Irving Mejia-Hilario Former Automotive News Intern See All Staff Page Recent Stories How auto lending might be affected by proposed rule changes aimed at low-income borrowers Proposed new regulations could result in auto lending being included as part of the Community Reinvestment Act which would mean increased scrutiny of banks with large vehicle loan business. Ford, Honda, Toyota and Chevy dealerships change hands in 5 deals Ford, Honda, Toyota and Chevy dealerships in Michigan, California, Texas and North Carolina were purchased in deals this year by buyers including LaFontaine Automotive Group and Victory Automotive Group. VW dealership manages acquisitions like sales Volkswagen of Marion in Illinois has boosted its purchases of used vehicles directly from consumers by improving its tracking of such buys and increasing bonus opportunities for staffers instrumental in making them happen. Toyota adds 3 members to N.A. diversity advisory board Toyota's diversity appointments were announced Monday and were effective Aug. 1. Audi, Nissan, Ford and Stellantis dealerships acquired in Q2 and Q3 transactions Three dealership groups expanded, while a new group bought a pair of dealerships, in acquisitions that closed in the second and third quarters involving stores in Missouri, Arkansas, Texas and Vermont. Brand and dealership loyalty decreasing as consumers pay more, GfK research says New research from Growth from Knowledge AutoMobility shows loyalty toward brands and dealerships continues to decline as sticker prices go up. Former automotive group partner charged with murder for hire A federal grand jury has indicted Erik Charles Maund, 47, a former partner at Maund Automotive Group, and three other individuals on murder-for-hire charges. A quarter of consumers likely to go electric, AAA survey says AAA said 77 percent of respondents indicated a strong desire to save on fuel costs. Mercedes-Benz of San Diego fires 20 striking union technicians The Penske Automotive luxury dealership said the 20 terminated workers "unlawfully condoned and encouraged blatant picket line misconduct." CarMax finance arm grows pre-qualification feature CarMax Auto Finance is expanding its "no-impact-to-your-credit-score" pre-qualification feature to customers across the U.S. Lordstown Motors' Edward Hightower emerges as first Black CEO of a U.S. automaker in more than 100 years Edward Hightower was promoted to CEO at Lordstown Motors in Ohio after being president of the company. He has held several engineering, strategy, brand marketing and senior executive roles for GM, Ford and BMW. Tenneco CEO Kesseler to depart following acquisition Jim Voss, the CEO of Apollo, will take over as head of Tenneco once several final conditions are met and the deal closes. Interest in EVs and low-carbon fuels is growing, Consumer Reports says The 2022 survey says 14 percent of the respondents interested in EVs indicated they would definitely buy or lease an EV — a 10-point increase from the 2020 survey. Ford simulator helps vehicles get to market quicker The simulator, which helped bring the Maverick and F-150 Lightning to market, uses rFpro, a driving simulation software, and lidar by scanning roads to the millimeter to create an immersive experience for the driver. Union technicians strike Mercedes-Benz of San Diego The dealership offered a 15.1 percent pay increase for master technicians and a 10 percent increase for certified technicians, plus annual raises after that. Load More