Kurt Nagl

The reversal is a victory for suppliers, which have watched their top and bottom lines bleed amid supply chain volatility while automakers haul in profits. The move comes less than a week after Stellantis named a new purchasing chief.

Inflation and production volatility are squeezing the revenue, income and margins of major automotive suppliers that had been hoping for some relief by now from the financial headwinds of the past two years.

Two of the largest automotive seating suppliers are building out new plants here and looking to joint ventures to capture more business from automakers increasingly conscious of their spending with minority-owned companies.

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc.'s first-quarter net income plummet while it tries to manage supply chain volatility and the longer-term challenge of electrification.

"We are in the final stages of going through the analysis, and so I would hope within the next month, two months maximum, we should be able to be at a position to (announce)," COO Mark Stewart said.

The supplier posted adjusted net income of $108.1 million, down more than half from last year, on sales of $5.2 billion, a 3 percent year-over-year revenue decrease, according to its earnings report released Tuesday.

Detroit auto show organizers say sponsor interest for the return has been "exceptionally high."

The Detroit show has been shelved since January 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a reimagining of the event by organizers.

Smaller auto suppliers can keep their business running until it sputters out, overtaken by EVs, or they can totally rebuild their business around electric motors or new industries with no promise of success.

The EV startup indicated at the start of the month that it would be unable to submit its 10-K, or annual financial report, for 2021 on time.

The suppliers are looking to capture more business from automakers increasingly conscious of their spending with minority-owned companies.

It is the latest in a growing list of air quality violations for the automaker, which said Monday it is addressing the concerns "with urgency."