadian work stoppage involved more than 8,200 autoworkers at several facilities in the Canadian province of Ontario, including two large assembly plants that produce the Chrysler 300 sedan and Pacifica minivan and the Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars. The strike and tentative deal, which must still be ratified by union members, occurred two days after Stellantis reached a tentative deal for about 43,000 U.S. autoworkers with the United Auto Workers union after roughly six weeks of targeted strikes that began Sept. 15. Details of the tentative ag

Toyota defies skeptics as stock seals best week since 2009

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[ad_1] Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp. Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images DETROIT – Toyota Motor stock sealed its best week since 2009 on Friday, as the automaker laid out a robust plan for future all-electric vehicles and company scion Akio Toyoda became leader of the Japanese company's board. Shares of Toyota on the New York Stock Exchange closed Friday at $164.35 per share, down 2.3% for the day but still up 10.6% on the week. That 5-day gain is the stock's best week since April 2009 when shares increased 14.5%. Such a rally is not typical for the stock. It's only the third double-digit weekly gain in more than two decades for the relatively well-performing but mundane stock. Shares of the company are up 20% so far in 2023. The positive uptick this year comes as recent supply chain problems ease for the automotive industry, including Toyota, and after Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, announced plans to transition from CEO to

Aretha Franklin's handwritten will found in a couch after her 2018 death is valid, jury decides

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[ad_1] A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other. It's a victory for Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin whose lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at the Queen of Soul's home in suburban Detroit. The jury deliberated less than an hour after a brief trial that started Monday. After the verdict was read, Aretha Franklin's grandchildren stepped forward from the first row to hug Kecalf and Edward. "I'm very, very happy. I just wanted my mother's wishes to be adhered to," Kecalf Franklin said. "We just want to exhale right now. It's been a long five years for my family, my children." Aretha Franklin did not leave behind a formal, typew

GM second-quarter sales increase 18.8% as supply chain stabilizes

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[ad_1] 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 GM DETROIT – General Motors' U.S. vehicle sales increased by 18.8% in the second quarter compared with subdued results a year ago when the automaker was battling supply chain issues. The Detroit automaker reported sales Wednesday of 691,978 new vehicles from April through June. That compared with 582,401 vehicles during the second quarter of 2022. It also is a sequential increase compared with GM's first-quarter sales of just over 600,000 new cars and trucks. GM's second-quarter sales, along with those of other automakers such as Honda Motor, Nissan Motor and Stellantis, indicate demand for new vehicles remains strong as inventories of cars and trucks improve from historically low levels during the coronavirus pandemic and supply chain problems. Auto industry forecasters project U.S. new vehicle sales to have increased 16% to 18% during the second quarter compared with a year earlier. Cox Automotive recently increased its full

Dodge Durango, Jeep SUVs push Stellantis second-quarter sales up 6.4%

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[ad_1] 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Fiat Chrysler DETROIT – Higher sales of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and Jeep Compass and Dodge Durango SUVs pushed Stellantis' second-quarter U.S. new vehicle sales up 6.4% from a year earlier. The uptick is another sign of demand for new vehicles rebounding, as inventories of cars and trucks improve from historically low levels during the coronavirus pandemic and supply chain problems. Stellantis' sales increase is expected to be among the lowest of the second quarter, according to auto industry forecasters who project industry sales to have increased 16% to 18% during that time compared with a year earlier. "We saw increased demand this quarter as market conditions continue to improve and our dealer network makes the necessary adjustments to drive sales growth across our brand portfolios," Stellantis' U.S. head of sales, Jeff Kommor, said in a release Monday. Shares of Stellantis gained about 1.5% after the news. Sa