Ted Ogawa becomes CEO of Toyota Motor North America this week, succeeding the retiring Jim Lentz. Ogawa wants to improve Lexus' product cadence and build on Lentz's One Toyota team building. But he takes over amid the global chaos of the coronavirus pandemic.

A multitrillion-dollar bailout sailing through Congress will mean FCA and General Motors will have some company in the corporate Bailout Club. Those new members need to know a few things as they arrive.

As the coronavirus begins to tear through the U.S. auto industry, automakers must weigh the costs of keeping their employees on the payroll or sending them to the unemployment line.

Toyota pulled down its normal March sales marketing campaign in favor of a new national commercial aimed at reinforcing Toyota's commitment to its employees, dealers and customers during the coronavirus crisis.

All three transplant automakers said they would continue to pay their workers during this shutdown. Toyota expanded its production halt to April 6. 

FCA said it was temporarily shutting its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant after a worker there tested positive for COVID-19. Ford idled a final assembly building at its Ranger plant in Wayne, Mich., and Hyundai its plant in Alabama for the same reason. VW closed its office in suburban Detroit after an employee there tested positive.

Toyota is stopping output at all of its North American plants on Monday and Tuesday. Honda will suspend production beginning Monday and plans to restart factories on March 31. Nissan is planning a two-week shutdown, according to an internal memo.

Toyota Motor North America altered its headquarters coronavirus plan, opting instead to allow any employee to work from home if they chose. Also, the automaker said it was reducing overtime production and halting Saturday production in its North American assembly plants.

Volkswagen of America's Chattanooga Assembly plant restarted operations Tuesday after a one-day deep cleaning to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Its parent company is preparing to shut down vehicle production in Europe.

Beginning Tuesday, the roughly 4,000 employees at Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Financial headquarters in Texas will split into teams to increase social distancing.

Strong February sales from automakers that reported them were helped by generous incentives and a friendly leap-year calendar. Will a surprise interest rate cut help keep February's sales party going a while longer?

The 2020 Atlas Cross Sport, arriving in dealerships this month, gives VW a two-row crossover to take on segment heavyweights such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Edge.

At the Audi make meeting in Las Vegas, dealers were told about efforts to improve profitability, including reducing service loaner fleet requirements. They also heard about efforts to boost the e-tron battery electric vehicle.

At their make meeting in Las Vegas, Mercedes dealers heard details about factory efforts to further improve profitability and expand on consumer demand for SUVs, while also preparing to sell the EQC BEV.