Philip Nussel Editor for Automotive News online [email protected] 313-446-0373 See All Staff Page Recent Stories February U.S. sales rate falls to 14.15 million; Ford drops 21% Saying goodbye to our editorial goaltender, an audience advocate Dave Versical guided the Automotive News newsroom through some of the most impactful stories in automotive history, and his legacy will live on for decades. Why the new FCA-PSA board merits a closer look The new board slated to preside over the combined Fiat Chrysler-PSA next year is loaded with the kind of executive talent that should help the automaker grapple with many emerging global challenges, but some voids remain. FCA names new purchasing, planning executives in N.A. as merger looms Longtime auto supplier executive Martin Horneck was hired to lead FCA purchasing and supply chain management in North America. He replaces Scott Thiele, who was assigned to a portfolio planning role. How can U.S. government regulate Tesla now? President Donald Trump publicly said last week that "one of our great geniuses" Elon Musk must be "protected." What does this mean to the multiple federal agencies that must regulate Tesla? Japan throws stones at Ghosn from glass house Japanese authorities seem hellbent on bringing Carlos Ghosn to their brand of justice, but there's no sign of outrage over dozens of their own executives avoiding criminal charges in the U.S. stemming from several years of supplier corruption. LUXURY: BMW tops Mercedes for first U.S. luxury title since 2015 BMW was aided by incentive spending as its crossovers continued to pace gains in December. Mercedes and Lexus declined. LUXURY: Mercedes-Benz wins November, cutting into BMW's lead The top three luxury brands moved into positive territory for the year. BMW led Mercedes-Benz by only only 3,280 vehicles for the first 11 months. GM lawsuit could mean major liabilities for FCA FCA faces massive financial, legal and reputational risks if GM's labor racketeering lawsuit gains momentum in the courts. Not a good thing for a company negotiating a merger with another global automaker. Regional UAW director resigns from post, union Federal prosecutors filed charges against Vance Pearson on Sept. 12 and he was placed on paid leave Oct. 4. The UAW, in a statement released Sunday, said his resignation was effective immediately. Alphons Iacobelli: The bad penny that keeps turning up Al Iacobelli is mentioned 66 times in General Motors' 95-page lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler. What isn't mentioned: He also worked for GM for 17 months after his crimes at FCA were committed. LUXURY: Mercedes wins month, closes in on BMW Mercedes outsold its German rival, while BMW posted a bigger gain. Kia names Karim Habib to head vehicle design Karim Habib, who left as Infiniti's design chief last month, will shape the future look for Kia vehicles and will be based at the automaker's global design headquarters in Namyang, Korea, starting in October. LUXURY: Lexus tops for the month; BMW leads year to date Lexus tallied its second-straight monthly win in a tightening three-way race still led by BMW. LUXURY: Lexus wins July, BMW still leads YTD Lexus led the U.S. luxury segment in July despite a sales decline. Mercedes-Benz posted a big gain to narrow the gap behind year-to-date leader BMW. Load More