Vince Bond Jr.

Apple's connected car move creates challenge for automakers, analysts say
Apple wants to invade automotive instrument panels by making its iOS mobile operating system accessible on vehicle screens. ...

IHS to acquire Polk in $1.4 billion deal
IHS has agreed to acquire privately held RL Polk, the owner of used-car history provider Carfax and a leading provider of auto industry data, in a deal valued at $1.4 bil ...

Smartphones, devices influence expectations for connected cars, study says
Consumer expectations for connected-vehicle technology are being shaped by nonautomotive devices such as smartphones and tablets, according to a new study. ...

Volkswagen Group sales rise 4% on double-digit Audi, Porsche gains; VW brand slips
Volkswagen Group of America's U.S. sales rose 4 percent in May as the Jetta and Passat each recorded its best May ever and the Audi luxury brand posted a 15 percent gain. ...

U.S. lawsuit accuses vehicle shipping companies of price fixing
Several major import-vehicle shippers, which together are said to command 70 percent of the global car-shipping market, face allegations of price fixing in a civil lawsui ...

Tesla and Chrysler trade barbs about paying back Uncle Sam
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter today to respond to Chrysler's barb that Tesla wasn't the first American automaker to repay the federal government for aid. ...

AutoNation unit launches Shop-By-Payment service
AutoNation's lead-referral subsidiary has unveiled an online service that lets consumers search dealership Web sites for new and used vehicles based on monthly payments. ...

Ford, Chrysler to reduce summer shutdowns at most N.A. plants
Ford Motor and Chrysler Group said today they are scaling back annual summer production shutdowns this year in hopes of boosting output of key models in North America. ...

2 congressmen ask Treasury for details on 2008-09 dealership closures
Two congressmen -- one a former Ohio auto dealer and the other a Pennsylvania new- and used-car dealer -- have asked the U.S. ...

AutoNation unit launches Shop-By-Payment service
AutoNation's lead-referral subsidiary today unveiled an online service that lets consumers search dealership Web sites for new and used vehicles based on monthly payments ...

Lawsuit claims defects in Ford 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine
Ford is being sued by three vehicle owners in Ohio because of alleged defects in the automaker's six-cylinder EcoBoost engine. ...

Shaq: No grease needed to slide into my LaCrosse
Can Shaquille O'Neal really fit into a Buick LaCrosse? The debate continues, but Buick has to love the humorous PR its giant pitchman generates. ...

Michigan couple appeal sentence in GM trade-secret case
A Michigan couple sentenced to prison for stealing General Motors hybrid-car technology trade secrets filed appeals Friday with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in C ...

NLRB likely to certify UAW to represent Flex-N-Gate workers at Texas plant
The National Labor Relations Board likely will issue a certification today confirming the UAW as bargaining representative for hourly workers at a Flex-N-Gate Corp. plant ...

Specialized van maker that won $50M U.S. loan shuts down
Van maker Vehicle Production Group -- recipient of a $50 million loan from the Department of Energy -- has suspended operations and is in the process of being sold, its f ...

Flex-N-Gate workers at Texas plant vote to join UAW
After a contentious organizing drive, hourly workers at a Flex-N-Gate Corp. plant in Arlington, Texas, voted last week to join the UAW. ...

Beattie to head Kawasaki sales
Veteran auto industry executive Richard Beattie has joined Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. as chief marketing and sales officer. ...

2nd lives for EV batteries could cut prices
Lithium ion battery packs that power some electrified vehicles could end up feeding juice into the electrical grid -- a development that could cut EV ownership costs. ...

Enterprise promotes founder's granddaughter to key post
Enterprise Holdings has promoted Christine Taylor-Broughton, the granddaughter of the car rental company's founder, to senior vice president of North American operations ...

Industry veteran Beattie takes Kawasaki sales post
Veteran auto industry executive Richard Beattie has joined Kawasaki Motors USA as chief marketing and sales officer. ...

Flex-N-Gate workers in Texas vote to join UAW
Hourly workers at a Flex-N-Gate plant in Arlington, Texas, voted to join the UAW on Wednesday. ...

U.S. judge sentences couple to jail for stealing GM trade secrets
A Michigan couple found guilty of stealing General Motors trade secrets related to hybrid-car technology was sentenced to jail in federal court in Detroit. ...

U.S. judge sentences couple to jail for stealing GM trade secrets
A Michigan couple found guilty of stealing General Motors trade secrets related to hybrid-car technology was sentenced to jail in federal court in Detroit. ...

Penske Q1 net income jumps 23% on higher new- and used-vehicle sales
Stronger new- and used-vehicle sales for Penske Automotive Group pushed up net income 23 percent in the first quarter on an 8 percent rise in revenue from the year-earlie ...

Couple found guilty of stealing GM secrets set for sentencing
A Michigan couple found guilty of stealing General Motors trade secrets related to hybrid-car technology to help develop similar vehicles in China will be sentenced Tuesd ...