Dustin Walsh

Vinnie Johnson contended he is the true leader of his automotive supplier Piston Group in contentious testimony in Wayne County Circuit Court this week.

So far, the losses have been concentrated in Michigan, Indiana, Alabama, Kansas, Missouri and Ohio, where plants are shuttered over the strike.

More than 1,000 UAW workers went on strike at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Pickets were seen in downtown Detroit on Wednesday morning as the Detroit auto show opened its doors.

The bulk of the increased sales and income stems from rising vehicle production, which grew by 15 percent in the quarter globally. By region, production gained 15 percent in North America, 15 percent in Europe and 19 percent in China.

A partnership between Michigan milk producers and a Canadian distillery plans to produce ethanol for use in cars and trucks by 2025.

Auto supplier BorgWarner will spin off its fuel systems and aftermarket segments into a separate, publicly-traded company. After the spin-off, the legacy company would consist of two units, its electric propulsion and drivetrain division and air management segments.

Piston Group, owned by former Detroit Pistons forward Vinnie Johnson, sued the Council in May to restore the certification after months of battling.

The lawsuit alleges the council and its president, Michelle Sourie Robinson, were "vindictive, willful, wanton or malicious" in their actions to decertify Piston Group as a minority business enterprise.

The longtime subprime auto lender reached a $27 million settlement with the Massachusetts attorney general tied to alleged deceptive loan practices.

At the center of the dispute is whether former Detroit Pistons star Vinnie Johnson runs the day-to-day operations of his large supplier, which operates four subsidiaries.

The supplier, owned by former NBA star Vinnie Johnson, is appealing the action. The company's major customers utilize its supply contracts as part of their own minority-owned business spending.

Automaker purchasing teams are scrambling after the Texas winter storm that shut refineries and pinched supplies of needed byproducts. "This problem is bigger and closer than the semiconductor issue," one auto executive said.

Magna said the plant will supply EV battery enclosures to the 2022 GMC Hummer EV. The steel, aluminum and composite enclosures are designed to protect batteries from water and other elements.

The supplier said the ongoing microchip shortage could hit global auto production by about 10-15 percent in the first half of 2021 and likely lead to additional plant closures.