Brandon Steven Motors Gains Maryland Might with 12-Dealership Deal
Brandon Steven Motors announced the acquisition of Southern Maryland Automotive Group, purchasing 12 dealerships for roughly $500,000. The deal adds 33 new‑car rooftops across Kansas City, Southern California and Southern Maryland, almost doubling the company’s footprint. The portfolio includes multiple domestic brands—Ford, Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC, Lincoln, and Chrysler‑Dodge‑Jeep‑Ram—giving the firm a near‑monopoly on domestic sales in the region. CEO Brandon Steven plans significant capex, technology upgrades and in‑house marketing to modernize the acquired locations.
Stellantis Announces Second JV with Dongfeng as Jeep, Peugeot Go to China
Stellantis announced a second European joint venture with China’s Dongfeng, taking a 51% stake to produce a premium EV from Dongfeng’s Voyah brand at the Rennes plant in France. The partnership follows a €1 billion ($1.16 bn) deal to build Jeep and...
Lotus Dumps EV-Only Strategy, Teases 1,000+ Hp Hybrid
British sports car maker Lotus has scrapped its Vision80 plan to become an all‑electric brand and introduced the Focus 2030 strategy, which emphasizes a hybrid‑dominant lineup. The new roadmap projects a short‑term production mix of roughly 60% plug‑in hybrids and 40%...
Michigan Awards $5M to Slate Auto to Expand Its Headquarters
Michigan's Strategic Fund approved a $5 million performance‑based grant for electric‑vehicle startup Slate Auto, enabling a $10.4 million expansion of its Troy headquarters. The move will generate at least 392 new jobs across engineering, design and corporate functions over five years. Slate,...
Volvo’s Electric EX60 Launches in US, Undercutting Its PHEV Sibling
Volvo Cars introduced the EX60 midsize electric SUV in the United States, pricing it at $59,794 including destination—a $2,751 advantage over the XC60 plug‑in hybrid. The model arrives with three powertrain options, the top‑end P12 AWD delivering an estimated 400‑mile range,...
For Dealers and Automakers Alike, Good Service Is Good Business
Automakers and dealers are zeroing in on fixed operations as new‑car prices near $50,000, prompting consumers to rely more on service to extend vehicle life. Dealer service and parts revenue averaged $9.2 million in 2025, a 33 % increase over eight years,...
Denali Ultimate Trim Elevates GMC’s Acadia
GMC’s 2026 Acadia Denali Ultimate trim earned the Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX award, highlighting its upscale cabin upgrades. The package adds heated, ventilated massaging leather seats with plaited contrast stitching, real Paldao wood accents, and embossed topographical maps. Technology upgrades include a...
BMW Looks to Its Redesigned ‘Neue Klasse’ Platform to Help Spur Growth
BMW announced that its revamped "Neue Klasse" platform is driving cost cuts and growth as it rolls out new electric models. R&D spending fell 12% to about $2 bn and a €650 million ($708 m) investment remodels the Munich plant for EV production....
UK Sales Surge 24% in April Amid Challenging Environment
April 2024 saw the UK car market rebound sharply, with new‑vehicle registrations climbing 24% year‑on‑year to 149,247 units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The surge reflects a catch‑up effect after an unusually weak April 2023,...
Lithia Motors Reorganizes Dealerships as Part of Productivity Push
Lithia Motors, the United States’ largest auto dealer, is overhauling its dealership structure to drive more output from the same workforce. The company is centralizing back‑office functions, merging sales and finance‑and‑insurance roles, and expanding manager oversight to cover multiple stores,...
US Tariffs Erase All of Toyota’s North America Profits in FY2026
Toyota reported a record FY2026 revenue of ¥50.7 trillion ($324 bn) and a 2% rise in global vehicle sales. Yet U.S. tariffs erased all profit in its North American hub, creating a $1.9 bn operating loss and a –1.4% margin. The tariff hit,...
Toyota Reveals Grand AI Vision for Vehicles and Beyond
Toyota’s software arm Woven by Toyota introduced the AI Vision Engine, a large‑scale vision‑language model that fuses visual, behavioral and environmental data. The engine will underpin the next‑generation Anzen driver‑assist suite and the Arene software platform, enabling hardware‑agnostic updates for...
Ford’s Upcoming $30,000 Electric Truck: 7 Intriguing New Twists
Ford is engineering a $30,000 electric pickup slated for 2027, using a skunkworks team at its Long Beach EV Development Center. The truck’s architecture breaks the vehicle into three modular sections, employs a single‑piece aluminum front and a battery pack...
General Motors Sourcing 100% Renewable Energy for US Operations
General Motors has become the first U.S. automaker to power all its domestic sites with 100 % renewable electricity, a goal it reached in 2025 and announced ahead of Earth Day 2026. The company’s renewable procurement, including wind and solar PPAs,...
Subaru Outback Draws Family in with Fine Textures and Thoughtful Touches
Subaru’s 2026 Outback Touring XT, priced at $49,840 all‑in, earned a spot on Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX list. The model pairs a 12.3‑inch digital instrument cluster and a matching 12.3‑inch touchscreen with tactile climate knobs and a traditional shifter, striking a balance between...