Dealers vs. TrueCar: The saga continues

Three years after a nearly fatal dealer revolt and regulatory crackdown prompted it to change its ways, TrueCar continues to be haunted by suspicion among dealers and broader questions about its business model.

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Inside Sonic's used-only dealership

A tour inside a prototype Sonic Automotive used-car only store in Denver reveals fireplaces, "open consultation" stations with sofalike seating, and inventory searches guided by shoppers on a giant screen with an iPad.

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Can simplified trims and options help Chevy compete in D.C.?

General Motors recently began shipping cars and crossovers to Chevrolet dealers in the Washington, D.C., market with a guarantee attached: They'll get 500 bucks for any vehicle that sits on the lot longer than 90 days.

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FCA shift leaves only Hyundai-Kia with 100,000-mile warranty

Fiat Chrysler's decision last week 5/27 to reduce its limited powertrain warranty coverage by 40 percent brings it in line with its Detroit-based competitors.

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GM helps dealers find trade-in prospects

General Motors is paying about half the cost for its dealers to try equity-mining software for a year. The voluntary program is the first time that GM has subsidized its dealers to use the software.

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Stored Jeeps, Fiats to head to dealers this week

The "software issue" that led FCA US to park hundreds of Jeep Renegades and, later, scores of Fiat 500X subcompact crossovers at a test track here involved only the identification numbers of the vehicles, said a source with direct knowledge of the...

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NHTSA prepares to reorganize its senior ranks

NHTSA is preparing to restructure its management ranks following the exits of three key personnel involved with recalls and safety enforcement.

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Denver group finds sales in fun places

Schomp Automotive has its own internal marketing agency with dedicated social strategies for Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest.

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Volvo plant to build vehicles popular in U.S.

Volvo will focus production at its first U.S. plant on vehicles that sell best in the U.S., but not the XC-90 crossover.

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How can automakers add value to dashboard?

Automakers are lining up to offer Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto, but the halo effect that automakers are seeking from aligning with two of the world's coolest brand names could be fleeting and undermine the investments they've made in...

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Getting schooled in the car dealership business

Zeigler Auto Group's effort to grow its dealership group and cultivate employees has evolved into an in-house training program, spawned a crop of managers and reduced employee turnover.

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VW's next W-12 unites direct injection, turbo

Volkswagen's next-generation W12 engine will combine direct-injection technology and turbocharging, a VW powertrain executive says.

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Designers aim at China's new generation

The brash design of Nissan's designed-for-China Lannia sedan, which even its chief engineer admits probably wouldn't fly elsewhere, represents a bid to win the coveted 20-something segment that soon could account for half the Chinese market.

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Automakers race to meet sizzling demand for performance vehicles

Despite ever-tightening emissions laws and fuel economy requirements, sales of high-performance models in the U.S. have outpaced global growth since the teeth of the recession in 2009.

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California bends but doesn't yield on ZEVs

Jaguar, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Volvo may be small, but California won't spare them from putting electrified vehicles on the market.

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Audi boss focuses on SUVs to win consumers' hearts

Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, 52, is particularly bullish about the automaker's fast-growing SUV lineup.

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UAW's rich health care wears a bull's-eye

The UAW may be forced to compromise on the rich health care benefits paid its members to secure other gains in the upcoming Detroit 3 contract talks.

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GM recalls 375,000 heavy-duty trucks with Takata airbags

GM is recalling about 375,000 heavy-duty pickup trucks equipped with passenger-side airbag inflators made by Takata. And Subaru will expand a recall of Impreza compact cars with Takata airbags to about 80,000 from 20,000.

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Harman acquires Bang and Olufsen Automotive

Harman Industrial Industries, a supplier of infotainment, audio and software services, said today it has completed the $156 million acquisition of Bang and Olufsen Automotive, a supplier of audio products to luxury automakers.

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Tesla's Texas push runs out of juice

Elon Musk has been shut out of the Lone Star state again.

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American Axle may land tenants for Detroit site

American Axle and Manufacturing is in talks with prospective manufacturing tenants to be located at its former manufacturing grounds near the company's Detroit headquarters.

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2 car salesmen rescue trucker from fiery crash in Minn.

Two car salesmen from neighboring dealerships in suburban Minneapolis teamed up Wednesday afternoon to save a life.

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Ford F-150 output pinched by frame shortage, workers say

Production of the redesigned, aluminum-bodied Ford F-150 has been slowed by a shortage of frames from a supplier's plant in Kentucky, according to workers and a UAW official.

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Daimler chases Tesla in solar-powered batteries

Daimler is chasing Tesla Motors in a push to sell batteries for storing energy generated in daylight hours from rooftop solar panels to homeowners and businesses.

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Takata's U.S. deal will lead to faster airbag fixes, Foxx says

The legal order signed by troubled supplier Takata with federal regulators last week will speed the investigation to determine the reason airbags are exploding and injuring motorists, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

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