Technology

The theme of this year’s Congress is “Investing in Innovation” and features keynotes from top executives at Hyundai, GM and Ford.

The Automotive News Congress Retail Future panelists identified affordability, range anxiety, education and regional climate concerns as key barriers to EV adoption during the discussion Tuesday.

Asbury Automotive Group is primed to become the nation’s fourth-largest dealership group with its pending purchase of Jim Koons Automotive Cos. Upon closure, the deal would be one of the largest in auto retail history.

To address communication challenges and achieve growth targets, CEO Joshua Johnson deployed author Gino Wickman’s concept of an Entrepreneurial Operating System.

As they prepare to meet Sept. 12-14 in Las Vegas, Toyota dealers say there is room in their lineup for a compact pickup that draws on the brand’s small pickup heritage and would be a Ford Maverick fighter.

Automotive News seeks to learn about dealers’ succession planning and decisions to stay in the auto retail industry or why they they have chosen to exit.

The proposal compares to initial offers of 15% by Ford Motor Co. and 16% by General Motors, though Stellantis wants to structure the raises in a way that would have a larger effect on workers’ future earnings.

Westlake Financial is working with Pagaya Technologies Ltd. to make auto loans using artificial intelligence, targeting a void left by some lenders that have been pulling back from the business.

GM increased compensation for dealerships that send their own staffers to pick up vehicles from certain factories to more than $1,000. Thousands of stores have made the effort to increase inventory and keep customers from waiting.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s “Run on Less – Electric DEPOT” will record performance, charge management and other metrics for three weeks.