David Sedgwick Special correspondent [email protected] See All Staff Page Recent Stories New Texas partnership buys Stellantis, GM and Kia dealerships A veteran auto retail executive and Kia dealership general manager have bought three dealerships in Texas in a new partnership. Canadian partners buy first dealership, in the U.S. PATH Auto Group partners Phil Alalouf and Todd Hewitt in April purchased their first dealership, a Volkswagen dealership in California. Toyota, Ford and Stellantis dealerships sell across 4 states Two auto retailers on the top 150 dealership groups list made first- and second-quarter acquisitions, while a business that is part of a company best known for owning the Minnesota Twins also made a first-quarter purchase. Ford, Chevy and Buick-GMC-Cadillac dealerships sell across 4 states A new group bought its first dealership, another expanded to four stores in Oklahoma, a Michigan dealer acquired a Ford location, and a group on top 150 dealerships bought two stores in New York. Conyers: Expanding the ranks of minority dealers Nathan Conyers was a pioneering force in the creation of Black and minority dealer advocacy organizations, including the National Association of Minority Auto Dealers, to expand the ranks of minority dealers. Braman: Megadealer unafraid to fight automakers Braman fought automakers in and out of court over vehicle allocation, dealer bonus programs, two-tier pricing and facility upgrades. Lithia store nurtures staff with tuition payments, guided onboarding, rewards DCH Millburn Audi, a dealership in Maplewood, N.J., is the top medium-sized store in Automotive News' 2022 list of Best Dealerships To Work For. Larry H. Miller Hyundai doesn't mess with success Asbury Automotive Group let the general manager of its newly acquired Arizona store stay in charge. And now the store has topped ' annual list of the 100 Best Dealerships To Work For. Dealership's commitment to staff means low turnover With a state-of-the-art facility, motivated employees and little turnover, Acura Turnersville was the top small store on the 2022 Automotive News' list of the 100 Best Dealerships To Work For. Acura Turnersville also was the overall winner in 2018. Magna CEO on AVs: Big growth is in Level 2, Level 3 Magna CEO Don Walker says the company is gearing up to produce the cameras, radar and lidar units needed for collision avoidance systems that automakers have begun installing in conventional vehicles. Trade tensions will outlast Trump, China expert warns It is tempting to blame current trade tensions between China and the U.S. on President Donald Trump, who after all has threatened a 25 percent tariff on imports. But tensions will persist long after Trump is gone, warns Mary Gallagher, director of the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan. Chinese firms stung, but undeterred by trade conflict Chinese automakers and suppliers aren't backing away from their plans to expand into North America. It's showtime for self-driving shuttles A number of key global suppliers have moved the ball on self-driving shuttles. Commercial vehicles might be an easier and more receptive starting point for the technologies. Trade tensions will outlast Trump, China expert warns The countries have serious differences over issues such as intellectual property and theft of trade secrets, Mary Gallagher told attendees at the “China Genius Series” session of the Automotive News World Congress. Suppliers are coming out of the shadows at CES Automakers will turn heads with new technology at CES this week in Las Vegas. But parts suppliers are doing a lot of the heavy lifting on those technologies. Load More