Industry

General Motors is getting into the business of grocery store carts, but not the usual kind with that one squeaky, wobbly wheel. GM’s BrightDrop unit has signed Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, to be the first customer for its new temperature-controlled Trace Grocery “eCart” for online order fulfillment starting later this year. BrightDrop, which

Kittyhawk, the air-taxi company backed by billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page, will be closing down, dealing a setback to the long-elusive dream of developing flying cars. “We’re still working on the details of what’s next,” the company said on Twitter last week. The company’s technology is expected to live on in the form of its

Bridgestone has partnered with Teledyne Brown Engineering to design and build a crewed lunar terrain vehicle. The Japanese tire manufacturer is teaming up with automaker Nissan North America to offer NASA, a vehicle capable of navigating the moon’s harsh terrain. Commercial space company Sierra Space and aircraft producer Textron are also joining Bridgestone, Nissan and

NEW YORK — Qualcomm projects that its automotive contracts will generate $30 billion in sales, up from about $19 billion only two months ago, the company said Thursday. The fast-growing figure reflects Qualcomm’s efforts to become a prominent automotive presence, CEO Cristiano Amon said during the company’s first automotive investor day. At the core of

GRAND RAPIDS — Economic developers confirmed Friday that electric vehicle battery maker Gotion Inc. is planning a nearly $2.4 billion factory near Big Rapids, aiming to create 2,350 jobs in the next decade. An application submitted to the state Thursday by The Right Place — West Michigan’s economic development agency — seeks approval for a

Electric vehicle startup Bollinger Motors said it’s developing an electrified refrigerated truck with trailer and truck body manufacturer Wabash. The companies announced Wednesday that Wabash’s lightweight composite technology, called EcoNex Technology, will be combined with Bollinger’s electric chassis cab to create a Class 4 refrigerated truck. EcoNex reduces the amount of electricity needed to maintain

Troubled EV startup Mullen Automotive Inc. has emerged as the leading bidder for the assets of bankrupt competitor Electric Last Mile Solutions Inc., including a now-idle former Hummer SUV factory in Indiana. Brea, Calif.-based Mullen agreed to a stalking horse bid of “almost $100 million in total consideration,” according to a Sept. 16 filing by

Getty Images Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million cars in the US because the windows might close too fast and pinch people’s fingers. Documents produced by American regulators show the windows may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it is a safety-standards violation. Tesla says a software

Kittyhawk, the air-taxi company backed by billionaire Google co-founder Larry Page, will be closing down, dealing a setback to the long-elusive dream of developing flying cars. “We have made the decision to wind down Kittyhawk,” the company said on Twitter. “We’re still working on the details of what’s next.” The company’s technology is expected to

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Earl Carter is forming a congressional caucus on vehicle data access that could lead to federal legislation. The Georgia Republican has sent a letter to colleagues in the House and Senate, inviting them to join the caucus and address policy issues related to access to and control of data generated by

STOCKHOLM/BERLIN — More than a dozen automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. have signed up with a platform for patent licences from 51 tech companies, aiming to simplify access to wireless technology and avoid costly legal battles. Conflicts have stemmed in part from different views among carmakers, suppliers and tech firms over

Rental car company Hertz Global Holdings plans to order up to 175,000 General Motors electric vehicles over the next five years, the latest move by the rental car firm to add zero-emission models. Hertz and GM on Tuesday announced a joint agreement in which the rental car firm will order Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for all new vehicles to be equipped with passive alcohol-detection systems that can limit or prevent the operation of vehicles by impaired drivers, according to recommendations released Tuesday. The agency’s recommendations follow an investigation into a 2021 crash in Avenal, Calif., that killed nine people, including

Uber Technologies Inc. said Monday a hacker affiliated with the Lapsus$ hacking group was responsible for a cyber attack that last week forced the ride-hailing company to temporarily shut several internal communications. Uber said the attacker had not accessed any user accounts or the databases that store sensitive user information such as credit card numbers,

Traffic fatalities on U.S. roads declined in the second quarter, halting an almost two-year rise even as Americans are driving more. Some 10,590 people died in car crashes from April through June, down 4.9 percent from the same period in 2021, according to estimates the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released Monday. Fatalities had been

Getty Images German car making giant Volkswagen (VW) has said it is aiming for a valuation of up to 75 billion euros ($75bn; £65.8bn) for Porsche when the luxury brand is floated on the stock market. Trading in the shares is due to start in Frankfurt on 29 September. A prospectus will be published on

As more autonomous vehicles operate in pilot programs and limited commercial deployments in multiple states, questions linger over how they should interact with law enforcement. Some autonomous driving tech companies have encountered problems. In April, a robotaxi operated by General Motors-backed Cruise was pulled over by San Francisco Police Department officers for driving without its

DETROIT —Of all the electric vehicles showcased at the Detroit auto show, only one can fully charge in 60 minutes, reach a speed of 155 mph and climb to a height of 12,000 feet. That distinction belongs to the Air One prototype, a two-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft brought to the Motor City

While the federal government hurries to approve state plans to support an electric vehicle charging network across the country, President Joe Biden is busy visualizing the end goal. “The great American road trip is going to be fully electrified,” Biden said Wednesday in a speech at the Detroit auto show, his first visit to the

Uber Technologies Inc said it was investigating a cybersecurity incident, after a report that its network was breached, forcing the company to shut several internal communications and engineering systems. A hacker compromised an employee’s account on workplace messaging app Slack and used it to send a message to Uber employees announcing that the company had

DETROIT — As cyberthreats to the auto industry grow, companies need to improve communication and cooperation to avoid hacks that could grind business to a halt, executives and regulators said at the Auto-ISAC cybersecurity summit in Dearborn, Mich. “Hackers thrive when companies aren’t sharing information, when colleagues don’t talk and when private and public sectors

President Joe Biden unveiled the latest developments in his efforts to deploy 500,000 electric-vehicle chargers Wednesday. Automakers unveiled EVs such as the Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac Lyriq in the days heading into the Detroit auto show. Not to be overlooked: EV charging companies themselves. Autel Energy, the U.S. subsidiary of China-based Autel Intelligent Technology Corp.,

DETROIT — Magna International Inc. said Wednesday it is testing a last-mile autonomous delivery robot for use on public roads as the supplier giant looks to develop new businesses in the mobility space. “The plan is to prove the technology — prove it has significantly lower costs than other use cases and other applications being

LAS VEGAS — Ford’s U.S. dealers must invest as much as $1.2 million and adhere to rigorous sales standards if they want to sell electric vehicles beyond 2023 as the brand tweaks its retail model to better compete with direct-sales startups. Dealers have until Oct. 31 to opt into one of two EV certification tiers

The University of Michigan‘s autonomous vehicle testing track has been awarded a $5 million federal grant to build out virtual reality software that will enable users to conduct tests from anywhere. Mcity received the funding from the National Science Foundation, which it said will “supercharge” the facility’s capabilities well beyond its 32-acre testing grounds on

Self-driving technology company Argo AI is rolling out an all-inclusive collection of autonomous vehicle products and services designed for commercial use to fit fleets and all vehicle types. Besides self-driving technology, products from the company based in Pittsburgh include a vehicle and fleet management system and a data analytics platform for vehicles used in ride-hailing

Rivian just added almost $3 billion to its market capitalization in a day, and all it took was a fairly bare-bones deal with a potential rival. The upstart EV pickup, SUV and van maker and Mercedes-Benz will join forces to build big electric vans in Europe ”in a few years,” the two revealed Thursday, sending Rivian

Stellantis has named Chris Taylor its chief digital information officer, a newly created position as the automaker works to become a “mobility tech company.” Taylor reports to Xavier Chéreau, chief human resources and transformation officer, and Ned Curic, chief technology officer. The move was effective Sept. 5. Stellantis said Taylor will drive its digital strategy

Even as electric vehicles account for a growing share of U.S. new-car sales, significant charging hurdles hold back interest, especially among renters and condo dwellers. Home equipment, typically in an owner’s garage or within easy driveway access, supports 84 percent of all EV charging in the U.S., according to a 2022 J.D. Power study. But

With robotaxis an always-on-the-horizon mirage — and costing billions of dollars to develop and deploy — automotive companies are seeking quicker paybacks for expensive autonomous technology. Delivery robots, which use the same sensors, software and manufacturing infrastructure, have become a prime opportunity. Magna’s announcement last week that it has started building a large fleet of